Muir College
Encyclopedia
Muir College is a public, English medium
school for boys located in Uitenhage
, South Africa
. Muir caters for pupils from Grades 4 to 12.
in the Eastern Cape
is one of South Africa
's oldest schools, if not the oldest.
Gert Scheepers was the first white settler in the Gamtoos Valley, establishing his farm Rietvallei in 1772. In 1804 the town of Uitenhage
would be founded on the site of Scheepers’ farm, and for the 12 years preceding the founding of Grahamstown
in 1820, Uitenhage
held the “hot seat” so far as frontier and military responsibility on the frontier of the Cape Colony was concerned.
In 1822 Scotsman James Rose-Innes arrived in the town to establish an English Free School as part of Lord Charles Somerset’s anglicisation policy. The school initially had an enrollment of 60, which had increased to 167 by 1829. In 1840 this school became known as the Government School. In 1873 the Government School amalgamated with the Proprietary School (established in 1864) to become the Public Undenominational School. In November 1892 the school underwent its final significant name change, becoming the Muir Academy in honour of the then Secretary General of Education Sir Thomas Muir. It became known as Muir College in 1906.
Stand and sing for auld lang syne,
Shout till the rafters ring.
Stand and sing our song once again,
Let every loyal heart now sing.
Then think of all the happy hours,
Think of the careless days.
Think of all who went before us,
Yet linger in our thoughts always.
Let us sing to the Muir,
To the school with the glorious memories,
To the men of the past, and the name they have handed down to us;
To the life and the strife, in the games that are stirring and calling us;
Carry on! Carry on! Carry on the good name of the Muir!
So - Stand and sing for auld lang syne,
Shout till the rafters ring.
Stand and sing our song once again,
Let every loyal heart now sing.
Then think of all the happy hours,
Think of the careless days.
Think of all who went before us,
Yet linger in our thoughts always.
record their first ever game as played against the Muir Academy in 1894. Headmaster John Mitchell had recorded in his diary on the 13th of April 1893 that “a meeting of pupils to decide on the football club was held.” Unfortunately this teething period of rugby came to an abrupt end in 1897 when new headmaster John Sutherland introduced soccer as the winter sport. Rugby was reintroduced in only 1923, and performances climaxed in 1931 with the 1st XV of that year recording 9 wins and 2 draws out of 14 matches to show that Muir College rugby had finally arrived.
, Graeme College
, St Andrew’s College
, Union High and Gill College
as their oldest traditional opponents.
shortly after the Second World War.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
school for boys located in Uitenhage
Uitenhage
Uitenhage is a South African town with 275,185 inhabitants in the Eastern Cape Province. It is well known for the Volkswagen factory located there, which is the biggest car factory on the African continent. The town's name is pronounced by English speakers and in Afrikaans...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Muir caters for pupils from Grades 4 to 12.
History
Muir College of UitenhageUitenhage
Uitenhage is a South African town with 275,185 inhabitants in the Eastern Cape Province. It is well known for the Volkswagen factory located there, which is the biggest car factory on the African continent. The town's name is pronounced by English speakers and in Afrikaans...
in the Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
is one of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
's oldest schools, if not the oldest.
Gert Scheepers was the first white settler in the Gamtoos Valley, establishing his farm Rietvallei in 1772. In 1804 the town of Uitenhage
Uitenhage
Uitenhage is a South African town with 275,185 inhabitants in the Eastern Cape Province. It is well known for the Volkswagen factory located there, which is the biggest car factory on the African continent. The town's name is pronounced by English speakers and in Afrikaans...
would be founded on the site of Scheepers’ farm, and for the 12 years preceding the founding of Grahamstown
Grahamstown
Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and is the seat of the Makana municipality. The population of greater Grahamstown, as of 2003, was 124,758. The population of the surrounding areas, including the actual city was 41,799 of which 77.4% were black,...
in 1820, Uitenhage
Uitenhage
Uitenhage is a South African town with 275,185 inhabitants in the Eastern Cape Province. It is well known for the Volkswagen factory located there, which is the biggest car factory on the African continent. The town's name is pronounced by English speakers and in Afrikaans...
held the “hot seat” so far as frontier and military responsibility on the frontier of the Cape Colony was concerned.
In 1822 Scotsman James Rose-Innes arrived in the town to establish an English Free School as part of Lord Charles Somerset’s anglicisation policy. The school initially had an enrollment of 60, which had increased to 167 by 1829. In 1840 this school became known as the Government School. In 1873 the Government School amalgamated with the Proprietary School (established in 1864) to become the Public Undenominational School. In November 1892 the school underwent its final significant name change, becoming the Muir Academy in honour of the then Secretary General of Education Sir Thomas Muir. It became known as Muir College in 1906.
School song
Stand and sing for auld lang syne,
Shout till the rafters ring.
Stand and sing our song once again,
Let every loyal heart now sing.
Then think of all the happy hours,
Think of the careless days.
Think of all who went before us,
Yet linger in our thoughts always.
Let us sing to the Muir,
To the school with the glorious memories,
To the men of the past, and the name they have handed down to us;
To the life and the strife, in the games that are stirring and calling us;
Carry on! Carry on! Carry on the good name of the Muir!
So - Stand and sing for auld lang syne,
Shout till the rafters ring.
Stand and sing our song once again,
Let every loyal heart now sing.
Then think of all the happy hours,
Think of the careless days.
Think of all who went before us,
Yet linger in our thoughts always.
Rugby at Muir
Photographic evidence of rugby at Muir College exists from as early as 1893, while Grey High SchoolGrey High School
Grey High School is an elite school for boys located in the city of Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Grey High School is not to be confused with Grey College in Bloemfontein, Free State.-History:...
record their first ever game as played against the Muir Academy in 1894. Headmaster John Mitchell had recorded in his diary on the 13th of April 1893 that “a meeting of pupils to decide on the football club was held.” Unfortunately this teething period of rugby came to an abrupt end in 1897 when new headmaster John Sutherland introduced soccer as the winter sport. Rugby was reintroduced in only 1923, and performances climaxed in 1931 with the 1st XV of that year recording 9 wins and 2 draws out of 14 matches to show that Muir College rugby had finally arrived.
Traditional rivals
Muir College counts Grey HighGrey High School
Grey High School is an elite school for boys located in the city of Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Grey High School is not to be confused with Grey College in Bloemfontein, Free State.-History:...
, Graeme College
Graeme College
Graeme College is a public school located in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa. It caters for boys from Grade 1 to Grade 12 and offers both boarding and day options to its pupils...
, St Andrew’s College
St. Andrew's College (Grahamstown, South Africa)
St Andrew's College is a private senior school for boys located in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, one of the 23 elite, influential and prestigious Milner Schools. It offers boarding and day options for its pupils. The premium Anglican boarding school caters for 450 pupils from across the...
, Union High and Gill College
Gill College
Gill College is a South African high school in Somerset East. It was originally founded in 1869 as a university.The school's namesake, Dr. William Gill, died in 1863 and left an estate equivalent to $23,000 US dollars for the establishment of a college of higher education. Gill College was...
as their oldest traditional opponents.
Famous Muirites
Muir College has produced two Springboks, namely Fred Smollan in 1933 and Garth Wright in 1986, while famed rugby scribe Mel Channer was selected for ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
shortly after the Second World War.