Grey College, Bloemfontein


Grey College is a public English & Afrikaans medium school for boys situated in the suburb of Universitas in Bloemfontein in the Free State province of South Africa, it is one of the 23 Milner Schools, It's one of the top and most academic schools in the Free State province. The sister school is Eunice High School.
Grey College was ranked 1st out of the top 100 best high schools in Africa by Africa Almanac in 2003 and 2013, based upon quality of education, student engagement, strength and activities of alumni, school profile, internet and news visibility.

History

Grey College was founded on 13 October 1855 when Sir George Grey, the then Governor of the Cape Colony, paid a visit to the Orange Free State Republic and donated a sum of money towards the establishment of a school in Bloemfontein. The foundation stone was laid by Jacobus Nicolaas Boshoff, the second President of the Orange Free State Republic, on 13 October 1856.
The school was officially opened on 17 January 1859 and the first headmaster was the Reverend Andrew Murray. It is the third-oldest school in South Africa and the oldest north of the Orange River.
During his presidential inauguration speech in 1896, while addressing learners from Grey College, Marthinus Theunis Steyn mentioned that he envisioned a university for Bloemfontein where youth from all over the country could come and study. He supported the idea that Grey College should provide higher education to the people of the Orange Free State. As a result the University of the Free State essentially came into existence in 1904 when a tertiary portion of Grey College were allocated for such purpose.
The college first accepted matriculants for a full B.A. course in 1904. In 1906 the tertiary part of Grey College became known as the Grey University College, but shortly thereafter the school and college separated. GUC grew and evolved into the institution now called the University of the Free State.
Afrikaans- and English-speaking pupils study under one roof, but each language group is educated in separate classrooms and in its own mother tongue.

Grey College today

The school grounds consist of a number of historic buildings, of which five are Free State provincial heritage sites: the Main building and Hamilton Hall, the Andrew Murray House, the Brill House and the Tuck shop.
Extensive sport facilities includes an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a hockey astro, squash courts and several hockey, soccer, cricket and rugby fields. The school also has 16 all-weather tennis courts.
The school celebrated its 150th jubilee during October 2005, when numerous alumni visited their alma mater. The current headmaster at the High School is Deon Scheepers and the headmaster of the Primary School is Jurie Geldenhuys. A Museum which houses memorable artifacts, such as old rugby jerseys, and paintings, was unveiled in 2005. Each year on 13 October many old-boys hold a reunion.
In 2001 the school won the Sanix World Rugby Youth Tournament.
A trademark of the school is the unique handshake, widely recognized and used by students, old boys and members of staff.
The school offers a number of scholarships such as the Badawi Legacy scholarship given in partnership with Montpellier Rugby Club to promote rugby, education and French culture. Old Greys donate funds to the Jock Meiring Trust and Bram Fisher Trust, funds used for the administration of school grounds and granting of scholarships..

Sports

Grey College has been performing very well on sports during the year.

Notable alumni

International Rugby Players: