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THREE-SIXT-E | ALUMNI E-NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 7/DECEMBER 2013
Pause for thought
An alumnus says a silent prayer at the inter-faith service.
Prof Fanie Sonn and Prof Edith Vries lay wreaths at the reunion.
A sombre moment at the Sunday prayer session.
Founding graduates at the wreath-laying ceremony.
Eleanor September at the wreath-laying ceremony.
together our diversity. We share a common heritage in terms of our education. It was here where you were nurtured, cultivated, informed and sent out to bring about change in the lives of others.” He remarked that he was himself a product of the influence UWC had on the community.
It was a shock and a sad moment for some of those present who hadn't realised that these alumni had passed on. The assembled alumni sang 'Justice will Prevail' to the tune of 'We shall Overcome'. The wreath-laying service was followed by the Farewell Lunch at which contributions towards the University Fund were requested. Several alumni pledged donations, including Judith O’Connell, Prof Edith Vries, Dr Fillip Teise, Dr Eltie Links, Keith Small and Fozey Fryddie.
On the Sunday of the Alumni Reunion weekend it was time for reflection at the interfaith service and wreathlaying ceremony.
The first UWC graduates, Raymond and Vincent Naidoo, were his teachers and founding alumna, Eleanor September, had taught his father in George. “It is an interestingly small world with UWC,” he said. In his contribution, Shaykh Achmat Sedick acknowledged the contributions of the first graduates in the context of the struggle.
Rev Gradwell Fredericks’s central message at the service was diversity and his sermon used the body and its different parts as an analogy to show how each person had his or her own part to play in the bigger picture. Addressing alumni, he said: “Today we celebrate, reflect, reminisce and draw
The wreath-laying ceremony’s theme was 'Remember When and Remember Them'. The Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof O'Connell, requested a moment of silence during which the names of alumni who had passed were called out, including the Naidoo brothers, Percy Sonn and Henry Isaacs.
Imam Shaykh Achmat Sedick led a prayer at the interfaith service.
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Rev Gradwell Fredericks delivers a powerful message at the inter-faith service.