By Nothando Yolanda Tshuma
As Graemeans kickstart their 2024 Rugby Day festival on Thursday, 14 March, following the success of the 2023 tournament, which was also part of the school’s 150th birthday celebrations, this year, the festival began with Graeme’s U16A boys playing against Selborne, securing a 19-0 home ground win.
While the school celebrates the victory, the mastermind behind this annual 3-day event, Nico van der Meulen, will bid farewell to both the school and tournament as he is on the brink of retirement.
Having matriculated at the school in 1977, van der Meulen returned to teach at the school in January 1987. During that time, he was also the school’s 1st XV rugby coach for sixteen years, from 1988 to 2005. In 1998, he started Rugby Day, and due to the massive success of that event, he accepted the challenge of making it an annual one.
Every year, van der Meulen quietly and single-handedly made every detailed arrangement and gave his eager helpers their instructions. This ensured that the event ran like clockwork every time – van der Meulen had “his finger on the pulse” at all times.
“The success of the Graeme Rugby Day has exceeded my initial goals,” says van de Meulen, meaning that he did not expect the event to gain so much attention when he initially introduced it in 1998. He has been a significant growth of the sponsors, more than he imagined when he introduced what was then a one-day rugby festival.
The initial concept aimed to gather schools at a central location for competitive play, sparking widespread interest among other schools to join. Van der Meulen highlighted the universal love for rugby among schools in Makhanda, including Kingswood College, St Andrews College, and Graeme College. Contrasting this year’s three-day rugby event with the inaugural one in 1998, the significant efforts invested in planning over the years validate its evolution into a festival.
With van der Meulen retiring in June 2024, Watson praised his pivotal role in establishing and nurturing the event, now recognised as the premier schoolboy rugby festival in the province.
Although van der Meulen plans to oversee this year’s organisation, his trademark dedication ensures a seamless execution.
Watson says that Graeme College acknowledges van der Meulen’s unwavering commitment and wishes him the best in his retirement. This year’s Rugby Day festival commences from 14 to 16 March.
*[1] Editor’s note for omitted information: *[1] In the originally published article, GM refers to Watson, and we omitted to indicate that it is Kevin Watson, Graeme College headmaster
