Blade Runner by Oscar Pistorius Read Free Book Online Page A

sport at
national level and wore the Springbok colours. The awards
were also worn in the school uniform: for example, full
colours entitled you to a school blazer with a wide red and
green stripe around it. I was awarded full sporting colours in
2004 and honours in 2005.
    At the apex of the school's student body were the prefects.
They were our elite, consisting of the best thirty or so boys
in the last year of school, and were responsible for leadership
in the school as well as activities like fund-raising and the
organisation of certain events. In addition, each prefect was
assigned to a dormitory (approximately three to each). As an
incentive the prefects were entitled to special perks and
concessions – it was considered a reward for their added
involvement in the school and for having demonstrated their
commitment to follow the school ethic and discipline.
    Pretoria Boys' High taught its pupils to respect one another
and respect the traditions of the school. It gave us a sterling
education. Pride in our school and appreciation of our good
fortune at being part of this illustrious family were instilled
in us, and as a consequence we learnt to take care of our
external appearance and keep our uniforms clean and tidy.
We understood that we were the face of the school, and that
our behaviour and appearance reflected that; it was important
that the school protected its good reputation and
therefore that people were suitably impressed by us.
    The raising of the flag marked the beginning of every day,
while every afternoon at half past five, one pupil would go
up into the school tower to lower the flag and play 'The Last
Post', a relic of a bygone, more military-style education. At
that moment, wherever you were in the school, whatever you
happened to be doing, you were obliged to stand to
attention, put your hand over your heart and observe two
minutes' silence. The respect for this rule was absolute and
applied to all, even our sporting opponents. No matter where
you were, in the thick of a rugby match or a water polo
game, everything would come to an immediate halt.
    Like other schools of this ilk, Pretoria Boys' High has its
own chant, which was used as a war cry in sporting events
to encourage and support our teams. We were taught to
respect ourselves and one another and to be disciplined. We
could play hard but we had also to work hard. The school's
objective was to produce both well-educated and well-rounded
young gentlemen.
    Pretoria Boys' High taught by example and inspiration,
setting out to show you that you were no longer a child but
a young man, and that with the opportunity came a certain
responsibility. Corporal punishment is illegal in South African
schools, but on occasion people did turn a blind eye. At
our school the prefects were in charge of discipline; the
teaching staff trusted them completely, confident in the
knowledge that they too had been through the school system
and were worthy young men who would not abuse their
position of power.
    Standard Six, the beginning of your school career and your
time as a boarding pupil at Pretoria Boys' High School, is
marked by a couple of important rites of passage. For the
first three weeks none of the students are allowed to leave the
premises to go home. This is a special time that is dedicated
to getting to know the school and your new friends, prefects
and teachers. We were obliged to learn all students' and
prefects' names, and any mistakes in this regard were
immediately punished. It was a powerful incentive. There
were two principal types of punishment, called obstan , which
is the Afrikaans word for 'wake up': they were given this
name as they were detached from the school and you were
obliged to do them out of hours, i.e. first thing in the
morning before you went to school. The first, more traditional
punishment consisted of having to write a thousand
words on a given topic, while the second was decidedly more
physical. The prefect in charge would wake you