THE PREP 1956

“There is no such whetstone, to sharpen a good wit and encourage a will to learning, as is praise.” The Schoolmaster

St John’s Preparatory School was founded in 1956 by Peter and Barbara Hickman at their Borrowdale property. It began as a small family school with 13 pupils. It was their desire to establish a school for boys which offered a sound system of education in an atmosphere conducive to the growth and development of each personality. The school soon grew into a viable private school with 120 boys with a class in each grade from 1 to 7.

THE COLLEGE 1986

“School is a building which has four walls with tomorrow inside” Lon Watters

Conceptualisation Brian Igoe, a parent and Governor of St John’s Prep School, first raised the idea of another private secondary school in the mid-70s. However it could not be pursued due to constraints arising from the prevailing struggle for independence. In 1981 Scot Honey and David Ellman-Brown revived the proposal. There was an overwhelming positive response and by February 1982 the first informal discussions took place with the Ministry of Education. Scot Honey was appointed Chairman of a sub committee charged with overseeing the development of the proposed college. Colin Broadbent, Anthony de la Rue, Stuart Perry and David Zamchiya came on board and set about finding a suitable site. The ‘maize patch’ was obviously preferable but it had been zoned as a Government primary school. However, permission was granted for its re-zoning and with a generous donation by a local firm of the land across the road, there was ample space to build our College. By January 1983 a formal application to establish the College was made to the Ministry of Education. David Zamchiya played a crucial role in sensitive discussions, affirming the Government’s policy of racial quality and social justice.

THE ECD 2017