Norman Henshilwood High School in Constantia, during its fou

• Author: Janice Matthews and OWN Correspondent
• Published date: 20 April 2023
• Publication title: Constantiaberg Bulletin

Donald Woods was a South African journalist who became the editor of the East London Daily Dispatch in the 1960s. When the editorials of the paper became critical of the government, Woods was prosecuted several times for violating apartheid’s publication laws. Woods, in turn, successfully sued the apartheid government for defamation a number of times

The editor was known for befriending activist and Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) leader Steve Bantu Biko. When Biko died in police custody, Woods denounced the government, leading to him being banned.

He began writing a book, Biko, and on New Year’s Eve in 1977, he escaped to Lesotho and his family followed soon afterwards.

Woods shared a long-time friendship with a well-known pianist, Bruce Gardiner, who was asked to write new music for the high school.

Gardiner shared this news with Woods and other close friends during an evening meal at La Perla restaurant in Sea Point, in March 1973. This is according to Tony Heard, a former Cape Times editor, who was at the dinner party, along with Camps Bay Primary School music teacher Val Heard; Donald’s wife, Wendy Woods, herself a music teacher; and Bruce’s wife, Nell.

“The wine was flowing when Bruce mentioned the new school song. As an accomplished musician, Bruce had no problem composing the music, but with two wordsmiths at the table, Donald and myself, the challenge was immediately taken up to come up with something inspiring and aspirational for the ‘Normies’. Donald began writing the words on the back of a menu from La Perla for what was to become the new official school song for Norman Henshilwood High,” Heard recalls.

As Heard describes it, the assembled party, fuelled by the wine, then gave the diners at La Perla an impromptu rendition of the new song.

Dillion Woods, who learnt about how the school song came to be written decades ago through conversations with his father, says it is a lovely story about how something creative can emerge out of nowhere in the midst of creative people.

He was reminded of the song’s origin in a recent telephone conversation with Heard and decided to do some digging. He emailed the school, did a little reading about Bruce Gardiner, and through his search found a rendition of the school song.

“The part I recall was that my father felt the lyrics could be more inspirational and more positive, compared to what had gone before. It is possible Bruce may only have been asked to write new music only and that the words were an...