New boys ring old bell on joining Grey

A new tradition was started at Grey High School on Monday morning with the ringing of a bell that has not been heard since 1913, when the boys of the Grey Institute left the Donkin and moved to their new school in Mill Park.

During Monday’s ceremony, each one of the 170 new grade 8 boys entered the school – under the tower – after having his tie put on by one of the matrics.

The rest of the school then called out the “G” – the nickname given to the school’s war cry – the new boys entered the quad and each one rang the bell.

“Welcome! Today you formally form part of this august body,” Rector Chris Erasmus said when he addressed the boys at assembly later.

“In his poem, In Memoriam [Ring out, wild bells], Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote: ‘Ring out the old, ring in the new.’

“The bell announced you to the school as part of the school, it therefore rings in the new,” Erasmus said.

“The sound is special and reminds us of the roots, history and tradition of our school.

“At the same time, while it acknowledges our past, it also calls in your future.

“Ringing a bell therefore has many meanings.”

The bell, one of three which were cast in London in 1875 for the Grey Institute, was made by John Warner & Sons, the same firm which cast the giant 16-ton bells (Big Ben) for the Houses of Parliament and the four quarter-hour bells for the clock tower at Westminster Abbey.

When the school moved, the bells were removed from the tower and put in storage.

Later, the small bell was given to the junior school, where it now hangs, the mid-size bell was given to the Old Boys and put in storage and the large one was put on display in the quad at the high school.

The Old Boys’ bell lay in the foyer for many years until Erasmus decided to create the new tradition and asked Nati du Preez to design the new cradle.

The woodwork was done by Danie van Niekerk and the lights were installed by Chan Singh.