Almost 150 years ago, Bishop Charles Jolivet and four Sisters of the Holy Family Congregation in Pietermaritzburg arrived in Bloemfontein by ox wagon to establish a Catholic school and convent. The newly built red-brick double-story convent building, designed by the talented Bishop Jolivet, stood at the top end of Green Street behind the First Raadsaal. Entrance to the property was obtained from the nearby Eunice Road (President Brand Street). Because of its high-lying position, the Sisters wanted to name the building “Rocky Mount” but the Bishop opted for “Holy Family Convent, Greenhill”, called after Green Street. The irony of the name was not lost on the Sisters because “there was precious little that was green about the place in those days”, to quote one of them.
In addition to the pioneering circumstances and “hard struggles” of every kind, Bishop Jolivet and the Sisters faced another challenge: prejudice. According to Sister Leopolde, they “were looked upon with suspicion and the most weird rumours were spread concerning us”. At the time, many Afrikaans-speaking Protestants considered Catholicism a gevaar (danger). Free Staters were duly warned: “Beware of the nuns – they want to catch you with their sweet smiles!”. However, the locals soon discovered that the nuns’ smiles were sincere and that their children could only benefit from the excellent education, which was offered at Greenhill. Gradually, prejudice was overcome; from only five high school boarders in 1876, the number increased to 28 at the end of 1877. One of the boarders was a cousin of President J.H. Brand. The primary school, initially known as the “Parochial School”, started with 16 learners.
Although many parents remained suspicious of a “Convent education” for their daughters, Greenhill built a reputation for itself as a school with “a high prestige”. In 1879, a total of 58 learners were enrolled, 30 of whom were day scholars. Learners – Catholic and non-Catholic – came from all over the Free State and Kimberley. It was to Greenhill’s benefit that it had a friend in President Brand, who together with his wife were patrons of the school. The couple attended the opening Mass of the new academic year of 1882, even though the conservative Volksraad requested the President to set up a commission to investigate “the Sisters and their ‘doings’”. Nothing came of this request; instead, Greenhill continued to grow until the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer (South African) War in September 1899, when the building was turned into a military hospital. Despite being accused by a British military court of “harbouring the enemy”, Mother Francis and the Sisters showed no partiality when they treated injured British and Boer soldiers.
Greenhill reopened soon after the War and, reportedly, there was no shortage of learners to fill the classrooms. Greenhill also benefited from the efforts of Dr John Brebner, long-time Inspector of Education for the Orange Free State, who raised Free State parents’ awareness of the importance of a good education. When the school celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1926, it boasted an enrolment of far more than 200 learners. The students were not only attracted by the first-rate education offered at Greenhill but also by its pleasant environment. When a reporter of The Friend newspaper visited Greenhill during its golden jubilee festivities, he found a school with a view that must have been the finest in Bloemfontein: “… looking towards Naval Hill, a delightful vista is obtained with the city, beyond the Convent’s beautifully tree-planted gardens, unfolding in a splendid panorama”.
“Through good report and ill”, to quote The Friend, Greenhill gained public trust and built its reputation as a school of “high standing”. During the second half of its 104-year existence, Greenhill attracted growing numbers of pupils from various denominations and cultural groups, including Bloemfontein’s Portuguese and Lebanese communities. The school and convent became a multicultural community that was not immune to change. In fact, transformation in the broader Bloemfontein society was also reflected at Greenhill. Not even the Sisters’ habits were immune to change! More drastic perturbations were on the way. Towards the late 1960s, it became clear that Greenhill’s existing facilities were inadequate; the condition of the old buildings made them unsuitable for modernising. The Sisters of the Holy Family then decided to sell the property and purchase another piece of land in Deale Road, Bayswater, where a new school was built. The new school – also named Greenhill – was completed and occupied in 1972.
In 1976, Greenhill celebrated its centenary with much fanfare. During the celebrations, the four founding Sisters – Mother Frances, Sister Leopolde, Sister Adelaide and Sister Louisa – were honoured for not coming to Bloemfontein “seeking for material gain but sought [sic] for the means to make their ideals possible”. It was agreed that the Sisters greatly succeeded in achieving their ideals and they could only had done that by living according to the school’s motto of Semper Fidelis, which means ‘Always Faithful’. The school song is also called Semper Fidelis. At the time, Sister Cecilia, the inimitable principal of Greenhill from 1972 to 1978, expressed the wish that the school “will go from strength to strength”.
Sadly, Sister Cecilia’s wish was not fulfilled because Greenhill existed for only four more years after its centenary. In March 1980, the school announced the “closing of Greenhill Girls’ School at the end of the year”. The Sisters were decreasing in number and ageing; therefore, they found it increasingly difficult to carry the responsibility of maintaining the school. The fact that only 44 per cent of the learners were Catholic was also a significant factor in the decision to close the school. The school was “no longer viable”, according to its last principal, Sister Marie-Claire. Reportedly Greenhill, which had been mostly self-sufficient since its founding, applied for a full departmental takeover the previous year. The request was refused because it was argued that Bloemfontein had enough English-medium schools.
Today, more than 45 years after shutting the school’s doors, the name ‘Greenhill girl’ is still worn like a badge of honour by Greenhill’s Alma Mater. When a ‘Greenhill girl’ left school, she became a ‘Greenhill old girl’ who was linked to other ‘old girls’ by a common bond of friendship and unwavering loyalty to the school even though it did not exist any longer. Since the early 1980s, an annual ‘Greenhill Old Girls’ Re-unie’ celebration has been held in Bloemfontein and attended by ‘old girls’ from across the country. Sadly, the number of ‘old girls’ has been dwindling through the years, but a small, dedicated group keeps the tradition alive by maintaining long-standing camaraderie and, ultimately, by honouring the chorus line of the school song:
Semper Fidelis to Greenhill, lov’d Greenhill
Semper Fidelis where’er we may roam
Semper Fidelis to honour the highest
Semper Fidelis to God and our home
Sources
Anon. 1964. Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Bloemfontein. Bloemfontein: White. (Brochure)
Anon. 1976. Centenary journal: Greenhill, 1876–1976. (Brochure)
Anon. 1976. Greenhill celebrates 100 years. Free State Educational News 17, 21-24.
Brain, J.B. 1975. Catholic beginnings in Natal and beyond. Durban: T.W. Griggs & Co.
Free State Provincial Archives: A.566(61), The foundation of the Holy Family Convent, Greenhill, 1876 (pamphlet) and newspaper clippings (1949–1985); A.566(378), photographs (1932–1984).
Schoeman, K. 1980. Bloemfontein: die ontstaan van ’n stad, 1846–1946. Cape Town: Human & Rousseau.
The Friend of the Free State and Bloemfontein Gazette, 7 August 1889; 5 April 1892.
The Friend, 13 November 1926; 16 November 1978; 15 December 1978; 12 March 1980; 13 March 1980; 14 March 1980; 18 November 1980; 25 August 1981; 4 November 1982.
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