BREBNER PRIMARY AND HIGH SCHOOL

In 16 bloemsnippets.blogspot.com of March 2010 we read a bit of history of the
Brebner High and Primary School:
Before 1900, the history of this school seems to be a bit vague and uncertain, what can be established, however is
that before the Anglo – Boer War, a so – called Railway Camp School was opened.
During the period 1900 – 1903, while Mr Sargant was Superintendent of Education this school was incorporated
with the new Railway Government School with a Mr C W Dunnet as principal. The new school was housed partly in
wood and iron buildings in Glen Road and partly in the upper story of the Hostel for Apprentices in Bree Street,
which had been opened in 1898. The ground floor of this building was occupied by the police.
In June 1904, the roll had reached 586 and plans were drawn for the new buildings on the old Show Grounds in
Glen Road. The foundation Stone of the new building was laid by the Lieutenant – Governor of the Free State, Sir
Hamilton Goold – Adams, on the 16th February 1906 and the school was formally opened by Earl Selborne, the
High Commissioner of South Africa on 2nd July 1906, under the new title, Brebner Schools.
The name was in honour of Dr John Brebner. This Scotsman was the first Superintendent General of Education of
the Orange Free State, and he did pioneering work in restoring quality education to the province as well as unifying
education in schools.
A highlight was the moving of the school to its present modern buildings and spacious grounds in January 1975.
The hostel was to move a few months later and the buildings were officially opened on 21 October 1975.
Brebner had eight head masters. In 1994, the present headmaster, Mr A W Taylor, took on the challenging
responsibility of heading this dynamic and vibrant school and leading it on its destined path of change (Marie & François Fouché, hrbloem@gmail.com).

(Very interestingly, Dr. John Brebner previously assisted the Boer Republic of the Orange Free State to transfer this little republic's money to Russia where it was kept until after the Anglo Boer War in 1902. They used some of the money to start their own newspaper, The Friend, in Bloemfontein to uplift the conquered people in the new British territory. This initiative inter alia gave subsistanance for the establishing of the Afrikaans National Press from which newspapers like Die Burger, Volksblad, Oosterlig and a periodical, Huisgenoot sprung up. The Afrikaanse Nasionale Pers has since been converted into MEDIA 24 which also has shares in Multi-Choice etcetera. A variety of periodicals such as YOU, SARIE and newspapers like Beeld and some of the biggest Sunday newspapers in South Africa, namely RAPPORT, belongs to this huge media conglomerate).