David Quail was my form master in Matric. Little did we realise at the time, I am sure, that we would both go on to become Heads of Jeppe.

 

One of the things I remember about Mr Quail in my matric year is that he had just become a provincial squash player and soon went on to don the green and gold. This was a remarkable feat as by then he was already in our eyes an old man!

 

Mr Quail was Head of Tsessebe and Headboy in 1954. So by 1967 he was already nearly thirty.

 

When he became headmaster in 1978 Mr Quail embarked upon several major projects for the school most notable of which for today’s purposes was the erection of these fantastic glass backed squash courts twenty years ago in 1983 at a cost of R137 000. If you were to go on to extrapolate the usual inflation index that would amount to about to well over a million rand today.

 

There are very few South African schools that boast such fine facilities and I often wonder how many boys realise just how fortunate they are as they are so easily taken for granted. By way of illustration, the Squash report in the 1982 school magazine bemoans the fact that the school did not have its own squash courts. The 1983 magazine report acknowledges the benefits of the new courts and the 1984 magazine does not even have a Squash report!

 

Mr Quail’s interest and support for squash at Jeppe quickly bore dividends and in 1985 Jeppe won the National Schools Championships.

 

Dave’s own squash career saw him move into the veteran categories as a player and he has served with distinction as a coach and an administrator at national level.

 

Naming these squash courts the QUAIL SQUASH COURTS is long overdue and it gives me great pleasure to unveil the plaque today.