Background to the Fund
The aim of the fund is to provide bursaries to under-privileged and financially disadvantaged potential pupils who wish to enrol at Jeppe High School for Boys but cannot afford to do so.
Who was Theo Jackson?
Theo Jackson was an orphan who, following the death of his mother, was adopted by his uncle, John Jackson (himself a Jeppe Old Boy) and as result came to South Africa from Zimbabwe at aged 13. He was enrolled at Jeppe as a termly boarder at Tsessebe House in Std 7 (Grade 9) in 1961 and matriculated in 1964.
Although he went on to become a stage prefect and obtain half colours for rugby, Theo was neither a particularly gifted sportsman nor great academic. He was however intensely passionate about the school.
From the time he entered the school gates; Jeppe was to play a huge role in his life and was probably the defining influence in shaping Theo’s character and outlook.
Theo was intensely passionate about Jeppe and was determined to advance both the school and the Old Boys Club, Jeppe Quondam. So great was his involvement that he became President (and Honorary Life Member) of Quondam, was a founding member of the running section which now has over 200 members and is recognised as one of the strongest in South Africa, captained and coached the Jeppe Old Boys 1st XV Rugby team and was Chairman of the Governing Body of Jeppe High School.
But it was for his unwavering loyalty and friendship that Theo was most remembered. Perhaps due to his background, he always retained a deep compassion for the underdog and those whom he considered to have been dealt a tough hand in life.
Theo passed away tragically at the age of 48 in 1995 as a result of a heart attack.
The fund does not aim to identify talented sportsman nor those pupils who display academic excellence as it is felt that these pupils will stand a very good chance of being rewarded a bursary via existing scholarships and bursaries currently in place at a number of schools.
Instead, it is envisaged that the bursary benefit scholars who otherwise would definitely not have had the opportunity to attend a school of Jeppe’s calibre.
Therefore, the following principles are of relevance when awarding a bursary:
Sporting and academic prowess of the individual are not considered to be of importance. Rather, it is the character of the individual and their desire and ability to contribute to life at Jeppe and obtain the maximum from the opportunity given to them that is important.
The child's parents or family must be unable to pay for school fees and boarding fees
Children from disadvantaged backgrounds, who have persevered against difficult circumstances, will be given preference in the awarding of bursaries.
A further condition of the Scholarship is that all recipients will be required to enrol at Tsessebe House as a boarder.
An important principle of the sponsorship is that upon completion of their studies, at some time in the future, bursary applicants will be encouraged to “give back” by either becoming involved in the School or Foundation and repaying the costs of their tuition into the fund (when they can afford to so) so as to enable future generations of under-privileged learners to receive the same benefit.
The fund undertook it’s first pupil sponsorship for the 2006 academic year when Kedem Goldshtein, an orphan, enrolled at Tsessebe house and is now in Grade 10. The second pupil to benefit from this fund, Richard-Lee Durant, enrolled in 2007 and is now in Grade 9. In 2008, four boys were enrolled - Colin Khuthe, Donald Mokoena, Daniel Rogers and Tyler Campbell. These four boys are all in Grade 8.
The Scholarship Fund will be administered by the following trustees:
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Dale Jackson: Son of Theo Jackson and a chartered accountant who will control all disbursements and the accounts of the fund
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Craig Jackson: Son of Theo Jackson and a stockbroker whose expertise will be utilised to invest the capital portion of the fund
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Bill Silburn: Long time popular teacher and housemaster at JeppeHigh School for Boys whose knowledge of schoolboys and mentorship will be invaluable
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Bill Sears: Lifelong friend of Theo Jackson, Jeppe Old Boy and respected businessman
Below is a list of Old Boys, Non Old Boys and Institutions currently contributing to the Theo Jackson Scholarship Fund.
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Old Boys
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Non Old Boys
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Institutional
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| Barge, Alistair |
Adcock, Ron |
Action Sports |
| Buffey, Jonathan |
Albertyn, Kerry |
Classes of 64/65/66 Reunion Dinner |
| Burman, Bruce (64) |
Baker, Richard |
Deutsche Bank Foundation |
| Carr, James |
Clark, Lauren |
Investec Bank Securities Division |
| Crossling, Cleve |
Du Plessis, Tommy |
Jeppe Quondam Athletics Section |
| De Klerk, Darryl |
Fisher, Kevin |
|
| Dick, Michael |
Gillies, Ben |
|
| Forbes, Ian (65) |
Grota, Robbie |
|
| Frost, Roydon |
Hairs, Don |
|
| Gibbs, Collen |
Harding, Carla |
|
| Gillman, Clive |
Jackson, Elaine |
|
| Goldschtein, Mars |
McDulling, Hugh |
|
| Humphrey, Roly |
Sadler, Mickey |
|
| Jackson, Craig |
Savage, Sarah |
|
| Jackson, Dale |
Squara, Sandra |
|
| Johnston, Mark |
Stacey, Lana |
|
| Jordaan, Leonard |
Swemmer, Mike |
|
| Jutzen, John |
Van Geems, Marianne |
|
| Lane, Brian (67) |
Versveld, Trish |
|
| McCann, Eamonn |
Versveld, Tony |
|
| McDonald, Alistair |
Viggers, Billy |
|
| McKenzie, Glen |
Walsh, Carole |
|
| Nielson, Paul |
Walsh, Pat |
|
| Oberholzer, Anton |
Wood, Roland |
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| Parker, Grant |
|
|
| Peterson, Chad |
|
|
| Proudfoot, Dave |
|
|
| Proudfoot, Ryan |
|
|
| Richardson, Bruce |
|
|
| Rouse, Alan |
|
|
| Savage, Justin |
|
|
| Scott, Brad (96) |
|
|
| Sears, Bill |
|
|
| Shelly, Rob |
|
|
| Silburn, Bill |
|
|
| Steedman, Mike |
|
|
| Swanefelder, Roger |
|
|
| Tait, Kevin (67) |
|
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| Walsh, James |
|
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| Wohler, Troy |
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Summary
Living in South Africa, in our opinion, brings with it certain responsibilities. Although a beautiful country with unbounded potential, South Africa nevertheless has a number of serious infrastructural and socioeconomic problems, one of which is the lack of widely available quality education.
It is said that the gift of education is the greatest gift that one can ever give.The Theo Jackson Scholarship Fund aims to provide this gift to one underprivileged child per year so that children can have the opportunity to enjoy an experience which they would otherwise never have had.
Hopefully, like Theo Jackson, they will in turn repay the school, society and our country in time by giving back more than they ever received.
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