Page 26 - moondani kyema

ndani kyema, My Story - Ray Moore 26

The Prep School was housed in a large two storey building just across the road from
the beach. Because of its position on Chefoo Bay, boating and swimming were high
on the agenda of school activities. Not in winter though. The Bay sometimes iced
over. Winters were cold, but I was not allowed to wear "longs" (i.e. long pants) until I
was old enough to go to the Boys' School at about the age of twelve. Meanwhile I
wore shorts in the summer and "plus fours" or knickerbockers in the winter. These
buckled under the knee and knee length socks were pulled up to meet them.

The strong evidence of the influence of the British Public School on the Chefoo
Schools could be seen in the emphasis on sports. Percy was a leading sportsman
during his time there. (See pictures next page) There was keen competition,
especially in the Boys School for honours in rowing. The climax of the competition
came on Foundation Day when two crews were chosen to compete in the two racing
boats called Hero and Leander. The crews consisted of a cox and four and there
had been six weeks of eliminations to find the two best crews.

Foundation Day was one of those special holidays that became weighed down with
tradition. Tradition or not, I loved the atmosphere. It was celebrated to remember the
laying of the foundation stone for the first major building on 15 June 1896. The boat
races were always on the afternoon before Foundation Day.