Reflecting on the growth of water polo at Jeppe High School for Boys, the school traced the sport’s roots to Jeppe Quondam learners who played during its popularity in the 1920s and 1930s.

Although it was not an official school sport at the time, it is likely that Jeppe boys participated in the game.

Although there are records of water polo being played at the school from 1930 to 1935, most likely at the instigation of Jeppe old boys who played at Jeppe Quondam, after 1935, it stopped, and it was not a school sport again until the 1970s.

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The sport next appeared at the school as an extramural activity in 1976. The first captain was Laurie Stegmann, a Springbok swimmer, who later became instrumental in introducing and running the Ken Short tournament.

Rugby, hockey and cricket were the major sports at the school in those days, and remain so today. Initially, water polo was considered a Cinderella sport.

Typically, at schools, water polo matches were played on Wednesday afternoons after swimming galas. Teams were picked from swimmers who had already competed earlier in the day, usually forming senior and junior sides.

That started to change in the 1980s and 1990s when more age groups became involved, and fixtures were arranged for Saturday mornings.

The first interschool tournament, the Edwardian Cup for First teams, was introduced in the 1970s, but fell away and was reintroduced as a national tournament in 1982. It is now the King Edward Festival, held on the same weekend as the Jeppe U14 festival.

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The development of Jeppe’s own water polo festival began in 1997 when the school hosted an U13 tournament. A group of passionate parents, including Stegmann and Ken Short, organised it.

Ken Short, the father of the 1996/97 water polo captain Andrew Short, was a leading figure among the parents in the water polo section. The idea for an U14 tournament was his vision. Sixteen local teams played in that first one–day tournament.

Ken Short was heavily involved in organising the second Jeppe U13 tournament in 1998, but he died two weeks before it was due to take place. The event went ahead, and it was decided to call it the Ken Short Shield in his memory.

Over time, the tournament evolved into a festival that fostered sportsmanship and provided young players with opportunities to develop their skills.