Celebrities share success stories

Two former students of Mitchell House Principal Andrew Cook took the trip to Polokwane last Monday to share their success stories with Grade 4 to 12-learners in the school’s theatre.
Bariton Reiner Schneider-Waterberg now lives in Switzerland and James Pitman is an aircraft designer, builder and test pilot in Johannesburg. Both were pupils at Michaelhouse in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) midlands where Cook was their English teacher during the early eighties. Cook made contact with his former students and they flew to Polokwane in one of the aircrafts that was designed and built by Pitman in his factory.
Schneider-Waterberg was born in Namibia and is a regular visitor to his home country and of South Africa. He matriculated with eight distinctions and the top results in KZN, was awarded one of only two national Anglo open scholarships and went on to study two degrees simultaneously, a B.Com in Economics and Mathematics and a BA in Greek and Latin. A Bradlows Foundation scholarship took him to study International Relations at Cambridge University in England. There he became a member of some of the top choirs and a successful vocal soloist, and after the end of his three years decided to change course completely, study music, first in Salzburg in Austria and then in Basel in Switzerland, and became a singer.
Thirteen years ago he joined the German a cappella vocal group Singer Pur which has toured to more than 50 countries and won major CD awards.
He entertained learners with popular songs that included ‘My way’, ‘The impossible dream’ and ‘What a wonderful world’ and was accompanied by Mitchell House music teacher Amrian Terblanché.
Pitman told learners that he studied Law, became a successful lawyer and finally followed his dream to design, build and fly his own aircrafts. He is now the co-owner of his own aircraft manufacturing company called The Airplane Factory and has taken on a number of around the world trips to test the products from his own factory. The very popular Sting aircraft is one of his brainchildren.

Story and photos: BARRY VILJOEN
>>barryv.observer@gmail.com