Bryanston Primary remembers sport teacher
Staff and pupils remembered the late Christopher Joubert at the annual Bryanston Primary School six-a-side soccer and netball tournamanet.
Joubert, the son of the founder of Bryanston Primary School, had a huge influence on the growth of the tournament. He was a former pupil at the school and later became a respected staff member for a number of years.
The six-a-side soccer tournament was started at the school in 1969. In 1997 a round-robin netball tournament was set up to run alongside the six-a-side soccer tournament.
Jourbert’s most important contribution was that he insisted on a knock-out, rather than a round-robin system, saying he felt the whole point of the exercise was participation in sport. “Even though some teams would only play for a few minutes before being knocked-out, it meant that every child got a chance to play, if only for a short time,” explained Aleshan Moodley, head of sport at the school.
“He would say, ‘It’s not about winning, it’s about playing.’ He passed away in 2012, and his charisma, passion and enthusiasm was sorely missed at this year’s successful event.”
Saturday’s event was a day full of excitement, much cheering, fun and a lot of dedication and excellent sportmanship from all the pupils who participated. An estimated 4 000 pupils and spectators attended the event.
