Marketing has always been important, and in the 1980s Falcon College put out various publicity brochures, one on the College generally and others documenting progress on Quiet Waters, shortly after its opening. The photographs below are copied from these publications. Many of the photographs were taken by George Tattersfield, and some readers will recognise two which achieved iconic status at the time: the super moon rising over Quiet Waters and also the photoshopped "rugby team", with vests numbered up to 20!
Bushtick Mine in 1918. My guess is that this is somewhere near where Chubb House is at present.
The road leading away from the College
Below are two easily recognisable falcons found on College buildings. The first is the beautiful mosaic completed by Jill Turner for the new dining hall.
A fine shot from the air, swimming bath hill off to the left
The two fields, Founders and Main
No Falcon schoolboy at the time will ever forget walking to and from lessons, and, in particular, Form One boys having to run ... note the little lad third from the right in the foreground (Jasper Thornycroft)!
The sun is low in the sky, so this young man is heading off to evening classes
The front of the Turner Hall is an original mine building which formerly housed the College library
The fountain between the Science Labs and the admin block
The Headmaster, Neil Todd
A few photographs in the Science Labs follow below.
Below, centre of the photograph is Mark Minshull, on his left if Lao Smith and closest to the camera is Angus Selby.
Dr Hoole supervising a Sixth Form Chemistry lesson
Above and below, the computer room which occupied a small space in the Science Labs where the staff toilets had previously been
Below, a couple of photographs relating to dining hall rituals.
Prefect C. McCann serves up at a junior table, Jasper Thornycroft second from right.
Below some views of life in the houses, probably not always as happily idyllic as these photographs would suggest!
In general boys took their evening preps pretty seriously ... at least that's what we tried to achieve!
In the afternoons the Dugmore Library always provided a safe haven on rainy days.
Clubs and societies formed an important part of a Falcon boy's life. Below is Woodsmoke Club and that's followed by Falconry, Sailing, Bee Keeping, Chess, Media and Abseiling.
Contemplating the next move ... Neale Jackson and TB Mlilo.
Some photographs taken on Quiet Waters follow.
Founders Field from the Founders Housemaster's house, followed by some shots on and around the field.
Sport has always been a huge part of Falcon life, as seen in the next series of photographs.
Paul Strang showing absolute concentration on the task in hand ... getting the next man out.
Caring for physical and spiritual health ....
The Chapel in the foreground, looking towards swimming bath hill in the background
The Chapel
Much publicity was given to the opening of Quiet Waters by President R.G. Mugabe in 1989, when things seemed to be going well for Zimbabwe. It's worth remembering, though, that this was barely two years after the conclusion of Gukurahundi, the purge of the Ndebele in Matabeleland, after which the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe documented that the Fifth Brigade was responsible for at least 3,750 killings, adding that the total in all probability was more than double what they had been able to confirm. In view of this, choosing the President was always going to be controversial, and I remember how overdone we thought the security surrounding the visit was. Actually, as I found later, it was nowhere near as bad as what I encountered in the U.K. when two minor dignitaries, the Duke and Duchess of Wessex, visited our school over here. And, to put things in perspective, I'll add that the most relaxed of all such visits I've experienced was when Nelson Mandela visited Mafikeng (as it was called then); he walked right through the ranks of our school choir which had just sung to welcome him, and shook hands and chatted with each of us individually!
A very young looking Gordon Macdonald oversees the unveiling of the plaque
In May 1988 the Hon. Mrs Victoria Chitepo, formerly Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, presented Martin Fick with the Drury Award for Conservation
Mbonisa Weir on Quiet Waters spilling after the good rains in 1988 - 1989
The Weir after the 1987 drought
Two pictures above: Falcon boys working at Quiet Waters
The main entrance gate at Quiet Waters being erected
Pupils from Carlisle School working on erosion barriers
Two of five peregrine falcons bred at Falcon College by Ron Hartley; these two were released on Quiet Waters in January 1990
A zebra recovering from being darted on Quiet Waters.
On to Photographs from The Falcon, 1975 - 1977