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About the OSA

Here Our Course Was Set

We owe our foundation to several key St Stithians Families and Parents,
along with the first Matric class of 1956, who had the idea to form an Old Boys’ Association.

A committee was formed with Michael Lewis (1957) as Chairman and Ronald Rankin (1956) as Secretary.
The purpose was to arrange a Founders’ Day Dinner.

The spirit of the OSA is built on daring adventures undertaken by men and women of character.

Founding of the Association - 1958

Est. 11 September 1958. It was the first Matric class of 1956, who had the idea to form an Old Boys' Association with the first purpose of arranging a Founders Day Dinner.

Accordingly they set about founding the Association, electing Michael Lewis in his Matric Year (1957) as the first Chairman and Ronald Ranking (1956) as its Secretary. Established 11 September 1958

By the end of the year, a Constitution had been drawn up., The focus was on building a network between Old Boys and the College, arranging sports fixtures, financial assistance and the renting and leasing of land for the Association. At its heart, was the determination to see the College thrive and prosper.

he first 10 years of the history of the Association rings with names such as Michael Lewis, Clive Abraham (1956) and Jimmy Vickers (1957) as Chairmen, with Ronald Rankin, Michael Lewis and William Moir (1962) featuring prominently as Secretary and from 1965, Ross Bradley (1960) as Treasurer.

The Spirit of the Saints Family

Saints is a family and parents, Duncan McMillan and Blen Franklin, with the managerial experience that would steady the fledgling association, responded to the call to serve.

Clive Abraham later became the first Old Boy to serve on Council.

Clear attitude of approach gave the Association early altitude and considerable success with the small group of fledging alumni, at an equally fledging school, situated in then very rural Johannesburg and set against the equally brand new suburb of Bryanston, on the farm Driefontein.

The beautiful campus with its playing fields was soon hosting cricket, rugby, hockey and tennis matches. These initial fixtures may have been a little erratic but they didn’t lack enthusiasm. It was Mark Henning who linked sport to Founders’ Day and the tradition has continued.

The Association’s impact was widely felt, from the sundial in the Boys’ College quad (donated in 1968 by Ray Bradley, a Founding Parent who had previously donated the Good Samaritan window for the Chapel) to the keeping of a visual history of the College with portraits of the Heads of schools marking just a few of the contributions.

THE OSA

Building the Association and Housing its Members

Like all journeys, the OSA journey has not run a straight line. The dream of having a home on the campus in the form of a clubhouse was realised in 1976. A Porta-Cabin acted as the first clubhouse and by 1984, the first stage of the first One & All Club had been built. That first brick and mortar club house was situated overlooking fields where cricket and hockey were played, and it soon became an important gathering place for Old Boys and their families. The main function room was named in thanks to another Member of an alumni family, Alan Urdang.

By 1997 the Club’s popularity meant the buildings needed to be expanded. The building imposed a burden of debt on the Association but in 2000, Chairman Cliff Jackson not only flattened the debt in one year but saw to it that a profit was made. Fund raising to make sure that the aims of the Association continue to be realised has remained a priority.

The year 2000 marked an important change in the composition of the Association. With the completion of the Girls’ Collegiate, as it was first known, St Stithians really became a family of schools. The constitution, amended to include Old Girls, became the Old Stithian Association.

With the building of the Junior Prep in 2001, the One & All Club seemed to be a perfect extension to the JP grounds. The OSA had set its sights on a bigger clubhouse, so there was a common goal. The wheels turned slowly, but with a generous donation, and the efforts of several Members including Allen Needham (Chairman) and Michael Ralston by 2009 the OSA climbed to its Higher Ground. From a Porta-Cabin in a muddy field to the current Club House with its panoramic views of Johannesburg and the College grounds, the OSA has achieved its dream.

Today, alumni continue to fill the halls of that very first One & All, however in the form of a generation to come. The Alan Urdang Room now houses the Grade RR Classrooms, and his daughter Lauren Serves on the Associations Executive Committee as the Girls (Alumni) Head.

Under the Chairmanship of Shaun Edmeston (2009– 2020), the OSA achieved substantial financial stability, operational certainty and for the first time a continually profitable concession in the form of the Higher Ground Restaurant.

During the same period, Edmeston and his Committee considerably expanded and secured the Association presence as a stakeholder on campus, within the College structures. Among the fruits of their labour, The OSA is represented on all major school committees and holds statutory office (ex-officio) on all Council-Sub Committee, and the PTAs of each School. By 2018 the Association had secured preferance for the admission and enrollment of Members children at the various Schools.

In return, the College is represented on the OSA Executive Committee through the Rector who hold ex-officio Office on the Committee with full voting rights.
The ethos of family, fraternity and future alumni is given formal representation to the Association in the form of non-voting Committee seats for staff and student leaders. In the form of Elected Representatives, both the Boys and Girls College are provided a seat each for Student Representation, and each of the Schools a seat held by Staff.

Together this forms a team working tirelessly and dedicated to an everlasting Old Stithian - College bond, that shall never be broken.

From a small committee of boys meeting to organise a celebratory dinner, we have become an Association with global impact as we number nearly 11 000 alumni, men and women of courage and character, living the legacy of St Stithians College across the world.

Walter McFarlane, in ‘To Serve the Future Hour’, reflects that St Stithians has been blessed by people who ‘arise to serve the school selflessly and brilliantly’. We would not exist without the countless moments of service and generosity rendered by our Saints families, alumni, and the Saints community.

Today, in 2026, we venture forth under the stewardship of a new Chairman Mr. Asante Nxumal (2015) chartering a course of consensus, regeneration and tradition in a new and ever changing world.

THE OLD STITHIAN ASSOCIATION

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