Church’s South African link

A GREENOCK congregation has dedicated a plaque in memory of the founder of a South African school with which they have a long-standing relationship.

The plaque in memory of Sue Anne Cook, founder of Vhutshuli Mountain School, was dedicated by the Rev Karen Harbison during morning worship at Westburn Parish Church on January 20. It will be placed in the church’s memorial garden.

After the service, a soup and sandwich lunch was provided by the Friends of Venda group, raising approximately £800 to support the ongoing work of the school.

Vhutshuli Mountain School, in Venda, Limpopo Province, focuses on educating and supporting children and teenagers living with HIV.

Westburn has had a connection with the school for nearly 20 years, since Fraser McNeill, a pupil of Greenock Academy whose family attended what was then Greenock St Luke’s Church, visited Venda (a territory founded by the South African government, under the policy of Apartheid, as a homeland for the Venda people and speakers of the Venda language) on a gap year.

At the time, Sue Anne had converted her mobile home to include a classroom, her pick-up became the school bus, and friends and local businesses donated clothes, furniture and food.

After Fraser came home and told his church about the school, the Presbytery of Greenock embarked on a fundraising programme which raised nearly £20,000, enough for a purpose built two classroom school, together with a dining room, kitchen, shower and toilet facilities.

The school officially opened in April 2005 and representatives from Greenock attended the ceremony.

The school has flourished since, building such a strong reputation that parents pay for their children to be educated there, even knowing it specialises in caring for children living with HIV.

The school’s outreach programme ensures that the children are as well cared for at home as they are at school, and also provides more practical advice and assistance on grant applications and dealing with government departments. Sue Anne’s health deteriorated during the second half of 2018 and she handed over day to day running of the school to her staff. She passed away in November, sadly missed by many, especially her adopted daughter Wahvoo, who was one of the first eight children educated in the caravan and now studies at the University of Pretoria.

By coincidence, Fraser McNeill is now a Professor of Anthropology at the same university, with a particular interest in the former Venda homeland, and continues to support the work of the school. His parents, Monica and Les, still attend Westburn Church and are members of the Friends of Venda group.