As a newbie to Flow and an innocent in Joburg, I am only too happy to be whisked off by Colin Ford, head of the Flow writing studio, to spend a morning celebrating teachers, viewing an extraordinary art collection and exploring a grand, old Parktown mansion.
The venue is Villa Arcadia. The occasion, a breakfast conversation between Talk Radio 702 host Jenny Crwys-Williams and former St Stithians College headmaster Mark Henning about his book, Zest: A Celebration of Good Schools and Good Teachers. The hosts, Flow client Etana Insurance and its head of people and brand, Carel Nolte, who believes in bringing people together to make things happen.
Villa Arcadia is part of the Hollard Campus, which Colin knows well as he once worked there, so before the start of proceedings he takes us on a tour of the indigenous gardens, up a short, steep path to a viewing site.
It’s a great way to orientate myself. The Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital’s grey hulk is at our backs and below us the city spills out towards the north, swanky Westcliff clinging to a ridge to our left, and Sandton’s distinctive skyline jutting out in the distance.
And then it’s a quick tour through the rooms of Villa Arcadia to view an extraordinary art collection owned by Hollard. The art is contemporary, exciting and, as Colin explains, a reflection of a decision to support emerging artists while they are still alive rather than collect art for art’s sake.
The walls of the grand old Herbert Baker building, once owned by Lionel and Florence Phillips (a Randlord family) and then converted to a Jewish orphanage in 1922, make a perfect backdrop for this edgy collection. I spot a few familiar names but many are unknown to me. Secreted between the more traditional offerings are a few naughty pieces too – most of them upstairs.
Then, on to the business of the day in the domed music room where Jenny and Mark are about to talk about a burning issue of the day: How to transform education.
Mark pays credit to his parents, his mother, a wonderful foundation-phase teacher, and his father, who put in 51 years of service at King Edward VII School. His educational philosophy is work for harmony, not discord; tolerance, not prejudice; and love, not hate.
Their discussion ranges far and wide. They discuss the queues of parents who line up outside Parkview Junior School seeking the best education for their children; what indeed that “best” education might be; the blight of bullying in boys’ schools; how it is the intervention of an inspired teacher or principal that can make all the difference.
At the end, the books are snapped up – a snip at R100 each – and Colin does duty again, this time as an official tour guide for the attendees. This time, we pause at the curtains that once hung in a Paris brothel and fitted perfectly into the giant window frames; at the original sunken bath installed by Florence Phillips; and at the lounge that was extended at vast cost to prevent a “social disaster” should one of her guests in a bustle-backed dress find it difficult to avoid the fireplace while dancing.
Then we head back to the Flow offices before I set off for my afternoon’s assignment in Rivonia, where, quite by chance, I find myself tailing a tour of the Liliesleaf Farm with Ahmed Kathrada acting as guide to his good friend Danny Glover.
But that’s another story…
Zest: A Celebration of Good Schools and Good Teachers is available at Exclusive Books.
