Collectivité

Grace Dieu Diocesan Training College

1906-1958

Grace Dieu was an Anglican training college for native school teachers under the supervision of the Diocese of Pretoria of the Church of the Province of South Africa. It existed from 1906-1958 and went through the stages of being a small missionary settlement, mission school, industrial and domestic science school and teachers training institution. It was founded in 1906 on the farm Jakhalsfontein, 18 miles by road from Pietersburg, by Archdeacon (later Bishop) Fuller as a centre for missionary work in the Transvaal. Inspector W.E.C. Clarke of the Transvaal Education Department suggested a school be started and by 1907 the first principal and students had arrived. The main function of Grace Dieu was to train native teachers to staff the many Anglican mission schools in the Transvaal, as it was the onlyAnglican training college in the dioceses of Johannesburg and Pretoria. It did, however, receive students from all parts of South Africa, the Protectorates and Southern Rhodesia. Chief Leabua Jonathan of Lesotho is e former pupil of this college. The effects of the Bantu Education Act of 1953 were such that the teachers training department was closed in 1955 but Grace Dieu continued as a secondary school, extended to standard 10, and an industrial school from 1956-1958. The Anglican church withdrew because of financial difficulties and because the church felt unable to accept the conditions laid down by the authorities for the registration of the school. The buildings were bought over by the Education Department, The first two principals were C. O'Dell, 1906-1909 and W. B.J. Banks 1909-1912. From 1912-1924 the principal was the Rev. W.A. Palmer (later Dean of Johannesburg), under whom there was considerable development. Succeeding principals were S.P. Woodfield, 1924-1938 and 1953-1957, C.M. Jones 1938-1949, H.W. Hosken 1949-1953 and R.M. Jeffery 1957-1958, all of whom contributed to the development of Grace Dieu, Important occasions in the history of the college were the opening of the 3 halls by the Governor General Lord Buxton in 1916, the dedication the new chapel in 1917, the Hickson Healing Mission of 1922 under the Rev. J. M. Hickson, the inspection of the college Pathfinders by the Prince of Wales 1925, the dedication of the Bell Tower and visit of Princess Alice 1925 and the visit of the Governor General and his wife, Earl and Countess Clarendon in 1932, In addition to training teachers, Grace Dieu had a strong practical function. The carpenter's shop made furniture for the college and the carving department carried out orders for crucifixes, prayer-desks, statues etc., from all over South Africa and overseas, The girls under the sisters of the Community of the Resurrection were trained in all branches of housewifery. Extra-mural activities also played an important part in college 1ife: sporting competitions between the various houses took place, The Pathfinder(Scout) movement had its origin at Grace Dieu in 1922 and later the equivalent girls movement, the Wayfarers, was added.