Dear Families

Last weekend marked the annual OWA weekend, where numerous Old Woodridgeans returned to campus to reconnect with school friends and reminisce about their time at Woodridge. At the Founders' Day assembly, we were reminded and inspired by the journey of our founders, Lesley and Mervynne Carter. In January 1936, Woodridge Preparatory School commenced its journey with just two boys and a girl on their first day. This marked a bold and visionary step by our founders.

Opening a new private school during the challenging economic times of The Great Depression, transforming an old Hotel into school buildings, and doing much of the manual labour themselves, speaks of their resilience and determination. This spirit is still a big part of our school’s identity, helping us thrive and grow stronger even in challenging times.

This year's Founders’ Day was particularly special, bringing together our entire pupil body, from the youngest in Grade 000 to our matric pupils. We were honoured to have Grant Horsfield, who started at Woodridge at the age of six and matriculated in 1994, as our guest speaker. Grant, a "serial" entrepreneur, has experienced both failure and success with various business ventures. His entrepreneurial journey exemplifies resilience, and he shared that success often stems from embracing and learning from failure. His candid stories of business ventures—some successful, others not—highlighted the...

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(Photo: Courtesy of Woodridge Archives)