Dear Families

On Monday, 10 June, the Preppies paid tribute to the anniversary of the 2017 fires. The staff wore green in recognition of the day and pupils each received a green sticker in celebration of the growth and the hope we have for the future. Looking back to this fateful day seven years ago, when Woodridge faced one of its greatest tests. For several days leading up to that historic day, we kept a close eye on various fires in the Garden Route and surrounding areas.

As it crept closer, we hinged all our hopes on favourable weather conditions. Firefighters were performing under trying conditions and we were doing what we could to assist them as far as possible. Early that Saturday morning the call came to evacuate the boarders and residents of the campus. Fortunately, we had the Blunden fleet at our disposal due to sports fixtures and could safely transport everyone away from danger.

After evacuating, we were cautiously optimistic that the crisis had been averted as the fire was under control, the weather was playing in our favour, and fire and emergency services were on site. The sense of relief was, however, short-lived as...

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