Sports Days

Tony Chetham seems to have an inexhaustible supply of mementoes of MEPS sporting events dated back to the 1950s and 60s. This is a report from the Mombasa Times on the 1950 Sports Day which raised the princely sum of just over 173 shillings for the EASPCA, the local equivalent of our RSPCA.

One spectator at the event was a Mrs Katherine Bibby who was so taken with it that she wrote to the head, Mrs Foat, congratulating her on "the excellence discipline displayed by the children, and the splendid organisation of the whole proceeding."

The date of this picture isn't certain but it shows Mike Chetham announcing the results while....

....this clipping from the Mombasa Times is of the sports in September 1957. The results were Livingstone 103, Wavell 82, Mackinnon, 78. This was Livingstone's first cup win. Martin Wilson and Susan Cottenham received the Cup from Provincial Education Officer A V Hatfield.

MEPS pupils travelled to Arusha to take part in a swimming gala in 1962.

All clippings courtesy Tony Chetham.

Sports Day 1952

Tony Chetham has kindly sent in this cover from the programme for Sports Day 1952 and has highlighted that my mother was involved with the teas. This is no surprise - my mother was a great one for becoming involved in events and good works - so....

....this grainy picture, of my father at one of the MEPS sports days, is far more unusual. He preferred to spend his leisure moments propping up the bar with his friends at the Sports Club.

Sports Day 1953

Pictures from Jill Hayden, nee Parris:

Sports Day 1953 was on 27th June and was the first to feature the new houses. Picture shows the three house captains, Martin Attwood of Mackinnon, left, Tom Illidge of Wavell, centre, and Jill Parris of Livingstone, right. The winners were Mackinnon, with 177 points, followed by Wavell, with 115 points, and Livingstone, with 84 points.

Mrs Kennaway, wife of the Provincial Commissioner, presented the prizes. Individual prizes were for Shs 7/50, Shs 5/- and Shs 3/-, redeemable at Mombasa Times Ltd or at Badruddin’s Sports Store in Salim Road.

At the end of proceedings, Mrs Kennaway was presented with a bouquet by Livingstone captain, Jill Parris.

Boxing at MEPS

From Tony Chetham:

In October 1953 boxing classes started under Mr Rifkin. After Mr CJ Metcalfe became Head, Max Cable resurrected boxing which proved popular. For one of the boxing tournaments MEPS hosted 'upcountry’ schoolboys. My opponent was from Eldoret Primary School & we accommodated the lad at home. This was the case with all the other visiting schoolboys who travelled down on the NBO-MSA train accompanied by their teachers. It was a big event.

The local press seemed quick to pick up the stories. There are four clippings to read. Each is a .jpg file:

Story 1.     Story 2.     Story 3.     Story 4.