Falcon – what hope amongst all the adverse reports

Zimbabwe is a wonderful country and we are not going to let it go. We have real hope. We just have to ride out the storm. Wheels turn, people come and go.

Zimbabweans are on the whole fine and resilient people, there is huge goodwill between the races, and we are all looking forward to a brighter future not too far away. The negative events life throws at us represent only a fraction of what happens every day in Zimbabwe, and no matter how damaging it may seem, such events cannot prevail for ever. Believe it or not we live a happy and good life, stressful yes, but nothing compared to the victims of tsunamis, wars in Lebanon, droughts in Ethiopia, murders in South Africa, even flooding in New Orleans and the weather in UK ! Don’t even mention Iraq, Sudan, the DRC or Afghanistan.

You should have come with us to Hwange (Wankie) last weekend. 5 star luxury private lodge in the park, prides of up to 16 lions, night drives witnessing lions on a hunt – it just couldn’t be better. And the camp was full of foreign tourists – French, American, German. Mid winter, but no jerseys needed.

We are blessed with an abundance of good things which far exceed the bad. That is why we are here, we have hope for the future, and we are looking forward to it.

Falcon in particular is a beacon of hope, an oasis of excellence, and continues to thrive. We have a full intake booked for next year, Cambridge exam results last year were vastly improved, and our boys went on several tours including to the World Sevens in Dubai (where they excelled, and will be returning this December). This year alone, cricket to the Cape, tennis to Natal, hockey to South Africa, junior adventure course to Drakensberg, cultural group to Grahamstown and rugby to Dubai. More tours than ever before. Beating Peterhouse (previously unbeaten this season) at rugby and hockey on Saturday capped a wonderful 2nd term, and the social interaction with dozens of Peterhouse/Falcon parents after the game was better than ever.

This is the other side of the story. Come and see us.

Andy Laing, Falcon Board of Governors