This morning Mr Mini Meyer Dial was met with a standing ovation in the Memorial Chapel as he was presented with the prestigious Honorary Old Kingswoodian award after 18 years of loyal service to the Kingswood Community.

In his citation, read by President of the OK Club, Mr Chris Hobson said “Mr Dial was born in Makhanda on 26 September 1958 and has lived here his whole life. He was educated at George Dickerson and later at Mary Waters. During his school years he spent many hours watching Kingswood 1st XV playing rugby matches on Gane Field and this relationship became a permanent reality when he was employed by Hi-Tec on 8 February 2005. He was immediately assigned to Kingswood thus starting an unbroken period of 18 years serving our school.

Right from the outset it was obvious that not only was Mr Dial good at his job but his biggest strength was the relationship that he built with the children. The all too familiar sound of “LINKS REGS EN OOR” became synonymous with the Napier Street zebra crossing as Mr Dial ensured the safety of our young children. He soon learned the names of the pupils and knew who their parents were thus building a bond with Kingswoodians that many an OK still talks about today. He exuded a love for his job but more importantly for the children that he was caring for. Steve Jobs once said “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do”. This epitomizes how Mr Dial has spent his time at Kingswood – his love for his work has created a mutual love between him and the Kingswood community. Mr Dial, by doing what he loves has created a cornerstone of having abundance in his life.

We all know that Kingswood is one big family and there is no doubt that Mr Dial, through years of excellent service and love for all that is Kingswood is one of the Kingswood family’s patriarchs – a man that will be missed when he retires in September but who can rest assured that he has left a legacy at Kingswood that will last forever.

At the conclusion of the 2022 Valedictory Service Mr Dial cut a lonely figure standing outside the Chapel as the matrics put on their final rendition of the war cry – with tears streaming down his cheeks he quietly said “hulle is my kinders en ek gaan hulle mis!” When asked what he will remember about his time at Kingswood Mr Dial replied, “I will remember all my children but above all I will treasure the love that I felt at this place”.

To add to this citation, several Junior School pupils also wrote down what Dial has meant to them:

“Dial has impacted every Kingswoodian’s life at some point. He takes the time to remember you and get to know you as a person. He’s there all day, every day to ensure our safety. He cares about his job and the people he takes care of, and it shows. I hope you have a good retirement Dial and enjoy resting finally after many years of working hard”. – Nele Mdletye

“I have known Dial ever since the first day of Grade 1. Each and every day that I walk over that zebra crossing, Dial always greets me and is very nice to be around, even though he stands there the whole day. He is an incredible role model for so many people, and he often made me laugh. Dial, you don’t know how much of an impact on my school life you have made. You have left behind such a big mark on lots of junior school as well as senior school people. I wish you everything of the very best in your future, and I can say without a doubt that you will never ever be forgotten. Now, you can finally get that coffee that is hopefully not cold. Thank you so much for all that you have done at Kingswood”. – Luke Marshall

“Dial has always been there for us since we started at school. Dial has memorized SOO many of the student AND parents’ names. Dial always helps you when you need something and always has lovely, interesting conversations”. – Jesse Oosthuysen

“Dial is special because he always has a smile on his face. He often sings funny songs in different languages. He is always kind and willing”. -Leigh Ballantyne

“Dear Dial, thank you for taking the time to make sure that we cross the road safely. I really like it when you sing songs when we are crossing the road. Thank you for all the good you have done, and we thank you for all your hard work and keeping us safe. Thank you for all the good memories that you have left behind at Kingswood College. We hope you have lots of wonderful years ahead and we wish you good luck for your new life. Thank you”. -Simon Sheard

Go well Mr Dial, enjoy your retirement and wear your Old Kingswoodian tie and blazer with pride. You can be proud of your contribution to this great school for which we laud you. You are a worthy recipient of this prestigious award.