The Dan Swart Art Centre and Ben Colling Amphitheatre were officially opened on Tuesday night.
The complex consists of two state-of-the-art art classrooms and a multi-purpose amphitheatre. They have been named after Dan Swart, who taught Art at the school for 23 years, and Ben Colling, a Jeppe old boy who was a major benefactor to the project.
Dan Swart taught at the school from 1961 to 1984 and has taken on legendary status. He is credited with establishing Art as a leading subject at the school. The high standards he set have been maintained down the years, with the school being named the best in the district for the subject, every year.
Dan was also instrumental in getting the school library up and running, and he was the editor of the school magazine. He was also involved in the dramatic arts and, together with his wife Janet, who also taught at the school, he produced several musicals and plays.
Speaking at the opening, Dan Swart’s grandson, Jonathan Van Rensburg, told of letters that Dan wrote to his parents in England, indicating that he was totally opposed to the Apartheid government at the time, and intended to join them in the UK. He never did, though, and it was always something important that he wanted to do at Jeppe that prevented him from doing so.
Ben Colling (1988 Tsessebe) is an old boy who has been involved in music and the performing arts. He was the major contributor towards the building of the amphitheatre that adjoins the Art Centre. He was particularly concerned that the lighting and sound equipment had to be at a standard that quality outdoor productions can be presented in the space.
He has indicated that he will personally be involved with the presentation of a musical there later in the year.
Mr Jackson thanked all the people and organisations that made this ambitious project a reality. “The Dan Swart Art Centre and Ben Colling Amphitheatre, will be the home of the Arts at Jeppe,” he said. “They are a physical manifestation of our commitment to placing academic activities at the centre of all we do at Jeppe, and of the importance we place on cultural activities as part of a rounded education for our boys.
