{"id":274230,"date":"2025-08-20T07:08:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T05:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/tygerburger\/?p=274230"},"modified":"2025-10-09T08:11:48","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T06:11:48","slug":"watch-winning-drill-squads-credit-found-family-for-their-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/tygerburger\/watch-winning-drill-squads-credit-found-family-for-their-success\/","title":{"rendered":"WATCH | Winning drill squads credit \u2018found family\u2019 for their success"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Members
Members of the Beacon Hill Drilling Squad are Laeeq Garrett, Qieyaam Andrews, Jordan Davids, Ishrat Begg and Tristan Marks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a family here,\u201d said Laeeq Garrett of his fellow Beacon Hill High School drilling squad <\/a>members. \u201cEveryone doesn\u2019t have a real family at home. I go to them, most of them, every single day, especially the drummers. That\u2019s my family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 19-year-old\u2019s words were met with applause from his squadmates who returned last week as winners from the Annual National March and Drill Competition in Gqeberha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMr Skink is my father in the drill squad,\u201d continued Laeeq, from Beacon Valley. \u201cDrilling plays a big role in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMr Skink\u201d is Mekyle Skink, Afrikaans teacher, drilling coach, and a former pupil and drill squad member. He has been coaching since 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been working very hard for the last five years,\u201d Skink said, but added that covid and finances kept them from competing as often as they wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, with sponsors\u2019 help, the school won the Grand March, inspiring them to push even harder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLearners were staying after school for more than three hours, giving up their time to make this a success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Principal Melisha Benjamin knows the sacrifices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDrilling is very expensive. We\u2019ve reached out to sponsors but I\u2019ve often had to put my hand in my own pocket.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some sponsors, like the ward councillor and alumni, provided shirts and shoes; others gave cash, but most of the money came from fundraisers. That cost made pupils fiercely protective of their equipment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benjamin recalled how the drumline begged to practise during breaks, though she worried about \u201cwearing out the skins\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their persistence paid off when the drumline\u2019s lively routine won first place in Gqeberha. Beacon Hill<\/a> also won first for Grand March and took home two second-place trophies for Exhibition and Drum Major. Overall, they placed third in the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The Beacon Hill High drilling squad achieved third place overall for high schools in the National Drilling Competition in Gqeberha last week.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


<\/p>\n\n\n\n

West End winners<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The West End Drilling Squad\u2019s drum majors Cayden Hess (13) from New Woodlands, Amarah Akiemdien (11), from New Woodlands and Lyla-Leigh Davids (13) from Lentegeur.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another Mitchell\u2019s Plain school, West End Primary<\/a> in Lentegeur, also shone. They won four first places; Best Overall, Drum Major, Drumline and Grand March, and second place for Exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Beacon Hill\u2019s squad thrives on friendship and family spirit, West End radiates discipline. When TygerBurger<\/em> visited last week, the 51-member squad was already marching in tight formation while neighbours watched through the fence and grade Rs playfully marched in time in one corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their coach, Dawood Abrahams, a former pupil and squad member, commanded sharply, and the team obeyed instantly, but beneath the precision, the same sense of family pulsed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery family has troubles and hardships but at the end of the day it shows on the field. All our hard work paid off,\u201d said Abrahams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abrahams recalled versing his Beacon Hill counterpart in high school before returning to the school as an intern. In 2023 principal Clive Arries asked him to restart West End\u2019s drill programme. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEver since our first year in 2023, we never lost once,\u201d he said proudly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike Beacon Hill, West End had no sponsors and relied on fundraisers. Arries, however, often dips into his pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll say, \u2018our children must have drums. They can\u2019t play like that.\u2019 Then he buys it,\u201d laughed governing body member Dorothy Trimm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deputy principal Garnette Krigga said it would be \u201ccriminal\u201d not to acknowledge the phenomenal support of the parents, staff and the governing body. For West End, drilling is a whole-school initiative, she said. The parents, she said, are especially committed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe went up to PE with a fleet of cars and taxis following us. We had the most supporters there from Cape Town.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impact on discipline<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Both schools agree their greatest success isn\u2019t the trophies, but the ripple effect on discipline, which is why the South African Police Service first introduced school drilling more than a decade ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe majority of learners are underprivileged and come from gang-ridden areas,\u201d Abrahams said. \u201cWe try to keep them away from these things. This is their safe space. Every day they are the last ones at school, sometimes until six. They forget about the time when they are here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said learners in the programme also excel academically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheir bodies get used to a routine and they learn to follow instructions,\u201d he said adding that good discipline leads to better marks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grade 5 teacher Muhammad Faizel Toefy agreed saying he can immediately see which pupils are in the squad by their marks and discipline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We reap the benefits of what Dawood does with his team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He joked that Abrahams sometimes sees the children\u2019s reports before parents do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf a child misbehaves in my class and is in the marching band, all I have to say is, \u2018I\u2019m going to tell coach Dawood’ and that child changes immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beacon Hill\u2019s Benjamin has seen the same transformation. Two squad members nearly \u201cdidn\u2019t make it\u201d, she said, because \u201cthey were knocking at the gangs\u2019 door\u201d, but the squad turned them around and they are now integral members of the winning drumline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe hard work everyone put in was a lot and we did it together as a family,\u201d said Laeeq, to applause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though he was 10km away, Abrahams shared the sentiment: \u201cI\u2019m like their father at the school. The learners made me who I am today.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The West End Primary School drilling squad achieved first place overall for primary schools in the National Drilling Competition in Gqeberha last week.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n