VPHS Magazine 2014 | Page 28

VPHS tionalists. learners who have achieved any success, from sport to modelling, make a bee-line for Mr Vermaak’s office. They know he will be the first to share their pride and spur them on to greater heights. Mr Vermaak is above all a family man. Nothing makes his eyes light up more brightly than the presence of wife Annaline and twi ns Xanthe and Michanne, who are, coincidentally, both following their father into a career in education. Being headmaster requires a delicate balancing act between the demands of family and the demands of the school. The latter are often unflinching and urgent, and contribute much to the stresses and strains of being a school principal. We know that our headmaster often suffers such strains, and are happy to offer him the same love and support which he so unhesitatingly offers us in similar circumstances. Mr Vermaak is full of energy and passion about this school and about what goes on in it. He is a passionate teacher, being especially at home in his Mathematics classes, where he is able to coach and motivate his pupils to attain the highest possible marks. He spends much, perhaps sometimes too much, of his personal time supporting extra-mural events, whether at a concert or musical evening or at the side of a sports field, cheering and encouraging our young Victorians in their efforts. He himself was a talented sportsman in his youth, participating in athletics, soccer and hockey at the highest school and university level. In his early days at Victoria Park, he coached both hockey and soccer with great success, the latter at first team level. It is now twenty years since Mr Vermaak was appointed Deputy Principal at Victoria Park, and his thirteenth year as Principal. We congratulate him on this milestone and on what our school has become under his leadership. On a personal note, I thank him for his incredible friendship and for what he means to all of us. We wish him health, success and contentment in the years ahead. Mr Vermaak is a confident communicator and storyteller. He is never happier than when speaking of his school to an attentive audience, as anyone who has heard his Gr 8 evening presentations will testify. He has wide connections in the community, forged through his participation in Round Table and Rotary, as well as his networking among other educa- Dr Joan Clarke Mrs Jenni Deale 20 Years Mrs Deale started her association with Victoria Park when she volunteered to help in the tuckshop while her children were at school. She was soon running the tuckshop, and making herself useful in many other ways in the school. She was one of the first to make herself at home on a computer, and her duties quickly evolved to helping with the school administration system. Jenni’s efficiency was soon evident, 28