Skonk, With Affection: Celebrating the life of a legendary educator and coach

Skonk, With Affection by Ruth Crouch and Matthew Marwick

Reviewed by Andy Capostagno

The great James Mervyn ‘Skonk’ Nicholson passed away in 2011, shortly after his 94th birthday. South Africa’s very own Mr Chips left an indelible impression on school life in KwaZulu Natal, particularly at his alma mater, Durban High School (DHS) and, of course, Maritzburg College.

Skonk was a prodigiously talented schoolboy sportsman, captaining DHS at both rugby and athletics. He began his teaching career at Maritzburg College in 1944 and served faithfully for 39 years until his retirement in 1982.

In the same year, the Skonk Nicholson Arch was erected next to Goldstones, the main rugby field. To this day, College first XV boys run through the arch and leap up to touch the brickwork as they take the field, a mark of respect for the man who has a claim to being perhaps the greatest schoolboy rugby coach of them all.

This book has had a long gestation period, and it covers Skonk’s life from beginning to end in great detail. Simon Haw and Jeremy Oddy deal with his early years, from the establishment of the family farm in Underberg in the mid-19th Century to the end of Skonk’s days at DHS.

Matthew Marwick, a former deputy head of College, now the Principal at Pietermaritzburg Girls High, deals with Skonk’s war service and university education. He also puts together the charming, anecdotally rich chapter on his time as a schoolmaster.

Marwick points out that, while Skonk’s wider reputation was founded on the excellence of the rugby teams he coached, he regarded himself first and foremost, as a Geography teacher. To that end he authored a great many books that became key texts in KZN schools.

Skonk’s daughters give an insight into family life, while Ruth Crouch contributes the chapters dealing with Skonk’s dotage. Inevitably, though, the core of the book deals with his remarkable career coaching rugby. This section is penned by John Bishop, sports editor at The Witness for almost as long as Skonk taught at College, and a pupil at the school from 1959 to 1964.

Bishop collects reminiscences from a plethora of luminaries and old boys, the connection simply being the way that Skonk affected their lives for the better. For every storied Springbok who passed through Skonk’s College teams – Keith Oxlee, Andy van der Watt et al – there are many more unknown beyond Pietermaritzburg, who come vividly to life in these pages.

The book acknowledges its debt to tomes past, including Skonk’s own Jimeloyo-Ji (1990) and Simon Haw’s For Hearth and Home (1988). It might also be read as an addendum to Graham Bennett’s fine celebration of 150 years of College, Brothers For Life (2013).

Inevitably, there is a parochial nature to the text that won’t stretch far beyond the alumni of College and DHS. That said, Skonk, With Affection, is a fine tribute to a great man. 

To buy a copy, proceed to the Facebook page — SKONK - with affection. Further details are there.