Past Pupils News
We love to keep in touch with our Past Pupils! Please send us photographs and what you are doing to: marketing@cannonscreek.co.za so that we can keep our database up to date as well as have information for future newsletters. We aim to have a reunion every year, inviting back the decade groups. Read below for an update about some of our Past Pupils.
Gavin van Haght (Class of 2003)
How special to have an Alumni choose Cannons Creek as the school for their child. Introducing Gavin van Haght who is the dad of Chloe, now in Grade 2. He speaks about some of his favourite memories during his time, and the experiences he is sharing with Chloe.
Kerry Porrill (Class of 2021)
Kerry made Mathematical history in May 2025 when her joint paper was accepted for publication in the Journal of Algebra and its Applications.
"It is an exceedingly rare event for undergraduate students to produce publishable research in a reputable journal in mathematics." - Dr Amatya Goswami.
In late 2025, Kerry was awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, one of ten South African students selected for 2026 (and a first for Cannons!). Kerry hopes to pursue a DPhil in Mathematics at the University of Oxford.
Kim Albertus (Class of 2022)
Kim Albertus, who attends Park University (Missouri, USA) earned The Academic All American award in June 2025. This award recognizes athletes for their combined performances on the field (golf) and in the classroom.
The Academic All American award recognizes students who have earned the degree of Superior Distinction (750 points); completed at least five semesters of high school; demonstrated outstanding character and leadership; and earned a GPA of 3.7 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent).
Andrew van Haght (Class of 2005)
So, what have I been doing for the last couple of years… I went to UCT and studied Business Science, ultimately culminating in my qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 2014.
After University I completed my articles with Deloitte in Cape Town (2012 – 2014) before moving with Deloitte to London in January 2015. I married my wife, Lauren, in 2018 and we have two kids, Oli (4) and Emmy (1).
I was with Deloitte up until end Sept 2022, where I jumped around in various different roles before I found a new home in our ESG / Sustainability Risk Advisory team. My focus there was on helping companies get their ESG reporting up to speed.
As of October 2022, I’ve moved to a company called ofi. They are a trader of agricultural products such as cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts and spices. I head up the Finance for Sustainability team in London with a focus on driving their ESG reporting to be best in class, ensuring that their ESG reporting aligns to their financial reporting, i.e. they aren’t saying a bunch of good stuff that isn’t actually possible / financially viable and helping drive the decarbonisation of their agricultural supply chain. No easy task!
Most recently, I was asked to speak on behalf of ofi at a panel discussion at COP27 about the role of governance in driving climate action within organisations. Basically what companies do, their personnel, their processes, their controls, to make sure that the data feeding into their ESG reporting is valid, accurate and complete, complies with regulations and is used appropriately to drive climate risk mitigation and decision-making.
Leyden Irwin (Class of 2008)
Since school I actually immigrated to England and built a career here as a Manager for a global digital publisher. I’ve been fortunate to work closely with some of the largest newspapers around the globe, which has been an incredible experience. I do miss South Africa (always will!), but I’m grateful for where I am now. Life’s been good, I’ve got two cats keeping me busy at home, and I’m getting married in 2026, so lots to look forward to!
Bjorn Frassek (Class of 2023)
High School Pupil Counsellor Mrs Kew-Simpson reconnected with Bjorn while she was on a professional visit to City University of Hong Kong. He is now in his second year of Biomedical Engineering, on a full scholarship at CityU. His enthusiasm for both his studies and the rich cultural experience of living in Hong Kong serves as an inspiring example of what is possible for South African students on the global stage. When his scholarship was announced, he said the following: "I am super excited for my studies at CityU. I am really grateful for the opportunity that has been provided to me with receiving the scholarship. I am sure that I would never have managed to achieve this without the supportive help of Cannons Creek."
Heather Rodwell (Class of 2005)
I have been an active writer in my community with inspiration and poetry. Since matriculating 20 years ago, I published my first poetry book: ‘The Age of Poetic Intent’ (2016), and in 2024 I created and printed my first poetry Oracle deck: ‘The Oracle of Poetic Intent’.
Ty Cooper (Class of 2015)
I live in Sydney, Australia. Since I've left Cannons Creek, I have gone down the road of warehousing, logistics and operations. It's been a long and eventful road, but fortunately it's led to me now being the head of Operations at one of the largest activewear brands in Australia. It's called Muscle Republic.
Dylan Blakey-Milner (Class of 2011)
Straight after High School, I went to AAA School of Advertising to study a BA in Marketing Communications. I graduated with distinction and specialised in: Brand Management, Account Management & Digital Media Marketing.
Shortly after graduating, I got a job as an Account Executive at M&C Saatchi Abel. I was there for about two years. I then went to work for Ogilvy Cape Town as an Account Manager for another two years. In 2019 I immigrated to the UK and went to work for AMVBBDO in London.
I joined as an Account Manager, shortly afterwards got promoted to Senior Account Manager and I am now an Account Director working across a number of Johnson & Johnson Brands, FedEx and PepsiCo.
Taryn Golding (Class of 2013)
Taryn received a Research Excellence Award for Next Generation Researchers at the National Research Foundation (NRF) Awards ceremony in September 2023. This honour recognises outstanding academic performance by final-year doctoral students. Golding’s current research project is in the evaluation of emerging metallodrugs (drugs that contain metals, eg, iron) to treat malaria. “Receiving this award reinforces my commitment to making a lasting difference in combatting malaria. It highlights the potential impact of my work and dedication to fighting this deadly disease that affects millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Taryn.
She completed her BSc in Chemistry and Biochemistry, a BSc Honours and an MSc in Chemistry at the University of Cape Town and is currently enrolled there for her PhD in Bioorganometallic Chemistry. She is also a part-time tutor, laboratory demonstrator, and lecturer at UCT. She received the Best Poster Award at the 44th National Convention of the South African Chemical Institute held at Stellenbosch University; the Science Faculty PhD Fellowship and the UCT ATAP (Accelerated Transformation of the Academic Program) Fellowship. This prestigious award earmarks exceptionally talented early career scientists, with a distinct aptitude for an academic career. She has published five articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Taryn was a most inspired, motivated pupil who always worked incredibly hard to achieve her goals. She was an inspiration to her peers. She also tutored many CC pupils while she was studying in undergraduate.
Luke Arton-Powell (Class of 2018)
I spent a year in college which gave me a cursory education in the tools I would go on to use in my first job. I live in Sir Lowry's Pass.
I'm a software engineer. It's mentally demanding work, and needs creative problem-solving. It's interesting work, despite its rather "invisible" and unappreciated nature. You never really see just how complicated things are under the hood till you make them.
I've worked for Words First - a British speech and language therapy organisation, with roots here in SA too - and IGrow Financial Investments.
I want Mr van Haght and Mr Joubert - as well as all the other teachers - to know I especially appreciate them kicking me in my tail and getting me into gear. I tell you, I appreciate it more than anything despite how resistant I may have seemed.
Tom Potter (Class of 2013)
Since 2013 I have spent a few years working in the outdoor adventure industry, working with campsites, rock-climbing and kayaking companies. In 2015, I began to study Theology at a seminary in Kalk Bay to go into full-time ministry. During that time, I also opened up a recording studio in 2017 called the Pottery Studios and have worked in Studios since 2017 as a session and semi-professional musician.
I graduated at the end of 2018 with a LTH (Licentiate in Theology). I have been in full-time ministry in Hermanus since 2019, working with kids, teenagers and young adults. I have enjoyed working as a Youth pastor for the last two years.
I got married during Lockdown to my wife, Helene. We have been together since July 2019 and celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary in May this year.
During my time at Cannons I trained under Jean Erasmus and developed a love for road running. However, due to an injury a few years ago, I have not continued running. But I have found a great love for endurance cycling, using many of the tips and tricks she taught us almost 10 years ago.
Tegan Gibaud (Class of 2019)
Congratulations to Tegan Gibaud who was chosen to present at an international conference about
climate change in Pretoria in June 2022. She was the only 3rd year, amongst the PHd Students and
professors.
“I had the opportunity to attend the Spaces 2 Climate Conference in Pretoria, to represent the student
perspective and as an emerging scientist. Spaces is a collaborative funding project that has allowed
several large-scale research projects to be conducted in earth system sciences in South Africa. African
and German scientists, as well as a number of student scientists contributed to this research. The
conference focused on sharing the research done on climate change in earth systems within South Africa,
sharing guidance from relevant policy-makers and stakeholders, and involving emerging scientists in new
scientific endeavors. There are fascinating new discoveries within this space and there is a persisting need for South African scientists to contribute to this work. I look forward to entering this space and contributing to solving our current climate crisis.”
Cannons truly set me up for life with all the leadership opportunities I was able to make use of. I am truly missing the family "vibe" Cannons provides, especially the teachers with which I made connections with.
Mikhail Ajam (Class of 2021)
Mikhail, with partner, represented South Africa at the Junior Grand Prix (JGP) in Bangkok, Thailand in August 2023. They are also the only South Africans chosen by the South African Figure Skating Association to compete. Mikhail started skating at the age of eight.
Ruqaiyah Thomas (Class of 2011)
Since leaving school I took some time to find myself and truly discover what my passion was. I started studying at the IIE’s Varsity College in 2017. I was elected Chairperson of the Social Committee at Varsity College, Cape Town for 2018 and 2019 and was then elected as the Student Body President of the IIE’s Varsity College Cape Town Campus in 2020.
I graduated Cum Laude from the IIE’s Varsity College with a Bachelor of Education in Foundation Phase Teaching. I am currently a Grade 2 teacher, teaching at an amazing under-resourced school in Tafelsig, Mitchell’s Plain, called Perseverance Primary School.
Julia Lee (Class of 2020)
I miss school life at Cannons Creek and South Africa without any doubt.
First of all, I truly appreciate what you have done for my college application process. I’ve been accepted by several colleges, including the college I wanted to attend! I will be attending Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, USA for the next four years with a full scholarship. I’ll be majoring in Neuroscience, then I’m planning on applying to medical schools afterward. There is also a well-known worldwide hospital, Cleveland Clinic (Top 2 hospital in the world), right next to my university. I could never have achieved this without your help. Thank you so much again for your time and effort.
Lia (Jeongeun) Shin (Class of 2020)
Thanks to my amazing teachers at Cannons, I would be able to get accepted to all the universities I applied to. I decided to go to the University of Alberta with a major in Biochemistry as they offered me the entrance international student scholarship. I really wanted to study Biochemistry so I am very glad and grateful that I could make it. Again, I am truly thankful for all the teachers and staff at Cannons.
Lauren Breeds (Class of 2015)
After matriculating in 2015, I went on to study a two-year advanced food and wine course at a culinary institution in Paarl called The Hurst Campus.
When I was placed for my first internship, the chef who was running the section that I was working on became very ill and had to go home. This was my first ever Sunday lunch at a hotel and there were over 100 people booked – in that moment I was terrified because I didn’t think that I could do it alone. Little did I know that would be a turning point in my career. I told my head chef that I was going to take over the section for the day by myself. To this day I still have the order dockets from my first-ever service alone; they serve as a reminder that even though you might not think that you are ready, you will never know if you don’t try. Through this I was given more responsibilities and this resulted in my getting the opportunity to finish my internship at The Greenhouse, which at the time was one of the top 10 restaurants in the country. When all restaurants needed to close during Lockdown, I decided to continue my studies and participate in some online courses. When take-aways and deliveries were allowed, I had some neighbours and family friends ask for meals to be delivered. Through word of mouth, I started to get more clients and then requests for catering. I saw an opportunity and decided to start my own catering company instead of returning to the fine dining industry, and thus The Chef’s Passion was established.