THE pupils of HP Williams Primary School in St Helena Bay are off to a flying start in 2017, courtesy of a brand new minibus and back-to-school starter packs for all Grade 1 pupils which were donated to the school by South Africa’s largest fishing company, the Oceana Group.
Home to nearly 300 pupils from grades R to 7, HP Williams Primary School is located in the West Coast fishing town of St Helena Bay. With 11 classrooms and 11 dedicated teachers, the school services the local community including the children of the employees of Oceana’s long-established lobster and pilchard processing plants and its cannery in St Helena Bay.
Opened in 1962, HP Williams Primary School has not had its own reliable school transport for more than 50 years, and up until now its pupils often missed out participating in school excursions and sports events. “Having our own transport gives our school a welcome sense of independence and is a point of pride for our pupils, teachers and local community,” says school principal Mr Erasmus.
“We are grateful to Oceana for this kind donation which will have an immediate positive impact on all the pupils who pass through these doors.”
In addition to the brand new Quantum minibus for the school, Oceana ensured that all 60 Grade 1 pupils receive their own back-to-school stationery starter packs.
“As South Africa’s largest fishing company and one of the top 10 fishing companies in the world, Oceana is committed to ensuring that we convert our fishing rights into human rights that create shared value for all South Africans, and especially within the coastal communities where we have our operations,” Oceana chief executive Francois Kuttel said.
“We believe that our corporate social investment (CSI) is most effective when focused on food security and education, as these are the keys to improving socio-economic conditions.”
In 2016, Oceana invested over R6.6 million as part of their CSI in its efforts to uplift South African fishing communities. Seeing the joy that the new minibus brings to the pupils of the school is an unquantifiable return on investment that makes it more than worthwhile.”
Perhaps no one puts it better than HP Primary’s headboy, Isidor Erasmus: “The bus is a great gift for our school. We can now be much more independent because previously we always had to rely on taxis for transport. Now that we have our own transport, the best part is that we can save money and the school can now develop.”