Johannesburg - One of the Fourways High School top achievers on their prelims are the Neilson twins, Cameron and Mitchell, who have been inseparable since they started their school journey.
They told Star they had always been dedicated to academics and assisted each other through challenging times.
Cameron obtained six distinctions in Afrikaans (first additional language), maths, life orientation, accounting, information technology (IT) and physical sciences. Mitchell obtained seven distinctions in English (home language), Afrikaans (first additional language), maths, life orientation, accounting, IT, life sciences and physical sciences.
Mitchell said his brother had always been an essential part of his school life.
“In the early stages of high school, we became vital to each other’s growth, both academically and socially. We studied together and shared many memorable and important experiences, for example, within our major production events – even managing to get a line in our first performance at the school. We stayed at the school late on weekends, partaking in Sound and Lighting events and being each other’s support.”
Cameron said: “We have an extremely close relationship. He often understands subjects and topics quicker than I do, and before matric I found myself relying on his help. I’ve always appreciated his help on everything, and I feel that I helped him a lot too. In matric, we became a bit more independent and focused on our studies, but we still managed to help each other out.”
Although their passion for certain things was different, they continued to support each other wholeheartedly, he said.
“The Grade 11 and matric years brought a lot of different opportunities: Cameron took an invested interest in his athletic career, and I took an interest in music, having learned the guitar and composing a small song. Whether he’s on the track or I’m strumming, we are at each other’s sides. Almost every experience we have is a shared one.”
The twins also took part in community activities such as running or walking in support of the fight against cancer.
“This was an especially heart-warming experience, as I had observed that although Covid was tough for me, those in need would be suffering a much harsher experience. Separately, cancer is a specifically sensitive topic in my family, and I had gone on quite a few walks and/or runs in the name of supporting the fight against cancer,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell is still deciding between studying at Wits University and the University of Pretoria, while Cameron is part of an internship programme as a software development trainee.
The Star