A RETIRED principal will soon be swopping the rolling hills of the Tyume Valley between Alice and Hogsback for the country of his birth – India.
James Thomas and his wife, Susan, came to South Africa in 1987. Thomas took up employment at the Phandulwazi Agricultural High School which is nestled at the foot of the Hogsback Mountains in the Tyume Valley.
It is a boarding school with an enrolment of close to 400 learners.
In 1990, Thomas was promoted to head of department for mathematics and physical science at the school.
In 2008, he was appointed deputy principal and four years later became principal of the school.
His wife, Susan, started St Joseph’s Preschool in Alice in 1994.
In the eight years that Thomas was principal, he raised the school to higher grounds both academically and in the line of infrastructure.
The school has also been a marking centre for matric papers for the past few years.
Thomas will also be fondly missed by the church community of St Joseph’s in Alice, where he was parish council chairperson for eight years.
During their time here, the family also suffered a sad loss when their 17-year-old son died of cancer in 2001.
In an interview with Mid-Karoo Express, Thomas said that they would be missing the country in which they had spent the best years of their life.
“We will cherish the memories but are looking forward to spending quality time with our daughter back home,” Thomas said.