CHRISTCHURCH COLLEGE

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28794, 15 January 1959, Page 6

CHRISTCHURCH COLLEGE

New Principal Arrives

The Rev. Canon F. C. Synge, who has arrived in Christchurch to take up his appointment as principal of Christchurch College (the name on the Rolleston avenue frontage is still College House) was warden of a theological college in Grahamstown, South Africa, for more than eight years. He was afterwards Dean of the Diocese of George, in South Africa, for four years and a half and came from there to Christchurch.

George, about 300 miles east along the coast from Cape Town, is a market town of 16,000 inhabitants, about half being coloured people. Its cathedral is about the same age as the Christchurch Cathedral, Canon Synge said. There were four out stations. His work waA mostly with Europeans, though there were two coloured congregations in the four. The Dutch Reformed Church was much the strongest in South Africa and was growing. Andrew Murray, a Presbyterian, was brought from Scotland and gave the Reformed Church in South Africa its form of government. Those people whose home language was Afrikaans were in the majority arrtbng whites in South Africa.

Apartheid Apartheid had always been in force as a social practice. There had been that distinction between white and coloured people in South Africa and there always would be, said Canon Synge. But apartheid, or separation, as a principle of government had been intensified by the present government though it had been a principle for a long time. It had been just an automatic social division, the fruit of general public opinion. As long as it was that it could be modified. There were certain people, native and coloured, who had the vote. Now the whole thing had been made a part of the legal structiure of the country. Canon Synge said it had to be understood that there were three groups in South Africa —the whites, the natives and the coloureds, the last being of mixed blood. In the old days there were always some coloured people going up into the ranks of the whites and a certain number of poor whites going down into the coloured ranks. There was none of that now. However white a coloured man might appear, he stayed in the ranks of the coloured. The chief objection to this was that it was all done to preserve white supremacy. “Our church leaders have taken a stand against apartheid. It is felt that a man’s ability should help him to rise to whatever position it fits him, irrespective of colour, but apartheid forbids it.” said Canon Synge.