Reiger Park’s Brightest
We know the cheap replica watches story; read about it in every newspaper and saw Ernest getting the most airtime on television during the broadcast Breitling Replica Watches of the National Matric Achievement Awards Omega Replica ceremony for the top Matric learners for 2015.
To refresh everyone’s memory:
Ernest Molelle was a learner at Reiger Park Secondary who lived in Ramaphosa and wrote his Grade 12 exams at the end 2015. He achieved eight watches replica uk distinctions in his final exams, missing the ninth with two percent, also achieving a 100% pass for physical science. Ernest was placed third nationally and number one in both Ekurhuleni and the educational district his school falls under.
This was a proud moment for Ekurhuleni, Boksburg, but especially Reiger Park where he lived and schooled. As the Principal of Reiger Park Secondary School, Mr Fisch, so often mentioned at functions since the results were released:
“for someone to achieve such results at a school with limited resources, speaks not only volumes of the learner himself, but also of the calibre of people in the community and the dedication, hard work and brilliance of the educators. “
That, a refresher on what catapulted Ernest, Reiger Park Secondary School and the community of Reiger Park onto the national stage of positive fame.
But why a blog on this topic a few months later? And why did the Reiger Park Bulletin wait so long to publish something about Ernest?
The answer is in what is to follow:
I interviewed Ernest, like most media outlets did, after the results were made public, but unlike other media outlets, who best replica Rolex uk wanted to be on the current story – the breaking news – the man of the moment – the Reiger Park Bulletin discovered a message that couldn’t only be remembered, sensationalised and even cherished for only a moment. I realised that this moment should be the moment that set new boundaries; that creates a new old kind of history; that continue to remind a community who often questions their own worth in a society/country that seem to have forgotten them and often times even write them off as a lost cause – intentionally or out of ignorance of their true worth – that they are not only unique, but if people like Ernest who lives out their brilliance look up to the people of this community for inspiration and appreciates the privilege to be part of them, how much of their own greatness are they not aware of that they possess?
Yes, my interview with Ernest was in part about his achievements, but in most part about what helped him achieve.
Ernest shared with me the sad reality of how he lost his mother when he started high school. However, with the support of his aunt (a general or domestic worker) and grandmother, who moved to Ramaphosa to help raise them, he could cope with cheapreplica watches the death of his mother. But it was early in Grade 10, he said, that he started experiencing difficulty coping, which he believed was a late reaction to his mother’s death a few years before. It was during this time, however, that his educators played a pivotal role in supporting, encouraging, motivating and carrying him through these tough emotional times.
With the support of his educators, family, friends, God and the community, he could overcome his emotional difficulties and start top quality rolex replica watches uk performing at his usual peek again. But this was also the time that Ernest realised and made the decision that his achievements are not only for his individual gain, but for the community who has served him for so many years.
Unlike the news reports that spoke of a community ravished by bad elements and behaviour – showing Ernest to be the exception – Ernest has a great love for his community; a great respect for the people of Reiger Park, which include Ramaphosa, Delmore Park, Delmore Gardens and Windmill Park. He spoke fondly of the people who encouraged him on a regular basis to persist in his dreams. He told me of a taxi driver who would often stop just to say hello, give him a coke and tell him that he is proud of him and that he should continue to be great at what he does.
It was not only to those who encouraged him through their personal interaction with him that Ernest looked up to. To Ernest the people of Reiger Park is a resilient, never give up kind of people. He said that although people will not have it good, and even though they might sometimes do it the wrong way, and regardless of their circumstances, on his way to school in the mornings he noticed and developed a great respect for the resilience of the people of this community who will be up early to ensure that they find a way to survive, to make it through the day. And because of that which he found in the people, he decided that although it means he needed to work very hard and smart to achieve great results, it will be worth it – because the success will not only be to shape a better future for himself, but his way to give back to this community who helped shape him.
Through the pride that they have in one of their own, Ernest believes that it will help them muster up more courage to continue to strive for the greatness within them to shine.
Ernest is not a special breed, or any different from others; he simply realised his greatness at a young age and lived it. But this is a greatness that is within all, greatness that Ernest noticed in everyone in the community he grew up in.
Was he proud of his achievements? Definitely, who wouldn’t be! And rightfully so.
So, why Ernest now?
Ernest is not now, Ernest has always been in everyone in this community; it simply needed an Ernest Molelle to remind the community of what is within us all – greatness. And believe me, the pride of being from Reiger Park shined brightly on that young man’s face as he spoke of his community.
As with other greats from the community of Reiger Park and its extensions, Ernest showed what is possible with hope, trust, faith, belief, self-respect and hard work, and as with all the greats from the community you are no different.