Good afternoon, molweni, goeie middag en awè!
Dear Ladies and gentlemen
It is my absolute privilege to welcome you to this wonderful koshuis. My name is Tim Smith and I am the Primarius/head student for 2012 which will be my 5 th year in Goldfields. We are very excited to see all the new faces and we look forward to the year that lies ahead with great anticipation.
In 2012 Goldfields will turn 25 years old. While we are young compared to many other koshuise at
Stellenbosch University and other koshuise in South Africa but we are the oldest mixed gender mixed race koshuis in South Africa. So in this regard we are the oldest koshuis in South Africa.
I chose this intro to highlight two things. We are very proud of our past and what we as a koshuis have developed to be and secondly to highlight the fact that we are highly diverse across the board.
Out of this potjie pot of different cultures, genders, races, and languages we learn from each other and come to recognise that each resident’s uniqueness is our strength.
I wish to touch on academics while the parents are still here. We at Goldfields believe that academics is of the utmost importance and rightly so as that is why we are at university in the first place. You may have heard the rumours that some students take longer to finish their degrees due to all the other happenings that take place at Stellenbosch. I am in fact part of this group that took longer than the standard amount of years to finish their degree. So out of experience it is that I say to you that life is all about balance.
There are two sides to student life coin, you cannot just have fun and think that you will pass. Some miraculously make it through their 1 st year in his manner but they soon fall by the way side. All the foundations are in place for your academic success such as the mentor system, academic quite times and the fact that you have seniors in the koshuis who have been there before you and can help you.
First years, if there is any other area that you feel we could further promote academic success please feel free to come and talk to me.
Get into the winning habit of working hard early on in your varsity career as the work only gets harder and the workload more, I can assure you.
At the beginning I mentioned that our diversity is our strength. This is where the other side of the coin comes into play. Just as I have had the experience of spending too much time on non-academic endeavours and paying the price thereof, I have also gone through the experience of doing nothing but studying for a period. Some students may be able to do it, but most will either burn out, become less productive in their work or just plain miserable.
Thus I encourage you to get involved in an area of the koshuis life that interests you, such as sport or culture. Goldfields offers a wide range of sports (Cricket, rugby, hockey, soccer, netball, tennis, table tennis) and although we have not always be the strongest culturally we are working on further developing this area of our koshuis. You each have unique and special talents, get involved and

express your talents. I have always said that Goldfields’ biggest asset is not its grounds, history or reputation but its people who define who it is and where it is going.
At the end of the day your student life comes down to balance. Work hard academically and get involved in the koshuis.
Parents, I must ask for your assistance with regards to one aspect during the orientation program.
Once you leave here today please realise that your son or daughter will start with a fun, timepressed and tiring orientation program. Thus please do not phone and ask if you may come and see your child as such a visit often affects the smooth running of the orientation program. Yes it is true that there will be times classified as “free time” during the program but it is these times that often produce the most bonding time between first years and thus we want the first years to spend these periods with the other first years.
If you wish to drop something off, that will not be a problem but please give me a call so that I can arrange for a HK member to meet you at the gate. My number, should you need to contact me is
072 605 8855. Thank you for your co-operation in this regard!
We also want the parents to be aware of what is going on during orientation so we will put up a few photos and a little summary of what happened the day before on our website. So please consult our website during verwelkoming and you will remain in the loop.
I will now give the HK an opportunity to introduce themselves and the portfolios they manage. If you have any questions pertaining to a certain portfolio please do not hesitate to ask them during our luncheon.
I wish you all the best for 2012 and may it be a very blessed year in each and every one of your lives!
Timothy Smith
Primarius 2011/2012