What an inspirational day…!
On Monday 30th June 2025 we came together as a Trust Family for our annual Bosco Inset Day, focusing on the 7 Catholic Social Teachings. It was wonderful to see so many of us in one room, with over 500 staff from 13 schools coming together on what was probably the hottest day of the year so far! Click here to watch a short video capturing the spirit of the day.
We couldn’t have anticipated quite how special a day it would be! To be privileged enough to hear not only from Nelson Mandela’s former bodyguard, Chris Lubbe but also from Holocaust Survivor, Dorit Oliver-Wolff BEM; could there be a greater message of Courage, Hope, Love, Forgiveness and Compassion, in this, the Jubilee Year of Hope?
Chris spoke with passion, integrity, humour and humility about his childhood, growing up during the horrors of Apartheid and his time working alongside Nelson Mandela from his prison release up to retirement as South Africa’s first black president. Chris told us about meeting so many famous celebrities and world leaders from Beyonce and the Spice Girls, to Denzel Washington and Bill Clinton, but he admitted to being star-struck only by Queen Elizabeth II, who, when they met, still had the letter he had written to her at 8-years old, begging her to join the fight against Apartheid.
So many were Chris’s messages of hope and love, but all were overshadowed by his forgiveness of a cruel and hateful prison guard, going on to work alongside one another as a part of Nelson Mandela’s presidential security team.
Dorit was star of our workshop entitled “Living Through Social Injustice”, talking with great candour and honesty about her early childhood, fleeing war torn Yugoslavia in 1941 with her mother and grandmother, being captured for concentration camps, daring escapes and tales of hiding and scavenging for food. Dorit went on to tell us about her inspirational recovery from the Holocaust, going on to become a star in Germany before finally settling in England in 1962 and writing her book, “From Yellow Star to Pop Star.”
Dorit was awarded a British Empire Medal for services to Holocaust education and awareness in 2019 and was granted the Freedom of the Borough by Eastbourne Borough Council in May 2025.
You can read more about Dorit and her incredible life story here.
So much hard work went into making this day possible – our heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who gave of their time, skills and expertise. Watch this short video, which captures the day beautifully…
