St. Mark’s did not begin with buildings, it began with faith, generosity and doors that kept opening. In the early years, the Andersons, together with the fundraising committee, knocked tirelessly on corporate, embassy and philanthropic doors. What came back was extraordinary: open hands, open hearts and open chequebooks.

From mining giants like Anglo American / De Beers, then led in grant-making by Michael O’Dowd, later through Tshikululu Social Investments, to JCI’s Murray and Joan Hofmeyr, to the generosity of Pick n Pay’s Raymond Ackerman, the school was built brick by brick by people who believed that a “magic Anglican school in the bundu” deserved a chance. Banks such as Nedbank, FNB and Standard Bank stepped in, as did the Canadian and Australian Embassies and several long-standing trusts including Barrow, Niven and DG Murray.

There were individuals, too: old classmates, lifelong friends and international networks, from Trinity Wall Street Church to schools abroad like Prince Edward School in Birmingham, which sent learners yearly to volunteer in Sekhukhuneland. Each donor, known and unknown, helped turn a bare patch of land into an institution that would produce some of the country’s brightest minds.