#TheHerald180 | Herald quiz has helped pupils keep in tune with current events for decades

High school pupils from across the Nelson Mandela Bay and Kouga regions have been poring over copies of The Herald since mid-April as they prepare for one of the most popular events on the school calendar — The Herald Isuzu Schools Quiz.

With a prize package worth more than R270,000, including a R35,000 cash prize from co-naming sponsor Isuzu Motors SA to be shared among the top three schools this year, there is much more than just bragging rights and a fancy trophy at stake.

Arena Holdings Eastern Cape general manager Ryan Megaw said the quiz celebrated and showcased the achievements of high school pupils from all walks of life.

“We brought back the quiz [after a break of several years] to spark news engagement among younger readers, pushing them to dig deeper into current events on local, national and global levels while celebrating reading as the foundation of learning,” Megaw said.

“We see news reading as a way to build responsible, engaged citizens who make informed choices. Growing this readership isn’t just good for society — it’s a win for The Herald too.”

Incredibly, The Herald quiz ran uninterrupted from the 1960s — “when I was at school!” — until the early 2000s, former quizmaster Andre Erasmus, now living in the UK, recalled.

It was revived in 2021 and has been fiercely contested ever since, with this year’s final showdown to take place on May 31.

“The quiz goes back to the same era that Noreen Sutcliffe started the On The Go series of youth activities, which included the famous On The Go Show — a battle of the bands type talent show which gave rise to many renowned musicians,” Erasmus said.

Erasmus was quizmaster in the 1980s, when he worked for The Herald, and again in the 1990s while at the  Evening Post.

His wife, Lynne, (née Goodliff) was also involved as she worked in the promotions department with marketing guru Sandi Krige as part of the team organising the event.

Later quizmasters would include radio personality Daron Mann and former Herald executive news editor Brett Adkins.

Linda Harwood-de Bruyn started as promotions manager at what was then Times Media Eastern Cape in 1992.

Back then, as a fresh-faced 23-year-old working under Krige, she was impressed by how knowledgeable the quizmasters were, she said.

“There was no moderator back then, and the quizmasters themselves would have to make a judgment call on stage if there was any dispute around an answer.”

Harwood-de Bruyn’s records revealed that the first quiz, held in 1965, was won by Marist Brothers College, followed by Pearson High School in 1966.

The last quiz of the early 2000s, when the competition was discontinued, was won by Gelvandale High in 2005.

Entertainer Ian von Memerty was quizmaster when the competition returned in 2021, with Alexander Road High claiming victory that year.

Well-known MC Gareth Burley has been quizmaster for the past three years, with Herald chief sub-editor Louise Liebenberg — having taken part in the quiz as a former DF Malherbe High School pupil in the early 1990s — drawing up the questions and functioning as moderator since 2021.

Paterson High School won back-to-back in 2022 and 2023, with Uitenhage High School the winners in 2024.

Erasmus remembers the quiz as a popular annual event which used to be held at the City Hall, before it was decided that one year’s winner would be the host for the next year.

“Way back, the quiz was run by the late Donald Prosser and Terry Herbst, and when I took over as quizmaster, we had Bettie Cowdrey doing the questions, all based on articles published in The Herald,” Erasmus said.

“The quiz took place over two or three consecutive evenings, with the last evening being the semifinals and final.”

Huge crowds attended and some of the quizzes were nail-biting affairs, he said.

“I recall Roi Simpson [later of Radio Algoa fame] when he was in the Westering team who were narrowly beaten in one final being so upset that he tore a copy of The Herald into bits and showered me with it while we were still on stage,” he said.

“Another memory stems from a cold night in Gelvandale, where the host principal offered me what I thought was ginger ale as I had a sore throat, and I found myself sipping neat whisky on stage!”

The Herald editor Rochelle de Kock said bringing back the quiz for high school pupils in 2021 was a way to encourage learning in a fun, competitive and constructive way.

“I’ve always felt the role of a newspaper is to educate and entertain, but we need to go beyond just putting stories out there and hoping that the public, and young people in particular, will read them,” De Kock said.

“We need them to engage with the content, and know and understand what is happening in their communities, in their country and internationally.”

The best part of the quiz was that it allowed pupils to compete on an equal footing, she said.

“Every school is given access to the same newspapers [from which most of the questions are drawn] and there is no discrimination; it is all about how prepared the teams are.

“This has worked out wonderfully for these pupils because we’ve seen some of the more disadvantaged schools coming out tops as winners.

“Our hope is that the hunger for knowledge never leaves them, and that they continue to read and apply critical thinking to their everyday lives.”

Isuzu Motors SA has supported the quiz since its reintroduction four years ago.

Isuzu’s senior manager: brand strategy and field marketing, Nandi Matomela, said education was a key focus area for the brand.

“The competition resonates with our conviction to create a better future for the youth and provide an environment where they can thrive,” Matomela said.

“It has been a real pleasure to see the quiz grow from strength to strength over the years. It is critical for young people to keep abreast of the latest developments so they can make informed choices in life.” 

The Herald