"Inspires Individuals” is not just the tag line for this magnificent institution - it is actually lived by all who are affected by the school.
One such poignant example is the "Bishops Aviation Experience”, where boys who are interested in aviation went on the experience of a lifetime with ODs who are in the aviation industry. One such OD was Capt. Brian Huna (1995F) who took two Bishops boys on a flight from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth and back to Cape Town in a S.A. Express Airways De Havilland Q400. They were exposed to pre-flight preparation and were also invited to sit up front in the cockpit with Brian.
Brian Huna is a former recipient of the Hamilton Mvelase Scholarship, he matriculated from Bishops in 1995 Founders House, and was a school prefect.
In 1997 he and his friends went to France to participate in the Nancy Jazz Festival in a marimba band. That was his first flying experience and they were lucky to be invited to view the flight deck of 747-400 in flight. That's when his interest in flying began.
He then applied for and was selected for the SAA cadet system in 2002 (SAA group 12) and was part of the first group to complete their training at 43 Air School in Port Alfred.
Brian is a proud OD, and plays a leading role in the “Black OD’s” movement which acknowledges that Black Old boys were not as involved in the OD Union and Bishops compared to their White counterparts. It is therefore incumbent on these Black OD’s to lend a hand in providing role models for other Bishops Boys who may have never met a Black Pilot.
“The penny sometimes only drops later in life, and the real benefit of Bishops is only recognised then, however I can certainly say without a doubt that the strength I needed to make it in life was harnessed at Bishops. Making the 1st XV rugby team against the better well known kids at school and the friendships built over the years have been critical” , says Brian. “Without the foundation and the opportunity of the scholarship, I don’t think I would be where I am today."
I cherish the critical relationships I have built with the likes of Thobile Vumazonke, Kk Mhlauli and, more recently, OD pilots Mike Bosman and Paul Weich- It was at an OD Dinner that we discussed the Aviation experience”.
In March 2009 Brian joined SA Express as a First Officer on the Canadair Regional Jet CRJ200 and in 2012 he did his conversion onto the CRJ700. He flew as First Officer for seven years and received his upgrade to Dash 8 Q400 Captain in July 2016. He has now been on the Q400 for his third year of command with over 7000 flying hours under his belt.
Brian is married to Thobeka. She's a cabin crew member at SAA and they have two boys Olwethu and Thami, both 13, and 3 year old Sethu, a little girl.
