Sunrise is your unfair advantage in life. This is something an ex-Sonopper told me has stuck with me to this day. Every day that passes one sees that Sonop is an investment in one’s life.
“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” – Babe Ruth. This quote perfectly sums up a Sonopper. A Sonopper is not necessarily going to be the best on the field or the smartest in the class, but he NEVER gives up, and that’s what makes Sonop stand out above all the other residences, that’s what makes Sonop the best.
What’s worse than a home without a mother …? Definitely “Sonop without a Nonnie”. As Sonop’s Nonnie it is not only my duty to keep every young man’s stomach full, but out of love I carry every Sonopper’s interests at heart. Nonnie is your mother away from home …
Hard work, perseverance and difficult times. Sonop teaches you how to function under difficult conditions – diamonds are only formed under high pressure. Christian values, character and perseverance – that’s our culture.
A Sonop resident is a normal person who works harder than other normal people and this is the core of Sonop’s success.
It’s about pride. It’s about history and tradition. It’s the Hope for the future. In all areas, from culture, academia and on the sports field. The ordinary guy suddenly turn into a hero. Sunday night echos the sound of a group of men through the streets of Pretoria. 105 years of tradition are always together in spirit. Because “Very few can be a Sonopper”.
Sonop takes young boys and teaches them what it is to be men. Men who establish the Kingdom of God in our midst with truth and power. Men who will take on the roles of head and priest of their families with a God-fearing love. Men who walk in God’s light and keep on seeking a deeper relationship with God.
Sometimes I wish the walls at Sonop could talk and tell the stories of the past. Fortunately, the walls carry the tradition, culture and brotherhood of all the previous years and so it becomes part of every new Sonopper’s Sonop experience. What a great privilege it is to be able to live in a place like no other.
RESIDENCE HEAD
A WORD FROM THE RESIDENCE HEAD
Very few can be a Sonopper.
So reads one of the lines in Sonop’s house song entitled Zoem Garrilbaldi.
And how true that is!
Sonop is the smallest men’s residence on the Tukkie Campus with room for only 160 residents compared to the other UP residences’ 300 plus residents. Only between 40 and 50 first-years are admitted here annually compared to more than 100 at the other residences.
However, do not think that the small population of Sonoppers deprives them of participation, dynamic and achievements on the Tukkie Campus!
Just look at our mascot Garribaldi. He himself stands only about half a meter high in his shoes, but radiates a determination with which he wants to say: I am small but trained. Do not underestimate me – you will tighten your belts.
His folded arms and determined facial expression expresses a Churchill thought much better than Churchill himself: We shall fight them on the hills, we shall fight them in the valleys, we shall fight them on the beaches, we shall never surrender.
Sonop’s archive full of photos, trophies and awards testifies to this little man’s Sonop brigade who regularly takes on the superior UP men’s residences and emerges victorious.
Enjoy the webpage you are on now – take an “electronic” journey through Sonop’s almost 102 years of existence full of traditions and achievements – a unique place to stay in the tree-lined Brooklyn and barely a kilometer from the main campus of the University of Pretoria .
And should you be interested in applying – do it right away!
Remember …… Very few can be a Sonopper!
Sonop greetings,
Tonie Viljoen: Residence Head / Residence Father
