31/03/2026
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐱 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬.. 🔥🔥
(part two)
Exactly a month ago we commemorated the anniversary of the fire of '44 that razed St Andrew's School, Turi as it originally was to the ground.
The fact that we are here today, speaking of 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐢 @ 𝟗𝟓 obviously means that that wasn't the end of the story. Well, exactly four years later on February 29th 1948, the school reopened, new buildings and a renewed spirit. Truly like the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes.
That new school is the current Prep School, which for the most part has remained the same. This speaks to the quality of the workmanship that went into the building. For four years the Lavers worked tirelessly to restore the school while they in that time lived in tents- we can only imagine in the biting cold of Molo in July, that wasn't exactly ideal but as we mentioned last time, camping is in the Turi DNA.
On the morning of the fire, the community around the school rose to the occasion, taking on the little boys and girls while their parents were notified (by radio broadcast) of the disaster that had struck.
The first to come to the rescue were the young ladies of St George's, then a neighbouring girls' secondary school and currently what makes the Art Department at the Senior School today.
This was time for action, not wallowing, in fact that entire day, Ma Lavers busied herself, unbeknownst to her, with no teeth in her mouth. Later that evening while setting up their new temporary home in the chapel, her husband not only handed her her dentures but reminded her of the blessings they could count- that her teeth made it and more importantly, everyone was safe and sound!
The eventual restoration and expansion of Turi as we know it has not been a journey without its challenges. In fact, a few years ago when another fire incident occurred in the school, the same community (different individuals of course) came to the rescue.
This community spirit and the foundation laid by the Lavers, rooted in servant leadership is the reason why the school today continues to invest in the growth and wellness, especially of children of the larger Turi village.
Through the Phoenix Endowment Fund, there are scholarships, bursaries, feeding programmes, construction projects, after-school programmes, international outreach programmes and a lot of times, good old communion and making of friends during social activities that bring the larger Turi community together.
This past Friday over 100 individuals and 15 corporates became one with Turi village by supporting the Charity Golf Event whose proceeds all go towards the Phoenix Fund.
For that we are truly grateful. May we all continue to be our brother's and neighbour's keeper wherever we are!
“𝐒𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐮𝐬, 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧. 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞’𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧.”
~Fritz Williams
Thank you:
Britam , Text Book Centre , NCBA Bank , Farmer's Choice Limited SOKO, Business Solutions, Pianos
Solar Inventions, in the Wild, Venturesafrica, , Seagon
Safaricom PLC , HACO Industries
