Rupert
The school’s first international rugby tour was to the British School in Uruguay, in 1960. As you know, all Tours need a strong motivation, specially as you enter the field. A Tour Mascot is usually the emblem of this motivation.
In 1960, everyone was sitting in the bus ready to go as one of the boys cried out: -”We don’t have a mascot!”.
After a few seconds another boy said he had his childhood dog that could serve as a possible mascot. -”Bring him!”. “Hurry up!”.
As Gerry Brough crossed Ramón Falcón everyone in the bus wondered what he could be called. -”Here he is!” said Gerry as he entered the bus. Someone cried out: -”He looks just like Rupert!” (Rupert Ormsby was one of the tour members). -“Yeah” “Yeah”. He looks just like Rupert!” the crowd cried out, and at that moment Rupert was born!
He was on all tours since that first one in 1960 and became the most travelled fellow at School.
By 1974, as he prepared for the First Rugby Tour to United Kingdom by an Argentine School, he had already been to Uruguay various times, to the Mesopotamia (Entre Ríos, Corrientes, Misiones) and to Patagonia (Río Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz) to Paraguay, Brazil and Chile on a great number of Tours.
After the 1974 Tours he was on a plane again to UK in 1978, and to The European Tour in 1981.
Rupert suffered a mishap during the 1981 Tour to Europe, he was left in Ezeiza’s Toilets by the boy-in-charge and was lost!
In 2006 (25 years later) the student who lost him donated an interim mascot to replace him.
But us everyone knows Rupert is irreplaceable.
Rupert has been on many brochures, decals and pins for different School Tours.
2019 Tour is very important, as each and every Tour is, but on this occasion, importance resides on the fact that Rupert is back!
