work, so GSTS was a natural choice for me. Many of my colleagues from the Volta Region might have chosen schools such as BishopHerman or St Augustine’s College, but I was drawn to GSTS because of its strong technical focus. My parents were delighted that I had passed the Common Entrance Examination, althoughmy father worried about how he would afford my education. Sadly, he died that same year, when I was only 15. It was a painful loss at a time when a new chapter of my life was just beginning. My uncle, the late Herman Yao Obimpeh, stepped in to look after me and support my education, providing uniforms, clothing and other school necessities. I did not have a scholarship during my first year, but by the end of that year, I received one. From then on, my fees were covered, and because GSTS was a government school, books, stationery and many other necessities were also provided. Going to GSTS also meant travelling farther from Vakpo than I ever had before. Fortunately, the late Rudolph Mensah, who was from our area and already a student at GSTS, accompanied me. My family entrusted me to his care for the journey to Takoradi. It was a long journey because the roads were poor in those days. At Senchi, we crossed the Volta River by ferry because there was no bridge at the time. We continued to Accra, spent the night there and left very early the following morning, arriving in Takoradi around 4 p.m. Secondary school was an entirely different environment. I was assigned to House One, Ritchie House, where the prefects helped us settle in and guided us through school life. I was a quiet boy, very committed to my studies, and I particularly enjoyed the practical work in the workshop. As Ihadno relatives inTakoradi, I rarelyused theSaturday exeat to go into town unless I went with friends. However, I was very active in school. I was the second goalkeeper on the football team, played cricket, participated in athletics, particularly the high jump, and was also a member of the school cadet corps. Cricket gave me the opportunity to travel. We went to Kumasi to play Opoku Ware and later to Tamale to play Ghana Secondary School. Those were my first visits to both cities. I believe we won in Tamale and lost the other game. GSTS was also very strong in athletics, and I competed in the high jump at the national secondary school level. I remember travelling to Achimota in Accra for a national schools competition. GSTS was an all boys school, so we had very little interaction with girls. At Achimota, when we entered the dining hall, some of the girls began laughing and teasing us. They were much more confident than we were and could probably tell that we were shy. We simply ignored the teasing, concentrated on our meals and prepared for the competition. 2026 GSTS Founders’ Day. 12 The Birthday Journal
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