Grey High School Mourns Nigel Bands, Founding Rugby Supporters Club Member and Bursary Pioneer

• Grey High School announced the passing of Old Grey Nigel Bands, Class of 1968, on Friday, 24 July 2026
• Bands founded the Grey Rugby Supporters Club and spent more than 25 years funding bursaries for young scholars
• In 2018, Bands became the first person ever to receive Honorary Life Membership of the Old Greys' Union

Grey High School has announced the death of Old Grey Nigel Bands, a Class of 1968 alumnus whose decades of service and philanthropy left an enduring mark on the Grey Schools community in Port Elizabeth.

The school shared the news on its official Facebook page on Friday, 24 July 2026, describing Bands as a man whose legacy "will be forever grateful" to all who knew him and benefited from his generosity.

Nigel Bands' Grey Schools journey

Bands' connection to Grey began in his earliest school years as a Grey Junior boy. At Grey High School, he played as First Team flyhalf in 1968 and competed in athletics as part of the Eastern Cape Grey Athletics team. He later became a founding member of the Grey Rugby Supporters Club, maintaining a lifelong commitment to the institution long after his school days ended.

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As a trustee of The Grey Foundation and a mentor within the Old Greys' Union, Bands dedicated himself to the academic, sporting and personal development of Grey scholars. For more than 25 years, he and his family funded bursaries that opened educational doors for young people who may otherwise not have had access to such opportunities, a programme that the school confirmed will continue beyond his passing.

His contributions were formally recognised in 2018, when he became the first recipient ever of Honorary Life Membership of the Old Greys' Union, the organisation's highest honour.

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Family and tributes

Bands is survived by his wife, Louise, after 51 years of marriage, as well as his children and grandchildren.

Grey High School's tribute described the loss as "deeply sad" and extended thoughts and prayers to the Bands family. "The Grey Schools and wider community will be forever grateful for Mr Nigel Bands and the remarkable legacy he leaves behind," the school wrote in its post.

Source: Briefly News