Robert Cross, the former General Director of NAPAC, who
worked with Hugh for many years, has said “Hugh was a great personal friend of
my entire family. His sense of fun was infectious, his penchant for appalling
puns was hilarious and his warmth and deep kindness means he will be deeply
missed by all who knew and worked with him - friends, colleagues and students
alike.”
Educated in Pietermaritzburg, Thompson had two BA Honours degrees - Geography
and Drama - at the University of Natal, and began teaching at Glenwood Boys High School.
After appearing in a number of theatre productions in Durban and
Pietermaritzburg, he returned to the University of Natal and studied for his
second BA in Speech and Drama. After a period as a lecturer in the Department,
he moved to the Speech and Drama Department at “Dokkies” (Durban College of
Education) where he directed a number of highly successful student productions.
Later still, when the Edgewood Teachers’ Training College
was opened, he was appointed as Head of its Speech and Drama Department and, in
addition to lecturing, again directed its students in a number of popular
productions. He later moved to the Natal Education Department when he was
appointed as Inspector for Speech and Drama where his deep understanding of
theatre and its application in schools, made him extremely popular with staff
and students alike.
After a period as a member of the Drama Advisory Committee
of NAPAC, he later spent a few years as NAPAC’s Drama Organiser, often acting
as company manager for productions that toured the province and appearing as an
actor in a number of them. At the same time, he was a member of the Nederburg
Ballet Committee, a group of ballet experts charged with selecting the annual
winner of the prestigious Nederburg Ballet Award.
When he retired from NAPAC, he joined the staff of St.
Benedict’s school in Pinetown, again teaching speech and drama, before finally
retiring a few years ago. However, he retained his deep interest in the subject
and in the performing arts generally, and had only recently finished an
exhausting series of visits throughout the province, adjudicating speech and
drama students.
He had also been involved from its inception with the
annual, national Students’ Shakespeare Quiz and was the current chairman of the
Shakespeare Society, a group of enthusiasts who meet regularly.
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