Probably the single biggest material development at Queen's College over the last 50 years has been the provision of an Astroturf. Born from a discussion at the Price Fields in November 1999, as Chris Harker and Hugh Wormald were watching their sons play cricket, the idea the two decided upon then was that an Astroturf would be an addition enabling Queen's College to keep up with the facilities offered at the best public and private schools in the country.
At the time Hugh Wormald was a director of BK Administrators, an incorporated association, not for gain, decided to assist communities in an area stretching form Queenstown to King William's Town. Hugh had specific responsibility for the Queenstown District, and , having met with individuals responsible for the Selborne Astroturf and liaised with suppliers and contractors, he prepared and presented a proposal for the Board of BK Administrators. The Board having approved the proposal, the Queen's Trust were delighted to receive a letter of grant for R2.5 million on 20 October 2000.
From then on Chris Harker assumed the greatest personal interest in the development and progress of the project, visiting the site daily and often more frequently and ensuring that the quality of the work was first-class and up to schedule. Furthermore, the headmaster worked tirelessly in arranging the upgrade of fencing around the Recreation fields which incorporate the Astroturf, arranging for entrance gates, planting trees and creating a tarred parking area, His efforts resulted in a facility at least as attractive as anywhere else in the country.
The Astroturf was officially opened on 4 May 2001 by Neville Woollgar, chairman of BK Administrators at the time, to great acclaim. It has already proved invaluable as a sporting facility of the highest quality on a year-round basis.
