Bulletin

“𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥’𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴.” – 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗗. 𝗛𝘂𝗹𝗹

To our dear parents and Old Unionites, this past weekend, during our annual Founders’ Day celebrations, we were again amazed by the wonderful group of supporters we are fortunate to have at the Union Schools.

𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all those who actively participated in the various activities this past weekend!

JUNIOR HOCKEY

Friday afternoon’s 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦’ 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞𝗘𝗡𝗗 𝗛𝗢𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗬 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗦, saw two young and very nervous teams of junior hockey players take to the turf, to face what might be their toughest competition this year – a determined set of mothers, fathers, 1st team players and Old Girls.

𝗕𝘂𝘁, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁

They came out fighting in both games and gave the spectators an epic showdown.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 on a fine, early start to the season. There were some lovely moments of cohesion and good communication with each other throughout the respective games and 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙.

SENIOR HOCKEY

The Friday of Founders’ Weekend ended with an intense game of hockey between the school’s 1st team and the Old Girls.

The 1st team girls were understandably nervous but also full of excitement. It was brilliant to see the girls who have been training tirelessly, take to the turf for their first encounter of the 2023 school year and they did so with tremendous spirit and effort. The girls put on an excellent performance, fighting to the very last whistle, to win the match 4-3.

During the prizegiving ceremony at the end of the day’s play, the award for the day’s best defender went to Caytah-Leigh Koeberg, with the best goal being awarded to Leah Marais.

𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 to Misha Newton and Leigh-Ann Murray who shared the award for the ‘Most Promising Player’.

Union High School, Graaff-Reinet extends its thanks to all those who participated and for the support received from the Old Girls and parents.

A special 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗦 is also extended to Mrs Jennifer Hope for taking the reins with the organisation of the event this year. As well as to all those who assisted her.

𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦!

MOTHER-DAUGHTER TEA

On Saturday morning, 28 January (during Union High School’s 2023 Founders’ Weekend) the school hosted its annual 𝗚𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗔 𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 & 𝗗𝗔𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 in the garden of the Union Preparatory School.

𝘖𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘍𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳.

This year’s event was very special, as usual, with the 180 guests enjoying a beautiful morning of good company, scrumptious eats and the uplifting speeches of three exceptional local ladies.

𝗘𝗱𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 gave us a glimpse into the neurological processes that can shape how we see the world and how we are able to thrive despite our circumstances… heartfelt and wise words from an amazing woman and mother who has certainly walked a journey.

𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗱𝗶 𝗕𝗲𝘇𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 very bravely shared the heart-wrenching story of how Cancer has forever changed their lives on so many levels, but how the road has strengthened their family bond and their faith. She encouraged every single woman and girl to never give up and to live life courageously, with faith and gratitude.

𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗲’s 360˚ career change from physio to nursery owner, has given her the opportunity to fully explore her long standing love of plants, and to share this happiness and joy with others. As she says, “to plant a garden, is to believe in tomorrow”. Thank you Claudia for inspiring us to get our hands into some life giving soil.

While the ladies were enjoying their delightful drinks and eats, the Grade 11s treated the little girls at a special pamper station set up especially for them. To top it all off, a few lucky draws were held to the delight of the winners!

All in all a wonderful morning was had by all.

Union High School, Graaff-Reinet extends its grateful thanks to all those who attended for their support of this fundraising endeavour.

A special word of thanks is also extended to the following businesses for their contribution to this event – 𝘼𝙡𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙮 𝙎𝙠𝙞𝙣 & 𝘽𝙤𝙙𝙮, 𝙍𝙚𝙫é 𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙮 𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣, 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙢 𝙎𝙥𝙖, 𝙆𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙤 𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙔𝙖𝙧𝙙, 𝙈𝙘𝙉𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙤𝙣’𝙨 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙥, 3:16, 𝙏𝘼𝘾, 𝙈𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙞𝙣 𝙃𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙋𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖 𝙃𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙢𝙖𝙣, 𝙇𝙞𝙚𝙯𝙡 𝙈𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙙, 𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙞𝙚𝙢𝙨, 𝙇𝙮𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚 𝙈𝙘𝙇𝙖𝙜𝙜𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘿𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙙 (𝙐𝙃𝙎 𝙏𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙥).

JUNIOR CRICKET

Saturday morning, 28 January, saw Union’s 𝗨/𝟭𝟯 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗧 𝗟𝗔𝗗𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗜𝗥 𝗗𝗔𝗗𝗦 face off in their annual Founders’ Weekend encounter on the Puggy Munnik Field.

And, what can we say, never have two teams been more keen to beat each other. There was more than just mere bragging rights at stake in the match that pitched fathers vs sons and brother against brother.

In the end, the dads claimed the victory. In cricket, as in life, never underestimate calm experience. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴.

Well done to all involved! (𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙅𝙖𝙣𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙮 2024 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚.)

SENIOR CRICKET

Union High School, Graaff-Reinet’s Old Boys and parents took to the field today in the traditional Founders’ Weekend cricket matches against the school’s 1st, 2nd and u/15A cricket teams.

𝘼 𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨, 𝙖𝙨 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧.

At the prizegiving ceremony held in the Tony Burrell Union this evening, Saturday, 28 January, upon conclusion of the day’s play, the following trophies were presented:

• Most valuable player of the day – 1st XI: Shaakir Kazi

• Best schoolboy performer – 1st XI: Hlaki Skepe with bowling figures of 8 – 0 – 41 – 5 (the trophy is shared with Mr William Copeman who captained the victorious Old Boys’ team that managed to edge out the UHS 1st XI in their encounter today).

• Best Batsman – 1st XI: Shaakir Kazi

• Best Bowler – 1st XI: Hlaki Skepe

• Best Schoolboy Performer – 2nd XI: Oyanda Tele

• Best Schoolboy Performer – u/15: Shiraz Pederson

• The Dave Stern Memorial Award for an up-and-coming cricketer: Yaseen Kazi