On behalf of all the educators and staff at Union, we would like to congratulate the ๐ง๐ข๐ฃ ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ 1, 2026.
๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ฎ:
1. Jade Palmer, Samantha Charles & Katelyn Trollip
Today, we said goodbye to someone very special to our Union family – ๐ ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐น๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ – as she closes a remarkable 18-year chapter at our school.
In a deeply meaningful final assembly this morning, filled with music, small gestures and quiet emotion, learners and staff came together to honour a woman whose calm presence, unwavering consistency and gentle leadership have left a lasting mark on our Primary Department and the wider life of Union.
The assembly carried a gentle blend of celebration and emotion – our junior choir honoured Mrs Cloete with a rendition of her favourite song, ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ด, after which Mrs Cloete made her way through a guard of honour filled with smiling, emotional faces. ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ธ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น, a symbolic and fitting farewell to a chapter so faithfully served.
๐๐ป ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐, ๐๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ต๐๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฏ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ – a loving tribute to the well-known โLady in Black,โ whose signature style became as much a part of her identity as her calm and composed presence around the school.
What set her apart, though, was her remarkable way with children. Firm, yet never harsh. Disciplined, yet always kind. She carried herself with a calm authority that earned the respect of learners and colleagues alike, all while maintaining a gentle, reassuring presence. ๐๐ป ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ, ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ต ๐ด๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ – a balance that is not easily achieved, but one she carried so naturally.
๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐. ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ. ๐๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ. These are the qualities that have come to define Mrs Cloeteโs time at Union. Beyond her role, she has been a trusted colleague, a steady hand, and a loyal friend – someone whose wisdom and experience have enriched our school in countless ways.
If thereโs ever a mysterious IT hiccup, a screen that wonโt cooperate, or a printer that suddenly develops a personality of its own, itโs ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐-๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ฒ weโre calling.
๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ in 2001, Compu-Serve has grown into a trusted name in Graaff-Reinet, with many in the community knowing exactly who to call when technology decides to misbehave. Whether itโs at school, at home, or in the office, they are the steady hands that bring order back to our screens.
It was therefore extra special to visit Compu-Serve at their premises at 1 Church Square, Graaff-Reinet, this week, where ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฐ๐ธ were joined by hockey girls ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป and ๐๐ป๐๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐บ๐, who stopped by to thank them personally for their support of our ๐๐ข๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ข๐ initiative.
For Donovan, this support carries a meaningful sense of connection. ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฑ ๐ข๐น๐ฑ ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ต๐ต๐ต, he now also has two daughters at Union – a lovely reminder of how the Union story continues across generations.
Through their contribution, Compu-Serve will be supporting ACVV Huis van de Graaff, a local home for the aged that provides care, comfort and dignity to its residents. It is a cause that reflects the very heart of this initiative – using the energy of school sport to make a meaningful difference within our own community.
A heartfelt thank you to ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐น ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ and Pick n Pay Graaff- Reinet for so generously sponsoring our 1st team hockey girls with brand new backpacks for the 2026 season.
Pictured here is Cheryl with daughter and 1st team player, Amy Waddelow, as well as captain Leigh-Ann Murray, vice-captain Misha Newton and Katelyn Trollip
Todayโs Lunch Hour Music Concert filled Union High School hall with melody, energy and a wonderful sense of occasion as we had the privilege of welcoming Hoรซrskool Pearson High School‘s choir, vocalists and instrumentalists to our stage.
Hoรซrskool Pearson High School’s choir
From the opening choral items, ๐๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ญ๐บand the vibrant traditional Tsonga piece ๐๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ฐ ๐ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ช the concert set the tone for an afternoon of variety, talent and joy, with each performance adding its own colour to the programme.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ณ๐๐น ๐บ๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐บ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ, from marimba favourites such as ๐๐ข๐ต๐ข ๐๐ข๐ต๐ข, ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ and ๐๐ช๐ท๐ข ๐๐ข ๐๐ช๐ฅ๐ข to vocal highlights including ๐๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ญ๐ข๐ณ from Wicked, ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ and ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด.
๐๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ณ๐๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต๐ป๐ฒ๐๐, with beautiful contributions on saxophone, piano, flute and recorder ensemble.
It was especially lovely to see Union learners also sharing in the occasion, with our own senior choir rounding off the concert with ๐๐ญ๐ช๐ซ๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐ฐ๐ค๐ฌ and ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐บ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต – a fitting ending to a lunchtime filled with harmony and heart.
In a small town, a business does not earn 75 years of support by chance. It earns it through trust, service and a willingness to show up for the community, year after year.
Union High School is proud to continue our ๐๐ข๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ข๐ series by recognising the generous support of ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ช๐๐ธ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป, a respected local accounting firm whose offices are situated at 38 Somerset Street, Graaff-Reinet, and which has served the community with professionalism and integrity for an extraordinary 75 years.
๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ญ ๐๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐น ๐ญ๐ต๐ฑ๐ญ, Van Wyk Theron has long been a trusted name in Graaff-Reinet, offering a comprehensive range of services spanning accounting, tax and business administration, payroll and financial systems support, estate planning and broader financial and management consultancy. ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฐ๐บ๐ด ๐ข ๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ง 18 ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ, ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐ถ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐จ๐ข๐ค๐บ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ช๐ค๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ข๐ฃ๐ณ๐ช๐ค ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ข๐ง๐ง-๐๐ฆ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ต.
This partnership is made even more special by the firmโs strong Union connection. Managing partner ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ, who took over from ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐ช๐๐ธ in March this year, matriculated from Union in 1994, making him a proud Old Unionite. His familyโs ties to the Union Schools run even deeper – his wife is a Grade 2 teacher at Union Preparatory School, while their four-year-old son, Nathan, has recently begun his own journey at Union Pre-School. There is always something especially meaningful about former pupils choosing to give back to the school and town that helped shape them.
Pictured here are Brendon Burger and Don van Wyk with Union hockey girls ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ and ๐จ๐ป๐ฎ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ๐น๐ถ, who stopped by this week to thank them for their contribution to the project.
Through their ๐๐ข๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ข๐ pledge, Van Wyk Theron will be supporting ACVV Huis van de Graaff, an old age home in Graaff-Reinet, extending the impact of this initiative beyond the hockey field and into the heart of the wider community.
On behalf of Union High School and our 1st team hockey girls, we extend our ๐ฆ๐๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐๐ฆ to Brendon Burger and the entire Van Wyk Theron team for their generosity, their long-standing service to Graaff-Reinet, and their support of a campaign that continues to connect sport with community in such a meaningful way.
How special it is that a former Union 1st team hockey captain is now giving back to the very girls who are walking a path she once knew so well!
Union High School, Graaff-Reinet is delighted to celebrate the support of Old Unionites ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป and ๐๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฏ๐, who have chosen to support our ๐๐ข๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ข๐ initiative in their personal capacity – not only as proud past pupils, but also as parents who remain closely connected to the life of the school.
For Bronwen, this contribution carries a particularly lovely sense of coming full circle. ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ต๐ต๐ต, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ปโ๐ ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐ด๐ถ๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป and now finds herself supporting a new generation of players as they make memories of their own in green and gold. Her husband, ๐๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ป, ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ต๐ต๐ด, shares that same deep-rooted Union connection. ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ผ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ถ๐ป ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐, having played 1st team rugby from Grade 11 and captaining the school’s 1st cricket team in his matric year, making this a gesture grounded in both loyalty and legacy.
Today, that Union story continues through their children. Their son, ๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐๐บ, is running out for Unionโs 1st XV this year as a Grade 11 learner, while their daughter, ๐ง๐ฎ๐๐น๐ผ๐ฟ, is proudly playing for the schoolโs U13A hockey side. And who knows – perhaps one day Taylor will follow in her motherโs footsteps and wear the colours of Unionโs 1st team hockey girls herself.
Through this ๐๐ข๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ข๐ initiative, Bronwen and Jason will be supporting GRAWS , extending the impact of their generosity beyond the sports field and into the wider community.
We are deeply grateful to Bronwen and Jason for their generous support of ๐๐ข๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ข๐ and for the way in which their family continues to live out the Union spirit – across the sports field, across the years and across generations
๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐ฆ to all our Union swimmers who participated in the recent SSA ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐, held at Newton Park Swimming Pool in Gqeberha.
Union delivered an outstanding performance on the day, finishing tied in 1st place overall.
Among the standout results, ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ claimed 1st place in the Girls 12 50m Butterfly, 1st place in the Girls 13 & Under 100m Backstroke and 1st place in the Girls 13 & Under 100m Freestyle, while also finishing 2nd in the Girls 13 & Under 100m Breaststroke and 3rd in the Girls 12 50m Breaststroke.
๐๐ฎ๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ง๐ต๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ผ๐ป (absent on the photo) produced a brilliant set of results, finishing 1st in the Boys 13 50m Butterfly, 1st in the Boys 13 & Under 100m Freestyle, and 1st in the Boys 13 50m Backstroke. He also placed 2nd in the Boys 13 50m Breaststroke and Boys 13 50m Freestyle and 3rd in the Boys 13 & Under 100m Breaststroke.
๐๐๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐๐น๐ฎ swam strongly throughout, earning 1st place in the Girls 17-19 50m Butterfly and 1st place in the Girls 14-19 100m Breaststroke. She also placed 2nd in the Girls 14-19 100m Freestyle, and 3rd in the Girls 17-19 50m Breaststroke, 50m Backstroke and 50m Freestyle.
๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด put in a commendable performance, finishing 3rd in the Girls 13 & Under 100m Backstroke and 3rd in the Girls 13 & Under 100m Breaststroke.
Well done too to ๐จ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ต ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐บ๐๐ฒ, who competed with determination across his events and contributed valuable points to the Union total.
By Friday afternoon, Graaff-Reinet will once again begin to hum with the unmistakable energy of festival weekend as buses roll in, boarding houses fill up and sports bags, sticks and rugby boots appear across the Union campus.
From ๐ฎ๐ณ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต, Union High School, Graaff-Reinet will host the ๐ฏ๐ณ๐๐ต ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป of its beloved annual rugby and hockey festival, welcoming around 650 learners and more than 100 accompanying staff members from across South Africa for a weekend that has long become one of the highlights of the schoolโs sporting calendar.
This yearโs event carries added significance, as the festival enters a new chapter under a new name. From 2026 onward, it will officially be known as the ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ก ๐ฆ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ & ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ – a fitting tribute to one of Unionโs most treasured stalwarts and to the man who helped set this special tradition in motion.
The roots of the festival stretch back to ๐ญ๐ต๐ด๐ณ, when ๐ ๐ฟ ๐ฅ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐น๐น๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ป, alongside colleague Gail McArthur, hosted Unionโs first sporting festival on campus. What began as a modest initiative has, over nearly four decades, grown into a much-anticipated three-day celebration of school sport, spirited competition and the kind of camaraderie that so often becomes the lasting memory of weekends like these. With the exception of the Covid-interrupted years of 2020 and 2021, the festival has remained a faithful fixture on the Union calendar.
For Union, that continuity matters. So too does the spirit in which the festival is hosted.
Unionโs ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐, ๐ ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ, said there is a lot of excitement around the school as players prepare to welcome visiting teams from all over the country.
While the matches themselves will no doubt be keenly contested, Beck emphasised that the heart of the weekend lies in something broader than results alone.
That, perhaps, is what has always given the festival its enduring appeal. Yes, there will be hard tackles, quick passing movements, determined defence and moments of individual brilliance. But there will also be reunion, laughter, team songs, sideline chats, shared meals and the simple joy of young people gathering through sport in a town that knows how to welcome guests well.
The school has also acknowledged the invaluable support of the festivalโs anchor sponsors, Astron Energy Eastern Cape, together with local fuel sponsors Astron Energy Graaff-Reinet, represented by ๐ ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐๐ฎ, and Astron Energy Bothas Market Square, represented by ๐๐ผ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป and ๐ ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐บ๐ถ๐. They are photographed with hockey captain Leigh-Ann Murray, vice-captain Misha Newton, rugby captain Liso Booi and vice-captain Yaaseen Kazi.
Over the coming days, Unionโs fields and Astro will once again play host to all the colour, noise and emotion that make school festivals so special. For players, it will be a chance to test themselves, represent their schools and make memories. For spectators, it will be an opportunity to enjoy high-quality school sport in a festive and welcoming atmosphere. And for Union, it will be another proud moment in the life of a tradition that continues to grow while remaining true to its roots.
Tickets forย Union High School, Graaff-Reinetโs 2026 stage production, ๐ฌ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ, featuring the music of ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด, go on sale today, Monday, 23 March. Tickets are R60 for adults and R40 for scholars, and are available from Ms Moos at the Union High School front office.
This year, Union High School’s senior department is excited to present ๐ฌ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ, a musical inspired by the timeless music of The Beatles.
