Goals For Good: Build it

There is something deeply comforting about a place built on family – not only family in name, but in values and in the way people are cared for.

That is exactly what one senses at Build it Graaff-Reinet: a business that may deal in bricks and mortar, but whose true foundation has always been people.

Union High School is proud to continue our ๐—š๐—ข๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—ฆ ๐—™๐—ข๐—ฅ ๐—š๐—ข๐—ข๐—— series by recognising the generous support of ๐—•๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—œ๐˜ ๐—š๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ณ-๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜, a much-loved local business that this year celebrates 20 years of serving the town from its home in Market Square.

Pictured here are Union hockey girls ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ถ ๐—ฉ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ and ๐—”๐—บ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฆ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ with Build Itโ€™s ๐—Ÿ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—œ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ป-๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜€.

Over the past two decades, Build It has become far more than a trusted name in home improvement and building supplies. Under the care of a family management team consisting of dad ๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ฎ๐—ป, son ๐—š๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ณ and daughter ๐—Ÿ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ, the business has grown into something that feels wonderfully rooted in the life of Graaff-Reinet itself – a place where people are welcomed warmly, relationships are valued and community matters deeply.

Their words say it beautifully: โ€œ๐˜ˆ๐˜ด ๐˜ข ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด, ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ถ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ซ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด, ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ถ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฑ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ.โ€

And in truth, that spirit shines through in everything they do.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐—ฎ ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—•๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—œ๐˜ ๐—š๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ณ-๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜ – a sincere love for this town and its people that can be felt so clearly. Businesses like this help shape the soul of a community. They stand alongside local families through ordinary days and important milestones alike, and through their quiet consistency, generosity and care, they become part of what makes a town feel like home.

Through their pledge, Build It Graaff-Reinet will be contributing towards Camdeboo Hospice Graaff Reinet, a registered non-profit organisation that provides a holistic home-based palliative care service to those infected and affected by life-threatening diseases, with a particular focus on HIV & AIDS, cancer and motor neurone disease.

๐—œ๐˜ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐—น๐˜ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ ๐—ถ๐˜€. Camdeboo Hospice serves some of the most vulnerable members of the community with tenderness, dignity and compassion – offering comfort, care and support at moments when it is needed most.

On behalf of Union and our 1st team hockey girls, we extend our ๐—›๐—˜๐—”๐—ฅ๐—ง๐—™๐—˜๐—Ÿ๐—ง ๐—ง๐—›๐—”๐—ก๐—ž๐—ฆ to Build It Graaff-Reinet for their generosity, their deep love for Graaff-Reinet and their commitment to building not only structures, but a stronger, kinder community too

Rugby @ Wildeklawer Graeme College Festival: Results

A superb performance from Union High Schoolโ€™s 1st XV saw them secure a 39-11 victory over Port Rex Technical High School at the Wildeklawer Graeme College Rugby Festival in Makhanda today – ๐—ช๐—˜๐—Ÿ๐—Ÿ ๐——๐—ข๐—ก๐—˜ to the team on a fantastic result!

Pictured here is Man of the Match, ๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ-๐——๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—น ๐—–๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ด๐—ด, receiving his Old School ltd voucher from Tavcor Motor Groupโ€™s Donovan Austin.

Other Results (UHS scores first):

U11A vs Fort Beaufort: 0โ€“27
U13A vs Beaconhurst: 32โ€“25
U14 vs Port Rex: 7-21 
U15 vs Port Rex: 7-51
U16 vs Port Rex: 15-21

Goals For Good: Radium

There is something wonderfully fitting about a business devoted to cleaning, repairing and restoring choosing to support causes that do the same for a community – ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ฑ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฏ, ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ง๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ฉ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ด ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ต.

Union High School continues our ๐—š๐—ข๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—ฆ ๐—™๐—ข๐—ฅ ๐—š๐—ข๐—ข๐—— series by recognising the generous support of Radium – Graaff Reinet.

Pictured here are Union hockey girls ๐— ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ฎ ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐˜„๐˜๐—ผ๐—ป and ๐—ž๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—น๐˜†๐—ป ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฝ with Radium owner ๐— ๐—ฟ ๐——๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—น๐—น.

The connection to Union is a special one: Mr Neill is the father of last yearโ€™s 1st hockey captain, Kenza Neill, while his wife, Tess, serves on Unionโ€™s staff. All three of their children matriculated at Union, with two going on to serve as deputy heads – ๐˜ข ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ง๐˜ถ๐˜ญ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ง๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ค๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ข ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜บ ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ค๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ด๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ.

For many in Graaff-Reinet, Radium is a familiar and trusted name – a business known for the many practical ways in which it helps keep everyday life running smoothly. From dry cleaning, laundromat services and home and industrial laundry, to carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning and car valets, Radium has long offered the kind of reliable service that people quietly depend on. Their specialised mending work includes bags, shoes and boots, saddles and tack, sun blinds, tarpaulins and canvas, while their manufacturing services extend to retractable acrylic awnings, patioshades, shadeports, patio drop blinds, Venetian blinds and vertical blinds.

Through their ๐—š๐—ผ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜€ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—š๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ pledge, Radium Canvas & Cleaning has chosen to support both Clean Trade and GRAWS – two organisations doing valuable work in Graaff-Reinet. In doing so, they are helping to uplift both the environment and the welfare of vulnerable animals, reminding us that community care takes many forms and that kindness is often found in the practical, everyday decisions people make.

Radiumโ€™s involvement is a lovely reminder that businesses are about far more than the services they offer. At their best, they become part of the fabric of a place – supporting families, strengthening institutions and helping good work go further.

On behalf of Union High School and our 1st team hockey girls, we extend our heartfelt thanks to ๐— ๐—ฟ ๐——๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—น๐—น and the team at ๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐˜‚๐—บ ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐˜€ & ๐—–๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด for their generosity, their loyal connection to Union and their support of causes that are helping to make Graaff-Reinet an even better place to call home.

Goals For Good: Montego Pet Nutrition

Montego Pet Nutrition. What can we say?

In a town like Graaff-Reinet, some names become part of the story – woven into its growth, its people and its heart. Montego Pet Nutrition is one of those names.

From its beginnings in the early 2000s right here in Graaff-Reinet, Montego has grown into a proudly South African brand, built on family values, innovation and an unwavering commitment to quality – ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ-๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—น๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ๐˜„๐—ป ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐˜€ ๐—ต๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ.

We are, therefore, especially grateful to include them among the businesses supporting Union High School, Graaff-Reinet‘s 2026 ๐—š๐—ข๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—ฆ ๐—™๐—ข๐—ฅ ๐—š๐—ข๐—ข๐—— campaign.

๐—ข๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜€, ๐— ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ด๐—ผ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—น๐˜† ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—น๐˜† ๐˜‚๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ณ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—š๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ณ-๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜†๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ฟ๐˜‚๐—น๐˜† ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ. Their contribution to the town – rooted in a steady, sincere commitment to making things better – is something quite special. ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜† ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜†๐˜€ ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐˜‚๐—ฝ and it is this quiet consistency that makes their support so meaningful.

Built on a foundation of entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for pet nutrition, Montego has never stopped striving to improve – refining their formulations, investing in their facilities and growing a brand that now reaches far beyond the Karoo. Yet despite this success, their heart has remained firmly in Graaff-Reinet. It is a beautiful reminder that growth and community can go hand in hand.

Pictured here are hockey girls ๐—ก๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐— ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜† and ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ช๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฑ๐—ฒ with Montegoโ€™s ๐—˜๐—น๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฒ ๐—š๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜„๐˜€, Brand Manager at Montego Pet Nutrition.

Through their ๐—š๐—ข๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—ฆ ๐—™๐—ข๐—ฅ ๐—š๐—ข๐—ข๐—— pledge, Montego will be supporting Graaff-Reinet Animal Welfare Society (GRAWS), a cause that feels perfectly aligned with who they are. ๐˜ˆ๐˜ด ๐˜ข ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฑ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜บ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ด, ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ช๐˜ณ ๐˜ด๐˜ถ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ต ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ข ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ญ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜จ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ด๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฌ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ค๐˜ถ๐˜ฆ, ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ท๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ด ๐˜ด๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ด ๐˜ท๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ถ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ช๐˜ณ ๐˜ท๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ถ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด.

On behalf of Union High School and our 1st team hockey girls, ๐˜„๐—ฒ ๐—ฒ๐˜…๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—น๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ธ๐˜€ to Montego Pet Nutrition for their generosity, their incredible community spirit and for always standing behind Graaff-Reinet and the Union Schools

Junior Rugby Vs St Andrew’s – Results

It was lovely to host St Andrew’s Preparatory Schoolโ€™s rugby teams for a morning of good rugby.

There were encouraging results for our U9A (36-7), U11B (10-7) and U13A (29-17) teams, while the U11A (0-48) and U13B (10-38) sides came up against strong opposition.

๐—ง๐—›๐—”๐—ก๐—ž ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ to St Andrewโ€™s Prep for the enjoyable fixtures and good spirit throughout the day.

New First Aiders

๐—–๐—ข๐—ก๐—š๐—ฅ๐—”๐—ง๐—จ๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—ง๐—œ๐—ข๐—ก๐—ฆ ๐˜๐—ผ Union High School’s newest First Aiders!

Zunaida Deysel, Bella Hawkins, Kira Hector, Lethabo Ledwaba, Simamkele Ngqele, Isabella Tadesses and Sixolile Singeni (absent on photo) recently successfully completed their ๐—Ÿ๐—˜๐—ฉ๐—˜๐—Ÿ ๐Ÿญ ๐—™๐—œ๐—ฅ๐—ฆ๐—ง ๐—”๐—œ๐—— ๐—–๐—ข๐—จ๐—ฅ๐—ฆ๐—˜, for which they were presented with a certificate during a recent school assembly.

๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ด๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ’๐˜ด ๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ณ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฎ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜œ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ’๐˜ด ๐˜š๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ต๐˜ด ๐˜‹๐˜ฆ๐˜ฑ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ต๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜บ ๐˜ข ๐˜ค๐˜ณ๐˜ถ๐˜ค๐˜ช๐˜ข๐˜ญ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ค๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ด๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ต๐˜ด ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ด.

Goals For Good: Midboard Financial Services

There is something rather special about a business whose story stretches back almost as far as the town itself. In the case of ๐— ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฑ ๐—™๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€, that story begins on 1 August 1856 – a remarkable legacy that speaks not only to longevity, but to trust, stability and deep roots in the Graaff-Reinet community.

Union High School is proud to continue our ๐—š๐—ข๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—ฆ ๐—™๐—ข๐—ฅ ๐—š๐—ข๐—ข๐—— series by recognising the generous support of Midboard Financial Services, a business whose history is woven into the fabric of this town and whose connection to Union is especially meaningful.

Pictured here are Union hockey girls ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต-๐—”๐—ป๐—ป ๐— ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜† and ๐—”๐—บ๐˜† ๐—ช๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ผ๐˜„ with Midboardโ€™s ๐— ๐—ฟ ๐—๐—ผ๐—ต๐—ป ๐—–๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ธ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜„ – a proud Old Unionite from the Class of 1981 whose ties to the school run deep.

Married to Lizet Crankshaw, who serves on Unionโ€™s staff and father to Kara-Lynn (Class of 2012) and Jonathan (Class of 2016), Mr Crankshaw and his family have long been part of the Union story.

๐˜๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ด๐˜ถ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ต ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฅ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ – ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜ณ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜–๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ ๐˜œ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฆ ๐˜ˆ๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ฐ๐˜ค๐˜ช๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ, ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ณ๐˜ถ๐˜จ๐˜ฃ๐˜บ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ค๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ๐˜บ ๐˜ง๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด, ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ถ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฑ๐˜ช๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ค๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ, ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ข ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ท๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ถ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ง๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ด๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ.

That is what makes Midboardโ€™s support of this initiative so fitting. ๐—š๐—ผ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜€ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—š๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ is all about partnership – about local businesses choosing not only to back our 1st team hockey girls, but also to shine a light on causes that are doing important work in our wider community.

Through their pledge, Midboard Financial Services has chosen to support the ๐—š๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ณ-๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—”๐˜€๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป, an organisation that offers comfort, practical assistance and compassion to local patients and families walking the difficult road of cancer treatment. It is a cause that touches many lives, often quietly and behind the scenes, and Midboardโ€™s decision to stand behind it is a deeply meaningful reflection of the care and community-mindedness that have helped define the business over generations.

In a campaign that celebrates the powerful link between sport, service and community, this partnership is ๐—ฎ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐˜๐—ถ๐—ณ๐˜‚๐—น ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐˜๐˜‚๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—น๐˜ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—น๐˜† ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜†, ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜. Midboardโ€™s legacy may stretch back nearly 170 years, but its willingness to continue investing in people and place is what makes its contribution so significant today.

On behalf of Union High School and our 1st team hockey girls, we extend our ๐—ฆ๐—œ๐—ก๐—–๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—˜ ๐—ง๐—›๐—”๐—ก๐—ž๐—ฆ to Midboard Financial Services and Mr John Crankshaw for their generosity, their enduring connection to Union and their support of both our girls and the Graaff-Reinet Cancer Association.

1st Hockey, Greg Beling Festival – Results

This past weekend at the Greg Beling Festival was extremely disappointing for the 1st team. The results reflect performances that were far below the standard expected when wearing the Union jersey.

vs Merrifield: Lost 3โ€“1
We started the tournament poorly. Our intensity, decision-making, and work rate were not at the level required. Too often we allowed Merrifield time and space on the ball, while our own attacking play lacked purpose and composure. We looked uncertain and hesitant and that lack of confidence cost us.
Message: When you wear the Union 1st team kit, you must start games with belief and intent. Confidence cannot come and go โ€” it has to be present from the first whistle to the last whistle.

vs Goudveld: Won 3โ€“1
Although this was our only win of the weekend, the performance was still inconsistent. There were moments of good attacking play, but we failed to dominate the game the way we should have. At times we played as individuals rather than as a team and our structure broke down too easily.
Message: Winning a game is not enough if the performance lacks discipline and trust in each other. Hockey is a team game and success comes from playing for one another.

vs Queenstown Girlsโ€™ High: Lost 1โ€“0
This was a game we should have controlled, yet we struggled to convert numerous clear opportunities these poor moments allowed the opposition to dictate important moments. Our attacking play lacked urgency and when chances did come, we did not show the composure needed to finish.
Message: Big match temperament (BMT) is about stepping up in key moments. If we want to compete at a high level, we must be brave, composed and confident when opportunities arise.

vs JF: Lost 4โ€“3 (after leading 3โ€“0 at halftime)
This was the most frustrating result of the weekend. After building a strong 3โ€“0 lead at half time, we completely lost control of the game. Our discipline dropped, our defensive structure disappeared, and we stopped trusting the systems and each other. To concede four goals in the second half and lose the game is unacceptable.
Message: True teams show character when they are under pressure.

Final Reflection
This weekend must serve as a wake-up call to all in the first team. Being part of the schoolโ€™s 1st team carries responsibility. It requires self-confidence, big match temperament and trust in your teammates.
A team is only as strong as its weakest link and this weekend there were too many weak links. Every player must look at themselves and ask whether they are truly giving what is required to represent this team.

Goals For Good: Spar

There are some businesses in a town that become part of the rhythm of everyday life – the places people pop into for the essentials, the familiar faces behind the counters, the stores that quietly help keep homes running and communities connected. For around 30 years, SPAR has been one of those constants in Graaff-Reinet.

Union High School, Graaff-Reinet is deeply grateful to continue our ๐—š๐—ข๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—ฆ ๐—™๐—ข๐—ฅ ๐—š๐—ข๐—ข๐—— series by recognising the support of ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜‚ ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฆ๐—ฃ๐—”๐—ฅ and ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐—ผ ๐—ฆ๐—ฃ๐—”๐—ฅ.

Today the stores are owned by ๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ธ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ฒ and ๐— ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜‡๐—ฒ๐—ฒ, whose leadership reflects a deep commitment not only to good business, but to the wellbeing of the community around them. Together, the two stores employ 115 people from Graaff-Reinet – ๐˜ข ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ง๐˜ถ๐˜ญ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ญ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ณ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ ๐˜จ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ด; ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜บ ๐˜ค๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฆ ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ๐˜ด, ๐˜ด๐˜ถ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ต ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ฑ ๐˜ด๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ต๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ข ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ๐˜ฏ.

Recently, Union hockey girls ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ช๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฑ๐—ฒ and ๐— ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ฎ ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐˜„๐˜๐—ผ๐—ป popped in to personally thank the SPAR team for coming on board in support of the girlsโ€™ journey through Goals for Good.

What makes this partnership especially touching is the charity SPAR has chosen to support: the ๐—š๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ณ-๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—”๐˜€๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป. For 53 years, this remarkable local association has been serving cancer patients and their families with compassion, dedication and quiet strength. Made up of volunteers, the organisation walks alongside patients on what can be an incredibly difficult journey, offering practical help such as meals and linen, while qualified counsellors provide emotional and psychological support when it is needed most.

They also assist with travel and accommodation for patients who need to leave town for treatment – easing some of the burden during an already overwhelming time. ๐—œ๐˜ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—น๐—ฒ, ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ณ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ณ๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ – ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐˜€ ๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—บ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—น๐˜ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐˜„๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ณ๐˜‚๐—น๐—น๐˜† ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น, ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ, ๐—ต๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜.

That is what makes the Goals for Good campaign so special. It is about more than goals scored on a hockey field. It is about linking the energy and determination of young sportswomen with the generous hearts of local businesses and the important work of charities that care for the people of Graaff-Reinet.

On behalf of Union High School and our 1st team hockey girls, we extend our ๐—›๐—˜๐—”๐—ฅ๐—ง๐—™๐—˜๐—Ÿ๐—ง ๐—ง๐—›๐—”๐—ก๐—ž๐—ฆ to Frikkie and Martinette Coetzee, and to the teams at Spandau SuperSPAR and Camdeboo SPAR, for their generosity, their faith in our girls and their continued investment in the community we are so proud to call home

Well Done, Edwin & Mark

A huge well done to junior cricketers ๐—˜๐—ฑ๐˜„๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—›๐—ผ๐—น๐—บ๐—ฒ๐˜€ and ๐— ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ธ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ป on their outstanding bowling performances against Muir College!

Edwin delivered a phenomenal spell for the U13A side, claiming 6 wickets for just 3 runs. Not to be outdone, Mark shone for the U11A team with figures of 5 wickets for 4 runs, including a brilliant hat-trick!

๐˜‰๐˜ฐ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜บ๐˜ด ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ข๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ค๐˜ฉ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ช๐˜ณ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ง๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ต๐˜ด.