Author: L. Crankshaw

Bulletin

As the 𝗚𝗢𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 initiative continues to gather meaningful momentum, we are deeply grateful to acknowledge the support of Mr Grant (“Beaver”) Hobson and Mrs Daleen Hobson of Ken’s Radio.

A well-known and trusted name in Graaff-Reinet, 𝗞𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 as skilled electricians, certified gas installers, solar installations, agent for various submersible and centrifugal pumps, offering appliance repairs, parts and operating as a DStv agency from their premises at 71 Church Street.

Founded in 1952 by Mr Kenny van Heerden, the business has become something of a local institution, later entrusted to Beaver, who took ownership in 1992 and has continued to build on its strong foundation with the same commitment to service and community.

𝘉𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱-𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭.

Beaver, an Old Unionite from the Class of 1983, gave richly to school life during his time at Union High School, Graaff-Reinet – serving as Deputy Head and representing the school at 1st team level across multiple sporting codes, with rugby always closest to his heart.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. Beaver’s grandfather, Ted Slater, holds a remarkable place in Union’s history as the first registered scholar and its very first rugby captain. His mother, Sheila Hobson (née Slater), continued this legacy, spending her entire schooling career at Union and matriculating in 1951.

𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 saw him serve on the Old Unionite Association committee, including a term as chairman. This proud Union legacy continues through their children, with Kayla (Class of 2016), who served as Deputy Head Girl, and Ryan (Class of 2019), both having walked the same corridors.

At the heart of our school community are families like the Hobsons – whose enduring love for Union, and whose quiet, steadfast support over many years, continue to shape and strengthen all that we do.

Through Goals for Good, the Hobsons have chosen to support the 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗮𝗳𝗳-𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, an organisation close to their hearts.

As Daleen so sincerely shares: “𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵-𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘢𝘧𝘧-𝘙𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 – 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵, 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺.”

It is partnerships like these that give true meaning to this initiative – where community, compassion and connection come together in support of something greater. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗞𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻, 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀.

Bulletin

A couple of weeks on and there is still a warm sense of appreciation as we look back on the 𝟯𝟳𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝘂𝗴𝗯𝘆 & 𝗛𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹.

Played out in beautiful Karoo conditions, the festival delivered not only high-quality hockey and rugby, but also a wonderful spirit of camaraderie between all participating teams.

From the first whistle on Friday to the final moments on Monday, the fields were filled with energy, sportsmanship and the unmistakable buzz that has become synonymous with this special weekend.

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀.

Our 1st team hockey girls produced a series of outstanding performances, showcasing both attacking flair and disciplined structure. Convincing wins over Hoërskool Brandwag (11-0), Hoërskool DF Malherbe (13-0), and Nico Malan High School (10-0) set the tone early on, before a composed 4-1 semi-final victory over Pearson High School secured their place in the final. In a fitting end to the weekend, Union met a strong Oranje Meisieskool 2nd team in the final, finishing as worthy runners-up after a hard-fought match. 𝘛𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.

It was also delightful to see Hoër Volkskool Graaff-Reinet‘s 1st hockey team doing exceptionally well, finishing fifth overall in the tournament. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘢𝘧𝘧-𝘙𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯.

𝗢𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗯𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝘀, our 1st XV delivered two confident performances, securing a well-earned 19-7 victory over Cambridge High School, followed by an impressive 40-7 win against Somerset College. These results were a pleasing reflection of the side’s physicality, cohesion and intent and added to an already successful festival weekend for Union.

𝗪𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 Sekondêre Meisieskool Oranje‘s 2nd team on successfully defending their title as 2026 champions and to all participating teams for the passion, skill and respect shown throughout. A special 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗦 goes to the coaches and managers, whose dedication – often over a busy holiday period – ensures opportunities like this for their players. To the parents and supporters on the sidelines, your encouragement added immeasurably to the occasion.

Finally, our 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗙𝗘𝗟𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗦 to our anchor sponsors, Astron Energy Eastern Cape, together with local partners Astron Energy Graaff-Reinet, represented by 𝗠𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘇𝗮, and Astron Energy Bothas Market Square, represented by 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝘁 and 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹𝗮 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝘁. Your support plays a vital role in making this festival possible and continues to uplift school sport in our community.

𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 – 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 – 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘞𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳.

Bulletin

A heartfelt 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 to Diane and Wayne Murray of Oudeland Game for generously sponsoring the U13A rugby team’s new warm-up tops.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘆𝘀, giving them a real sense of pride as they represent the school.

𝘞𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴.

Bulletin

A heartfelt 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 to Justin and Liesl Kingwill of Blaauwater Farms & Guesthouse for their generous donation of PRINCESS hockey backpacks to our U11A girls.

Gestures like this mean so much, not only in a practical sense, but in the way they uplift and encourage our young players.

It is always incredibly special to see members of our community stand behind our teams, investing in their journey and sharing in their passion – and 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹.