Author: L. Crankshaw

If there’s ever a mysterious IT hiccup, a screen that won’t cooperate, or a printer that suddenly develops a personality of its own, it’s 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂-𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 we’re calling.

𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥-𝘵𝘩𝘦-𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮-𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 – 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦.

𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗘𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗸 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 it’s 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 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗰𝗸 were joined by hockey girls 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 and 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺𝘀, who stopped by to thank them personally for their support of our 𝗚𝗢𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 initiative.

For Donovan, this support carries a meaningful sense of connection. 𝗔 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟵, 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.

𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘶-𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 – 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴. 

A heartfelt thank you to 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗹 𝗪𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 and Pick n Pay Graaff- Reinet for so generously sponsoring our 1st team hockey girls with brand new backpacks for the 2026 season.

𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘶𝘴𝘦.

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 𝗚𝗢𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 series by recognising the generous support of 𝗩𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝘆𝗸 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗻, 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.

𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟭 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟭𝟵𝟱𝟭, 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. 𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘰𝘧 18 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘢𝘧𝘧-𝘙𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵.

This partnership is made even more special by the firm’s strong Union connection. Managing partner 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿, who took over from 𝗗𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝘆𝗸 in March this year, matriculated from Union in 1994, making him a proud Old Unionite. His family’s 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.

Through their 𝗚𝗢𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 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 𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗦 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 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘄𝗲𝗻 and 𝗝𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯𝘀, who have chosen to support our 𝗚𝗢𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 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. 𝗔 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟵, 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻’𝘀 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 and now finds herself supporting a new generation of players as they make memories of their own in green and gold. Her husband, 𝗝𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟴, shares that same deep-rooted Union connection. 𝗛𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁, 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, 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘂𝗺, is running out for Union’s 1st XV this year as a Grade 11 learner, while their daughter, 𝗧𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗼𝗿, is proudly playing for the school’s U13A hockey side. And who knows – perhaps one day Taylor will follow in her mother’s footsteps and wear the colours of Union’s 1st team hockey girls herself.

Through this 𝗚𝗢𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 initiative, Bronwen and Jason will be supporting GRAWS , extending the impact of their generosity beyond the sports field and into the wider community.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘨.

We are deeply grateful to Bronwen and Jason for their generous support of 𝗚𝗢𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 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