The success of the Union Schools, and really all schools, rests heavily on the support and dedication of its parents.
During the recent Interschools Weekend, it was inspiring to walk the grounds of our school and see moms, dads and extended family members dedicating their time and energy to ensure the success of the event. This sends a clear message to our children that they do indeed have an extended school family that cares greatly for them.
At Union, we consider ourselves very fortunate to have remarkable parents who give so freely and abundantly of their time and energy – we therefore offer our sincere appreciation and thanks.
Whether you help out at school or at home, your support is heavily felt and is producing great dividends.
This morning, Tuesday, 13 August, Union’s learners participated in a blood drive held by the SANBS in the Tony Burrell Union.
Realising that the demand for blood is steady and blood banks count on volunteers to meet the needs of accident victims and patients in need of transfusions, the learners, once again, eagerly supported this initiative.
Union Schools and Volkskool have been neighbours, friends and rivals for almost 100 years and, irrespective of the outcome, this annual encounter always fosters an intense school pride while evoking a lot of emotion and excitement.
This year was no exception.
Although Union enjoyed a golden three years as victors of Interschools from 2016 to 2018, Union had to bend the knee to Volkskool this year, whose 1st rugby team won the encounter with 22 points to Union’s 3 points.
Congratulations to Volkskool on a good performance.
Well done to both hockey teams and their respective coaches! You put up a fierce fight!
The end score of the 1st hockey team’s match was 1 – 1.
As always, Lord Bowler (seen here with captain Iviwe Ndamane) will be watching from the sidelines of the 1st XVs game this afternoon.
The saga of Lord Bowler, Union’s 1st XV’s mascot, started 46 years ago, in 1973. The Head Boy that year was Johnny Smith. His father was renowned as a teller of tall tales, which in those days were colloquially called ‘bowlers’. So when he decided to donate a teddy as a mascot to the 1st XV, it was immediately named ‘Mr Bowler’.
That same year, Andrew Crawford and Mark Wiley created the war cry which is still used today.
Tradition has it that the head of ‘Mr Bowler’ must be touched when the players are running out onto the field – indeed a touching story! Since then, ‘Mr Bowler’ had been knighted and became ‘Lord Bowler’.
Lord Bowler might be the property of the first team, but over the years, he has stood for all the rugby teams who have taken to the Union fields in green and white.
On Saturday, 10 August, Henzé Jaftha played her 100th game for the Union High School 1st hockey team.
To mark the occasion, Union’s Headmaster Mr. William Pringle presented her with a certificate prior to the start of the game against Volkskool.
The number of games she has played is an incredible achievement, the number of goals scored and saved is remarkable, but the way in which she has played the game is an example of grit and determination along with integrity and great sportsmanship, which is the most impressive of all.
We salute you, Henzé and a big thank you for all that you have contributed to the sport of hockey at Union.
All at Union High School are, once again, excited at the prospect of being a part of the energy of the annual Interschools encounters, particularly in this our school’s 100th year. We are very proud of the traditions that have developed around this occasion since its inception in 1919 and we are extremely pleased to share the day with so many people who travel from all over South Africa and, for that matter, from abroad, in order to be a part of the excitement and drama that accompanies the clashes.
As always, the sporting tussles will be hard-fought and tense. All the players will be keen to end off the season on a high note. They cherish this opportunity to display their talents and to prove their mettle in front of the many spectators that attend the matches. As we wish all the participants well, we look forward to a wonderful weekend of sport and of sportsmanship of the highest order.
Union High School welcomes all visitors to Interschools 2019. It is wonderful to see so many past pupils from the schools returning to meet up with classmates and other friends. We trust that your reunions will be enjoyed by all and that you will be able to look upon this weekend back at your respective Alma Maters with much pleasure and with many fond memories. Our school thanks you for joining us, and we assure you that the efforts that you have made in order to be with us over this weekend do not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Much of what makes this weekend special is a result of the friendly, festive and enthusiastic atmosphere that your presence lends to Interschools.
Our sincere thanks are extended to our sponsors, First National Bank, whose contribution to this event helps us to ensure that it remains an occasion of note for all.
What an amazing time of year as the build up to interschools is finally upon us. More than ever the anticipation and energy of this mighty occasion is boosted with celebration as we play hosts during our centenary year.
I would like to welcome all who will be traveling from far and wide to share in this wonderful event as we go head to head with our neighbours down the road in a variety of sporting codes and cultural events. Your presence here is testament to what this event means to those who have been before us and the learners are always spurred on by the overwhelming support and revel at the opportunity to represent their school and make their old scholars proud.
As Union and Volkskool embark on this epic rivalry I have no doubt that at the end of the day each match will not only be keenly contested but played with great spirit and sportsmanship as we celebrate sport as a whole.
An occasion of such a nature does not just simply happen, I would like thank all those that have played a role in making this occasion unforgettable and one to add to the record books.
May the spirit of interschools live on in our hearts and minds as we look forward to celebrating another hundred years of sporting excellence between these two fine institutions.
Finally I would like to wish all the learners the best of luck for their matches and may you create everlasting memories.
Our Rugby Team
The season so far
Mr Raymond Hamilton, 1st XV Rugby Coach
Union High School’s 1st XV’s season so far has been a steep learning curve. Having lost 12 players from last year’s starting line-up, the 2018 season was definitely seen as a building year. On many occasions we would lose a game right at the end, or not hold on to a lead due to the lack of experience from the majority of the squad.
The whole season wasn’t all doom and gloom – we managed to pull off some good victories against Cillië, Hangklip, St Andrews Bloem, Andrew Rabie, Victoria Park, Aliwal North, Cradock, Westering and Woodridge College.
The team has worked really hard on and off the field to make sure that they end the season off respectfully and we look forward to many decent seasons in time to come.
Mxolisi Zikalala, Ethan Gedult, Mpisekhaya Duba, Matteo Mahona, Ezra Mangunda, William Kayster, River Carey, Luke McNaughton, Ebben Johnston, Mack Rubidge, Jaden Brotherton, Zusakhe Ngwane, Mr. Raymond Hamilton (coach), Iviwe Ndamane (captain), Mr. Stephen Bezuidenhout (coach), Gary Shell (vice-captain), Cleathon Koeberg, Caerwyn Spence, Damon Fouché, Ashwon Dawids, Khanya Butshingi, Bladen Jacobs, Brett Amsterdam, Khwezi Simon, Matthew Price, S’Bongakonke Koyingana and Thembelihle Mxhunyelwa.
Our Hockey Team
The season so far
Alvin August, 1st Hockey Team Coach
The Union girls started their season at the EP Opening Festival where they competed against some tough opposition. Their results were very pleasing as it saw 5 of our girls selected to attend the 2nd round of EP trials. Jenna McNaughton and Micela Loock both made it all the way through to final round and were selected to represent the EP U/18A side.
Union were also up against the likes of Oranje Meisieskool and Eunice High School at the Gregg Belling Festival which was a great learning experience for our girls.
The Spar Challenge, which was held at Union, saw our girls reach the final against DSG and sadly missing out on their 2nd title.
The season has been a good one thus far for our girls, playing 37 matches, winning 22, lost 9, drew 6 and scoring 144 goals to date. To date the most capped players, Jenna McNaughton and Micela Loock, sitting at 133 caps respectively, have really set the tone as the rest of the girls fed off their experience.
As a collective unit all the girls have played their part in making the season a memorable one and achieving some outstanding results thus far.
Left to right: Nicole de Bruyn, Henzé Jaftha, Chelsea Theron, Sara Kingwill, Jade Shires, Jenna McNaughton (captain), Mr. Alvin August (coach), Micela Loock (vice-captain), Laetitia Theron, Kia Hoffman, Donné Marais, Marché Green, Sakhe Booi (GK).
Our Tennis Teams
Back: Peter Watermeyer, Matthew Hesselink, Noä Cilliers and Bowen Langmead. Front: Kyle-Luke du Preez, Ebben Johnston (captain) and Brett Amsterdam.
Back: Christine Harris, Lauren Rose-Innes and Jenna McNaughton. Front: Jeanne-Marie Brummer, Sara Kingwill and Micela Loock (captain).
We wish all our captains the best of luck for their Interschools matches.
Perhaps nowhere is the importance of good leadership as apparent as in a sports team.
A good sports team captain can lead his team to success and recognition; and can help a moderate team play better; whereas, a weak captain with poor leadership skills can hinder a team’s chances of competing and bonding successfully.
Union is fortunate to have exceptional captains leading our teams this Interschools who will most assuredly lead their teammates to victory!
Iviwe Ndamane, UHS 1st team rugby captain: “Commitment with accountability closes the gap between intention and results”
Jenna McNaughton, UHS 1st team hockey captain,”Great moments are born from great opportunities.”
Micela Loock, UHS 1st team girls tennis captain: “It is hard to beat a person who never gives up” – Babe Ruth
Ebben Johnston, UHS 1st team boys tennis and golf captain: “What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle and giving 110% all the time” – Don Zimmer.
Peter Watermeyer, UHS Speech captain, “A good speech should be like a woman’s skirt: long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest” – Winston Churchill.
Liano Naidoo, UHS Chess captain: “The beauty of chess is that it can be whatever you want it to be. It transcends language, age, race, religion, politics, gender and socio-economic background. Whatever your circumstances, anyone can enjoy a good fight to the death over a chess board – Simon Williams
Schea Johnson – UHS shooting captain, “Consistency is the key to accuracy.” – Ryan M Cleckner
The Union primary department’s annual Speech Competition was held in the Tony Burrell Union on Wednesday morning, 31 July.
This year there were 13 learners participating.
Topics ranged from, ‘Strange world records set in history’ and ‘English is a crazy language’, to ‘Crazy inventions’ and ‘Oddest sports’.In accompaniment to the speeches, there were also some lovely poems recited, stories told and articles read aloud by other junior learners throughout the course of the morning.
We would like to congratulate all the participants and thank all those involved. It was pleasing to see so many enthusiastic learners presenting their speeches. It is not easy to stand before a large audience and deliver a speech and we would like to congratulate all the young learners for their courageous efforts.
Thanks also go to the teachers and parents for supporting and encouraging the learners and for the time spent preparing for the competition.
We would like to thank the judges who gave up their time to support the school by judging our contest. The judges were very impressed by the high quality of speeches and the obvious preparation that had gone into the day and they commented that everyone did well.
Caytah-Leigh Koeberg was announced as the Grade 7 winner and Na’eem Mahomed as the runner-up. Anna-May Hayes won in Grade 6 and Megan Nortje was announced as the runner-up. The winner in Grade 5 is Amber Bezuidenhout with the runner-up being Anebel Norval.
As always, Lord Bowler (seen here with captain Iviwe Ndamane) will be watching from the sidelines of the 1st XVs game this afternoon.
On Saturday, 10 August, Henzé Jaftha played her 100th game for the Union High School 1st hockey team.
