Category: Bulletin

This morning we have the privilege of recognising a group of learners who have accepted one of the greatest responsibilities in school sport – 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀.

Each year, our first team captains are presented with their captain’s badges, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘺𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭.

As we look ahead to Interschools, these captains will carry not only the hopes of their teams, but also the values of Union High School, Graaff-Reinet onto every field, court and turf where they compete.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀:

Yaaseen Kazi (1st XV Rugby)
Leigh-Ann Murray (1st Hockey)
Tristan Hope (1st Boys’ Tennis)
Misha Newton (1st Girls’ Tennis)
Nina Japhta (1st Senior Chess)

While the 𝘀𝘄𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 and 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 seasons have already concluded, we would also like to acknowledge the learners who fulfilled these important leadership roles earlier in the year.

Yaaseen Kazi served as Cricket Captain, while Mecoli Vorster led the swimming team with distinction.

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 must be made of Mecoli’s willingness to go above and beyond, assisting staff throughout the season with administration and the many arrangements required behind the scenes. Her dependable support and servant-hearted leadership did not go unnoticed.

𝘞𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸.

With Interschools just around the corner, we are pleased to share the official programme for the 2026 weekend, hosted by Hoër Volkskool Graaff-Reinet.

𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Download the programme here:

There was a wonderful atmosphere in the school hall on Monday evening as Union High School, Graaff-Reinet‘s Senior Music Department presented its annual music evening, this year themed, 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲.

Families, friends and staff gathered to enjoy 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀, with a programme that moved comfortably between classical pieces and more modern favourites.

The audience was treated to a lovely mix of piano solos, vocal performances, choir items, marimba ensemble pieces and piano duets.

From Beethoven and Chopin to Coldplay, Billie Eilish and Hans Zimmer, 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. It was clear that a great deal of time and care had gone into preparing for the concert and every learner who stepped onto the stage could be proud of what they achieved.

A special 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗦 goes to Ms Zelda Oosthuizen, whose dedication and love for music continue to create opportunities for our learners to grow in both confidence and ability.

𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥.

Thank you as well to the parents, staff, accompanists, sound and lighting team and everyone who helped behind the scenes. Events like these are always a team effort and the support shown to our young musicians is something they will remember.

𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘳𝘢.

Our boys’ and girls’ stairways have been fitted with a series of 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 that lie at the heart of a Union education.

Each day, as our learners move between classes, they will be reminded of 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.

More than simply words on a staircase, these messages reflect the character and values we strive to nurture in every Unionite.

𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭.

Union High School, Graaff-Reinet‘s annual 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟𝗦 𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗟𝗬 will be held on Friday morning, 7 August, at 09:00 in the school hall.

Per tradition, this year’s assembly, will see a representative of the Class of 2001 – this year’s 25-year reunion group – taking the stage as guest speaker.

𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙢𝙚 include the Headmaster’s Address, a performance by the junior and senior choir, the Head Prefect’s message and the introduction of the 1st rugby and hockey teams.

• The Assembly will be followed by tea and eats served in the Tony Burrell Union.

𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱.

As we come to the end of this year’s 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝘂𝗴𝗯𝘆 & 𝗛𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹, we’d like to pause for a moment to acknowledge the invaluable support of our festival’s anchor sponsor, Astron Energy Eastern Cape, together with our local fuel sponsors, Astron Energy Graaff-Reinet (Astron Energy College Motors), represented by Stephan and Jeanri de Souza, and Astron Energy Bothas Market Square (Botha’s Garage), represented by Johan and Michaela Smit.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭.

Every year, when the final whistle has blown and the fields begin to quieten, we’re reminded that the 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝘂𝗴𝗯𝘆 & 𝗛𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 has never been only about rugby and hockey.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘥.

For a few short days, our boarding houses become home to visiting teams, meals are shared around the same tables, conversations about the day’s matches turn into laughter and new friendships and 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲.

Coaches catch up over the festival’s traditional braai and steak evenings, parents give so generously of their time to help host the event and every person who walks onto our campus becomes part of something bigger than themselves. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆, 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱.

As the messages begin to fill our festival WhatsApp group – one by one letting us know that everyone has arrived home safely – we’re reminded how privileged we are to have shared this weekend with each of you.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻, for embracing the spirit of the festival and for helping create an atmosphere that is warm, welcoming and genuinely special.

Results

Union High School enjoyed a highly successful Anne Beagley Junior Festival, with outstanding performances across both hockey and rugby.

The U/13A Hockey team had an exceptional tournament, remaining unbeaten in seven matches and recording impressive victories against Cambridge (3-0), Charlo (7-0), DSG (2-0), the Invitational Team (7-0), Cradock (3-0), Stirling (1-0) and Clarendon (8-0), while drawing 1-1 against Sonop.

The U/13B Hockey team showed tremendous commitment and growth throughout the festival. Their results included victories over Crewe (4-1 and 1-0) and Riebeek (3-1), a goalless draw against Gonubie, and competitive matches against Cradock (0-1), Union U/13A (0-5) and Riebeek (1-2). The team improved with every game and displayed excellent determination throughout the tournament.

On the rugby field, the U/13A Rugby team produced some excellent performances, defeating Cambridge 53-0 and Muir 38-5. Their only defeat came against a strong Selborne side, going down 17-5. The festival was a fantastic experience for all involved, showcasing excellent sportsmanship, teamwork and the proud spirit of Union High School. We congratulate all players and coaches on their efforts and achievements throughout the tournament.

The Anne Beagley Junior Rugby & Hockey Festival proudly bears the name of a woman whose contribution to Union High School and junior sport was truly extraordinary.

Anne “Dobby” Beagley dedicated more than two decades of her life to the education and development of young people at the Union Schools in Graaff-Reinet. 𝘈𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺.

To generations of young girls, she was simply “Mrs Junior Hockey”. Dobby possessed a unique ability to nurture confidence, sportsmanship and a love for the game, ensuring that every child felt valued and encouraged.

𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗮𝘀𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵.

It was this passion that led her to establish the Junior Rugby & Hockey Festival in 1999. What began as an opportunity for young players to enjoy healthy competition, friendship and personal growth has, over the years, grown into one of the most anticipated junior sporting events in the region.

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗶𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗗𝗼𝗯𝗯𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗿 – participation, camaraderie, respect and enjoyment.

Her influence extended far beyond the sports field. She was involved in swimming, drama and cultural activities, inspiring young people to discover and develop their talents. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮, 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥, 𝘋𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴.

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝘀𝗼 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱 whose vision continues to create opportunities for young sportsmen and sportswomen to learn, compete and build lifelong memories.

𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘋𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦.

Before we dive into all the excitement, competition and unforgettable moments of the 25th annual 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝘂𝗴𝗯𝘆 & 𝗛𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹, we’d like to pause and acknowledge the incredible partners who have helped make it all possible.

A heartfelt thank you to Astron Energy, represented in Graaff-Reinet by 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹𝗮 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝘁 of Astron Energy Botha’s Market Square (Botha’s Garage), together with 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗝𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗿𝗶 𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘇𝗮 of Astron Energy College Motors, for their generous sponsorship and continued support of this highlight on the winter sporting calendar.

Pictured with our valued sponsors are U13A hockey festival captain 𝗧𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯𝘀, supported by vice-captains 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗮 𝗢𝘁𝘁 and 𝗘𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀, together with U13A rugby co-captains 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘆 and 𝗨𝘁𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗲.

𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺’𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺. 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘥!