Category: Bulletin

𝟭𝟬𝟲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁!

This past weekend saw the Union Schools host its annual Founders’ Weekend, celebrating an incredible 106 years of rich history and tradition.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹’𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱.

The festivities kicked off on Friday morning with a warm assembly led by Headmaster Mr William Pringle. His uplifting words set a reflective tone for the day, as learners filled the hall with a heartfelt rendition of the school song, followed by a prayer led by Head Girl Milani Pongoma. Special messages from learners, including Head Girl Aaminah Steele and younger learners Kari Stern and Grace Kitching, added a personal touch, reinforcing the spirit of unity that defines Union.

𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘥.

Later that sunny afternoon, the AstroTurf transformed into a lively battleground where Union’s young hockey players faced off against their moms, dads and Old Unionites. The laughter and support from the sidelines perfectly captured the essence of the Union community.

The excitement continued as the much-anticipated hockey match between the Old Girls and the 1st team was contested. Well done to the 1st team who claimed victory with an 8-3 score. Notable performers were recognized, with Leigh-Ann Murray named ‘Most Promising Player,’ Sarah Jacobs awarded ‘Best Defender,’ and Misha Newton honored for ‘Best Goal.’

𝗔𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.

Saturday brought more festivities, starting with the Gisela Kingwill Mother & Daughter morning, themed “Floral PositiviTEA.”

The school garden was beautifully transformed into a floral haven, thanks to the creativity of Mrs Anélle Ekkard and the matric farewell committee. Local musician Archie Pienaar provided a lovely soundtrack, enhancing the atmosphere as attendees savoured delicious treats and participated in exciting lucky draw giveaways.

𝘈 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘋𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺, 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘢 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘭𝘪 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘦-𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.

As the day progressed, the annual Dads vs Lads cricket matches took centre stage, filled with laughter and friendly competition. Old Boys also joined the fun, playing against the 1st, 2nd and u/15A teams.

In addition to the cricket, the inaugural Founders’ Weekend tennis matches were also greatly enjoyed by all those who participated.

The day culminated in a trophy presentation for the cricketers, celebrating the achievements of our talented learners and emphasizing the Union Schools’ commitment to excellence.

𝗔𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗰𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. The legacy of our founders continues to inspire, reminding us that we stand on the shoulders of remarkable individuals.

𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘛𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴!

Union High School boasts an exceptional musical programme, embodied by its stunning Blüthner Patent Grand Piano, Model 7.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 1906, 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 – 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 192𝘤𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭ü𝘵𝘩𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭 7 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘴, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭.

The story of Blüthner pianos begins with Julius Blüthner, who was born in Falkenhain, Germany, in 1824. Initially a cabinet-maker, Blüthner founded his piano-making business in 1853. His dedication and innovation quickly garnered attention; his pianos were showcased at the Industrial Exhibition in 1854 and later adopted by the Leipzig Conservatory. By the turn of the 20th century, Blüthner had become Europe’s second-largest piano manufacturer, producing both grand and upright models that were celebrated worldwide.

𝗜𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗹ü𝘁𝗵𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗼 𝗮𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Zelda Oosthuizen, the school’s senior music teacher, enlisted the expertise of Mark Davis from Mark Davis Piano Service in Cape Town to restore the instrument’s mechanism. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟰 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟮 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱, 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝟭𝟱𝟮 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.

The restoration focused on revitalizing components that had experienced wear and tear over the decades. Worn cloth, felt and leather were replaced with new materials, including key mortise bushings, backcheck leather, and various felt components.

Additionally, new hammer shanks, flanges and hammerheads were installed, with all center pins replaced to optimize friction and mechanical performance. Each friction point and surface was carefully lubricated, ensuring smooth operation, before the action was reassembled and regulated for optimal performance.

𝘛𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘰’𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘑𝘢𝘩𝘯 𝘗𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘰 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘣𝘦𝘭 𝘗𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘰 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺. Mark Davis took great care to replace only those materials that had suffered significant deterioration, preserving the unique character of the Blüthner while restoring it to excellent playing condition.

In an additional effort to accommodate the local climate, the piano was pitch-corrected and tuned to A442. This tuning choice considers Graaff-Reinet’s humid summer climate, preventing the pitch from dropping too far during the drier winter months. By tuning to A442 in summer, the piano maintains an optimal pitch range throughout the year, ensuring that its musical integrity remains intact.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗹ü𝘁𝗵𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗼 𝗮𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁, 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁’𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗮𝗳𝗳-𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘁.