Category: Bulletin

There are very few people we could imagine stepping into the well-worn shoes of Mr Kingwill as Estate Manager, but in 𝗠𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯𝘀 we have every confidence that we have found a most worthy successor.

With a smile and what looked suspiciously like the keys to the entire kingdom in hand, Mr Kingwill officially entrusted Mr Jacobs with his new domain today.

We have no doubt that under his watchful eye, everything will remain in excellent order – 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘺𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴!

As this month draws to a close, so too does an extraordinary chapter in the life of our school.

With 𝗠𝗿 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗱 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 retiring as Estate Manager of Union High School, we paused this morning to honour a man whose quiet dedication has shaped our school for nearly three decades.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟳 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀, Mr Kingwill has been a steady and faithful presence on our campus – arriving before most, leaving long after many and tending to our grounds and facilities with pride and care.

𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘴; 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨.

During Assembly today, we paid a very special farewell tribute to him. There was a deep sense of gratitude in the air as we reflected on the years he has given so selflessly. Following Assembly, our staff and learners formed an 𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗚𝗨𝗔𝗥𝗗 – a corridor of appreciation – lining up to thank him in a way words alone never quite could.

In an emotional moment, Mr Kingwill was invited to ring the Centenary Bell – its clear notes echoing across the grounds he has cared for so faithfully.

𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦.

𝗠𝗿 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟳 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆, 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁.

Union High School, Graaff-Reinet looks forward to hosting our 25th annual Anne Beagley Junior Rugby & Hockey Festival this year!

We are excited to welcome schools from across the country for four unforgettable days of top-quality junior rugby and hockey, great sportsmanship and a lot of festival fun!

𝘉𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 25𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯! RSVP here: https://forms.gle/fteywCjzWGZmnW927

𝗪𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗼!

What an unforgettable morning at Thru The Karoo!

A heartfelt 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 to the incredible organisers for putting together such a joyful event and for giving Union High School the opportunity to be part of it.

𝗧𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 who passed our water station – your smiles and appreciation made the early start and busy morning more than worthwhile.

A very special thank you must go to groundsman, 𝗔𝗿𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗱𝘂 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀, whose love for Union shines through in everything he does.

𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 “𝘜𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘥” 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 – 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘺!

We are also deeply grateful to 𝗠𝗿 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘂𝘀 for so generously giving his morning, alongside the enthusiastic boarders from Arthur Kingwill House, to help man a water station with such energy and pride.

To the wonderful Union girls who helped at our station – 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝘂𝗻.

And lastly, sincere a thank you to FreshStop At Astron Energy for their generous contribution to our stall!

𝘞𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵!

As preparations for this year’s school production of 𝘠𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺 continue in full swing, it feels only right to pause and give credit where it is truly due.

𝗠𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝘃𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿, quietly and masterfully guiding the cast through rehearsals, is once again bringing her remarkable gift for theatre to life on our stage.

First invited to become involved in school productions back in 2004 as choreographer, Mrs Putter soon became an essential creative force, going on to direct alternating middle and high school productions year after year.

𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹’𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 – from the unforgettable 𝘓𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨, with its stage stretching into the audience, to more recent colourful favourites such as 𝘛𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘵, 𝘚𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 and 𝘌𝘯𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰.

What makes Mrs Putter’s productions so special is the joyful energy and creativity that radiates through every detail. An avid seamstress, she designs and makes the costumes herself, often contributing to backdrops as well, alongside the long-standing support of Mrs Janet Kingwill, who has assisted with backdrops faithfully over the years.

𝗠𝗿𝘀 𝗣𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗺, 𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 – she never flusters, even when dress rehearsals feel like pure chaos. Somehow, by opening night, everything comes together seamlessly and the singing, acting and dancing are always nothing short of incredible.

𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦.

Union High School is truly fortunate to have someone like Mrs Putter at the heart of its cultural life. Her dedication, creativity and steady presence have enriched the school community for over two decades, leaving lasting memories not only for audiences, but for the many children whose confidence and talents she has nurtured along the way.

Her productions are more than performances – they are celebrations of colour, joy and teamwork – 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗱.