Category: Cultural

Bulletin, Cultural

Congratulations to Grade 6 learner 𝗞𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗽 on achieving an outstanding 90% – a Distinction – for her RSL Classical Grade 2 Piano Practical examination.

The examiner praised Kirsten’s “𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵”, as well as her “𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺” throughout the performance – a wonderful reflection of her hard work and musical talent.

Bulletin, Cultural

Union High School’s 𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗕 has enjoyed a creative and productive term working on bird portraits.

Using masonite boards kindly donated by Mr Niël Keyser, the learners were taught how to sand, prime and prepare the boards before starting their acrylic paintings.

They also practised enlarging their reference material using the gridding technique, helping them plan their compositions carefully before painting.

𝗜𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱’𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 as the learners explored colour, texture, line, tone and form throughout the project.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺.

Bulletin, Cultural

Last night we had the privilege of hosting our 𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗘𝗖𝗛 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 for our Grade 10 to 12 learners – and what an inspiring evening it was!

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹, with each participant speaking confidently and with conviction. In fact, the judges took a full half hour to deliberate – a true testament to the quality and depth of the 16 entries received this year, more than ever before.

Congratulations to our top three speakers: Jasmine Abercrombie (1st), Konke Gawula (2nd) and Jemae-Mari Davids (3rd).

𝗪𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘀 – Mrs Tess Neill, Miss Sasha Bosch and Mrs Kelly Westraad – for their time and careful consideration. Mrs Westraad remarked on the learners’ confidence, their excellent preparation and how powerfully they spoke with passion about matters they truly believe in.

𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 – 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘭!

Bulletin, Cultural

This evening we had the privilege of hosting our 𝗝𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗘𝗖𝗛 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 and what a wonderful evening it was.

𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 8 𝘢𝘯𝘥 9 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

From powerful reflections on believing in yourself, to the influence of role models, to the thought-provoking question of whether happiness is a choice – 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁.

We are incredibly proud of every learner who participated. Public speaking takes bravery and our juniors rose to the occasion beautifully.

Bulletin, Cultural

It was our great honour to host 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗮𝗻-𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝗲𝗺𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮, one of the leading emerging pianists of his generation, for a memorable recital in our school hall on Thursday evening, 19 February.

Although only 15 years old, Christiaan-Peter is already studying full-time at the prestigious Hochschule für Musik in Basel, Switzerland, and has an impressive list of awards and achievements to his name.

𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦 – 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺.

The recital programme featured masterworks by Beethoven, Schumann, Bartók, Liszt and Mozart, offering the audience an evening of depth, brilliance and musical storytelling. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 – Christiaan-Peter undoubtedly belongs to the latter.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘰, 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥.

In the accompanying photograph, he is seen with Union music educator, Mrs Sanette Brink, who shares in our pride and appreciation for an unforgettable evening of music.

Bulletin, Cultural

Today, Union High School, Graaff-Reinet is proud to recognise Baden-Powell Day (celebrated annually on 22 February) with a special civvies day in support of the Graaff-Reinet Scouts.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘉𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯-𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘚𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥.

We are especially proud of our Union Scouts (𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 20 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭), some of whom are pictured here in their uniforms today, who represent these ideals with commitment and pride.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 and celebrating the spirit of Scouting.

Bulletin, Cultural

We are very proud of the excellent results our primary department music students achieved in their piano examinations at the end of last year.

𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢-𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭𝘴.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 Shana Theron (Grade 7, 2026), who completed two grades in a single year – passing Grade 3 with Distinction in Term 1 and achieving 96% Distinction in her RSL Grade 4 exam. 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗼 Kate Scott (Grade 7, 2026) for 90% Distinction in Grade 2, Nieke van Jaarsveld (Grade 8, 2026) for 91% Distinction in Grade 1 and Mia Labuscagne (Grade 7, 2026) for 83% Merit in Grade 1.

Bulletin, Cultural

Recently, unfazed by the blazing Karoo sun, seven Scouts from the 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗮𝗳𝗳-𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗽 and two adult leaders gathered bright and early at the Chookie Geard Scout Hall – hats on, water bottles filled, spirits high and 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬.

With a troop full of new, eager faces, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀. From knot work and pioneering to building a mock campsite that looked straight out of a survival guide, the Scouts threw themselves into every task. Each activity became a lesson – not just about Scouting, but about teamwork, problem-solving and leadership.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦.

Of course, not everything went perfectly – a few wobbly lashings here, a tent that didn’t quite stand there – but that’s what Scouting is all about. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲.

After a morning of hard work, everyone gathered for a well-earned braai – boerie sizzling, laughter flowing and a true sense of camaraderie in the air. 𝘈 𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 – 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘱!

Bulletin, Cultural

On Monday evening, 13 October, Union High School hosted its much-anticipated 𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚, this year themed ‘𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘑𝘢𝘻𝘻’.

The event showcased the school’s incredible senior musical talent – 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘱𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘢 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵é 𝘖𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘧𝘴𝘦𝘯.

Beautiful décor by Mrs Abigail Gedult set the perfect stage for a night filled with harmony and heart, while music teacher Ms Zelda Oosthuizen’s dedication and passion shone through every polished performance.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 – a fitting finale to a night that celebrated artistry, hard work and Union’s rich musical spirit.

Bulletin, Cultural

As the stage lights dimmed, the grand piano lid was closed and the final contestant left the hall, the organisers and adjudicators breathed a collective sigh of happiness as the 3rd annual Camdeboo Eisteddfod concluded after 𝗮 𝟯-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀.

Sponsored by Montego Pet Nutrition, the Eisteddfod has grown exponentially since its first year with 496 entries being received in the categories of Creative Writing, Dance, Art, Drama, Vocal, Choral and Instrumental.

An eisteddfod is defined as “𝘢 𝘯𝘰𝘯-𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘥𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴, 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴.”

Participation is treated with reverence and comments from the adjudicators give an opportunity for development and growth. For some, this is the first time on the stage, and the nerves were sometimes evident. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱𝗱𝗳𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

Our adjudicators: Lynne Gouws, Kelly Westraad, David Langmead, Belinda Grewar and Bronwynne Kingwill carefully evaluated each participant, considering creativity and technique.

A carefully thought-through programme and slick system of evaluation allowed for each contestant to immediately be provided with their certificate and report. The highly sought-after and elusive ‘Cum-Laude’ awards were received with much excitement and joy!

𝗔 𝗵𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆. Gratitude must go to each teacher, coach and parent who encouraged and guided each performer. A huge thank you to Mr Donald Kingwill and the ground staff for their unwavering commitment and their tirelessly work behind the scenes of this years’ Camdeboo Eisteddfod!

Thank you to Mrs Abigail Gedult and moms Karen Scott, Kat Ott and Vanessa Copeman who decorated the hall so beautifully.

Marsha Bouwer and Marie-Louise Oosthuizen assisted each adjudicator with certificates and provided gentle support throughout the week. Thanks to Elsona/Truth catering for delicious meals and to Suliza van Wyk for assistance with spelling and translation.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼 𝗘𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱𝗱𝗳𝗼𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 and could not have happened without the passion and hard work of Eisteddfod Director, Ms Zelda Oosthuizen. Thank you to Mrs Mariette Burger and the magic she works, a spark of creativity and excellence has been ignited for which the Cultural Department at Union High School is extremely grateful.