Bulletin

Interschools Reunion Convenors

Class Head convenor Email Reunion
1961 Robin Abbott dabbott@telkom.net 58
1962 Robin Abbott dabbott@telkom.net 57
1963 Rob Henderson henwoodglass@iafrica.com 56
1964 Adrian Arnott adrian.a@lantic.net 55
1967 Audrey Adam (McNaughton) auds.adam@gmail.com 52
1969 Dennis Houseman houseman@netactive.co.za 50
1969 Noeleen Kotshan noelene@pinkdrive.co.za 50
1971 Lesley van Vuuren lesvanvuuren@gmail.com 48
1974 Michael Clarke 45
1974 Terry Debesh (Horwitz) terry.debesh@gmail.com 45
1979 John Barnardt johnb@bonnievalewines.co.za 40
1979 Adrian Pienaar adrian.pienaar@za.ab-inbev.com 40
1982 Brett Wilson brett@inspectaleak.co.za 37
1985 Trenly Spence trenly@spencenguni.co.za 34
1988 Kim Spencer Primic kimprimic@gmail.com 31
1989 Michelle Kingwill michellevdb@telkomsa.net 30
1991 Belinda Hunter belinda.hunter@fnb.co.za 28
1994 Isabel van der Merwe isabel.vandermerwe@mediclinic.co.za 25
1995 Mandy Pelser mandykpelser@gmail.com 24
1999 Bronwen Jacobs bronwen@montego.co.za 20
1999 Richard Collett katkop@eik.co.za 20
2004 Caitlin Nash
Melissa Grewar		 nashcaitlin@gmail.com megrewar@gmail.com 15
2014 Monique Holtzhausen moniqueheunis@gmail.com 5

 

Bulletin, Cultural

Eco Club Visits Herding Academy

On Friday 10 May, 25 learners and two educators were privileged to go on an educational outing to the Herding Academy at St Olive’s Farm. We were warmly welcomed by Sarah who gave the group a video presentation of the Herding Academy. Following that, Gavin, the farm manager, and the 12 Academy students accompanied the eco warriors into the veld where they were divided into two groups and shown the practical applications and outcomes of herding, soil erosion management and maximization skills of nature’s gift, rain.

The herding method of land restoration and management has been based on natural migration patterns in nature. The students observe nature and conduct experiments to come up with best operating practices. The intense grazing and ground trampling of a herd of animals that have been enclosed in a camp for a few days fertilizers and loosens the soil. The concentrated nutrient-rich animal dung is worked into the soft soil as the herd tramples the grazing ground. The herd is then moved to another area where the process is repeated. Each student stays with his/her herd for an entire week, living in a bush caravan and moving with the herd.

The Academy students also taught the group about maximizing rain water usage and mulching. Since taking care of the soil is of primary importance, the group learnt about soil erosion management. They observed areas of land where the outcomes of experiments clearly show the benefits of managed herding.

The Academy’s integrity stems from the fact that their work emulates natural patterns and uses lessons from nature to restore the land and maximize their uses of natural resources. Their mission is a three-fold one: economic, environmental and caring for society. It boils down to taking care of the land, the biodiversity and the people, thus creating a sustainable recipe for success, health and prosperity. The Eco Club thoroughly enjoyed their visit to St Olives and is looking forward to future visits at the Herding Academy. Grateful thanks to Johan Bouwer, Sarah, Gavin and the Academy Students for this opportunity.

Bulletin, Rugby

UHS Boosts Coaching Staff

Union High School has recently appointed Mr. Ashwell Adams as the new coach of the school’s second rugby team.

Mr. Adams, who moved back to Graaff-Reinet earlier this year, is a born and bred Graaff-Reinetter, having matriculated at Spandau Secondary School, before moving to Port Elizabeth.  Apart from being extremely passionate and knowledgeable about rugby, Mr. Adams also boasts an IRB Level 1 Coaching qualification and has built up valuable experience these past 16 years coaching the rugby teams of Bertram High School in Port Elizabeth.

“I am confident that I will be able to contribute hugely to Union’s rugby from this experience,” Adams said.

Mr. Adams is looking forward to playing a part in the development of rugby at Union High School and to using all his knowledge to take the school’s rugby forward and grow it from strength to strength.

“Our boys can be confident that the standard of coaching they are being exposed to is right up there with the top rugby schools in the province,” said the newly appointed coach.

As can be seen with the second team’s stellar performance this past Saturday against Stirling High School, Mr. Adams has wasted no time in getting the boys fit to compete.

Sport Results

Snr Hockey Results vs Stirling

Nail-biting matches for Union against Stirling

Union’s hockey teams travelled to East London this past weekend, to take on Stirling High School in a nail-biting hockey encounter on Saturday, 11 May.

In matches that were closely contested to the very end, Union’s U/16B team beat Stirling 1 – 0, the U/16As drew 0 – 0, the second team won their match 1 – 0 and the first team drew 2 – 2.

Unions U/16B girls kicked off the day with a 1 – 0 victory over Stirling’s u/16B’s.  The scores were level until the last 10 seconds of the match when Union was awarded a penalty corner.  A perfect set piece saw Tayla Kingwill convert a cracking shot at goal, allowing Union to be the victors.

U/16A girls, who faced Stirling’s U/16As, played to a goalless draw. The girls were in the game from the very first minute and fought very hard to the bitter end.  Some chances to score were created, but both the Stirling and Union goalkeepers had an outstanding match, denying both sides in finding the back of the net.  It was a great display of skill and fellowship by both teams in ending the match in a draw.

The second team then took to the turf in, what proved to be, another exciting and thrilling encounter.  Union penetrated the Stirling goal area on many occasions but failed to find the back of the net.  It took a well-struck hit by Jemimah Mangunda to take the lead in the second half to seal the match 1 – 0 in Union’s favour.

Union’s first team then battled it out against Stirling’s 1st XI and went down by a goal in the 7th minute of the first quarter.  Stirling scored in the second quarter again to take them 2 – 0 up.  Union stuck to their game plan and played some brilliant hockey in the third and fourth quarter, which saw goals by Rosslyn Sparks and Henzѐ Japhta, to end the match in a 2-all draw.

The players must be commended on their fighting spirit throughout the match.

Well done to all the girls!

 

Sport Results

Snr Rugby Results vs Stirling

Union faced tough opposition in East London

On Saturday, 11 May, Union’s rugby teams played against Stirling in a much-anticipated clash.

In the games that preceded that of the 1st XV’s, our U/14A team lost 12 – 20, the U/15As lost 0 – 32, the U/16As lost 7 – 21 and the second team won 36 – 34.

The match between the two school’s 1st XVs lived up to expectations and was an incredibly tough, physical game with both teams having to put everything on the line.Union put on a much-improved performance at the set pieces and were able to match Stirling up front and dominate at times.

Union scored first through a penalty from Brett Amsterdam.  The game kept spectators on the edge of their seats for the full 35 minutes of the first half, where Union held the lead with 15 minutes to go until Stirling managed to score two tries leading up to the break.  Brett Amsterdam then put over another penalty on the brink of half-time.  Stirling’s two tries outscored Union’s two penalties, leaving the score to stand at 10 – 6 at half-time.

At the turn, both sides continued to put together phases of attack which was met with fierce defence.

Stirling, however, managed to take a further lead with two tries early on in the second half.  Union continued to hold their own and managed to cross the line through Mack Rubidge, keeping Union in the game.  Unfortunately, in the end, Stirling proved too strong and managed to cross the line twice through some tiring defence in the last two minutes, winning the match 34 – 11.

Despite the tough opposition faced on the day, the Union boys did their school and supporters proud and played with great heart, never giving up and consistently showing great sportsmanship throughout the day.

All in all, it was a great day of rugby and a fixture Union’s rugby teams will continue to look forward to.

Despite the tough opposition faced on the day, the Union boys did their school and supporters proud and played with great heart, never giving up and always showing great sportsmanship throughout the day.  All in all it was a great day of rugby and a fixture we will continue to look forward to.

Sport Results

Jnr Hockey Results vs Lorraine

Union’s junior hockey teams faced Lorraine Primary on the UHS AstroTurf on Saturday, 11 May.

The 5th juniors lost 1 – 0, the 4th juniors drew 0 – 0, the 5th juniors (in a match against Lorraine’s 6th juniors) won 1 – 0, the 3rd juniors won 4 – 0.

2nd Jnr Team:  1 – 0
On a day where Union had dominated in general, the 2nd team girls did not disappoint. The girls played really well together as a unit and are definitely starting to gel. They worked incredibly hard and were able to hold the determined Lorraine side at bay. Although Union had possession for the majority of the game, it took a long time for our girls to convert their efforts into points on the board. Misha Newton was eventually able to score off a well-worked short corner, putting us into the lead. Despite some nail-biting moments, Union managed to hang onto their tenuous 1 – 0 advantage till the end. Well done to all the girls and especially to Misha Newton and Katelyn Trollip who worked exceptionally hard throughout the game.

1st Jnr Team:  1 – 2
With 4 of our regular 1st team players unable to play on the day, it was a fairly nervous team that took to the field against Lorraine. The girls were on the back-foot from the start and struggled to turn the tide of play, making mistake after panicky mistake and quickly forgetting the basics, especially in defense. They soon conceded a goal, but fortunately managed to limit the first half damage to this.

After a stern talking to at half time, the girls returned to the field focused and ready to make amends. They were finally able to piece together some great runs of play, but without result. Towards the end, the girls began to run out of legs and Lorraine were able to slip another goal past our ragged defenses. In a last ditch effort to improve the goal difference, Soso Mroro made a spectacular individual break, and after beating three players on her own, popped a stunning ball through to Ferronique Booysen who slotted it past the surprised keeper mere moments before the final whistle, making the final score 2 -1 to Lorraine.

Although the girls were disappointed by the result, all the teams enjoyed a wonderful day of hockey played with spirit and sportsmanship. Thank you to all involved and particularly to Kyle-Luke du Preez for your invaluable assistance with coaching and umpiring.

Bulletin, Student Life

Good Deeds Are Recognized At UHS

If you have ever lost a phone or a tablet, you know the chances of having it returned to you are slim to none.  Those who stumble upon lost phones usually operate on the “finders keepers” premise. They find, they keep.  While most of us would never outright steal a phone, the test of honesty really comes down to what you’d do if you found a lost phone or tablet

Union was recently very impressed with the honesty and integrity shown by Grade 9 learner, Mihan Campbell.  Mihan happened upon a phone that had been lost by its owner during a sports day at Union.  Mihan immediately took steps to ensure that the expensive smartphone was returned to its owner by turning it in to the school’s headmaster.

Well done, Mihan!

At Union, we firmly believe that good deeds should be recognized, it’s not every day the world shows you honesty and integrity, and actions such as these deserve to be recognised by the community.

Bulletin, Hostels

AKH Workers’ Day Braai

The boarders at Union’s Arthur Kingwill House held their annual braai on Workers’ Day, 1 May,

This time around, they were joined by Max Kroon House’s little ones who were entertained by Head Prefect, Peter Watermeyer, and Head of House, Khanya Butshingi, who played ball games with the boys.

It wasn’t long, however, before Mr. Christopher Felix and the rest of the boys started with their “famous” AKH touchies rugby

A huge bonfire and marshmallow braai ended off the evening for the Max Kroon boys before they went to bed.

It truly was a chilled, fun way to spend a mid-week holiday.

Nice one, guys!