All at Union High School are, once again, excited at the prospect of being a part of the energy of the annual Interschools encounters, particularly in this our school’s 100th year. We are very proud of the traditions that have developed around this occasion since its inception in 1919 and we are extremely pleased to share the day with so many people who travel from all over South Africa and, for that matter, from abroad, in order to be a part of the excitement and drama that accompanies the clashes.
As always, the sporting tussles will be hard-fought and tense. All the players will be keen to end off the season on a high note. They cherish this opportunity to display their talents and to prove their mettle in front of the many spectators that attend the matches. As we wish all the participants well, we look forward to a wonderful weekend of sport and of sportsmanship of the highest order.
Union High School welcomes all visitors to Interschools 2019. It is wonderful to see so many past pupils from the schools returning to meet up with classmates and other friends. We trust that your reunions will be enjoyed by all and that you will be able to look upon this weekend back at your respective Alma Maters with much pleasure and with many fond memories. Our school thanks you for joining us, and we assure you that the efforts that you have made in order to be with us over this weekend do not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Much of what makes this weekend special is a result of the friendly, festive and enthusiastic atmosphere that your presence lends to Interschools.
Our sincere thanks are extended to our sponsors, First National Bank, whose contribution to this event helps us to ensure that it remains an occasion of note for all.
What an amazing time of year as the build up to interschools is finally upon us. More than ever the anticipation and energy of this mighty occasion is boosted with celebration as we play hosts during our centenary year.
I would like to welcome all who will be traveling from far and wide to share in this wonderful event as we go head to head with our neighbours down the road in a variety of sporting codes and cultural events. Your presence here is testament to what this event means to those who have been before us and the learners are always spurred on by the overwhelming support and revel at the opportunity to represent their school and make their old scholars proud.
As Union and Volkskool embark on this epic rivalry I have no doubt that at the end of the day each match will not only be keenly contested but played with great spirit and sportsmanship as we celebrate sport as a whole.
An occasion of such a nature does not just simply happen, I would like thank all those that have played a role in making this occasion unforgettable and one to add to the record books.
May the spirit of interschools live on in our hearts and minds as we look forward to celebrating another hundred years of sporting excellence between these two fine institutions.
Finally I would like to wish all the learners the best of luck for their matches and may you create everlasting memories.
Our Rugby Team
The season so far
Mr Raymond Hamilton, 1st XV Rugby Coach
Union High School’s 1st XV’s season so far has been a steep learning curve. Having lost 12 players from last year’s starting line-up, the 2018 season was definitely seen as a building year. On many occasions we would lose a game right at the end, or not hold on to a lead due to the lack of experience from the majority of the squad.
The whole season wasn’t all doom and gloom – we managed to pull off some good victories against Cillië, Hangklip, St Andrews Bloem, Andrew Rabie, Victoria Park, Aliwal North, Cradock, Westering and Woodridge College.
The team has worked really hard on and off the field to make sure that they end the season off respectfully and we look forward to many decent seasons in time to come.
Mxolisi Zikalala, Ethan Gedult, Mpisekhaya Duba, Matteo Mahona, Ezra Mangunda, William Kayster, River Carey, Luke McNaughton, Ebben Johnston, Mack Rubidge, Jaden Brotherton, Zusakhe Ngwane, Mr. Raymond Hamilton (coach), Iviwe Ndamane (captain), Mr. Stephen Bezuidenhout (coach), Gary Shell (vice-captain), Cleathon Koeberg, Caerwyn Spence, Damon Fouché, Ashwon Dawids, Khanya Butshingi, Bladen Jacobs, Brett Amsterdam, Khwezi Simon, Matthew Price, S’Bongakonke Koyingana and Thembelihle Mxhunyelwa.
Our Hockey Team
The season so far
Alvin August, 1st Hockey Team Coach
The Union girls started their season at the EP Opening Festival where they competed against some tough opposition. Their results were very pleasing as it saw 5 of our girls selected to attend the 2nd round of EP trials. Jenna McNaughton and Micela Loock both made it all the way through to final round and were selected to represent the EP U/18A side.
Union were also up against the likes of Oranje Meisieskool and Eunice High School at the Gregg Belling Festival which was a great learning experience for our girls.
The Spar Challenge, which was held at Union, saw our girls reach the final against DSG and sadly missing out on their 2nd title.
The season has been a good one thus far for our girls, playing 37 matches, winning 22, lost 9, drew 6 and scoring 144 goals to date. To date the most capped players, Jenna McNaughton and Micela Loock, sitting at 133 caps respectively, have really set the tone as the rest of the girls fed off their experience.
As a collective unit all the girls have played their part in making the season a memorable one and achieving some outstanding results thus far.
Left to right: Nicole de Bruyn, Henzé Jaftha, Chelsea Theron, Sara Kingwill, Jade Shires, Jenna McNaughton (captain), Mr. Alvin August (coach), Micela Loock (vice-captain), Laetitia Theron, Kia Hoffman, Donné Marais, Marché Green, Sakhe Booi (GK).
Our Tennis Teams
Back: Peter Watermeyer, Matthew Hesselink, Noä Cilliers and Bowen Langmead. Front: Kyle-Luke du Preez, Ebben Johnston (captain) and Brett Amsterdam.
Back: Christine Harris, Lauren Rose-Innes and Jenna McNaughton. Front: Jeanne-Marie Brummer, Sara Kingwill and Micela Loock (captain).
We wish all our captains the best of luck for their Interschools matches.
Perhaps nowhere is the importance of good leadership as apparent as in a sports team.
A good sports team captain can lead his team to success and recognition; and can help a moderate team play better; whereas, a weak captain with poor leadership skills can hinder a team’s chances of competing and bonding successfully.
Union is fortunate to have exceptional captains leading our teams this Interschools who will most assuredly lead their teammates to victory!
Iviwe Ndamane, UHS 1st team rugby captain: “Commitment with accountability closes the gap between intention and results”
Jenna McNaughton, UHS 1st team hockey captain,”Great moments are born from great opportunities.”
Micela Loock, UHS 1st team girls tennis captain: “It is hard to beat a person who never gives up” – Babe Ruth
Ebben Johnston, UHS 1st team boys tennis and golf captain: “What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle and giving 110% all the time” – Don Zimmer.
Peter Watermeyer, UHS Speech captain, “A good speech should be like a woman’s skirt: long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest” – Winston Churchill.
Liano Naidoo, UHS Chess captain: “The beauty of chess is that it can be whatever you want it to be. It transcends language, age, race, religion, politics, gender and socio-economic background. Whatever your circumstances, anyone can enjoy a good fight to the death over a chess board – Simon Williams
Schea Johnson – UHS shooting captain, “Consistency is the key to accuracy.” – Ryan M Cleckner
The Union primary department’s annual Speech Competition was held in the Tony Burrell Union on Wednesday morning, 31 July.
This year there were 13 learners participating.
Topics ranged from, ‘Strange world records set in history’ and ‘English is a crazy language’, to ‘Crazy inventions’ and ‘Oddest sports’.In accompaniment to the speeches, there were also some lovely poems recited, stories told and articles read aloud by other junior learners throughout the course of the morning.
We would like to congratulate all the participants and thank all those involved. It was pleasing to see so many enthusiastic learners presenting their speeches. It is not easy to stand before a large audience and deliver a speech and we would like to congratulate all the young learners for their courageous efforts.
Thanks also go to the teachers and parents for supporting and encouraging the learners and for the time spent preparing for the competition.
We would like to thank the judges who gave up their time to support the school by judging our contest. The judges were very impressed by the high quality of speeches and the obvious preparation that had gone into the day and they commented that everyone did well.
Caytah-Leigh Koeberg was announced as the Grade 7 winner and Na’eem Mahomed as the runner-up. Anna-May Hayes won in Grade 6 and Megan Nortje was announced as the runner-up. The winner in Grade 5 is Amber Bezuidenhout with the runner-up being Anebel Norval.
On Friday, 2 August, and Saturday, 3 August, Union’s 1st team hockey girls travelled to Port Elizabeth and Gahamstown, respectively, to complete their round of Top 8 matches.
The girls took to the turf against Alexander Road High School on Friday, after a solid two performances against Framesby and Pearson in previous weeks.
The girls set the pace from the beginning by scoring a quick two goals within the first five minutes. This was a great start and a strong message sent to the opposition that the Union girls had arrived to compete. Goals were scored by Jenna McNaughton and Henzé Jaftha in the first half.
After a re-set at half time, it was Micela Loock’s turn to put two more goals in the Alex box to put the girls 4 – 0 up. A lapse in concentration during the last quarter resulted in Alex putting two goals past Union’s defenders with the final result being 4 – 2 in Union’s favour.
The team then travelled to Grahamstown for the ultimate challenge – DSG on their home turf.
The girls knew they were in for a tough match, but none of them could have anticipated the intense battle they were about to enter into. With an absolute star performance from Sakhe Booi, the team faced countless attacks from the strong DSG forwards. Stirling teamwork and an immense effort from the entire team resulted in the half time score being kept to 0 – 0.
During the second half, the girls were presented with scoring opportunities created by Henzé Jaftha which were unfortunately kept out of the box by the DSG goalkeeper. This game definitely proved to be an equally-matched rivalry and although the end result reflected a 0-all draw, it was an absolute win for the school and the team.
The weekend’s scores resulted in the girls finishing 6th overall in the top 8 challenge in the Eastern Cape, a result they can be very proud of.
DSG went on to play in the final against Woodridge on the Sunday, to which they lost 2 – 0 to finish second.
“This proves that, with confidence, a desire to compete and win as well as a positive attitude, great results can be achieved,” said coach Alvin August. “Let’s carry this momentum through to the season’s final challenge this weekend when we take on Volkskool – nothing short of a victory is anticipated.”
The other matches against DSG saw the third team lose 0 – 5 against DSG’s u/15C team, the u/16B team lose 0 – 5 against their u/14As, the u/16A team draw 0-all against their u/16Bs and the 2nd team lose 1 – 9 against their u/16As
Junior rugby vs Herbert Hurd 2nd of August: At home.
Union’s junior rugby teams played against Herbert Hurd Primary School on home ground today.
This past Saturday, 3 August, Union’s u/13A rugby team played against Port Elizabeth’s Herbert Hurd Primary School, in what proved to be one of the most physical encounters of the season. Both teams took no time to settle in as fantastic conditions allowed for a flowing game of rugby. Union managed to apply early scoreboard pressure with a well executed backline move led by Alutha Wesi. Herbert Hurd did well to slow the game down in the second half, but it was too little to late with Union winning the encounter 22 – 5.
The other matches, saw Union’s u/11B team losing 0 – 44, the u/11A team losing 10 – 15 and the u/13B team losing 7 – 43.
Junior hockey vs Herbert Hurd 2nd of August: At home.
3rds vs 3rds: 1-1 (draw)
2nds vs 2nds: 2 -1 (win)
1sts vs 1sts: 1- 0 (win)
First team match report:
After suffering a 6-1 defeat against this school last year, the girls were somewhat nervous when taking to the field this weekend. This time the match was much more evenly contested, with possession changing constantly throughout the game. Although the girls managed to leave the field victorious after a soft goal from Soso Mroro, the match was rather disjointed and disappointing. It was a physical contest with both teams consistently breaking down play, and neither team managing to produce an impressive response. The girls are going to need to work a lot harder in the final game of the season should they wish to be successful against our inter-schools rivals.
Second team match report:
After a disappointing match last weekend the second juniors really stepped up to the plate and gave their best performance to date this year. They played tenacious, entertaining hockey that kept their opponents on their toes. They passed well between each other and worked beautifully together as a team. If they play like this in their inter-schools encounter, they will have every chance of success.
The goal scorers were Aaminah Steele and Tara Fererra.
We’re about to embark on what promises to be a truly momentous Interschools and the Union family – from far and near – is gearing up for what promises to be a very exciting week.
What better way to show your allegiance to Union than to ‘ink up’ in support of your school?
The 2020 MF committee have made these ‘I love Union’ transfer tattoos available at only R10 each. They are available from all the MF committee members at the high school as well as from Mrs. Corrie Potgieter at Union Preparatory School.
Whether it’s a forearm, calf, hand, arm or full-face bonanza, get your tattoo and sport it next weekend when supporting the teams!
On Wednesday evening, 31 July, principals, deputy principals, SGB chairpersons and learner leaders from the various high schools in Graaff-Reinet, gathered at the Tony Burrell Union for Union’s Centenary Leadership Dinner. This very special event celebrated the start of new friendships and the consolidation of old ones.
Union’s learner leaders, Khanya Butshingi, Peter Watermeyer, Jenna McNaughton and Zintle Maki, were exceptional in delivering their items on the programme and Inge van Rooyen (Hoër Volkskool’s Deputy Headgirl), as well as Wayne Lomberg (Spandau Secondary School’s Headboy), deserve special mention for their contribution to the evening and their well-wishes conveyed to Union.
Mrs. Anziske Kayster, who holds a Master’s degree in Cultural Heritage, is registered as a Doctoral candidate at Stellenbosch University and currently serves as the Director of the Graaff-Reinet Museum, then addressed all those present on ‘Women in Leadership’.
The humorous presentation of her speech and her tips on developing yourself as a woman in leadership were well-received.
Old Unionite and Chartered Accountant, Mr. Gerrar Maya, who was recently appointed as the Internal Audit Manager at the Dr. Beyers Naudé Local Municipality, then grabbed everyone’s attention with a very strong and engaging speech on ‘Youth in Leadership’. He, once again, proved himself a most inspirational speaker.
Overall, the evening – held on the brink of Interschools for four of the five schools present – was a great success, with leaders – both young and old – committing themselves to do everything in their power to ensure that, in the end, team ‘Graaff-Reinet’ emerges as the winner!
Last night (Thursday, 1 August) saw the Union High School hall overflowing with excitement, enthusiasm and entertainment. The annual Evening of Music was a wonderful showcase of the different music groups here at Union.
From our primary choir and marimba band, through to our senior pianists and violinists, all our musicians demonstrated passion and commitment in the lead up to this fabulous night, culminating in a spectacular evening of performances.
Under the baton of Union’s Department of Music staff, Mmes. Sanette Brink, Zelda van Rooyen and Karmin van der Walt, this evening has become the highlight of the school’s cultural calendar – an event not to be missed.
To start, the primary choir set the tone and standard with their rendition of “You’ll be in my heart” and “All I need to know”. Union’s pianists then played a series of beautiful works such as the English folk song “Greensleeves” as well as newer songs like “Faded” by Alan Walker.
Following excellent performances by our violinists, a string ensemble – which showcased the skill of ensemble playing – and several talented soloists who graced us with their beautiful voices, the senior choir treated the audience to a heartfelt choral performance, singing “Let the river run” and “Amavolovo”.
A combined performance by the primary and high school choirs with a rendition of “Hallelujah” ended off the evening.
The event truly featured a kaleidoscope of musical items with something for everyone to enjoy. Congratulations to all those who took part and a big thank you to our many supporters, parents and friends who came along to enjoy the evening.
If you missed this concert, make a “note” not to miss next year’s Music Evening!
We’re about to embark on what promises to be a truly momentous Interschools and the Union family – from far and near – is gearing up for what promises to be a very exciting week.
