In 2022, Union High School, Graaff-Reinet embarked on a mission to redefine the essence of the locker room for their 1st XV players. 𝙏𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙮𝙢𝙗𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚, 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.
The revamped locker room is more than just a physical space; it’s a sanctuary for the players, equipped with top-of-the-line lockers that exude a sense of ownership.
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵, 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘹 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥.
What truly sets this locker room apart, however, is its homage to the past. 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗫𝗩 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀. These plaques serve as a bridge between the past and the present, honoring the legacy of those who came before while inspiring the players of today.
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. These commemorative plaques aren’t just tokens of history; they’re a lifeline for the future of Union rugby. Plaques are available for purchase, with proceeds going towards supporting the school’s rugby programme. Furthermore, Old Unionites and supporters are invited to immortalise their connection to the team by adding their names to the locker room walls, ensuring that their legacy lives on for generations to come.
📷 Seen here in the accompanying photo stands young Murray Hope, a Grade 7 learner and aspiring 1st XV player. Representing Union as a u/13A player, Murray carries with him the dreams of following in his father’s footsteps onto the 1st XV team. 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧’𝙨 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢, 𝙈𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙮 𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙧𝙪𝙜𝙗𝙮 – 𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙣𝙬𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣.
To be a part of this legacy, contact the school at uhsmarketing@unionschools.co.za
