GRAAFF REINET NEWS — Over the long weekend, Hampshire’s Rugby Football Club in Graaff-Reinet celebrated their 40th year of existence with an action-packed sporting and entertainment programme.
The weekend’s celebrations kicked off with a gala evening hosted at Bush Guesthouse Conference Centre.
The gala evening was attended by members and executive members of the Club, guests, veterans and the Karoo Sub-Union. The evening was comprised of a lecture detailing the Club's history as well as the awarding of special awards.
Zola Theo, a founding member of the club and executive member of the Border Rugby Union acted as programme director for the evening.
Robert Hector, Hampshire’s RFC event manager, one of the two speakers, addressed guests passionately, saying that this club, over the last four decades, has transgressed the borders of just sport but as a club, they have been instrumental in bringing communities together in a positive and healthy manner.
He accredited this four-decade milestone to the Club's multi-faceted nature. He also spoke about the planning of this celebratory weekend and the importance of establishing and formalising the Veterans' Association.
Main guest speaker, Stanford Calvert, first secretary of Hampshire’s RFC, captivated all present when he went down memory lane, reminiscing about earlier times and the establishment of the Club. Most importantly he shared with the audience, how the establishment of Hampshire’s RFC changed rugby in Graaff-Reinet and the Karoo.
The following morning, the veteran games at the Kollie Koeberg Sports Complex were the main attraction for the day. All veteran players enjoyed jubilant support from the crowd of family, friends and visitors.
Veteran players from various clubs participated against Hampshire’s veterans. Aberdeen Veterans also participated and even donned supportive t-shirts which paid homage to Hampshire’s RFC celebrations. The main game of the day was played between Hampshire’s first team and the Swallows RFC from Uitenhage.
Three dance groups entertained the crowd before the veteran games started and Hampshire’s RFC turned out to be the winners with the final score being 15-8.
The weekend celebrations ended off with a 'potjiekos' day at the local caravan park on Sunday.
The Hampshire’s RFC would like to express their appreciation to the community for their support, participating veteran teams and players, the Ward 3 and 5 dancers, participating schools and
sponsors Gold Rush, Le Roux Funerals, Nico Vywers Construction, Bush Guesthouse, Bennie Roman, Chicken Hut and all other businesses which made smaller contributions.
ARTICLE: SAIRA OBARAY
'We bring you the latest Graaff-Reinet, Karoo news'
