Dr GJ Joubert Primary School learners embarked on a historic tour participating in the Riebeek Vallei Sports Tournament.
The team of 30 learners, 20 rugby boys and 10 netball girls, from the Strand primary school competed in the sports tourney held at Riebeek Kasteel, making history as the first team from the school to tour anywhere outside of Cape Town in 27 years. The team’s success was not just measured in their results on the field, but also in the life-changing experiences they gained and the friendships they built during the trip.
“Our rugby boys and netball girls were so excited that they arrived two hours earlier than expected for departure on Sunday 2 April,” said Xavier Williams, rugby coordinator at Dr GJ Joubert Primary School. “This already showed how excited our kids were to explore life beyond Strand and the Helderberg. The tour was not just another sports event for the learners, but rather a life-changing experience as they had the opportunity to build new friendships with their peers from other schools.”
Although the results on the field were not always in their favour, the lessons learnt, experience gained and preparations of the rugby players were of utmost importance. The learners made new friendships that would certainly last a lifetime.
Williams added: “The highlight for our school was certainly the announcement that one of our players, Llaython Visagie, made it into the u-13 squad, which will be touring Ireland later this year.
“He was extremely excited when he heard his name over the loudspeakers in the stadium, much to the delight of the rest of our learners. We will now be working hard in conjunction with his family to raise the required funds to make this tour possible for him.”
Williams expressed his gratitude to the Forward Foundation for their generous support, which had made the trip possible. He said: “The Forward Foundation has been incredibly generous to our school, and for that we want to say a big thank you. With their partnership and generous donation we can open the world to our learners and help move South Africa forward faster.
“A special thank you must also go to coach Janovon Appolis from Forward Foundation, which runs some of our physical education programmes at our school. He worked extremely hard to make the tour possible and a huge success.”
Said Appolis: “It truly is a privilege to be part of such a special group of individuals. I am grateful for the businesses that have partnered with Dr GJ Joubert to make this possible for 30 learners. Thanks to Total Energies Strand, Stellenbosch Golf Club, De Kelder, Armien Baard Taxis, Caltex Strand, and then Riebeek Kasteel Primary who sponsored the school with 100 T-shirts ahead of the tour.”
Apart from the sport achievements, the school also won a printer at the tourney.
