MORE than 50 Hillcrest High School (HHS) past pupil rugby players signed up to be part of a past pupils’ under 30s versus over 30s rugby match at the school recently.

The match served as a pre-event opener for the past pupil netball, hockey and rugby matches set to take place on August 1 when the school officially celebrates 50 years of service to the Hillcrest and Upper Highway communities.

Players from as far back as the Class of 2008 to as recent as the Class of 2025 signed up to play in what became an epic match.

The Under 30s clinched a hard-won final 25-15. Head of rugby, Minenhle Ngubane, who is also an HHS past pupil from the class of 2016, got the ball rolling to round up players for the event.

 “From the outset the match was about having fun, reconnecting and inspiring HHS past pupils to get more involved with the school,” Ngubane said. “As part of the fun, the current 1st team, who had just beaten Curro Hillcrest in their derby final, lined up along with other players and learners to form a tunnel onto the field for the teams to run through. When the over 30s headed to the tunnel, the learners got down on one knee, a move usually used when a player retires from a game due to injury. It was all done for fun but served to motivate the players to play even harder!”

“We were amazed at the support and how the teams rallied together in such a short space of time and hope to have even better support at our official past pupil matches on 1 August,” said Jaideane Bega, HHS educator and past pupil from the class of 2006.

“There was so much excitement prior to the match. Past pupils were bumping into one another at shopping malls and asking if they were signed up to play. They also had lots of supporters who came along to cheer for their mates. It was wonderful to see everyone catching up – not only among the past pupils but also between them and staff.”

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This match was just a taste of what the official 50th Celebration programme on August 1 promises.

Vendors will line School Road with stalls selling a range of food items and goods.

The representative council of learners will have an inflatables park set up to keep all ages entertained between the rugby 7s U18 matches, and the past pupil rugby, netball, and hockey matches.

School tours for past pupils will take place at 11:00, 12:00 and 13:00. Some of the “legends,” from Amahle “Michael Jackson” Zungu to Zoe “Chappell Roan” Visser, Simbonge “Tina Turner” Dladla to Leon “Freddy Mercury” Erasmus, who wowed crowds during the school musical production which sold out earlier this year, will be on stage, along with the HHS Gospel Choir, providing entertainment throughout the day.

In the late afternoon, after the matches, past pupils will be encouraged to stay on and enjoy the food stalls and entertainment, as some of the musical legends who attended HHS take to the stage, including Georgina Giorko, past pupil and the previous head of the drama department, and her daughter, Zofia, who matriculated in 2025.

To find out more about the events on August 1, or to book a stall, email pastpupils@hhs.co.za or Hillcrest High School on Facebook or Instagram.

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