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24 November 2021 | Story Jóhann Thormählen | Photo UFS Photo Archive
Pellies Park, the heart of the University of the Free State Athletics Club, is one of the many places on the Bloemfontein Campus where memories are made, and lifelong friendships are formed.

There is nothing like a proper reunion with old friends. Seeing former familiar faces, catching up, and sharing stories about the days gone by.

We know that many University of the Free State (UFS) alumni not only made friends while studying, but also formed a bond on the field, pitch, track, or court.

Whether you scored goals on the soccer field, kicked conversions at Shimla Park, served aces on the tennis court, made centuries at the cricket oval, or won a netball title in the Callie Human Centre.

Perhaps you ran thousands of laps at Pellies Park or made the UFS proud on the hockey astro. You are part of a special sports family.

We invite you to become part of the UFS alumni sporting community and celebrate those fond memories or even reconnect with those your shared the field with.

The UFS Sporting Legends project provides a platform to share special stories and memories, whether it is via pictures or telling a tale.

It celebrates the UFS camaraderie and unique culture across all sporting codes – whether you were a star or formed lifelong friendships.

This unique community includes many international athletes and even Olympic competitors. The likes of Wayde van Niekerk, Karla Pretorius, Ox Nche, Ryk Neethling, and many more form part of this UFS legacy.

Or maybe you took part on campus in the era of Joggie Jansen, Sarina (Mostert) Cronjé, Rassie Erasmus, or Zola Budd.
Get in contact with us by sending an email to alumni@ufs.ac.za with your details, information, stories, and photos and share in the UFS Sporting Legends spirit.

News Archive

Final lecture in Darwin series presented at the UFS
2010-02-23

At the lecture were, from the left: Prof. Terence McCarthy, Prof. Jo van As, Chairperson of the Darwin 200 Committee and Head of the Department of Zoology and Entomology at the UFS, Prof. Bruce Rubidge, Elsabe Brits, journalist at Die Burger and Esther van der Westhuizen, presenter on Groen.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs


The University of the Free State (UFS), in collaboration with the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) and The National Museum in Bloemfontein recently hosted the final lecture on the Charles Darwin lecture series entitled “The story of life and survival”.

The lecture was presented by Prof. Bruce Rubidge, the Director of the Bernard Price Institute for Paleontological Research at Wits University and Prof. Terence McCarthy, a Professor of Mineral Geochemistry at Wits and Head of the Department of Geology. Proff. Rubidge and McCarthy are co-authors of the book The Story of Life on Earth.

Their lecture with the topic “Trends in evolution and their bearing on the future of humankind” dealt with the future of evolution. According to Prof. Rubidge, ninety-nine percent of the species that have ever lived are extinct. “We are living in a time of mass extinction. Fifty thousand species become extinct annually,” he said.

Prof. McCarthy discussed many factors that can result in mankind’s extinction today. The impact of climate change, big volcanic eruptions, a comet or asteroid hitting earth, tsunamis and the collapsing of sea islands are some of the factors Prof. McCarthy believes could cause great catastrophe’s on earth.

“We live on the brink of this all the time,” he said.

Prof. McCarthy also believes that we can avoid these catastrophes. By allowing only one child per family we can shrink the global population with 30% per generation. This is doable in a short time span,” he said.

Other ideas he had on saving mankind from getting extinct is to create extensive ecological reserves on land but especially in the ocean, to decentralise everything, to change to renewable energy, to recycle resources and to be vigilant in doing this.

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