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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

Penny Siopis recipient of the prestigious Helgaard Steyn Award
2015-12-15

Vanya Terblance (ABSA Trust representative) hands over the award to Penny Siopis
Photo: Valentino Ndaba

On Friday 4 December 2015, Penny Siopis, the well-known Cape Town-based artist, who has been exhibiting her work locally and internationally since 1975, was presented with the 2015 Helgaard Steyn Award and a prize of R 550 000 for her painting entitled Swarm.

A quadrennial award lunch was hosted by the University of the Free State (UFS) Johannes Stegman Gallery in conjunction with the Helgaard Steyn and ABSA Trusts. The Helgaard Steyn Trust was established by the estate of Dr Jan Steyn and was named after his father and his brother who was the last president of the Orange Free State Republic.

Swarm, a 2011 painting using ink and glue on canvas, depicts a swarm of bees in a complex, dynamic, and intense manner. It earned the prestigious award that is dedicated to the promotion of artistic culture based on the adjudicators’ unanimous decision. Angela de Jesus, curator of the Johannes Stegmann Art Gallery at the UFS, Annali Dempsey of the University of Johannesburg Gallery, and Prof John Botha, Associate Professor in Art History at North West University, made up the 2015 panel of judges.

On receiving the award, Siopis thanked the Steyn family, the judges, and the people who nominated her. “I am struck by how fantastic it feels to be acknowledged. It is extraordinary when people are struck by what was your own world and the intensity buzzing in your head.”

According to Prof Botha, “Naturally the work of art is chosen on grounds of artistic merit and in the context of contemporary values with regards to both form and content.”

The award-winning painter studied Fine Arts at Rhodes University and Portsmouth University in United Kingdom. Apart from lecturing Fine Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand, she is an honorary professor at University of Cape Town Michaelis School of Fine Art. She has also taught at the Natal Technicon in Durban.

Siopis has received numerous awards for her work, including a British Council Scholarship, a Merit Award at the 2nd Cape Town Triennial, and the Atelier Award for a residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, in addition to the Alexander S Onassis fellowship for research in Greece.

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