In the spirit of the Paris 2024 Olympics taking place in July, UP went for gold this year with a theme to match in celebration of 74 years in business.

The day was once again held at UP HQ in the parking area in front of Sher Park.  Our own mini-Olympic village was decked out in balloons in the colours of the five Olympic rings and golden-ringed centrepieces flanked by flames in bright red, yellow and orange adorning the tables; the ‘fire’ fashioned from our very own napkins.  We were even more prepared this year with two large tents for more shade and extra protection from any potential thunderstorms, but our prayers were answered with no rain to dampen the occasion this time around.

The festivities included an expanded game register with the Olympic theme carrying through strongly and many stepping up in their appropriate sportswear ready to compete.  Tights, shorts and sweatbands were the order of the day.  New games such as ‘core javelin’, ‘toilet paper shotput’ and ‘toilet paper relay’ got the entire staff complement fully invested with ‘toilet paper jenga’ making a welcome return.  The javelin and shotput games brought out a competitive spirit in all with only the best player with the furthest distance recorded for a javelin throw or the highest score for the toilet paper shotput winning a prize in each round comprising three players.  The prize station was such a hit last year that it made a welcome comeback in 2024 making a win that little bit sweeter.

Sweet victory could be tasted in more ways than one if you found your way to one of the food stands.  There were more stalls to cater to the higher number of attendees this year with a choice of burgers, chips and chicken wraps on offer, a drinks station with cold drinks and water as well as an ice cream stand making its debut appearance.  The dunk bucket was introduced a few short years ago and has become a staple at every birthday since.  Many near misses on the day, but a surprising number of hits and big splashes proved that practice makes perfect or that UP has several undercover Proteas in our midst.  Perhaps the next birthday should comprise a mini T20 tournament…

A grand prize raffle draw saw a handful of very lucky customers walking away with prizes that included an air fryer, a microwave, a 32”-inch smart TV and a kettle-toaster combo.  The customary cutting of the birthday cake by our directors made for a sweet finish to an action-packed day.  Long queues were quickly formed to sample the fluffy, colourfully-iced chocolate and caramel delight.

We’d like to thank the amazing event squad that keeps expanding each year for orchestrating this incredible event and chipping in at every stage by crafting the beautiful décor, serving at the various stations and with general set-up and clean-up after.  Many hands do make light work and the smiles, support and winning spirit of the UP family is what’ll keep this company forging ahead for many more years to come. So, let’s keep the fire alive for a bumper 75!