Connections Newsletter 2011

Connections Brighton Secondary School

Connecting with the past, building the future

Principal Comments

2011 is another milestone in Brighton’s history: Phase 1 of the school expansion; the Poppy Rain of Remembrance ceremony; the 35th anniversary of the Special Interest Music program; the 25th anniversary of the Volleyball program and the opening of the Brighton Performing Arts Centre.

From 2011 to 2014 we shall see the transformation of the existing Library into a two storey 21st century learning centre with classrooms, staff professional development spaces, relocated student services, science laboratories and art space. The southern wing of the Spence building will be demolished to bring the new building into proximity with the courtyard so that students may learn in both indoor and outdoor spaces. The new cafeteria will provide a more contemporary service whilst the old canteen becomes additional physical education classrooms. The refurbished Hall will become the home of student reception, staffroom and library whilst the southern wing and current library are demolished to make way for the new two-storey 21st century learning centre, constructed during 2013.

The music staff and students could not be happier with the news that phase 2 of the Brighton Performing Arts Centre has come within the $17.8m budget. The 400 seat Recital Hall will be adjacent to the Drama facility opened in May 2011 with the Governor, His Excellency Kevin Scarce, in attendance to cut the ribbon with the Hon. Jay Weatherill, Minister for Education & Children’s Services. The event was expertly catered by the Brighton Food and Hospitality students. The community has made good use of the new facility and the drama students have risen to performing in a professional theatre.

The 35th anniversary music spectacular at Elder Hall showcased the outstanding talent of 200 music students and their dedicated staff. The European tour of the Concert Choir in December 2010 was an outstanding success against all measures. I was privileged to travel with them and witness their talent at performances in China, Italy, Switzerland and Japan.

Friends of Brighton Secondary School Newsletter

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The Volleyball teams competed in their 25th year of participation in the National School’s Cup in Melbourne in December 2011 and succeeded in winning the Australian Champion School title for the 7th time.

Perhaps the most moving event in 2011 was the Poppy Rain of Remembrance. In late 2010, after researching his family history and learning of his Great Grandfather’s service in WW1, Year 10 student, Ryan Wilson, proposed that in memory of the 102,000 service men and women who died in both World Wars, 102,000 poppies be dropped from the sky onto Adelaide.

Following almost 12 months of logistics and planning by the school, the Army, the Returned Services League and Legacy, Ryan’s vision was realized on Remembrance Day at the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 2011. An Augusta 109E helicopter released 102,000 poppies onto a Remembrance Day ceremony on the back oval attended by all the students, hundreds of people from the local community and special guests. The event was broadcast across Australia and even seen in Finland.

Just to remind you all how the wider community views your alma mater, when the army catafalque party was marching away from the Remembrance ceremony, one of the men said, “I wish I had gone to a school like this.” The response from his colleague was, “Me Too. What a great school.”

2012 will be a year to remember for old scholars – it is our 60th anniversary. Many events are being planned to bring the school’s alumni together to celebrate our great school. Make sure you order your 60th souvenir book early.

Olivia O’Neill, Principal

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Chairperson Report 2011

Connections

The aim of the Friends of Brighton Secondary School is to enhance the connection between those associated with the school in the past, (old scholars, teachers, parents and friends) and the current school community. To assist in this work, past scholars and others are invited to become a life member of the Friends with a $50 donation.

Most old scholars will remember Sports Day and their House, (by colour if not by name). This year the House system has been re-invigorated with points for achievement throughout the year credited to the student’s House. The Friends are proud to sponsor the inaugural House Shield awards for the three categories – Sports Carnivals, Co Curricula, Academic and also the overall House winner.

the year will include a volleyball competition, a music concert and an art show, each featuring old scholars. We urge you to participate in these celebrations and re-unions.

A data-base of names and addresses of old scholars, teachers, parents and friends is currently being developed. At present there are over 3000 people listed. If you would like to add further people to this list, to ensure that they receive further information about activities in 2012, please email details to debbie.parsons@brightonss.sa.edu.au.

Frances Robertson Acting Chairperson

In November, I represented the Friends at the Year 12 Validictory ceremony at the Adelaide Convention Centre. There I presented the Fac Omnia Bene Old Scholars Award to Samantha Tuscharski and I again congratulate her on her achievement. Also to be congratulated is Colin Griffin, this year’s recipient of the Old Scholars Year 11 Award.

The first phase of the Performing Arts Centre is now complete and this striking modern building complements the Volleyball Centre on the northern side of the school campus. John Bligh, Diana Boyd and I represented the Friends at the impressive opening performance in May. Unlike the old school hall it has raked seating and is thus more suitable for audience viewing of drama and music productions. The Friends hope that old scholars and friends will support the campaign to raise funds to fit out this building.

Brighton Secondary School is one of the schools chosen to receive special development funding to enable an increase in total student enrolment.

Members of the Friends committee are very impressed with the architectural plans for new facilities to be located behind the school hall building.

The Diamond Anniversary of Brighton Secondary School will be celebrated in 2012. There will be several functions throughout the year culminating with the Dinner on the 10th of November, at the Morphettville Function Centre. Other events during

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Reunion YEAR OF 2001 REUNION On the 28th October the students of 2001 organised a reunion which included a tour of Brighton Secondary School and a gathering at the Holdfast Hotel. Students met in the refurbished hall foyer and viewed the new Performing Arts Centre, Volleyball stadium, Weights room and Senior Learning Centre.

They reminisced about their time at school and inquired about their past teachers. Those on the tour were Adam Skillitzi, Paul Bologiannis (Cygnet), Melissa Matulka ,nee Zander, Kate Harper(Holdfast), Lauren Swan(Cygnet), Alexis Holland(Cygnet), Elizabeth McLean (Buffalo), Penny Nemeth(Rapid), Bridget O’Reilly, Cheyne Bird(Holdfast), Peter MacKenzie(Buffalo), Craig Siddon, Tom Young(Buffalo), Jessica Kurtzer, Alisa Ayres(Rapid), Kim Graham-Sutton(Buffalo) and Rob Buckly(Cygnet).

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Old Scholars Awards YEAR 11 Friends of Brighton SECONDARY SCHOOL Old Scholars Award Colin Griffin

Colin Griffin

This award is presented by the Old Scholars of Brighton Secondary School to a Year 11 student who has demonstrated leadership and citizenship qualities in the school community.

Colin has demonstrated to his teachers and peers an exemplary level of commitment to study, observance of school policy, involvement in extra-curricular activities and service to the school and wider community. He brings honour to Brighton Secondary School.

Colin is a most worthy recipient of this award in 2011.

Year 12 Friends of Brighton SECONDARY SCHOOL Award Samantha TUSCHARSKI Samantha has demonstrated to a very high degree the school values of cooperation, excellence, fairness, integrity, respect and responsibility.

Samantha Tuscharski

Dux of the school DeAnne Wilson

This certificate is awarded in recognition of the most outstanding level of academic achievement in Year 12 studies in 2010.

DeAnne is a very worthy recipient of this prestigious award. DeAnne excelled in all chosen areas of study, achieving a very impressive set of results.

DeAnne Wilson

The Brighton Secondary School congratulates DeAnne on her excellent achievements.

Old Scholars Awards Old Scholars value the ongoing traditions of Brighton and many have indicated a desire to continue their family’s legacy in the school. In 2011 up to five enrolment vacancies have been retained for the sons and daughters of Old Scholars through the Old Scholars’ entry scholarships (unfunded).

By 2015 there will be approximately 250 more students than currently enrolled in 2011. The school will be developing a focus on “creative thinking and creative endeavours”.

Additional scholarships will be offered to the sons / daughters of old scholars who demonstrate these qualities.

These positions are secured through a competitive application process. Application forms are available when the scholarships are advertised in April each year.

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Proudly Celebrating 60 years of Public Education in 2012

SCHOOL 60th ANNIVERSA

RY COMMEMORATIVE

BOOK

ONE 1952 - 2012 VOLUME

Brighton Secondary School will proudly celebrate sixty years of providing public education in 2012. A 60th Anniversary Committee of current staff members was formed to support the Old Scholars Association in planning for this very special year.

BRIGHTON SECONDARY

60th Anniversary Commemorative Book

1952 - 2012

The group has undertaken to revitalize the 50th Anniversary Gold Book by adding a further ten years to this publication. This one hundred and twelve page historical commemorative book will be sold at the special price of only ten dollars - a must for all old scholars. The group has also developed an anniversary calendar with images provided by present and past scholars from the school. The calendar has all anniversary events included as well as images of the school’s history and future direction. The calendar will be available from the school for an amazing five dollars until sold out.

Apart from these publications, the committee has also determined a list of events that will occur throughout 2012 for past scholars and teachers of the school. Please keep these dates free next year.

March 1 Opening Ceremony March 16 Volleyball Event

The Old Scholars Association and the 60th Anniversary Committee hopes that you will enjoy the events planned for 2012.

If you would like further information, please contact Debbie Parsons debbie.parsons@brightonss.sa.edu.au or 8375 8238.

May 23 Music Event August 9 The ‘60 Diamonds’ SALA Event November 10 Gala Dinner

November 15 Closing Ceremony Friends of Brighton Secondary School Newsletter

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Brighton Secondary School site circa 1900

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Year 12 Valedictory Presentation Evening The 2011 Valedictory Presentation Evening was held at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Wednesday 28th October. Students, parents and staff celebrated the graduation and achievements of the class of 2011 and reflected on the students’ journey from year 8 to year 12.

Samantha Tuscharski was presented with the ‘Fac Omnia Bene’ Old Scholars Award by Francis Robertson, chairperson of the Friends of Brighton committee.

Amongst the guests were several Brighton Secondary School old scholars who watched their own children being presented with their graduation certificates and awards.

Meredith ‘78 and Jake Taylor

Peter ‘83 and Jess H artley

ge ‘84, Trowbrid r ‘83 Sharon te rs Ian Fo Jake and

Anita ‘81 and Laure n Crozier

Helen ‘77 and Callu m Shaw

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rtin nd Ma 9, Jo a ‘7 h it d Ju

Brittany 9 and John ‘7

McKay

Garrard

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2010 SACE REPORT

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Our top student in 2010 was Eugene Braslavskiy. Eugene achieved an ATAR of 99.45 and achieved 3 merits. Kateryna Burlak who was awarded the Dux of Brighton Secondary School achieved an ATAR of 99.35 and Alice Andrawos achieved an ATAR of 99.25.

Other students with particularly outstanding results were:

Name

No. of Merits

Cashmere Collins-McBride Joanna Keogh Megan McDermott Julia Hicks Sam Reid Alva Yin Elise Clarke James Colton Kimberley Evans Eliza Graham Callum Gunn Nick Jiang Kate Jeong Hannah Kastrappi Emmalee Rowlands Jennifer Wu Valeriya Kuznetsova Sandy Tatyrek Jacky Lau Gabriella Coote Renae Lloyd Madalina Oprea

98.55 97.65 97.3 96.8 96.6 95.5 92.65 92.65 93.35 94.8 93.6 92.35 95 94.8 93.05 93.05 92.05 92.05 91.8 91.2 93.85 91.45

In total 12 students achieved an ATAR of 95 and above.

This is a particularly outstanding result and these students should be commended for their hard work and consistency throughout the year.

All students who managed to complete their SACE also deserve to be congratulated. It is a difficult year for many students to navigate their way through a heavy workload and balance work, family and friends. Achieving their SACE certificate is a huge effort in itself.

Our students received a total of 27 merits. Callum Gunn received three merits (Composing and Arranging, Solo Performance and Performance Special Study), Alice Andrawos received two merits (Biology and Chemistry), Rachel Bartholomew received two merits (Solo Performance and Performance Special Study), Ben Betelli received one merit (Composing and Arranging), Eugene Braslavskiy received four merits over 2009 /10 (Performance Special Study, Solo Performance, Legal Studies and Mathematical Studies), Kateryna Burlak received one merit (Biology), Danny Clarkson received one merit (Photography), Cashmere Collins-McBride received two merits (Ensemble Performance and Mathematical Studies), Eliza Graham received one merit (Health Studies), Hannah Greenshields received two merits (Solo Performance and Performance Special Study), Katherine Haddow received one merit (Health Studies), Julia Hicks received two merits (Ensemble Performance and Solo Performance), Joanna Keogh received two merits for subjects studied through the School of Languages (Italian Beginners and Spanish Beginners), Megan McDermott received one merit (Psychology), Jake

Friends of Brighton Secondary School Newsletter

Taylor received two merits (Ensemble Performance and Solo Performance), Lily Upton received one merit (Visual Art Studies), Tong Zhang received two merits (Ensemble Performance and Performance Special Study).

An outstanding result from these students.

A total of 264 A’s were received by our student cohort compared to 258 in 2009. Eugene Braslavskiy, Cashmere Collins-McBride and Julia Hicks received 6 A’s.

Alice Andrawos, Ben Betelli, Kateryna Burlak, Callum Gunn, Hannah Kastrappi, Joanna Keogh and Megan McDermott all received 5 A’s.

2010 was a watershed year as it was the final time the new and the ‘old’ SACE were offered together. Whilst our Year 12 students were undertaking the ‘old’ SACE, our Year 11 students were completing the requirements of the New SACE for the first time.

These changes impacted not only on the students, but also the teachers. Teachers had to write new Learning and Assessment Plans, redesign assessment tasks so that they were in line with the new Subject Outlines and change their marking scheme from the old SACE requirements to awarding students with a grade from A to E. Overall the transition has been a smooth one, thanks to the professionalism and dedication of staff at Brighton.

They have embraced the changes at hand, attending professional development sessions and working within faculty teams.

2011 promises to be an equally busy and eventful year as we prepare for the full implementation of the New SACE across both Year 11 and Year 12. It will also be the first time students at Year 12 will be required to undertake the Research Project, a compulsory subject where students must achieve a minimum C grade to complete their SACE. I am very confident that the extensive planning conducted by all faculty areas in 2010 to prepare the school for 2011 will see Brighton continuing to be the school of choice for all students, offering a high standard of education in a setting where all individuals are supported and encouraged to achieve their personal best.

Warren Eaton Senior School / SACE Coordinator

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2011 SACE REPORT

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2011 marked a very significant landmark in the SACE. It was the first year of the Stage 2 Research Project and also the first year all Stage 2 subjects would be implemented into the curriculum. Needless to say this was preceded by a significant amount of whole school planning, professional development and preparation.

It is clear that the planning and preparation undertaken at Brighton Secondary School paid off, with virtually all our Stage 2 Learning and Assessment Plans approved by the SACE Board without any need for changes or modifications.

Our results were outstanding. They reflect the hard work, dedication and professionalism of the Brighton Secondary teaching community and efforts of our students. We should take great pride in these results.

This year our top-performing student was Deanne Wilson. Deanne achieved an ATAR of 99.85 and achieved 2 merits. Deanne was also awarded the Dux of the school for 2011.

Lauren Footner achieved an ATAR of 99.5 and 1 Merit, Tim Stevens 99.0, Jake Taylor 99.80, Izabella TunisNotley 99.0, Samantha Tuscharski 99.05 and 1 Merit.

In total we had 22 students who achieved an ATAR of 95 and above. This compares very favorably with last year where 12 students achieved this result. This group of students deserves special mention for their outstanding results that came about through a consistent and studious approach towards all their subjects.

All students who managed to complete their SACE also deserve to be congratulated.

It is a difficult year for many students to navigate their way through a heavy workload and balance work, family and friends - achieving their SACE Certificate is a significant effort in itself.

A total of 274 A’s were received by our student cohort in 2011. This compares most favourably with 239 A’s in 2010 and 258 in 2009. Although the number of A+ grades was lower, the overall number of A’s was higher.

Lauren Footner received 8 A grade, Jack De La Lande, Izabella Tunis-Notley, Deanne Wilson all received 7 A’s, Jessica Archbold, Renae Fatchen and Shai Martin all received 6 A’s and Estelle Coote, Sarah Edwards, Ashleigh Greaves, Alisse Hywood, Karina Leatch, Jack Morris, Hanna Sabic, Timothy Stevens, Jake Elliot, Amber Tuscharski and Samantha Tuscharski received 5 A’s.

Warren Eaton Senior School / SACE Coordinator

Other students with particularly outstanding results were:

Student ATAR Merits Jessica Archbold Rachael Bartholomew Georgia Bevan Tara Bouchier Daniel Clarkson Patrick Cobiac Estelle Coote Jack De La Lande Sarah Edwards Renae Fatchen Lauren Footner Ashleigh Greaves Sarah Greenhalgh Xuejing Han Jessie Hartley Xuan Huang Alisse Hywood Karina Leatch Wenhui Li Yiju Ma Shai Martin Emma McEwan Sarah Metcalfe Jack Morris Mark Oakley Samantha Pretty Callum Ritchie Georgia Ryan Hanna Sabic Alex Schumaker Rebecca South Brianna Speight Tim Stevens Jake Taylor Izabella Tunis-Notley Amber Tuscharski Samantha Tuscharski Jennifer Watson Deanne Wilson Emilie Wilson

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1 1 1 1 1

1

1

1

1

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Our students achieved a total of 19 merits.

The details are provided below.

Student Merits Matthew Oulton Ensemble Performance and Solo Performance Deanne Wilson English Communications and Physics Tara Bouchier English Communications Estelle Coote Visual Arts – Art Jack De La Lande Ensemble Performance Sarah Edwards Visual Arts – Art Renae Fatchen Ensemble performance Lauren Footner Research Project Finn Galindo Communication Products Sean Helps Ensemble Performance Shai Martin Solo Performance Mark Oakley Ensemble Performance Georgia Ryan English Communications Brianna Speight Visual Arts – Art Amber Tuscharski Visual Arts – Art Samatha Tuscharski Psychology Rachael Bartholomew Capability

Friends of Brighton Secondary School Newsletter

97.0 90.25 96.2 92.45 98.05 92.05 97.65 92.6 94.9 98.05 99.5 94.8 94.8 96.5 96.0 94.05 93.9 95.55 91.6 95.55 93.25 91.9 93.8 96.6 96.3 91.9 94.4 94.05 93.05 96.10 91.8 96.75 99.0 99.80 99.0 98.65 99.05 94.05 99.85 97.15

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Year 12 Research Project Summary Brighton Secondary School would like to acknowledge Julian Swallow, Journalist from The Advertiser, who wrote the following article about Nicholas Pearce’s Year 12 Research Project.

The article below was published in The Advertiser on 3rd September 2011. iPod noise inspires student to become a public speaker.

Senior School student Nicholas Pearce is hoping his plea for government action to reduce noise-induced hearing loss in teenagers won’t fall on deaf ears. Nicholas, 17, has asked Federal School Education Minister, Peter Garrett, to introduce a school program to raise awareness of the dangers of exposure to excessive noise similar to a program in the United States called Dangerous Decibels. ``He should know better than anyone,’’ Nicholas said, referring to Mr Garrett’s previous career as frontman of rock band Midnight Oil. The Year 12 student’s campaign was sparked by a school research project in which he asked 300 friends and fellow students how long and loudly they listened to their iPods each day. His research, which involved an artificial ear, found 55 per cent of students were risking severe damage to their hearing now, while a further 30 per cent were risking longer-term damage. Nicholas said five students were listening to music at a volume equivalent to sticking their head next a lawnmower for about half an hour a day. ``Lots of them knew it was bad for them, but not how bad,’’ he said. ``They thought they might go deaf at 80, but it’s probably more like 45.’’ Nicholas’s research found that listening to anything over 85 decibels for periods over eight hours was unsafe. National Acoustics Laboratories director, Professor Harvey Dillon, yesterday said while their research found the problem was not as severe, it remained a serious issue. Nicholas has written to Senator Nick Xenophon expressing concern about his findings.

Senator Xenophon said the research had revealed an ``urgent and pressing’’ public health issue. ``We could end up having grandkids sharing hearing aids with their grandparents,’’ he said. A spokeswoman for Mr Garrett told The Advertiser it was not a federal matter.

Friends of Brighton Secondary School Newsletter

2011 was the first year that the Research Project, a compulsory Stage 2 subject, was introduced by the SACE Board. The Research Project is a subject that provides students with the opportunity to study and research an area of interest.

Planning for the implementation of this subject at Brighton began early in 2010. To ensure we delivered students with a well prepared and resourced subject, a Research Project booklet was produced for every student. An electronic version of the booklet was also accessible on Daymap.

A total of 11 Research Project classes were formed this year, staffed by teachers who played an active role in the planning stages. The results were excellent. They were not only a reflection of the innovation shown by students and their willingness to embrace this subject, but also the preparation and planning that was undertaken by staff at Brighton. A total of 193 students completed the Research Project in Semester 1. 52 students achieved an A grade and 80 a B grade, representing 68% of all students.

An outstanding result indeed! There was an interesting and diverse range of topics selected by students, with several benefiting from the relationship we established with Flinders University. A number of lecturers acted as mentors for our students, providing them with a point of contact and expertise from which they could draw. This was an excellent opportunity for a number of our students and it is hoped this relationship with Flinders can continue in 2012 and beyond. In planning for next year, Michelle Andersen, Year 11 Manager, I will be preparing students for the Research Project by providing them with a structure to select a topic and begin preliminary planning. Time will be allocated during home group for this to occur.

Warren Eaton Senior School / SACE Coordinator

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Anzac Day Dawn Service Students Jade Bouchier, Nicola Evans, Laura Elliott, Estelle Coote, Olivia Hunt, Martin Oakley, Billie Turner, Samual Brown; Olivia and Brian O’Neill and Jeffrey Kong travelled to France for a cultural tour of Paris and to commemorate Anzac Day at Villers-Brettoneux in the Somme.

Despite much research prior to the trip, no one could have prepared us for the emotional impact of the Dawn Service or the site of thousands of graves dotted throughout the countryside in beautifully landscaped cemeteries. The students laid wreathes and posies of Australian wild flowers as a mark of respect. Paris was a thrill every minute – the Louvre and Mona Lisa; Montmartre and the painters; Sacre Coeur and the buskers; the Moulin Rouge and the “big fan”; the Palace of Versailles and its gardens and fountains. Then there were baguettes, croissants, snails, pastries and a super drink called Orangina. We travelled everywhere on the Metro with Jade Bouchier’s amazing App on her phone. We momentarily lost Nicola and Martin. Sam had the most contraband confiscated by airport officials. Billie worried we wouldn’t climb the Arc De Triomphe. Laura and Estelle got lost on the Champs Elysee and Olivia proved to be the most efficient shopper. Ms O’Neill came close to a Border Security moment with pate in Adelaide airport. Mr. O’Neill was nearly hit by a French bus and Mr Kong is now keen to learn French.The Spirit of Anzac Tour is a biennial event.

Next tour is in 2013 – we recommend it.

Anzac Day Dawn Service 25th April, 2011 Mr Rod Murray of the Brighton RSL led the Order of Service for a crowd of approximately 5,000 people for the 6am Dawn Service at the Arch of Remembrance, Brighton Jetty. Brighton Secondary School Boys Chamber Choir, conducted by Andrew Barrett, led two hymns “O Valiant Hearts” and “Abide with Me” as well as the New Zealand and Australian National Anthems. Representing Brighton Secondary School, Head Prefect Jess O’Reilly and Deputy Head Prefect Tim Blight, placed a wreath and each presented a short speech giving their perspective on how we as a nation, are grateful for the sacrifices and dedication of the Service men and women who have fought in numerous wars to ensure we live in a peaceful and prosperous nation. Jan Sutherland, Counsellor

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Poppy Rain of Rememberance In Late 2010 Year 9 student Ryan Wilson sent a letter to the CEO of Legacy, Rainer Jozeps with an inspiring idea to commemorate Remembrance Day in 2011.

After researching his family history and learning of his great grandfather’s service in WWI, Ryan proposed that in memory of the 102,000 service men and women who died in both World Wards, 102,000 poppies be dropped from the sky on to the city of Adelaide.

Following almost 12 months of logistics and planning

by Jozeps and his team, Ryan’s vision was realised on Remembrance Day at the 11th minute after the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in 2011. An Augusta 109E helicopter dropped 102,000 poppies onto a Remembrance Day ceremony held at Brighton Secondary School which was attended by more than a thousand students and guests from Legacy, the RSL, Local Government and the Education Department.

The red Flanders Poppy was first described as a flower of remembrance by Canadian Colonel McRae who served in France as a medical officer in WWI. He wrote this poem at the second battle of Ypres in pencil on a page torn from his despatch book.

In Flanders Fields In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders Fields.

- John McCrae

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Leaving or Retiring Staff

JENNY CABOT

JAMES NELLIGAN

2007-2011.

Coordinator of Science, Junior Science and Year 11 and 12 Biology teacher

1996-2010.

Business Manager

Carol Cook

CON PRESTON

1990-1999, 2004-2011.

Visual Arts teacher yrs 8-12

2002-2011.

Visual Arts, Design and Media teacher

BILL GILES

DEAN STEWARD

2002-2011.

Studies of Society Coordinator, teacher of Geography and History.

2002-2011.

Time table Support, Assistant Principal Human Resources and Data Management.

Maths teacher.

SUE LACE 1987-2011.

Laboratory Manager

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AROUND THE SCHOOL

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School Redevelopment

2011-2014 2011-2014

Brighton Secondary School will undergo a major redevelopment (as outlined in the Principal’s Report) to allow for the enrolment of 250 more students in 2014. The architectural drawing below shows the areas of redevelopment in blue and yellow.

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AROUND THE SCHOOL

Brighton Performing Arts Centre Opening

The new Brighton Performing Arts Centre was officially opened on 19th May by His Excellency the Governor of South Australia, Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce. The Honourable Jay Weatherill, Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development presented a speech to honour those who have worked tirelessly on the project.

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AROUND THE SCHOOL

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Beyond the Desk An Exhibition of the Artistic Talents of Teachers The 2010 SALA festival presented the opportunity for BSS staff to organize an art exhibition in the foyer of the new Brighton Performing Arts Centre.

Titled ‘Beyond the Desk’, the exhibition provided 15 past and present staff, representing a number faculties, with the opportunity to develop their creative talents and showcase them to the community.

Old Scholar and talented practising artist, Joshua Pearce, opened the exhibition in which he reflected fondly on his time as a BSS student.

Joshua is a young contemporary emerging artist who commenced an Advanced Diploma of Advertising/Graphic Design, Douglas Mawson Institute of TAFE in 1998/99. He then graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor of Visual Art and Applied Design, AIT Arts, Adelaide. He won numerous awards early in his career and in 2003 Associate Professor Rod Taylor, Adelaide Central School of Art, became his mentor in the Helpmann Academy Mentorship Scheme. He has completed a number of commissioned mosaic and mural paintings which are extremely large, prominently exposed works that help to emphasize the artistic/cultural atmosphere of Adelaide, eg. in Unley Museum, North Terrace Skate Park and Salisbury Interchange. Joshua was also employed in the art field at Carclew Youth Arts Centre during 2001 – 2003 on the City Sites Program.

also contributed work. Kath was a student teacher in 2010 and is a renowned local jewellery designer whose work is sold in outlets such as the Jam Factory. Megan spent term 3 in the school as a student teacher and is an old scholar of Brighton.

To extend the theme of showcasing the talents of the staff, the wine for the opening was supplied by “Showblock Estate”, which is the product of another past staff member, John Adomopolus.

Teacher, Annie Kwok performed on the night and student teacher and current staff member, Narelle Fisher, also helped design the poster and flyers.

The exhibition led to vibrant conversations among the people involved about their excitement and creative energy. The standard of work exhibited was very high and represented the diverse styles and interests of the staff who practise the visual arts in their own time.

The current teaching staff who exhibited work were Barbara Bleckly, Jill Brindley, Carol Cook, Cheryl Evans, Annie Kwok, Niccy Pallant, Yasmin Paterson, Con Preston, David Reed, Jamie Tester, Alan Todd, Nima Valamanesh and Maj-Lis Vatzlavik Past Art teacher and BSS contract teacher, Mike Badenoch, who left Brighton in 2005, and past student teachers, Kath Inglis and Megan Retallick,

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Seat

Take a

SPONSOR’S NAME: _____________________________________________________ (Block letters please) ADDRESS: (for mailing of a tax deductible receipt) ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Number of seats to be sponsored: _______________

Take a seat in the new Brighton Community Performing Arts Centre There is an opportunity for members of the community to sponsor a seat (or a number of seats) in the new Brighton Community Performing Arts Centre.

The seating capacity of the new Performing Arts Centre is three hundred and fifty theatre quality seats. For a donation of $100, sponsors who contribute to this initiative will be recognised by a named plaque to be attached to the back of a randomly allocated seat.

Donations are payable to the Brighton Secondary School Building Fund. Tax deductible receipts will be mailed to sponsors upon receipt of the donation and completion of the attached registration form.

Sponsors will also be included on a mailing list to be invited to the official opening of the Community Performing Arts Centre, and other high profile community events in the first year of operation.

This offer will obviously be limited. You could be one of only 350 people to have your contribution recognised. Please take this opportunity to be recognised as one of the individuals who contributed to the furnishing of this new, state of the art, community facility.

Olivia O’Neill Principal Brighton Secondary School

NAME (S) TO BE RECOGNISED ON THE PLAQUE: (Please use BLOCK letters) 1.______________________________________________________________________ 2.______________________________________________________________________

Total amount of donation: $________________ ($100 per seat) Please find enclosed $ _____________ for _________ seats (Name and address for mailing the receipt:)

Name:__________________________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________ P / C_____________________________ Telephone: ______________________________________________________________ Payment:

Cash

Visa

Mastercard

Cheque

(Please make cheque payable to Brighton Secondary School)

Name on card:___________________________________________________________ Card No.

/

/

/

Signature: ___________________________________ Expiry Date: _____ / ________ Thank you Please post this form with payment details to: Brighton Secondary School, 305 Brighton Road, North Brighton. SA 5048, P: 8375 8200 F: 8296 0949 E: admin@brightonss.sa.edu.au

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Lift Dance Theatre

LIFT DANCE THEATRE at the 2011 FRINGE In March of 2011 we took an idea of reincarnation, a group of students with little performance experience, hired the Australian Dance Theatre as biggest square space we could find in Adelaide and made ourselves part of the Adelaide Festival Fringe dance program for the second time. The technical challenges were enormous and we were to discover the extent of those difficulties over the four days we spent in the space. Our lighting guru Brad Salt could for the first time hire and set up an entire light system with John Schroeder providing much experience with lighting and sound. Colin Griffin with all of his expertise in circus strung lights and cabling across the roof of the ADT metres off the floor for two days working well into the night. Professionalism was a term we used a great deal all through the lead up process. The dancers and crew never let us down.

For a year the cast committed themselves to the endless rehearsals.

By the end of the third night on stage in front of near sell out crowds they had fulfilled every expectation and produced something that was more than just the sum of its parts or a roll call of individuals.

None of them will ever forget what it felt like to perform something so powerful in a space where the Australian Dance Theatre has created its enduring masterpieces To create enough interesting moves to fill an hour is a challenge even the most accomplished of companies are daunted by. Over a year Erin McAnna, co founder of Lift, took the idea and gave it form. Ex Brighton student Lauren Cox came on board and choreographed the Dogs; Polina Starovoitova and Daemen Bray helped refine the choreography while Imogen Behan and Adam Harrison took time out of their busy lives to run front of house. All of them came up through the Rock Eisteddfod and we thank them for their contribution.

‘This dance piece is exceptional in drawing the audience into the darker world inhabited by primeval forces of humans and their animalistic side – ‘Awakening”. What is truly extraordinary about this act is the fact that despite the age of the performers they bring amazing strength and character to their roles. This is not a performance for the faint hearted as it will send shivers down your spines. The angst that the main dancers toil through in a series of encounters will enthral you to the climatic finish. The theatre in the round ensures that everyone in the audience is immersed in the performance from the beginning.’

Talk Fringe

Not that ‘Awakening’ was all plain sailing. We had our share of injuries both during the rehearsal process and on the night.

Knees and hamstrings can be the bane of dancers and when Molly Warland tore her hamstring during Friday’s lighting rehearsal and could only manage the first part of the opening night performance Naomi McAnna stepped up into a role she had never danced or understudied, let alone the problem of having to partner a male dancer for the first time in her life.

The guys in the cast deserve special mention. Jackson Hart year 12, Kieran Turnbull year 10 and Jordan Bray from year 9 took on contemporary dance and greatly impressed the critics while Mark Oakley took his considerable frame, commanded the stage as an actor/dancer and added muscle as a roustabout.

Our next production will be on the stage of the Performing Arts Centre.

Alan Todd. Artistic Director and Producer.

ROCK EISTEDDFOD

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ROCK EISTEDDFOD 2011

STATE CHAMPION 2011 NATIONAL CHAMPION 2011

GLOBAL AWARDS; STAGE USE, CONCEPT, PERFORMANCE SKILL 2011 was a stellar year. Not only did we take out the state title for the sixth time including back-to-back twice but we also became National Eisteddfod champions. This title had never been won by a school outside of the Premier divisions in Sydney and Melbourne in the 30 years of the competition and given the way the Rock Eisteddfod is struggling to survive in the smaller states this feat may never be achieved again. We also qualified for entry into the global competition in 2011 up against New Zealand, UK, South Africa, Japan and a number of other countries. Of the eight sectional awards we took out three and narrowly missed being crowned global champions.

Considering that ‘Max’ was the darkest piece we have put together we had little idea how it would be received. ‘Max’ combined two ideas. One related to the orphans abandoned by the Ceausescu regime in Romania and the other to the role of rabbits in mythology. Rabbits appear at dusk and have been seen as harbingers from another world. The orphans made a nightly choice as to whether their toy rabbits would lead them to a world of comfort or nightmares. The sheer emotional power of the piece challenged the audience and the judges commented on the commitment of the performers to the concept.

Old scholars Erin McAnna, James Shaw, Imogen Behan, Rachel Lawrance and John Schroeder came along to help while Lauren Cox took on the roles of choreographer and assistant director. We are also eternally grateful for the continued support of Mrs Margie Blackwood who has been our make up expert forever.

With the redevelopment of the school and the hall taking on a variety of roles over the next two years, our ability to stage another Eisteddfod has come to an end. Whether the whole competition continues to survive in uncertain financial times is another question. “….it was just professional…”

Pep Regoni, Performance Judge.

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AROUND THE SCHOOL

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F1 in Schools

Use of Advanced Technologies In 2010, three Brighton teams represented South Australia at the national competition, held at Eastern Creek Raceway in Sydney. The Cold Fusion team won the prestigious National Marketing Award and the Azoto team came second in the knockout-racing format.

The F1 in Schools concept has its origins in the UK, some 8 years ago, where there was an obvious lack of secondary students moving into engineering careers.

The resultant competition has spread globally through 25 countries, including Australia. Australia has embraced the challenge throughout the country.

The competition requires the design and manufacture of a CO2 powered scaled prototype F1 vehicle, raced down a scaled ¼ mile (20 meters) track. These vehicles can reach speeds in excess of 100km. The competition requires teams of 3-5 students to mount a ‘campaign’ requiring not only the design, manufacture and engineering of a car, but team management, marketing and collaboration with industry. Teams must develop a written folio, conduct an 8-minute presentation to a judging panel, prepare and staff a booth at the event, develop marketing materials, and design and wear appropriate team uniforms.

Teams use industry standard 3D modeling software (CAD) to generate the vehicle body, whilst the Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software includes the use of 4D milling technology. The CAD technology is in the form of CATIA, which is used by Boeing and US government in their aerospace industry. Teams are required to analyze their designs pre and post manufacture. They use Virtual Wind Tunnel software in conjunction with data logging technology amongst other techniques to design an aerodynamic solution.

The concept is a wonderful opportunity for our students, as this technology is ongoing, developing all the time and opens many career opportunities like engineering, project and team management, computer aided design and manufacture.

Stephen Read

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Special Interest Music

Celebrating 35 of Specialist Music The Brighton Secondary School Music Centre has once again reached new heights in 2011. This is our 35th anniversary; the Brighton Special Interest Music Centre started in 1976.

We usually present over 100 concert events each year.

Year 2011 started with Brighton Secondary School’s Big Band One taking the leadership position at Government House to welcome invited guests to the SACE Board Merit Ceremony. Many of BSS 2010 music students gained perfect music scores in Solo Performance, Performance Special Study and Ensemble Performance and these merit achievers were amongst the invited guests for this very regal event.

Through the enormous number of public music performances including several concerts in the Government House, we are delighted to report that His Excellency Kevin Scarce, Governor of South Australia agreed to be the Patron of the four Special Music Centres.

I was fortunate to accompany the Principal, Olivia O’Neill, and a group of 8 students (some music students) to France in April to attend the Villers Brettonneux ANZAC Day Celebration. It was a very moving experience for all the peace lovers and all fellow Australians. We are hoping to return to France in 2013 for the ANZAC Day Ceremony. Perhaps some of the old scholars may consider performing in France with our student in 2013.

The Big Band One and Big Band Two toured and performed in the Annual Generation in Jazz held in Mount Gambier in Term 2. Year 11 Trumpeter, Sam Hicks, was singled out by Jazz great, James Morrison, as one of the outstanding trumpeters in our country.

Sam Hicks was the trumpeter for Brighton Secondary School Poppy Rain, showcased on ABC National TV. All those who heard Sam Hicks play would agree that this young man is a stupendous musician.

The BSS Year 9, 10 and 11 Combined Choir gave a wonderful rendition of ‘Va Pensiero’ at the Adelaide Italian National Day Celebration. The performance was so much valued by the Italian Community that a teacher from Milano offered to teach Italian language. It is important for singers to have the language skills of Italian and other European Languages.

Several public recitals were staged and recorded in Pilgrim Church to showcase some of our talented students and staff in Recitals Australia concerts. It was delightful to train our young musicians through real concerts. All these concert performances were broadcast by Radio Adelaide throughout the year. The most successful concert this season was the Violin and Piano Recital by old scholar, Tong Zhang and Jeff Kong. The recording of this concert has aired several times on Radio Adelaide.

The Chaplain’s Concert staged by Brighton Secondary School Sinfonia and BSS Symphony Orchestra was held in the new Brighton Performing Art Centre. In the same program we also featured our German exchange student who was the lead cellist of the orchestra.

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Special Interest Music

Celebrating 35 of Specialist Music This concert was to raise funds and awareness of chaplain services at various schools. Brighton Secondary School is keen to host a German Youth Orchestra to visit Brighton in 2012 for Brighton’s 60th Celebration. I wish to thank Andrew Dean and Craig Bentley for the success of the Chaplain’s Concert.

The 2011 Spectacular Concert was really a 35th Birthday Celebration event held in Elder Hall. Once again it was a triumphant Brighton Secondary School musical spectacular. The concert featured one of Adelaide’s most gifted singing groups, ‘Limited Edition’. The group consists of old scholars who graduated in 1989 and 1990. The ‘Limited Edition’ performed at both the 2011 Sound of Christmas on 4th December and Brighton’s Lessons and Carols Service 2011 at the St Peter’s Cathedral. The Spectacular Concert also showcased two of our major musical talents from Brighton, Lucas O’Brien and Julian Bain. Lucas is now based in Perth completing his Doctoral Degree in Violin and Julian is an amazing freelance trombone specialist. It was a joy to collaborate with these young people who are the musical future of Australia.

Old scholar, Andrew Bain, (brother of Julian and Mark) was the Principal Horn at Melbourne Symphony and recently won the Principal Horn position in Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Andrew is one of the finest horn players in the world.

The Music Support Group has worked tirelessly in order to raise funds for our students in intra- and interstate travel, International tours and the purchase of instruments and printed music. Some of our parents were BSS old scholars and my former students. I thank them for their support and help to make Brighton Secondary School a great school.

Please contact me on 83758215 or jeff.kong@brighton. sa.edu.au if you are interested in assisting with Music Support Group fundraising activities.

Jeff Kong Head of Music

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Special Interest

Volleyball 25 Years Participation in Australian Volleyball Schools Cup 2011 2011 celebrates the 25th year of Brighton Secondary School’s participation in the Australian Volleyball School’s Cup. 1987 was the beginning of Brighton High School’s success in this Australia-wide competition. Brighton has been awarded the title of Australian Champion School in 1992, 1993, 2001, 2007, 2008 & 2009. Our participation in this event has grown from the initial single team to the current tour which has 24 teams representing Brighton across 23 divisions.

NATHAN ROBERTS WINS INTERNATIONAL VOLLEYBALL AWARD At the recent Asian Championships in Iran, 16 Nations battled for honours with Australia finishing 4th. Nathan was presented with the prestigious “Spiker of the Tournament” award for his excellent attacking for the duration of the tournament.

Nathan Roberts is an old scholar from Brighton Secondary School, who first played international Volleyball when he represented Australia, at the age of 17, in Greece at the U18 World Beach Volleyball Championships. He subsequently commenced playing indoor volleyball at the Australian Institute of Sport in 2002 and competed in his first indoor Senior game for Australia in 2004. Nathan has now played 235 games for Australia and represented Australia in two World Championships and three Asian Championships.

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Special Interest

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Volleyball

State Cup 2011 On 23rd-25th September the SA Schools Cup was held at different venues around Adelaide. This is the qualifying tournament for the Nationals Schools Cup held in Melbourne in December each year. Brighton had a very successful tournament with 30 teams participating in 16 Divisions against teams from all over South Australia.

At the end of the weekend we had won 5 Gold, 8 Silver and 10 Bronze medals.

Of the 30 teams that competed, 23 finished in the top three of their division.

The Gold medal winning teams were U17 Honour Girls, U16 Honour girls, U15 Honour girls, U17 Div 1 Girls & U16 Div 2 girls.

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In the News

AN EPIC FAMILY ADVENTURE Nick Petrucco and his sister Kate Harry attended Brighton Secondary School from 1984-1988 and 1986-1990 respectively. Nick earned leadership, academic and sports recognition during those years, culminating in his role as Head Prefect in 1988. Kate is remembered for her contribution to dramatic productions, art projects and netball, softball and volleyball sporting teams.

In December Nick with his Step Father Nick Gyss, and eldest daughter India Petrucco (12) will walk almost 800 km from the west coast of India to the east coast.

Nick’s wife Rebecca, and younger children Maggie (8) and Gus (3), along with Nick’s Mum Jenny, will also be an integral part of the walk team. Later in December Nick’s sister Kate and her 2 children Alice (12) and Max (10) will join the family in Bangalore for an Indian Christmas and walk the remaining 328km.

The family aims to raise $30,000 for ChildFund Australia to support children’s projects throughout India.

These projects target the most disadvantaged children and create opportunities to promote their health, education and safety. The family’s chosen projects include: child protection awareness sessions; nutritional supplements for malnourished children and emergency medical support for HIV children; plus many more vital projects to support children and families.

Why are they doing this? The reason is simple. To make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged kids and at the same time create an unforgettable experience for their own children and to demonstrate how everyday families can make a very real difference.

People can follow the walk on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Coast-to-Coast-India and support the walk by making a donation at www.everydayhero.com.au/coasttocoast.

In Memorium Dennis Woodward (BSS 1965 - 1969) Head Prefect, Rapid Secretary, ‘A’ Football, ‘A’ Cricket, ‘A’ Chess, ‘A’ Baseball, Athletics, Commonwealth Scholarship, President Chess Club 1968, 1969, Debating Club, Camera Club, Magazine.

Ian Charles Shipway (BHS 1952 – 1954)

Courtney Semmler BSS 1997-2001, Kendall Semmler BSS 2000-2004, Esther Dudley BSS 2002-2004, Maree

Jeweller, golfer, collector.

Born: July 25, 1939: Glenelg Died: August 3, 2011 Daw House

Kendall Semmler BSS 2000-2004 married Jebb Francis-Staite

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Where are they now?

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Professor Richard Head Director – CSIRO Preventative Health Flagship I attended Brighton High School in my last two years of secondary schooling – at that time it was known as Leaving and Leaving Honours.

I remember Brighton High as a phenomenal place – a bright place, a place with a buzz of activity all the time and I am not the only one that holds these types of memories.

My particular interest at Brighton High was broadly in sciences. As is invariably the case with many colleagues, I have noticed that outstanding teachers were influential on my career choice. For me, in particular, it was my biology and physics teachers at Brighton High School.

Immediately after leaving Brighton High, I joined the University of Adelaide’s Department of Human Physiology and Pharmacology in a technical capacity in the area of pharmacology and then graduated with a science degree in 1972 and a PhD in pharmacology in 1976. My key area of focus was understanding how small molecules associated with nerves modulated the contraction of blood vessels.

I moved with my young family from Adelaide to Nutley in New Jersey, USA as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the prestigious Roche Institute of Molecular Biology. This was an outstanding institute and an outstanding experience. I then undertook a Research Fellowship at the Department of Medicine at the University of Melbourne and from this appointment I became Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the West Virginia University Medical Centre in Morgantown in the USA from 1980-86.

In late 1986 we returned to Adelaide from the United States. Our daughter, Katrina, had the great privilege of going to Brighton High and she was one of the prefects in her final year.

I commenced work at CSIRO’s Division of Human Nutrition in Adelaide where my focus again was around cardiovascular systems, specifically understanding now how the long chain fatty acids, such as Omega3, protect blood vessels and enhance their function. I took on the role of Acting Chief of that Division in 1994 and then Chief from 1996 until 2002.

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In 2002 I helped establish the Preventative Health Flagship one of CSIRO’s first Flagships. The Flagship is a cross disciplinary activity, based not just on a single science discipline but on the ability to bring multiple disciplines together to focus on specific challenging issues. In this particular case the two areas chosen were colorectal cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. This involved bringing together some of the best scientists across the entire Organisation nationally, together with outstanding collaborators in institutions right across Australia and overseas.

Outside of CSIRO, I have also been very active in roles on boards of companies, with the South Australian Premier’s Science Council and also in activities associated with the communication of science across the country.

One of the most wonderful opportunities throughout my career has been the opportunity to work with, talk with and communicate with exciting and creative people.

Included within that grouping are both primary and secondary teachers. Some years ago I attracted funding to enable secondary and primary schools teachers from South Australia to visit, on an annual basis, some of the key CSIRO laboratories, research facilities and national collections across Australia during one very intense week – travelling from Adelaide to Melbourne, Hobart, Sydney and Canberra.

The Science Teachers Tour program has now been running for six years enabling many teachers to have the opportunity to experience first hand a diverse snapshot of the research being conducted in Australia and to interact with leading scientists from various fields. In particular, I have found it a great privilege to interact with teachers during those intense periods. Part of my reason for putting this program in place relates to the fact that there is little doubt that during my time at Brighton High School teachers inspired me to embark on a career in science and this is now a way in which I can repay that debt by providing the opportunity for teachers themselves to be invigorated about science and to hopefully inspire the next generation of scientists in Australia.

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Where are they now?

STEVE CORNISH RETURNS TO OLD STOMPING GROUND I matriculated in 1983 from Brighton High School and football was my major sport. Apart from the sport I was also part of the Special Music scene being involved with Choir, Madrigal singers and Orchestra (Mr. Hannaford, Crosin, Kong, etc). I was a rare breed of ‘Muso/Jock’ and academically average. In the end, I was a student of many and a master of none but enjoyed it all the same. I graduated from university with a B Ed and worked as a Physics teacher even though I received a midterm “U” from Mr Hood in Yr 12 Physics. So the message to everyone is that anything is possible (and it helps to listen and work in class as well I suppose).

I was a member of a very talented footy team in ‘83 which was coached by Roger (Froggy) Parsons. Roger and I worked together later on within the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency. He was one of our doping control officers and we attended many events together including the Sydney Olympics and Melbourne Commonwealth Games (taking the P out of people so to speak).

The Snow Ski Trips in years 10 and 11 were fantastic, but then again we got into enough trouble back then, so maybe best left as, “What goes on tour stays on tour,” as they say! All great memories of BHS, and I still catch up with many friends made in that era. Many parts of what we used to refer to as “Hire a Party” or the “All-nighters”, but again that got us into trouble.

Other memories include our Principal, Mr Farrow, barracking for the footy side with a high pitched, “Go Green!” and Mr Purcer (-aka Stickman) regularly trying to crack us ”shoelaces” into shape.

My wife and I both went to Brighton High and son Dane is just about to enter year 8 in 2012 and then daughter Nellie in 2016. Some might say tragic but we still think it is a great school. We live just around the corner and although we did a 4 year stint in Canberra (what I call my tour of duty), on our return, we came back to the same area as we both grew up.

Steve Cornish (BHS 1979-83) Rapid House Steve is currently working as the Strategic Development Manager of Surf Life Saving SA.

June Gaetjens nee Harrington, BHS 1952-1955 Retired Secretary, Played Netball, Basketball and Tennis at school.

Captain, Coach Bank of Adelaide Netball team (S.A. Womens) Married David Gaetjens, has 4 children – Peter, Jim, Robert and Michelle ‘Some of the best days of my life were at BHS – especially sportsday!’

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Where are they now?

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Sophie McKay BSS 2004-2008, Brittany McKay BSS 2007-2011 Performed at the Brighton Jetty Classic swim event.

Jade Cooper I was at Brighton from 2001 until 2005 and was involved in SRC, choir, stage band, orchestra, Japanese…pretty much anything I could get my hands on. Looking back at the opportunities we had at Brighton, and the encouragement we had to pursue excellence, by both peers and staff alike, it’s no wonder that some of the best friends I have today and many of the most driven and successful people I know are those who I met at Brighton.

In 2006 I started a double degree in Law and International Studies, with a Diploma in Japanese, at the University of Adelaide. After two years at Adelaide I headed off on a year exchange in Osaka, Japan.

Later I went to Accra, Ghana to work as a legal intern for the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, where for three months I was developing and implementing initiatives to help those most vulnerable in Ghanian society, on both an institutional and an individual level. In 2010 I was selected for the Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Endeavour Award; a program aimed at developing future leaders to contribute to establishing linkages between Australia and its Asian neighbours.

Under this program I studied international and human rights law at Osaka University, before undertaking a six month internship in Tokyo with the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA). My work at JIIA involved conducting research used in providing foreign policy advice to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as coordinating a number of international dialogues. The final six months of the award program I spent working with the Protection Unit of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) Tokyo Office, where I was involved in the office’s entire range of refugee protection initiatives. Having worked within a UNHCR office in a country with a relatively limited refugee population, on completion I sought out an internship with UNHCR’s Kuala Lumpur office, where I am currently involved in work which brings me into contact with refugees on a day to day basis. After three months in Malaysia I will head to Canberra to begin work with AusAID’s Disability-Inclusive Development team, before returning to Adelaide to continue my studies. What’s next to come is anyone’s guess!

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Matt Vrakking Matt Vrakking (BSS 2006-2010) one of just 30 students to be accepted into the two year Advance Diploma of Photography course at TAFE.

Mitchell Shippey, BSS 2005-2009 Fabrication second-year apprentice.

Won a gold medal for welding, and will advance to the national finals next year.

Where are they now?

Dr Tony Minns 1974-1978 After leaving Brighton High School (as it was known then) in 1978, I went on to study Civil Engineering at the South Australian Institute of Technology (as it was known then) at The Levels (as it was known then) campus. After four years of study, I graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering. I was fortunate enough to find immediate employment in Adelaide at B.C Tonkin & Associates, consulting engineers. This was when I first started working on many water-related projects in and around Adelaide.

Due to my excellent study results at SAIT, I had been encouraged to pursue a post graduate education should the opportunity arise. I made many enquiries to various European embassies about the availability of scholarships in their respective countries associated with water education.

I was very fortunate to be offered a scholarship for a one year post graduate course in Hydraulic Engineering at IHE in Delft, the Netherlands. During this course, specifically aimed at international students, I specialised in area of Computational Hydraulics, which would significantly shape my future career.

After graduating from IHE, I moved to Denmark to start work at the Danish Hydraulic Institute in their Computational Hydraulics Centre, under the guidance of Professor Mike Abbott. After only 8 months in Denmark, Mike arranged for me to return to the Netherlands to take up a job as lecturer and course leader in the Computational Hydraulics course at IHE, where Mike held his professorship. I spent the next 12 years at IHE, working with Mike and many other colleagues, training hundreds of students from all over the world. During this time, we also developed the new area of study called Hydroinformatics. I obtained my PhD in Hydroinformatics at this time.

After completing my PhD, it was time for something new.

I jumped at the opportunity to spend a sabbatical year at the University of Idaho in the USA in 1998, where I helped establish the Ecohydraulics Research Group. After my sabbatical year, I returned to Netherlands and took up

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a new job at Delft Hydraulics in the area of Marine and Coastal Management. However, a year later, I was asked whether I would be interested in returning to Australia to take up a position of Associate Professor in Sustainable Water Resources Engineering at the University of South Australia, which I gladly accepted. This also gave me a chance to spend a year with my family in Adelaide after spending almost 18 years away from Australia.

I returned to my job at Delft Hydraulics in the Netherlands a year later when given the opportunity to take up a management position in Marine & Coastal Management.

Several years later, when Delft Hydraulics merged with some other research institutes to form a new company called Deltares, I was promoted to the position of Scientific Director of Hydraulic Engineering. Together with my colleagues on the Board of Directors, we were responsible for the planning and execution of a 40 million euro ($AUS 52 million) per year research and development programme to provide science and support to the Dutch government in the areas of water engineering and management.

In 2010, the South Australian government announced its plans for a $50 million research institute (the Goyder Institute for Water Research) to provide top quality science to underpin policy development in the area of water resources management. I jumped at the opportunity to return to Adelaide once more, but this time to apply all of my skills and experience in water research management to the role of Director of the Goyder Institute. I took up this position in May 2011.

This is an incredibly exciting time to be working in water research in Australia. The decade preceding 2010 was one of the most severe droughts on record and this has helped shape the research agenda of the Goyder Institute.

Australia is now in the process of implementing significant water reforms (for example, the Murray-Darling Basin Plan), and it is vital that new policies and legislation are based on solid, reliable science.

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Where are they now?

Connections

Year 11

Biographical Studies What is a Biographical Narrative?

A Biographical Narrative is a style of writing that tells the story of an aspect of someone’s life.

As part of the SACE Stage 1 English course, students undertake an Extended Study where they must focus on the use of language outside the classroom. The three Year 11 classes I taught in Semester 1, 2011 were invited to use this major task to produce a Biographical Narrative. Their final product was an article about a former Brighton student or teacher for the BSS Old Scholars’ publication Connections.

Students were free to choose someone who had left Brighton as little as a year ago or someone who had been a student in much earlier times. After designing questions, students conducted conversations with their old scholar. Finding a focus for the piece and shaping an interesting article for the Connections readership was the next stage of the process. Many students found the process challenging, but interesting. One International student conducted a long phone conversation with her father, discovering much about his family’s survival as displaced persons during the war in Germany. She said her father had never spoken of his childhood with his children and she was grateful to have the opportunity to discover her family history. For SACE purposes, the task required a reflective evaluation of the process of development and an analysis of the student’s strengths as a communicator and user of language.

There is not enough room in one edition of this magazine to print all 87 Biographical Narratives, but over time, we hope you enjoy reading some of the our former students’ stories and even reliving some of your own memories of Brighton.

So, enjoy reading these Biographical Narratives, brought to you through the eyes of Year 11 English students.

Jenny Forrest Year 11 English Teacher

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Where are they now?

Year 11

Biographical Studies Sarah Bain (nee Matson) Words by Jacob Bain “I attended Brighton High School during the 1980’s and started Year 8 in 1982 as an elective music student. In Year 9, I auditioned for the Special Interest Music Program and was accepted. I graduated from Brighton Secondary in 1986”.

Education was quite different in the 1980’s from how it is nowadays. Everything was written by hand and computers had only just been introduced into society. Sarah did German in Year 8 and there were about ten computers installed in the ‘language laboratory’. While she was in Year 9, Computing was introduced as a subject. Sarah did this lesson for a year, but to her it seemed boring. She remembers writing computer programs that she thought was called Java.

One of the main differences from the 1980s is the rapid change in the technology schools use. Sarah believes that the Internet today is one of the biggest changes with information and social networking at your fingertips!

Back in the 1980s all of the research came from books, demanding many hours in the local, school and even State libraries. Finding information was very time consuming.

Back then you had to write everything by hand, without Spellcheck, you had to write neatly and look up words in a Thesaurus or dictionary. Sarah remembers writing for hours and her hands cramping up.

Another aspect of school that is quite different is discipline.

Sarah remembers Brighton High School being very strict school in the 1980’s. Mr Pursar, the Deputy Principal, was named ‘Stickman’ because he was tall and skinny and was the bearer of the ‘cane’. Sarah never received the cane punishment. The cane was quite a common discipline among boys, however, Sarah can’t remember any other girls getting the cane. Everyone called it “the cuts” because of the welts that would appear on your palms. Sarah believes that the cane was phased out when she was in Year 11. Primary school teachers also used the cane back then. It was a normal aspect of school.

Sarah remembers getting the ‘cone run’ punishment from her PE teacher. For PE their class had to jog to the beach, go for a swim and then jog back. Sarah hated the whole idea. She disliked the jogging, the sand, the cold salty water and the communal change rooms and showers. So Sarah left her bathers at home for about three lessons in a row to get out of PE, which resulted in her getting the ‘cone run’. The humiliating cone run took place at 3:10pm while everyone was going home so they could watch. Ten orange ‘witches hats’ were placed at one end of the oval.

You had to run back and forth carrying one at a time to the other end – like a lonely relay. Sarah learnt her lesson and brought her bathers from then on.

The Principal of the school at the time was Mr Farrow who always wore a flower in his suit lapel. There was still the usual ‘timeout’ back then where you were sent out of the class or had to write lines in your own time. Time outs were usually given for doing small things like talking in class or mucking around.

When Sarah was at Brighton High, most of the classrooms were ‘prefabs’ lined up in rows. The only brick building was the original front building with an outside staircase to access the top level. Although Brighton’s air conditioning

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isn’t great now, there was no air conditioning when Sarah attended school. When the temperature was above 36 degrees students could go home early, and if it was above 38 degrees they could have the day off!

Brighton Secondary School’s uniform hasn’t changed very much over the years. Sarah had to wear a checked summer dress and could wear a green skirt or pants in winter. Sarah remembers the worst thing being the shoes.

When there was an outdoor assembly in the quadrangle everyone’s toes froze during the cold winter mornings.

Sarah had friends who were both in the Music Program and who did general subjects. There was no Volleyball Program, but there was still the unspoken division between the ‘sporty’ kids and the ‘music’ kids. Sarah’s friends from primary school days were Mandy and Lisa and she made new friends with Catherine Hannaford, Amy Butterworth and Carolyn Cornish whom she met at Brighton High.

Sarah still sees these friends today.

Sarah used to ride her bike to school with her clarinet strapped to the back of it. Her friends, Lisa and Mandy, would meet at her house and ride to school together. On other occasions she just walked to school or was driven by her mum.

The popular culture and activities in the 1980s were different from now. Sarah states that when she was a teenager they didn’t have mobile phones or Xbox or Playstation. People made time to phone friends on the landline and get together at each other’s homes. Sarah had a rumpus room with a pool table. She would listen to records or play cards and Monopoly. Among her friends, Animal Snap was the favourite card game. In their version you had to make animal noises instead of saying the word ‘snap’ and they would laugh for ages! Sarah’s favourite movies at the time were Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Ghost Busters. But her absolute favourite were “Pretty in Pink” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”. She loved Punk, Ska, and new wave music. Her favourite bands at the time were Split Enz and Madness.

Sarah had a lot of great teachers while at Brighton High School. Mr Rosy was her English teacher for three years.

He encouraged Sarah to join the school debating team and take up public speaking. This was a great asset for her in later life. Mr. Rosy could reduce the class into tears when they studied Wilfred Owen’s war poetry. “You would drown in your own blood, boy,” Sarah recalls him describing wartime gas. Mr Rosy also had fun arguing each year with his new class that the world is flat! He was a very inspirational teacher.

Sarah did lots of music while she was at Brighton High.

She was taught by Mr Crossin, whom she had for band, choir, theory, history and literature. Sarah remembers him being an enthusiastic teacher who often said, “Get it?

Got it? Good!”

Sarah recollects Mr Kong being young and vibrant in the

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Biographical Studies 1980’s. “He was very funny, and still is.” Mr Kong’s hands would fly across the piano like she had never seen before.

Sarah will never forget the time he played Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue at Thebarton Theatre while she played clarinet in the State Youth Orchestra/Concert band that accompanied him. Mr Kong was always perfectly dressed; Sarah also remembers him wearing fur-trimmed coats in winter. While Sarah was at Brighton, Mr Hannaford was the Head of Music. He was quite strict at the time. Sarah became very close friends with his daughter, Catherine.

His son, William, was also in Sarah’s year and his eldest son, Christopher, was one year above.

When Sarah finished Year 12 she was accepted into the South Australian College of Advanced Education (now part of UniSA) and studied a Bachelor of Design. Sarah got married and had two children, Jacob and Chelsea, who are now both at Brighton Secondary School doing Special Interest Music, much to her delight. Sarah worked in retail and did five years of instrumental teaching at different primary schools and from home. Sarah also joined the Marion City Brass Band and learnt how to play a brass instrument.

Mandy standing with Sarah Matson at Brighton High.

Nicholas Coxhill 2000 - 2004 Words by Oliver Pawson Nicholas Coxhill is 24 years old and his interest in music as a career has been strongly influenced by his time at Brighton Secondary School.

Nicholas was educated at a private school before coming to Brighton in 2000. He had no friends there, but he soon made friends within the music program. He moved to Brighton because of the music program, and because it is a state school; much less expensive to attend.

His memories of those first days include sitting down in the Hudson Room where Mr Hannaford addressed the students. He read the wrong roll, played a game and did an activity where the students had to think of adjectives starting with the first letter of their names. He was then shown around the school by the peer support students.

His Year 12 studies included German, Drama Studies, English Communications, Chemistry and Music Studies. In Year 12 he had ten study periods and in Year 11 he had five. Several teachers stand out in his memory and include his German teacher, Mr Henderson. Mr Reed, his Drama teacher, was wise, calm and cool. Mr Lawrence, who went with the students to China, was fun to be around, inspiring and enthusiastic.

for their learning at university and having more freedom.

There are no teachers looking over your shoulder making you study, and the consequences for not studying are that you could fail your course.

Reflecting on his time at Brighton, Nicholas recalls that he was a “bone headed” student who preferred to learn by doing things for himself. There were only a few teachers who forced him to work.

Nicholas is married, and if he has children who are musically inclined, he will definitely send them to Brighton Secondary School.

Nicholas has continued his music study at Adelaide University where he has completed a bachelor degree and a 2-year Honours course in Music Performance. He noticed the difference between secondary school and university mostly involved students being more responsible

Friends of Brighton Secondary School Newsletter

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Biographical Studies Sam Dendy 2006- 2010 Words by Kaylee Hollis Leaving behind his friends, family and work, Sam Dendy with the support of everyone around him, is travelling to Kenya to help in a village. This 18 year old left the country on the 29th May 2011 to travel this adventure alone. Speaking to him throughout the build-up and the time he has so far spent over there, I have received an insight into what he is doing and what he is feeling. Although it can be a scary and very different environment in this place in the world, he tells me that this is, and will be one of the best and hardest experiences he has ever had.

Sam Dendy and some Kenyan children in Saikeri Kenya -May 2011

Sam started high school in 2006 at Brighton Secondary, and graduated with the class of 2010. Throughout his time at Brighton he liked to have fun (sometimes this got him into a bit of trouble), make jokes and just ‘hang out with friends’. As soon as he completed school, he started picking up many more shifts at his work, which was at Movieland Glenelg. He also occasionally worked with Nova 919. This is when he decided he would begin to save his money, to travel in the future. After looking at different options, Sam was set on going to Africa, to help the less fortunate. He Googled different places and eventually booked a ticket through a company called IVHQ. This company was designed to give backpackers a cheaper option and looking into the details, he mentions that it was similar to many other trips, which were more expensive.

Sam boarded his flight saying goodbye to his family and close friends at the airport lounge. His first long stopover was at Dubai, where he states ‘the airport is ridiculous - so huge and busy’. His flight sequence was Adelaide to Melbourne, Melbourne to Singapore, Singapore to Dubai, Dubai to Nairobi and last of all a road trip to Saikeri ,Kenya.

Talking to him over internet on his phone which he says costs a ‘lousy 20 cents ‘ each time, he has told me it’s going ‘very cool’ at the moment. On his first day, he explained that he received a welcome wagon from the kids, who sang “This is Africa” to him. The kids are everything he thought they would be - energetic, excited and happy, and they just love having Sam around.

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He is sleeping in a room by himself, which is about three metres by three metres. The kitchen and dining area are at another part of the site, which is separate to his room and is about 30 metres away. He has a host family who are looking after him. He is becoming quite close with his little host sister, Maricee. He brought a footy over with him, and when he showed her, she made him pump it up, and she hasn’t let it leave her sight since.

Sam has said being around the children and the culture have been the highlights so far. He has had plenty of opportunity to interact with the children as he has been taking classes and doing PE activities with them or teaching them English. ‘The children are very hyperactive and love to wander around.’ Sometimes this can get them into danger. Over an email he explains a sad incident that occurred involving some children. ‘Something really sad happened on Sunday. This whole area I’m in is used as an army training area every now and then, they do marching and we always find plastic bullets. But in Ole Maleroi which is about ten minutes down the road from where I am, five kids found what turned out to be a grenade. Their parents were at work and they crowded around it and pulled the pin. So sad, we are going to the funeral on Friday which will be so intense.’

Sam Dendy will spend three months staying in Saikeri, Kenya and a further three months in England with some of his relatives. His experiences will continue to grow and all of the hard work of saving his money has paid off.

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Biographical Studies Grant Mathers Words by Brenton Mathers Grant Mathers attended Brighton Secondary School from 1975 till 1978 and started in Year 10 after transferring from Sacred Heart College. The main subjects when he went to school were English, Maths, Physics, and Chemistry -what they called the big four and Wood Tech.

Grant’s favourite subject was Maths but he got average grades all through school. His favourite teacher was Mr Trembar and he remembers this teacher the most because he umpired their footy matches and was a really good bloke and a nice teacher.

The other teacher he remembers is the Deputy Principal. He cannot remember his name, but he remembers they used to call him Stickman. He was really infamous for being a hard, mean teacher. He said that the thing he remembers the most about him is one day in 1977 all the kids were listening to the Melbourne Cup on their radios and Stickman was running around stealing everyone’s radios because he didn’t want them to listen to the Cup. Grant still remembers the winner of the cup was Gold and Black.

Grant said the worst thing about school was the clothes his parents made him wear. His said it was there only as a form of child abuse, so when he had to walk to school, he would wear really bad shoes and as soon as he walked out his front door he changed his shoes back into something reasonable.

Back then there were not many things to do after school for fun, but Grant said he played a lot of sport like football, basketball, cricket and skateboarding. Grant’s predominant sport was basketball. He used to umpire

five games then play one from 6 till 11 o’clock and earn $8 for every game. Grant played for South Adelaide Basketball Club.

‘There were not many interschool activities back then like there is now,’ he said. The only thing he had was music and I didn’t do this. There were no interschool sports teams either.

At recess and lunch Grant kicked the footy with his friends and they did this everyday all recess and lunch. He was really into football back then and played for a local team.

Grant stayed at Brighton Secondary School till Year 11, when he dropped out just before exams after he had an interview about a carpentry apprenticeship. He was not very good at Wood Tech at school so I am kind of confused as to why he did this, but he was keen and good at the interview. He was so confident at the interview, he got the job and he left school. Before he knew, he had the job. His father was not very happy about his leaving school, but was thankful he got the apprenticeship.

Grant did not really enjoy school, but he had good people skills and this got him a job as a apprentice. He was a carpenter till he was 25, then became the youngest building inspector in the government.

Nicole Foura 2003-2007 Words by Kate Foura Nicole Foura started in Year 8 at Brighton Secondary School and came from St. Leonard’s PrimarySchool of just 200 people. She did not live in the zone or have brothers and sisters, but was accepted into the school through the Volleyball Program.

Her highlights throughout high school were Volleyball competitions and trips, especially to Melbourne. She was Volleyball Team Captain from Years 10 to 12 and became Special Interest Volleyball Program Captain in Year 12, representing Brighton Secondary School in Melbourne.

Nicole also played reserves for Lions Volleyball Club out of school with one or two trainings per week and games and duties on Saturdays.

Whilst studying at high school she worked at KFC and Sports Power, which allowed her to go out on weekends and do things with friends such as lunch, the beach and movies. Nicole also continued her Surf Life Saving, competition and volunteer patrol for Glenelg Surf Life Saving Club. This led to becoming part of a boat crew and competing in places all over Australia including Perth, Bondi Beach, Manly, the river Murray (Murray 500), Woollongong and Broulee, in NSW. Nicole was a high achiever at pretty much everything she pursued and achieved good grades for her subjects.

In Year 12 she studied, Photography, Classical History, English Communications, Biology and Volleyball. At

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valedictory she was awarded with the Caltex Best All Rounder award.

After receiving a TER of 90.15 Nicole had a gap year and went to Port Douglas for four months just to have a look around and experience some of the Great Barrier Reef.

She was offered a job on The Quick Silver cruise boat as a Life Saver but decided to come back to Adelaide to start Uni. She started studying to become a Home Economics teacher and within a few weeks she decided that wasn’t for her. She managed to get into a Psychology Honours course and for two years studied at Magill campus.

Halfway through 2010 she applied for an exchange and scholarship to Toronto, Canada. She was offered $6000 to contribute towards paying off her HECS debt and a position to study in Canada.

At the end of 2010 she left for five months to Toronto and has been studying at the Ryerson University. She is currently traveling around, New York, Washington, Vancouver, Buffalo, Whistler and Boston and is about to join a Contiki tour on her way back home to Adelaide.

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Biographical Studies Jodi Dowden Words by Jodi Dowden Punishment from the cane, typewriters, itchy uniforms, strict teachers and spending time with your close friends in breaks is how Jodi Dowden had to get through her high school years at Brighton High School back in 1975.

Jodi Dowden explains what schooling and the teaching methods were like when she attended Brighton High School. They sounded strict to me. They used books, blackboards, very old projector screens and microfilm. Jodi explains how effective typewriters were. In 2007 Smart Boards were introduced to schools and now almost every classroom in Brighton Secondary School has one along with Apple Mac laptops distributed in 2010 to every Year 9 and 10 student. The modern teaching methods work are fun and a new way of learning.

‘The uniforms were strict,’ explains Jodi. In the summer girls wore a summer dress very much the same pattern and colour as today. They were worn just above the knee although some girls hitched them up until they got in trouble. The winter dress was similar. It was a thick woollen material similar to our winter skirt. In the 60’s the girls had to wear a hat and they weren’t allowed to wear makeup, nail polish or jewellery. The boys wore green or grey Californians or grey cotton trousers, white shirt, tie and a jumper. I’m glad to say that the uniforms have become more relaxed with girls wearing a summer dress just above the knee, a winter skirt with black stockings or navy pants along with a navy and green stripped polo shirt with a green jumper, whilst most boys wear grey shorts down past their knees with the same top as girls all year round. I would much rather the uniform we have today.

Jodi’s favourite memories at school were her school socials and Radio 5KA that was used to promote touring bands, which played at Brighton Secondary at lunchtime.

Jodi’s favourite activities were playing cricket, netball, drama, and sports day and charities week. As no surprise her favourite lessons were PE, English, History and Woodwork. Her favourite teachers were English teacher, Mrs Poben who always gave her interesting assignments and her Wood Tech teacher, Mr Vinal. Jodi said ‘...I was allowed to do Wood Tech in second year along side another girl instead of Home Ec because in first year we tried harder than the boys. I loved using my hands to make the projects, ladders, door stoppers and pencil holders.’ And their grades proved just how well they were doing. Today not much has changed within the Wood Tech subject as all Year 8 and 9 students make the exact same projects as Jodi.

Overall, Jodi Dowden’s and my own, Madeline Dowden’s schooling weren’t all that different. Apart from the modern technology and more relaxed uniforms, Brighton Secondary has still continued the wonderful reputation it had back in 1975.

The students’ behaviour in their breaks was very good; they didn’t have as much freedom as we do today, but they did have some. ‘We had the option of going to the store across the road at recess and lunch if we had a note signed by our parents, although I didn’t do this,’ said Jodi.

Today we are only allowed to leave at lunch and recess if we are going home for a study break, although some use this time to wander to the food store or to go to a friend’s house.

The discipline was very strict, if students continued to do something that they were asked not to, the girls had to run through cones on the soccer oval after school until they were dismissed or pick up papers whilst the boys had a more brutal punishment: getting wacked across the knuckles by a wooden cane or ruler until they learnt their lesson.

Jodi Dowden enjoyed her first year at Brighton Secondary School. Making new friends in and out of school, it was a challenging but an exciting step out of Paringa Park Primary School. I too found first year to be exciting. The older students threw fruit at us, but we didn’t care. We were at a stage in our lives where we could reshape our personalities to whatever we wanted. Some chose to make sure that they were the most popular kids in school, whilst others made the smart option of keeping on track with school and achieved good grades.

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Biographical Studies Nikki Meinel (nee Berry) 1990-1994 Words by Jake Heading Nikki Meinel (nee Berry) attended Brighton Secondary School from 1990 to 1994 and was part of the Special Interest Music Program. After finishing Year 12 she auditioned for Flinders Street School of Music on the clarinet and was successful. She enjoyed her time at Flinders Street and after Nikki’s three years an extra degree year was offered to upgrade from a Diploma to a Bachelor of Performance..

Nikki Meinel later saw an advertisement in the paper for the South Australian Police Band. She was encouraged by her family and a teacher from the Flinders Street School and decided to try out for the band. She didn’t think she would be good enough, but was successful and accepted as a clarinet player. She performed in the Edinburgh Tattoo in 2000, and had performances at schools, kindergartens and various concerts and pageants. This was a great chance for Nikki to be able to put in to action everything she had learnt at Brighton Special Interest Music and Flinders Street School of Music.

She has since married Andrew Meinel who is a fine musician himself. She has three wonderful kids: Chloe who is 5, Kiana 7 and Jake 9. Nikki is very passionate about her kids and encourages them to learn by giving them lots of different experiences. Two of the kids are at Colonel Light Gardens Primary School now where Nikki enjoys going to the school, helping where she can and building friendships with other mums. She enjoys watching her son play football.

Nikki left the South Australian Police Band prior to having her first child. She had a year to decide whether she would return, but at the end of that time she decided the job didn’t suit family life and she decided to stay home and be a mum. Nikki was still able to use her music skills during this time, playing the piano at church and also leading a singing session and also playing the piano at the kindergarten.

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Nikki currently teaches piano on a Tuesday afternoon, in her home. She has eight students and at the end of each year she has a concert as she knows how important performance practice is.

Nikki is heavily involved in “Kidz church” at Edwardstown Baptist Church in a voluntary capacity. This has helped her in her ability to speak in front of kids. She is currently studying for her Master of Teaching, as she eventually wants to do classroom music teaching.

Her favourite teacher, Mr Kong, is still teaching at Brighton Secondary School. She didn’t love school, but says the experience was invaluable to her. She loved being a part of the Special Interest Music Program and her photo still hangs in the music centre today.

She seems very happy with where she is at the moment and she has lots going on. She is very good with her kids and leads a happy life. She is a very positive enthusiastic person, with a passion for life and a big smile. She is very encouraging to those around her and she really listens to people when they talk. It seems as if everything she has done to this point has prepared her well for becoming a classroom music teacher.

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Biographical Studies Jamie-Lee Pennesi 2003-2007 Written by Micaela Pennesi Jamie-Lee Pennesi started at Brighton Secondary School in 2003 and graduated from Year 12 in 2007. Jamie, along with the rest of the family, was born in South Africa, moving to Australia in mid 2001. Jamie was eleven years old when she moved from Durban, a city on the east coast of South Africa. Her fondest memory of her childhood birthplace was when her entire extended family would go to the beachfront most Saturday mornings and eat breakfast at the restaurant named ‘Steers’.

The entire family would bond, play on the beach together and have a lot of fun.

When Jamie first started at Brighton, she had already had a year of high school, first starting at Immanuel College for Year 7. Most felt scared and lost on their first day of high school, but because Jamie already had had a year to prepare, she almost knew the do’s and don’ts straight away.

Jamie has always been a sporty person, being involved with sports such as swimming, volleyball and surf lifesaving while at school. One of her favourite subjects in high school was Volleyball, probably because she loved sport. Another favourite was Psychology as it opened her mind, learning about why we humans act the way we do, and to further understand the way we think. Since leaving school, she has been studying a Bachelor of Psychology Honours, first at Magill’s UniSA campus, and now at Flinders University.

Jamie has always been a swimmer. From the age of two she has been taking lessons. When she moved to Australia in 2001, she joined Marion Swimming Club.

While being a part of this club, Jamie became an elite swimming athlete, which required complete commitment and dedication. Being an elite swimmer required 20 hours of swimming training (before and after school), two gym or training sessions, and some sports psychology sessions every week. She was required to have a strict diet and sleeping regime. Competitive swimming took a lot of time and effort. Although Jamie feels that she missed out on a bit of her adolescence from spending so much time swimming, she does not regret it. Unfortunately her competitive swimming career ended in 2006 because of illness.

Jamie found her high school experience a rewarding one.

Having good friends and good teachers, she found herself having fun while she learnt. Her best memories would come from the five consecutive years that she participated in the Rock Eisteddfod, where they won three out of the five times, and she was a lead choreographer in Year 10.

It was an enjoyable experience, dancing and having fun with her friends.

Jamie owned her own drum kit from about Year 8, and took lessons at school. She also performed with the Percussion Band but eventually stopped taking lessons, and sold her drum kit, as she did not playing them any more. When she did play the drums, she always enjoyed it.

All her friends since high school have moved on to study their own things and have gone their own way, so the only way she can really keep in touch is through the networking site, Facebook. She changed friendships as she grew older and her interests changed. In Year 9 she mostly socialised with her surf lifesaving and swimming friends, as she spent most of her time swimming. In Years 11 and 12, her friends were more those that focused on their schoolwork and did the subjects that she did. In Years 8 to 11, Jamie found that she had lots of time to socialise after school and during lunch and recess, but when Year 12 began she became more focused on school and doing well with her grades, so she socialised less.

Jamie says that she can’t think of anything that she would change because she really enjoyed her time in high school.

The most challenging year for her was definitely Year 12.

She had to be a lot more independent as there were more study lessons and less direction from teachers. There was also a lot of pressure to get a good TER score, especially if she wanted to get into Psychology Honours.

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Biographical Studies Clarke Rodda Old Scholar, Class of 1975 Words by Tayce Fry Canes, photographs and pharmacies. What do they have in common? Upon being asked this question, many people would bluntly answer with, nothing! A smaller portion of people would sadistically try to solve what seems to be a difficult riddle to then realise there is no recognized solution. And for the rest, their answer would be, Clarke Rodda.

Clarke Rodda was an ex-student of Brighton Secondary School, attending from 1970 to 1975. Like many students, Clarke was there to enjoy the high school experience.

He wanted to get as much out of his teenage years as possible. Clarke had his goals set at an early age. He wanted to be able to achieve good results and continue into his father’s career of Pharmacy. Persistent and raring to go, Clarke started his high school years with fantastic academic results.

Times were harder back when he was at school. Fewer opportunities were available to students and the facilities weren’t as outstanding as those today. Buildings weren’t as modern and the technology wasn’t available in that era of schooling, meaning students had to study a lot harder and read heavy, thick books to find the information required for their education. There was a smaller range of subjects; art and sports were lacking. A lot of the subjects were limited and some subjects were only single gender. Boys weren’t able to do any Home Economic classes. Clarke didn’t let discrimination in certain subjects stand in his way of achieving his goals and aspirations. He had big hopes of doing well in Year 12 and then later proceeding to University.

With his achievements came setbacks, when it came to the social scene. The worst part of schooling for Clarke was how the people picked on him. Bullies were a problem for him for quite some time in high school. They picked on those who achieved good results, on those who weren’t as confident and for those who weren’t the Captain of the sports team. Clarke considered himself a late bloomer and when having to shower after PE class it ignited the bullying and deflated his confidence even more. Being a shy and quiet achiever, Clarke has some problems trying to stick up for himself. The bullies continued until Clarke cleverly, yet harmlessly, out witted them.

Clarke didn’t let bullying affect what he wanted to do.

In the long run he knew that one day these bullies would be the ones watching him succeed in life. He continued to go about his schooling, striving even harder. Being victimized in school put his mind set in the right place. He treated people with respect because he knew what it felt like on the receiving end. He treated teachers with respect because he knew that they were there to help him get the results for which he aimed. He was a very respectful student and barely ever got into trouble. Only once he fell to peer group pressure. Clarke joined in with his fellow group of students by flicking drink bottle lids on top of classroom roofs. Immediate punishment was enforced.

Back then the punishment given to one who misbehaved was a wack across the fingers with a cane stick. This was a lesson learnt. With bruises and red raw cuts, Clarke was able to identify his real friends and those who were simply trouble.

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Year 12 was his biggest achievement in school. Finally that year he found himself in a good place. His confidence was higher and he made some lifelong friends. Year 12 was the year that most people snapped out of their ignorance and tormenting ways. Everyone was out to help each other get through the final year. Clarke studied Chemistry, Physics, Maths, English, French and German throughout his last year of school and attained impressive results with ease. He was a naturally gifted learner and found the work easy to understand. With hard work and natural talent his goals for schooling were achieved and he was ready to move on for the next stage of his life.

From school Clarke went on to study at University as anticipated. He began a course in Pharmacy as soon as possible, hoping to become a Pharmacist like his father.

On top of his study, Clarke also had a part time job in a chemist, which he hoped would give him some work experience before graduating his Pharmacist course at University. Along with University and work, he also picked up an interest in photography. Not thinking it would develop into a career, he continued to do it as a hobby whenever he had the time.

With the continuation of his hobby, it grew into a profound passion. He gained a part time job as a photographer.

After one year he continued to develop as a photographer and was soon offered a permanent job. Clarke deferred his University course and started in the photography industry, as it was now his desired career pathway.

After many years of dedication and hard work Clarke established his own company, Festival City Photography.

The company has now been running for twelve years and his wife is currently a part of the management team. He continues to work and make his business a long lasting success. Clarke still has his Pharmaceutical qualifications at rest, but he doesn’t wish to return to that career pathway.

Photography is now where his head and heart are and that is where they will stay.

Clarke still visits Brighton Secondary with the rest of his team, taking photos at numerous school events. Clarke captures the happiness on those teenage faces as he reminisces over his own school life. He sees a more modernized version of himself. All his memories come flooding back of his time at Brighton Secondary School.

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Biographical Studies Rosslyn Yakas (nee Greenhalgh) 1973-1977 Words by Tegan Starr In 1973 Rosslyn Yakas (nee Greenhalgh) turned 13 and started at Brighton High School. What she remembers most about her time at the school was her very first day of Year 8. She started the school without any friends and just a few acquaintances.

She stood against the wall in the quadrangle hoping to disappear and describes these as some of the longest few hours in her life.

Roz describes how the attitude towards school depended on the year level. In the early years work wasn’t taken all that seriously, but then they ‘knuckled down’ for Leaving and Matriculation which is what Year 11 and 12 was referred to at the time. She says that the main difference between schools then and now is the wide range of curriculum as well as the resources, tools and technology that students are provided with now.

However, she says some things seem to have stayed the same throughout the years. There was a strict uniform policy and teachers regularly conducted checks. The students were against the uniform policy. Roz says that they would always try to change what they thought was wrong with it and see if they could get away with it. For anyone who managed to look good in the uniform they’d wonder how they did it. Roz herself would bear 40°C weather in a jumper as it did a good job at holding her skirt up.

However she says it all changed as they approached their final year. It became cool to not care when it came to the uniform and grooming, including not shaving their legs or plucking their eyebrows.

Growing up in the 70’s Roz experienced many fashion fads and crazes influenced by the ‘hippy culture’. In Year 8 she recalls wearing a white skivvy paired with tight green paisley patterned slacks. “They were actually hand me down from somebody my mum worked for but I didn’t care. I thought I was fabulous.” There came a phase of colourful plastic bangles that only cost a few cents and some people had a collection stretching up both arms to their elbows. At one point they wore long Indian skirts with lots of caftan style tops. However, at another stage in the 70s Roz says, “our skirts were so short they were ‘positively indecent’ according to our elders”. Then later on in the 70’s more fads came and went including flares and platform shoes and ‘shag’ haircuts. Then also ‘pot ‘o gloss’ lip-gloss and lots of blue and green eye shadow.

Roz can also recall big changes occurring through her teen years, in terms of politics and world issues, for example an oil crisis occurred leading to a nuclear power debate and uranium mining. Also when Roz was aged 12, Gough Whitlam and the Labor Party came to power, Australian troops were removed from the Vietnam War, the voting age was lowered to 18 from 21 and university education was made free. The White Australia Policy was abolished resulting in people from Asia and the Middle East settling in and thus the beginning of multiculturalism.

Also in the 1970’s Indigenous Australians were counted in the census and were given land rights, rights for women were addressed, women were given the right to be paid equally and paid maternity leave started. All this meant that women began to enter the workforce and challenge the sexist views. There were also inventions that came out of the 70’s era that have changed our way of living.

Home computers began being used although Roz herself

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didn’t use one until around 1982 in her early 20’s. Also mobile phones were a new technology to come out of the late 70’s.

After Roz grew up and completed Year 12 she studied Education at Sturt College of Advanced Education (now Flinders University). She specialised in Junior Primary, Literacy, Art and Special Education and worked in various schools in Adelaide and regional SA for around 25 years.

She then decided to take a different path in 1993 after her second child was born. She conducted song-writing workshops in Adelaide primary schools and started a business with a friend called ‘Fast Class Songs’. Later in 2005 when she was ready for a change, Roz completed a course to become a chocolatier and started her own boutique chocolate manufacturing business called 10 Degrees. She explains the reason behind the name as “a name that pays homage to the fact that cacao grows approximately 10 degrees either side of the equator”.

She sold her business in 2008 and moved to Pilbara in Western Australia and started the position as a manager of the Roebourne Art group, an Indigenous art centre.

Roz is now currently living in Airlie Beach in Queensland with a job as an Employment & Training Advisor involving helping long-term unemployed Australians get back into the workforce. However, she says there’s still more to come for the future. “My next venture will probably involve food - I am plotting and scheming as we speak, so watch this space!”

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Brighton Secondary School is looking for Old Scholars to help contact other Old Scholars from their era for our 60th Anniversary dinner With our anniversary celebration on 10th November 2012 fast approaching, we would like to get in touch with as many of our Old Scholars as possible.

If you are in contact with or can pass on information to any Old Scholars or like to offer assistance for our 60th Anniversary Dinner, WE NEED YOU!.

The more past students and staff we can spread the word to, the more special we can make our anniversary celebration.

If you are interested in helping with the reunion for the 60th Anniversary please contact Deb Parsons by emailing friends@brightonss.sa.edu.au

Join Brighton Secondary School Old Scholars http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33353778702&ref=ts Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected.

Millions of people use Facebook everyday to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.

Here is an opportunity to connect with past scholars and staff from time spent at Brighton High School, Brighton Boys Technical High School, Mawson High School and Brighton Secondary School.

Dear Alumni, If you would like to provide an article(s) for future ‘Connections’ newsletters, please email lynlee.graham@brighton.sa.edu.au with 100-200 words of text.

If you have a particular photo(s) that you would like included, please attach this to the email.

Thank you in anticipation Lynlee Graham Coordinator Community Development

Friends of Brighton Secondary School Newsletter

I ISSUE 16

Connections

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Friends of Brighton Secondary School

Application Form

Please print this form, complete and return with payment to Brighton Secondary School, 305 Brighton Road, North Brighton SA 5048

Name: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Name at School: ___________________________________________________________________________ Postal Address: ________________________________________________________________________________ Suburb: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Postcode:__________________________ Email:______________________________________________________ Phone [h]:__________________________ [w]:________________________ [m]: ___________________________

[Please circle] Yes

I would like to join Friends of Brighton Secondary School [$20 full membership]

c c

I enclose a cheque [made payable to Brighton Secondary School] for the total payment of $20.00 I wish to pay the total payment by credit card

c Visa

c Mastercard

Card Number: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

Expiry Date: __________________

Card Holder Name ___________________________________

Signature: ___________________

SCHOOL ATTENDED

c Brighton c Mawson High

c Brighton Boys Technical High

Years Attended ___________________

c Brighton Secondary School

Brief summary of activities, work and family since leaving school. Photograph now and/or then, optional. (Sorry, photograph can not be returned)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

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Friends of Brighton Secondary School Newsletter

I ISSUE 16