Boarding Newsletter
Issue 3 - June 2018
Boarding Newsletter Head of Boarding As I commence writing this Newsletter, I am thrilled by the change in weather conditions in Perth. Whilst many of us have appreciated consistently warm temperatures in recent times, I am also aware of how very little rain has fallen for many members of our farming community. Let’s hope that the rains which have finally arrived in Perth have also made it to a number of our rural properties as well. Since the last epistle at the end of Term 1, much has taken place. Winter sport has commenced, examinations are now underway, the School Production has been showcased, a Br Clery Cup event has been completed, Edmund Rice Day has been highlighted, our special Mother’s Day Mass has featured, and Carlton has won its first game for the season in the AFL! ‘The Boyfriend’ was an outstanding College Production. It takes great courage for boys to perform on the stage, particularly when it involves a lot of singing as well. Teamwork is also at the forefront of any stage presentation, and the amount of preparation that had gone into this year’s play was quite obvious on the nights of the production. I would like to extend my congratulations to Mitchell Russell, Olivier Dutilleux, Sam Antonio, Angus Leaver, Andrew Ivey, Daniel Chia, Jake Tonkin, Joel Kelly and Jasper Knipe on their efforts, not
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only on the performance nights but over the preceding months of preparation. All of these young men have extremely busy schedules, so to put so much time into their rehearsals is highly commendable. Congratulations are also extended to Mr Lachlan Bowyer, our Assistant Director in the Temporary Accommodation, who played a significant role in the organisation of the production. An outstanding contribution. Our recent Mother’s Day Mass proved to be a lovely celebration. Not only was it an occasion for many of the boys’ mothers, grandmothers, and families to join us, but it was also an opportunity for the boys to acknowledge the contribution made to each of the four houses by our fantastic House Mothers. Kelly Cocks, Pam Bignell, Gai Pritchard and Nicole Henderson all love seeing the boys in their houses each day, and they play a vital role in the boys’ day-to-day lives whilst at boarding school. Thank you to all families who were able to come to Mass and share a meal in the Dining Hall afterwards. Br Robert commented that this year’s attendance was the best he could recall for many years. Thank you to Br Robert for his meticulous preparation, as usual, of a lovely service. We have recently extended an invitation to Archbishop Timothy Costelloe to be the
celebrant at one of our Chapel services later in the term. Pleasingly, he has responded by saying that he is able to celebrate Mass on Sunday June 10, which is the weekend after the long weekend. I would like all boys to be back from leave on that day in time to join us at Mass. It is always easy to tell that the winter sporting season has commenced. The Health Centre generally becomes a little busier, as boys start to endure the inevitable bruises, cuts, sprains and strains that come with various contact sports. The boarders have made a superb start to the season. It is terrific to see how involved most boys are, and particularly those who take part in outside club teams as well. Speaking of sport, our first Br Clery Cup event for the term took place on the evening of Friday May 4. In what was a competitive contest, Pinder Boor again took the honours. On the same day, the College celebrated Edmund Rice Day with a whole-school Mass, followed by the annual Inter House Cross Country event. Again, the boarders demonstrated their usual tenacity in striving for the highest place possible in their respective races. I have been pleased to see many of our senior students preparing thoroughly for their Semester 1 examinations over the past few
Boarding Newsletter Head of Boarding Reminders Diary Dates Term 2 2018 Friday 22nd June 2018 Boarding Parent Dinner Hughes Dining Hall Friday 29th June 2018 Last Day of Term 2
Term 3 2018 Monday 16th July Boarders return to Boarding Tuesday 17th July Classes Commence Saturday 4th August – Sunday 5th August Year 11 Leadership Camp with Santa Maria College Forest Edge, Waroona Friday 17th August – Monday 20th August (inclusive) Exeat Weekend
weeks. This period of time can often be filled with an increased level of anxiety for some students. I encourage boys and parents to maintain close contact with boarding staff as the pressure mounts during the term. Help can be available in many different ways, and from many different people. For those who are not sitting examinations, I urge you to keep a consistent work pattern in place. Keeping as up to date as possible in all subject areas will inevitably mean sound results at the end of the year. As is often the case at this time of a term, little issues and incidents can take place in a boarding community. Living with a large number of others, away from the home environment, can often become quite taxing and at times frustrating. Members of the boarding staff at Aquinas are always encouraging the boys to be mindful of their decision making, and conscious of the impact on others, in everything which they undertake. At times, I wonder whether those who are bystanders could play more of a role. If they see something taking place which they deem to be wrong, then perhaps they could step in and help diffuse the situation. Fortunately, I know that these sorts of situations are discussed at great length in various House Meetings and gatherings.
Measurement at The University of Melbourne. In 2016 he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for eminent service to science and to the advancement of planning and policy development to improve public health in developing countries. I am sure that Professor Lopez will provide a terrific insight into his life as student at Aquinas, and his career since leaving school. The dinner is always an outstanding night, and a superb opportunity for our boarding families to get together. The date for the dinner is Friday June 22. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on the night. Please continue to join us for our Sunday evening Mass whenever you are in Perth, or during the week for a meal in the Dining Hall. It has been tremendous to see so many of you to date this year. Best wishes to all families for an enjoyable Exeat weekend. Sean Henderson Head of Boarding
Our annual Boarding Parents’ Dinner is fast approaching, and this year our guest speaker is Old Boy, Professor Alan Lopez (1968). Professor Lopez is a Melbourne Laureate Professor and the Rowden-White Chair of Global Health and Burden of Disease
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Boarding Newsletter Captain of Boarding Term 2 has kicked off with a bang as the boys returned to boarding after a well-deserved break. Term 2 has been very busy and exciting so far for many boys. Winter sport has returned this term and it is great to so many boys from boarding getting involved in their respective teams and putting on some great performances against the other PSA schools. 1st teams have been heavily represented by boarding students with many boys making their debut. The 1st football team has made a great start to the season with four wins under their belt as they attempt to win the Alcock Cup for the first time in nine years. Many would say the great start to the season is because of the ten boarders which have played so far this season. Many congratulations must go to the boys who have represented their respected sports in the top teams so far this term. Br Clery Cup saw the return of volleyball this term. Some heated battles took place in the Br Paull centre with each of the senior teams winning a game, resulting in the
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scoring percentage deciding who would play in the final. Gibney and Pinder Boor found themselves in the final before Pinder Boor went on to win the senior final. The juniors was also dominated by Pinder Boor House as they took out the competition. Pinder Boor earned themselves some handy points as they attempt to reclaim the Br Clery Cup. The race for the Br Clery Cup has become very tight between each of the houses but football, basketball and academics points have yet to occur and could prove vital for each house. It is an important time for boys at the moment in terms of academics. Upcoming exams and common assessment tasks saw all boys putting in some hard work at the desk. Academics are an important part of college life at Aquinas and boys must make sure they perform to the best of their ability in each assessment. Boarders have always been known for their hard work, and it’s great to see boys upholding this.Year 11 and 12 boys have almost finished their exams and will no doubt enjoy a stress free and well deserved mid-term break.
The year has moved very quickly so far, and especially the start of this term. Boys have the opportunity to continue to contribute in a number of ways in the college community and all have the ability to make the rest of the year what they want it to be. I look forward to what the rest of the term will offer for boarding and hope the boys enjoy the remainder of Semester 1. Cheers Regan Clarke Captain of Boarding
Gibney House Director of Gibney House The Senior School boys in Gibney have been working very hard over the past few weeks preparing for their exams and I hope that their efforts pay off when they receive their results. The House has been an excellent environment for quiet revision during study in the evenings and I congratulate the boys for the manner in which they have approached the exam period. Our Year 9 boys who have not yet attended the OLE Camp seem to be enjoying the collapsed timetable so far and the 8 boys are continuing to develop their skills as the Term 2 CAT Week grows nearer. Since the last newsletter was published a number of boys have celebrated birthdays, namely; Ciaran Allsop, Darcy Johns, Kevin Lu, Francisco Nguyen, Sam Ellis, Colby Wisewould, Will Butcher and this week, Wil Hall! On top of acknowledgment at Chapel for these boys, Mrs Bignell always has a chocolate and balloon waiting for them on the board when they get back from school on their birthday. Colby was also awarded certificates at a recent assembly acknowledging Academic Excellence and Character Excellence for his efforts in Term 1 while Austin Abbott received a Merit Award for his efforts. Congratulations to both these boys as well as all the Gibney students who improved their grade point averages from the end of last year.
So far, the prestigious blue ‘Gibney Bloke of the Week’ jacket has been presented to four very worthy recipients this term. Patrick Steber and Corey Sellars were recognised for their outstanding reports at the end of Term 1, combined with their willingness to help others as demonstrated by their roles as volunteers at a recent Year 9 Social. Matthew Clarke also put his hand up to help out at this event. Thomas Crute and Andrew Ivey have worn the jacket for assisting our Middle School boys with sorting out shirts onto the appropriate racks once they have come back from the laundry, an admirable act that is a perfect example of what we hope to see from our senior boys. So far this term we have a number of students who have earned first team representation in their chosen winter sports. I wish to congratulate them on their selection. Luke Gorman and Fletcher Taylor have both been playing for the 1st XI Hockey side, Mathew Chown and Jordan Tolputt are in our Rugby 1st XV, Hau Tran is in Aquinas’ top Badminton squad and Mitchell Lord, Darcy Johns and Tarkyn Brogan-Henry have all pulled on the red and black for the unbeaten 1st XVIII Football team during the first third of the season. The house has been very quiet on Saturday mornings as the vast majority of boys are either out playing for their school or
community team at some level, or supporting those doing so from the sidelines. It has been a great treat this year to stand in our back yard and see quality sport on display from such a passionate group of boys. The Gibney balcony is also a very popular place to be during game time! The recent school production of The Boyfriend was a most impressive sight that displayed the talents and commitment of a number of Gibney boys. Andrew Ivey, Olivier Dutilleux, Samuel Antonio and Jasper Knipe should be very proud of their efforts in contributing to such a fantastic show and hopefully felt rewarded for the hours of rehearsals they attended when show time finally came round. Sam, Olivier and Matt Clarke have also been very successful during interschool Mock Trials. In recent Br Clery Cup events, Gibney House was edged in the Volleyball competition but were successful in the Swimming on the last night of Term 1. Highlight of the night included the Year 8 Relay anchored by Zoon Foss which got us over the line by one Point! I hope everyone has a fantastic long weekend and enjoys the time with family over the next few days. Ross Meadows Director of Residence Gibney House
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Gibney House Captain of Gibney House With the mid-term break fast approaching, we look back on the busy five weeks in Gibney House. These past weeks have been extremely busy for the boys in Gibney, with winter sport commencing and mid-year exams a major focus for those boys in Years 10, 11 and 12. Despite the busy period, the boys have been in high spirits, showing tremendous efforts of mateship and leadership. Special mention must go to Colby Wisewould who was acknowledged at Chapel for his efforts in cleaning the Dining Hall after others had departed. Acts like these are what make Gibney the best boarding house at Aquinas! Colby mate, and others, keep up the good work! The boys from farming backgrounds have been pleased to see the recent rain falling around the districts. With the rain comes the cold. However, this hasn’t altered the boys’ excitement about the commencement of winter sport. Some boys in Gibney have been going above and beyond in their chosen field. Special mention must go to Darcy Johns who made his 1st XVIII Football debut a few weeks ago. He proved a major draw card in the match, with exquisite ball use and impressive footy smarts. He showcased why he really is the self-proclaimed Jeremy McGovern! The
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production “The Boyfriend” has proved a huge hit for those drama fans around the school. It has been pleasing to see numerous boys being involved in the production from Gibney House, including the likes of Jasper Knipe, Sam Antonio, Andrew Ivey and Olivier Dutilleux. Well done lads. As the Semester 1 exams draw to a close, I would like to take the time to thank the younger boys in the house for their efforts in keeping the house quiet for the boys who are putting in the hard yards in terms of study, with high aspirations of achieving greatness. It has been pleasing to see the General Pathway boys putting in the hours ahead of their Externally Set Tasks, led by the man himself Tarkyn Brogan-Henry. Tarkyn has been in fifth gear over the last couple of weeks, preparing for the big time. He is showing what it takes in order to achieve success in the academic program at Aquinas. I hope that all the boys can get the rewards they deserve after what appears to be a productive two weeks of study. The mid-term break couldn’t come quicker for us ‘rams’ in Gibney. After weeks of hard work, the boys are looking forward to a break away whether that be relaxing with family and friends or, in Lachlan Barber’s case, picking avocados! All the lads deserve a break. I hope
you all have a great mid-term break and we look forward to what the second part of Term 2 brings. Cheers, Mitchell Lord. Gibney House Captain 2018
Nunan House Director of Nunan House As I write this article, the rain is pouring down on us here in Nunan. This affects our boarding house in many ways. First and foremost, there is a great sense of joy around the place as the farmers’ prayers for the last few weeks have been answered! I extend my sincere best wishes to our farming families over this next important period of time. The farm boys have been feverishly checking conditions and looking to see if their farms will get parts of the front coming through, shouts of joy have been ringing through the hallways! The second sense that overwhelms me is the sense of anticipation and worry as we look to handle our first storm in the dongas! The rain is pouring down, the wind is screaming through and the tarpaulin corridors are holding on for dear life! I keep telling myself that everything is going to be alright as I count down the days until we get into our newly refurbished building. With regards to the building project, Mr Henderson and myself were lucky enough to get a tour of the nearly completed building just the other day and it looks spectacular! The builders are in the final stages of the build, with cabinetry almost fully installed, bench tops going in and some final glazing and carpet laying taking place. Mr Peter Shaw took us
on a tour of the rooms and common spaces, including the new Year 12 common room and collaborative study area upstairs. One of the most striking sights is looking up through the new skylights and seeing the sky through the beautiful wooden truss frames. I am looking forward to decorating the House and making it a home as much as possible for the boys. I would love for Nunan families to be able to contribute to the décor in a meaningful way. I have told the boys that we are having a long-running photography competition in Nunan with the theme “A Sense of Place” over the next few months. We want to try and get photos of family, land and local communities that we can enlarge, print and hang throughout the building. I am keen to get the WA landscape showing its beauty throughout multiple seasons so please keep our Boarding House in mind for the rest of the year and take some photos of your place to share with us here in Perth.You can start with a family photo over the EXEAT break that I can print and put up on our family wall! As Director, my main focus for this term has been to cultivate a calm and productive rhythm in the House. After all the change that occurred last term, both within boarding and within the day school, it has been important
for me to resist bringing in any new changes this term. Whilst the boys were fantastically resilient and adaptive to the changes last term, we would like them to recover and settle back into a sense of routine. As soon as we returned in Term 2, exams for the senior boys were on the horizon and this gave us a perfect short-term goal to look towards. Study has been productive and meetings have been kept short and sharp in order to set the tone. Staff have stepped up to be doing more academic tracking of boys during study, with each boy being checked by allocated staff members at least twice a week when they are on duty via a short online form being filled out on the staff member’s observations. The staff members go through the boys’ diaries, revision notes, and are able to have a conversation about work ethic, upcoming assessments and general wellbeing. Those forms get emailed to me and I am able to look for patterns of organisation, work ethic and to flag any problems.You will notice me forward a few of those online forms to you as a way of keeping parents in the loop with their son’s study habits during prep. I will not email every piece of feedback, but if I see a trend developing I can quickly keep parents informed. As a general observation, I have been happy with the way
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Nunan House Director of Nunan House that boys are studying. With the Year 8s we are focusing on organisation and effort, with the 9s we are looking to extend the boys beyond homework and into revision, in Year 10 we are looking at planning and pushing them to set high standards for themselves. On top of study routines, I have been extremely pleased to see many of our Year 10 boys taking advantage of the free tutoring in Maths and English being offered by the school. This has been fantastic preparation for their upcoming examination period and is giving the boys a boost of confidence before they look to choose their subjects for next year. I am sure that the incentive of pizza for attendees have had a little bit to do with it too! These tutoring sessions are open to all age groups and I encourage boys to attend. It has been pleasing to see the way in which Year 11 and 12 boys have approached their exams. There is a large group of Year 11 boys that are really stepping up their game, which is wonderful to see, and
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Year 12 boys such as Regan Clarke and Xavier Stone are setting the tone with the way that they are studying. It is great to see the Nunan boys continue to strengthen our culture of academic rigour. I wish all boy the very best in their examinations and upcoming Common Assessment Tasks. As I conclude may I please ask parents for a bit of help in a couple of areas. Firstly, as the weather is getting colder and the uniform and sports gear has changed, we have noticed a need to address the boys uniform and clothes, especially paying close attention to making sure that all items of clothing are labelled, both casuals and uniform. Furthermore, as the boys have grown over the past year, there are certainly some school shirts that are struggling to do up the top button and stay tucked in and there are some pairs of trousers that are exposing a fair bit of the ankle. The second appeal is that you speak to your sons about being more organised with their leave requests.
I work on Thursday nights and have told the boys that weekend requests need to be in by then so I can do a final check on Friday mornings and sign off. Too often, boys are late with their leave requests and I am spending too much time on the weekend addressing issues that could have been addressed a lot earlier in the week if the boys had done a bit of planning. If parents are aware of, and support the Thursday night deadline, that would be doing me a big favour so I thank you in advance for that. Of course, there will always be one or two exceptions to the rule and I am happy to accommodate that as much as possible, but I am looking to encourage the boys to plan ahead and to be accountable. My best wishes to all families over the long weekend and I look forward to spending time with parents at the upcoming Boarding Parent Dinner on Friday 22nd June. Jordan Owenell Director of Residence Nunan House
Nunan House Nunan House Captain We’re halfway through Term 2 and the boys in Nunan House are becoming restless as the finishing touches are applied to our new boarding house. Like the Year 11s and 12s, who have just completed their Semester 1 exams, the dongas have been put through their paces in the past week as a front moved over Perth bringing strong winds and bucket loads of rain. As far as I know, the temporary accommodation held its ground and there were no major dilemmas once the weather had passed. On the up side – at least some of our farming families might have received some rain. As I said earlier, the senior students have just come out of exam break which saw our boys in Year 11 and 12 knuckling down studying in the boarding house over the last two weeks. While our general and TAFE students were able to take a breather and reflect on the past term and a half, or complete outstanding assignments, our ATAR students hit the books. It was good to see everyone putting in the hard yards – hopefully we all get the grades we were hoping for.
Suddenly, we find ourselves about to enter the last leg of our time in the temporary accommodation. Is anyone else beginning to feel a little claustrophobic? The refurbished boarding house is almost ready for us, with our house director, Mr Owenell, attending a walk-through last week. Here in Nunan, we have quite a number of indigenous students, and as a gift to the new quarters [as suggested by our House Mother, Mrs Henderson] we propose composing an aboriginal dot artwork, to be completed by our Nunan boys, to hang in the new house. I wanted to put it out to the boarding community to give us ideas on what to incorporate into the painting and/or the themes of the artwork. If you have any ideas please contact Mr Owenell or Mr Henderson, who can relay your messages to me. Finally, I just want to congratulate the Nunan boys on a great start to the term and wish everyone a nice EXEAT break! I look forward to finishing the semester strongly post-exeat! Lachlan Thomas Nunan House Captain
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Pinder Boor House Director of Pinder Boor House “Your greatest contribution may not be something you do but someone you raise”
– Andy Stanley
Term 2 began with a flurry of activities in the Boarding House with the lead up to exams for many of the boys, our production of ‘The Boyfriend’ and the commencement of winter sport. The Mother’s Day Sunday Service was a lovely affair, with so many parents able to join us. We also made sure as boarders, we remembered our ‘other Mums’ - the Boarding House Mothers. Applause by the boys in the Chapel is always a good indication of their admiration for certain people and we were under no illusion how important Ms Pritchard is to us all in our ‘home’. All the Mothers who attended the service were given a little gift from Aquinas Boarding. Winter sport kicked off early in the term, with our boarders again flourishing in the top teams. Declan ‘Skipper’ Mills assumed the Captain’s role in the 9As, Daniel Major and Charlie Harvey are playing 1st Team Hockey, Jamie Marinoni and George Wessels 1st Team Football (AFL) and Lachlan McLean and Daniel Nazzari 1st Team Cross Country. On top of all that, we have Reds Hockey, Manning Rippers and Reds Volleyball. There are times when the House is like a ghost town! It was a restless start to the study program for many of the students as the realisation of what lies ahead overwhelmed them. It is very important that students feel that the House is a “home away from home” and the duty staff are here to help and guide them during their study sessions. This involves chatting to the students, checking to see what assessments are coming up and how the students’ studying is going. We are fully aware that these boys do not have their parents to do this with them so we are here to fill that void and
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make it as homely as possible. One aspect of boarding that has prepared the senior boys well is the ability to take notes, understand how important a diary is and having clearly set and visible goals. To make the House feel extra homely, the boys have been visited by the home-baked goods fairy a few times during Exam Study Week, not to mention a few visits to McDonald’s to see the boys through these long nights. NAPLAN caused some concerns when a Year 9 Maths problem was shown to the Director and it took over 35 minutes to solve it with the help of the entire House’s maths experts. No wonder the Year 9 students are so stressed! OLE for all our Year 9 students began the week prior to Exeat. It was a wonderful opportunity for all the boys to get out into the bush, have some truly life changing experiences and discover, even when it’s a little difficult, that all problems have a solution. The OLE tip of the week was wrap everything twice in plastic bags! The production was truly amazing. ‘The Boyfriend’ was funny, entertaining and it highlighted the talent we have at Aquinas College. Special mention must go to some of our boarding house boys who had roles in the production - Angus Leaver, Mitch Russell, Daniel Chia, Joel Kelly and Jake Tonkin. Their dedication to attending all the rehearsals, their courage to stand up in front of their peers and sing and dance was truly inspiring. These boys stepped out of their comfort zones and I am sure, inspired other students to consider being part of the production next year. Ethan Rutley and Lachlan Phillips will be playing live with other boarders at ‘Rock Band Night’ at the Badlands on Aberdeen Street at the end of May. Listening to these boys play is an absolute pleasure, just showing what hard work and dedication can do.
The Br Clery Cup Volleyball was a big success for all involved. Now, Pinder Boor has its share of talented athletes and we most likely have the dominant share in Volleyball. The Junior and Senior teams were both victorious on the evening. Next year, we are looking at changing the format slightly and having more teams playing for longer. Thanks to all the boys who gave up their Friday evening to represent their house. Basketball will run on the last Thursday of term being a great way to conclude the term. As mentioned in some of my weekly emails, Sarah Maisey has joined the Pinder Boor Staff. Sarah is working every Tuesday afternoon under the watchful eye of Mr Brodie Ward. It is great to have a young lady of her calibre in the House. The boys are also very aware of their behaviour and dress attire during these times. House Challenge was placed on hold until after the exams and OLE, but we will resume this with Jenga for Term 2. As the nights grew cooler Paula (Mrs Montgomery) has decided to get the fire pit out. Firstly, any complaints due to the increase sugar intake of your son please see Mrs Montgomery, as she is solely in charge of the marshmallow distribution ( I was told there is a law that clearly states, where there is fire there are to be marshmallows!). We also invited the young men from Brothers House as well. It’s amazing the stories Paula heard, I think she enjoyed it just as much as the boys. Some quality feedback, apparently, our fire pit is nowhere as big as many of the boys, one even describe their farm pit as big as Pinder Boor!! Social interactions have been a topic for discussion this term, especially around Ms Pritchard and when boys are on their phones. A simple “Hello” or “Good Morning” goes a long way to making someone’s day a little brighter. When phones are returned to students, we are now asking the Junior boys to come out and sit with us all in the main foyer,
Pinder Boor House Director of Pinder Boor House rather than disappearing into their rooms to play Fortnite! It would be worthwhile to have a conversation with your boys about this over the Exeat weekend. An absolute highlight for myself and the duty staff this term was our Random Act of Kindness moment. The Year 8 and 9 boys have offered to take over the Laundry Duties from the Year 11 students during their exam period. We constantly reinforce to the boys the importance of empathy and looking out for each other and being mindful of those around them. Even though the Year 11s only have three Laundry mornings this term, this gesture of goodwill from the junior boys, clearly shows a little karma, as the Year 11s have given them a term off. Wonderful effort boys! Have a wonderful, relaxing Boarders Weekend! Drive safely and I look forward to seeing you upon your return. Kind Regards Steven Montgomery Director of Residence Pinder Boor House
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Pinder Boor House Captain of Pinder Boor House It has been a busy last month for Pinder Boor with all the boys chipping in to keep the house in top shape. The weather is beginning to take a turn and the onset of rain is bringing the best out of the boys. With every new boy fully settled into the house for the year, everyone has figured out how to keep everything running smoothly to keep the boss happy! The end of Term 1 saw some sad moments for the house. The first sad moment came on during the final week of term with a narrow second place to Gibney in the Br Clery Cup Swimming event. All the boys put in a strong effort, but sadly we couldn’t get the job done. Then it was all down-hill from there with the loss of the great Tom McLean to boarding. Tom has moved to Perth with his family and is now a day boy. Tom was always happy and smiling, even when things weren’t going his way in the 1st XI cricket team. Tom will be sorely missed by all the boys in the house. After a defeat to Gibney in the swimming, it was time to take our revenge in the volleyball. With first volleyball player Lachlan Mclean at the reins of the team, we knew we were a tough team to beat. We won the first against Nunan convincingly. We were then up against Gibney in the second game, but they came back and took the chocolates in that affair. Thankfully, we got to see them again in the Grand Final. After some serious debate from the Gibney boys, the game got underway and we came out on top. Term 2 brings the start of the winter sport season. For many boarders that means putting
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on the football boots and having a kick around on a Saturday morning. But we have boys playing in 1st grade teams for the college in a few different sports. In football, we have Jamie Marinoni and George Wessels. In hockey, we have Daniel Major and Charles Harvey. And in cross country, we have Lachlan Mclean and Daniel Nazzari. Everyone in the boarding house is extremely proud of these boys and wish them the best for the season ahead. As the Year 11 and 12 boys finish their exams, I hope you all stay safe over this well-earned break. All boys from all year levels deserve this break. Safe travels, and enjoy the long weekend. Mitch Russell Captain of Pinder Boor
Brothers House Director of Brothers House The boys returned to boarding after what seemed to be a very enjoyable holiday break. The house welcomed a new Year 8, Kalan Chitty. Kalan comes from a family who have had a long association with Aquinas boarding. We also welcomed three new leaders in the house for this term – Cambell Brandis, Will Butcher and Alex Chambers. The three leaders have all come from Gibney House and as we come to the Exeat Weekend these three leaders have proved to be very good role models for the younger boys. Of course, we are also blessed with the presence of James Hughan as our House Captain. One could not ask for a more genuine, interested and committed leader of the house. He is well respected by the boys. The first week back was very busy. On the Monday we had parent/teacher interviews, normal classes on Tuesday to Thursday and Cross Country on the Friday. Before Cross Country the whole college community celebrated Mass in honour of Edmund Ignatius Rice, the Irishman who founded the Christian Brothers in Ireland. The celebrant at the Mass was Fr Brendan Sia, and old boy of the College who graduated in 1998. Fr Brendan is currently the parish priest in Kalgoorlie. At the end of Mass Mr John Richards introduced Br Ollie Picket and Mr Bob Sheridan who spoke to the boys about the work undertaken at ‘Wheelchairs for Kids’. The charity has now made over 40 316 wheelchairs for children giving these children a degree of independence. It was a wonderful start to what proved to be a very enjoyable day.
Winter sport began at the end of the first week both in the day school and for those boys who are involved in outside sporting teams. This is always an exciting time of the year for the boys and one can sense the energy that prevails in the house. The outside boarding teams provide the boys with the opportunity to mix with boys outside the boarding community. Thank to Mrs Shevaun Barnett, an Aquinas parent with sons in Years 7 and 10 in the day school, who does much of the organising for the Manning Rippers. As well as the football there are boys involved in hockey who train regularly at the Aquinas hockey grounds. On Sunday 13th May, Mother’s Day, the boarders celebrated in the chapel with the four House Mothers who graced the occasion with their presence. The boarding captain Regan Clarke spoke on behalf of all the boarders in thanking the housemothers for their important role in the boarding community. Part of his address contained the following –
to all present how much our House Mothers are appreciated. Each House Mother received a gift as a token of appreciation from the boys. Also, on the night we were delighted that over twenty mothers and grandmothers who joined the boarding community to celebrate their special day. Alex Davidson presented our guests with a candle as a small token of appreciation for their presence and continued support of our boarding community. Alex was ably assisted by Ollie Nicholls and Lachlan Heal in the presentation. All the boys in the house either delivered or posted a card to their Mums. A big thank you to Mrs Montgomery for making the candles that were presented on the night and also for helping Mrs Cocks to prepare the Mother’s Day cards. Boys were encouraged to write more than just a Happy Mother’s Day, hopefully their message conveyed their appreciation for all their mothers do for them.
With our mothers often so far away, it is good to have a House Mother who we can have a chat with and seek advice on a whole range of issues.We are truly blessed at Aquinas boarding to have four very special ladies who make such a huge impact on our lives. So, to Mrs Henderson, Mrs Pritchard, Mrs Bignell and Mrs Cocks a very genuine thank you for all your efforts.
There has been a tightening up of the study regime in the dining room at night for the Years 7, 8 and 9s and to their credit the boys have responded positively. They have all been made aware that poor study at night could lead to a Saturday morning study programme. The boys love their Saturday mornings so such a possibility has led to a serious commitment to nightly study. A report is sent to the Head of Boarding and the House Directors each night giving an overview of the night’s proceedings. To date there has not been a Saturday morning study requirement for any boy.
The applause after Regan’s address indicated
Overall, the first part of Term 2 has been a
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Brothers House Director of Brothers House good one for the boys in the house. Thanks to the staff, the daily programme is followed with minimal fuss. Mrs Cocks does a fine job each morning making sure the boys rooms are neat and tidy and to their credit the boys have responded in a most positive way. There has been a big improvement this term and the boys have worked out their own roster for tidying the living area, vacuuming rooms and generally making a real effort to live in a pleasant and clean environment. When visiting the house, the following staff are on duty of an evening from 5 until 10 Monday............. Mrs Narainee Gunness Tuesday............. Mr Chris Guinness Wednesday...... Mr James Harrold Thursday.......... Mr James Brown Friday................ Mr Josh Siegert On Saturday afternoon, Mrs Nairanee Gunness is always on duty and Sunday afternoon Mr James Valentine. The weekday staff and also Mr Matthew Borgward and Mr Liam Sherwood cover the other shifts. This is a very solid team and one could not be more pleased with their genuine care and support of the boys in the house. They could all be described as fair, firm and friendly, a fine combination. To finish this boarding article a little reflection used in the house in recent times with the boys. It is taken from the book called, ‘What happens after saying Yes to God’ by Casey Cole ofm.
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There is a classic story I love to tell about a man who died and ended up in the most idyllic world imaginable. All around were people like him and who liked him, and he never once had a fight with anyone; if there was a disagreement, the others always took his side. Each day he was free to indulge in anything he wanted without any consequences or ill effects; he played poker and always won, he drank his favourite whiskey and never got drunk. Never once did anyone go against him, never once was anything out of place. At some point, the man began to grow tired of such constant gratification. Surrounded only by those who supported him no matter what he did, successful no matter how hard he tried to fail, and completely unchallenged against his own selfish desires, the excitement of everything he used to love faded. He went to the angel and requested a transfer: “This heaven of yours is quite nice, but it is a little boring. I think I might try hell for a little while. Maybe there I will be able to feel something again.” The angel replied, ‘Oh, I’m terribly sorry, sir. This is hell.” When the boys live in a community like boarding they quickly come to the realisation that they have to form community with people they would not necessarily have as friends. If something is painful and uncomfortable in the house they cannot avoid it. Outside community living they can become kings in their own right but as Christians all are called not to be kings but servants. We do not decide what we
will do, or most importantly with whom we will associate, we live in communion with our fellow elect doing what needs to be done for the common good. What a great experience boarding can be for those who take the opportunity to live in community by learning to ‘give and take’, to resolve conflict and treat one another with respect despite the many differences. When the boys arrive in boarding they have to work to create a community and learn to live in harmony with those who are their neighbours. Despite the occasional conflict and difficulty which comes from community living they learn to be tolerant, understanding and often empathic. What a wonderful experience for all involved especially in a world which so often highlights individuality above everything. They boys have remembered in prayer our farming community on Sunday night at Mass and in the house during prayer time, hoping that the rains fall gently on the land giving the crops every chance to grow and flourish. Hopefully, this is happening as you read. Thank you all for your continued support, it is greatly appreciated. Br Robert Stewart ofm Director of Residence Brothers House Robert.Stewart@aquinas.wa.edu.au
Brothers House Captain of Brothers House Exeat weekend: Coming to the end of Semester 1, we’ve made it through May and the rain is finally here! It seems that the boys are very excited to be heading home for Exeat, with some boys getting away from it all and going camping or on holidays. The first five weeks of this term have been far more settled then the previous, with the boys now grasping everything about boarding and picking up on some of the typical stereotypes. Personally, it has been awesome to be a part of their boarding journey so far at Aquinas. It’s great to see new boys settling into Brothers House, with the additions of Kalan Chitty and three new senior boys in Year 11: Will Butcher, Alex Chambers and Cambell Brandis, who will represent the Brothers House as House Leaders; taking care of the boys and other things in the house while Br. Robert, the Duty Master or myself cannot. It’s evident that these new boys have settled in easily as they have quickly made connections with the junior boys. They have also showed dedication to their studies by profiting from the quiet house while the juniors are studying in the dining hall. Brothers House has had a face lift with the new addition of artwork from the all the boys in the house. They have spent their spare afternoons together in the main common area, encouraged by Mrs. Cocks to channel their creative sides. The inspiration for the artwork has been inspired by the boys’ personal interests. These artwork pieces range from
drawings of football players like Richmond’s Dustin Martin, to pictures of their favourite speedway cars. The contributions made by the boys are a sign of unity and collaboration, that are strong morals which we are proud to display within Brothers House. These past few weeks all the boys in Brothers House have shown extra commitment by participating in club sports outside of Aquinas, these include Manning Rippers football and Reds’ hockey, which the boys will be partaking in until the end of Term 3. By being involved in these clubs, the boys are experiencing and employing valuable teamwork skills and connecting with the community of Manning by upholding and portraying Aquinas’ positive reputation. I’m proud of all the boys in Brothers House and am excited to be involved in their continuous journey over the next five weeks. I look forward to catching up with everyone after Exeat Weekend and hope to see the boys re energised for the end of Semester One. James Hughan Brothers House Captain Year 12
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College Production - ‘The Boy Friend’ Do you understand how long 200 hours takes? In that time, you could.... Watch the entire Star Wars franchise 15 times, play 5 full test matches of cricket or you can eat 876,000 grapes. In that time, we danced, except Angus Leaver, we sung, except for Dan Chia, we acted, except for Mitchell Russell, we didn’t have lines, except for Jake Tonkin, we sweated up a storm, mainly Sam Antonio, we couldn’t understand the French, expect for Olivier Dutilleux and we spoke to new people, except for Andrew Ivey! Rehearsals began late in 2017 with a crash course on all the dances in show. This was a new experience for many of the boarders as they are normally used to boot scooting. Term 1 rehearsals kicked it up a notch. We rehearsed three times a week, giving up our precious Sundays, but we still managed to make it to chapel. Wednesday afternoons focused on singing, Fridays were dedicated to dancing and on Sundays we brought it all together. Each session, Mr Jeremy Sivewright reminded everyone to keep at it and that “practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect” By the end of the show everyone had this tattooed on the back of their eye lids.
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Dan Chia, Jake Tonkin and myself all auditioned for roles but Jake was the only boarder to come out with a speaking role. End of Term 1 brought the three parts together. We could finally sing, dance and act. Term 2 began and Mr Sivewright became feared among the cast. There wasn’t a lot of time for jokes with the show beginning in the second week of term. It was nothing but relentless hard work up until the final applause. We pushed through 10-hour rehearsals and some flying shoes. The entire cast knuckled down and the show was close to perfection. The shows began on the 9th of May and ended on the 12th. You could ask any of the six boarders about what they thought about the experience. They won’t mention the hours put in behind the scenes, but they will all talk about... dancing in the dressing rooms while the show was taking place, the pre-show dance party in the change rooms and enough prayers to ordain us. We would like to thank Mr Jeremy Sivewright and his team for all the hard work they put in behind the scenes. I would also like to acknowledge Joel Kelly and Jasper Knipe who were part of boarding’s very own Mr
Bowyer’s stage crew. Without them the show wouldn’t be as amazing as it was. I also highly recommend to everyone to come to the first few rehearsals later in the year and “If it’s not your piece of cake then go get a slice of pie” Jake Tonkin. Mitch Russell Captain of Pinder Boor