Aquinas College Boarding Newsletter - Issue 2 2022

Boarding Newsletter

Issue 2- April 2022

Boarding Newsletter Head of Boarding We come to the end of a term that has brought challenges like none before to Aquinas Boarding. As I write this article, I reflect on everything that has happened over the past ten weeks, and while exhausted, I am also filled with great pride at the way in which the students, parents and staff have worked together to navigate the current climate in the best way possible. There are several reasons why I choose Boarding as the area to work in within education, and these haven’t changed despite the challenges faced throughout Term One. In amongst all the talk of masks, close contacts and deep cleans, the boys in Aquinas Boarding have shown their resilience in maintaining a sense of humour and displaying a camaraderie that is impossible to manufacture in another environment. I believe you can’t make friends quite like the ones you grow up with in Boarding school, with the level of shared experience unmatched in any other context. I love seeing the unexpected relationships that build between boys from different backgrounds with a range of interests from all over (and outside) the state. The sense of community spirit that develops through living together and

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learning to embrace each other’s differences is a reason to be here.

and Carlo Moltoni all the best as they become day students after the holidays.

As staff, we often become the boarders’ biggest advocates during times of adversity, and this happens because we see the good, the bad and the ugly just through the sheer amount of time we spend with the boys – much like parents do. The work that staff have done in managing the introduction of positive cases in Boarding has been incredible, and I take my hat off to our directors, House mothers, supervisors, health centre, catering staff and Boarding admin for the huge amount of time this has taken in addition to the normal commitments of the role.

This will be the last newsletter in the current format as we revise this publication for Term 2. Please feel free to send any suggestions through to Boarding.Admin@aquinas.wa.edu. au if there is something specific you would like to see in the next edition. I hope everyone has a restful break and returns in good health to less restrictions.

My thanks go to Lachlan Bowyer as he completes the term as Acting Director of Pinder Boor. The House has been in safe hands during Steven Montgomery’s absence, which is a credit to Lachlan, Bridget, supervisory staff, and students. Our six Year 10 mentors in Brothers House also finish their time with the Year 7s and new Year 8s; thank you to Tristen Wisewould, Damon Hyde, Banjo Young, Jay Mutter, Josh Grahame and Tremane BaxterEdwards who all return to their respective senior Houses for Term 2. Finally, we wish Leo

Ross Meadows Head of Boarding

Boarding Newsletter Captain of Boarding Hello everyone, we come to the close of Term One and I’m afraid to say it has flown past.

Since the last newsletter the Boarding houses have been all hit with COVID and I am pleased to say that everyone handled it extremely well in the Boarding houses. It’s not a nice thing to have to wear a mask in our own residence but as common sense should prevail it was for the greater good. As we look forward to the start of Term 2 we will hopefully see an easing of restrictions and Boarding can resume to a more normal structure and events can go ahead as planned.

As the summer sports season draws to a close, it’s been great to see some good results on the board and all of your hard work at training paying off. I am pleased to announce that my team, the boys from the 4ths XI (boarders cricket team) came away on top of the ladder at the end of the season despite conceding one disappointing loss. To all our boarders representing first level sport during the summer season, well done.

Brother Clery Cup has officially started the 2022 season with volleyball in the opening round just before EXEAT. Nunan came out victors with a new format. They then continued

with a 2 and 0 start winning the cricket last week. Unfortunately, I couldn’t be there but from all reports it went well despite the parents missing their annual parent sundowner which normally coincides with the cricket, and the boys having a quick break to see Buddy kick his 1000th goal!

I’ve seen lots of hard work on the books already this year, without being able to go out so much on the weekends some boys have grabbed that opportunity to get that extra study in to get ahead. Fingers crossed everyone has been putting in the work this term and seeing the results they want. If we aren’t, maybe the upcoming holidays will be a good opportunity to get back on top of schoolwork and into shape ready for winter sports. Most importantly though, hopefully everyone has a good well-earned break during the holidays and a happy Easter with family and friends.

Thank you, Tom Cousins Captain of Boarding

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Gibney House Director of Gibney House New Students A big welcome to our two new Gibney residents Dave Abimanyu and Edmund Ang. Dave has been learning online for over a year from his home in Jakarta, Indonesia. He has made a very smooth transition due to his friendly nature and positive attitude. Edmund joined us more recently and comes from Singapore. His brother Ethan graduated from Gibney in 2020 so it is great to welcome his family back to Aquinas.

Clery Cup Friday March 2nd saw the first fixture of the Clery Cup with Volleyball being contested.

Despite the energetic approach and a protest about the wind advantage, the boys finished second to a strong Nunan outfit. It was great to see the year groups work together and Gibney House pride on display. Mitchell Opalinski got my vote for ‘best on ground’ with some great control in the middle whilst Hamish Dearlove was best dressed in his range of blue attire.

Clery Cup Cricket took place on Friday March 25th, with the depth of talent in the House, confidence was high amongst the group. Unfortunately, we did not take home top-spot on the day, but the evening provided many highlights. Special mention to Harvey Bow, Lachlan Famlonga, Alex Hall and Baxter Cowcher on their great contributions for the Middle School and to Chazzon Foss and Judd Suckling on their batting efforts for the Seniors.

House BBQ The second House BBQ of the term was

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another success, the year 12 boys put on a great effort cooking and cleaning with special mention to Ziggy Fuchsbichler, Judd Suckling, Levi Duffy, Ben Warr and Munya Svose. We continued the tradition of spike ball games whilst, Dave Abimanyu showed off his soccer skills with Chey Barrett-Derschow, Luke Hallett, Luke Jordan, Orlando Widjaya and Sean Quartermaine all joining in. Clery Cup Soccer might see Gibney earn some redemption.

Good News On March 26th Jonathan Waddingham attended the Australian Track & Field Championships in Sydney, competing in the U/16 Men’s High Jump. He just missed out on the bronze on a count back, finishing 4th with a clearance of 1.91m. It was great to see the Gibney boys supporting Jonathan and watching the live stream. Congratulations Jonathan!

Summer sport has come to a finish and the boys are now preparing for winter. I enjoyed hearing the stories of our 3rds Water Polo team which included four players from Gibney.

Alex Davidson, Chazzon Foss, Judd Suckling and Kaelan Pickering. The boys enjoyed boasting of being undefeated (against 4th division teams) and they recall Davo’s 3 goals in 30 seconds against Christ Church as being a season highlight.

I have been so impressed with the level of cleanliness and organisation shown by Mark Stokes, Levi Bateman and Zavier Sayers. These three legends have consistently kept their room to a very high standard and have carried this level of care over to their job of cleaning the House Mother’s Room once a week. On

top of this, there have been some great results from these individuals in their CATs. Keep up the good work gents!

Congratulations to Luke Bettini who has been selected to enter the Australian Boarding Schools Association video competition for National Boarding Week 2022. This year the theme of National Boarding Week is “I’ll be there for you”. This competition will entail Luke creating a short video that shows the life of a Boarder with the background music being the song “I’ll be there for you” by the Rembrandts. Luke’s experience with ACTV will certainly help him with this task.

It has been wonderful to see many boys in the House waking up early in the morning and motivating each other to work on their fitness at the River Centre Gym. Pacey Knipe, Ben Warr, Harrison Brandsma, Jed Barnett, Mitchell Opalinski, Louis Davidson, Jett Lockyer and Chey Barrett-Derschow are all regular attendees. With special mention also to Chey on his State Rugby selection.

Bloke of the Week Congratulations to the following recipients for their outstanding contributions to Gibney House.

Week 6: •

Harvey Bow – Fantastic manners and positive attitude despite a couple of setbacks with injury and illness.

Week 7:

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Pacey Knipe – For stepping in to assist with the running of the House, showing great leadership potential.

Gibney House Week 8: •

Lachlan Kerin – Showed great resilience during some challenging changes to his routine. His no-fuss attitude was appreciated.

Daphne Langdon - Gibney House Mother We are very lucky to have such a kind, caring, and humorous House Mother in “Miss D”.

Below are some words from her perspective of Term 1.

Greetings to you all, My name is Daphne Langdon and I am the proud owner of the role of House Mother at Gibney. I am very fortunate to work closely with Gibney Boarding Director, Bryan Johnson and all the amazing Housemasters and the girls, Bec, Phoebe, and Megan.This team has been very supportive in guiding me along the way to ensure I feel confident in this new and interesting situation. Needless to say, I now feel very much part of the entire Aquinas environment.

I had the very good fortune to undergo “on the job training” late last year, shadowing the 3 other House Mums, prior to taking up this role in January 2022. Shadowing the ladies in their respective designated Houses, served me well to get an insight into the many varied tasks the House Mothers attend to.

My transition from 25 years in the NZ military, 21 years in the mining industry working with explosives, and 7 years as a retiree, doing voluntary community work, to becoming the

resident Gibney House Mum, was relatively easy and second nature for me. Having grown up in a Kiwi family of 14, including Mum and Dad, the respect and discipline in our family environment were strict and par for the course.

Our work ethic was second to none and school attendance and the completion of homework was a requirement.

My biggest challenge here at Gibney has been learning the boys’ names. It’s been almost 8 weeks now and I am pleased to report that I am almost there with getting the names right.

There are two lads here that I constantly got mixed up. (Young Austin Abbott and Ruairi Neeson.) Thanks, lads for your patience and bearing with me until I got it right. (It took long enough didn’t it boys?) It’s now such a huge pleasure for me to bid the lads farewell to school and to welcome them home at the end of the day, greeting them by name – the right name that is.!!!

My children, grandchildren, and greatgrandsons tell me that the boys here are lucky to have their nanna as their House mum.

(These kids had this perception that I baked all these goodies for the Gibney boys that they got, growing up around me.) However, I sincerely believe that I am the lucky one. I feel very blessed indeed. The joy I get from interacting with these respectfully cheeky, happy, mischievous, and curious lads is nothing short of spirited elation. I feel rather special to be an active part of this awesome Aquinas

community. I am prepared to learn the rules of AFL but more importantly, I look forward to watching all our boys in their chosen sport.

I have had the pleasure of meeting the lads from the other Houses.They are very polite and friendly, as are the Boarding directors, Housemasters, and mistresses.

I look forward to being here for at least the next 5 years to see these lads graduate from Aquinas.

So, have I got the best gig imaginable? You bet I have.!!! Just ask me. (Thank you, Mr. Meadows.)

Bryan Johnson Director of Gibney House

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Gibney House Captain of Gibney House The end of Term 1 has quickly approached us and with the recent COVID outbreak the boys have been eager to get home safely for the school holidays.

on their efforts that helped Gibney stack up in second place for the overall event.

With all the changes and challenges that COVID has brought, the boys have managed to stay resilient and cheerful during these unpredictable times. Gibney haven’t been as affected by COVID with very few cases in retrospect to the other Houses. I hope that everyone can stay safe during the last few days in Boarding and during the holiday period.

Cricket was the most recent Br Clery Cup event and was played during the unforgettable and historic night of the Swans and Geelong match-up. The senior game between Nunan and Gibney was put on hold as the boys all poured into the nearest House to watch Buddy line up for his 1000th. It will be a Clery Cup event that many boys won’t forget. The current standings for the Clery Cup have put Gibney in 2nd place overall.

The Br Clery Cup has currently had two events being the volleyball and cricket. The volleyball was a great opportunity for boys to show their athleticism with a sport that all could play. Overall, the experience was great, and all the year groups are to be congratulated

Gibney has also started a football tipping competition that has the boys competing for the title of ‘Tipper of the Week’ which also has an overall prize at the end of the season. So far after round 2,Year 9 Nash Barnett is in the lead.

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The two tippers for this week are, Toby Fuchsbichler and Jed Barnett for the respected round 1 and 2. Special mention also to James Ellis who managed to achieve only 1 tip right in the first round, an accomplishment that I’m sure could only be achieved if he purposely tried to.

With Term 1 drawing to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. May everyone have an enjoyable break and return safely for Term 2.

Happy Easter to all and safe holidays.

Ziggy Fuchsbichler Captain of Gibney House

Gibney House

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Nunan House Director of Nunan House Clery Cup The second half of the term has seen two massive Clery Cup events. Coming back after the EXEAT break the boys in red confidently walked over to McMahon oval as a tight-knit unit. Joseph Norrish (Leadership Portfolio – Clery Cup Captain) gave the boys one of the great rev up speeches of all time rivalling that of Al Pacino’s “life is a game of inches” in Any Given Sunday. The PE studies ATAR boys in Nunan consisting of Mitch Keene, Elijah Huddlestone, Ben Hardy, Travis Shearer and William Hughes all put their practical expertise to good use. Our residential volleyballers in Cameron Gardner, Joshua Regan and Ashton Gammon were of significant value. It was clear everyone was giving it their best and the boys came away with an emphatic victory taking home the bacon.

Later in the term came the cricket in week 8.

The Nunan boys were eager to prove that the Volleyball wasn’t a one off fluke and seemed far more committed and passionate than the recent touring English Ashes Test squad. To be fair the boys probably held more chances than them as well. The fielding was of astonishing class given the vast majority are not cricket background. Travis Shearer, Amos Lippitt, Joshua Cowcher (two in a row), Aki Poasa all held

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on to sharp catches. The home hardware play of the day went to Mitch Keene who defied the laws of gravity with a one hander KFC contender. Zach Courboules demonstrated he is a class act with some quality swing bowling on the lower ground whilst Brady Hicks almost landed on the dining hall roof. Suddenly, Nunan were two wins from two events on the Clery Cup. Exciting times.

Bloke of the Week Each week, traditionally on a Sunday evening at meeting we announce the bloke of the week.

Congratulations to the following boys on their outstanding achievements/ contributions to the House.

Week 6: •

Week 7 •

Week 5 •

Zennath Malay - Zennath is to be congratulated on a recent incident in which he stood up for what is right. In a situation where things were going wrong and others were not intervening, Zennath made a successful attempt to deescalate a negative situation. Well done Zennath on your commendable actions.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” – Edmund Burke

Ashton Gammon - Ashton took control of the BBQ cooking at our recent House BBQ event. It allowed the Yr 12’s who traditionally cook to participate more in the cricket and relax. Ashton did an exceptional job and was standing over the hot BBQ for a substantial period of time ensuring that all others were fed. Well done Ashton!

Ben Hardie - I am impressed daily by this young man. He is diligent in his academia.

He represents the College in winter and summer sport. He has participated in the production. He helps with cooking in the dining hall and works at Holy Ground Coffee. Most importantly though he is kind, friendly, thoughtful and inclusive.

What a delightful character to have in the House!

Week 8

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Aki Poasa - With low numbers in the House we were missing some students for washing. Aki said the night before he would come down at 6.30am to lend a hand. A man true to his word there he was. In 3 years in the role that is the first

Nunan House time I have ever seen a student volunteer to help with washing.Yr 12, House Captain, State Rugby, Friend to students in all years, Man for Others. This is just one example of many and I could list so many more. One of the most impressive student leaders I have come across in over a decade of teaching. We are blessed to have him as our House captain.

“Those who contribute the most, complain the least” – Phil O’Neill (my Dad) Activities The second half of the term has seen a number of events. The Nunan House BBQ was a great evening. I was so impressed with the leadership of the senior boys who were incredibly inclusive of the younger students ensuring that all had an opportunity to get involved. What I always love to see is the boys the help with the pack up process. It is messy, not enjoyable and time consuming. William Munns, Ben Clarke and Travis Shearer were instrumental in this process as Year 11’s. Just as the five Year 8’s have been in doing their jobs all year, they once again were happy to help out despite not being rostered to do this. Well done to the boys who also continue to make the most of the recreation opportunities presented as well as those who contribute ideas. The boys have also

been exceptional during the House liturgies.

Lead by Aki and the Yr 12’s – the students have demonstrated a high level of respect and reverence for the occasion highlighting it’s importance still despite the different format.

Only a few weeks ago I covered a Saturday evening shift in Nunan House. Having been involved in the Clery Cup the night before on the Friday as well as being on shift on Sunday evening and involved in the House Liturgy, I initially would have been happy to have the night off. To be honest though, I had a blast with the boys. We watched a game of AFL football together. I then shared one of three recipes that I know with the boys – scones.

To my amazement, we had a dozen or so boys interested in the recipe and the debate about a number of ingredients and methods was astonishing. We ended up doing 4 batches. The Yr 9’s were great in helping with the clean up.

After this a serious badminton tournament developed with Luca Harrison being incredibly inclusive of the younger ones. Once this was done a number of boys from different years got on the couch and played a game of UNO. No matter what the activity, if is a contest, Sam Jennings Hopkins is never too far away. Whilst this was going on, the captain of Boarding Tom Cousins quietly went around helping me by

ensuring the younger ones handed in their devices and settling for bed. I walked in home after 11pm and told my wife how much fun I had, what a great night it was and how lucky we are to share a home with such wonderful young men.

It has been a crazy hectic term. Not sure if I can remember a busier one. I am constantly amazed by the sacrifices you make as parents to send your boys to Boarding and I thank you for your wonderful assistance and cooperation in amongst all the challenges that were thrown our way the last few months. Take care and enjoy some quality family time together – I for one shall certainly be doing so.

James, Beck and Aidan O’Neill Director of Nunan House

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Nunan House Captain of Nunan House Greetings Aquinas College Boarding community! For us boarders in Nunan, these 10 weeks have flown past. We have tried to make the best of our current situation for the last half of this term. Nunan House kicked off our Br Clery Cup campaign beginning with House volleyball. Although a tough derby, we came away with top of the ladder thanks to our experienced Nunan House Br Clery Cup Director Joseph Norrish. Throughout the senior game we saw peak athleticism from Mitchell Keane, Elijah Huddleston and Amos Lippitt. For the middle school game, we saw leadership and prowess from Xayde Parriman, Adam Verone and Charlie McKinlay. We also recently just competed in House cricket, in which we once again come home the victors.

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On the flip side, our House is coming second in the COVID Cup as we have the second highest amount of cases in Boarding. With new restrictions entering Boarding, boys in the House have deicide to put down their devices and pick up the table tennis racket.

Adding to this I will say that Sam JenningsHopkins has one of the best forehands I have witnessed. We also had another famous House barbeque which once again allowed the boys to bond through a cricket game on Nunan common. Our chefs of the night were Ashton Gammon and Ben Hardie, who both cooked up a delicious meal. The boys have had a great start for the year, with lads like Caelyn Beard, William Munns and Carl Bowring being mentioned countless times for their dedication

to studies and academic achievements. Many boys in the House have been acknowledged for their participation in College programs such as Holy Ground Coffee, work experience and musical productions. Our House is also home to the next generation of electricians, mechanics and agricultural experts. In conclusion, we all look forward to a restful break but continue to Term 2 and the promise it brings.

Aki Poasa Captain of Nunan House

Nunan House

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Nunan House

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Nunan House

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Pinder Boor House Director of Pinder Boor House House BBQ The weekend after the exeat break, the year 12s coordinated another wonderful House BBQ, enjoying some of the final evening with sunlight before heading towards a winter.

Austin Giles and Ryan Tempra did well to demonstrate their cooking skills, ensuring the meat was cooked to perfection.

This year we have seen the Aquinas College sports Instagram page undergo a re-vamp.

It has been wonderful to spot a few of our Pinder Boor students hit the feeds of Instagram. A special shout out must go to Myles and Will in year nine who were spotted teaming up as Pinder Boor brothers for a game of doubles against Wesley College.

COVID COVID-19 arrived at the Boarding House and undeniably caused disruptions here and at home. I must thank the boys for their flexibility with the constant changes, including at stages the daily testing, which was all put in place with the best for us as a community in mind. Thank you to those parents who had to make dashes to Perth collect their son. A tip of the hat must go the Beaton family, who sent through a picture of isolating in a bush shack, cooking on the BBQ and playing a bit of kick to kick as football preseason, whilst also squeezing in a little bit of schoolwork. I certainly hope and pray that we continue to see speedy recoveries of those that contract the virus.

While we on the topic of socials, Miss Kelly has been using her shifts on the weekends to assist the boys to learn some ‘tic tok’ dance moves.

Jayden and Banjo should be very impressed with the dance moves and this is a talent which maybe can make its way to the stage in Boarders Got Talent, later in the year.

Insta famous

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Football tipping The fierce competition of another tipping season has been heating up in Pinder Boor as the footy season has commenced. Not only with the top tippers being acknowledged but the wooden spoon being handed out as well.

Mr Montgomery has put in an impressive start along with Hamish Fulwood. Shout out must go to Ben Latham and Darcy Alvaro who have taken home the wooden spoon.

Staffing In our team working in the House has expanded yet again. During the second part of the term, Marco Santalucia, science teacher and soccer coach, has joined the team. It is wonderful to have him on board as we wish Miss Tessa Kelly all the best as she heads to Albany Primary School to teach practicum next term. She will return later in the year.

Finally, a big thank you to all the Pinder Boor Staff, Parents and most importantly Boys for making my term in Pinder Boor as easy and enjoyable as it could have been, particularly given all the challenges we have faced over the past few months. I have really enjoyed getting to know the boys and look forward to my continuation of work within the Boarding community, contributing in various ways.

Lachlan Bowyer Acting Director of Pinder Boor House

Pinder Boor House Captain of Pinder Boor House Hello to all the parents and families who may be reading this article. It is now the end of Term 1 and this term has been full of surprises especially with COVID starting to make its way through the Boarding Houses. Through this time the boys have been very good with following the precautions and staying calm which has made everything in Pinder Boor work smoothly during this tough time.

We have welcomed new boys in Pinder Boor during Term 1. All the boys have settled into the Boarding House and our Boarding community well, which is always great to see.

Even with the disruptions to our recreation program due to COVID, it has been good to see a lot of the younger boys interacting with our limited events through this time.

enthusiastically joining this in and getting into the Pinder Boor House spirit.

The Pinder Boor boys would also like to thank Mr Bowyer for everything he has done for us this term while he has been filling in for Mr Montgomery.

Despite the COVID restrictions and setbacks in Boarding the Pinder boor boys have thrived so far this year. I hope everyone stays safe over the holidays and has great time during the break.

Jack Cybula Captain of Pinder Boor House

Throughout the term Pinder Boor has participated in many events including the Br Clery Cup, volleyball and cricket which the boys loved. Also, this term the boys have enjoyed many House BBQ’s which allowed the boys to socialise together and have a really good time. In the House the Year 12’s are now running the footy competition. The boys are

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Brothers House Director of Brothers House It seems just like yesterday that I was writing the mid-term report to the Boarding newsletter. As we close in on the end of term Brothers House has had a positive and smooth start. I am extremely proud of how your sons are responding to the demands of Boarding school. There is a great feel in the House, and you should all be proud of your sons.

With CATS (Common Assessment Task) finishing last week I have been stressing to the boys to do your best, learn from your experiences and don’t let your emotions get the better of you. This year their orientation year it is all about learning and doing better next time, so far they have passed with flying colours.

Can I just say with these testing times both in Boarding and the community how resilient your son has been it is a credit to your parenting and your son. Unfortunately, we are bounded by the state government’s rules with regards to mask wearing in the Boarding House and this will continue at the start of term two. On a positive note, parents are more than welcome to come into the House at the start of term two which will be nice to have the parents’ presence in the House again.

As your son has now spent a whole term at Aquinas, I feel the time is right to introduce the staff at Brothers House.

Mrs Cocks is our fabulous House Mother; she is the engine of the House she keeps the motor running efficiently. Mr Cocks is in every morning and afternoon from Monday to Thursday a wonderful second mum to your son and rest assured your son is in good hands.

Then there is the heart and soul of the House the beloved Br Robert. Br Robert has been in Boarding for forty-three years and his

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knowledge, passion and patience with the boys is second to none. I am sure you will agree with me we are so blessed to have someone like Brother Robert in the House with your son.

The rotation on the evenings are as follows: Monday Night: Mr James Brown is a HASS teacher at Aquinas College who is having a year off teaching. He is also a past House leader in Pinder Boor as an Aquinas boarder.

James is also a passionate rowing coach who coaches the 2nd Eight Rowing Team.

Tuesday/Thursday Night: Mrs Narainee Gunness- is a teacher at a local primary school and has two children of her own. Narainee brings a female presence to the House which I feel is important to teach the boys manners and respect to the opposite sex. She has been working at Brothers for the last five years.

Wednesday Night: Mr Lucas Brown is an Old Boy of the school who graduated in 2018 and is currently studying a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance and Engineering). He also coaches swimming and soccer at Aquinas and is passionate about young men doing their best in every category possible.

Friday Night: Shared between Mr Lachlan McLean. Lachlan is an old boy of the school who was a Boarding Leader in the Pinder Boor House during his time as a boarder. He has a wealth of knowledge that he can pass onto your son in the House. Lachlan also coaches volleyball at Aquinas and helps the Year 7’s on a Monday afternoon with the Veritas program.

He shares with Mr. Benjamin Bianchini.

Benjamin is also an Old Boy of Aquinas who is studying nursing. Both young men are such valuable people in the House who are admired by all the boys because of their caring nature.

The weekend shifts are shared by all staff and Mr Matthew Borgward who is a past boarder in Pinder Boor. Matthew is a Head Teacher at a local primary school and a valuable member at Brothers House. We are very blessed to have the staff that we have at Brothers House. Every member brings their own important qualities, but we all have the same goal and that is the safety and nurturing of the boys in the House.

As summer sport has concluded I want to congratulate all the boys in the House whether you were in A’s or E’s your dedication, work commitment and sportsmanship was outstanding. As one season concludes another begins, we look forward to winter season starting next term. Let us keep those strong values that I have mentioned.

A special mention to the catering staff lead by Steven Lewis. Steven and his team have catered to all the boys needs and have keep them all well feed during Term One. A well feed boy is a happy one!!! I would like to thank the catering team from all involved at Brothers House we do appreciate your efforts.

Finally, as we conclude Term One may I wish you a wonderful and safe holiday with your son and look forward to seeing you at the start of Term Two. Antony Matkovich Director of Brothers House

Brothers House Vice-Captain of Brothers House Hello parents and guardians, my name is Jordan Connelly and I am the Vice Captain of Brothers House for 2022 and this is my first article.

The second half of Term 1 has been disrupted with the COVID virus entering our Boarding Houses. Unfortunately, some of the boys contracted the virus and had to leave Boarding and school for a time. Even with the challenges of COVID, the House has been running smoothly.

is always a great opportunity for the boys to socialize with the other Boarding Houses. It is also a good opportunity for the older boys to show their leadership skills and make sure everyone is involved.

This term the boys have had some great Year 10 Mentors living with them and helping them to find their feet in Boarding. A big thank you to Tremaine Baxter-Edwards, Joshua Grahame, Damon Hyde, Jay Mutter, Tristen Wisewould and Banjo Young for all your efforts.

On a sad note, our Captain Thomas Malseed had to leave us and return home to be with his family due to a tragic incident. We were able to stay strong and support Thomas and his family, through prayer and gifts as they are going through this tough time. We will continue to keep them in our prayers.

We also would like to welcome Cyrus Woo to Brothers House who started midway through the term.

The boys have formed a strong bond in these confusing times. The way they have been able to handle everything makes them all a bunch of little legends. I hope the rest of the year can run as smooth as this term has been.

I wish everyone a safe and fun holiday and hope everyone comes back ready for a great

Despite all the interruptions with COVID and gastro these little legends have started the year with a bang, and I hope that the rest of the year will be the same.

Jordan Connelly Vice Captain of Brothers House

The boys have loved the Br Clery Cup events.

So far, we have had the volleyball and the cricket games. The boys are divided equally into the three bigger Boarding Houses. This

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