The Southport School Band of Brothers Issue 14

we few,we happy few,

we bandof brothers.

OF BROTHER S ISSUE 14 : December 2016

William Shakespeare

Editor Karen Martin, Marketing Coordinator Design P’s in a Pod Creative Agency Content Editor Gary Edgar Photography Karen Martin, Adrian Gaglione, Dan Sleeman Printing Fast Proof Press Editorial queries, feedback and change of address Phone: 07 5531 9839 Email: marketing@tss.qld.edu.au Copyright: All rights reserved.

Copyright of articles and photographs of Band of Brothers remain with the individual contributors and may not be reproduced without permission. Other material may be reproduced, but only with the permission of TSS. Child Sexual Abuse and Royal Commission into Institutional Responses.

The Royal Commission encourages people who have experienced sexual abuse as a child in an institution or witnessed child sexual abuse in an institution to provide details and information to the Royal Commission by: Telephoning 1800 099 340 Emailing registerinterest@childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au Writing to GPO Box 5283, Sydney NSW 2001. If you need more information, including about support services, visit the Royal Commission’s website at www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au Our Archbishop of the Diocese of Brisbane, The Most Reverend Dr Phillip Aspinall, welcomed the decision by the Government and said that the Royal Commission offered an historic opportunity to protect Australian children.

Reporting child sexual abuse and seeking help Child abuse is a crime. If you have been a victim of abuse, or are currently concerned about a child being abused, you can report your concerns to the local police, or to the Headmaster (for TSS related incidents), or the Anglican Diocese Director of Professional Standards who is responsible for responding to any complaints of abuse within schools, parishes and agencies of the Diocese.

Director of Professional Standards – St Martin’s House, 373 Ann Street, Brisbane 4000 GPO Box 421, Brisbane 4001 Ph: 07 3835 2266 Fax: 07 3831 9873 Email: dops@anglicanbrisbane.org.au 2

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In this issue

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Chairman’s Article

Top 40 Leading Educators

How to Teach a Future President

Aspects of TSS we like to stay the same and aspects that need to keep evolving … and an announcement of a further extension of the Headmaster’s time at TSS through to 2020.

A big congratulations is in order for Headmaster Greg Wain, for being selected by The Educator magazine as “one of the top 40 individuals leading the way in the field”.

Zachary Hermann posed a timely question recently in an online article entitled “Teaching a Future President - what if we equipped every student with the tools to solve the world’s most challenging problems?”

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Cadets at Hidden Creek

Young Warriors and the Making of Man

City for Country Drought Appeal

300 TSS Army Cadets made the trek to the Annual Camp down at Hidden Creek for some adventure and to pick up some new skills.

While almost any man can father a child, there is so much more to the important role of being dad in a child’s life.

From a general chat that coincided between a few parents and Old Boys, the idea of a fundraiser to assist in some way, country families suffering from the drought was born.

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we few, we happy few, we band of brothers.

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Headmaster’s Introduction Greg Wain Headmaster

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ngaging, enchanting, enthralling! … these are just some of the descriptors for this bumper edition of Band of Brothers.

What lessons can we learn from the life of Muhammad Ali? Where is the treasure trove of signatures of our first band of students at TSS who went off from TSS to serve Australia in World War I and etch their names into the history of this country? Who has re-named Mr Etiquette to the ‘King of House Suppers’? Who visited a planetarium during the year? What is a Makerspace? Which Old Boy cousin of Mr Alan Radcliffe may visit us in 2017? How can you prepare to become President? At what unusual place was Fields of Gold sung by TSS students? Who is Katrina Martin and what does she have to do with boys’ unique journeys? Have we spelt philanthropy correctly? Which Old Boy went from flying kites to designing and launching satellites in the US? Is TSS financially viable? Who is the Cadet Camp guy who looks a lot like Mr Bland?

What did our Young Warriors in Year 5 get up to?

All is revealed herein.

Enjoy this magazine, and thank you all for your support of The Southport School in 2016.

Best wishes Greg Wain

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The School Council Chairman’s Speech Day Address Fraser Perrin School Council Chairman

… Aspects of TSS we like to stay the same and aspects that need to keep evolving … and an announcement of a further extension of the Headmaster’s time at TSS through to 2020.

… Aspects of TSS we like to stay the same and aspects that need to keep evolving … and an announcement of a further extension of the Headmaster’s time at TSS through to 2020.

Headmaster Mr Wain, Mrs Wain, Deputy Headmasters Ms Inglis and Mr Hawkins, Dean of Studies Mr Bryce Goldberg, members of our Academic Staff, President of the Old Southportonians Association Mr Nathan Quartermaine, School Council Member Emeritus Canon Bruce Maughan OAM, fellow members of Council, distinguished guests, parents, grandparents, family and friends, and the young men of the Southport School who have earnt the honour to sit before us today.

On behalf of the School, I extend a very warm welcome to everyone on this special day. Speech day holds a significant place in the traditions of our school as the day upon which those boys who have shown the passion, determination and commitment to the academic ethos of the Southport School at the highest level are rewarded. It is a day set aside from all other aspects of the school to honour and celebrate the success and outstanding achievement of those boys who have reached the pinnacle of their year group in the academic program.

Last Friday I had the pleasure to experience Year 12 Graduation here in the Annand Theatre. Again it was a very emotional day for both the graduating class of 2016, their extended families, and the broader school community. So what is it that makes young men cry and grown men have all sorts of problems with their contact lenses? Yes, I accept that we have made massive steps in tapping into our emotional intelligence, but I also think it goes a little deeper than that. So I thought I would have a look.

I found that one of the challenges our School constantly faces is in the preservation of culture and tradition whilst embracing the changes within society. If you were to ask the boys, they will tell you that tradition and the memory of those who have gone before them combined with their new age learning experience here, are the backbone of their love for the School. So how do we preserve the traditional values of a school founded in 1901, within a society that does not stand still from one day to another? I think the answer is pretty simple.

For those of you who have travelled to Bali, I am sure you would have seen the iconic Bali T-shirt which reads ‘SAME SAME but DIFFERENT’. So very simply, when applied to us at TSS, we need to keep everything

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the same, but also be very different. Our Old Boys community will tell you this is exactly what they want.

They want everything to be the same as when they attended here all those many years ago. But do our major stakeholders, our current parents and their boys want this. In considering this, and in my efforts to see why this place engulfs the hearts, minds and passion of our young men, I thought I would take you on a little journey back to 1984, when I graduated from these same grounds, and do a little comparison from then to today, just to see how ‘same same but different’ as a school, we really are.

In 1984, America elected a movie star President in Ronald Reagan. In 2016, America elected a reality show President in Donald Trump. Similar, not same, but very, very different. Many would say scary.

In 1984 Apple launched its first ever MacIntosh personal computer. Today technology rules and controls our world.

In Australia Medicare was launched and we adopted Advance Australia Fair as our National Anthem. We also wished farewell to our former anthem, God save the Queen.

In 1984 the boarders at TSS loved their boarding school food. In 2016 nothing has changed… Boarders please remain quiet and in your seats.

America discovered the Aids Virus, a virus we still battle today. Prince’s Purple Rain battled Madonna’s Like a Virgin for the top spot on world pop charts. Sadly we said goodbye to Prince earlier this year. Seven people died in the Milperra massacre when the Bandidos and Comancheros declared war on each other. Thirty two years on, very much the ‘same same’.

In 1984 the Great White shark was not a protected species and our own Great White Shark won his maiden PGA Tour event. Bob Geldof and Band Aid launched the fundraising song Do They Know It’s Christmas Time to raise money for world famine. In 2016, a large part of our world still lives without food and clean drinking water.

In 1984 Prince Harry was born. He was loved then, and still continues to be adored around the world. Same same definitely gaining some momentum.

In 1984 the Wallabies led by Andrew Slack won the European Grand Slam. Today, the Wallabies are three quarters of the way through a winning Grand Slam tour.

Very same same. But oh no, very different. In 1984, we

beat the All Blacks. For the Rugby tragics, how we wish for same same.

In 1984, the First XV rugby team trained on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. A total of three hours a week.

No wonder we only won one game all year.

In 1984 the TSS Junior School as it was known then, was located where the Centenary Centre is today. The Village Green was still called the Village green, but it had a concrete cricket pitch in the middle. In winter, the Junior School played rugby league, in bare feet, in the local public school competition over the cricket pitch which had saw dust covering the concrete pitch. How very different, and how Work Place Health and Safety would have had some fun with that one.

In 84 we had 1100 students. This year we have 1545.

In 84, the yearly budget was just over 3.5 million dollars.

This year it was a tick over 42 million dollars. In 84 we had 262 boarders compared to 304 this year. Almost same same.

In the last 32 years, our school uniform has not changed. (If only my wife was as traditional!)

And finally, our community is comforted each night

The boys here today shall write their names on the honour boards of our school. Their effort throughout the past twelve months has earnt them the right to have their names viewed by generations to come. They have continued the pursuit of excellence and they are rewarded by their presence today. On behalf of everyone here boys, I both honour you and congratulate you for your sacrifices throughout the year, your unwavering commitment to excellence and your desire to become part of something special. You have been successful in achieving your goals. Well done.

We have again this year seen the development and construction of academic buildings and renovations throughout the campus. They will provide both a pad to launch further innovative educational initiatives, and also be a home for our boys, many who live away from their families in a secure and safe environment. I am personally very proud as an Old Boy to walk amongst the incredible spectacle that is our school. But as we are all aware, it is not the buildings and grounds which make a school great. It is the people that fill those buildings they are the living, breathing heart of our school. It is the families that live here, the teaching staff that dedicate their lives to us, and the boys who call this place their

thank you for your efforts this year. Your precision and management of the business aspects of our school do not go unnoticed.

To our Headmaster, Mr Wain, thank you for your presence within the lives of our boys. Thank you for your care, compassion and belief in our school. I speak for the whole school community in extending our thanks for your constant presence, your unwavering desire to allow our boys to flourish within the most secure and yet challenging environment as possible, and the sincerity in which you deal with the challenges laid before you on a daily basis.

It is also with great pleasure that I can announce today, that the School Council has offered the Headmaster a contract extension, which he has accepted, for an additional two years to his current contract. This will mean Greg will lead our community through to the end of 2020. Greg has been an inspiration to us all.

Thank you Headmaster for your commitment to our boys for the next four years. A very special thank you also to Mrs Wain. Thank you Kate for allowing Greg the opportunity to lead our school community again through 2016. Your quiet guidance and support have

I both honour you and congratulate you for your sacrifices throughout the year, your unwavering commitment to excellence and your desire to become part of something special

by the same iconic chimes from our heritage listed Clocktower, and St Alban’s Chapel is still revered by our boys as the most sacred of places.

So what do those few comparisons tell us?

Well, clearly it is that both Madonna and Donald Trump have the same plastic surgeon. And we now have to rely on Donald to save us from the sharks. And to again beat the All Blacks, we need to stack our team with Comancheros whilst singing the first verse of God Save the Queen.

But in reality, I think we accept that as a school, whilst we need to keep many things the same, we must always change, evolve and be very different.

Our boys love the traditional aspects of this school.

Tradition is the cement that enables the Band of Brothers to bind so tightly in times of need. By looking back, they can look forward. Like those before them, they honour the Band of Brothers. They are so very proud of who they have become.

As a School Council, we commit to always preserving the heart and soul of the traditions that shape our boys in their time here. We owe that much to those who have given not only their lives, but their souls in service to this great school.

own. They are the blood flow of this great school.

They are what makes it special. As a Council, we are committed to assisting the Headmaster in providing whatever resources he needs to make sure that the human face of TSS is responsive, challenging, loving and caring to the needs of our most valued asset, our boys.

2016 has been a successful year in the history of our school. We are in a good place. But, I do not measure success by GPS premierships or numbers of OP1’s received, but by the quality of boys that shall walk upon this stage today, and by the graduating men who stood before us last Friday and were brave enough to cry as grown men. They are humble, sincere, honest and above all, understanding of those around them.

I wish to thank the great staff of the Southport School. We are not a normal school. We are a seven day a week proposition for a large proportion of our staff. As a member of the GPS Association, we expect so much from our staff. Thank you for another year of dedication to our boys. Your passion and commitment is seen in the achievements of our boys today. Thank you also to my fellow members of Council. You dedicate many hours of your time to oversee the governance of our school. I personally thank you for your efforts and your support. To our CFO, Mr Ross Cardiff and your team,

been essential to Greg’s leadership and we thank both you and Sophie for the gift of your husband and dad’s time to us as a school. We are forever grateful.

Most importantly, to the young men who sit before us here today. Appreciate the gift that has been bestowed upon you. The gift that is the privilege of your presence at this great school. Your parents and grandparents have made considerable personal sacrifices for you to take your place here. Please do not take that for granted.

Take the time to appreciate what you have achieved this year. You follow in the footsteps of many great men, who, like you showed the dedication to pursue your dreams. More importantly, like your predecessors, you had the maturity and strength of character to say no to many temptations, and chose a path of hard work and discipline that sees you here today. You have been true to yourself, and ultimately, that is what has set you apart.

You have etched your name on the honour boards of our school and become part of our history; a history that is long standing and proud. Enjoy your day boys. You are truly worthy.

Fraser Perrin School Council Chairman

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M A K ING THEIR MARK The Newly Discovered Treasure Trove and Three Lessons in Leadership 6

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Conan Bland Director of Cadets Biddle Assistant Housemaster

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ast year, Mr. Ross Cardiff, Mr. Matthew Slattery and myself, accompanied 28 students and 17 parents on a Western Front Tour. During our travels, we paid our respects at the final resting place of dozens of Old Boys who died in The Great War. Our current students stood next to the graves of these boys, read out their stories, spoke about their time at TSS and their experiences of the war, but most importantly, simply took time to remember them.

While planning for this tour we came across an article entitled “Secrets of the Somme” which detailed a recently discovered system of underground tunnels that had been adorned with thousands of names of Australian WW1 Diggers.

An excerpt from the article is as follows:

maze of 300 rooms over three kilometres, including an A underground chapel From nearby camps and towns, our first diggers came here between battles.

Their footsteps have long faded but their handiwork echoes down the decades.

Typical Australians, they left their mark, carved or penciled, on wall upon wall, thousands of names. Names, dates, places, touching a national nerve.

It’s all an unexpected treasure trove.

What was special about this article, was a name that stood out in one of the screen shots - Lesley Russell Blake, a TSS Old Boy. What we didn’t know then, but do now, is that TSS has its own unexpected treasure trove, right here on campus. Well before the Great War, TSS boys - our first larrikins - had found a secret location to graffiti the walls of the School, right under the watchful eye of the founder. Within the grounds of Biddle House, behind a rarely opened door on the top floor of the Governor’s Residence, can be found the names of hundreds of Old Boys. Little would our original students realise that these crude scratchings, some carved, some made with pencil or chalk, would still remain after more than 110 years.

We have made a short video of this location to give you a better understanding of this special discovery. You can view it at: https://youtu.be/o1Hjb5FL5GI Amongst the names we have so far identified are more than a dozen Old Boys who died in World War I, whilst, though faded, the names of many more who served and adorn the Honour Board in the Chapel can be recognised across the aged timber surface. The following three Old Boys are perhaps some of the more recognisable men who not only made the ultimate sacrifice, but have bequeathed to us fine examples of leadership to be remembered by our current generation of students.

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MAJOR HUGH QUINN

CAPTAIN LESLIE RUSSELL BLAKE

SERGEANT ROBERT DUDLEY ALFORD

Described by his superiors as a capable, cool and intelligent officer. Four days after the Gallipoli landing, Major Quinn was asked to hold a precipitous position above the Monash Valley. To be dubbed “Quinn’s Post”, it was exposed on two sides and in some places only 10 metres from the front line, yet his company held it against the Turks for four weeks.

The highly decorated Leslie Russell Blake came to fame as a geologist and cartographer with Sir Douglas Mawson during his 1911-1914 Antarctic expeditions.

Following his Antarctic service, Blake enlisted in the Artillery and arrived in France in 1916. Shortly after, he was awarded the Military Cross for conspicuous and continuous gallantry when he carried out reconnaissance under very heavy fire at Pozieres.

During the attack of Vauvillers near Amiens on the 9th August 1918, Sergeant Alford saw that the troops were losing touch with the battalion on the flank. He dashed over and took command of the flank, rallied the men and led them on to attack an enemy post that was giving considerable trouble. Sergeant Alford was the first man there. He then reorganised the platoon and led them on to take a number of other positions.

As an officer, a solo recon under fire was an incredibly rare feat as he could have asked a subordinate to carry out the reconnaissance task. But this man was a leader who wasn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves. Unfortunately, in October 1918, he was hit by a shell while on his horse at Hargicourt.

Outstanding during the whole operation, Sergeant Alford was awarded the Military Medal for conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. This TSS Old Boy led his platoon from the front, he was the first man there. He was the example, the role model and he showed what he expected from those he led.

Unfortunately, he was killed a couple of weeks later during an offensive at Peronne.

On the 29th May, the Turks tunneled and bombed there way into Quinn’s Post and Hugh was killed in a counter-assault. Quinn’s Post remains at Gallipoli today, and is remembered as the most advanced Anzac Post, and a place of incredible courage.

By all accounts, Major Quinn knew the position was impossible to hold, that it was only a matter of time before it was overrun and likely that he would be killed. However, he could see the bigger picture, he could see that this position was the gateway to the Monash Valley for the enemy and if taken in those early days of the campaign before the Australians were established, it would have been devastating. Many more Australians would have died.

The takeaway lesson?

Always take into account the bigger picture.

A great friend, LT Morton wrote home to his parents ending with the following statement.

“His memory will ever live in all those who knew him for his undoubted bravery his fairness and his ability. He had a mind of his own and he was never afraid to use it.”

The takeaway lesson?

Don’t just tell people where to go, show them how to get there.

The takeaway lesson?

Don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves.

Just as these Old Boys who long ago so idly scribbled on a wall and went on to leave a timeless legacy, you too, through your actions and example can “make your mark”.

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Your House and Mine

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How the system works at Prep Mark Wyer Preparatory School Deputy Head Pastoral Care

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he House System is the very core of TSS Prep. Largely responsible for the ongoing pastoral care of students, it also provides them with many opportunities to demonstrate leadership, initiative, care and concern for others through working with the many charitable organisations that TSS supports. It encourages co-operation and friendly competition within a supportive environment and instils in the boys resolve, determination, creativity, collaboration and an awareness of the importance of community.

The TSS Prep House System has far reaching effects on the School’s ability to monitor and assist each boy’s academic, cocurricular and personal needs on a daily basis. Within each House, there’s a number of academic staff who support and encourage each boy to fulfil his potential at Prep. The Housemaster is the teacher who co-ordinates and oversees the work undertaken in the House.

From Preschool through to Year 6, students and staff are allocated a House whose name has a significant association with the School. This includes Dixon, in honour of Henry Horace Dixon, the founding Headmaster of The Southport School, Mitre, which represents the Bishop’s head wear and a representation to the Anglican Church. Musgrave is named after Governor Anthony Musgrave who governed Queensland for a period of 5 years in which he had a particular liking to spending time on the banks of the Nerang River in Southport. Shepherd that represents Jesus Christ as a Shepherd of his flock and one that looks over all boys at Prep. Each of these Houses will inspire our young boys to fulfil their potential and be leaders of their generation.

Each House has an associated colour, on view each week when the boys wear their House shirts during the Physical Education lessons.

Many school activities are House-related and cover a wide and varied spectrum of interests in the Arts, Sports, Academic and Community Service fields. By assisting with House and school events, boys provide service to both the House and school.

Students in each House are encouraged to be charitable in a number of ways, from fund-raising charity days to more hands on activities through work in Round Square. The House System is based around the principle of teamwork, with each House competition being the result of the skills and efforts of the House Team. Leadership is at the heart of the House System, with boys being both servant leaders, as well as being able to hold a range of positions with specific responsibilities such as House Captain and Vice House Captain.

The House System is designed to provide opportunities that challenge each student in the House; the array of competitions, the range of events and the dynamics of the House community provide the mechanisms for this.

The House competitions all lead to the important Howard Smith Cup. The Howard Smith Cup represents and epitomises the sense of fair play and competition exhibited by the four Houses throughout the year.

Boys compete in a number of seasonal sporting competitions which include: soccer, rugby, cricket, debating, chess, basketball and other competitions whereby each House accumulates points that go toward the Howard Smith Cup. Non-sporting competitions are also a feature where boys can earn points for their House during the year. The House Music Competition is a feature on the House calendar. Every boy in Years 3-6 standing side by side with their fellow House mates on the choir risers, singing with pride for their House, is a wonderful spectacle to witness.

The weekly House Points that are announced at assembly is also another way for boys to earn points for their House and feel connected with their fellow House mates. Most House Points are earned through academic performance (teachers award these in lessons for effort and attainment), but they can be awarded around the school for general good behaviour, conduct and support.

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The House System is designed to provide opportunities that challenge each student in the House; the array of competitions, the range of events and the dynamics of the House community provide the mechanisms for this.

The prestigious Howard Smith Cup is awarded to the House that shows a consistent level of achievement in all spheres of education throughout the academic year and is presented at the final assembly of the year to celebrate not just the winning House, but the contribution that all boys have made for themselves, each other and their school community.

A significant component of the House system is to engender a sense of service to others. This is done through student-driven charitable work and fundraising initiatives that each House chooses to support. All boys in the House work together to drive the project forward to a successful culminating activity that includes cake stalls, raffles, food donations, monetary contributions through donations and free dress days to name but a few.

The House Chapel conducted in Term Two adds an important spiritual dimension to the House system. Each House has the opportunity to come together with family members to participate in a House Service and it’s here that the boys experience another aspect of their House life. Older boys share their experiences of their time in the House and pass this information on to the younger members in attendance.

The spirit and strength of the Houses is an inimitable feature of TSS Prep. The Houses play a pivotal role in each boy’s development and in the Prep School there’s a phased transition to the vertical, House-based, pastoral system, that the boys will experience in Senior School. For each boy enrolled into a House, his House Teachers and Housemaster become the mainstays in regard to both pastoral support and academic monitoring. This process gives the boy and his family, a unique bond to the House and House Master, who often oversees the welfare of several family members as they grow up through the House.

The House system at TSS Prep is unique. Multi-faceted, allencompassing in its scope, inspirational in its purpose. It embraces all students in its care.

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How everything but the kitchen sink goes into preparing house suppers Oliver Todd Year 11 Student

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Seeing the whole evening run to perfection was a feeling that surpassed the stressful moments of preparation... and I would do it all again, for my peers, in a heartbeat.

he annual House Suppers of TSS have been a longstanding tradition to acknowledge the achievements of and farewell the graduating Year 12 form. Despite this evening focusing mainly on the Year 12 students, it is also a chance for many families to interact and socialise. Given the significance of these events, I thought, how better to capture the spirit of each House than to describe a TSS House Supper from behind the scenes.

tested in preparing for such an evening. He said, “I knew that preparing for the House Supper wouldn’t be easy….but we only had a couple of hours and it was really down to the line.” However, despite the pressure that Noah was under he argued that, “Seeing the whole evening run to perfection was a feeling that surpassed the stressful moments of preparation... and I would do it all again, for my peers, in a heartbeat.”

At the beginning of Term 4, my fellow Year 11 students of Walker House were tasked with preparing the annual House Supper. Being boys, we immediately presumed that the dinner would run itself and that “setting up the tables” would be less time-consuming. However, only after underestimating the actual talent required in coordinating such an event, did we appreciate just how much preparation from various parties goes in to perfecting these evenings.

A more experienced member of TSS and arguably the King of House Suppers, Mr Mark Wilkins, had however begun preparations for his House Supper almost a term earlier, having prior knowledge in how time-consuming such an evening is.

The typical TSS House Supper resembles an end-of-year awards night: high-achieving House members are acknowledged for their efforts and the collective cohort of families are able to reflect on the year’s highlights. Further, it is an evening that signifies the new, independent journey of parting Year 12s. It follows however, that the soon-to-be leaders of the School (the Year 11s) are faced with their first task of waiting the entire evening, to showcase their organisational qualities.

“In my eyes, the TSS House Suppers are the pinnacle of School events… and they uphold a tradition of the early 1900’s,” he said.

Again, despite devoting upwards of “60 hours” of his time, Mr. Wilkins similarly agreed that such an event is worthwhile.

I too, along with Mr Wilkins and Noah, had the pleasure to be part of these House Suppers and I was honoured to farewell the Senior boys of Walker House. For them, this evening is considered a ‘night to remember’, and I am looking forward to next year when me and my friends of Walker House are acknowledged for our achievements and are parted for our new lives.

Noah Lolesio, Year 11 student and MC of the Walker House supper, said his organisational traits (along with his patience) were

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The science f disc vering the big wide w rld Kate Waring HOD Science

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e all enjoy the privileges and freedom of living on this wondrous island called Australia, but it’s when you leave these shores that you realise that living on an island somewhere down the bottom of the planet is really living in a pleasant bubble.

The last holidays opened the eyes of 17 students from Years 11 and 12 Physics, Chemistry and Biology, and three teachers as the TSS science Tour 2016 carried one and all through the sights, sounds, textures and cultures of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Paris, Genève, Villars-sur-Ollon, Montreux and Zermatt.

This amazing bit of globe-trotting could be fairly labelled a conglomeration of “firsts”, as for many of the students it was the first time they’d experienced something as fundamental as a 14 hour non-stop flight. And that was just for openers.

Along the way they rode the world’s fastest roller coaster at Ferrari World, went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, stood under the Arc de Triomphe and strolled down the Champs Elysee, saw snow and skied on a glacier with the Matterhorn as a backdrop, and visited the Louvre to marvel at the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa. Not to be overlooked was the culinary delights of cheese fondue, steak tartare, escargots and éclair au chocolates.

Of course, this was the Science Tour and there was plenty of that kind of learning to be had in such things as seeing the stars of the Northern Hemisphere at the Paris Science Museum Planetarium, visiting the International Headquarters of the Red Cross and U.N. and coming to understand the relevance of Quarks at CERN. The TSS ethos states “where education embraces the whole of life” and mentions “educating the whole boy”, so

in keeping with that our main aim on this trip was to give the students a taste of what some other parts of the world have to offer. It certainly provided an amazing awakening for many of the students and gave them an insight into the international opportunities open to them if they follow a career in the Sciences.

The typical impact of the Science Tour 2016 is captured in the words of Year 11 student Lachlan Read.

“During IDEALS Week and the week following, a group of science students, including myself, embarked on a journey to see some the most famous historical landmarks and scientific monuments in the world today. We left on the first Saturday following the end of term three, flying out from Brisbane airport at nine o’clock in the evening. What followed was a whirlwind of unique experiences and opportunities.

From the United Arab Emirates to Switzerland, the sights that we saw - which ranged from the Burj Khalifa (the current tallest building in the world) to the Matterhorn and the activities we participated in, such as a guided tour of CERN facilities or biking down a Swiss mountain, are some of the most unforgettable that I have or will perhaps forever have. So I am supremely confident when I write this, that every other student who accompanied myself and the teachers, without whom this trip would never have been as successful as it was, count ourselves as extremely fortunate.”

Of course tours like this don’t happen overnight and deepest thanks go to Mr Oliver Alini who did all the gruntwork to get this tour happening, Mr Adrian Gaglione who was magnificent behind the camera lens, to the students who were impeccably behaved and interested, and to the parents for allowing us to look after and educate their sons.

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y r g n u h o g s w o T he cr d l i w s n u r y t i v i t as crea e c a p s h c e t p e r P e h t in Sandy Gippel Year 5 Teacher

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his year, the Year 5 boys have been encouraged to think outside the box with the creation of a Makerspace area in the Tech Space at Prep. A series of challenges were set, in which they had to employ the principles of the design cycle to create, evaluate and investigate in order to solve problems and develop original ideas.

The range of challenges included: a solution to the crows getting into the bags on the bag rack and eating lunches, designing an educational game using coding, making a board game to interest children their age, using original materials and ideas, writing a script and producing a short film with green screen technology that has us on the edge of our seats, writing a short story and an original invention.

All the boys needed to start was enthusiasm and a desire to succeed. What followed was a fantastic display of unbridled creativity. With a combination of a growth mindset, technology, brainstorming, diagrams, plans, and hard work, the boys were able to fully connect with their creative side to take things from paper to production. The interaction between the boys during this self-directed, project based learning, was amazing and a time for them to exercise cooperation, teamwork, creativity, perseverance, analytical thinking and hands-on exploration.

All ideas were discussed and even the bad ones were turned into something better. Boys were using the skills from maths, science and ICT in a real world context and the results were amazing.

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GREG WAIN

TOP 40 in education

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“one of the top 40

individuals leading the

way in the field”

A

big congratulations is in order for Headmaster Greg Wain, for being selected by The Educator magazine as “one of the top 40 individuals leading the way in the field”.

This prestigious list commends those viewed as pioneers in the education industry for their innovative programs. Mr Wain is being recognised for a number of his innovative programs, which he has introduced throughout his past 12 years as Headmaster, including his programs in positive psychology, habits of mind and heart, wellbeing, leadership and thinking skills.

Also noted and praised is his exceptional program called “Learning to Lead” for students in years 7 to 9. The program develops academic abilities, leadership skills of the 21st century and intelligent tendencies. The program includes Habits of Mind, thinking skills, positive psychology courses and a Chinese living, language and culture program.

Another program Mr Wain is being commended for is his teacher development program. Being a boy’s only school, it is imperative that our teachers are equipped with the knowledge of how to best teach boys and that they continue to learn the best ways to teach throughout their career as new strategies emerge. Headmaster Wain has recognised the importance of this and so has made it a priority to implement a program that invests in developing teachers, ensuring that TSS progresses as an education organisation where our staff are continually learning, seeking feedback and reflecting on their practice. When our teachers know and practice the best teaching strategies, it gives our students the greatest opportunity to succeed and works to inspire in them a love of learning.

Not only is Mr Wain equipping teachers with the knowledge they need to best educate their students, he is also helping new parents to better understand their children’s thought and learning processes through his Boy’s Education Information Sessions and Brain Talks.

For these presentations Mr Wain finds, interprets, evaluates and reports on the latest research and methodologies on how boys learn to give parents simple techniques to more successfully understand and communicate with their children.

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Parent Surveys

Keep us on Track

W

e look on our biennial parent surveys as an invaluable source of critical feedback to help keep us on track, so thank you to the many parents who took the time to respond to the TSS 2016 biennial parent survey. I have read them all and the results and recurrent themes appear below. In the interests of transparency, every suggested ‘area for improvement’, or parent concern, mentioned by just three percent (or more) of respondent parents, is listed herein.

All these issues have been presented to the School Council, and as always, this valuable information will help inform our planning and resourcing.

We are delighted that parents are noting both that ‘teachers’ are the best aspect of TSS, and noting the continual development of the quality of our teachers, from a 34% mention level in 2006 to 60% in 2016. Our

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spirit and ‘culture’ continues to strengthen and is now rated as the second best aspect of the School. The boys themselves are key drivers of this culture in terms of academic diligence, anti-drugs, spirit, involvement and care for others.

Another key measure I track over time is our value proposition. In terms of the ‘Value for Money’ of the total TSS package, 47% of parents feel Very Positive (up from 39% in 2013), 35% Feel Positive. These are the best figures since we started tracking this in 2004.

3% of parents feel Not Satisfied in terms of value for money, and 0.3% of parents felt Very Negative. As you can see from the graph, the Very Positive and Positive ratings are growing, and the Not Satisfied and Very Negative ratings are pleasingly reducing.

We do target the areas of concern raised recurrently by parents and boys, and it is good to see that effort reflected in the

survey results. For example, over the past ten years bullying as an area in need of improvement has reduced from an 8% mention rate to 1%, academics as an area of concern has reduced from 22% to 3%, and discipline and uniforms has reduced from 7% to 0%.

Every family who felt Not Satisfied in terms of value for money has, anonymously, had their specific reasons conveyed to the School Council and to the teachers.

Our persistent efforts in ‘value adding’ to your son’s education in terms of our leading initiatives such as Boys’ Education, Learning Styles, Thrass phonics reading, Bounce Back, Positive Psychology, Habits of Mind, Habits of Heart, Leadership Program, Cadets and the like are also being reflected in the survey results and parent comments.

Best Aspects o

f TSS

1. Teachers 2. Culture…Sp irit/Community/B rotherhood/Team 3. Opportunities / Camaraderie

4. Facilities 5. Sport

29% 20%

7. Location and

Grounds 8. Leadership of the School 9. Boarding 10. Discipline an d manners 11. Understandin g Boys 12. Communica tion 13. Balanced an d Holistic 14. History and Traditions 15. Learning su pport/Tutoring/St udy Gym 16. House Syste m 17. Diligence Gr ade emphasis 18. Music

17%

15. More LOTE at

Gymnastics Prep Hall

16% 14%

Prep Pool Tennis Club Ho use

14% 13%

Sec Lecture Th eatre Floodlight Ovals Sec Music

13% 10% 9%

Seating and Shad e Prep Sport Seati ng

8% 8%

Prep Robotics

6% 6% 6% 4%

Bullying as an area in need of improveme nt has decline d dramatically in the last 15 yea rs

3% 3%

in need of imp

rovement

1. Prep and Seco ndary Tuckshop offerings need to be healthier 2. Boarding foo d needs improve ment 3. Communicatio n 4. Teacher Quali ty 5. Learning Supp ort 6. Device Distract ion 7. Sports Scholar ships 8. Academics 9. Prep Book 10. Two teachers (Teacher Aide) in Year 1 and 2 cla sses 11. More intera ction with St Hi lda’s 12. Rugby domi nance 13. Fees 14. Prep toilets

Prep

16. Too much ho mework at Prep

17. Lower Leve l Sports Coaching

18. Bullying 19. Pre School Pa rking full of Im agine Education Students and Sta 20. More Paren ff t-Teacher Intervie ws 21. No School Ev ents on Sundays or Mothers’ Da y

ist

Gym/weights Sec Library

20%

19. Admin/Corp orate Staff 20. Anglican/Chr istian 21. OSA/Old Bo ys network 22. G&T Program s

uilding Wish L

Prep pick-up/park ing Day Houses Annand upgrade

31%

6. Academics

Aspects most

Facilities and B

60% 40%

7% 6%

9

6%

8

4%

7

4%

6

4%

5

4%

4

3%

3

3%

2

3%

1

3%

2004 20 06 2009 2011 2013 20 16

2% 2% 2%

Value for Mon e

2% 2%

90

2%

y / Value Prop

osition

80

1%

70

1%

60

1%

e” perception of value for money This is the “Very Positive” and “Positiv

50

1%

40 30 20 10 0 2004 20 06 2009 2011 2013 20 16

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How would you

TE ACH A FU TU R E PR ESIDENT?

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Z

Jo Inglis -

achary Hermann, Candidate for the Doctor of Educational Leadership degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, posed a timely question recently in an online article entitled “Teaching a Future President - what if we equipped every student with the tools to solve the world’s most challenging problems?”

Deputy Headmaster Head of Learning and Teaching

In essence, Hermann - a former Maths teacher who researches and writes about innovation in education - asked teachers to consider “Would you teach differently if you knew that a future President was sitting in your classroom?” Hermann goes on to say that “A President’s job is a special kind of difficult — not just demanding, but exceedingly complex. One of President Obama’s advisers once said that nothing comes to the desk of the President unless it’s “almost impossible” — and he has to figure it out.”

It is not only Presidents or Prime Ministers that face complex challenges. More and more as jobs evolve, the labour market requires workers to possess and develop skills in dealing with a plethora of ‘almost impossible’ problems. Hermann urges schools and teachers to prepare our students assuming all students need ‘President-worthy skills’.

Tony Wagner, Harvard colleague of Hermann, and author of Most Likely To Succeed: Preparing our Kids for the Innovation Era (2016) and Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change The World (2012) offers seven survival skills for the 21st century elaborated upon by Hermann below:

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Critical thinking and problem solving Like the president, students must be given daily opportunities to dig into problems that are openended and messy. Imagine the power of students working on problems that haven’t already been solved by someone else.

2

ollaboration across networks and leading C by influence A president must find effective ways to work across differences and with diverse groups of individuals, organisations, and countries, building coalitions to solve truly complex challenges.

Students must have the opportunity to collaborate in authentic ways around meaningful work.

Classroom tasks must require students to coordinate, negotiate, influence, and collaborate in order to succeed.

4

Initiative and entrepreneurship Just as a president must know when to act first and how to successfully navigate uncharted territory, students must be encouraged to think of new and important ideas and to find support as they explore them. Students have to recognise the difference between productive failure and unproductive success, and teachers must design their classroom systems and structures to reinforce thoughtful exploration. Intentional, carefully designed uncertainty and volatility in classroom tasks can help students build agility and adaptability.

3

Agility and adaptability A president must have the ability to recognise and adjust to changes in the environment. While predictability and consistency certainly have their place in school, too much of them can stifle growth. Intentional and carefully designed uncertainty and volatility in classroom tasks and procedures can provide powerful opportunities for students to develop agility and adaptability.

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5

Effective oral and written communication A president relies on adept communication skills to convey complex and important ideas to a variety of stakeholders across a variety of mediums. Students must be given frequent opportunities to share their ideas and develop their communication skills across disciplines, formats, and media.

6

ssessing and analysing information A In a world where information and data can be used to make competing arguments, a president must have the skills and discipline to assess the veracity and relevance of information in order to make an informed and thoughtful decision. Students must be given problems where information is both scarce and abundant.

They must have opportunities to sift, analyse, evaluate, and deploy information to make consequential decisions.

7

uriosity and imagination C Presidents are rarely valued merely for what they know or can do. They are valued for their ability to envision future possibilities, create solutions never before imagined, and ask truly essential questions. For students to gain those same skills, curiosity and imagination must be nurtured.

Teachers must help students find connections between disciplines and pursue answers to their own essential questions.

As parents, we might consider our approach in how we bring up our children, by working under the assumption that a Prime Minister might be forming under our care and guidance.

Based on this, we can aim to consciously develop in our children, the skills required for the everincreasing complexity of the world which they will inherit as adults.

Mike Lanza is a Silicon Valley father of three boys who was highlighted in a recent New York Times article entitled The Anti-Helicopter Parent’s Plea; Let Kids Play. He described his motivation for transforming his yard into a playground where children can take physical risks without supervision. In Lanza’s worldview, “boys today are being deprived of masculine experiences by overprotective moms, who are allowed to dominate passive dads.” Central to Mike’s philosophy is the importance of physical danger, of encouraging boys to take risks and play rough and tumble and get or inflict a scrape or two. This is the opposite to what he calls “mom philosophy” (which could just as easily be described as contemporary parenting philosophy) which espouses the need to play safe, play nice and not hurt other kids or yourself.

Whilst Lanza’s approach may be considered by some to be a little on the edge, his underlying premise aligns with that of Hermann and Wagner; that children and young adults can only develop the skills they will need to successfully navigate their future if they have the opportunity to develop 21st Century Skills. Most of these skills can only really be acquired through experience - positive and negative, simple and difficult, pleasant and painful.

TSS is a safe place for boys to experience highs and lows, to take risks, to learn from their mistakes, and to develop grit and persistence in the face of challenges of ‘almost impossible’ problems. This is because they can do so under the guidance and care of trained and skilled professionals who are experts in nurturing holistic growth in boys and young men.

Parents who too quickly jump in to defend/save/solve their children’s problems at school are denying their son opportunities to develop ‘President-worthy skills’. Both teachers and parents need to work to develop a long-term vision of our students and children. That vision is one that as Hermann puts it: “considers not only who they are today, but who they will one day become.

The world is full of “almost impossible” problems, and schools and parents need to prepare students to take them on.”

For further reference, the articles featured in this discussion can be found at;

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www.gse.harvard.edu/uk/blog/teaching-future-president www.gse.harvard.edu/news/08/08/global-achievement-gap www.nytimes.com/2016/10/23/magazine/the-anti-helicopter-parents-plea-let-kids-play.html

There’s More to Teaching Than Just Teaching O

ne of the very special features of the TSS Preparatory School is the exceptional teachers. The school is predicated upon the belief that underpinning strong teaching is the establishment of authentic relationships and the entire staff of the school work hard to make meaningful connections with the boys.

Throughout the year we receive a number of accolades for the quality of our teaching staff and in August we were delighted to learn that three of our wonderful teachers had been nominated by our parent community as exceptional – teachers who do more than just teach – teachers who inspire, nurture and encourage students to build knowledge, confidence and life-skills - teachers who make a difference.

Mrs Jasna Poeszus (Gifted and Talented Coordinator), Mrs Leanne Zauner (Year 2), and Mrs Megan Thomas (Year 4) all received certificates of appreciation for the difference they have made to the boys in their classes. They are dedicated and deserved recipients.

The ‘Day Made Better’ program rewards and recognises wonderful teachers across Australia for their inspirational teaching.

The TSS community joins in congratulating these three, but indeed all staff for the wonderful community they help to create.

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a h t i Wng in our so s i l l a , t r a e h ew ll Trisha Matthias Music Master, Preparatory School

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he benefits of singing are well documented. To name a few, it’s known to lower stress levels, be relaxing, release stored muscle tension, increase feelings of wellbeing, improve mental alertness and create a sense of community, ­– so it’s vital that our program offers this to our boys.

The Prep School has developed what we proudly define as a “singing school”, which has been a long-term goal of mine since first arriving here in 2005.

From the beginnings of Prep, in Preschool the boys begin to “find” their singing voice. This is done through many games, songs and activities. In Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3, as well as classroom music, the boys sing in their cohort. The development of the boys’ voices through this type of program affords every boy the opportunity to develop his singing voice and makes it inclusive for all boys. Many schools audition and select students to be part of choirs at this level, but at TSS we believe that all boys should have this opportunity.

Consequently, we participate in the Gold Coast Eisteddfod as cohort choirs and present concerts for the lower year levels. This gives the boys valuable performance experience but also builds confidence in focus, posture and presenting. At the conclusion, the boys feel an incredible sense of achievement.

Of course, we’re lucky that TSS is a single-sex school and the boys feel comfortable singing as part of their activities. Many coeducational schools struggle to get boys to sing, but if you look at our School the boys thrive. It’s exciting and rewarding, as over 60 boys in Years 5 and 6, 50 boys in Years 3 and 4, and 30 boys in the Camerata Singers choose to come to choirs in out-of-school hours. These boys are choosing to participate in an ensemble following on from the early years. It’s fun and it’s great for their wellbeing.

I’m proud to be able to offer these opportunities to the boys in our Prep community and even more thrilled to see so many continue with their singing once they go to the Senior School. The TSS Music Staff is committed to ensuring that as many boys as possible are given the opportunity to experience and develop their music interests across both campuses.

From Year 3, the boys also have the added opportunity to be part of choirs that rehearse more specialised repertoire and develop more advanced skills in choral singing. This is done out of school hours.

It’s a joy to direct rehearsals and ensembles with boys, watch them have fun together and to really feel proud of what they achieve.

The Prep School also boasts an auditioned ensemble, membership of which is highly sought after. These boys have a strong commitment to learning music that’s both challenging and very rewarding.

The auditioned ensemble - Camerata Singers - has had a hugely successful year, winning the sections it entered in the Gold Coast Eisteddfod and consequently being awarded the adjudicators’ award for most outstanding primary school choir.

House Music is yet another exciting event in which we see every boy from Year 3 to Year 6 participate to win valuable points towards the Howard Smith Cup. For many, this event is seen as a highlight of the year, as it brings such positivity and spirit to the School.

The Housemasters are to be congratulated on the work they do in preparing the boys. In witnessing this event, one can only come away on a high.

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we raised our voices in song

WHERE ONCE THE GUNS ROARED Jeff Symms & Trisha Matthias

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he Band of Brothers Music Tour 2016 of Belgium, UK and France in June / July was a wonderful opportunity for the boys to not only take their music to the world, but to also take time out to honour and acknowledge the sacrifice of our TSS Old Boys.

Forty-three boys from Years 5 – 12 enjoyed this privilege and really impressed all audiences and communities with their music and outstanding sense of occasion and respectfulness. They performed in major cathedrals and churches and at such iconic sites as the Arc de Triomphe, but perhaps most special were the opportunities to conduct very special and personal ceremonies of remembrance for those TSS boys past, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of liberty.

The boys sang first at the Last Post Ceremony at Menin Gate, Ypres. Since 11 November 1929, the Last Post has been sounded at the Menin Gate Memorial every night and in all weathers. The only exception to this was during the four years of the German occupation of Ypres from 20 May 1940 to 6 September 1944, when the daily ceremony was instead continued in England at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey. We were honoured to be given the opportunity to not only participate in the service by singing, but also to lay a wreath.

Following the ceremony, we headed upstairs to the outside of the memorial where we conducted our own special TSS Ceremony. The names of the TSS Old Boys who are acknowledged at the Menin Gate were read out, with some details about each of them and where they were from. A cross was laid as we took time to remember each of them and their loved ones. This was a touching and moving ceremony, and we were pleased that so many TSS families were able to join us for this.

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A special TSS Commemorative Service was also held a few days later at the Australian War Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux. The Australian War Memorial is such a significant place for Australians who visit The Somme that we knew that there would be some Aussies there to join us and we were not disappointed. Our service was, as always, a reflective and solemn occasion. On this day we had to contend with the rain which started to fall. We had made the decision earlier, that anything less than a torrential downpour would see us push on with the service. In light of the sacrifice that so many young men had made here in the years of war, it seemed fair to accept a little discomfort in return. Our TSS boys were magnificent and held their resolve and respect to the fallen throughout.

Our final commemorative service was at the Australian War Memorial in Le Hamel, set in the golden wheat fields on the site of the final objective of the Battle of Hamel. Planned and commanded

by Lieutenant General John Monash (later knighted), Australians of the 4th Division provided the bulk of what was a fierce but swift and successful battle in which two Australians won the Victoria Cross.

To conclude this service, the boys sang “Fields of Gold”. There was something pretty amazing about hearing this song drift across the golden fields where once the guns had roared.

At each TSS Service the Last Post was played by Year 11 Student James Rutherford and wreaths on behalf of the TSS Old Boys Association were laid.

It was a great tour and such a privilege to be able to take time out to remember our Old Boys and the sacrifice that they had made.

The boys grew in maturity and resilience, forged new relationships, developed musically and have been changed forever by this very special experience. They are good boys and will be great men.

To conclude this service, the boys sang “Fields of Gold�. There was something pretty amazing about hearing this song drift across the golden fields where once the guns had roared.

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A Frank Admission About the Importance of Listening T

he Admissions Office is a vibrant place where we strive to understand differences, and embrace diversity. I interview families and their sons, conduct tours and work with the Marketing team. Admissions is also the conduit for all scholarships and bursaries, for the coordination of all boarding places for our country folk and international students; we ensure policies are observed, parent expectations are managed and aim to deliver a positive impression to anybody that calls.

We are the face of TSS. Being the Admissions Registrar at The Southport School for ten years has taught me many things, but the most important lesson I have learnt in this time is to listen.

When a family makes that initial enquiry perhaps by phone or walking into the Admissions Office - they come from a variety of backgrounds, with a variety of needs and a variety of expectations.

Naturally for fear of “over-promising and underdelivering”, I need to thoroughly understand their son’s current circumstances and clearly communicate what is the positive benefit for their son. I need to listen to their story.

Parents are spoilt for choice of schools on the Gold Coast. Families will ask what we can deliver for their son. What is the point of difference at TSS? Why should I send my son to an all-boys school? I know, I was one of them. My two sons attended TSS from Reception to graduation, so I have gained some insight over those 15 years. I have seen the deep social and civic engagement it was to be a TSS boy. An

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Being the Admissions Registrar at The Southport School for ten years has taught me many things, but the most important lesson I have learnt in this time is to listen.

all-boys environment delivers a safe platform in areas of emotional intelligence, team problem-solving and self-awareness. An all-boys setting also provides a safe place to fall and get back up again.

Naturally, families want to see evidence of this.

They want to see innovation, monitoring and progress, but mostly they want to see this demonstrated. My approach is not centered on the beautiful buildings and grounds of TSS, instead, it has always been to tell real, sometimes raw but authentic stories.

TSS is a treasure chest of stories of boys and their achievements, their challenges and subsequent successes, their mate-ships and mentoring. I simply am the story teller. I have learnt to listen to a family’s wish list and there is usually a relatable story of a past or current student that identifies with their own journey. Or even better, to let a current student himself tell that story as we walk about the campus.

I have been taught over time in this role that each and every boy is on a unique journey and we are just the caretakers until such time as they are prepared for a future that will require leadership, humility, collaboration and adaptability. Most often in the Senior School, the boy ultimately makes the decision on whether he becomes one of the band of brothers of TSS. I have learnt to listen to the boy and find the key to what drives him. I always believe if he wants to be here, he will make it work, and I have rarely been disappointed.

Calling all Young Old Boys – we need your expertise to tutor current students

T

he OSA is seeking Young Old Boys to engage with current students through a new peer-to-peer tutoring program.

This initiative is designed to assist our current students and give Young Old Boys an opportunity to earn extra income without interfering with their studies. We would love to hear from university students with an ATAR score of more than 90, or an OP between 1-6, and achieving excellent results. We are seeking Young Old Boys who can tutor in Maths or English to Year 12 level, as well as Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Economics and Graphics.

This exciting module is a new initiative introduced in collaboration with the School. It has been implemented with the primary objective to assist Young Old Boys gain access to future work opportunities and, in turn, create a bank of tutors who can assist current TSS students.

To register your services (at no charge) on the OSA Tutoring website, go to www.tssoldboys.com.au and follow the links. After signing, go to OSA Directories then select the Tutoring portal.

It is preferable that you have access to a vehicle and a current driver’s licence, and are willing to travel to the student’s home and commit to regular sessions each week. If you are not living in the Southport area, and not if you’re prepared to tutor via internetbased software, such as Skype, please consider registering as well.

Excellent communication skills and command of the English language is essential. You must be reliable, able to work without supervision, be punctual, have excellent personal presentation and hold a valid Blue Card.

When you register, you will be asked to create a personal profile detailing your experience, qualifications and tutoring approach. Use your profile to specify what times you would be available to tutor and how much you charge per hour. Ensure you enter your valid Blue Card number – this is a mandatory requirement when working with schoolchildren.

I have found the new tutoring platform on the OSA website very valuable for finding tutoring work. It offers a very convenient method of finding a tutor and solves the problem of having to search the internet. It has also increased my awareness of the benefits of being an Old Boy at TSS and how many opportunities the OSA provides. So far it has been a very positive experience!”

– Jordan Brook (Bid 13-14 )

I just wanted to send you a heartfelt thank you for your assistance with a list of tutors for our son Isaac. We chose Matthew Lane (Kai 14 ) from the list and Isaac has started sessions with him. The difference in Isaac is nothing short of amazing. Matt is just fabulous and Isaac really has bonded with him almost instantly. I think this OSA Tutor program is a wonderful idea and I can't thank you enough!

– Monica James (current parent)

For further details, contact the OSA Office email: osa@tss.qld.edu.au

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OSA & TSS Parent Careers Mentor Program T

he OSA & TSS Parent Careers Mentor Program was launched by one of Australia’s prominent business achievers, Old Boy, Malcolm Broomhead (Tho 64-69) in 2011.

Malcolm delivered a guideline on how to achieve career and personal success postschool days to a theatre packed with students, teachers and Old Boys. The OSA/Parent Mentor Network program works with the School to assist our youth of today by providing a structure and trusting relationship that brings young people together with caring individuals, who offer much needed guidance, support and encouragement.

Since the program was formed, over 130 mentors have committed to this program and many have already assisted current students and young Old Boys by offering advice and guidance on various career paths, being the facilitator of introductions, organising work experience and job placements.

If you are interested in being part of this program & helping contribute to career guidence of TSS Young Old Boys and current TSS students Please register online at www.tssoldboys.com.au

Malcom Broomhead (Tho 64-69) at the TSS launch of the Mentor Network Program

The Secret of Success is unremitting attention to purpose... When I left TSS in Year 12, I had no idea what career I wanted to pursue... – Malcolm Broomhead can for direct link to register for the OSA S & TSS Parent Mentor Network Program

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2016 Reunion Weekend

Thank you for your letter of 19 August 2016 together with the very special tie. I am still in the process of trying to make a visit to Australia in 2017, and would very much like to attend the Older Old Boys Assembly which I think is held roughly at the end of July. May I also take the opportunity to thank whoever was responsible for the excellent article in the latest OSA Review for my cousin, Alan Radcliffe, who taught me geography in my Junior year. The Walker family, John, David (decd) and I all have held Alan in high regard over the years.

- Older Old Boy, A. Matt Walker (McK 56-59 )

W

ell, we certainly turned it on weather wise for Old Boys’ Weekend. The weather was magnificent – a clear blue sky, slight breeze and with the temperature in the low 20’s - who would have thought it was mid-winter?! We could not have planned a more spectacular weekend to invite all Old Boys back to reunite.

We estimate there were over 4000 Old Boys, their families and TSS community members here on Saturday, 30th July to watch the rugby and basketball matches. Both teams won their respective 1st games much to the delight of everyone witnessing the intense matches played by the TSS boys.

It was an amazing sight seeing so many gather on Old Boys’ Hill during the day. We tried in vain to take a photo of everyone, but unfortunately our cameraman could not capture the entire spectacle from his mid-field vantage point during half time. The photo on the front cover gives some indication of just how many were on Old Boys’ Hill.

Generations Dinner on Thursday night was moved back into the Dining Hall as it was too big for the Old Gym Café. It was a great night with over 180 in attendance. A busy day on Friday with the Older Old Boys’ morning tea, assembly and lunch all happening while the OSA McQuirter Golf Day was teeing off at 12pm at RACV Royal Pines. The Young Old Boys’ Drinks at ONE50 on Friday night was by all reports a fantastic night with over 120 turning up to start the weekend celebrations!

We did ask for some photos from this event, but we were told it was probably better than none get published! The 1956 and 1966 Reunion Dinner was a delightful night seeing quite a few Old Boys meet up with

their class mates after not seeing them in 50 odd years! It was a lovely sight to see the recognition on the faces of those who hadn’t seen one another for so long.

Saturday’s full day of events included the Headmaster’s Morning Tea, Rediscovery Tour of the School, Sausage Sizzle under the OSA Tent on Old Boys’ Hill, and lastly the Saturday night Reunion Dinner for the classes of 1976, 1986, 1996 and 2006 which saw the Dining Hall heaving with so much comradery and especially the final farewell TOKIO from all year groups which almost took the roof off! It was a fantastic night and this year the 2006 boys take the cup for breaking all attendance records with over 50 returning from their year group. The class coordinators certainly made a big impact on the night and we thank them for all their efforts in chasing up those from their year group who don’t have their contact information listed with the OSA. We really thank every one of you for all that you did to encourage so many to attend the Reunion dinners organised.

All year groups held an unofficial event either before or after their reunion dinner that kept everyone entertained for the entire weekend.

Photos from a few of the events can be viewed on the TSS Old Boys’ website. For those that are interested in viewing the photos of the weekend – they are all on the TSS Old Boys’ website under 2016 Old Boys’ Weekend.

Also, for those that want to see the clip of the TOKIO from the 2006, 1996 and 1986 year groups – go to the Old Southportonians’ Association Facebook page and they are loaded there. They are definitely worth a look!

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2016 Valedictory Speaker

BR A X TON COOK

Braxton was the surprise guest speaker at the Valedictory Dinner this year.

Each year the School calls on an Old Boy who has an interesting and inspiring story to tell the Year 12 boys. Braxton is a the Deputy Director of the Control Systems Engineering (CSE) directorate in the space division of Orbital ATK, and operates satellites in Washington DC. An amazing man who provided some sage advice to our newest Old Boys on life, its challenges and the importance of having a mentor. The boys and staff certainly were in awe of this amazing man who has achieved so much already.

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“While working at a summer job on the Gold Coast (flying kites on the beach!), for example, I met an engineer who worked in satellite communications...

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graduated co-dux with Kane Bayliss in the class of ‘92. We were extremely fortunate to be part of an astounding cohort of motivated and capable classmates who pushed me to work harder and achieve academic (and personal) success.* My father and I travelled to the US when I was four years old to visit his family and since that trip I had wanted to fly planes.

Over time my interest in flying planes transformed into a desire to understand flight and the design of aircraft. Upon graduating high school, I entered the Aerospace/Avionics engineering program at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). This was a four-year program that I found particularly challenging. I often found working part-time and attending full-time university difficult to balance and didn't always do as well in my degree program as I would have liked.

At the time there wasn't much of an aerospace industry in Australia either, so internships tended to be with small aviation operators such as flight schools or instrument repair shops. It was all good experience, but not always motivating to someone who wanted to design and build aircraft.

Despite all of this I was always extremely motivated when I encountered people who worked in the industry. While working at a summer job on the Gold Coast (flying kites on the beach!), for example, I met an engineer who worked in satellite communications. My focus up to that point had been aircraft but a five-minute conversation instantly broadened my horizons (pun intended) when I realized that my education and interest in avionics design could be expanded to include space. My co-workers couldn't believe that someone could be so excited about meeting someone who wasn't famous, but to me the meeting was life changing.

My parents have always been travellers (my father is from the US, my mother Australia, they met in Italy, and now live in Williamsburg, Virginia) and I visited them one Christmas while they were enjoying a one-year teacher exchange in London. I caught the travel bug and wrote to my University to say that I would see them in a year (universities usually automatically allow a one-year deferral which is very useful!).

I spent the year writing software for the Bank of England's finance department and travelling Europe.

During the year I also spent three months in the United States working as a camp counsellor and visiting the US side of my family. During my visit to the US I would drive by companies that, until then, I had only seen in books (Boeing,

Northrup Grumman, Lockheed Martin etc.). You have to remember that this was during the birth of the internet so the culture hadn't quite shifted to 'Googling' things, and while these companies did have an early web presence there was a lot to be said for actually seeing them in real life. It was during this trip that I resolved to move to the US upon graduation.

Following graduation, I returned to the US in 1998 and stayed with my Aunt in Detroit, Michigan. My second-cousin was attending university at Wayne State in downtown Detroit and while he attended lectures I would use the library computers to look for jobs. The internet boom was in full swing so most technology graduates were heading to '.com' jobs which left more traditional industries such as automotive and aerospace starving for young graduates. I was fortunate to find myself with three offers; one in Maryland writing simulator software for fighter aircraft, one in Michigan writing software for the automotive industry, and a third at Orbital Sciences Corporation in Virginia.

All the offers excited me and the job interview process was fascinating. One interview, for example, involved a drive around the Patuxent naval air station during which we had to stop at a red light while an F-18 Hornet landed right in front of the car. Awesome! Nothing excited me more however, than seeing an actual satellite in production in a lab in Virginia (each to his or her own, I guess). At that moment I was sold and the interviews resulted in an offer to move to Virginia to write software for satellite avionics. * Note: You recently profiled Darren Goldie who is a close friend and was a classmate of mine.

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Braxton’s Career Highlights 1

The sole developer of some software for an avionics box that has flown on almost 40 missions.

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Been a systems engineering lead on GEO communication programs.

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As part of the systems engineering role on the space station cargo re-supply mission (CRS) I have visited the Johnson Space Centre in Houston and sat in the Apollo control room (Houston, we have a problem) and sat with mission control operators during a Japanese resupply mission to the space station.

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I recently spent a year in Spain with my family helping Hispasat operate a GEOStationary satellite they purchased from Orbital ATK. I personally support customers in Australia, Asia, Europe, UK, and South America.

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I was recently promoted to the role of Deputy Director of the Control Systems Engineering (CSE) directorate in the Space Division of Orbital ATK. In this role I am responsible for supporting my director in the management of over 180 very talented software and attitude/guidance control engineers. It’s a significant challenge and I’m very excited for the recognition and to be offered the position.

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Have a Vision Opportunity favours the prepared mind and by knowing what you want to do and where you want to go you can benefit from chance meetings and opportunities.

Example: my wife speaks Spanish and it was a family goal for our children to also speak the language. When an opportunity to support a program in Spain came up in a casual lunch conversation I knew I wanted to do it and why.

Inspiration As a child I was enamoured with William (Bill) Boeing and the aircraft he created.

Performed the role of electrical systems lead at two launches in French Guiana (this was an amazing experience. I was part of the countdown for two rocket launches).

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Aside from a year at a '.com' in 2000, I have worked at Orbital (now Orbital ATK) ever since. In that time, I acquired a Master's degree in Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech, a university experience that was much more fun than undergrad. Throughout my career at Orbital ATK I have pushed myself to always work to learn and was fortunate to have leadership who constantly challenged me and helped me move into new areas. I'll finish with a few points about my career path.

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Notes About Mentors It is important to find senior people who you admire that you can work for.

Once I started working it was easy to find good people to follow. Fred Paul showed me how to debug problems; he is a debugging wizard. Keith Davies taught me to care about the physics and the data and how they support one-another.

Steve Farrell showed me how to care for talented employees and keep them motivated and engaged. Very few people have heard of the people in this list but that doesn't matter; they are three people who have helped me tremendously. Find your mentors - they aren't always perfect people but they are perfect at something that you can learn.

Griffith University Knights is quickly becoming a Rugby “home” For TSS Old Boys & Staff

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here are a number of former TSS Rugby players and staff either playing for the club or in an administrative or coaching position. Griffith University Knights, previously known as Colleges, is providing the perfect scenario for someone who wants to be part of a club environment that encompasses all the values and ideals that Rugby offers.

The club participates in the Gold Coast Rugby competition in three grades (first, second and third) as well as competing in the Brisbane second division competition in the Colts (U 19) grade.

This year, Griffith University Knights contested the finals in all grades with the thirds and firsts both playing in the Grand Final.

Cato Perrin (Rad 08-12), who played for the TSS First XV in 2012, sums it up perfectly. “The club epitomizes what Rugby is all about… a top bunch of blokes, a great social atmosphere and good competitive Rugby.”

Mitchell Herlihy (Sur 03-05), played for TSS First XV in 2004 and 2005. He joined the Knights after a stint in Rugby League. He also played for the Gold Coast Breakers in the Brisbane Rugby competition. Mitchell says that since joining the club, he has never enjoyed his footy more.

“I enjoy the camaraderie that the club provides. It is also great to be playing alongside former TSS players and some of my mates. The club has a strong culture built on mateship.”

Chairman of the TSS Council, Fraser Perrin, who also was a very accomplished Rugby player in his day, Captaining Brisbane Souths and playing for Queensland, sees it as a “win-win” situation. “The club is a great way to maintain those school friendships as well as playing Rugby in a club which provides an excellent level of competition.” Fraser has also recently committed himself to the Knights becoming involved as an advisor offering his wealth of experience to the business and coaching aspects of the club. Griffith University Knights is certainly looking forward to Fraser’s contribution.

Head coach of Griffith University Knights, Graham Herlihy, has played a significant role in TSS Rugby for the past 12 years. He is also thoroughly enjoying his involvement with the club.

“It has been great coaching at a senior level again. The boys are committed and willing to make the required sacrifices. This year was very successful where we finished the season as runners-up. In 2017, our aim is to improve on this and take out the premiership.

The level of Rugby is certainly of a high standard, and I believe it is the strongest competition in Queensland outside of the Brisbane Premier League. If there are any TSS Old Boys keen to get involved with the club, give me a call. It doesn’t have to be as a player. We are always looking for people in any capacity, including sponsors.”

The club’s major sponsors are Griffith University and the Griffith University Student Guild. Part of the sponsorship deal is that any player who attends the University and plays for the club has half of his playing fees paid.

If you would like to join the club either as a player, coach, administrator or even a sponsor, please contact Graham Herlihy on 0416977826. Your involvement will be most welcome.

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2015

FINANCIAL FEE REPORT Ross Cardiff CFO, Business Manager

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or students and families of The Southport School there is much on offer. Our all-inclusive fee is offered with no additional charges or levies. This means, apart from some specialist sports training camps for top teams and voluntary oneon-one music lessons, we don’t add additional levies for activities.

Unlike most schools, at TSS all of the other various school sporting, outdoor education camps and curriculum activities are included in our fee structure.

The School is committed to keeping our fees as affordable as possible and in 2015 we continued with low fee rises. In 2015 this was 2.8% for our domestic students and 2% for domestic Boarding. This ensures we remain as cost effective as possible in all that we offer.

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Our enrolment numbers continue to grow with another record number of boys attending. During 2015 we averaged 1516 students. Income for the year was $41,551,571 with Expenditure of $37,825,352. This left a surplus of $3,726,219.

The surplus we generate each year is utilised to pay off loans on the new facilities our boys are already using. In 2015 the School finished paying off the Science Building on the Senior Campus and we added a loan for the Cribb Building on the Prep Campus.

In addition to this, the surplus allows the School to undertake our Capital reinvestment program. In 2015 this included the completion of the Cribb extension for the Reception boys. Also the refurbishment of the McKinley Boarding House, along with many smaller projects. Finally, these funds along with Loans allow for our future major Capital projects. Planning was occurring in 2015 for our next round of major projects, namely the Carpark and Road at the Prep Campus, and the Library and Lecture theatre on the Senior Campus. Both of these projects are now underway. The capital expenditure for the year was $3,352,010. Loan repayments were an additional $1,706,329.

The breakdown of total 2015 income of $41.5m included the following categories:

Other Income $824k

Commercial Activities $1.8k Boarding Fees $5.3m

Recurrent Grants $11.2m

Less Concessions and Discounts $3.6m Capital Income $178k

INCOME

$41.5m

Tuition Fees $25.7m

Expenditure for the year was $37.8m and the main categories were:

Boarding Expenses $1.5m

Interest $503k

Maintenance $2.1m

Teaching Expenses $2.3m

Admin Expenses $3.9m Depreciation $2.6m Commercial Activities $1.5m

EXPENDITURE

$37.8m

Salaries and On Costs $23m

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BOOBY-TRAPS, NIGHT VISIO as Cadets go Under Canvas at Hidden Creek Conan Bland Director of Cadets Biddle Assistant Housemaster

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00 TSS Army Cadets made the trek to the Annual Camp down at Hidden Creek for some adventure and to pick up some new skills. To add to the usual Camp program, lots of new activities kept the boys fully engaged, with current and ex-serving military personnel providing most of the instruction.

Most of these soldier-instructors from reserve and full-time infantry battalions and engineer regiments had served in a number of operational deployments in Afghanistan, East Timor, Iraq and The Solomon Islands.

As such, they added a sense of realism to the training and the boys thoroughly appreciated the expertise.

A great favorite was the telling of “warries” around the campfire. “Warries” are stories told by veterans about their operational experiences and while these are exciting and action-packed, depending on the audience there’s usually a little extra embellishment with a sprinkling of exaggeration.

One of the new activities included an Engineer Stand, whereby the boys were asked to locate and disarm mock booby-traps using metal detectors and mirrors. This involved both building and ground searches of dozens of locations that were rigged with audible alarms for instant feedback. The alarms used were a combination of personal-safety and the type of pressure-plate alarms that may be found under the door mat at home. This activity was a realistic, mock IED (Improvised Explosive Device) search, designed to introduce the boys to one of the well-known dangers that our troops face overseas, but it certainly didn’t involve any explosives and no tactics or classified

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procedures were taught. In order to find the alarm “booby-traps/IEDs” that were set up in a building and surrounding vegetation, the boys were also issued with Mine Lab metal detectors. Small packages were buried across a large area and these - happily for the boys contained nothing more lethal than lollies. A good way to reinforce diligent search techniques.

Other new and exciting activities for the boys included laser clay-pigeon shooting and a night-vision trek facilitated by an external service provider. The nightvision goggles were fitted with the latest generation night scopes and there were many comments from the boys along the lines of “it’s just like the movies!”.

Perhaps the most light-hearted addition to the Camp schedule, was the incorporation of an 80m water-slide into the obstacle course. A huge thanks must go to a TSS McKinley Parent, Mr Dave Gillett, who sourced two, giant, 300kg rubber highway signs. These were lathered with detergent, sprayed with water from a high-pressure cleaner attached to a 1000L tank and laid down a very large hill leading into the obstacle course. Boys had a tremendously enjoyable time zooming down the hill at significant speed. This also added to the physical challenge of the obstacle course, as Cadets were required to start with the slide before commencing a timed obstacle course run.

Members of 9th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment, delivered a very professional Camouflage and Concealment exercise utilising a proven training package that’s been delivered since Vietnam. Cadets learnt that quintessential field-craft lesson of “Why Things are Seen?” that outlines the effects that shape, surface, silhouette, shadow, spacing and movement has on concealing oneself in the bush. Cadets used camouflage cream to break up the outline of their faces before participating in an Observation Post activity in which the objective was to collect intelligence while remaining undetected.

Bravo Company Cadets once again hiked up the mountain to participate in a field exercise in the rainforest, where they constructed their own shelters and slept on the jungle floor. They were certainly relieved that the weather held during the exercise. At night these boys were tested with an adapted lantern-stalk activity.

Glow-in-the-dark objects were scattered around a large area bordered by illuminated copper-strand LED lights.

To up the tempo of the challenge, pressure-plate alarms, sensor lights and high-decibel trip-alarms were scattered throughout the course.

All of the activities and training culminated in the final Platoon Competition, nicknamed Exercise True Grit. This was a four hour test that required platoons to rotate through a series of scored or timed activities as a test of objectives for the previous three days. These activities included the Kims Game to test teamwork and memory, a timed obstacle course run, survival skills test, building and ground search, an observation lane, an observation post and artificial object detection, as well as a stores carry. Bravo Company, Two Platoon were victorious on the day, which was a testimony to their teamwork, military skills, physical fitness and leadership from NCOs. The new activities and the Camp overall were considered a great success, and while the boys may have returned to TSS exhausted and in need of a good shower, they were also very satisfied.

The camp experience is more than an opportunity for the Cadets to learn new skills in a challenging environment. It’s an authentic experience for our senior Cadet leaders in the management of groups of people and the art of influence. It’s also an opportunity for all boys - regardless of rank - to be positive role models, develop resilience and realise the positive impact that these experiences can have as a force for change and the development of self-sufficiency.

ONS AND WET OBSTACLES,

“Warries” are stories told by veterans about their operational experiences and while these are exciting and action-packed, depending on the audience there’s usually a little extra embellishment with a sprinkling of exaggeration.

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Like Father Like Son The primary focus for the camp is for boys to spend some quality ‘one on one’ time with their dads and to strengthen the father/son family bond.

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Young warriors and the making of a man W

hile almost any man can father a child, there is so much more to the important role of being dad in a child’s life. Fathers are central to the emotional well-being of their children; they are capable caretakers and disciplinarians. Studies show that if the child’s father is affectionate, supportive, and involved, he can contribute greatly to the child’s cognitive, language, and social development, as well as academic achievement, a strong inner core resource, sense of well-being, good self-esteem, and authenticity.

encourage boys in Years 5 and 6 and their dads to involve themselves in the Young Warriors Program that is facilitated by Dr Arne Rubinstein. Dr Arne Rubinstein is an expert on adolescent development, with 30 years experience as a medical doctor, counsellor, mentor, speaker and workshop facilitator. His programs and seminars have been attended by over 25,000 people globally and are designed to support boys to successfully make a safe transition to young men, with a particular focus on creating coming-of-age Rites of Passage.

For a boy, the primary relationship with his father can affect all of his relationships from birth to death, including those with friends and spouses. Those early patterns of interaction with his dad are the very patterns that will be projected forward into all relationships...forever more; not only the boy’s intrinsic idea of who he is as he relates to others, but also, the range of what he considers acceptable and loving.

The primary focus for the camp is for boys to spend some quality ‘one on one’ time with their dads and to strengthen the father/son family bond. The Young Warriors Camp is also designed to bring out the best in the boys, allow their fathers to acknowledge the unique gifts and talents of their sons and be motivated to be a good man who makes a difference in the world.

Boys will model themselves after their fathers.

They will look for their father’s approval in everything they do, and copy those behaviours that they recognise as both successful and familiar. If their dad is loving, kind, supportive, and protective, boys will want to be that.

On the other hand, girls will look for men who hold the patterns of good old dad, for after all, they know how “to do that.” Therefore, if her father was kind, loving, and gentle, a girl will reach for those characteristics in men. Girls will look for, in others, what they have experienced and become familiar with in childhood. Because they’ve gotten used to those familial and historic behavioural patterns, they think that they can handle them in relationships.

For all of the above reasons and with due reference to research on the subject, TSS Prep runs an annual program in which we

This year, 29 boys and their dads took part in this annual campout on the Prep School ovals.

After some afternoon tea and setting of tents, the boys enjoyed some time together with each other playing team-building games and the odd game of bull rush. While the boys enjoyed time together, the fathers spent time with Dr Arne Rubinstein in a workshop session exploring the notion of parenting boys. The overnight camp was an opportunity for the boys to learn a little bit more about their dads through the sharing of their personal stories and life lessons. It was fantastic to watch as the boys listened intently to the stories they were being told by not only their own father, but also by other fathers in the group. I am sure that all boys benefitted from this experience, as it was a time of intense conversation and learning.

in storytelling, jokes, performances and song.

Another highlight of the camp was watching all of the boys take on the dads in a tug-o-war competition on Saturday morning. First it was all boys taking on eight dads, which the boys won comfortably. Then two more dads were added to give the boys a somewhat less comfortable win.

But when 11 dads took on the boys, it proved too much for them and the dads finally chalked up a win, much to the delight of their fellow fathers. To conclude the camp, each dad had to stand in front of a small group of fathers and tell his son what he truly loved about him. This honouring session was very special, as the boys had the chance to listen to the fathers explain to other members of the group why they loved their son and why they were proud of him.

To see the smiles on the boys’ faces and warm embraces given to their dad after their ‘honouring session’ made the camp an extremely worthwhile experience for all involved.

I would encourage all families to involve themselves in the Young Warriors program.

It is impossible to over-estimate the importance of dads. Boys who have actively involved fathers tend to have better grades and perform better at school. Also, well-bonded boys develop securely with a stable and sustained sense of self. Quite simply, fathers are central to who we are and the process of becoming who we are to be.

Friday evening around the camp fire was a highlight of the weekend, as the boys showcased their individual and collective talents

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n i e n i l A r e t a w t he t r a e h a d n a e p o h f o full Leigh Holtsbaum Fishing Club Rogers Assistant Housemaster

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ight from the School’s earliest times, fishing has been a pastime that’s entertained many a Southport boy. Stories by boarders about fishing along the banks of the Nerang River to catch their dinner and the legendary tale of the Pong Creek Monster caught by Bert Cockrell, are all part of the School’s folk lore.

Fishing is not just about the catch, it’s about being out in nature, enjoying time-out from the busy world around us and relaxing - an important concept for boys in a modern world, where technology often has them sitting on the couch rather than outside playing. It also challenges their skills and brings out the hunter-gatherer in boys, taking their mind off day-to-day school life.

With this in mind, the TSS Fishing Club was established this semester. It’s been great to see so many like-minded fishermen with a keen interest in fishing coming together to share their knowledge each month. The monthly photo competitions have also generated great interest, with many of the younger boys showing their skills and taking home the prize packs.

The intention of the TSS Fishing Club is: to provide boys with opportunity to improve their fishing knowledge with seminars on particular fish species, to create the chance for boys to catch fish off the school property and in the Gold Coast Broadwater, to provide equipment that will enable various fishing activities and to enable members to experience fishing when they may not otherwise have had the opportunity.

There’s no cost for boys to be involved and all students and staff are invited to attend the club meetings and enter in the monthly photo competitions. We can all benefit from a bit of time-out and there’s no better way to wash away your worries than to drop a line in the water.

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I T ’ S A B U I L D I N G B O O M AT T S S Ross Cardiff CFO

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oth the Prep and Senior Campuses are echoing to the sound of construction, with the largest building program in many years now in full swing.

The Prep Campus has two major projects underway. The first is the new exit to Brolga Avenue, the associated carpark and the Drop and Go Shelter, that we commenced earlier in the year.

Designed to fix our neighbourhood traffic woes that occur when traffic entering the campus blocks the neighbouring streets, the new road will bring the traffic onto campus thereby taking the pressure off the neighbouring streets. Better access for us and a blessing for our local community.

Our next project at Prep is the new Multipurpose Hall, to be used for everything from Music, Drama, Assemblies and Ceremonies to Sport. The Hall construction is scheduled to commence in December of this year and take around 12 months to complete.

On the Senior Campus, the Library rebuild and new Malcolm Broomhead Lecture Theatre are both well in progress.

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Looking at the extent of the Library demolition, you can see that it’s being totally rebuilt. A new mezzanine floor with lift access is being added and this will eventually link into the new Day Houses which are in the Building Master Plan. Gifted and Talented is also receiving a purpose-built space which will benefit the program greatly.

The Lecture Theatre will seat 250 people and is the third and final component of the Academic and Leadership precinct building, which commenced back in 2011 with the Bennett Building and continued in 2012 with the Sheil Building. These buildings have transformed the Senior Campus and the Lecture Theatre will complement the already outstanding facilities.

So the next twelve months will witness a hive of activity on both campuses, the outcome of which will be world-class buildings to be utilised by the boys of The Southport School for many generations to come.

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Je Suis Francais (well for a little bit anyway)

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This year for the first time in its history, The Southport School has been able to participate in this amazing lifechanging experience of Student Exchange

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he power of the spoken word can’t be underestimated and a substantial knowledge of more than one language creates a more flexible, creative, insightful and tolerant person who can in ways both large and small, contribute to the future cooperation between nations and development of international relations.

So for this reason, we teach French at TSS. However, it’s one thing to learn another language in the classroom, but to experience it spoken first hand, day-to-day in its country and culture of origin is another kettle of poisson altogether.

On their return from France with their French host brothers, it’s obvious that Oscar and Alex have grown in confidence and maturity.

There’s no doubt that this journey has been a positive one and they’ve had a great impact on the dynamic of the classroom, which lifts the level of ability of the whole class. Thanks to Student Exchange, Oscar and Alex will almost certainly go on to achieve great things, both academically and professionally.

Student Exchange is the chance for students to swap their school, culture, family and possibly language for a selected time period in another country. It’s far more rewarding than simply being a tourist, as students live like locals and acquire knowledge not available to the general traveller. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel and study at an overseas school with the support of a volunteer host family which means experiencing a new culture, learning a new language, meeting new friends from all over the world, boosting personal development and gaining life skills.

Going on Student Exchange has many benefits from both the students and the school perspectives.

For the student, it’s a golden opportunity to gain in maturity through taking initiatives and having responsibilities - in other words, it fuels the growth of self-confidence. It’s also the door to growth in cultural understanding and a knowledge of world languages, which enables students to think and communicate at a global level.

For the School, the study of a second language, international experience and cultural awareness and knowledge, has never been more important as a part of the program of whole-of-person development and for the TSS reputation. On their return to the School, exchange students bring a positive influence in the classroom, an inspiration to others and present as outstanding role models who definitely got out of their comfort zone.

This year for the first time in its history, The Southport School has been able to participate in this amazing life-changing experience of Student Exchange. Two TSS boys - Oscar Churchill (Walker House) and Alex Shields (Surman House) - received the honour of being sent to France for a period of six weeks. Their destination was the prestigious French high school Le Lyçée Gustave Eiffel in the city of Bordeaux, where they also met their exchange families and brothers.

This was orchestrated by the French Department, in particular by Ms Boissery who made it happen and the Institute J’aime Lingua, a French association that provides the vehicle for youth to see the world from another perspective.

For those two Year 10 boys who are studying the French language and culture, to say “I am French” for a bit was a dream come true. Going overseas with a close friend, studying in a French high school and being immersed in the French way of life, was definitely an experience that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.

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Prep Prowess Shows up in Sports of all Sorts Jack & Chase Jackson Ride Like Champions

James Bigg, The Karate Kid Wins at the Worlds

Jack (Year 5) and Chase (Reception) have been busy in 2016 competing in many sports including Junior Rugby and Cricket, but a top priority amongst their choices of sport is Horse Riding. They’ve won many accolades and should justifiably be very proud of their achievements. Some highlights from 2016 include:

After some very good results in the Queensland Championship event during Term Two, James (2J) was invited to attend the 43rd Annual U.S. Open & International Sport Karate Association World Martial Arts Championships in Orlando, Florida. It was an amazing opportunity to be able to compete in such a prestigious competition at an elite level. Students competed in Weapons; Point, Clash, and Continuous Sparring; Synchronized Team Weapons and Forms; Sparring Teams; Open Weight Sparring; Breaking; and Demonstration Team competition. James had great success in the tournament winning a 1st place trophy in Traditional Forms taking out the World Title. An incredible achievement. Well done James.

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Term One - Sydney Royal Easter Show - Jack rode his pony Hamish to gain 1st place in boy rider and Chase rode Tabitha to gain First place.

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Term Two - Mt Gravatt/Redcliffe/Mudgeeraba Shows - Jack was awarded champion junior rider at both Redcliffe, Mudgeeraba and Clifton shows and Chase was named champion lead rein rider. Jack was awarded supreme rider of the Mt Gravatt show. Chase was awarded champion lead rider on his pony, Louis Vuitton.

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Term Three - Brisbane Royal Show (EKKA) - Chase was awarded First place in his boy rider class (second year in a row of winning this class). Jack won his rider class then was awarded Champion Boy rider of the show.

Qualifying him to compete at the Grand Nationals in Sydney in 2017.

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udging by the recent run of successes by many of our TSS Preparatory students in their respective sports, it seems that whatever they’ve taken on, these boys have shown outstanding commitment to training and as result t hey’ve scored remarkably well . It’s been a pleasure sharing and celebrating their successes with their peers over the year, so read on to get some idea of just what those successes cover.

Eshan Singh Drives to Victory

Daniel Maurice Outperforms in Leaps and Bounds

During Term Three, golfer Eshan (Year 2) was the overall winner at the Queensland Junior 9-hole Tournament. Eshan was then selected to represent TSS at the annual GPS Golf Championships by the TSS Golf Director, Grant Garrison. Grant describes Eshan as a student who loves the game and has incredible talent. He had to compete against Senior students from the nine GPS Schools. Eshan beat more than 10 boys in the process on the difficult Pine Rivers course in Moreton Bay.

Daniel (Year 5) is a very focused and determined young gymnast according to TSS Director of Gymnastics, Mr George Jones. Recently Daniel placed Third at the Queensland State Gymnastics competition in the vault. Daniel was then the best performing TSS athlete in Division 3 athlete at the GPS Championships. Mr Jones said Daniel had to compete against boys much older and he outperformed most of these in his division.

Taekwondo Championship Successes for the Dynamic Duo Two TSS Prep students competed in the National Taekwondo Championships over the Term three holidays. Krrish Whala (Year 2) finished Third in Sparring for his age and weight division. Heanen Smith (Year 2) also placed Third in Sparring for his age and weight division. Heanen placed First in Special Techniques making him National Champion for his weight and age (named 2015 National Champion).

Congratulations to both boys.

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8

Lessons from Muhammad Ali Greg Wain Headmaster

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istinguished guests, members of the School Council, parents, staff, and boys of The Southport School…It is my great pleasure to address you this Speech Day, the final academic day of the one hundred and sixteenth year of The Southport School.

My talk today is on the lessons we can learn from the iconic twentieth century sportsman, proud black American, social activist and philanthropist, Muhammad Ali, who passed away in June this year.

Ali began boxing at age 12, won an Olympic Gold medal at 18, and won the title of undisputed heavy weight champion of the world at 22. Ali defended his title nine times before it was stripped from him for refusing to be drafted into the army, was banned from boxing for three years, came back, won the title for a second time ten years later aged 32, was later defeated, and came back to reclaim the heavyweight crown again, aged 36, to become the first and only fighter to win the world title three times.

President Barak Obama wrote this the day Ali passed away. … “In my private study, just off the Oval Office, I keep that iconic photograph of him, the young champion, just 22 years old, roaring like a lion over a fallen Sonny Liston. That photograph inspired me (an unknown politician with a funny name) to battle to win a Senate seat when all around me people said it couldn’t happen... Ali fought for (we black Americans). He stood with Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela; stood up when it was hard; spoke out when others wouldn’t.”

Muhammad Ali was born with the name Cassius Clay in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. He grew up in a time when most of the restaurants and movie theatres were for whites only. Segregated schools, public toilets and drinking fountains reinforced white superiority and black impurity.

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Ali remembers at age eight … “looking at the night sky for an angel or a revelation from God telling me what to do, but I never heard nothing…I was Cassius Clay then. I was a Negro. I was a Christian Baptist. I had no confidence. I thought white people were superior.”

Clay couldn’t understand why when he looked in the mirror he was proud of what he saw, but there were …“no heroes who looked like us …we didn’t know where we fit in…even pictures of Jesus were always white …then I noticed all the angels were white, never any black angels …no such thing as a black superhero…Superman, Santa Clause, even Tarzan, king of the jungle, in Africa, was white”.

Clay’s life changing moment, the sign he had been looking for, came when he was 12 years old and his brand new bike was stolen. He was furious and a passer-by directed the tearful boy to a policemen who was teaching boxing in a nearby gym. Clay told the policemen he wanted a State-wide search conducted, and that he was going to ‘whoop’ whoever stole his

Clay teamed up with trainer Angelo Dundee and commenced his professional career.

Naturally shy and introverted, Clay worked out he could sell more tickets to his fights if he developed a showman persona to promote himself. He started cruising around Louisville in a Cadillac convertible yelling out ‘I’m Cassius Clay, I am the greatest’.

He was kinaesthetically smart (movement smart).

He knew he was fast and incredibly fit, and he used that to create a new style of heavyweight boxing.

Rather than standing fast and slugging it out, he created the ‘Ali shuffle’ and the ‘butterfly dance’ to make himself elusive in the ring and hard to hit.

From 1960 to ‘63 Clay amassed nineteen wins as a professional and was desperate to fight the heavyweight title holder, the much feared Sonny ‘The Bear’ Liston, the Mike Tyson of his day, but no one thought he was ready, and Liston had no interest in an unknown loudmouth. Clay attempted to goad Liston into fighting him, at one stage renting a bus, draping

Clay slides his head back or moves to the side. Sonny misses, misses, misses. He unleashes that left hook which hits nothing but air. Clay is gone. Then Liston feels a left jab pecking at his cheek. Clay is back. And he’s fast. Worryingly fast.”

Liston’s corner threw in the towel at the end of round seven. Clay shouted at reporters who had dismissed him as a loudmouth and a fake…“Eat your words! Eat your words!...I am the greatest.” He was now the youngest ever heavyweight champion of the world.

After reflecting on the racial issues of the time, he then joined the radical civil rights group Nation of Islam, became a Muslim, and changed his name to Muhammad Ali…“Changing my name was one of the most important things that happened to me. It freed me from the indignity done to my family by the slave master who took away our African family name and gave my ancestors the master’s name, like they weren’t human beings, only property…The word ‘Islam’ means ‘peace.’ The word ‘Muslim’ means ‘one who

My fighting now had a purpose.

I had to be successful in order to get people to listen, to advance my real purpose, religious freedom and equality for black Americans.

bike. The white policeman, Joe Martin, suggested Clay learn how to box first. Clay agreed and Joe Martin became his first trainer.

In high school, young Cassius focussed on boxing.

He ran every day in heavy army boots to build up his stamina and worked out and sparred in two gyms. He didn’t catch the bus to school, he ran alongside the bus and raced it to school. Academically, he struggled as he had dyslexia. His mother said his ‘mind was like the March wind, blowing every which way’.

Clay was born with phenomenal physical gifts, especially reflexes and speed. But he worked incredibly hard at developing the talent with which he was gifted.

One of his training partners described Clay as having an…“almost boundless capacity for work in the gym.

He’d box three or four rounds with one guy. When he left, he’d go three or four rounds with another guy.

Then he’d come out and hit the heavy bag… anytime a professional fighter came to town Clay would train where the pro was”…watching, learning.

After achieving 100 victories in 108 fights as a teenager, and winning a gold medal at the Olympics,

his name all over it, and parking outside Liston’s home at 3am with a megaphone yelling names at Liston.

One night at a Casino, Ali showed up and started goading Liston. Liston pulled out a gun and fired at Clay. They were blanks, but it had the desired effect, Clay and his entourage scurried off. Such was the hype around boxing in those days.

Finally the match up was arranged. Clay’s own camp were more worried about serious injury than whether he would win. During the weigh-in, Clay taunted Liston by dubbing him “the big ugly bear that I’m going to put in the zoo”. Clay coined his most famous self-description - he would “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.” When asked how he would deal with Liston’s superior strength Clay said “Your hands can’t hit what your eyes can’t see.”

Here is some of the radio commentary from that bout in 1964 … “Not only is Clay moving but he’s moving fast. He circles the ring backwards. Liston is stuck in the middle like a totem pole watching a tennis ball go around him. He lands a body punch but can’t follow up. He pushes his powerful left jab forward but

surrenders to God.’ But the press makes us seem like haters.” Ali started to use his new fame as a platform to argue for civil rights. He saw this as a point where he developed greater meaning in his life, saying …

“It gave me something greater than myself to fight for … My fighting now had a purpose. I had to be successful in order to get people to listen, to advance my real purpose, religious freedom and equality for black Americans”.

He often told the press how ‘pretty’ he was. This was part showmanship, and part saying ‘black is beautiful’ at a time when black Americans needed to hear and feel that way.

His first title defence was a rematch with Sonny Liston. The fight lasted just two minutes culminating in the famous ‘phantom punch’ or ‘perfect punch’ by Ali to Liston’s jaw. So fast, no one saw it connect. Ali stood over Liston, roaring like a lion. The Muhammad Ali legend grew.

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Around this time Ali failed the Armed Forces test to be drafted to go to war in Vietnam. When questioned about this by the press he cleverly answered … “I said I was ‘The Greatest’, I never said I was the smartest!” By 1966 the government needed more young men to fight in Vietnam so they lowered the standards. Ali was drafted, but as a conscientious objector he refused to join the Army. He said to the white press…“War is against the teachings of the Koran…Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs on brown people while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs?... I ain’t got no quarrel with those Vietcong … no Vietcong ever called me nigger…If I want to die, I’ll die right here, right now, fightin’ you …You my enemy, not no Vietcong. You my opposer when I want freedom. You my opposer when I want equality”.

Ali was arrested for draft evasion, convicted, banned from boxing and stripped of his world title.

was always on the cards to prove he was the ‘greatest’, and the so called ‘Super Fight II’ was held at Madison Square Gardens. In a pre-fight appearance Ali enraged Frazier and they wrestled on live TV and were both fined, but it set the scene for the battle which Ali won on points. Ali was returning to form. …Ali then challenged the undefeated title holder George Foreman. The fight was held in Africa, in Zaire and Ali dubbed it the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’.

The Africans loved Ali, but Foreman was a massive unit and the commentators were of a clear view that Ali could not win, and may be seriously injured.

That didn’t stop the Ali hype … “I’m so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room,…and got into bed before the room was dark!”

Foreman was 25 years old, weighted more than Ali and had never been knocked off his feet. Ali was 32 and past his peak. Against all boxing sense given a larger, stronger opponent, and against his usual elusive tactics, Ali went in hard and hit Foreman first and then

In 1978, at 36, ill-prepared and looking a little pudgy, Ali lost his title to the 25 year old Leon Spinks.

Inspired by his determination to be the first man to win the title three times, saying… “Spinks just borrowed my title”…he went into serious training and won the rematch and retired from boxing. He later made an ill-advised comeback for financial reasons and lost to Larry Holmes. After that fight, a janitor was questioned by a journalist as to who he had bet on. The black janitor replied ‘Ali, of course’.

When he was told that was a bad bet, the janitor explained, speaking the views of many blacks at the time…“It don’t matter, my money’s always on Ali, that man gave me my dignity.”

In terms of relationships, Ali was a very flawed man who was far from faithful to the first three of his wives. He finally settled down at the age of 40 with his fourth wife, Lonnie.

With what we know now, I am definitely not a fan of boxing as a sport. We are not built to take repeated blows to the head. Ali’s boxing career caused the

Over the next thirty years Ali devoted himself to humanitarian endeavours around the globe: poverty relief, supporting education for children, and encouraging people to respect and better understand one another.

Americans’ views on the Vietnam War changed and in 1970 Ali was permitted to return to boxing after a Presidential Pardon. Whilst still superb, his leg speed and reflexes had slowed. In 1971 he challenged the new heavyweight champion, Joe Frazier. It was billed as the ‘Fight of the Century’ and Ali went back to his showmanship ways to promote it. “This might shock and amaze ya, but I’m going to destroy Joe Frazier”. Ali also described Frazier as ‘too dumb to be champ’, ‘too ugly to be champ’ and called him a ‘gorilla’. Ali lost a few people, including Frazier, with his belittling comments and Frazier didn’t forgive Ali until very late in life.

The ‘Fight of the Century’ lived up to the hype and remains one of the most famous bouts of all time with Frazier punctuating his victory by flooring Ali with a left hook in the fifteenth and final round to win on points.

Ali, as determined as ever, fought ten more times over the next three years working towards a re-match with Frazier. In the meantime, Frazier was beaten by George Foreman. But for Ali, a rematch with Frazier

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actually grappled him around the neck. Foreman was enraged and punched Ali into a corner and the crowd groaned for Ali. But after Foreman had punched out his initial energy reserve, Ali pounced and the momentum swung. In the eighth round a four punch combination by Ali caused the ‘impossibly strong’ Foreman to hit the canvas. Ali had won the title for the second time and returned home to the US to a hero’s welcome and an invitation to the White House to Meet President Nixon. …. Over the next three years, at the peak of his popularity, Ali defended his title nine times, but he was a fighter on the decline. The most notable of these bouts occurred in 1975, when Ali and his old adversary Joe Frazier met in the Philippines to do battle for the third time. Ali dubbed it the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ and promoted it with a short poem … “It will be a killer, and a chiller, and a thriller, when I get the gorilla in Manila.” The ‘Thrilla in Manila’ is regarded by many as one of the greatest boxing matches of all time. Ali was declared the victor when Frazier’s corner called a halt to the bout after fourteen brutal rounds. As it turned out, Ali was also just about to call it quits.

slurred speech and tremours which were evident even towards the end of his sporting career, and probably caused Parkinsons disease. Not just boxing causes such injury to the brain and the condition is known as CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), an issue now being grappled with by American football.

Over the next thirty years Ali devoted himself to humanitarian endeavours around the globe: poverty relief, supporting education for children, and encouraging people to respect and better understand one another. In 1986 he was invited to light the cauldron at the Atlanta Olympics. It took all his legendary determination and exceptional will power as he shuffled unsteadily with the torch in his shaking hands. Still the showman, Ali held the torch aloft with his whole body shaking with the effort as the crowd cheered. In 2005 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his philanthropic work.

Here are eight lessons we can learn from Muhammad Ali: The first lesson - The importance of determination and persistence (one of the Habits of Mind of highly successful people). Ali was phenomenally determined to be the best. He started preparing while at school, rising at 4am in the morning to run, wearing heavy Army boots to build leg strength, and he then trained at two gyms later in the day. Ali put everything into his quest, he aimed for excellence, and was determined to be the leader in his field.

and energy pursuing the reward, hence increased determination. Ali started by repeatedly drawing a jacket and then writing the title ‘Heavyweight Champion of the World’ on the back, building the strength of his vision/dream.

The second lesson - build a habit of regular exercise. Ali had good mental health and was resilient through times of adversity, this was no doubt helped by his exercise regime. He admitted to becoming anxious before his big fights, and exercise would have helped.

Getting your body moving, even for ten minutes, releases GABA (gamma amino butyric acid) a neurotransmitter that makes your brain feel soothed and keeps you in control of your impulses. GABA improves our mood and regulates anxiety. This is just one of many ways exercise enhances our wellbeing.

The third lesson - the second commandment part ‘A’ - treat others as you would like to be treated by not making belittling or put down comments.

With a lot of hard work by the staff, and boys, we have low levels and isolated incidents only of bullying at TSS, usually verbal bullying. Often this is a naïve misuse of social power, but the growing body of research emphasises the need to keep vigilant and completely stop belittling comments.

The fourth lesson - the second Commandment part ‘B’ - treat others as you would like to be treated by going out of your way to care for others and building people up. Ali learned this from a negative experience. When he was eighteen he passed through New York where his long time boxing hero Sugar Ray Robinson owned a night club. Ali waited outside all day to see Sugar Ray and get his autograph. At 10pm Sugar Ray finally turns up. He pats Ali on the shoulder, keeps walking and says … “Later, boy, I’m busy right now”. Ali was stunned, and then felt crushed. He committed to never do that to another person. He didn’t want anyone to feel the disappointment and hurt that he felt.

Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.

How was Ali so determined? Neuroscientists, just this year, have found that it is in our sub-thalamic nucleus in the lower part of our brain that we make cost-benefit decisions that dictate our actions. The sub-thalamic nucleus encodes the perceived value of the reward for taking particular action, and the cost in energy and effort to achieve the reward. It is part of our adaptive survival processes, we choose our actions by weighing up how much effort and energy we think will be required, against the perceived value of the reward. So it looks like the sub-thalamic nucleus could be part of the brain where our determination and willpower resides.

Ali said… “Champions aren’t made in gyms.

Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”

It seems likely that, as Ali did over many years, we can increase our determination by focussing and dwelling on the value of the end product, the dream, the vision. As we build up the perceived value of the dream or desire, we are willing to expend more effort

Joe Frazier didn’t forgive Ali until very late in life for making belittling comments. Ali said…“I did a lot of damage poking fun at him…I did this to help sell tickets and generate interest…I never thought about the effects my teasing might have on other people… I am sorry for that.”

Luckily Ali had plenty of positive role models, like the white policeman Joe Martin he met after his bike was stolen. At Ali’s funeral Ali’s wife made the following point, I am sure with reference to the current conflict between some white police and young black Americans.

If a man as tough, confident and successful as Joe Frazier can be negatively affected by belittling comments, then pretty much any of us can. I attended a psychology conference in July where the researchers emphasised the significant damage belittling comments and bullying can do, further reinforcing that we must have a zero tolerance to bullying.

Certainly a counselling, no-blame approach to the bully in the first instance, but a clear stance must be taken that belittling comments are unacceptable.

Neurobiological evidence is showing people can re-live and re-experience social pain more easily than physical pain, because the emotions they feel from social pain are more intense than for physical pain.

She said … “We cannot forget a white Louisville police officer, Joe Martin, who embraced a young 12-year-old black American boy in distress when his bicycle was stolen. Joe Martin handed young Cassius Clay the keys to a future in boxing he could scarcely have imagined. America must never forget that when a cop and an inner-city kid talk to each other, then miracles can happen”.

Bullying and social embarrassment are traumatic events which can affect the epigenetic system, the system which influences how our genetic makeup is expressed.

At TSS this ‘living the Second Commandment’ can be as simple as saying hello to a new boy, ask him how he is going, or as simple as a Year 11 or 12 boy talking to a younger boy. This builds a sense of belonging and spirit, and a small miracle can happen, it can make another boy’s day! As Ali said…“We have one life; it soon will be past; what we do for God is all that will last”.

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The fifth lesson - Ali said…“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” In his later years Ali committed to community service and education programs. And there are stories like this one from a more recent boxing champion, Oscar De La Hoya, who remembers when he was nine years old training in a grungy gym in East Los Angeles …“one day a man wearing a grey tracksuit comes in… we don’t think anything of him. He starts hitting the heavy bag. Then he calls a group of us over and says ‘I want to teach you how to hit the heavy bag’ … ‘stay on your toes’, he gives us a free lesson…then we figure out it’s ‘The Champ’ Muhammad Ali…he walked into that gym alone, humble, just to help us kids”.

More good role modelling for our senior boys!

The sixth lesson – develop the self-awareness to know when you need help, and develop the courage to ask for help. Ali said …“Wisdom is knowing when you can’t be wise.” We can’t know everything and we can’t be good at everything. Be aware when you don’t have the knowledge or skills in a particular area and get help

a partnership that lasted for two decades.

The seventh lesson - learn how to deal with pressure. Ali exemplified two lessons in talent development and coping with pressure espoused by international coaching expert Dave Alred, who works with our Sports people at TSS for a few weeks each year. Dave has, amongst many other assignments, assisted the English cricket and rugby teams, and several professional golfers. He was the kicking coach of Englishman Jonny Wilkinson who broke the hearts of Australian rugby fans in 2003 as, under huge pressure, he kicked a winning drop goal in the dying minutes of the World Cup final.

Alred’s new book, The Pressure Principle, looks at eight intermingled strands of human performance.

His chapter on anxiety explains the importance of our posture. Ali was a master of utilising what Alred calls ‘command posture’. Alred writes … “When we’re under pressure, our heart rate rises, and our attention narrows… our awareness of our environment, and our self-awareness, plummets, so that we can be hunched

Ali was also a master at the use of language to enhance his performance. Alred says ‘language is the ultimate performance enhancing drug’. Words can alter our brains and change the way we think, and change our behaviour. Alred coaches his readers to use emotive words like ‘coiled’, ‘controlled’, ‘hammer’, ‘aggressive’, ‘spring’, or ‘icy’ to induce an appropriate mindset before a particular task. Ali’s famous ‘I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee’ is a classic example of this. Ali knows what he is going to do and how he is going to do it. As Ali said …“What you’re thinking is what you’re becoming”.

The eighth and last lesson - who’s on your team. Earlier this year we did a ‘who’s on your team’ exercise with all the Year 7 to 12 boys. Every boy had to think about who they would go to if they needed help or got into a tough spot, then think about what they would say, followed by actually going and approaching one or two of the people on their list - a friend, a teacher, a family member - and letting them know ‘you’re on my team’. This is a really difficult task

He spoke to us of our most basic freedoms - religion, speech, spirit.

He embodied our human ability to invent ourselves and evolve.

from someone who does. Don’t be afraid to surround yourself with people who know more than you about crucial aspects. That way you will be part of a wise and knowledgeable group or organisation.

Ali knew he could not achieve greatness without help. When he was just fifteen, he heard a famous boxing trainer, Angelo Dundee, was in town. Dundee remembers receiving a precocious call from the hotel lobby … “This is Cassius Marcellus Clay, the Golden Gloves champion of Louisville, Kentucky. I’m going to be the heavyweight champion of the world. I’m in the lobby, can I come up?” Dundee, probably chuckling to himself, invited him up and Ali picked Dundee’s brain on every aspect of boxing and training.

Two years later Dundee was back in Louisville with a light heavyweight contender. Again, a determined seventeen year old Ali persisted and begged Dundee for the opportunity to spar with the contender Willie Pastrano.

Dundee relented and both he and Pastrano were impressed with Ali’s developing technique. Two years later Dundee became Ali’s trainer and cornerman,

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over and displaying symptoms of the physical impact of anxiety, without even realising it. The anxiety in our mind has a subconscious impact on our bodies. But what we are usually unaware of is just how much the body informs the mind”…a stressed, collapsed posture causes a stressed mind.

I spoke at Speech Day last year about this new science of interoceptive awareness showing clearer links between the body and the mind, and how we can use our body intelligence to control our mind and improve our mental health. For example, the depth of your breathing alters your spatial intelligence, and how well you can listen to your heartbeat predicts the success of your decision-making.

Alred coaches us that, before we move into a stressful situation we should re-set our posture. He calls it ‘command posture’ - head held high with a stretched neck, chest out, shoulders down and strong, knees flexed, legs grounded. Do this and you feel bigger and your mind is open and less anxious. Through the interoceptive system our body posture can change our brain, positively. Ali used this when being interviewed and when stepping into the boxing ring.

for many boys, and many men too. Often boys, and men, get into a difficult situation and don’t know how to ask for help, or they think no one will care, or they are just too embarrassed to show vulnerability. My view is that males need to have given some thought to this before they get stressed and need the help. When we get stressed our creative thinking shuts down and we go into our cave, which is mostly not very helpful.

Ali always made sure he had people ‘on his team’ at various stages in his life – his mum, Joe Martin, Angelo Dundee, and his wife Lonnie. Dundee had a special way of working out ‘who’s on your team’, who’s still around when things are not going well?

President Obama wrote this in June for Ali’s funeral… “You couldn’t have made him up. He had fans in every city and village and ghetto on the planet.

He spoke to us of our most basic freedoms - religion, speech, spirit. He embodied our human ability to invent ourselves and evolve. Ali was not perfect, but through all his triumphs and failures, Ali seemed to achieve the sort of enlightenment, and inner peace, that we’re all striving toward.”

Thank you to staff and council Thank you to our highly talented, dedicated and passionate staff, and to my tolerant and understanding Executive colleagues. A wise Headmaster once said…

‘No school can rise above the quality of its staff ’.

There is no doubt that our staff are the key to the current standing of TSS. Indeed our parents recognise this by rating ‘the teachers’ as the best aspect of TSS in this year’s parent survey.

My thanks also to the members of the School Council; the committed group of volunteers who willingly donate many hours of community service as stewards of this great school to ensure good governance, financial management and strategic development. They also keep an eye on me, especially Mr Perrin, and they provide valuable feedback and support.

Thank you to our parents for the trust you have placed in us, we are honoured to be a partner with you in the nurturing of your sons into fine young men.

Thank you to the boys for your energy, humour, inspiration and many contributions as part of the living history of The Southport School.

Thank you all for your support of The Southport School during the past year, the 116th year of this great School. … I wish you all a happy, peaceful and holy Christmas.

Thank you and best wishes.

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from the

TSS ARCHIVES

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The Chelmsford Cup (originally called The Governor’s Cup) was presented to the school by Lady Chelmsford at the opening of the new dining hall in 1907.

Lord Chelmsford was the Governor of Queensland at the time (1905 to 1909) and was away on business, so Lady Chelmsford agreed to attend the ceremony.

The Governor’s son, Hon. Frederick Thesiger was in attendance at TSS during this time and the family were always very supportive of the school.

Sadly Frederick went on to give his life for King and Country during World War1. he Chelmsford Cup (originally called The Governor’s Cup) was

presented to the school by Lady Chelmsford at the opening of the new dining hall in 1907.

The cup was to be awarded annually, based on the Rhodes Scholarship Lord Chelmsford was the Governor of Queensland at the time (1905 to 1909) principles, rewarding the most outstanding student of the school in honour of and was away on business, so Lady Chelmsford agreed to attend the ceremony.

The Governor’s son, Hon. Frederick Thesiger was in attendance at TSS during the Governor of Queensland. The student’s name was to be engraved on the cup. this time and the family were always very supportive of the school. Sadly Frederick went on to give his life for King and Country during World War I.

The cup was to be awarded annually, based on the Rhodes Scholarship The selected student each year was to be principles, rewarding the most outstanding student of the school in honour of the Governor of Queensland. The student’s name was to be engraved on the cup.

The selected student each year was to be: ‘Considered to stand out as a leader amongst his fellows and whose record ‘Considered to stand out as a leader amongst his fellows and whose record from the point of steady work, prowess in sport, and nobility in character would place from the point of steady work, prowess in sport, and nobility in character him head and shoulders above the others’. would place him head and shoulders above the others’.

The first Chelmsford cup recipient was Harold Osborne (1904 to 1907) who was also the editor of the first Tell Tale school magazine in 1906.

P. Paull, Chelmsford Cup winner in 1935, Lord Chelmsford in1905 and Harold The first Chelmsford cup recipient was Harold Osborne (1904 to 1907) who was Osborn in 1907 also the editor of the first Tell Tale school magazine in 1906.

Did you know?

T

P. Paull, Chelmsford Cup winner in 1935, Lord Chelmsford in1905 and Harold Osborn in 1907

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In Helping Others Our Boys Helped Themselves Robyn Gibson – Sony Camp Coordinator Head of Department Mathematics

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uring IDEALS Week, 28 Year 12 TSS students selflessly volunteered to take part in the TSS Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp, a four-day residential camp to cater for boys in our community who have special needs. Twenty of our boys took on the role of full-time carers for the campers. Another eight boys served as assistant companions to help out the fulltime carers by giving support, encouragement, time-out or organising the activities.

During the Camp the various activities ranged from mask painting, swimming, patting reptiles, rides on golf buggies, watching movies, going to SeaWorld and kite flying to rides in Police boats, plus visits from the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and Police Helicopter. Our boys were involved every bit of the way.

So it was that all the students involved gained valuable life lessons over the four days. The impact of the Camp on the TSS boys is best seen through their own words, such as these reflections from one of our students.

I still can’t believe how much I have learnt from the experience provided

by Sony camp. I grew a greater understanding, as did everyone else, of children with special needs.

“I still can’t believe how much I have learnt from the experience provided by Sony camp. I grew a greater understanding, as did everyone else, of children with special needs. I have realised how much I have taken for granted in my life which would be seen as a dream for many of the families of the campers. Just as Cate Campbell said in her interview, it is amazing to see how much the children seem to celebrate, considering they have so little to celebrate for. Which is a lesson I will take with me as people would dream to be in a position that I am in life. I loved it how since every companion was on the same confronting journey I was able to feel incredibly comfortable around students as well as adults I have never talked to in my life before. Overall, a paragraph is not enough to explain how much I have learned not only about special needs children but about myself and others and how thankful I am for this opportunity of a lifetime.”

So like a stone dropped into a pond, the ripples from that initial act spread out and the effects of the Sony Foundation Camp touched even the parents, as expressed in this letter.

“I would just like to say thank you very much for inviting my son to attend the Sony Camp, he had a great time. Can you please let the students know that we are very grateful to these young men who take time out to look after our children?

They are a credit to the school and their parents and we wish them all the best in their future endeavours. Can you also thank the many volunteers and the TSS faculty for everything they do to make this a unique and special time for children with disabilities? Once again thank you.”

The original motivating object may have been to help others, but it was to prove more than that and while they may never have heard them, the words of the XIV Dalai Lama can be said to encapsulate the whole experience for the volunteers.

“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them. It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.”

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Bruce Wright – Director of Philanthropy

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rom a general chat that coincided between a few parents and Old Boys, the idea of a fundraiser to assist in some way, country families suffering from the drought was born.

On the basis that some of our community where thinking of such a cause was a wonderful gesture in itself, however the broader community buy-in was quite liberating. The problem is that with “fundraising events” they don’t have a great reputation for generating substantial funds, but the balance is the goodwill and enthusiasm that builds amongst our community “wanting to do a good thing for others”. Without doubt, suggesting a fundraiser to support country families, battling the effects of the drought on their farm, business and local community, is very justifiable especially within TSS, simply because we have been a part of the Qld and NSW country communities since 1901.

We can proudly state that every boy / family was offered the opportunity to become part of this special initiative as were Old Boys. For everyone that sold / purchased a raffle ticket, attended the concert, purchased items from the auction, donated directly to Drought Angels, sponsored and / or donated cash / prizes for the Appeal, we sincerely thank you for your wonderful and kind heart.

Even though there are too many to state in this brief article, we will acknowledge those who had such a positive effect on the TSS City4Country Drought Angels Appeal and for that you have the School’s deepest gratitude.

While it was ironic that we announced the Appeal and shortly after it started raining, as we mentioned, the social, environmental and financial burden for farmers, local businesses and country families will continue for years to come and is highlighted with the most recent drought declared areas map for November 2016. The financial situation of these country families will remain sensitive until they are in a position to generate an income that in turn assists local businesses and these regional economies to again grow and move past debt, all of which will take a number of years.

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This Appeal has been about our TSS community wanting to undertake a “Call for Action” and the TSS City4Country Drought Angels Appeal has successfully created the opportunity for our entire school community to come together in a committed philanthropic act to help rural people in need. Our three key objectives that were equally as important to the success of this Appeal were:

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Raise Awareness – developing an understanding and consideration for the circumstances faced by these rural communities.

aise Funds – finding a series of activities and events R that engages an inclusive community response, building the philanthropic support that will make a real and positive difference to people’s lives.

Like to Contribute?

A final announcement of the funds raised will be confirmed in the new year, but there is still time for anyone wishing to support Drought Angels and the TSS Appeal with a tax deductible donation so please refer to below or our TSS Philanthropy website.

Again thank you all for your contribution!

Drought Angels details and donation information – please reference “TSS Appeal” Direct Deposit Drought Angels Ltd Commonwealth Bank

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end a Clear Message – as a predominantly city based S community, we understand and come together for a worthy cause and send a strong message of support to these country communities.

BSB: 064 409 CBA Account: 10 184 522 Phone: 0409 548 414 Email: droughtangels@gmail.com Postal Address: Drought Angels Ltd PO Box 451, Chinchilla Qld 4413

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Founded in 1901, TSS is an Anglican day and boarding school for boys from Preschool to Year 12, with boarding available from Year 7 Winchester St Southport Queensland Australia 4215 Telephone: +617 5531 9911 Facsimile: +617 5531 9977 Email: reception@tss.qld.edu.au Visit: www.tss.qld.edu.au The Corporation of the Synod of the Diocese of Brisbane trading as The Southport School CRICOS Provider No. 00523F