Darkinjung Barker: A vision for Indigenous Education in a two-way partnership
HSC 2015: The class of 2015 shone across all endeavours Barker’s Residential Program: Students embrace life in Central Australia 08 06
The
The initiative was borne from a belief that our Year 9 students have more capacity than they know.
Mr Phillip Heath Head of Barker College
From 1920 to 1936, Barker had managed a period of dramatic building development which gave shape to much of the heritage we now enjoy. Carter House (1920), the War Memorial Oval (1924), The Administration Building (1925), Domestic Staff Quarters (now the Clinic, 1928), Plume House (now Girls’ Boarding, 1929), the Swimming Pool (1934), The Dining Hall and Kitchen (1936) and the Assembly Hall (now Boyce Hall, 1938) all came to fruition in those years. This foresight and commitment is all the more significant when we remember the financial distress caused by the Great Depression during this period. The School Council felt that the Sydney Mint Gates would be a fitting addition to the site, and they stood at the Chapel entrance until 1975, when they were relocated to their present site in front of the Main Reception and Clock Tower.
The Mint Gates have come to symbolise the School itself. They were used as the insignia in our centenary celebrations in 1990 and were used again in 2015 to mark the 125th anniversary. They stand at the topmost point of the hill on which we stand, reminding us of the dedication of generations of students, staff, parents and Council members who establish our character and culture. They look back to a time when the NSW gold rushes hastened the development of Sydney as a city and Australia as a nation.
This year, we have set ourselves the challenge of looking “Beyond the Mint Gates”. We seek, in a spirit of humility and grace, to set our sights not on our own prosperity and success but on the contribution we can make to building a nation and setting the future. We have participated in national and international events, from mock trial to robotics, sports and cultural experiences. We have established a firm charter to create a sustainable environment and to make the most of our natural resources. With superlative hopes and dreams, Barker College has partnered with the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council to establish the Darkinjung Barker Campus
at Yarramalong, providing education for 25 Aboriginal children from the Central Coast region of NSW. The financial support for this vision has been provided by the remarkable generosity of an individual OBA member who wishes to remain anonymous, quoting the revered fourth Headmaster Mr Leslie and our Founder, the Reverend Henry Plume: “Honor Non Honores, duty without reward.”
God has blessed us richly. We cannot rest on the outstanding educational and cultural achievements of our past, nor regard our work as accomplished if our students achieve success only in the present. We must look beyond the Mint Gates, with God’s help and in His strength, to create the future we all long to see.
Peace
Phillip Heath Head of Barker College
Ian Miller Chairman
Welcome to 2016. I look forward to the various opportunities to meet you throughout the year at the many school functions and informal occasions in the calendar.
This year marks the opening of our new campus at Yarramalong and we welcome into our Barker community the 25 Kindergarten to Year 5 students of the Darkinjung Community and their parents. There will be regular occasions where our two communities will interact. This campus also introduces girls into our Junior School for the first time.
The first official function at Hornsby was the dinner to welcome new parents to the Barker community. This is an important occasion in which we can share the vision of Barker College with parents who have been committed to the School for a significant period of time. It is a joy to hear the reasons why our parents have chosen Barker College for their children – whether through being a former student, married to a former student, connected with another Barker family, referred through church, or through friends of their son or daughter.
As you would know, our School has a strong reputation in the community for pastoral care and academic results. The School is also known for striving to give each student the opportunity to explore
and develop their various gifts and talents through its various academic and co-curricular activities available, within a Christian context. We encourage our students to take up these opportunities during their time at Barker College.
The School Council is looking forward to an exciting 2016, with the further development of our academic programs, and to provide facilities for these programs which will include the new Sports Hall and Pre-K to 2 facility in the Junior School. The School Foundation has been asked to commence a fundraising campaign for the new Sports Hall; details will be available shortly.
In addition, the School Council and Mr Heath are considering responses to the parents’ survey carried out in 2015. We will be further developing our communications with all students and parents as well as the delivery of teaching through our information technology programs.
I am truly thankful that you are part of our Barker Community and that, under God, we will strive together to achieve an outstanding 2016.
Ian
Miller Chairman
We aim to develop our students’ capacity for empathy. This is key in our approach to Christian Studies, a subject which is compulsory for all students from Pre-K to 12.
By empathy, we simply mean being able to see (and feel) things the way someone else is seeing (and feeling) things. In the movie Dead Poet’s Society, the teacher, Mr Keating, says, “I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.” We invite students to do that. We also appreciate the deep wisdom in this line from Harper Lee’s classic, To Kill a Mockingbird: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
In Pre-K to 6 there is an emphasis on students learning to read and understand the Bible and to imagine themselves, for instance, in the situation of one of the characters. In the Middle School (Years 7-9), students are introduced to philosophical and ethical questions; for instance, they are asked to consider the nature of good and evil (Year 8) along with contemporary moral issues, such as asylum seekers (Year 9). They are guided in their reflections by engaging in a wide variety of empathy exercises, and by drawing on the rich resources of the Christian
faith where appropriate. Students in Years 10-12 are encouraged to explore a variety of different religious and non-religious traditions as they confront some of the fundamental questions of existence.
Christian Studies at Barker College is an innovative, rigorous and engaging program. It equips students with a sound understanding of what is at the heart of the Christian faith, a faith that has inspired many − both past and present. It gives them familiarity with the Biblical narrative. It supports students in their quest to make sense of life. Christian Studies exposes them experientially to a broad range of religious and non-religious world views. It prepares them to be informed global citizens. It fosters tolerance and an appreciation of different perspectives. It develops student capacity for empathetic engagement with others and challenges them to act compassionately and courageously.
Christian Studies Pre-K to 12 at Barker College aims to play a part in the development of well-grounded, well-rounded and highly motivated young adults who are capable of inspiring hope.
Jeff Ware Senior Chaplain
Situated in the picturesque Yarramalong Valley, many of our staff and community members have already travelled the 50 minutes from the Hornsby campus to visit Darkinjung Barker in our little piece of paradise.
If you haven’t had the opportunity I’d strongly recommend it – there is something magical and grounding about ‘The Valley.’
One of the early challenges has been educating children, in one class, with an age range of five to 11. I have been thoroughly impressed by the understanding and dedication of our 25 children and their families.
We also welcome four new members to the staff of Darkinjung Barker. Miss Anna Brown, our classroom teacher, has encountered a steep learning curve since starting but has taken to it with an open mind and a complete dedication to the students and our surroundings. Miss Chernita West, our classroom Teachers Aide, is using her time to gain knowledge about the students and assisting Anna and myself with the daily routines in the
classroom. We also welcome JD, an elder from Darkinjung. He not only drives one of the buses but shares his stories and knowledge of yesteryear with the staff and students. Finally there’s Ian, who has been employed to drive the other bus and has strong links with the Darkinjung community. Ian also assists our children by sharing his stories and keeping lines of communication open with the parents. The children love their bus drivers.
Darkinjung Barker is surrounded by a mixture of old and new. We have the traditional school house and cottage, with the Nyang Shack* nestled in between. This is a brand new multi-purpose room that will predominantly house our younger children for the morning session; it will also be a kitchen and meeting place.
We look out across our field and see a variety of bird life and an abundance of gumtrees, which provide shade while we learn. The outside environment very often becomes our classroom. We are able use a multitude of spaces to educate the children, and we are not limited by any one area.
The recess and lunch period have brought sound back to the once silent school grounds.
Not a day goes past that we don’t have a visitor just pop in to say hello. We have former students, staff, locals and inquisitive, friendly members of the community all excited that our new school has returned a sense of joy to the valley.
Jamie Shackleton Campus Coordinator – Darkinjung Barker.
* ‘Nyang’ is a Darkinjung word meaning together.
Barker College congratulates the Class of 2015 for their superb results in the HSC. Their performance has shone across all endeavours – academic, cultural, sporting, and environmental and community service. They have led the School with distinction in 2015 and their academic results are a fitting testament to their contribution to the life of our community.
17 students who achieved top band marks in 10 or more units.
OnTwelve students were nominated for OnSTAGE: Seamus Dove, Hannah Milligan, Sophia Murray-Walker, Samantha Novis, Natasha Spencer, Caitlin Williams, Matthew Bennett, Eloise Jones, Noah Steward, Olivia McEwan, Caitlin Plummer and Duncan Stewart.
The quality of our students’ major works has been rewarded with 23 nominations for possible inclusion in the Board of Studies Showcases.
William de Montemas, Geordie Wilson and Luke Glendenning
Luke Glendenning
1st in Earth and Environmental Science
Shannon Ashton
4th in Agriculture, 6th in Earth and Environmental Science
William de Montemas
7th in Earth and Environmental Science
Seamus Dove
6th in English Extension 2
Geordie Wilson 3rd in Earth and Environmental Science
Nicholas Chang 17th in Chemistry
Elsa Fredriksson (Year 10) 1st in Swedish Continuers (completed externally)
Dove
for inclusion in ARTEXPRESS.
Barker College students’ creativity was recognised with several students nominated for:
DesignTECH: Jake Fornasaro. InTech: Hugh Brown, Lachlan Bunn, Taylor John
Caitlin McMenamin
Nicholas Chang achieved a perfect 99.95 ATAR. This is the sixth consecutive year that a Barker student has scored the top ATAR.
39% 13
438 of Barker College students achieved an ATAR above 90, which places them in the top 10 per cent of the overall NSW cohort. The School’s median ATAR is 86.1.
72% of Barker students were placed in Bands 5 and 6, which vastly exceeds the State average of 37 per cent.
a
“Reaching that sustainable point of equilibrium, where you are working to achieve your goals but happy and healthy at the same time, is the hardest but also the most important part of the HSC.”
Nicholas Chang
students achieved ATARs of 99 or more in 2015, the top 1 per cent of the State.
The School achieved 438 top bands by 180 different students. To gain a top band, the student’s aligned marks had to be at least 90 per cent. This was the 10th highest number achieved by any school in the State.
While we are delighted with the performance of our students, we recognise that a successful school experience goes far beyond the scores gained on a single measure such as the ATAR or the HSC Merit list.
We continue to seek to provide the means for our students to develop their character so they can contribute to inspiring hope in the future. The Class of 2015 led the School magnificently through their work with Footprint, their leadership of Indigenous Education initiatives, their contribution to Barker on the global stage, and their passionate commitment to living out the values we seek to espouse. We congratulate them all.
Phillip Heath Head of Barker College
When Callum Betteridge (Class of 2015) was in Year 9, he was studying 5.2 Mathematics, and was second from bottom in Semester 1. That means he was ranked about 210th in the grade. Recently he sat his HSC. In Extension 2 Mathematics he was ranked first in the grade. How did a student go from 210th to first in Mathematics in only three years? The Barker College Mathematics Department has never seen anything like it, nor even remotely close to it. Here is Callum’s story.
His turning-point was in Year 9, when Callum became a Christian. This allowed him to see the sacrifices others had made for him, including his parents, teachers and of course Jesus. He realised that he shouldn’t waste the talent he had been given. During Year 9, Callum’s grandmother was ill. She had always encouraged Callum to fulfil his potential. Callum began praying for her and during those times, her health improved. When he stopped praying, her health deteriorated.
His Head of House, Greg Bayne, had great belief in Callum, and his Year 9 teacher Graham Hanlon oversaw the start of the change, as Callum went from second-bottom in 5.2 Mathematics to number one in a single semester. His report comment changed from “I see a boy who could break out of mediocrity if he changed his attitude to learning,” to “Callum has been the success story of the semester, the year and indeed the decade! The inner mathematical cogs have been released and are now whirring at full pace.”
In Year 10, Callum was elevated to 5.3 Mathematics and attended Crusaders to learn more about his faith. His Year 10 teacher, Greg Fitzmaurice, helped him revise the work he had misunderstood in the past, and extended
him further. Greg commented that Callum was like a sponge, absorbing everything. Sarah Cormio, his tutor, supported Callum through the change and gave great advice relating to studying and fulfilling potential.
In Year 11 Callum began his HSC studies under Kester Lee, a talented and entertaining teacher, who treated each student individually. Callum quickly passed all Extension 1 students to reach the top by the end of Year 12.
Callum has a unique home situation, as both his parents are deaf. While he seemed to take unfair advantage of that communication difficulty in his early high school years, as he matured into a young Christian man, he realised that being truthful is always the way to go.
Callum would like to study either medicine or medicine and advanced sciences at university, but may take a gap year and work at an orphanage in Kenya while teaching at a local school there.
Down the track, Callum talks of becoming anything, from a neurosurgeon to a mathematics or Christian studies teacher at Barker, to a quantum physics researcher or even an explorer.
Callum believes Barker is the best school in the world, and that he was blessed to have so many great teachers and Christian examples. He now wants to give back to the world by doing what he is good at and being generous to others.
We may never see another Callum, but his story should be inspirational for all.
Graham Hanlon Assistant Coordinator of Mathematics
As students undertake programs of study, the key skills in balancing their time, juggling work and assessment tasks combined with their co-curricular activities, become essential in a diverse and rich learning environment such as Barker College.
The notion of ‘What is learning?’ foregrounds a shared perception between parents and their children. This journey needs to be communicated, understood and accepted by all so that the learning experience has common ground.
In a world where extrinsic motivators such as marks and tangible rewards (trophies, certificates and prizes) has become the norm, and testing continues to receive the most publicity, it is vital to prioritise intrinsic motivators. These include inquiry, interest and focusing on the process of learning, not only the outcome.
Here are 10 key areas that allow a refocus on learning:
1
Knowing your mindset: Make sure that students realise that they can always grow their capacity and that the way they perceive their ability is key to learning and achieving their next personal best.
2
Understanding how you think and work: This includes learning how you do things: thinking about and annotating how you learn best, including drawing on previous successful experiences and replicating these in all actions. Reflecting on the things you love doing and make you feel engaged is important.
3
Setting the right type of goals: Ensure that you focus on understanding and learning how to learn well rather than merely learning content that can be remembered but not applied in different contexts. Regularly recalibrate the goals for yourself as you achieve them.
4
Attaining regular feedback: Make certain that you seek evaluation and feedback on your work from others. This includes self-assessing your understanding and working against key learning outcomes.
5
Strategies that work: Find out how you learn best. Adapt and reuse these approaches to ensure you complete tasks effectively and always to the best of your ability.
6
Asking the right questions: Don’t always ask what mark you received, rather why did you achieve the result and how can you improve or refine it next time, avoiding merely the product but focusing more on the process.
7
Working smart: Ensure you are aware of the environment. For example, in time-limited settings read the question and think about it before offering a well thought-out response that is focused, rather than churning out material that misses the mark.
8
Managing time and effort: Learn to use time effectively, writing down study plans and time charts. Ensure that you complete tasks and do not get distracted, whether answering an examination or a homework task.
9
Reflecting and monitoring work: Regularly check your learning against the goals and expectations you have. Become specific and strategic rather than going through the motions and merely crossing off each task. Successful learners monitor and refine the learning process all the time, trying to make each attempt a little better than the last.
10
Developing focus, belief and motivation: The greatest predictor of success in all learning is how much you believe you can do that task before starting, combined with your capacity to concentrate and complete the job at hand, ensuring the final outcome is your very best effort and attempt. If you know you can do well and enjoy the task, your motivation will support your success.
The more you reflect, review and refine, the greater the belief, and in the longer term, the more successful you will be. You can apply this to learning an instrument, writing an essay or sitting an examination. These 10 tips can be applied to learning about things (knowledge), or learning how to do things (skills). Start with one or two and develop your armoury. You will be surprised how your own mindset will change. Success will follow!
Dr Brad Merrick
Director of Research in Learning and the Barker Institute
Dr Greg Cunningham Director of Teaching and Learning
At the beginning of Term 1, 17 very excited young children enrolled as the first cohort of students in our new Pre-Kindergarten class.
The Pre-K room and the adjoining covered outdoor area are generously provisioned with inviting play spaces and resources.
The children, who attend five days a week between 8.30am and 2.45pm, are expertly guided and encouraged in their learning by teacher Mrs Wendy Quadrio, and her assistant, Mrs Michele Oosthuizen. The learning environment is rich in opportunities for the development of emotional well-being, selfesteem, respect for others and appropriate literacy and numeracy skills. In addition, specialist teachers in Christian Studies, Creative and Practical Arts, Library, Music, Italian and Physical Education provide weekly input to the Pre-K program. The children are also involved in lunchtime co-curricular activities such as Choir, Gardening and Crusaders. After School on Tuesdays, most of the children are participating in a Learn to Swim Program at the Aquatic Centre. They are also welcome to attend the OSH Club each afternoon.
Sarah Dickson Head of Early Learning
The act of inquiry is critical to our growth as human beings. From the moment we enter the world, we use all our senses to explore, test and evaluate.
Learning occurs everywhere, not just in the classroom and our students need to know how to learn. With our rapidly changing world, the ability to learn how is critical to the success of our children. In the Junior School, we are committed to empowering our students to be lifelong learners through our new approach to Inquiry Learning. As a community of educators, we are creating inquiry classrooms where teachers work hard to be highly intentional in their quest to grow the capacity of all students. We are committed to developing excellence in all learners.
When Steve Jobs launched the iPad in 2010, he said it was the most important product of his life. He knew “it had potential, but its future was a haze of possibility, not yet a sharply focused certainty.” Our Kindy children were born the year the first iPad was invented and we know only too well how much has changed in the last five years.
Our vision in Pre-K to 6 at Barker College, is to be a leader in Christian education that is characterised by a global vision that inspires hope. If Barker’s youngest learners, who started school in Pre-K in 2016, are to be equipped to complete their school education in 2029, then they will need to be prepared for a world that is constantly changing.
Barker Junior School is becoming a PYP school. What does this mean? The Primary Years Programme is part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) offerings. The aim of PYP programs is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, seek to create a better and more peaceful world.
We have chosen to embed PYP in our Inquiry Learning model at Barker, where we use the Learner Profile to articulate the ten attributes of learners which include becoming:
• Inquirers who nurture our curiosity and develop skills for inquiry and research.
• Knowledgeable by developing and using conceptual understanding to engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.
• Thinkers who use critical and creative thinking. They analyse and take responsible action on complex problems.
• Communicators who express ourselves confidently and collaborate effectively.
• Principled by acting with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and taking responsibility for our actions and consequences.
• Open-minded by critically appreciating our own cultures and personal histories as well as the values and traditions of others.
• Caring by showing empathy, compassion and respect and demonstrating a commitment to make a positive difference in the world.
• Courageous by approaching uncertainty with forethought and determination and are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.
• Balanced by understanding the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives – intellectual, physical and emotional to achieve well-being for others and ourselves.
• Reflective by thoughtfully considering the world and working to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.
Research supports utilising an Inquiry approach to learning for many reasons. We know children are more motivated to learn when they are genuinely interested in or curious about a subject and when they have a real problem to solve. We know our students need to have the ability to locate, access and evaluate information and contribute to the ever-evolving bank of global information in a positive way with their sharpened digital literacy skills.
Questions are at the heart of Inquiry at Barker. We want our students to be passionate in their quest to understand. We aim to foster their disposition for curiosity and plan learning experiences around questions that are sophisticated, thoughtful and significant. Using powerful provocations, we can stimulate curiosity so that students can articulate important questions for further investigation.
Recently, Year 5 experienced this phenomenon. Our Inquiry integrators organised a live webinar with all our Year 5 students, 8 high schools and one Year 12 class to interview a potential astronaut heading to Mars in 2024 on a one-way mission. So many issues were raised including whether the students would consider this proposition. It was a wonderful provocation and sparked much in-depth research and ethical discussion about Earth and Space, a childhood dream of becoming an astronaut, colonisation, adventure and potentially changing the course of the world’s history forever. Our Year 5 students grappled with the sheer number of questions that came from this one powerful provocation, propelling them into utilising every attribute in the Learner Profile.
The journey to embed Inquiry Learning into the Junior School has just begun, yet knowing what we hope to become is critical to our success as a community of learners.
Caroline Merrick Director of Primary Curriculum PreK-6 (PYP Coordinator)
Book Club at Barker (BCAB) has been running for several years now and has developed a loyal following. Meeting each fortnight, we are a varied and eclectic bunch. Opinions vary − sometimes in intense or humorous ways, but always with members united in their appreciation of a good story well told. BCAB does not follow the traditional book club format, but instead focuses on discussions, creating recommended reading lists and connecting with authors and readers.
At the end of 2015, two group members, Darcy Carnahan and Matthew Stevenson, participated in a youth forum. They joined a select group of students from other schools to discuss the Children’s Book Council of Australia Young Adult Fiction shortlist. Both Darcy and Matthew were fantastic, eloquently and passionately articulating why they liked or disliked the nominated novels. They represented the School, its excellent reading culture and the enthusiasm of our BCAB members beautifully.
Melanie Webster Teacher Librarian
On 28 January, 98 Year 12 Business Studies students and nine staff members were treated to countless insights and the machinations of a number of Australia’s top companies, including McDonald’s Australia and its respective suppliers, OSI, ARTZA, and Martin Brouwer.
The excursion consisted of two parts. The first involved all students and staff transiting to the head office of McDonald’s Australia. Here, a set of in-depth presentations were given by senior management focusing on the operations, marketing and human resource activities of all the above companies. Such information was invaluable because it elevated the students’ understanding of what a business does. They were clear, concise and informative, but more importantly, all the presentations mirrored the HSC Business Studies syllabus.
The second part of the excursion involved students being allocated a specific company to visit. This authenticated the morning presentations and gave a genuine insight as to the workings of these various companies.
Thanks must go to Ms Pennie Cruickshank, National Marketing Manager for McDonald’s, for turning a dream into reality.
Len Nixon Business Studies
Teacher.
If you walk into any Year 7 or 8 Music classroom at Barker College, here is a glimpse of what you may encounter: Lachlan (Year 7) might be composing a backing track using GarageBand on his iPad, later using it to accompany an improvised pentatonic melody on his saxophone. Tom (Year 8) could be filming his friend strumming the chords to Yellow Submarine, before uploading the movie to his digital video journal that keeps track of his progress. Austin (Year 7) might be tucked away at a keyboard, watching a video tutorial created by his teacher, demonstrating the correct hand posture and piano technique. Or perhaps you will find Josh (Year 8) watching a video from the Film iBook while answering questions in an online workbook, shared with his teacher over Google Docs. In among all of this, you will see a teacher who has more time to focus on one of the most powerful tools in their kit: providing ongoing feedback (Hattie, 2008).
A long standing goal for the Music department is now a reality with the completion of five new iBooks for students across Years 7 and 8. These iBooks are all created in-house with content relevant to Barker students, and videos made by Barker teachers. Each iBook is supported by a digital portfolio providing evaluation for each student. This movement aligns with the model of a blended learning environment, one which harnesses technology to provide students with greater control of time, place and pace of work (Horn and Staker, 2014). In this instance, instructions and knowledge are delivered via iPad, allowing teachers to spend more one-on-one time with students. Here is what the students and staff are saying:
“It helps you learn and keeps you engaged. Instead of having your head in a book, you have this cool piece of technology that you can interact with.”
Austin Caie, Year 7
“This innovation allows our students to reflect on their work instantly, but more importantly, they can see evidence of progress in the long term.”
Simon Smith, Head of Music
“I find the iBooks helpful because it’s like having a teacher helping you even when you are at home. I also like the idea of not having to carry all your books everywhere you go.”
Lachlan Sawtell, Year 7
Andrew Mifsud Music Digital Literacy Coordinator
The Residential Program initiative was borne from a belief that our Year 9 students have more capacity than they know. However, without appropriate arenas in which to test and develop these capabilities, they remain latent.
Last year saw the roll-out of two pilot programs designed to help Year 9 students test and develop themselves in a range of areas. The stated aims of the program were:
• Increase awareness of self and others, valuing difference, compassion and empathy.
• Increase independence and responsibility.
• Increase confidence and resilience.
• Grow character that equips students to stand up for their values.
• Improve communication skills.
• Improve personal organisation.
• Develop a meaningful vocabulary to engage positively in relationships.
• Develop positive, practical habits.
The first program was conducted over 19 days at The Grange in Term 3 of 2015, with the students living in four House groups of six to eight students. Living independently involved planning, budgeting, shopping, cooking, cleaning and managing their household.
Nick Alexander
Oscar Bird
Damon Brooks
Dominic Chan
Zac Colebrook
Mitchell Cowdery
James Culver
Liam Eamus
Lewys Edwards
Oscar Fricke
Sam Gibson
Alfie Helps
James Irish
Oliver Jones
Justin Kabaara
Tom Macdonald
Ben Malik
During the day the students participated in two learning and service projects. One was assisting the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to develop a marketing plan for several day-walks in the National Park. The other project involved several interactions with a local disability services provider, where the students helped and spent time with the clients. It was a joy to see our students interact with this group. They displayed maturity, patience and great empathy. Forty-five minutes of private reflection was an important part of the daily routine.
In addition, a challenging outdoor program stretched and demanded much from the students. The final seven-day expedition involved a four-day hike on the South Coast which finished in Jervis Bay. From Jervis Bay the group sailed the James Craig tall ship over three days into Sydney Harbour.
From the staff perspective it was a tremendous success. Dr Brad Merrick spent considerable time surveying and researching before, during and after the program to gain some measurements of its success. Here are some of the parent and student feedback:
“Our son is more thoughtful and considerate, also willing to express his own opinion and contribute to discussions at home. He is more sure of himself. He takes responsibility for tasks more readily and approaches tasks that he hasn’t encountered before with a more positive attitude. He’s even more willing to try new foods! He came home with more maturity across a range of measures, especially with regard to interpersonal relationships.” Barker parent
“Responsibility for my actions, tactfulness and an ability to adjust and compromise with others, improved interactions with others and increased confidence. I will certainly continue being more independent and resilient. Everyone is different; you never truly know what the person next to you is thinking or feeling.” Year 9 student
Richard Marais
Tom McPherson
Hamish Noble
James Nowlan
Matthew O’Brien
Tom O’Malley
Ruairi O’Shaughnessy
Lachlan Onions
Campbell Parsons
Will Pash
Matthew Rogers
Ben Wettstein
Luc Weymouth
Andrew Williams
David Wilson
Callum Worthington
Jun You
The second program arose in response to demand from families and was conducted in Alice Springs in November. In addition to the stated goals, we focused our attention on exploring what things could look like if we were to engage in meaningful conversation with Indigenous students on their own turf. Before departing, our students spent eight weeks learning Central Arrente (Indigenous language) via an online link with Aunty Margot at the Alice Springs Language Centre.
In the summer heat of the Central Desert, our students established an independent living environment at Yipirinya School. They spent time with Indigenous students from Yirara College on the sports field (6.30 am AFL training), basketball courts, in classrooms and on country.
It was inspiring to see our young men relate with respect and understanding to the Aboriginal fellas (this expression was used to avoid calling a ‘man’ a ‘boy’ and vice versa).
The journey of one student was captured by one Sydney newspaper:
“Before departing, I had never spoken to an Aboriginal person my age (…) In the afternoon of Day 12,we went to Ken’s wife’s land. While we were kicking a footy we were having good, lengthy conversations about anything. Because we have connected before, we felt we could talk to the fellas about what we wanted to. From their response, it was like they felt the same way.”
Thank you to the staff at The Grange, Ben Harlow, Andrew Grant, Brad Merrick, Matt Macoustra, James Denton and Phillip Heath for your work and support of this initiative.
Jonathan Rheinberger
Residential Program Coordinator
Last August, Barker College was one of ten schools approached by Sydney University to participate in a new robotics challenge called Zero Robotics. It’s zero because the robots are in zero gravity on the International Space Station (ISS). This was the first time teams from Australia competed against the teams from the US, Europe and Russia.
Our team name is RedShift and the team comprised of Aydin Ucan (Programming Captain), Tim Kelly (Strategy Captain), Felix Buechner (Communications), Robert Metcalfe, Ben Tinker, Jared Cheung, Morgan Overmass, Nate Cross, Myles Webster, Jayden Pak and Yi Ming Lu who all contributed to our success. The team worked hard through regular weekly meetings as well as sessions over the September and December holidays to ensure they had code to upload.
Unlike the FIRST Robotics Competition, we did not need to build a robot, the challenge was to program small spheroid drones already on the ISS. This is quite difficult because the drones move very differently in space! This year’s competition was called Spy Spheres and required the drones to collect space debris while taking images of the opposing robots. Fuel was limited and energy depended on
a moving light source, the code was also restricted, so our team had to be efficient. All motion was autonomous, once you uploaded your code you had to hope for the best!
In the preliminary stages the code was tested in a virtual environment. The competition was fierce and the international teams were experienced. Redshift did well, coming second of the Australian teams, but missed out by one place on getting into the final stage. We were able to form an alliance with a team from Janesville, Wisconsin, to compete in the virtual finals, which was a great learning experience.
The finals were held in late January at Sydney University, where we were able to support our friends from Normanhurst Boys. Live links to the US and Europe as well as the ISS enabled us to share the moment with all the teams, and Greg Chamitoff, ex-NASA Astronaut who flew on the last Endeavour mission to the ISS, joined in at 3:30 am (his local time) to speak to us directly. Alliances from Italy and the US went on to win the competition. We are looking forward to competing again in 2016.
Lainie Kalnins Zero Robotics – RedShift
As the new Director of Boarding, what is your hope for the Boarding community?
Boarding at Barker is a special part of the broader school community, and students living away from home have some unique needs. My hope is that during our season, the boarding community will increasingly embody the Barker values. The evidence that this is happening might be seen in our actions inside and outside the School. Among the Barker values, I would personally underscore compassion and growth in empathy as particularly important.
How has life changed, moving from the Blue Mountains to the main campus of Barker and going from five to 65 kids?
The physical environment is very different, although my wife Libby and I grew up around here. But probably the most noticeable difference is the pace. Life at Barker is fast and furious. I love it! In terms of going from five to 65 kids, I’ve always enjoyed being around young people. It’s energising, demanding, challenging and fulfilling.
Has the family felt welcomed?
Incredibly so. Before the first day of school we were invited to meals with school families, and flowers arrived from a Boarder’s parent. Our children are spending a lot of time with the boarders, who have been wonderful in befriending them and helping them with their transition. We are very thankful for the warmth of our welcome.
After a short time on your role, what are your initial impressions?
I’m grateful to Mrs McLachlan and the staff around Boarding, because Barker Boarding has clearly been well run in recent years. The culture we have inherited is healthy and the environment is one which provides students every chance of achieving their goals in their senior years. The boarding captains are tremendous!
Director of Alumni Relations, Mandy Loomes, speaks with Los Angeles-based actor Ross Le, from the Class of 2000.
What were your favourite memories of school. Did you have an influential teacher or mentor?
Boarding school was one of my best memories, though I didn’t really know it at the time. There was always someone to go to the nets with, toss a footy with, or do a Maccas run. Reverend Ware and Mike James were always generous with their time and advice.
What was your journey after graduating from Barker?
After Barker, I went on to study Chemical Engineering at Sydney Uni. I think I failed three out of the four subjects. It was pretty bad. I decided to switch to Business Admin at Macquarie Uni and graduated in 2005.
Was studying at university everything you thought it would be?
Studying for me was always something people told me I had to do. I didn’t question it. These people had my best interests in mind but people can only ever advise you on what’s worked for them. In the end, you walk your own path. If you don’t ask questions, you won’t find answers. ‘What do I really want to do?’ is a question I should’ve asked before picking a field of study.
How do you stay focused to reach your goals? Have your goals changed much since you left school?
Responsibility. High school, university and a full time job were all choices that I made because it’s what everyone else
was doing. It took me a while before I realised I’d been taking the easy way out, letting everyone else decide what was best for me. As soon as you accept responsibility for your life and choices, you have all the power. I made a choice to leave everything behind and chase an acting career. Doing anything counter to that is now a waste of time. I remind myself of this daily and this keeps me focused.
What has been your career highlight to date?
Working with Reese Witherspoon on Lindex, my first major gig, was pretty crazy. Here was an actress I’d been admiring in Walk the Line, and then suddenly we’re sitting and chatting between takes. Booking my first recurring role on Stitchers in 2015 has been my biggest project and playing Alex has been my favourite role.
Are you enjoying the LA lifestyle?
Hollywood is pretty crazy. It’s definitely not for everyone. Expensive cars, beautiful people, bright lights − it’s all here. There’s definitely an undercurrent of shallow energy here too. Everyone’s friendly and everyone’s an acquaintance − after all, it’s about who you know. Genuine people can be hard to find and that’s draining when you’re surrounded by it 24/7. But this is what I signed on for and I’m here for the long haul.
How important are social media channels, like Twitter and Instagram, to your career progress?
Huge. The more the better, simply because any time you’re up for a role, your social footprint is a huge factor. Someone with a large following need only mention their current projects to reach and influence an audience. It’s free advertising for any project, and it matters. Speaking of which, follow me on Twitter@rossle83 and Instagram@ rosskurtle.
Apart from acting, what makes you happy? How do you relax?
Golf. There’s nothing like turning the phone off and relaxing with friends. Watching the English Premier League Football too. If time permits, I’d like to get back into Wing Chun Kung Fu.
Do you get much spare time?
This is tricky… this is the first year that I’ve been able to make ends meet without a part-time job on the side (I’ve been a doorman at Skybar in Hollywood for the last two years). I have more spare time now, but I’m spending it working on my craft. You’ve got to stay in class or be working with private coaches to stay sharp for every audition.
Do you have any words of wisdom for today’s Barker students?
Take a second to ask yourself what you really want with your life. Is it impossible? Have you been allowing other people to influence you into thinking you couldn’t do something? Test yourself and your limits. You’ll be surprised by what you’ve got left in the tank. I’d never acted before I came to Hollywood at the age of 25. I was an accountant and now I’m here as an actor. Take what you want from that.
If any students ever want to get in touch for advice, or someone to talk to about Hollywood just ask Mandy in the Alumni Office for my contact details.
A LAST HURRAH FOR YEAR 12 DRAMA 2016
When actor and director Dugal Parker first told us about his idea to create a heptology out of seven absurdist plays, we all thought he was either completely mad or a genius. It is remarkable how often those two traits coincide, and I can now safely say that Dugal has a mad brilliance that is solely his own.
To work with a cast of 40 is hard at the best of times, yet to see each person take on the ownership of their role and completely understand their place in the web that is Plexus is truly special. For the first half of the rehearsal process, we were split into our separate play casts and given the impossible task of turning each play into a 10-minute version. Watching the performances that others gave at the end of last year, I was amazed at the understanding everyone had of their own play, their characters and the links with the other stories that could be found within.
When we came back to school in the new year, we dove straight into the rehearsal process. With four-hour rehearsals, several times a week, we were often the last people at school, but we all knew the work would be worth it. As show week approached, the amount of rehearsals increased, as did the workload of Year 12. Yet we arrived at the end with a fantastic, compelling performance and with a minimal amount of nervous breakdowns.
Performing in the style of Theatre of the Absurd is difficult enough. But when you combine characters from a variety of plays – Shakespeare’s trouble-causing
mechanicals, a musical maestro and three Greek goddesses to control it all – you are left with an intricately woven, complex outcome which surprisingly works: Plexus.
The one constant within the cacophony of our play was Dugal, who inspired all of us with his energy and dedication. Although we may have been at school until 7pm, he was there longer, building the incredible set, or working with the technical crew to ensure that we looked amazing. I know we gave him many sleepless nights, but we also want to thank him for his dedication and willingness to listen to our crazy ideas, and for sometimes politely telling us that perhaps no, we shouldn’t do that.
Sadly, Plexus was our last performance as Barker Drama students, but I can say on behalf of all the cast it was an honour working with everyone. Those who do Drama will know how close you become as a cast, and how devastating your final performance together is (for most, the last performance they will ever give). To see how we have grown from the first Year 10 play together to now, it is no wonder that such strong bonds have been formed. Drama has played a key role in all our lives at Barker, and leaving our final performance together, we are also leaving our ‘family’ behind. Thank you for all the great memories we will take with us.
Annika Allen Year 12
Recently, Year 12 Industrial Technology students visited Wayne Mavin & Co in preparation for their Broad Industry visit.
This bespoke furniture company also produces a range of internal products for specialised architectural features, including balustrades, architraves and decorative features. Custom-made, oneoff and small batch production can be quite a resourceintensive exercise, making it difficult to remain competitive in a world of mass production.
However, there is something about the hands-on fashioning of materials and the inspection process at every stage that enables the craftsperson to embed their soul into the work. We recognise this when we see it, because it is often a unique design. It alters the material from the standardised shape it came in, and fashions it into a form that is far more appealing. As far back as 1841, renowned English architect and designer A.W.N. Pugin recognised that while the mass production of standardised materials offered great economies of scale and flexibility in architecture, by combining components from different suppliers, it also had
a downside. Pugin argued that the repetitive use of these components subverted variety and imagination. Despite this, mass production remains essential if products are to be made available to the masses at a reasonable price.
Being able to visit a range of manufacturing companies such as Wayne Mavin & Co, Artarmon Joinery and Borg Manufacturing, who produce 20-plus kitchens per day in a fully automated factory, gives our students a balanced insight into manufacturing. Different approaches have their place, and Barker students are very grateful to these companies for affording them the opportunity to identify and evaluate the benefits that each approach provides to the community. For me, simply having our students grasp the idea that manufacturing can be successfully done in Australia is critical.
Darren Woodrow Head of Design and Technology
Currently, two Year 8 Technology classes are collaborating on a unit of work with Darkinjung Barker College, Yarramalong.
This unit of work requires each student to design and produce a sculptural piece to enhance the school grounds.
Applying a design process for the development and realisation of the project is the norm. However, giving students the opportunity to recognise and implement ‘Attention directing perceptual tools’ provides a significant opportunity. These tools are powerful for enabling students to clarify and manage the development of their ideas.
Working with Darkinjung Barker students allows Barker students in Hornsby to see clearly how cultural influences and ecological connectedness can provide greater awareness and a different point of view in developing ideas for a project. In other words, an OPV (other people’s view) is a real experience. This in turn impacts on other activities such as completing a CAF (consider all factors), where students obtain insights into factors that they may not have
considered. Or they might alter the FIPs (first important priorities), having better understood the context of the purpose or role their sculpture can provide within the new setting. Considering an APC (alternatives, possibilities and choices) can be broadened also and provide new opportunity.
Getting students to apply cognitive organisers to assist them in thinking is useful to clarify their ideas, giving them an opportunity to see how their thinking and design ideas can be influenced through the preferences and expectations of others, not simply their own viewpoint. This is a technique that good designers tend to adopt.
Darren Woodrow Head of Design and Technology
Matthew Bentham Head of Visual Arts
Congratulations to the HSC Visual Arts students of 2015 and, in particular, to the four students nominated for ArtExpress. This annual exhibition is one of the most dynamic and popular at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. It features a selection of outstanding student artworks developed for the artmaking component of the HSC Visual Arts examination. Our four nominated students are:
It was during the annual HSC Visual Arts camp that students got the chance to thoroughly investigate ideas for their bodies of work. During the camp, students joined the Visual Arts Department staff for a twoday comprehensive program. They experienced an assortment of practical workshops, participated in shared discussions, presented their own ideas, worked collaboratively with their peers and attended a number of informative lectures, all designed to set these young artists on the right path. Helpful advice from acclaimed and thoroughly engaging Pop painter Johnny Romeo inspired students to follow their passions and work diligently in the months ahead.
WINNERS 10 YEARS RUNNING!
Last year was also a successful one for Photography at Barker. Middle and Senior School students committed their time and effort after school to participate in competitions like the national Ilford School’s Photographic Competition.
Term 1
Winners: Fergus Hudson, Andrew McAllister and Mariah Dunn
Merit: Jonathan D’Cruz, James Stokes, Mariah Dunn
Best School for the Term: Barker College
Term 2
Winners: Fergus Hudson, Matthew O’Brien and James Stokes
Merit: Fergus Hudson, Hayden Millican and James Stokes
Best School for the Term: Barker College
Term 3
Winners: Hayden Milllican and Jonathan D’Cruz
Merit: Savannah Hughes, Hamish Steel and Jasmin Anderson Best School for the Term: Barker College
Barker College has also won 1st place in the Best School of the Year 2015 award, which includes $1700 in prize money.
In November Barker’s Abby Cubillo accepted a scholarship from Basketball Australia to attend the Centre of Excellence for 2016, based at the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra.
Abby was only one of 11 female athletes offered such a position. Her selection is an outstanding opportunity in her hopes to be selected in the Australian team for the U17 World Championships in June 2016.
During this period Abby played for and represented Barker College, ISA, NSW CIS and NSW All Schools (winning a Gold Medal at the Pacific School Games). Outside school, Abby played for the Hornsby Spiders U18 Division 1 team (runners up in the State Championships and Metropolitan Champions), and Hornsby Spiders ABA Women’s Championship teams. Abby also represented and captained the Northern Territory in the U18 Australian Championships and in September, represented Australia in the U16 Oceania Championships (2015 Oceania Champions). Abby made the most of every opportunity available to her during her time at Barker. We wish her the very best as she continues to pursue her dreams.
Alison Cox Director of Girls’ Sport
With the growing success of the Barker Touch Football program in recent years, our 1st and 2nd Touch girls not only played in the Loreto Touch Football competition, but also played mid-week friendly matches against some of the most competitive IGSSA teams on the north shore.
The first of the highly anticipated friendly matches was played at home against Brigidine College. It didn’t take long for the pre-match nerves to subside as the girls quickly found their stride, demonstrating moves that were not only entertaining, but also leaving the 1st XV Rugby coaches speechless. The girls continued with these matches throughout the term, taking on the likes of Loreto Normanhurst and Ravenswood. These matches proved the exceptionally high standard the girls have reached, and cemented the growing opinion that they are one of the most skilled schoolgirl teams around. We are thankful to our colleagues at these schools for allowing this opportunity to extend and challenge our girls. Not only were they exposed to outstanding opposition, but many had an opportunity to play against old friends.
Barker students travelled to Melbourne in December to compete at the National Knockout Competition, after both the Senior (17-18 yrs) and Junior (13-14 yrs) boys’ teams won their state competitions.
The carnival started well for the Seniors, with Jacob McCorry and Will Lloyd both winning their events. Distance runners Jack Brown and Kieren Tall dominated their 1500m races, running personal bests. Taylor John led from the front with a dominant 400m race, well supported by Joshua Robins.
The Junior team started strong, with Ben Nogajski finishing his hurdles race well and winning the shot put. Daneil Alleyn competed well in the Javelin and both Nathan Takounlao and Sam Kirwan ran their best in the 100m event, up against a strong competition.
The success didn’t end with our top teams; we also congratulate our Barker 3 team, who were also premiers of their division. During Term 1 we have witnessed the ever expanding Barker Invitational where for the first time we will see over 120 girls competing in the red and blue on Rosewood.
Alex
After leading throughout the carnival, it came down to the final point. The competition concluded with a dominant performance in the medley relay by the Senior boys. Barker College was announced the winner of the 2015 competition in the Senior Division for the second year running. This was a magnificent achievement, and fitting for all the hard work and training over the year.
The Junior boys came in 10th, with some results not going their way. The team found the competition a valuable learning experience and are looking forward to training hard in 2016 to improve their performance.
This was a fantastic way to finish the year. I hope to see all athletes down at the track in 2016.
Lee Batchler
CCC Athletics
Last December, three teams from Barker College represented at the Australian School Championships in Canberra. In a challenging tournament across all divisions, Barker entered teams in the U15 Freshman Division 1, U20 Men’s Division 1 and U20 Women’s Division 1 competitions. It was the first time for Barker to enter a team in the Women’s Division, while our Men’s team were promoted to Division 1 from the year before and our U15 Freshman team sought to defend their gold medal. As expected, Victorian schools provided great depth in all divisions and gave our Barker teams some very tough games.
The boys U15 and Opens team played superbly against some very strong opposition and learnt a great deal. It was a great basketball experience for the boys.
The U20 Women’s team started the championships continuing their undefeated run in the ISA season. In their first three games, the team worked particularly hard to maintain their focus and sought to dominate their opponents
The 8As toured Canberra late last year, in keeping with annual Barker tradition. Barker won the toss and elected to bat first against Radford. Flynn Stapleton held the line-up together with a well-earned 40 runs. Cooper Wright came in and progressed the score above 150. Our bowlers had a great first spell, keeping the runs down. From then on our bowlers made short work of Radford, bowling them out with a few overs to spare. Great bowling by Ben Randall and Jeremy Riminton, each taking a couple of wickets. The Mr Sensible trophy was retained by Barker.
The next day we arrived at St Edmund’s College. Here our toss didn’t go so well, but the opposition decided to bowl first so we still got our desired bat. We batted well, making 110, and once again Flynn Stapleman starred with a top innings. St Edmunds batted well to pass us in the last over. The tour was a great success and lots of fun.
Jakes Marais
8As Tour Captain
early. Progressing to the Gold Medal Play-off, Barker faced Victorian powerhouse Maribyrnong College. In what turned out to be a thrilling final, Barker’s courageous challenge fell short, going down 61-50.
Overall, it was a tremendous week for all students and staff involved. From staying at the Australian Institute of Sport, to attending sessions on nutrition, sport psychology and recovery, and playing against some outstanding teams from across Australia, the Championships were an amazing opportunity to represent and support our Barker community.
Nicole Bailey CCC Basketball
In early January, 19 Barker cricketers ventured abroad to Sri Lanka along with the wise and experienced Mr Thomlinson and Mr Binet, who along with all the cricketers, were extremely excited for the tour.
The tour commenced in Colombo with an afternoon game at the Singhalese Sports Centre International ground on the first day. This was a fantastic win for the team, featuring a stunning century from Will Giacometti. There was a T20 match the next day against St Josephs, followed by a road trip to the luxurious Camellia Resort at Dambulla. The following days were rest days, and included visits to two World Heritage sites: the Sigirya rock fortress and the Ancient Capital of Kandy, where the party visited the spice markets. In Kandy, the team played two games in two days against Trinity College and Kingswood College. Both were tough losses, but the team learned some valuable lessons for the rest of the tour.
In the following days, the boys visited Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, enjoyed a river boat tour and experienced a turtle hatchery. A special highlight was playing at the Galle International Stadium, right on the coast in the middle of the mediaeval fortress town. The team also visited the Foundation
of Goodness and was lucky enough to play a charity match and present a cheque for the funds raised by the Barker community through Ryan Carters’ Batting for Change T20 match. The money will support local schools and provide much-needed facilities for children in Sri Lanka. The tour finished with a win against Colombo Cricket Club at the Moors Cricket Ground. A majestic century by Zac Jelbart provided plenty to talk about on the trip home.
The Sri Lanka tour was a fantastic journey for Barker students lucky enough to attend. They not only developed as cricketers, but also as people. This cultural and cricketing adventure has put us in good stead and has created enduring memories and strong friendships. The touring party and their families are very grateful to Mr Thomlinson and Mr Binet for giving up their time and energy to facilitate such a wonderful experience.
Robert Mackay Year 11 Tour Captain
To many, Outdoor Education at Barker means time at The Grange and various year group camps over the course of their schooling. In fact, it’s a whole lot more.
Besides the compulsory camps, Barker Outdoor Education offers four adventure sports: canoeing, equestrian, mountain biking and snowsports. These are run at various times throughout the year.
The Canoeing program takes students on grade two or three rapids on the Barrington River after extensive safety briefings and skills practice. Each expedition can accommodate novices to skilled canoers alike.
Equestrian events are spread throughout the year, with the pinnacle being the NSW State Championships –which Barker does very well at. The program does require students to have their own horse.
The Mountain Biking Program is a regular school sport in Year 9. Practice rides and events at other schools make up this program, as well as the Interschools Mountain Biking event at Thredbo in the Snowy Mountains.
Snowsports is a multi-discipline event catering for downhill and cross-country skiers as well as snowboarders. Three events make up the program:
the NSW Northern Division Championships, NSW State Championships and Australian National Championships. You don’t have to be an expert skier or snowboarder to take part in these events; you just need to be able to ski a blue run without falling (most of the time).
Although Middle School students must choose between Cadets and Duke of Edinburgh, senior Duke of Edinburgh is a voluntary activity. Students can opt in at the beginning of Year 10 to complete their Silver and Gold levels. This is a great addition to any CV in the future, and in the busy nature of Barker, most of the activities involved are already being done by students.
There are also overseas tours to Morocco, which involve trekking and a component of community service.
Another opportunity for Year 9 students is the Extended Stay Residential Program. This program is currently still in pilot mode, but Year 9 students can be involved. The pilot is a 12-day experience aimed at both extending our students and also connecting in a real way with Indigenous Australia. Check out the full story on page 20 of this issue.
Andrew Ashby Director of Outdoor Education
Term 4 Bivouac saw cadets deployed to Myuna Bay instead of Holsworthy to enjoy the water activities and weather.
BCCU also hosted 20 cadets and staff from a non-school unit (204 ACU cadets from Parramatta) who participated in our activities. It was a great learning experience for all, with Barker students realising how fortunate they are to have additional and varied activities only made possible by the extra resources and support provided by their parents and the School.
The unusual wet weather in January provided an interesting change to the usual hot and dry conditions in the Blue Mountains. Twenty students took the challenge to undergo the rigorous advanced training and assessment over eight days to earn the coveted BCAT badge. Students gain a better understanding of themselves and how to extend their limits of physical and mental endurance, as well as that of others, to complete the team activities.
Instead of the usual high temperatures, which require the cadets to keep up their water intake to fend off dehydration, the cadets were faced with cool and damp
conditions. They needed to keep their feet dry, with many using foot powder and protective tape. In past years, very few cadets escape the trek without the odd blister; this year was the opposite, with no students developing blisters at all. Mr Heath presented the awards on 8 February and spoke to the entire BCCU about the historical significance and importance of the Cadet Unit to Barker. He stressed that many School values (courage, integrity, commitment and respect) are enshrined and fostered by BCCU, with Skydive and BCAT being perfect examples.
As we go to print, we have welcomed new recruits (girls and boys) into BCCU, with planning well underway for the March Bivouac at Holsworthy and the Annual Camp at Singleton in April.
Major Terry Nye Director of Cadets/BCCU Commanding Officer
It was all hands on deck on one of the hottest November days of 2015 when the BCMA held its biennial Christmas Fair. The organising committee of Linda Davidson, Hatty Conwell, Michelle Dutkiewicz, Tracy McIntosh and Julie Long had just put the finishing touches on the Multi-Purpose Hall, with a wonderful gingerbread house entrance, when they were greeted by the first arrival of mothers from the BCMA Junior School Christmas Luncheon, held in Boyce Hall, who had strolled down Chapel Drive to find a cooler place to gather (and shop). In total, the Fair drew over 500 people with 60 stalls showcasing some beautiful Christmas wares, food, clothing, jewelry, gifts and homewares. The heat did not deter the teachers, parents and friends who supported this wonderful community event. I suspect that the added bonus of air conditioning was welcomed while strolling around the Multi-Purpose Hall. Thanks also to the Rugby Club for braving the heat to supply a delicious barbecue for the hungry shoppers. Despite the conditions, both the Luncheon and Christmas Fair were a huge success.
A few days later, we gathered on the lawns of Clarendon with the mothers new to the Senior School in 2016 for a welcome morning tea. The jacarandas were in full bloom, creating a carpet of lilac petals on the lawn. This was a lovely way to begin new friendships in our Barker Community.
It has become a custom that in the final week of Term 4, the BCMA provides a delicious morning tea of baked delights and traditional Christmas treats to the staff of Barker College. We really enjoy the opportunity to thank the teachers and staff for all of their support throughout the year.
Jenelle Montgomerie President BCMA
Although the residential programs for Year 9 students in Alice Springs and at The Grange are new initiatives, Barker has a long tradition of taking education beyond the four walls of a classroom and into the great outdoors.
One of the earliest outdoor educational experiences on record is the CAS Bushwalking Club. Organised during 1955 only, it saw students from Barker, Knox and Trinity come together and participate in two expeditions. Barker started its own Bushwalking Club in 1964, which provided an opportunity for students to discover their local environment.
In 1964, under the leadership of Ian Campbell, Barker students headed to Central Australia for the first time. This was the beginning of Adventure Country and the first of 15 safaris to Central Australia, New Zealand and Nepal. Adventure Country introduced students to unfamiliar places and environments and required them to share the responsibilities of daily life. Students also undertook a number of activities, such as community service, that were guided by the School’s Christian values.
Above Barker students renovating huts at Taralga as part of Adventure County. Ian Gavin Stuart Campbell (Staff) Collection.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme was introduced to Barker in 1975. In order to complete the Award, students were, and still are, required to plan and complete a number of adventurous journeys. As the students trek, hike or canoe through foreign surroundings, they are challenged and grow in a manner not possible in the classroom.
Outdoor education at Barker was greatly enhanced in 1989 when the School purchased The Grange at Mount Victoria. As part of a specialist Outdoor Education program, all students in Years 7 to 9 spend time at The Grange. Students learn about the natural environment, how humans have impacted it and how these impacts can be minimised. Students also engage with the local community through a service-based project. The School purchased Barrington River Lodge in 2008 as a second outdoor education facility.
Just as it did in the past, outdoor education plays a crucial role in the development of Barker students.
Morwenna Pearce Manager of Archives
The Barker Foundation recognises that the professional development of Barker’s staff in all learning and support disciplines enhances the advancement of education at the School.
To that end, each year it provides financial support for these endeavours through the Foundation’s Travelling Fellowship. All staff are encouraged to consider this fabulous program, for the benefit of our students and their own professional development.
Two recent recipients of the Foundation’s Travelling Fellowship are Richard Clezy, Earth and Environmental Sciences teacher; and Steve Thomlinson, Director of Boys’ Sport.
Richard attended an Earth and Environmental Science conference in Wales in 2015, which had a focus on new resources. There he was exposed to new ways of thinking, learning and teaching the Earth Sciences, as well as the use of technology in and out of the classroom.
Earth and Environmental Science is a subject that touches on many of the biggest challenges for the world today. The world is fast approaching a tipping-point where decisions need to be made by all of us about how we live our lives and our students will benefit from being well informed.
Steve was given the opportunity to visit All Saints Episcopal School in Fort Worth, Texas to observe their Co-curricular program. The two schools have enjoyed a long association, including a student exchange program. This was a chance for both Sports Masters to focus on athletic operations and how athletic offerings can supplement the
academic program while remaining committed to a holistic approach to education and development. There were other important focus areas for Steve to observe as well. These included fostering the interest of young students in the sporting program, developing the pathway from Primary to Secondary sport, and the relationship between boys’ and girls’ sports.
You can hear more about Richard and Steve’s visits on the Barker College website.
David Charles Barker Foundation Chairman
Nathaniel Ware finished his schooling at Barker in 2006. In his time at the School, he was elected School Captain, President of the Student Representative Council, Company Commander of the Cadet Unit and was awarded Dux of the School for the class of 2006.”
Beyond school he has achieved excellence academically, being awarded the Convocation Medal for Best All-Rounder at Sydney University and being announced as a Rhodes Scholar in 2011. He has been recognised for non-profit social and environmental work, receiving the St Gallen Leader of Tomorrow Award, the Goldman Sachs Global Leader Award and the Oxford Vice-Chancellor’s Social Impact Award.
Aside from his other achievements, Nathaniel also founded a private consulting business called 180 Degrees Consulting in 2011. After volunteering in numerous non-profit organisations and experiencing their lack of financial strength first hand, he sought to change things. Under his leadership, 180 Degrees Consulting has worked tirelessly to deliver advice, support and funding towards these organisations. Now the business remains firmly internationally planted, operating in 28 countries worldwide and helping several hundred worthwhile organisations to improve their social impact.
Nathaniel Ware has been a Barker student that all of us can be proud of and outside of school, a leader to all, especially young people who want to make a change for good, both here in Australia and worldwide. Nathaniel has carried the five Barker values, but in particular, the value of compassion in all that he has done and will continue to do.
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Old Barker Association Contacts email: oba@barker.nsw.edu.au
(Please note that the number in brackets after a name is the graduating year)
President
Tony Gamson (78) 0458 564 556
Honorary Vice-President
Peter Gregory (03) 0400 419 253
Honorary Treasurer
Andrew Hassall (86) 0412 610 434
Honorary Secretary
David Brookes (79) 0400 906 052
Honorary Assistant Secretary
Matt Ross-Smith (10) 0408 284 702
General Committee
Chris Bennett (83)
Paul Goncharoff (88)
Pip Hurley (Webber 85)
Jenny Kalaf (Melville 78)
Catherine Lancaster (82)
David Slinn (80)
David Trayner (84)
Henry Wells (10)
Nominees to School Council
Pennie Cruickshank (79)
Michael Brodie (79)
Tony Gamson (78)
OBA Annual Patron
Sandy Hollway (64)
Keith Thornton (64)
Benjamin Anson (85)
Over 70s Contact
Peter Ward (59) via (02) 9847 8229 (Sch) mandy_loomes@barker.nsw.edu.au
School Contacts
Director of Alumni Relations
Mandy Loomes (02) 9847 8229 (Sch) mandy_loomes@barker.nsw.edu.au
Alumni Reunion Coordinator
Karina Drummond (02) 9847 8283 (Sch)
karina_drummond@barker.nsw.edu.au
Manager of Archives
Morwenna Pearce (02) 9847 8290 (Sch) morwenna_pearce@barker.nsw.edu.au
Contributions Welcome
Please send contributions to Mandy Loomes, Director of Alumni Relations, 91 Pacific Highway, Hornsby NSW 2077 or mandy_ loomes@barker.nsw.edu.au.
For further information please contact Mandy on 9847 8229.
Personal notes are published in good faith, as a service to the Barker Community.
Interstate and International Barker Contacts
Brisbane
Andrew Wilkie (01) 0412 779 383 (m) andrew.wilkie@morgans.com.au
Canberra
Andrew McColl (74) 0422 985 281(m) mccoll@grapevine.net.au
Melbourne
Murray Anderson (65) 0457 000 407 (m) murray@capricorngroup.net.au
Northern Rivers
Jim Poulos (61) (02) 6686 7711 (h) pamio@bigpond.net.au
Perth
Tom Hargreaves (69) 0437 906 588 (m) tom.hargreaves@inpex.com.au
Sunshine Coast
Phil Benjamin (61) pandj.benjamin@bigpond.com
Upper Hunter
Charles Cooke (65) (02) 6545 8141 (w) charles_cooke@esat.net.au
Canada, Ontario
George Darling (70) george.darling@snclavalin.com
Hong Kong
Brayden Winkler (07) brayden.winkler@gmail.com
Japan
Carl Bastian (93) bastianinternational@msn.com
Middle East
Erik Huyer (72) (966) 056 409 0144 (m) erikhuyer@gmail.com
New Zealand
Scott Brown (91) (64) 027 230 4561 (w) scott@hipgroup.co.nz
Oceania (Fiji)
Neil Underhill (75) (679) 336 3968 (w) neilunderhill@connect.com.fj
Papua New Guinea
Johnson Kalo (83) (675) 305 6703 (w) jkalo@bsp.com.pg
Singapore Carly Switzer (94) carlyswitzer@yahoo.com.au
UK, London
Annette French (Slattery 88) (44) 1732 382 281 (h) annette.e.french@sky.com
USA, East Coast
Andrew Renton (85) (910) 612 5671 arenton1@mac.com
USA, West Coast Digby Cook (56) 623 523 4321 digbyhcook@gmail.com
“Each year seems to bring forward another new affiliate group as alumni seek to rekindle the enjoyment they remember from their involvement in sporting and other pursuits during their time as students.”
Since my last report, the OBA committee has been working hard to continue to expand the range of services we offer to our members. Over the past few years we have undergone significant growth in the activities we support and the range of engagement with the Barker community.
Each year seems to bring forward another new affiliate group as alumni seek to rekindle the enjoyment they remember from their involvement in sporting and other pursuits during their time as students. Recently, we have seen big band, netball, drama and athletics added to the more traditional rugby, football, hockey and cricket clubs.
This year, we are looking to develop a wind symphony orchestra, giving alumni another opportunity to play music together through the Barker connection. Given the strength and popularity of music at Barker, it is wonderful to see this new group emerge.
The diversity of our affiliates reflect the breadth of activities alumni enjoyed while at school. It is important for the OBA to support these new ventures. What has been especially pleasing is the growth in the number of female alumni who are participating and, in many cases, driving these initiatives.
Along with the growth in the number of affiliates, we have also added new services for our members and increased the number of functions and events.
Our mentoring program, launched last year, has been expanded following the successful pilot sessions. The professional training our mentors receive not only enables them to learn new skills themselves, but also means their mentees are being assisted properly and effectively.
Finally, I must mention the wonderful 125th Anniversary sculpture, donated by the OBA, which was unveiled in the OBA Courtyard in the Junior School last term. Thank you to all the members of the committee who assisted in the project under the leadership of Chris Russell (70). It is an inspiring addition to the school and the Junior School students have already adopted it as a central part of their life at Barker.
Tony Gamson (78) OBA President
The OBA’s Annual Dinner held in November has grown significantly since its relaunch in recent years. The 2015 event was our biggest by far. Alumni gathered to enjoy the evening and to hear our guest speaker, Mike Carlton (62), reminisce about his time at Barker. While the physical environment has changed greatly since those days, there were many stories that spoke of the culture and spirit of the school, still very much alive today.
One particularly pleasing element of the dinner was the large number of more recent school leavers in attendance. A quick calculation showed that around 50 per cent left school this century. In part this was a reflection of the growth of our affiliate numbers, but it also showed the increasing level of engagement we are having with our younger members.
On a balmy October evening, the Class of 1970 assembled in the Marks Pavilion for their 45 year reunion. In this exceptionally well-constructed monument, old acquaintances were renewed, tall tales from our schooldays rehashed and as the more sporting of our alumni gazed across the perfectly manicured lawns of Number 1 Oval, rugby and cricketing feats exaggerated.
Ian Campbell delivered a splendid speech, complementing our year on our intelligence, initiative, academic and sporting achievements. These wonderful (and truthful) assertions were met with a hearty round of applause, tempered of course by the Class of 1970’s ingrained understanding of ‘Honor Non Honores’.
As our school mates are scattered around the globe, Phil Montgomery read absentees’ emails from every
On Wednesday 21 October, 36 of our OBA Over 70s left Turramurra at 7.45am for a trip to the Blue Mountains to visit The Grange. We stopped for morning tea at Bilpin, having listened to some interesting facts about the area from former staff member Ian Campbell. Once we arrived at The Grange we were met by Mrs Liz Charlton. Liz took us on a tour of The Grange building, bush trails, the outdoor education facilities, the bush chapel and the veggie garden. We then gathered in the dining room. During lunch, Ian Campbell spoke to us about the origins of The Grange while Liz spoke to us about how the property is used by today’s students. Following afternoon tea, we headed back to Sydney. It was a wonderful day, enjoyed by all.
continent (except Antarctica). They all sent their best wishes and promises to be there for the big five-o.
Many thanks to Karina and Mandy for their wonderful organisational skills and of course Pascal, who received a standing ovation for a delightful meal, the likes of which our boarders never experienced in their school days.
Jack Brislee
On 17 October 2015, the Class of 1985 had their 30 year reunion. What I enjoy about these events is the unexpected. It is not about how I hated maths or that I didn’t make the 1st XV Rugby. But that we are a group of diverse people who shared a unique experience, and in a way, we are a network within a larger network. It is about the amazing people we have in our year: teachers, doctors, lawyers, surgeons, writers, CEOs, nurses, plumbers just to name a few... all with amazing lives and stories. That is why I love a reunion. We all have a reason not to attend a reunion, even I dreaded going, and I was the organiser! I would encourage everyone to go to their reunion and to all my 1985 classmates who missed this one
to come to the next reunion. It is not about who were your friends. It is about connecting with people, and often this is what you’ll find: there is unexpected greatness in all the people you went to school with (no exceptions) and a gettogether every five years is not enough.
The Class of 85 would like to thank Micheal Pears and Devasha Scott (Horsfield) for their photographic skills and David Carroll for the tunes.
If you are one of the Class of 1985, you can connect with everyone on our private Facebook page, just search for Barker 1985.
James Hopkin
On a very hot Friday afternoon in November, a small group of Alumni gathered at the Canberra Golf Club for a few hours to reminisce with Head of Barker College, Phillip Heath, and Director of Alumni Relations, Mandy Loomes, about their time at Barker. Mr Heath talked to everyone about the latest happenings at School, which was received with great interest. We look forward to
catching up again in 2016. Alumni who attended were Brian Agnew (72), Simon Agnew (43), Eleanor Colbourne (79), Jac Cousin (67), John Donovan (58), Bruce Edwardes (54), Gerald Farleigh (51), Richard Fillingham (64), Alicia Flack-Kone (89), Mark Francis (72), Andrew McColl (74), Des Pain (43) and John Wurcker (76).
As the old cliché goes, ‘sun’s out, run’s out’, and not a truer word has been spoken of the OBAC. Summer is a time for our club that is unrivalled when the other seasons are considered; it is superior in every way. It is the time that our season really heats up. We have had some terrific results, including Andrew Malpass (06) running consistently under 10.80 seconds in the 100m and Brendan Tsoi (09) improving on his form from last season.
Our off-season is fast approaching and we welcome all former and current students of any ability who would like to join us. We still train four times a week during the winter months, with a focus on improving speed and endurance. If you are interested, you can find out more by getting in touch with our coach Glen Parker (glen@ retailsystems.com.au)
Tim Willatt (07)
This year the OBA Big Band has hit the ground running, rehearsing hard towards finding our truly unique sound. Since our formation in 2012, we have built a solid repertoire from many iconic big band classics. Now with the right repertoire in our veins, our focus moves towards the growing number of band members who are eager to compose and arrange for the band. The OBA Big Band will explore new arrangements of songs from artists such as The Beatles, James Brown, Bruno Mars and Snarky Puppy. Next month we will also be performing in the local community for The Novus Foundation. This Foundation aims to support youth in Hornsby and the Ku-ring-gai district. In coming months, we will endeavour to perform more among the local community as our unique and personal sound grows.
All in all, the OBA Big Band is focused on its future, and we are sure you will be seeing a lot from us very soon. If you would like to contact the OBA Big Band, please email us at OBA_bigband@barker.nsw.edu.au
Luke Davis (09)
OBA Big Band Representative
If your children have left Barker and you would still like to support the school and be part of the Barker Community events, then the Kurrajong Society is for you. We send a regular newsletter, Kurrajong News, to keep you updated on what is happening at Barker College. If you would like more information, please contact us at kurrajong@barker.nsw.edu.au
After the club’s tremendous first year, Barker Old Girls Netball Club is back into the swing of things. We finished last season on a somewhat disappointing note for the girls in the No.1 Team. After an up and down season, we finished strongly in second place, securing a spot in the finals. However, Mother Nature had other ideas when it came to our grand final and due to a storm our game was cancelled. The winner was decided by our positions on the ladder at the end of the regular competition. So although we were runners-up, we were able to look back and see how far we had come in less than 12 months. Thank you to our crew of Barker old girls, boys and parents for supporting us over the course of the year.
We have three teams competing in the Hills District Summer Night Competition and extend a very warm welcome to our newest girls, a team made up of 2015 Barker leavers!
We are now taking expressions of interest for the Saturday winter competition, which begins in May. If you or your friends would like to join or create a team, please get in touch with us: barkeroldgirlsnetball@gmail.com We’d love for you to be a part of the club!
See you out on the courts!
Lauren Kirkby (07) and Jordana Shawyer (06)
OBA Theatre
OBAT will return to Barker theatres in Winter 2016!
We are looking for as many new members as possible this year, so if there are any alumni out there who would like to be involved in any way and are available between April and July this year, please contact us at: obatheatre@live.com
For more updates please look to our Facebook page at: facebook.com/Obatheatre
Amie McNee (10) and Cassandra Jones (10) Presidents
A bright, sunny February afternoon greeted us upon arrival at Barker No. 1 Oval for the inaugural clash against the Barker College 1st XI team. Barker legend Neil Marks (56) did the honours at the coin toss, shared a few laughs and gave us all some handy cricketing advice. The 1st XI team, led by Geroge Naish, won the toss and elected to bat. Umpires Andrew Moody and Lachlan Charles (10) strode out to the middle and called play on an enjoyable and hard-fought game of Twenty20 cricket.
The 1st XI top order produced a flurry of runs, attacking the OBA team at every opportunity. Their total was a respectable 155 and both sides seemed pleased with how they stood at the half-way point. Highlights in the field came from Nic Badings 1/9 (15) and Brad Lewis 1/16 (09), who shared in the wickets, bowled tight and slowed an increasing run rate.
The OBA XI were slow to start, facing quick, swinging and accurate bowling from the young guns. It was also very impressive to see the fielding skills of the 1st XI cut down many boundaries to singles or twos, and the total proved too large for us on this occasion. Top scorers were Jeremy Hook (88) with 30 off 19 balls and Tom Burnett (05), 27 off 18, who showed some true flair and proved that we aren’t all washed up yet!
A big thanks and congratulations for running this special event must go to Tony Gamson (78) and Mandy Loomes, and to Phillip Heath for allowing us to play on such a special field. Long may this fixture continue into the future, to facilitate a pathway for school leavers to the Barker Old Boys Cricket Club. Connecting with the OBA certainly provides a great opportunity for Barker alumni to keep in contact with the school community and establish new, lifelong friendships.
This fixture proves a perfect warm-up to our Jack Pace Memorial Shield semi-final against the Cricketer’s Club of NSW on Saturday 20 February. BOBs Cricket is seeking to defend the title and will draw on the professionalism and sportsmanship displayed by the Barker 1st XI.
If you would like to play for BOBs Cricket Club, please contact Matt Hall 0416 297 775 or matt.hall19@icloud.com
All our matches are played on turf wickets, against many of the old boys teams in Sydney. The majority of our fixtures are on Sunday afternoons and played in a 35 over per side format.
Matt Hall (00) Club Captain
In 2016, there has been more speculation on coaching and player movements in the January transfer window than in a British tabloid magazine. With Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid banned from future transfer windows for unscrupulous behaviour, and given the stellar performance of OBFC in the final half of 2015, concerns around losing talented players and coaching staff to more lucrative offers are well justified.
Fortunately for OBFC, the club survived this tumultuous period and is pleased to announce the re-signing of men’s premier league coach, Jim Harte, for 2016. Jim’s re-signing is speculated to have been instrumental in capturing a number of UK imports. The women’s football gaffer, Eva Akopian (11), has been busy in the off-season, bringing in David O’Keefe for coaching services and strengthening the depth of the women’s team with a number of inspired signings.
Division 5 had a tough 2015 and a lot of work was put into rectifying this in the off-season. We are happy to announce that 2016 is set for a transformation with Peter Crouch doppelganger, Josh Sandford (05) and the enigmatic Tim Binsted (05), spearheading a long list of loaned players who have been called back from rival clubs. We are pleased to welcome the likes of Jeremy Smith (05), Chris McClelland (05) and Alex Galvin (05), just to name a few.
In Division 6, a returning quorum of gents looks set to challenge for the division title with squad stewardship resting in the gentle but capable hands of Dave Calder (09) and Joey Meynink (09).
With a revitalised Division 5, strong numbers in Division 6 and improved player stock for the Women’s and Premier League Men’s, we are expecting our strongest membership numbers in club history.
The newly elected BOBRUFC Committee has been hard at work preparing for the 2016 Suburban Rugby Competition season. BOBRUFC will be contesting Division 2 (Barraclough Cup), fielding four grade teams and one colts team.
Pre-season is well underway. It’s great to see a mix of new and old faces each Wednesday night at Turramurra Oval. A sense of friendly competition is building between clubmen as they vie for selection amongst the grades. After falling one game short of taking home a premiership last season, 1st grade in particular are looking to make amends and go one better in 2016. It has been great to see an increase in numbers throughout the preseason. The coaches and committee are confident that 2016 will be the year of the BOB!
Nick Hensley (05) has remained as Rugby Director and is being assisted by Jack Roach (10) and Henry Hammond (11), who has taken charge of the Colts in 2016. BOBRUFC had
Although the season is set to commence shortly, we are always ready to provide playing opportunities to friends of the Barker community. With the continued generous support of the OBA, we are able to offer a particularly competitive offering to recent Barker school leavers who are continuing their studies full-time. Additionally, a huge thank you to the OBA who have very generously contributed to the purchase of new uniforms this year for the club’s fast-growing membership base.
We have a jam-packed social calendar, training roster and playing calendar, and are looking forward to a terrific 2016. For more information, please visit our website www.oldbarkerfc.com
Matt Vickers (05) OBFC Committee
a successful preseason, with our annual tour of Bathurst to play against the Bulldogs bringing about some excellent rugby, as well as some great off-field bonding. The trial match against our old adversary, Knox Old Boys, was also well attended, bringing back memories from past battles in the schoolboy competition.
To keep up to date with all things BOBs please follow us on Facebook at Barker Old Boys RUFC or refer to our website www.bobsrugby.com
We are looking forward to seeing you down at Turramurra Oval this season!
Liam Flanagan (03) Secretary
Have you turned 70? If so, there is an organisation for you. The Over 70s are a social group who run a number of events each year. Our next event will be our annual Back to Barker day on Wednesday 18 May. If you would like further information, please contact Mandy Loomes in the Alumni Office on 02 9847 8229 or Mandy_Loomes@barker.nsw.edu.au
Peter Currie (56) I have retired to a small farm near Kiama. My wife Prue and I visit France regularly and have recently purchased an apartment in an old chateau.
Michael Jacobs (65) I returned to Australia in 2000 after 20 years overseas. Now retired, but most recently CEO of Eyecare Plus, a group of 179 independent optometry practices across Australia. Anneke, my wife of 33 years, and I live in Port Macquarie, NSW. We are the proud parents of Joshua and grandparents of Oliver and George, all living in the USA.
Keith Walker (70) At 18, I was a trainee auditor counting bodies at a funeral home. At 22 I was supervising the filming of nude scenes on the TV show No. 96. Being too dumb for university worked out pretty well! Now retired after 40-plus years in television. Achievements? Married to long-suffering Dianne for 40 years. Two imposing daughters. Four mesmerising grandkids and my Barker blazer still fits!
Ian McGregor (97) I have been fortunate to be selected in the Australian Men’s Over 35s Hockey Team to compete in the Hockey World Cup. The tournament is being held in Canberra from 29 March to 9 April 2016 and Australia are defending champions.
Stephanie Timp (12) I’m currently studying Social and Digital media and International Studies at UTS full-time, while also working as an Account Coordinator at Twitter AU.
Caitlin Hanrahan (13) Studying a combined Bachelor of Engineering Honours and Bachelor of Commerce at Sydney University and has been awarded the inaugural Lendlease
Bradfield Urban Vision Scholarship. Caitlin’s vision is for “Sydney to be reshaped into a series of interconnected central living districts evenly distributed across the city, with an efficient interconnecting transport system, rather than one sprawling gridlocked central business district.” Her goal is “to create a vibrant, affordable, sustainable and desirable place to live.”
Nick Bennett (14) Nick was awarded the Young Citizen of the Year Award (joint winner) at the Ku-ring-gai Australia Day Awards 2016. He is an outstanding member of the Scouting movement, making an exceptional contribution to the youth of Ku-ringgai. Nick, who is commencing second year studies at the University of Sydney in 2016, joined the Scout movement at age six. He is now an Assistant Scout Leader, guiding young people through the organisation and encouraging them to embrace new opportunities.
In 2015, Nick was the youngest ever Australian to serve as Assistant Contingent Leader for the 23rd World Scout Jamboree in Japan, one of the world’s premier events for youth, attracting over 35,000 scouts
Phillip Bailey (62) We lost our home of 17 years (a 43ft yacht) in the 2013 Bundaberg flood. Finally found a similar one in Turkey and my wife, Pam and I have spent the past 18 months sailing it back to Australia. It is now moored at Iluka and we are actually living in a house at Brunswick Heads for a few months while we get the yacht ready to resume our voluntary missionary work in the Louisiade Archipelago (PNG). We hope to head back there after the cyclone season, around the end of May.
from 150 countries, for two weeks of international understanding and adventure.
Nick has achieved the highest awards in Scouting for his age. In 2015, he was awarded the Queen’s Scout Award, the highest Scouting youth award achievable in the Commonwealth. For his work fundraising for the aeromedical charity CareFlight, he was awarded the Australian Scout Medallion (2011). Nick was a recipient of the Mawson Scholarship in Leadership (2012) and served on the National Youth Council.
Outside of Scouting, Nick achieved his Gold Duke of Edinburgh award in 2015. A regular member of the Ku-ringgai Youth Orchestra until 2015, Nick is now a member of the Sydney University Symphony Orchestra. He has also been a surf lifesaver since 2012 and a mentor for the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) since 2015.
Caitlin Williams (15) This January I had the privilege of attending (after a rather hasty organisation process) the Professional Actors Masterclass (PAM) with the Australian Institute of Performing Arts (AIPA). I was introduced to the program by fellow Barker girl
Simon and Karina Mariner (Ryrie) (both 06) welcomed their son Brock Jayden James Mariner on 4th January 2016.
25 October
Amelie Masie, daughter of Melanie (Dudgeon 92) and Jesus Luque
25 October
Sacha Jane and Zak Anthony, children of Elisa Walther (89) and Luke-Anthony Kudric
1 November
Autumn Sarah, daughter of Emma and Daniel Venables (03)
1 November
Matthew Michael, son of Elizabeth Ockendon and Michael Robbins (91)
15 November
Harrison Leo Oscar, son of Nicole (Venter 02) and Oscar Battram
29 November
Georgia Alyce, daughter of Renee and Derek Brown (04)
29 November
Neave Rose, daughter of Emma (Charnock 92) and Matthew Ashdown
6 December
Max Toby, son of Ashleigh (Broadbent 02) and Toby Halvorsen (02)
9 December
Bradley Stan, John and Andrew Roy Hickin (14)
20 December
Brooke Jane, daughter of Nicole (Chambers 06) and Jonathan Walker Wedding
19 December
Belinda Jane Blowes (staff) and Jock McLaurin
Jami Blood (15) in early December, and three weeks later I found myself on a plane to Los Angeles to begin the course. Throughout PAM I met a number of casting directors, agents, managers and working actors, and will hopefully walk away with US management. It was an incredibly informative look into the industry that is Hollywood, and I hope to return to LA (a very vibrant, and at times very odd city) sometime soon.
Georgina Crouch (04) Ben Goddard and I were married at Christ Church Lavender Bay in September 2015. Two Barker old girls, Emily Mallison (Crouch 06), and Madeline Cuming (04), were in the bridal party.
Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division
Associate Professor David Oliver Watson (60) For significant service to medicine and medical education, to professional organisations, and to the community.
Mr Kim Lindsay Jacobs (72) For significant service to business through a range of senior roles, to Australia-Israel relations, to higher education, and to the community.
Stephen Alexander (60) 1943-2015
Stephen Alexander, late of Kincumber, attended Barker from 1955 to 1960.
Steve was a keen cricketer and a member of the Junior School 1st XI in 1955 and a member of the 2nd XI in both 1959 and 1960. Steve was proud to have attended Barker and enjoyed his class reunions and more recently an Over 70s Club luncheon.
Steve pursued many hobbies including gliding, sailing, cricket and reading. His indulgence was Jaguar motor cars. In his working life, Steve and his wife Penny were ‘Team Alexander’ sharing many business endeavours which included running a yacht brokerage, Pittwater sailing school and a real estate agency at Church Point before making a tree change to become wool and lamb producers at Gilgandra, Tenterfield and Coolabah. They later moved to Kincumber to be closer to family.
Stephen passed away on 10 September 2015 after a long battle with cancer and is survived by his wife, Penny and his daughters Lisa Christie and Georgie Alexander.
Soteri Anderson (62) 1944-2015
Terry (Soteri) Anderson, late of Ballina, died of a short acute illness on 13 August 2015, just before his 71st birthday, and a few hours after his second grandson was born. This was indeed a bittersweet time for his family. He and Bev were happily married for
45 years, and had two children – Kyrrin, who lives with her family in Brisbane, and Tim, who has lived in Los Angeles for the last 10 years.
Terry attended Barker College from 1950 to 1962 when living at Waitara (Kindergarten to Intermediate). He would be the first to admit that his scholastic achievements were lacking!
Terry and his family moved from Mt Riverview to Ballina in 1987 for a change of lifestyle and to start a business in the building industry in the growing Northern Rivers area. They had a plasterboard warehouse and distributorship at Ballina and Yamba until 2008, when these businesses were sold to Boral, and happily retired to continue their love of travelling.
On moving to Ballina, Terry became very involved with Rotary and was the Youth Director for many years. Terry and Bev hosted 10 exchange students from overseas over a period of 10 years, thoroughly enjoying this experience, and Kyrrin and Tim had a year exchange in Japan and America respectively. Consequently, their travelling let them meet up with their Rotary children and their families. They also made many trips to England, where Bev’s brother lives, to America where Tim lives, and to Terry’s beloved Greek Islands. Once Terry took his family on his first overseas trip at the age of 45, he just couldn’t stop –he just loved to travel.
His ashes were scattered in the ocean at Ballina and Tim is taking the remaining ashes to Naxos, so Terry, in a way, is going home.
Written by Ben Anderson
John James Burrough (40) 1923-2015
John Burrough, late of Pymble, attended Barker from 1936-1940.
At School, John was in the Swimming Team each year, played in the 1st XV Rugby team in 1940, and was a prefect and cadet. John served in WWII in the Australian Army and RAAF. He spent most of his working life as an accountant and enjoyed caravanning and bowls in his retirement years.
John died on 27 November and is survived by his wife Muriel; and children Rod, Mark and Craig and their families.
Ken Crichton (73) 1955-2015
Ken Crichton attended Barker as a boarder from 1972 to 1973, having grown up in Dorrigo, in country NSW. Ken was a member of the 1st Tennis team and represented the school at CAS Tennis. He was awarded a General Merit Prize in 1973.
On leaving school, Ken studied medicine at UNSW. In his early years, he worked closely with Dr Merv Cross, who was one of the world’s leading knee surgeons, which fostered Ken’s interest in the emerging field of sports medicine. Ken went on to be a driving force in the development of the Australian College of Sports Physicians and was its president in the 1990s.
In 1985, he married Sandy (Godfrey 76), who also attended Barker, and they had two children, Katie and Angus. Ken remained close friends with many
of his Barker cohort, mainly through tennis, golf, skiing and surfing. Over the years, he also treated hundreds of Barker colleagues and their families.
Ken’s expertise in sports medicine led to his involvement with major sports at the highest level. During the 80s and 90s, he was the club doctor for Norths and Manly rugby league teams. He was also appointed the Deputy Medical Director for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
A keen skier, Ken was contracted by Perisher-Blue to undertake annual knee checks of all their ski instructors at the beginning of each season, which he did for over 20 years. Throughout this time he was also the doctor to the Australian Ballet for over 30 years, as well as working with Sydney Dance Company and Bangarra. Ken also enjoyed working on the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and as a medical consultant to many stage shows. More recently, he was appointed to the NRL medical panel, overseeing player concussion issues.
His medical expertise, coupled with his ability to make every patient feel special, saw his reputation grow, year after year. His patient records revealed that he had treated thousands of patients over his career, ranging from high-profile names, to working as the sideline doctor at school rugby fixtures.
Ken died on 21 November 2015 after a short illness, and is greatly missed by his wife Sandy: his children Katie and Angus, and his many life-long friends.
Written by Murray Hamilton (73)
Maurice Gordon Graham (past staff) 1931-2016
Maurice Graham, late of Turramurra, was a Junior School teacher from 1959-1975. His cousin Keith Graham (37, deceased) was a past Barker student.
Maurice died on 10 February 2016 and is survived by his children and their partners: Peter; Allison and Chris; Gillian and Chris; Meredith and Nathan; Kirsten and Jason; and grandchildren Alexandra, Charlotte, Toby, Tim, Annabelle, Rosemary, Nick, Matthew, Yasmin, Evan and Elliot.
John Kehrli (past staff) 1935-2016
John Kehrli, late of Cherrybrook, was a Junior School Woodwork teacher from 1994-2008.
John had been in business privately as a patternmaker until his retirement. He originally answered an advertisement for a part-time position of eight weeks and at his interview indicated that although he was a skilled master carpenter, he had no
teacher training and no experience with young boys, having had four daughters and no sons. He was offered a temporary position to the end of the year by Neil Harrison with the proviso that if both he and the school were happy with the position and with John’s work, this term could be extended.
All agreed that John’s skills and natural charm with the students was a winning combination, and he just kept on returning each January for another year until a permanent appointment could be found.
John retired for the second time in December 2008 after 14½ years of loyal service to the Junior School, having taught his woodworking skills to approximately 1,500 boys and many of the staff. He was remembered for his adherence to best practice in woodworking and to his repertoire of grandfatherly words of wisdom, for which he became renowned.
John set a standard for teaching that was very much old school where the boys always came first, where life was a continual adventure and woodwork was meant to be fun.
The many messages of shock and condolence sent to his widow, Eve on learning of his passing all mentioned John as being a truly gentle man and a fine teacher. Messages came from all over the world and were a great comfort to his family.
John died on 21 January 2016 and is survived by his wife Eve; children Paul, Robert and Juliet; and grandchildren Veronica, Morgan, Kirilee, Rhys and Joshua.
Written by John Griffin-Miller
Geoffrey Simon Price (81) 1964-2015
My brother, Geoffrey Price, attended Barker from 1969 to 1981. He had a very solid record of academic achievement and was a prefect of the school. However, Geoff’s love at school was always sport. He was a brilliant and talented sportsman.
Geoff captained rugby teams every year, from the 10As through to the 16As, and was a member of the 1st XV. He was also an outstanding cricketer, captain of the top team for each age group, culminating in captaincy for the 1st XI in 1981. Geoff was selected for the CAS 1st XI in 1980 and also played in the NSW 1st XI team for the Under 19 age group. Geoff was also an excellent runner, a member of the Athletics team in his younger years and was a volunteer rugby referee when there was an opportunity to do so.
After school, Geoff graduated from Macquarie University with a dual degree in Economics Law, additionally completing his Barrister qualifications and becoming a non-practising Barrister of the Supreme Court of NSW. Instead of practising law, Geoff began his career in executive compensation, pursuing an interest in equity compensation practices. This led him to co-found RPC Plan Managers in 1997, in partnership with RPC Consulting. Geoff conceived the Plan Manager business, which was the first full outsource share plan management company in Australia.
After selling RPC Plan Managers to Computershare in 2001, Geoff successfully implemented the RPC full outsource service, offering and pricing across Computershare’s Australian client base. Geoff then enjoyed a successful 13-year period with Computershare, twice taking himself and his family back and forth between Sydney and the UK.
Geoff’s love of sport continued throughout his life. Some of his favourite passions were surfing, snowboarding and cycling. He was also a dedicated spectator for all the games of his beloved Waratahs and Wallabies, and always relished beating the Poms at cricket.
Geoff was an impressive businessman and entrepreneur; however, his proudest achievement was his family. The most important people in his life were his wife Jessica and their three daughters Melanie, Angie and Lulu.
In 2012, Lulu was diagnosed with Acute myeloid leukaemia. Following Lulu’s successful treatment, Geoff founded a fundraising initiative called Lulu4Leukaemia – over $120,000 has been raised for Leukaemia research thanks to Geoff’s efforts.
Geoff was an incredibly loyal friend, brother, son, husband and father. We tragically lost him from an accidental fall on 24 December and he leaves a void that we are struggling to come to terms with.
We have a strong history with the school; Geoff followed my brother Stephen (76) and preceded me, Alison (88) at Barker. The next generation continued with his nephews Richard (02), Christopher (06) and Michael (08).
However, as a much larger family, led by my parents Roger and Elizabeth, we would particularly like to thank the wider Barker community for their support over these past weeks and months. The attendance at Geoff’s funeral by so many former Barker classmates, teammates, staff, friends and families was overwhelming and comforting. For those of you we know couldn’t be there, your messages of love and support were very much appreciated.
Geoff was always looking forward and encouraging others to participate and give their best. We are all the richer for having known and shared him at some point in our lives.
Written by Alison Martineau
(Price 88)
John Henry Slater (55) 1938-2015
John Slater, late of Fyshwick, ACT, attended Barker from 1944-1951 as a boarder.
John spent his prep school years and first and second years of secondary education at Barker. From there he went to Hawkesbury Agricultural College. He spent all his working life closely associated with the Rural Industry, and the last few years as an Agricultural teacher at Queanbeyan High School. After he retired he lived and worked his acreage at Jerangle, a rural district south-east of Queanbeyan and northeast of Cooma.
From a very young age Jack was an outstanding footballer. I can remember when he was still in Prep School he had to play Senior School U13s, since he was too strong to play with his Junior School peers. His rugby career blossomed at Hawkesbury and he represented the
College in 1st Grade and later, when stationed at Wagga Wagga, represented the Riverina at the highest level. He also played rugby for Queanbeyan Whites and represented NSW. He was a good ‘no nonsense’ bloke and an extremely versatile man during his working career. John died on 21 October 2015 and is survived by his sons Steven, Scott and Reece.
Written
by Peter Maidens (54)
John Gordon Wagner (51) 1934-2016
John Wagner, late of Hunters Hill, attended Barker from 1949-1951 as a boarder.
John represented the School in cricket and football. He obtained a good pass in the Leaving Certificate which allowed him to enter Sydney University, where he completed a degree in Civil Engineering. He spent most of his professional life with McDonald Wagner and Priddle, a highly respected engineering consultancy, where he ultimately became a director.
Like so many of his peers John spent a brief time working in the UK in Ove Arup’s London office. While in London he met Eve, whom he married in Sydney in 1962. Together they made their home in Hunters Hill and raised their three children: Paul, Robert and Juliet. John and Eve were closely associated with All Saints Anglican Church in Hunters Hill and both sang in the choir.
John loved singing and was also a member of the Sydney University Graduates Choir and a founding member of the Joubert Choir. His other great love was bridge, achieving the rank of National Master.
John died 10 January 2016.
Written by Michael Thomas (51)
Donald Harding Woodburn (51) 1934-2015
Donald Woodburn, late of Turramurra, attended Barker from 1947-1951. His sons James (86) and Andrew (89) and daughter Josephine (87) also attended Barker.
Don was a member of the 1st XI and was a member of the Cadet Unit. Don mischievously admitted to breaking the butt of his rifle when dealing with a snake while on camp. He entertained family and friends over the years, relaying how very carefully he had to manage the rifle on Parades, until he managed to return it to Q Store without
Donald Harding Woodburn
detection. He had a keen sense of humour and never lost it.
Don’s father, James Lauritz Woodburn, contributed extensively to the School Library collection.
Don’s mother, Dulcie, donated the Woodburn Bowl, an heirloom from her husband’s family, which is the Year 12 Humanitarian Award. Don later endowed to School funds, ensuring this prize in perpetuity.
After leaving school, he followed in his father’s footsteps by studying accountancy. In 1955 he joined McDonald Ross and Co Chartered Accountants. He decided study was very time-consuming while working fulltime, so undertook all four final exams at the same time. This was a good decision as it resulted in him attaining first place in Australia in Auditing and third place in Accounting. He remained with McDonald Ross all his working life, progressing from Junior to eventually owner of the firm, until his retirement 50 years later in 2005.
During his life Don gave generously of his time and expertise on various committees, among them Wahroonga PreSchool President; 1st East Wahroonga as Treasurer and President; Prouille School as Treasurer; Snowbird Ski Lodge as Treasurer; and President and Treasurer at COTA (Council on the Ageing).
Don loved birds, and in his youth had racing pigeons. Over the years he made beautiful bird houses for his grandchildren, which today adorn their gardens. He was passionate about his holidays at the family cottage in Yamba, every holiday checking out what improvements had been made to the area.
Don died on 9 January 2015 surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife Denise; children James, Josephine, Andrew and Katherine; and seven grandchildren.
Written
by Denise Woodburn
“Good luck is where preparation meets opportunity” and for 125 years Barker has been the birthplace of preparation and opportunity for many thousands of students.
To celebrate the School’s 125 years and to inspire our future generations to continue to reach for their dreams and aspirations, the Old Barker Association has presented a sculpture to the School as its Quasquicentennial gift, entitled Anything is Possible, in the Junior School’s OBA Courtyard.
Four sculptors were invited to submit a design based on the theme ‘anything is possible,’ embodying key words in our objectives “Courage, Respect, Integrity, Compassion, Commitment” and also “Resilience”. Well-known sculptors Gillie and Marc were commissioned to cast a life-size bronze sculpture depicting a Year 6 boy with a Year 1 boy on his shoulders.
The sculpture was unveiled on 26 August 2015 in the presence of several former Headmasters, Trevor McCaskill, Neil Tucker and Rod Kefford; current Head, Phillip Heath; current and past Council members; current OBA Committee members including President Tony Gamson (78); and OBA Life Patrons John Griffiths (48), Neil Marks (56) and Kevin Thomas (52).
In his address, Chris Russell (70) urged today’s Junior and Prep School students to be inspired by the journey ahead:
“Dare to Dream for things that today may seem unobtainable; be confident and courageous as you move through your childhood and start to take up the responsibilities of age; be compassionate and help others to achieve their dreams; and be strong and resilient against those people and events that will try and deter you or knock you down along the way, but above all never doubt that truly ‘anything is possible.’”
Since the unveiling, the “bronzed lads” have been readily accepted into the daily lives of the boys as they work and play in the OBA quadrangle. Lunch is shared around them, the bronze foot rubbed by smaller hands as they pass by. The senior school distantly awaits, patiently beckoning for the passage of those young inquiring minds through the next stage of their educational journey.
The school traditions and patina is surely founded by the dreams, aspirations and ultimate achievements of those that have gone before. This inspirational birthday gift celebrates the realisation of those dreams, while reassuring those for whom aspirations are still just dreams that they should never doubt that “anything is possible!”
Chris Russell (70) OBA Ambassador
Class Reunions
1971 – 45 Year Reunion
Sat 14 May
Wolfgang Hofbrucker 0428 993 964 w.hofbrucker@gmail.com
Mike Langford 0414 781 291 drifting@bigpond.net.au
1991-25 Year Reunion
Sat 15 Oct
Facebook Group: Barker College
Class of 1991
1956 – 60 Year Reunion
Wed 19 Oct
Bob Hill 0413 483 520 bobhill839@gmail.com
1976 – 40 Year Reunion
Sat 22 Oct
John McBride john.mcbride@live.com.au
Rick Nelmes nelmes@bigpond.net.au
2006 – 10 Year Reunion
Wed 21 Dec
Nicole Meyer nicolepmeyer@hotmail.com
Nat Ware nathanielware@gmail.com
OBA Events
OBA Committee Meeting
Tues 10 May
Mandy Loomes (02) 9847 8229
Mandy_Loomes@barker.nsw.edu.au
OBA Committee Meeting
Tues 19 July
Mandy Loomes (02) 9847 8229
Mandy_Loomes@barker.nsw.edu.au
OBA Golf Day
Tues 13 Sept
Mandy Loomes (02) 9847 8229
Mandy_Loomes@barker.nsw.edu.au
OBA Committee Meeting
Tues 11 Oct
Mandy Loomes (02) 9847 8229
Mandy_Loomes@barker.nsw.edu.au
OBA Annual Dinner Fri 4 Nov
Mandy Loomes (02) 9847 8229
Mandy_Loomes@barker.nsw.edu.au
Over 70s Events
Back to Barker Day
Wed 18 May
Mandy Loomes (02) 9847 8229
Mandy_Loomes@barker.nsw.edu.au
Over 70s/Leslie’s Men Lunch
Rugby and AGM
Sat 30 July
Mandy Loomes (02) 9847 8229
Mandy_Loomes@barker.nsw.edu.au
Regional Events
Forster Luncheon
Sun 29 May
Ted Gaden (58) 0412 866 836 tedgaden@optusnet.com.au
Canberra Event Fri 11 Nov
Andrew McColl (74) 0422 985 281 mccoll@grapevine.net.au
International Events
Hong Kong Event
Thur 7 April
Brayden Winkler (07) brayden.winkler@gmail.com
Japan Event
Sun 10 April
Mandy Loomes (02) 9847 8229
Mandy_Loomes@barker.nsw.edu.au
Regional events provide a great opportunity to connect with members of the Barker community in your area.
Please send your contact details to Mandy_Loomes@barker.nsw. edu.au if you are living in a different location to your Barker mailing address, so we can invite you too!
Privacy
Due to changes in Privacy Legislation we are required to inform you that your contact details may be shared with OBA reunion organisers with the strict guidelines that they are only to be used for the purposes of organising your OBA reunion. Please contact the Alumni Office if you wish to keep your details private.
Photos
Photos from your event may be posted on the OBA Website (www.oba.net.au) and the Alumni Facebook page (www.facebook. com/barkercollegealumni) and in The Barker magazine. For further queries please contact the Alumni Office.