34 minute read
Houses
HOUSE SWIMMING
On Friday 28 February, all Years 3, 4 and 5 boys competed in the Junior School InterHouse Swimming Carnival at Camberwell Grammar School Sports Centre. All boys competed in a variety of individual and relay events. Congratulations to Derham and Schofield who were the overall 2020 Inter-House Swimming Champions. Final points were Derham/Schofield with 367 points, Clifford/Steven with 364 points, Bridgland/Summons with 340 points and Macneil/Robinson with 306 points
Congratulations go to the following boys who achieved multiple first places in their 50m events:
LOCKDOWN SUMMIT CHALLENGE
During lockdown, we set the Junior School a weekly challenge to climb mountains with their classmates. Each class had the same mountain to climb each week and competed to reach the summit together. We used flights of stairs to measure how far each boy needed to go. We started on the relatively easy Mount Kosciusko, moved through Africa (Kilimanjaro) and Asia (Fuji and Everest), tried some underwater climbing on Mauna Kea and even made it to outer space, climbing Olympus Mons on Mars.
It was a fun competition, well done to all the boys who helped their class each week to reach the summit!
YEAR 4
Isaac Khoo Connor Le Page Steve Gayed
YEAR 5
Luca Sanfilippo Luca Cosolo Thomas Pritchett Sebastian Kilroy Ben Liu
HOUSE CROSS COUNTRY
On Wednesday 21 October, all Years 3, 4 and 5 students were finally able to compete in the Junior School House Cross Country event. Originally planned for Term 2, and on a brand-new course within the school grounds, it was terrific to give the boys a major event in Term 4 and they all participated with great enthusiasm and determination.
The Years 3 and 4 students ran a distance of 2km whilst the Year 5 boys ran 3km around Belmont Park, then onto the Keith Anderson Oval and finishing on the Jack Tobias Oval.
The overall winner for the event was Steven with an average finishing place of 25th. Steven have now won two of the last three House Cross Country events.
Below are the overall combined Years 3, 4 and 5 House placings, averaged by the number of boys running for each House.
HOUSE PLACINGS
1. Steven (25) 5. Bridgland (30.5) 2. Robinson (27.3) 6. Macneil (31.8) 3. Schofield (28.4) 7. Derham (37) 4. Summons (30.3) 8. Clifford (38.9)
Congratulations go to the following students who achieved first, second and third places for each year level:
YEAR 3
1st Jacob Yuen 2nd Sebastian Cheung 3rd Joshua Chan
YEAR 4
1st Thomas Robertson-Brown 2nd Isaac Khoo 3rd Toby Chan
YEAR 5
1st Luca Sanfilippo 2nd James Smallwood 3rd Caius Kyoong
The 2020 House Sport Competition opened as per usual with the Athletics Carnival in March, which saw teams head to the Bill Sewart Athletics Track in Burwood. With no delay, events were underway both on track and field, opening with shot put, high jump and the 100m sprint simultaneously. Connor Laird proved his strength beyond the cricket pitch, taking out gold in the shot put. In the Year 11 high jump, First V Basketball players, Sam Rendell and Luke Doblin were able to post impressive verticals, placing second and third place respectively, however, Connor Assauw continued his dominant run in the event for the win.
Back on the track, the 100m sprints were underway. In the Year 9 level, footballers Adam Rizzo and Lachlan Harker posted rapid times. However, it was school record-holder Sebastian Beck who set the track alight to take out the win. In Year 10, Lachlan Ross showcased his all-round athleticism, followed closely by Hugo Akse and Jake Ford. In the Year 11 race, AGSV medallist Jordan Liang was in his element, but not without strong competition from Sam Rendell and Max Randall. In their final athletics carnival, the Year 12 race showcased the raw speed of Ollie Spalding, who was pipped at the line by Alex Wilson-Brown with Dean Kotsimbos in hot pursuit for third place.
Once the sprinters cleared, attention was diverted towards the 800m start line, with runners raring to go and others clearly dreading an agonising two laps. Nonetheless, there was a sheer demonstration of persistence and sportsmanship across all year levels. Lachlan Harker continued his exceptional run with another win in the Year 9A division and Billy Swingler pushed through for a win in the B division. In Year 10, Lachlan Ross was in strong contention for his second win in just the first hour of competition, however, Charlie Chun was too strong. Flynn Chable looked to challenge Jimmy Smith’s commanding track record in the Year 11 race, but struggled to hang on to the blistering pace set by Jimmy. Felix McCuaig, Captain of Orienteering, watched his training pay dividends as he cruised through the line in first place. Taran Laurence, Michael Augustes and Lachlan Waycott all battled it out in the A Division.
Over at the long-jump pit, despite their fatigued legs from a full day of events, Year 9 students Sam Hindhaugh, Joshua Hui and Freddie Askew all finished on the podium respectively. In the Year 10 event, Hugo Akse and Akalanka Gunawardana showed great poise. Yet again, Sam Rendell displayed his leap, taking out the Year 11 long jump, with Nick Exon and Callum Rutledge just inches behind. Similarly, Captain of the First V Basketball team Taran Laurence took out the Year 12 competition with his bounce. Alex Wilson-Brown and Lachlan Evans also rounded out their days with another medal. Individual standout performances throughout the day came from Will Stamper with three straight wins across shot put, discus and the 100m; Greg Kerdemelidis who competed consistently across the 100m, 200m and 400m; Max Randall who finished on the podium in all four of his events; and in Year 12, the individual medallist was tied between Alex Wilson-Brown and Ollie Spalding, who both showed their class as such versatile athletes, balancing numerous events throughout the day. Ultimately, with wins across the Year 9 and 10 cohorts, as well as a second place in Year 11, Macneil won convincingly over Schofield. Led by some powerful performances from Lachlan Harker Hugo Akse and Jordan Liang, Macneil was a menacing force on the day. However, with the boys rallying together by Jamie Garnham, Macneil House Captain, it was their overall consistency across the board that was key to success.
While it was not known then that this day would represent the entire year of House Sport, all Houses still immersed themselves in the enthusiasm and camaraderie that always makes the Athletics Carnival a highlight for the year. With scintillating sunglasses aplenty and many eagerly donning their house colours, the boys should be commended for creating such a motivating and energetic atmosphere.
After months of researching, planning and arranging and four intense weeks of rehearsing, the 54th annual House Music competition had arrived. House Music is very much a team sport. It requires the cooperation from absolutely everyone in the House, making it arguably the most anticipated and celebrated competition in the school.
The rules for the night are, each House must present an instrumental item, comprising of at least four players and two songs, one of which must be a part song, arranged in harmonies. The theme for 2020 was ‘100 years or older’, meaning one of the songs had to be written at least 100 years ago. The evening was adjudicated by the wonderful Mr Dermott Tutti, whose comments were invaluable to next year’s competitors.
The evening featured a wide variety of music, with works ranging from Schofield’s rendition of Hey Jude, to Vivaldi’s Gloria from Steven, to Macneil’s Teddy Bear’s Picnic.
This year’s competition presented some new challenges, as the seating arrangement was reorganised. To accommodate for more guests, the Middleton Theatre behind the main stage was used to seat boys, as a three-House movement system was trialled after each House sang. The arrangement was very successful, with the competition finishing three minutes earlier than the previous year. Tremendous thanks must be extended to Ms Doutch for organising the complex movement system.
Competition was extremely fierce this year as the standard reached a new high, with all Houses determined to stop Steven House’s streak, having won the previous three competitions. Despite the efforts from the other seven Houses, Steven House emerged victorious yet again with their fourth consecutive win, making history as the first House to do so. Congratulations to all boys, and good luck to all those competing in next year’s competition.
Arman Cakmakcioglu
Captain of Music
Upon reflection of the past year-that-was for the Bridgland cohort, reveals one of unprecedented uncertainty and one that undoubtedly strengthened the resolve of an already resilient group. Whilst the year might seem in vain due to the pandemonium of a global pandemic, upon closer inspection, it is clear that a plethora of meaningful experiences occurred.
Last year finished like any other for the soon to be Year 9s, with a treacherous week at Kangaroobie, testing their ability to work in teams and pushing their boundaries, perfectly transitioning them to the ever difficult and unfamiliar Senior School. The sense of camaraderie and brotherhood created on this camp carried over into the first term, exemplified by House Music.
All year levels, for the most part, showed up morning after morning, rain, hail, or shine to rehearse for the event. This effort paid off in spades on the night with a stellar performance by the Bridgland boys that saw a disappointing result, which certainly did not reflect the effort put in. Special mentions to Liam Ly for his excellent arrangements and accompaniments, and Thomas Ng and Jason Li for sublime conducting that allowed such a distinguished performance. Next up was Athletics, the group was determined to right their wrongs for their grievances with their performance in House Music, for what was unknown at the time, to be their last physical House event for the year. The House performed strongly on the day, which brought the boys closer than ever.
The period of remote learning was certainly new ground for all those involved, which made typical House activities near obsolete. To combat this, the House enacted multiple opportunities for the boys, such as a cooking competition, that was aimed to maintain participation and interaction amongst the group. Bridgland also showed great dominance in the schoolwide House trivia competition, winning 3 out of 4 year levels. Performances like this display Bridgland’s prowess amongst the school and are a testament to the adaptability of the boys, as well as their resilience in the face of such adversity.
Ultimately, 2020 will be an unforgettable year for all, and what may get lost in translation amongst all the trials and tribulations are the efforts of the Bridgland House. It has been an honour to lead the House this year and get to know the boys as much as possible, and it was truly awesome to see the House’s growth as individuals and as a collective. Many of the achievements of the light blue persuasion would not be possible for not the leadership of Vice Captain Liam Ly and the House Prefect team, and it is with utmost gratitude that I thank them for the role they have played this year. The thanks and appreciation are also extended to all the teachers and tutors within the House, as well as the everreliable Mr Devine.
Next year looks incredibly bright for the Bridgland group, with emerging and versatile leaders in the Year 11 ranks, who I and the House Prefects will eagerly pass the mantle on to, to what will hopefully be a much more normal and enjoyable year.
Charlie Amling
Captain of Bridgland
COLOURS
Phil Alex Charlie Amling Jason Li Liam Ly Thomas Ng Lewis Winkett Tom Georges
After a few years of rather lukewarm performances in House events (okay, maybe more than a few years), 2020 would be the year where Clifford House proved themselves as a fierce and adaptable group of young men, pulling off excellent results across the board. Where events were cancelled, we came in doubly strong in what remained, with abundant spirit and pep.
Hitting the ground running with House Music, the Year 9s got their first taste of Senior School vigour, sparing weekday mornings and Friday afternoons to produce a fabulous end result. On the night, our performance of Bonnie Tyler’s booming “Holding out for a Hero” had boundless energy (and novelty vocal percussion!), meanwhile our three-part rendition of traditional march “Men of Harlech” proved a crowd favourite, led by strong conducting from Dylan Kitchener. Fine work from our instrumentalists brought a virtuosic touch to a Vivaldi classic, bumping up our results higher and higher. The end of the night was met with great bitter-sweetness as Clifford clinched the runner-up spot, the best ranking for the House in years, and only fractions away from our first win since 1996. House Athletics was met with the greatest spirit I have seen in my time in Senior School, with all Houses dressing up and cheering their athletes on throughout the day. Clifford’s presence was as imposing as ever, decked out with the iconic hi-vis vests and Mr Ruffles’ famed orange tracksuit. Although no first-place trophies were recorded across the year levels, it would be the consistency from all that led the House to a stellar equal third place. Tried and tested athletes Gregory Kerdemelidis and Flynn Chable were as great an asset as ever, while newcomer Sebastian Beck showed himself to be one of Clifford’s greatest new contenders.
The last big event for the year was House Debating, held both on Zoom and in reallife where allowed. Debating is historically one of Clifford’s strongest events, and 2020 proved no different. Under the leadership of Captain of Debating Rohan Hodges, two of the four teams reached the grand finals, and although neither team came away with the win, we placed first overall – a testament to Clifford’s motto of every link in the chain making a difference. 2020 has been a wholly impressive year for Clifford, and it is right that tribute be paid properly to Mr Ruffles, who has been a great role-model to all the boys in these difficult times and whose Zoom DJ sets were highly lauded by all. It is with great pleasure I now hand over the reins to Flynn Chable, who will no doubt keep Clifford on the up-and-up, hoping that 2021 gives us even more opportunities to show our worth. To all the boys, thank you for getting involved this year whether it be on Zoom or in person, and to our Year 12s and House Prefects, cheers for an incredible six years, and onwards we go!
Rhys Campbell Captain of Clifford
COLOURS
Ellis Biggar Ethan Lack Rohan Hodges Dylan Kitchener Kieran McAuley Oliver Powell Alexander Ryan Andrew Shallcross Flynn Chable Nicholas Robinson Nicholas Sarlos-Welsh
Derham began the year with characteristic spirit, passion and flair, building on a tradition of merit in all aspects of House life. In the lead up to the highly-anticipated House Music competition, the boys banded together through a series of focused rehearsals in preparation for an electric evening of music. Following the instrumental group’s lively rendition of Waltzing Matilda, the House delivered emphatic performances of Don’t Stop Believin’ and Amazing Grace. Led by conductor Hugh McGlone and accompanist Chris How, the performances celebrated the strength of the Derham unit, culminating in a formidable fourth place finish.
Eager to extend on another of Derham’s most prized events in recent years, House Athletics offered a chance for the boys to relish an afternoon of House spirit. The event saw strong individual and team performances across all year levels, including from our Year 11s who placed first in their year level and our Year 12s podium placing. Notably, as a hallmark of the Derham style, the boys thrived in the relay team environment, with the Year 12 team, spearheaded by Taran Laurence, achieving four years of first place victory in a row. Overall, the boys earned a third place finish, continuing Derham’s streak of enviable results in both House Music and House Athletics in recent history.
Although the rest of the school year was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, House activity did not stop; instead, opportunities arose for a unique set of Inter-House events. The boys were unfazed by the online format of House
Debating, as impressive debating from our Year 9 and Year 10 teams produced grand final showdowns, with the Year 9 team of Cooper Carbone, Alan Tian and Patrick Homes being crowned champions. In the House Exercise competition, the boys maintained fitness through running and cycling, and Derham’s second place finish proved to be a deserved bonus. The House Trivia tournament also offered entertaining moments and a sense of connection – a reminder of how much we value each other and the House.
Within the House, the boys found unexpected rewards through an array of special events, games and tournaments. From a sports trick-shot competition, to a cooking competition, Fun Friday Kahoot quizzes, a House publication and an Uno competition, the core of the House was preserved with a different spin.
In 2020, the boys faced every challenge with trademark Derham courage and camaraderie. As a House, we can be proud to carry on the Derham legacy into the future and beyond. I would like to extend my best wishes to Angus Aikman as House Captain next year.
Matthew Wu
Captain of Derham
COLOURS
Michael Barry Mun Wah Chan Chris How Taran Laurence Hugh McGlone Bharat Manikoth Emmanuel Marcus Ryan Tam Philip Wang Max Whittle Matthew Wu
For Macneil, 2020 was another year of resounding success, in which the House’s optimism and perseverance continually shone through.
The year fittingly opened with an emphatic rendition of The Return of the Mack at House Music, exceptionally conducted and arranged by Hamish Monckton; the ‘Mac’ did indeed return, as Macneil Teddy Bears picnicked their way to a thunderous third place overall. As well as the instrumental contribution of Luke Doblin, Evan Chiu, Aidan Oh and Hamish Monckton, it was the whole House’s commitment and cohesion throughout rehearsals that truly stood out to all.
This performance set the tone for the rest of the year, as Macneilians demonstrated their versatility on the track and field by winning the elusive House Athletics trophy. Leading from the front were the hot-footed sprinters Jordan Liang, Hugo Akse and Lachlan Harker, as well as the tireless longdistance specialists Michael Augustes, Jimmy Smith and Henry Shirrefs. With many notable performances from the younger year levels, the future certainly looks bright for Macneil.
In fact, not even state-wide restrictions could lock down Macneil’s most dedicated, as the boys, led by Matthew Bryson and Zac Kelly, stormed to another first place finish, this time taking their talents to Zoom sessions and virtual runs in the House Fitness and Exercise competition. Other highlights of the online period include Zachary Kyriakos’ magnificent Macneilthemed cupcakes in House Cooking, Hamish Monckton’s victory in the Year 12 division of the inaugural House Trivia competition, and a resounding grand final win for the 11/12A House Debating team, consisting of Luke Doblin, Jamie Garnham and Jarrod Papadopoulos.
Macneil’s efforts this year extended beyond the sporting and cultural domains. With the foundations set by 2019 Captain Lachlan Doig, Macneil began their charitable partnership with Guide Dogs Australia this year, which, despite being hampered by restrictions, proved a resounding sucess. The committed ‘Pawgust’ fundraising team, spearheaded by the enthusiasm of Michael Augustes, succeeded in raising hundreds of dollars to support the training of guide dogs.
Indeed, these numerous House activities could not have occurred without the selfless organisational commitment of the House Prefect team, all the Year 12 Macneilians and especially the ever-dependable Macneil Vice Captain Matthew Bryson. Additionally, one cannot overstate the contribution of the returning Mr Green, who has brought immeasurable wisdom, discipline and support to the Year 12 leavers, for which we will always be grateful. With James Harker set to take up the role of Macneil captain next year, the future of the House is in safe hands. Overall in 2020, House activities were a golden light in an otherwise dark year, and so while pandemics may drive us apart, the Macneil spirit – and our cherished memories thereof – will keep us together forever.
Jamie Garnham Captain of Macneil
COLOURS
Aiden Oh Thomas Huang Thomas Nicholson Vishal Kotecha Dimitri Topatsis Hamish Monckton Jamie Granham Jarrod Papadopolous Matthew Bryson Matthew Lewison Michael Augustes Nick Clark
2020 has been a year full of surprises that no one could have imagined at the beginning of Term 1. However, the boys have handled this unpredictable and uncertain year extremely well, adapting to the changing circumstances of remote learning with little problem.
The year began with Robinson welcoming Mr Sofoulis as our new Head of House, taking over the position from Mr Smith who returned to Middle School as a Year 7 form teacher. Ms Neville was also welcomed into the House as a new tutor to replace Mr Thomas.
Although many of the annual House activities on the calendar had to be written off this year, we were lucky enough to compete in House Music and Athletics in Term 1. The boys attended multiple rehearsals per week in order to prepare for the performance. Our choice of Music was Stars from Les Misérables for the unison song directed by James Thorn and With Cat Like Tread from Pirates of Penzance as our part song directed by Rhys Denison. Our instrumentalists led by Aidan Harris performed You Say Run from My Hero Academia, a popular manga series. Although the boys put in lots of hours and hard work, we unfortunately did not receive the results we were expecting. The annual Robinson Street Soccer Tournament charity event was once again a great success with 12 teams entering from Years 9 to 12. The tournament was running smoothly up until the last round before the finals began when new restrictions caused the tournament to be suspended until further notice. Although it was unable to be completed, the tournament required a lot of help from the House Prefects and other Robinson Year 12s. Big thanks to Daniel Iacobucci for helping organise, referee and set up each round as well as competing!
Due to many of the activities being called off this year, the School Prefects came up with ideas to create virtual House competitions. Although our success in the Strava competition was below expectation, Robinson found great success in the Trivia competition with Ed Harper from Year 10 and our Vice Captain, Patrick Canny, from Year 12 making the grand final!
As the year came to an end, I would like to say that I am extremely proud of the courage and resilience that the boys of Robinson have shown as they were asked to complete the school year in conditions never seen before. And despite it being difficult to compete in the many competitions and activities offered by the school, the boys all gave it their best and demonstrated strong House spirit! I am pleased to hand over my role as Captain to Jordan McCleery, a very competent and courageous leader who will do a great job leading Robinson to success in 2021.
Jasper Fodor
Captain of Robinson
COLOURS
Henry Smith Harvey Xiao Jack Sturzaker Daniel Iacobucci Justin Leung Aidan Harris
Another year has come and gone for Schofield House, although it has been a bit of a different one this time around. While we may not have been able to do all the events we wanted to this year, we still managed to bring together a great House spirit for what we could achieve given the limitations.
The year started off as all years do, straight into House singing! Schofield House sang both Hey Jude by The Beatles and Forever Blowing Bubbles by John Kellette. It was a good job by all the boys who put in such a great effort and the subsequent excellent performances. It was also great to see Weihan, Wilson, Steven and Ray partaking in the Instrumental, performing Movement III Allegretto Schaerzando, which was also terrific. We may not have achieved our deserved number one spot, but we could not have placed where we did without
Wilson Zhu from Year 11, who conducted
Forever Blowing Bubbles and, organised and led the instrumental. The future is looking bright for Schofield with the likes of Wilson in charge in 2021 (hopefully he can acquire our deserved number one position).
Debating was able to go ahead this year as well, from home this time, with some interesting debates across the board. It was great to see participation in this despite it being held over Zoom. There were great successes, with the Year 11s and 12s coming equal first and the Year 9s and 10s with equal fifth, an awesome job from all involved. This year, in the first lockdown, we had an Inter-House exercise competition on Strava with strong contributions, especially from Will Stamper, Hayden Newman, Billy Swingler, Mitchell Brown, Tom Bowers, Benjamin Hindhaugh, Ruben Hopkins and Felix McCuaig achieving some excellent hours!
While this year may have left much to be desired, Schofield House did excellently with what was available to us. This year sees another group of Year 12s who, although they missed out on so much, were able to make the most of this final year and I wish them all the best of luck with their future endeavors. I have been proud to be House Captain this year and I congratulate Wilson Zhu next year for receiving the position, I know he will do an even better job.
COLOURS
James Balfour Ned Bennett Tom Bowers Angus Corr Lachlan Evans Michael Fok Kosta Froutzis Tim Henderson Benjamin Hindhaugh Ruben Hopkins Matthew Lim Felix Mccuaig Nicholas Pang Andrew Phan Harry Rice Bryden Tan
During such unprecedented times, 2020 has seen its ups and downs for the boys of Steven House. Nevertheless, amidst all that the pandemic brought to Melbourne and CGS, more specifically it has been an absolute honour to watch our boys rise to the challenges presented to them, and I commend the House for their hard work and perseverance during times of significant uncertainty.
Beginning the year in familiar fashion, Steven House went on to claim their fourth consecutive House Music trophy in what was a historic and defining moment not only in Steven’s history, but in the history of the competition! A sight to be seen, the boys were mesmerising in their performance of Ed Sheeran’s Supermarket Flowers and Vivaldi’s Gloria, unified in harmonious fashion upon the stage. Yet, such a tremendous achievement would simply not have been possible without the devotion and passion displayed by Captain of Music, Arman Cakmakcioglu and School Captain, Geoffrey Gong, whose hard-work behind the scenes was pivotal in facilitating the House’s success on the big occasion.
House Athletics saw the boys showcase their grit and endeavour on this day, bringing nothing but their best out on the track as they hurdled, skipped and sprinted their way onto the podium. Individual efforts were aplenty, with valiant performances being displayed by a plethora of students across the year levels. As per usual, Ollie Spalding once again produced an athletics masterclass, dominating the majority of the events in which he competed in and earning himself the Gold medal for best performing Year 12 athlete, rounding off his highly successful athletics career. The Year 9s and 10s left themselves with room to improve in the years ahead. As always, the work done by team managers was pivotal to ensuring that all events were filled and that no points were lost due to poor organisation.
An exceptional display of public speaking was witnessed during the House Debating competition, which saw the Year 9/10 ‘A’ Grade team defeating Derham in the Grand Final to round off an excellent tournament. Massive congratulations to Darcy Norman, Finn Mahaffy and Eugene Goh for their outstanding achievement, and special praise to Finn Mahaffy in particular who was awarded Best Speaker in the final.
A highly successful feature of this COVID compromised year was the transition to ‘remote’ House activities such as House Strava and Trivia replacing the traditional Swimming, Quads and Chess competitions - at least for 2020. The House Strava competition saw many Steven House boys chucking on the runners or jumping on the bike paths to map out their activities throughout the week, with the likes of the Norman brothers Mitchell and Darcy, and Alec McDougall clocking up mile after mile to lead the way in the House’s total weekly mileage. Off the track, the boys took part in the inaugural House Trivia competition, brandishing their general knowledge in a vast variety of topics. Some further congratulations to Finn Mahaffy for progressing to the Grand Final of the tournament in Year 10.
To the boys that I have been lucky enough to don the royal blue with over my time here in Steven House, I thank you. It has been an absolute pleasure to be able to call myself your Captain over the last year, and to the House Prefects, Tutors and Mr Young, I thank you for your uncompromising support over the last year and I am forever grateful for all the hard work you have put in throughout the year to make Steven House such a successful and special place. Good luck to the future boys, and huge congratulations to next year’s House Captain Tom Sun.
Finnegan Weston Captain of Steven
COLOURS
Angus Bosmans Arman Cakmakcioglu Tony Chen Oscar Cheunh Dean Christofilopoulos Thomas Cox Tory Crosgrove Will Day Kaelan Fraser Christopher Golz Geoffrey Gong Joseph Hunting Christian Ling David Maes Mitchell Norman Harry Senior Ollie Spalding Anderson Sulewski Lachlan Waycott Finnegan Weston Austin Yim
In a year like no other, Summons House showed unity, resilience and spirit – competing fiercely in the few House events that were allowed to continue. Although not always reflected in the results, Summons’ effort this year was second to none, an encouraging sign for the future of our House.
The year kicked off with House Music, a competition for which the House initially did not share my enthusiasm, given the early rehearsals and its previous lack of success. Despite the slow start, I was immensely proud to see how Summons pulled together in the weeks leading up to the performance; the sheer effort given by everyone was amazing to see. Unfortunately, the adjudication did not fall our way, and we were saddled with an outcome disproportionate to our effort – a testament to the standard of competition this year. Although the result was disappointing, our improvement was evident, and I certainly am looking forward to seeing what the boys can achieve next year. Special thanks to our conductor, Sean Liu, and accompanist Jarrod Leong for our parts song, Chicago’s Hard to Say I’m Sorry, Darcy Livingstone who accompanied our unison song Danny Boy, and to the instrumentalists who performed the crowd favourite Eagles’ Hotel California: Andrew Bishop (tenor saxophone), James Eastwood (drum kit), Marc Dalla Riva (electric guitar), Hayden Whiteford (bass guitar) and Luke Nguyen (acoustic guitar).
Eager to avenge our defeat in Music, Summons came into the Athletics competition with renewed vigour. We were the only House to enter every student in an event, and our consistency in participation across all year levels led us to a respectable fourth place. The support the boys offered each other on the track in all the races was essential to our success, a tradition I am sure will continue in Summons’ future. Special congratulations to Alex Wilson-Brown who added yet another Gold medal to his collection and to Max Randall for claiming Silver.
In the absence of House Cross Country and Swimming, events we would have easily dominated I am sure, an online exercise competition was introduced. The point scoring was entirely participation based, so our third-place result was an excellent indicator of Summons’ dedication this year. Well done to Scott Tan who scored the highest number of individual points in the school.
House Debating was allowed to continue online and saw solid contributions from all year levels. In particular, the Year 12A team reached the Grand Final and thanks to the efforts of Michael Campbell and Kevin Yang the Year 9 team also saw some success, a promising indication of good results to come.
I would like to thank Vice-Captain, Ming Jin Low, and the House Prefects for their commitment this year. They helped to support Summons in what was an especially challenging year through their tireless dedication to the organisation and running of events.
Thank you to all the tutors who continued to run their Tutor Groups through remote learning, your consistent commitment to the students made a big difference to their wellbeing. Special thanks to Mr Warne who assumed the duties of Head of House for a term, not only filling Ms Norris’ shoes, but offering a much more lenient stance on appropriate hair-length, something I gladly benefitted from. Finally, a huge thank you to Ms Norris, whose unwavering commitment to both the students and the House is something we can always rely on to lift us up, a quality that turned out to be especially important this year.
I wish all in Summons House the best for the future and have no doubt you will continue to build on our success under Marc Dalla Riva’s leadership.
COLOURS
Patrick Rogan Ming Jin Low Alex Wilson-Brown Oscar Curry Michael Campbell Carson Howard Mark Lai Kevin Yang
