The MAG ISSUE 5 2021
FEATURES: SCHOOL-BASED APPRENTICESHIPS SOARING DEMAND FOR QUALITY EDUCATION IN ECHUCA-MOAMA MOAMA LIGHTS MAG SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR
MOAMA
ANGLICAN GRAMMAR
COMPASSION | RESPECT | INTEGRITY
Welcome to Issue 5 of The MAG Welcome to this fifth issue of our bi-annual school publication, The MAG. Whilst we may be contending with lockdowns and restrictions, there is still a lot to celebrate at Moama Anglican Grammar. We hope you enjoy reading about the accomplishments of our students, staff and alumni.
On the cover: Kindergarten students add their blue butterflies to the wall of encouragement for ‘Do it for Dolly Day’ celebrated on Thursday 20 May 2021.
Co-ordinators: Yvette Height and Chelsea Leslie Photography: Yvette Height and Chelsea Leslie Design: Esley Studio Printing: Revolution Print
MOAMA
ANGLICAN GRAMMAR
COMPASSION | RESPECT | INTEGRITY
2 Kirchhofer Street PO Box 786 Moama NSW 2731 P: 03 5480 5900 E: info@moamagrammar.nsw.edu.au
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ANGUS MCKINDLAY
23
100 DAYS OF KINDER
4
10 13
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
5 MEET THE BOARD 6 MEET OUR SCHOOL LEADERS 8 STAFF NEWS 10 SCHOOL EVENTS 18 FEATURES
WE CAN SORT IT OUT
24 ALUMNI
17
27 PARENTS AND FRIENDS
WINTER CANDLELIGHT CONCERT
MOAMA LIGHTS
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FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Future Proofing persistence, analytical thinking, creativity as well as the need for entrepreneurial and enterprise skills. Our goal at MAG is to find ways to teach these skills, offer students feedback on their development in these areas plus ways to grow and improve their mastery of these skills. This of course does not replace the focus on developing the mastery of literacy and numeracy in the early years of school and then growth in other curriculum areas. We have engaged all teaching staff with strategies to strengthen their skill development to support this growth and development. We have partnered with the Association of Independent Schools NSW and other schools with a pedagogy strategy called Deep Learning. The essence of
Most schools and educators continuously
this work is for teachers to adapt the way they teach their
look for ways to improve the education
curriculum (knowledge) to include the explicit teaching of the
system. We recognise that the world beyond
6C’s (Character, Citizenship, Collaboration, Communication,
school changes, sometimes very rapidly, and we need to ensure students are prepared for
Creativity and Critical Thinking). We have begun to adapt as educators to be more explicit with students so that students, teachers, and parents can track progress and development
the world they live in rather than the world
across these skills as well as progress across their
as it was.
academic subjects.
Embedded within the vision statement for Moama Anglican Grammar is the concept that, as educators, we will ‘equip students with the skills and confidence to help create their future’. To be successful in this goal, we are adapting new ways to teach students skills for the future.
Our world will continue to change rapidly, and we all want to see young people thrive in their world. As educators at MAG we are committed to adapting our practice to meet these changes for our students. We are excited about the possibilities open for learning and particularly to see our students engage in real life learning that encourages the
The school has started to work to enhance the teaching of what has been termed ‘soft skills’ or ‘21st Century skills’. These skills have been identified as crucial for young people to have
growth and development of the whole person at school and beyond.
to flourish in life, yet they are not always explicitly taught.
MRS CARMEL SPRY
These skills include effective communication, collaboration
PRINCIPAL
or teamwork, ethical behaviour, personal skills such as
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MEET OUR SCHOOL LEADERS
Getting to Know Our School Captains ABBEY CHAMPION
OSCAR MILLER
Abbey, 17, lives in Moama and commenced at Moama Anglican
Oscar, 18, is originally from Wagga Wagga and now lives
Grammar in Year 7. Abbey was a primary school captain at her
in Echuca. He has been attending MAG since Year 7.
former primary school, and as she grew to know the school
He first developed ambitions of being School Captain when
and her peers at MAG, she realised that she would like to be
encouraged by family friend, Mia Oberin, and his Mum to
involved in school leadership at senior level too.
step up and give it a go. ‘I also wanted to be a school leader because it was my chance to give back to the school where
Abbey has enjoyed meeting so many new people in the school
I could.’
community, having the opportunity to share ideas to create and organise events. ‘I also love having junior kids wave to
Oscar has found his experience as a school captain rewarding
me and say hello down the street because they recognise me
so far, ‘the best part about being school captain for me is
from school.’ From a learning perspective, Abbey has been
the people that I have had the opportunity to meet along
surprised by how much time and effort goes into running all
the way and the support I’ve received’. Oscar has welcomed
of the different school events.
the opportunities the role has afforded him, including being part of the Indigenous Awareness Committee and credits
Outside of school, Abbey enjoys catching up with friends,
his experience in assisting him to gain employment at the
playing netball and finding new places to walk her dog. She is
American Hotel.
still debating her options for next year, ‘Hopefully, I’ll either be studying a Bachelor of Nursing in Melbourne or taking a gap
When he’s not busy with school, Oscar enjoys spending time
year to travel and work around Australia. Still undecided!’
with family and friends at the river, and playing music and sport. He has big plans for next year with a gap year and
The leader that Abbey most looks up to in life is former
traveling around Australia, if COVID restrictions permit.
champion swimmer and sports commentator, Nicole Livingstone.
Oscar most looks up to his Mum and Mia Oberin, who have consistently inspired him to be the best version of himself.
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MEET THE BOARD
Meet the Board SYDNEY PAUL (CHAIR OF THE BOARD) | 2017 Sydney is a rural GP at Shiloh Medical Practice in Deniliquin since 2000. His wife Priscilla is a secondary teacher at MAG. Sydney’s goal is for holistic health and education in remote rural communities to be on par with the cities. Sydney has been on the Board since 2017 and his two daughters studied at Moama Anglican Grammar from Year 7-12.
NINA O’BRIEN (VICE CHAIR) | 2020 Nina is passionate about building the capacity of people in regional communities, advocating for educational attainment, building linkages to industry, and creating opportunities for young people. Nina works for the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal supporting regional communities in Disaster Recovery and Resilience. Nina lives in Moama and her two children attend Moama Anglican Grammar.
MARCUS D’ANGRI (TREASURER) | 2019 Marcus has been on the Board of Moama Anglican Grammar since 2019. He is a member of the Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants and has worked in public accounting for 25 years and been a partner in a local accounting firm for over 15 years. His three children have all been educated at Moama Anglican Grammar.
NEIL SPROAL | 2019 Neil recently retired after 40 years of employment with the Victorian Department of Education. He was a school principal for 20 years at Williamstown North PS and Laverton P-12 College. Neil has a passion for leadership coaching and has spent 10 years coaching newly appointed and experienced principals. Neil and his wife retired to Moama in 2018, and he enjoys spending time with his two daughters and grandchildren.
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MEET THE BOARD
CRAIG SMITH | 2012 Craig has been on the Board of Moama Anglican Grammar since 2012, previously serving as chair. Having been an owner/manager of several businesses with offices in Victoria, Tasmania and NSW, Craig has a good understanding of employment law, work cover, insurance, OH&S and running a successful business. He ran his own IT consultancy company in Melbourne for over 10 years and moved to Echuca in 1992. All three of Craig’s sons have attended Moama Anglican Grammar and gone on to pursue their dreams.
FLEUR COUSINS | 2021 Fleur’s background is in local government with over 26 years’ experience. She has been a Manager in the areas of governance, aged and disability and public health services. Currently she is the General Manager Corporate at Campaspe Shire Council, with responsibility for Finance, Human Resources, ICT, Customer Service and Communications. Fleur has two children who attend Moama Anglican Grammar.
SIMONE KNIGHT | 2021 Simone and her husband run a mixed cropping farm in Womboota – a relatively new career path for Simone who grew up in Tasmania and studied law in Melbourne. Simone worked at the largest corporate law firm in Australia for 13 years. Her family moved to the farm when their eldest child commenced school just over 3 years ago. Whilst the transition was initially difficult, Simone now feels very fortunate to have made the change. Simone has a son attending Moama Anglican Grammar.
SKYE ENGWERDA | 2021 Skye is a Director at local law firm Cosgriff Lawyers, practising in the areas of commercial and business and private clients. She regularly provides advice at Board level to both private and community organisations about a range of corporate governance and workplace relations matters. Having completed her schooling in the Goulburn Valley and now the mother of two young children, Skye is committed to supporting education at a local level to enable children in our community to reach their full potential.
JANE MILLAR | 2021 Jane and her family, including three children who all attend Moama Anglican Grammar, relocated to Echuca in late 2019 after many years overseas. She has more than 15 years experience working in senior corporate communications roles in ASX-listed organisations, government-owned corporations and the not-for-profit sector. As a proud Moama Grammar parent, Jane is passionate about seeing the School reach its full potential and reinforcing its reputation as one of the leading education providers in the local region.
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STAFF NEWS
Bri Bennett is a born and bred Echuca girl and is known for putting in the hours to ensure that our students have access to fantastic sporting opportunities and facilities. We spoke with Bri about one of her recent major accomplishments – the opening of the MAG Fitness Centre. “I always loved PE and Sport as a student myself and knew I wanted to do something within that field after I graduated from secondary school. My running coach, Russell Parsons, was a huge role model in my life that helped me make the choice to go down the path of teaching. I began my first year of teaching at MAG in 2015, which was my second year out of University- I am now into my 7th year at MAG. I studied a Bachelor of Education (Physical Education) at the University of Ballarat (now known as Federation University) and graduated in 2013. The opening of the MAG Fitness Centre has definitely been the highlight of my year at school so far. It has been a surreal experience - to actually see a dream of our faculty come into fruition is amazing! We are aiming for the centre to be utilised across many different facets; assisting curriculum development and knowledge of concepts in our subjects. This is particularly important for Year 11 and 12, as we now can offer a workout space for students before and after school, during lunchtimes and as a study break for our HSC students. We are always planning for the future in PDHPE! We have big dreams about continuing to instil a love for moving with our students by building our resources and programs. Ideally, we are establishing lifelong healthy habits and routines in our students, that will have beneficial effects on their health, happiness and outlook”.
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STAFF NEWS
Alan Davidson moved from the other
Alan has kept himself very busy playing an active role in both
side of the world to take up an offer to
the general community and within the school community.
work at Moama Anglican Grammar way back in 2007. In that initial year he taught the first Year 5 class in a portable classroom near the current Under-Cover Area. He’s now in his 15th year of teaching at the school, and is third after Kathleen Kemp and Maris Carmody in terms of length of teaching service.
He was one of the founders of the Moama-Echuca Border Raiders Soccer Association where he has spent many years as either player or coach. He often found himself up against some of the students that he’d previously taught. Around the school, Alan is well known for heading up some of the more ‘fun’ activities, including developing activities focused on the FIFA World Cub, Olympic Games, and his annual coordination of the Kris Kringle morning for teachers in December. As an avid photographer, Alan’s photos can often be seen featured in the school’s newsletters, social
Alan, who originally hails from Falkirk, Scotland, became acquainted with the Echuca-Moama region when he completed a year of teaching exchange at Echuca East in 2002. When the opportunity came up for his family to move to Australia on a longer-term basis, he jumped at it. Alan, his wife and new baby arrived in Echuca to begin their new lives – the plan was to spend the first three years in Moama and then see where they ended up…
media posts and other materials. Alan loves that having stayed in one job for so long, he can easily see the progression of his students, “I enjoy the teaching on a day-to-day basis, watching the students grow. It is wonderful to see my students continue on through high school, and then to run into them down the street and still be able to say hi and have a conversation with them. I’m lucky to have these ongoing connections – watching the cycle of students going off to university or into careers and then connecting with them again when they return to town”. ISSUE 5 - 2021 | 9
SCHOOL EVENTS
100 Days of Kinder They made it! Our Kinder students celebrated 100 Days of School in style on Friday 6 August. What a wonderful achievement after so many changes and challenges over the last eight months. They had a brilliant visit from Mrs Brown (Mrs Ripon) and her friend, Iris (Jo Morgan) to lead the 100 Days activities on the day. This included a primary school parade featuring their ‘100’ themed costumes, past all of the older children’s classrooms. We are so proud of all that our Kinders have accomplished, and look forward to seeing where the rest of the school year takes them!
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SCHOOL EVENTS
Do it for Dolly Day Students enjoyed participating in a range of colourful and uplifting activities on 20 May for ‘Do It For Dolly Day’. ‘Do It For Dolly Day’ is about bringing the community together to celebrate kindness and unite in taking a stand against bullying. All of our primary and secondary students wore casual dress for the day and a group of our secondary girls volunteered to braid the primary girls’ hair which proved a wonderful bonding opportunity! Students created a beautiful butterfly mural overflowing with positive, inspiring messages; the primary students in particular spent a lot of time reading and digesting these encouraging messages. Thank you to our students for coming up with this great idea, and for raising $1078 for Dolly’s Dream!
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SCHOOL EVENTS
We Can Sort It Out The K-6 Composting Initiative, ‘We Can Sort It Out’, has initiated some amazing work in the Primary School. Every class is involved and has the opportunity to teach and learn from each other. The students will train the next class until all of the Primary classes know how as a school we can manage our food waste. Each day small groups of dedicated students are using our fabulous composting trolley to collect food scraps from the composting buckets and sort them. Once sorted the students then put them into the compost bin for the process to begin. Our students are learning about the process of making compost and how our food scraps can be turned into a valuable resource. During the year students will learn how to add straw, manure and water to the compost mix and ensure the correct levels of nitrogen are established. They will also learn how to aerate the compost and make sure the balance of materials used is right, which in turn eliminates any smells. It is wonderful to see our keen students from a range of year levels giving their time to learn about sustainability.
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SCHOOL EVENTS
MAG’s Creative Minds We have seen a number of our students participate in creative writing competitions and workshops; and the outcomes have been amazing!
ANNALISE SOMERVILLE, YEAR 7 Annalise entered a submission to The Vox Bendigo Book 2021 Young Writers Anthology. The theme this year was ‘Animal’ – Annalise’s submission ‘If the Animals could Talk’ was selected for publication. If the animals could talk (an excerpt) “…the animals would tell us how we are not always careful with our waste, how our rubbish ends up in the oceans, bushland and all over the place! The animals would tell us about how we cut down too many trees and how some of them are captured and illegally sold overseas! Could the animals tell us if they really want to be our pets? Will we care enough to take them to the vets? Will we love them when they are older or will we treat them as pests? Do we take them for granted because we know they are always there? Do we wait until they are endangered and need to be saved before we decide to care? Maybe we should rethink our ways, after all some animal species are growing short of days! If the animals could talk, what would they say?”
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SCHOOL EVENTS
Mini Writers Festival OLIVER KNIGHT, YEAR 3 Congratulations to Oliver Knight for an outstanding achievement in this year’s Schools Writing Competition. Oliver was awarded ‘Excellence in Writing’, placing him in the top 2% of entries of the 7,500 entries received Australia wide. His short story will be featured in the publication ‘The Write Note”. The Story of the Numbat Learning his Lesson (an excerpt)
In early August, primary students participated in the Virtual Mini Writers Festival, with the support of Mrs Barber. The Children’s Book Council of Australia hosted this virtual event over a five-day period. Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds was the theme for these sessions. Authors such as Jackie French, Tristian Banks and Lisa Nicol guided students through a series of writing activities focusing on plot and character development, and techniques to add description and detail. Student reflections about the Mini Writers Festival:
“…Numbat was a greedy creature who wanted to rule
“I thought the way Oliver Phommavanh planned his stories by
over all the creatures in the land. Numbat thought for a
drawing a map was a good way of organising our ideas.”
minute… if I could find a Thylacine and force it to be my
Bodhi Kohn, Year 5.
servant, I would be unstoppable. Numbat clawed at the tree with a sly grin.
“I liked how we could express our ideas through pictures and
That night, Numbat made sure he had packed everything
the tips we were given to develop characters.”
he needed for his adventure to find a Thylacine. This was
Zara Hensley, Year 5.
a lot for a little Numbat to carry. By the time Numbat got to the river he ended up chucking all his gear into the
“I really enjoyed working on designing some silly characters
river. Before he got a chance to regret his decision all his
with the author Lisa Nicol.”
gear got swept along the river and into the ocean.
Maya Butler, Year 4.
“Eh who cares,” said Numbat...” “My favourite day was learning how to create a story map with the author Oliver Phommavanh called “Escape from Death Island.” Nate Murphy, Year 4.
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SCHOOL EVENTS
Give Back Day Fundraiser In Religious Values Education (RVE), students
The Year 5 classes were inspired by a group in Brazil who
were asked to create a project in which they
developed the motto “Be more, not have more”. Accumulating
could make a difference to the community and world around them. Annabel Pickles and Neisha Davidson came up with the idea
more and more material wealth does not lead to true happiness, rather it adds to our global problem of waste and its impact on the environment. True happiness comes through serving others with care and compassion, helping
to organise a school fundraiser to address
people and helping our planet. Annabel and Neisha identified
the issue of clothing waste. Clothing waste
waste generated by unwanted clothing going to landfill as an
is a major contributor to landfill and has
environmental concern.
significant environmental impact. On Thursday 24 June, Annabel and Neisha collected 224kg of clothing from the School community for Give Back Day! The items were delivered to the St Mary’s Parish Hall complementing the Echuca Moama Community Projects Coat and Blanket Drive and the St Mary’s Parish Soup for the Soul community lunch event.
They designed their Creation Care Project to raise awareness of this issue and to encourage families in the School to donate unwanted clothing that would otherwise end up as rubbish. They then wanted people in need to benefit from the donated clothing. Thank you to all the school families who donated clothing and well done Annabel and Neisha – what a fantastic effort and outcome!
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SCHOOL EVENTS
Winter Candlelight Concert Our Winter Candlelight Concert was held on Wednesday 11 August, with our secondary students treating us to some wonderful musical performances. Ms O’Shaughnessy and Ms Ellis did an expert job of coordinating the students to put together a varied mix of acts including solo and duet singers, solo musicians, the school drumline, jazz ensemble, strings ensemble, brass quartet and Year 9 band. Thirty-six talented musicians and singers graced the stage and made us proud of their unique talents. The concert was filmed at the school and is available to view on the Moama Anglican Grammar Youtube page.
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SCHOOL FEATURES EVENTS
School-based Apprenticeships – transitioning from school to the workplace Adam discussed his options with Laura and Billy Brady, owners of Brady Electrical, and together they decided that a schoolbased apprenticeship was the perfect route. School-based apprentices, like Adam, will normally complete the first two years of their apprenticeship part-time while they study, and then transfer to a fulltime apprenticeship for the final three years. Adam will earn a Certificate III in Electrotechnology on completion of the apprenticeship. Adam is developing valuable hands-on experience to complement his school studies, “I’m learning skills such as
Year 11 student at Moama Anglican Grammar, Adam Pulsoni has a head-start on his career by embarking on a schoolbased apprenticeship with Brady Electrical, Kyabram in January this year.
practical problem-solving, planning and communication. Learning from mistakes is one of the most important processes, which goes hand in hand with planning; the better the job can be planned out, the fewer mistakes are made”. Employer, Laura Brady, believes the school-based apprenticeships are invaluable in shaping relationships with
The School has a strong focus on VET pathways, and school-
potential employees like Adam who are keen and willing
based apprenticeships are one of the many options offered
to learn; “It’s a great opportunity for us to connect with the
to students. These apprenticeships offer an alternative career
younger generation and provides us with the opportunity to
option, allowing students to commence vocational training,
mentor and shape the individuals into future leaders that are
earn a wage and get hands-on experience, all while completing
in line with our business values”.
their secondary education. In addition to school-based apprenticeships, Moama Anglican When the opportunity to undertake a work experience
Grammar offers school-based traineeships, where Year
placement with Brady Electrical in Year 10 arose, Adam soon
10/11/12 students can work part-time with a partner business
realised that this was a career track perfectly suited to him.
and complete their formal traineeship training by the end of their HSC year.
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FEATURES
Soaring Demand for Quality Education in Echuca-Moama Enrolments
Scholarships
Whilst our region continues to experience challenges and
The School will invite scholarship applications for 2023 for Year
instability around COVID-19 restrictions, it’s been a very
5-12 in December 2021. Scholarships will be open to both new
positive year for Moama Anglican Grammar so far with some
and current students, and places will be subject to availability.
record achievements in enrolments, especially in the primary
Keep a watch on the School website and social media pages
school. There has been a record number of enrolment
for more detailed information later this year. Scholarship
enquiries for 2022 across the board, which demonstrates that
applications will close 11 March 2022.
local families and families from further afield are looking for an outstanding educational experience for their children, where strong values, impressive facilities and individualised attention are key. There are now several year levels that are nearing capacity, so the School is considering adding extra classes to facilitate the additional numbers as needed. The growth of both shires – Murray and Campaspe – has not been dampened by health restrictions, continuing to thrive vigorously. With increasing demand from city dwellers wanting to relocate to the country and long term planned development for Echuca West and north-west of Moama, quality schools like Moama Anglican Grammar will play a leading key role in educating future generations of our community. If you are interested in enrolling a student for 2022/2023, contact our Registrar now! registrar@moamagrammar.nsw.edu.au
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FEATURES
Moama Lights In Term 1, students in the Primary School were invited to submit an artwork which responded to the theme of ‘why I love living in Echuca Moama’ for the inaugural Moama Lights event, a three-week celebration of art, light and all things Moama! The festival was an immersive sound and light trail starting at the underside of the Echuca Moama bridge and highlighting the natural beauty through Horseshoe Lagoon before finishing at the Murray River. Out of the 280 entries received, 90 finalists were selected by a panel of judges, with 63 being from MAG students. Congratulations to everyone who submitted an artwork and a huge congratulations to the students whose artwork was etched into glass and projected onto the Horseshoe Lagoon boardwalk for the duration of the festival.
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FEATURES
MAG Sportsperson of the Year We awarded primary and secondary ‘Sportsperson of the Year’ awards at our Presentation Ceremony in December last year. These awards were generously supported by the Rich River Golf Club. Each student was awarded a trophy and a MAG education voucher in recognition of their continued efforts and excellent sporting outcomes they achieved.
LUCY KENNEDY Female Primary Sportsperson of the Year 2020 Lucy had a great year in swimming, winning age champion in the primary swimming sports and coming in runner-up in her age level at the RAS swimming in Wagga Wagga. Lucy qualified for Sydney but unfortunately it was canceled at the last moment. Lucy also came in second in the House Cross Country event. JAYMI CLANCY Female Secondary Sportsperson of the Year 2020 Jaymi had a great sporting year in 2020, winning age champion in the cross country and participating in the school swimming LENNIX KEAM Male Primary Sportsperson of the Year 2020 Lennix shone on the football field, sports track and swimming pool during 2020. He made it to Sydney for the CIS football tryouts where he was selected for the team, however was unable to travel to Byron Bay for the match due to COVID-19 restrictions.
sports. Jaymi was also selected for the team who went to the CIS Triathalon in Sydney. JAKE CLANCY Male Secondary Sportsperson of the Year 2020 Keeping the sporting prowess in the family, Jake Clancy also won age champion in the Cross Country, won age champion at the swimming sports and was selected for the CIS Triathalon
Lennix won the Year 6 Cross Country at school and was picked for the Primary RAS swimming in Wagga Wagga where he swam well but did not place.
in Sydney. There were many regular sporting events that were cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. Congratulations to these three students who managed to strive for sporting excellence in the face of adversity!
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FEATURES
Angus McKindlay: On Track for Great Things Many people spend years perfecting their sporting skills and working towards sporting excellence. Year 12 student Angus McKindlay has broken all the rules by rising to the top of his field in athletics after taking up the sport only two years ago! Angus, who comes from near Bunnaloo, grew up playing soccer and cricket, and decided to give athletics a shot after family friend, Fleur Ferris, suggested he’d be pretty good at it. In 2019 Angus began taking part in track events and hasn’t looked back. Training Wednesday afternoons in Bendigo with the Eaglehawk
to Bendigo for training, Angus instead trains at the gym and
Athletics Club, it wasn’t long before he started to excel. In late
runs at local ovals. With the nearest athletics tracks located at
2020 Angus represented MAG at the NSW All Schools Athletics
Bendigo and Shepparton, Angus has to find alternative ways to
Competition in Sydney, where he ran the 100, 200 and 400
train and keep fit at home.
metre sprints and 400 metre hurdles. He made the final in all of his events, and placed 3rd in the 400 metre hurdles with
With many school athletic events being cancelled in 2020-
a time of 56.78 sec., and placed 4th in the 200 metre sprints
2021, Angus is looking forward to competing at the Victorian
with a time of 22.84 sec.
All Schools Athletics competition at the Victorian Institute of Sport in October, if COVID-19 restrictions allow. Whilst
Last year Angus represented Eaglehawk in the under-20s age
the pandemic has proved an obstacle to his progression in
group at the National Track and Field titles at Sydney Olympic
athletics, it has also made him more determined than ever to
Park where he came in 5th in the 400 metre hurdles – an
get on the track and prove himself.
impressive feat! Angus’s dream is to one day win a sports scholarship or be Both COVID-19 restrictions and a hip injury have been
signed up by a team in the USA. Good luck, Angus – you’re well
obstacles for Angus during 2020-2021. When unable to travel
on the way to achieving your goals!
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ALUMNI
research team at the Hudson Institute
with laughter. I loved the creative and
of Medical Research. I started my
personal touches of student art that
research project in 2019, investigating
filled the walls of the school. From the
how epigenetics in the mother’s egg
colourful caravan that was a temporary
could be altering bone development
canteen in my early years to the student
in children. I am almost at the half way
murals on the permanent buildings.
point of my PhD and I am loving it. It is the perfect combination of self-
“MAG is such a colourful
directed discovery, team work, science
place, and all of my
communication and education. I am
RUBY OBERIN CLASS OF 2013
also very fortunate to have a teaching associate role at Monash University,
memoires of my time there are bright and warm.”
which has provided me lecturing and tutoring opportunities.
One piece of advice you would give to current students
What you have been doing since leaving MAG?
What are your plans for the future? I plan to finish my PhD in 2022 and to
Following graduation, I had a gap year
start working in either a junior lecturing
and worked at Kagome Foods in the
position or in an industry-based role.
laboratory to save money. I started
This could be in either clinical trials,
my undergraduate degree in 2015 at
medical consulting or research. I am
Monash University, studying a Bachelor
excited for the future - I am taking a
of Biomedical Science. Studying this
‘one step at a time’ approach and saying
course helped me realise that Medicine
‘yes’ to every opportunity presented
wasn’t for me, and my love and passion
to me.
was. My favourite subjects during
One highlight from your time
Biomedical Science were based on
at MAG?
led me to enrol in a Graduate Diploma in Reproductive Science at Monash Medical Centre. During this course I fell in love with science communication and fundamental scientific research. I was amazed at how much we still have to learn about embryonic and fetal development. I was fortunate to be offered a PhD candidate position in Associate Professor Patrick Western’s
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to spend all of those years studying”. When in fact you are still living your life whilst studying. You can still do so many beautiful things whilst at university, from travel to work and socialising. Change is scary. But we can’t grow without change. The path you take after high school is your time to try new things and see what works for you. Don’t let the fear of time, change or uncertainty
for education was where my heart
fetal and neonatal development, which
Often I hear people say “I don’t want
When I first started at MAG in Year 7, the majority of my classes were in portable classrooms. I look back and feel so fortunate being able to have watched the school evolve and grow. Each year was filled with excitement and fresh opportunities with brandnew resources and beautiful learning spaces. These classrooms (including the original portable classrooms) were always happy environments, filled
stop you from giving new things a go. You will find your passion if you start looking for it.
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ALUMNI
Alumni News If you know of any exciting happenings amongst our alumni, please let us know! Send us a message at communications@moamagrammar.nsw.edu.au
Nicholas Barry (Foundation student 2005) and wife Sarah Barry welcomed their first child, William, on 25 August, 2020. William was born in Albury, where the Barry family currently reside.
Ashlea Monigatti (Class of 2011) married William Mason in Everton on William’s parents farm on 27 March 2021. The couple met at an interschool cross country day when MAG competed against William’s school - Cathedral College, Wangaratta. They live on a farm in Anaki where they run a horse agistment centre, fatten lambs and have a hay trading business.
Ingrid Williams (Class of 2016) married Bryce McDonald on 23 May 2020, after bringing the date forward because of COVID-19 restrictions. They married at their farm in the Western District, 20 minutes south of Hamilton with ten guests and the minister. Ingrid works as a podiatrist in private practice at Gen Health in Hamilton, Victoria.
Alexander Spry (Class of 2019) and Cable Metcalf (Class of 2019) welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Elaine on 30 September, 2020. Elaine was born at the Echuca Regional Hospital and the family are currently residing in Kyabram.
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PARENTS & FRIENDS
Parents and Friends Working Bee On Sunday 18 April, dedicated MAG parents and staff members assisted John and Dean to build garden beds with new trees, plants and bark chips outside the TAS centre and in front of the new oval alongside the Primary carpark. The P&F cooked a lovely barbeque to finish this morning event. Thanks to all our generous helpers who assisted in beautifying the school grounds.
Bare foot bowls Thankfully we could celebrate with friends and families at Moama Bowling club in March during our Bare foot bowls family night. It was a wonderful balmy evening and many new friendships - between adults and kids alike - were made! We hope to have more nights and events like this in the future!
Our Parent and Friends committee would appreciate any new members that would like to join us, engage in the school community, and help out at any of our school events throughout the year. Please get in touch via email: pfa@moamagrammar.nsw.edu.au ISSUE 5 - 2021 | 27
MOAMA
ANGLICAN GRAMMAR
COMPASSION | RESPECT | INTEGRITY
2 Kirchhofer Street Moama, NSW, 2731 P: (03) 5480 5900 www.moamagrammar.nsw.edu.au