The Phoenix Rising

TERM 1 2025

from the headmaster

MR SHANNON LEE

2025 marks a significant milestone for All Souls St Gabriel’s School—a 25-year celebration of resilience, community spirit, and a shared belief in the power of education. For me, this community spirit was captured beautifully during our annual Burry Weekend. In the face of devastation after a freak storm cell rocked the campus, the ASSG community rallied and with an impressive display of resilience and service were able to tidy the campus in less than a day.

In early 2000, the greatest display of resilience and service in our School’s history took place. Born out of the sudden and unexpected closure of the School, this moment sent shockwaves through the Charters Towers community. Families, students, and staff were devastated. Though the news galvanised our community.

Within hours, a passionate group of parents, past students, and community leaders came together to fight for the school’s future. The “Save Our School Committee” (SoSC) was established—driven by hope and the unshakable belief that ASSG still had more to give. Backed by local councils, businesses, and an outpouring of community support, the group raised funds, secured the campus, and began the daunting task of rebuilding—brick by brick, and heart by heart.

The road ahead was far from easy. The school re-opened in challenging conditions: small enrolments, tired facilities, and a shoe-string budget. Yet, our community stood tall, a dedicated team of staff, board members, and volunteers rolled up their sleeves. With determination and grit, they

slowly transformed the school into a place of learning, values, and opportunity once more.

Now, a quarter of a century later, ASSG stands stronger than ever, with the launch of our 2025-2035 Master Plan we are boldly looking to the future. With a focus on innovation, wellbeing, and sustainable growth, the school is investing not just in buildings, but in its people. This long-term strategy will ensure ASSG continues to meet the evolving needs of students and thrives for generations to come.

Not only is 2025 a year to celebrate the rebirth of our School, but it also marks 100 years of the Past Students Association. The Past Students are our longest serving Association, without their support in 2000 we would not be here today.

To mark these incredible milestones we are holding a weekend of celebrations aptly named the “Spirit of the Phoenix”. The weekend kicks off on Friday, 23 May with our much-loved rugby league and netball matches against Columba Catholic College, followed by a full day of celebration on Saturday including a Chapel Service, Open Day, and the highlight event — the Cocktail Evening. The festivities conclude on Sunday, 25 May with a relaxed Golf Morning or High Tea. This promises to be a truly special weekend for our community. More information, along with ticketing details, can be found on the ASSG website.

As we celebrate 25 years since our rebirth, 2025 is not only a moment to look back with pride, but to look forward with purpose. The story of ASSG is one of courage, unity, and belief—and it continues to inspire. Here’s to the next 25 years and beyond!

our 2025 leaders

Senior School

School Captains - Yasmin Musk and Samuel Cowan

Chapel Prefect - Joseph Newnham

School Vice Captains - Grace Kirkwood and Zavier Clark

Alban House Captain and Prefect - Tanisha Darwen

Becket House Captain and Prefect - Lynisa Kennedy

Chad House Captain and Prefect - Jade Cowan

Ramsay House Captain and Prefect - Maximus Smith

Feetham House Captain and Prefect - Xavier Lord

Page House Captain and Prefect - William Elliott

Academic Prefect - Tamzin Finger

Arts Prefect - Harriet Moore

Rural Activities Prefect - Dustin Finger

Service Prefect - Daniel Wearing

Prefects - Ashleigh Elliott & Isobel Paskins

Junior School

Junior School Captains - Louis Bennetto and Ella Thomson

Junior School Vice-Captains - Cody Snelling and Pippa Tait

Junior School Chapel Prefect - Taylah Maff

Alban House Captain - Lilly Diery

Becket House Captain - Clare Brady

Chad House Captain - Lorelai Butcher

Ramsay House Captain - Samuel Shun

Feetham House Captain - Rhylan Ahern

Page House Captain - Cooper Woodward

Arts Prefect - Tahleigh Novelli-Marshall

Year 5 Student Council RepresentativesLincoln Skillington and Kendyl Allan

Year 4 Student Council RepresentativesDarragh Bowley and Harper Crane

2024 awards

On the first day of term we acknowledged the 2024 Prizes for Proxime Accessit, Dux of the School, and The Morris Prize. The Morris Prize is presented to the student who achieves the highest ATAR in their grade at All Souls St Gabriels School.

Congratulations to Connor Atkinson who received the 2024 Proxime Accessit, and to Hunter McKellar who received the award for 2024 Dux of the School, as well as the The Morris Prize.

Congratulations to you both!

ash wednesday

On Wednesday, 5th March, both Senior School and Junior School students attended Ash Wednesday services at the All Souls St Gabriels School Chapel to mark the beginning of Lent - a season of penance, reflection, and fasting.

It was a meaningful time for our school community to come together. We thank Father Philip and our Chapel Prefect Joe Newnham for the wonderful Service.

captain’scorner

junior school

ELLA THOMSON & LOUIS BENNETTO JUNIOR SCHOOL CAPTAINS

This Term at ASSG has been a blast with many exciting activities.

The Year 6 class went on the Leadership Camp to Magnetic Island and the Year 4’s had an exciting excursion to the Charters Towers Regional Council chambers to learn about local government. Students are eagerly awaiting more Outdoor Education activities next Term.

Year 3 and 5 worked hard to complete their NAPLAN testing, finishing their tests with an exciting pizza, popper, and pineapple party which made all the hard work worthwhile. Another highlight of Term 1 was the Inter-House Cross Country Carnival with Chad and Page excitingly taking home the win.

In the Inter-School T-Ball fixtures we had a very successful season with the boys placing second and the girls third. We would like to thank Mrs Walsh, Mrs Marshall and Mr Turner for the time they put into our teams – without them this result wouldn’t be possible.

We are also very excited to learn that ASSG is putting together a whole School musical performance in readiness for 2026. All the Junior School students are full of excitement ready to try out.

We are really looking forward to the upcoming Term ahead, knowing that it will be full of excitement and more adventures. Have a great holiday. Happy Easter!

senior school

YASMIN MUSK & SAM COWAN SCHOOL CAPTAINS

Term one started off wet with intense rain falling across most of the state, leading to flooding in the North, and the Burdekin Bridge went under. The weather caused travel issues for many students, but the start of the Term went ahead as planned.

On the first day back, the Prefect Team were officially installed into their roles, and the Seniors received their Senior Badges. We are excited to lead this group of students and can’t wait to see what the rest of the year will bring.

This year, the School introduced a new approach to the annual School Photo Day. Instead of traditional group photos, each student had an individual portrait taken, which will then be used to create their group photos. This streamlined process significantly reduces disruptions to learning, allowing students to reclaim 4 School days across the year. The new system ran smoothly and has proven to be an effective improvement. Thank you to everyone involved in making it happen.

This Term we held many events with the Inter-House Swimming Carnival which was a fantastic day of competition, with everyone giving their all in the pool. Each house showed great spirit and determination, but in the end, Feetham and Becket took the overall victory. Well

done to all swimmers for their effort and sportsmanship!

In the Inter-House Cross Country, we saw some outstanding performances, with students pushing themselves to the limit across the challenging course. Alban and Ramsay came out on top, but every runner should be proud of their effort and perseverance.

Our Inter-School Swimming Team put on an incredible performance, with ASSG dominating the competition and taking home the overall victory! A huge congratulations to all our swimmers for their dedication and effort in the pool.

Our Inter-School Tennis Competition saw our players step up to the challenge, representing the School with skill and determination. The matches were competitive, and everyone displayed great sportsmanship throughout the tournament. Congratulations to all who participated!

We also came together for a memorable Lady Day Chapel Service and Formal Dinner. It was a special occasion to reflect on our values, celebrate our community, and enjoy an evening of tradition and camaraderie. A huge thank you to everyone who helped make it such a great event!

swimming

On the day of the Inter-School Swimming Carnival, the ASSG Swim Team were ready and eager to get into the pool. Starting the morning off, the students competing in the 100m and 200m Freestyle showed their stamina and speed in the water with many placing in the top 3.

After our distance races, we took a long break for Morning Tea to recover, then back into the 50 meter events. The ASSG Team and Seniors showed their spirit through war cries and dance battles as the 50 freestyle and 50 breastroke races commenced.

Our swimmers continued to impress as the day progressed, with many ribbons showing personal achievements in the pool. Soon enough, the team races started. This saw many of our Medley Relay Teams show their talent. A huge mention goes to the 12 Year Boys Medley Relay Team, for breaking the record by over 30 seconds.

With a short break for lunch the competitors were eager to continue in the pool with the 50 backstroke and 50 butterfly events. Coming to the back end of the carnival, the ASSG Swim Team showed their continuous efforts as the final event of the day, the freestyle relays

were underway.

After finishing the final race, our team was ready to pack up and wait patiently for the results. Starting with our Runner Ups, and Age Champions for each age, we are pleased to say we had many All Souls St Gabriels team members receiving recognition. On top of this we were lucky enough to be rewarded the Griffiths Memorial Trophy for Boys Relay, The Rattray Sheild for 16 and Open Girls (tied with Columba), the Coleman Cup for Overall Girls Aggregate, the A and R Duckworth Trophy for Overall Boys Aggregate and the Althea Norton Combined Aggregate Trophy.

We would like to congratulate our team for their efforts during this carnival. We would like to acnowledge Mason Storey who broke records in all 6 of his events as was a part of the 12 Years Boys record breaking Relay Team. As well as Lilah Plant who broke records in the 100m freestyle, 50m backstroke and 50m butterfly.

A final thanks goes to Mrs Dickson, Ben Dickson, Mr Wilson and Ms Bowden for all of their help in preparing us for the carnival and ensuring everything ran smoothly.

YASMIN MUSK & CONNOR SMITH SWIMMING CAPTAINS

senior school inter-school

Congratulations to all our Age Champions and Runner ups.

Age Champions

Mason Storey 12 Years Boys

Charlie Hourston 13 Years Boys

Lilah Plant 14 Years Girls

Konnor Laffin 14 Years Boys

Hollie Laffin 16 Years Girls

Connor Smith Open Boys

Runner Ups

Hollie Ievers 12 Years Girls

Yasmin Musk Open Girls

Benjamin Moxham Open Boys

Matt Stanger Campdraft Clinic

On the weekend of 15th and 16th March 2025, All Souls St Gabriels School hosted its muchanticipated annual Campdraft Clinic, and what an incredible weekend it was! With a number of students from across year levels taking part, the clinic offered a fantastic opportunity to develop and refine horsemanship skills in a supportive and hands-on environment.

Led by experienced instructor Matt Stanger, the weekend kicked off with a range of exercises focusing on rider position and control. As the clinic progressed, students had the chance to put their skills into action on the cattle.

The improvement in both riders and horses was evident, with many participants completing full rounds by the end of the clinic. The enthusiasm, progress, and teamwork on display made for a truly memorable experience.

We extend a sincere thank you to Matt Stanger for sharing his knowledge and passion with our students, your experience is invaluable to our young riders. We would also like to extend our thanks to all of the parents and volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help the weekend run smoothly.

Thanks to everyone’s contributions, the clinic was a resounding success—and we’re already looking forward to the next one!

Boarding term 1

my new home in boarding...

Adley Crozier

Boarding to me is a home away from home I love the opportunities, good friends, and milo!

Peggy Doyle

What I love about boarding is that you get to basically grow up with your friends, making it like they are your Family and Siblings. I also love that I get the opportunity to grow my independence and responsibility.

Montana Green

Milo is the absolute best in dorms! And weekends are the best being with friends.

Alban Chad

Hollie Ievers Becket

I like my friends and the people that are around me. I like being in on weekends because they take us to Townsville. My favourite Townsville trip so far was the Barra Fun Park because I got to jump off the big red cube with my friends.

Dustin Lanskey Feetham

I love dorms because I get to sleepover with my mates and hang out.

Alban

Shaun Lennon Ramsay

I like making new friends, swimming on the weekends with my mates, and when the older boys play pool in the dorms with us.

Dylan Smith

I love boarding because I get to see my mates every day. We play footy on Mattingley whenever we like. We get a good place to sleep so we can be ready for anything. We get good food and showers and it’s a good place to live - it’s the best. We have the best dormie, Rhett. He jokes around with us and he’s funny – he’s the best!

Ramsay

Abbey McClymont Chad

The thing I love about boarding is it is like one big family.

Beau Middleton Page

I like boarding because I’ve made good friends and have a break from working at home.

Molly Mosch Alban

In dorms, Milo is the best and weekends are the best!

Miley Shaw Becket

Some of the things I love about boarding are when we get to do activities outside of school with the Rec Program. I also love how every dormie treats us like we are one big family.

Cooper Woodward Page

I like it when the older boys play guitar before lights out, and I like not always being at home because I get to be with my mates in boarding.

cross country junior schoolinter-house

Champion House Chad & Page

senior school inter-house

16 Years Pattison Fink Ariel Chevathun Darcy Cameron Tom Linton

Opens Jade Cowan

Champion House Alban & Ramsay

lady day service & dinner

On the evening of Tuesday, 25th March, the school community came together to celebrate The Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The occasion was marked with a reverent Chapel Service, beautifully led by our Year 12 Ladies, followed by Lady Day Dinner held at Halse Hall.

The Hall was beautifully decorated by Becket House, the hosts for the evening, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Guests were treated to fantastic vocal performances by some of our talented female students. The night was made even more special with a speech by Julia Keough (School Captian & Class of 2017), who shared her reflections on her time here as an ASSG Student & on her experiences since graduating.

A heartfelt thank you goes to our incredible Kitchen Staff for preparing a delicious meal, and to Becket House for their outstanding effort in hosting such a memorable event.

year 7 CO Cars

In Week 9, our Year 7 Design & Technology students had the exciting opportunity to put their skills to the test as they raced their CO₂-powered cars, after a term of hard work spent designing, building, and fine-tuning their creations.

The focus of this unit was on aerodynamics, and our students truly excelled in this

The results of their efforts were not only fast but also funky, with each car showcasing creativity and engineering skills. Congratulations to all students for their dedication and outstanding work! We can’t wait to see what they build next. 2

area, with some cars clocking times under one second—an impressive achievement!

Junior School t-ball

JUSTINE WALSH

JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORTS CO-ORDINATOR

Our 2025 Junior School Inter-School Sport fixtures began with T-Ball, and what a fantastic time we had.

While we did not win the overall competition, the Boys Team often dominated the T-Ball diamond. Each week, I was amazed by the students’ teamwork, enthusiasm, and understanding of the game. They even pulled off the ultimate triple play (three out in a single play).

The girls also had a great season. They had three wins, one draw, and one close loss.

Watching the students’ confidence, teamwork, and skills develop over the season was truly rewarding. Both teams earned the privilege of chanting the Souls and Gabes war cries multiple times, and they did so with immense pride.

Overall, the Boys finished 2nd and the Girls finished 3rd on the ladder.

CTRC excursion

JANE TURNER - YEAR 4 TEACHER

This term, Year 4 students had the opportunity to visit The Charters Towers Regional Council as part of their Civics and Citizenship unit. They were welcomed by Mayor Liz Schmidt, CEO Mr Martin Drydale and several Councillors who shared information about their roles and responsibilities within the local government. Students asked thoughtful and relevant questions and eagerly engaged in learning. They finished their visit with a tour of the facilities, meeting more of the Council employees and seeing where they worked. It was a very engaging and informative experience, enjoyed by all involved.

year 6 magnetic island

PETER TURNER

YEAR 6 TEACHER

In Week 7 of this Term, the Year 6 students embarked on an unforgettable adventure to Magnetic Island, where they took part in a range of exciting and challenging activities. The students participated in activities such as archery, raft building, and a thrilling radio rogaine orienteering challenge. Evenings were filled with laughter and friendly competition, especially during trivia night, where teams battled it out across a range of categories.

This camp was not only a chance to develop outdoor skills but also an opportunity for students to strengthen friendships, develop their leadership and teamwork skills and push themselves beyond their comfort zones. As the camp came to an end, there was a sense of accomplishment in the air, with students returning home with lasting memories, new skills, and a greater appreciation for the natural beauty of Magnetic Island.

inter-school tennis

Friday of Week 7, saw some great action on the Town Courts. Our Senior School students proudly represented ASSG at the Inter-School Tennis Competition. With both singles and doubles games being played. Everyone gave it their all. It was awesome to see so much determination, teamwork, and plenty of fun on display!

All Souls St Gabriels School finished 2nd overall, which is a huge achievement, and we’re very proud of all our players. A special mention to the 15 Years team who took out the win in their division!

We also had some standout individual performances, with these students being named Inter-School Age Champions:

13 Years Girls – Hollie Ievers 15 Years Girls – Vivienne Knight 15 Years Boys – Curtis Reardon

Well done to everyone involved – your hard work and effort paid off.

inter-house swimming

Competitive Champion House Becket & Feetham

Non Competitive Champion House Alban & Ramsay

During the Term our Parents & Friends Association held their AGM & we would like to take a moment to welcome & congratulate our 2025 Committee!

The Parents & Friends (P&F) committee is all about building stronger connections within our school community, supporting initiatives, and creating a fun, collaborative environment for all.

Want to get involved? Join us in making a difference! Whether you have fresh ideas, want to help out at events, or simply connect with other amazing parents – there’s a place for you! Come along to one of our meetings, or contact: school@allsouls.qld.edu.au for more information.

committee:

President: Sarah Williams

Vice-President: Emma Griffiths

Treasurer: Trish Machin

Secretary: Kathleen Morris

Members: Jean Halsted, Tenielle Thomasson, Amber Hilditch, Sandra Thomson

world’s greatest shave

Twelve of our 2025 Senior boys, alongside some of our teachers, are stepping up for an incredible cause by taking part in the World’s Greatest Shave.

With over 150,000 Australians currently living with blood cancer—and 17 lives lost each day—our students are proudly supporting the Leukaemia Foundation to raise funds for vital research and critical support services for patients and their families.

The team set a fundraising goal of $5,000—and they’re already off to a flying start, raising over $11,000 so far!

scan to donate

Well done, boys! Your initiative and commitment to making a real difference is something to be truly proud of.

Past Students Assoc. Burry Weekend

Burry Work Weekend 2025 brought together a fantastic mix of past and current students, parents, staff, and families for what was set to be a productive and enjoyable couple of days on campus.

Saturday’s jobs were well underway, with plenty of progress made across the grounds. However, late in the afternoon, a sudden and severe storm hit, causing major damage to many of our trees across the school. What was meant to be a day of finishing off jobs from the day before became a full-scale clean-up mission.

In true ASSG spirit, a call for help was answered with overwhelming support. Our community rallied, arriving with trailers, trucks, chainsaws, and bobcats—and most importantly, a can-do attitude. Thanks to their efforts, the majority of the cleanup was completed by the end of Sunday.

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed across the weekend, and to the Past Students Association for organising another brilliant event. Your commitment and willingness to step up is what makes our community so special.