Plus Ultra | November 2022

SPOSA Office

CONTENTS

REGULARS

Head of College

Ministry

Letter from the Editor ACADEMIC

Serving up a storm

Creating entrepreneurs

Agency in the early years - Voice, Choice and Ownership

Primary Years Programme Exhibition

Academic Care and Wellbeing Framework AROUND CAMPUS

Farewell, Mrs West-McInnes!

Connecting with culture

Agency and leadership at Springfield

Service Learning in the IBDP

Year 10 P.A.R.T.Y. Program

St Peters Environment Club

Duke of Edinburgh's International Award: Celebrating Gold at St Peters 30 St Peters Adopts a Cop - Welcome Sgt Dan O'Brien

Passion Projects: Delivers the Mission

Primary Years Book Week

Thank you to our incredible staff THE ARTS

SPYGT: Here we go again!

Visual and Performing Arts

St Peters Music Touring Program

Performer of the Year

The Arts at Springfield SPORT

Teamwork makes the dream work

At the top of his game

Go, go, Mollie O!

2022 International Representatives

Inter-House Track & Field: no sweat BOARDING

Girls just want to have fun

Boarders at home SPOSA

SPOSA President

Reunion Weekend

Tribute to Bill Curnow

Old Scholars take their music to the world stage

Bridging the gap | Kieran Gibson

Celebrating Susan Dorney, AM

We farewell COMMUNITY AND EVENTS

Lachie Smart on knowing your 'why'

St Peters Sports Lunch

St Peters Spring Lunch

REDEFINING LIFESTYLE.

With over 30 years in property development, operations & finance, M80 Property Group creates unique, luxurious & eco-conscious residential homes. Driven by a strong sense of community, we work with carefully selected teams across projects in Brisbane & Melbourne to create lifestyles that stand the test of time.

LATEST PROJECTS.

Our latest development features two 3-storey executive homes in the highly sought after suburb of Bardon. The stylish openplan living of both homes seamlessly integrates nature and architecture, creating a sanctuary in inner-city Brisbane.

THE PARK ON PARK Park Orchards, Melbourne

97 Stuartholme Road, Bardon Artists impressions (subject to change)

THE ST PETERS EXPERIENCE

Pictured (left to right): Cherise Marks (College Vice-Captain), Meg Hosftee (College Captain), Tim Koztur (Head of College), Jacob Deeb (College Captain), and Charlile Hoare (College Vice-Captain).

TIM KOTZUR Head of College

Iwas fortunate to spend the second half of Term 2 this year on sabbatical in the United States. As part of my sabbatical, I undertook some short courses of study at three American universities. I thoroughly enjoyed my brief experience of being a student again. One of the courses that I completed was an Executive Leadership Program for NonProfits at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. Topics explored during the week included strategy, business models for impact, scaling up for excellence, crisis management, fostering collaboration, creating a high performance culture, balancing business and social objectives, using story as a way of leading, and acting with power. One of the most thoughtprovoking topics of the course was around value proposition.

It got me thinking about the value proposition of a St Peters education. We know from our own research that the following are all important elements of the College’s value proposition:

• high academic outcomes,

• high quality teachers,

• safe, supportive, friendly and caring environment,

• values and character development,

• co-education,

• excellent facilities and resources,

• wide range of cocurricular opportunities,

• our College culture and sense of community,

• equipping and empowering students to take control of their lives and future. The course professor challenged us to go deeper as we endeavoured to define and understand each of our organisation’s value proposition.

As I described St Peters to the other members of the group I was working in (none of whom worked in an educational setting) one of my classmates who hadn’t said very much up until that point said, "Listening to you talk about St Peters I think the key aspect of your value proposition is the student experience."

My classmate’s response really resonated with me. The St Peters value proposition is all the elements that have been listed above, which combined to create our distinctive and unique student experience.

My conversations with students this term have highlighted just how much our young people value their St Peters experience. Different parts of it resonate more deeply with different students and different year levels. To me that’s the real power of the St Peters student experience—because we offer so much, it provides our students with the opportunity to have a diverse yet personalised experience. It is our distinctive student experience that allows our 2022 College Captain, Jacob Deeb, to get up at Assembly and confidently and proudly say, "I love St Peters. There’s no other school I’d rather be at."

A REFORMATION REFLECTION

TIM JARICK College Senior Pastor

Pictured: The Coat of Arms of Spain, flanked by the Pillars of Hercules bearing the motto Plus Ultra.

Did you know that our College motto and the name of this publication, Plus Ultra, came from a Catholic King?

That’s right. Plus Ultra comes to us via a Catholic Emperor of the 16th Century called Charles V. Charles went down in history as the ruler who declared Martin Luther 'a notorious heretic' and signed his death sentence in a city called Worms. Charles was King over Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, and the New World of the Americas during the time of the Reformation. So how, and why, does this Latin phrase, the personal motto of a Catholic king from five hundred years ago, come to be the motto of a Lutheran school in Australia today?

Charles V popularised Plus Ultra during his time in history, yet it has an older origin. The words non Plus Ultra are said to have been inscribed as a warning on the Pillars of Hercules at the Strait of Gibraltar which marked the edge of the known world in antiquity. This phrase has elements of that warning which was written on medieval maps of the time—Hic sunt dracones, 'Don’t go beyond here into these uncharted areas, as there may be dragons!' Plus Ultra also has in its meaning these metaphorical suggestions of taking risks and exploring unchartered territories, as well as what we take it to mean in our College today, of striving for excellence. Charles’s motto was adopted throughout Europe some decades after the discovery of the New World by

Christopher Columbus and continues to be the national motto of Spain today.

Schools, including our sister Lutheran school, Immanuel College in Adelaide, have also used this motto for these meanings that we often communicate—ever higher and more beyond. Our purpose at St Peters as an educational institution is to arouse curiosity, wonder, and creativity in students as well as the advancement of learning and knowledge. We are to be moving ever higher, striving to be better, to excel in our endeavours, and to achieve more. We pursue excellence in Christian education. Certainly, this is what faith-based schools do. But performing and achieving more needs to be counterbalanced with that other meaning of Plus Ultra; more beyond. This is a radical idea that beyond the walls of this school, beyond the walls of our experience and knowledge, beyond the walls of what can be seen in this world, there may be dragons. There may be much more than we ever imagined or thought possible, rational or logical. Beyond these walls, there may be unknown mysteries, indeed God waiting to surprise us!

The more beyond of Plus Ultra points to the work and word of God in the world. That in Jesus who came to earth as a real historical person, God is present, alive, and more active than we can ever comprehend.

Plus Ultra, there is more beyond. There is God.

Don’t go beyond here into these uncharted areas, as there may be dragons!"

"

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

CASSIE TWEMLOW Editor

Iwent to an all-girls high school and loved every moment of my years there. I was planning on sending my own daughters to a single-sex school but, in the end, I was sold on the St Peters ethos and holistic learning approach. Being a co-educational school also has its positives, mainly being that it reflects the ‘real world’ and definitely the world post-school. I made the right decision. However, one thing I loved most about my school years was that because there were no boys around on a daily basis we got to hang out with boys from (mainly) all the singlesex male schools on weekends and social occasions. This is when the mascara and lip gloss was whipped out (NEVER at school). This routine interaction of socialising with students from other schools vastly opened up my friendship group. Instead of having all my friends in one place, I had friends from nine local boys’ schools and made loads of ‘girl friends’ from the eight other all-girls schools dotted around south-east Queensland. To this day I still have regular, awesome catch-ups with friends I made during my school years.

Whilst the self-sufficiency of a coeducational school reflects that of daily life, it can also mean we tend to stay within our comfort zone and not explore other avenues and relationships. Self-sufficiency is certainly a positive trait but, it can be an issue when,

in your self-reliance, you don't establish relationships with those who could help you when you need it.

I recently overheard a St Peters student saying they didn’t want to go to a party on the weekend because there were going to be students from other schools there. This shocked me—this was what I looked forward to most about socialising when I was at school. There was a whole other world with people out there I wanted to meet and hang out with. It surprises me and makes me sad that some students are seemingly worried/ scared/anxious of broadening their own horizons on this front.

The flip-side of being self-reliant is that there are many situations in which involvement of others is encouraging and beneficial, if not absolutely essential in order to get something accomplished. Merging ideas, strengths and abilities with others can increase the chance of a successful conclusion to a project; can broaden your own mind; can help you experience something completely new and different; can elevate you Plus Ultra, for a start.

I say, don’t stay in your lane. Don’t be blinkered by life outside of your regular four walls. Take the leap and expand your horizons; carpe diem! You never know what adventure, people and experiences lie around the corner.

SERVING UP A STORM

SIN É AD RAY Senior Hospitality Teacher

At St Peters, our Senior Hospitality course presents students with the opportunity to complete a nationally recognised qualification, Certificate II in Hospitality, studying units of competency that include preparing espresso coffee, responsible service of alcohol, preparing simple dishes, working effectively with others, and using hospitality skills effectively.

Our students also have the option to extend themselves by completing the Certificate III in Hospitality which provides more training on coaching others in job skills and further hands-on experience in the hospitality industry. This equips them to take on supervisor roles, making our students even more employable.

As one Year 12 student, Mya Eid, explains, "I have learnt a lot of valuable skills that transfer easily to my work role. I have enjoyed learning new cookery skills, making recipes from scratch, and preparing foods I would not usually be exposed to."

Our links to industry are incredibly important in delivering our training with

chefs and industry professionals regularly visiting our classes. Students also have the opportunity to work alongside our catering team here at St Peters to provide food service on some of our larger functions including the Mother/Son and Father/ Daughter Breakfasts.

We are grateful to have supportive relationships around the College; with Sub-Schools who continue to invite us back to cater their Mother’s and Father’s Day celebrations, and our Arts Department, who provides our students opportunities to run the bar for a number of their annual showcases.

Along with internal events, we enjoy exploring our connections to industry off campus. We toured the Hilton in July where we were treated to breakfast before we were taken back of house through the kitchens, housekeeping and function areas. It was a great opportunity to see how many different career options there are in the industry and to be shown their dedication to being sustainable through their recycling programs.

Hospitality is an ever-evolving industry. Trends come and go, but the dedication to providing high quality service is ever present.

Chef, Glen Barratt, from the Wild Canary at Brookfield Garden Centre, is a true believer in sourcing produce locally. He spoke to us during our site visit to the bistro about how they use the abundant food bowl of produce from the Scenic Rim to create a seasonal menu, and how the local producers have banded together to create their Farm Box collaboration.

Rachael Brown, another of Mrs Ray's Senior students, says, "I have enjoyed my hospitality experience as I have learnt valuable hospitality industry skills that I will take away with me into the future. I have loved the relaxed environment and cooking with friends."

This years’ Senior class has been a true delight to work with. They are a fantastic team with a wide range of industry experience that allows them to manage well under pressure and problem solve on the fly. We have catered several in-house takeaway functions, including nachos, churros, fresh pasta and pizza. For our final function we produced 56 take away high teas (pictured) in 100 minutes. Freshly made scones, butterfly cakes, profiteroles, quiche and chicken sandwiches— what a tasty way to start your day!

CREATING ENTREPRENEURS

OLIVIA LARNEY

Acting Head of 7-12 Curriculum - Students

In 2016, Year 12 student, Daniel Dunn, brought up the idea of an ‘Entrepreneurial Boardroom’—a lunchtime club where likeminded individuals could meet and share their knowledge about starting and running businesses. Dan was already an entrepreneur. He had run many businesses; some that had made money; some that hadn’t. The products he had sold were far-ranging and so were his methods; import, online, electronics to name a few. His skill was in seeking an opportunity where there was one, carefully watching the world around him and using what he knew (and learning more if necessary) to meet its needs. This, however, wasn’t all about personal profit. It was more about seeing if it could be done. Now Dan saw an opportunity to share what he knew with those younger than himself, and to create entrepreneurs instead of products.

So, The Boardroom was born. Meeting once a week on a Wednesday lunchtime, Dan would share his knowledge, from coming up with an idea, how to import products, the best online marketplaces, and the list went on. Not only was it evident how much Dan had learnt in his young life, but also how many others were interested. Students from diverse year levels, academic skill-levels and interest areas would come to hear his advice. They trusted him because he had lived it. The club became a buzz of budding business owners of the future.

Then Dan graduated … leaving behind a gaggle of completely enamoured followers who wanted to know and do more. Although I had also dabbled in a hobby business, my entrepreneurial knowledge was not of the same calibre, so we started to look externally for opportunities such as guest speakers and excursions to whet their appetites. We visited the IdeaHub at UQ, took part in competitions like Generation Innovate Challenge and the Plan your own Business Competition, and had guest speakers share their passion and interests. But there was something missing. The knowledge transmission between mentor and mentees was dwindling and now The Boardroom was feeling like ‘watching entrepreneurs’, not growing entrepreneurs. I knew we needed to embed what we were

doing into the curriculum; show students and teachers that we could teach students to be entrepreneurial, just as Dan had done.

Entrepreneurship has never been as important as it is today when the world is confronted with big challenges that extend well beyond the global community (World Economic Forum, 2012, Education weforum.org/issues/ education). I knew that this knowledge and these skills were both desired by the students and needed by the world around them. And so, in 2018, the creation phase began.

Isolated comments in Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) documents showed that Australian curriculum writers felt entrepreneurship both could be and should be taught. However, these ‘mentions’ in curriculum were brief and centred on looking at others being entrepreneurial, rather than acting on what a student learnt. It was evident from my time in the The Boardroom that this would not fit the market; our students wanted to be entrepreneurs, not just read about them. Textbooks were also lacking, with dull, minimalist, outward-looking activities that were not going to create the type of student response we were looking for. Instead, I went to where entrepreneurs learn these skills: popular non-fiction. It was here that the Entrepreneurial Studies unit planning started. Books such as Lean Start-Up, Grit, Blue Ocean Strategy, and Insight Out started to form the backbone of a semester-long course teaching creativity, the innovation cycle, lean start-up strategy, design thinking, and so much more.

With much apprehension, the Entrepreneurial Studies course was proposed at the end of 2019 and became an elective available to Year 10 students in 2020. When 2020 rolled around, no-one could have predicted the difficulties we would face in running this hands-on course. With the first cohort of entrepreneurs stuck in lockdown during the prototyping phase, which was intended to be in groups, we went back to basics, and applied the lean start-up model. Students developed their prototypes on their own from anything around their home; including

cardboard, recycled materials, or competitors’ products with ‘incremental’ improvements. The bravery and ingenuity of the students in such an uncertain time was heart-warming to see. We were very proud of these first entrepreneurs.

Only in the second semester of 2020 were we able to run the course as it was intended. We were able to select the ‘best’ ideas to take to the group phase in Term 4, with a hiring process for students to join teams around the founding entrepreneurs. But after a few bumps in the road, such as our first ‘shark tank’ style event being somewhat underwhelming, we went back to the drawing board, yet again. Our second prototype needed some remodelling.

We decided that the groups needed to seek advice and improve their products’ ability to meet market needs before the final pitch event. Market validation days now occur in the middle of Terms 2 and 4, after teams have created prototypes, logos and marketing materials, and market validation surveys. These artefacts of their ideas are shared with our community in a lunchtime ‘market’, with students and teachers turning up in droves to see the latest ideas coming from our community (pictured above centre and right). Students are so proud to share what they have been working on and receive valuable feedback that assists in further development of their ideas before final pitch.

Developments continued. Year 7 Digital Technology’s 'Ethicool' project was already embedding similar design

thinking and entrepreneurship models in their project work, and students were pitching their ideas for apps they had created. Our Year 10 students now take what they know and mentor these Year 7s through their ideation and validation stages, and assist them with pitching. We have seen this mentorship return great benefits. The Year 7s have begun to see the application of what they are learning to their future studies. The Year 10s put into practice what they have learnt, realising they now have skills for real life.

We have been overwhelmed by the support of many Old Scholars and entrepreneurial groups in the beginning years of our Entrepreneurial Studies course. Big thanks go to Dan Dunn, Mikhara Ramsing, Lara Berge, Ashley Baxter, and so many more, as well as to UQ’s IdeaHub and ilab Accelerator for providing mentors and judges. With the opening of the Centre for Learning and Innovation just around the corner, we hope Entrepreneurial Studies will continue to develop in the maker spaces, flexible learning areas, and Entrepreneurial Boardroom housed in this new building. Entrepreneurial Studies is always looking for new ideas, and we encourage any members of our community who have experience, interest or passion for entrepreneurship to make themselves known to the Business Studies department by contacting Olivia Larney (o.larney@stpeters.qld.edu.au) or Alex Lawn (a.lawn@stpeters.qld.edu.au). We look forward to hearing from you.

Pictured (clockwise from top left): Year 7 'Ethicool' students pitching to their own 'shark tank'; Year 10 Entrepreneurial Studies teams with their unique ideas - Happy Feet, Spike Savers and Boutiques R Us; Year 7 students receiving validation for their business ideas

AGENCY IN THE EARLY YEARS

—VOICE, CHOICE AND OWNERSHIP

Agentic Learners are those who have the power to control their own goals, actions, and destiny. eLearning Coordinator, Rachael Yates, and Year 1 Teacher, Katie Bryant, are discovering new ways to embrace this learning.

RACHAEL YATES eLearning Coordinator

During 2020 and 2021—in between COVID chaos—Katie Bryant, Prep Teacher at the time, and Rachael Yates, eLearning Coordinator, discovered they had a common passion and mindset for innovative educational practices including ways to develop agentic learners. The two teachers also found alignment in their desire to continually grow and learn as educators, with student outcomes at the forefront of all they do. This came about through working together in various ways such as in class support and on curriculum related tasks.

Katie and Rachael started looking at techniques to increase agency, both with and without digital tech such as iPads and apps. Through their work together, Katie observed that her students, in Prep and now, Year 1, have thrived, and this has been achieved through giving them greater voice and choice over the ways they demonstrate their learning, in conjunction with a conducive classroom environment. This helped shape the teachers’ desire to change and try out new approaches.

Katie and Rachael have been busy over the last year offering external presentations based on their passion and research around their findings to other early childhood professionals. This has included an ECTA (Early Childhood Teachers' Associate) Conference, the St John's Early Years Stem Conference, as well as an article in the ECTA Journal titled, Agency in the Early Years. Their hope is to inspire other teachers to think about simple steps they can undertake to build or support learner agency.

In their research and trials, it was observed that agency can be achieved by simply allowing choice in regular daily routines. For example, allowing students to choose

colours, books, where they sit, who they work with. Setting up a classroom to empower and enable an early years student safely access resources has been an important consideration in classroom set up and design. These small choices may seem trivial to the teacher, but to young learners it can show them that they are active participants in the learning, and that their input is important.

Through their research and trials, the two teachers believe some of the key areas that can help foster student agency are through environment, relationships, collaboration, learner skills, pedagogy (teaching and learning methods) and, of course, curriculum.

As a Primary Years Programme (PYP) school, the teachers and students start off the year by creating an 'essential agreement'. In the classroom, this means that, rather than teachers imposing rules, everyone works collaboratively to establish an agreement of how the class will function, thereby giving students voice in the classroom management, and in a tone that values learning over behaviour.

Another feature of a PYP school is the student directed ‘Learning Journal’ (often called a Portfolio). Students are responsible for maintaining their own ‘Learning Journal’ where they collect and add pieces of work throughout the week and term. Our students own this process by selecting the work and choosing where and how they share their knowledge on a topic or concept. To support young learners, teachers may scribe and help the student to annotate their work. In addition, iPads have been used to allow students to record their voice explaining a concept or their understanding and teachers

have then saved the recording, making a QR code for parents to scan and listen to their little learner's voice.

An example of building student agency towards assessment that the Year 1 team has been trialling, is the co-construction of assessment rubrics. Students work with the teacher to decide how a task will be marked, in other words, what would make the task successful. Whilst the teacher has curriculum elements in mind, together a rubric is developed, and students can refer back to this as they complete the task. Students then provided each other with peer feedback based on the rubric. This has been very successful and highlights how capable our young

learners are to think critically and maturely when afforded the opportunity. Students used language that they understood, and it challenged the notion that the teacher is not the only expert in the room able to make judgement.

Katie and Rachael are expanding this work further into the Primary Years at St Peters by sharing their learning and ideas with others. They firmly believe that enabling student agency in the classroom is best practice as it allows for motivated, engaged, and active learners. Also, agency is a key attribute of the PYP so a feature of all classrooms at St Peters in the Primary Years.

Pictured (from left): A student exploring all the different colour pastels and pens; Rachael Yates and Katie Bryant at the ECTA Conference.

PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME EXHIBITION

Lighting a Fire: The Year 6 PYP Exhibition in the Primary Years.

SIMONE MITCHELL Head of P-6 Curriculum

Students entering their final term of primary schooling at St Peters celebrate their learning with the whole College community in the annual Year 6 PYP Exhibition. A significant component of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP), this transdisciplinary inquiry is conducted in the spirit of personal and shared responsibility. It is a collaborative task that challenges students to position themselves as global citizens, thinking about how they can help create a better and more peaceful world, which is the mission of all IB programs.

The Exhibition is a culminating event in the life of a PYP school, with students synthesising the essential elements of the PYP to investigate an area of interest and present their inquiries in a knowledgeable, open-minded and reflective manner. This is an opportunity to showcase the application of students’ social, research, thinking, communication and self-management

skills, all of which have been developed throughout the Primary Years’ journey.

When asked about the impact of this learning experience, students speak earnestly about how pivotal the process is in challenging their perspectives, developing their critical and creative thinking skills and empowering action on issues of global significance. In addition, they are able to communicate effectively with a wide audience and reflect on the significance of their learning and how they have changed as a result. It is truly heart-warming to hear the students speak so passionately about the future; we are certainly in good hands.

The Exhibition journey begins with an invitation to an expedition—a learning expedition. This occurs through a range of evocative experiences designed to stimulate students’ interests and curiosities under the banner of Sharing the Planet, one of the transdisciplinary themes of the Primary Years Programme. As with all the transdisciplinary

themes of the PYP, it encompasses many significant and globally transferable issues.

Sharing the Planet is an exploration into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolutions.

After exploring these issues, students select an area of passion which they research further, developing central ideas, lines of inquiry and probing questions. Throughout this process, students recognise their ‘a-ha’ moments, changes to their thinking and hopes for the future. As part of this journey, students are supported by not only their classroom teachers, but also mentors from across the school. These mentors offer small groups of students needs-based guidance throughout their inquiry. At St Peters, this provides us with a unique opportunity to connect some of our International Baccalaureate Diploma

Programme students with our Primary Years Programme students. It is inspiring to see the connections made between some of our eldest in the Senior School and our Seniors in the Primary School.

The Exhibition affords students the opportunity to work collaboratively and demonstrate independence and responsibility for their own learning. This transformative experience sees students flourish in confidence and agency which includes increased focus on the approaches to learning that comes from deep and sustained inquiry.

As one of the final experiences in their Primary Years, not only does it establish life-long learning skills and prepare students for the next stage of their learning journey, it also promotes a genuine love for learning.

As William Butler Yeats stated, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." Indeed, the Exhibition lights a fire for our Year 6 students.

Pictured (facing page, left top): Year 11 mentors with Year 6 PYP students; (left bottom) Tuning in with reading; (remaining images) Year 6 PYP students setting up their exhibits and presenting to staff and parents.

ACADEMIC CARE AND WELLBEING FRAMEWORK

DANI TUCKER Acting Wellbeing and Positive Education Leader

Whenthinking about the personal attributes we want St Peters Lutheran College graduates to demonstrate, the responses will probably be along the lines of confidence, well-rounded, happiness, purpose, love, self-worth and kindness.

Wellbeing is the all-encompassing term for this list.

At the end of 2021 the Australian Government launched the National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which was the first time a national strategy had been formed for this topic. This strategy was the government recognising a need in response to some distressing statistics such as:

• seven out of 10 of the most common presentations to paediatricians are for mental health, and

• 50% of adult mental health issues emerge before the age of 14.

Further research demonstrates that student wellbeing and academic achievement are inextricably linked. Namely, students with higher levels of wellbeing are more likely to see an improvement in their academic results.

Thoughtful wellbeing programs, that consider the unique stage of development of the learner, are the best way to support positive wellbeing outcomes. St Peters delivers a comprehensive Academic Care and Wellbeing program. It is designed to proactively assist students in fulfilling their

potential, in and out of the classroom. An Academic Care and Wellbeing Framework has been developed to provide a clear sequencing of this Prep to Year 12 Pastoral Care program. The framework also allows the community to embrace the College’s Positive Education vision and paints a picture of what is unique to the St Peters Lutheran College experience.

The Framework operates as a three-page flip book (above) which is comprised of a title page and logo (shown in maroon), conceptual outcome statements (shown in green) and practical components in the program (shown in gold).

To begin the process of designing the Academic Care and Wellbeing Framework, the Deputies of each Sub-School (Lower Primary, Upper Primary, Junior High, and Senior School) were interviewed on their Pastoral Care programs and objectives. When this information was collated and reviewed, four key pillars became apparent at the College:

• Reflection

• Relationships

• Servant Leadership

• Grit and Resilience.

From these pillars, specific outcome statements were developed for each SubSchool (left).

This page tells the Pastoral Care story for our students at St Peters. It demonstrates the outcomes of each Sub-School and the progression through the Academic Care and Wellbeing program at the College.

The other piece of the Academic Care and Wellbeing Framework is the practical component which complements the conceptual outcome statements. The experience of a St Peters student is unique and this page demonstrates the exciting pastoral opportunities that our students are involved in.

THEMES

EXPERIENCES

PREP

1 2 Ross Roy Incursion 3 Year 3 Camp Teneriffe Excursion

4 Year 4 Camp Moreton Bay Excursion 5 Year 5 Camp Kokoda Track 6 Canberra Trip PYP Exhibition

Lead Assemblies Deliver e-Safety Presentation

Leadership Day Leadership Roles 7 Fun & Friendship Camp Orientation Program Leadership Opportunities

Healthy Relationships Personal Development

Zones of Regulation

Who We Are - Unit of Inquiry Grit, Gratitude, Growth Mindset

Circle Time

PYP Learner Profile Attributes: communicators, principled, risk-takers, knowledgeable, caring, open-minded, balanced, reflective, inquirers, thinkers.

Wellbeing Seminars Study Skills Workshops PERMAH Identifying, using and developing our Character Strengths Self Awareness and Social Awareness Self Management and Social Management Making a difference in the community

↑ The first column represents the iconic experiences, such as Ironbark, which most Old Scholars would reflect on, and agree, were trademarks of their time at St Peters.

↑ The second column represents the Servant Leadership opportunities at the College. This value is core to who we are and the type of people we want to develop, so, it is important to include explicit opportunities for students to develop their Servant Leadership skills.

As depicted in the logo (right), supporting wellbeing for learning, teaching and working is central to our Academic Care and Wellbeing program. This is surrounded by the four pillars presented in the framework, which are Grit and Resilience, Reflection, Relationships, and Servant Leadership.

This sits within our College Mission of Excellence in Christian Co-education, and is grounded in the PERMAH model. At St Peters, the PERMAH model is

↑ The third column shows the Personal Development opportunities offered throughout our Academic Care and Wellbeing programs. These programs target age-appropriate needs of our students and are often delivered by external providers.

↑ The final column on this page shows the language used in different areas of the College, within the Academic Care and Wellbeing space.

utilised as the Positive Education framework through which we operate. Professor Martin Seligman, the father of Positive Psychology, believed that five elements were crucial for wellbeing to be achieved: Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishments. Further research has also demonstrated the importance of sleep, nutrition, and exercise on wellbeing; hence Health was added to complete the PERMAH framework.

FAREWELL, MRS WEST-MCINNES!

NATALIE HOUSTON Springfield principal

Mrs West-McInnes’ earliest memories of wanting to be a teacher occurred when she was about five years old. She played ‘schools’ with her brother under the tank stand. She was always the teacher and her brother was the lucky student! When Mrs West-McInnes moved into formal schooling, she found that she loved learning and worked hard to achieve high marks, always being up for a challenge. A memory of Year 3 was learning the Lord’s Prayer in Religious Instruction and being the first one to achieve this.

Even though Mrs West-McInnes attended five different schools around Queensland in her Primary and Secondary Years, she had some wonderful teachers who made school a happy, engaging place to be. It was these teachers who were important role models in her decision to go into teaching.

Mrs West-McInnes recalls: “I knew I wanted to be in a profession that helped people, where you had lots of personal connections and made a difference in a community. At university, I realised I had a passion for supporting young children in their learning and chose the Preschool strand within the Primary course. Each child was like a puzzle and you had to observe and understand their individual differences to put the pieces together to ensure the learning in the classroom catered for their interests.”

Mrs West-McInnes also loved that in Preschool and Prep teaching you get to interact with parents before and after school to develop relationships and further understand each child.

Mrs West-McInnes has been teaching in a full-time capacity for 33 years—seven years with Education Queensland and 26 years in Lutheran Education. Her early career was in three Brisbane schools where she taught Preschool and then in a western Queensland

school where she taught Prep and Year 1. After being transferred to a small western Queensland town in her early teaching career, Mrs West-McInnes recalls arriving to find out that her living quarters were a mobile home as she was the only female teacher in the school at that time.

She remembers: “It was a good size with a bedroom, kitchen, dining and lounge with an annexe that was full of redback spiders. In those first days, the smell from the bore water was terrible. Those first day memories soon faded as I became part of the school and local community for three years. I also met my husband in my first months out there which was a blessing; we celebrate our 40th anniversary in 2023.”

After having three children, Mrs West-McInnes spent 10 years away from full-time teaching, working as a relief teacher as well as two years part-time lecturing and tutoring in Early Childhood studies at Kangaroo Point TAFE.

In 1997, Mrs West-McInnes went back into full-time teaching at a Lutheran School in the western suburbs of Brisbane where she stayed for 11 years. In 2007, after meeting with Ms Jill Lange-Mohr, Founding Principal of St Peters Springfield, Mrs West-McInnes decided to make the change to St Peters Lutheran College Springfield as a Founding staff member.

Mrs West-McInnes says: “It has been a privilege to serve in Lutheran Education for 26 years to develop the hearts and minds of so many young people.”

Lutheran Education and worship have been important to Mrs West-McInnes’ family as her three children attended a Lutheran Primary school and then St Peters Lutheran College Indooroopilly for their Secondary Years. Mrs West-McInnes was also baptised

St Peters Springfield will bid farewell to its enthusiastic and vibrant founding staff member and inaugural Head of Primary, Mrs WestMcInnes, at the end of 2022, after 15 years of dedicated service to our College. It has been interesting to hear the story of Mrs West-McInnes’ journey in education, which spans 33 years...

Pictured (clockwise from left): Mrs West-McInnes with one of her Prep students on their 100th day; with Tiernan Neil (2020) in 2015; and again, in Prep in 2008 (Tiernan is back row,left); Mrs West-McInnes as the Queen of Hearts during Book Week.

and confirmed in the Lutheran faith so having connections with Lutheran schools has furthered her commitment to Lutheran theology.

Where is Mrs West-McInnes heading next? She is looking forward to taking time to walk, bike ride, gym during day time hours, reading a book without having to continually go back to what she has read before, complete photo books that have been on hold for a few years and enjoying more time with her husband, children, six grandchildren and mother. She will also be getting away on some trips that were delayed from 2019 due to health and COVID.

Mrs West-McInnes says: “There will be other opportunities out there in retirement that I don’t know about yet but I know that God has plans for me as I leave St Peters Springfield after an exciting and sometimes challenging teaching and leading role.”

Reflecting on her career in education, Mrs WestMcInnes believes that developing relationships with

students, fellow educators, professionals and parents to understand each child and support them in the best way possible has been the highlight of her time.

“Every day is different and I love problem solving to ensure each student is happy at school. Instilling values in each educational setting I have taught in— showing kindness, teaching that names are important, welcoming new families to school communities and being respectful to others, has also been important to me.”

Mrs West-McInnes has been an exemplary leader of the Primary Years students and staff at St Peters Springfield, has served in the role of Acting Principal when required and has been a well-loved Prep teacher over many years. She has shown care, dignity and respect, and her favourite word, 'kindness', as she has shared her many Godgiven talents and abilities with our community. St Peters will dearly miss Mrs West-McInnes and we wish her God’s richest blessings as she retires and heads off on new adventures.

It has been a privilege to serve in Lutheran Education for 26 years to develop the hearts and minds of so many young people."

"

CONNECTING WITH CULTURE

At 5am on 22 September, 26 students, two teachers and a pastor lined up at the Jetstar check-in counter, bound for Yulara, NT. Never would they have imagined that this journey they were about to embark on would take them to some of the most beautiful locations in the world, build life-long friendships, change their perspectives, teach them new skills, and involve so much red dirt.

JULIA WRIGHT Curriculum Leader – Christian Studies

The group's Indigenous Immersion itinerary included: exploring the natural landscape of Central Australia and the iconic Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon; visiting Alice Springs Lutheran Church to learn from Pastor Basil Schild about the significant history and continuing connection between Lutheran Ministry and Indigenous Spiritualities; and being welcomed onto the traditional homelands of Kurku and Fregon.

At both homelands, the Traditional Owners were gracious in their hospitality and sharing of their impressive knowledge and skills. At Kurku, Traditional Owners, John and Lorraine Liddle, taught the students about their language and customs such as witchetty grub gathering (including cooking and eating), clap stick creating, and jewellery making. But perhaps it will be the discussion and reflections that they led throughout the activities and around the campfire about the past, present and future of our First Nations people that will be remembered most vividly. Heading into the second homeland of Fregon in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara

(APY) Lands of South Australia, the students were embraced by a community led by a group of strong matriarchs, who taught the students the art of basket weaving, spear making and how to participate in an Inma (traditional dance ceremony). Again, it will be the connections made across language, generations and culture that will be cherished.

Sitting together and sharing culture enabled the students to recognise and understand that our First Nations Elders are the experts. They have been sustaining, and sustained by, the land for over 60,000 years, and the knowledge that we gain through listening to them will permeate our future decisions and contributions.

Thank you to the students for their exceptional participation and engagement and to their accompanying teachers Mr Philip Alexander, Mrs Julia Wright and Pastor Tim. The most important thank you must be reserved for Ms Ingrid Rucinski, without whom this important immersion would not have been be possible.

What inspired you to participate in Indigenous Immersion?

After learning about Indigenous spirituality last year in our Religion and Ethics course I realised that I was very interested in, and had a deep respect for, Indigenous culture. I decided to attend the Immersion trip in the hopes of gaining a more personal experience and knowledge about the traditional owners, in particular the Kurku and Fregon people.

How would you describe your experience?

My experience on the Immersion trip was both humbling and unforgettable. It is easy to forget the security, advantages and comfort that I have in my own life. When I went on the Immersion trip, I was humbled to see how fulfilled, grateful, and welcoming the Indigenous people are, despite the discrimination they face... My experience was also truly unforgettable. The Immersion is not just a regular holiday, it is a rare opportunity to be welcomed onto homeland and taught by the Traditional Owners of our country. I learned about their personal stories, and I was shown how to hunt for witchetty grubs, weave baskets, speak Pitjantjatjara and much more. The connections that we made, and the lessons we learned will remain with us forever.

Karina Harrison (Year

11)

What was the most surprising thing about the experience?

I did not expect the Traditional Owners to be so welcoming to our group and so willing to share their culture. Despite the discrimination Indigenous Australians face, they were so content with what they have and were always smiling. I knew I was interested in learning their culture and traditions but once I was there, I was more curious than ever. Now that I am home, I am researching to learn more.

Bree Riddell (Year

11)

What did you learn from the experience?

It put things into a new perspective for me. Spending time with the Traditional Owners helped me to realise the things that are significant and important to me. I also learned how I can help to be a voice for Indigenous Australians who don't have one and to stand up for inequality.

What was your favourite part of the trip?

My favourite part was travelling to Uluru to see the beautiful rock up close for the first time and hearing the stories from the Dreamtime that have been taught to Indigenous people for many generations. I also enjoyed being able to see the cave paintings and geographical structures of this culturally significant formation.

Henry Wright (Year 10)

Please share some highlights of the trip

It’s hard to name one particular highlight as the whole trip was one big highlight reel.

At Kurku, the first place we stayed, the Traditional Owners, John and Lorraine, opened their hearts and minds to us, allowing us to ask some quite hard-hitting questions and giving some impactful responses. They also showed us how to find witchetty grubs and how to make clapsticks—two very informative and enjoyable experiences. The second homeland we stayed at, Kaltjiti (also known as Fregon), provided us with a different perspective on the Indigenous experience. Here we engaged with children who spoke limited English, but that didn’t deter any of us. We partook in traditional dances and ceremonies and gained an insight into a more authentic way of living.

The landscape was the scenic backdrop to all our experiences with the local people. Watching the sunrise over the landscape in Kaltjiti, seeing the waterfalls run down the sides Uluru after rare rain, and hiking along the gorges in Kings Canyon were all highlights.

Xavier Cowain (Year

10)

AGENCY AND LEADERSHIP AT SPRINGFIELD

DOMINIC PIACUN Head of Secondary Years, Springfield

In a recent paper by the Student Agency Lab, it was stated that in a world that is increasingly volatile, unstable, uncertain, and unequal, all schools need to continue to help students exert some control and purpose over their lives1

At St Peters Springfield we are working to develop co-agency with our students so that they can: develop purpose; sense opportunities, and take appropriate action; take risks; make commitments; and learn in action how to recover from setbacks, to adjust their plans when things do not work out as they had hoped. Co-agency is centred on mutually supportive relationships—with parents, teachers, the community, and with each other—that help students progress towards their shared goals2

As our College at Springfield is growing, there was an identified need to expand our student leadership model to provide opportunities for students with different passions and latent dispositions to take on the challenge of leadership and build towards the model that positions students as co-agents, working with teachers to cocreate the school we envisage based on our vision: 'A learning community where people flourish'. Previously, we have appointed College Captains and Vice-Captains, Sports Captains, Music Captains, Faith Captains, and House Captains. These Captains have been a direct line of communication with our SET Reps in each year group. In 2023, we are building upon our current student leadership model by moving toward a portfolio-based student leadership model.

The new portfolio teams were created with our students and build upon the student leadership foundations that already exist. The role of Student Portfolio Teams is to

provide leadership opportunities for all students that build on strengths within the College, by students, and for students. Each portfolio has two appointed Captains and will be under the guidance of a member of our staff.

One of the features of the portfolio system is that both students and teachers will cocreate the vision and expectations within each portfolio and share the learning and leadership experiences. As all students in Years 7-12 will have the opportunity to join a portfolio, all students will have an authentic avenue for having their voices heard and validated. The notion of students playing an active role in their education is central to the OECD Learning Compass and is being emphasised in a growing number of countries 3

The OECD states that one of the aims of education is to provide students with the tools they need to realise their potential. In the broader education ecosystem, education goals are shared not only among students and teachers, but also with parents and the wider community. This also aligns with Plus Ultra 2025: Our Strategic Intent. We believe this new model of student leadership will continue to build agency within our students and is a scalable model that will evolve as St Peters Springfield continues to grow. We are excited to announce the new Leaders of our Portfolio Teams along with our 2023 College Captains. We cannot wait to see the influence our new Leaders have on our community.

1 agencylab.agency/ 2 oecd.org/education/2030-project/teaching-andlearning/learning/student-agency/ 3 www.oecd.org/education/2030-project/

Providing Springfield students with expanding leadership opportunities to fulfil current passions and offer them their own sense of agency.

2023 Springfield Captains

College Captains

Zoe Clift and Adam Varghese

Academic Captains

Ashika Kharel and Hugo Koch

Wellbeing Captains

Zoe Clift, Pari Ravula and Anneliese Shand

Culture Captains

Sebastian Jovanovic and Grace Abraham

Sport Captains

Harry Barratt and Toby Stolberg

The Arts Captains

Neerja Raniga and Benafsheh Ghodsi

Faith and Service Captains

Indianna Muller and Adam Varghese

House Captains

Cunningham Aiden McKendrick and Elkie Gates

Leichhardt

Claveria Johnson-Tiumalu and Julianna Ganczer

Mitchell

Jason Spencer-Scarr and Kaia Sugars

Pictured (clockwise from left): 2023 College Captains, Zoe and Adam; joint Wellbeing Captain, Pari; joint Leichhardt House Captain, Julianna; Sport and Culture Captains being presented with their badges.

SERVICE LEARNING IN THE IBDP

Service Learning is an integral component of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), directly expressed in the CAS program, as well as being a deeply entrenched part of the IB learner profile:

SUSANNAH TRESCHMAN

Core Coordinator

The International Baccalaureate® aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2022).

All students who undertake the IBDP participate in CAS as one of the Core components of the programme. CAS stands for Creativity, Activity, and Service—three strands to which students are to show an ongoing commitment over eighteen months, as part of the IBDP’s holistic approach to learning. They are supported by their teachers to ensure they develop, undertake and reflect on these activities, optimising their meaningfulness both as an activity and a learning experience.

Service Learning is not only a foundation of CAS but 'Service to Others' is one of St Peters Core values. Our Years 11 and 12 IBDP students engage in Service Learning in a variety of settings, from in-class research to community engagement to practical neighbourhood help. Many IB students are active participants in the various student Service Learning committees such as the Environment Committee, Multicultural Committee, Social Justice, Students for Students, and Chapter One. In addition to this, during CAS class time students volunteer to work with teachers and students in our Primary Years classrooms or help mentor the Year 6 students with their end of PYP Exhibition.

During the eighteen months of CAS, students are required to participate in a

bigger project, which sees students initiate something that is of benefit to the wider St Peters community. This could be through implementing broader initiatives within the St Peters setting or addressing a new need in the wider community. In previous years, these have included LandCare community days, sporting goods donation drives, cause awareness presentations, sporting events for the Lower Primary students, or helping to organise one of the bigger fundraising projects for the College. This year as a direct result of the CAS project requirement, students have been involved in initiatives such as the Mater Chicks in Pink Fun Run raising money for breast cancer research, the Walk for Autism, and the Push-Up Challenge for mental health. Led by a group of IBDP students, the Mater Chicks in Pink Fun Run St Peters team raised $15,050 for breast cancer research, placing fifth on the overall event leader board for teams and second in schools fundraising efforts. During the Walk for Autism $3,168 was raised to help boost awareness and ensure that no one on the autism spectrum is left behind. Finally in June, the St Peters team completed 136,100 push ups and raised $5,799 for mental health and suicide prevention as part of the nationwide initiative.

As a central part of the IBDP, CAS students take the initiative to explore, raise awareness and directly address needs for causes that are close to their hearts. It is a great opportunity for students to make a difference to their wider community and each year members of our St Peters community—students, staff and family members—rise to the challenge.

IBDP

YEAR 10 P.A.R.T.Y. PROGRAM

The P.A.R.T.Y. (Prevent Alcohol and Riskrelated Trauma in Youth) Program is a dynamic, interactive health promotion program for teenagers aimed at promoting injury prevention through reality education. Each year, our Year 10 students take part in this program and Rachel Feldman told me about this year's excursion.

RACHEL FELDMAN

On the second day of Term 3, Wednesday 13 July, a group of eager Year 10s hopped on a bus and were driven to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital to participate in the P.A.R.T.Y. Program. We spent a whole day learning about, and participating in, simulations regarding 'prevention of alcohol and riskrelated trauma in youth' (P.A.R.T.Y.).

The day was run by nurses and staff from the trauma unit as well as other support and medical staff involved in rehabilitating patients who have been involved in accidents.

The P.A.R.T.Y. Program focused on teaching us about dangerous activities and consequences from risky behaviour like drinking alcohol, drugs and irresponsible driving. We were encouraged to spread our new-found knowledge with our peers and the community. The lessons we learnt that day are etched into our minds and will hopefully prevent poor decisions in the future.

Afterwards, we were able to share the key lessons with our cohort at our Year Level Meeting. The key message that we shared with our peers were that choices have consequences, and risky behaviour increases the chance of injuries that can impact both ourselves and our families.

The P.A.R.T.Y. Program was a great excursion and we are grateful to the nurses and speakers who presented to us.

From the Queensland Health website:

In Australia, traumatic injury is the leading cause of death in people under the age of 45. Young people in this age group are grossly over represented in injury and trauma statistics, both in terms of death and long term disability. Road trauma is still one of the most common causes of mortality and catastrophic injury in youth.

When you attend a P.A.R.T.Y. Program you will see what it's really like to be a trauma patient. Through DVD’s, PowerPoint presentations and interactive simulated clinical scenarios, participants will meet health professionals, emergency services personnel (e.g. ambulance officers), and people who have experienced trauma and survived, often with significant disabilities.

year 10 student

ST PETERS ENVIRONMENT CLUB

ELLA ZEEMAN AND RACHEL HA year 11 students

PAST/PRESENT

The Environment Club is the heart of the school’s sustainability activities and helps achieve meaningful change within our community. We inspire, motivate and give students opportunities to build leadership skills, investing in themselves along with the cause; the environment.

We started out our 2022 environment campaigning by focusing on raising awareness and maintaining the beautiful environment of our St Peters Lutheran College campus.

Beginning the school year, we focussed heavily on campus’ gardens and green walls. This was done through gardening and maintenance duties of the pre-existing greenspace around the school. Sustaining the flourishing greens has helped bring life and vibrance to the campus.

In Term 2, a chocolate fundraiser was held for the ‘Save the Frogs’ Campaign. Students were encouraged to purchase $1 Freddo Frogs and Caramello Koalas to raise funds for this frog conservation enterprise.

We have continued to promote the usage of the bottle recycling bins located across the campus. Since Term 3, smaller classroom paper bins across Junior High and Senior School have been introduced in an attempt to reduce our mass of waste entering landfill; to induce recycling.

Our projects in Term 4 will include our annual textbook swap, enabling students to pick up textbooks for next year and make sure that this year’s books don’t go in the bin.

The continuation of great initiatives and sustaining campaigns from previous years is expected.

FUTURE

St Peter’s Environmental Committee plans to bring many new ideas and projects to life in 2022+. Such projects include the formal introduction of conventional recycling bins around the school, increased composting avenues, as well as creating more greenspace across campus. Other projects will fill the gaps of the larger excitements.

Such may include;

• Increased advocacy

• Updating school’s lights to be more energy efficient (LEDs)

• Soft plastic recycling bins

• Composting bins/worm farms

• Pen/stationery recycling

• Uniform recycling (through wornup) etc.

HOW?

Due to St Peter’s very large nature, it can seem both materialistically and socially difficult to get such large projects moving. However, as heavily enforced by the school’s fortitude; anything is possible. Through further communications between the environmental committee and the school’s heads, logistics and promotions to students will bring these ideas to life, making them seem like just the beginning, because they are.

Environmental awareness is an essential practice, especially in our modern time, to understand the fragility of our environment and the importance of its protection. The environmental committee will continue to find/take opportunities to improve the school’s sustainability and attitude towards such matters. Awareness to students will bring to light the importance of keeping both our campus clean, as well as the rest of the earth. We hope that this influence will carry into the attitudes and motivations of all the young people preparing to form the future of the world. The future is in our hands.

Pictured (clockwise): The initial setup of the green wall in Term 1 (above and right); growth in Term 3 (below and left).

Welcome to Brisbane Orthodontics

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Call one of our friendly staff for more information on 3229 3372 13 Branches across Brisbane including: Indooroopilly, Ipswich, Jindalee, Ashgrove and CBD.

Proud sponsors of St Peters

DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S INTERNATIONAL AWARD: CELEBRATING GOLD AT ST PETERS

ANNE TETLEYJONES Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator

With thousands of students throughout the state of Queensland signing up to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award each year, St Peters continues to play its part in supporting the Award and assisting students to achieve their Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. With the passing of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh on the 9 April 2021, the Award community in Australia contemplated what impact this would have on participation and completion rates.

As global economies grapple with fluctuating markets and employment markets become more stretched, St Peters students have understood the difference of achieving an Award can have on their future goals. Employers and universities alike are looking for points of difference—what makes one candidate stand out over another. Over the years as Duke of Ed Coordinator at the College, I have heard countless stories from parents who, in their roles in business, actively seek out those young people with a Duke of Ed Award, knowing that these young people are motivated, driven and can persevere to overcome barriers to success.

In 2022, Year 9 students have accepted the challenge left by the Duke of Edinburgh, signing up for their Bronze Award in larger numbers than ever before. The Year 10 students have completed the Bronze started the year before and have moved on to Silver more quickly than in the past. Some have even moved onto their Gold Award, which is a phenomenal achievement. These students will no doubt make a difference in their worlds and sphere of influence. This year also marks the 60th anniversary

of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award in Queensland. Operating under the Queensland Government since the beginning, the Duke of Ed Award has continued to provide young people with the opportunity to make a real difference to society through their positive involvement and contributions.

St Peters has been delivering the Award since 1984. In that time, 28 participants have achieved their Gold Award. Some of these Old Scholars came together, along with members of the Senior Leadership, to acknowledge their achievements with the official unveiling of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Gold Award Honour Board (pictured above (L-R): Amelia Cronin (2015), Amy Gilmore (2015), Carys Hodgson (2015), Marita Moore (1985), Toby Pinker (2020) and current student, Gabby Neal).

Marita (1985) acknowledged that having the Gold Award made a difference in her life.

"It was probably one of the first real challenges I took on in life, but as it has turned out, it may in fact have been the catalyst for me to not shy away from challenges and try new and different things throughout my life! I thought I would gain confidence, meet new people and be exposed to some situations which would take me out of my comfort zone,” she explained.

An initiative of the 2022 Duke of Ed Leaders Cherise Marks, Gabby Neal and Sophie Woodard, the Honour Board is a visible reminder to the College community of the significance of the achievement of a Gold Award. It will also be a motivator for other students to complete their own Gold to have their name added to the board.

Participants at St Peters

Silver Award Service

Year 10 student Alessandra Aaron chose to support a Queensland charity by donating hand-embroidered baby singlets for them to give to families in crisis.

"I chose to support Baby Give Back for my Silver Duke of Ed Service because, as a young woman myself, I think that the giving of access to necessary supplies for mothers and babies in need is a fantastic cause to support and give back to.

"It was wonderful to hand over the singlets to their team, because they showed me how they were going to distribute the singlets I had embroidered," said Alessandra.

Silver Award Adventurous Journey – Canoeing

Overcoming obstacles set by excessive rain in many catchments, a group of 16 very determined Silver Award participants worked together to complete the three days of canoeing on Moogerah Dam for their Adventurous Journey.

Year 10 student, Georgia Burckhardt, completed the Practice Journey. “It was a lot of fun. There was a storm one night with hail, but it wasn’t too bad. I made new friends and really liked being with students I don’t normally get to spend time with.”

Teammate Amelie Pesce, also really enjoyed the experience. “I thought we were going to be roughing it a bit more, but we were in tents and at a really good base camp. It was a lot of fun. It was a great way to spend holiday time with friends.”

Silver Award Adventurous Journey – Sailing

Silver participant Xavier Cowain (pictured above, bottom left), completed a six-day sail on the South Passage, from Cairns to Townsville for his Adventurous Journey. The South Passage is a dual masted schooner, holding up to 28 crew, and sails the coasts of eastern Australia.

“This trip was both challenging and rewarding. I was quite nervous at first as I didn’t know anybody, or anything about sailing. Over the course of the trip, it also rained quite a bit, and there were rough winds and seas. It was this tough experience that brought all my crew mates closer. We are all great friends now because of those challenges. Overall, this was an amazing experience and something I will always remember.”

Bronze Award Service

Bronze participant Rose Jolly, completed all elements of her Award. “I enjoyed all of the Award. I think the part I liked the most was the Service. I really liked doing something without getting anything back. Volunteering at the Salvos was really good. I enjoyed that.”

ST PETERS ADOPTS A COP — WELCOME SGT DAN O'BRIEN

Since their introduction to schools and other relevant organisations in 1985, the Adopt-A-Cop Program builds positive relationships between police and members of the school community. With over 950 Adopt-a-Cops performing duties in over 1,100 Queensland schools, the program is an intrinsic part of policing and reflects a greater emphasis on police partnerships with the community.

CASSIE TWEMLOW Communications & Marketing Officer

At Junior High Assembly on Thursday 28 July, Sergeant Dan O’Brien, of the Indooroopilly Highway Patrol, was sworn in as St Peters very own ‘Adopt-A-Cop’. Adopt-a-Cops were introduced into school communities in 1985 and perform a rapport-building and educational role within the school through various functions like delivering classroom presentations in partnership with teachers; attending key school events, such as swimming carnivals and graduations and/or presentation nights; conducting informal 'drop in' visits, particularly during break times; and, attending meetings, such as Parents and Friends meetings. Adopt-a-PLOs (Police Liaison Officer) may also provide an additional role to promote cultural awareness and celebrate cultural diversity within the school community.

Sergeant O’Brien has been a police officer for over 33 years, joining the Police Academy after graduating high school from St Laurence’s College. He has worked in the western suburbs area for the last six years.

His commitment to the Adopt-A-Cop Program means Sergeant O’Brien builds positive relationships between police and members of the College community. Benefits that stem from adopting a cop include the enhanced safety and wellbeing of children through education; positive attitudes of children towards police and the community; the encouragement of lawabiding behaviour; increased community

satisfaction with the Queensland Police Service (QPS); greater community support of the QPS; and, the professional development of police officers and PLOs.

Since his ‘adoption’, Sergeant O’Brien has attended College events and spoken to students about various topics.

At the commencement of Term 3, Year 11 English students started studying The Great Gatsby. An ideal segue on the themes of the book was to invite Sergeant O’Brien to Dr Gibson’s English class to speak to the students about organised crime. During the lesson, Sergeant O’Brien raised the history of organised crime and how, although it is generally thought of as a form of illegal business, some criminal organisations, like terrorist groups, are politically motivated. Sergeant O’Brien related how some criminal organisations force people to do business with them, such as when a gang extorts money from shopkeepers for ‘protection’. Linking the theme back to F Scott Fitzgerald’s most famous novel, Sergeant O’Brien specifically distinguished the Italian-based ‘mafia’ as a type of organised crime group that specialises in the supply of extra legal protection and were highly involved in the era of prohibition in the United States.

After the student presentation, Sergeant O’Brien spoke to the class about life as a Police Officer in the QPS. Having been on ‘the force’ for over quarter of a century, Sergeant O’Brien has a wealth of knowledge and experience in different policing sectors.

“There’s a million things you can do [in the police]”, Sergeant O’Brien enthused. Wrapping up his student presentation Sergeant O’Brien encouraged students to apply for the Service particularly if they were interested in science studies describing jobs in forensics, photography and investigation.

“You are never really off-duty”, Sergeant O’Brien told us. “Technically, 24/7, you're a police officer. And it also goes the other way”, he went on to say when explaining police officers can also be held accountable for their actions when not working or in uniform.

Sergeant O’Brien is often called on to talk to Seniors about the fun and risks of Schoolies Week, and the harm and effects of drug use. He talks about his own experience as a parent of sons and the anxiety some kids suffer due to cyber-bullying, suicide, gender dysmorphia and general isolation and exclusion.

Year 10 students—separated into boys and girls groups over two days—each received the same talk from Sergeant O'Brien around protective behaviours and consent. "If you're in a situation where you're scared, just go

crazy. The adrenalin shot gives you extra strength. Don't be compliant; don't give up; don't be afraid. Fight back. Bite, scratch, kick...do what ever it takes," said Sergeant O'Brien.

He also appealed the students to be vigilant when wearing headphones out in public saying that despite their convenience, they can be unsafe to use while walking, especially for children and students. Because headphones have a tendency to impair coordination and diminish the ability to perceive and hear, "being out in public with them in increases the likelihood of being approached by a motor vehicle or person," unbeknownst to the user.

However, not all parts of ‘the job’ are serious or dangerous.

“I’m also an Adopt-a-Cop at a local special needs College where, on sports day , I take a LIDAR [speed gun] and the kids have a great time checking their running speed”, Sergeant O’Brien said with a smile.

If you would like more information on the Adopt-a-Cop program, please visit https://bit.ly/adoptacop

Pictured (clockwise from top left): Sergeant Dan O'Brien; Sergeant O'Brien and Tim Kotzur with Dr Gibson's Year 11 English class; Sergeant Jose Sarmiento with Sergeant O'Brien and Tim Kotzur on 'Adoption Day'; speaking to Year 11 English; presenting to Year 10 girls on protective behaviour and consent.

PASSION PROJECTS: DELIVERS THE MISSION

DEBBIE

In 2022, after reflecting on a range of data and our strategic intent, our goal was to expand the extra-curricular activities provided to our students across the Upper Primary school.

Studies show that when students are passionately engaged in their learning— when they are fascinated and excited by their learning environment or activities— there are myriad responses in their brains making connections that simply would not occur without that passion or emotion.

This year, there was a change in focus for our Years 4-6 students on a Thursday afternoon. We moved from a Sport Development model to a Passion Development model, Thriving Thursday

Sport Development has been an important program in the Upper Primary school at St Peters Springfield since 2010. Initially, the Thursday afternoon program was held at the Springfield Lakes Sporting Fields when our campus was in Education City. When we moved to our current address in Health City, the program moved to our school oval. The Sports Program has provided students with the skills to confidently represent the College in range of sports. Over the years, the students took part in lessons to teach them Netball, Football, Cricket, Softball, Basketball, Tennis, Touch Football, Cross Country and Track & Field.

In 2022, a decision was made to extend the activity offerings on a Thursday afternoon to further meet students’ interests and passions. Sport would still be a focus but there was the introduction of Technology, Arts and Well-being options.

Thriving Thursday has been offered over the past three terms encompassing subjects such as Dance, Mosaics, Creative Drawing, Robotics, Lego animation, Coding and Kindness Crew. Australian Rules, Netball,

Basketball, Cricket, Soccer and Track & Field have also been offered to continue the tradition of sports development. Students have chosen activities where their talents and passions lie and have been able to further extend these through planned weekly sessions. The program allows students to be creative, show leadership skills, be mentors, show initiative and be in smaller groups to trial new ways of doing things.

Students have flourished through their involvement in these passion activities as they share a time with like-minded peers who have the same interests.

"Once something is a passion, the motivation is there," Michael Schumacher.

WESTMCINNES

Springfield Head of Primary

Strategic Intent - Promote an enriching holistic education and student experience that challenges and nurtures the spiritual, academic, physical, emotional and social character of each student empowering them to lead and serve their communities and make a difference in the world.

PRIMARY YEARS BOOK WEEK

This year's Children's Book Council of Australia Book Week was celebrated from 20-26 August with the overarching theme, 'Dreaming with eyes open'.

THANK YOU TO OUR INC REDIBLE STAFF

CASSIE TWEMLOW Communications & Marketing Officer

Friday 28 October was World Teacher's Day and our amazing staff were treated to breakfast and chocolate treats in recognition of their earnest and continuing work they do to support our students and the every day activities around the campus. The day also coincided with Day for Daniel— Australia’s largest child safety education and

awareness day, honouring the memory of Daniel Morcombe. People are encouraged to wear red on the day—the colour that represents child safety and their Foundation.

Thank you teacher's and staff for all that you do. St Peters wouldn't be the same without you.

SPYGT: HERE WE GO AGAIN!

The annual St Peters You’ve Got Talent (SPYGT) performances were, yet again, a highlight for the students and wider community.

This year the theme was taken from the musical Mamma Mia!, based on the songs of pop group ABBA. The College Captains and Prefects delighted the nearly 500-strong audience with their ABBA themed dance and songs.

Auditions were held in the Chapel over five days at the start of Term 3 with students in the audience providing encouragement and enthusiasm as they witnessed the many talents within the College.

Ultimately, six finalists were chosen from the many auditions to perform in the grand final on Saturday 30 July. This years finalists were:

Gabbie Elbourne – Year 11

Alice Jukes & Jess Howard – Year 9

Jess Logan – Year 12

Fraser Stott – Year 10

Maddie Jarvis – Year 12

Ella Kennedy – Year 8

After all six acts, the audience was invited to vote for their favourite performer. Whilst they all delivered outstanding performances, Gabbie came in first place, closely followed by Fraser in second and Maddie in third.

Each of the finalists were asked to choose a charity to support and Gabbie selected The Royal Flying Doctor Service, donating a total of $2,365.00. What an amazing donation!

Following the voting, the audience also enjoyed guest acts including Boys Boarding Olympics, ‘SOS’ by St Peters Staff, 2022 Prefects, and last years winners, Gauri and Chloe.

It was a fantastic and entertaining evening and the 2022 Captains did a wonderful job running SPYGT: Here we go again.

We look forward to seeing the talents continuing to unfold in 2023.

JULIE BURTON senior school staff

VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS

Year 12 student, Ava Murdoch (pictured below with her artwork, Xplor) is one of only 30 artists who have been selected from across Queensland for the Creative Generation 2022 Excellence in Visual Arts Awards exhibition. This is a prestigious award and Ava's work will be on display in the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) in May 2023.

Xplor investigates how the natural world shapes our human existence. Appreciating the natural world brings an enriched understanding of life. Travelling to different places, learning from different cultures provides a different perspective. A relationship and understanding of nature are important. Transient moments in nature become fossilised in our memories, forming who we are. These memories eventually fade and are reconstructed until they no longer resemble their original form. Like our memories, the natural world is in a constant state of fragility and flux. We are forever bound to coexist and must care for the natural world.

JULIE SEIDEL Cocurriculum Leader The Arts

VAPAr,

The Visual and Performing Arts Revue, focuses on bringing Art, Drama, Film Television and New Media, Music and Fashion together in one event to celebrate the cultural qualities of a St Peters Arts education. Students have worked through challenges, developed and extended their skills and formulated a deeper understanding of the Arts through the process of making works that were screened, exhibited and performed.

The red-carpet event in the amphitheatre, hosted by Year 11 students, Tabby and Han, opened with a final roll call for Year 12 Visual Art and Film students. Film and Television Awards were presented and student achievements in the Creative Generation Program and the Brisbane Portrait Prize were acknowledged.

The Jazz Combo and Guitar Ensemble performed, energising the event.

The screening of a diverse collection of student films continued throughout the event.

The theatrical performance, The Picture of Dorian Gray, impressed audiences. Positive reviews noted that performances were ‘professional, polished and mature’ with the insightful direction by Bradley Chapman clearly evident.

Ting Jiang (Year 9) won the Next Gen Under 18 section of the Brisbane Portrait Prize 2022 for her artwork Tongue Tied

The Exhibition, at the Brisbane Powerhouse during October, showcased 60 artists who were selected as finalists including 56 entrants from the main competition and four from the Next Gen Competition. This is an outstanding achievement by this passionate art student who at the age of 14 has demonstrated commendable focus and commitment to developing her painting techniques through her art studies and the cocurricular painting workshops offered at St Peters.

"In an accomplished self-portrait, Ting has managed to communicate her concept and feelings with this outstanding work. Her articulation of her experiences as an immigrant and ability to communicate a sense of muteness through imagery displays a level of sophistication beyond the artist's years." Jenna Baldock, Next Gen Judge

BRADLEY CHAPMAN Cocurriculum Leader Drama

The theatrical performance aspect of VAPAr is a rigorous process.

Designed to challenge students’ performance skills, the process involves an audition in front of a panel followed by months of rehearsals and an intensive dress and tech week in the lead up to opening night.

After a successful performance of the beloved Shakespearean comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2021, this year we changed gears to present the intense gothic drama, The Picture of Dorian Gray, based on the novel by Oscar Wilde. The play tells the story of a young socialite in 1890s London, who unknowingly enters into a Faustian bargain: his portrait, rather than his own body, will bear the physical effects of his sins and indulgences.

To stage this work, the cast of 30 had to push themselves emotionally and physically whilst grappling with the plays complex dramatic meanings, questioning the very nature of life and humanity. The cast more than rose to the occasion, and audiences raved about the professional standards of their performances.

Theatrical experiences at events like VAPAr benefit all students involved, not just those who aspire to a career in the performing arts. Research has repeatedly proven that theatre education has a myriad of other benefits. Through it, young people improve their capacity for empathy, self-expression, emotional regulation, creative thinking and problem solving, resilience, and self-efficacy. We hope to see audiences back for VAPAr next year!

ST PETERS MUSIC TOURING PROGRAM

As our touring program gets back on track, St Peters Music Co-Directors led their respective ensembles—Strings and Choirs—on regional tours this year, visiting new places and making friends along the way.

DEACON Co-Director

There are so many wonderful aspects to participating in a music tour with your friends and peers. The St Peters Chamber Soloists String Orchestra tour to the Sunshine Coast and Bundaberg at the beginning of the Term 3 holidays certainly reminded us all of the added value of a music tour. On top of the obvious music making involved in a tour, students are immersed in an environment of sharing their talents, creating new relationships with communities and improving their own personal organisation skills. The concept of performing the same repertoire every day makes one realise that true musical enjoyment comes from playing for others and seeing their happy smiles and sincere appreciation.

The five-day tour included concerts with the Sunshine Coast Youth Orchestra, Immanuel Lutheran College String Orchestra, Sunshine Beach State High School, Shalom Catholic College Strings and performances at the Argyle Gardens Retirement Village and St John’s Lutheran Church. The St Peters Chamber Soloists lived up to their reputation as one of Australia’s leading string orchestras as they amazed and inspired so many communities

with their passion, energy and hard work.

At each venue the Chamber Soloists members engaged as 'mentors', directly working alongside a younger student and engaging them in musical thought. This interaction was highly successful and the improvement in just one rehearsal could be seen in the way the students began to move and communicate their music with a renewed sense of passion and fun. I know this firsthand teaching experience for each Chamber Soloists member opened their own eyes of the importance of music and the impact that one can have on another as an educator.

Chamber Soloists enjoyed the time to relax and socialise with each other at the end of each day. A new initiative for this tour was that pre-formed groups were responsible for organising and cooking their own breakfast and dinner. The students displayed a strong sense of pride in the culinary accomplishments and truly created some beautiful meals.

Overall, the tour was a great success and combined with fantastic performances and lots of laughs seemed like the perfect way to finish off Term 3, 2022.

DAVID

of Cocurricular Music and head of strings

CHRISTINE TAYLOR Co Director of Cocurriculuar Music and head of choirs

At the end of Semester 1, St Peters

Chorale and Chamber Chorale spent five days on tour in the Darling Downs area. Their public performances in St Luke’s Lutheran Church, Crows Nest, and St Luke’s Anglican Church, Toowoomba, were given standing ovations by the enthusiastic and supportive audiences. Chorale was warmly welcomed by the congregation of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church for their Sunday morning service as they helped to lead music worship. At all of these public events, the students really enjoyed meeting St Peters alumni and hearing their stories of St Peters and Ironbark from the past.

Chorale also visited Highfields State

Secondary College and Centenary Heights SHS, Toowoomba taking part in combined workshops with their choirs and giving lunchtime concerts. The positive experience of making music together quickly removed any barriers and all the students enjoyed sharing social time together.

Chorale staff and students also enjoyed the opportunity to explore some of the tourist attractions in the Downs area including The Kingaroy Observatory, Warwick Museum and Sutton’s Apple Farm in Stanthorpe. Campfires, bush dancing, games night and a handbell ringing workshop added to the fun during their time at Koonjarewon Campsite in Highfields.

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PERFORMER OF THE YEAR

DAVID DEACON Co-Director of Cocurricular Music

The finals of the 2022 Performer of the Year Recital and Concerto concerts were filled with high expectations and did not fail to surprise and excite the many young audience members in attendance. The 12 finalists were chosen from a very strong field of over 40 applicants in total:

CONCERTO FINALISTS

Aden Gao – Grieg Piano Concerto

Kaden Kuo – Dvorak Cello Concerto

Mulan Ma – Schumann Piano Concerto

Sam Catchpoole – Forsyth Viola Concerto (pictured bottom)

RECITAL FINALISTS

Andrew Zhang – Piano

Lana Ly – Harp (pictured right)

Michael Cheung– Flute (pictured right)

Panelo Hsieh – Piano

Rebecca Kim – Cello

Tom Howard – Violin

Theo Aitcheson – Violin

Victor Huang – Piano

Both finals, held in late August, represented the amazing talent and hard work of these 12 students. Observing the performances, one could only assume that hours had gone into the preparation of this challenging repertoire. Their performances fully captured the imagination of the listeners and inspired many young musicians to go home and practice.

It is still a true joy to be able to sit in a live concert and appreciate the atmosphere that is created by youth music. All the finalists should be very proud of their achievements as they performed with eloquence, colour and remarkable dynamic control. Their youthful and exuberant performances communicated a real sense of fun and character while still maintaining the integrity of each composer’s vision. The orchestra exhibited their skilled expertise accompanying some of the most challenging repertoires that called for both elegance and precision.

Congratulations to Aden Gao (pictured top) and Victor Huang (pictured second from top) who were announced as the Performer of the Year Concerto and Recital (respectively) for 2022.

THE ARTS AT SPRINGFIELD

SARAH GUNN Director of Studies and Pedagogy

the course of Semester 2, St Peters College Springfield has welcomed a number of Arts events to showcase the unique gifts and talents of our school community.

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Creative Industries SPOSA Workshop

Senior Visual Art and Film, Television and New Media students were fortunate to have Founding Old Scholar of St Peters Springfield, Jayden Flynn (2015), visit to share his passion and work experience in the Creative Industries. Jayden completed a Bachelor of Interactive Visual Design (Hons) at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and felt called to return to the College to give back to the St Peters Springfield community. In his workshop, Jayden shared fond memories of St Peters as a student, where he discovered his passion for art and media, and he showcased selected works from his portfolio comprised of film, graphic design, and interactive media. He also discussed ideation for projects, teamwork, and user-centered design. After the workshop, the Senior students commented that they felt encouraged by their shared journey with Jayden and more confident about their own tertiary pathways.

Grandparent’s Day Choir Performance

Year 6 students performed the uplifting song Where We Begin as part of Together Sing for Grandparents’ Day (pictured left). Importantly, this initiative was established

to share the joy and reward not only of music making, but also of group singing as part of Mental Health Week. A massed choir consisting of Fella Voce and Mezzo Voce (Years 4–6) also combined to create a recording of this song that can be shared with our whole College community. Special thanks must go to Mrs Pomerenke and Mrs Doyle for their incredible facilitation of such meaningful performances.

A Night on Wellness Way

An amazing evening for our students to celebrate and share the successes of their work inside the classroom was 'A Night on Wellness Way’. This evening showcased the performances of our Senior Drama students, alongside some guest performances from our Year 8 Drama students, Dance Troupe (pictured right) and solo dance performance from Year 11 student, Zoe Clifton. The evening was a resounding success; we look forward to welcoming back the supporters of the Arts to next year’s showcase event.

The Arts Project

The disciplines of the Arts have joined together to produce our Arts Project across the last two terms. This project has utilised musical talents, directing, acting, dancing, costuming, filming and editing to create an ambitious music video. The video, inspired by One Voice Children's Choir's Believer, has empowered our students to collaborate, create and shine. What a privilege it will be to share our project later this term with our community.

TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK

There is nothing better than having a Coach with a passion for their sport, and for St Peters Hockey students, Cameron Glass is that man. I sat down with Cameron to discuss Hockey here at St Peters and I was also lucky to chat with Old Scholar, Jane Ramsay (2021), as she pursues Hockey success in the United States.

Discussion with Cameron Glass, Hockey Coordinator

Anthony Cox: Can you tell me a little about the history and highlights of the St Peters Hockey program?

Cameron Glass: I’m a little uncertain of just how far back Hockey first made an appearance at St Peters, but I have had some mothers of our current Junior players tell me about their exploits beating Brisbane Grammar when they represented the College as students themselves.

Some of the highlights over the past few years have been watching Old Scholars achieve Brisbane and Queensland honours, moving games and training from Mayer Oval to the international standard pitch at the University of Queensland, and the Opens season of 2022.

Cox: How has the game changed now that it's mostly played on artificial turf, instead of grass?

Glass: It has quickened the pace of the game and made it more attractive as a spectator. The ball travels faster and flatter, allowing players to redistribute the ball quicker and show more expansive elimination skills. Skills have been adapted and modified to suit the surface and it is difficult to even compare the modern-day Hockey to its days on grass. Much like golf, the equipment has advanced so much that kids would laugh at what players used in yesteryear.

Cox: What can be attributed to Australia's success in Hockey?

Glass: Funnily enough, the strength of Hockey is in regional centres—Toowoomba, Warwick, Rockhampton, and Townsville. They have produced so many Olympians over the years. Players can ply their trade at their ‘home’ centre and not have to relocate to Brisbane until making squads such as the Queensland Academy of Sport where almost daily training is required. Brisbane, for many years, used this to their advantage and picked these country players in Brisbane teams to dominate state titles. This was overturned a decade or so ago and Queensland and Australian players are encouraged to play for their home centres which gives the state championships so much more interest.

ANTHONY COX Digital Marketing and Design Officer

Cox: There are quite a few Old Scholars on the coaching staff assisting our Junior team. What do they enjoy about the involvement in St Peters Hockey?

Glass: We currently have four Old Scholars on our coaching staff, and I think they were attracted to give back due to the amount of fun they had when they played for St Peters. Hockey is a niche sport, and a lot of girls found Hockey when they were looking for that sport that would welcome them. We compete for players against strong Netball and Rowing programs, so a lot of girls come to Hockey having zero understanding of the sport but are looking to commit to something. Over the past 13 years I have rarely seen girls arrive and then leave for other sports. Hockey at St Peters is fun and inclusive and there is a spot for all girls to call home. They come to play a sport but typically find a group of friends. I think that is why they stay, and why these Old Scholars return to coach.

Cox: Are there current students that will pursue Hockey beyond St Peters?

Glass: This year we have probably our strongest Opens Team for some years when you talk about having strength across the field. We currently sit second on the QG ladder, and in my time, we have never finished higher than fifth. There are a number of these girls playing high level club Hockey and are pushing for representative honours. Our most recent success story would be our 2021 Open’s Captain (Jane Ramsay) who moved back to the USA with family. She has recently made the USA Under 21 side and has been signed by the Louiseville Cardinals to play in the College system.

Cox: How do students get involved in St Peters Hockey? Are there any prerequisites required to get involved and, is it a risky sport?

Glass: In Primary Years, Peter Dawson arranges Sport for Life and after school opportunities throughout the year for Prep to Year 3 students. For our Senior School students, girls can join at any stage by signing on when winter sports are advertised by Sports House. Our preseason is in Term 2 with fixtures commencing in Term 3.

You would think 22 players carrying sticks around would present many dangerous situations, but we rarely see any injury. If we do, it normally comes from being hit by the ball which is harder than a cricket ball. All sticks in Hockey are right-handed, so students are taught how to safely approach an opposing player to be effective but also stay safe.

Discussion with Jane Ramsay, Old scholar (2021)

Cox: What are you up to these days?

Jane Ramsay: Everything is going great! I am originally from the USA so it is awesome to be back. I have a lot of family which I haven’t seen since I was five years old so I am getting to see everyone again which is wonderful.

I am currently studying a Bachelor of Science in Sport, with a minor in Psychology, at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. I'm enjoying learning about psychology in sport— it fascinates me how much mental toughness is vital for performance in sport.

At uni we train for four hours a day, allowing for one day off. Then the student part comes in, and we have to log six hours of study hall a week and we take six classes. It's a lot—some would say crazy—but I haven't had more fun playing Hockey and going to school ever before. I love every part of it.

Cox: What was your initial attraction to Hockey?

Ramsay: When I was little, I was a Soccer player. Then my grandpa wanted me to play Hockey, so he signed me up. Growing up I had a love-hate relationship with Hockey. But, I started to become really good at it [at the same time] I also fell in love with playing Water Polo. As I got older, I got to a point where I had to choose between the two as they started clashing for both training and games. The biggest reason for choosing Hockey was that I had such a good relationship with everyone in Hockey and I didn’t want to leave—the community was just wonderful, and everything about just felt like you were with family. I could never imagine my life without it.

Cox: What are some of the memories you hold from playing Hockey at St Peters and when did the journey start for you?

The journey started when I was in Year 6 and we had Sports for Life, and Hockey was an option. I started playing for QGSSSA in Year 7 and I was on the Junior A team but, because of club, I couldn’t play that much at all—I think I only played two games that season. In Year 8 I made the Opens team which is super rare and I just felt like I was on top of the world! All that being said, my most favourite memory from St Peters Hockey was training super early in the morning on Stolz Oval. There was no pressure to be amazing, just to have fun.

Cox: What would you tell current students thinking of playing Hockey at St Peters?

Ramsay: Hockey IS THE BEST! It is seriously the most fun you will have, especially at St Peters. It is something new and different and Australia is one of the best in the world in Hockey, so why not play? The Hockey culture is something that no other sport has. It is a sport that you can play forever and never get bored. If you are thinking about playing Hockey, do it! Bring your friends along too. Grow the game. Be the game. Love the game.

Cox: Is there a long term goal and will we see you back in Brisbane in the future?

Ramsay: My long term goal is the Olympics! I hadn't even thought about taking my sport to the next level until I was 15. Since then, every day I work towards reaching my goal. You will see me lining up to play at the Olympics, that is for sure. The real question is, will it be for Australia or America? It honestly all depends on where I am living at the time. I would love to make the 2026 Olympics and the 2032. So keep your eyes out, I will be there. Whether that be in the Green and Gold, or Red, White and Blue.

I would love to come back to Brisbane in the future; hopefully next year. I would absolutely love to come back and coach at St Peters. I always loved playing the with Seniors at school and loved when they would come back to coach the next year when they had graduated. I will admit, it shattered my heart a bit that I couldn’t come back and be in the program for this season. But I most definitely want to come back to the St Peters community one day!

Pictured (left to right): Jane Ramsay (2021), playing for St Peters last year; Tim Kotzur and Cameron Glass with the 2022 Open Hockey team.

AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME

Success in any sport requires dedication, passion, and a drive to improve, and chess is no exception.

SHANNON KING Digital Marketing and Communications Officer

Meet Terrence Tang; St Peters’ strongest Chess player and winner of the Gold Coast Junior Chess Championships and the U18 Division of the prestigious Queensland Junior Chess Championships in 2022.

When Year 12 student, Terrence, came to St Peters in 2019, he surprised everyone at his first Chess training session by defeating the Opens players with ease, losing only to the coach. By the start of the AIC Chess season, Terrence had become a pivotal member of the Opens Chess Team, in which he remained undefeated, helping the team to a premiership win.

Terrence’s winning streak continued throughout his time at St Peters, with an astounding near-perfect record of 63 wins and one draw in his AIC games along with Opens Premiership wins in 2020 and 2022.

Mathematics Teacher and Chess Coordinator, Wolf Stuetzel, has watched Terrence grow and develop as a Chess player during his time at St Peters and describes the quiet and unassuming student as an ‘irreplaceable pillar’ of St Peters Chess who can be relied upon to win his games every time.

“He is a gifted, attacking Chess player who, in AIC, is second to none in strategy and calculation,” Mr Stuetzel said. “His positional analysis is so quick and thorough that he can defeat almost any St Peters player or coach, even when playing with significantly less time.”

Terrence has been playing Chess since the age of five, which is impressive given most five-year-olds are content creating messy art or building block forts. His kindergarten teacher asked every child to choose a hobby and Terrence chose Chess for no other reason than there happened to be a Chess board at the kindy at the time. In the early years, he had a coach to help improve his play, but these days Terrence mostly practises online, playing virtual games against other players on chess.com.

When asked what sets Terrence apart from other young chess players, Mr Stuetzel points to his commitment and dedication to the game as well as his passion for Chess and determination to build on his skills.

“He is constantly practising, playing online and competing in tournaments,” he said. “And, he’s always looking to play stronger and better opponents to improve.”

In the lead-up to a tournament, Terrence prepares by practising three to four days a week and studying his opponents’ previous games online.

“If you look at their moves you can see if they are a defensive player or like to attack. Some players are really aggressive,” Terrence explained. “I just use my head to think and analyse, again and again.”

Chess may not be physically demanding in the same way as other sports, but games can last several hours and require intense concentration and mental agility as players must be able to calculate several moves in advance. Terrence can plan an impressive eight to ten moves ahead—a skill that has clearly given him a competitive edge.

Last month, Terrence travelled to Bali for the Asian Youth Chess Championships and finished 19th in the U18 Division, which he felt was a solid result.

“I’m happy about it,” he said. “It was my first international tournament, and it was great to compete against professional players and get to know where I need to improve.”

With the Gold Coast and Queensland Junior Championships under his belt, Terrence is now setting his sights on achieving a Master title in the next few years—a goal that Mr Stuetzel believes is within reach.

“Terrence, without a doubt, has the mindset and skills to compete at a national, if not international level,” he said.

These skills will be put to the test in January 2023 when Terrence competes in the Australian Open Chess Championships in Perth, followed by the Oceania Zonal in Melbourne.

Despite all the hard work, he insists that chess is fun and a great way to make friends across different grades. He also enjoys the progress that can be made through regular practice.

“Terrence is a role model for St Peters students, as he demonstrates that commitment to improvement is key to becoming successful,” said Mr Stuetzel.

“His demeanour at extremely stressful Chess matches is one of calmness and respect for his opponents and the rules and values that govern competition. This sets a standard to which all sporting representatives at St Peters should aspire to achieve.”

Thank you, Terrence, for your dedication and contribution to St Peters Chess. We wish you all the best for your future tournaments and look forward to watching you achieve your goals.

Pictured: Terrence with his most recent Gold Coast Junior Championship and Queensland Junior Championship trophies; being supported by the St Peters Spirit crew at the Chess Focus Round in July.

GO, GO, MOLLIE O!

Springfield student, and swimming superstar, Mollie O'Callaghan, began swimming at 4-years-old and entered her first competition three years later. Over the last three years, Mollie has represented Australia at the Junior World Championships, the Queensland ShortCourse Championships, Queensland State titles, 2021 Olympic Games, the FINA World Championships, and the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

SHANNON KING Digital Marketing and Communications Officer

In a remarkable rise for Mollie, her 2022 successes included 13 medals across the FINA World Championships and Birmingham Commonwealth Games, becoming the youngest woman in 30 years to win the 100m freestyle World Championship.

At the World Championships Mollie collected three Golds—100m freestyle, women’s 4x100m freestyle and the mixed 4x100m freestyle—and three silvers in the 200m freestyle, women’s 4x200m freestyle and the women’s medley relay.

Mollie followed up her amazing achievements at Worlds with an outstanding Commonwealth Games bringing home Gold medals in the100m Freestyle, 4x100m Freestyle Relay, 4x200m Freestyle Relay (World Record), 4x100m Mixed Freestyle Relay, 4x100m Medley Relay, and Silver medals in 200m Freestyle and 50m Backstroke.

Shannon King sat down with Mollie to gain an insight into what has been an incredible year for Mollie.

SK: Mollie, 2022 has been a massive year for you. How has it stacked up against your expectations?

MO: This year has exceeded my expectations in general. Coming back from Birmingham and Worlds, I've walked away proud of myself for what I've accomplished, and I've excelled in all my goals for this year. So, I'm really excited for next year and the years to come.

SK: What has it been like representing Australia in your sport?

MO: It's exciting and amazing representing Australia for swimming. I've worked alongside such incredible athletes over these past few years and it's amazing to finally put on the green and gold and do what I love.

SK: Were there any races this year that have been particularly memorable for you?

MO: I would say there were quite a few. The 200m Freestyle at Commonwealth Games— I came second, but I felt like I improved so much on my technique and skills and I PB'd and I was just overall very excited and happy with what I did. There were other races, like the 100m Freestyle at Worlds. I surprised myself by touching first and it was a little bit of a shock at first, but it's kind of settled in now with the past few races.

SK: Dean and your SPW coaches obviously help you get physically ready for competition. How do you prepare yourself mentally?

MO: This year, mentally preparing myself was a bit of a rough ride. I don't have much experience dealing with nerves and in the international stage, so this was such a big learning experience for me. Having Dean beside me helping and guiding me through the rocky stages has really helped. But yeah, I would say this year has been a big roller coaster.

SK: There's been plenty of media coverage and hype surrounding your success this year. How do you keep that from becoming a distraction?

MO: With the media, most of us don't really look at it. We just stay in the team environment and keep it positive. Just having each other there and ignoring all the negative and sometimes positive media can help us push through. And I personally don't really like looking at that stuff.

SK: What does a week's training look like for you?

MO: A week's training is very structured and organised, but sometimes it's a bit everywhere. Typically, I would do nine sessions a week, two to three bike sessions depending on what stages of training we're doing. And in the two to three afternoon training sessions we'll do core, which goes for 30 minutes. And, we do like three to four gym

sessions, so it's very like jam packed through the week, It's nice to have structure, but also when you're on break you're like, oh, it's kind of nice to just chill and not do anything for a few days.

SK: What do you do in your downtime?

MO: In my downtime, I try to find a few hobbies. I'll do a little bit of art and whatnot to keep myself occupied or I'll hang out with friends. A lot of us just sleep in our downtime because we're so tired.

SK: What are you focusing on for 2023?

MO: Next year I'm hoping to compete in Worlds. I think that's probably my big goal next year is to hopefully make a few individuals on that and just learn, in a way, for the next Olympics. I'm not putting any pressure on myself to redo what I did this year, but, I would love to.

SK: At what point did you realize that swimming was going to be your 'thing'?

MO: There was a point when I was about maybe 14 or 15 when I made my first junior team. From then I've just been striving to make senior teams and keep improving. I guess each goal has been getting bigger and bigger.

SK: Who inspires you?

MO: The people around me inspire me a lot. Obviously, I have Dean who is very inspiring with the way he coaches. There are also fellow teammates like Kaylee McKeown, Madi Wilson, Meg Harris. I could list a bunch of girls. They are very inspiring, and I find them very humble. It doesn't really matter how they race; it's how they are outside of the water that really inspires me.

SK: What's Dean really like?

MO: As a coach, Dean is a bit nutty and crazy, but that always works with training and he always keeps it a great environment, very fun even when it's hard. But Dean is also very caring too and understands each individual athlete. He changes his approach for each swimmer and I guess that's how most of us have become very successful.

SK: How have you managed to balance your Year 12 studies with your training commitments?

MO: I extended my schooling so that I completed Year 11 and 12 over three years. This year has been difficult, and it's been a bit hard to get back into the routine of school. But I have teachers like Mr Lohe and Ms Johnson, who help me a lot and remind me that I have to stay on top of my school work.

SK: What advice do you have for aspiring young swimmers looking to follow in your wake?

MO: My advice is that everyone's a little bit different with the way that they handle things, and everyone has a different view of success. To me, success is just what you want to achieve as an individual. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, it is your goal, and you just strive for that.

Photo above courtesy of Delly Carr.

2022 INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES

This year has been an outstanding year for both current students and Old Scholars of St Peters on the International stage. National representation is a real Plus Ultra effort. Congratulations to all. We wait and watch for more exciting news to come.

Current Students

2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games

Swimming:

Mollie O'Callaghan (Year 12) – 5 Gold + 2 Silver (1 World Record)

Ella Ramsay (Year 12) – 200m Individual Medley Final

2022 Fina World Swimming Championships (50m)

Mollie O'Callaghan (Year 12) – 3 x Gold + 3 Silver (1 World Record)

Ella Ramsay (Year 12) – 200 IM – 15th

2022 IAAF World Under 20 Track & Field Championships

Toby Stolberg (Year 11) – High Jump – 8th Torrie Lewis (Year 12) – Injured

2022 Oceania Athletics Championships

Toby Stolberg (Year 11) – High Jump – 2nd

Zoe Chester (Year 10) – Triple Jump – 1st Kayla Newberry (Year 12) – Injured

2022 Pacific Mini-Games | Track & Field: Tayden Tomich (Year 11) – 3rd

2022 FINA U16 World Water Polo Championships Sienna Owen (Year 10) – 4th Place (Captain) Harrison Cole (Year 10) – 11th Place

2022 Junior Pan-Pacific Swimming Championships

Joshua Staples (Year 12) – 4 Gold

Jamie Perkins (Year 12) – 5 Silver

Amelia Webb (Year 11) – 1 Silver Jaclyn Barclay (Year 10) – 4th & 6th

2022 FINA World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships

Rob Thorpe (Year 12) – 8th

2022 FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) Mollie O'Callaghan (Year 12) – Future Event

Jamie Perkins (Year 12) – Future Event

St Peters Old Scholars

2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games | Swimming:

New Zealand

Eve Thomas (2018) – 400m & 800m Freestyle Finals

Malaysia

Arvin Singh Chalal (2017) – 200 IM

Australia

Ariarne Titmus (2018) – 4 Gold (4 Commonwealth Records + World Record)

Madi Wilson (2011) – 4 Gold + 1 Bronze (World Record) Abbey Harkin (2016) – 4 Finals

Jenna Forrester (2020) – 400m IM Final

Track and Field: Jacinta Beecher (2015) – 200m Semi-Final & 4x100m Relay – 4th

Netball: Ruby Bakewell-Doran (2016) – Australian Diamonds travelling reserve Stacey Marinkovich (nee Rosman – 1998) – Australian Diamonds Coach – Gold Medal

Administration:

Michael Henao (1998) – Papua New Guinea’s Chef de Mission

2022 FINA World Swimming Championships New Zealand

Eve Thomas (2018) – New Zealand – 400m & 800m Freestyle – 7th Michael Pickett (2020) – New Zealand – 50m Freestyle Australia

Jack Cartwright (2015) – 1 Gold (World Record) + 1 Silver Madi Wilson (2011) – 1 Gold + 2 Silver

Abbey Harkin (2016) – 100m & 200m Breaststroke Jenna Forrester (2020) – 400m Individual Medley – 7th

2022 World Rowing Championships

Kate Rowan (2014) – Women’s Quadruple Scull – 6th

2022 Constellation Cup Netball

Ruby Bakewell-Doran (2016) Stacey Marinkovich (nee Rosman – 1998) – Coach

2022 IAAF World Under 20 Track & Field Championships

Laylani Va’ai (2021) – Discus – 12th

2022 Pacific Mini Games | Tennis

Papua New Guinea

Matthew Stubbings (2016) – 2nd

US National Swimming Championships – Australia A

Kai Taylor (2021)

Rugby Australia Women’s 7’s North America Tour

2022 - Australia A

Natalie Wright (2019)

2022 FINA World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships

Maxine Seear (2001) – Coach

South East Asian Games 2022

Arvin Singh Chalal (2017) 4x200m Freestyle Relay

Current Staff

2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games | Swimming

Fina World Swimming Championships 2022 (50m)

2022 FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) Dean Boxall

2022 Junior Pan-Pacific Swimming Championships

Richard Sleight

2022 Pacific Mini Games | Tennis

Papua New Guinea

Mark Lewis (Coach)

FINA World League Super Finals Tenealle Fasala (Future Event – Australian Stingers)

* Photo of Mollie O'Callaghan courtesy of Delly Carr.

INTER-HOUSE TRACK & FIELD: NO SWEAT

GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN

KIM HOLMAN Head of Girls Boarding

Due to the delayed start to the Term 1, Girls Boarding held their annual House Camp at Tangalooma in Term 3 and did a Day Camp instead.

The year could not finish without the obligatory dodgeball game on the beach between Finger vs. Cameron. Cameron had been the victors over the past six years and this year Finger came home with the trophy! It was a nail biter and all involved took this annual game so seriously that we had to invite Mr Holman in to be the judge.

The day started with sand tobogganing, on to the dodgeball game and then a swim in the ocean. It was wonderful to see all of our new boarders getting involved and all of our Year 12s leading the charge.

In Term 4 we farewelled our Year 12 Boarders with a bigger-than-Ben-Hur day of celebrations which started with breakfast in bed followed by afternoon tea at Chaplain Silke’s, a flash mob dance at a park in Chapel Hill, the Year 11 mandatory 'roast' video for our Year 12 girls, then on to our themed dinners— 'Cameron Goes Coastal' and 'Finger Fever' Following dinner was Mrs Holman’s presentation and gold stars given out by our Year 12s. Finally, everyone huddled together to sing, 'We Were Here'.

What a crazy, busy, emotional fun day! Our Year 12s felt the love so the day was a success!

This page (clockwise from top left): Year 10 girl boarders preparing breakfast in bed for the Year 12 girls; Senior students enjoying a picnic lunch; Costume night; Year 12s with their keepsake picture.

BOARDERS AT HOME

Our Boarding students come from far and wide and during school holidays they return to their families in their native, or current 'home'. Here, we get a glimpse of where some of our students spend their holidays - from safaris in Africa to trekking in Peru.

Above: Keira (Y10) and Jake Mott (Y8) at Sausage Tree Camp, in the Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambia.

Above: Laura (2021) and Liam Dewar (Y12) with their parents in Canada.

Above (left): Andrew (2021) and Ashley Park (Y11) on the east coast of Korea, Gosung; (centre): Baitoey Suteewong (Y9) competing in the Thailand Phoenix Triathlon Kids competition - she received 2nd place for her age group!; (right): Rishav Bhattacharjee (Y10) celebrating his birthday in Port Moresby with his mum.

Left: Dora (Y12) and Sam Tan (Y10) in Port Moresby; (top) Emma (Y10) and Jack Udd (Y12) in Machu Picchu, Peru; (above) Natasha Wilson (Y12) at home in Singapore with her father and sister.

SPOSA PRESIDENT

2022 has been a good year for SPOSA.

LLEWELLYN JONES Sposa President and Old Scholar (1983)

This year, we have celebrated the achievements of our Old Scholars in their endeavours. This included congratulating 11 of our cohort on their representation at this year’s Olympic Games. It's been said that St Peters would have ranked fourth in the medals table at the end of the first week of the Games, if we’d been a separate country. An amazing statistic, and behind the numbers is the hard slog, determination, sacrifice and teamwork which delivers that kind of success. Our Old Scholars are striving and achieving in many fields, often unheralded, and we celebrate them all.

We have welcomed Old Scholars back to the school to participate in a range of extracurricular events including some entertaining Old Scholar vs current students sporting contests. We have Old Scholars as valued mentors and back-up players in musical concerts and as spectators and audience members to cheer on the team and enjoy watching the amazing talents of our current students. Quite often it is family members who come to support and there is an increasing inter-generational pool of parents and grandparents at the College who are themselves Old Scholars. It was particularly pleasing, and an honour to welcome Old Scholar and parent, Noel Pearson (1982), back to the school to unveil the Acknowledgement of Country plaque at the Harts Rd entrance, a plaque designed by Tully Button (2021). How good is it to be part of a community that publicly acknowledges our First Nation people, recognises the importance of their custodianship and the special place our Aboriginal and Torres Strait brothers and sisters have in our society.

It is also great to see our Old Scholars reconnecting with each other at reunions. At this year’s Reunion Weekend lunch in the old refectory, now called Café 45 (how posh! Plus, the food is top notch too), we were treated to a viewing and Directors Commentary of a fabulous home movie of life on campus in the 1960s by Garth Dennis (1962). And surprisingly, we were all able to

remember the words to the old school war cry! How we came, for many years, to be chanting a Maori Haka as our school war cry is one of life’s mysteries – but it became part of the DNA for many of us.

We also acknowledged the life, legacy and contribution of those Old Scholars who have passed on. This year that included honorary Old Scholar, a champion of our school - and our SPOSA Patron - Bill Curnow. We rang the Chapel bell in memory of all our passing Old Scholars and cherish their contribution to our lives.

Looking forward, the SPOSA Committee has continued to lean-in to ways which we can invest for future generations of Old Scholars, ensuring the vitality and relevance of our association into the future as our member base grows. This has included the 'Find Your Future' program, the SPOSA Bursaries to current students, which we have increased this year, and the prizes for the winners of St Peters You’ve Got Talent. Our next investment is a kiosk in the new Centre for Learning and Innovation – replacing Luther House in the centre of the Indooroopilly campus. We hope that this will create a physical presence and opportunity to engage current students in the history of their school, build awareness of their place in the ongoing community of St Peters as 'A Saint for Life'. We believe that there will be more opportunities to strengthen the bonds of recent Old Scholars to the SPOSA community, and we welcome all our Old Scholars present and future for ideas and participation.

May I take this opportunity to thank our industrious Alumni Officers, Rowena Lester and Virginia Cordingley, who hold us all together. Thanks to our Committee – we’ve got some exciting ideas already for next year! To our Old Scholars who have written in, participated and turned up – thank you. See you all at Carols – a wonderful school community event which is rapidly becoming the new Herbstfest. There you go, I said that out loud.

REUNION WEEKEND

VIRGINIA CORDINGLEY Alumni and Archives Officer

Dr Rachel Garraway

Dr Richard Grant-Thomson

Dr Peter Chen

Dr Amro Farag

Dr Jimmy Hsiao

Over

the September holidays the College campus was abuzz with many Old Scholars who returned to enjoy the activities of our annual Reunion Weekend.

Festivities began on Friday 16 September with a relaxed evening at Hillstone. On Saturday morning some of our current Seniors made us proud as they escorted Old Scholars on a tour through the College to view the historical and brand new buildings.

The graduates lunch was made extra special this year with a viewing of the 1962 home movie of St Peters, filmed and narrated by guest, and Old Scholar, Garth Dennis (1962).

The Sunday morning Chapel service was hosted by our faithful congregation with a special influence by our Old Scholars who lead the prayers and bible readings.

It was another wonderful weekend and opportunity for us to celebrate and remember our time at St Peters.

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TRIBUTE TO BILL CURNOW

RENATA RANKIN Head

My Dad, William Curnow AM FRAIA, fondly known as Bill, never attended St Peters as a student, but gave much of his adult life freely to make it a better school. When he passed away on 16 June 2022, St Peters lost a dedicated and passionate supporter. Bill was husband to Old Scholar Margaret (1960, nee Neumann), and father to Old Scholars Holly Wandel (1992, nee Weide Curnow), Karl Curnow (1994) and Renata Rankin (1996, nee Curnow).

Bill’s association with St Peters began when he met Margaret in June 1963. Margaret grew up on the Lutheran mission in Papua New Guinea (and evacuated to Australia during WWII), running wild on the remote small island of Umboi where her father was plantation manager at Gizarum and master of the mission vessel Umboi 2. She had no formal schooling and was unable to read or write. At age 11 when brought to Brisbane, she experienced bullying and discrimination from peers and some teachers at a state primary school. Thankfully, Margaret received a returned serviceman’s Canteens Trust Fund Scholarship, which enabled her to attend St Peters Lutheran College, Indooroopilly. Here, she found her ‘gang’ of friends and teachers who cared, and her life completely changed. Margaret’s time at St Peters had a profound impact on her and she joined the SPOSA committee immediately after finishing school. Once Bill met her, he became quickly involved as well, and would never cease to be an avid St Peters supporter.

Bill’s first visit to the College was to help the SPOSA Committee collate the newsletter and stuff and address envelopes on the veranda of headmaster Mr Bill Lohe’s house, while Mrs Lohe plied them with cups of tea and scones. Bill helped with many SPOSA Committee duties where he met Conrad Lohe, Robin Kleinschmidt, Theo Baer and Max Kanowski among others.

Bill attended his first SPOSA Reunion, along with Margaret, in 1963, and in December 1964, they were married in Luther House, with Margaret being the first Old Scholar to get married at the College. Bill, along

with Margaret, continued to attend events and support College functions such as the College Garden Party, which eventually became Herbstfest, until Bill’s transfer to Victoria for work in 1973.

Bill was very busy with work in Victoria, as Chief Architect for the Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong (now called the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness) but Margaret continued her commitment to SPOSA while interstate and returned to Brisbane when possible, during that time. While in Victoria, Bill and Margaret had three children – Holly, Karl and Renata – all enrolled at St Peters at birth.

When the Geelong project finished, Bill and Margaret made the decision to return to Brisbane to be near family. Margaret and their three children returned in December 1985 and the children commenced in the Junior School in 1986. Once work allowed Bill to return to Brisbane, he became involved in the P&F, as he had done at St John’s Lutheran College in Geelong. Margaret returned to the SPOSA Committee, and over the years held roles as Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President and President.

While Bill and Margaret were actively involved as parents of the College, Bill was also invited to join the College Foundation, and served over 20 years on the Foundation, including 10 as Chairman. Bill was also asked to be on the College Council and served for close to 20 years, becoming Deputy and then Chair, and in the process donating countless hours of wisdom and expertise in these roles.

Bill’s legacy of servant leadership on College Foundation and College Council included:

• The adoption of a more business-like approach to management, including the development of a proper strategic plan;

• The championing of the Springfield campus from vision to reality, celebrating its opening in 2008 - Bill and Margaret were delighted and humbled when Curnow House was named in their honour;

• The adoption of an architectural

of Exceptional Learners and Bill's Daughter

competition for the PAC and the re-planning of it to achieve 1,000 seats economically;

• Being visible in the St Peters community by attending countless events, putting a face to College Council and being available to the parent community; and,

• The development of the ‘Clubman’ car project in Technology.

After years of service through creative and innovative problem solving in his wise and witty manner, Bill retired from College Council in 2014 and from College Foundation in 2015. In recognition of his service to the College he was given honorary life membership to SPOSA and became the patron, with Reinhard Mayer, Margaret’s Scripture teacher from her school days, presenting Bill with his life membership certificate.

Bill and Margaret celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary in December 2019 by attending church at St Peters, and having their photos taken in front of Luther House before it was to be demolished to make way for the Centre for Learning and Innovation.

Margaret continues her support for St Peters as the regional representative of SPOSA for Toowoomba and through attending functions whenever she can at both Indooroopilly and Springfield. She has recently been appointed SPOSA Patron.

Dad loved St Peters and dedicated much of his life to the betterment of it, truly believing that education makes a positive impact on society.

To read more about Bill’s astounding life, including his inspiring ‘citizen science’ contribution to Parkinson’s disease research, go to his website biomiclife.com.

A passionate music lover, Bill supported the St Peters Music Department over many years, continuing to attend Department Concerts until just before his passing. He was a strong advocate for the concept of a Performing Arts Centre for St Peters, contributing to the original fundraising in the 1970’s and was then integral to the design and building of the PAC which we enjoy today.

Christine Taylor Music Department

Without Prof Bill Curnow AM there would not be St Peters Lutheran College Springfield. Bill’s drive, devotion and strong belief in this concept resulted in the College opening in February 2008, with 98 students on the first day of school.

As Chair of the College Council, Bill had to defend this concept of a second campus of St Peters Indooroopilly. It had never been done before in Queensland. He is a true creative thinker and pioneer, whom I greatly admired and respected.

It was very fitting that the first main building of the College was named in his honour. Ably supported by his wife Margaret, SPOSA (1960), they would attend every significant event at the College to show their devotion and support.

Lange-Mohr OAM

Founding Principal St Peters Springfield

Jill

Pictured (left to right): Bill and Margaret Curnow on their wedding day in 1964; again, on the Luther House stairs, in 2019; the moment they found out that Curnow House at Springfield was being named after them (2008); Curnow House.

OLD SCHOLARS TAKE THEIR MUSIC TO THE WORLD STAGE

St

world-class Music Program. Many of the students

instrumental ensembles go on to forge successful musical careers both in Australia and overseas. Shannon King caught up with three Old Scholars who are making great strides in their chosen musical fields.

SHANNON KING Digital Marketing and Communications Officer

Erna Lai (2018)

When I first met Erna Lai (pictured far right), I couldn’t help but notice the contrast between her diminutive figure and the huge case strapped to her back carrying the cello that she’d brought in for photos— the cello with an intriguing backstory.

Last year, a student she was tutoring tripped over and broke Erna’s instrument, an incident she described as ‘quite traumatic’—for the cello, not the student. But in a lucky coincidence, a cello had recently been gifted to St Peters, which she was able to borrow while she searched for a new one.

The cello was donated by Anthony (Tony) Carlton, a cellist in the Manchester Youth Orchestra in the mid-1900s, and friend of a current St Peters parent. Tony, who has held a life-long passion for the cello and classical music, found the instrument decades ago in a boutique instrument shop in the Adelaide Hills. Though its certificate of authenticity had been lost, the cello was believed to have been made in England between 150 and 200 years ago. The cello has sat unused in recent years and Tony desired that it be passed down from student to student at a school with an outstanding Music Program.

The instrument has since been refurbished and, in Erna’s skilled hands, is once again producing a beautiful sound.

“It has an extremely warm and sensitive sound, suitable for chamber music,” Erna said. “At the beginning it was a bit muffly, but as I spent more time with the cello it started to open up, and is now really resonant.”

Erna, who is currently completing her Bachelor of Music (Honours) at The University of Queensland (UQ), excelled in the Strings Program during her time at St Peters. She was involved in the String Quartet, Chamber Soloists, and Cello Orchestra, and was Principal Cellist of the St Peters Soloists from

2015 – 2018, touring internationally with this orchestra to Japan and Europe. She was a finalist in the St Peters Performer of the Year – Concerto series each year during her time at the College, winning the highest honours in 2018. In her final year, Erna was awarded the Magdalene Radke Bursary for Cultural Excellence.

Head of Strings, David Deacon, described Erna as a, “naturally gifted cellist who plays with sensitivity and poise”, and said her talent was obvious from the moment she joined the Strings Program.

“She stood out from her peers as her playing was always at a higher level,” he recalled. “She has an innate sense of musicality, and her stage presence is captivating.”

Erna’s talent has earned her Principal positions in both the Queensland and Australian Youth Orchestras. In addition to her study and performance commitments, she has also been involved in the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) Fellowship program and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music outreach program, travelling to regional towns near Townsville to perform and conduct school workshops.

Following a successful audition with the MSO this year, Erna has secured a reserve position, to be called upon to perform in the cello section when they require additional players.

When asked about her proudest achievements to date, Erna reflects on her personal growth, as well as her musicianship.

“I used to be quite socially awkward,” she admitted. “So, I think playing classical music has really helped me to communicate a lot better with people—not just through music, because I know some people hide behind their instrument—but in general.

“And I’ve really stepped up and achieved a lot more in recent years. I’m quite proud of where I am standing right now as a musician.”

It’s no secret that

Peters has a

involved in our choral and

(2010)

t is important for our students to understand that no two paths to success are the same and that for some people, the path takes a more unexpected route. Benedict BraxtonSmith's career is an example of how sometimes, despite a few unplanned detours, things just work out.

I

Teeing up a video chat with Benedict (pictured above left and centre) was surprisingly easy given he had just touched down in Austin, Texas—the next stop on the North American tour of Broadway musical Mean Girls, for which he is the Associate Music Director.

Benedict is normally based in New York and when he’s not working in music direction, he is busy composing or orchestrating. His music has featured in projects for HBO, Disney+ and NBC Peacock, and he was the Orchestrator for Jessica Vosk’s My Golden Age at Carnegie Hall and for Kristin Chenoweth’s Christmas at the MET. He is also a multiinstrumentalist, though these days he mostly plays piano.

So, how did Benedict get from St Peters to touring with a Broadway musical and orchestrating at the famed Carnegie Hall? “A bunch of happy accidents,” he said simply.

“There have always been lofty goals at the end, but every decision I’ve made about what to do next has always been based on what brings joy in that moment and what feels like a good move,” he explained.

Thanks to his mother, Leonie, Benedict started learning piano from a very young age, but his musical education really accelerated at St Peters in Year 4 or 5 when he started lessons with instrumental music teacher, Kent Farbach. Under his instruction Benedict started to really enjoy music and playing piano.

On graduating St Peters in 2010, Benedict enrolled in a dual Law and Arts degree (with a Psychology major) at UQ, with a view to becoming, somewhat surprisingly, a politician.

After 12 to 18 months, he realised it wasn’t the right fit and, dropping the law part, completed the BA (Psychology). From there he gained a Graduate Certificate in Music majoring in Composition at the Queensland Conservatorium which, provided a fast track to a Bachelor of Music (Honours). Before Benedict had even finished his Honours, he moved to New York to study a Master of Fine Arts in musical theatre writing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Though that wasn’t part of his original plan.

“I’d been very set on going to the Royal Academy of Music [London] to study musical direction. I went and auditioned for that, embarrassed myself in a room and got royally rejected, which was character building.

“I actually kept the framed rejection letter on my desk as a little personal reminder.

“And then the NYU thing was a total accident. I found out about it from a friend two nights before the application was due. It was this 42-page monster thing. You had to write multiple songs, provide a creative portfolio and complete a whole bunch of free-writing exercises that seemed like personality tests. I thought, well, what’s the harm in applying?”

There were several more hoops for Benedict to jump through after that, but in the end, he was offered a scholarship and ended up studying something he loved. In fact, the work he’s most proud of is his original musical Dr. Fox and the Impossible Cure for Death which had a developmental production at Michigan State University’s Wharton Centre for Performing Arts.

Why musical theatre writing?

“I was always composing, and I fell in love with musicals towards the end of Year 12 but didn’t know how to get into them. [Getting into NYU] was a happy accident that got me there 10 years ahead of schedule,” he said.

Mean Girls is scheduled through until the end of May 2023 and after more than 12 months of living out of two suitcases and doing his laundry in hotel laundromats, I assume the novelty of life on tour might be starting to wear off for Benedict.

“Nine times out of ten it doesn’t feel glamorous, but then you have moments when you’re conducting a musical at the Kennedy Center in DC and you’re like ‘Oh, wow, I got to conduct at the Kennedy Center with my mum sitting two rows behind me’. I could cry thinking about it. It made everything worthwhile.”

Looking back on his time at St Peters, Benedict says he can’t highlight his time in the College’s Music Program enough.

“I have to specifically recognise Grant Mason, Christine Taylor and Kent Farbach, as well as Mark Pradella and Kerry Jacobsen,” he said.

“They were all so instrumental in my growth as a musician and a human, and on reflection I realised that I use things that each one of them taught me on a day-to-day basis.” >>

Benedict Braxton-Smith

Ben Heim (2011)

Ben Heim (pictured above) is a New York-based composer and creative technologist whose mesmerising and immersive audiovisual works have been displayed in galleries and public spaces around the world from London, New York and Paris to Denmark and Iceland.

“Today most of my work involves creating real-time artworks that combine generative visuals, music, sensors, data and audience interaction for a variety of commercial and artistic projects,” Ben explained.

“It’s a very exciting mixed bag of things...from bringing music acts to life on giant LED walls to interactive installations for corporate lobbies.

“I still write a lot of music too, whether it is creating immersive soundtracks for my generative artworks, or in the commercial film scoring world where I have composed music for short films.”

Ben’s interest in this artform began in 2015 when he was staging a series of immersive concerts in Brisbane that combined contemporary classical and electronic music with live visuals, projections and contemporary Australian literature.

“I kept wanting to add more visual elements to the music and really wanted the visuals to be perfectly connected to the music too,” he said.

“This led me to learning more about generative real-time visual creation and I spent a couple of years part-time working on creating compelling visuals to accompany the music I was writing.”

In time, Ben became highly proficient at this work and started receiving commissions for both creative and commercial projects.

"Being skilled in real time visuals meant I could then combine my artworks with many other emerging technologies and data sources aside from music [such as] real-time transport and weather data, lighting installations, depth cameras, virtual reality, and various sensors.” While this might seem like a cutting-edge method for

creating audiovisual art, Ben’s musical background has more traditional roots.

“Music has always been a part of my life as my father was a pianist. I would remember him constantly practising and so it always made sense to me that music would be something I did,” he said.

“I think my real love of music probably started in my early teens though, when I took up drum kit and formed a band with my friends at St Peters.

“Making and performing music became my passion from then on, and though my career has gone through all kinds of different focuses and transitions, it’s still a huge part of what I do.”

The Music Program at St Peters played an important part in Ben’s development as a musician. As a student, he sang in Chorale, played percussion in the Symphonic Winds, and was also involved in Drum Line and percussion ensembles.

“There were so many people who helped me on my musical journey,” he said. “Primarily it was Graeme Morton who encouraged me to take up composition and Christine Taylor who provided me with many opportunities as my Music Extension mentor.”

Upon leaving St Peters, Ben completed a Bachelor of Music at UQ then travelled to London to pursue a Master's at the Royal College of Music. He was then awarded the Brian May Scholarship which provides financial assistance for promising Australian film composers to study film scoring at NYU. After completing his studies, he decided to remain in New York to follow a career in film composition and audiovisual art.

“Living and working in New York has been a dream come true,” Ben said.

“All the songs and stories of New York really are true. It’s one of the most amazing places, but also the hardest and most unforgiving environment to try to make it in... you really have to work hard for everything you get, but the payoff of making it is like no other.”

Two of Ben's artworks are above. You can visit Ben's website by scanning here:

BRIDGING THE GAP: KIERAN GIBSON

VIRGINIA CORDINGLEY Alumni and Archives Officer

Old Scholar, Kieran Gibson (2015), has gone on to achieve outstanding results in further studies and continued his love of academics to become the youngest staff member at the University of Queensland in the Economics Department.

Since graduating from St Peters, Kieran furthered his education at The University of Queensland (UQ) where he studied a Bachelor of Maths and Bachelor of Economics. Once completing his double degree, he continued with his Economics path to complete his Honours in 2020. Kieran reached one of the University's highest honours when he received a University Medal for Academic Excellence and the Microeconomics Honours Prize for his coursework and thesis at the end of 2021. He is currently working on his PhD in Economics and is also the youngest lecturer and course coordinator in the School of Economics at UQ.

We wanted to know what inspired him to pursue this field of study and what the future holds for one of our high achieving academic Old Scholars.

When asked what attracted Kieran to this area of study, the answer was simple.

“Mathematics and people! I find them so interesting, and, in my field, I spend a lot of time working with them both," he said.

"In my research, I formalise human behaviour by analysing decision-making in experiments

and theory. Although the behaviour is typically a simple action, the analysis behind it is usually complex. Having a good understanding of people and mathematics helps me to bridge the gap of knowledge between the two. In a way similar to my research, I am to 'bridge the gap' of knowledge between mathematics and people in my teaching as well. But in this context, I’m working from a different angle, starting with the mathematics and then presenting it to people in a way that is intuitive."

It is not surprising that Kieran has brought these two elements together in his previous roles teaching at UQ and his current position as a lecturer and course coordinator.

“I find mentoring students particularly rewarding. They often come to me for advice about their studies, asking me to help them pick subjects, supervisors, degree programs, et cetera. It’s a privilege to be trusted with decisions that are significant to these students, and I try to help them where I can. I’m very appreciative of my own mentors and the impact they have had on my career. I hope I play a similar role for my students,” he said.

With people like Kieran supporting our tertiary students the future looks bright. Once he finishes his PhD he hopes to remain part of the academic community in a full time position, and with all of his knowledge and expertise we hope he does too!

CELEBRATING SUSAN DORNEY, AM

STUART DORNEY Husband

Old Scholar, Susan Dorney (1970), completed her St Peters journey as joint Dux of the College. She went on to study medicine at The University of Queensland, followed by her residency and then registrar training in anatomical pathology. Having obtained her fellowship (FRCPA) in Pathology in 1983, Susan undertook an 18-month fellowship in Paediatric Pathology at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, California.

When Susan and her family returned to Sydney in 1985, she worked part-time for the next few years at the Royal Hospital for Women and later the Sydney Children’s Hospital where she continued to develop her expertise in perinatal and paediatric pathology.

In November 1994 Susan was appointed as Staff Specialist in Anatomical Pathology at the Royal Alexandria Hospital for Children, Camperdown, later known as the Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

Susan’s practice was in paediatric pathology which included some perinatal pathology which gradually increased due to the service and expertise. She was instrumental in setting up a comprehensive centralised state-wide Perinatal Pathology service for NSW with dedicated centres with expert pathologists.

In addition to her clinical work, Susan spent many years in administration as Head of the Department of Anatomical Pathology, Director of Pathology and Chair of Diagnostics Services at the hospital along with serving on many local and international committees strongly advocating for perinatal services and families at the state level.

Susan has always strongly advocated for children and their families particularly those suffering perinatal loss as she firmly believes that they deserve a definitive answer, a compassionate path and for those wanting more children, a plan for the future. She is still committed to working on projects and committees as she looks to retirement with her husband, children and grandchildren.

Susan has been awarded an Australia Medal (AM) this year for her outstanding work and contributions.

WE FAREWELL

With the passing of these St Peters Old Scholars, we remember them with sadness and fond memories.

Hilda Schmocker (Bergmann) (1952) 19/12/34 – 25/09/22

Noel Schmocker (1953) 27/06/28 – 30/05/22

Pastor Darcy Schefe (1955) 24/07/37 – 15/07/22

Richard Apel (1957) 9/12/38 – 19/03/22

Richard was a gentle man and a great listener. Father of five and husband of Joan, Richard was a retired Droughtmaster, stud cattle producer and exporter with a life-long interest in art. His enormous energy, enthusiasm and self-confidence lead him to meet great people and he was always so good at starting projects in new places.

James Schmidtke (1960) 4/10/1942 – 28/04/2022

Ian Dennis (1963) 19/12/44 – 14/08/22

Dr Margriet Bonnin (1967) 25/01/49 – 07/06/22

Rev Geoffrey Hartwig (1966) 13/10/48 – 28/07/22

Allan Roiko (1977) 10/04/60 – 24/06/22

Bruce Buch (1980) 28/01/63 – 2/10/22

Kym Leroy Maston Gole (1996) 8/9/78 – 11/10/22

Noah Smith (2021) 13/02/04 – 2/10/22

Family, friends, and the school community mourn the loss of a young vibrant man, and as we all reflected on his life, we seek solace in the love and strength that Noah showed to his family and the love they showed to him.

Noah graduated only last year. He loved the outdoors and was drawn to many and varied sporting activities.

If you had known Noah, you would know from an early age he could be found with a ball of some description. He would kick, throw, and play constantly, and couldn’t wait until he was old enough to play Soccer. He also had a go at playing Tennis, a bit of running and everything in between, but loved his team sports—he often said he didn’t get nervous playing in a team, especially with his mates.

In his first year at Junior High, Noah decided to try every sport he could, and it was the one and only time he made the Swim Team! This was mainly because he was in hot demand in Year 7. This was due to his extreme height and strength at such a young age, and his knack of being able to play any sport with ease. Not only that, but he loved sport, especially when he got to do it with his friends.

It was at age 12 that he started playing Volleyball and continued to play for the rest of his schooling, only giving up playing and training competitively in Year 12. He seemed to have found the sport that suited his tall frame, long fingers, and reactive hands. He made several rep teams and enjoyed playing at a higher level.

Life took an unexpected turn as Noah was about to enter his final semester of Year 12 and he never returned. He had done sufficient work to enable him to graduate and he applied to university, and then was accepted into a dual degree in business and law, which he deferred.

Noah would have loved to have travelled and the brothers, the boys, his friends, were planning some great adventures once Noah was well. There were many places he was yet to explore and many experiences he wanted to have, and I have no doubt there were plenty of incredible friends and family willing to help make this happen and enjoy the journey with him.

He never lost the ability to dream of a better future and neither should we. The Smith family have been thankful for the constant hope and support given to Noah during the past year.

To support others and the medical team who look after those with leukemia, please consider donating blood.

LACHIE SMART ON KNOWING YOUR 'WHY'

On 27 August 2016, at 18 years of age, Lachie Smart became the youngest person to fly solo around the world in a single engine aircraft. The journey took nearly two and a half years to plan, 54 days and 45,000km to fly through 24 locations in 15 countries, and around $500,000 to fund. Lachie didn’t undertake this incredible endeavour for personal gain, he did it to prove to his mates that they could achieve amazing things if they were willing to push through their limits.

SHANNON KING Digital Marketing & Communications Officer

Lachie’s decision to embark on this incredible journey was first fuelled by his experiences at secondary school. A year younger than everyone in school, he was teased a lot for having to compete in sport with the grade below him, which he found puzzling. He couldn’t understand why being young was such a bad thing. Also, at the time, his friends had some ambitious goals but gave excuses as to why these weren’t achievable—it’s too hard, I’m too young, people don’t believe in me.

One evening, 15-year-old Lachie was sitting on the couch with his mum watching a 60 Minutes episode called Flying Ryan about Ryan Campbell who, in 2013, became the youngest person to fly solo around the world at age 19.

“All the little cogs just came together. I thought, ‘That's it! I know what I'm going to do. I can send this great message to young people and prove that being young isn't a bad thing. And this is how I'm going to do it, because I love aviation.’ That was the spark that lit the flame.”

Setting the goal was the easy part. Planning the journey and raising the necessary funds

proved more of a challenge. Lachie spent 12 months trying to find sponsors and received knockback after knockback. After a year of planning he’d raised $0 and was ready to give up. But his dad encouraged Lachie to give it one more month so he re-thought his approach.

“When I talked to businesses, I was trying to be what I thought they wanted me to be. I wasn’t being authentic", he said.

So, Lachie stopped trying to be someone else. “When I approached a law firm, I told them that I wanted to prove to young people that we can do anything we put our mind to it if we work really hard.”

He finally secured his first sponsor and learned the key to what sponsors actually wanted which was what he could give them in value as opposed to what he was asking for. For each sponsor he gained, Lachie put a sticker on his plane. By the end of the second year his Cirrus SR22 was covered with stickers.

Lachie can’t stress enough the importance of being true to yourself and knowing why you want to do something. The latter is called

value-based goal setting and Lachie talks about this in the presentations he gives at schools.

“Most people jump straight to the goal when they're trying to figure out what to do. They’ll start with, ‘I want to climb Mount Everest or I want to go into space’, but they don't ask why they want to do those things first,” he explained.

“Your values drive your decisions. And so, for me, I had to quickly determine that my values were around my friends, growth, and high achievement.”

Knowing his ‘why’ became very important later when Lachie experienced some setbacks on his journey.

His flight to Saudia Arabia was, apart from an incident over the Pacific Ocean, the worst of the trip. The leg was just under 11 hours long and Lachie was late to depart Egypt because the military had seized his fuel. After scrambling to find replacement fuel, he took off and flew over Saudia Arabia through the most backbreaking turbulence he’d ever experienced, for five and a half hours.

“Every 20 minutes I thought, ‘I’ll get through this mountain range and it’ll be over, or, I’ll get to a lower terrain and it’ll cool down’, but it was never-ending and I was at my wit’s end. I just wanted to find the closest airport in Riyadh, land, and fly home on a jumbo jet.

“But it was the 13th of August and that’s my best mate Nathan’s birthday. When I was flying along, I opened my phone and saw 13 August just underneath the time ... so, I flipped over my flight plan and scribbled on the back of it ‘Happy Birthday, Nathan’ … and that just completely grounded me and my values of why I was doing this trip. When you know your motivation, and you know your values behind the decision that you made, it gives you almost unlimited motivation to push through the hard times.”

Lachie’s world record has since been beaten, but his messages of persistence, knowing your 'why', and being authentic will continue to empower and inspire young people around the world.

"I wanted to prove to young people that we can do anything we put our mind to if we work really hard."

Pictured (left): Lachie Smart presenting at this year's Mother Son Breakfast in July; and, with Lisa Delaney and Tim Kotzur.

ST PETERS SPORTS LUNCH

CASSIE TWEMLOW Communications & Marketing Officer

Male and female panellists took centre stage for this year's annual Sports Lunch.

Answering questions fielded by MC, Richard Champion, the female panel comprised of Old Scholars Netballer, Ruby BakewellDoran (2016), and Rugby player, Nat Wright (2019), who were accompanied by swim star, Shayna Jack.

The male panel was made up of Tennis and Golf pro, Scott Draper, Rugby legend, Sam Cordingley, and current Broncos player, Adam Reynolds.

After a lot of banter, and an impromptu debrief from Dean Boxall on Australia's recent swimming success at the Commonwealth Games, 280 guests enjoyed lunch followed by a live auction, silent auction and drawing of raffle prizes.

Thanks go to our sponsors, Allclear Print and Signs, and Hurom. Thank you also to our supporter, Brick Lane Brewing who provided beer for all the tables, and to our many auction and raffle donors!

ST PETERS SPRING LUNCH

CASSIE TWEMLOW Communications & Marketing Officer

The inaugural Spring Lunch was held on Friday 14 October to a boisterous room of over 200 (mainly) women who were greeted with a glass of Veuve Clicquot on arrival at Hillstone.

With a glamorous fashion parade of local designer wares modelled by St Peters mums and 'market' stalls of handmade goods set up around the room, guests were presented with a colourful showcase of gorgeous clothing and accessories.

Old Scholar, Rebecca Sparrow (1989), performed as an entertaining MC and interviewed Brisbane milliners just in time for Melbourne Cup.

St Peters Tennis and Music Programs were big winners on the day, with proceeds of the raffle going towards supporting students in their cocurricular endeavours.

Thank you to major sponsor, Alex Jordan from McGrath Real Estate, and all our supporters without whom these events wouldn't happen.