Plus Ultra November 2019 #02 | St Peters Lutheran College Magazine
GOLDEN GIRL Ariarne Titmus' journey to Tokyo 2020
AROUND CAMPUS SHORT STORY COMPETITION WINNERS ANNOUNCED! SPRINGFIELD EMBRACES VILLAGE PARTNERSHIPS SPORT, MUSIC AND ACADEMIC UPDATES
COMMUNITY EVENTS
REGULARS
HEAD OF COLLEGE MINISTRY SPOSA
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CONTENTS
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Cover Ariarne Titmus and her journey to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (story p 38).
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Plus Ultra November 2019 incorporating SPOSA Bulletin Published by St Peters Lutheran College Editor / Designer Cassie Twemlow c.twemlow@stpeters.qld.edu.au Writers Cassie Twemlow, ReneÊ Michalkow, Anthony Cox Photography Anthony Cox, Cassie Twemlow Advertising Enquiries Publications Office Telephone: 07 3377 6262 publications@stpeters.qld.edu.au St Peters Lutheran College CRICOS Provider: 00516E 66 Harts Road, Indooroopilly Qld 4068 Telephone: 07 3377 6222 reception@stpeters.qld.edu.au www.stpeters.qld.edu.au www.facebook.com/stpeterslutherancollege Š 2019 St Peters Lutheran College SPOSA Office 66 Harts Road, Indooroopilly Qld 4068 Telephone: 07 3377 6592 sposa@stpeters.qld.edu.au www.stpeters.qld.edu.au www.facebook.com/sposa45
Plus Ultra | November 2019
CONTENTS
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33
CONTENTS REGUL ARS
04 Head of College 06 Ministry 07 Letter from the Editor AC ADEMIC
08 11 12
Otterly Well Read Home-grown Science Whiz Plus Ultra Short Story Competition Winners
AROUND C AMPUS
17 18 20 22
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To the Moon and Back #2TMAB Springfield Embraces Village Partnerships Many Nations, One Family End of and Era: Valedictorians Arriving in Style
THE ARTS
25 26 28 30 33 34 36
Killer Queen Rocks St Peters St Peters You've Got Talent! Symphonic Winds & Senior Stage Band Regional Tour, Sydney Music Performances from Semester Two Signature Series Madame Flute St Peters Chorale European Tour The Community Appeal of Visual and Performing Arts
SPORT
38 40 42
Golden Girl Ariarne Titmus If Rowing Floats Your Boat, Get on Board All the Way to the USA
BOARDING
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Boarding Sisters Run Rings around McLeod's Daughters
SPOSA
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47 48 51 52 54 56
SPOSA President Improving the Welfare and Wellbeing of People Through the Pursuit of Excellence Mark Papinczak - UQ Medal Recipient Scene Stealer Fifty Year Reunion Highlights - "If I had $2..." We Remember plus Births
COMMUNIT Y AND EVENTS
59 60 61 62
Annual St Peters-Higgins Golf Day Finding Strength of Character The Race That Stops a Nation Allclear Sports Lunch
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HEAD OF COLLEGE
KEEPING THE SOUL OF ST PETERS ALIVE TIM KOT ZUR
head of college
N
ext year the St Peters community will gather and celebrate 75 years of ‘Excellence in Christian Co-education’. Preparations for a number of significant events to mark the occasion are well underway and I look forward to sharing in these celebrations with the various groups of people who make up our community. Schools are unique from many other communities in that they are bound together by a shared common purpose. Our shared common purpose of ‘Excellence in Christian Co-education’ unites the oldest of Old Scholars with the youngest of our current Prep students. Significant milestones like anniversaries provide us with the opportunity to pause and reflect on the past, and to dream anew about the future. Over the course of the last few years I have, from time to time, wondered what the founders of St Peters would have made of the St Peters of today. Would they be proud of it? Would they recognise it? Has it realised the hopes and dreams they had for it? The founders of St Peters were humble, honest, hardworking, salt of the earth Lutherans from rural backgrounds who were by no way people of any significant means. The majority of them were not necessarily formally well-educated, and yet they were absolutely committed to starting a school so that their children could receive a quality Christian education. The founding Headmaster, Mr Wilfred Schneider, in his address on the official opening of the College, captured this aspiration of the founders when he said, "first and foremost it must be the aim of St Peters to train and develop Christian character so that young men and women will go forth with Christ in their lives." Mr Schneider’s remarks not only captured the hopes of the founders, but also set the tone
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and standard for St Peters, and even more importantly, I believe his remarks captured the soul of St Peters. The soul of St Peters is a learning community committed to supporting each student to become the best learner they can be. The soul of St Peters is about the provision of a broad liberal education that develops the whole child – academically, socially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. The soul of St Peters is an educational journey that develops people of character – who are ethical, moral, caring, compassionate, resilient and courageous. The soul of St Peters are educational experiences that develop students’ gifts and talents, not for themselves alone, but so they can lead and serve their communities and in doing so make a difference in their communities and the wider world. The soul of St Peters is a Christian community that views each person as a loved child of God, made in his image, gifted and graced by him. Nearly 75 years since Mr Schneider made those remarks, and as I move about our community, I see glimpses of the soul of St Peters every day. I see it in the classroom when the light goes on in a child’s eyes when they understand a complex concept for the first time. I see it in the Library when our boarders are persevering with their studies late into the night. I see it at lunchtime when a teacher is providing additional assistance to a student in their class. I hear it in the voices of our students as they sing in Chapel. I see it out in the bush as our students collaboratively build shelters for survival at Ironbark. I see it on the stage and on the sports field as young people discover their giftedness. I see in the eyes of others when students give their time and resources to help those less fortunate than themselves in our world. I see it on the faces of parents as
HEAD OF COLLEGE
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Pictured clockwise from top left: Tim Kotzur, Head of College, flanked by 2019 College Captains; Ross Roy 2019 Seniors photo; 40 Hour Famine Backback Challenge; Primary Years Father's Day Breakfast; Staff wearing pink to support Girls Rowing; Primary Teachers BBQ on Reflection Day; Primary Years Art Show. centre: Year 10 Psychology.
"
The soul of St Peters is an educational journey that develops people of character – who are ethical, moral, caring, compassionate, resilient and courageous."
they watch their son or daughter graduate as a fine young person at the completion of their St Peters education. I hear it in the life stories of our Old Scholar community. The soul of St Peters that our founders hoped for, and that Mr Schneider articulated on the opening of the College, is alive and well. But, as we approach our 75th anniversary it is important to reflect. Can we do better? Can we be better? It is also important that we progress, otherwise we resign ourselves to the tyranny of complacency that is the insidious foe of ‘Excellence in Christian Co-education’. Daily, in one form or another, we need to ask these questions — of ourselves and of each other. We ask this of our teachers as they seek to strengthen their teaching programs. We
ask this of our corporate staff who provide critical, professional support to all dimensions of our mission. We ask this of our leaders who labour to discern our most compelling priorities, and then, in concert with others, give them full expression. We ask this of our students as they strive to become the best learner they can be. We ask it of our Old Scholars whom we hope to enlist in supporting the Mission of our College. I ask it of myself daily — where and how will I lead and serve to make St Peters better? In 2020, let’s celebrate together the soul of our great College, but also be conscious that there is still more that we can and must do to strengthen, nurture, refresh and reimagine it as we move boldly into the future.
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REGULARS
MINISTRY: CALLED TO SERVE!
Pictured: ALWS Awareness Day 2019 Redeemer College; July Mt Coot-tha walk; Olivia Axelsen with a table of goodies for the movie night. PA STOR THOMA S BĂ–HMERT
senior college pastor
O
ne of the important aspirations of our strategic vision 2016-2020 in the area of Ministry Outreach read: 'continue to develop, articulate and reinforce the importance of Christian service across the community.' St Peters Lutheran College is grounded in the unconditional love of God through Christ for all, and the call of Jesus to love our neighbour as ourselves (Matt 22:39) guides our response to that unconditional love of God and the many blessings we have received from him. We live not by ourselves but in community, not for ourselves but to serve and help others. We seek to help our students and all members of our community to grow in the awareness of the world around them, of who their neighbour might be and how they can show love and care to this neighbour.
We seek to do this in a way that is sensitive to the needs of others and that helps students walk in compassion alongside and with other people. We use the term service learning to describe the formal and informal ways in which students can discover ways to reflect and act on this. Here is but one example: Earlier this year a group of students attended an Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) Awareness Day at Redeemer Lutheran College, and out of that grew a desire to connect with a community and help them
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provide educational opportunities for their children. We have had a number of events, including a movie night for Years 7 and 8, a community focus day with sausage sizzle, a community walk up Mt Coot-tha and other opportunities for students to become aware of and support the building of a school for a community in war-ravaged South Sudan. This will enable their children to go to school locally thus opening up a better future. Both the College community and the St Peters Lutheran congregation joined in the effort and together we have raised over $8,987, which will provide a community in South Sudan not only with a school but also educational materials, playground equipment and toys. ALWS works with the local community and supports them by providing resources to fill a need the community has identified. We walk with ALWS to support our neighbours in South Sudan. I could give many other examples of students looking beyond themselves and seeking to share their gifts with others. We are working to increase participation in the area of Service Learning, as our vision is for students who leave our College to be on the way to become responsible and caring world citizens, who are able to look beyond themselves and in ways small and great reflect God’s love for them through their lives.
REGULARS
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR C A SSIE T WEMLOW
editor
This edition of Plus Ultra captures all the fun and significance of Semester 2 at College. From the Valedictory Parade and Dinner (p 22), celebrating the Year 12’s countdown to the end of their schooling years, to sporting successes across the field (p 40-43), we have a lot to commemorate and be thankful for in the latter half of 2019. Our cover story on Ariarne Titmus highlights her journey to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games (p 32). Ariarne has been busy this year - not only with swimming but, she made a guest appearance at our annual Sports Lunch (p 55). Springfield's Pastor Matthew Wilksch proudly supports their collaboration with Australian Lutheran World Service as they embrace their Village Partnerships project in a Cambodian village (p 18). Pocket-rocket School Captain, Ella HusseySimmonite, launched her own not for profit and tells me how she plans to make a difference in the world (p 17).
The Music and Arts Departments showcase their numerous talents through continued chorale and instrumental ensembles, local and overseas tours and exhibitions (p 24-31). As usual, the SPOSA section of the magazine is brimming with Old Scholar achievements, news and reunion updates (p 46-57). And ICYMI, you can catch up on all the Semester 2 events in the Community section. Finally, I would like to add a corrigenda. In the June edition of Plus Ultra we missed two important Rugby premierships in the 'A Bunch of Ruck-Us' article, these being in 1963 and 1986. Thank you to our avid readers (some of whom were rugby players in these teams) for pointing this out; we always love to hear your feedback! Enjoy this edition of Plus Ultra and the upcoming silly season. Stay safe and relish the company of family, friends and loved ones. As my kids would say... eat, sleep, dance, repeat!
Hunter Industrials are proud supporters of St Peters Lutheran College. Suppliers to Industry for cleaning chemicals and related supply, compliance programs (including sustainability and WHS) and consultancy to improve cleaning outcomes. St Peters are one of our clients and we would love to work with your business as well. Call Michael on 0411 605 221 to discuss any opportunity. www.huntind.com.au
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ACADEMIC
OTTERLY WELL READ The OTTER (Our Time To Enjoy Reading) program for Prep students gives them the opportunity to enhance their reading capabilities and comprehension, whilst gaining confidence and enthusiasm for reading in a supportive and comfortable environment. In this article Anthony Cox talks to Prep Teacher Deborah Wilson and Prep - 4 Exceptional Learners Support Teacher, Jodi Dew, about the initiation and success of the program. ANTHONY COX
graphic designer and web editor
T
hree years ago, Primary Years teachers Deborah Wilson and Jodi Dew introduced the ‘Our Time To Enjoy Reading’, or OTTER, program to St Peters Prep children. When they noticed students were not progressing through the developmental stages of reading as easily or quickly as they should be, and sight words, a significant part of their learning criteria, were being recognised in isolation, but not when seen in text, they thought it essential to provide an extra one-on-one reading opportunity for beginner readers. Jodi states that, “Many families are time poor at home and we found that children were not getting the opportunities to read to an adult each day.” I sat down with Deborah and Jodi and asked them what the main benefits of the OTTER program were and what the results indicated. Through OTTER, Jodi explains children are able to identify their sight words embedded in text, see the link between the words in isolation and, understand why they learn these lists of words. They become more confident as readers, and they can practice decoding strategies to help them with new words. Reading becomes more phrased and fluent due to constant oral reading improving fluency, and they can expand their vocabulary by having a conversation about the meaning of words. The program would not be successful without the overwhelming support of the parent tutors who have been trained into the program and give up their valuable
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time in the afternoons to sit down with the children one-on-one. Deborah says, having an adult interpret the meaning of the text so they understand what it is about allows the children to retell the passage with support. This improves comprehension and helps them to write recounts more successfully – from their structure practice of beginning/middle/end when retelling the events in a story. They also get to hear what phrased and fluent reading sounds like, receive individualised attention and feedback about their reading behaviours and, are supported to apply strategies and implement the feedback given. As OTTER is not conducted in a group setting, children can make mistakes without their peers noticing, and are more comfortable within an environment safe for risk-taking and built for child literacy growth. The program runs for 10-15 minutes per session and the aim is to have the children read every day, dependent on tutors. To ensure greatest learning capacity, it is recommended the children re-read familiar texts and read texts at their level (Goldilocks criteria – not too hard, not too easy, just right), which are chosen by their classroom teacher based on assessments. As I sat down to photograph the four students seated outside, I got a sense that the parents involved received as much enjoyment out of this program as the children. Parent, Sharee Cuthbert, was on duty this day and I asked her why she got involved and what her experience was like.
ACADEMIC
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Pictured: Volunteer parent helpers assisting Prep students during their daily OTTER program.
“It’s great to see how motivated the children are to give reading a go! I have enjoyed contributing to my son’s school community, as he is the baby of three, and I was not always available to help out in my girls’ classes because I had younger children at home,” Sharee observes.
of achievement and pride the children find within themselves as a reader, and their increase in confidence and improved self-esteem. Children that believed they couldn't read, who would say, “oh, I can’t read” now say, “I can read that!” or “Oh, I know that word!”
She went on to say, “whilst my son in Prep, I still wanted further information to assist with learning and or teaching the ‘love of reading’. For the same reason, I felt my experience might be beneficial to the students.”
This increase in confidence has a direct impact in all subjects allowing children to see that ‘reading’ is not just what they do with a parent tutor or what they do when in a group reading with the teacher. They begin to understand that they are reading when they recognise words in maths problems, recipes, science experiments or in games on the iPad. Realising they can read all sorts of different texts, the students develop a feeling of success in these other subjects, in particular maths.
On a nearby table, parent tutor Rachael commented, “there are many great reasons to volunteer in the OTTER program. My children love it whenever I come to volunteer at school. I appreciate the opportunity to sit outside, reading books with the children. Personally, I know the benefits my daughter gets from regularly reading with different people, so I’m glad I get the opportunity to provide that to other children. And just logistically, the flexibility of the program is great – I can attend on the afternoons when I’m available.” So, OTTER is an overriding success and the teachers would agree one hundred percent! The most pleasing outcomes, that both Jodi and Deborah feel, is the sense
Literacy is one of the most important foundations for success in not only school, but throughout life, and OTTER is the perfect program to help young children achieve this. It provides them with multiple reading opportunities during their critical early years, which is key to developing their language and literacy skills, opening a pathway for future accomplishments. Well done Preppies!
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A selection of Indooroopilly sales
Please find a collection of our local sales in Indooroopilly.
54 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly Sold $1.837m
38 Castille Street, Indooroopilly Sold $1.4m
48 Finney Road, Indooroopilly Sold $1.38m
5 Wynyard Street, Indooroopilly Sold $1.35m
16 Castile Street, Indooroopilly Sold $1.975m
10 Bougainvillea, Indooroopilly Sold $3m
28 Burns Street, Indooroopilly Sold $1.02m
5 Nindethana Street, Indooroopilly Sold $2m
2/43A Goldieslie Road, Indooroopilly Sold $1.73m
10 Glencairn Avenue, Indooroopilly Sold $2.099m
10 Charlane Avenue, Indooroopilly Sold $1.975m
58A Finney Road, Indooroopilly Sold $1.53m
If you would like an update on the value of your property please contact me for a market appraisal. Alex Jordan 0410 424 749 alexjordan@mcgrath.com.au Alex Jordan - McGrath Estate Agents alexjordan.mcgrath @agentalexjordan
Alex Jordan 0410 424 749 alexjordan@mcgrath.com.au Alex Jordan - McGrath Estate Agents alexjordan.mcgrath @agentalexjordan
ACADEMIC
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HOME-GROWN SCIENCE WHIZ
Pictured: Year 11 science enthusiast Gautam Katta Harinath
C A SSIE T WEMLOW
publications officer
T
he National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) Year 12 Program is a 12-day residential program designed to give students a broader understanding of the diverse study and career options available in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and to encourage continued studies in these fields. Year 11 student, Gautam Katta Harinath, has been successful in gaining placement on this highly sought after course at The Australian National University in Canberra in January 2020. Gautam is currently studying Biology, Chemistry and Physics at St Peters and affirms that science is his favourite subject. Sitting in a Physics class one day, he wondered how best he could use and apply the concepts he was learning in the real world. So he researched opportunities and applied for entry to the forum. At the NYSF Gautam will experience the application and practicality of STEM. “Another thing that has continued to intrigue me is visiting the science and technology laboratories. I am curious to see and explore how these laboratories work,” he explains. With only one year of school remaining, this personable young man hopes to pursue a career in Medicine post-university. “Because I love identifying and solving problems, I discovered that a Doctor of Medicine not only fit my interests, but is heavily based on being able to quickly and accurately
diagnose and solve problems that arise.” Gautam’s fascination for robotics and autonomous vehicles also presents a rewarding opportunity. When he was researching the healthcare industry, he discovered some promising niche areas which would satisfy his STEM, automation and problem solving interests. “I love biology but also love robotics, and technology. An intersection between these fields will be receptive to my interests while giving me the opportunity to help people.” Gautam believes that, for almost every problem that exists in our world, there is solution in STEM, whether it’s small life inconveniences or a vaccine for HIV. He says, “it [STEM] has propelled humanity into the future but there are so many pressing issues such as overpopulation and rising sea levels. STEM is the key to our future and the salvation of humanity.” Whilst at the January Forum, Gautam will visit science and technology related laboratories and facilities, go on site tours, listen to lectures, take part in workshops, go to social events, and participate in group activities that improve communication and presentation skills. As the Forum is run by youth for youth, Gautam is hoping to be invited back next year to participate in the Student Staff Leadership Program in preparation to help run the program for the following year.
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ACADEMIC
PLUS ULTRA SHORT STORY COMPETITION WINNERS Congratulations to our two winners of the Plus Ultra Short Story Competition 2019. This year, writers had to submit a story starting with the opening line, 'Behind the door...'. Stories were judged by numerous staff members who deemed the winners most creative and exciting to read. In the Years 5-8 category our winner is Jess MacOwan with her story The Search. In the Years 9-12 category, Ellie Dorloff took the honours with her story Birdcage. Congratulations girls! You can read both their winning stories below. A wonderful effort was put into all stories submitted - we were pleasantly surprised at the calibre of writing from students here at St Peters. Keep up the good work!
THE SEARCH JESS MACOWAN
year 7 student
Plus Ultra | June November 2019 2019
B
ehind the door the luminous walls glowed discovered on closer inspection that these weren’t the successful subjects. No, no, and shone with the harsh chemicals these were the failures of the government and the air was heavy with bacteria and testing program. She could see one that smelled of sulphur. Clarice had entered only had three gangly legs, barely enough the secret government testing room. Her to support its burdensome upper body, it source was right, the room was empty of looked on the verge of collapse. Another the scientists. Her six-minute window had had a feathery rear end and an extra wing begun. Her ruby red high heels clicked that looked like a shark’s fin. They all had across the reinforced floor. The government one thing in common, their fur rippled over took no chances of escape from any of its unused muscles, their eyes looked starved specimens. The growth tubes on her right and hollow. But this wasn’t what Clarice radiated an unnatural light. They are what was here for. She the government couldn’t allow used to create The growth tubes on her right its military radiated an unnatural light. They distractions. She needed her weapons. Sounds are what the government used package and she of growling to create its military weapons. needed it now. came from the cages on her Clarice blinked left. So, she turned seeing indescribable and concentrated sprinting into the cluttered beasts. They seemed to simmer and change laboratory. She knew she had to be swift. As colour as they moved, wings that sprouted her informant had told her that the package from their shoulder blades as black as the would only be available at the facility for darkest night. Their claws were the size of a limited time. Others would pray that the heads, teeth as sharp as knives and spears. package would still be there, but Clarice Their eyes were staring at her like she could trusted what she was. Her informants had become a tooth pick for a larger meal. never let her down before. Although, as Clarice continued to glower, she
ACADEMIC
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Pictured: Year 7 student, Jess MacOwan, (left) and Year 11 student, Ellie Dorloff, proudly displaying their short story winning certificates.
She crouched down, her eyes scanning the labels of multiple cages. Animals growled up at her and she growled right back. She dashed along the many aisles filled with the moving, genetically altered weapon prototypes. She flew around the room like a blizzard, her enhanced skills working overtime to locate the parcel. Her blond hair flew franticly round her head. Her hands shook as she tore the room apart. Her searching blue eyed gaze scanned the room again. The dreary walls of the government agency were suffocating at the sub level 47. The sound of Clarice swearing almost rose above the sound of the frantic beasts, as she was sure she had missed nothing. The alarms shrieked shrilly like a fire alarm but much more sinister. She had been discovered, but Clarice wasn’t ready to die. She had been hunted before, now she was the hunter. Her skin started to glow a startling emerald. Her hair started to float above her shoulders as she accessed her abilities. Her ancestral blood roared with vengeance and a promise. Someone was going to pay dearly for the absence of the parcel that Clarice had been stalking. "What have you done with it?," she growled fiercely. She came back to herself with the appearance of her first pursuer. The only
thing that registered on her mind was his grotesque disfigured grin and abruptly the rifle he was clutching was suddenly in her hands. His smile vanished from his face almost as fast as it appeared on hers. Her skin glowed a haunted greenish tinge and she started to hover her feet not grazing the ground. The air rang with the gun shot and the first man went down. But he was not the last. The air was all to soon stained with the metallic sent of blood and gunpowder. The ground littered with blood spotted figures. Clarice floated through above the bodies assessing whose radio wasn’t drowned in scarlet liquid. She reached down to a man who had screamed as he fell. Who was now lying on his front in a puddle of his own bright crimson blood. The colour was like a newly blossomed rose. His walkie talkie was on his belt clipped at his side just out of reach of the lingering dark fluid. Her hand faltered, remembering Sammy and his death. Then she recalled who had slayed her brother with no mercy. She was rapidly back to the ice queen. She harshly tugged at the man’s belt and yanked out his walkie talkie. She turned on the device and whispered the voice coming deep from her soul, "I am coming! When I get my hands on the package and you know I will. You will wish you had never heard of the name, Clarice Hogan."
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ACADEMIC
BIRDCAGE ELLIE DORLOFF
year 11 student
B
ehind the door was, seemingly, nothing. Elissa walked circles around the faded blue piece of furniture so out of place in the thick forest. A solitary door; no remnants of a house present, and one set of footprints leading up to it, abruptly ceasing to carry on through the other side. It was so obvious she almost laughed aloud. Surely they could have made her job more difficult; she’d told them she preferred a challenge. Nevertheless, Elissa felt a surge of triumph in her heart. It had been easy. She’d done it. She tugged at the gold chain around her neck, pulling it upwards until the silver key swung out from under the fold of her shirt. The necklace had once held a small gold locket which had been long discarded after inheriting this key; a small trinket’s beauty paled in comparison to the beauty of the tasks the key could perform. Sliding it off her necklace, Elissa strode to the door and fit the key smoothly into the lock. As she lay her hand on the silver door handle, excitement shot like electricity up her arm. It was with a certain suavity that she put her hand on the handle, that charming arrogance of a bad winner. Opening the door with a sweeping motion, not bothering to close it. Then, the forest was empty. But Elissa had made it to the other side. She stood there a moment before realisation set in and shock slid the smile from her face. She had imagined a room full of people cheering, welcoming her; her mother with tears sliding down her cheeks, the examiners nodding and smiling to each other. But instead she found herself in a cramped little broom closet, dust-coated things littering the shelves. She was in an unfamiliar house. From outside she heard footsteps down a hallway. Someone inspecting, looking. She didn’t move a muscle until the footsteps faded away again. Shaken, she extended her left arm as far as
Plus Ultra | November 2019
she could in the closet and inspected her watch. Fifteen minutes left. What would her world be like if she failed? She’d never come close to imagining such a scenario. She needed to calm down. She knew the next door had to be close – they never put one door in isolation without another nearby. It must be here, in this house. From outside the closet, she heard someone rattling around in the kitchen. She opened the broom closet quietly, and, praying that the person would stay in their kitchen, edged to the next room. It was a darkened living-room, curtains pulled tightly across. She checked the windows first, and then the drawers of the cabinet that held the TV. You never know. Then, she noticed a blanket over two large objects on the others side of the room. That had to be it. She whipped the blanket off excitedly to reveal two large birdcages. One of the cages was empty, but the other, clearly, was not. A green-feathered parrot started screeching at her, screaming, “Incorrect! Incorrect!” “Not again, Percy!” A man yelled from the kitchen. But the bird kept squawking; Elissa knew he would check on it soon and she’d be trapped. She turned back to the bird: how could she make it shut up? Then she noticed: the empty birdcage door had a lock on it. Birdcages had latches, not locks. She fumbled for the key, just as she heard the man utter an annoyed exclamation. Footsteps in the hallway. She grabbed the key and shoved it in the lock. How was she supposed to fit? She squeezed her arms in first, then the rest of her tumbled through as she heard the living room door open and someone yell “Hey!-” But she was through.
ACADEMIC
A few people stared at her as she fell to the path from the side-door of the building. She was in a crowded city somewhere, the skyscrapers towering above her head. Elissa made her way through throngs of people. She shivered, though it was hot – it was as if cold fingers were sliding down her back. Keep moving. All she had to do was keep moving and look for the next door. The stickiness of the air and the warm closeness of hundreds of other bodies produced an acidic taste in her mouth; the space was stuffed with noise so she couldn’t hear her own thoughts. It was as if the examiners had chosen this place specifically to taunt her, paying her back for every snide comment, every time she’d been arrogant or boasted about her ability to find doors. She was drowning in sunlight, in moving bodies, and the noise rose to a frantic pitch in her mind.
The stickiness of the air and the warm closeness of hundreds of other bodies produced an acidic taste in her mouth...
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her head. The necklace became caught in the shirt, the silver key was scratching her neck. It was ice cold. In shock, she yanked it off, breaking the necklace so that gold links scattered the red dirt. She began to move. It became colder and colder as she moved through the heat. Elissa coughed and coughed, but continued moving, now crawling in the dirt. When she could no longer hold it properly it was so freezing, she looked up and saw the door. The door was carved into the base of a tree, and the tree’s crown was on fire. She edged towards it, agonisingly, painstakingly slowly. She reached the base of the tree.
No.
One minute left. No, thirty seconds.
Not taunting her.
But then –
Testing her.
“Help!”
She wove through the crowd looking up, down, around. Anything. Then she spotted it. A manhole on the ground with a lock on it. She knew she looked highly conspicuous kneeling on the ground next to the manhole, but she didn’t have time now to care about people seeing her. Taking the key out, unlocking it, removing the lid. Plummeting.
The cry echoed through the bush. Someone was here, besides her, someone who probably had no key for the door. No escape.
She opened the door, emerging from an outhouse in the bush. Some kind of camping site.
But not if she helped them.
Five minutes left.
She was out of time.
The trees around her were rusted red gum trees; she could smell smoke. She started to run, and soon she couldn’t just smell it, it was all around her – fire consuming the trees, the smoke consuming her, filling her eyes, ears, nostrils. This couldn’t be on purpose. Something had gone wrong; something had happened here that was not part of the test. There was a screaming in her head – the door felt so close.
The person started screaming.
She crouched down and pulled her shirt over
“Help! Somebody, please!” The voice was croaky, dying. When she turned around, she could see a figure on the ground. Trapped like a bird in a cage. She wasn’t allowed to bring people through the door.
Elissa turned the key in the tree and crawled inside the door. She saw bright lights, and heard people cheering at last, all she’d ever wanted. “I’ll come back for you”, she whispered, as they lifted her off the floor and onto their shoulders. But it was probably too late.
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GUESS WHO? Five minutes with....? That's the question. Try and figure out which staff member has answered the questions below. If you're stuck, turn to page 63 for the answer. Q: What month were you born? A:
October.
Q: Does that make you a true Libran? A:
I sure am. I'm indecisive and happy with whatever decision-wise. I don't want to be the decision maker. And both my husband and I are Librans so that can make life tricky.
Q: Where did you go to school and what was your favourite subject?
Q: What part-time jobs did you have growing up? A: I was always that kid who loved jobs. Never anything unusual though. I worked at the neighbour's convenience store in Goodna, which kept me alert as 14-year-old girl. I worked at Michel's Patisserie and I got to take all the cakes home. So good! Q: What piece of music do you want played at your funeral?
Q: Guilty pleasure?
A: I regularly think about this. I'll hear a song and think, Oh I'd like that. Maybe something Coldplay-ish. I want it to be happy. I want everyone to be in colour and drinking champagne.
A:
Q: What about your last meal?
A:
I went to Somerville House and my favourite subjects were PE and Legal Studies. Chocolate.
Q: Have you ever met anyone famous?
A: That's a tough question. It's got to be a good lasagne.
A:
Q: If you could have another home anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Ash Barty and Sam Stosur. I used to play with Ash. Malcolm Turnbull, at the races one day. Oh, and also K-Rudd. I hi-fived him with my hulk hand one time at the cricket.
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A: Noosa.
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TO THE MOON AND BACK #2TMAB With the backing of her family, friends and the College, School Captain, Ella Hussey-Simmonite, has founded her own not-for-profit venture, 2TMAB, to raise perception about the problem of online child sexual exploitation. Her aim is to spread awareness through fundraising opportunities, with profits going towards operating and improving Child Protection System Technology developed and administered by the Child Rescue Coalition.
C A SSIE T WEMLOW
publications officer
T
wo years ago Ella watched a video of actress Blake Lively speak at a ‘Power of Women’ function. The video is a very powerful call to action. It is also incredibly confronting as it talks of horrific statistics relating to the spread of child pornography and abuse. Ella was deeply moved by the message and contacted Child Rescue Coalition, based in Florida, USA, immediately. She asked how she could help with their cause and if there was a program or arm of the organisation based in Australia. Even after a negative response came, Ella didn’t give up, but she did put things on hold. Earlier this year Ella decided it was the right time to launch 2TMAB (To The Moon and Back). Named after a final line in a favourite book she read to younger sister, Tara, when she was little, she explains that these words of support and affirmation are so important and, “so few children actually get to hear that phrase often enough,” Ella says. Since June, Ella has been busy designing apparel that she sells through her website She knew her friends would be her biggest support group so she approached them to see what they would wear most. “Hoodies!, came the reply, so I created hoodies and I've sold 70 of them so far,” Ella explains. Because of the popularity of the hoodies, Ella has branched out and produced socks as well. Initially, “all the socks were pink with the 2TMAB rocket logo on it, but now we’ve got navy blue as well, in case you want to wear them to work.” Or perhaps wear them to school...
On the Seniors’ final day at St Peters, every Year 12 student will be wearing a pair of 2TMAB socks. “So that's 200 people that are supporting 2TMAB and trying to stop the online sexual exploitation of children,” Ella says proudly. Currently, one hundred percent of the profits made from 2TMAB online sales goes to Child Rescue Coalition. To ensure that she doesn’t unwittingly contribute to child exploitation, Ella has elected to have all 2TMAB products designed and manufactured here in Australia, steering clear of any mass sweatshops that would exploit children economically. Next year, Ella hopes to pursue a double degree in Economics and Arts. “I'd like to run 2TMAB on the side and I'm already thinking about different business opportunities to use to team up to expand it from just selling apparel,” she says determinedly. With such an sincere cause, it’s hard not to support this young lady on her crusade to rid the world of predators. Best of luck to you, Ella and 2TMAB.
Child Rescue Coalition is a nonprofit that protects children from sexual exploitation using the power of technology. It is efficient and preventative. So far, Child Rescue Coalition’s work has led to the arrest of nearly 12,000 people and rescued 2,739 children from abuse across 96 countries.
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SPRINGFIELD EMBRACES VILLAGE PARTNERSHIPS C A SSIE T WEMLOW
publications officer
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I
“…and, it's not just that we raise money, but n conjunction with Australian Lutheran we want to, wherever possible, develop World Service (ALWS), Springfield Service relationships and give students opportunity Learning is working on a Village Partnership to learn about the causes that they might be project. Spearheaded by Springfield's Pastor raising money for,” Pastor Wilksch explains. Matthew Wilksch, this is the largest of the Gifts of Grace run by ALWS, with money Service learning is an approach offering distributed through Life With Dignity (LWD). students the chance to combine academic LWD is a local Non-Government Organisation knowledge/skills with community experience. (NGO) established by the Lutheran World As the Service Learning Principles reinforce, Federation (LWF) and is an initiative which coming as guest is vital to the success of a lot raises funds for people in developing of these programs. countries by offering gifts. “It has to be on the community’s terms. We Gifts of Grace can be purchased from as are conscious that we're not coming as little as $4 and given as gifts to people in The Saviour but we're coming as guest, so developing nations. Chickens or a piglet it’s important that we respect who they may be purchased for a family in Cambodia, are and that it's their world that we want education packs for refugee camp kids in to support and help but it can't be on our Burundi, or a fishing kit for a fisherman terms”. Pastor Wilksch says, “the kids really in South Sudan. Large gifts may provide get behind it when they can see that there's significant infrastructure to assist with the a practical outcome or benefits to their continued wellbeing and growth of a village. fundraising.” Last year, Village Partnership recipient, “Cambodia is still being rebuilt after the Damnak Khan, a village in western Cambodia, devastation of the Khmer Rouge regime used their Springfield Gift of Grace to build that wiped out a generation of older people, a road. The community living there supplied causing devastation to the land and, social their own small amount of money and all their and economic damage to the country. So own labour so they have real ownership. This there's so much need and great poverty. And contribution helped over 350 families in the so they've identified all these villages that village to improve their life. could use assistance.” This year, Springfield Junior High studied The whole school community can support water for their multi-disciplinary task, which these projects. Sausage sizzles, fundraising gave insight into this Village Partnership. A chocolates, bake drives, trivia nights and $5,000 commitment is helping to build a Chapel offerings all contribute to the Village pond. This will be the village’s main water Partnership holdings. One Springfield supply and means that they will have teacher has even been convinced to shave irrigation for their crops all year round as his beard and head, once a monetary goal about 95% of the residents are farmers. has been reached! This financial support integrated with a Springfield Service Learning have teamed up service learning approach enables maximum with two other Australian Lutheran Colleges mutual benefit to be achieved, rather than and are travelling to Cambodia mid-2020 to potentially causing more difficulties. “We see first-hand the impact they are having on could pick up all the old devices that we improving the life of local people. The trip don’t need and send them over to Cambodia is open to Years 11 and 12 students with but that’s not what they want in this rural the aim of learning more about some of the village,” explains Pastor Wilksch. In fact, in issues of global poverty and perhaps, even some cases this can create a further problem visit their partnered village during the trip. of waste and pollution. “They actually need water for their crops and that’s what we want to support.”
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Pictured left (clockwise from top left): Mr Kong Samean, Busaom village leader; Village Partnership Project signage at the village entrance; students who have benefited from the hand washing station; Mrs Leng Sophy, Damnak Khasan farmer.
Pictured right: (top) road in Damnak Khasan prior to engaging with the Village Partnership Project; (bottom) red gravel road in Damnak Khasan village after construction
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MANY NATIONS ONE FAMILY
SYLVIA SANJUR JO MULTICULTUR AL COORDINATOR
M
onday 29 July marked the first day of St Peters' Multicultural Week with the theme, Many Nations, One Family. The week was celebrated on Tuesday with the Parade of Nations, where the whole school watched an indigenous boys’ performance, enjoyed the procession of over 70 flags, and listened to our Lord’s prayer in over 12 languages.
Studio, routines from Sayers Dance studio, an instrumental duet performed by Leslie and Terri, songs performed by St Peters’ Cantique, a Balinese bird of paradise dance, Taiko drummers and Chinese dragon dancers. The Committee welcomed lots of friends and family and their donations made a significant contribution to Médiciens sans Frontières.
The St Peters Drumline, Symphonic Winds and Animato Voce performed to create an unforgettable atmosphere. From Prep to Year 12, students wore their national costumes with pride; the brilliance of the Indian saris complemented the Scottish kilts; the elegance of the Chinese gowns balanced the relaxed Aussie Akubras and, the French berets accompanied German Lederhosen.
On Friday 2 August, to finalise the week, the Committee held the annual food fair – it was a roaring success. Students from across the College came together in the Chapel forecourt and enjoyed delicacies from the world over! Scrolls, sushi and dumplings were being shared between friends for entrée, then plates of pasta, falafel, curry and nachos were enjoyed as main meals and finally, the smell of churros, baked treats, tiramisu and koeksisters filled the air when it was time for dessert. There was a hive of activity while students danced to the multicultural music, received flag facepainting and finished their meals.
The College was witness to several inspirational speeches including a eulogy from Pastor Silke, a speech from Head of College, Tim Kotzur, and a presentation from Old Scholar, Nkosana Mafico. On Wednesday night, the Multicultural Committee held their annual Gala night which opened with an array of indigenous dances, followed by several performances including Irish dancers from Watkins Dance
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Multicultural Week is a highlight of the year that students look forward to for months, and this year – thanks to the hard work of all parties involved – was an overwhelming success!
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END OF AN ERA: VALEDICTORIANS ARRIVING IN STYLE RENÉE MICHALKOW
communications officer
O
ur Year 12 students really knew how to make an entrance during the 2019 Valedictorian Parade. There were flashy cars, sports cars, classics, a party bus, golf carts and bikes and, even a couch on wheels. If people watching the parade thought the transport was a head-turner then the fashion was next level. Year 12 students made sure they arrived on the red carpet in unforgettable style, elegance, sophistication and some even arrived with a sense of whimsy. Hundreds gathered around the Chapel Forecourt to see the vibrant procession of the fashionable and the fancy. Friends and family, teachers and staff all waited to show their support and greet the colourful cohort. There were definitely some memorable entrances, and one near miss when a motorbike briefly bumped into a barricade, but the parade was fun and fabulous. Everyone mingled afterwards at CafĂŠ 45, with Year 12 students heading to more fabulous fun at Hillstone and Year 12 parents having a meal in the PAC amphitheatre and reminiscing about the ending of an era. The 2019 Valedictorian Parade is definitely one to be remembered. Thank you to all the volunteers, staff, students and community for making the night a fabulous one.
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KILLER QUEEN ROCKS ST PETERS
CHRISTINE TAYLOR CO-DIREC TOR OF COCURRICUL AR MUSIC AND HEAD OF CHOIRS
K
iller Queen, Australia’s only internationally touring tribute band, visited St Peters on Friday 13 September as a fundraising event for the St Peters Chorale International Tour. Killer Queen gave a dynamic and highly entertaining performance which had the audience singing and dancing. It was a fabulous night of music which was acknowledged by the audience with a standing ovation!
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ST PETERS YOU'VE GOT TALENT!
Pictured (left): Junior High leaders presenting Joe's SPYGT fundraising winnings to Vision Australia. (right): SPYGT finalists and novelty acts. ANTHONY COX
graphic designer and web editor
O
n Friday 19 July, family, friends and College representatives converged on the Dron Auditorium at the Performing Arts Centre for the 2019 Final of 'St Peters You’ve Got Talent' (SPYGT).
To set the scene, this year’s event started back in early June with the start of some amazing auditions from students in Years 7 - 12. Auditions took place in the College Chapel during lunch breaks over a two week period. Solo artists, musicians, dancers, a magician and even a gymnast in the forecourt, entertained fellow students and teachers with their amazing performances. For the judges, cutting the talent down to a final 12 performances was no easy task. Our School Captains and Vice Captains worked tirelessly to host the auditions, assist with sound checks and keep the crowds entertained. 2019 SPYGT winner, and certainly a crowd favourite judging by the cheers and applause, went to Year 7 student Joe Ivermee with his flawless rendition of Billy Joel’s Piano Man. Year 8 student Gabbie Elbourne was runner up with her beautiful vocal performances of Imagine by John Lennon and third place Connor Chalmers, also Year 8, wowed the crowd with the Diabolo (Chinese Yoyo). A mesmerising juggling or circus prop shaped like two disks connected by an axle and spun by a string wound around its centre.
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Not to be over shadowed, were many other great performances throughout the evening. These included vocalists Jane Pavlides (Year 12) and Grace Craig (Year 10), magician Micah Catelan (Year 7), 'The Newcomers' quartet consisting of Zac Robinson, Nic Wallace, Brett Van Niekerk and Toby Turner (Year 11) and, finally, St Peters Springfield SPYGT winner vocalist, Rebekah Qleibo performing Say Something by A Great Big World. Rebekah has a truly amazing talent and was certainly a deserving award winner. Guest performances brought many laughs, cheers and roars of approval from the audience. Our Year 12 leaders performed a compilation of Queen songs, and the teachers and staff brought their ABBA dance moves to the stage in a fantastic piece of choreography. Never has there been such raw talent, daring dance moves and smooth song stylings. And not to be outdone, I'm not exaggerating when I say the St Peters boarder boys definitely know how to entertain! Congratulations to our winners from the 2019 SPYGT. Thank you to everyone who participated and auditioned. It was a huge night with many surprises. Thank you to SPOSA for the generous donation of prizes to our winners. Proceeds from Joe's win were donated to his chosen charity Vision Australia, with a formal presentation taking place at a recent Junior High Assembly.
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SYMPHONIC WINDS & SENIOR STAGE BAND – REGIONAL TOUR, SYDNEY Six days, over 2,000km and 50 students. The annual domestic tour of New South Wales opened eyes and broadened horizons for many St Peters musicians. Audiences were enthralled, attractions were visited and many friendships were made along the way.
GR ANTLEY SUTCH CO-DIREC TOR OF COCURRICUL AR MUSIC AND HEAD OF BANDS
A
t the end of Term 2, members of Symphonic Winds and Senior Stage Band embarked on a regional tour of New South Wales and Queensland. Our group set off on Sunday morning at 5:00am headed along the New South Wales coastline. After a stop at Coffs Harbour, performing at Coffs Central Shopping Centre, our ensemble then headed to Port Macquarie where we met up with our new friends at St Columba Anglican School. We were treated to dinner before a combined performance with the students in their awesome auditorium. Thank you to Charlotte B (past student of St Columba) and her family, who assisted with the home stay. After an evening of watching New South Wales thrash Queensland in the State of Origin, the band left Port Macquarie headed for Sydney. The bus trip was long and wet, but we arrived at Barker College in good spirits. The afternoon was spent working together in workshops and rehearsals with the talented and busy staff at Barker College. It was great to spend time with the staff and students in a school with such a rich history. Barker College were great hosts and we were delighted to perform with them in their Atrium for an appreciative audience of students and families. We then made our way to our accommodation - the YHA on the Rocks in the heart of Sydney. The evening drizzled on, and my hopes for a fine day on the Harbour were diminishing by the hour. The next morning, we were all pleasantly surprised to wake to a glorious fine day.
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Our day off in Sydney started with a short walk to Circular Quay where we boarded the ferry to Taronga Zoo. Students spent a few hours exploring the Zoo before heading to the Sydney Opera House for an open rehearsal with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. We felt very privileged to be the only group allowed to observe the final rehearsal before their evening concert. The orchestra sounded amazing and it was a wonderful experience to soak up the acoustics and atmosphere of such an iconic concert venue. After an afternoon exploring Circular Quay we went back to our accommodation to prepare for dinner Pancakes on the Rocks. Delicious! Early Wednesday morning saw our sleepy group of musicians journey out of Sydney bound for Tamworth where the band performed at Carinya Christian College for an enthusiastic group of staff and students. We then arrived at our accommodation, 'The Rex', an old homestead that was built in 1915. Here we celebrated Claire Groome’s 16th birthday with pizza, cake and games. The following morning, we set off on an eight-hour bus ride inland, back to the Gold Coast for a performance at Pacific Fair Shopping Centre. It was great to see some of our parents and families there to support us. This was a fine performance and students showed much resilience, performing in a variety of acoustic settings whilst dealing with the changing weather conditions and performance environments. After a brief dinner break and shop, we bunkered down at
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the YHA in Surfers Paradise for the evening. Friday morning, our final tour day, saw the group rising early to get to Dreamworld before opening time. Group members had become incredibly proficient in unpacking the truck, setting up, performing, packing down and repacking the truck. The band performed to a small but appreciative audience as the gates opened and guests entered the park. After lunch, the students then spent the next few hours exploring Dreamworld and enjoying the rides, attractions and ice cream. Arriving back at St Peters late Friday afternoon, this weary band of musicians helped unpack the truck one final time, said their farewells and all made their way home for a well-earned holiday. A huge thank you to an amazing bunch of young musicians, who proudly represented St Peters through their performance. Also, a big thank you to our staff Ms Saffery, Ms Hill, Mr Pradella and Mr Jacobson for helping make the tour a huge success.
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MUSIC PERFORMANCES FROM SEMESTER TWO Performer of the Year and Primary Night at the PAC were just two of the musical highlights this semester. Catch up on the highlights here...
DAVID DEACON CO-DIREC TOR OF COCURRICUL AR MUSIC AND HEAD OF STRINGS
T
he Performer of the Year provides a professional concert experience for each finalist. Students perform some of the most challenging repertoire from memory and the sense of occasion can truly test one’s preparation and resolve.
The Concerto Finalists are given a very rare opportunity to perform with a full symphony orchestra; an exhilarating and rewarding experience that asks the soloist to project their sound over a 70-piece orchestra and demands study and knowledge of the full score. This year included the Walton Cello, Barber Violin, Mendelssohn Violin and Kabalevsky Violin Concertos, repertoire which left the audience and adjudicators thoroughly entertained. Recital Finalists: Zoe Catchpoole (voice), Angus Cleaver (trumpet), Victor Huang (piano), Angelina Kim (viola), Kaden Kuo (cello), Yuro Lee (violin), Mark Lubke (violin), Leon Ly (harp), Grace Sun (piano). Concerto Finalists: Tom Howard (violin), Tara Krakat (violin), Yangyang Li (violin), Lief Lundmark-Aitcheson (cello). Congratulations to 2019 Recital winner Grace Sun (piano) and Concerto Winner Yangyang Li (violin).
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Immediately below and right: Concerto winner Yangyang Li (violin) and Recital winner Grace Sun (piano). Images courtesy of F45 Photography.
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EMMA RITCHIE PRIMARY MUSIC COORDINATOR
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A
night of excellent music-making was enjoyed by the St Peters community as our Primary musicians shared their hard work with family and friends at Primary Night at the PAC. This event was redesigned to align with the highly successful ‘Night at the PAC’ earlier in the year, with the evening being a treat of sight and sound throughout the various performance spaces.
The Lower Primary students involved in Superstrings, Scherzo Strings, Presto Players, Poco Voce and Animato Voce opened the night with great performances which highlighted the technical development and progression of musical learning through the Lower Primary string and choral programs. During interval, many families enjoyed dinner while delighting in performances from the Junior Percussion Ensemble and Junior Stage Band in the amphitheatre. This was a unique experience for many Primary families who don’t often hear these contemporary ensembles perform. The Upper Primary students concluded the evening with some very mature performances from Corelli Strings, Amadeus Strings, Forte Voce, Bella Voce and Concert Band 2, demonstrating the significant musical progression achieved by our students throughout their journey in the Primary Years. Thank you to all our student performers for their fantastic efforts in these concerts and to our St Peters community for supporting our young musicians at the Primary Night at the PAC.
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SIGNATURE SERIES MADAME FLUTE
Images courtesy of F45 Photography. GR ANTLEY SUTCH CO-DIREC TOR OF COCURRICUL AR MUSIC AND HEAD OF BANDS
A
big part of Music at St Peters is our Signature Series concert events. The concept behind the Signature Series is to provide our young musicians with the opportunity to work alongside industry professionals, learn about their musical experiences, perform with them and then see and hear the artists perform live on stage.
This year was no exception. In March, our Rock Bands were treated to a visit from rock legends, 'Choirboys'. The second Signature Series concert starred the one and only 'Madame Flute', Jane Rutter. Ms Rutter is one of the world’s finest flautists and exponents of the French flute method and has made a career bringing her unique interpretations of French classical music to the masses.
with each ensemble. This was a delightful afternoon, where Jane shared her immense talent, skill and musical generosity with the students. At the concert, the three College bands performed a series of French inspired pieces with a solo feature from Ms Rutter, before presenting her one-woman show 'Madame Flute'. The show highlighted her amazing skill with performances of La Vie en Rose, Habanera de Carmen, I Love Paris and a rendition of Galop le CanCan complete with dancing. Jane wowed the audience with her incredible musical skill along with memories and stories of her amazing career, spanning the globe between Australia and France.
The evening was supported by our French curriculum students who ushered and compèred the evening. This certainly On arrival Ms Rutter presented a Masterclass added an authentic French atmosphere to to all St Peters Flautists and worked the evening that was complimented with intensively with students to assist them Champagne, pain au chocolat, chocolat with developing their stage presence and chaud, macarons and other French delicacies. performance technique. Ms Rutter also Many thanks also to the amazing St Peters conducted a series of workshops with Music staff, Events staff and MSG parents Concert Band 1, Wind Ensemble and who tirelessly support the St Peters Music Symphonic Winds, refining a solo item Program and these Signature Series events.
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ST PETERS CHORALE EUROPEAN TOUR
CHRISTINE TAYLOR CO-DIREC TOR OF COCURRICUL AR MUSIC AND HEAD OF CHOIRS
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n December 2019/January 2020, St Peters Chorale will be travelling and performing in multiple cities and venues in England, Belgium, Germany and Denmark over three and a half weeks. With more than 60 students and eight staff, this will be one of the largest tours ever undertaken by the choir. Highlights are sure to include performing in cathedrals, including St Paul’s Cathedral, London; at the Brandenburg Choral Festival of London; in St George’s Memorial Church in Ypres, Belgium; in St Thomas’ Church, Leipzig; being hosted by and performing for Lutheran communities in Wurzburg, Coburg, and Dresden; and singing with the choir of Sankt Annae Gymnasium in Copenhagen. On this tour, Chorale will premiere internationally their newly commissioned choral work by Australian composer, and St Peters alumnus, Andrew Schultz (1977). In preparation for the tour, Chorale has been fortunate to have special opportunities to develop their musical skills and knowledge with the guidance of arts professionals. Chorale students hosted the choristers from King’s College, Cambridge during their tour of Australia; attended the choir’s concert at QPAC and had a fabulous masterclass with their new conductor, Mr Daniel Hyde. Chorale alumnus, and now Choral Scholar at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, Sam Mitchell (2008), spoke with them about the life of a cathedral musician in England. Workshopping their commissioned work
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with the composer, Andrew Schultz, was an exciting and challenging experience. Chorale has also been fortunate to lead Eucharist and Evensong music worship as well as give concerts in St John’s Anglican Cathedral, Brisbane, as they will in the cathedrals of England later in the year. The talent and skill of the current conductor and alumnus of St Peters Chorale, Kathryn Morton (2000), was acknowledged earlier this year when she was selected from conducting applicants from around the world to take part in the Cambridge Choral Summer Course at Cambridge University. In this course, she took part in lectures, rehearsals and masterclasses; observed cathedral choirs in action; sang for services and worked with an amazing choral faculty comprising Tom Brown (ex-Clare College, Cambridge), Andrew Carwood (St Paul’s Cathedral, London), Stephen Cleobury (King’s College, Cambridge), Sarah MacDonald (Selwyn College, Cambridge and Ely Cathedral), , Andrew Nethsingha (St John’s College, Cambridge), James O’Donnell (Westminster Abbey) and John Rutter (Composer and Cambridge Singers). It was a great achievement by Kathryn to be selected for this course and a fabulous preparation for the upcoming Chorale International Tour. If you should find yourself in England, Belgium, Germany or Denmark whilst Chorale is on tour, we would love to meet you at one of their services or performances.
St Peters European Tour 2019/2020
CHOR ALE
LUTHERAN COLLEGE
from Brisbane, AUSTRALIA Kathryn Morton, Director | Phillip Gearing, Accompanist
Performance Information Saturday 28 Dec 5:00pm
Evensong, St Paul's Cathedral, London
Sunday 29 Dec
11:30am 3:15pm
Choral Eucharist, St Paul's Cathedral, London Evensong, St Paul's Cathedral, London
Tuesday 31 Dec
1:10pm 3:30pm
Concert, Bristol Cathedral Evensong, Bristol Cathedral
Thursday 2 Jan
1:05pm 5:15pm
Concert, Wells Cathedral Evensong, Wells Cathedral
Friday 3 Jan
2:00pm 6:00pm
Concert, Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Evensong, Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
Sunday 5 Jan
10:30am 4:00pm
Choral Eucharist, Coventry Cathedral Evensong, Coventry Cathedral
Monday 6 Jan
1:00pm 5:00pm
Evensong, St Albans Cathedral Evensong, St Albans Cathedral
Tuesday 7 Jan
7:30pm
Concert, Brandenburg Choral Festival of London St Stephen’s Church, Gloucester Road, London
Thursday 9 Jan
3:00pm
Concert, St George's Memorial Church, Ypres
Friday 10 Jan
5:00pm
Concert, Ev.-Luth. Kirche St Paul, Würzburg-Heidingsfeld
Saturday 11 Jan Sunday 12 Jan
6:00pm 10:00am
Concert, Ev.-Luth. Kirche St Moriz , Coberg Service, Ev.-Luth. Kirche St Moriz , Coberg
Monday 13 Jan
7:00pm
Concert, Versöhnungskirche, Dresden- Blasewitz
Tuesday 14 Jan
11:00am
Concert, Thomaskirche, Leipzig
Friday 17th Jan
7:30pm
Concert, Aalholm Kirche, Copenhagen
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THE COMMUNITY APPEAL OF VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS RENEÉ MICHALKOW COMMUNIC ATIONS OFFICER
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he incredibly popular Visual Arts and Performing Arts review (VAPAr) is a culmination of student fashion, design, art, film, media, music, performances and drama. VAPAr is a huge event and a credit to staff, supporters and students (Years 7 - 12) who creatively collaborate and connect with the St Peters community through this annual event.
VAPAr has been going for over 15 years and is one of the flagship events for the Arts. Ms Julie Seidel, The Arts Curriculum Leader at St Peters, says, “VAPAr is about the visual arts and the performing arts all coming together.” It also brings the curriculum elements students experience in their individual course into a public forum. In many cases this provides cross arts for students to reflect on multiple relationships between art and life, art and the public sphere. “Students understand what cross arts means for them in the real world and in their
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experience so we have lots of situations where things work together,” says Julie. Many music and drama students are studying art, “they’re using media, film and television to record their work and present their work so it’s grown into a multi-dimensional experience for students.” It’s rewarding to see students “have embraced the centrality of the arts in their education,” explains Julie. “Parents are supportive and understand this is equipping their child for life beyond school—making creative individuals and it’s become a seamless part of the culture of the school.” “For the students it’s an important quality within their education and learning that they present and perform.” The VAPAr night is spectacular—The artists talks are amazing because students reveal so much of what they have learnt and understood. “The music is always fabulous as performers need to step up and go that
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little bit further with the public nature of performing,” says Julie. “It’s always great to see the fashion as students tend to sit in their studios and be busy but we don’t often see their incredible products.”
them. “They step up and that’s part of their success,” explains Julie. “Students understand the relevance and they’re actually motivated to try and achieve those high levels of understanding.”
Drama is a culmination of many months of planning and work for students. This year the drama cast has been particularly dedicated. “One of the important things about drama here at the College is we offer students rigour and encourage them to step up to something more mature in content."
Julie says, “seeing the family interactions” on the night is a highlight. “So many people bring their extended family and they’re really happy to show nana and grandad and the cousins what they’ve achieved. I find that rewarding and I think the students really love that aspect of it as well.”
That’s important because currently “students are engaged in what I call the ‘fast media’, or the fast-time space, or the ‘instant gratification’. With drama they respond to the idea of really investing in something. It’s fantastic but it’s about what they’re offered and how they’re mentored into that space.”
“I’d like to thank all the people who come and support VAPAr as it’s the interaction and the audience that is the biggest element of why we really do it for the students.”
In all arts courses St Peters models what is happening culturally in the real world for
To people who haven’t been to VAPAr before, “come and enjoy and support students, peers or family and spread the word so we can continue to keep it as a thriving event in the years ahead.”
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GOLDEN GIRL ARIARNE TITMUS
In between her intensive training schedule, Ariarne 'Arnie' Titmus likes to cook, catch up with friends and binge-watch The Bachelor. In this article, our golden girl talks to me about her journey to the Tokyo Olympics. C A SSIE T WEMLOW
publications officer
W
ith fewer than nine months until the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games kick off, Ariarne Titmus is training aroudnthe clock to reach her childhood goal of Olympic gold. For almost as long as she can remember, Ariarne has wanted to participate in the Olympics. She recalls watching the Beijing Olympics when she was just eight years old and thinking that one day she wanted to be an Olympian. Since then she has worked on this ambition to the point where it is now a realistic prospect.
“It’s crazy to think that I’m literally living in that moment right now and I’m doing everything I can to try and fulfil my childhood dream,” Ariarne says.
“Being away with the team for six-weeks with the fun culture…it was the best trip I’ve ever been on.” Dubbed ‘Terminator’ by team mates and sports journalists, Ariarne knows she is fortunate to love what she is doing, especially since it is currently her number one priority and only occupation. Yet, earlier this year Ariarne started concurrently pursing her Bachelor passion. A Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science, that is. She has completed a full semester but is now taking an 18 month hiatus to focus her energy on qualifying for next year's Olympic Games. Ariarne agrees that nearly everything she does supports her swimming but she does have other interests to keep her from ‘not going crazy.'
After her recent wins at the Swimming World Championships in Korea in July, including taking “I really love cooking. It’s a big thing for me the gold medal from defending champion and I cook every day. I’m just fascinated by Katie Ledecky in the 400m freestyle, Ariarne is it and love making up recipes.” Ariarne has training harder than ever and still developing an appreciative friendship group she is able stretch targets on which to improve. However, to test her recipes on, but embraces the fact despite her stellar performance in Korea, that swimming is her whole life. Ariarne says that her time at the World Champs wasn’t just about swimming.
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Pictured above: (left) Ariarne Titmus filming for the current Seven Olympic promo; (right) Proudly showing off her World Championship medals (photo courtesy of Delly Carr/Swimming Australia).
The swimming powerhouse and her coach, Dean Boxall of St Peters Western, have a strong bond and a very close relationship. She says of herself that she’s been born with an ability to mentally be able to push herself harder than other people in training.
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You can be Olympian standard or, gold medal standard."
“Dean has told me that he’s never seen anyone try harder than me. The way we communicate – we’re both on the same page and I have complete trust in him that he’s giving me the absolute best program to perform.” With so much at stake in the future, and working all hours with Dean to prepare for the biggest challenge of her life, Ariarne’s training regime requires huge commitment. With 35 plus hours a week of gym, pool and psychological preparation she admits it’s “pretty much a full-time job”. But Dean has also explained to her that you can either be Olympian standard or gold medal standard, and she is doing everything she can to attain the latter. And what does life hold for Ariarne postswimming? “Well, I’m really enjoying studying Exercise Science and it’s great since I know a lot of stuff already because of my swimming knowledge and being an athlete.” But, she’s
also starting to wonder if her love for cooking is just a hobby or if it’s something she’d like to pursue as a career. “I definitely don’t want to be a chef but, you know, maybe a recipe developer or something like that where I can use my name and profile as best I can. Something with sport, people, food, health. Something that keeps me moving and is different every day. Not a desk job,” Ariarne explains. This bright and relaxed young lady has the world in the palm of her hand and she says it would not have been possible without the support of her friends, family and the College. “It has to be noted that without the support of the school, I definitely wouldn’t have been in the position I was last year to perform at the Commonwealth Games. My teachers were so accommodating and understanding with me juggling school-work load and my training load. I was off school for 15 weeks last year and teachers would always be kind enough to catch-up with me on school work. Mr Nodwell really helped communicate to everyone that I needed to do my best in school and the best at swimming." Well Arnie, the school is right behind you and cheering already.
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IF ROWING FLOATS YOUR BOAT, GET ON BOARD On a national stage, the St Peters Rowing Program has produced more Australian representatives than nearly any other Brisbane Schoolgirls Rowing Association (BSRA) school. If you are willing to crawl out of bed pre-dawn in the middle of winter then, Head of Rowing, Peter Hicks, outlines the challenges and benefits of being a rower.
C A SSIE T WEMLOW
publications officer
T
he St Peters Rowing program has yielded amazing rowers over the past ten years, including 2016 Rio Olympics Australian Quad scull representative Jessica Hall (2009), and national representatives Isabelle Furrer (2017) and Taylor McCarthy-Smith (2017).
For a school that consistently only has 6080 female rowers and 20-25 male rowers, “that’s an impressive feat for such a small program," explains Peter Hicks. "We are punching well above our weight at this level of competition and consistently competing against other Brisbane Schools that have 120+ rowers - nearly double our size." While there has been a lot of success on a national level, at a local level (BSRA Regattas, and the Gold Coast Regional All Schools Rowing Association (GCRASRA)), the College proffers two to three crews per age group for the girls and, at best, one crew in the boys competition. This modest number of crews is something Peter and the school is working hard at increasing. “Ultimately I’d love to be boating four to five crews for the girls and a two per age group for the boys,” says Peter.
some Year 8 and Open races in the Gold Coast All Schools Rowing Association. Rowing is a unique sport that combines both a technical and a physical aspect, “which is a challenge to get right,” says Peter. Unlike many other sports, rowing gives you a fullbody workout targeting upper body, core and lower body and, strengthening mental focus. Because of the sitting position and motion of the sliding seat, rowing also tends to be lowimpact with minimal stress applied to any part of the body. Teaching anyone who has not rowed before how to correctly sequence the stroke phases and get their body positioning correct is quite a test. Teaching young students how to do this at exactly the same time as the other members of the crew, half way through a 1000m race is a real challenge!
“This is such a unique sport, that not many people have the opportunity to do,” says Peter. “I would encourage anyone to give it a go for a season or two. It teaches you so many valuable lessons, not only about fitness and looking after yourself but, also On the back of some fantastic results at this about teamwork and commitment. Your crew year’s schoolgirls’ Head of the River, including is relying on you to be organised with your two second places and a third place, Peter school work, your family time and your social says, “we’ve got a really good culture building life," Peter expands. Because you need to around the shed and in the gym. Girls and turn up to training and be in the boat with guys that haven’t even thought about rowing your crew mates at 5:00am, rowers have to are starting to see that the students currently rely on each other more than other sports. If in the Rowing Program are really enjoying the crew is one person short, the boat can't their time. The coaches are doing a fantastic launch and rowers learn early and quickly job and we’re starting to see some wonderful the real possibilities that team spirit can results from this great culture.” Although accomplish. a smaller cohort, the boy Rowers also won
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Pictured (clockwise from top): Boys double-scullers; girls quad; girls 1st VIII; girl single scullers.
Peter is passionate about the sport. "It’s great for fitness and brilliant for strength, but the life-long lessons it teaches the students about is remarkable. It's an honour sometimes to watch as young men and women become so proactive and independent as they progress through this program,� he says. The girls squad compete in the Brisbane School Girls Rowing Association with preseason running over Term 2 and regattas weekly in Term 3. The boys squad compete in the Gold Coast Regional All School Rowing Association with pre-season commencing in Term 1 and regattas held fortnightly in Term 2. If you are interested in learning to row, contact Head of Rowing, Peter Hicks, via p.hicks@stpeters.qld.edu.au for more information.
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ALL THE WAY TO THE USA St Peters yielded sporting success leads to American adventures.
C A SSIE T WEMLOW
publications officer
S
t Peters has a proud history of sporting excellence and continues to produce athletes who perform on the national and international stage on a yearly basis. However, this does not stop when St Peters students graduate in Year 12. For some, this talent allows a select few of our sporting stars to pursue their tertiary education in the United States of America, where they have all gained scholarships to prestigious universities.
As the schooling year is different in America, 2018 St Peters alumni Grace Champion, Hayden Cobbe, Katie Strachan, Robbie Baker and Max Pilipovic-Kljajic only commenced their university education this past September. However, 2017 alumni Tyla Stolberg, Eseta (Essy) Latu and Pat Harper have all had over a year to settle into their new American life. These names will be quite familiar to many in the St Peters community. Grace, Tyla and Essy are all on Basketball scholarships in California, South Carolina and Wyoming
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respectively. Hayden has commenced a Track & Field scholarship at the University of South Carolina, for his phenomenal ability to run middle distance, particularly in the 800m. Katie is lucky enough to be at the University of Hawaii where she is on a Swimming scholarship focusing on the individual medley and breaststroke events. The strength of the St Peters Tennis Program is supported by the fact that Pat is in his second year at the University of Tennessee while Max has begun his university life at Eastern Illinois University. 2018 Football Captain, Robbie Baker, received a scholarship for Football (or Soccer, as the Americans refer to it) at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan. Clearly, sporting accomplishments are not anything new to this talented group. With school sporting captaincies, national and state representative titles and numerous awards behind them, it’s not hard to see why these Old Scholars have been so successful in their pursuit to study overseas.
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Pictured (clockwise from top left): Grace Champion in her California Baptist University Basketball kit; Hayden Cobbe wearing his University of South Carolina varsity jacket; Essy Latu standing proudly in front of her Central Wyoming College Basketball sign; Director of Sport, Shaun Nodwell, catching up with Old Scholar Katie Strachan at her new 'home' in Hawaii on a recent trip to the States; Pat Harper in action on the University of Tennessee courts; Robbie Baker playing for SVSU Cardinals.
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The strength of the St Peters Sport Program ... is providing students with fantastic opportunities to go overseas."
However, it’s not just their sporting talent and excellent coaching that has allowed them to get this far. All these students had to be dedicated academically to achieve strong results so that they could receive scholarships from the various universities. According to Director of Sport, Shaun Nodwell, “the strength of the St Peters Sport Program and its presence in the wider community, combined with strong academic results, is providing students with fantastic opportunities to go overseas.� The scholarships that these students have received include all tuition, accommodation and living expenses for the entirety of their course.
Grace Ellis, who is just about to graduate with the 2019 St Peters Year 12 cohort, is the most recent scholarship recipient. She is off to the University of Wyoming on a Basketball scholarship next year. Grace captained and was the M.V.P of the Open QGSSSA Girls team this year who were undefeated premiers of the competition for the first time since 2008. Congratulations to all past and present students who continue to maintain high sporting and academic achievements outside of the College.
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BOARDING
BOARDING SISTERS RUN RINGS AROUND MCLEOD’S DAUGHTERS Pictured (L-R): Matilda and Jemima on their home property.
RENÉE MICHALKOW
communications officer
T
eenage boarding sisters, Jemima and Matilda Penfold, were born and raised in the outback with the strength and maturity which comes from a farming lifestyle. The fourth-generation family business breeds, trades and raises cattle on numerous properties 200km south of Roma, Queensland. The sisters have been working with their family since they were little and have been involved in all aspects of living life on the land.
With their grazing and farming background, Jemima and Matilda, along with older sisters Bonnie (2015) and Molly (2017), have a passion for helping the family business. Led by their mum and dad, the family’s core business is feedlotting cattle to sell MSA beef direct to a large domestic supermarket chains. This year they have expanded their business by exporting their own branded beef Four Daughters - named after the Penfold sisters into China. “There’s cattle coming in and out of our place all the time,” says Jemima. “In both feedlots there’s probably about 2,000 head on feed at one time.” Matilda adds, “Then there’s about 3,500 in the paddocks on all properties.” Eventually both Jemima and Matilda want to go back home and continue to work in, and build the business and the Four Daughters brand. “We will take it on,” says Jemima. “After I have a gap year, or two, I want to go to university and do something that will help me grow our business.” Matilda wants to leave Brisbane and go
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“further out west” before heading home. “I want to go back to the family business and improve it and make it bigger. I want to learn to fly like dad does and one day do the mustering.” Every day on the property is different for the girls. “We don’t get up ridiculously early,” says Jemima, “but we’re always on the go by 7:00am. Unless we have a project on, like during the Christmas holidays we went fencing and we were up at 4:00am, or earlier, every morning to get it done and beat the heat.” Feeding the cattle in the feedlots takes a few hours in the morning and is their usual start to the day. Feed bunks are meticulously monitored each morning for intake and cleaned daily and cattle are fed a nutritionally balanced ration, with minerals included, which the girls are responsible for. Their dad buys cattle at least once a week at the Roma Sale Yards. The cattle get trucked home, so that’s one day in the yards inducting them. “That means putting our ear-tag in them and giving them a drench to stop the flies and lice and stuff,” explains Matilda. The reality is, people on the land are passionate about what they do and are the best problem solvers ever. Jemima discusses the drought and how wheat and grain is getting harder to find. “There’s no wheat anywhere near home, so we have to get it all the way from Western Australia. It’s crazy. We have to keep finding ways to make sure we can get our beef to people’s dinner tables. Oh, and it will rain again one day. I just hope it is soon.”
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GUESS WHO? Five minutes with....? That's the question. Try and figure out which staff member has answered the questions below. If you're stuck, turn to page 63 for the answer. Q: Where did you go to school and what was your favourite subject? A:
My formal schooling took place in what is widely regarded as the most competitive ten square kilometres of secondary education real estate in Australia: a little city called Toowoomba. My favourite subject was Chemistry.
Q: Have you ever met anyone famous? A:
Q: Guilty pleasure? A: Binge-watching Scandinavian crime dramas. Q: Strangest job you've ever had? A: Between working as an in-house lawyer and deciding that teaching would present more of a personal and professional challenge, I worked as an subterranean concreter building the Airport Link tunnel system.
The renowned bass player, Herbie Flowers. You likely know his playing from Lou Reed’s immortal classic Walk on the Wild Side or the atmospheric Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds. To play percussion alongside this great in a rock and roll band in the UK was a bit of a thrill. Moreso hearing him tell ‘war stories’ of hanging out with, and playing for, David Bowie, Elton John and Cat Stevens.
Q: What piece of music do you want played at your funeral? A:
Toward the Unknown Region by Ralph Vaughn Williams.
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Plus Ultra | November 2019
TERM 1 Thursday 20 February
St Peters Founders Day
Friday 21 February
75 years St Peters Captains function
Saturday 28 March
1st XI Boys vs Old Scholars Football match - the Dave Brown Cup
TERM 2 Friday 24 April Saturday 9 May
1st XI Girls Football - Old Scholars Supporters afternoon 1st XI Boys Football - Old Scholars Day
Saturday 30 May
1st XV Boys Rugby - Old Scholars Day
Saturday 20 June
75th St Peters Gala Concert - matinée and evening performances
Saturday 4 & Sunday 5 July
SPOSA Back to Ironbark weekend
TERM 3 Friday 18 September Saturday 19 September
Sunday 20 September Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 September
75th Anniversary Cocktail Party SPOSA Reunion weekend - Morning tea - Songs of Praise - Old Scholars lunch - Chapel service - SPOSA AGM SPOSA Back to Ironbark weekend
TERM 4 Saturday 24 October Sunday 29 November
75th St Peters Celebration Ball 75th St Peters Carols Under the Stars
For details of any of these events, please contact SPOSA at sposa@stpeters.qld.edu.au
SPOSA
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SPOSA PRESIDENT JAN HOGARTH
sposa president
T
he St Peters Old Scholars Association holds the living history of our community, in the people we stay in touch with and the objects in our care. Our aim is to support and build our community across age groups and time.
After ten years as President of SPOSA, and gold standard 'St Peters Tragic' (student, parent, Rowing mum, and College Councillor), this is my final Plus Ultra report. The Reunion Weekend was held in September, with record numbers of Golden, Diamond and Platinum (50-, 60- and 70-year) graduates at a weekend of events, including the dedication of the new organ. At the AGM on the same weekend, Llewellyn Jones (1983 alumni) accepted the role of President of the SPOSA Executive Committee. Llew was a boarder and is now a parent of two St Peters students. Our committee is a vibrant positive group of Old Scholars of all generations, and we aim to support the day-to-day work of our two excellent Alumni Officers, Sasha McCarthy and Rowena Lester, who both started this year and have taken everything in their stride. SPOSA has never been in better hands. SPOSA is a tiny, almost invisible, leaf in the daily whirlwind of a substantial institution. In the past decade the biggest mindset change has been the gradual acceptance of SPOSA as a holder of our cultural heritage, because as the school matures we can’t rely on the living memories of our Founders. Our key role - keeping more than 13,000 Old Scholars in touch with each other across the decades - is a continually changing process. We’ve upgraded our database management system. We keep in contact through social media and a wide range of events, not just reunions, that appeal to everyone from the one-year-outs to the 70-years-later. We’re starting to systematise the connections of past parents and teachers, after all, they spend longer at school than many students do. The journey for Springfield SPOSA is just beginning.
I’ve attended countless reunions, including a three-day cruise and a three-day retreat in Minnesota. The joy of reconnecting with our younger selves, by meeting old schoolmates, is the glue of SPOSA. You walk into a room, and people welcome you for who you are, without explanation. It is not the classrooms and syllabus that builds community - although in time we appreciate our education and parents’ sacrifice - it’s the jokes and struggles in the gaps between lessons that are most meaningful. Boarding and Ironbark are particularly strong touchstones. Time falls away. As President I was made aware that old school days weren’t golden and happy for everyone. Some people suffered terribly. I saw long-held pain and secrets shared quietly at reunions. Release and healing are possible, and the College now has supportive processes. As an architect, I’m pleased to have been instrumental in the completion of three building projects at Indooroopilly. The restoration of the 1896 Heritage Loo in Ross Roy was a technical challenge. Please visit it and marvel at the exquisite original tile work. The creation of our climatecontrolled archives and SPOSA Centre fulfilled a dream that began 68 years earlier, making the long-awaited PAC seem speedy. The Memorial Wall, to be unveiled in 2020, will provide an opportunity for people to return and remember special St Peters people. One day, I’d like to see a bushland place at Indooroopilly, to recall the natural meditative quality of Ironbark; and conversely, conference facilities at Ironbark for the larger community to have a taste of that special place. Volunteering for Old Scholars has been tedious and frustrating at times, but overwhelmingly rewarding. I’d like to thank all the SPOSA members, especially members of the Executive Committee and SPOSA Officers, St Peters staff, students and community for enriching my life.
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SPOSA
IMPROVING THE WELFARE AND WELLBEING OF PEOPLE THROUGH THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE
RENÉE MICHALKOW
communications officer
P
assionate about advancing humanity through leadership and governance, Old Scholar, Nkosana Mafico (2011), is a world economic forum global shaper.
Born in Zimbabwe, Nkosana, leads an extraordinary life where his professional interests lie at the intersection of business, government and civil society. Amongst his many academic and professional achievements and pursuits, he currently serves as an Advisory Council Member for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) providing advice to the Board on matters relating to the corporation’s broadcasting programs.
“At a core level, I questioned how I could use the skills and talents I have to improve the welfare and wellbeing of other people,” says Nkosana. Early in his first years at university he was running an English pronunciation software company. “I was helping with developing apps to help kids in developing countries learn English.” Then Nkosana shifted into work with African youth, “To advance humanity and help people to become the best versions of themselves.”
The consultant and PhD scholar is now shifting into research at the University of Queensland and is working further on his entrepreneurship in St Peters helped shape business. While studying the man I am today and teaching, Nkosana will also be working for in a big way... Where the ABC on their advisory the College ethos council and on a range of really got to me—that different organisations in pursuit of excellence." an advisory capacity.
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“St Peters helped shape the man I am today in a big way,” says Nkosana. He admits he was an average student, however, Nkosana turned a corner in Years 11 and 12, “Where the College ethos really got to me—that pursuit of excellence. The values started to solidify and I really became the best version of myself and I continued with the lessons I’ve learnt.” Since graduating from St Peters, the passionate entrepreneur and inspirational speaker, became founder of CYALA (The Council for Young Africans Living Abroad), and has co-founded and served as CEO of a Telstra funded software company.
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The advisory opportunity at the ABC came about last year when Nkosana pitched his ideas about programming. Nkosana said, "There’s a lot of things on TV at the moment about African youth and it’s fairly negative. I think the ABC, being such a pivotal institution in Australia, should really have somebody who can speak to what’s happening in the African community and help shape some of the programs around how they portray African people.”
SPOSA
Pictured (above): Nkosana addressing a Council for Young Africans Living Abroad crowd. (right): Back at St Peters for 2019 Multicultural Day.
After an intense interview process Nkosana became the youngest member on the Advisory Council of 12 members. “It’s a diverse group of people from all walks of life,” he explains. “The ABC likes to say each person brings to the table at least five communities. So, it’s a really amazing and rich experience being a part of it.” The dedicated young man is “really enjoying the opportunity to help shape the organisation and provide insights.” As part of his role he attends core-lead meetings in Sydney at the ABC head office. “We get a chance to sit down with the Chair of the ABC, the ABC’s Managing Director, and a range of different senior leaders. They come and present to us and ask for our opinion and insights into how they can better shape the programs.” Nkosana’s determination and hard work is being given recognition across many areas. In 2018 the Queensland Government named Nkosana ‘Outstanding Young Achiever of the Year’ for fostering social cohesion through entrepreneurship overseas. This year Nkosana won ‘Best Conference Paper Awards’ at the European and American
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Academies of Management, the leading professional associations for management scholars globally. This recent recognition emerged from “my Honours degree which has won several awards in the States.” Nkosana’s Honours research is on immigrants who start social businesses. “It focuses on the understanding of the immigration journey, how immigrants maintain their cultural identity, and how that influences the decisions they make within their business,” he explains. Going forward, the influential changemaker would like to, “See the Australian model for multiculturalism be embedded in other societies where multiculturalism, at the moment, is not working as well as it should be.” Nkosana believes, “There are many lessons other countries can learn from Australia and I would really like to see the world become more multicultural.” With everything he has accomplished and achieved so far Nkosana says he can’t believe where he is today. “I was that kid playing basketball at lunch time, before and after school. Basketball was life,” he laughs.
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SPOSA
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MARK PAPINCZAK - UQ MEDAL RECIPIENT C A SSIE T WEMLOW
publications officer
W
riting alumni profiles can leave me wide eyed with astonishment, for all sorts of reasons. Trying to describe the achievements of Mark Papinczak (2012), was one of these occasions, because his engineering developments were straying into fields of expertise I could barely comprehend. After leaving St Peters, Mark completed a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), and Master of Engineering (BE/ME) majoring in Mechanical and Materials at the University of Queensland (Honours Class I). His GPA was consistently above 6.6 in a challenging discipline and the outstanding quality of his academic achievements attracted numerous awards – The John Arnold Cup for Dux in his Senior year at St Peters, the Australian Student Prize in 2013 (awarded to the top 500 Australian students of that year), consecutive Deans’ List commendations from two universities and the awarding of UQ Valedictorian 2018. For his Master’s thesis, Mark focussed on developing and validating design tools for ultra-high temperature composite assemblies, including the design and fabrication of a carbon-carbon combustor for prolonged hypersonic flight via bespoke filament winding methods (in conjunction with the Australian Defence Science and Technology Group - DSTG). He has completed a mechanical engineering internship with Mercedes-Benz Germany focussing on the development, modelling and validation of non-linear energy absorbing composite structures, and worked with TAE Aerospace in a performance and reliability role servicing gas turbines for the RAAF. Three years ago, Mark took part in an exchange to Purdue University (USA) where he was selected as part of a Purdue University team to develop a small, lightweight turbine engine entrant for the US Air Force Prize.
Pictured: Mark Papinczak (left) at his UQ graduation.
“As head of the turbine design team, I developed an innovative geared contrarotating architecture to meet the Air Force requirements,” Mark expands. To put his work into context, Purdue University has 25 American astronauts as alumni and as of April 2019, the university has been associated with 13 Nobel Prizes. Subsequently, Mark participated in the Purdue University Study Abroad at the internationally acclaimed Von Karman Institute for Fluid Mechanics (a NATO research institute) in Belgium. Now a graduate systems engineer at Nova Systems in Adelaide, Mark is working on developing and implementing an holistic model-based digital engineering platform to support decision making and project execution (across numerous industries including transport, energy and resources and defence). “My future ambition is to work ‘abovethe-line’ with government bodies to guide investment and ensure that appropriate decisions are made regarding transport, energy and health infrastructure in the coming decades,” Mark explains. He hopes his work in this field will support Australia in mitigating the impacts of climate change, urbanisation and health inequality. Essentially, Mark wants “to ensure that we are solving the right problems, at the right time and in the right way, for the betterment of all persons.” I don’t think anyone could question that.
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SPOSA
SCENE STEALER From Dracula to Hairspray to State of Origin, multi-award winning Production Designer, Josh McIntosh, has created it all. In his studio based at Riverlife Baptist Church in Seventeen Mile Rocks, Josh talked to me about his inventive work on everything from two-man stage shows to elaborate, hi-octane outdoor sets for a cast of hundreds.
C A SSIE T WEMLOW
publications officer
A
lways interested in the arts, fresh out of school in 1990 Josh had no idea this is where his career path would lead him. He started off as a school teacher and during these 12 years would design and dress sets for the Harvest Rain Theatre Company “for free and for larks”, he jokes. However, Josh’s enthusiasm and creativity for the role pushed him into the scene permanently.
“I just kind of had the right skill set to do it because my dad, he was the ultimate DIY fiend. So I grew up building pergolas and using power tools and things like that,” Josh says. Ergo, naturally by the time Josh was in a situation of being asked to design sets professionally, he just made sure it happened. And boy, did it happen! Josh has been honoured with several prestigious awards for his body and design work and has won Del Arte Chart Awards every year since 2003 and it’s not hard to see why. His illustrations and eye for detail appear to bring productions to life, almost literally. Josh is currently working on Jane Eyre, for Shake & Stir Theatre Company, and during each performance the set needs to catch fire. “The cast and crew will rehearse on the set in the church for a week including doing all the fire tests so we can tweak stuff if it's not working. Then we'll pull it out and we'll take another few days to set up. And hopefully, we don’t set fire to QPAC!,” says Josh, very tongue in cheek.
As well as set creation, Josh also designs costumes….but draws the line at making them. “I hate sewing,” he says. These costume designs are equally as engaging as his sets. Clowns, giant lips on legs, foxes, Dr Seuss characters, eighteenth-century widows and all manner of weird and wonderful beings in between, can be seen on his sets. The productions and designs Josh works on are wonderfully varied. Boomtown, was an epic and elaborate commissioned work for the 2013 Queensland Music Festival which, was staged outdoors over two-stories on the Gladstone marina parkland. Equally, he’s been designing smaller-scale sets and costumes for local schools and Queensland Ballet over the course of his career. “Some shows require broad brushstrokes, because you've got to create big palettes of colour that an audience can read from a distance. Whereas with others, it's actually all about the detail in the show. And for me, theatre is still about providing enough detail to create a world, but leaving enough space for an audience to use their own imagination. Because I have found when an audience is kind of forced into using their imagination, they invest more in the story.” Josh’s two young daughters are his biggest critics. As they’ve grown up going to the theatre, they’re always ready to give their dad their honest feedback, especially when it comes to children’s productions.
Background image: CATS arena spectacular (2014) - the largest production in the southern hemisphere. Plus Ultra | November 2019
SPOSA
Above: Josh's Costumes imagined (above left) and realised.
Above: The initial concept drawing for the Boomtown stage and the real life production (above right).
"
...be the kind of person that people want to work with because that makes a big difference."
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Above: Josh McIntosh working on Harmony and Presto in his Seventeen Mile Rocks workshop.
“With Queensland Ballet’s Little Green Road to Josh of the production due to be staged at the Fairyland, I was conscious that there would be Princess Theatre on 30 November 2019. no speaking. So I wondered ‘Are kids going to Josh is a man who is clearly exceptionally be engaged, or are they going to get bored?!’ good at his vocation and is lucky to love it at And my little girls were like, ‘WOW! I love that, the same time. I loved everything about it,’ so that was great.” “It’s amazing and I am genuinely blessed to be You’d be right in thinking that ballet and rugby so busy all the time, which is great.” league have little in common. However, Josh And his advice for aspiring designers? has recently be approached by legendary comedian Gerry Connolly about producing “Let's just say, be the kind of person that a State of Origin show with journalist and people want to work with because that makes author, Hugh Lunn. a big difference. And just enjoy what you do and do what you enjoy.” “It’s a musical about how the State of Origin started. It's fantastic. It's a great show and a Sound advice for anyone. lot of fun with some great songs in it,” says
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SPOSA
FIFTY YEAR REUNION HIGHLIGHTS - "IF I HAD $2..." FR DAVID JONES
old scholar (1969)
Y
ep ... what would I do with it? Just $2.00. Well ... many of us would rip on down to the Golden Arches and get a serious infusion of tasty trans-fats. But as we age, we’re told we get wiser, and ... well, some do. Because there’s a better way to spend $2.00 ... but ONLY if you were a Golden Oldie at the P&F Centre on Friday 20 September. Because for your measly $2.00 you could get a glass of vino and toast your friends of some 55, or so, years standing. Friendships that really HAVE lasted a lifetime. A concept, that in 1969, we could never conceive. And what a night it was! We started Friday night at the P&F Centre, wholly self-catered, which meant that all the chefs among us could run WILD...and we did! It got me thinking back to boarding in the 60’s - where the boys got two sausages, but the girls only got one! Didn’t we fix THAT! As Leo Sayer sang...'there was SO much food, there was water comin' from my eyes!' Friends and past teachers came back to haunt us (thanks Pastor Mayer) and thanks Ron Holzheimer and Miss Yeates! There were apologies from Lyn Hardy, Dr Dron and Mrs Dron (a favourite Year 8 teacher, I’ve heard!). Eric (the Hoss) Holzheimer, 1969 School Captain, took to the lectern to tell us all this was his first visit back. His first in fifty years. Quick, I need another $2.00 vino please. And tissues too ... After Eric, Head of College, Tim Kotzur, took to the lectern to give us all a round of thanks for what we’ve done over the years to support St Peters, some of us more than others, but all have done something and made a contribution. He was followed by a brace of past students reminiscing, as we should. Such as when Ivan told us how he and a mate climbed the Chapel spire one night! And this somewhat surreal environment was really nailed when 1969 Head of Day school,
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Geoff Bonnin, messaged in from Washington ... to which he’d been sentenced over three decades ago. He would have been with us except for his post-surgery rehabilitation. Geoff really captured the nexus of what we are now about, as distinct from then. And friends, it comes down to this simple maxim ... you don’t know what you don’t know. We’ll come back to Geoff later. We also had video in from the Girls Captain, Marie Sellars, still as bubbly as ever, though sorry that it was impossible for her to be with us this time. And so the night went on … until all the washing up was done. The weekend continued with Songs of Praise on Saturday morning, a sumptuous lunch (thanks Café 45) and two St Peters student soloists doing Billy Joel’s Piano Man and John Lennon’s Imagine. After the mandatory raffles, with proceeds going to Helping Hands and organised by the irrepressible Nikki Boynton-Bricknell, a wandering tour of the College grounds was followed by canapés with Tim Kotzur. Thanks again, chief. Sunday saw as many of us that still had legs to carry us, come to worship in the amazing Chapel. To think … we enjoyed the dust and noise and mess that was the construction site while our Chapel was actually being built. Designed by a foremost Brisbane architect Karl Langer, built in 1968 by WW Groom and now heritage-listed this, with its infinite white curved rear wall leading into the ceiling, is an amazing piece of construction that we saw happening before our very eyes, just like the Science block. But unlike the Science block, the Chapel has a new organ and on hand was our Pastor of yesteryear, Pastor Reinhard Mayer, there to bless the new organ at St Peters. After this, photos on the Chapel steps, with Bishop Paul Smith too (who was celebrating his 40th reunion), followed by a cuppa and then it was time for the SPOSA AGM.
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Pictured (Back row L-R): David Jones, Kevin Radke, Wayne Hansen, Donald Radke. Second back row L-R: Robert Whiteman, Michael Elkington, Tim Johnson, Ralph Spunde. Middle row L-R: John Pearson, Louise Friedman (Vink), Vanda Mutton (Martin), Noela Moll (Lemberg), Rodney Hauser, Mark Brandt, Sue Alcorn (Boyle), Ivan Schindler, Alan Cheung, Eric Holzknecht. Second row L-R: Jane Ireland (Blythe), Kathryn McCook, Margaret Steptoe (Rohde), Gloria Harch (Wandel), Susie Jaensch (Tsang), Karen Hauser (Krause), Ada Lincoln (Seeto), Dyanne Jackson, Marion Pape (Cooke). Front row L-R: John Voss, Tony Michel, Eric Theile, Sue Steffensen (Scott), Diane Furness (Phillips), Lyn Birkelbach (Miller), Julie Ross (Hillman), Elinor Radke. Not shown: Ian Christensen, Heidi Fea (Baer), John Liley, Eric Hammer, Ellen Drury (Hammer), Marian Kratzing (Brown).
As we wound up an amazing three days, we conclude with enormous thanks to the organising team. It’s hard to name them all but, Ivan Schindler, Julie Hillman and Louise Vink ... take a very serious and long bow. And the rest of us ... let’s just stand and applaud everyone who helped.
And on UN Climate Day, Geoff reminded us to protect the planet - acknowledge global warming and do something while we can. Do what’s right for the only planet we have, not what’s expedient or simply profitable. Always ... do what’s right.
"
So as the reunion of the Finally, we come back to Class of ‘69 comes to an Geoff’s comments, because end, we look forward he has some serious to the next anniversary. messages. Not just for us, Don’t create barriers, Meanwhile, my wife and but for everyone at this I have made a date with create pathways. amazing College now. And Marcus in Minnesota, and Find out what makes John in Saskatchewan, his first message was this ... To value each and every your classmates tick, who both came down classmate, as you would and what gives them for this reunion, as did yourself. Get to know grief. And, share your Tim Johnson. Our time to everyone, where we didn’t. return the favours. This love with them." We tended to stay in clique is what I meant about groups, and breaking in lifetime friendships. Value to another group was not easy. Don’t create them as you make them ... it’s a lesson the barriers, create pathways. Find out what Class of ‘69 has learned the hard way. Love makes your classmates tick, and what gives and friendships abide. Treasure them all. them grief. And, share your love with them. May the peace and blessings of our Lord Appreciate the beauty of our world, so well Christ be with you all. represented by the grounds at St Peters.
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SPOSA
WE REMEMBER Our prayers are with the families of... NICK Y BOYNTONBRICKNELL SPOSA PUBLIC ATIONS EDITOR
Dina Moorhouse (Ludcke, 1948) – a woman of devotion 11 July 1930 – 5 August 2019 When the idea of a Queensland Lutheran College had taken root in 1944, Dina accompanied her father Fred Ludcke, playing the piano for the hymn singing, when gatherings from the Lutheran parishes were encouraged to enrol their daughters and sons at the new College. A founding student, Dina considered herself blessed to be sent to St Peters. Dina was a Prefect in 1947 and 1948; received the Music prize in her sub-Senior year and won the competition to name the College magazine The Review. A member of the first Senior class (of three), she had wanted to study medicine but left school part-way through Senior because she found the Maths too challenging. Dina went on to become the first Old Scholar to complete a Certificate of Nursing at the Brisbane General Hospital. After gaining her certificate in 1952, she nursed for a year in Adelaide, gaining her midwifery certificate at the Queen Victoria Maternity Hospital. Dina also completed a bush nursing course at the Queen Victoria Hospital thereby also becoming St Peters first triple-certificated registered nurse. She worked as a ward sister, a district nurse, a school sister (at Concordia College) and a geriatric nurse. Dina retired in 1980 after a full and rewarding career that had included marriage and bringing up two children. She was the proud grandmother of six and had two greatgrandchildren. She maintained a keen interest in quilting and embroidery and contributed a beautifully finished square for the Ross Roy quilt (pictured right), depicting the flowers her father planted at the College. Her father was one of the college pioneering parents dubbed the ‘Three Freds’.
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Emmy Ehm (Bitzer, 1950) – a woman of faith 7 May 1933 – 5 August 2019 Emmy attended St Peters from 1947 to 1948, completing her Junior before taking up a position in the office of Rowes Café in the city. At 17, she accepted a new position as governess for the Rohde family in Pallamallawa, near Moree, NSW. She was there for three years, before marrying John Ehm in 1954 – a marriage that would endure for 65 years. John was a builder and built their first house in Tarragindi where four of their children were born: Graham (1973), Janet (1974) and twins Karen and Elizabeth. Liesel was born at Mt Gravatt where John had built a second home on acreage. The Ehm family were members of St Mark’s Lutheran Church where they made firm friends, opening their hearts to many members of the congregation. Their three younger children attended Redeemer Lutheran College Rochedale, the school that Emmy and John, with the St Mark’s congregation, had both worked hard to establish. A third move to Birkdale in 1980 preceded the mission move to Wujal Wujal in 1989. In 1993, Emmy and John made their final move to White Rock in Cairns and remained there for the next 26 years. A sometime-carer for John, who’d had two heart operations, and a woman of great faith, Emmy was troubled by loss of vision and debilitating back pain. She had surgery for her back and was without pain when she passed away surrounded by her loving family. Erwin Epp (1958) – sportsman and scientist 29 October 1940 – 26 September 2019 Erwin’s family had emigrated from Germany and Erwin attended St Peters in 1952 as a weekly boarder in Grade 5. He was active in both Athletics and Football, representing both his House and St Peters in Athletics. He played in the A Football team from Junior and was Vice-Captain in his Senior year. A Prefect, and a consistently proficient student,
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in 1958, Erwin was awarded the Lostroh Shield, presented to the footballer with an outstanding record in consistent performance and sportsmanship.
Syrian refugees in Jordan, developing a sustainable aid scheme in Afghanistan, and supporting conservation programs in Indonesia.
On gaining his Senior certificate, Erwin received a State Fellowship with the then Department of Forestry and studied at UQ and the Forestry School, Canberra, gaining an AgSc degree. He continued in forest management/ research-related postings to Brisbane, Inglewood, Roma, Beerwah, Maryborough, Monto and Yarraman.
Ian and his wife Claire relocated to the Byron Bay hinterland. In 2011 he was awarded the Order of Australia for service to the tourism industry. Most recently Ian had been deeply involved with helping develop a sustainable business model for Keeping Our Freedom Youth, a group supporting young Aboriginal men after they leave prison. All of this was done pro bono, revealing his generosity and readiness to help anyone keen to make their community, and the world, a better – and a better looking – place.
Erwin met Wendy through the Youth Hostel Association and they married in 1969. He and Wendy had two children and he retired in March 2008 after 12 months LSL (trial retirement). They sold their house at The Gap and moved to their renovated former holiday home at Peregian Beach. Ian Oelrichs OAM (1966) – strategic thinker and visionary 26 February 1949 – 24 February 2019 Ian began his career as a trainee designer at ACI Ltd, Australia’s largest glass and corrugated fibreboard manufacturer. He found the challenges “at best, sporadic” and returned to education. In 1974 he joined the second intake of students to a “radically different” design, planning, and construction program set up by architect and industrial designer Eddie Codd at the Queensland Institute of Technology (later QUT). The following six years were some of the best of Ian’s life. He relished the freedom to forge new directions in a nation looking to a multifaceted, diverse future. Most satisfying was the recognition that the design, planning and construction disciplines had so much in common. He left QUT with the Outstanding Graduate Award in the Built Environment. Ian became Managing Director and a Proprietor of Forsite Landscape Architects & Planners, then formed EDAW Australia managing the planning and design phases of more than 150 major infrastructure, tourism and residential projects. He was also a cofounder of the Business Pathways Mentoring program, the Design Advisory Panel, the Nature Tourism Taskforce, the Northern Rivers Rail Trail and a coffee research project. Ian was also active in a range of grand-scale projects internationally, including helping
Ian is survived by Claire and two sons, Cooper and Dexter. Coral Ernst (1966) – a woman who served 14 April 1947 – 12 June 2019 On leaving school, Coral spent her entire working life in the Public Service in Canberra. She was a member of the SPOSA Executive Committee for several years and served her College in every way she could. A humble Christian woman, Coral is remembered with sadness.
BIRTHS Staff members Meg Foley and Matt O'Connor (pictured below) welcomed baby Emaline Frankie O’Connor into the world on 7 June 2019. Congratulations Meg and Matt!
Sinead Ray, and husband Matthew, would like to introduce Theodore Albert Ray born Wednesday 18 September. Theodore weighed in at exactly 3kg and measured 49.5cm long.
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THANK YOU! to our generous sponsors of the 2019 St Peters-Higgins Golf Day
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ANNUAL ST PETERS-HIGGINS GOLF DAY Rising bright and early on a glorious November Sunday morning, teams battled it out over golf course for the coveted trophy and other great prizes.
C A SSIE T WEMLOW
publications officer
A
nother year and another fun and successful golf day, this year hosted at Brookwater Golf and Country Club. On Sunday 3 November, 28 teams of four people took part in the Ambrose based competition teeing off at 7:30am, with the last of the golfers finishing up just after midday. Overall competition winners were the Worm Burners, with the Bradman prize (the team who scored last) going to the MSP Photography/St Peters Staff team. Other prizes included longest drive, awarded to Stephen Betts (men) and Tisha Searles (ladies) and, nearest the pin, awarded to the Moco Food Services team. Big thanks must go to our major sponsors of the day - Higgins Coatings Pty Ltd, Allclear Print & Signs and, Hunter Industrials (Qld) Pty. And of course, thanks to our hole sponsors all listed on the opposite page. Thank you for supporting our Golf Day. Each year proceeds raised go towards Service Learning projects at St Peters. We look forward to seeing you all again next year!
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COMMUNITY AND EVENTS
FINDING STRENGTH OF CHARACTER RENÉE MICHALKOW
communications officer
T
he St Peters Mother Son Breakfast, on Tuesday 23 July, was an incredible morning. What began as a brisk beginning to the day warmed up with special guest James Holbeck (pictured right), Classic Wallabies Career and Pathways Manager, as he delved into the topic of Developing Men of Character. James says, “I spoke about my own story of compromise. I think that’s the best way to teach people—to talk about some of the times you haven’t performed the skill as well as you would have liked.” During the keynote James was candid about his past experiences. “I compromised a lot of what I believed in because I wanted to be accepted by my friends, or what I thought they would accept. So it’s learning to stand up for what you believe in according to character traits and values that are positive and adaptable.” His speech relayed an important message for the boys: “It’s knowing what you stand for, and once you know that you can be 100% responsible for the way you want to act in life,” explains James. “Life is tough, life is a real challenge, and if we always focus on the negative then it can become overwhelming.” By understanding what’s important to you, you can, “appreciate what you have and appreciate the people in your life who love you and do things for you,” he goes on. Thank you to all who attended and supported this incredible event.
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THE RACE THAT STOPS A NATION H
ats, fascinators and champagne! It could only mean one thing...Melbourne Cup!
On Tuesday 5 November, the P&F Committee hosted a fabulous Melbourne Cup luncheon in the P&F Centre for over 70 St Peters friends, family and community members. As always, there was an amazing two-course meal supplied by CafĂŠ 45, sweeps and raffle prizes, fashion parades by students and, 'Fashions on the Field' for attendees. Thanks to the P&F Committee, SPOSA, Chalcyon - Jewellery for the Fierce and, Cr James Mackay for donating prizes.
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COMMUNITY AND EVENTS
ALLCLEAR SPORTS LUNCH Current and past sporting greats, along with St Peters community, gathered for the annual Sports Lunch on Friday 2 August at Hillstone, St Lucia.
Left (L-R): Richard Champion, Jon McKain, Ariarne Titmus, Pat Howard, Ross Thomson and Shaun Nodwell. ANTHONY COX
graphic designer and web editor
F
ollowing on from the success of the inaugural 2018 St Peters Sports Lunch, the 2019 event did not disappoint.
He then continued on to give his personal thoughts around what transpired within in the team and dressing room conversations.
Hosted by Allclear Print & Signs, the lineup of current and former sport greats, included guest speaker Pat Howard, a former Australian Rugby Union International, and Q&A panellists, former Socceroo Jon McKain alongside the current World Swimming Champion and Old Scholar, Ariarne Titmus. Q&A and event proceedings were performed by the ever-reliable and quick-witted MC and AFL Legend, Richard Champion.
Equally, there was excitement in the room to hear from Jon on his experiences in Football, and Ariarne after her immediate triumphs in Korea.
During lunch proceedings, Pat Howard spoke about his playing days as a centre and fly-half for the Wallabies, his coaching days at Leicester Tigers in Europe, returning to Australia to manage his family’s pharmaceutical company, and his appointment as General manager – Team Performance for the Australian Cricket Team. Pat gave everyone an insight into the now infamous, “Sandpaper Gate”, which embroiled the third Test match against South Africa in 2018, with ball tampering proceedings and suspensions to follow.
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There was a host of raffles and auction items. Money raised from this year’s auction items went to the various sporting groups at St Peters, totalling in excess of $22,000. The success of the Lunch would not have been possible without the continued support of our many loyal sponsors, support groups and individuals that we are sincerely grateful to. Thank you to all that attended and supported this year’s event; we hope you had an enjoyable experience! We look forward to seeing you at our 2020 event on Friday 29 May - put it in your diary now! To get involved in next year’s lunch, please contact Director of Community Engagement, Ross Thomson on (07) 3377 6580 or r.thomson@stpeters.qld.edu.au
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NEWS TRIVIA NUMBERS & QUOTES
DID YOU KNOW? There are over 40 different chorale and musical ensembles at St Peters Indooroopilly? If you’re interested in finding out more information, contact the Music Department on (07) 3377 6279 or music@stpeters.qld.edu.au.
"
I donated my [SPYGT] winnings to Vision Australia because the organisation helps people like my brother overcome their disabilities and experience things they weren't be able to do before.
Joash Teo :: JOTÉO Joash Teo (2014) was recently awarded the Woolmark Scholarship which supports young designers to creatively engage in the use of wool. You can check out Jotéo's beautiful works of fashion art on his instagram page, @_joteo_. Congratulations Joash!
– Joe Ivermee, winner of 2019 SPYGT.
Old Scholars Honoured On Monday 10 June in Lae, Papua New Guinea, Old Scholars Ben Woo (1979), Nancy Szeto (1964) and Pastor Yana Apo (1955-1957), received medals to commemorate The Queen's Diamond Jubilee. These awards are a token of appreciation and recognition for recipients' valuable contribution to the growth and development of Morobe and PNG in various organisations including, but not limited to, public service, higher education and research, churches, and not-for-profit organisations.
GUESS WHO?
Guess Who from page 16: Mrs Kelli Rodman (IND Girls Sports Coordinator); Guess Who from page 45: Mr Alex Mason (SFD Legal Studies Teacher).
96,694
20
$54,780
The number of photographs that have been taken by the Communications Department alone this year.
The number of different sports St Peters offers its students.
The amount of money raise (to date) this year for various fundraising projects including indigenous literacy, Australia's Biggest Morning Tea, Genes for Jeans Day and Tenner for Townsville.
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It never hurts to get a second opinion on your printing.
the answer is
Ph: 07 3392 7999 allclear.net.au