Principal
Welcome back and welcome to the new boys and their families who have joined over the holidays. It is interesting to observe that we start Term 4 with more boys than we started with in Term 1. Despite the impact of COVID-19 we commence with 1,689 students, a touch up on the start of the year. A positive sign during these unsettled times.
Before commenting about the term ahead I want to mention my road trip to Western Queensland in the final week of last term. Along with Mr Christian Oneto and Ms Megan Brealy, we travelled to Roma, St George, Goondiwindi and Warwick to meet with current families, families of enrolled students for coming years, as well as prospective families and a few Old Boys. We were warmly welcomed wherever we gathered and the hospitality extended to us was very generous. It has been a strategic decision to engage more meaningfully with Western Queensland communities. The hosting of various clinics in these towns as well as regular visits from Christian and other key staff over recent years have enabled the College to re-engage and to give back to these communities. It is pleasing to see Boarding numbers from Western Queensland increasing as the positive school experience of current boys from those areas has been shared with others in the local community.
While many of us have been able to enjoy a holiday, school life continued in various forms over the break. These included:
- The highly successful Year 12 Formal on the first Sunday night.
- The Year 12 external exam preparation program that operated across both weeks (particular thanks to Ms Peta Scott for her daily commitment and organisation, as well as to the Year 12 teachers who led the sessions).
- Various sports camps and activities that were offered throughout the holidays.
It has been my experience that Term 4 in schools always presents a unique challenge and opportunity. There is the heady mix of dealing with the daily details of school life combined with bringing a school year to a close with a range of occasions, walking the final weeks with our Year 12s and finalising plans for the start of the next school year. It makes for a few hectic moments!
With these thoughts in mind, beyond settling into the normal routine of school life these first three days of the term have featured:
- The leadership handover ritual from the College leaders of 2020 to those of 2021 - this marks a period of transition as Year 12s more sharply focus upon the external exams that await them and the Year 11 leaders assume day to day leadership on their behalf.
- The NCOBA Mentoring Breakfast for Year 11 students, which was well supported by a range of successful young Old Boys from a diverse range of occupations and attended by a large number of Year 11s. There was a great deal of insight shared as the Old Boys discussed their journeys since school and our boys listened with interest
- The Year 12 Boarders' Rites of Passage, which is an intimate occasion and also a night of much sharing as the Seniors prepare to leave their home away from home.
The Boarding Formal Dinner tonight, which is a celebration for the Boarding community of their year living together and, in this instance, prevailing over the challenge presented by COVID-19 and border restrictions.
In conclusion, over the holiday break the College took back part possession of the heritage-listed Treacy Bbuilding. On the first floor we are now using four beautiful new classrooms as well as the new staff rooms on the first and second floor, which we have named the Callan Centre. It is an exciting transition for the staff who have moved into these spaces. The building project in the heritage precinct continues in the coming term with the Gallagher building to be demolished in the coming weeks. This project is transforming the original areas of the College while also respecting the rich heritage dating back to 1891. Looking ahead to early 2021 this project will be completed and we will be fully able to appreciate this transformation. An exciting prospect.
Mr Peter Fullagar
Principal