The Qantas inflight magazine is an unlikely place to find a reference to St Mary of the Cross, who is perhaps better known across Australia as Sr Mary MacKillop. Earlier this week (coincidentally the week in which the Catholic Church celebrates her Feast Day) I was surprised to read CEO of the Australian Olympic Committee Matt Carroll’s description of St Mary as one of Australia’s greatest female leaders. This she most certainly is. More importantly, she is our only Saint. In describing leadership, Matt Carroll quoted St Mary's words that “you teach more by example than by word” and that good leaders do likewise. 

St Mary’s life of service and commitment to education continue to inspire all Catholic educators. She knew the transformative power of education to change lives for the better. St Mary was one of many women and men who served the Catholic Church in Australia as Nuns, Priests and Brothers over the past 150 plus years. Their generous efforts built the foundations of the Catholic education system across the country. Sadly, some of their often heroic efforts have been stained by fellow members of their religious orders who abused their power and positions of trust with families and children. In remembering the life of St Mary of the Cross, we also acknowledge the contributions of countless religious women and men and give thanks for their selfless service to the community and to education. As present day Catholic teachers and leaders, our staff at Nudgee College commit to serve as St Mary of the Cross did, but also to ensure that the safeguarding of the students in our care remains of the highest priority. We celebrated the Feast Day this morning with a College Mass in the Conference Centre.

A contemporary of St Mary of the Cross was Br Ambrose Treacy. He was the founder of many Christian Brother schools that are now known as Edmund Rice schools. Of particular note to our community was that Ambrose was the visionary and founder of Nudgee College. Our main building, the iconic building on Sandgate Road, is named in his honour. Like St Mary of the Cross, Ambrose was an extraordinary man who possessed a capacity to get things done. In my five years at Nudgee College, I have learnt that some of Ambrose’s ‘can do’ mentality is embedded in Nudgee College’s DNA. I was reminded of this reality in reflecting upon last weekend.

It was a massive weekend – Friday’s St Joseph’s Rugby Luncheon; GPS Chess Friday night; more than 70 Rugby and Basketball games on Saturday; thousands of spectators throughout the day; luncheons on Saturday for Boarding families, coaches and officials; multiple Old Boy reunions; post-match functions; and the Boarders’ Bash for a huge crowd in Edmund Rice Mall on Saturday evening. This is not to forget that there was also a 1st XV Rugby match, which also drew many thousands of spectators.

The College is fortunate to have the resources and facilities to be able to host such a series of events. To my way of thinking, we are even more fortunate to have inherited Treacy’s ‘can do’ mentality, because without this mindset permeating amongst staff, parents and students last weekend’s events would not have been possible. Intrinsic to all this activity is the organic building of community connection and a sense of belonging. This was palpable throughout the weekend and we are blessed as a school to be able to share in and contribute to this sense of community connection.

Of course none of this happens without the enormous effort of many individuals who have that ‘can do’ attitude. On behalf of the College, I express our gratitude and appreciation for the collective effort of staff members from Property and Services, Catering, Finance, Development and Communications, Activities, sports injury staff, the Ladies’ Auxiliary volunteers and Tuckshop staff, as well as match officials.

While we have a moment to draw a collective breath there is plenty ahead over the coming week: our Cattle Club boys are at the Ekka, we host the Long Lunch on Sunday and the Open Morning next Tuesday, as well as the important Subject Information Nights on Monday and Tuesday evening. 

We will all put our feet up next Wednesday!

Mr Peter Fullagar
Principal

We have a family ritual every Sunday. We go to Church at 9.00am and then come home. My son goes up to our apartment and relaxes (Netflix is his relaxation) and my wife and I go to our favourite coffee shop and have brunch. A few weeks ago we sat down and my wife showed me an article by Leanne Edmistone in QWeekend (July, p20-21). It was titled, ‘How Parents are Ruining Their Kids’. This sort of article always grabs our attention – it is a self-test to see how we are travelling as parents, knowing full well we are far from perfect.  

The article focuses on a new book by John Marsden, called ‘The Art of Growing Up’. His ideas are challenging and even controversial. Marsden makes no apologies and admit to having “strong views” that he expresses “directly and forcefully”. I have included here a summary of the tips he provides for parents. Have a read and see how you are travelling. As parents I know my wife and I certainly did not score a 10. 

1. Give children space: Let them roam. Let them be bored. Don’t over plan their lives. Cut back on the afterschool activities.
2. Keep away from all those ghastly, soulless, sterile playgrounds: Keep away from shopping malls. Look for real places. Wild places.
3. Be an adult: Say no to your children at least once a day. If the role of the adult in your family is vacant, then one of your children will fill it. And it won’t be pretty.
4. Don’t take up all the space: If you are dominating and loud, your children are highly likely to become passive, lacking spirit and personality and /or sullen.
5. Believe about 40 per cent of the dramatic stories your children tell you of the injustice, corruption and satanic practices happening at school: Refer to my article from last week.
6. Teach them empathy: When they win a sporting match, remind them that their jubilation was only possible because someone else – the losers – have been made to feel awful.
7. Help them develop language skills: Don’t finish sentences. Don’t correct them if they mispronounce a word. They’ll work it out sooner or later. Ask open-ended questions.
8. Make sure they have regular jobs at home: And that those jobs are done to a consistently high standard.
9. Don’t whinge about the miseries of your adult life: A lot of children now are fearful about growing up because their parents paint such a grim picture.
10. Teach them to be very wary of people who know absolutely everything: The colour of truth is always grey. Extreme positions are for the ignorant.

Mr David Johnston
Deputy Principal

Feast of St Mary of The Cross

Mary MacKillop is, for the moment, Australia’s only Saint. She believed she was called to action, to put herself at the service of those in need. Having identified a need, she thought it unconscionable to stand by and ignore the situation or the people in the needful situation.

She felt a great passion for the need for education – an education for all. She saw better life options for anyone, no matter their social status, if they had the blessing of an education. She knew that through education we are better equipped to know and love God, and do his will. St Mary of the Cross knew this was fundamental to building a better Australia, a better world.

Her example calls each us to place ourselves in the service of our God.  

Ever generous God,
You inspired Saint Mary MacKillop
To live her life faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
and constant in bringing hope and encouragement
to those who were disheartened, lonely or needy.
With confidence in your generous providence
and through the intercession of Saint Mary MacKillop
We ask that you make us Signum Fidei – a ‘Sign of Faith’.
We ask that our faith and hope be fired afresh by the Holy Spirit
so that we too, like Mary MacKillop, may live with courage, trust and openness.
Ever generous God hear our prayer.
We ask this through Jesus Christ. Amen.

At this morning’s College Mass to celebrate the Feast of St Mary of the Cross, we recognised members of the College staff who have devoted significant portions of their lives in the service of Catholic Education. We congratulate and thank:

• Mr Mannie Navaro, Ms Robyn Tilyard and Mr Christian Oneto for celebrating more than 20 years of service to Catholic education
• Mr Gerard McKeown for celebrating more than 30 years of service to Catholic education
• Mr Terry Oberg for celebrating more than 40 years of service to Catholic education

Mr Stephen Meara
Dean of Identity

The Certificate III in Business (BSB30115) boys have teamed up with Mr Joel Crighton’s vegetable garden crew to bring some organic, healthy and fresh produce to market. The past two Mondays they have sold fresh beetroot, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, spring onions, rosemary, parsley and coriander, strawberry plants and succulents to College staff. The aim is for this to be an ongoing venture. The boys have already planted a new batch of seedlings to be harvested and sold down the track. In the next couple of weeks, the boys will host a plant sale.

All vegetables, herbs and plants are grown here on site at Nudgee College. Joel initiated this project and a small group boarders helped him plant a range of vegetables and herbs. The students learnt the craft of propagating these plants to start a viable business venture. The garden has now moved to the grassed area outside the Junior School. It is beside Vic’s Café, with the aim of developing an area whereby members of the community can grab a fair trade coffee from Vic’s, then enjoy each other’s company in the surrounds of the garden. All profits will go towards Nudgee College’s Social Justice Program.

Mr George Goves
Coordinator of Business (VET)

Japan Cultural Tour

During the mid-year holidays, a group of 31 Nudgee College boys embarked on a cultural tour of Japan. It was a combined Language and Music Tour open to students studying Japanese or members of a College Ensemble. The boys were accompanied by both Japanese and Music staff as well as the mothers of several of the boys on the trip.

We flew from Brisbane to Tokyo on 28 June, stopping overnight at Narita before taking a flight to Hiroshima on the morning of 29 June. From there we were on a whirlwind trip through Hiroshima, Onomichi, Miyajima, Osaka, Kyoto, Chikuma, Matsumoto and Tokyo.

Every day on the trip was packed with activities, including visiting Hiroshima Peace Park, taking part in an okonomiyaki cooking class, exploring the Tokyo fashion districts of Shibuya and Harajuku and singing karaoke into the night. The boys were able to experience both the traditional (staying overnight in a ryokan inn and visiting Japan’s oldest surviving castle) and the modern by test driving cars at the Toyota showroom and meeting Asimo the robot at the Miraikan Science Museum. 

Throughout the trip, the boys had numerous opportunities to practise their language skills, talking with shop staff and ordering food in Japanese. It was great to see them put what they had been learning in the classroom into practice. Some of the biggest highlights of the trip were our school visits to Osaka Meisei High School in Osaka and Shimokitazawa Seitoku High School in Tokyo. At both schools, we were welcomed very warmly by students eager to share their knowledge of Japanese culture and to learn about Australia. It was great to see the boys chatting in a mix of Japanese and English with the Japanese students. 

Another major highlight for the Music boys was their performances. They held four performances across the course of the trip, including three public performances that attracted large crowds, and one performance during our school visit in Tokyo, which had the girls up on their feet and dancing during their school assembly! 

All in all, it was a highly successful trip that allowed the boys a chance to immerse themselves in another culture, put what they have learnt in the classroom into practice and experience the pleasure of travel with friends. 

By Blake Keir (Year 11)

The Japan Tour was a very well organised trip with many things to do. We visited all of the major areas in Japan and got a real taste of the culture. My favourite part was the Japanese community; everywhere we went we were greeted politely, especially at the schools. We enjoyed talking to the Japanese people and we all made new friends. It was also very interesting learning and participating in the Japanese way of life and having experiences many of us had never had before. Overall, it was an extremely enjoyable and memorable trip.

By Al McEwan (Year 9)

The Japan trip was an excellent chance for the boys to test their knowledge and language skills. We immersed ourselves in their culture by participating in traditional Japanese activities. Throughout the course of the trip, we visited many shrines where boys would use a water-filled basin called a chōzubachi to clean their hands and mouth to purify themselves before entering. Another favourite activity among many of the boys was the onsen, which is the Japanese version of a hot spring where they would bathe. The trip was a chance for people in different year groups to interact with each other and create new friendships. I am sure this was an experience that the boys will never forget.

Mr Thomas Eichinski
Coordinator of Japanese

Performing Arts Excursion – School of Rock

On Wednesday 7 August, we took a group of 29 students who study Drama and/or Music to see the ‘School of Rock’ Musical, which is currently playing at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC. The show starred Mr Matt Crowley (NC 2005-07) as Theo and one of the parents of the students. It was such a wonderful opportunity to see one of our past students excel on the stage and do what he is passionate about – a truly inspiring performance. When Matt was at Nudgee College he studied Music and played one of the T-Birds in our production of ‘Grease’ in 2007. At the completion of the show we had a special opportunity to do a Q&A session with Matt and two other cast members. Our students got a great insight into the journey the three actors have been on and how they got into the industry. The boys were very interested in the orchestra pit and the size of the stage. All the students thoroughly enjoyed the evening and got to experience such a wonderful musical with a cast of exceptionally talented and passionate young performers. 

By Marcus Cutuli (Year 12)

Last night a number of students and teachers attended the ‘School of Rock’ Musical at QPAC. We were treated to upgraded stall seats and a Q&A session with three of the cast members after the show. They enlightened us on the complexities of doing a show, the performance itself and how they came to fame. I was personally struck by how young the cast was and how talented they were at playing their instruments live on stage. As a musician, I also witnessed the pit underneath the stage and saw that the person conducting was playing the keyboard simultaneously. It was truly a memorable experience. 

By Samuel Power (Year 9)

The ‘School Of Rock’ Musical performed at QPAC was outstanding. The way the children played their instruments live whilst they acted was breathtaking. After the play we were invited to a Q&A with some of the cast members. It was especially interesting to hear their journey from high school to stage and how they made it.

Ms Alison Kilgour
Head of Arts Faculty

Assessments

Last week, you were emailed your son’s Year 5 or 6 Term 3 Assessment Calendar, outlining the dates that exams will take place and assignments are due. We would ask that parents prioritise their son's attendance, particularly on exam days, to ensure that all assessment is completed by the end of term. It is important that the boys, in getting prepared for the rigours of secondary school, become used to the expectations they will encounter in future years. 

It’s also worth noting that the College’s Examination Attendance Policy was updated this year to reflect this. The following is an excerpt from this policy:
All students attend examinations as timetabled. Except in special circumstances, catch up examinations will not be scheduled. This is a change in academic culture but necessary to ensure academic integrity. Running catch up examinations encourages unfair practices and burdens the College’s academic administration and teachers. The College expects students to attend school and complete assessment.
Whilst we will always endeavour in the Junior School to work together with students and parents to find positive solutions when exams are missed, this is a good habit and expectation to start embedding with our boys from now. Being provided with an assessment calendar weeks in advance should assist parents and students with this process. 

Write that Essay

As teachers, we are regularly participating in professional development. Recently, the entire Junior School staff had the opportunity to attend a workshop related to the Write That Essay Program that is being steadily rolled out across the school. One of the main components of it is teaching the boys the ‘12 ways to write a sentence’. This is something we have been working on with the boys all year. Perhaps you’ve heard your son speak about using different sentences in his writing with funny names like ‘em dash sentence’, ‘power sentence’ or the ‘explore the subject sentence’. If your son hasn’t mentioned any of this, try asking him about it and see what he can tell you. The teachers have found this program and the resources that come with it (ask about the ‘sentence train’) to be an incredibly valuable teaching tool. Most importantly though, we have observed the boys displaying great enthusiasm when doing writing as part of this program. Anytime we can get boys excited about writing is a win in our books.

Mr Paul Cazzulino
Junior School Curriculum Program Leader

Boarders’ Bash and Lunch

On the weekend Nudgee College hosted almost 10,000 people for the Round 3 GPS Rugby and Basketball games against St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace. As part of this event we also hosted the annual Boarders’ Bash. This year Boarding families were also treated to a complimentary lunch in the Dining Room.

I want to thank the team of staff who worked tirelessly to organise these two successful events: Our Boarding Event Coordinator Ms Larissa Patti, our Head Chefs Mr Alfonso Navarro and Mr Steve Lutter, Mr Raoul Carmody and the Development and Communications team, our Property and Services team, as well as our Boarding Support Group, in particular Ms Louise Best, Ms Jocelyn Bundock and Ms Tracey Smith who worked tirelessly to organise and bring this event together. I also wish to thank Year 12 parent Ms Alysia Bridger for her assistance in organising this event.

Weekend Activities

• Friday: Shopping
• Saturday: Dodgeball
• Sunday: Ekka

Mr Christian Oneto
Dean of Boarding

Basketball

Round 3 was another exciting and high-scoring game for the 1st V. Despite taking shots that would normally fall on any given day, the boys shot a low percentage early in the game. This made for a tough task to close the gap, which resulted in the boys eventually going down to a formidable side in St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace (GT). Cody Colette showed that he is developing into a reliable contributor by providing some valuable minutes off the bench. Coach Scott has the boys improving each week and is looking forward to putting together a full game versus Ipswich Grammar School (IGS). 

Across the board GT outmatched the boys but there were some notable wins that displayed Nudgee College Basketball at its finest:

The Year 5 teams continue to impress. Congratulations to the 5C team for picking up their first win of the season. Old Boys Mr Denzel Tulloch and Mr Anton Malan were able to coach the 10F, 10G and 10E teams to some exciting wins. The 11Bs had an amazing ‘come from behind’ victory. The boys faced a double digit deficit at the start of the fourth quarter, but never lost hope. Kaushikraj Srihari's stellar play kept the boys in the hunt. But it was the late game heroics of Chase Leon and Thomas Walsh that got Nudgee College over the top. Chase ignited the comeback, scoring back to back three-pointers, and Thomas Walsh sealed the deal with a late steal and basket.

Mr CJ Massingale 
Basketball Director

Chess

On Friday, the 1st IV had a nail-biting finish against GT. Playing down to only seconds left on their clocks the 1st IV drew 2-2, with wins from Thasindu Chandrasekara and Jazz Born. With several players absent, the Senior team also drew 2-2 with wins from Nathan Levu and Year 8 Jack Vivers, who stepped up to fill the gap. While GT, unfortunately, claimed victory over all the other teams, several boys did win their games, including Eric Yang, George Coorey and Joseph Wesche, while William Kewley and Tevita Chan drew. 

On Tuesday, our teams also competed in the Brisbane Inter-school Competition. The 1st IV finished fourth, securing their spot in the State Finals later in the year. Our other teams also did very well, especially Jack Weaver who won six out of seven games in the C Division and finished third out of 62 students. 

Mr Martin Harmon
Chess Director

Rugby

What a weekend we just had here at Nudgee College for the Rugby community, with all 39 teams playing at home for the first time this season on a picture perfect Brisbane winter day. We retained the St Joseph’s Rugby Cup (the aggregate cup with GT), with 30 wins, eight losses and one draw – our strongest ever result. Shout out to the 12Es who have played GT 12Es every week this season and saved their first win for Saturday.

Nudgee College Team of the Week for Round 3:

1. Will Jones (1st XV)
2. Johna Luka (2nd XV)
3. Branden Hargreaves (4th XV)
4. Nick Georges (16D)
5. Alex Bradley-Moore (14A)
6. Jock Thompson (1st XV)
7. Pat Dallimore (15A)
8. Henry Kidd (7th XV)
9. Charlie Radford (2nd XV)
10. Noah Cunningham (12E)
11. Angus McLennan (11Gold)
12. Denver Bradford (11B)
13. Brock David (13C)
14. Dan Muller (1st XV)
15. Andrew Hardy (15C)

Round 4

You will notice the draw has been released in the app and all teams have a game! We are spread across four venues throughout Brisbane, which means some teams will have to carry extra reserves, which could impact team selections this week. Please check the draw carefully for kick off and bus times. Bus bookings are available now on the app.

St Joseph’s Rugby Luncheon

The Old Boys’ reunions started with the sold out St Joseph’s Rugby Luncheon on Friday at the new function room at Howard Smith Wharves. The lunch was another huge success and a great community event. A big thank you to the Nudgee College representatives on the committee, Mr Jim Campbell, Mr Dave Clark and Mr Steve Flook, for all their work organising this incredible event and to everyone who attended.

Training This Week

A reminder to take advantage of our scrum school on Friday mornings from 7.00am to 7.30am on Wilkes Oval with Queensland Reds prop Mr Gavin Luka; goal kicking masterclass on Friday mornings from 6.45am to 7.30am on Wilkes Oval with Reds player Mr James Tuttle; and halfback masterclass with former Reds halfback Mr Scott Gale from 6.45am to 7.30am on Friday morning on Wilkes Oval.

Rugby Memberships 

There are less than 50 Rugby memberships left for sale. Jump on the Payment Gateway to secure your 2019 Membership, which includes a 1 in 400 chance of winning a Hyundai i30, as well as a cap, key ring, tote bag, drink cooler and Rugby sticker. Memberships can be collected and purchased at the Pool Office. 

Mr Sean Graham
Rugby Director 

Theatre Sports

On Monday evening we had our Senior boys compete in their Quarter Final. They performed with great energy and certainly kept us entertained, resulting in them successfully advancing to the Semi Final. Congratulations to the team of Jamie Dickman, Parker Prout, Tom Walsh, Owen Mitchell, Joshua Price and Matthew Voysey.

Ms Alison Kilgour
Theatre Sports Director

A Message For Long Lunch Attendees

This email was sent to table captains for the Long Lunch. 

We have received a couple of lovely offers to help on the day. We are setting up from 7.30am on Ross Oval, so if you get any spare time to help set up on Ross Oval you’re more than welcome to come along and lend a hand. No need to register, just turn up – we’d love to see you.

Dimensions

This week we would like to introduce you to our five Guest Artists. We have some artists back by popular demand and some new artists to introduce to you for our Dimensions Art Festival Opening Night Gala. 

• Paul Smith: Paul is a professional photographer specialising in landscapes, music and portraits. A childhood spent in and around the ocean forged a love of the sea that has definitely shaped his approach to photography. His clients include QANTAS, Australian Geographic and Rolling Stone. He has worked with Pearl Jam, Kendrick Lamar, Pink, Coldplay and Bob Dylan.
• Wendy Britton: Wendy is a ceramic artist who loves to create work that makes people smile. Drawing inspiration from her home studio environment she has a broad body of work, from quirky sculptures to giftware and unique tableware. She is always experimenting with new creations and decorating techniques, and loves nothing more than a challenge to create unique art.
• Anita Chesterman: Trained in architecture and working in urban design, Anita is a locally acclaimed artist who has always had a passion for the artistic elements of her profession.
• Over the past decade, the inspiration for much of her work has been drawn from the importance that visual communication plays in her family's life. 
• David Hinchcliffe: David is represented by 13 galleries in London, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Queensland. He says he “paints the world”.
• Cory Salmond: Cory’s curiosity in drawing began at a young age whilst growing up in a small Australian country town. His self-taught skills began with an interest in sketching Australia’s native fauna. These skills were further developed during his time studying animation and design. Whilst on an extensive overland travel adventure from London, England to Cape Town, South Africa, Cory’s artistic focus shifted to African wildlife. His ability to reproduce these majestic creatures established his ambition to become a professional artist. Cory is one of the directors of the DIWA Zambezi Conservation Fund, which raises awareness of Africa's wilderness and wildlife conservation efforts. Cory was shortlisted and selected to exhibit in the David Shepherd Foundation Wildlife Artist of the Year 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018 exhibitions at the Mall Galleries, London.

Raffle

Major Prize: Nudgee College tuition fees fully paid for one student for 2020 OR $10,000 in cash

Tickets on sale now. Purchase tickets here.

We’re also seeking to assist us with raffle ticket sales at home games and during the festival. Sign up here.

Dimensions on the Green

Finally, we are pleased to announce a new addition to the 2019 Dimensions Arts Festival – Dimensions on the Green on Sunday 8 September. You will be well entertained by a range of our talented young Nudgee College men. More information to come, but for now please save the date.

Thanks in advance for your support.

Nudgee College Arts Committee