Principal
Around the country, boarding schools like Nudgee College are celebrating National Boarding Week. 130 years ago, we were established as a boarding school for Catholic boys from around Queensland. For many years, we remained solely for boarders but this has gradually changed since the 1950s. In 2021, we care for nearly 300 boarders in a school population of 1,700. Importantly, we consider ourselves a boarding school not simply a school that has some boarders.
The Bathersby Boarding Village and the community of boys and their families who we serve there is the heart of the school. Its placement in the centre of the campus is a statement about the centrality of our boarders to our mission and identity as a school. If boarding is strong at Nudgee College, then the whole school benefits. By strong, I mean that there is highly effective care for our boarders. That they are well connected with each other. That all our staff is in partnership with parents, many of whom live a long way away. That the all-round needs of each boarder are being met within both boarding and day to day school life. That there is a robust sense of trust between our boarders, our boarding staff and our parents that is tested when things go awry, as they sometimes do.
Our boarding school no longer simply serves families from Queensland. We have boys from interstate as well as overseas. COVID-19 and state border closures have tested the resilience of our interstate families and we are grateful for their continued confidence in us. Despite the international travel situation we continue to have some overseas students as part of our boarding community. We also have numerous overseas families seeking to place their son/s in boarding once they are able to return. For some of these families, the current pandemic is helping to create a particularly stressful time with much uncertainty.
Our boarding community has marked this celebration week in a variety of ways that have, or will, bring students, staff and families together. Importantly, boarding was a focus on Tuesday’s assembly. This included prayers for our boarding community. Within these prayers there were some beautiful sentiments expressed which provide an insight into the life of our boarding school. I share some of these with you:
I’m thankful for the love and generosity that inspires my parents to send me to boarding school. This comes at great sacrifice, materially, but especially emotionally. I pray God blesses our family.
I’m thankful for the adults who care for us daily. They go beyond job and work and create a home and a safe place of joy and nurture. I pray God rewards them.
I’m thankful for the confidence I gain each day living away from home, traveling, making decisions for myself, managing small things like laundry and pocket money. I pray I may be mature and grown up in my dealings with others.
I’m thankful for friends and for friendships. They aren’t always smooth, they aren’t easy. But they are character-building and memory-forming and for better or worse, we need our mates. I pray I may be a good friend now and always.
I thank the Nudgee College boarding staff and the leaders of the Bathersby community for creating a boarding community that is strong, in the best sense of that word. In particular I acknowledge: Mr Sean Toovey (Dean of Boarding), Mr Casey Brealy (Head of Cotter House and Deputy Dean of Boarding), Mr Ken Mitchell (Head of Hodda House), Mr Jeff Campbell (Head of O’Brien House) and Mr Alex O’Regan (Head of Murphy House).
Mr Sean Toovey has spoken further about the events on this week for the boys and community to celebrate in the Boarding section.
In conclusion, I note two significant events that conclude this week:
GPS Cross Country Championships on today. We wish Malachi Tuck (Captain) and Leo Fairley (Vice-Captain) and all the team well for the challenge of running the hills of Limestone Park. Thank you to Ms Jaimee Tremberth (Cross Country Director) for her dedicated leadership of the program over the many months of preparation.
Open Day this Saturday: We have a record number of registrations and consequently we are anticipating a very large crowd. In addition, we are playing our brother school, St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace, in football and tennis. There are a huge number of matches on site and this fact, combined with the Open Day crowd, will test our traffic management, our parking capacity and our patience. My tip to parents would be to come much earlier than you would usually for your son’s matches.
With every best wish for the week ahead.
Mr Peter Fullagar
Principal
