Boarding House Year 12 Leavers' Dinner

Our Year 12 Boarding House Dinner was held last Wednesday evening on a beautiful balmy evening. With the sun setting upon the boarding house, our parents and Year 12s gathered to enjoy canapes and a get together before the evening began. Our boarders looked stunning for the night and were well prepared to celebrate as one family. There were many laughs, a few tears and of course, many reminiscing moments. There are many to thank; however, I would like to acknowledge our parents who travelled from near and far to celebrate the evening. I am truly grateful for your efforts and the time you have invested in our boarding house. You are all very much welcome to visit in the future and reminisce with your son or daughter. I would also like to thank Andrew Cavill. Andrew toasted our parents and gave a heart-warming speech of the opportunity boarding at College provides and these opportunities are to be taken with both hands. Thank you Andrew. I would also like to thank our kitchen staff and waiting staff. The meal was outstanding and once again Colin, Alfonso and the kitchen team went above and beyond to create and serve a meal that left all speechless. Thank you.

Congratulations to Jonathan Lee in winning the Anita Macdonald Trophy for an outstanding contribution to boarding. The Anita Macdonald trophy is awarded to a boarder who has shown great compassion for others, is able to help others, is responsible, and has given wonderful service to the day-to-day life at the boarding house.

I have included in this week’s newsletter excerpts from our boarding house captains’ speeches. Thank you Nikita and Jono for your leadership this year and guidance of our younger boarders: you have certainly set the bar to a high standard and you will be sorely missed.

Excerpt from Nikita's Speech

We have become extremely close as a cohort. It isn’t just academics that have created this bond but it is the mere personal struggles that each and every one of us have been through. For most of us, this year has challenged us in every way and I cannot be more proud of this group of people or thankful for this group of people. No matter what the issue, we have helped each other through it as we can all relate to struggles and I am so appreciative of being a part of this strong year level.

There are certain specific things that I have worked out that I will miss: the simple chat in the troopy with Justin and Jim; the care and love given to me by the MODs; the chats in the morning on the way to school with Mr Monk; and, of course, the table chatter in the morning and at dinner time. To some people these seem like little things out of everyone’s day as a boarder but, to me, they are the things that relieved me of my stress for just a little while and that’s good enough for me. It may seem simplistic but these are the little things that all contributed to the helping of getting through this year.

I would like the thank the heads of boarding that have been here in my time: Mrs Horne, Mr Churchill, Mr Smith and of course Mr Monk; the MODs who have never failed to feel like a mother to me, past and present; Jonathan, the best person to be boarding house captain with this year (you are one of a kind Jon and you are going to go so far in life due to your hardworking ethic that you have shown this year for the boarding house and at school); the troopy drivers to get me anywhere I needed; the kitchen staff who have cooked sensational food since day one; the amazing girls I had the privilege to lead this year; and, of course, Mum and Dad who sacrificed a hell of a lot to get me here. I can’t express my appreciation enough as I certainly wouldn’t be the person I am today without you getting me here.

I want to leave you with some of my advice to get through boarding for the remainder of your time here.

Be organised and keep a tidy room. The difference in stress levels when there is a clean room to be in, compared to a messy one, is actually amazing.
Don’t leave your washing till Sunday night – having to wake up at 6 to put your washing in the drier starts your week off really badly
Do your boardingware early – having an angry Jim is not what you want
Be a leader all the time – there is always someone watching your actions so make them count
And lastly, whenever you feel down or you ‘hate this place’ take a look around: you may want to take the comment back.

Walking as One

The day after our dinner all boarders wished our Year 12s the very best with a round of applause as they walked down Myrniong drive for the last time. Well done Year 12s on the way you have gracefully conducted yourselves. Well done.

Trip to Picaninny

Thank you to Justin for the trip to the southern Grampians mountain range this weekend where our boarders from Cambodia, Yong Soueng and Yong An, enjoyed a walk in the National Park. With the Grampians National Park so close to our boarding house, we are very fortunate to be able to access the day walks on offer. We’re all looking forward to revisiting new walking trials in 2020.

Andrew Monk

The Hamilton and Alexandra College Newsletter

Issue 32 · 31 Oct 2019

In this issue