Boarding News

Last week, Marist College Ashgrove was well represented at Beef Week. This massive event only happens every three years and is a significant drawcard for anyone with an interest in beef cattle and primary industries in general. The city of Rockhampton plays host to Beef Week and does a fantastic job of managing a much-inflated population and showcasing all that the beef industry offers. We had a Marist College Ashgrove stall throughout the week and our staff engaged with many current families, past families, prospective families, Old Boys, and friends of the College. We also had a lovely function at The Boathouse Restaurant last Tuesday night which was attended by the Head of College Mr Newman, the President of the Old Boys Association Tim Slack, and around 50 guests. As always, it’s a privilege to be part of important events in the regions where our boarders are from and to strengthen the connections with our Marist boarding community.

This week, we turn our attention to an Australia-wide celebration of boarding as part of National Boarding Week. This annual event on the calendar runs from 12 – 18 May and during this time we will join with schools across Australia to celebrate boarding and all it offers to young people. It is also an opportunity to recognise the significance of being a boarding school and reflect on what this means to us at Marist College Ashgrove.

Marist College Ashgrove is proud that it has been a home away from home for boarding students since it first opened its doors in 1940 and it remains a very strong part of the fabric of the school.

Boarding is a way of life that offers unique opportunities like making new friends from all parts of Australia and the world, as well as developing confidence, character, and independence. A strong sense of camaraderie, team spirit, and brotherhood is synonymous with boarding at Marist College Ashgrove. The opportunity to live, work and play with your mates makes boarding a special experience for our boys.

The 2024 theme for National Boarding Week is ‘What Makes Boarding Tick’. We have a number of activities planned to capture and showcase our boarding community and our Marist boarding experience. With the help of the boys, we created a video to highlight all the amazing things our boarders do as part of their journey at Marist. If you haven't already watched the video on social media I have included it below. We are also having a boarding open house for staff on Tuesday, a boarder vs dayboy touch football game on Thursday, and an appreciation morning tea on Friday for families of dayboys who take the boarders to external sport commitments. It promises to be a great week.

Boarding Recreation

Mr Blair Whitlock

Week 4 boarding recreation kicked off with a trip over the Gateway Bridge to the Bounce trampoline park in Tingalpa. Bounce is always a favourite with the younger boarders and two hours of flipping, bombing, ninja parking and dodgeball certainly takes the sting out of them. It was 8:30pm by the time we got back to Marist, and everyone was ready for a sleep ahead of the Iona fixtures on Saturday.

Somehow, we are already halfway through Term 2 sporting season and it’s great to see so many boarders competing across chess, football and rugby competitions. The rain had threatened to disrupt weekend sport but held off just enough to get our games in, and it was a positive day on the whole. It was just about dinner time once we got back from Wynnum, and we were all ready for a feed and a relaxed evening by then! Later in the evening, a small group headed down to the fancy Newmarket Titan Luxe cinemas to watch the new Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes movie. The consensus was a solid 5/10 with the movie slipping in comparison to the first three in the series.

On Sunday morning, we dusted off the fishing gear and headed up to Shorncliffe Pier for a couple of hours. It was a beautiful morning, and the boys were able to hook a few small bream, some long skinny fish with surprisingly sharp teeth (unsure of the species) and one massive crab that got off at the surface! Multi-species fisherman, Lucas Newcombe, was the best on ground with a consistent catch and efficient bait usage throughout. The weights room was opened up for an hour on Sunday afternoon to round out another busy weekend of rec.