Boarding News

Dear Boarding Families,

Last week I had the pleasure of accompanying Landon Law-Palm, Braith Crossingham and Paddy Bassani on a trip to Sydney for these Senior boarders to attend a graduation ceremony for the program run by the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF). These boys have been supported by the AIEF since they began at Marist College Ashgrove and it was a proud moment for them and their families seeing them cross the stage and receive recognition of their achievement in completing their schooling. Well done to Landon, Braith and Paddy on this milestone and for being positive role models in our community.

This coming Friday is a student-free day and our boys are excited to know that this creates a long weekend for them. However, Friday is a most significant day at the school with the Year 5 and 7 boys for 2025 involved in a full day of orientation to Marist College Ashgrove. In boarding we will have all our new Year 5 and 7 boarders for next year coming in for a long weekend sleepover experience. This group of boys are coming from far and wide, including Gunnedah, Roma and Hong Kong. The opportunity to make new friends, learn about their future school and also enjoy the sport and recreation over the long weekend promises to be a great experience for the boys.

This week begins a period of change for our Year 12 boarders who started a roster of Mock Exams on Tuesday. When the Year 12s return at the start of next term it will be Master Classes, followed by almost three weeks of External Examinations. The reality is clear that our Year 12s do not have many lessons remaining at Marist and they will soon finish up at the school. This cohort of boys has contributed so much to our boarding community and to the wider school through their presence and support. The transition of the Year 11 boarders is starting to happen and I’m excited to see what this group of young men can provide as the emerging leaders of the school.

Boarding Recreation

Mr Blair Whitlock - Boarding Recreation Officer

On Friday morning three of our boarders (Joachim Horgan, Hugo Baker and Lachie McKellar) headed out to Ipswich for the 11th annual Brisbane Schools Go Karting Challenge. It was a great day on track with the Marist Shell, Red Bull and Monster Karts coming in with 1st, 2nd and 5th place finishes respectively. This is always a special event that is meticulously organised by Mr Andrew Devoy (Hermitage Senior Supervisor) and our boarders are very fortunate to have this opportunity.

Back at Marist a group of 30 boys headed up to the Laserzone at Lawnton for a couple hours of fun in the arcade and lasertag course. Despite several debriefs and some soul searching, the Year 10 team were continuously defeated by a clever and tactically flexible Year 7/11/12 team that dominated lasertag throughout the evening. It was a great Friday evening activity and I’m sure we’ll be back again down the track.

On Saturday afternoon we watched the 1st V Basketball team go down in a nailbiter against St Patricks College with young Year 10 boarder, Makenzie Bowen, getting plenty of minutes off the bench. It was a hot afternoon and great time to get the ice baths out with many boys across the dorms looking to make the most of this and aid their recovery. There were a couple of buses heading to different games on Saturday with a group going to the Norths Devils vs Sunshine Coast Falcons game to support Kierran Moseley while another group headed to the Gabba for the Brisbane Lions vs Essendon AFL game. Thanks very much to Anthony Graham and David Finch for their help in making these games possible to attend.

Sunday was another busy day as the La Valla and Montagne boys headed down to the Flats to take part in the Ashgrove Junior Park Run. Despite a few grumbles with the early start the boys had a good crack at it and it’s always a great way to start the day. A small group headed down to the Museum of Brisbane in the morning before our Dodgeball Tournament which we hosted at Marist. It was good fun with teams from Brisbane Boys College, Brisbane Grammar and Nudgee College coming over to Ashgrove for some friendly competition. A couple hours of dodgeball and catching up with mates was a great way to spend the afternoon with the weights room being opened up before Mass to round out another busy weekend.