AROUND THE COLLEGE & BEYOND

India Family Night Fundraiser

The College celebrated another enjoyable and successful India Night last Saturday, where the family spirit of the community was most evident. As part of the Marist Association, we look forward to hosting this night as it brings the wider Saints family together in a most relaxed and informal environment. At the same time it allows us to raise funds for our Marist schools in India. India Night was first held in 1995, after Mr Lionel Williamson approached the Provincial of the Sydney Province, Br Charles Howard, about Saints hosting an event to raise much-needed funds for our Marist schools in India. 

As stated, this night has developed into a very enjoyable evening, with families coming together for a good cause. A big part of the event is the monster raffle that generates funds. Without the support of local businesses in Cairns, this raffle would be impossible. We are most grateful to the 30-plus businesses that donated prizes, and I personally thank them for their generous support of our fundraiser.

At St Augustine's, we are extremely fortunate to still have an active Marist Brothers' community living at the College. It certainly affirms the Marist characteristic of presence when the Brothers work in the school daily. Br John Horgan, the community's leader, worked at the schools to which the night is dedicated. He captured some memories of his years in India in the words below:

"I lived for four years in our formation community in Trichy, Tamil Nadu State in         Southern India. I went by bus every second Thursday to visit our primary and secondary schools and the Brothers' community in P Udayapatti, a small village about two hours away from Trichy. There are about 300 boys in the primary school and about 900 boys and girls in the secondary school. On the alternate Thursday I went by bus to our schools in Mangamanuthu about three-and-a-half hours away. Both are in poor areas and receive almost no government support, so the schools need all the help and support they can get."

Thank you so much to everyone who supported India Night on 28 October. It was a terrific night enjoyed by all and a great example of the Marist spirit of our Saints community. 

The Prizewinners

ASX Schools Sharemarket Game Proves a Hit with Our Students

By Jon Sorensen

The second ASX Schools Sharemarket Game finished on Thursday 26 October. Forty Saints syndicates and 80 students competed in the second game. St Augustine’s obtained some pleasing results in tough economic conditions with stronger inflation numbers in the September quarter. Mafia Capital, who is Year 9 student, Zack Caltabiano, won the second game for St Augustine’s College. Zack placed 3rd in Queensland and 38th in Australia, he just missed out on the cash prize for Queensland. This is a fantastic effort by Zack. Second place went to JJC Capital, who is Year 8 student, Jimmy James Cox. Jimmy obtained 66th in Queensland which is a great effort. 

I congratulate all students on their participation in the competition. 

The rankings for the Top 5 syndicates at St Augustine’s College are below. 

The DATTA Awards

The DATTA Awards were held last week at the Shangri La, and the Design Tech students in Years 7 and 8 took home nine awards. First prize winners were Owen Downey and Zachary Pitts for Year 10 Engineering Principles and Systems, Hamish Mann for Year 10 Design, and Lucas McCarthy for Industrial Graphics Skills.

Year 7

Ashar Khan - 7/8 Industrial Technology & Design BLA Award – 3rd 

Year 8

Luke Cerutti - 7/8 Industrial Technology & Design BLA Award – 2nd 

Matthew Rowbotham - 7/8 Industrial Technology & Design BLA Award – Encouragement Award

Year 10

Owen Downey – 9/10 Industrial Technology & Design BLA Award – 1st 

Zachary Pitts - 9/10 Industrial Technology & Design BLA Award – 1st 

Hamish Mann - 9/10 Industrial Technology & Design BLA Award – 1st

Hamish Mann - 9/10 Industrial Technology & Design BLA Award – Encouragement Award

Year 11

Lucas McCarthy – Industrial Graphics -  Industrial Technology & Design BLA Award – 1st 

Year 12

Patrick Jones - Industrial Graphics -  Industrial Technology & Design BLA Award – Encouragement Award.

Victor Sabatino won the State Championship for Certificate I Construction.

Year 10 Informal 

By Mr Neil Gregory

The Year 10 Informal, held late last month, brought together students from St Augustine's and St Monica's for a memorable evening of fun, laughter and camaraderie. 

With great enthusiasm, around 215 students took part making it a lively and engaging gathering. To foster interaction and friendship between the students, they played a variety of ice-breaking games. These helped overcome initial shyness and created a comfortable atmosphere. 

The highlight of the evening was the dance floor, where students showcased their dance moves and grooved to popular tunes. The energetic atmosphere was contagious, with students from both schools mingling and dancing together. The diverse music playlist catered to various tastes, ensuring that everyone had a chance to enjoy their favourite tracks.

A sumptuous dinner was served, featuring a delectable spread of cuisines to cater to different tastes and dietary requirements. The meal was not only delicious but gave  provided an opportunity for students to sit down, relax and engage in conversations, further enhancing the sense of community and friendship among them.

The Year 10 Informal was a resounding success. It allowed the students to forge new friendships and strengthen existing ones. The occasion not only provided a platform for social interaction but also created cherished memories for those who were there. 

We extend our gratitude to everyone who contributed to the success of this event: Mrs Knight, the SRC from both schools, the supervising staff and, most importantly, the students whose enthusiastic participation made the evening truly special.

Teachers Band Together to Revive Mountain Bike Challenge

By Rhys Thomas 

St Augustine’s teacher Chad Elliott and Malanda State High School teacher Darren Grose, with the help of local mountain biking clubs, have revived one of the region’s most popular school-aged competitions.

A group of school teachers have joined hands with local mountain bike clubs across Far North Queensland to revive a decade-old competition and usher it into a new era.

The FNQ Interschool MTB Challenge was a prominent race a few years ago and was attended by schools from across Cairns and on the Tablelands.

It brought kids together from different skill levels as they took on the tracks at the Davies Creek Mountain Bike Park in a one-off, cross-country event.

However, after a change in governing bodies, it became much harder for schools to run the event and the challenge slowly dwindled.

Now, a band of school teachers with the help of local mountain biking clubs, have revived the competition and expanded it drastically, taking it from a one day event to a multi-series challenge across different locations.

The expansion of the previous format has made the FNQ Interschool MTB Challenge one of the most popular school-aged mountain biking events in the Far North.

“I was working at a different school at that point and there was a decent number of kids going up to that and racing,” St Augustine’s teacher Chad Elliot said.

“It was bringing together different schools from Cairns and the Tablelands that hadn’t really competed against one another," he said.

Darren Grose, a teacher from Malanda State High School, said the initial challenge gave kids a chance to experience mountain biking without the pressures of club competition. "These kids may have not been confident enough to go into any club races whereas because it was a school event, kids that hadn’t raced before got into it," he said.

With the help of the Cairns Mountain Bike Club and the Mareeba Mountain Goats, Mr Elliott and Mr Grose, alongside other like-minded teachers, have reshaped the competition into the multi-stage challenge it is today.

Taking place over several heats at different locations across the Far North, the challenge provides kids with the chance to ride on some of the world’s best mountain biking trails and interest has become so strong that every race to date has been completely booked out.

Mareeba State High School teacher and avid mountain biker Travis Cummings had a big hand in organising the first two events at Davies Creek earlier this year. Mr Elliot said many of the riders wanted to compete in an event that dealt more with gravity and the technical side of riding, hence the third round was held on the world-renowned downhill tracks of Smithfield on 22 October.

The Smithfield Mountain Bike Park has some of the world’s best downhill tracks and was chosen to host Crankworx in 2022 and 2023.

Mr Elliott said, “That event will be what they call an Eduro event, so the students will ride to a starting point without being timed, then they are timed from that starting point to the finish of the downhill.

"The trails are chosen for age and skill levels so they are not tackling really intense trails but trails the race director believes are accessible. We know those trails and there is a good scope to progress yourself depending on what line you choose," he said.

There are six categories across three different age groups as the students compete against each other but most importantly themselves, trying to beat their own times.

There are also skills events that will be run for the older age groups that focus on mountain biking technique.

Mr Elliot and Mr Grose have thanked the Cairns Mountain Biking Club and the Mareeba Mountain Goats for their support in hosting the challenge.

The two teachers are hoping to develop the challenge so they can continue bring more and more students into the world of mountain biking.

Taken from Connect FNQ and used with permission.