College News 

Message from the Co-College Principals

G’day everyone,

As Term 3 draws to a close, it has once again been a busy and rewarding time across Kurnai College. Our senior students are now turning their attention to final assessments and exam preparation, and we are proud of the continued effort, commitment and resilience they are demonstrating as they work towards their goals.

This term has provided many opportunities for our students to showcase their talents and achievements beyond the classroom. From the arts and performing arts to sporting competitions, our students have represented Kurnai College with enthusiasm, skill and determination. I would also like to acknowledge the many staff who coach, support and encourage our students, often giving generously of their own time to provide these valuable experiences.

Learning has continued beyond the classroom, with students participating in a range of excursions, camps, competitions and other enriching experiences throughout the term. These opportunities allow students to broaden their learning, develop independence, strengthen friendships and build confidence.

This term has also brought a great sense of loss to our College community with the passing of Robin ‘Fitzy’ Fitzpatrick. Robin was an important part of the Kurnai College for more than three decades, and her presence was felt across generations of students and colleagues through her kindness, care and dedication.

Her contribution to our College will be remembered with great affection, and her legacy will live on through the many lives she influenced. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, former colleagues and all members of the Kurnai community who are mourning her loss.

As we look ahead to Term 4, we look forward to continuing to support our students in achieving their goals and celebrating the many successes and milestones that the final term of the year will bring.

Anthony Rodaughan & Jayde Werner-Duffield

Co-College Principals

Vale Robin ‘Fitzy’ Fitzpatrick

Kurnai College deeply saddened by the passing of Robin ‘Fitzy’ Fitzpatrick earlier this term.

For more than 30 years, Robin was an exemplary teacher, a trusted colleague and a much-loved member of the Kurnai College community.

Throughout her career, Robin made a lasting impact on generations of students, who benefited from her guidance, care and unwavering commitment to their learning and wellbeing.

Robin will be deeply mourned by her colleagues, students, past students and the wider Kurnai College learning community. She will be remembered with great affection and will be sadly missed. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Robin’s family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time. 

National Principals Day

Australian National Principals Day was celebrated on Friday 7 August, and at Kurnai College we took the opportunity to acknowledge and thank all of our Principals for their important contributions to our College. Leading a multi-campus school community requires vision, collaboration and a genuine commitment to supporting the learning, wellbeing and success of every student.

Our Principals play an important role in setting the direction of our College, supporting staff, building strong relationships with students and families, and creating the conditions for our students and staff to thrive.

We are grateful for the leadership, guidance and care they demonstrate each day, as well as the countless decisions, conversations and challenges they navigate behind the scenes.

Thank you to all of our Principals for your leadership, dedication and commitment to Kurnai College. We appreciate all that you do for our students, staff and wider community.

Music News

It has been another busy and exciting term for the Kurnai College Music Program, with our students continuing to rehearse, perform and refine their musical skills while participating in a range of events across the College and wider community.

Primary Schools Tour

This week we kicked off our annual Primary Schools Music Tour, with our Kurnai musicians visiting Morwell Central Primary School and Morwell Park Primary School.

The Primary Schools Music Tour provides our students with valuable opportunities to develop their performance skills, build confidence and connect with the wider community through music. It was fantastic to see our musicians representing Kurnai College so positively and engaging with the primary school students through their performances.

We would like to thank the staff and students at both schools for warmly welcoming us and giving our musicians the opportunity to share their love of music with younger students.

This is only the beginning! In the coming weeks, our musicians will continue the tour with visits to Yinnar, Churchill, Churchill North and Boolarra Primary Schools.

We look forward to continuing to spread the joy of music throughout our local community.

Music for the Valley 

Kurnai College is proud to once again partner with Monash University to present “Music for the Valley” at  Federation University's Churchill Campus on Saturday 5th September from 5-8PM

Everyone Welcome!

 FREE ENTRY – https://events.humanitix.com/music-for-the-valley 

This exciting annual collaboration brings together the Monash Medical Orchestra, Monash Medical Jazz Ensemble and musicians from Kurnai College, providing a unique opportunity for our current students, staff and Kurnai alumni to perform alongside accomplished musicians.

Under the direction of Maestro Robert Dora, the Monash Medical Orchestra will present an exciting program of orchestral works, while the Monash Medical Jazz Ensemble, directed by Joshua Chong, will bring a fantastic selection of jazz to the stage.

For our Kurnai musicians, the event provides an invaluable opportunity to rehearse and perform as part of large professional-style ensembles while developing their musicianship and performance skills.

Music for the Valley brings musicians together to share the joy of live music with the wider community. This wonderful celebration of music, collaboration and community promises to be a memorable evening and an event not to be missed!

VCE Music – Performance Exam Preparation

Our VCE Music students have also been working hard throughout the term, refining their performance skills as they prepare for their upcoming end-of-year performance examinations.

Students have been polishing their repertoire, developing their musicianship and building confidence as they approach this important stage of their VCE Music studies.

We wish all of our VCE music students the very best with their final preparations and upcoming performance examinations.

Kurnai’s Got Talent – Auditions Are Coming!

Kurnai’s Got Talent (KGT) is back for another year, and we are excited to once again showcase the incredible talent that exists across Kurnai College!

KGT provides students from across the College with an opportunity to step onto the stage, showcase their talents, compete for some exciting prizes and battle it out for the prestigious title of Kurnai’s Got Talent Champion!

Whether you are a singer, musician, dancer, comedian, magician or have another talent you would love to share, we encourage you to get involved. You don't need to be an experienced performer — KGT is about having a go, building confidence and sharing your talents with the College community.

Auditions will take place during Weeks 9 and 10 of Term 3 and continue into Week 1 of Term 4.

Students interested in auditioning are encouraged to sign up and start preparing their acts. For further information, please contact your campus music teacher or myself.

Chris Gretton

College Music Coordinator

Sports News

With the beginning of a new term, our students have already continued to proudly represent Kurnai College in a range of interschool sporting events. They’ve once again stepped up with great commitment and embraced the challenges of competitive sport.

Wellington Athletics

On Thursday 20 August, a talented group of Kurnai students travelled to Joe Carmody Reserve in Newborough to compete at the SSV Wellington Division Athletics Carnival.

Our students represented the College with determination, sportsmanship and pride, producing some outstanding results across a range of events. 

A huge congratulations to the following students who have qualified for the Gippsland Region Athletics Carnival! 🏅🎉

Congratulations to all of our athletes on an incredible effort. Your commitment, determination and willingness to represent Kurnai College is something to be proud of. 

We wish our qualifying athletes all the very best as they take on the Gippsland Region Athletics Carnival! 

Wellington District Basketball

During Week 8, on Tuesday the Year 7/8 Girls and on Thursday the Year 7/8 Boys basketball teams headed to Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium (GRISS) in Traralgon to compete in the Wellington District Round.

⛹️ Year 7 Girls

The Year 7 Girls had a fantastic day on the court, showing resilience and determination throughout the competition. After a challenging opening game against Lavalla Catholic College, the team bounced back with a strong win against Sale College, building confidence as the day progressed. A standout performance came against Maffra Secondary College, where the girls secured an impressive 30–5 victory. They continued to compete strongly throughout the day, finishing with a hard-fought game against Yarram Secondary College.

⛹️‍♀️ Year 8 Girls

The Year 8 Girls also demonstrated great determination and teamwork throughout the competition. Despite also following a challenging opening game against Lavalla Catholic College, the Year 8 girls team also responded strongly with a win against Sale College, providing a valuable confidence boost. They continued to fight hard throughout the day, with a particularly close contest against Chairo. In a thrilling and hard-fought game, the girls narrowly missed out, going down 20–22. Their resilience, teamwork and positive attitude were evident throughout the competition as they proudly represented Kurnai College.

⛹️ Year 7 Boys

The Year 7 Boys showed plenty of determination and teamwork throughout the Wellington District competition, continuing to compete strongly across each of their games. After a challenging opening match against Lavalla Catholic College, the team bounced back with a closely contested game against Sale College, narrowly going down 20–24. They finished the day on a high, producing an excellent 31–6 victory over Yarram Secondary College. The team’s resilience and positive attitude were evident throughout the competition as they proudly represented Kurnai College.

⛹️‍♂️ Year 8 Boys

The Year 8 Boys demonstrated great resilience and commitment throughout the competition, continuing to work hard and support one another on the court. After opening with a tough game against Sale College, the team responded impressively with a dominant 40–5 victory over Chairo Christian College. They faced another challenging contest against Lavalla Catholic College to finish the day, but continued to show determination and sportsmanship. Congratulations to all players for their effort and for representing Kurnai College with pride.

👏 Congratulations to all students for their grit, sportsmanship, and representing Kurnai College with pride!

Senior Boys/Mixed State School Finals

On 1 September, the Senior Boys/Mixed Football team travelled to the Darebin International Sports Centre in Thornbury to compete in the SSV State Championship, taking on some of the best school football teams from across Victoria.

Going into the competition as underdogs, the team faced an incredibly high standard of football throughout the day. Despite the tough opposition, they held their own and continued to compete with determination and composure. In their final match, they faced Brentwood College, who would go on to win the State Championship, and produced an outstanding defensive performance to hold them to a narrow 1–0 result.

Reaching the State Championship was an achievement in itself. The team had already secured both the Wellington and Gippsland Championships to earn their place among the top school teams in Victoria. Their State campaign was the culmination of a season filled with commitment, hard work and plenty of early mornings and training sessions.

From the very start of State day, the team gave it everything – from the early morning departure and 2.5-hour bus journey, to the pre-game briefing, hurried change rooms and getting strapped up by trainee physio Beau before heading straight onto the pitch.

And that is exactly what they did – they gave it everything.

The team represented Kurnai College with determination, sportsmanship and plenty of heart. Their support crew could not have been prouder of the way they competed and supported one another throughout the day.

A huge thank you goes to Sideline Manager Will for his commitment across all three championship rounds and every training session. His support and dedication have been greatly appreciated.

A special mention must also go to Hamzh, whose commitment, enthusiasm and leadership were instrumental in bringing this team together. From organising the team to attending every training session and giving his all both on and off the pitch, his contribution has been enormous. Without his dedication, this team simply would not have happened.

What a season it has been for a fantastic group of students. While the goals may not have come at State, the team finished among the top eight school football teams in Victoria – an achievement they should be incredibly proud of.

Congratulations to the entire team on an exciting, memorable and hugely successful SSV football season. Bring on next season!

Netball Victoria School Championships

Selected students from Years 8-10 recently competed in the Netball Victoria School Championships. Running separately from SSV, the competition is presented by Deakin University and is one of the largest netball tournaments in Australia, attracting school teams from around the state. Teams play in a round-robin format across multiple preliminary days around Victoria, with the top teams advancing to the finals at the State Netball Centre.

Kurnai College's team, led by Tayla Watson and Tiarnee Browney, played five games across the Senior and Intermediate divisions throughout the day, taking on Lavalla Catholic College, Warragul Regional College and Catholic College Sale.

After a challenging start, losing their first two games against very strong teams, the girls showed resilience. They narrowly lost their third game by just one goal before securing an impressive 11-goal win. They then faced another strong side in their final game, finishing the day with a loss. They competed against talented players throughout the day, making it a great opportunity to see and experience the level of local netball talent.

Overall, it wasn’t the result they had hoped for, with injuries and illness also impacting the team throughout the day. However, the girls should be proud of how they pushed through the wet and cold conditions while displaying teamwork, resilience and sportsmanship.

Well done to all players and staff involved! 👏🏐