From Nagle House

Celeste recreating a photo from her childhood dressed as a fairy

Laura working with our Tutors Bec and Gerard

Laura concentrating on fielding and Gabbie waiting to hit a six!

Scarlett and Tilly dressed as they were in photos from when they were .... years old

Rugby Trip of a lifetime!

On the 22nd of November 2025, one of our boarding students, Ainslie Campbell, departed for New Zealand for what turned out to be a rugby trip of a lifetime.

She was part of the Sportslink Australian U15s 7s development team, playing a crucial role in their placing third in the New Zealand National 7s competition, Condor 7s. During this experience, Ainslie was able to make new connections and explore the North Island of New Zealand. She stayed in Mount Maunganui, right on Papamoa Beach. Here she trained and used gym facilities shared with the All Blacks 7s team. Halfway through the tour, the squad took a trip to Rotorua, where they began two days of team bonding and fun. They went to Skyline Park, where they tested their fears on the 50m drop swing and Luge. After that, they visited the famous Rotorua hot springs, and had the opportunity to swim in one of the heated natural pools. To conclude the team's fun days, they travelled to ZORB Rotorua, where they were put into giant inflatable balls and rolled down steep and winding tracks. Once Ainslie and the squad arrived back at Mount Maunganui, it was game time. Across two massive game days, the Aussie Joeys girls won 6 out of their 7 games, becoming the first Australian team to enter and do so.

But none of this experience would have been possible without the organisation of sponsors (done by Ainslie) and donations from family members, and of course, her parents. What was truly outstanding was the time and dedication Ainslie showed in gaining these sponsors. The added positive was that her family decided to donate a large percentage of the sponsorship to a charity that was special due to her boss’s daughter living with Rhett Syndrome. Ainslie feels that this experience gave her not only the opportunity to play a sport she loves at a high level but also to develop a wider friendship group as well as gain independence and confidence in searching out and speaking with potential sponsors.

This is just one example of the commitment some of our boarders have to their extracurricular activities.