Boarding
“Boarding is the heart of the College” – A thank you to Dr Andrew Hirst
With the announcement of our Principals’ retirement from College, we would like to pay tribute to Dr Hirst for his support during the past seven years. Under Dr Hirst’ leadership he extended the capacity of our Boarding House facility. Upgrading our physical offering to be one reflecting high standards and comfort for our senior students. For those who have been fortunate to tour our facilities or reside in our Year 12 extension then you would agree our senior students are certainly well supported and are at home.
As a leader who has extensive experience in boarding, Dr Hirst has always understood not only the boarders themselves, but, has an empathetic and compassionate heart to the commitment families make to boarding. The Hirst family enrolled their son, Tom, into our boarding program for the very reason of the benefits boarding provides, and Dr Hirst’ wife, Kristina has assisted on decorating our Boarding Houses; her creative touch has brought life into both Speirs and Mac House. The Hirst legacy continues to live-on in College boarding with Dr Hirst’s daughter, Jess, working as an MOD each week. Dr Hirst not only led the school with innovative building design, he encouraged the offering of boarding to our younger students. With bursaries for boarders in Year 7 and 8, dedicated House Mothers, and a Lifeskills program now running successfully, it is a pleasure to oversee a boarding program where a family of boarders from Year 7 to Year 12 live harmoniously together.
Boarding in Victoria has faced its greatest challenge in how to navigate the impact of COVID. The adversity faced during these times were unimaginable. Dr Hirst tirelessly worked behind the scenes with Government officials in Victoria and Interstate, local hospitals, education departments, international liaisons, and all the while was forever compassionate to the needs of boarders, in particular the plight our international boarders faced. During the past four years in particular Dr Hirst has challenged our boarding offering to be truly connected to the Western District of Victoria and South East of South Australia. His approachable manner, humour and energy will be missed at the many social events we have attended with past, present and incoming families. From Field Days to Coffee and Conversations, Dr Hirst has selflessly promoted our program, staff, and facilities for boarders to enjoy and live within. Dr Hirst can be confident that he has certainly built the boarding offering and strengthened its foundation for future growth.
On behalf of boarders, our staff, and our families, thank you Dr Hirst for continuously supporting our boarding program. In your words ‘Boarding at College is the heart of the school’, and we truly appreciate your compassion, kindness and passion for boarding. We wish you all the very best for your future and hope another boarding school in NSW will be blessed with your wisdom and leadership.
Best wishes,
Hamilton College Boarding
Term Three Formal dinner – Mr Nick Russell
Mr Russell was born and raised in the foothills of Adelaide. During school he found his interests lay in maths and science, and after finishing at Blackwood High School, undertook a Bachelor of Engineering at Adelaide University. He then worked as a structural engineer in the design of bridges and multi storey buildings. Whilst enjoying the challenges of engineering design, he re-thought his long-term career path, looked afield and deliberated medicine, a career he had never previously considered. After gaining entrance through the post graduate admission process, he completed a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at Flinders University. It didn’t take long to realise that his training and work as an engineer was not wasted. He found an exciting combination of these skills in orthopaedics, the surgery of bones and joints, where physics and materials engineering form the basis of successful surgery. He went through the surgical training program and has been working as an orthopaedic surgeon in Warrnambool and surrounds for almost 7 years now.
Mr Russell was an inspiration to our boarders and staff. He shared his passion and journey through school and provided simple tips for all boarders for success. If you would like to listen to the third formal dinner of 2022 please follow the College Podcast link below:
Save the dates:
- Boarding House closes for Term Three on Friday September 16 at 6pm.
- Bus travellers for Melbourne depart Friday September 16 at 3:30pm and arrive at approx. 7pm.
- Bus travellers for Naracoorte depart Friday September 16 at 3pm.
- Boarding House opens for Year 12 only on Sunday October 2 in preparation for their English exam on Monday October 3 9am at the senior school.
- Boarding House opens for Term 4 on Monday October 3 from midday.
- Naracoorte bus departs Naracoorte on Monday October 3 at 4pm (SA time).
- Term Four begins on Tuesday October 4.
Andrew Monk
Head of Boarding