It was the Year Elevens opportunity to say goodbye for 2025, and what a wonderful way to finish. It was fantastic to see the majority of this group return for the Christmas dinner and the final day of school on Monday.

This cohort has always been a quieter presence in the house, but their love of sport has shone through, whether it’s tennis, basketball, hockey, surfing, volleyball, motocross, or countless others. I want to take a moment to thank the Year Elevens for their efforts this year. I hope you understand how impactful you can be on the younger students simply by sitting down for a chat now and then. Enjoy your well‑earned break, and we look forward to welcoming you back in 2026.

For the rest of the house, life continues in boarding and school over the next few days. The Year Ten cohort has been busy preparing for their Week Seven exams, and I’m sure they’ll be ready for the Christmas break once those are behind them. This period also provides a great opportunity for the Year Ten group to step into senior positions around the house, just as it does for the Year Nine group. It’s the final chance to demonstrate growth and progression as we move forward with schedules, routines, and privileges that naturally come as rites of passage in boarding life.

We also have plenty to celebrate from recent achievements by Eclipse boarders:

• Henry Smith and Lucas Smart were awarded half-colours for AFL.

• Riley Jenkins received the Endeavour Award for Mathematics.

• Lucas Smart also earned full-colours for athletics and now holds two school records in the 100m and 200m sprints.

• Craig Wiech broke the Year Ten high jump record.

• Patrick Buckenara received an ICAS award for the Australian Geography Competition.

These accomplishments are a testament to the talent, dedication, and spirit within Eclipse House.

A Special Farewell to Handre

It would be remiss of me not to also take a moment to bid farewell to our Eclipse House gap assistant, Handre. Handre has been such an influential individual within the house, whether it be early morning runs with the boys or games of pool (that didn’t always go his way!), he has always found the time to simply be present, bringing plenty of joy to the house.

The morning support you have provided for Sally has been incredible, and I hope you can see how far you have come over the course of the year. Thank you, Handre, from all of Eclipse House, and all the very best with your coaching studies back in South Africa next year.

Mr Brodie Sarre | Head of Eclipse House

Reflections from 2025 GAP Assistants

I just wanted to start off by saying Thank You to Great Southern Grammar and Letz Live for giving me this opportunity.

This year has been tough for me, since it’s my first time staying away from home for so long. But I do not regret it one bit. The memories and the friends that I've made have made this year such a fun experience.

One thing about Australia that I caught onto was having very long hair. My barber might just have a heart attack when I get home.

I live in a city back at home, so I never really experienced the countryside, and it was quite hard for me to adjust in the beginning of the year, but Albany slowly started to grow on me.

I’ve had such a great time working in boarding and spending time with the kids in my boarding house. Even the rec activities we did on weekends were also experiences that I've never had back at home with my school, such as going fishing right here by the school and going to the beach on a nice day.

A special mention to my very good friend Sally. Sally, you’ve made my mornings so memorable, and I just wanted to say Thank You for listening to all my issues and problems. You’ve been there for me so many times and I really enjoyed your company.

My fellow gap students also played a big role for me this year. Meeting them was quite nerve racking, since I was going to be working and living with them for a whole year. But Kyle and Amy have made this year so enjoyable for me, never a dull moment. Then Ashlee came towards the end of the year, and with the short time that I’ve known her it now feels like I’ve known her for a whole year.

I will miss everyone that I've met, and I will most definitely miss everyone in my boarding house. Once again, Thank You Great Southern Grammar for having me.

Handre De Bruin | 2025 GAP Assistant

You’ve really got to learn to dance like there’s nobody watching and sometimes that confidence doesn’t arrive all at once. It grows slowly, quietly, in the moments when you forget to worry about how you look and just let yourself be. Boarding has a way of teaching you that. Surrounded by people who see you at your best and your tiredest, you start to realise that being yourself is not something to hide.

Here at boarding, you don’t feel ashamed to dance, even when you know everyone is watching. Because here, the watching isn’t judging, it’s cheering, supporting, and celebrating who you are.

This year has flown by. It genuinely feels like I arrived at GSG yesterday, completely unaware of how much this place would shape me. Standing at the end of my time being a gappy, I honestly don’t know how to capture everything this year has meant to me.

Some of my favourite moments of the year were the dress ups in the rec shed, sand boarding down the dunes at Nanarup, morning fitness sessions, especially baseball, easily the highlight of my mornings, cutting a real Christmas tree down, something I’ve never done before. Afternoon smoothies and sorbets became a ritual, a small but perfect way to wrap up busy days.

I am grateful to have been a part of Endeavour house. Whether it was laughter or chaos there is always a buzz in Endeavour and it was a place I genuinely enjoyed being part of.

I’d like to thank all staff who’ve have made my year memorable, as well as my fellow gappies - being placed here together and making unforgettable memories right from the get-go.

A special mention goes to Nyree, Liz and Brodie for being amazing mentors and always being there for support when needed. I do feel the need to particularly thank Nyree for supporting me this year, thank you for everything.

All the boarding staff, kitchen staff, the nurses, and bus drivers, thank you.

And lastly, I’d like to thank the boarders for welcoming me into their lives this year and for the great times we’ve shared.

More than anything, this year has taught me about responsibility, about patience, about people, and about myself. I’m glad to say I’m leaving here changed for good. A different person. A better person. The kind of person I don’t think I could’ve become anywhere else.

Kyle Kovacs | 2025 GAP Assistant

The Boarding Buzz

Term Four 2025 | Issue 85 · 05 Dec 2025

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