Boarding News

Last week was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate boarding as part of National Boarding Week which is an annual event supported by the Australian Boarding Schools Association. Marist College Ashgrove has always been proud of being a boarding school since its inception in 1940 and it remains a vibrant part of the tradition of our school.   

Many will have seen the bunting hanging between the boarding residences over the last week which links with the National Boarding Week theme, ‘threads of connection’. Made from Marist uniforms, this bunting has been a visual reminder of the strong bonds between the boarders, and also the many relationships formed between boarders and day students. A video was released via the school social media channels telling the story of how the bunting was made and hung with the help of so many generous people in our school community. We have been proud of this project and I am grateful to all those who helped bring it to life.

We also hosted morning tea and a ‘boarding open house’ last Wednesday at Break 1 which brought many from the College down to the boarding precinct. In addition, we hosted the Boarding Leaders Forum and Dinner in the Cyprian Pavilion last Thursday which brought around 60 Boarding Captains from 11 South-East Queensland schools to share their experiences with other leaders, and to listen to an insightful Q&A with special guests Tom Gilbert (Captain of the Redcliff Dolphins) and Kiri Wills (Head Coach of the Qld Firebirds). This forum was livestreamed across the state to link with boarding schools outside the SEQ corner. 

On Friday we invited all of the services staff down to the grandstand for lunch which was cooked, served and shared with all the boarders. It was lovely to thank key people like our nurses, cleaners and laundry staff for all they do to help our boarders whilst they are away from home. And then on Sunday night our boarders and staff joined the Stuartholme boarding community for Mass in their chapel which was a lovely occasion to finish off what was a great week of celebration.

In closing, just a reminder that the Boarding Family Day is coming up on Saturday 31 May. We will have a tent for all boarding parents, relatives, siblings and friends to enjoy great hospitality and a casual afternoon to meet other families with boys away in boarding. Please don’t worry if you haven’t sent in an RSVP. All are welcome and we hope you can join us in the boarding tent at the conclusion of the 1st XV Rugby match above the main oval.

Boarding Recreation

Mr Blair Whitlock - Boarding Recreation Officer

The weekend kicked off with a classic boarders arvo fest on Friday afternoon before a group of 25 boys headed out to Eat Street. It’s a favourite spot for many of the younger boarders and we head out there once a term on Friday nights – most popular items on this occasion were Twirly Potatoes, Flamingo Teas and Pick n Mix! We got back to Marist around 8:30pm to wind down ahead of a big day of sport on Saturday.

Saturday was Rugby Rugby Rugby with all matches being played at home which created a real buzz around the College. With all the rain during the week there was plenty of mud sloshed around but it was a brilliant day that culminated with a comfortable win for the 1st XV on McMahon Oval. Meanwhile the 1st XI Footballers played out an exciting 2-2 draw in a top of the table clash with St Patrick’s College.

On Sunday morning we loaded up a bus and headed into town for a couple hours at the busy Queen Street Mall. There’s plenty to see and do at Queen Street and the boys always come back with some interesting purchases and stories! The sun was shining and this took us through to the mid afternoon where a couple hours of down time led into shared mass up at Stuartholme to round out another busy weekend.