Clontarf Academy

Mr David Friebel, Clontarf Academy Director

Morning Training

As we head into the colder months, our morning training numbers have remained strong. This is testament to the boys' discipline in getting up early and engaging in opportunities given to them. We have recently welcomed visitors from Officeworks and Aggreko into our space with Aggreko joining in on our morning training. It's great seeing our boys mixing with our partners and sharing their story of life at St Pats. These moments give our boys a chance to develop leadership skills in conducting room tours and taking the lead in making our guests feel welcome. Every chance they get to practice conversing with new people is a step in the right direction for succeeding in life after school.


Dreamtime at the G

While on the topic of leadership, 10 of our boys were given an amazing opportunity to umpire the Auskickers at Dreamtime at the G as part of the AFL’s Sir Doug Nichols round. The boys had taken part in a six-week umpire training course during Term 1, culminating with the heading down to the G to umpire in front of 75,000 fans. While there were some nerves, the boys took this opportunity seriously and did an amazing job in engaging the Auskickers to ensure they had a memorable experience. I hope to see the boys in the green at local footy for the remainder of the year. Thanks to the Ballarat Football Umpires Association for this opportunity, the boys were proud to wear your Indigenous umpire shirts on the night.


National Sorry Day

Last weekend saw a number of families of our boarders spend time in Ballarat with their boys. It’s always great seeing the families come down, and while the temperatures are a lot colder, it doesn’t stop them from getting out and about wit the boys playing local guide. The visit included a moving service at Damascus College for National Sorry Day. This is an important day of reflection, and it was great to have the families in attendance. Thank you to Damascus College and the team of organisers for such a great event, and thankyou to the families for making the effort to travel. 


Taatee Shield

The Clontarf spirit was strong despite going down to Nunan in the Taatee Shield.
The Clontarf spirit was strong despite going down to Nunan in the Taatee Shield.

Each year during Reconciliation Week we play the annual Taatee Shield game of AFL. This year was over to the juniors with a Clontarf Years 7-9 team going down convincingly to a powerful Nunan outfit. In cold and wet conditions, it was a fast-paced match from the outset. While Nunan dominated the majority of the game, the Clonny boys stood tall, never giving up. This is an important game on the College calendar and gives an opportunity for boys to reflect on Reconciliation Week over the boys' love of footy. On Wednesday, both teams came together for lunch in the academy room where our boys spoke about their journey, about Clontarf and of course, a bit of banter between them around the footy the previous day. It’s great seeing the boys unite like this and these are moments that break down barriers and misconceptions. 


The boys have been working on their Bundis after school.
The boys have been working on their Bundis after school.

We have continued to provide engagement activities after school with boys joining in on Lasertag, Bundi sessions, Homework club as well as supporting their mates in school footy. 


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