Boarding

Formal Dinner Excellence

We were delighted to welcome Mr Neil MacLean as our guest speaker for this term's Formal Dinner. With over 30 years of experience at the College, Mr MacLean's journey began as a boarder within these very walls before concluding as our highly respected Associate Principal. His presentation beautifully captured the rich history of our boarding community, particularly engaging our younger boarders with fascinating tales and legendary ghost stories of Mary Esther. The evening featured an exceptional meal prepared by our talented chef, creating the perfect atmosphere for boarders across all year levels to strengthen bonds and develop essential communication skills.

Boarder of the Week

Our boarder of the week is Ed Mahar. 

Ed is in Year 10 and has been boarding since Year 7. Ed is one of four boys who have been through the doors of College and the Boarding House, which we are truly proud to have served.

 Ed has been outstanding in the way he approaches the younger boys of Speirs House in a natural mentoring role. 

I can say with confidence that this maturity, compassion, and leadership are something we are very proud of, and all members of Speirs House could look to Ed as a fine example of growth through boarding. 

Congratulations, Ed, and thank you.

Boarding Family Soiree

Last week, we held our second annual Boarding Community Soiree. It is essential that our families are connected; this enhances the spirit of our boarding offering and provides opportunities for our parents to get to know and understand who their sons and daughters are living with. 

Our boarders spend most of their year with each other and build close friendships; by extension, we aim to promote this through our parents. I’d like to thank all our parents for their time, some of whom travelled long distances to be a part of Friday evening. I’ll already be looking forward to our Soiree in 2026, amongst other events.

Saturday Night Spirit

Saturday nights continue to showcase the true family atmosphere of our Boarding House, where students unwind and bond like genuine brothers and sisters. 

Recent evenings have featured spirited pool competitions, intense table tennis tournaments, and gaming sessions that bring out everyone's competitive side, creating lasting memories. The big screen AFL matches add extra excitement – the thrilling Fremantle versus Gold Coast game had everyone on the edge of their seats, cheering! 

We've also enjoyed watching boarders practice their dance moves and attempt increasingly impressive human pyramids. Special congratulations to Andrea for enthusiastically joining in the fun and showing great boarding spirit!

Lifeskills program

Well, we all know that learning how to thread a needle is more difficult than it sounds! An essential skill, and what we would term a life skill in the Boarding House, such as threading a needle and sewing on a button, is an important lesson. 

Threading a needle is about concentration, planning, patience, and not giving up (for many of us!). At times, the easier task of sewing a button is not that easy if the button continually falls off, so tenacity and resilience are also required. Well done to House Parents, Lise and Maxine, for all their care and attention, as well as teaching our younger boarders these important life skills.