From the Head of College

Mr Michael Newman

Always Waiting for Us to Return

As we commence Semester 2, I share with you my favourite prayer - “Lover God”. I was reminded of this prayer when I read yesterday’s scripture reading from Hosea. The prayer, written by a Jesuit priest, describing a God who graces us with free will to live our lives as we see fit, who knows we will make mistakes and yet who longs and always waits for us to return no matter the circumstances. I was given this prayer by Br Peter Salta fms, a wonderful Marist Brother, brilliant Ancient History teacher who regularly taught students who performed at the top 1% of the state in the NSW HSC, who was a very successful athletics and rugby league coach and who was down to earth and personable. I thank him for this gift and image of God that he shared with me, and now with you all.

In the scripture reading, Hosea, the prophet, married a woman who was repeatedly unfaithful to him. Regardless, Hosea was ‘in love with her,’ and so continued to ‘love her.’ The prophet Hosea uses this personal story as a metaphor for how God loves each one of us unconditionally. Hosea says – “I am going to lure her and lead her out into the wilderness and speak to her heart. There she will respond to me as she did when she was young” (Hosea 2). In this same vein, Br Peter Salta’s gift of a prayer, too, describes an unconditional loving God who always waits longingly for us to return.

Our Lover God

Our Lover-God, who is human like each of us, says to me:

Come just as you are with your goodness,

Your brokenness, your unfaithfulness,

I love you, I cherish you enormously,

And that can never change.

There is only one of you and you don’t have to change

in order for me to love you.

My love for you sets no conditions.

My love for you has no strings attached.

However, because I really care about you,

I point out that to live in certain ways

Is destructive for you and for others.

But if you decide to live in those other ways,

I still love you and wait for you.

Even if you ignore me completely,

I still love you as deeply as ever.

It is crazy in a way,

But I cannot help myself, for I am love.

And in so far as you allow me to enter your heart,

You too, will be love.

(Kevin Penry SJ)

May we, as members of the Marist College family, accept God’s offer to walk with us lovingly every day of our lives. Amen.

Welcome Back

I welcome all new students and all boys and their families back to Marist for the commencement of Semester 2. I trust that you all had a refreshing and reinvigorating holiday with your loved ones. For the boys, this is an important opportunity to refocus after reading and reflecting on your semester reports. I encourage all boys to rejoice in their successes but to also look ahead to how they can improve their academic outcomes moving forward into Semester 2 - set new goals, focus on achieving higher results and set forth to achieve at a standard commensurate with your utmost ability for the remainder of the year. Good luck to all boys with their upcoming studies. Parents, please stay in communication with your teachers and the College as we work in partnership together to achieve the best possible outcomes for your son.

Immersion to Timor-Leste

Eight young Marist men had the great privilege of being guest to the wonderful people of Timor Leste. The students visited villages and schools that Marist have supported and will fundraise towards into the future with our money collected during lent which goes to Australian Marist Solidarity (AMS). It is a wonderful opportunity for our boys to make friends with and support our friends in East Timor. Understanding the Timor Leste culture and understanding their challenges and needs makes real the monies we raise each year. We pray that our young men’s hearts have been touched to continue supporting our friends of Timor Leste. As one boy so aptly reflected on his return, ‘We arrived as strangers and left as friends.” I thank Mrs Clare Locke and Mr Adam Knight who generously and professionally accompanied the boys throughout this trip. My thanks also to the Assistant Head of College – Mission, Mrs Anna Nasr and her staff who organised and offered this opportunity for the boys.

NAIDOC Week 2024

Marist College Ashgrove celebrates Naidoc Week from Monday 15 - Friday 19 July. National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia to recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. We particularly support and celebrate with our Indigenous students here at Marist. This year's theme ‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud’, celebrates the unyielding spirit of communities and invites all to stand in solidarity, amplifying voices that have long been silenced. During this week, Marist will enter fully into these celebrations such as - Aboriginal Songman and Storyteller - Matthew Burns, Artefacts, Didgeridoo & Storytelling, Aunty Diane Auda (Daniel Dau’s Mum) will be storytelling and cultural cooking with Indigenous students - Semur chicken, damper and rice; Boomerang painting artefacts, dancing with Nunukul Yuggera Dancers, Peter Carlo painting canvas (Wakka Wakka), Deadly Choices and traditional games.

I thank our Marist Indigenous Co-ordinator - Kierran Mosely for organising and leading this week of activities.

Happy NAIDOC Week Marist College Ashgrove.

Winners of the Bob Lindner Trophy

Congratulations to the Marist College Ashgrove 1st XIII Rugby League team who for the second year in a row, won the Bob Lindner Trophy at the Confraternity Carnival, this year held in Townsville, over the first week of the school holidays. The boys decisively defeated another Marist College - St. Augustine's, Cairns in the final 20 – 0. In essence, this means that Marist College Ashgrove were placed ninth out of 48 teams in this competition. I congratulate the boys on this repeat performance. May I take this opportunity to thank their dedicated staff and coaches, including - Mr Dallas Williams, Mr Ryan Apps, Mr Mal Grealy, Mr Pat Conn, Mr Regan Baker, Mr Richard Apps, Mr Brodie Chaffy, Mr Peter Anderson and Ms Tania Anderson for their generous and expert coaching and care of the boys throughout the week. Well done gentlemen on your efforts and I, along with the staff, were certainly impressed by the manner in which you positively competed and conducted yourselves at the carnival.

Prior to the carnival, the boys met with Old Boys from Mackay who presented them with their prized Marist 1st XIII jerseys. It was great catching up with these impressive and supportive Old Boys and their involvement in the presentations was a great honour and motivator for the boys and staff.

Year 12 Retreats

Best wishes to our Year 12 boys who will be partaking in the Year 12 retreats from Wednesday 10 - Friday 12 July. These retreats, held in four venues, are always a highlight of a boy’s final year at the College. The Year 12 Retreat allows the boys time to reflect on the past, the present and the future, with an eye to contemplation, conversation and spirituality. I thank the following staff who will accompany the boys on these retreats - Mr Scott Minogue, Mrs Liz Walsh, Mr Phill Holding, Ms Kathryn Badini, Mrs Bonita Gerry, Mr Matt Jones, Mr Daniel Bull, Ms Maddie Spann, Mr Jim Noble, Ms Jen Smeed, Mrs Roxanne Rosenberg, Mr Peter Serone, Mrs Clare Locke, Mr Richard Graham, Mrs Lena Crowley, Mr Adam Knight, Ms Sharon Davidson, Mr James Trebbin, Mr Brad Winchester, Mrs Lucy Naughton, Mr Richard Aplin, Mr Steven Edwards, Mr David Lamont, Ms Sarah Palmer, Ms Grace Ryan, Mr Tom Dangerfield, Mrs Mandy Kelly and Mr Stewart Moore.

My special thanks are extended to Mrs Anna Nasr, Assistant Head of College – Mission, and her team of Mrs Jenna Harding, Mr Mikael Pitot and Mrs Clare Locke who have organised these retreats for the boys. Good luck and enjoy, gentlemen.

Term 3 Sport

Term 3 sport commences this Saturday with a trial versus St. Edmunds College, Ipswich. AIC Sports played in Term 3 include - tennis, basketball, rugby league, and athletics. We wish all boys the best of luck in their trials this weekend and for the upcoming AIC Competition which commences from week 2. Training times and games can be found on the Marist College Ashgrove app under the respective sport. We thank all our coaches for their generosity, expertise, and effort in ensuring that our boys are well-coached and prepared for a successful season. Best of luck for the Term 3 sporting competitions.

Year 11 Leadership Day

The annual Year 11 Leadership Day will be held on Tuesday 16 July in the Champagnat Centre and Multiplex Courts. This day is an opportunity for our boys to start to consider the important role they will play as leaders of the College. The day will explore and enable the boys to reflect on the leadership skills that they will require moving forward to positively influence, direct and empower the student body at Marist College Ashgrove. The leadership day will be run by an external provider – Unleashing Personal Potential. I thank the Assistant Head of College - Students Mr Peter Serone and Pastoral Leader - Senior School, Mr Phil Holding and Pastoral Leader - Junior School, Mr Gareth Kolkenbeck-Ruh who have organised and will direct this important day for our Year 11 students. We wish them well as they start to reflect on their important role as leaders for 2025.

Marist Long Lunch

Parents, past parents, Old Boys, and friends of the College are warmly invited to the 2024 Marist College Ashgrove Long Lunch. This new and exciting community event, now in its third year, has certainly been a hit for the College. Proceeds go towards the College Foundation, raising money to provide new buildings and improved facilities for the boys.

Date: Saturday 31 August 2024

Venue: Hayden Oval | Marist College Ashgrove

Time: 12:00pm - 6:00pm

Cost: $750 per table of 10 people. Strictly 10 people per table. Individual tickets will not be available. Due to the popularity of this event, only one table can be purchased per transaction.

Tickets will go on sale this week.

I encourage you to organise a table and get your tickets fast.

Holiday Staff Jobs

While the boys enjoyed a much-deserved break over the holidays with their families, our dedicated and generous support staff have ensured that the facilities and environment at the College continues to improve and that the College is up and functioning for the start of Term 3. I acknowledge and thank all of our hard-working support staff for their great interest, dedication and care of the College for the boys. These are some of the undertakings they have completed over the holidays and we say a sincere thank you - Primary block 707-709 refurbishment (in progress) and Engineering Room LG5 (in progress), painting - Science Centre, painting - Music and Drama Centre, general repairs and maintenance, cleaning - all areas, oval preparation for Term 3 sport, gardens refreshed, test and tag – 6 monthly items, Theatre/classroom external hires, new IT service system, commissioning new solar panels on the St Marcellin Centre, new Wifi for the CLE outdoor space, payroll end of financial year, Fringe Benefits Tax return, onboarding new staff and new enrolments in the Boarding school. I thank our teaching staff who have also been marking, preparing resources and interviewing and onboarding contract staff over the holidays. We look forward to a full and exciting Semester 2 at the College.

May our loving God with Mary our good mother and St Marcellin Champagnat walk with all members of the Marist College Ashgrove Family.