Rush House News

As is always the case in Term 4, many are left asking, ‘where did the time go?’ - so much is jam-packed into the eight weeks. I just wanted to share a few events that the Rush Rampage have been involved in this term. 

Awards Night

Early in the term, we were able to acknowledge the academic achievements of our students at Awards Night, held at QPAC. I was very proud to see so many Rush students receive acknowledgement for the hard work they put into their studies. There were also many Rush gents involved in the entertainment throughout the evening – it was very impressive. For students who didn’t receive an award, I still acknowledge that there are many in the Rush community who work tirelessly to achieve commensurate to their ability, and that is all we can ask! Well done to all students who saw academic success, in various forms, throughout the year.

Farewell Dinners – 2025 Seniors

As part of preparing to farewell the Seniors, the Year 12 boarders had a dinner where we enjoyed a meal in House groups, and we were able to reflect on their journey, as well as thank those who assisted the boarders in getting to this point. The boarders are an important part of the College community, and I would like to thank them for their contributions to Rush House. 

We also had the opportunity to gather as Rush Seniors for a farewell dinner at Tomato Brothers Wilston, to reflect on the year – this was one of the last times we met together as a Year 12 group this year.

Pastoral Groups GYM1 and GYM4 found time to host a dinner to farewell their Seniors.

House Farewells

In Week 3 this term, we had the opportunity to farewell the Rush Seniors in front of the House. At the beginning of the year, the Years 12s assisted in welcoming the Year 7s to the House. The Year 7s then had the opportunity to return the favour and be the ones to farewells the Year 12s with a brief speech about each Senior – highlighting memories and wishing them well. I then had the opportunity to thank the Seniors for their support, and share a few memories of my time working with them over the years. A reflective video had many photos of the Rush Seniors in their younger years – it was clear how much they had all grown and changed. The Rush Seniors will be missed and I thank them for their leadership, commitment and good humour. On behalf of the House, we wish them well with the next chapter in their stories. 

Year 11 Social

Year 11 students had their Social at Victoria Park this term. It was nice to see the Rush gents ‘dress to impress’ and I witness many respectful and enjoyable interactions amongst each other and their partners. At the end of the night, the once crisp and clean shirts were quite sweaty, but that was the sign of a good night. A large amount of time was spent on the dance floor to remixes of songs reminiscent of my school disco -years ago, but I didn’t want to tell them that for fear of those songs losing their ‘coolness’.

Day for Daniel – Rush House Charity

Day for Daniel was held on Friday 24th October (a week before the actual event, so as to avoid a clash with Year 12 External Exams at Marist). The Daniel Morcombe Foundation is the Rush House charity and we are committed to their messaging of ‘Educate, Wear Red and Donate’. Thank you to all those who wore red and donated through free dress or the Sausage Sizzle and cans of drink at break time. Additionally, we had Madeleine West from Safe on Social, and a member of QLD police speak to students in Years 5-10 about child safety – an important topic in today’s ever-changing digital world.

Year 6 Rush Students

It was during this term that the Year 6 students found out their House allocation, and we got to meet the newest members of Rush House. As part of the Transition program, the Year 6 Rush students had the opportunity to engage with the Year 11 students on three occasions: after their placement into Houses, during an Ash lesson and they joined us for House Meeting time. I look forward to working with these students (and families) moving forward.

House Cup – Ignatius Chess

The first 2026 House Cup event took place this term – a Chess competition, hosted by Ignatius House. We finished 3rd. Thank you to the students who represented Rush throughout quite a few intense games. Also, thanks to Cooper Matthews (Rush 2026 Culture Captain) and Daniel Thirgood (Rush 2026 Academic Captain) for your organisation and support of the competitors.

Year 7- Jai Cranswick and George Cass

Year 8 – Joey Kuruku and Hunter Kayra

Year 9 – Aarav Patel and Caleb Fuller

Year 10 – Aiden Honke and Murphy Lunney

Year 11 – Cooper Matthews and Aidan Kock

House Cup – Ash Dash

The second House Cup event was the Ash Day, hosted by Gilroy House. This event sees teams of four (one team from each year level) race through the school, picking up additional students at various checkpoints, and then ending up at the Grandstand/Main Oval. The race finishes with teams collecting a bale of hay and carrying it around the House flag before crossing the finish line. All Rush runners put in a great effort, and we ended up sharing first place – well done! Thanks to all runners in the Rush Rampage, and Dan Londema (Rush 2026 Sports Captain) for your organisation.

Year 7 – Fred Little, Aidan Field, Sebastian Scuderi, Harvey Wise (1st place)

Year 8 – Jimmy Corbett, Harvey Pye, Alex Holding, Frankie Hann

Year 9 – Roma Park, Hunter Webb, Jack Davis, Lucas James

Year 10 – Ben Flanagan, Nick Prendergast, Stan Grellman, Quinn Schrodter-Davis (1st place)

Year 11 – Toby Forbes, Joe Murphy, Matt Stephens, Jack Webster

After the first two 2026 House Cup events, Rush House is currently at the top of the ladder for 2026 – a good position to be in when we recommence competition at the start of next year. When the results of this year’s House Cup were revealed at the start of the term, Rush came second by 2.5 points – also good motivation for us moving forward.

Year 7 Science

From Nick Lepelaar – Year 7.

“In Science this term we have been learning about astronomy and how the moons affects Earth as well as how the Earth’s tilt causes seasons. When Mr Minogue came to visit, we were making the phases of the moon out of Oreos by carving the cream into different shapes. The reason I like Science is because I enjoy doing fun experiments and it satisfies my curiosity about how different aspects of the Universe works, like how gravity functions.”

Minogue Cup 

The Minogue Cup, started by GYM1 Pastoral Group teacher Brad Winchester last year, is a PG vs PG competition. The focus over the last two years has been a Basketball Competition, but over time it can include other competitions as a way of promoting healthy competition amongst Pastoral Groups. 108 were the champions last year and it was GYM1 who took the trophy this year – congratulations!

Thank You

I would like to thank the Rush Rampage for another enjoyable year. It has been great seeing the successes that the boys have achieved across many areas of the College in 2025. I would also like to thank the parents/guardians – you are also part of the Rush family, and I appreciate your continuous support. Thank you to the Pastoral Group teachers for their care and support of the Rush gents – I appreciate your guidance of these young men.

I would like to give a special thanks to Melanie Taylor (GYM3 PG Teacher) who is leaving the College at the end of the year to take up a position in the Library at Churchie. Mel has always been a big supporter of Rush House and me, and will be missed. GYM3 Pastoral Group, Rush House and I wish you all the best on the next chapter of your journey. 

I hope that everyone has an enjoyable Christmas period with family and friends, and an opportunity to refresh and recharge. I look forward to working with everyone again in 2026. God bless.