Kinross Wolaroi Family Bulletin

Senior School Sport & 

Co-curricular 

Kinross Wolaroi Rowing – October Training Camp

 

Over the holidays, 70 keen rowers returned to campus for our Annual October Rowing Camp — four days that truly marked the start of the 2025 rowing season.

 

October Camps are renowned for adaptation — adapting to technique, to conditions, to challenges, and most importantly, to each other. Each new season brings a fresh intake of rowers, lessons from past campaigns, and new opportunities to build on our culture. This camp was no different — it provided the foundation for growth in knowledge, skill, fitness, and connection, all of which were on full display throughout the week.

 

Across the four days, crews completed a blend of technical and endurance sessions, both on and off the water. When the weather turned windy and wet, the squad adapted with trademark Kinross Wolaroi resilience — switching seamlessly to ergs, strength and conditioning, and, of course, the notorious Mt Canobolas run. Each challenge was met with effort, positivity, and a collective drive to get better together.

 

Our Senior Rowers set the standard early, logging well over 90 kilometres on the water across the camp. Their commitment has already set a powerful tone for the season ahead.

A highlight for many was the annual Coxswains 500, a fiercely contested and highly entertaining 500m erg sprint that sees our coxswains go head-to-head for ultimate bragging rights. Congratulations to Tom Hallahan (Year 9), who stormed home in 1:48.7, narrowly ahead of Jock Petersen (1:49.0) and Harry Grinter (1:50.7). The roar of encouragement from the rowers reminded everyone what this program is about — energy, camaraderie, and shared joy in each other’s efforts.

 

What makes the staff and I most proud, however, isn’t just the kilometres rowed, or the training completed — it’s the friendships and relationships formed throughout the camp. Watching students from different age groups connect, support one another, and genuinely enjoy the process of working together is what makes our rowing community so special. It’s moments like these that truly warm the heart.

 

The students’ attitude, behaviour, and effort were exemplary throughout the camp. A heartfelt thank you goes to Marcus Kostich and his catering team for keeping everyone fuelled and smiling, and to Nathan Short and James Perrin for their support in opening the Weymouth and Wolaroi Boarding Houses for our athletes. Nicole Caro our beloved Rowing Mother was amazing as always and to Mr Peters, Mr Golden, Mr Posthumus and Mr Coetzee without their help the camp wouldn’t have been able to run as smoothly! 

 

Finally, congratulations to our 2025/26 Rowing Captains, Toby Buckland and Lucy Reidy. Both Toby and Lucy embody the values of Kinross Wolaroi Rowing — hard work, humility, and care for others. They are outstanding role models who will lead our program with passion and purpose in the year ahead.

 

Our crews now look ahead to two weeks of solid training before the first major test of the season — the Loreto Normanhurst Regatta in Penrith on 25 October.

 

Best wishes to all of our Summer Sports teams in their upcoming fixtures this weekend.

Ben Watt

Master in Charge of Rowing

AFL Success

Congratulations, Harriett Sinclair (Year 11). Now that the AFL season has wrapped up, we wanted to shine a light on Harriett’s incredible achievements. 2025 Highlights:

 

  • Captain of the U17's Orange Tigers Youth Girls team 
  • Youngest player in the Orange Tigers Senior Women's team 
  • Selected in the Central West U17 Representative Team 
  • Selected in the Central West Eagles Senior Women's Team who went on to win the NSW tournament in Gunnedah
  • Awarded Leading Goal Kicker for the 2025 season U17 Youth Girls Orange Tigers
  • Runner up Best & Fairest for the Orange Senior Women's Team
  • Awarded Best & Fairest U17 Female player in the Central West AFL competition 
  • U18 Giants Academy player (trained February - May this year in Narrandera once a week) - she is working towards trailing again for the Academy this November.

 

Congratulation's Harriett!

 

Under 14 NSW Country Boys

State of Origin Tournament – Maroochydore, QLD 

Well done to Liam Vaira (Year 8) who represented the Under 14 NSW Country Boys’ Football Team at the State of Origin Tournament in Maroochydore, QLD, in the holidays. The competition brought together some of the best emerging football talent from across Australia for three action-packed days. Liam and his team played with great skill, teamwork and determination, finishing an impressive fourth overall in the tournament.

A fantastic achievement — congratulations, Liam!