Boarding News

We are proud of the 13 boarders who represented the College in the Western Sevens Rugby competition in Emerald last weekend. The boys played a number of matches over two days and finished 4th overall in the Under 18 Boys division. A great additional feature of this ‘boarding tour’ experience for the boys was visiting two rural properties belonging to Marist families where they had lots of fun and learnt about the operation of these properties.

An important reminder to parents/guardians that all boys are expected to attend Boarders' Mass every Sunday night at 6:00pm. This is part of a long-standing tradition at the College, observed and respected by Marist boarders and boarding families for decades. Having Mass on Sunday night hopefully allows everyone to enjoy the best of the weekend and then our boarders come together for Mass. It is also special because we announce Boarders of the Week and other key community messages are relayed to the boys. Can I please ask everyone to support this expectation.

There is a bit of excitement in the air with the upcoming Ekka holiday break in Week 5. The boys effectively get a five-day long weekend from Wednesday 13 – Sunday 17 August inclusive. This will be a welcome break for our boarders to refresh and recharge in the middle of the term. No doubt, some of our families will be excited to get their son home for a few days! Our dorms will remain open and supervised during this period, but with limited numbers we may combine dorms to assist with staffing.

There are a few key events coming up just before the Ekka break, which are worth noting for boarding families.

The College Walkathon happens on Sunday 10 August. This time-honoured event raises a significant amount of money for projects to directly benefit the students. It’s also a great morning with loads of fun activities and the Battle of the Bands.

The 2026 College Captain, Vice-Captains and Boarding Captains will be announced at the Assumption Day Mass on Tuesday 12 August.

The City vs Country rugby league match will be played on McMahon Oval on Tuesday 12 August in the afternoon. The City team is made up of Year 12 day students and the Country team is made up of Year 12 boarders. This match is sure to be a great spectacle and I hope boys and families can join us for this event.

Marist is hosting a dance which is open to boarders in Years 6, 7 and 8 on the evening of Tuesday 12 August. This dance raises funds to support Australian Marist Solidarity and was a very popular event last year.

Thanks to all those who attended the Boarder Parent Network (online) meeting last Wednesday evening. The Head of College and I provided an update and there was also productive discussion around upcoming events and boarding happenings. I appreciate the positive, constructive involvement of those parents in attendance.