Boarding News

Mr Jim Noble, Head of Boarding

The last week has been particularly busy in boarding at Marist College Ashgrove. Over the weekend we had the first of our sleepovers for boys enrolled as boarders commencing in 2023. The idea behind this opportunity is for boys coming next year to experience what it’s like to be a boarder before they officially start. They follow the daily routine of the boarding residence which often helps answer any questions they might have had about how things will work when they start in boarding. They also go with the boarders to support our 1sts Basketball and 1sts Rugby League teams on Saturday, as well as participating in a number of great recreation activities organised as part of our regular weekend program. The 2023 new boarders had a great experience and left on Sunday afternoon having made new friends and understanding more about boarding at Marist College Ashgrove. Thanks to the staff in La Valla and Montagne Residences, as well as the Year 7 and 8 boarders for making these boys and families feel so welcome and looking after them over the course of the weekend.

We had a group of 29 boarders and four boarding staff head away to Emerald last Thursday and over the weekend to participate in the QRU Western Sevens Rugby Competition. The touring party stayed with current boarding family, the Mahonys, at their property “Gyranda” on Thursday night and this added a great deal to the experience. We are grateful to Peter and Nikki Mahony for hosting our large group and showing them around Gyranda. We had two teams competing in Emerald – an Under 15 team and an Under 18 team. Both teams performed well, finishing 4th and 2nd respectively in these age groups and it was also great to hear that the boys represented our school particularly well with their conduct over the course of the weekend. The touring group returned in the early hours of Monday morning and had to sneak a few hours of sleep before backing up for school. Well done to all the boys on their efforts up in Emerald and thanks to staff members Anthony Mathison, Tim Sedgwick, Blair Whitlock and Braydon O’Sullivan who made this trip possible.

We also lined up an opportunity for our Year 6 boys to play an exhibition match of rugby against the Under 12 Goondiwindi Emus which happened last Saturday. I am grateful to staff members, Liam Beatty and Ben Maddox, as well as a couple of volunteer parents, who took the team out to Goondiwindi. The match was played in really good spirit with Marist Ashgrove coming away with a win. The boys from both teams exchanged gifts, tunnelled each other off the field and even shared the Marist Ashgrove war cry at the conclusion of the game.

It has been great to visit several regional areas in recent weeks and it is something we aim to continue in the future to support our boarding regions and our boarding families.

Most would be aware that boarders have the opportunity to take leave from next Tuesday afternoon through to next Sunday (9-14 August) with the Ekka break. The Boarding Residences will remain operational through this period for boarders who decide not to go on leave. I would ask that parents give thought to what your son will be doing over this period and communicate this to your son’s Boarding Coordinator.

Sunday Night Mass

Recreation Report - Mr Blair Whitlock

It was certainly another busy week on the recreation front with the QRU Western 7s taking centre stage. We put two boarders’ teams together to enter the U15 and U18 divisions and set off early on Thursday morning with 29 boys accompanied by Mr Mathison, Sedgwick, O’Sullivan and Whitlock. After pit stops in Gympie and Gayndah, we made it to our destination at Gyranda Station. A huge thank you must go to Nikki and Peter Mahony for their generosity in hosting and feeding the boys on Thursday night. We were fortunate to explore their beautiful property for a few hours on Friday morning before pushing on to Emerald where the tournament was taking place. We arrived in Emerald late in the afternoon and had a quick run on the fields before a BBQ dinner and early night ahead of pool play on Saturday morning. The U15s and U18s both played four games on Saturday against a variety of Marist College Emerald, Emerald State High and Rockhampton Grammar sides. The 15s finished with two wins and two losses which put them in the 3rd vs 4th match while the 18s won three and lost one to qualify for the grand final on Sunday. The boys were knackered after a huge day in the sun and we finished it off watching our 2021 School Captain and Boarder, Henry Thomasson, run out for the Emerald Rams against their local Tongan rivals Otulfelenite Rugby Club.

We gave the boys a sleep-in on Sunday morning before heading back to McIndoe Park for our final games of the tournament. Unfortunately, both teams went down in their games with the 18’s launching a late comeback that fell just short at 21-17 against Marist Emerald in the grand final. The boys can be very proud of their efforts over the weekend and how they represented the College. A special congratulations also go to the following boys: