Ridley House News

It was with great pleasure that I welcomed back to the most recent Ridley House assembly, Ridley and College Old Boy, Tom Gibson (2019). Tom was a highly regarded and conspicuous member of his Senior year group, being an AIC swimmer and a member of the Open Chess team. I asked Tom to return, during what is now his summer vacation, to speak to the Ridley boys about what he has been doing since completing school, as Tom has taken a different path from most.

Tom is continuing in his quest to represent Australia in swimming. So, on the completion of Year 12, he applied for a swimming scholarship to a University in North Carolina, USA. He was awarded the scholarship and is now studying for a Bachelor of Business whilst he competes for the university in the NCAA swimming competition. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Tom as his arrival was postponed due to COVID-19 in 2020. Thus, Tom had to continue training here at the college, under the watch of James Boyce, whilst getting up at 2:00am to attend lectures online. Now training and studying in the US, Tom has had to work hard to keep up with his commitments. He is certainly enjoying the intercollegiate competition as he continues to chase his dream.

Tom’s message to the boys was certainly one that has been ever-present in Ridley House meetings, that is; look for opportunities and grab them (you’ll never know if you never have a go), set your goals and work hard. I thank Tom for giving us his time and relaying his story. We all wish Tom the very best of luck.

Term 3 has certainly seen the Ridley boys involved in an array of activities. The inter-house athletics carnival was a great house day where the boys were involved wholeheartedly with the final event being a victory to Ridley in the Year 12 Tug of war.

The Year 11s have been working through their Leadership Program with external providers and in-school support. 

Most recently the Year 11 boys were asked to nominate for positions of leadership for next year. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the boys who nominated for a position. All nominees took the courageous decision to put themselves out there for selection. After speeches were delivered to the Ridley Year 11 cohort the following boys were selected to lead Ridley House in 2023. Congratulations go to:

Wellbeing: Sova Pogara

Sport: Jude Knapp

Cultural: Hunter James

Mission: Archie Ryan

Academic: Oliver Lee

The Foley 7s continues to be an event looked forward to by the boys. Our three teams all competed courageously and the year7/8 team is through to the final this week. Good luck boys.

The Ridley Master Minds competition was restricted to a Year 12 only event this year due to COVID-19. It was an entertaining competition, very well supported by seniors from all Houses. This year the eventual winners were a highly intellectual and diverse group from Ridley House.

In Week 9 this term all Year 9 will be heading off on a 4-day camp. The Ridley boys along with Ephrem, Foley and Gilroy will be exploring the wilds of the Numinbah Valley where hopefully teamwork and commitment to the task will strengthen peer bonds and build personal resilience.

With the whole school preparing for exams, we wish our Year 12s success as they complete their External Exam program with Mock Exams scheduled in Weeks 7 and 8. Good luck to all students with Term 3 exams.