Cranbourne Campus News

Mano a Mano

Deriving from the Spanish, the term literally means ‘hand to hand’ and normally refers to being in direct conflict or competition with an adversary. Over the years we have seen some great tussles that have been Mano a Mano… Randy (the Man) Savage vs The Junkyard Dog, Ali vs Frazier, England vs France, Collingwood vs Carlton, Celtic vs Rangers, Tesla vs Edison, Michelangelo vs da Vinci, and Control vs Chaos. In each of these tussles there has been a winner and a loser however in each rivalry there has also been those moments of hope held by each, that the contest that they were about to enter, would end favorably for them.

That was the level of hope and anticipation that each of our 8 Houses brought to our final activity for 2022 - the McGuigan Shield Tug of War. Our 2022 victors, Glowrey House, seemed a little lost at the contest with their intrepid leader unable to join on the day to rally the troops and inspire.

The event was on the precipice of being marred following a late start, due to a boxer-like fanfare entry into the cauldron by Mr Bardi and the Marian students - there were some rumors that they might well have been out the back doing push ups to help accentuate their gym muscles and try to psych out the opposition - yet to be confirmed.

Assisi were a well organized outfit again this year and Mr De Goldi was well on top of his game with some sage tips about timing.

The surprise packet in this competition was Avila who were able to progress through to the knockout stage under the helm of Ms Edwards. But when the whistle went and the rope was dropped there could only be one winner and that was the leviathan that is MacKillop House.

Some questioned the fact that they had so many more students on the rope for MacKillop than other Houses, but the official adjudication from the SPCMSTOWRC (St Peters College McGuigan Shield Tug of War Rules Committee) by-law 1 states that ‘any advantage gained from high levels of student attendance on the final day, was well deserved and handicapping of such advantage would be testament to not allowing the tortoise to keep plodding along the track as the hare slept by the riverbank..’

This by-law clause, it is hoped, will become part of the drive of our other Houses on the final day of 2023 when next the rope is lifted in anger - mano a mano.

This has been a challenging year for most and many continue to be challenged by personal circumstances as we lead into Christmas - you are in our prayers; however recently we were reminded of the value of seeing a blossoming garden in spite of the existence of weeds, a fruitful task that can encourage and sustain us through the tough times. The Tug Of War and Thanksgiving mass were uplifting ways to finish the school year. The Tug of War reminds us of the rivalry of healthy competition and the graciousness that is present in accepting defeat and the humility that can be present in celebrating victory. And the celebration of Eucharist together reminds us of the joy of Christmas and the life-giving energy of our St Peter’s College community- a community where everyone finds their place.