From the Head of College

Get on with it for the boys

We are very grateful to the Marist brothers who have gifted us with this great college that educates the young men in its care in the way of Marcellin Champagnat. The Brothers have invested so much into the Marist College Ashgrove over the years and have loved this place dearly. Now we are the stewards of the College and with that comes much responsibility not only to care for it but also to make sure the original spirit and ethos lives on. 

The spirituality of the Marist Brothers has certainly always been one of humility, modesty and simplicity. I recall once, at school telling a Brother that I had just succeeded in a pursuit, only to see the Brother raise his eyebrows at me and saying, “Don’t go on about it. Just get on with it and help other students achieve this too.” In this Brother’s eyes, it wasn’t the right response to gloat or give yourself self-adulation, but rather the right way to act was to keep doing things well, quietly and then to look beyond yourself to assist another person to achieve. It was centered around that Latin word humus or humility, meaning grounded. We need to be grounded in the knowledge that our successes are due to the gifts God has given us and we are called to share these with others. That’s what I clearly remembered from the response of the Brother – ‘self-praise is no praise’ but rather, I should go about using my gifts to help someone else achieve success too. Humility is not about thinking of yourself as less but is thinking of others more.

Today, at Marist, the Marist Brothers are more than happy to hand over to all of us this beautiful and esteemed college, with its wonderful history, successes, old boy role models, rich spirituality and ethos. In turn, they simply want us to get on with the business of achieving excellence for the boys in our care, simply and quietly. To maintain the success and best possible opportunities for the boys in all areas of their education as has been the case throughout the history of Marist College Ashgrove – academically, culturally, on the sporting fields and with a quiet and unassuming spirituality for the boys. Our role as the new custodians of Marist is to use the God given gifts we have been given for the betterment of all the boys in our care, so as to “love each student and to love them all equally” (Marcellin Champagnat). 

We ask for God’s blessing upon Marist College Ashgrove and the entire Marist College family as we commence semester two. Mary our Good Mother, pray for us. St Marcellin Champagnat, pray for us. Mary of the Cross Mackillop, pray for us. 

Year 12 Retreat 2023

This Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 12-14 July, Marist College Ashgrove will be conducting the much-anticipated Year 12 retreats. These annual retreats are a highlight for many boys at the College. The retreat enables the boys to have time out from their busy schedules with their friends to reflect upon their lives, futures and in the presence of their loving God. I thank the following staff who will be assisting the boys and leading them through various activities on this retreat namely: Anna Nasr, Mena McLean, Lorraine Gardiner, Steve Littleton, Sharon Davidson, Peter Serone, Julia Wilken, James Walton, Tara Franklin, Anthony Mathison, Phill Holding, Julie Ward, Colleen Robertson, Lucia Del Vecchio, Chris Daykin, Scott Minogue, Liz Walsh, Charlie Taylor, Bonita Gerry, Bec Wong, Jim Noble, Genevieve Long, Rhiannon Fenn, Kathryn Badini, David Finch, Maddie Spann and Lucy Naughton. We all pray for you on these retreats. Enjoy, gentlemen. 

NAIDOC Week

From 17- 21 July, Marist College Ashgrove will celebrate NAIDOC Week where we recognise and commemorate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We recognise our Indigenous students and pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. To celebrate this week, the College will be holding year-level Indigenous games during the second break each day, learning, and performing Indigenous dances, holding a NAIDOC assembly with special guest Maroochy Barambah and providing a NAIDOC BBQ on Friday at First Break for the boys. My thanks are extended to Dallas Williams, Zane Ratcliff and Rhiannon Fenn for their organisation of these events.

Sport – Term 3

Term 3 sport commences in earnest this week with training, followed by trials this Saturday 15 July vs St Edmund’s College. The term’s sports available to the boys in the AIC Competition includes: Athletics, Rugby League, Basketball and Tennis. To be included in any of these sports, boys will have trailed for each sport and have been allocated to a team. I thank our many coaches and staff for 2023. We look forward to an enjoyable and successful Term 3 of sport.

Year 11 Leadership Day

The annual Year 11 Leadership Day will be held next Tuesday 18 July, in the Champagnat Centre. This will commence the important presentations and education to the Year 11 boys on leadership as they prepare to take over from the Year 12 cohort in Term 4. This day and future education on leadership will also educate and assist the boys who will be applying for further leadership roles within their year group. I thank the following staff who will be preparing the boys for leadership this term, namely:  Phill Holding, Peter Serone, Kelly Byrnes and all our House Pastoral Leaders.

Drug, Alcohol and Vaping Presentation

Marist College Ashgrove is thrilled to welcome back Mr Paul Dillon who will be undertaking his annual presentation to the Years 10, 11 and 12 students on illegal and harmful substances – including drugs, alcohol and vaping. Paul is the founder of DARTA – Drug and Alcohol Research and Training. Paul really focuses on keeping the students safe. The boys always find his presentations engaging and interesting.

Paul has been working in the area of drug education for almost 30 years. He continues to be contracted by agencies and organisations across the country to provide updates on current drug trends. His best-selling book for parents titled ‘Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs‘ was published in 2009 and has since been released internationally, being translated into a number of languages. Paul has been contracted by a range of sporting organisations including the Australian Cricketers Association, the Rugby Union Players’ Association (RUPA) and Football Federation Australia (FFA) to deliver training to players around alcohol and other drug (AOD) safety, as well as to assist in the development of alcohol policies for the respective sports. Paul regularly provides media comment and is regarded as a key social commentator in Australia, appearing on a wide range of television programs including Sunrise, TODAY and The Project discussing topical issues. Paul also had a regular spot on a national radio program for seven years where he dealt with current youth drug issues. Paul writes a blog for parents and caregivers, as well as another for young people, and these have recently been released in a podcast format.

The Years 10, 11 and 12 boys will be part of a presentation by Paul next Thursday 20 July. This will be followed by a parent presentation in the Champagnat Centre from 6:00pm - 7:00pm. We hope you can join us – Paul is great!

Volunteering in the Tuckshop

All parents are welcome to join us in the Tuckshop each day. We certainly need and welcome your help. For more information, please go to the link below:

Term 3 link MCA Tuckshop 2023 Term 3 — Signup Sheet | SignUp.com

In anticipation, thank you.

May our loving God with Mary our good mother and St Marcellin Champagnat walk with all members of the Marist College Ashgrove Family.

Upcoming Events

Tuesday 11 July

• Term 3 Starts - Winter Uniform
• Study Hall – Senior Library
• Reconciliation – Chapel (Fr Alatini Kolofo’ou)
• House Meetings Years 5-12
• Year 10 Business Excursion to XXXX Brewery
• St Vincent de Paul Meeting – Mission Office
• College Assembly
• Old Boys’ Association Meeting

Wednesday 12 July

• Year 12 Retreats - starts
• GreenAsh
• Mass in Chapel – All Welcome
• Primary Morning Study
• Economics Lunch and Retreat at Brookfield
• Year 11 Visual Art Workshop at Terrace
• Boarder Parent Network Meeting

Thursday 13 July

• GreenAsh
• SVdP Sausage Sizzle – Main Yard
• Study Hall – Senior Library
• Primary Morning Assembly
• Years 8, 10 and 11 Game Changers Meetings

Friday 14 July

• Year 12 Retreat - ends
• Construction Immersion
• Year 11 PE Excursions
• Hockey – MCA vs Mt Maria

Saturday 15 July

• Term 3 AIC Sports Trials v SEC (H)

Sunday 16 July

• Boarders’ Mass (Chapel)

Monday 17 July

• MCA Celebrates NAIDOC Week
• Years 5 to 9 Student Monitoring Week
• Primary Morning Assembly
• Student Leader Forum Meeting
• Foundation Meeting

Tuesday 18 July

• Year 11 Leadership Day
• Reconciliation – Chapel
• House Meetings Years 5-12
• Year 12 PE Excursion
• St Vincent de Paul Meeting – Mission Office
• Year 5 and 6 Carrousel Theatre Presentation – Aladin et La Lampe Magique (Draney Theatre)

Wednesday 19 July

• GreenAsh
• Mass in Chapel – All Welcome
• Primary Morning Study
• College Assembly
• Hockey Training against All Hallows
• QLD Olympics Unleashed Program - Olympian visit to Primary

Thursday 20 July

• Boarding Country Visit to Moree and Narrabri – starts
• GreenAsh
• SVdP Sausage Sizzle – Main Yard
• Study Hall – Senior Library
• Pastoral Group Paper Recycling
• Environment Group Meeting
• Paul Dillon Presentations

Friday 21 July

• Head of College Tour
• Primary Visit to St Joseph’s Primary School Bardon
• Round 1 Primary Basketball
• Hockey – MCA vs St Patrick’s

Saturday 22 July

• Round 1- Rugby League v SLC
• Round 1 - Tennis/Basketball v Villa (H)

Sunday 23 July

• Boarders’ Mass (Chapel)