Boarding News

Mr Jim Noble, Head of Boarding

It was great to welcome all the boys back into boarding last week and to hear so many talk about their holidays. As we commence a new term, I wanted to share a few of the new ideas and plans we have to enhance our boarding program at Marist College Ashgrove.

Each Friday evening this term we will be congregating as a boarding community down on McMahon Oval and surrounds. We’ve planned a BBQ dinner for the boys each Friday night which will be cooked by the boys under the watchful eye of the boarding staff. I am also grateful to past parent, Rebecca Jorquera who is kindly opening the canteen at the grandstand for the boarders at the same time on Friday afternoons. As well as the usual canteen treats, Rebecca has kindly sourced important supplies like toothpaste and deodorant which the boys can buy from the canteen. This is especially helpful for our younger boarders who are not at the stage yet where they can go to the local shops on a weekend to buy these things. Last Friday was our first go at this new plan and it was great to see the boys coming together, playing down on the oval and taking advantage of the canteen being open (and of course, the BBQ dinner!) We look forward to this new tradition continuing.

 

We are also looking ahead to a number of school visits to various places during Term 3. It is always great to support the communities where our boarders come from and to catch up with past, present and future members of the Marist Ashgrove community. Below is a snapshot of our school visits this term:

  • The boarders of La Valla Residence are travelling to play the Yamba Buccaneers in an exhibition game of rugby union this Saturday, 23rd July.
  • The following weekend (30th July) our Year 6 boys are representing the school in a game of rugby union against the Goondiwindi Emus at their home ground.
  • Marist College Ashgrove boarding is sending two teams to compete in the Western Sevens rugby union competition in Emerald (30th/31st July).
  • Boarding is travelling to “Gyranda” on 11th August to help out at the annual Open Day hosted by one of our boarding families, the Mahonys.
  • We are attending the ICPA Federal Conference in Perth from 3rd – 4th August.
  • We are attending the AgQuip field days at Gunnedah from 16th – 18th August.
  • We are planning over the September holidays to visit Darwin and Katherine to meet the families of current, past and prospective boarders and to host a sports clinic.

We look forward to seeing many people in our wider Marist community on these visits during Term 3.

Around the Grounds

La Valla Residence

This week has seen a wonderful return to La Valla as the boys rumbled back into the dorm! We are still awaiting the return of a couple of boys this term who have been delayed for a few more days. We cannot wait to see you Darius and Sania!

 

The boys were so excited to see each other, and it was great to see so many boys taking a pride in setting up their personal spaces. The midway point of Year 7 is when many young men start to feel much more settled into boarding life now that they understand how and when they will see their families and their homes.  This week saw a return to our regular touch football games, an increase in personal practice time for those in the Rugby League squad and a rush to the handball courts at break times. 

 

Our recreation this week was a nice mix of relaxed and energetic. During the bushwalk to Enoggera Dam most of the boys attempted a swim; this was quite the achievement for those boys from Far North Queensland, who had rarely felt waters so cold!

 

Montagne Residence by Cooper Fleischfresser

Cooper Fleischfresser
Cooper Fleischfresser

 

This week we saw the commencing of Term Three in Boarding. Many Year 9 boys as well as a few Year 8 boys were welcomed into their new dorm for the rest of Semester 2.

 

Rugby League, Tennis and Basketball trials were run on Saturday throughout various parts of Brisbane. There were a few special performances in these games including Makenzie Bowen, who scored 25 points in the Year 8A Basketball trials on Sunday. Ewan Wood scored a try in his Year 8 Rugby League game, as well as Finn Brennan who scored 2 great tries in the Year 9 Rugby League Trial against St Pats. Athletics training has also started early in the term to give boys the best chance at their chosen events.

 

On Sunday a few of the boys went for a trip to Brookside followed by Mass in the Chapel. This included Jono Kirk getting Boarder of the Week for Montagne. Overall it has been a great first week and we hope to continue this for the coming term.

 

Hermitage Residence

A busy start to the term has seen boys return with great energy. An exciting Semester lays ahead as the new Semester has seen a change in residents. We welcome those boys and families who have joined Hermitage this Semester from Fourviere and Montagne. Plenty of familiar faces, along with some new faces as well!

 

Boys have been challenged in the first few weeks to once again form good habits, and focus on getting the little things right. An important part of this is reviewing their own Semester 1 reports.

 

It has been wonderful to hear and share many stories and yarns from holiday adventures with boys all across the dorm. We welcome this term the Adams family (Hamish Year 10 and the Doran family (Lachie Yr 10). Both boys have commenced their boarding journey and we extend our best wishes to both families as they join the Marist community.

 

A victory to Queensland in State of Origin 3 made for a vocal and enjoyable experience throughout Week 1. State of Origin viewing in boarding is always a highlight.

Mr Dallas Williams
Mr Dallas Williams

Well done to our Year 10 boys and families who have recently completed their SET plan meetings with the academic care team, an important next step in their academic journey. Congratulations also to our year 9 lads who participated extremely well during their retreat on Monday. This was an opportunity to challenge not only themselves but also their peers.

 

Birthday wishes to both Tim Tully and George Philp who recently celebrated birthdays! Happy Birthday men. Finally, welcome to Mr Dallas Williams (Hermitage Senior Supervisor) and his family. Dallas has joined the College this term from St Brendan’s Yeppoon and brings with him a great deal of experience in boys’ education. Looking forward to the term ahead.

 

Fourviere Residence

The Fourvière crew made an energetic return to the residence this week, joined by a new group of Year 10s and, for the most part, some smart new haircuts. They were buoyed to catch up with each other again and share the excitement of recent adventures of the holidays just gone. Cody O’May, impressed at Confraternity Carnival, staking his claim for a spot in the AIC Rugby League team.

 

The Third Origin match was a cracking game which gave supporters from both sides plenty to cheer about before the Maroons took control of the match, much to the delight of the majority. Friday afternoon saw a welcome initiative with a twilight BBQ & game of touch down on McMahon oval which was well received by all. Once again, the Fourvière crew came to the fore, helping out with setting up and cooking for the masses. Thanks to the valiant efforts Hamish Wilson, Zeke Esler and Alex Masel on the grill. Come Saturday morning, many of the dudes were headed off to their respective sporting commitments, be that basketball, tennis, or rugby league. A number of lads impressed once more in the final hit out before the AIC season commences next weekend. Special mention goes to Harry Thompson who managed to bag a full field try in his game for the 2nd XIII.

 

Br Terence Residence

Soon after returning from the holidays, and attending just one day of normal classes, our Year 12 boarders headed off to spend the remainder of Week 1 on Retreat. Spread across five different locations in South-East Queensland, our boys were provided with an opportune time to step away from the busy day-to-day activities of boarding life. The Retreat experience is often a highlight in the Year 12 boys’ final year at the College and there has been plenty of positive conversation around the residence since they returned.

 

Following Retreat, our Year 12 boarders soon returned to actively participating in Term 3 activities across the weekend. After enjoying their ‘Confro’ experience over the holidays, our rugby league boys started the term with a strong win against St Patrick’s College on Saturday in their final trial fixture before the AIC season. In basketball, Brent Humphreys and Ethen Tsiamalili starred across the three 1st V trial matches played over the weekend in an encouraging preparation for the season ahead. Pleasingly, a significant number of boys are involved in activities outside of the classroom again this term. With their willingness to engage in a wide range of activities and hopefully with the insights gained on Retreat, our senior boarders continue to set an excellent example for the rest of the boarding school.

Recreation Report - Mr Blair Whitlock

It’s always great welcoming the boys back to boarding and hearing stories from their adventures during the holidays. There’s so much variation and these holidays have been no different! A term three recreation calendar was sent out last week and there are plenty of exciting events on the horizon. We kicked the weekend off with a Friday whole boarding BBQ down by McMahon Oval. Community has been a key theme throughout the year and getting everybody together for a meal by the ovals was a winner. The Year 11s ran the show on Friday with a group manning the canteen and cooking up enough food for 160! We also had a wide range of games going on the oval with lawn bowls, croquet, spikeball, finska and touch footy making it a busy afternoon. Friday finished with a group of 20 boys heading along to the movies to watch the new Thor film.

 

Many of the boys were involved in sport trials on Saturday morning leading into the basketball, tennis, hockey and rugby league seasons. After lunch, the La Valla boys headed out past The Gap for a swim at the chilly Enoggera Reservoir. It took the boys a little while but they eventually followed Jonah Horgan’s lead and took the cold plunge. Several of the ‘not so keen’ boys eventually got in after negotiating a ‘we jump then you jump’ deal with Miss Gracey which she duly obliged. Most boys enjoyed a relaxed Saturday afternoon before a couple of games of Mega Tiggy and the Wallabies vs England test rounded off the day.

 

The rec on Sunday was fairly light with mountain biking, touch footy and a trip to the Brookside shops taking us through to Sunday Mass. The boys have hit the ground running this term and there are plenty of exciting events on the horizon.