Welcome to Term 2

A very warm welcome to the start of Term 2 and as custom dictates in Orange ANZAC Day has once again marked the time that the autumnal temperatures drop and the forthcoming winter begins to emerge on the horizon.

I hope you were able to share some valuable time with family and friends over the Easter break. I was delighted with the manner in which Term 1 concluded and I have continued to receive correspondence congratulating our students on the positive and enthusiastic approach to Camps Week. Only this morning I received a letter from Colonel Taylor, Commander of the NSW 2nd Australian Army Cadet Brigade commending our students and staff on their impressive performance at Cadet Camp, as follows:

“I recently had the opportunity to visit Kinross Wolaroi School Anny Cadet Unit on the occasion of their annual field exercise. Put simply, the performance of the unit in the field was impressive.

Major (Australian Anny Cadets) Simon Lun and his team of dedicated Army Cadet Staff, volunteers and support staff provided the framework for a most successful field exercise. Further, the enthusiasm, maturity and knowledge of the cadets that I had the good fortune to meet and interact with are a credit to the school's cadet unit, and reflect most favourably on Kinross Wolaroi School and the school's leadership.”

Congratulations to all involved.

ANZAC Day

It was marvellous to see such a large contingent of our student body participate in the ANZAC Day Ceremonies in Orange. With our students still on holidays, many Cadets and students of all ages represented the School superbly as they marched through the streets of Orange and attended the Commemoration Service. Our student’s behaviour, dress and attitude were outstanding, being excellent ambassadors for the School. I must congratulate our Marching Band for their excellent contribution as they led the School on our march playing ‘The Road to Gundagai’.

A sincere thank you to all our students and staff who contributed to the day. We have much to be proud of.

Kinross Wolaroi Commemoration

Our Term commenced with our own ANZAC commemoration affording the Senior School students an opportunity to pause and reflect on the significance of ANZAC Day and of the contribution and sacrifice made by so many from our families, communities and our School.

Our commemoration included Prayer from the Chaplain, an address from myself, the reading of the Ode by CUO Ella Worsley and the playing of the Last Post and Reveille by Ben Hoskins-Murphy. The dignity and respect shown by the entire Senior School during the service was most impressive.

I include below elements of my ANZAC Day address to the students:

This morning I would like to share with you a few thoughts and comments about what we are celebrating and why we as Australians pause to reflect on this each year.

April 25 marks the day that in 1915, some 107 years ago, Australian and New Zealand troops stormed ashore at what is now known as Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsular to fight the Turks. It was our nation’s first major military engagement and we were a young nation eager to prove our worth and to make our mark on the world.

We can only imagine what was going through the minds of those young Australian and New Zealand soldiers as they stood ready to storm the beaches of the Gallipoli Peninsular.

The Gallipoli campaign was an ill thought-out offensive of World War 1, a war also known as the Great War and at the time thought to be the war to end all wars, where Allied nations engaged in conflict against Germany and its allies. The ultimate objective of the campaign was to capture Constantinople, the Capital of the Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany.

The ANZACs met fierce resistance from the Turks. What was planned as a bold stroke to knock Turkey out of the war, quickly became a stalemate and the campaign dragged on for eight months. By the end of 1915 the Allied forces were evacuated, after both sides suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships.

One of our own, Norman Gall, an Old Boy of Wolaroi College was one of the last Australians evacuated from the Gallipoli Peninsular.

In many ways the courage and perseverance, the mateship and loyalty of these young men came to define our nation, it defined who we were as people, and defined what we stand for.

Over 100 years later, there is a danger that the stories of these young men become shrouded in the passing of the generations and the warm glow of nostalgia.

There were heroes among them. Many unlikely heroes. Many young men, some of them boys, no older than some of you seated here today, who dreamt of being part of a noble and romantic cause.

But the story of the ANZAC, is the story of everyday Australians, not heroes, sent to a distant land, keen to prove themselves .... Only to encounter the most terrible and horrific circumstances imaginable.

I would like to share with you a little of their story in their words:

Private Harold Gordon Craig, 6th Battalion AIF, wrote the following in his diary about the lead up to the landing on Gallipoli:

‘‘Well we received a letter from Lord Kitchener telling us that we were going to do work that no soldiers had ever been asked to do before, and that it would go down in history and a lot more as we were colonials.

‘‘Told us that we would have a very hard time as we would land under fire. Never tumbled that it would be so bad’’.

Signaller Elias Sillas wrote on 3 May, 1915, only eight days after the landing:

‘‘Dawn. Oh God, only 250 left of our battalion — there has been a ceaseless stream of wounded, many cases have died on the way down, until in most places the narrow pass is so cumbered with dead and badly wounded waiting for the stretchers that it is becoming impassable. Seeing those fine stalwart men going up the gully to reinforce and shortly returning, frightfully maimed and covered in blood — I don’t think I shall ever be able to forget this; it’s horrible. Will the stream of wounded never cease? It is now nearly midday and still they keep pouring down – marines, some of them mere boys, and New Zealanders are supporting us, but keep getting frightfully cut up.”

It was in this furnace of despair and misery that the Australian character was forged. This is the true story of Anzac.

Countless tales of mates learning to rely on mates whether they knew them or not, of larrikins doing their best to make people smile in the darkest of times. It is the story of a young nation taking its place on the world stage.

Over one hundred years on, it is more important than ever to remind ourselves that Anzac Day is not about the glorification of war, it is a solemn reminder that war is the price we sometimes have to pay to live in a free and open society and that the price of our freedom is sometimes paid in the blood of those who serve.

Tragically, we see clear evidence of this today as the people of the Ukraine fight to defend their country from the oppression and hostility of Russia and Putin’s regime. Still we see death, murder, war and tragedy.

Still we are unable to learn the lessons of history. We have seen all this so many times over the centuries. Australian men and women have served to defend the freedom of many in theatres of conflict across the globe.

From the beaches of Gallipoli and the battlefields of France in WWI, to the jungles of New Guinea, the deserts of Africa, the battles in the Coral Sea and in the skies over Europe in WWII, to conflicts in Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Somalia, Rwanda, East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Across all Australian military campaigns, more than 1.8 million have enlisted to serve their country. Of these, more than 102,000 have died as a result of their service, more than 225,000 wounded and more than 34,000 held as prisoners of war.

I referred earlier to one of our Old Boys – Norman Gall – who was one of the last to be evacuated form Gallipoli Peninsular. Norman was born in Wagga in 1894 and when his family moved to Orange he was enrolled here at School. He was a keen Golfer and represented Orange in many Golf tournaments, including the Western District Premiership of 1912. On leaving Wolaroi College, Norman was appointed to Booth Surveyors in Woodward Street where he continued to work until he enlisted in March 1915.

Norman embarked from Sydney in June 1915. He joined the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in Gallipoli in August of that year and fought right through the campaign following the evacuation. He proceeded to France to the Western Front in February 1916 and fought in the Battle of the Somme. Norman was appointed Lance Corporal in June, Temporary Sergeant in August and Sergeant on 6 November. He was due to receive promotion to Lieutenant when on 15 November he was killed in action.

A fellow soldier described his death as follows:

“Sergeant Gall was standing in a trench with his platoon after an unsuccessful attempt to launch an attack, when deciding to assist a Lewis Gun crew firing on the enemy, he peeped over the parapet with a view to having a shot, when he was struck in the forehead by a German sniper’s bullet and killed instantaneously.”

So what is ANZAC Day about?

It is about remembering. Remembering those ordinary, decent young Australians. Remembering the debt we owe to the generations that came before us, people who did things so extraordinary that they test our powers to imagine.

We remember our War dead, those tens of thousands who lie in foreign fields.

Those of our families, our school and community who fought, some of whom paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedoms we enjoy today.

On ANZAC Day we remember them all.

Lest we forget.

Staffing

Mr Trent Chapman - Head of Senior School

Following an extensive recruitment process that attracted outstanding candidates from leading independent schools across the country, we have a new Head of Senior School for Term 2.

It was particularly pleasing that a number of excellent, highly qualified candidates from within the School applied for this most important role.

I am delighted to welcome Mr Trent Chapman as Head of Senior School. Trent is well known to our School community having made an outstanding contribution to the holistic life of the School over the past thirteen years. Trent is currently Head Mentor of McLachlan House. During his time here he has served with distinction in various capacities including Head of Weymouth House, Acting Head of Boys Boarding, Army Cadet Officer and teacher of Technology and Applied Science, and Computing Studies. Trent and his wife Libby demonstrated their marvelous commitment to the School and our students during their years caring for the boys in Weymouth Boarding House.

He is a passionate leader with over 20 years’ experience in leading independent schools and has forged a reputation for his ability to develop strong communities and promoting positive culture in all aspects of his professional practice. Trent has also taught in a number of British schools that afforded him opportunities in diverse socio-economic and cultural demographics. This has enabled him to develop a broad base of experience and has shaped his approach that focusses on respect, building strong relationships and developing the whole student.

Prior to Trent’s appointment at Kinross Wolaroi in 2010, he was a strong contributor to the life of The Scots College in Sydney where he was Housemaster of Brandt House (Day), Deputy Housemaster of McIntyre and Royale Boarding Houses, Master in Charge of Rugby and ICT Advisor.

Trent has a Bachelor of Education (Computing) and Bachelor of Teaching from University of New England, and a Graduate Certificate in Information Technology from Charles Sturt University. He has also completed the National Excellence in School Leadership (NESLI) Colloquium conducted by the Australian School of Applied Management. Trent is a graduate of Red Bend College in Forbes, where he was a boarding student for six years.

Trent and Libby are current Junior School parents to Harrison (Year 6), Edward (Year 2) and Ivy (Year 1). Libby is a Kindergarten teacher at a local Primary School.

I am sure you will join with me in congratulating Trent on his appointment and we very much looking forward to his significant contribution to Kinross Wolaroi School as Head of Senior School.

Term 2 Appointments

I am delighted to announce the following new staff who will commence in Term 2, 2022.

A very warm welcome to:

Mrs Katrina Flynn – Science Teacher

Mrs Katrina Flynn joins our Science Faculty and has had extensive experience in a number of regional schools, including Yass High School, Goulburn High School, PLC Armidale, Walch Central School and Daramalan College, ACT.

Katrina was a boarder at KWS and her positive and enriching experience as a student inspired her to pursue a career in education.

Katrina’s most recent appointment was at Yass High School where she taught Preliminary and HSC Chemistry and Biology, Stages 4 and 5 Science, Stage 4 Mathematics and Stages 4 and 5 PDHPE. She was the Year 7 transition co-ordinator and co-ordinator of the Yass High School Science Fair and Science Enrichment Program.

Katrina has been involved in many activities throughout her career including: coaching of Netball, Athletics, Touch Football, Swimming and Life Saving Instruction, Hockey, Rugby, Water Polo and the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme.

Katrina has a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) from the University of Canberra and has successfully completed units from a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wollongong and a Graduate Certificate of Science from the University of New England, Armidale to enrich her Science teaching.

Katrina is a passionate believer in the value of students having a holistic educational experience and looks forward to contributing to the many opportunities available to the students of our school.

She is an enthusiastic triathlete and mother of three children. We look forward to welcoming Katrina and her family to the community.

Mr Sid Gurjar – Mathematics Teacher

Mr Sid Gurjar joins our Mathematics Faculty having spent the last four years on the staff at Sydney Boys High School. He is an outstanding classroom practitioner and has taught Stage 4, 5.1,5.2,5.3 courses, General Mathematics (from the old Syllabus), Advanced Mathematics, and Extension 1 and 2 in both selective and comprehensive Department of Education settings.

At Sydney Boys High, Sid has run content workshops for his colleagues and workshops where staff have been able to observe and learn from his teaching methods. He has been a lead member of the School’s Literacy Data team and is experienced in analysing Scout data to identify cohort’s relative strengths and weaknesses. Sid has used this data to guide the design and implementation of explicit literacy tasks.

Sid has also been a Year Advisor and has enthusiastically involved in the co-curricular program at SBHS coaching Rugby, Basketball and participating in Camps. He has a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) from the University of NSW and a Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary Mathematics) from the University of Technology, Sydney.

Acting Head of Social Sciences – Mr Liam Callaghan

I am most grateful that Mr Liam Callaghan has accepted the role of Acting Head of Social Sciences.

Liam is a vastly experienced teacher of Social Science and a highly successful and effective teacher of Geography. He is heavily involved in the full life of the School and is highly committed to providing holistic and enriching educational experiences for our students.

Liam is currently our Duke of Edinburgh Co-ordinator, TREE Officer and has been coach of the First XV Rugby Team. He has also been Acting Head of Blackman House, an HSC Geography marker and Year Group Coordinator in schools prior to his arrival here in 2016.

Liam has a Bachelor of Arts (Geography, Government and Aboriginal Studies) from the University of Sydney. He is also an experienced Conference presenter of papers relating to Geography.

Please join with me in wishing Liam every success as he undertakes this new challenge.

Ms Jennifer Roberts and Mrs Joanne Lenton – Music Department

We welcome back to the School, Ms Jennifer Roberts and Mrs Joanne Lenton who replaced Mrs Pip Waters in the Music Department. We are delighted to have them back to work with our students.

Miss Belle Hazelton – Junior School teacher

I am delighted to announce the appointment Ms Belle Hazelton as a Year 6 teacher. Ms Hazelton was a student at KWS before going onto study at the University of Sydney. Following graduation Belle taught at Woollahra Public School and Kincoppal Rose Bay in Sydney and Catherine McCauley in Orange. We welcome Belle back to the KWS community.

We wish you a very fulfilling and productive Term.

Dr Andrew Parry

Principal

Senior School Sport & Co-curricular

Rugby Camp

Senior School Sport &
Co-curricular