Clontarf

Bunnings Workshop

The Bairnsdale Academy had the opportunity to have Bunnings Bairnsdale visit our College and conduct a workshop with the boys. The local store provided the boys with the necessary equipment to build planter boxes to take home and it was a fantastic hands on activity provided by the local Bairnsdale Bunnings.

The boys had to assemble the timber planter boxes following the instructions of the local community officer at Bunnings, putting them together, finishing with a coat of vanish and putting in the pot plant base in the frame. Bairnsdale Bunnings has provided Bairnsdale Academy with many opportunities in employment and workshops since the Academy started in 2010, and we look forward to continuing that partnership in the years to come, helping to create pathways and projects for the students to participate in.

Clontarf Cup

Bairnsdale brings the cup home!

After arriving in Melbourne, the boys quickly got dressed up and headed out to the partner dinner, where they got the chance to introduce themselves and get to know Clontarf's partners. The night involved two guest speakers, with Regional Manager Ben Dejuve interviewing Bairnsdale Academy's very own alumnus, Richard Harrison, as well as Indigenous AFL superstar Chad Wingard. Both provided invaluable pieces of advice to academy members from across the state. 

The next day the boys vied for the annual Victorian Clontarf Cup, with this year's carnival being comprised of a Junior (Years 7 to 9) and Senior (Years 10 to12) division. The junior boys fielded two very strong teams in an AFLX-styled round robin which also included teams from the Warrnambool, Robinvale, Mildura and Swan Hill academies. Bairnsdale 2, led by junior MVP Jarell Hood and Justin Harrison, started off strong and went on to win 4 out of their 6 matches (including a draw). Bairnsdale 1 also had a successful day, with Kaian Ritchie and Titus Harrison performing very well. It was a close battle between the two Bairnsdale sides with team 2 just winning. 

The senior boys joined forces with the Warrnambool Academy to go up against Mildura Academy in a set of two fiercely contested matches. In the first match, Tom Harrison rebound off half back along with Jarrod Bence's clean work in the middle powered Bairnsdale/Warrnambool to a strong victory. The second match looked to be a different tale despite heroic efforts from Josh Ward down back, before a five minute purple patch of brilliance from Peter Harrison steered Bairnsdale/Warrnambool to a second win. Like every year, all games were fought out in the right manner with all players displaying the Clontarf spirit well. 

A very deserving Malakai Hood-Marks took home Bairnsdale' s Clontarf Spirit award, which may or may not have been due to a string of five goals in a row in Bairnsdale' s final match. A big thank you goes out to Swinburne University for providing refreshments throughout the day and to Fulton Hogan for putting on a beautiful barbecue lunch.

Year 12 Leadership Camp

The regional Year 12 Leadership Camp was full of activities and goal setting for the year ahead.

We adventured off to a two night stay down at Yarra Ranges, but unfortunately with COVID restrictions, only two academies were able to attend, but that did not stop us on enjoying our time. The Swan Hill and Bairnsdale academies set up camp and then we begun our first set of activities. What had started off as a bit of fun quickly escalated into healthy competition with a point system added and a prize up for grabs for the winning academy. 

Our boys had a slow start but quickly gained ground with an Amazing Race victory which involved the boys reflecting on their schooling years and some goal setting at each checkpoint around the campsite. After the race we set of on a bike ride taking in the breath-taking views of the local area. We stopped off halfway to try our hand at some archery; we hit all our targets and claimed the win. It was our last night and with only a few points ahead the boys needed a win. The last event was a Talent Show and we had nothing prepared, nothing to work with and nothing coming to our minds apart from dad jokes. In the end we came up with the idea to take a song that the Swan Hill Academy love to listen to-'The Boys Are Back In Town' - and add our little spin on it. This had everyone in tears of joy with a mic drop to end the comp, take home the win and top off what had been a night to remember. All the boys have made a pledge to one another to make sure they all graduate this year with five main pillars:

• Attendance
• Communicate
• Be Committed
• Lead By Example
• Be A Deadly Bloke

They will be checking in with one another and will make sure no Year 12 student gets left behind.