AROUND THE COLLEGE & BEYOND

From the Humanities Department

Queensland Parliamentary Visits 

The Year 10 Business, the Year 11 and 12 Legal Studies and the Year 11 and 12 Business classes, attended the Queensland Parliament Regional Sitting at Cairns Convention Centre on 10 May. The students were exposed to the inner workings of Parliament and witnessed the presentation of bills by various members of Parliament. Parliament also had various State Government employees on hand for students to discuss potential employment opportunities.  

The Year 9 Business classes visited Parliament on Thursday, 12 May, and observed Parliament acknowledge the importance of the King’s coronation. The students heard from Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Opposition Leader David Crisafulli on this subject. All the students were able to see democracy in action and understand the importance of voting within Queensland. 

Bond University High School Mooting Competition  

On Wednesday, 17 May, the College participated in the Bond University National High School Mooting Competition against St Hilda’s School, Southport in the preliminary round. A moot is a simulated legal debate. St Augustine’s College Bond Mooting team consisted of:

1. Senior Counsel - Michael Doolan, 
2. Junior Counsel - Aiden Cridland,
3. Solicitor - Cooper Glass, and
4. Associate - Ricky Groth. 

The team have been preparing their arguments on a complex civil law case involving a breach of duty by an intoxicated driver for the past two months. The moot took place via Zoom and the team performed their respective roles effectively and answered questions from the bench with confidence and legal justification. Bond University will advise of the top eight teams on the afternoon of Friday, 19 May. 

Business Liaison Association (BLA) Mock Court

Two teams from St Augustine’s participated in the annual BLA Mock Court at the Cairns Courthouse on the evening of Wednesday 17 May. The two teams analysed a complex criminal trial regarding charges of assault occasioning bodily harm and grievous bodily harm. Both teams prepared their arguments over the past four weeks, and we were fortunate to have the assistance of Saints old boys and Crown Prosecutors, Christian Peters and Matt Hancock. 

The Year 12 team acted for the Prosecution and came up against a strong defence from Redlynch State College. The line of questioning from Barristers Aiden Cridland, Ricky Groth and Cooper Glass, provided a strong foundational base to prove the defendant committed the crime of grievous bodily harm beyond reasonable doubt. Unfortunately, the judge found in favour of the Defence.  A special mention goes to Court Officer, Murdoch McSwan, for his attention to detail in organising witnesses and assisting the Judge with administrative matters. The Year 12 team consisted of:

1. Brayden Northage – Witness
2. Darcy Oates – Witness
3. Cooper Glass – Barrister
4. Aiden Cridland – Barrister
5. Ricky Groth – Barrister
6. Murdoch McSwan – Court Officer / Bailiff 

The Year 10 team acted for the Defence and came up against a strategic Cairns High School team. A strong opening address by Barrister, Patrick Maher, set the scene for the Defence. A compelling line of question from Barrister, Finn Slade, and a persuasive closing address from Kadyn Marino found the defendant not guilty. The Year 10 team, who acted for the Defence, consisted of:

1. Patrick Maher – Barrister
2. Kadyn Marino – Barrister
3. Finn Slade – Barrister
4. Righardt Bohmer – Witness
5. Patrick Spillane – Witness
6. Kaleb Howard – Court Officer / Bailiff

It was an excellent experience for all involved and a special thanks to the BLA and the Cairns Courthouse for allowing this event to take place. 

Year 11 Legal Studies – Court Excursion 

The Year 11 Legal Studies class attended the Cairns Courthouse on 10 May to observe the inner workings of the District and Supreme courts. The students observed a variety of interesting and complex criminal cases. They were fortunate to listen to Judge Tracy Fantin of the District Court and Justice James Henry of the Supreme Court on the issue of mandatory sentencing, which is relevant to the students' upcoming assessment, and the relevant cases in progress on the day. The students thoroughly enjoyed the excursion and the insights provided. 

Cairns Regional Council Youth Summit 

Kaleb Howard, Patrick Maher, Finn Slade, Kadyn Marino and Lachlan Turner attended Riley Crystalbrook for the Cairns Regional Council’s Youth Summit on 5 May. The students provided insight to Council on what the youth believe the city of Cairns needs for the future. Mayor, Bob Manning, spoke about the importance of planning for the future with Cairns anticipating a population of 250,000 people by 2050. The students spent the day with a town planner from Council breaking down various activities with a view to the future.  Year 10 student Finn Slade, commented, “It was a cool experience and it’s good that Council are providing the youth of Cairns with a voice.” Finn also attended the Cairns Regional Council Community Summit on Saturday, 6 May, providing the community with an insight into the findings of the Youth Summit.

Year 7s Master the Art of the  Marble Maze

In the Design Technology unit, students look at the process involved in designing, producing and evaluating a new product: a marble maze. The students design their own layout, construct the marble maze in the workshop, and then evaluate the process and product.