Boarding News

Mr Ty Casey

An MCA boarder is underpinned by the core value and virtue of Family Spirit. This is developed through:

  • Safety, belonging, presence and relationships
  • Every staff member, boarder and family play a vital role in ensuring this sense of Family Spirit is fostered and embodied by developing a ‘home away from home’ environment for each boarder

A reflection written by 2017 Old Boy and boarder, Braydon Law best describes the opportunities presented for our boarders that call MCA home.

“Boarding is a way of life that offers unique opportunities: to meet friends from across the world, develop confidence, character, and independence. A strong sense of camaraderie, team spirit, and brotherhood has become synonymous with boarding at Marist. The overwhelming spirit and tone in the boarding houses are one of harmony and happiness. The opportunity to live, work and play with your mates makes boarding a special experience for me. Genuine friendships are forged between boarders that last well beyond graduation.” - Braydon Law

I referred to Braydon’s reflection late in Term 1 and thought it important to highlight it again as we celebrate National Boarding Week. National Boarding Week celebrates and brings into focus all the great things that happen within a boarding context across the country. MCA boarding is a vibrant and diverse community of 161 boys calling Marist College Ashgrove home. Domestically, our boarders travel to us from as close as Ashgrove and The Gap, regionally from Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales and the Northern Territory. Internationally we have boarders from Hong Kong, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Switzerland, South Korea and Qatar. Boarders are very much part of the Marist story as they maximise the opportunities of living on campus to embrace a holistic education that encompasses all facets of College life. Standing amongst ‘The Hive’ on Saturday just gone at Villanova playing fields epitomised the very character of an MCA boarder. The war cries led by our seniors certainly were inspiring for not only the 1st XV but the crowd present. You could sense their pride and passion for a College that offers so much in return for them.

 

Our boarding school operates as a well-oiled machine, powered by a large family of staff that work with our boys around the clock. Our Boarding Coordinators are familiar to our families, however they are the tip of the iceberg! We have a large group of Boarding Supervisors; the wonderful Nurses in our Health Centre; Les and Heather in the Laundry; Nathan and the team in the Kitchen and Boarders Dining Room; the cleaners that operate through our dorms each and every day; Blair for formulating recreation to occupy the boys on weekends and Erin and Renae in the office to keep everyone in check!

 

But we really must thank our MCA Boarding Families. It is you that entrust your boys into our care. We do not take this responsibility lightly. We are very proud of the boarders here at Marist College Ashgrove, believe they are unique and want to recognise them for the resilience, passion and dedication they themselves bring to their boarding journey.

Boarding Snap Shot

Below is a snapshot of our boarding cohort

Fulltime/Weekly boarders:

  • 93.9% Full Time
  • 6% Weekly

Sibling in Boarding at MCA:

  • 40%

Sons of Old Boys:

  • 22%

Indigenous Population:

  • 11% Aboriginal
  • 0.6% Aboriginal & TSI

International Population:

  • 14% (Hong Kong, PNG, Solomon Islands, China, East Timor, Switzerland, Singapore)

State & Territories:

  • QLD 67%
  • NSW 14%
  • NT 3%
  • VIC 1%
  • SA / WA / TAS 0%

Religious denomination: 

  • 70.7% Catholic
  • 15.6% No Religion Stated
  • 7.3% Anglican
  • 4.8% Other Christian
  • 1.2% Uniting Church

Around the Grounds

Br Terence Residence

Br Terence Residence is home to all of our Year 12 boarders and 25 of our Year 11 boarders. The residence is named in honour of Br Terence Heinrich who was Headmaster here at the College from 1991-1996 and is situated next to the Tower Block overlooking Cameron Oval.

 

Br Terence was an inspirational leader who was well known for his strong work ethic, his care and compassion for others and an unwavering commitment to his faith. These admirable traits are characteristics that we hope will be embraced and embodied by all of our Br Terence boarders both in their time here at the College and in their lives beyond Ashgrove.

 

Like many of our boarding residences, the boys come from a diverse range of rural, remote, interstate, coastal, local and overseas locations. Presently, the residence is home to nine overseas boarders from countries such as the Solomon Islands, South Korea, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, East Timor, China, Switzerland and Singapore. The residence is also home to 10 boys who live in either New South Wales or the Northern Territory, while the majority of our Br Terence boarders live in Queensland and represent a wide range of regional areas such as: Emerald, Goondiwindi, Ayr, Stanthorpe, Longreach, Cherbourg, the Darling Downs, Hope Vale, Townsville, Coen, Far North Queensland, Dirranbandi, Augathella, Mungindi, the Sunshine Coast and the Western Downs. Our diversity is celebrated in the residence and values such as honesty, leading by example, respect and accepting responsibility are at the core of the daily interactions between our senior boarding students and the staff who work in the residence.

 

Fourviere Residence

Fourviere has special meaning for the Marist community. Located in Lyon, France, it is where the dreams of St Marcellin Champagnat to create the Marist Brothers became a reality. Fourviere is a place that many Marists still go to draw from Our Lady, the same passionate enthusiasm and vision that she once gave to a young and far-sighted priest. The Fourviere residence was named as such in order to recognise the significance of our connection with the Marist family.

 

One of the most positive aspects of boarding is the connection to the Marist Community that our students and families share. Currently home to 48 of our Year 10 and 11 students, the residence is a thriving hub of energy that sees these lads from far and wide living together harmoniously. Our boys hale from a range of geographical locations, including the rural and country areas of Queensland and the neighbouring states and territories, as well as from abroad. We currently have 8 international students with us from; Solomon Islands, The Czech Republic, Qatar and five from PNG. We have two students from the Northern Territory townships of Katherine and Cossack. While a handful of boys are local and reside in surrounding suburbs of Brisbane the majority come from a wide range of regions throughout Queensland and Northern NSW including; Bell, Charters Towers, Chinchilla, Cloncurry, Cooktown, Dalby, Dirranbandi, Emerald, Gold coast, Goondiwindi, Gordonvale, Hivesville, Inverell, Kingaroy, Lightning Ridge, Mackay, Moree, Rockhampton, Southwood, Tabooba, Thallon, Theodore, Warwick and Wollongbar. 

 

There is something for everyone here at Marist College and getting involved is very much the philosophy that enables so many of the lads to find their niche, enjoy their time here and build the life-long friendships that they will truly cherish into the future. The values of Respect, Reliability, Responsibility and Trustworthiness are integral to our approach in Fourviere in what is a critical year of sub-senior development for the lads as they transition toward their final years of secondary education. In their down-time the boys often enjoy a range of activities; the likes of shooting pool, playing table tennis and chess, going to the gym, playing guitar, a game of touch on the ovals, or just hanging in the dorms sharing a yarn are favourite ways to pass the time for the fellas of Fourviere.

 

Hermitage Residence

'The Hermitage' is the namesake of the residence and is located near Lyons in the south of France. Built by Marcellin Champagnat and his first Brothers, the Brothers first moved from La Valla to the Hermitage in 1824. It claims great significance for Marists today. The Hermitage dorm is the top of the Br Geoffrey building and overlooks the beautiful grounds of the school, including the numerous sports ovals, as well as glimpses of the Brisbane City.

 

This year we have 22 boys in residence with an additional two boys who have been unable to join us due COVID-19. The boys have diverse backgrounds and include New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Hong Kong. Additionally, the boys call home to various locations including Sunshine Coast, Moonie, Mossman, Katherine (NT), Port Moresby (PNG), Kingaroy, Mitchelton, Alderley, Tennant Creek (NT), Augathella, Mitchell, Goondiwindi, Hong Kong, Longreach, Solomon Islands, Rockhampton, Quilpie, Malmsbury (VIC) and Aurukun. In addition to these residence, we also have a number of staff who make up the Hermitage community including Mr Darian Johns (Senior Supervisor), Mr Kabel Dawes, Mr Callum Robertson and Mr Clancy Kuiters.

 

Like Montagne, the Hermitage boys are very fortunate to spend study in the recently renovated Tower where boys are led two nights a week by an external tutoring company. The Tower is a heritage-listed building that is visible from the local area and is nestled amongst the leafy surrounds of Ashgrove. The tower is also visible from Hermitage and is a constant reminder of the traditions of the College.

 

The boys of Hermitage are an active group with the majority involved in the various co-curricular activities on offer at the College. The most participated sport would have to be rugby, closely followed by cricket, Aussie rules, volleyball, football, tennis and chess. The boys are so committed to representing the College they even arranged their own dorm team which entered the AIC as the mighty 9E cricket team! As well as being committed to the school co-curricular program, boys are involved at the local club level, registering for clubs such as GPS Rugby Union, Everton Hawks AFC and Gap Gators FC.

 

Montagne Residence

Named after a young man in Southern France who had limited knowledge of God before meeting St Marcellin Champagnat, Montagne Residence is home to the College’s Year Eight Boarders. Located in the Br Geoffrey building, there are eighteen young men who call our residence home. 

 

Currently, we have five international resident’s, one from Hong Kong and four from Papua New Guinea. The majority of our young men are from regional Queensland. We have boys from St George, Quilpie, Nandi, Yarrabilba, Allora, Drillham South, Mungindi, Rowena, Augathella, Rockhampton, Moranbah, Inglestone and Collarenebri. Our residence is quite fortunate to have Mr Andrew Devoy as a senior supervisor with his vast experience in boarding. Our daily supervisors Mr Bullock and Mr David bring a great youthful energy to the residence!

 

Our Montagne boarding students enjoy the ability to attend weekly recreational activities including touch football, golf, mountain biking, swimming, weight training and optional clubs that have been organised including music, art and cooking. Place on top of that training for AIC sports and there is plenty to do within our residence and around the College.

 

Every night our boys are fortunate to study in the College iconic Tower for 90 minutes, twice a week with an external tutoring company – the A-Team. As fun as the study part of boarding is, the supper that follows and the hot food served at every lunch break is usually something positive that stands out for our boys. According to some of the gents in our residence, the best thing about being a boarder in getting to hang out with your mates every day and making lifelong friendships.

 

La Valla Residence

The La Valla Residence is home to young men from Years 6 and 7. The residence is named after the first parish Marcellin was appointed to after being ordained in 1816. It is also the first step for these young men on their journey as boarders, but also as Marist men. 

 

Nearly half the dorm had not attended mainstream schools prior to arriving at Marist College Ashgrove and most had never had more than a night or two away from home. These young men come from diverse backgrounds and a mix of remote, rural and metropolitan areas. 

 

The primary focus of the La Valla Residence is helping the boys to develop the skills that they need to survive and thrive in boarding life. They need to be connected with home at the same time as embracing every opportunity they are offered at school. They need to know how to manage their time, their belongings, their nutrition, their money and their personal health and hygiene. This is a big ask for such young men but so often they pull together to help each other to achieve what needs to be done. La Valla 2021 still has so much to learn but we can see them maturing by the day. The focus for this week will be acknowledging the need for personal space and finding the quiet in a very busy world.

Recreation Report - Mr Blair Whitlock

Friday evening saw our first large scale event held at MCA with five other Boarding Schools (Nudgee College, Brisbane Grammar, Clayfield College, Stuartholme School & St Margaret’s College) coming over to Ashgrove for Outdoor Cinemas. We hired a mega trailer from The Party Cave which came along with huge speakers and a projector that was set up on the edge of McMahon Oval. No movie night is complete without popcorn & fairy floss so we hired a few machines which catered for the 200 in attendance! Hans Reimann, Malakai Cerfonteyn, Jed Hughes, Henry Knight, Sam Schmidhauser & Hamish McVey manned the machines and went above and beyond to make sure everybody had snacks throughout the movie! Grown Ups 2 was the movie of choice and enjoyed by most. All in all, it was a very successful evening and a great way to get the broader Brisbane boarding community together. A big thanks to Jim Bradford, Isaac McDonnell, Liam Shay & Ignatius Hallman for sweeping up bucket after bucket of popcorn afterwards!

 

Round 3 of the AIC took place on Saturday against Villanova College. There were some tough games amongst the juniors with Villa looking fairly strong across the board however the day was finished on a positive note with the 1st XV running out convincing winners. With so many boarders involved in the 1st XV it was great to see the team acknowledge the boarders support at full time. Later that evening a small group of boys headed out to Eat Street for some extra tucker. The majority of the boys opted to rug up and stay in with a pizza after another big day of sport.

 

Sunday kicked off with another sign-on bike ride along the Enoggera Creek to the Blue Nurses. These morning rides are becoming a regular part of the Sunday itinerary and enjoyed by many of the boys. The rest of the morning was fairly low key before the Year 7-9’s jumped on the bus and headed out to Nudgee College for several games of Mega Tiggy. We had five schools in attendance with each set of students wearing a particular colour. Marist (Blue), Nudgee (Black), Stuartholme (Red), Clayfield (Green) & St Margarets (White). Each school had a turn as the ‘taggers’ and were timed to see who was the quickest. After five rounds the Marist boys just managed to beat Nudgee’s score by four seconds to take the win. With over 150 in attendance, it was another big event and a great way to continue building relationships with each school. We got back to school at 3:30pm and the boys settled into their usual Sunday evening routines with Mass, dinner and some preparation for the upcoming week.