From the Head of College

Mr Michael Newman

The Games of Old

When I was in my early secondary years, I would visit my mate in Kogarah where his house was located on the old Moorefield Racecourse site. We used to walk across the busy Princess Highway and into Henry’s Burger Restaurant which was one of the first types of American-style fast food franchises. We weren’t really visiting Henry’s to eat hamburgers but rather, we would go inside to play games – pinball machines and space invaders. Our parents gave us a small amount of change to play for an hour or so until the money ran out and then we would return home. It was a little adventure, no doubt to get us out of the house and out of our parent’s hair, and probably to give us some exercise and not to mention, a little bit of independence and freedom for ourselves.

When I reminisce on my time spent at Henry’s, I can’t help but feel somewhat disappointed by the way the world of young people and gaming has changed so much today. Unlike the days when we could just leave the house and go on adventures to places like Henry’s to play a harmless game like space invaders, today’s children are much more protected and locked away as society feels less safe and parents’ anxieties have grown. As a result, gaming at home is a more logical option and children can play games endlessly and seemingly for free, or pay a reasonable yearly subscription which overall is much less expensive. Children don’t have to walk to the shops to play video games as they are now at their fingertips at the press of a button. Young people today love gaming just as much as we did, I’m sure but the experience and the effects are very different. For us, it was part of an adventure to walk to the shops with a bit of change in our pockets to simply manoeuvre a ball into a hole or be a space invader but for young people today games are an endless world of far more complex themes and ideas. Today’s games can be so addictive, and uncontrollable. Sadly, young people around Australia are now known to skip school to ‘game’ or arrive at school and fall asleep in class having ‘gamed’ all night. Video games are now a source of stress for many parents and the cause of endless confrontations.

One of the most popular games of our young people today is Roblox. Established in 2006, it has grown worldwide exponentially. It is not a single game but a collection of games, more than 50 million, like a library of games, if you like. Children can make, share and play games together. The variety of games are endless and you can play with anyone from around the world, including chatting with them. Similarly, the popular game Fortnite also allows for online group chatting and is renowned for its ability to create a fantasy world where players are invincible, overrewarded and desensitised to violence. Yet, we know that the chats in these games make our children vulnerable - chatting with adults pretending to be children has led to many associated problems including: grooming, virtual sexual assault, and extremists using these platforms to share their ideologies. As parents, we continue to navigate through this new, challenging and dangerous landscape.

This week we celebrate the feast of All Saints and All Souls Day. All Saints Day is a time when we remember those people who lived admirable good lives and who we are privileged to have met or have read about. On All Soul’s Day, we remember those who have died and need our prayers and God’s loving mercy. Unlike the premise of today’s video games, none of us are invincible, all of us will one day die, we are made up of human qualities and our real success is measured in many different ways by those we have met. People remember and enjoy reading about the saints of the past who revealed qualities of love, care, goodness, peace, courage, dignity for all, respect and the empowerment of others. As I said, it is a challenging landscape to navigate through with our children – a world where we have to teach them about the need for forgiveness, faith, love of oneself and our neighbour and what authentic success in life is truly about.

God of love, may all parents of Marist College Ashgrove receive your gracious blessings and support as we navigate the challenges of parenthood today. Amen.

Mid-Term Point

Best wishes to all boys who are seriously entering into assessment as the final half of Term 4 commences. Drafting is occurring as we speak and boys are being asked to respond to the feedback they are receiving from their teachers. End of year examinations are only a few weeks away and all boys should be fine-tuning their summaries of work, practising the skills taught and revising important content. Examinations commence in Week 8. Parents are asked to consult with their sons on their progress with assignments and academic study for their upcoming examinations.

In the meantime, the Year 12s continue their ATAR external examinations this week and into the next. We wish them continued support and look forward to their graduation ceremonies to follow.

Committees End of Year Gathering

The various committees and associations, consisting of parents, Old Boys, friends and members of Marist Schools Australia gather on Tuesday evening, 8th November as a way of expressing thanks for their continued generosity and support over 2022 and to plan ahead together for 2023. Our various committees include:

Marist Schools Australia: Regional Director, Mark Elliot.
College Advisory Council: Peter Selwood, Lisa Griffin, Kate Knynenburg, Tony Hogarth and Kerry O’Brien (AM).
Finance Advisory Committee: Peter Selwood, Mark Elliott, James Fox, Ben O’Hara, John Stubbings, Gerard Ryan, Langton Clarke, James O'Connor, Chris Shay, Toni Martin, Bruce McPhee & Julie Ward.
Boarder Parent Network: Kath Nolan, Alana Palm, Matt Green, Danielle Doyle, Rebecca Haddad, Christiane Goddard, Felicity Philp, Susan Shay and Jessica Fleischfresser.
College Foundation: Langton Clarke, Br Daniel Hollamby, Rebecca Pini, Sandra Poon, Tim Heenan and Tim Galligan.
Parents and Friends Association: Jim Gordon, Paul Guy, Donna Lynn, Andrew Howse and Bethany Sharman.
Old Boys Association: Dom Melrose, Steve McAuliffe, Anthony Collins, Tim Slack and Brett Ambrose.
Sports Lunch Committee: Kath Brassington, Tony Byrne and Brett Gillett.

These groups will present their 2022 undertakings and their plans going forward into 2023, all in support of the College. Together, these groups work together to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for all boys at the college. They will be joined by Bethany Halpin (Director of Community), Bruce McPhee (Deputy Head of College) and Jennifer McNamara (Events Co-ordinator). I sincerely thank this important, generous and supportive group of Marist College Ashgrove parents and associates.

Safer Roads Surrounding Marist

At Marist College Ashgrove, safety is of the utmost importance. The physical safety of our boys in regard to high speeds and illegal parking of vehicles are concerns that many of our community members share with us regularly. We understand that the rush of drop-off and pick-up times is difficult to navigate and that parking spaces can be limited; however, poor driver behaviour and dangerous parking practices lead to accidents that everyone would like to avoid.

We have been advised that over the remainder of this school term, Brisbane City Council will have parking officers on patrol in ours, and other school zones in the area. Parking fines may be issued in cases where illegal parking is observed.

I would like to take this opportunity to urge all parents, guardians, and visitors to the school to keep the safety of our young people first and foremost in your minds at all times.

Thank you for your consideration and support with this issue.

ChangeMakers

My sincere congratulations to Archie Bathe, Atticus Armstrong, Gabriel Dennison, Samuel Reid, Thomas Davies and William Lane who have all been selected to be part of the UQ 2022 Young ChangeMakers Program.

This four-day experience will host Year 11 students with big ideas and a passion for innovation. This exciting experience is a unique and inspiring opportunity to discover, learn and engage with other like-minded students in an academic community. My thanks are extended to Jayden Weidemann (University of Queensland) and Ms Elizabeth Kenny for your guidance and assistance with the boys.

Angus Bathe

My congratulations are extended to Year 12 student, Angus Bathe, who has been selected in the Olympic Changemaker National Summit.

Angus amazed the past Olympians who were judging his achievements against his competitors. His influence and attitudes within his community shone through and were impressive to all.

Limited to 25 students from a pool of 1000’s, along with other selected participants, Angus will engage in the summit in Canberra in early December.

Well done, Angus

2022 QUT Dean’s Award for Engineering and Design

The Faculty of Engineering at Queensland University of Technology’s Dean’s Award for Engineering has existed for some time now. It recognises the highest academic achievements of Senior Students each year and rewards them financially with gift vouchers and a bursary if they enrol in QUT the following year. This award now extends to include the senior subject of Design.

The Year 11 Design subject prize includes a $50 JB Hi-Fi voucher and a certificate.
The Year 12 Design subject prize includes a $100 JB Hi-Fi voucher and a certificate. In addition, the subject winner will be eligible for the Dean’s Award for High School Achievement. The Dean’s Award is a $3,000 study bursary paid in the first semester of 2023 for subject prize-winning students who enrol in a full-time QUT Bachelor of Engineering, Design, or Urban Development, single or double degree.

The following students are to be congratulated for achieving this prestigious award.

Congratulations to Cole Miklashek on receiving the Year 11 QUT Dean’s Award for Design.
Congratulations to Roman Ah Loy on receiving the Year 11 QUT Dean’s Award for Engineering.
Congratulations to Jack Morrison on receiving the Year 12 QUT Dean’s Award for Design.

Jack intends to enrol in the Bachelor of Design in 2023 at QUT, which will make him eligible for the bursary. We also wish Cole and Roman the best of luck in their final studies at Marist College next year. My thanks to their teachers, Ms Kelly, Mr Varghese and Mr Webb, for their guidance and expertise and to Curriculum Leader Technology, Andrew Devoy.

Roman Ah Loy, Mr Newman and Jack Morrison

Laracy Plate

Congratulations are extended to Marist Seniors Joseph Lewis (11), Isaac Lynn(11), Douglas Cowlishaw (11) and Samuel Allpass (12) who won the annual Laracy Plate. This plate is contested annually in public speaking versus St Margaret Mary’s College, Townsville. Interestingly, this competition has always been undertaken online which is now a more common occurrence. Congratulations gentleman and to coach, Ms Majella Stevens.

May our loving God with Mary our good mother and St Marcellin Champagnat walk with all members of the Marist College Ashgrove Family.