Recreation News

Jiu Jitsu

On the weekend, Anchorage and Michaelmas House boys, along with Endeavour girls went to a Jiu Jitsu lesson to learn self defence. 

We started off the hour with warm-ups to get us ready.  Firstly, we learnt how to defend ourselves if someone came at us by putting up our hands and hitting them three times in the face with our palms.  After that, we were shown how to block a punch which made us able to get behind the person and drop them to the ground, putting them on all fours. After a few practices, we learnt how to get the person in a choke-hold. We put them in a seatbelt grip and disarmed one of their arms and squeezed them until they tapped our body, which indicates us to stop.  

The instructor taught us to always concentrate and try our hardest in everything we do in life. He spoke about respecting people and looking after each other. The lesson was a good experience for us all and it will be well-used back in the boarding houses (joke).

Thomas Dolan | Year Nine

Yalari Outing

Isaiah Firebrace is a 19-year-old young Indigenous man from a small country town on the Murray River. In 2016 (aged 16), he won The X-Factor, Australia and in 2017 represented Australia in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final with his single, Don’t Come Easy. Since then, he has grabbed attention with his worldwide hit song, It’s Gotta Be You. Isaiah grabbed the attention of a large crowd that filled the Albany Entertainment Centre on Friday 6 September, a crowd which included the Great Southern Grammar Yalari scholars.

In the afternoon, before his concert, Isaiah held a workshop where he welcomed local young people to share his story and to reinforce to them that it is important to believe in yourself and not be restricted by detractors. In other words, believe in your dream, follow your dream and take action to make a dream reality. He also reinforced the need for resilience to be the person you want to be.

After the workshop, the local students practised singing one of his songs and, as a finale to his concert that evening, they were all invited on stage to sing with him. The workshop, concert and singing on stage made for a wonderful experience and a day of memories and strong messages from this inspiring young person with an even more inspiring voice – check him out!

Mrs Sue McNeil | Yalari Student Services Officer

Stand-Up Paddle Boarding

A favourite activity amongst Middle School boarders is stand-up paddle boarding. 

Mr Rice and Mr Percy took a group of boarders out on the Saturday of Week Seven to take advantage of the nice weather. 

Little time was spent on the beach, with the whole group utilising every spare minute to enjoy time on the boards and in the water.

Mrs Dianne Franzinelli | Boarding Administrator