From the Headmaster

It was a privilege to welcome Mr Jack Cowin, businessman, entrepreneur, and grandfather of Year 7 student Callum, to the School last Friday. Jack joined us as part of our CEO-in-Residence Program, a program designed to bridge the gap between the taught curriculum in classrooms with experiences in the world of enterprise and innovation.

Judging by the hush that fell across the Memorial Hall audience, our students were enthralled in Jack’s presentation and listened astutely to ‘Jack’s lessons of life’. Among others, these lessons included the vital virtue of curiosity, identifying your passion and the importance of playing sport; Jack spoke of how he gained a great deal of his life’s lessons from his school and college sporting pursuits.

As summer sport draws to a close, our students can reflect on the lessons they have learnt this season. It has been a great season for our sporting teams; one which has produced some wins, some particularly close contests and some disappointing fixtures. But that is the beauty of sport and I remind our students that in sport, you can either win or you can learn; and I hope the lessons learnt this season have proven valuable.

Our Junior School students acquired similar lessons across their summer season and as they embarked on Summer House Games last week. It was wonderful to witness the enthusiasm and passion with which students represented their House in a range of sports including Volleyball, Tennis, Cricket and T-Ball.

The sportsmanship and integrity in which all competitions have been contested in both the Junior and Senior schools, along with the athletic development of individuals and sports across the summer season, has been most pleasing.

In our commitment to lift the horizon of each student beyond the local postcode to the national and international stage it has been terrific to witness the performances of our athletes over the past fortnight in Athletics and Rowing. Of particular note were the following performances at the Australian Track and Field Championships:

• Jonathan Harris (Year 11) – Gold U18 1500m and Bronze U18 800m
• Andrew Maenda (Year 10) – Gold U16 200m, Gold U16 4 x 200m Relay, Silver U16 100m and Bronze U18 4x100m Relay
• Gman Paye (Year 10) – Silver U17 200m, Silver U17 400m, Bronze U18 4x100m Relay and Bronze U18 4 x 400m Relay
• Joshua Moro (Year 10) – Bronze U18 4 x 400m Relay and fourth U17 Long Jump
• Lawson Jones (Year 9) – Gold U16 Pole Vault
• James Tolis (Year 8) – fourth in the U14 4 x 100m Relay

And at the Australian Rowing Championships:

• Our 1st VIII finished fourth in the Schoolboy A Final to wrap up an amazing season.
• Our composite SPSC VIII won a silver medal in the U19 Men’s Eight.
• Jake Nesbitt (Year 12) won gold in the Under 19 Coxless Four in a composite crew.
• Albert Howard (Year 11) won bronze in the Under 17 Coxed Quad in a composite crew.
• Our 2nd VIII put in a gutsy performance in the U19 Men’s Eight Repechage, finishing fourth against other higher ranked 1st VIII crews.

Congratulations and thank you to these sportsmen; you are wonderful role models and have set an inspiring example to the entire School of where our horizons need to be set.

In the coming week six more students will represent South Australia on the national stage in Basketball and Hockey and I wish them the best of luck. In Basketball, Year 11 students Harry Bruce and Harvey White have been selected Captain and Deputy Vice Captain respectively of the Under 18 State Basketball Team. In Hockey, Finn Williams (Year 12) will play in the Under 18 State Team, and Ryan Stockhoff (Year 9), Rhun Williams (Year 10) and Bryce Hammond (Year 10) the Under 15 State Team.

I congratulate Xander Grice (Year 12) who was awarded the Bronze Medal in the 2022 Australian Chemistry Olympiad contested by the top 1000 Chemistry students in Australia.

With the school holidays fast approaching, I wish you a happy Easter and a safe and relaxing break. I look forward to seeing you all in Term 2.

Tim Browning
Headmaster