Round Square

for English, Mathematics and computer lessons and provides the family with rice, sauce and a bike. The experience was overwhelming, incredibly moving and humbling. Back at school, I had the pleasure of taking a group of students to a conference at Kings College in Auckland. We had a fantastic preconference trip to Rotorua and the ride on the luge certainly took me outside my comfort zone. Horrible! The conference focused a great deal on developing leadership qualities, and with inspiring guest speakers and the group Jump the boys gained a lot from the experience.

In the Prep School, Round Square boys were encouraged to take on a community service project for the year. Some boys assisted with various after-school sports while others worked at our new project, ‘The Genius Bar’, a room set aside where, once a week, young boys can go during lunchtime and receive help with areas they are struggling with, or even play games with the older boys. It was very rewarding for all and Terri-Lee Hurd did a great job of overseeing the project. Several boys chose to do their community service in the playground and helped young boys who were struggling to interact with their peers. The older boys helped them to join in with games and generally just made the younger boys feel cared about. Another new project was the ‘Father Phil Funny Hat Day’. In honour of our much loved and sorely missed Father Phil, and his love of crazy hats, the boys organised a free dress day where everyone was encouraged to wear their craziest hat. It was fantastic! The $1400 raised was sent to Epilepsy Queensland, an organisation very special to Father Phil and his wife, Judy. We are pretty sure that Father Phil was smiling down on us as everyone gathered in the Pearce Theatre for a photo. The Care for Cambodia boxes once again raised much needed money to pay for our continuing projects. Feeding Dreams moved to a new site this year, to cater to their ever-expanding numbers, and we were determined to raise enough money for a classroom and to get their play area grassed and paved. We will also continue to pay the sponsorship of our two girls and our teacher’s salary that we send over every month. With over $13,000 raised, the money will be put to very good use.

The final conference for the year was held in Canberra, but it was very different from the Year 6 Canberra trip. Hosted by Radford College, the students attended a week-long bush camp that saw them getting up to all sorts of adventures and truly coming out of their comfort zone.

I would like to thank all the Year 6 boys, who worked hard as part of the Round Square team, especially Guy Gibson, Joshua Batt and James Box for leading the team.

Once again, none of what we do would be possible without the amazing support of TSS staff, parents and boys. Every time I go to Cambodia I am reminded of how incredibly lucky we all are and how wonderful it is that we can change people’s lives by ensuring they get an education. Thank you so, so much. If I wrote in the newsletter every time I get a thank you email or photo from the three organisations we support you would be sick of it. Please know that there are people over there that are forever grateful for giving them the opportunities they now have. I hope you get to see it with your own eyes one day. The next Cambodia trip for students from Years 7-12 is December 2016, so keep your eyes open for news updates or contact Julie.Watts@tss.qld. edu.au if you are interested.

Happy 2015 to you all.

2014 began with the revival of an expanded Round Square Committee, including several positions which had previously been unfulfilled. With a new leadership team, our committee was ready to follow the success of last year’s efforts in fundraising and success in embodying the values of Round Square.

This year Round Square has been active in various events throughout the school. We have hosted BBQ Free Dress days, a canteen at House Drama, a Shave for a Cure day and a Rosie’s Sleepout. Through this we have raised a substantial amount of continuing support for efforts such as “Swags for the homeless”, three not for profit organisations in Cambodia and the Leukaemia Foundation. We have also contributed in other service activities, with boys aiding a TSS Old Boy in the removal of a collapsing pergola, and one boy, Tim Vuniloaloa, participating in an overseas service project in Fiji. In extension of our service efforts this year, we have further embodied the ideals of Round Square by participating in several conferences, exchanges and various programs.

LUKE WILSON 2014 Round Square Chairman

CONFERENCES AND EXCHANGES:

This year saw TSS participated in the Round Square International Conference. This year’s major International Conference was held at the Sanskaar Valley School in India. Below are some of the reports from some of the delegates about their experiences at the conference.

Charlie Martin, Year 12, Maughan Throughout my two-week experience in India I couldn’t help but be amazed by the energy and vibrancy of their culture. Our hosts, the Sanskaar Valley School, put on a range of Indian dance and theatre performances during the conference, which came in addition to holy ceremonies on the Ganges River and visits to historical sites, including the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort. The guest speakers were very well chosen; each, in their own unique way, opened my eyes to issues that weren’t necessarily ‘world news’, yet needed just as much attention.

While I was there, I met young, likeminded students from countries all over the world and spent days sharing information about our cultures and exchanging new ideas. The memories and friendships that I created over the course of the trip will stay with me for a long time, and I encourage any boys who are thinking about getting involved in Round Square to do so.

Caleb Pels, Year 12, Atkinson My experience on the conference will be something I will never forget. From day one there was never a day where there wasn’t something to see and do. Whether it be touring around the city of Delhi, or experiencing a Hindu festival at the holiest river in India, there was never a dull moment. This conference taught me that regardless of what walk of life you come from, that if you have the right character you can come together with people you never thought you would be able to. Something that I will treasure from this experience was being able to learn from a diverse range of cultures and people, allowing me to forge unique bonds and gain a perspective that I never thought existed.

Hugo Billy Mayson, Year 11, Thorold As we hopped off the plane, and walked out on to the tarmac the heat and the smell hit us, what were we in for? It was almost two in the morning and at least 30 plus degrees; it’s true … it IS hot! We were in India for the next two weeks; we were going on a real ‘character building’ trip. The first week was the pre-conference tour, which took in the huge range of contrasts in India – from the small farms, with the pocket-sized villages on the side of the dirt roads, with the constant sound of horns going on and on and on – to the mountains of India, the people that have the day-today struggle of walking up and down the mountains – we tourists could only cop it once. The second week was the conference week. Getting to the conference was an experience in itself – the 11pm to 7am overnight Delhi train – an experience like no other. Hundreds of people packed in to a little four by six carriage with all of their bags – if you ever want to get a real taste of India this is it. We arrived at the conference to be greeted with lots of colour and spirit, which continued through the entire conference. Motivational speakers and traditional Indian dancing left us flabbergasted. It truly was a trip of a lifetime. I would recommend all Southport men to undertake an international journey to some far-flung reach of the world. India is certainly different, but to understand it and its people, you have to see it for yourself.

Throughout the pre-conference, in Dehradun, our delegates were engaged in an unbelievable range of experiences: from hikes to hill stations, overnight train trips, yoga sessions, prayer ceremonies by the Ganges through to

visits to more iconic destinations such as the Taj Mahal and Red Fort. Following the pre-conference tour the delegates were met by Mr Parsons for the 2014 Round Square International Conference at the Sanskaar Valley School in Bhopal. The theme of this year’s conference was: We may not have it all together, but together we have it all. The Sanskaar Valley School echoed this theme in every activity and presentation. They were gracious hosts whose conference activities epitomised all that is Round Square: Internationalism, Democracy, Environment, Adventure, Leadership and Service.

We also had the privilege of participating in various exchanges, sending to and receiving students from the Collingwood School and Kings College.

SERVICE AND PROJECTS

We successfully participated in many service projects this year in Round Square. Tim Vuniloaloa, a Year 10 boy who participated in a service project in Fiji, reported the following about his time in Fiji. Tim had said that in the two weeks he had spent in Fiji, he was able to teach basic numeracy and literacy in impoverished schools, also assisting in building facilities at these schools. Over this time he said he made a strong connection with the children of the school and the other students from various other Round Square Schools. We also had Joe and Tom Fuhrmann participate in a service project in Cambodia. Joe and Tom reported that:

“We worked closely with each of our charities. We taught in schools and I taught Year 1. Getting over the language barrier was the first major obstacle. Coupled with that was the fact that at Feeding Dreams the classrooms were open huts with about 30 to 40 children per class. Part of our service component was to buy and deliver rice to nearby slums. The look on the faces of children when we arrived with rice was indescribable.

The living conditions of people in the slums is hard to imagine. They have no toilets, no running water and are often situated near sewers and rubbish dumps.” – Tom Fuhrmann.

“My trip to Cambodia last year really raised my awareness of how lucky we are, but also highlighted the need for lucky people like us to do more for countries like Cambodia. I saw firsthand the devastation caused by the Khmer Rouge.” – Joe Fuhrmann

This year we promoted a joint effort between the Prep School and the Senior School in regards to the annual Care for Cambodia boxes. This corroboration, along with several other fundraising events, have allowed TSS to contribute to the building of a classroom and a playground at a non-profit school in Cambodia that provides free education to children who would otherwise be forced into unsafe labour in rubbish dumps. Other projects we participated in this year included the Rosie’s Sleepout, Clean Up Australia Day, Shave for a Cure Day, and continued with the inclusion of IDEALS Week within the school. IDEALS Week offered boys a chance to contribute to the service aspect of the ideals of Round Square in an organised and fun manner. These projects provided students with the opportunity to help those less fortunate than themselves through a variety of means.

In all, Round Square this year has succeeded in its commitments to its ideals. We have contributed to service projects, the international conference and several exchanges. These have allowed us to continue Round Square’s presence within both campuses. Round Square will continue to improve as we welcome our new leadership team, who have the potential to continue the efforts of Round Square in previous years.

BRYAN HAIN

Director of Rowing

The new rowing season got under way in the September holidays when a small team of rowers travelled up to Bundaberg to compete in the State Schools Rowing Championships. The highlight of the varied racing schedule was the way TSS and St Hilda’s rowers combined resources and produced a number of medalwinning performances. The downside to the event was the long time it took to transport all the equipment to the regatta and the cost to accommodate so many rowers for the duration of the event.

It was at this time that the Director of Sport stepped in to take over the management of the sport as the school conducted the search for a new Director of Rowing to take over the role in time to start preparing for the 2015 race season. Each year we try and fine tune the program and in 2014 there was a concerted effort to enhance the training environment and simplify the way the Year 11 and Open VIIIs were selected. This saw a greater emphasis on sculling and a consistent training schedule that included a number of key selection dates. The aim was also to keep the cost of the various pre-season camps to a minimum, but use these camps to build towards the Head of River in March 2014.

It was pleasing to see all the senior crews that travelled to Grafton in December perform so well after heavy training schedules leading up to the regatta. The First VIII won the Head of the Clarence with clear water against a number of top schools from Sydney and the Brisbane GPS community.

After the Christmas break there was another set of selection trials and a trip to Hidden Creek for a Leadership and team-building camp. Mr Brown and Mr Bland took the open squad through a series of activities and encouraged the boys from Years 11 and 12 to combine closely to solve the various challenges.

At the start of term Liam Clifton was voted into the rowing leadership position as ‘Captain of Boats’ and Philip Barbera secured the ‘Vice-captain’s role for the season. One area that is a huge challenge for the TSS rowing community is the busy start of the year. TSS traditionally hosts the first regatta of the GPS season, but combined with the age group holiday rowing camps and the ever popular ‘parents welcome’ at Bruce Lynton’s BMW it did make the first week of term a very busy period of time. Many thanks to all the parents who supported the TSS Regatta at Coomera. In the end the school put on a great show and a large crowd turned up to support the event. The wet weather somehow bypassed the lake and TSS secured some great results over the 1000m course. The highlight of the day was the 1st VIII’s victory to regain the Challenge flag. The good news for the future is that TSS now falls back into the normal regatta rotation and will move away from Kawana to host its home regatta on round 4 at Wyaralong Dam near Beaudesert. This will reduce travelling time for TSS by two hours and provide a much fairer racing venue.

As soon as the race season progressed in Term One a number of changes to the training schedule started to pay dividends. The move to keep the Year 8s back at TSS and convert their four hour Kawana travelling time to