The Southport School Band of Brothers Issue 5

we few,we happy few,

we band of brothers.

OF BROTHER S

ISSUE 05 : JULY 2012

William Shakespeare

Editors Tony Watt, Head of Community Relations / McKinley Housemaster Karen Martin, Marketing Coordinator ‘Band of Brothers’ Committee Alan Parsons, Jeff Symms, Andrew Stark, Ian Browne Design P’s in a Pod Content Editor Gary Edgar Photography Eric Victor, Karen Martin, Dan Sleeman, Sharon Joss, Adrian Gaglione, Janet Hughes, Jeff Symms, Ian Browne, the Wells Family, Angela Hughes, Angela Tyler, Kathryn Barry, Paula Henry Printing Fast Proof Press Editorial queries, feedback and change of address Phone: 07 5531 9839 Email: marketing@tss.qld.edu.au Copyright: All rights reserved.

Copyright of articles and photographs of Band of Brothers remain with the individual contributors and may not be reproduced without permission.

Other material may be reproduced, but only with the permission of TSS.

we few, we happy few, we band of brothers.

Our Boys Remembered at the Menin Gate “... Side by side, forever young... though you never came home, your memory lives on… for to honour your name… lest we forget, we will remember…” (from the School song, “Band of Brothers”, verse 1)

At the time of writing, one of our musicians, Tristan Rogers, had the great honour of playing the Reveille at the nightly World War I commemorative ceremony at Menin Gate in Belgium while on the music tour of the Western Front with over 40 Prep and Secondary boys and staff. Being granted such a significant role in this ceremony was an honour for TSS and provided a chance for our visiting contingent to honour the many TSS Old Boys who passed through Menin Gate, some never to return home.

In 1993, well before our time at TSS, Kate and I visited a number of the World War I battlefields in northern France and Belgium. As a non-historian I was initially a somewhat reluctant visitor to that part of the world, yet very quickly I came to realise what an important place it is for Australians. The greetings and gratitude towards Australia from the locals was amazing. To see streets in these small French and Belgian towns named after Australian cities was quite surprising.

One of the most moving experiences of that trip was being present at the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres in Belgium at 2000 hours when, as happens each night since the memorial was opened in 1927, the road is closed and the Last Post is sounded to start the commemoration ceremony.

The Germans needed to control Ypres to go on and take the Channel Ports through which British support was flooding into France during World War I. Several battles were fought, including the battle referred to as Passchendael. British and Commonwealth soldiers often passed through the Menin Gate (Menenpoort) on their way to the front lines. Some 300,000 of them died in the battles. Ninety thousand of these soldiers have no known graves.

The Menin Gate Memorial’s Hall of Memory contains the names on stone panels of 54,896 Commonwealth soldiers who died in those World War I battles around Ypres, but whose bodies have never been identified or located.

Ten TSS Old Boys are named on the stone panels.

Mr Symms reports that the boys opened the ceremony with “In Flanders Field” – which was a special request of the organising committee. The boys also sang “Abide with me” during the laying of the wreaths by Mr Symms and Hamish Mulcahy. Our choir sang the National Anthem of Australia and then, to the surprise of the local people, the Belgian anthem, in Dutch. The two leaders of the Menin Gate organising committee were very appreciative of the boys’ efforts in learning the words and they commented that they did a great job of the pronunciation. Well done to the choir.

After the Reveille and the official ceremony, the 2012 tour party located the names of our Old Boys inscribed in the walls of the memorial and conducted a special TSS service. Mr Symms reported that it was a very still evening and with the sounds of night birds in the background, the service and sacrifices of our Old Boys were remembered and the Honour Roll of TSS fallen was called.

In another link to Old Boys, last month saw Ian Browne and Tony Watt accompany me on the Headmaster’s Bush Tour, following on from the 2010 Following in the Founders Footsteps Tour of western Queensland and northern New South Wales.

We visited a number of different towns this time and met a large number of families and Old Boys who are looking forward to enrolling their sons at TSS. It was also an opportunity to meet current families on their home turf and to hear firsthand of the joys and challenges of bush life.

Enjoy this edition of Band of Brothers!

Best wishes, Greg Wain

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Europe Hears us Lift our Voices in Tribute

They were in awe of the grandeur and reverberation that some of the churches afforded and, when they finished, they were delighted in the incredible sound they had created...

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Jeff Symms Head of the Preparatory School

In what can only be described as a unique and moving gesture, 39 boys from Years 5-12 spent two weeks of the mid-year school holidays travelling in Europe singing and playing in venues both ‘high profile’ and intimate, in commemoration of the many young Australians who gave their lives fighting to preserve the way of life we enjoy today.

The song “Band of Brothers” commissioned by the School and composed by Paul Jarman, Artist in Residence, successfully captures the spirit of brotherhood that exists across the generations of TSS students. The stories of our Old Boys and the roll call of lives lost is something with which the boys of the school become very familiar, and the opportunity to travel to the battlefields of The Somme and learn more about Australia’s role in WWI, while at the same time perform in concert for the local people, was too special to ignore.

For just over a year the boys spent Sunday afternoons and occasional whole day ‘camps’ rehearsing and building a repertoire of sacred and secular music that could be performed in London, Ypres, Paris and The Somme.

Some of the more significant venues in which the boys performed included Southwark Cathedral in London, La Madeleine Church and the Eglise Saint Louis in Paris, and special commemorative services at The Menin Gate and Arc de Triomphe.

These enormous buildings were daunting for the boys when they first walked in, but they sang with passion and filled each with their joyous sound. They were in awe of the grandeur and reverberation that some of the churches afforded and, when they finished, were delighted in the incredible sound they had created.

After the boys had performed in Paris, they moved north to The Somme region where they performed in the local churches of three villages – Dernancourt, Pozieres and Le Hamel. Each of these concerts concluded with a standing ovation followed by a civic reception in which the boys mixed and mingled with the locals.

Lots of fractured English and tentative French, but somehow the conversation flowed.

Australians are held in such high regard on The Somme. For the current generation of residents, the stories of Australian courage, determination and larrikinism are very real, and the warmth with which the boys were received in each of the small villages was testament to the special relationship between the two countries.

This once-in-a-lifetime trip is something that will never be forgotten...

Our final concert awarded the boys yet another standing ovation, and for an encore they presented something very special, the Latin Motet “Veni Jesu” sung from four points of the church. With some boys in the back balcony, some in the front sanctuary and the trebles in each transept the audience were moved and thrilled to hear this motet surround them accompanied by strings.

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.” To the Old Boys of TSS, the young men of this tour know – more than ever – what this famous quote means. To be a part of the TSS family is indeed an honour. To have represented this School as part of this tour is a dedication to all who served at war and all who are indeed a part of the band of brothers at TSS. We are one School in spirit and this tour serves to exemplify this.

To see boys working together, laughing together and crying together as they experienced this once-in-a-lifetime trip is something that will never be forgotten.

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The GPS Headmasters’ decision to split the two football codes has been a masterstroke for Director of Football TSS. To become our own Turnock Housemaster entity during Term Two has seen the emergence of 20 TSS Football teams, and for the first time in GPS History TSS are the Football Premiers. From inauspicious beginnings in 1977 as a member of the Independent Schools’ Soccer Competition, Southport won on six occasions, but since becoming part of the GPS Football Association in 1991, this is our first title. From 20 teams to 110 games played, TSS has won 52% of its matches and only lost 34%. At the end of Season the Second XI, Third XI and 11Ds also won their divisions, the Fourth XI, 11As and 10Ds came second and the 8Ds came third.

Richard Dobrenov

What is even more astounding is that the figures are only calculated on seven rounds of Football, with the game against BGS cancelled due to rain.

Of course such wonderful results are produced by enormous amounts of hard work from a variety of people. To

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begin with special mention must be made of the “go to man” Pat Hedges, who has been instrumental in the overall development of TSS Football for the past 17 years. It must be enormously satisfying for Pat to watch 20 teams run out in the School’s colors every Saturday from the humble beginnings of just five teams. This level of satisfaction could only be matched and perhaps surpassed by that of TSS Old Boy Brett Hodgkinson, who played through the years of Independent Schools Soccer and whose own son was a member of the First XI last year. These were the days when Football was very much the younger brother to Rugby, but if this year’s enthusiasm is anything to go by, Rugby should be mindful that the little brother is starting to grow.

I would also like to make mention of Rudi Harms whose quiet and friendly manner provides the perfect foil to the passion and antics of our Supercoach Keith Stevens. Both Keith and Pat have been instrumental in the juggernaut that has become TSS Football, with continued skill clinics in the Prep School. The impact of these clinics is evidenced by the strong results throughout the Year 7 and Year 8 competition.

To the coaches (many of who still fancy themselves as players) and the Age Group Coordinators who are at training, taking buses and collating results, I say thanks for your dedication throughout an exciting season. It’s wonderful to have so many faculty members involved and adding another dimension to the ex-players who firmly believe that “the older they get the better they were”.

The Football Program also wishes to thank the Groundsmen who toiled valiantly throughout some atrocious bouts of weather to produce beautifully manicured pitches. To Siobhan Maguire in the Sports Office who fielded numerous phone calls and collated team lists and the website. To Dan Sleeman for his wonderful video work,

to Adrian Gaglione for his superb photos each week and to Dayne Schneider for his slideshow. To Ms Mountford and the Drum Line for helping create our “Fortress” mentality, which proved to be the X factor at our home games. To the Friends of Football for the way in which the home games were catered for and run. To Alan McFarlane and Red Lion Football for the sponsorship that you have provided this year. All of these people deserve our gratitude for without them the season of 2012 would not have been possible.

As Director I applaud the players, who have embraced this great game and really created an atmosphere of fun, competition and camaraderie, the ultimate three aspects of sport that are so often overlooked. The skills, pace and integrity of each of the players under the superb mentoring of John Gayton has made this season incredibly enjoyable. The spirit of the team, fostered by Captain of Football Thady McFarlane, is similarly described by William Shakespeare in Henry V, as the King speaks to his men before the Battle of Agincourt and says: “From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered We few, we happy few, we band of brothers For he that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.”

Finally to the team, one last quote from Henry V, “Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot, But he will remember with advantages What feats he did that day.”

Never forget this season’s fabulous achievement... and bring on 2013.

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Leadership Groups Take Charge 2012 sees the introduction of a number of student-led leadership groups across the various Year levels. Eight Director of Leadership students have been appointed Dean of Boarding from each Year level in Year 9 to Year 12 to form their own Year Level Leadership Team (called YLT). In each YLT the Dux of the Year Level as well as the Proxime Accessit are appointed ex-officio, staff vote for a further two members and students vote for the final four members of their representative group.

Daniel Brown

These YLT groups meet with the Headmaster, Deputy Headmaster, respective Dean of Students and the Director of Leadership twice a term and discuss pertinent topics to the Year Level, as well as school wide. Each YLT also had the opportunity to lead an open forum discussion group with their respective

cohort one per semester and then discuss the issues raised with the Headmaster and senior staff – real democracy in action!

In addition to the YLT groups, a Student Representative Council (called SRC) is also formed from two members from each YLT, rotating each semester. The SRC is chaired by the School Captain, with senior staff present. The SRC meets once per term in between YLT meetings, allowing for feedback to and from the SRC meeting mid-term. The Term Two SRC is shown in the photo.

Both student-led groups (YLT and SRC) have been highly successful and have allowed the boys to enjoy a wider profile with their peers and also allows for proactive communication between students and staff. As the year progresses voting will take place following the Year 8 camps and the Year 8 YLT will be formed midway through next term.

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Debating Team Proves a Point The 2012 Debating season will be best remembered for the size of the crowds that were drawn to our home debates. Such was the pulling power of the ‘Senior A’ team, that for the first time their final home debate was moved to the theatre, and attracted an audience of 250.

Everyone who attended these debates saw, firsthand, the outstanding speaking abilities of all the boys who took part this year. From the enthusiasm of the Year 8s in their first season, to the polished performances of the Seniors, they did TSS proud.

Overall, TSS has firmly established itself among the topperforming schools in the GPS, finishing fourth overall. This was due to the hard work of all debating students and their coaches.

Our most successful team was the 8.2 team. Coached by Mark Herriman, the team of Jack Woods, Yash Bhoola and Lachlan Myatt finished with five wins, equal first in their division, and was awarded the BE Maughan Salvar as the most successful TSS team.

Other results of note were the 11.1 team of Alex King, Vince Di Bella and Sebastian Sherrah, finishing equal second, the 11.2 team who finished third and the Senior A team, Dylan Harris, Matt McMahon, Bede Thompson and Liam Baum, finishing fourth.

TSS Cross Country Recently TSS travelled up to Ipswich for the GPS cross country championships at Limestone Park. Churchie may have won on the day, but the spirit from the TSS boys was amazing and everyone dug deep and put in the effort to see TSS get off the bottom of the ladder, placing eighth overall. Special mention must go to Toby Redler, Carter Bettles and Johno Kafritsas for finishing in the top 20, but in particular Toby Henalla for coming eighth in the Under 15s and Jonathan Gabbert who ran extremely well to finish a close fourth in the Under 16s.

This was the last GPS cross country for the open team and they didn’t disappoint, placing third overall.

I would like to thank Mr Browne, Ms Inglis, Luke Eastwell and Matt Fox for their help this season. The future of TSS Cross Country is already looking promising with this year seeing a large increase in the number of runners. GPS athletics is the next major event for TSS and training has already begun with Mr Ladbrook on Friday mornings. Let’s try and repeat the success, boys, so get down there and have a go. It has been a pleasure captaining the 2012 Cross Country team, good luck for next year boys.

Alex Land Cross Country Captain 2012

At the end of season dinner, the following awards were given out in recognition of their performances throughout the season.

The Calais Family Award – Year 8 Yash Bhoola, Cale Kalinowski The McDonald Cup – Year 9 Cameron Simpson Senator Bill O’Chee Trophy – Year 10 Benjamin Driver The MP Muir Award – Year 11 Sebastian Sherrah The IG Morrison Award, for Service and Commitment to Debating – Year 12 Matthew McMahon The Widdicombe Award – Senior A Matthew McMahon The President’s Award: BE Maughan 1966 Dylan Harris The BE Maughan Salvar 8.2 Team The Patrick Sharpe Memorial Award 1 Melbourne, 2 Kaiser, 3 Atkinson This year was a very successful season and everyone involved in the debating program is determined to build on this in 2013.

Andrew Berryman MIC Debating

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The Final Canberra Odyssey for Year 7 Sandra Bourne Year 7 Teacher

For the last time in the history of Prep, 104 Year 7 boys waited excitedly at the Prep car park in the early hours of a chilly June morning, anticipating the trip that lay ahead of them – the annual trip to Canberra.

This traditional excursion to the nation’s capital is always both exciting and educational, and as one of the goals of the Australian curriculum is the development of students to become informed and active citizens of Australia, Canberra is the place to take our students when studying Federal Government, Australian Democracy and democratic processes.

As this is the home of the National Parliament, Federal Government departments, The High Court of Australia, The Australian War Memorial and several other important institutions that hold and share the treasures of our nation, our visiting students develop a deeper understanding of how we’re governed, how laws are made, electoral processes and rights, Australian identity, history and heritage and so much more.

In typical style Canberra welcomed us with 1˚C temperatures, and although the boys’ desire for snow to fall gently down on their heads was never fulfilled, the weather remained cold and chilly each day as the winter wind blew the autumn leaves in swirls around the boys’ feet, the rain chased them indoors and beanies and gloves became an essential part of the favoured attire for our trip.

We had such a busy schedule, packed with numerous learning opportunities and experiences that will never to be forgotten. Our sheer numbers packed out Questacon, the Museum, the Mint and the Electoral Education Office and the Australian Institute of Sport.

At Parliament House, in what seemed almost like a special show timed just for TSS, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott and their bands of merry men and women stunned our boys with a spirited session of debate and banter in the House of Representatives.

As always the boys behaved in the best TSS manner, dressed proudly, displayed respect at every turn and were generally thoughtful, kind and considerate of each other and the broader community. Of course the generous, good-natured support of the Year 7 staff and other valuable staff members made the trip possible, setting the seal on this milestone trip as the last Prep Year 7 to travel to Canberra.

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... And the First Time There for Year 6 Paula Henry Year 6 Teacher

The Canberra-bound Year 6 Cohort 2012 knew that as the first Year 6 group to travel there, they had BIG shoes to fill.

Suffice to say, they filled their predecessors’ shoes with pride, dignity and the same TSS spirit that all the boys share.

It was a good thing that the Canberra Bush Lodge was toasty and snug, as the temperatures during the week ranged from 2 to 13°C, but in any case we had plenty of activity to keep us warm.

Our days were jam-packed with exciting, educational and new experiences that included interactive visits to the same key venues as the Year 7 group. Having studied Federation during Term One and undertaking a unit on Government for Term Two, the visit to Canberra really did put the boys’ prior learning experiences into context, in fact, a real-life, hands-on context.

Our night-time activities, which included movies and Zone Laser Force, provided an opportunity for the boys to enjoy themselves in less formal settings.

Our Head of Prep, Mr Symms, and our Resource Centre Manager, Ms Deb Schinckel, merit a round of applause for their presence and assistance, and special thanks are due to Deputy Mr Mark Wyer, whose meticulous organisation and planning added to the overall enjoyment and success of this trip.

The inaugural Year 6 Canberra Trip has been an absolute highlight of the 2012 academic year so far, while the boys really proved to be a “band of brothers” and did themselves, their cohort, their School, their teachers and their parents proud.

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Exercise, Hydration and Academic Optimisation Jo Inglis Head of Learning and Teaching

A common thread of the conversations that take place at Parent-Student-Teacher interviews comes from the simple and enduring question: How can I improve my academic performance?

Setting goals and planning a study timetable are strategies that teachers will suggest, and these are proven to be fundamental to optimising academic performance. Reading widely has been linked to academic success, as has eating well and ingesting super foods such as Omega-3 from seafood, antioxidant rich blueberries and taking vitamin supplements. Elite sportsmen know that what they put into their body has a direct impact on performance and it makes perfect sense that the brain is also affected by the good we do to it. Conversely, the bad we might do also has direct impact; the detrimental effects of drugs and alcohol are well documented. Positive behaviours described in the previous edition of Band of Brothers article entitled “What Makes an A-Student?” are also important.

There is another easy to achieve, scientifically proven way to

make yourself smarter; go for a run, or a swim, or regularly to your sports training sessions.

A decade of study was recently highlighted in the New York Times, which explained how neuroscientists and physiologists have been gathering evidence of the beneficial relationship between exercise and brainpower. “… the newest findings make it clear that this isn’t just a relationship; it is THE relationship. Using sophisticated technologies to examine the workings of individual neurons – and the makeup of brain matter itself – scientists in just the past few months have discovered that exercise appears to build a brain that resists physical shrinkage and enhances cognitive flexibility.” Exercise, the latest neuroscience suggests, does more to bolster thinking than thinking does.

The most persuasive evidence comes from several new studies of lab animals living in busy, exciting cages. It has long been known that so-called “enriched” environments – homes filled with toys and engaging, novel tasks – lead to improvements in the brainpower of lab animals. In most instances, such environmental enrichment also includes a running wheel, because mice and rats generally enjoy running. Until recently, there was little research done to tease out the particular effects of running versus those of playing with new toys or engaging the mind in other ways that don’t increase the heart rate.

So, last year a team of researchers led by Justin S. Rhodes, a psychology professor at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois, gathered four groups of mice and set them into four distinct living arrangements. One group lived in a world of sensual and gustatory plenty, dining on nuts, fruits and cheeses, their food occasionally dusted with cinnamon, all of it washed down with variously flavoured waters. Their “beds” were colourful plastic igloos occupying one corner of the cage.

Neon-hued balls, plastic tunnels, nibble-able blocks, mirrors and seesaws filled other parts of the cage. Group 2 had access to all of these pleasures, plus they had small disc-shaped running wheels in their cages. A third group’s cages held no embellishments, and they received standard, dull kibble. And the fourth group’s homes contained the running wheels, but no other toys or treats.

All the animals completed a series of cognitive tests at the start of the study and were injected with a substance that allows scientists to track changes in their brain structures. Then they ran, played or, if their environment was unenriched, lolled about in their cages for several months.

Afterward, Rhodes’s team put the mice through the same cognitive tests and examined brain tissues. It turned out that the toys and tastes, no matter how stimulating, had not improved the animals’ brains.

“Only one thing had mattered,” Rhodes says, “and that’s whether they had a running wheel.” Animals that exercised, whether or not they had any other enrichments in their cages, had healthier brains and performed significantly better on cognitive tests than the other mice. Animals that didn’t run, no matter how enriched their world was otherwise, did not improve their brainpower in the complex, lasting ways that Rhodes’s team was studying. “They loved the toys,” Rhodes says, and the mice rarely ventured into the empty, quieter portions of their cages. But unless they also exercised, they did not become smarter.

Why would exercise build brainpower in ways that thinking might not? The brain, like all muscles and organs, is a tissue, and its function declines with underuse and age. Beginning in our late 20s, most of us will lose about 1% annually of the volume of the hippocampus, a key portion of the brain related to memory and certain types of learning.

Exercise though seems to slow or reverse the brain’s physical decay, much as it does with muscles. Although scientists thought until recently that humans were born with a certain number of brain cells and would never generate more, they now know better. In the 1990s, using a technique that marks newborn cells, researchers determined during autopsies that adult human brains contained quite a few new neurons. Fresh cells were especially prevalent in the hippocampus, indicating that neurogenesis – or the creation of new brain cells – was primarily occurring there. Even more heartening, scientists found that exercise jump-starts neurogenesis. Mice and rats that ran for a few weeks generally had about twice as many new

neurons in their hippocampi as sedentary animals. Their brains, like other muscles, were bulking up.

Of course, TSS has always known this. Our Mission Statement is ‘To challenge each boy to achieve excellence in a Christian community where education embraces the whole of life’. Boys are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the extensive sports program and the GPS competition provides a motivating context within which boys can improve and maintain their physical fitness.

At a recent School assembly I challenged boys to improve their fitness this term by joining the TSS cross country squad, where they can train with friends and like-minded people who, by their involvement, are getting smarter. Alternatively, boys are encouraged to join a soccer or tennis team or to devise their own exercise program. TSS Physical Education teachers are very pleased to advise, knowing the benefit to the brain. Each and every school term, TSS offers a multitude of engaging opportunities for boys to improve their fitness.

Even more straightforward, there is recent evidence to suggest that the simple action of hydrating prior to and during tests and exams can improve academic performance.

The recent British Psychological Society’s annual conference heard that students who drink water before taking an exam perform up to 10% better than those who do not. Researcher Chris Pawson, from the University of East London, said: “The results imply that the simple act of bringing water into an exam was linked to an improvement in the students’ grades. Forget expensive private tutors and brain-boosting vitamins. The key to exam success could be as simple as a glass of water. Students who took a drink into the exam hall did up to 10% better than those who did not.” Although it is unclear why a drink should help, one theory is that information flows more freely between brain cells when they are well hydrated.

Researchers said that drinking water may also calm nerves, while those who became thirsty during test time could be more easily distracted. The study, which looked at hundreds of university students, compared whether they took a drink into the exam with their final marks. The students’ overall academic ability was then factored in, to ensure that the results were not skewed by the possibility that smarter students are also more thirsty. Those who arrived armed with drinks did around 5% better on average. But the improvement was even more marked among those just starting out at university, whose results improved by as much as 10%.

While exercise and water can enhance academic performance, boys are reminded that these strategies do not replace appropriate and required study, class work and homework.

Year 7 Open House Take a guided tour through the Senior Campus and experience our Year 7 students studying such subjects as robotics, science, art and technology in the new purpose-built Bennett Building.

ThurSdaY 16 auguST ThurSdaY 6 SepTemBer 8.30am CommenCe 10.30am ConClude BenneTT Building The SouThporT SChool WinCheSTer STreeT, SouThporT for furTher informaTion or To rSVp ConTaCT

Karen martin 07 5531 9839, karen.martin@tss.qld.edu.au

2013 Year 7 Transition Program 2012 sees a range of new leadership programs take shape at TSS both individually and holistically. As can be seen 2013 Year 7 Coordinator from the framework adjacent, leadership at TSS is clearly a spiralling program, with Years 7-9 based on “leading self ” with a focus on developing each boy’s potential so that when they commence their senior school journey they have the opportunity to begin learning more about “leading others”, having developed a strong platform for themselves in the junior years. As can be seen, each year has a particular focus related to the development of the key themes of leading self and others.

Year 7 Leadership Program run by Year 11 KIT (Keep in Touch mentors)

In 2012 there are a range of specific new programs across a range of year levels designed to give students further opportunities in “Learning to Lead”. Specifically these programs are:

Year 8 Pre Camp Leadership Course

Karel Bos

Year 10 Leadership Program (for students not involved in Cadets) Year 11 KIT mentors TSS Lead Awards Year 10 boys commencing with their Bronze Lead Year Group Leadership Teams (YLT) in Years 9, 10, 11 & 12 and a Student Representative Council that meets twice a term Sporting Leadership Program – Level 1 (Captains of sports in Years 8 & 9) & Level 2 (Captains of Sports in Years 10 & 11) Cadets – Now Years 8 and 9 with an extended promotion base in Years 10-12

Student Committees – Round Square – run by Foundation Prefects Boarding Leadership Program – expansion of Dorm Senior Training and opportunities for other leadership on the general Boarding Committee 14

Leadership framework 2012

stUdY LeAdershiP

Year 7 Leadership & Me

Year 8 Leadership and Brotherhood

Year 9 Leadership and Manhood

thursday Leadership Course

Pre–Outdoor ed seminar day

sessions with Core teachers

sport and Activity Captains – Level 1 training

Year 10 Leadership Principles

Year 11 Leadership in Action

Year 12 Leadership and Life

Leadership training (non Cadet)

Years 7 & 8 Kit Mentors

Prefect, Warden & hC training

sport and Activity Captains – Level 2 training

Year group Leadership team

Year group Leadership team

Year group Leadership team

Year group Leadership team

Year group Leadership team

student representative Council Cadets – recruit training

Cadets – 2nd Year training

Academic Leadership subject

Life skills Activities

tss LeAd Award – introduction

tss LeAd Award – Bronze

tss LeAd Award – silver

tss LeAd Award – gold

Cadets – Junior Lead Course

Cadets – senior Leaders Course

Cadets – CUO Course

Life skills Activities

Cadets – tuesday night Leadership seminars Michael fitzpatrick training

sacristan training Boarding Leadership (dorm seniors, etc)

Peer Power training seminar yLead day

sOnY foundation training

Kit Mentor training term 4

house supper Mentor training

LeAding seLf PrACtiCe LeAdershiP

yLead Year 12 training

Academic Leadership Opportunities – information services, Business Passport, Languages, science, speech Variety etc.

LeAding Others sport and Activity Leadership

Outdoor education Canberra

Outdoor education experience

Years 7 & 11 Kit Mentor Program

duke of edinburgh Award scheme

Class, Year & house Leadership

Daniel Brown Director of Leadership

YLt & srC Cadets – recruit and second Year round square Member Mentor to Year 5s (2013)

Cadets nCO Years round square Committees & service Leading

round square Committee Chair

house sacristan and Assistants Years 7 & 8 Mentors

Official Leadership roles

house supper Leaders sOnY foundation Camp Other house Leadership roles

The emphasis of this Year 7 program and subsequently Years 8 and 9 is on positive education and leadership development, in addition, obviously, to rigorous teaching and learning in the Australian Curriculum areas.

Year 7 leadership development will focus on the induction to senior school, the building of self-awareness, persistence and resilience, working cooperatively with others and the anti-bullying program. This will be enabled through a formal Leadership Program that draws from the RAP program (Resourceful Adolescent Program) developed by the Queensland University of Technology psychology staff to build resilience and promote positive mental health in teenagers. The program also aims to prevent teenage depression and related difficulties.

Boys’ education principles will drive curriculum delivery with as many opportunities as possible for the boys to learn outside the traditional classroom setting. An Adventure Training Program will also provide outdoor experiences and prepare the Year 7s for the Cadet Program in Years 8 and 9.

Selected and trained Year 11 mentors will assist with aspects of the program. I have just visited a number of such group activities with Year 11 boys working with Year 8s, and the relationships, engagement and learning is excellent.

Higher-order thinking skills, the Habits of Mind of highly successful people, an awareness of multiple intelligences, positive psychology, emotional intelligence and other aspects of ‘the full TSS experience’ will round out the boys’ transition from primary schooling to secondary schooling.

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Readying the Welcome Mat for Rogers House and its Boys Katrina Martin Admissions Registar

As we roll into the second half of 2012, we begin to anticipate the arrival of the first of our Year 7 transition boys in 2013, and heightening that sense of anticipation is the increasing tempo of construction as work on their “home away from home” – Rogers Boarding House – moves towards completion.

While Rogers is contained within the TSS Campus, it’s been created as a “stand alone” House located at quiet remove from the other secondary houses, although this in no way limits the boys’ access to the world-class facilities and dynamic life of the School.

It does, however, serve to provide a little “breathing space” in which the boys can more comfortably adapt as they move from the essential innocence of childhood to the challenges of adolescence and their senior education years.

Rogers House is modern, spacious and homely, with 44 beds in communal dorms, which – like the shower and bathroom facilities – afford individual privacy for each boy. With views overlooking the Nerang River, a large, welcoming Common Room creates a social gathering space for games and activities and relaxed interaction between students.

As we are well aware of the emotional needs of young boarders, Rogers will strive to generate an atmosphere that reflects a caring, mutually supportive family, in which each member can be acknowledged for his individuality, while feeling a sense of belonging and responsibility to something larger.

To reinforce that family ambience, Rogers will be run by families that are very familiar with the special demands of boarding, and with the exception of the Matron, all staff will live in-house.

In this same context of “family”, the boys will gain essential personal life-skills such as making beds, doing dishes. organising laundry, tidying-up and even how to fold socks. The “glue” of commonality that binds families as a unit will be applied through

regular meetings to discuss House issues and provide appropriate recognition of individuals and their accomplishments. The boys’ health and wellbeing is naturally a priority and to support this Rogers will have 24/7 access to a modern, well-equipped Health Centre with live-in Registered Nurses and doctors on call.

TSS is also well aware of the need to cater for the considerable energy and enthusiasm of adolescent boys, so part of the overall philosophy of Rogers will be to include a wide range of weekend activities such as camps at Hidden Creek, bowling, ice-skating, AFL/NRL games, beach activities, theme park visits, movies, fishing, building cubbies and playing with Lego. Rogers boys will also have full involvement in the life of TSS, with participation in one or more activities each term.

No less vital to a boy’s development is a sense of structure and discipline. To build this, we set sensible boundaries, gently impose sound disciplines and establish a foundation of good habits, such as through our approach to homework. During the school week, homework is done nightly in Year 7 classrooms, with full access to IT facilities and under the supervision of Year 7 teachers and other academic staff.

Finally, we extend our attention to the care and wellbeing of every boy into such areas as assistance with start and end-of-term travel arrangements (particularly on the nominated boarder travel day), and an end-of-year transition program to ease the way into the relevant secondary boarding house.

At TSS, we’re very aware of the enviable reputation for boarding for boys that has been earnt over many generations and the need to maintain and enhance it, especially in the light of the unique challenges presented by the Year 7 transition. The physical structure of Rogers Boarding House, together with its supporting philosophy and the commitment of its staff, represents the latest expression of a century-old TSS tradition.

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Angela Hughes TSS Mother, Sister, Aunt & Niece

In the past two decades, members of the graduating Class of ’92 have made an indelible mark on society through stellar success in their careers.

What this cohort of TSS valedictorians has achieved within a global context is nothing short of extraordinary.

Many of these Old Boys have catapulted themselves on to the world stage and are at the forefront of business, research, science, sport, defence, logistics, agriculture, the arts, law and so the list goes on and on.

The first Year 12 group to graduate under the OP system, which replaced the TE (Tertiary Entrance) exam in Queensland, members of the Class of ’92 have careers that now see them living, working and providing leadership around the world. Whether in London, New York, Washington DC, Kabul (Afghanistan), Indonesia, China, Auckland, Sydney, Karratha or still on the Gold Coast, many have intimated their wishes to return to TSS for this year’s reunion.

One can be assured the range of conversation topics will be as diverse as the career paths chosen by this group. We are delighted to give readers a snapshot, which only touches the surface of the dynamics of this group.

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Braxton Cook The Dux of 1992, Braxton always was focused on what he wanted to achieve post-TSS, first studying Aerospace/Avionics Engineering at QUT and then moving to the United States where he began working as an aerospace engineer at Orbital Sciences Corp. in Washington DC. His work involved writing software for satellites.

Braxton then completed a Masters of Science in Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech and played a pivotal role in the US space program, focusing primarily on the satellite industry in the areas of software and systems engineer developing satellite systems. Braxton admits some of the best ‘fun’ he has had at work was when he was involved in launching satellites from French Guiana on an Ariane 5 rocket. “My responsibility was to analyse the health of the satellite and give the ‘OK’ for launch – quite literally, a blast!” said Braxton.

Married to Monica with two sons, Devyn, 5, and Jadyn, 3, Braxton said he regularly travels to Arizona for work (although based in Vienna, Virginia) where he often catches up with another Class of ’92 graduate, Darren Goldie, also featured in this article. Braxton travels extensively around the world and recently presented at a conference in Germany.

When not at work, Braxton and his family like to escape outdoors and see as many sights as possible. To this end, he says he still relies on his sailing skills gained at TSS and is a crewmember in a summer series on Chesapeake Bay as well as coaching his son’s soccer team. Like so many other members of this Year group, Braxton remains grounded through his ability to work at high-level science and find time for family life, including visiting his parents who live in Maryland (Braxton’s father, Jim, is a former member of the TSS academic staff) and sister in New York.

Paul Cronin He may live on the other side of the world, but Paul Cronin maintains strong connections with his alumni group, many of whom are working in other regions around the world but planning to return to this year’s reunion. “We all can’t wait to catch up with each other despite the long distances,” said Paul.

After graduating from TSS, Paul studied Commerce at Bond University and, upon graduating, moved to Switzerland where he worked for Philip Morris in a variety of roles involving travel through Eastern and Central Europe. It was a rather colourful career says Paul; meeting a variety of characters, buying up ex-Soviet munitions factories and converting them into cigarette production.

“During that time I met my English wife, Rebecca, and decided to return to Australia where we lived until 2007 during which time I studied for my MBA and worked on Queensland energy asset sales.”

With homesickness kicking in for Rebecca, the couple moved back to the UK and have been living there ever since in a pretty village in the Cotswolds with their five children – Arabella, Henry, Fergus, Freddie and Eliza.

Paul admits he has adjusted to life in the UK, despite the weather, and is kept busy working for an investment bank in London where he plays a key role in making investments in the resources sector and financing mining projects globally, the latter allowing him to return to Australia regularly.

Perry Cross When many others would have given up, Perry has been the very essence of proving that you can do anything regardless of incapacities. Despite his physical situation, due to a rugby tackle in 1994 that left him a profoundly disabled quadriplegic living on a lifesupport machine with a team of 24-hour carers, Perry has shown that determination overcomes all odds.

While a great deal of the past two decades has involved medical issues, Perry has notched up an astonishing number of achievements that have seen him ‘on the move’ around the world as a motivational speaker, an author (his story told in his own words in Still Standing), complete a Communications (Business) degree at Bond University, a strong advocate for stem-cell therapy and establish the Perry X Foundation to raise money to fund medical research into finding a cure for paralysis.

Paul Cronin and wife, Rebecca

While every minute of every day is a challenge for Perry, he tackles that challenge head-on and remains strongly involved in the Gold Coast community and the Old Southportonians’ Association (OSA). The sheer determination against all odds is testament to Perry’s ability to show that each of us can triumph over tragedy 20 and ‘get on with life’.

Chris Glenister

Darren Goldie

Currently a Senior Account Executive with Telstra, a position he has held since 2006, Chris was previously the project manager for three years at Delfcam, a private communications company. While he has enjoyed extensive travel, Chris remains grounded on the Gold Coast and is involved with many local community events.

He has lived at Coomera for the past seven years with wife Jodie Lee (Elliott), and the couple has two children, Madison, 6, and Cody, 4. When he’s not working, Chris maintains an active lifestyle and is a regular competitor in the Gold Coast half marathon and has completed the Gold Coast Kokoda Challenge for the past five consecutive years – an event he says he loves.

After graduating from TSS and the TSS Air Force Cadet program, Darren joined the Royal Australian Air Force and attended the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra, graduating with a Bachelor of Computer Science in 1995.

He then moved to Perth and completed Pilot Training in 1997, before being posted to Sydney for deployment as a C130 Hercules pilot. In the subsequent 10 years, Darren served on operations in East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq and accumulated over 4,500 flying hours. He also had postings as the aide-de-camp for the Chief of the Defence Force (20002001) and as the Air Force Pilot HR Manager (2007-2008).

Darren was appointed as the Staff Officer, VIP Operations, in 2008, responsible to Government for the air transport of VIPs, including royalty, visiting dignitaries, politicians and, more specifically, the Prime Minister and Governor-General.

During this time he travelled with these Australian leaders throughout the world and, says Darren, was exposed to a range of fascinating cultures and people. He was awarded a Conspicuous Service Cross medal in the 2012 Australia Day Awards for his time in this position. He also received an Australia Day medallion in 2007 for his work as a C130 Hercules pilot.

Chris Glenister and his wife, Jodie Lee

Darren has continued study, completing a Masters in Management at UNSW in 2010 and is currently completing a Masters of Strategic Studies with the US Air Force in Montgomery, Alabama, hence his occasional get-togethers with Braxton Cook. With the rank of Wing Commander, Darren said it had been a great 12 months in America and he is now preparing to return to Australia in July 2012 to assume command of 37 Squadron in Richmond, NSW – a Squadron of 650 people that operates two models of C130 aircraft domestically, overseas and on operations in the Middle East. Another Old Boy member of the Squadron is Chris Bassingthwaighte, who graduated from TSS in the late ’90s.

Darren is married to Kirsty and they have two children aged 8 and 6. Despite his work-intensive career, Darren still finds time to play club-level Rugby in America and is a keen golfer. Like so many other members of this Year group, Darren’s career is still gaining momentum in key leadership roles he plays within Australia’s Defence Force.

Darren Goldie, soon to return to Australia to assume command of 37 Squadron at Richmond 21

Andrew Gowen Like many Year 12 graduates, Andrew was a little unsure of what career path he would choose post-TSS. Despite accepting a position with a law firm in Sydney after university studies, Andrew decided this was not for him. Instead he chose to tackle the global market by moving to London where he accepted a position with Lehman Brothers in 1997, staying with the company for nearly eight years, eventually managing their Consumer Equity Research project.

Andrew then moved to a new position with Lazard Asset Management to help manage pension assets before joining OchZiff, one of the world’s largest hedge funds. He has been with the company over four years and specialises in managing their publicly listed consumer investments in Europe. While he thrives on London life, Andrew said he expects to be posted to New York/Chicago later this year.

Peter Greenup The School Captain of 1992 and third-generation member of the TSS family, Peter has achieved much since graduation. After gaining an Associate Degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from USQ in Toowoomba, he joined Telstra working as a technician for five years before deciding to further his tertiary studies, undertaking additional studies at Bond University where he gained a Bachelor of Information Technology.

During this period he also took on the role of resident master of Biddle House. Married to Kath in 2003, Peter has a stepson, Thomas (15), currently in Year 10 at BBC, and also has two nephews, Sam and Toby Greenup, currently fourth-generation students at TSS. From 2002 to 2008, Peter was IT System Administrator (Unix) at USQ before accepting his present position in the CSG industry with varying roles including land access consultant and project engineer. Peter and Kath live in Toowoomba, although Peter works primarily in Brisbane and travels extensively around Queensland.

Alex Handley Currently managing the family surveying business, Handley Surveys, Alex has worked his way up through the company after completing commerce and surveying degrees. The success of the company, which has its head office in Karratha, Western Australia, is reflected in it being selected as the WA Telstra Business of the Year and the KDCCI Business of the Year 2010, considerable achievement when pitted against 26 other large WA companies.

With further offices being established in Perth and Gladstone, where Alex and his wife Chantal (Clifford) have just build a new home for their family of three boys, Handley Surveys provides surveying, dimension control and laser scanning services for the construction of Modular LNG projects. The company recently signed its larger-ever contract for the $48 million Gordon Project and is involved with the Chevron Wheatside project of similar value and BHP’S smaller Macedon LNG project. Completed projects include the Woodside Pluto Project and other expansion projects for Woodside’s North West Shelf operations.

Alex has been an integral part of the family company, which has seen him selected to be part of the Australia Trade delegation to attend the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas, where the company was offered many oneon-one opportunities with major global oil and gas industry participants. The company also has extensive projects in Thailand so the work is hectic, but rewarding, says Alex, who still stays in touch with many of his school friends. In fact, over the years the company has employed six Old Boys, including their current survey manager, former School Captain of 1991, Mitch Vansleeve.

Chantal and Alex have been together almost since leaving school and with their sons, Charles, 6, Thomas, 4, and James, 2, try to spend as much time back in Queensland as possible where Alex catches up with the friends from School for a surf, round of golf and camaraderie.

Alex Handley working on a laserscanning project at Exmouth

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Jeff Hughes After completing a degree in Engineering (Civil) at the University of Queensland, Jeff moved to the United Kingdom where he worked in Information Technology for two years, mostly in the area of intranet programming. Jeff made the most of his overseas time travelling throughout Western and Eastern Europe and Russia. He also was also one of the few Australians present at Kensington Palace to be awarded his Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award personally by the Duke of Edinburgh.

Jeff Hughes inspects engineering works on new wharves at the Port of Brisbane

Chris Howard After graduation from TSS in 1992, Chris found himself repeating the following year after devising a Plan B and then a Plan C if Plan B didn’t eventuate. But this was not to be and, in 1996, Chris was accepted into the Australian Regular Army studying for a Bachelor of Arts at the Australian Defence Force Academy. He completed his training at the Royal Military College, Duntroon, and was assigned to the Australian Intelligence Corps. In 1998, he was posted to NORFORCE, spread across the north of Australia and based in the small mining community of Gove, NT, where most of the soldiers are part-time Indigenous members of communities spread across Arnhem Land.

During this period Chris spent three months on exchange in the United Kingdom and then was posted to Brisbane in 2000. In 2001 he spent seven months in East Timor in support of the United Nations Mission after the vote for independence, before being relocated to Darwin where he was the Intelligence Officer for the 2nd Cavalry Regiment. His next posting was to Iraq in 2003 as part of the Iraq Survey Group charged with trying to identify evidence of weapons programs within Saddam Hussein’s regime.

While on leave in 2004, Chris transferred to the Reserves and, towards the end of the year, began studies for an MBA at QUT focusing on strategy and entrepreneurship. From there he began work with KPMG in Melbourne as a graduate for the company’s management consulting division. He later moved to Canberra to work on large government reform and capital works programs.

Married to Carla, with a daughter, Samantha, 3, and son, Alexander, 1, Chris is still working with KPMG in their Melbourne office.

On return to Australia, Jeff continued to work in IT before returning to civil engineering, joining the private Brisbanebased company Albem, responsible for a number of large infrastructure projects in Queensland. These projects include the construction of bridges (including the Houghton Highway Redcliffe to Brisbane link), coal reclaim tunnels and container wharves. Currently, Albem’s construction manager for the $150m upgrade of the Bruce Highway at Cairns, Jeff has been involved in several major projects in Queensland. These have included the upgrade of the Cooktown to Cairns inland route (the Mulligan Highway), the award-winning Tully Alliance Bruce Highway upgrade project, the new art deco Jubilee Bridge at Innisfail, Wharves 9 and 10 at the Port of Brisbane, and upgrades of the M1 in Brisbane.

The Tully Alliance Bruce Highway Upgrade project won the annual AECOM Excellence Award as part of a global program to celebrate outstanding client projects and business achievements. The awards are judged across every discipline, allowing buildings, mining, energy, defence, environment, transport and water projects to compete in the one category.

In 2010, 100 countries competed for the top award of Best Large Project, many of which were valued at over a billion dollars. Completed 12 months ahead of schedule, the $133m Tully Alliance Bruce Highway Upgrade project of which Jeff was an integral member, not only achieved outstanding commercial results, but also set new benchmarks in community engagement, training initiatives, safety performance and environmental management. A number of other awards were won by this project team, including the 2009 national CCF Earth Award. In his work experience to date, Jeff has found this to be the best project in which he has been involved.

Jeff ’s specialty fields in engineering include bridge and wharf construction. He highlights the most enjoyable part of his job as being the design of falsework systems, and working closely with his boss in creating cost-effective solutions for clients. Jeff is planning to undertake further studies in business management upon completion of the Cairns project.

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Wade McMonagle Based in New York with the global pharmaceutical group Pfizer, Wade has had a stellar career with the company since completing a BSc in pharmacology at the University of Queensland and then an executive MBA at the Australian Graduate School of Management (ASGM). In total, Wade as been with Pfizer for 15 years, the past five in Manhattan where he lives with his wife, Carmen, and oneyear-old son, Charlie. Wade’s roles within the company include developing pharmaceutical products and global marketing.

“Raising a young child in Manhattan is very different compared with our own childhoods in Queensland, however, New York is a child-friendly city,” said Wade.

“We love all that New York offers, but are looking forward some time to moving back to Australia as our family grows.” This includes more time with elder brother, Brent, who is a specialist on the Gold Coast.

Ben McNeil Quickly becoming one of the world’s foremost authorities on climate change research, Dr Ben McNeil is not afraid to shun the limelight in a topic that is so close to his heart. Rather than sitting in research laboratories and theorising, Ben is a strong activist for what he believes in and it’s not uncommon to see him pop up in the media, at conferences, within the community or writing books and taking a strong stance on climate change issues.

A senior fellow at the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, Ben has maintained his passion since school days where he says he was known as ‘the Greenie’. At School, he even formed a group to push for biodegradable cleaning agents after the Exxon Valdez spill catastrophe that ‘hit home’ when he was in Year 9.

“I saw how human action – inappropriate action – could severely damage ecosystems and through pollution or wasteful uses of resources,” said Ben. “It encouraged my belief in why it’s important for us to conserve the environment generally and resources for future generations.”

Wade McMonagle has made New York home for the past five years

This set Ben on a path of academic study, winning a place to study Environment Engineering at Griffith University and then moving to the University of Tasmania to work with the CSIRO, undertaking four years’ research in oceanography looking at ‘greenhouse cycling’ in the ocean. Ben is quick to acknowledge that not everyone shares his views, even his best man, a derivatives trader in London, when he married his wife, Nathalie. “Having such friends gives you a better perspective on how others think and you can talk about an issue like the environment in ways to which they can respond.”

Ben is not afraid to speak his mind, often finding himself up against the sceptics – and the media. He draws comfort from the younger generation, especially school students who, today, are more accepting of research than two decades ago when he was at School. And, did TSS eventually switch to biodegradable cleaning agents? YES. 24

Ty Morrissey After leaving TSS, Ty returned to Canberra to attend ANU where he completed a BA (Development Studies) in Politics and Economics with the intention to work internationally and focus on foreign aid and the humanitarian relief sector. His studies focused on economic and political development of South-East Asia.

After working for some non-government and private contractors, Ty decided to start his own company, Morrissey Consulting International, in 2001, with the vision to provide services to design foreign aid projects and to monitor and evaluate (M&E) program performance and progress.

At the same time he embarked on and completed a Masters of Evaluation through the University of Melbourne as well as an MBA during this period through ANU. While his work at the time was primarily with the Australian Government, Ty has worked on assignments with the World Bank, United Nations and international NGOs. Assignments have been varied and enjoyable, says Ty, allowing him to work and live in Africa, the Middle East, Central, South and South-East Asia and the Pacific.

Ravi Mehat and his wife, Jyoti

Ravi Mehat For Ravi, the past 20 years have been ‘on the go’ moving from city to city to achieve career goals. Currently in Auckland, New Zealand, and soon to move yet again to India, Ravi completed a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Law at Bond University after graduating in ’92. Although he did have the option the to study at University of Queensland, Ravi said the lure of completing his degrees in lesser time attracted him to Bond.

“The recent focus on greater accountability for tax-payer funds has increased demand for effective program evaluation,” said Ty, who currently lives in Jakarta, working on a large-scale infrastructure program funded by the Australian Government. He also has worked short-term in Afghanistan on other assignments.

In his role as an M&E Adviser and Specialist Consultant, Ty is involved with the Development Assistance Facility for Afghanistan (DAFA). Despite his hectic life, Ty says his two children, Tahlia, 12, and Ethan, 9, keep him well grounded, as does his ‘free’ time, where the self-taught DJ plays gigs in and around Jakarta.

From there he moved to Sydney where he completed a Masters in Law specialising in tax from University of Sydney.

Next move was to Auckland where he attained his Chartered Accountancy qualifications from New Zealand tertiary institutions. Currently employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Ravi’s specialised field of work is Trans-Tasman and M&A tax work, which sees him spend about a week a month back in Australia.

Married to Jyoti with a daughter, Alesha, and another baby due in October, Ravi keeps in touch with many of his school friends and grabs every free moment to relax with his family and watch sport or a good movie.

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John Norman While so many of the Class of ’92 have careers that take them to all corners of the globe, John has ‘stayed at home’, but notwithstanding some incredible achievements. The 2010 Monsanto Cotton Grower of the Year, John and his team at Norman Farming, Toobeah, have won just about every award going in what can be an unpredictable industry.

John took over the family farming business in 2002 after the tragic death of his father, Arthur. John’s success within the industry stems from his ability to focus on key factors on and off the farm.

This has allowed him to focus on a variety of factors, in-depth analysis of cotton farming, and develop methodologies to implement change to increase profitability and contribute to the community.

He’s also extremely aware of factors that affect the environment, especially in agriculture. A graduate of Marcus Oldham College in Geelong, John has developed a wide variety of skills quite apart from the cotton-growing process. These include team attitudes and abilities, defining markets, environmental conditions, broader community perceptions, government solutions, input costs, capital outcomes and cropping outcomes.

“When I became involved in the farm business in the 1990s, one of the first things I looked at was a profit map, which shows the gross margin for each field on the farm map. The returns can be very different for fields, which may be next to each other therefore creating two vastly different outcomes,” said John.

Grappling with analysis, John has shown that everything is possible when you put your mind to it and that is exactly what his has done with the family company, which is widely respected in farming circles around Australia. John lives on the family property with wife, Virginia, and their four children, Olivia, 7, Hugh, 6, Meg, 4, and Myles, 1.

Jack Olak As Jack points out his story is perhaps a little different to that of his classmates. He migrated from Fiji in 1989, joining TSS in 1990 in Year 10 as a boarder in Delpratt House. After graduating, he spent a year at TAFE to improve his OP score and, in 1994, went to Malaysia and spent a year at Taylor College undertaking a business degree as part of a Twinning Program with the University of Technology Sydney.

After completing his first year, he decided to take a year off from study. In 1995 he spent four months in Tonga with his parents as his father was working for the International Monetary Fund at the time and seconded to the National Reserve Bank of Tonga. “During my four months in Tonga I had the pleasure of having dinner at the house of the Crown Prince Tupouto who later became King George Tupou V,” said Jack. “Sadly he passed away recently, but this is an event in my life I will never forget.”

In 1996, Jack began studies at QUT where he gained a business degree and began working as an accountant for Walsh’s before heading back to Fiji in 2002 to work for KPMG. This was to be the start of his travels, leaving the following year for a working holiday in the UK – and staying three years. In 2005, he joined Ernst & Young in their London offices before moving back to Brisbane the following year. For the next 18 months Jack worked for Ernst & Young and was involved in various high-profile transaction including the sale of the Queensland Government’s retail electricity arm along with the sale of the Coles Group.

In 2008 he took a secondment to the India office of Ernst & Young. “This was a great opportunity for me to get in touch with my motherland and also understand how one of the world’s largest developing economies operates.” Unfortunately, due to the GFC Jack found he was without a job and came back to Brisbane. Undeterred by the GFC, he soon found a position with Dyno Nobel Asia Pacific as a Senior Business Analyst, a position he still holds.

In the past 20 years, Jack has finished a degree in business majoring in accounting, become a qualified Chartered Accountant and also gained a Graduate Diploma in Accounting as well as a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment. He is currently undertaking an Executive MBA with QUT, which he hopes to finish next year.

John Norman successfully operates the family’s cotton-growing business

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Darren Peacock with his wife, Justine, and two young children

Chris Radburn entertaining troops in the Solomon Islands

Darren Peacock After graduation, Darren completed a combined Bachelor of Commerce and Law at the University of Queensland after which he joined the Corporate Reconstruction division of Arthur Andersen in Brisbane before moving to another Brisbane law firm, Allens, where he worked as a solicitor. In 2000, Darren was awarded a British Chevening scholarship to study a Master of Law at the University of Cambridge in the UK, and later accepted a position as Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law in Cambridge.

He returned to Australia early in 2002, this time to Perth working as a solicitor for Mallesons Stephen Jaques. It was in Perth where he met his future wife, Justine. The couple then moved to London where Darren worked for Clifford Chance for three years and during that time they were married. A return to Perth in 2008 saw Darren accept a role as in-house counsel with the Wesfarmers Group. Darren and Justine have two children, James, 3, and Allegra born last year.

Darren says 2012 is going to be a big year for the couple.

Darren currently is spending five weeks working on a community project in Warmun, a small Aboriginal community 200km south of Kununurra in the Kimberley. In September, the family will relocate to Sydney where Darren will establish a legal function in Wesfarmers’ Industrial & Safety division.

Chris Radburn Life has been a bit of a career rollercoaster for Chris who originally embarked on and completed a Bachelor of Law degree and worked as a lawyer for four years in Sydney, Brisbane and Lismore. Feeling that there must be a bit more to life, Chris did a total backflip career-wise.

Drawn to the world of arts, Chris decided he would dip his toes into acting, writing, broadcasting and comedy. In the past 10 years he has earnt a reputation for clever and cheeky observations that are relatable, original and hilarious. Chris has appeared as a comedian on over 15 TV shows, including The NRL Footy Show, NBC’s Last Comic Standing, CNN International, Stand up Australia, Thursday Night Live, Getaway, Joker Poker and the Sydney Comedy Festival Gala, and performed overseas in America, Malaysia, Solomon Islands, Egypt, Dubai and New Zealand.

He is a regular on the Australian comedy circuit and this year was invited to perform for the prestigious Montreal Just for Laughs showcase in Sydney. In 2011 he supported US comedy superstars Weird Al Yankovic and Rob Schneider on their Australian tours. A multi-talented performer, Chris hosted the Kids Comedy Showcase, argued in the Great Comedy Debate and performed his solo show ‘Stand Up Dad’ at the 2011 Sydney Comedy Festival. During 20102011, he co-hosted the top rating AFL show The Bounce on 2GB in Sydney with Channel 10’s Brad McEwan.

Internationally, Chris has impressed audiences in America at the world-renowned New York’s Gotham Comedy Club, in New Zealand, Malaysia, on P&O Cruises in the South Pacific and as part of 3 Forces Entertainment tours to the Solomon Islands, Egypt and Dubai to entertain the Australian troops. Chris was also invited as one of a select few Australian comics to perform in NBC’s Last Comic Standing in Miami, USA where he finished an International finalist in 2008.

As a comedy actor Chris has appeared in many national television commercials, including campaigns for Lamb Roast, Austar, Doritos, McDonald’s, Toyota, KFC, Trading Post and VB Gold.

Chris’ achievements include Winner Best of OZ – NSW Final, Winner Spikefest – Spike Milligan Festival, Winner Triple M ‘One Mic Stand’, Winner Greenfaces – NSW Final, International Finalist – NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Time Out 2011 Best Local Act Nominee, Time Out 2011 People’s Choice Award Nominee and Montreal Just for Laughs Sydney Showcase Chris always wanted to make people laugh for a living, starting by doing gigs as a kid in shopping malls for Thursday night shoppers.

He’s still doing what he loves most – making people laugh. Chris lives in Sydney with his wife, Leah, and two sons, Sam, 2, and Toby.

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A Triumphant Tour as the Headmaster Goes Bush

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MT ISA

LONGREACH

ROMA

ST. GEORGE

TOOWOOMBA

GOODIWINDI MOREE

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TSS Cadets Provide Instructors for 13 Battalion Recruit Camp

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13 Battalion comprises six Cadet units from within SE Queensland, and the Battalion’s Recruit and Adventure Camp is an important event for both cadets and trained recruits alike.

was, that prior to this year’s 13 Battalion camp in May, we received a phone call on short notice asking if we could spare senior instructors to assist running the various activities. As the area was a familiar training ground for our boys and they have had exposure running similar activities, it seemed like a great opportunity for them to share their knowledge with the cadet community.

For the cadet recruits it serves as an induction weekend that exposes them to living in the field as well as essential core lessons. Trained cadets use the camp as an adventure weekend, during which they enhance skills and engage in such activities as archery, quick-decision exercises, field-craft, observation lanes, high/ low ropes challenge, laser skirmish and other military-type lessons.

Cadets are divided into platoons and rotate through the activities over the course of the weekend, culminating with a competitive test whereby a “best platoon” is selected.

Our cadets responded enthusiastically. Cadet Sergeant Tim Martin said: “It was a chance to share what I have learnt over the three years with TSSACU while testing my ability to lead unfamiliar cadets.” Cadet Warrant Officer Ethan Klingner commented: “As a school-based unit we have limited opportunities to work with cadets from other schools, so I saw this as a great opportunity to be involved in the learning experiences of unfamiliar junior cadets.”

Traditionally, the TSS Cadet Unit does not send too many cadets on these weekends as the Battalion does not have the resources to cater for such a large unit, however, we have found that we can contribute by offering a limited number of senior cadets as instructors.

As it happened, during the 2011 TSSACU annual camp we had been visited by 13 Battalion Commander Major (AAC) Katherine Huber, who inspected the facilities and spent a full day observing the various activities. Major Huber left our camp extremely impressed with both the maturity of our cadets and the Hidden Creek facility as a future training ground for the Battalion. So it

Our cadets’ primary role was to conduct and assist activities such as the Obstacle Course, Field-craft Lessons, High/Low Ropes, Laser Tag and Communication. Over 300 junior cadets attended, divided into 10 platoons that rotated between the various activities.

Major Huber reported: “All staff and cadets stated that the assistance from TSS was pivotal to the success of the weekend and it was greatly appreciated. From my point of view, the boys did a great job and I was very happy with the way they worked with the other cadets and took command of the activities, including safety.”

Big congratulations go to senior cadets Ethan Klingner, Tim Martin, Callum Holmes, Declan Clarke-Wellsmore, Jesse Randell, Thomas Stubbs, Jeremy King and Josh Smith, for sacrificing their time to share their knowledge with the wider cadet community.

BYOD and the Good Thing About Being Left to Your Own Devices Richard Jones eLearning Coordinator

BYOD (meaning Bring Your Own Device to school) is a practice that’s gaining traction in many schools at the moment.

This is a policy that TSS intends to pursue at our own pace for the very good reason that the implications are significant for the School, our infrastructure, our learning and teaching, and therefore the whole community of boys, parents and teachers.

In the classroom there is an obvious impact as boys will not all have the same device and the same software. However, teaching software, in the main, is not (and should not be) the primary focus of most subjects in the curriculum. As an example, our Life and Faith Department, ably headed by David Ellis, is moving away from the idea that every boy must make a PowerPoint towards a richer concept: every boy must demonstrate their learning using their chosen form of media. This requires more work, but the direction is clear. Many other departments are now taking this approach (or have been doing so for some time already) – Drama, Modern History and English are other examples, and all departments are looking closely at these developments as they prepare for next year.

This approach provides several important advantages. First, research clearly shows that learners need autonomy; feeling in control of your own learning is empowering and motivating.

Second, boys need to learn to learn – the concept of “useful ignorance” is very valuable here. Most successful knowledge workers in today’s economy may not know how to do something.

However, they have both a good idea of what they need to know and they also know how and where to look for that knowledge.

Knowledge work itself is an important component of many, if not all, careers.

The management of a classroom full of boys who have devices that are excellent entertainment centres is also a challenge for teachers. Your sons may know a great deal about gaming and social activity, but often they have not yet worked out how the devices can be used to assist their learning. BYOD implies a cultural change within TSS and this is probably the hardest aspect that we, as teachers, must deal with. The School has developed a number of volunteer and self-selected “eLearning leaders” who are prepared to facilitate this process in every faculty in the Senior School.

This will become an important part of a teacher’s skill set within the next year or so. In terms of infrastructure the cost to the School of purchasing hardware and software is reduced, but the requirement to provide Internet servers, wireless networking and storage capacity is vastly increased. Our bandwidth usage this year has tripled and this is an expensive item in the current situation of telecommunications in Australia. Our overall spending on IT hardware continues to increase. This is success, but success at a cost.

We will continue to give advice to parents on the pros and cons of the various devices that boys are able to bring, and in broad terms we can see that mobile tablets are appropriate for Years 7-9, while laptops and netbooks are probably more in line with the requirements of boys in Year 10 and up. However, one size does not fit all. Please keep an eye on our website for information as the year progresses. (http://www.tss.qld.edu.au/Parents_and_Students/ Senior/AcademicProgram/ictdevices.aspx) It should not be forgotten that, while office products and other software are often “bundled” with laptops and netbooks, a tablet such as an iPad also needs provision for apps to make it useful for learning (probably about $50-$100 AUD). Again, we have a list of suitable apps available on the TSS website under the link above.

Should you have further questions or need advice about the purchase or supply of devices for your children, please contact Richard Jones at the School on 07 5531 9851 or by email to: richard.jones@tss.qld.edu.au 34

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Old Boys Mentors Make a Mighty Impact

Old Boys Stories Inspire Food for Thought

Over the past term, the OSA/Parent Mentor Program has proved to be a terrific tool for students and (young) Old Boys. Many have gained an insight into a variety of trades and professions by simply emailing the many mentors available on the Old Boys Website, many have been offered work experience placement next term and a number have been offered holiday jobs to see if they do in fact wish to pursue a particular career path.

The continuing involvement of the OSA in the Career Education Program being run for the Year 10 students at TSS aims OSA Coordinator at providing the boys with a variety of stories covering the life journeys of OSA members, with emphasis on the critical decision made at key times in their lives.

The intention is to provide food for thought, as the boys begin thinking about the next important phase of their senior schooling…

Years 11 and 12. By October, these boys will choose the subjects that will define their pathways to tertiary training or the workplace. It is important that the boys have a fair idea of the end goal... where are they heading and why?

I have mentioned previously that the generosity of our volunteer mentors is quite incredible. In general, people who volunteer for an community service are of a generous nature, but honestly, the reports I have received from parents and students still manage to surprise me. They serve as a constant reminder that our community is truly special and the value of the Mentor Program to network and make connections in a place such as The Southport School is unquantifiable.

Will McFarlane (Y12) says… “I made contact with a mentor and it was a great experience. I learnt a lot about how he made his impact on the work-force and how he got to where he is today. Also the ways that I can now go ahead in looking at my career choice and how many opportunities are out there. It also gave me connections with him and possibly a future job opportunity.”

So far this term, we have had inspiring presentations to the students by speakers from the Engineering and Construction Industries , the Accounting Profession and Professional Sport.

These speakers have gone to a considerable amount of trouble preparing their addresses, which have made a mighty impact on the students, and for these efforts we offer our profound thanks.

Next time, a similar lineup of industries has been organised by Mike Halpin in the Vocational Education Department, and we hope this will help to encourage and guide our students on a career path that best suits them as well as provide added impetus to the Mentor Program.

Kris Hailey

OSA members have been generously giving their time to tell their stories and inspire the boys to think beyond TSS and to get in touch with their strengths and passions, so that they will follow their dreams and not simply drift aimlessly along.

Damien Moffrey and Shannon Eckstein are two distinguished Old Boys who addressed the boys on the role played by TSS in their formation and the opportunities that followed their time at school.

Both were exceptional sportsmen at TSS, both have been heavily involved in the Surf Lifesaving movement and both remain very active members of Northcliffe SLSC, featuring heavily in the club’s Hall of Fame.

Damien moved into the world of a chartered accountant and ended up owning the firm Baker, Affleck & Moffrey, while Shannon remained in professional sport and has an amazing list of achievements to his credit, including six Nutri-Grain Ironman titles, three World Ironman Champion titles among others and a host of Australian titles in board, surf, taplin relay and ironman.

Shannon spoke of the need to maintain the work-life balance, highlighting the importance of family in the passage through life.

He spoke of dedication to training and doing just that little bit 36 more than the competition to maintain the edge.

Old Boys

(Left to right) Headmaster Greg Wain, Old Boy Malcolm Broomhead, OSA President Paul Wood

Damien conducted a question/answer session with Shannon, addressing issues as diverse as why TSS was important in his development, what motivates him to continue the hard slog of endless training as he approaches his 13th year of elite competition, how he copes with disappointment and frustration and the impact of injury on a professional sportsman. Shannon’s responses were well received by the boys and the thunderous applause at the end reflected their admiration and appreciation of both speakers.

Damien spoke of the need to have a back-up plan, just in case the dream does not become a reality. We can’t all play for the Wallabies or swim for Australia or be a neurosurgeon, but we can all achieve to the best of our abilities in our chosen fields. We can follow our dreams, but be prepared to make amendments along the way. This planning begins at school and hopefully the Year 10 boys have heard the message loud and clear.

Peter Newcombe also featured in the newly established tradition of OSA members speaking to current Year 10 boys as part of the Careers Development Program. Peter was a member of Thorold

House, until he left in 1988 in order to finish his senior schooling in Brisbane. He remembers being fairly handy in the manual arts and ended up following this inclination into a building apprenticeship.

After three years and three months Peter was qualified and gradually grew to the status of award-winning builder.

Peter’s novel and enthusiastic approach to careers in the construction industry saw the boys enjoying the spectacle of five labourers trying to follow the instructions of the boss on an imaginary building site, as they unloaded and transported a pallet of timber.

After completing the job, the ‘labourers’ were questioned about the necessary checks and balances that should have been made before moving a single piece. Some lessons are learnt the hard way, however, the donated shirts, caps and other goodies were well received.

Peter and his colleague, Lyn Shanahan from the BSA (Building Services Authority), spoke of the attributes required by employers in Construction: enthusiasm, initiative, dedication and willingness being important among them. Both speakers supported the idea of completing Year 12, but perhaps, for some, the idea of

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Old Boys

Shannon Eckstein

Dr Nick Agnew

Damien Moffrey

Peter Newcombe

coupling senior studies with a pre-vocational course or a school-based apprenticeship should be considered, to give their careers a kick start.

Another in the lineup of motivational Old Boy speakers was Dr Nick Agnew (Mel 78-87) of Stacey Agnew Pty Ltd. His presentation to the Year 10 boys covered fluid mechanics, network analysis, system controls and mechanical design. Dr Agnew expertly held the attention of the entire Year 10 cohort (and staff) for over 30 minutes, with an extremely interesting presentation that provided an insight into the diversity of engineering. He showed exclusive photos of his projects from all over the world, revealing details of work including tunnel ventilation, underground fire safety and associated electrical and mechanical disciplines in civil infrastructure (mainly road and bus tunnels, railways and metros).

Through this program, the boys are gradually being exposed to a variety of occupations and it is hoped that by hearing the stories

of others who have shared their student experiences, the boys will have a greater understanding of themselves and their options in the important years ahead.

Thanks are due to the parents and OSA members who have willingly given of their time to speak to the boys, and also to those who have registered to act as on-line mentors, as together we strive to build a valuable resource that in time may assist many boys on their career journey. However, we need more diversity in the industries currently represented, so please consider registering as a mentor.

If you would like to join the program, then please feel free to contact Mike Halpin (VET Office) or Kris Hailey (OSA Office) or simply visit tssoldboys.com.au and follow the prompts under mentoring.

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Andrew Stark Head of Libraries & Information Services

Boys in Year 8 to Year 11 must have been secretly delighted to see the tables turned when a highly enthusiastic group of over 100 parents went back to school to participate in their very own Study Skills Orientation Program.

Over four consecutive Monday evenings in Terms One and Two, it was school-days deja vu as the parents were invited to join Senior Library and teaching staff in a series of workshops that focused on encouraging and establishing positive study habits for boys. Essentially, while the sessions were designed to help parents provide academic support for their sons at home, there was also a variety of strategies to assist them to help their children deal with the stresses and pressures that school life can sometimes present.

The program was divided into four main workshop areas and included some of the most important aspects of educational psychology and practice. Topics included: understanding how boys’ brains work; encouraging boys to read; making the most of the Internet; and how to develop effective time management skills.

All those who attended found the workshops provided a fascinating insight into the academic demands and expectations being placed on the boys, as well as offering a series of tried, tested and successful strategies to employ when focusing on academic matters at home gets a little ‘tricky’.

Of course, not every parent was able to participate in this program (particularly boarder parents) so we have published all presentations, notes and handouts on the Senior Library webpage under the link Library Events. Now every member of the TSS Community has access to some important and easily understood information relating to study skills.

This was such a valuable exercise that a similar, condensed version of the program is being devised for boarder parents and will be held on Friday 10 August from 3pm to 4pm in the Harley Stumm Senior Library. This afternoon workshop will provide parents with an overview of some of the support (both online and offline) that is available to their sons so they can make the most of the academic opportunities presented to them.

For further information, please contact Head of Libraries Andrew Stark at ajs@tss.qld.edu.au

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Greg Norman Talks of TSS and Sporting Glory Mike Wallace PE Teacher First XV Coach

Rock – noun

-

mineral matter of variable composition, consolidated or unconsolidated, assembled in masses or considerable quantities in nature, as by the action of heat or water.

Greg Norman, “Normo”, is known by many names and titles. My favourite is a nickname that was given to him by the current Head of Physical Education, Steve Baker. Mr Baker started calling Greg “The Rock” and never a more appropriate nickname was ever bestowed on someone. Not just because he has a body that resembles the sometime wrestler, sometime B grade actor by the same name, but because he is strong, sturdy, unyielding, trustworthy to a fault and so reliable that he could very well be made from granite.

I was asked to put together an article about Greg for this month’s Band of Brothers. Even though I have only known him for two and a half years, I share an office space with him, I sit next to him, often teach the same classes and have the honour of working closely with him in our roles as Coach and Manager of the First XV. When considering the mammoth task that is unravelling the 34 years he has so far spent at TSS I felt that, rather than trying to capture the flavour of his time, I’d let The Rock himself do the talking. In this interview I asked Greg about his time at TSS, some fond memories he has of the place, some of its history that he has been integral in shaping and also about life away from Campus; about his wife, Kerry, his son, Peter, and life on the Gold Coast.

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Tell me about Greg Norman and what led up to your role at the School.

Born and bred in Dubbo, central west NSW, I was packed off to do my high school years boarding at The Scots College Sydney.

After finishing there I stayed in Sydney and went into partnership with a schoolmate operating a milk run in Newport, one of the Northern Beaches areas. I then did my PE course mainly while I was an assistant boarding master back at my old boarding house, Fairfax (think newspaper dynasty), where a young Tom Tate was a boarder. Belonging to Newport and then Tamarama SLS clubs I would do the summer season professional lifeguarding. Upon graduating there was none of my very selective list of dream schools advertising so I continued lifeguarding and then picked up a job with Outward Bound, which dashed my hopes of going to work in the snow for winter. I left after five months as I could not shake a bad staph infection, did lifeguarding again and then picked up my dream job at TSS in 1979 and joined my old PE lecturer Greg Reddan, who was the Head Of Department. I also married Kerry in May of that year.

I know there’s a great story about your lifeguarding days involving a certain former world surfing champion known as “The Animal”.

Well I was lifeguarding at Newport. In those days life guards had the power to confiscate and impound people’s boards for surfing inside the flags. On this particular day Nat Young and a few of his mates were making a nuisance of themselves on a nice peak between the flags. Nat lost his board and it washed into the beach. I went over and picked it up. I knew he was someone who was keen on confrontation. I told him he could have his board back as long as he moved himself and all his mates down the beach and away from the swimming enclosure. He must have been able to tell by the look in my eyes that I was serious. He and his mates moved pretty smartly.

Before we move on to life at the School, tell me more about your own family and the impressive sports resumes you, Kerry and Peter have put together.

I started playing touch football when I arrived here in 1979 and quickly decided this was the game for me, especially when I used to think I could shine more if I did not get smashed when playing Rugby. Kerry was up to the possible/probable stage with her netball, but I got her involved in touch and the rest is history. We played for Qld for many years, including being the first and only husband and wife to achieve the National Championships “Player of the Series” in 1985. We both represented Australia in the first Touch World Cup, which was held here on the Gold Coast. I played in two more Cups at Masters Level.

Kerry missed the 1991 World Cup after giving birth to Peter, but went on to become the Women’s Open manageress then assistant coach and then the coach for the past two World Cups and has recently stood down from that position. She holds the most representative caps for Australian representation at 104. She is in The Touch Hall of Fame, a member of the Touch Football Association 30-year team and was the Australian beach sprint champion in 1987.

She represented at the SLSA Trans Tasman championships that year;

a dual Australian representative.

I stepped down from the Australian level after 1995 as someone had to stay home and look after the boy! Peter, surprise, surprise, grew up at the touch fields and went on to represent Qld schools in eight consecutive touch teams, easily a record. He went on and captained the Australian 18s and then to the Open Mixed team. He was also the TSS champion all-rounder (sportsman) in 2008 and made five Qld bodyboard teams and gained a third at the Nationals in Year 11.

I have been on the Gold Coast Touch Football committee since 1980 and President for the past 14 years. At various stages I have been the Qld open schoolboys coach that won the Nationals and became the National coach. I have coached the females for a number of years, including Qld on a tour of New Zealand. I am a Level 3 referee and was a member of the National review panel for a number of years. I have also been a committee member of the Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame for the past 10 years.

You came to TSS in 1979 to teach Physical Education. What has that been like?

I always seem to have been part of a great department and like everything ideas and courses have changed. We used to do a significant amount of the Royal Life Saving swim rescue awards and for many years were the leaders in Qld for this, especially when the big pool went in. The old gym was not enclosed, but that soon came and we obtained the Brisbane Commonwealth Games wrestling mat via our gym assistant, Kevin Brooks. We also had a couple of outdoor trampolines out the front for a few years. The biggest change for the department was when we moved into the Centenary Centre. It sure beat working out of a shed and doing Basketball on the old asphalt courts, which were near the cricket nets along Dixon Drive.

You’re a member of the School’s Cadet program and have been for many years. What is that like and how has it shaped school life?

In my first year I was assigned to the Bush Rescue service with Ross Sedgwick, which meant that I was expected to drive up to Binna Burra usually every second Sunday afternoon to pick up the three or four boys who had been given a lift up the mountain on Friday to do their service at the resort.

The next year I joined the Army Cadets and apart from the four or five years when the Year 10s were out of the scene have been involved ever since. There were many interesting times, especially with the Adventure Training platoons, paddling the kayaks, the challenging camps, especially when there was no Navy or RAAF and we would have 500 boys on the Hollindale property at Guanaba and nearby. Of course the legend of Curly Lamb, the School Sergeant, who ran the Cadets and was an ex-RSM from the SAS and is still a good story with a small number of us. For some of our activities I am glad that Workplace Health and Safety was not as strict or we could not do things like having blank loaded .303 rifles going off at any time of the night. Staff guarded a site halfway up Tamborine Mountain as the boys tried to lay a pretend mine at a bridge coordinate. Times were tough, but you earnt your 41 stripes, and for many years about half the Years 11 and 12s were

involved and gained leadership training.

One camp Curly organised for an Army helicopter to land at camp and give some of the boys a quick ride. We got a bonus ride with the doors open and went zooming down the ravines nearby.

It was a bit like out of a Vietnam War movie.

What about other camps and teaching opportunities away from the classroom?

Obviously I have been part of the Cadet camps, but also like to help with the outdoor ones, especially the Years 10 and 11 when it does not clash with Cadets. I think these are getting even more important to harden up many boys and have various challenges in an outdoor environment and away from their technology. I love the Year 11 bike camp, but wonder why I and Miss Murr beat most of them and see so many walking up the hills. Anyway, it is good to see them sitting around the fires and telling stories and the boys get to see us in a different situation and can get to know us a little better.

You’re heavily involved in extra-curricular sport. Any memories that really stick out to you?

Well there have been many changes here. When I arrived we had a three-term year and you picked a sport and there was certainly less to select from and you had set seasons. I have been involved with most, but in particular it would be Rugby, Track and Field, Gymnastics and then Swimming, with Touch as a bonus.

In 1980 a young Harold Peacock approached me to organise a Basketball team and go in some tournaments and he would supply a good coach. Anyway, that evolved and we hosted a home tournament also and the Southportonian records that TSS were the “premiers” in the developing competition in 1981, ’82, and ’83 with a series of carnival days, which I also co-ordinated for a year or two. I then stepped down so “real” basketball people could grow the sport and it became a GPS sport in 1986. I then had the pleasure of attending the “grand final” of our team a few years ago when they beat BBC at BBC to become the first official premiers. Funnily enough I heard that night that Harold Peacock was in the crowd also. Well done to Dave Claxton on his development of Basketball at School.

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The next challenge was in 1982 when Mr Kevin Brooks wanted my help to re-establish a TSS Gymnastic team, as we had been out of the competition for many years. We did that, and built up such a big team over the years that the competition rules were changed so the boys had to do all the apparatus instead of the vault, floor and maybe the high bar, which the majority could do and have fun especially in our short season. I ran that until about 1991.

When Ian Browne stepped down as First XV manager after the 2010 Premiership, I was asked to take over the role. I accepted, as long as it didn’t interfere with my role as coach of the mighty Fourth XV. The House system is such an important part of life at School.

Have you been with Surman House for all of your time?

I have been with Surman House since it started in 1979 and therefore knew Frank Surman for a number of years when he worked here. It has been great to be here for the School’s Centenary and all the changes that have occurred with new buildings. I heard when they were digging the foundations for the new Sheil building they came across old debris, which rang a bell with me as there were two old timber classrooms in that area when I first arrived. The discipline is not as tough as it used to be and the cane has not been used for a long time now. Quite often the older Old Boys I have taught say hello Mr Norman so I have say “please call me Greg”, but now many students call me Normo, and probably a few other names when in trouble.

You’re known as a bit of an amateur archivist.

I enjoy reading and hearing about how lives change and various ones excel and, of course, sadly there have been some downfalls.

Sport usually attracts a fair bit of publicity and I have cut out many articles to pass on to Archives and Kris Hailey to help keep track of the lives and careers of the Old Boys. Being here so long I am now teaching sons of boys who have been here at School in my younger years. Some names I really know due to their athletic exploits and being in the record books for many years, and others from various encounters including being in trouble with me; but we laugh about that now.

You were a strong presence in the PNG program the School ran for many years. Can you tell me about that?

In the 1990s we had a strong PNG presence and they made up the vast majority of my school touch football teams. We had many great afternoons training and playing and I would put them in a few carnivals, including the developing Qld All Schools, which I hosted for one year at TSS. We did well and certainly kept the crowds amused with an exciting style of play. I still have a PNG wooden ornament at home that was sent to me and have one of our team photos on my PE office wall. Happy days! Many names and faces I remember when looking back through the school magazine, especially OJ Rarua who I have seen a few times at School over the years, and Harold Gigartaras, who continued his love with touch football in Brisbane and I think became a Level 4 referee as I meet him at various carnivals over the years.

Mike and Marg Halpin in particular ran special PNG theme nights/dinners for all the boys during their time running Biddle

House. When the government finished the subsidy program and the last of these boys left there was a cultural change in the School, especially in the boarding and some of the sports. Swimming was not one of them!

Being “The Rock”, you’re often first asked when reliable staff are needed for an overseas tour with the students. What do you remember from some of those?

Another great way to share some interesting experiences with the boys, however, some stories stay on tour. In the 1990s when we had a number of PNG boarders Des and Kaye Hastie would organise a snow trip. We would have the biggest bus available taking boys and girls from around the SE region down to Perisher for five days of skiing and then back via Sydney to watch the NRL Grand Final.

Rugby trips to Brian Hain’s old stomping ground of Hong Kong have been great, with Old Boy Wayne Parfitt always a generous host. We would also catch up with a number of ex-staff.

The boys would play games, which can be very interesting playing at the HK Rugby Club ground in the inner area of the Happy Valley racing track and completely surrounded by high-rises. I was amazed at how quickly the boys adapted to the system of beating down the prices of the marketplace products. Of course it was a big party atmosphere with the HK 7s on.

The Rugby World Cup in 2007 was a big event halfway around the world. In Cardiff the boys in their bright yellow shirts were a crowd feature and a few Old Boys jumped out of the crowd to say hello. A group war cry in front of the stadium before the Wales vs Australia match had the crowd cheering.

Again last year’s tour to the World Cup in New Zealand was another great opportunity for the boys to attend two games, play three, tour and do many things like sail on Auckland Harbour and have a thrilling jetboat ride. Of course billeting is part of the experience and some nerves have to be overcome. Others like my “young mayor of Moree”, Charlie Upton, told me how he helped the family for an hour and a half round up some cows in the afternoon and then was up at 4.30am helping with the milking on the local Taranaki farm.

I hope the parents received positive feedback and noticed a change in their sons after these trips.

In my first couple of weeks at TSS I remember walking to assembly with Normo on Thursday. We had just crossed the tennis courts and were out in front of the Clock Tower. I recall saying to him, “How have you spent 32 years (as it was then) in one school?”

His response says everything about the man. He looked up at the Clock Tower, held his hands wide in the summer sun, smiled and said, “Where would you rather be?”

When Christ was setting out 2000 years ago he looked to his disciple Simon and renamed him Peter saying, “On this Rock I will build my church”. If he had been the Headmaster at the Southport School, he may just have turned to Greg “The Rock” Norman.

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Winds of Change Breathe New Life into GPS Sport

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It’s been a fantastic start to the new GPS sports year with TSS securing great results across a range of sports and age groups.

Director of Sport In the senior School the new combination of sports has worked really well with the School actually winning the GPS Football premiership. Term Three will also be a blockbuster of a sports season because we have a strong tradition in both Basketball and Rugby, but this is the first time they play side-by-side. These two sports have nearly 40 teams so we expect to have packed arenas for both 1st team matches.

GPS Gymnastics championship the rules may be relaxed slightly to allow some enthusiastic and talented junior age gymnasts to take part in the Senior School competition.

The superb response by our students to the new GPS season schedule actually reflects the feedback to the student survey sent out prior to the Headmasters’ decision to change the seasons. More boys at all the GPS schools indicated they wanted to play both Football and Rugby, and that’s what happened. Well done to all the boys at TSS who actually signed up and competed in a new sport in Term Two.

If the change did go ahead in 2013 the Premiership sports like Cricket, Football, Tennis, Basketball and Rugby would be aligned across all the age groups and take place at the same time in the year. There would be no real change for a sport like Cricket, which already has 5-12 fixture list-sharing facilities across the two schools. However, in the other four team sports there would be some adjustments to the scheduling, and without going into too much detail, it would see all Football and Rugby matches played at the same home or away venue. That could see all the Prep 5s to 6s kicking off first, followed by the older boys in the Senior School later in the day. There is an immediate benefit to families with boys in both the Prep and the Senior Schools who now only have to attend one venue rather than try to make two separate locations in CIC and GPS competitions. There is also something quite special in having all the TSS sports playing in one location and on the same day. From a sports facility angle it also makes a lot of sense to have the three main field sports (Cricket, Football and Rugby) and the two court sports (Tennis and Basketball) spaced out in separate terms. As soon as you add in the combined firstaid cover, parent support group help, coaching, referees, busing to one venue, communication and building upon the excellent school spirit we have across the whole School, it does look like an attractive proposition.

Bryan Hain

Another subject of interest to many Junior School parents is the pending movement of the Year 7s across to the Senior School and potentially being part of the Senior School GPS sports program.

This won’t happen officially in the State School system until 2015, so a GPS school like Brisbane State High will have to wait almost three more years to have another age group in their school. For most of the other GPS schools the Year 7s are already on their senior school campus and keen to be a part of the GPS sports action.

It is clear that in some areas it would be easier to have one overall competition, but in other aspects the big CIC competition works very well. Over the past 18 months there have been a number of consultative meetings to explore the possibility of moving away from the two different sports programs (CIC and GPS) and combining them into a 5-12 sports program in all nine GPS schools. At the moment both Ipswich and Toowoomba Grammar are not part of the CIC sports program, so it would be good to see these two senior GPS schools playing TSS across all 5-12 age groups.

Before such a big change would take place there is going to be another GPS survey sent to all GPS junior school students seeking their opinion on combining the two sports programs. If the change did take place in 2013 it would see all the Prep sports seasons aligned to the current Senior School fixture list. For example, in the championship events like Swimming, Cross Country and Track and Field there would most likely be a Junior School event taking place in the morning for the Years 5 to 7 and then followed by the usual Years 8 to 12 in the Senior School championship. I can’t see there being a change to the age groups in the big championship sports until after Brisbane State High have their own 7s on board. In the

At the Senior School there are two GPS activities like Chess and Debating that may also attract some younger age group teams in 2013. I think it would good to see TSS competing in these two activities at an Interschool level. The sport of Rowing wouldn’t change in 2013 as we already have a ‘come and try’ program for our Year 7s in Term Four. The Junior Head of the River race schedule is really focused on the Year 9s with some Year 8s also taking part.

The two main trophies in rowing comprise a combined trophy for all crews in Years 10, 11 and 12 and the trophy for the prestigious 1st VIII race.

In conclusion, I will circulate the survey early in Term Three, but although the final decision will be made before the end of that term it will be made only after the survey results have been compiled and considered fully. I hope this helps explain the process of change and the time frames involved.

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Language Perfect World Championships Between the 21st and 31st of May, students around the world were tested on their reading, listening and writing skills in 15 different languages. Over 102 million questions were answered by competitors in just 10 days and upon the conclusion Taisei Fujii was awarded a Gold Award, which placed him in the top 2% of the 140 000, competitors who entered the competition this year.

Alongside Taisei’s award, Soshi Jo, Harrison Kennedy, James Smith and Liam Wright were all awarded credit certificates for being placed in the top 20% of students worldwide.

TSS Preparatory School ranked in 8th place for schools that teach Chinese in Queensland.

Learning another language is a valuable skill and at Prep, under the guidance of Mrs Doreen Yap, the boys are achieving at a very high standard.

Jeff Symms

Once More on the Slippery Slope Beautiful sunny days, blizzard conditions, rain and even falling snow were the classic Perisher Valley conditions to greet the boys on annual Prep School Ski Trip.

So enticing were the conditions and the excitement so high that the boys were very keen to grab boots, boards and skis and get up to the ski fields for a late-afternoon frolic in the snow. Organised chaos reigned as the boys descended upon the hire shop, making for a bit of a slow process, with everyone trying to get kitted-out at the same time. It quickly became apparent that we wouldn’t be skiing that afternoon but we did get up to the ski fields and for a late-afternoon play in the snow with plenty of snowball fights, fun and laughter to be had by all.

The first day’s skiing lesson produced plenty of spills and laughs among both the boys and teachers, but over the ensuing week the boys gained lessons and skills in turning, stopping, travelling on J-bars, T-Bars and lifts, not to mention snow fights. The boys were split into different groups, with Miss Lawless and Mr Wyer taking the beginners and Mr Jon Kennedy looking after the more advanced skiers, who got to tackle some of the more difficult terrain. Tuesday was a highlight, delivering falling snow and perfect conditions, which saw the boys out on the slopes displaying much improved skills.

different parts of the mountain. One afternoon did prove a bit more difficult for Mr Wyer’s group that went to the furthest part of the mountain where they hit some poor visibility and challenging terrain.

However, the boys did a magnificent job looking out for one another and skiing safely together, highlighting the real essence of the trip, which was the mateship and comradeship.

Our final day turned out to be fairly miserable with rain and some high winds thrown, in however, most boys still managed to do their lesson and even get in one last hour of free skiing. It was great to witness the boys’ ability and skill improve so dramatically over the course of the week and watch them thoroughly enjoy themselves, as many of them have developed a new love and appreciation for skiing and snowboarding.

Big thanks go to the accompanying staff of Ms Cassandra Lawless, Mrs Kathryn Barry and parent helper Mr Jon Kennedy, whose tireless efforts were truly appreciated by all the boys. The 2012 Prep School Ski Trip boys were fantastic ambassadors to the School, themselves and to their family and as staff. We were very privileged to accompany such wonderful young men on this exciting holiday adventure.

I know we’re looking forward to the 2013 ski season already.

As conditions continued to hold, we took all the boys across to Perisher’s Front Valley to give them fresh new scenery and explore

Mark Wyer

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A Close-Run Thing for the Prep Athletics Carnival The TSS Prep Athletics Carnival has once again been highly eventful and successful, Deputy Head of Preparatory providing close competition –Pastoral Care between the four Houses as the boys strived to notch up points for their respective houses, and with very few points separating the houses throughout the course of the day. In the end it came down to the relays to decide who would seize the ultimate victor’s laurels for the 2012 Athletics Inter-House Championship. When all results were tallied, the final scoreboard looked like this:

Mark Wyer

Dixon 1046 Mitre 913 Shepherd 896 Musgrave 825 While all congratulations go to Dixon House the following boys who took out Individual Age Champions for 2012 can deservedly take a bow.

9 Years Age Champion Jack Doohan Runner-Up Royce Ramsay 10 Years Age Champion James Smith Runner-Up Henry Ullrich 11 Years Age Champion Runner-Up

Duke Robertson Alex Walker and Will Booth

12 Years Age Champion Lachlan Bruce Runner-Up Patrick Murtagh 13 Years Age Champion Jack Giles & Oscar Morris Runner-Up Rohan Hagbeck The Inter-House carnival will be the main selection criteria for the TSS Prep team to compete in a number of lead-up events at the University of Queensland, the JB Adams Cup held at Churchie and the main event of the CIC Championships held at QEII Stadium.

As a result of a successful 2011, the boys will be competing in the premier Purple Division, and due to the strong performances at our TSS Carnival, we will once again be sending a very strong squad to a number of events in the upcoming season.

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Tony Watt Head of Community Relations

When Stephen Sandeman, Bailey Lund and Nathan Gallagher of the Year 9 First Rowing Quad were invited to join their fellow oarsman Charlie Wells for a weekend with his family in “the bush”, they hadn’t anticipated their initial experience would be to learn firsthand the meaning of the expression “a big country”.

The Wells family call “Keytah” home, a large cotton, farming and cattle property in north-western NSW near Moree, and this meant more than just a quick trip down the road. After the six-hour bus journey that had them deposited in Goondiwindi at 9pm, the boys found they still faced another one and a half hours travel by car.

It was a long haul, but plenty of adventure awaited them.

First up was a tour, and as with many things being in the right place at the right time worked to the boys’ advantage as the cotton was being picked at the time, providing them with a unique experience in itself. More light-heated adventure came in the massive hayshed, where the temptation to climb to the top of the five-metre stack of bales to perform acrobatics and commando rolls proved irresistible. Bailey Lund achieved a measure of fame in this activity by doing the daring backflip while managing to keep his cowboy hat on.

Of course no trip to the bush would be the same without going out spotlight hunting.

This was a totally new experience that was greeted with much excitement and a query as to whether they would get to paint their faces with cammo. All the boys loved this and wanted to do it again the second night. Obviously deprived of time on the water, the boys decided to brave the cold and have a go “tubing” on the farm’s

dam. The water temperature wasn’t exactly balmy, so this meant that it didn’t take long to get the hang of “tubing” and the strength acquired from rowing soon showed itself in a determination to hang on and avoid a plunge at all costs. Mastering the stockwhip was another new country challenge that was punctuated by a few stinging legs and red marks, while heading off in Charlie’s old green ute, cowboy hats on and looking the typical country part, was always a sight to see.

Finally (and perhaps to ease the ache of muscles tested by “tubing”, not to mention the effects of whip-cracking mishaps), Gavin, Charlie’s father, took the four boys into the local Moree Hot Mineral Spa Baths – a local tourist attraction that attracts people from all over the world – where the boys enjoyed relaxing in the 38-40°C waters.

Lots of food, laughs, fun and adventures were definitely the recipe for a great weekend by all. As the prime mover of the weekend, Charlie said: “It was a great opportunity to bring the boys out to the bush to let them see where I was from and to also give them the opportunity to see and do what I get to do when I am home. I was lucky enough to get to know these great blokes with rowing and by bringing them home built an even stronger mateship.

It was great to be in a more relaxed environment where we laughed plenty, ate plenty and just had a good time all round.”

Charlie’s father, Gavin, remarked: “As the parents hosting these boys it was a very memorable weekend for our whole family.

It really opens doors for the parents also as we were able to have the opportunity to meet three great, well-mannered and well-behaved young men. All three came to our house and fitted into our family with Charlie’s siblings and always helped and had impeccable manners. We saw mateship and definitely maturity in young men that were proud to be part of TSS. To see the boys relaxed and to hear their conversations just goes to show that the mateship built at TSS will be a mateship for a lifetime.”

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Like any other aspect of TSS, the aim to serve up only the best has gained an extra boost with the addition to the Alliance Catering team of Michael Gilbert.

Formerly an integral member of the Alliance team in Canberra, Michael joins the TSS community fresh from a 15-year tenure at the Australian Institute of Sport as the Senior Sous Chef, a role he describes as having been exciting, challenging, fun, educational and ultimately extremely rewarding.

Michael successfully led a team that, on a daily basis, catered to a permanent residency of 190 elite athletes and up to 450 nonresidential athletes, and he considers himself blessed to be able to reminisce on such events as the David Campese testimonial dinner where his brigade executed a dinner for 2000 of Australia’s most prominent sporting, business and parliamentary figures. Among his other fond memories of that tour of duty with the AIS, Michael cites his experiences of catering to the British Swimming team and the entire Brazilian Olympic team in their final preparations for the

Sydney Olympics, while also balancing the needs of AIS residents.

Working with a team of high-performance nutritionists and dietitians, Michael engineered menus and meal programs tailored towards optimum performance, and so brings exceptional knowledge, experience and professionalism to The Southport School culinary squad. Any students interested in understanding Michael’s passion for cuisine and the ultimate marriage it plays in high-performance sports, learning capacity, general health and wellbeing would do well to introduce themselves to Michael. As an aside while there, ask him about your favourite athlete. Chances are he has met and cooked for them at some point in time.

Michael is currently performing menu magic, running the kitchen in the evening and preparing dinner five nights a week.

Karen Martin Marketing Coordinator

Paul joins us with a wealth of experience in the industry having been a chef for 27 years across multiple facets of the industry. Throughout his time Paul has held some fascinating roles, including Executive Chef for Season 3 of Master Chef, which provided Paul the opportunity to travel overseas and work with some of the world’s most renowned chefs, including David Chang, Rene Redzeppi, Heston Blumenthal and Marco Pierre White. Paul has also worked in a number of high-profile restaurant throughout Australia. His extensive food knowledge enables Paul to have a great understanding of products and their flavour profile.

This enables him to produce an amazing tasting product each and every time, whether catering for the Prime Minister or a primary school canteen.

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Prep House Chapels Honour the Past, Inspire the Future The absence of a Chapel on the TSS Prep Campus means that for all important church services, such as House Chapels, we go over the road to St Alban’s Chapel, which provides a great opportunity for our students to get a sense of the whole School community.

TSS Prep has four Houses, Mitre, Shepherd, Musgrave and Dixon, and this House system provides for the building up of community in all aspects of a student’s life; social, sporting and spiritual. Within this system, students learn healthy competition, commitment, trust, integrity, friendship, good sportsmanship, resilience, etc.

One important event on the School calendar is when these Houses forget their healthy rivalry and come together in a spiritual setting to celebrate and give thanks for the founding and history of their Houses.

It is a great celebration. The students supply the main

Music Staff Revives Warm Memories of the Mullet

input giving the history and present current glorious deeds of their Houses. Tales tall but true(?) are told in the form of very entertaining personal reflections detailing the boys’ time in their particular House at Prep.

It is always the highlight of the evening for me to see young men standing before a packed Chapel (and it is packed!) with confidence and hearing them speak of their experiences.

Every year as I drive home I smile to myself and think ‘the world is in safe hands’, and I’m sure these sentiments are echoed many times over by those who attended.

These services do the boys and the School proud in a very healthy, no frills way. The Chapel services move along at a very fresh, natural, active pace and one I’m sure God thoroughly approves of and blesses.

It’s important in such a ‘now’ world that students can reflect and acknowledge the importance of the past and be inspired for the future. The Chapel services definitely achieve this goal.

God Bless, Fr Phil

For those of us who experienced firsthand the heady times of the ’70s and ’80s, what could better summon up that lump-in-thethroat, tear-in-the-eye, nostalgic longing for the era than that defining style statement, The Mullet?

Rod Stewart’s enduring love affair with that particular expression of coiffure excess notwithstanding, there is the not inconsequential matter of the music. For one night and one night only, in a burst of inspired madness and sheer fun, the TSS Music staff rocked the joint with a cabaret-style concert of the best songs from those memorable decades.

Solo acts and groups took to the stage to pump it out, and while the quality of the performances was never in doubt, unbeknown to an enthusiastic audience of about 90, in many cases these acts had required a considerable leap of faith. Such is the nature of the Music Staff ’s work routine and the tyranny of the timetables, few members get to actually spend much time together or even meet, thus rehearsals for the concert were somewhat problematic. In actual fact, the bands that would step into the spotlight didn’t get together until an hour before the show. This proved a mere detail, as a combination of consummate talent and sheer gusto carried the night to the great delight of all.

As an added bonus the concert proved to be a nice little fundraiser for the Friends of Music, and although it hasn’t prompted an outbreak of mullet cultivation among the Music staff it has cemented a resolve to make the concert an annual event.

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From Close Shaves to Cambodia, Flood Relief to Footy Boots, it’s all Go for Round Square

Christopher George Round Square Coordinator

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A Strong Showing by the Cattle Team Ross Wilson MIC Cattle Club

It’s been a very busy first half of the show season with the team going to a number of regular shows as well as going to the inaugural Qld Heifer All Breeds Show at Oakey.

A very dedicated group of boys have been developing their skills in the show ring around South East Queensland and the Darling Downs and this year the TSS Show Team have been joined by an enthusiastic group of Year 8 students who have been quickly learning the ropes and have been very successful in both stud and commercial sections at Kilcoy, Warwick, Oakey, Boonah, Marburg, Kalbar and Mudgeeraba, winning a number of first, second and third-place ribbons in their events.

All the hard work and practice over Semester One at Maudsland will hopefully pay off in the commercial classes at the Brisbane RNA (Ekka) this year, with two of our animals, TSS Tank and TSS Duchess, being very competitive at a number of shows,

winning first place on several occasions in their respective classes against strong competition. A special thanks this year to the input of the Wieland family of “Milhaven” stud at Boonah, who has provided valuable advice to the younger boys as well as guiding the more experienced hands within the team.

One of the highlights of the year so far has been the trip to Beef Australia 2012 by Jacob, Tom and David, who competed in this premier Australian Cattle event with the Brafords from Jacob’s property, “Pidgeon Waters”, and Herefords from well-respected breeders Julie and Adrian Nixon. The Brafords have gone from strength to strength with the exciting upcoming birth of calves to three of the four heifers later this year... a surprise Ekka birth perhaps?

Having put up a strong showing for the start of 2012, the team is now looking forward to Brisbane and the rest of the show season.

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After the resounding success of reducing the running costs of the filtration pumps on the TSS pool, the School called on the Solar Guys to run an energy audit on our Dux Campgrounds on South Stradbroke Island.

The audit set out to identify the key areas of energy usage and devise a plan to cut the energy consumption (and therefore costs) associated with the existing heavy reliance on diesel and LPG fuel sources. The Solar Guys were also comprehensively briefed on the TSS environmental policies and expectations, so that the importance of reducing the impact on the site and the surrounding area’s sensitive ecosystems was underscored as a high priority.

The outcome of the audit was a series of proposals that made full use of solar power to maximise a reduction in carbon emissions, improve environmental standards, minimise reliance on fossil fuel reliant generating systems, reduce wastage and optimise operating efficiency. The result of implementing these changes has been another great success on all counts and has produced the added bonus of effecting running cost savings amounting to thousands of dollars per annum.

It’s the sort of success story that leaves you with a nice warm glow.

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TSS Cricketers Don Australian Caps Nick Stevens and Sam Hain have enjoyed illustrious careers at the crease not only with TSS, but at club and rep level, however, their rising stars have just gained some extra shine as both boys have won places in the Australian squad that will play in the Under-19 International Cricket Council World Cup. Nick was TSS Captain of Cricket in 2011 during his Year 12 and Sam, who is presently in Year 12, is the current 2012 Captain, yet for all their nationally recognised talent and impressive playing records, both boys were surprised by their selection. Nick commented: “It hasn’t sunk in yet, but I’m really looking forward to it.” Echoing those sentiments Sam said: “I was pretty shocked because my gut feel was that I wouldn’t make it, but since the call came I’ve been rapt.”’

In addition to the World Cup series to be played in Brisbane, Townsville and on the Sunshine Coast, the Australian team is expected to play in three warm-up matches against Pakistan.

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01 Archives

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01. 1954-1955 02. Finish of the Head of the River 1954. Won by Southport by 1 1/4 lengths

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Founded in 1901, TSS is an Anglican Day and Boarding School for Boys from Prep Year to Year 12, with boarding available from Year 7 Winchester St Southport Queensland Australia 4215 Telephone: +617 5531 9911 Facsimile: +617 5531 9977 Email: reception@tss.qld.edu.au Visit: www.tss.qld.edu.au The Corporation of the Synod of the Diocese of Brisbane trading as The Southport School CRICOS Provider No. 00523F