Community Connections

Connections

In this Community Connections, we acknowledge the students and groups going the extra mile for others in need, both in Australia and abroad.

Senior School Bake Sale

Senior School students put on a delicious bake sale during Term 2, to raise funds in support of International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT). The stall was very popular and raised funds in support of the Pride Foundation of Australia. Well done to all involved!

Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea

Year 12 parents hosted a Biggest Morning Tea on Friday 7 May to raise essential funds for people impacted by cancer. It was so good they were able to come together, share a cuppa and raise funds for such a wonderful cause.

Victorian Flute Guild Fundraiser Concert

In Term 2, three CGS flautists performed at the Victorian Flute Guild’s Leslie Barklamb Scholarship Fundraiser Concert. This performance was in celebration of these young musicians’ stunning performances in their 2019 Competition. Freddy Branson (Year 11) performed works by Poulenc and Borne, Nicholas Teoh (Year 8) performed works by Norton and Godard, and Rhys Campbell (Class of 2020) performed works by Ian Clarke and Telemann. Rhys is now studying for his BMus at Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and is enjoying a rich musical life at Trinity College. All money raised goes to fund scholarship prizes.

The Student Leadership Executive 2021

Back row: Zakariya Huq, Harry Anderson, Charlie Rose, Takashi Canale, Isaac Khoo, Ethan Zhao. Front row: Charlie Malic, Maxwell Cai, Ned Bolch, Evan Lin, Alexander Zabojec, Toby Chan.

Student Leadership Executive and the Teddy Bear Picnic

Congratulations to the Year 5 students who were selected for the Student Leadership Executive for 2021. This is an elected group of boys who will lead the Junior School in fundraising for community organisations and implement school-wide programs to promote the School’s values, friendships, house spirit, and sustainability. In Term 2, the Student Leadership team organised a Junior School Teddy Bear Picnic on 17 June to raise money for the local charity, 300 Blankets, which is dedicated to supporting people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Victoria. Junior School boys brought their Teddy Bears or soft toys, blankets and their lunch, as well as a gold coin donation to go towards 300 Blankets. During our recent lockdown, two Student Leaders, Alex and Evan, interviewed Peter Royce, President of 300 Blankets. To watch the interview, look out for our digital issue of Spectemur. In Term 3, the Student Leadership team is also planning a ‘Blanket and Jumper’ Drive and a Pre-Loved Book Fair to support 300 Blankets.

Balwyn Rotary Club Public Speaking Competition

Ravin Desai (Year 10) won the Balwyn Rotary Speech Contest with his speech about the perils of ‘unthinking’ online clicking and the potential consequences. Ravin won a $300 Dymocks book voucher and $3,000 donated towards the Camberwell Grammar School’s Rotary Interact Club to assist in the Club’s international and local charitable endeavours, such as ‘Operation Toilets’ which provides sanitary products and toilet blocks for girls in secondary schools in the rural areas of India to enable them to achieve a full secondary school education. In the closing of his speech, ‘A simple click is NEVER a simple click!’, Ravin says: ‘A simple click. The death of a driver. A simple click. Child labour being propagated. A simple click. The suicide of a child being bullied. In this ever-changing digital age a simple click is never a simple click. As a society, we must educate both ourselves and our youth that click, swipe or tap may seem simple or look simple in principle but in reality, a simple click may be one too many. By failing to recognise the significance of our actions online, we can be exposed to untruthful content which can lead to us being misinformed, causing us to make further bad actions online without even knowing it. These actions which have unintended consequences are not only unfair to the victims of them but they are unfair to the people which carry them out without knowing so. However, by making sure to think through exactly the consequences of our actions online next time we click buy, send or go online, we will be able to build good will by doing the right thing, benefiting ourselves and those who may have been affected by our very actions. The test of fairness and what is right hinges on the few quick clicks which we make online. Be fair and build goodwill by thinking, not mindlessly clicking!’ To read the full speech, go to www.cgs.vic.edu.au/news/cgs-

year-10-students-wins-the-balwyn-rotary-speech-contest

CGS Indigenous Round Jerseys

We are proud to showcase Camberwell Grammar’s first Indigenous jersey to celebrate the AGSV’s Indigenous Round. Designed by Indigenous scholar Alexander Greenaway (Year 12), the jersey will be worn by First Football, Hockey and Soccer teams. Alexander has shared his reasoning and concept behind the jersey’s design: ‘The inaugural Indigenous Round jersey design draws upon local cultural elements to create a design that breaks the stereotypes of Aboriginal cultural expression while embodying the essence of local Koorie culture of the South East of Australia. Significantly, the design seeks to be unapologetically contemporary, evoking all that Camberwell Grammar represents while making a bold statement of reconciliation through a unique sports jersey design. The striking diamond shape reflects the symbolism of the ‘scar tree’. Scar trees are reflective of the Koorie cultural practices of conservation and sustainability. The bark of scar trees was often carved out in a diamond-like shape and used to make canoes, shields, shelters and other artefacts. This practice embodied the value of conservation in Indigenous practice by only using the bark needed, while not cutting down the tree, sustaining both the local tribes or Nations and the surrounding environment. Scar trees were abundant throughout Victoria and New South Wales, with one of the most iconic being the scar tree located near the MCG, reinforcing a strong and continuous connection to Wurundjeri Country. The scar tree, symbolically holds a local significance to Wurundjeri people, as an enduring living culture, connected to the land on which Camberwell Grammar School is located.

The scar tree also holds both a personal connection as well as a link to the Koorie community of Melbourne. In the heart of the original Koorie Heritage Trust building lay a scar tree, as a signifier of community strength. My design was in part inspired by the carvings within scar trees (dendroglyphs), found in scar trees particularly evident on Kamilaroi Country, where my paternal heritage originates. The shield motif seen in dendroglyph patterns, that are expressed throughout the jersey, takes cultural and contemporary inspiration from the linear style of Victorian Aboriginal art and practice. Indigenous art is often portrayed and stereotyped as only expressed through dot paintings, a beautiful style of art with origins in Central desert Country, within Northern Territory and Western Australia. However, the style of Indigenous art in Victoria often takes a linear form, seen through carved shields, paintings and the modern works by Koorie artists and designers such as Reko Rennie, Brook Andrew and Marcus Lee. The use of local Indigenous design embedded throughout the jersey promotes and celebrates the diversity of Indigenous cultures across Australia and provides a contemporary flavour to the design approach, while subtly paying homage to ‘op art’ creating movement and dynamism as a sportsperson is in motion. The design takes the blues of the school colours to create a strong and striking motif, that moves towards the viewer. The bold blues in the centre reflect the patterns of cultural and contemporary Indigenous art and stitches together the elements of local Indigenous culture with the branding of Camberwell Grammar to create a progressive and authentic design that embraces the spirit of reconciliation and promotes the diversity of culture within our wider community.’

In the lead up to the Indigenous

Round, CGS Senior Footballers were lucky to hear from significant members of the

Indigenous AFL community.

Here is Indigenous CGS student Garnet Brennan and North Melbourne footballer Tarryn Thomas with the North Melbourne 2021 Indigenous jumper which the team wore in

Rd 11 clash against St Kilda.