December 2017 Issue 5
FCAC Alumni News
One of the things I love abut FCAC is its size. Being a smaller school means that the teachers at FCAC can develop some very positive relationships with their students. The evidence for this is the amount of tears shed at Valedictory Assemblies on that very last day. It is also the reason that we are absolutely delighted to cross paths with you ‘down the track’ and to hear about the adventures you’ve had since leaving school and see how your families and careers have developed. You would be mistaken to think that we have forgotten all about you and your time at FCAC. You probably don’t realise how well you are remembered. Those of us who were here when you finished still share stories of the times we shared in class, at Outdoor Ed, on excursions, on Foundation Day and so on. Even the times where you had us most frustrated now make us laugh – it is easier with the distance of time! When you get married or have children, a staff member will share the news and we will all look at your wedding photos and reminisce about what it was like when we were that age (spoiler – we almost always say we had it tougher!). My point is, if you see one of your old teachers around, I encourage you to come up to us and say ‘hello’. Some of you have changed since we saw you last so don’t be put off if we don’t recognise you straight away! Seeing you again brings the memories flooding back and will leave us feeling a little younger.
Above: 2017 College Captains, Yu-An Murray and Liam Bland pass on the College Candle to the 2018 College Captains, Abby Johnson and Curtis Reck. Below: Eighteen of our 2017 Year 12 cohort have been at the College since Prep.
In 2018, we very much want to begin to strengthen those links with our alumni. We want our College to reach beyond the front gate. We want you to come back and see us. Come and visit your old classrooms and reminisce about the times you had at FCAC. Speak with our current students about the adventures you’ve had and what you learnt from them. You have so much advice to offer our students on university, career, business, leadership and the benefits of hard work. Once you were the student, now I invite you to be the teacher. Don’t let your FCAC journey end after Valedictory assembly. Come home. Mr Joe Wright Acting Principal
If you would like to visit the school, be involved with working with our students, or speak about at an assembly, please contact the College on 4124 5411 or email alumni@fcac.qld.edu.au or jwright@fcac.qld.edu.au.
Where are they now? Madeline Lambden, Class of 2016 During my time in Japan, I've had some of the best experiences of my life. I have participated in the school sport festival, joined the cheer team (and won!), met many new friends and feel as though I have become a real part of my school. The sport festival is different to anything I've ever done. All the girls do their hair and makeup and the day is basically about taking photos with people. There's tons of cheering and activities and people laughing and trying their best! It was a really great atmosphere and I'm so sad it's over... Up until now, classes have been fast paced, and my club activities make me leave school at 6:30pm every day, plus Saturday for 4 hours. Physically and mentally I feel exhausted! This year so far has been the most effort I've had to put into anything in my life... but I'm loving every second of it!!! Every day I wake up and feel so happy that I can be here and experience what I have been. I can't imagine what I'd be doing right now if I hadn't come on this exchange and frankly I don't want to! Even though it's only been three months it feels much longer. Time is going too fast! The last few months here in Japan have been crazy! My school cultural festival was held on the 9th and 10th of September so I had so many things to do and learn. I performed a dance concert with my club members and helped to run a small festival type room that my class and I made! It gave me chance to get closer to my classmates! This has probably...no...definitely been the best experience I've had so far. So many early mornings and late night practicing multiple dances had me exhausted but I'm so sad its already over. It was a great experience because: 1.
There is nothing like this in Australia; and
2. Everyone works so hard to prepare their classrooms and make the cultural festival fun for everyone! Because we can't usually use phones at school it was a great opportunity to take tonnes of photos too! The next day ( as a well done treat) I got to go to one of the places in Osaka I'd been eyeing for a while: the aquarium! I wish I could turn back time and do it all over again!
Kasthoory Jayakanth, Class of 2015 Congratulations to Kasthoory who has been selected to represent the Youth of the World to speak at the Winter Youth Assembly 2018 which will be held at the UN Headquarters in New York in February. The conference provides a platform for youth from around the world to learn and share practical knowledge and skills with experienced professionals and fellow attendees through dynamic panels and workshops. Participants are invited to apply as a delegate or observer of the Youth Assembly at the United Nations. Delegate applications are open to youth between the ages of 16 - 28 who exemplify strong potential or have made an impact as leaders and change-makers in their communities. As part of the application Kasthoory was required to provide a sustainable development goal and chose to work towards the goal of clean water and sanitation everywhere.
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Congratulations ... Christie Verbruggen and Darby Gutierrez, Class of 2009 Recently the College Captains from 2009, Christie Verbruggen and Darby Gutierrez were finally married. Back when they became College Captains, one of our questions was ‘What happens if they split up during the year?’ It seems our concern were unfounded. Congratulations and best wishes for a long and happy future
Semester 1 2018 Diary Dates 22 January First Day Term 1 17 March Rugby 7s Carnival 29 March Foundation Day Celebrations 24 April ANZAC Service Assembly and Grandparents Day 26 April Inter-house Cross Country 11 May Mothers Day Dinner 31 May Junior School Musical
Like and follow our Facebook and LinkedIn Pages to keep up to date with everything that is happening at the College, and reminisce with us on #fcacthrowbackthursday!
Rheanon Horne, Class of 2007 Congratulations to Matt and Rheanon Kerslake (nee Horne) who welcomed their third child on Tuesday 10 October 2017. William Stewart Kerslake was born at 12:40 am weighing in at 9 pound 2 ounces.
Amy Cockburn, Class of 2007 Amy was married on 2 December and we wish you and your husband all the very best for a long and happy future together.
Charlotte Luke and Sam Young, Class of 2008 Best wishes to Charlotte Luke and Sam Young on your impending nuptials, we hope your day is all that you could wish for.
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Marine Musings Submitted by Mrs Roz Nicholls Marine and Chemistry Teacher (1998-2017) Barbara Baker, Greg Lynch and I have recently returned from North West Island. Marine Studies students first visited the coral cay in 1999 and this year’s trip was the 15th time that FCAC students have visited this unique ecosystem. Greg Lynch has planned and attended each of the 15 visits, which have now become a biennial event, after that memorable trip to Lady Musgrave in 2011. Each year, Barb, Greg and I sit in the teacher’s kitchen area and reminiscence about previous visits. We have reminded ourselves of some of the more notable events but for the purposes of this article, have decided to keep the names of individual students to ourselves – you know who you are… The remoteness of NW Island provides the staff with some challenges regarding student safety. So far, we have not have to call for the rescue helicopter and this is largely due to Mr Lynch’s familiar cries of ‘Where are your shoes?’ for students who don’t realise that they could easily cut their feet on rusty tent pegs or razor clams. One student found out just how sharp the razor clams can be, while playing footy on the beach. He lunged for the ball and struck his knee on the sharp edge of a shell buried in the sand. Luckily we had an A&E doctor along as a parent helper and he was able to clean and stitch the wound. The same doctor was concerned about hand-washing and spent a morning lurking in the bushes at the toilet block, tallying the number of students who did / didn’t wash their hands in that delightful communal bowl of soapy water. Hygiene and shoes are not the only things we worry about in keeping students safe. Who did not manage to fall down at least one mutton bird hole while walking around the camp or through the island? The marine creatures are also a source of potential danger despite all groups being briefed on potential threats before setting foot on the island. These warnings did not prevent one student from holding up a cone-shaped shell and asking “is this a cone shell, miss?” and then wondering why I let out an involuntary screech before suggesting he put it down. Another student wanted to find out what happened when he put his hand in a moray eel’s mouth. Fortunately for us, his mother (a nurse) was attending as a parent helper and again we had a doctor/ parent with us. Together they had no qualms about stitching his wounds, without anaesthetic, while the other students gave moral support. Thinking again about the only man-made structures on the island – the composting toilets – who will ever forget that feeling of a cold breeze on your backside as you sit and wonder how many cockroaches are scurrying around and below you? The signs in the toilets warn against putting anything down them except for human waste. Over the years, we have had to fish out a tree branch and a solar light, but Owen’s hat with the polar bears on it was left to rot.
Each year, students take part in transects, snorkeling, SCUBA diving, photo fishing, boating and making observations of weather and tides. Of course no one will forget the excitement of manta-towing or diving through the blowhole. On a good year, the tide pole is erected on day one and it stays up for the duration of the trip. Most years, someone manages to knock it over while boating, much to Greg’s disgust and frustration (especially since it is often him that knocks it down). There are only two things to run a boat into, one being the tide pole and the other the channel marker. There are numerous dents in the channel mark from FCAC boats that have been too late to answer the question “where is the channel mark?” resulting in a direct hit! Speaking of boating, who remembers Mr Lynch ‘doing his cucumber’ over a group of students who decided to take one of the boats for a lap of the island on their own and, then as a finale, re-enacting the ‘king of the world’ scene from Titanic? Of course, Marine students will not only remember the NW trip, we have also had numerous adventures on houseboats and yachts. Some of the more memorable are running aground at Gary’s Anchorage and spending the day fishing on a sandbank, only to be warned by a local that he had heard a large crocodile in the area. We fished from the boat after that. Also, the year when we ran aground at Tin Can Bay, just in front of the jetty café. Students went back and forth on the tenders for lollies and pies while we played cards and waited for the tide to rise. However, one of the most memorable was when the Mermaid keeled right over on her side in front of Ungowa and was stranded there by the falling tide, while the students were all ashore doing their field sketch. Some other house boat memories include a certain student losing control of the tender while we were taking on fresh water at the Riverheads boat ramp. The student accelerated, the boat spun in frenzied circles and Greg, who was trying to hold onto the mooring rope of the houseboat (and did not think of letting go), was thrown into the water in front of the parents who had come to collect / drop off their students. On the subject of parents, we would like to thank all the parents who have attended and supported our marine adventures over the years, especially those who we made wear the ‘necklace of shame’ made from the bits of their broken propeller, the parent who went kayaking with the ‘big creatures’ and the famous ‘wheel barrow incident’. This was when the parent ‘helper’ who was meant to be transporting the students’ dry towels and clothes down the beach, while they snorkeled along the shore in the current, tripped on a tree branch and overturned the wheelbarrow and got as wet as all the students along with their towels and clothes. Thank you to all the marine students who have created such memories for us over the years. It was a privilege to introduce you to a unique environment and to get to know you outside the classroom. We know that none of the students will ever forget their time on the marine camps and for some it was a life-changing experience.
Reunions: Can we help you? Are you planning a reunion in 2018 or 2019? We’d love to help! Let us know when you are planning your reunion and we would be happy to assist where-ever we can.
Reunion—Class of 2007 Our Class of 2007 recently held their 10 Year Reunion in November and had a lovely time catching up and reminiscing with their former class-mates. If you are a past student and are organising a reunion, please let us know if we can help with your special celebration. Email alumni@fcac.qld.edu.au
Open Invitation As you will know, we have a large number of events on throughout every school year. We extend an open invitation to you to come along to either join in and participate, maybe share some of your skills or to even lead an information session. Thank you to Jack Riley (pictured right) who participated in the Inter-House Cross Country Carnival earlier this year as a “Celebrity Runner”, it was great to have you back for this event. So keep an eye on our upcoming events and let us know if you would like to be involved. Whether it be volunteering to help our Maryborough Technology Challenge teams during their race, attending the Mother’s Day Dinner and enjoying the fun, or playing or coaching a Fraser Flames team—we would love to have you join us. If you would like to visit the school, be involved with working with our students, or speak about at an assembly, please contact us on 4124 5411 or email alumni@fcac.qld.edu.au or jwright@fcac.qld.edu.au.
Promote your event via our website and Facebook page.
Invite teachers who may have been here when you were a student.
Organise a tour of the College to see what has changed, to reminisce and share memories.
Please telephone 4124 5411 or email alumni@fcac.qld.edu.au for more information.
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Community Valete Mr Trevor Cecil, a Foundation College Council member passed suddenly 14 October 2017. Trevor is not only a man that has been highly respected in this region but a man who has been relentless in his service to many charities and organisations in the Wide Bay region. Trevor was named Citizen of the Year back in 2014. He was a man of great generosity and had a wonderful love of life and people. Trevor is one of the key people who ensured that the College came to exist. Many hours of planning and many hours persuading those in Brisbane that an Anglican College should be built in Hervey Bay can be attributed to Trevor and a small number of others. His love for the College was well known and he was up until his passing, a member of the College Foundation. Trevor was also known for his loud laugh that could be heard in any meeting/ conversation he had as well as his delightful capacity to say it how he saw it, irrespective of the outcome or opinion of others. We pray for his family and give thanks for the service and faith he shared with this Community.
It is with sadness that we share the news of the passing of Year 11 student Kate Watson. Kate was an enthusiastic and courageous young woman who will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Through her determination, she has taught us that a positive attitude and a smile can help through the most difficult of situations. Sadly, Kate passed away on 1 October, 2017 after a lengthy battle with various health conditions, including leukemia. Kate’s time at the College has been marked by many friendships, beautiful smiles, thoughtful comments and her caring way with everyone with whom she met. Kate is described by her teachers as a student who had a huge heart. They reflected on how much she loved Jesus. Kate blessed many people with her faith. They also described her as unfailingly positive, strong, cheerful, a gracious spirit and so many have memories, like me of her beautiful smile. Kate bought much joy to those around her. Kate played a significant role in adding to our Christian Community Kate accepted everyone and she cared for everyone. Kate lived through her faith, her faith in Christ. And finally, she served so many through showing them the way, the way that Jesus taught, that she so deeply personified. One should never judge a biography by its length, it should be judged by the richness of its contents. A song should not be judged by its length or the number of notes but rather the way it touches and lifts the soul. Kate’s melody has enriched our lives, it will linger in our hearts. We are so much richer as a Community for Kate having been a part of our lives. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Christine, Phillip and Sam.
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Semester 2 Inter-House Athletics Carnival
Whale Festival Parade 2017
Celebration of Achievement
Valedictory Day
Community Education Centre—the learning continues The Community Education Centre caters for adult learners over 18 years of age and offers short term non accredited courses on a range of topics focused on building and enriching work, business and life skills. Course are conducted after school hours, Monday to Thursday during school terms. Enrolments for Term 1, commencing January 2018 are now open and the brochure outlining the courses offered is below. If you would like further information, please contact the Centre Coordinator at communityeducation@fcac.qld.edu.au.
Would you like to enroll in one of our courses? To find out more: Website—www.fcac@qld.edu.au Email—communityeducation@fcac.qld.edu.au Phone—4197 9374
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Valedictory Way Pavers
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You will no doubt recall Valedictory Way, the route that our Year 12 students take as they leave their final Assembly on their last day of school. Past students are able to secure a lasting memory of your time at the College by purchasing a paver that will be placed along Valedictory Way at a cost of only $60. Pavers are approximately 230mm x 114mm in size. To be included in the 2018 order, please contact Tracey Wigmore on 4124 5411 or email twigmore@fcac.qld.edu.au to be sent an order form.
Farewell & Good Luck!
Staff News
As 2017 comes to a close, we say “Farewell and Good Luck� to some staff who have moved onto new positions and adventures:
Congratulations to Mrs Acacia Shaw (Junior School Teacher) and hubby Matthew on the safe arrival of Frank Matthew Shaw who arrived safely on 19
Mrs Roz Nicholls, Senior School Teacher Miss Jane Campion, Junior School Teacher Mrs Jane Suter, Junior School Teacher Mrs Noela Ensbey, Mathematics Teacher Father Greg Loumeau, College Chaplain Mr Sam Oglethorpe, French Teacher Mr Ashley Meyers, Koala Kindy Teacher Aide Mrs Camilla Meyers, Middle School Teacher Mr Leo West, Director of Sport and Activities
The College is very keen to strengthen its connection with our Alumni and past College Community Members. We would love to know how you have been, where you are right now and what you are doing. Just a photo and a quick paragraph is fine! Please send an email to: alumni@fcac.qld.edu.au. 11