Wilderness Shield

The Wilderness Shield is an annual event open to all Collegians which sees alumni play off against current Year 12 students across a range of sports.

Given the circumstances, it is quite extraordinary that both the 2020 and 2021 Wilderness Shield competitions went ahead. 2021 was a truly joyous occasion with plenty of laughter, conversation, great sporting spirit and no masks! This year saw the introduction of the Rosemary Peisley Bocce Cup in recognition of the passing of a beloved member of the Collegian community. Of the seven sports included in the annual Wilderness Shield competition, bocce was Rosemary’s favourite, and the bocce competition inevitably features a tight finish which, on occasions, has determined the overall winner of the Shield.

Over the years there has been some healthy competition between Collegian mothers and their Year 12 daughters and this year presented the largest mother/daughter competition yet. Family rivalries were evident across most of the sports including swimming, golf, volleyball, badminton, netball, tennis and bocce.

At the conclusion of the games, it was at the presentation dinner in the school dining room where overall results were revealed. Volleyball, badminton and netball were resounding wins for the Year 12s. Swimming, golf and tennis were tighter finishes but ultimately won by the Collegians. So once again it all came down to the bocce competition which was in the balance until the last end. After some too-ing and fro-ing, the Collegians clinched the win. This year three of our Collegian ‘Mothers of Year 12s’ accepted the winners trophies on behalf of all Collegians - the Wilderness Shield by Jenny Warner (Brice, TC'88) and the Rosemary Peisley Cup by Naomi Daff (Fisher, TC'84) and Sophie Uren (Williams, TC'89).

We are fortunate to have many Collegians of all ages come along each year to enjoy the Wilderness Shield experience and spend time with old and new friends. It is exciting to hear everyone’s news and to enjoy chatting with the Year 12s and hearing about their aspirations and achievements. Collegians who have not attended previously are encouraged to come along for this fun twilight event in 2022 to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

Our thanks go out to all the staff, students and Collegians who make this event such a success each year.