A Note From Our Senior Boarding Housemaster

It has been a fantastic and extremely busy yet successful start to Term 2 for our boarders, building on a tremendous Term 1 when we saw some normality start to return and our community come together once again.  We look forward to this continuing in Term 2, fingers crossed, as boarding houses open up again to welcome our parents and sidelines are lined once more with proud, cheering mums and dads.

After the concerns that Covid-19 presented last year and all the restrictions it placed on large group outings, Shore boarding has also started once again our Sunday excursions for the whole boarding community.  Already, the boys have enjoyed a trip to Raging Waters, organised brilliantly by boarding supervisor and Activities Director, Tim Morrison.  After Anzac Day on Sunday, Week 1 and House charity days on Sunday, Week 2, many of our boarders from some of the Houses enjoyed Laser Tag on-site in Week 3, where Laser Warriors came to us, set up a course around Shore and off they went! It was a fabulous afternoon, not forgetting that our boarders have exclusive use of the pool every Friday and Sunday afternoon and gym/weights room on Sunday afternoons.  Coming up will be a Year 7-9 Social with Pymble Ladies College and two more Sunday activities plus the Inter-House Touch Football tournament.

After more than 12 months, our formal Friday lunch returned this term.  On these occasions, our boarders enjoy a sit-down, served formal meal as the Headmaster or Deputy visit to hand out pink cards and address the boys.  It seems such a long time since we have had a meal together without split seatings and staggered dining hall entries.  Talking about food, our catering staff have gone out of their way to spoil our boarders this year, treating them to themed or special meals; pig and lamb on a spit, seafood and chorizo paella, a gourmet pie lunch with a huge salad bar, lamb shoulder, lamb shanks with baked potatoes and Asian nights to name a few.  Finally, while on food, our recent Boarders’ Rep meeting raised the issue of Uber Eats.  We do not encourage boys to order Uber Eats or any other takeaway food options – we work extremely hard to ensure our boarders are served tasty, nutritious meals and there is no reason for boys to be spending large amounts of money ordering meals off-site.  It has come to our attention that some boys do not even bother visiting the dining hall, then order food elsewhere and explain their bank statement spending on unreasonable, inaccurate justifications.  Please encourage your sons to make the most of what Shore supplies food-wise.  As mentioned, we work very hard to ensure that our catering looks after our boarders, and some parents are paying inordinate amounts of money unnecessarily.  Thank you in advance for your support.

Finally, on Sunday May 2, Shore Boarding really showed what is made of in helping others less fortunate than themselves.  As a collective, our four boarding houses and their families raised a total of $30,900.  I have said it before, but it cannot be overstated how significantly our boys punch above their weight, across so many spheres in the School.  Keep an eye out for the reports each House post elsewhere in this newsletter, for they make for amazing reading.  Thank you to all of you who contributed so generously to our causes, the Cancer Institute and Human Nature Adventure Therapy.

Wishing everyone a great term, and we look forward to seeing you soon around the campus or on the sporting field.

Best wishes,
Brendan

HodgeWalk 2021

On Sunday 2 May the students of Hodges House embarked on the “HodgeWalk”, a 30km walk from North Sydney to Manly.  The aim of the walk was to raise funds and awareness for Human Nature Adventure Therapy.  An organisation devoted to offering innovative, nature-based mental health interventions for young people.

30 Hodges House students, 10 parents and 2 staff completed the walk by 3:30 pm.  It was a great day out for the entire Hodges House community who helped raise an incredible $12,755.  Thanks also to the Student Charity Committee, Johnny Joseph, Angus Maltman, Alex Englund and Archie Sellars for all their hard work behind the scenes.

Hodges House would like to give a special thanks to Adele Beachley and Emma Alexander for their work in organising the parent support who assisted at the morning tea and lunch, “refueling stations” as well as the cheer squad as we reached the finish line in Manly. 

We hope you enjoy the video below celebrating the HodgeWalk.

Hodges Housemaster

Broderick-Gillawarna School

Our Barry House Year 10 boys attended Broderick-Gillawarna School earlier this term.   Broderick-Gillawarna is a school catering for young people with severe disabilities, and was a powerful experience for both our boys and their Housemaster.  Our young men worked so caringly with their staff and children, providing them with a valuable service opportunity and a chance to gain some perspective on their lives.

Cadet Promotions In School House

In 1984 I was in Yr 9 (Yes I’ve had a very hard life).  The two things I remember of Yr 9 was the Brother in-charge who ruled with an iron fist and Cadets.  I had the privilege to be the last unit of cadets through, as the Government of the time, had pulled funding and it all got a bit too hard.  Call me Shirley but I have always been of the belief that Cadets can and does play a very significant roll, in the development of an adolescent.  It’s one thing being tough on your own terms but true toughness lies in one’s ability when it’s on someone else’s terms.

Shore, in conjunction with Wenona, have a fantastic Cadet program which reflects all the good bits of the 80’s, infused with individual wellbeing and social equality.  For example, the SUO (Senior Under Officer) for 2021-2022, the top rank that a school student can gain, was from Wenona…..  It’s a shame that what I have just said, is helping to make a point.  The reality is, this should not be of any significance, just simple the norm.

During the last week of term 1, several School House boys participated in the cadet leadership courses.  Throughout the course, all boys adapted and overcame challenges which replicated their future leadership potential in the unit as junior or senior rank.  As expected, the School House boys performed at an exceptionally high standard receiving pleasing results.

On the Junior Leaders course, recruits could receive the rank of either corporal or lance-corporal becoming section commanders throughout the unit.  Roo Taylor and Jock Fenwicke were able to adapt their well-practiced leadership qualities from School House into the course, both receiving the rank of lance-corporal.  Similarly, Justin Gao and Marlon Cayley performed superbly, displaying their outstanding control and confidence in tense situations, receiving the rank of corporal.  Jock Litchfield, one of School House’s newest members, has transitioned smoothly into the unit by previously attaining the rank of corporal from another course. 

On the Senior Leaders course, Hunter Shepherd stood tall and strong, displaying his hard-work ethic and dedication throughout the entire course, start to finish.  As a result of Hunter’s commitment and determination, he received the rank of CUO, as Independent Company Commander.  Hunter should be very proud of his achievements as school House will support Hunter every step of the way.

Hunter Black (School House Captain) was an assessor on the course.  When asked about the Promotions Camp, he reflected that he felt very proud watching and assessing fellow School House boys as they excelled into the realms of leadership opportunities.  He went on the say that he wishes them all the best of luck in their future cadet endeavours. 

2021 Sydney Royal Easter Show

After the cancellation of the 2020 Sydney Royal Easter Show due to the Covid-19 outbreak my family and I were very excited to be back exhibiting at the Sydney Royal Easter Show this year. Our Angus stud, Killain Angus, exhibited four head in the Angus judging. Our junior heifer won her class and was awarded Junior Champion Angus Heifer from 37 entries. Our senior bull won his class and was awarded Reserve Senior Champion Angus Bull. Our other two exhibits placed second and third in their classes. Last year I competed at the Walcha Show and qualified for the NSW State Stud Beef Paraders Final. The final was postponed until this year where I won the first heat. Ben and I also competed in the Youth Show and I won my paraders class and went on to be awarded the Grand Champion RAS Youth Show Parader. Ben placed in the Intermediate Parader class and we both placed in the Junior Judging. It was fantastic to be back exhibiting cattle again and the Show was a great success with the public selling out every day.

Thomas Duddy

Service To Others – Duke Of Edinburgh

‘Be a part of your community through service’

Many of the boys may have seen this on the copious amount of electric notice boards around the school, as a way to promote the Duke of Edinburgh program.

See I would be amazed if every boy who read this quote didn’t run home and start the program.  However, in case there were a few who weren’t arrested by the advertisement, this is for you.

Thanks to the support of my parents and the dedicated Duke of Edinburgh assessors at Shore I have recently completed the Duke of Edinburgh Gold award.  The truth is that it was a lot of hours and a little bit of discipline, but the beauty is that us Shore boys basically fill the required criteria in our normal school lives.  Hence, a lot of the award was simply routine.  However, I want to focus on one particular aspect, the Gold residential project.

For me, this the residential project was much more than just a checking a box off for Duke of Edinburgh.  I attended an Edmund Rice Camp, which is a Christian organisation that provides holiday experiences for young people aged 7 – 16 years who would not otherwise be able to enjoy them. 

Upon my return to home, and school, I quickly realised that my experience of camp was almost indescribable.  Indeed, it was easy to describe what activities happened, but the sense of community and belonging that Edmund Rice Camps emits needs to be experienced to be understood.  It is cliché, but service truly does evoke a sense of inner fulfilment. 

It was this occurrence that allowed me to see that the Duke of Edinburgh award process was much more that ticking boxes in hope of receiving a piece of paper and a thumbs up from your Housemaster.  It was about the experience, about becoming part of a new community that I would otherwise not have been exposed too.  And with that, I challenge all Shore boys to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award. 

Alec Manchee Yr 12

Barry House Boys Represent

A packed house greeted Adrian Lai in the Smith Auditorium this term where he entertained everyone with a bit of Tchaikovsky in the Finals of the Senior Music Festival.  It was an outstanding display, performing the music of one of the more difficult composers to play.  Meanwhile, later in Term 2, Alexander Yu (left) seen here in the Green Room with Angus Malcolm, was brilliant in the Year 8 play “Masquerade”.  Congratulations, both of you, on your outstanding performances.

Meanwhile, it has been great to see so many Barry House boys representing the School at sport’s top end recently.  Tom Pearce has been a standout in the 2^nd XV, while we have had four boys running out for the 1^st XV.  Charlie Moses has been leading the team from the front, a fantastic achievement, with Banjo Cole, Dougal Payne and Henry Murray by his side. 

A Message From Mr Walker

Term Two has again been a very busy start for the boys in boarding and Robson House.  The Anzac Memorial Service kicked off a very emotional time for the boys attending on the Sunday Morning of the 25^th April in North Sydney at 5.30am with a very busy crowd gathering and then of course Alex Robinson and a few other boys cooking Anzac biscuits as a recognition for the hard work Australians and New Zealanders have done protecting our countries.

Taking this into consideration, the delayed Balmoral Swim was an outstanding morning for the Robson House boys and the willingness to participate was very well received.  We were very fortunate to raise a great deal of money for children’s cancer research and are very pleased to see that Shore raised $29,000.00 also with School and Barry raising so much between them.

Our Year 12 boys have finally completed their examinations and now are really preparing in many aspects with their sport during this time.  In addition, the boys all have numerous assessments and examinations in the next few weeks.  During Prep the boys are working individually and collaboratively in their preparation for this important time of their education.

Finally, I wish to thanks Charles Dight and Alex Robinson for their ongoing support and of course the wonderful job that Marshall McGee and Stefanie Camden do for your son every day.  Of course, I must mention Kim and she is the driving force for family in Robson House.

Best wishes

Sam

Rowing Success

Tuesday the 23^rd of March saw the Shore 1^st VIII crew of Oli Wilson (Cox), John Kenny (Stroke), Nicholas Donoghue (7), Ben Brunker (6), Ed Nutt (5), Thomas Livingstone (4), Hamish Hunter (3), John Mahoney (2) and Gus Gregg (Bow) fortunate enough to travel down to Launceston, Tasmania for the 2021 Australian Rowing Championships. With all events to be held within the international rowing facility Lake Barrington in Sheffield, the stage was set for a first-class week of racing.

After landing, the men of the 1^st VIII went straight to the course for an initial training row. Quickly met with far colder and wet conditions the crew sincerely appreciated the period we had to acclimatise.

Wednesday welcomed the opening of the VIII’s Tasmanian Campaign racing in the U19 VIII event at 3:40 pm. Amid a gusting headwind, despite a rough start, the crew managed to come home 1^st, recording a time of 6.38, overcoming 2^nd place getters Melbourne University by a margin of 1.9 seconds. This progressed the crew straight to the final on Saturday morning.

Thursday once again saw heavy winds, but this time of a higher severity suspending access to the lake. As result training was put on hold. With the crew having no races on the day, the decision was made to remain in local town Ulverstone, taking the opportunity to recover via the local pool and discover more about the township.

Friday saw the VIII begin its campaign in the historical School Boy VIII event with the lake today presenting fairly strong tailwind conditions. Leaving the starting blocks at 5:20pm the crew once again fought hard but found themselves pipped by a stronger Scotch College Victoria Crew recording 2^nd place with a time of 5.52 by a margin of 1.4 seconds. This meant the crew was eligible to progress immediately to the final, or so they thought. With a timing technicality resulting in an inability to comply with Rowing Australia Regatta Rules the crew was disqualified from the final and placed in repechage 2 on Saturday afternoon. Despite initial disappointment, the crew quickly came to appreciate the valuable opportunity to gain additional racing experience on the lake and quickly started to gear up for the double race day to come.

Saturday saw the VIII race in both the final of the U19 VIII event and repechage 2 of the Schoolboy VIII event. Schoolboy, Club and Representative rowers alike asked and Lake Barrington delivered, providing relatively flat conditions and ultimately a beautiful day of racing. 9:20 am saw the start of the U19 VIII final as the Shore Crew blasted out of the blocks. Competition to Shore’s right quickly became apparent in lane 6 as Melbourne University took an early lead. Despite the Shore Oarsman’s best efforts the boat found themselves unable to best the Melbourne crew finishing 2^nd by 1.1 seconds recording a time of 5:59. While beaten by a most deserving opposition this meant the VIII secured a silver medal in the event. Following the U19 VIII final, 2:40pm saw the start of the crew’s repechage in the School Boy VIII event. Working with an understandable level of fatigue the crew began the race conceiving half a length to Melbourne Grammar School. The Melbourne crew would hold this lead until roughly the 1700m mark which saw the Shore Oarsman dig deep to conclude the race in 1^st place by 1 second recording a time of 6:12. The Shoremen were once again finals bound.

Sunday not only saw the conclusion of the 2021 Australian Rowing Championships but also the conclusion of Oli Wilson’s, Nicholas Donoghue’s, Ben Brunker’s, Thomas Livingstone’s, Hamish Hunter’s and Gus Gregg’s time in the blue and white stripes. As the boys strapped on the zootie for the last time the grand prize of Barrington Cup for Schoolboy VIIIs loomed large. 11:40 am saw the race set off with the Shoremen quickly locking bow balls with their lane 2 rivalry St Peters College Adelaide racing into another strong headwind. Managing to remain within a second of the interstate rivals until the 1500m mark the crew put up a gutsy fight. Unfortunately, with little fuel left in the tank the final 500m saw the Adelaide crew pull away to margin of 3 seconds with the blue and white crew recording 2^nd place in a time of 6:31. The VIII whilst facing initial disappointment of coming within an oars reach of a national tittle were thrilled being able take home the silver medal for the event.

Upon reflection the journey both throughout the season and Australian Rowing Championships was an experience I’ll hold dear to me for the rest of my days. The opportunities afforded to the crew certainly don’t materialise from nowhere. Thanks here goes to the hard work of a few individuals within the shed and school. I’d like to take the chance first and foremost to thank 1^st VIII coach Mr. David Jennings for his tireless work and dedication to what became like managing a family of 9 rowdy boys. From the good days to the tougher ones Mr. Jennings was a role model of what it meant to not only work hard but consistently, both for yourself but, more importantly, for the crew around you. Working closely beside Mr. Jennings for the season, thanks should also go to Mr. Glenn Bates, Shore’s MIC of Rowing. For the sleepless nights, the countless hours towing boats across the country and the almost impossible upkeep of a shed containing 40 residents on any given week.. the men of both the VIII and the broader program are forever indebted to you. One certainly mustn’t forget the man working underneath Mr. Jennings and Mr. Bates on a student-level being our 2020-21 Captain Of Boats. Tom Livingstone’s work in the all-important and often all-consuming role played a huge part in the success of all boats at our shed. His inclusive attitude and down to earth hardworking nature contributed to the strong brotherhood of Shore rowing we see today. To the parents who supported us through the highs and lows, in the rain and scorching heat, in the late afternoon and early hours of the morning the sacrifices you’ve made lay the foundation for the program. Finally to the broader Shore community, thank you the incredible for sharing the journey with us.

There was no shortage of challenges incurred along the way, the AAGPS head of the river rapidly coming to mind. But it’s through the support of the blue and white army, staff and broader community that I have come to realise one learns more about themselves through their failures, more so than their successes. As emotions ran high on March 13^th, as every school turned away, as every schoolboy in SIRC made a run for their bus, only one remained behind supporting its competitors and, most importantly supporting each other. Looking back on the day and indeed the season, I’m incredibly proud to say that was my school on the banks. Above all else, that was the family of Shoremen I’m so unimaginably fortunate to call my own.

GIF Gregg

Bow Seat 2021 Shore 1^st VIII

Tim From Narrabri … Thanks Mum and Dad

When I first found out that I was going to start at Shore in term 2 instead of Narrabri High I was very surprised as it was only 2 ½ weeks before I was due to start so I was a bit nervous.

Some of the changes have been the transition of the country to the city and there are more restrictions in the boarding house compared to back home.  I can’t just go for a ride on my bike after school and there is way more restrictions on technology times.  The uniform went form shirt and shorts to tie long-sleeved shirt long pants and blazer and boater.  But it is really weird not having girls in my class.  The hardest thing is it’s hard sometimes being away from my parents for so long. 

But boarding school is really fun overall and the people in the two year 7 dorms are nice and overall a good group of boys.  For the first couple of days the boys helped me around to my classes and they made me feel welcome.  I feel like I made friends very quickly in boarding and the school has a lot more variety in almost everything.  The subjects are more interesting and enjoyable, the teachers are better and everybody is friendly.  The amount of facilities and after school activities are amazing.  On the weekend we did Laser Tag here at school.  To think this is all school is mind blowing. 

I think my parents sending me to Shore was one of the best choices they have ever made! 

Shore Chapel Pipe Organ

On Tuesday 4^th May, Mr Fox, the school’s organist, conducted a Shore Chapel Pipe Organ tour, giving Hodges Boys insight into the organ’s inner workings.  It was an enjoyable and interesting experience.  The boys were able to understand how the pipe organ works and relate this to the history of the Shore Chapel.  The pipe organ was installed in 1929, the same year the chapel was opened.  One of the amazing facts about the chapel organ is that most of the pipes visible while sitting in the chapel are for ornamental purposed only.  They make no sound.  Pipe organs function similarly to a person’s voice.  The pressurised air is released from electric bellows and stored in the organ’s wind-chest, similar to a person’s lungs.  When a key is played, the air is directed through metal or wooden pipes, producing a sound mimicking a chosen instrument.  What many people may not realise about the organ is that the notes in the lowest register are played by the organist’s feet on specialised foot pedals.  These deep notes are played using pipes 16 feet long, which had to be a unique shape to fit inside the chapel.  The boys are very grateful to have received the opportunity to learn about the chapel, and more importantly, its pipe organ.

Rory Blakeley (10HS)

Barry House Inter-House Champs

During a week with no sport because of heavy rainfall, the decision was made to burn off some testosterone with an Inter-House volleyball competition and blow away some cabin fever.  The Inter-House Sports Trophy stayed in Barry House this term with a great Grand Final victory over Robson House but Robson did get their revenge with a well-deserved Senior Tug of War victory a few days later at the Athletics Carnival.  Later this term, the trophy will be up for grabs again when the Houses compete for the trophy in touch football.

Step Up Camp

Immediately following the conclusion of year 12 exams, the cohort left the school and embarked on Step Up camp.  While it is usually a year 11 program, due to the problems arising with Covid last year inhibiting us from going on camp, we found ourselves going on an adjusted and shortened camp this year that still reflected similar ethos and main teaching points.  We departed from Chatswood at around midday following Respect Day with Queenwood and Roseville and arrived at Port Hacking mid-afternoon.  Upon arrival, we got straight into group activities being a mix of hiking, canoeing and bike riding.  However, it was not simply about doing these activities and the physical elements associated with them.  During each activity we would stop for extended periods of time as groups and have a discussion around certain key things required to ‘step up’ into manhood.  This included discussion of values, people who have influenced us, and how we would like to influence others.  That evening we were talked to by several old boys who each had significant and meaningful post-schooling stories.  Following this, we received personalised and heart-felt letters from our parents which we each went off and read privately.  This experience was incredibly rewarding, and all the boys greatly appreciated the incredibly kind words from their parents to help them get through the remainder of their HSC year.  The next day, we continued with more of these activities and then concluded the camp with an exercise called ‘group affirmations.’ This exercise required each person to go around their group of 20 or so and state something positive about each other.  It was clear how useful this activity was in bringing our year together and developing emotional and empathic relationships.  Overall, the condensed camp was a raging success, with such a variety of meaningful activities jammed into the two-day period.

Charles Dight

Hodges before Hodges

Hodges House was named after Charles Henry Hodges, Shore’s second headmaster, but the establishment and early running of the house can be credited to Shore’s unofficial chaplain at the time, Reverend David Davies. Davies was born in Wales in 1859, on the 1st of September, and came to Australia in 1888. His first appointment in Australia was as Chaplain and Maths Master for The Kings’ School before moving to Shore a few years later.

At Shore, Davies wore several hats: the unofficial chaplain a Mathematics Master and played a considerable role in the early development of football and athletics programs. In 1903, when the school’s growing number of pupils began to place pressure on School House (at that time, the only boarding house), Davies opened up his residence, “Cartref,” to boarders. “Cartef” was located at 29 Bay Road, on the corner of Bay Road and Harriot Street, and featured extensive gardens and lawns.

After 23 years of teaching at Shore and taking in boarders, David Davies retired and sold his property to the school, which became a permanent boarding house named Hodges House. However, it only operated for 4 more years before Hodges House was re-established in its current location, and its original site on Bay Street was virtually forgotten. This boarding house lost in history still stands at 29 Bay Road, a reminder of our past, a “Hodges before Hodges.”

Oscar Kanaley (10HS)

School House Prefects

School House has seen an influx of leadership positions awarded this semester.  Not only the several cadet promotions within the house, but also the prefect appointments.  At the beginning of term 1, Braydon Mundy was announced 2^nd batch sub-prefect.  In Term 2, Ewan Jackman and Hunter Black were appointed 3^rd batch sub-prefects.  Luckily, we have the great leadership skills of the School House staff, setting an excellent example on a daily basis within the house.  No doubt this has played some part in the leadership roles awarded in School house. 

Please congratulate the boys on their appointments as it is a huge honour to be awarded a Prefect position.

Anzac Biscuits

After attending the ANZAC dawn service some of the boys in Robson decided to make ANZAC biscuits in memory for the people that fought for our country.  Max Suttor, Alex Robinson were both accompanied by the year 7 school house boys Luke Robinson and Sam Henry who helped to make the ANZAC biscuits.  The boys looked up a recipe on a well-reviewed website and decided to go ahead and make them.  It started off by measuring the dry ingredients and then heating up the butter, water and golden syrup to add to the mixing bowl.  Once the ingredients were all stirred in, Mrs Walker came down with her large baking tray as we rolled the dough into balls and placed them on the tray.  At the beginning we had trouble keeping the dough together and there were varying sizes.  However, Mrs Walker lent a hand and gave us some tips and from there we were rolling them with ease at a consistent size.  After rolling and rolling we ended up with 40 biscuits on the tray which then went in the oven for 8 minutes.  Once the time was up it was the big reveal.  They sure did not disappoint, as soon as we pulled them out, they were a glowing golden-brown colour.  We waited for them to cool and then after roll call in the evening we bought out the tray and shared them amongst all the boys and they were devoured in no time.  It definitely kept the boys quiet for a little bit and they were thoroughly enjoyed.  Overall, it was a pleasing experience for the boys who cooked them and they were loved by everyone that had one. 

Alex Robinson (Yr 11)    

Balmoral Barry In The Swim For The Cancer Institute

It was a magnificent Sunday morning out at Balmoral On May 2 for the annual Schools’ Charity Swim for the Cancer Institute.  Barry House raised $5000, a phenomenal effort.  Thank you to everyone involved, from our magnificent boarders to our wonderful, generous community.  Afterwards, as a reward for all the hard work, and the House with the most number of swimmers, it was time for a Macca’s run to round out a great day.

Year 11 Boarder Mums Host City Mums in Orange

Orange provided the perfect destination & backdrop for hosting Shore Year 11 mums on Friday 30 April and Saturday 1 May.   The colours of Autumn were truly amazing, the streets were lined with magnificent red, orange and crimson leaves.   The weather was divine, it was surprisingly warm and clear for this time of year. 

We had an amazing response to the weekend with 127 mothers from the year keenly attending the weekend.   12 boarder mums played host to the city mums as a ‘thank you’ for all the years of looking after our sons during their time at Shore.   It was a thank you for buying them an egg and bacon roll at sport or having them stay overnight at their homes, giving them a lift or for just being a familiar face on the sidelines.

It was a lovely coming together of old friendships and the opportunity of forging new friendships too.   

The first event of the weekend was a large cocktail party at The Greenhouse on the Friday evening, where we enthusiastically caught up after many months and possibly years of not seeing each other.   The excitement of us all being together was very evident, the happiness in the room was great to see.

Saturday morning was free time where everyone had an opportunity to explore Orange and just go at their own pace.   

We all met Saturday afternoon in town and headed on buses to Heifer Station Vineyard for some more catching up and chatter.   The afternoon was stunning as we sipped on local wines and ate some delicious cheeses and meats in the sun – what more could you wish for……friends and laughter in a beautiful country vineyard.

We left the vineyard and went back to town to enjoy a delicious dinner at the Canobolas Hotel where we continued to talk and laugh and create lots of fun memories.

Everyone headed back to Sydney Sunday morning after a very memorable weekend away.   It was really lovely to have so many mums in Orange enjoying the country and celebrating friendships which we will cherish for a very long time.   

Two pictures attached:  

The Year 11 boarder mums who hosted the weekend.

The cohort – 127 Year 11 mums on tour in Orange!!

Juls Jackson

Barry House Concert

The annual Barry House Concert, held on the evening of the School Athletics Carnival, was another huge success this year.   With some outstanding performances (and some that should never see the light of day again), Bill Gao took home 1st prize in a very popular decision. 

Forever Home For Oprah

Guide Dogs NSW recently contacted us to update Oprah’s progress in the Therapy Dog program. We are pleased to report Oprah has been matched with a four-year-old boy who is visually impaired and will soon go to live with her forever family.

Barry House At The Flicks

Captain Separovich led the Barry House boys to the movies one Saturday night early in Term 2 to watch “Godzilla v Kong”.  It was great to get out after a huge day of sport, although the Barry House rule about wearing caps inside looks like it was being ignored.  It’s certainly been a busy term so far…

Barry House ANZAC Weekend

On Anzac Weekend (see larger Senior Boarding Housemaster report elsewhere in this newsletter) the boys enjoyed a Movie Night watching “Gallipoli”, an Australian classic, while enjoying a totally unrelated meal of nacho’s.