The March of the Machines – How Can Shore Navigate the Digital Age?

“For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.”

                                                                              (1 Timothy 4:4)

Dear Students, Parents and Carers

In Industrial Revolution England in the early 19^th century, the Luddites emerged as a destabilising force and an apparent threat to social order. What bound these people together was their hostility to the new machines, the looms in textile manufacturing that were displacing some workers. They organised a number of raids on what we would call small factories to smash these new and threatening machines. The Luddites were named after Ned Ludd, possibly a mythological figure, whose “office”, like a man of the people before him, was said to be Sherwood Forest. 

Of course, the Luddites did not prevail. They are an interesting lesson in the difficulty of resisting increasing technology. Should we emulate the Luddites in trying to resist the march of the machines, in our case the increasing ubiquity of computers, whether desktops, laptops, iPads or handheld devices? Some would say yes.

Forty years ago, when I was a Head of Department in a school, my then Principal looked askance at these strange new devices called computers and decided that the school would be content with just one of them. Not long ago, a Sydney Headmaster in another school resisted laptops on the grounds that they were a fad which could be ignored until they disappeared. This seems a little like King Canute, in days of yore, trying to turn back the tide.

Shore has been slow to embrace the technology revolution in schools. My proposition is that we need to engage fully in digital learning in order to equip our students and prepare them for the workforce where full computer literacy will be a condition of engagement and an essential tool of trade. Furthermore, we need our students to be able to access the rich veins of information available and to harness technology as a tool not only for information access but for note-taking, annotation of sources, graphic processing, digital design and software that enhances learning. It is now no longer possible for a student in Years 7 and 9 to take NAPLAN with paper and pen, it is compulsory for all schools in an online format. Similarly, there is already one HSC examination online, and no doubt the other HSC examinations will follow where students will need to be adept at the necessary processes to enter their scripts in this manner. NESA (NSW Education Standards Authority) have not yet given a timeline for a fully online HSC, but the change is inevitable.

A passing glance at the surging world of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) suggests that we need to equip our students to navigate and harness these developments, which will no doubt be a large part of the world of work and of life itself in coming decades. To fail to assist students to be ready would seem to be negligent.

This is not to suggest that technology should be allowed free reign. Technology is a wonderful servant, but an awful master, a tyrant, in fact, if we give it sway. Technology has a huge capacity to distract, to consume time in activities which are inconsequential, and can be an instrument of harassment and give access to sites which are, to say the least, unhelpful. It can be the carrier of “fake news” and makes no distinction between high quality sources and those which are challengeable or of little worth. We don’t, it seems to me, want to adopt the reactionary stance that technology, despite its capacity to do harm, is evil. After all, as Paul wrote to Timothy: “For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving” (1 Timothy 4:4). The capacity for harm sits with humans, not the inanimate objects.

My contention is that the School and parents have a joint responsibility to assist students to develop discernment and wisdom. It is easy for young people to assume that anything in print has the status of holy writ. We need to teach the ability to critique sources, detect bias and assign relative worth to a multiplicity of sources.

I am confident most in our community would agree that the Digital Age cannot be ignored. We can hardly batten hatches and completely repel it. If this is the case, it follows that we must control it. Shore’s digital devices, provided this year through Years 7 to 11, have filters which block undesirable websites. The School is able to track student activity on devices such that red alerts appear if students attempt to trespass by accessing what we regard as unsavoury websites. This is so wherever access is attempted, our filters will block access. Wayward students will require discipline or pastoral support, or both. Additionally, we want students off devices during breaks (with the exception of in the Library working on assignments or homework). We want them interacting with actual people at these times rather than with avatars. Similarly, in class, teachers control when devices are accessed and harness them strictly for learning. Sometimes, technology will be in use in class and sometimes not.  We have no intention of abandoning the need to write by hand, such that students become highly competent in that domain.    

There is an important role here for parents in exerting parental supervision beyond the School. It is my firm belief that parents need to set digital boundaries. The School is looking forward to partnering with parents in providing access to Qustodio Parental Control software for this very purpose. It is not good for young people to spend excessive amounts of time on social media, which tend to major on the superficial, the banal and, sometimes, aspects which could only be said to be vile. One would hope Shore students stay away from the latter tendency.  Moreover, there is a real danger of computer addiction. Recent developments in the area of neuroscience indicate that overuse can rewire the young brain to be dependent on chemicals of satisfaction released through activities such as success in gaming. 

Research indicates Australian youth features many sleep deprived teenagers who are available online 24/7. FOMO (fear of missing out) seems to drive this need to be accessible. Digital parenting 101 always advises that young people not be allowed to have their device in their bedroom after lights out. An extension of this is that parents need to negotiate sensitively a “looking over their shoulder” awareness of what their children are doing online. 

Shore teaches digital citizenship to its students. For a number of years this has been done through explicit instruction with our Library Services team, at times through the hands of experts who address students, and at other times through opportunistic interactions on a daily basis between staff and students. We would all want our young people to emerge into the world of potential employment with a good digital footprint, knowing that many employers in our Information Age will check the online history of those they are considering for employment.

There should be no digital skeletons in the cupboard where young people have inflicted ongoing wounds on their futures. This point needs to be made constantly by the mature and experienced to the immature and young.

They need to be very careful about what they share and with whom, and they need to enact privacy settings. 

Machines can be a menace! Properly controlled, they can be a source of rich learning. We need to keep them in their place, firmly under control, so that they are faithful servants, rather than our masters. 

Dr J Collier
Headmaster

Upcoming Key Events

• Shore Parents’ Association Year 7 Welcome Barbecue – Saturday 11 March
• NYU Information Session for Year 10-12 Students and Parents – Thursday 23 March 5.15pm-6.30pm

Save the Date – Shore Rugby Launch Dinner

As the Rugby season approaches, all parents of Shore Rugby players (from the Prep to the First XV) are invited to attend the Shore Rugby Season Launch Dinner for 2023.

Come and learn more about the objectives of the Rugby programme, enjoy an evening with friends, win some prizes and listen to Phil Waugh and his thoughts on Eddie Jones … but more importantly, hear from Shore’s new Head Rugby Coach, Mr Angus Sinclair, on his pathway to this role and his thoughts on the season ahead.

Booking: www.trybooking.com/CFVSN
Date: Friday 31 March
Time: 6.30pm – 10.30pm

Location: Kirribilli Club, 11 Harbourview Crescent, Milson’s Point
Cost: $150 per person. Enjoy drinks for four hours, a three-course dinner and access to games on the night. Book with friends – it is always a fun and informative night no matter what level of Rugby your son plays!
Go Shore!

Mr D Mason-Jones
MIC Rugby

Sports Canteen Sign-up

Be of Service and Sign-up Today

We now have both the RAI Grant Centre Canteen at North Sydney and the Northbridge Canteen at the War Memorial Playing Fields operating which means we need parents from the sports of Basketball, Cricket, Tennis and Water Polo to please volunteer!

Without the generous support of parents the Shore Parents’ Association (SPA) cannot operate these facilities which play a vital role in bringing our school community together while providing warm hospitality to our visitors.

So grab a friend or come alone and meet some new ones and sign up to volunteer at the canteen located at the venue your son is playing Saturday sport at!

No experience is necessary! We have a job for everyone!

Follow the form links below to sign-up:

Cricket and Tennis Saturday

Basketball and Water Polo Saturday

Please refrain from eating and drinking when volunteering in the Canteen.

Please note: Children Under 15 are not permitted in the Canteen. If you have any questions, please contact the SPA Canteen Co-ordinator Mrs Gaby Hunter, directly at spacanteen@shore.nsw.edu.au or on 0414909545

Ms G Hunter
Northbridge and RAI Grant Canteen Co-ordinator

This Week We Thank the Digital Learning Device Programme Team

The Digital Learning Device Programme team has worked hard to make available 1,068 fully kitted-out devices. This is no small feat and is a testament to the team’s commitment to ensuring that every student has access to the tools they need to succeed in the digital age.

Chapel Notices

Date: Sunday 12 March
Boarder’s Chapel Service: 9.00am
Bible Passage: John 2:1-12
Preacher: Mr James Flood

Chaplain’s Chat

In modern society, there are many pressures for all of us. We have pressure to perform at work, pressure to meet the expectations of others (even if well-meaning), pressure to meet deadlines, pressure to perform in sports and even the pressures of parenting! In many ways, some pressure is good for us. For example, the pressure of an assessment deadline will often help us to complete a task. And yet, I suspect we so often feel that sometimes the pressure to do all these things is never ending. This can be a tricky part of life and gives us cause to reflect on how we are living.

Yet we also place some of this pressure on ourselves. Social media has often led to a different set of pressures. There is the pressure to be seen to do the right thing, the pressure to get the right photo and the pressure to get the right number of followers. The problem with some of these pressures and expectations is that we sometimes bring these into our reflections of God. We often assume that God wants us to perform to certain standards and expectations, and to please God we need to act a certain way.

However, the Bible’s wonderful message is one of grace, a gift from God. Rather than us ‘doing things’ to please God, it was actually God himself who has reached out to us in the person of Jesus and in His death on the Cross. We are reminded that rather than trying to complete a long list of things to please God, or even having the most likes and the best profile, we are acceptable to God because of what Jesus has done for us. As Ephesians 2:8 says: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves it is the gift of God.” This certainly takes away the pressure that we might feel about God.

Reverend A Benn
Chaplain

New York University Visits Sydney

New York University (NYU) is visiting Sydney and we are delighted to be hosting an information session for students from Years 10 to 12 and their parents. It is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the study options and experiences available to students post-school. Application processes will also be discussed, and any questions answered. Students from other schools are also welcome to attend.

When:	Thursday 23 March, 5.15pm to 6.30pm
Where:	Playfair (no on-site parking)
Registration:	http://bit.ly/3ZTXZaS

Fun facts about NYU:

• NYU was founded in 1831.
• Global university with three campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi and Shanghai.
• Twelve study away sites throughout the world.
• Highly ranked research institution with world-class students, faculties and scholars.
• 65,000 students from 133 countries and undertakes 1 billion dollars in research annually.
• Famous alumni include John F Kennedy, Martin Scorsese, Billy Crystal, Anne Hathaway, and Angelina Jolie, to name a few.
• Produced 31 Nobel Prize winners and has a world-champion Quidditch team.

Holiday Workshops

Holiday Workshops will be offered from Thursday 6 April to Year 12 boys during the upcoming holiday period. These have proven successful in providing boys with structure that complements their individual study programmes.

Each three-hour Holiday Workshop session covers important HSC topics in that subject. A mix of strategies will be used in order to maximise learning, including revision lectures, structured tutorials and discussions. Workshops will generally be limited to a minimum of seven and a maximum of 20 boys. A fee of $70.00 (GST included) will be charged per three-hour workshop, which is excellent value compared to externally run HSC lecture courses. Boys are strongly encouraged to make good use of the workshops and are expected to stay for the entirety of each workshop.

A selection form will be handed to each boy in Year 12 and is to be returned to Ms Ducrou, Executive Assistant to the Deputy Headmaster Academic. Boys can choose to attend as many sessions as they like.

Every attempt will be made to accommodate all boys, but it may be necessary to restrict the number of boys in a particular workshop, depending upon demand. This will be done on a first come first serve basis.

A list of all available workshops will be available through Lampada, from Friday 18 March. Please note, charges will be made to the next fees statement on a no-refund basis.

Boys will not be required to wear School uniform and are not encouraged to drive to School for the workshops. However, if they do drive, they are not permitted to park on School property under any circumstances.

We do hope that each boy will participate in the workshops, which, according to boys in the Classes of 1999 – 2022, contributed well to their success during the HSC examinations.

Mr I M Middleton
Assistant Director of Studies

Term 1 Progress Meetings

Notice to Year 12 Parents

Year 12 Progress Meetings: Monday 20 March 4.00pm to 7.00pm via Zoom

• Further information will be emailed to parents of Year 12 students with meeting details
• All Year 12 boys are expected to be in attendance
• No Co-Curricular activities will take place for students who have Progress Meetings

For further enquiries, please contact Academic Data Manager, Ms Jenni McKinley, at jmckinley@shore.nsw.edu.au.

Ms J McKinley
Academic Data Manager

From the Music Department

String and Orchestra Camp
Last Tuesday, the Guitar Ensemble, String Ensembles and Orchestra had their annual camp. The students were fortunate to have expert tutors who workshopped compositions. The Camp provided an opportunity for the ensembles to delve into pieces much more significantly.

Guest conductor, Mr Lucas Lynch, provided feedback to the students to enhance their performance. Mr Lynch has had experience as Music Director/Conductor for the Ballet Theatre Queensland, Lynch and Paterson, Cadenza Chamber Players, and Gateway Theatre Productions, to name a few. The day finished with an open rehearsal for parents and community members to observe the wonderful progress that had occurred. Congratulations to all the students for their hard work, determination and openness to the new repertoire.

Thank you to Ms Wentzel (Head of Strings) for her organisation of the camp and to Ms Mitrovic, Mr Payne, Dr Gilmour, Ms Jones, Ms Ingham, Ms McGlynn, Mr Pensini, Ms Riddle for their expertise.

Top image credit: Orchestra with Mr Lynch

House Music Awards
Each year, students who learn instruments can perform in front of an adjudicator for feedback and House points. A selection of students then perform in the Smith Auditorium in Term 2 to their fellow peers during Tutor period. This year, students can sign up to perform in Weeks 9 and 10. Available times will be available shortly. Elective students perform during their class practical period. Keep a look out on digital screens around the School.

Upcoming Dates:

Friday 17 March	Concert Group: SSO Meet the Music – Rhapsody in Blue	Sydney Opera House	7.00pm
Thursday 23 March – Saturday 25 March	School Musical: Singin in the Rain	Hall Quad	7.00pm
Wednesday 29 March – Saturday 1 April	School Musical: Singin in the Rain	Hall Quad	7.00pm

Mrs K Barber
Head of Music

News From the Sportsmaster

The winter season is fast approaching, and it is our hope to bring the Shore Community together through several Gala Days that have been arranged throughout the calendar at the Memorial Playing Fields, Northbridge. More news on these Gala Days will be announced shortly.

To register for a winter Sport, boys must visit the winter Sports registration page on Lampada (linked below) and complete the survey.

The survey is open and will remain operational until Wednesday 29 March.

https://lampada.shore.nsw.edu.au/survey/intro/2768

I ask that parents check that their son has completed the registration before the closing date. I look forward to a most enjoyable winter season.

Mr M J Ticehurst
Sportsmaster

Athletics Carnival

A reminder for all boys and parents that Monday 27 March sees the whole School travel to Homebush for our annual School Athletics Carnival. It promises to be a wonderful day, giving all the boys an opportunity to compete in multiple events.

There are a number of events that will be contested prior to the School Carnival. These include the Tug-o-War preliminary rounds as well as the 1500m races and the Open 3000m race.

The details of these specific events are as follows:

• The Senior Tug-o-War (Years 10 to 12) preliminaries will be held on Monday 20 March at 12.40pm on the School Oval.
• The Junior Tug-o-War (Years 7 to 9) preliminaries will be held on Tuesday 21 March at 12.40pm on the School Oval.
• The 1500m races will be held on Tuesday 21 March at 7.00am on School Oval. Any boy is welcome to compete.
• The Open 3000m race will be held on Thursday 23 March at 7.00am on School Oval. Any boy is welcome to compete.

Reverend A Benn
MIC Athletics

Basketball Report

Game reports this week are in the student section courtesy of Thomas Graetz.

Player of the Week: Finn Molloy’s 10 points led the Sevenths to a narrow 27-23 victory

Team of the Week: We can’t decide between the 10-point comeback win by the 13As or the 15-point comeback win from the 14As. In the end we’re awarding this to the 13Hs, who didn’t win the whole game, but did show character to win the second half in what was by far their best performance of the year.

	Opens	16s	15s	14s	13s
Week 12 Record	3-9-2	2-6	3-5	2-6	1-7
Overall Record	85-77-3	46-42-1	43-50-1	44-49-1	5-25

Team	Opponent	Result	Score	Top Scorer
Firsts	Riverview	Loss	87-91	Joslin Barnes 22
Seconds	Riverview	Loss	52-75	Ben Barry 12
Thirds	Riverview	Loss	32-39	Rex Cambridge 6
Fourths	Riverview	Loss	35-44	Daniel Kang 12
Fifths	Riverview	Loss	29-44	Tom Roberts 6
Sixths	Riverview	Win	41-36	Angus Baker 15
Sevenths	Riverview	Win	27-23	Finn Molloy 10
Eighths	Riverview	Draw	27-27	Kobi Lomas 7
Nineths	Riverview	Draw	30-30	William Simons 14
Tenths	Riverview	Win	52-27	Benjamin Hadfield 10
11ths	Riverview	Loss	41-43	Lachlan Firek and Morgan Elvy 11
12ths	Riverview	Loss	19-25	Tom Ellis 6

Team	Opponent	Result	Score	Top Scorer
13ths	Riverview	Loss	31-38	Benjamin Biggs 11
14ths	Riverview	Loss	15-29	Lachlan Martin 6
16A	Riverview	Loss	19-56	Toby Ashton 5
16B	Riverview	Loss	24-40	Eric Qiao 5
16C	Riverview	Win	42-21	James Markell 14
16D	Riverview	Win	31-15	Tom Houstone and Logan Crookshanks 10
16E	Riverview	Loss	25-27	Daniel Ritchie 5
16F	Riverview	Loss	10-25	Tom Hurt 4
16G	Riverview	Loss	9-22	Luke Horwood 4
16H	Riverview	Loss	16-27	Harry Siebold 9
15A	Riverview	Loss	34-53	Harvey Joyce 10
15B	Riverview	Win	29-27	Joe Eggleton and Rex Shoemark 7
15C	Riverview	Win	31-26	Steven Cominakis and Louis Dickinson 8
15D	Riverview	Loss	31-35	Xavier Mitton 10
15E	Riverview	Loss	29-42	Angus Goode 11
15F	Riverview	Win	52-30	Phoenix Thompson 15
15G	Riverview	Loss	7-31	Nathan Liu 4
15H	Riverview	Loss	13-37	Jasper Liew 4
14A	Riverview	Win	32-28	Henry Trueman 15
14B	Riverview	Loss	27-38	Will Boyd 8
14C	Riverview	Loss	26-38	Ethan Lewarne 6
14D	Riverview	Loss	22-39	Harvey Kam and Wilson Koch 4
14E	Riverview	Loss	24-42	James Cunningham 7
14F	Riverview	Win	35-16	Lucas Wright 8
14G	Riverview	Loss	9-21	Leo Ryan 4
14H	Riverview	Loss	14-43	Jet Seeto 6
13A	Riverview	Win	40-39	Jordan Gao 19
13B	Riverview	Loss	11-39	Luca Scott 3
13C	Riverview	Loss	21-30	Andreas Karellas 4
13D	Riverview	Loss	22-26	Miller Boyle 6
13E	Riverview	Loss	0-33	–
13F	Riverview	Loss	11-48	Ryan Tan 7
13G	Riverview	Loss	14-21	Nicholas Dahlsen 8
13H	Riverview	Loss	22-11	Ryan Horwood 7

Mr G Davis
MIC Basketball

Cricket Report

First XI Match Report Round 12 vs St Ignatius’ College, Riverview

Please reference the Cricket Report in the Holtermann Columns for the First XI Match Report.

Second XI Match Report vs St Ignatius’ College, Riverview

Saturday 4 March played at the War Memorial Playing Fields, A Ground, Northbridge
Shore 1/67 (19.2) defeated Riverview 10/66 (38.1) (Jack Mott 2/11 (7.0), Ben Powell 2/23 (8.0), Matt Melville 2/8 (7.0), Jack Robson 2/0 (2.1), Angus Molchanoff 32 (59), William Kowalski 22 (56))

That’s now four wins in a row and our fifth win with bonus points. It’s been a remarkable turnaround after some near losses in Term 4, then getting convincingly beaten by King’s at the start of this year. With the four wins in a row, we are now sitting in 3^rd place on the ladder.

When we played Riverview last time, we were rolled for 88 but managed to prevent them from obtaining the bonus points and they passed us seven down. It gave us some hope that we could turn it around, and that we did, in a dominant fashion. It was a great feeling to avenge our loss, but the best thing about this win was it was due to several players contributing, and not just relying on the heroics of one player. The boys bowled exceptionally well. Rarely can you find a top-class spinner in Second XI Cricket, however, we have the fortunate luck of having four of them and our skipper, Billy Kwan, uses them extremely well.

Toby Ogg had figures of 1/9 (10.0) that included five maidens. This applied the pressure and allowed the bowlers from the other end to bowl with freedom and take the wickets. It was great to see Jack Robson 2/0 (2.1), who has had limited opportunities with the ball due to the success of the other bowlers, to come in and clean up the tailenders. 66 runs may not sound a lot, but we knew the pitch still had some life in it and their bowling attack was strong.

Oscar Everett faced up first and was out leg before wicket (LBW) second ball. The nerves kicked in and we knew there was going to be a fight on our hands. Angus Molchanoff and William Kowalski were tentative at the start of their innings with a few swings and misses, but they fought hard, valuing their wicket.

When they couldn’t break the partnership, their bowling started to become erratic, allowing our boys to take full advantage and see the win get chased down in the 20^th over to secure our bonus points. This result now places us 3^rd on the ladder.

In 2^nd place, and just six points ahead is St Joseph’s College who we just so happen to be playing next week. If we win that fixture, it will move us to equal 2^nd with Sydney High left as our final game.

That should be enough motivation to train hard over the week and be ready to go and take it to the Joeys boys.

Mr G S Tesoriero
Second XI Coach

Third XI: The Third XI’s season lurched from tragedy to farce in their game against Riverview. A shamefully unprepared pitch greeted the teams, so it was not surprising that Riverview chose to bowl after winning the toss. With balls seaming sideways and rearing off a good length Shore was quickly five wickets down with almost all their top order back in the shed before it was decided that, for the safety of the players, bowling could only continue from one end.

The game was played out for the sake of having a hit, but it was effectively over as a contest. It was put on ice by the Riverview first change bowler, suspiciously talented compared to his teammates, who cleaned up the tail with figures of four overs, four maidens, four for 0. Shore had managed just 32 hard earned runs in 16 overs. The Riverview openers, facing from the good end, survived a few close shaves and missed chances to knock the runs off well before drinks and give everyone an early mark.

Mr R J Ward
Third XI Coach

Fourth XI: A rare morning fixture saw Shore head out to Riverview in hot and humid conditions. Riverview won the toss and elected to bat, and it was looking to be a smart decision from the home side who neared 50 runs before we were able to break their opening partnership. A flurry of quick wickets including an outstanding caught and bowled from Tom Santow, plus some great work behind the stumps from Sam Andrew saw Riverview move from 0/49 to 3/55, giving Shore a huge boost as we headed into drinks.

While the fielding was top shelf, there was little Shore could do after drinks with some powerful Riverview hitting seeing the home side back in front to finish off their innings on 124. Special mention to Jack Binnie and Fergus Abbott who both made their Toadies debut and were very handy with the ball in hand, the future of the Toadies is in great hands if these two come back next season!

Going out to bat, Shore knew 125 was achievable, but on a particularly slow outfield our running between the wickets needed to be top notch with boundaries hard to come by. We didn’t get off to the most flash of starts unfortunately, with our fearless skipper Jack McRae falling for a first-ball duck to a screamer of a catch in the slips cordon.

Cal Forster was a shining light with the bat, scoring 25 off 10 balls to keep his 2023 strike rate above 200. From here however, there wasn’t much for Shore to cheer about as our last five wickets each failed to trouble the scorers… meaning Shore went from the reasonable position of 5/67, to be all out for 67… at tough day at the office for the Toadies lower order.

While it was a sizeable loss on the scoreboard, Shore’s attitude never faltered in the face of a quite boisterous opposition. Our boys can certainly hold their heads up high and no doubt they’ll come back bigger and better this week when we defend The ‘Bridge’ for the last time in season 2022/23.

Mr N A Trumbull
Fourth XI Coach

16A: The 16A’s won the toss and elected to bat against a strong Riverview side. Shore got off to a slow start as a result of some good Riverview bowling. The Shore opening batsmen knuckled down and eventually the runs began to flow, and Shore managed to build a partnership. Shore was 2-65 at the drinks break thanks to a mature batting display from Gus Manchee (38) who was well supported by Josh Evans. After the drinks break everything fell apart for Shore, losing eight wickets to be all out for 92 in the 28th over.

The Shore opening bowlers Digby Hockey (4/16) and Hugh Reardon (1/21) came out firing, bowling impeccable lines and lengths which saw Riverview in trouble at 4-11 after the first 10 overs. Shore could have been in a more commanding position however a poor fielding display let them down. With five dropped catches, this saw Riverview scrape over the line eight wickets down in the 30th over.

A Robinson
16A Coach

15A: Shore showed up to Riverview with the hopes of continuing their momentum from last week’s win against NC. SIC won the toss and chose to bat first. Daniel Jonker and Harry Kowalski opened the bowling and did not give the batters many bad balls at all, with Daniel bowling his six overs up front for only 16 runs with a wicket included.

From the other end, Harry bowled five overs up front and claimed figures of 2/17 which included three maidens. Both bowlers set the tone for the innings. Shore continued to have control of the game with SIC at 5/35 after 16 overs. Zac Roberts was the pick of the bowlers ending with figures of 3/12 as well as Stian Constable claiming 2/9 off his six overs. SIC set 123 as a target for Shore.

The batting innings started very steadily with Daniel Harvey and Stian Constable rotating the strike with ease. Having lost two wickets in quick succession, Harvey remained composed and hit the bad balls to the boundary and worked with Noah Quayle to tick the scoreboard over. Harvey was unlucky when he got out for 49 near the end of the innings. Quayle hit his 50 when Shore surpassed SIC’s score in the 26th over. This was a great win for Shore and made the coach very proud as it was a tough game in which Shore stayed calm and walked away with the win.

Miss Saskia Horley
15A Coach

Top image credit: Cricket Shore 15As set an imposing field vs Riverview

15B: It was a tough day for the Shore 15Bs. Though they made a good start in the field and kept Kings’ run-rate down to have them at 0/50 after 10 overs, Kings had wickets in hand and were able to post a strong total of 127 despite wickets to Henry Clifton who finished 1/19, Oscar Finlay 1/10, Nick Evans 1/4 and Charlie Ryan 1/13. Shore openers Lachie Richards and Oliver Doy made a good starts, scoring 12 and 13 respectively, but their wickets sparked a mid-order collapse. The collapse was steadied by Harry Lyons and Joe Stephens who formed a strong partnership, playing their shots well and running between the wickets very effectively, the pair scored 15 and 12 respectively. This was not enough, however, and Kings ended winning convincingly.

Mr A N Mason-Jones and B Cole
15B Coaches

15C: Shore 15Cs faced their toughest opponents yet, as they took on a polished Riverview 15B’s team in a T20 game. After winning the toss and choosing to bat, Tom Munn and Bryce Skarott walked out onto D ground to face the Riverview attack. Runs were slow to come by, as the team had not played on a field as large before. However, great manipulation of the ball and quick running between the wickets, kept the scoreboard ticking over.

A strong partnership between Tom Atkin (18) and Dylan Germain (9), lead to the 15Cs achieving a defendable total of 73. As Shore started bowling, they were met with a strong Riverview opener, who looked to take the game on early into their innings.

However, a great catch from Ollie Bucktin off Dylan Germain’s bowling, got the inform batter out and kickstarted a collapse for the Riverview team. With strong individual bowling performances from Harry Edmunds (3/9), Dylan Germain (3/3) and Malachi Warner (2/4) leading to Riverview falling short, all out for 57 runs.

A Fisher and A Gill
15C Coaches

14A: Shore arrived at Northbridge looking to get back in the winner’s circle after a close loss to Newington in the previous week. Riverview won the toss and elected to bat first, a familiar scenario for the As. Riverview started off strong scoring runs at a decent rate, until Thomas Hamilton made the first break through with an excellent wicket.

Shore continued to impress in the field taking eight wickets through catches. The moment of the season came as Oscar Brown took four wickets in an over, just missing out on a double hat-trick. This exceptional spell well and truly put the brakes on Riverview, and they finished on 111 after 32 overs.

Lachlan Boys and Thomas Hamilton got off to a great start with the bat. They rotated the strike well and took advantage of the bad balls, sending them to the boundary. Riverview bowlers persisted and continued to be consistent with their line and length.

Aidan Kurtis contributed well with the bat, making a crucial 29 runs and keeping the run rate ticking over. Unfortunately, wickets began to fall, and the required run rate went up to around 10 an over for the last three overs of the game. Some resilient batting from Will Heiler and James Mathur gave the Shore boys some hope, however, they came up 12 runs shy of the win.

Mr J Murphy
14A Coach

14B: The boys played well and were batting well at 0/77. Unfortunately, the need for quick runs caused all sorts of problems and we were not able to haul in their total. The 14Bs are ready for 50 over cricket.

Mr M D Webster
14B Coach

14C: The 14Cs were hoping to seal their first win of the season against Riverview on the weekend. To change things up from previous weeks they elected to bat after winning the toss.

With the goal to work on our running between the wickets and good communication between the batsmen, Shore stumbled with early wickets but soon found momentum with Will Langfield and Alistair Nieland creating a solid partnership of 35 runs.

Unfortunately, Riverview were able to break this partnership through some clever fielding just as Shore were scoring runs at will. Once again Shore batted tentatively in the last few overs and struggled to find runs and were all out for 60.

Riverview batted confidently and saw out Shore’s opening bowlers without losing a wicket. They played their shots well and were able to reach Shore’s total with overs to spare.

With two games left in the season Shore will focus on batting this week at training and look forward to playing St Joseph’s this weekend and hopefully come away with a win or another exciting game, or both!

Mr C D Burke
14C Coach

13A: Shore won the toss and elected to bowl; a decision deliberately made to test the boys’ experience bowling first on a placid pitch.

With the wicket playing genially, Shore was forced to bowl a good line and length and avoid allowing Riverview the chance to hit square to the short boundaries. They did this brilliantly in the first session, having Riverview on the ropes at 6/50 at the break.

Unfortunately, Shore let Riverview off the hook in the second session where they reached 9/104 from their 32 overs. Toby Smith’s tweakers were almost unplayable, snaring 2/4 from three overs, and he was very well supported by Daniel Wyborn’s spin which yielded 2/16. Shore bowled all 11 players with six bowlers capturing wickets, such is the all-round strength of this team.

Shore began the chase cautiously and were 3/49 at end of the first session. At the break, we set small incremental targets for the last session to run down the target, which were over-achieved as we ticked off the 55-run balance in 6.5 overs without further loss.

Mr B N Morris
13A Coach

13B: The team got a sleep-in before their first afternoon game against Riverview. After losing the toss, the boys were sent into the field and Toby Hill struck first and Josh Cawood followed it up in the very next over.

The boys well and truly had their tails up as wickets continued to tumble, with Xavier Simmonds claiming a double wicket maiden. At drinks, Shore had Riverview 7/28, but the opposition dug deep and began to build a partnership.

Shore’s fielding was fantastic with a particular highlight when Max Cawood capitalised on a bad call between the wickets. Set with 41 to win, the openers Max Cawood and Archie Watson took the first over the feel out the pitch but exploded in the second and third over with Max hitting two monster sixes over the mid-wicket boundary before being retired on 22*.

Harry Ferguson combined with Archie to get Shore over the line for an early finish. It was a field day out for the boys as they enjoyed another strong performance and are looking forward to the next contest.

Mr H J Guest
13B Coach

13C: The under 13 Cs continued their unbeaten season on Saturday, beating Riverview by 10 wickets. A strong bowling display from Shore had Riverview bowled out for just 23 runs. Congratulations to Angus Collins and Hamish Parry-Okeden who both claimed three wickets. Shore went into bat and reached the total in just five overs, with Angus Collins top scoring with 12 runs.

Mr S Chapman
13C Coach

13D: The 13Ds and Knox 13Cs clashed in the fourth match of the season, with the former losing the coin toss and being sent to field first. Knox decided to bat and set a competitive target of 81. Shore put up a good fight in their bowling with Sid Shoemark and Daniel Chapman being the standout performers with figures of 2/9 and 2/3 respectively.

In the second innings, Shore’s batting was off to a rough start as they lost wickets early on due to some impressive bowling by Knox. However, Claude Fox, Sid Shoemark and Josh Webb stepped up and formed some crucial partnerships. Despite a few hiccups, Shore managed to score the winning runs, with no wickets to spare, and ended the match with a final total of 9-82.

Overall, it was an exciting match with both teams putting up a good fight. Shoemark’s impressive bowling and Fox’s resilient batting were the highlights of the match. Four from four!

Mr C R Tyson
13D Coach

13E: After last week’s triumph over The King’s School, Shore looked to continue their form against a higher graded King’s outfit. After losing the toss and being sent out to field, opening bowlers Josh Nieland and Thomas Mann got off to an economic start, going for only 14 runs from their six combined overs. However, a lack of wickets hurt the Shore team, as the King’s batsmen got set and started to pile on the runs. A breakthrough wicket from Hugo Ahmed and a handy runout by Josh Nieland saw King’s slowed to 2/30. A further wicket from Kaya Macpherson again slowed King’s down to 3/54, but their batting was too deep, allowing them to post a strong 91 runs from their 20 overs.

Shore had a tough task ahead of them as they went out to bat, which was exemplified by a tough opening over for the Shore team, which saw them 1/0 to start the game. However, hardy resistance from Nathan Klante 16*, as well as cameos from Kaya Macpherson and Richard Low saw some fightback from the Shore team, leaving them 2/30, a similar position to where the Kings team was at the innings before. However, King’s bowled too tightly, and were able to constrict Shore’s runs, resulting in their victory, 91 runs to Shore’s 41 at the end of their 20 overs.

T Marshall and N Griffiths
13E Coaches

Team	Result
First XI	Loss	Shore 10/139 (A Bailey 21) SIC 7/140 (B Hocking 4/25, S Walton 1/20)
Second XI	Win	Shore 1/67 (19.2) defeated SIC 10/66 (38.1) (J Mott2/11 (7.0), B Powell 2/23 (8.0), M Melville 2/8 (7.0), J Robson 2/0 (2.1), A Molchanoff 32 (59), W Kowalski 22 (56))
Third XI	Loss	Shore 32 defeated by SIC 0/36
Fourth XI	Loss	Shore 10/67 (C Forster 24) defeated by SIC 5/124 (J Binnie 2/22)
16A	Loss	Shore 10/92 (G Manchee 38), defeated by SIC 8/94 (D Hockey 4/16)
15A	Win	Shore 3/126 (N Quayle 51*, D Harvey 49) defeated SIC (Z Roberts 3/12, S Constable 2/9)
15B	Loss	Shore 10/93 defeated by TKS 4/127
15C	Win	Shore 7/73 defeated SIC 8/57 (D Germain 3/3, H Edmunds 3/9, M Warner 2/4)
14A	Loss	Shore 6/100 (L Boys 20 A Kurtis 29) defeated by SIC 9/111 (O Brown 6/11)
14B	Loss	Shore 9/111 (W. Howman-Giles 26) defeated by SIC 9/140 (B Sullivan 3/10, E Gordon 2/18)
14C	Loss	Shore 7/60 (W Langfield 24) defeated by SIC 6/61
13A	Win	Shore 3/105 (T Smith 39 n.o., O Buckley 25 n.o.,) defeated SIC9/104 (T Smith 2/4, D Wyborn 2/16)
13B	Win	Shore 0/41 (M Cawood 22*, A Watson 11*) defeated SIC 10/40 (J Cawood 2/0, X Simmonds 2/1)
13C	Win	Shore 24/1 (A Collins 12) defeated SIC 10/23 (A Collins 3/8, H Parry-Okeden 3/6)
13D	Win	Shore 9/82 (C Fox 18) defeated KGS 10/81 (S Shoemark 2/9, D Chapman 2/3)
13E	Loss	Shore 5/41 (Nathan Klante 16*) defeated by TKS 3/91 (Hugo Ahmed 1/9, Kaya Macpherson 1/8)

Player of the Week Nominations:

1. First XI – Ben Hocking 4/25

2. Second XI – Angus Molchanoff 32 (59) and William Kowalski 22 (56)

3. Third XI –

4. Fourth XI – Cal Forster 1/13 and 25 runs off 10 balls

5. 16A – Digby Hockey 4/16

6. 15A – Noah Quayle 51

7. 15B – Harry Lyons (top scorer on 15 and 0/7 off two overs)

8. 15C – Dylan Germain 3/3

9. 14A – Oscar Brown 6/11

10. 14B – Ben Sullivan 3/10

11. 14C – Will Langfield 24

12. 13A – Toby Smith 39* and 2/4

13. 13B – J Cawood 2/0, M Cawood 22*

14. 13C – Angus Collins 3/8 and 12

15. 13D – Claude Fox 18

16. 13E – Nathan Klante 16*

Player of the Week: Oscar Brown – 6/11

Rowing Report

Last weekend the Shore Boat Club took part in two regattas. The Juniors were contesting in the All Schools Number Two Regatta, while the Year 10 Squad and the Senior Programme were in action at Penrith for the Annual Sydney Rowing Club Regatta.

The Junior Squad had a very tough draw with the majority of the faster crews being drawn on their side of the draw. Our Year 8s fought well down the Canada Bay course, with the squad recording three 2^nd places, a 3^rd, a crab-led 4^th place and a mighty win to our First Year 8 Quad. Our First Year 8 Quad are starting to make this a habit, with a string of great performances coming from this crew in recent weeks.

The Year 9 Quads went to the start line next and had to do so with a complete reshuffle that affected every boat from the second Quad down due to a late injury. The squad was able to record two wins in the Third and Fourth Quad divisions along with a string of high places coming from the other crews. Our Third and Fourth crews have performed very well over the course of the season, recording wins week to week. Our Fourth Quad has consistently been Oliver Paris, Hugh Riley, Austin Hamilton, Alex Rogan and Sam Advani. Our Third Quad has consistently comprised of Lachlan McIntosh, Jeremey Mckindley, Billy Blaess, Hamish Gilligan and George Williams.

Our Year 10 VIIIs got the Penrith Regatta underway, and we saw some fantastic racing coming from our Year 10 Second, Third and Fourth combinations. Our Fourth crew had to overcome a three second halfway deficit to row past the crew from Riverview. In an inspired second half of the race, the crew of Will Taaffe, Jack Holt, Tom Kierse, Will Bailey, Rolly Smith, Lachlan Adamo, George Lane, Flynn Evans-Beard and Eddie Brooks held on to the narrowest of margins to record the win by .7 of a second. Our Third Year 10 VIII raced next and were able to lead from start to finish in their division and record a clear water margin. The Year 10 Second VIII had a much close affair, coming under fire from the crew from Riverview from the very beginning of the Regatta. Both crews could not be separated through the race with the Shore crew hanging on for a win by a very narrow margin of .62 of a second.

Unfortunately for our Year 10 First crew, their race in a new combination did not pan out the way they desired.

The AAGPS IV raced next with the Fourth IV placing 2^nd in the final after a start that saw them back in the field, the crew of Oli Betar, Hamish Bergin, Thomas Mitchell, Nick Stacker and James Gray showed great tenacity to move back into the places. The AAGPS Third IV found the pace a little too fast for them and had to settle for 4^th place, missing the podium by .18 of a second. The Second IV raced next and continued their strong form this season, this time having a close race with Kings who finished 2^nd with the Riverview combination finishing back in 3^rd place. Our AAGPS First IV raced next and after having the race of their lives the weekend before found themselves under fire early by the Riverview crew, the third 500m proving to be the difference with Riverview opening up a seven second lead and holding that till the end of the race.

The AAGPS Second VIII had a blistering start, leading to the first 500m station. A strong push from Riverview saw the lead change and again, like in the First IV race it was the third 500m that proved to be the difference with Kings and Riverview locking horns in the final 500m, leaving Shore, Newington and Joeys to fight out for the final place on the podium. This time it was Shore’s turn to miss the podium with a single second separating three crews for 3^rd place.

The AAGPS First VIII finished the programme for Shore. After a great start, the field slowly wound in the Shore boat which had led through the early stages of the race, with the Shore boat fighting it out for 3^rd place with Kings and unfortunately having to settle for 4^th place by just under a second.

Mr G Bates
MIC Rowing

Surf Life Saving Report

Juniors – Years 7 and 8

The surf conditions were challenging for the Nippers on Saturday, with a southerly swell rolling into Long Reef Beach. There was a lot of water moving and some big waves breaking a long way from shore.

The Nippers were up for the challenge and after completing a beach sprint event, the boys hit the surf. All the boys were able to test themselves in the tough conditions, which unfortunately resulted in a few boards being lost and a swim back to the beach. Some excellent waves were caught and overall the skills on the surf-craft have improved remarkably.

	Beach Sprint Final
1st	Hamish Cleland
2nd	Xavier du Vernet
3rd	Jackson Dent
4th	William Watson
5th	Henry Peters
6th	Jai Van Hamburg

Intermediates – Years 9 and 10

The Intermediate group have continued their weekday and Saturday competition races and have demonstrated great improvement in their speed, stamina and skills – both in the water and on the beach. Particular mention must be made of the group’s excellent board skills this week in some challenging surf conditions.

The Year 10 contingent have assimilated well into their Patrol Teams and are on a rolling roster for the final Saturday morning patrols.

The following results were recorded in competitive events:

	IRONMAN (Swim / Board / Run)	Water Flags
1st	Charlie Martin	Don Jackson
2nd	Xavier Adamo	Xavier Adamo
3rd	Noah Kordek	Ethan Adamo

Seniors – Years 11 and 12

The Seniors enjoyed an intense session of board paddling and catching waves on The Bommie, a reef break, to the north of Long Reef Beach. Sizable sets proved a challenge for the boys, who showed great board skills to take many long-range right handers away from the main break area. The remainder of the morning was spent competing in Patrol Teams in surf swim, individual board paddle, board relay and beach run events. Results from all events are being tallied and will eventuate in the crowning of Patrol Competition Winners on the final Saturday of the season.

The Year 11 boys also continued their Inflatable Rescue Board (IRB) Crewman training with Mr Ben Neighbour and had considerable time out in the boat performing rescues and practising rafting a stranded boat.

Upcoming dates to note:

Saturday 18 March

Final patrol and last day of SLS. Barbecue and awards. Parents are welcome to attend for the presentation of awards:

Nippers 10.15am
Intermediates 10.45am
Seniors 12.30pm

Mr G Jones
Acting MIC SLS

Surfing Report

A southerly swell was producing nice two to three foot waves at Long Reef Beach on Saturday morning. The Shore surfers ran a technique session with boys making the most of the uncrowded conditions early.

Henry Peters was the stand-out surfer for the morning, connecting his waves from out the back all the way into the shore break.

Ben Jones, Noah Kordek and Hamish Warden and Harry Murdoch-Tilmouth continue to improve, with Ben making a nice barrel towards the end of the session. Will Hoy, Morgan Elvy and Lachie Warner were also surfing very well, milking every bit of power out of the waves.

Next Saturday is the ‘Battle of the Boards’ where Shore will take on Knox in a tag team competition.

Mr J McClelland
MIC Surfing

AAGPS 4 Swimming Report

The Shore Swimming team had a fantastic night at AAGPS 4 and have moved up the point scores in a number of divisions. The carnival started with the AAGPS Open 4 X 50m Medley Relay and the Shore boys came away with a 3^rd place behind a strong Newington and AAGPS record-breaking Kings team.

Shore currently sits 3^rd on the GPS Open Relay point score with the final event the 6 X 50m All Age Relay at AAGPS 5, this is a great event to showcase the depth of the whole team.

Noah McLaren and Ethan Cook continued their strong form by placing 2^nd in the Junior and Intermediate 200m Individual Medley Championship events, adding valuable points to our two strongest age groups.

The 50m Breaststroke Championship events were up next with Shore performing well across several age groups. Archie Lawry and Ethan Cook both won their age groups with Billy Jones placing third and quickly backing that up with a second in the 50m Backstroke Championship, a great effort from one of our 12 year old swimmers.

Our backstroke specialists swam well with James Hoskins and Will Bestic placing 2^nd in their Championship races. The final Championship events of the evening were the 4 X 50m Freestyle Relay’s with the Junior team of Noah McLaren, Jonty Jagger, Ollie Kelly and Will Bestic smashing their race and taking home the win and moving through to NSW CIS Swimming Championships.

It was great to see and hear the support from the Shore boys and supporters after every race and the encouragement went a long way with the boys performing exceptionally in the water. The team have a week off to finalise their preparations for AAGPS 5 which is the biggest showcase in AAGPS Swimming.

Please wish the boys well if you see them around School this week as they prepare to represent Shore at the AAGPS Swimming Finals. It would be great to have your support on the evening of 17 March at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre to cheer on the boys.

3 March – Competition Carnival No.4
Junior Point Score

Place	School	Points	Progressive Total
1st	Newington	122	300 (1st)
2nd	Shore	120	250 (2nd)
3rd	King’s	88	210 (3rd)
4th	Sydney Grammar	86	193 (4th)
5th	Sydney Boy’s High	84	188 (5th)
6th	St. Joseph’s	71	148 (7th)
7th	Scots	69	158 (6th)
8th	Saint Ignatius’	68	136 (8th)

3 March – Competition Carnival No.4
Intermediate Point Score

Place	School	Points	Progressive Total
1st	King’s	95	216 (1st)
2nd	Shore	83	185 (2nd)
3rd	Sydney Boy’s High	74	162 (4rd)
4th	Newington	72	175 (3th)
5th	Scots	66	140 (5th)
6th	Saint Ignatius’	54	120 (8th)
7th	Sydney Grammar	51	129 (7th)
8th	St. Joseph’s	45	133 (6th)

3 March – Competition Carnival No.4
Senior Point Score

Place	School	Points	Progressive Total
1st	Newington	96	221 (1st)
2nd	King’s	83	210 (2nd)
3rd	St. Joseph’s	72	168 (3th)
4th	Scots	67	160 (4th)
5th	Saint Ignatius’	66	144 (5rd)
6th	Shore	57	132 (6th)
7th	Sydney Boy’s High	51	100 (8th)
8th	Sydney Grammar	42	113 (7th)

Event 5: 3 March – Competition Carnival No.4 4 x 50m Medley Relay
GPS Open Relay Point Score

Place	School	Points	Progressive Total
1st	King’s	20	88 (1st)
2nd	Newington	16	87 (2nd)
3rd	Shore	13	59 (3rd)
4th	St. Joseph’s	11	49 (5th)
5th	Sydney Boy’s High	9	34 (8th)
6th	Saint Ignatius’	8	41 (6th)
7th	Sydney Grammar	7	40 (7th)
8th	Scots	6	52 (4rd)

Mr J Somerville
MIC Swimming

Water Polo Match Report

Firsts
Saturday’s matchup against Riverview marked the second last game of the AAGPS season. Having previously defeated Riverview in a convincing manner in the Whalan Cup, the Firsts entered the game confident in their ability to come away with the win. It was perhaps this overconfidence that saw them start the game rather sluggishly on both the offensive and defensive ends of the pool. Riverview responded to two early goals from Jett Semmens and Harry Underhill leaving the score tied at 2-2 for a large duration of the first quarter. A second from Harry Underhill saw the boys escape the first quarter with a narrow lead, 3-2.

After a motivational quarter-time speech from captain Harry Underhill, in which he encouraged the boys to switch on and lift their intensity, the Shore Firsts massively elevated their effort and looked dominant in the second quarter. Goals from Tom Hawkins and Charlie Bowditch, along with Harry Underhill’s third, fourth^, and fifth goals of the game, saw Shore extend their lead to 8-4 by halftime.

Shore carried their newfound intensity into the third quarter, Harry Underhill scored his sixth and seventh goals followed by Tom Hawkins and Jett Semmens each scoring their second. This helped extend the Shore lead to 13-6 by the end of the quarter. Final quarter saw much of the same dominance, with Charlie Ashton and Charlie Bowditch each scoring their second goal of the game, whilst Zac Izzard scored two of his own. A final goal from Koby Smith saw the game end with a convincing Shore victory over Riverview, 18-7.

The resulting victory has Shore currently undefeated (with one draw to Newington) this AAGPS season. As such, if the Firsts successfully secure a victory over a strong Joeys side this weekend, they will win the first ever AAGPS Water Polo Premiership in the School’s history. Taking place in the Shore pool at 10:15am this Saturday, it certainly isn’t a game to be missed.

C Ashton
Firsts Water Polo Player

16As
The Shore 16As started out a bit rusty, restricted to one goal by Hamish Walls in the first quarter. The second quarter saw the team gain a little momentum resulting in three goals by Harry Pollitt, Chase Harvey and Hamish Walls allowing for a 4-0 score. By the third quarter, the team’s momentum was high, playing a drop from the wings on the strong centre forward as well as the occasional shift to a press. The third quarter saw Riverview open their account with a quick goal, however, Shore unflustered scored another three in quick succession, with two by Thomas Larcombe and another for Chase Harvey upping the score line to 7-2. Towards the end of the third quarter, Shore decisively put four more goals past the opposition courtesy of Tom Larcombe, Luke Ellis and Michael Walker. However, a mistake at the end of the fourth quarter resulted in another goal for the Riverview side, concluding the score line at 11-2.

T Limantono
16As Player

Results:
Saturday 4 March

Team	Opponent	Result	Score	Goals
Firsts	Riverview	Win	18-7	J Semmens 2, C Ashton 2, K Smith, H Underhill 7, T Hawkins 2, C Bowditch 2, Z Izzard 2
Seconds	Reddam	Loss	3-5	Z Warden 3
Thirds	Scots	Loss	4-18	H Brooks, L Cathles, O Danks 2
Fourths	Scots	Loss	6-7	F Loxton, L Cathles 3, O Danks, C Hawkins
16As	Riverview	Win	11-3	H Walls 2, M Walker, C Harvey 2, L Ellis 2, T Larcombe 3, H Pollitt
16Bs	Scots	Win	13-6	O Graham, D Lord 4, J Pridmore 5, F Brown, X Aloisio, S Hassall
15As	Scots	Win	19-3	C Semmens 4, L Hughes 5, M Hughes 3, A Turner-Smith 3, J Jagger 2, H Clough, M Irvine
14As	Riverview	Draw	8-8	C Semmens 2, G Kennedy 2, T Milcz 3, J Jagger
14Bs	Trinity	Loss	7-8	C Griffin, J Massey 2, A Ryan, E de Vries 2
13As	Riverview	Win	13-2	E Bruce 2, T Armarti, H Frape, J Tighe 2, S Bull, J Gilligan, H Ward 4, A Freischmidt
13Bs	Reddam	Loss	2-20	F Oddone-Bransgrove, B Jones

Miss Z H Dowdell
MIC Water Polo

Holtermann Columns

Fragile Society

Boys Alone: the Social Experiment, Lord of the Flies

J. Y. Gao

In 2002, the UK’s Channel 4 released the docu-series “Boys and Girls Alone”. The two 50 minute episodes featured one with an entire cast of 10-year-old boys, and one with a cast of 10-year-old girls, left alone to live in an empty house without adult supervision. All necessary foods, kitchenware, toiletries were available to them, whilst the rest of the storage space and backyard housed a myriad of toys. Of course, there is an obvious exploration that can be made into the comparison between boys and girls, and the way the two groups fell into certain behavioural patterns, and it is encouraged that such an exercise be performed outside the parameters of this article. Here, the comments will observe the boy’s episode.

Seventy years ago, William Golding published his most famous novel, “Lord of the Flies”, starring a band of boys stranded on a remote island. The story follows their descent into savagery and conflict. Through an ingenious dissecting of character arcs, character relationships, and social structures, Golding alluded to the core aspects of society, including civility, power, reason, morality, spirituality, and community. Golding showed that in the absence of external structures, people innately form social hierarchies that feature specific and distinct identities like ‘leader’ and ‘worker’. Throughout the novel, internal pressures such as the need to find purpose, recognition and a capacity to contribute to the group reinforce the extremity of the identities assigned to an individual. Likewise, external pressures such as expectation and support from others similarly contribute to the ‘boxing in’ of these identities. The extreme qualities between identities soon split the group in two, and conflict becomes the pressure point under which the social structure collapses. “Lord of the Flies” is a masterfully crafted comment on the fragility of civility and an exhibition for the battle between a tendency for chaos and a conscious will for order that governs humanity on the most fundamental level.

The Channel 4 docuseries made no mention of Golding’s novel in its narration, though the similarities between Golding’s dystopic character arcs and the dynamic social environment displayed on Channel 4 were eerily similar. During their first afternoon together, the 10 boys managed to utilise almost everything available to them to explore the limits of their freedom. Without any parental supervision, the boys all quickly adopted a free-for-all mindset, breaking the ice within minutes and littering the house with paint, markers, puzzle pieces and assorted cereals. This initial period of interaction and behaviour is the most crucial stage in the pecking order that develops. Subconsciously, this was the time for each of the boys to mould their behaviour into a pattern they thought was most similar to the energy of the group – they are well aware of the importance of fitting into the group and not being labelled as an ‘outsider’. Simultaneously, particularly for the more extroverted boys, this was a time to establish their significance within the group, which entailed behaviour that was noticeable and admirable. To strike a nice balance between fitting in and standing out is the perfect recipe for prominence during this initial stage. Naturally, louder (noticeable) and funnier (relatable) boys, Daniel, Michael and Paul, made their presence known early on, and their identity as the charismatic core personalities within the group were accepted by the others.

As the night developed, and tiredness grew over the boys, the 10 congregated in the living room. With less adrenalin, the group reflected on the look of the house and concluded unanimously that it might not be the most ideal state. The momentum of responsible and rational thinking was on them, and they were able to democratically vote for a group leader, George, an average height, dark-haired boy, who was more calm than Daniel, Michael and Paul but equally approachable (George received a total of 3 votes, two of which were from Daniel and Paul). A discussion about the day quickly turned into a series of accusations against one boy in particular, Michael, a smaller, more energetic boy, who might have extended his display of ‘standing out’ too far during the afternoon. Unfortunately, this earned him the label of the ‘scapegoat’ onto which all justice pertaining to the cleanliness of the house and the complaints of the other boys was brought upon. George, wishing to reinforce his leadership position, writes down a list of complaints and consults Michael.

This natural instinct for justice – crude and merciless – within the 10-year-old domain continued the next day as the quieter boys, like Sim, had his contribution to the group questioned. Up until this point, contribution to the group was measured by the amount of cleaning done by the individual. More introverted kids, like Sim, who kept more and more to themselves after the initial melting pot of character on the first day, had no choice but to obey the lofty requirements of the vast majority. One such instance of ‘punishment’ saw Sim cleaning up the plates and cutlery of all ten boys after their one and only organised, communal meal.

At night, the boys were split into two separate bedrooms. The noisier boys opted to sleep together in one bedroom, whilst the others happily formed the quieter dorm. By the fourth night, a midnight prank performed by the noisier boys that resulted in the waking up of the entire quiet-bedroom escalated into a retaliation performed by the quiet boys that resulted in an early wake-up of the entire noisy-bedroom. Feeling like they were unjustly done by, the noisy boys were fierce in the conflict that ensued the rest of the fifth morning. The last day saw the quiet boys isolated upstairs from the noisy boys, who decided to take their last chance to trash the house. And though the pent up anger had all but dissipated on the fifth night, the social structure within the group was nowhere near its organisation on the first two days. Their attempts to set up a civil environment was overtaken by their vengeful motivations and carefree attitude, eerily similar to the progress in Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”.

Though the image might not be as dark as Golding imagined. In the treatment of Michael, who was happy with his identity as the ‘crazy’ one IN the group so long as it didn’t result in alienation from the group, any hint of tears or an angry expression serious enough, was met with an immediate de-escalation of the situation whereby the boys made sure no physical or emotional harm. During a therapy session that the boys requested for to address the question of Michael, the group all came to the mature conclusion that they themselves were also at fault for trashing the house, and proceeded to surround Michael’s bed, on which Michael has buried his face in his pillow the whole time, in an effort to cheer him up. Such efforts that united the group under empathy also shows the compassion and maturity 10-year-old boys are capable of even in the absence of adults.

The experiment lasted five days and five nights, and the patterns found within the boys’ behaviour has been eye-opening. Though, if Golding were alive today, it might very well be in his appetite to question whether five days was long enough for the monster of the human soul to be unleashed.

The Drama Continues

PGA vs LIV

A.M Bailey

The PGA Tour is set to undergo significant changes in 2024, with a move towards an elite schedule featuring 16 designated events, half of which will have no more than 80-man fields and no cuts. This move has been designed to offer a chance for players on the outside to play their way in, but the details are yet to be finalised. Players were made aware of the changes in a memo from PGA Tour Commissioner, Jay Monahan, in which he stated that “there is no doubt in my mind that we made decisions that will transform and set the future.”

One of the changes that will likely cause the biggest divide among players is the no-cut policy for designated events, except for the four majors and The Players Championship. One of the criticisms of Saudi-funded LIV Golf has been its 54-hole events that do not have a cut. However, Rory McIlroy, the primary voice in player meetings geared towards reshaping the PGA Tour’s future, believes that there is precedent for no-cut events, such as the former World Golf Championships and events like the CJ Cup and Zozo Championship.

Eight of the 16 designated events will have the best players for the entire week. The elite events will comprise the top 50 from the FedEx Cup the previous year, 10 players who performed the best in the early part of 2024, five leading players in points from standard tournaments, players who win PGA Tour events that year, and four sponsor exemptions. Anyone from the top 30 in the world who is not already eligible can also compete in the events.

Monahan also revealed that the Player Impact Program bonus pool would be cut in half to $75 million for 10 players, with the other $75 million going to bonus pools for the FedEx Cup and the Comcast Business Tour Top 10 for leading players in the regular season.

The PGA Tour is promoting the idea that by having smaller fields for elite events, it will strengthen tournaments that don’t have $30 million purses because those players would need somewhere to compete. “If we made these fields very large in these designated events, it would ruin non-designated events that have been staples of the PGA Tour,” said Max Homa, who is part of the Player Advisory Council that advised on changes. “No one would play in half of them because it would no longer fit your schedule by any means.”

Another aspect of the tour’s promotion is that by not having $30 million events towards the end of the season, more players will be playing tournaments to ensure they qualify for the postseason top 70 and then the top 50 to guarantee being in all the big events the following year.

Monahan has scheduled a players meeting at The Players Championship next week to discuss any changes. For now, it has the look of a tour divided between the top players and everyone else. At The Players Championship last year, Monahan boldly stated that the PGA Tour had momentum and wasn’t about to be distracted by rumours of a rival league.

However, LIV Golf began three months later with players like Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, and other major champions from the last five years soon followed. “It does seem like the emergence of LIV forced us as players and the executives of the PGA Tour to just look at their product,” said Homa. “They (LIV) got to make something from scratch, which is a lot easier than us building something that has been around for so long that’s been on the shoulders of someone like Arnold Palmer, who has built a lot of what we do today.”

Overall, the PGA Tour’s changes in 2024 will be a significant departure from the traditional way golf tournaments have been played. However, these changes are necessary to remain competitive in a rapidly changing world and ensure that the sport of golf remains relevant and exciting for both players and fans alike.

Cricket Report

Round 12 1st XI Match Report v St Ignatius’ College Riverview

Saturday 4th March played at St Ignatius’ College First Field, Riverview

Shore 10/139 (Axel Bailey 21) SIC 7/140 (Ben Hocking 4/25, Sam Walton 1/20)

L. A. Hunt 

Captain of Cricket, Senior Prefect

After a bitterly disappointing loss against Newington the week prior, the SHORE 1st XI headed into Riverview keen to claim a victory. On a green and sticky wicket SHORE lost the toss and were sent into bat. The innings began rapidly with openers Sutton and Segaert running quickly between the wickets and scoring at a high rate. Some big hitting from Segaert, which included a 6 in just the third over of the game, put the team in an aggressively dominant position early. However, both batsmen fell quickly, and SHORE required immediate consolidation. Bailey and Hunt dug in for a number of overs, resisting Riverview’s leg spinners in tough conditions, but both eventually fell to the hands of spin. From there, SHORE’s innings was characterised by batsmen making starts and then failing to capitalise. Compounded by lapses in concentration, the team was dismissed for just 139 and would require an immense bowling effort to defend such a total.

The SHORE side eagerly made their way onto the field, looking for a similar start to their Newington bowling innings, but the Riverview openers had other ideas, seeing off the first 12 overs and starting a solid partnership. Thankfully, the introduction of Ben Hocking and Sam Walton at first and second change respectfully pulled the innings back into SHORE’s grasp. 2 wickets from Hocking in his first spell and 1 from Walton saw Riverview quickly move to 3/38, with the SHORE side in a dominant position. However, a fourth wicket partnership between Riverview batsmen looked to quell this effort and quickly Riverview moved to 4/80. Commendably, the SHORE side never dropped in perseverance, consistently putting pressure on the Riverview batsmen in the field and vocally expressing their effort levels to a great extent. 

As a result, the continued enthusiasm, compounded by some accurate bowling from Tom Fuzes and another wicket taking spell from Ben Hocking, which saw his figures move to 4/25 for the match, Riverview were put in trouble at 7/123 with only 6 overs remaining. Heartbreakingly, the comeback by SHORE’s bowlers was futile as some frantic running between the wickets and fortunate ball placement from the Riverview batsmen saw them scrape away with the win. The disappointing result of this game should not reflect the effort the 1st XI displayed during their bowling innings. The field was electric with the team’s ardour, and once again SHORE’s young bowlers, Ben Hocking, Tom Fuzes, and Sam Walton exceptionally led the way with the ball. Unfortunately, the team’s consistent effort and the strength of their young bowlers was dampened by the lacklustre performance of some of the team’s senior players. Particularly the bowlers who failed to bowl accurate lines, letting down the side and the especially the listed bowlers who had performed so well.

The team plays 2nd place St Joseph’s College next week and will need to approach the game differently. SHORE’s senior players must stand up and support the exceptional efforts of its young members and the team must improve on its batting innings which have failed to deliver big totals the team can defend.

ISDA Debating – Round 3 vs Loretto Kirribilli

Jimmy Nicholas Captain of Debating

Last Friday, Shore hosted Loretto on topics related to ‘Health and Safety’ and were victorious in 4 of the 6 debates against a strong opposition school.

Encouraged by a promising first victory in Round 2, our Year 7s were given the challenging topic ‘That we should ban contact sports for all under 18s.’ Despite making incremental improvements in their prioritisation of arguments week over week, the boys unfortunately went down in a close debate, unable to effectively prove that the physical harms of contact sports outweighed the benefits. Affirming the same topic, our Year 8s seized victory in a convincing win characterised by strong arguments and intelligent model, which the opposition failed to engage with. Their practice in rebuttal during the current affairs component of the Captain’s Playfair session was key in the team moving to 2-1 on the season, the boys hope to secure their spot in the Octos with wins in the coming weeks.

Inspired by the charismatic captain’s scintillating Playfair presentation, the Year 9 team found themselves affirming the topic ‘That Australia should implement a sugar tax.’ Despite being somewhat of a messy debate, a win is a win, and there was a noticeable step up in the team’s manner compared to previous rounds. Aiming to engage more effectively with their opposition in coming weeks, the boys’ second consecutive win puts them in good stead for the postseason. Affirming an intellectually provocative topic, ‘That smokers should not be able to access Medicare,’ our Year 10s went down. Despite doing a great job establishing the principle, the boys were unable to engage in effective analysis of the stakeholders and grapple with their model’s implications on the health system.

Despite their flourishing superiority complex the Senior Bs found the time to fit the Captain’s slideshow into their busy Friday afternoon schedule, his insights evidently paying off as the team cruised to a classy victory over a strong Loretto side. Affirming the topic ‘That the government should prioritise spending in female health,’ the team leveraged their rigorous analysis of stakeholders to establish a confident throughline throughout their case, a shift in the disjointed energy from previous rounds. Confident, calm, and methodical, their rebuttal was articulated well, with Daniel Kang being the notable speaker for his particularly explosive engagement with the opposition’s case. Moving to 3-0 on the season, the Senior Bs look to clinch their postseason spot this Friday, and most notably continue their Playfair hot streak.

Affirming the same topic, the Senior As continued their dominance of Pool A in yet another surgical victory. Motivated by the disparaging comments of their opposition in relation to their rigorous training routine, the boys entered the prep room excited to affirm yet another aff-weighted topic. With marker in hand, fourth speaker Aaron Rucinski artfully reified the intellectually abstract ideas of the team, highlighting the principle of achieving equality through their model focused on righting historical injustices in healthcare research in particular. With the largest crowd of the season, Lachlan Hunt vivaciously elucidated the core of the A’s argument, and the status quo, laying the groundwork for success on the night. Punctuated by his deep Marxist passion for the righting of historical injustice, second speaker Blake Fite effectively crushed the opposition’s ‘band-aid’ like model, highlighting the superficiality of its impacts. With little more to do at third, Jimmy Nicholas summarised the As’ case, focusing most notably on the institutional nature of the problem of misogyny within the health research space. Ultimately, the boys did well to improve on their flawed time management and ordering of arguments and look forward to extending their win-streak to four against St. Aloysius this Friday.

Special thanks to chairperson debutant Luke Chopra, and all of Debating’s crucial supporting staff and coaches. This week, Shore hosts St Aloysius in what is shaping up to be a competitive evening of debating.

Jimmy Nicholas – Captain of Debating

 Senior As celebrating their victory

The Potential of Independent Film

Everything Everywhere All at Once

E. O. Milne

With the Oscars right around the corner I thought it would be good to talk about an idea that makes us laugh, cry and everything in between. Cinema.

Movies for years now have been used as a means of expression. Yet, while this used to be the world of producers, directors and filmmakers, it now seems like everyone has at least attempted to make a movie on their phone.

A story line acted out and then recorded for the public to watch, it is one of the greatest types of storytelling we know of, but to make one it can get awfully expensive. So many producers have found alternatives so that they do not have to give away their life savings to create a film.

One of these alternatives are known as independent films, when a movie is not signed away to a big company like Warner Brothers, Paramount, Netflix but instead are given funding by a smaller company meaning that it will be a lower budget movie. Many people always imminently assume that this will mean that lower budget will mean a bad movie, but this idea I think has been the reason independent films are not thought of as much as we would like. Because the truth is not only can these films be ‘good,’ but they can be so great they are nominated for 11 Oscars.

When I say this, I am talking about one recent movie that has achieved this in particular.

The name of this movie is ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’.

If you have not watched this art piece, I am begging you to watch it before the Oscars because seeing it will allow you to understand why it is going to win all the awards it has. Not only is it a great movie with fantastic acting but it is one of the weirdest things you will watch in your whole life.

This movie is based around the idea of multiversal reality, where there are different versions of yourself living in an alternate universe and they can be remarkably similar to you or the complete opposite. This movie takes this concept and takes its strangest aspects, such as having hot dogs for fingers.

So today I want to break down what makes this film so likeable and, I want to show you how great an independent film can be so maybe you can give them as much attention as any other blockbuster Hollywood film.

To begin, one of the best things about this story are the effects that make the obviously fake ideas seem so real. Usually, companies use visual effects to make dragons look 3D and make magical powers come out of people’s hands but the visual effects director of this movie thought outside of the box so he could get the same results as such of a marvel movie but for a smaller budget. The budget was not the only reason Zak Stoltz had to find cheaper alternatives, it was also because he only had 5 people helping him with the project while other movies with the same success usually must have hundreds of people taking on the job.

But what was the alternative? 

The alternative is known as practical effects; this is where instead of completing all the effects on the computer after filming you instead use puppets during filming. Then afterwards you put only a bit of CGI on top, allowing a movie with a budget of less than a single episode of Stranger Things season 4 to become something of greatness and true quality.

Another reason this movie was so moving was (as I said earlier) the acting was amazing. Specifically, the actor who made this movie so beautiful for me was a woman named Stephanie Hsu.

She is a young Asian American actor who has a unique style to her acting which was so quirky it made this movie a 10/10 for me. She plays a character called Joy, the daughter of the protagonist, but the real name for her character is Jobu Tupaki and this character is a little bit insane. Some of her lines are so impactful and yet so funny that she has you on the edge of your chair the entire movie wondering what is to be of this character next.

The thing that makes her character so interesting though is that she believes nothing matters, she is the most powerful being of all and any action she takes has no consequence. She is a character filled with philosophical morals that she stands by. Having said all of this, I think the final thing that makes this movie and all independent movies so great is the directors and scriptwriters’ choices.

The funny thing about that in this movie is that both these jobs were done by the same two people known as the Daniels. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert not only came up with the weirdest plot they could think of, even when we are comparing their films to the likes of the strangeness of DUNE, they also made certain choices with their camera angles and lines that truly emphasised the abnormal feel of this movie.

For example, in this movie there is a multiverse where everyone is a rock and two of the main characters talk to each other through subtitles as rocks for over 5 minutes. But even though this seems like something that would be funny to watch It is actually the complete opposite. This scene is said to make people burst into tears and even though I did not myself I can understand why many would be brought to feel this way.

But the love felt in the words of the characters is what finishes off the movie, like a cherry on top of a Sunday ice cream, and why it is my pick that this movie will dominate the academy in 2023.

“Here all we get are few specks of time where any of this actually makes any sense.”

“Then I will cherish these few specks of time.”

I know this movie is a representation of what an independent film can be and that they should not be judged on their budget but the final product. 

Underdogs Upsetting

Around the grounds after NRL Round One

F. A. Loxton

AFTER AN EVENTFUL PRE-SEASON which featured Penrith falling short to St Helens in the World Club Challenge, and some promising form shown from the Manly Sea Eagles, all questions were answered in the official opening round of the NRL last weekend.

To start with, the Melbourne Storm had a strong win over the Eels, who struggled off a sub-standard Mitchell Moses performance. The grand finalists of last year felt the absence of Isaiah Papali’i and Reed Mahoney in their opening fixture, and Cameron Munster’s magic proved too much; although he suffered a compound dislocation which will rule him out for the coming weeks.

On Friday night, two close games provided much entertainment, with the Warriors overcoming the Knights who started strong with a try in the first minute. The main event of the night, however, was the later game. The Broncos, to the surprise of the Penrith crowd, had a strong win over the Panthers at home, off the back of an Adam Reynolds field goal, which sealed a seven point lead and victory. Despite a last minute try, Ivan Cleary’s men fell in, their fifth loss since 2021, they were notably missing Villiami Kikau and Api Koroisau.

Much anticipation came for the Bulldogs vs Manly clash on Saturday afternoon, with several stars debuting for Canterbury and Tom Trbojevic returning after an injury ridden 2022 season. Whilst Reed Mahoney provided some flair, Villiami Kikau had a limited impact, providing a viral chip which went out on the full as he still navigates the new Bulldogs system. Manly proved far too strong, with Tommy Turbo going in for their first try and Daly Cherry-Evans having a field day with three tries.

The Cowboys had a far closer fixture against a similarly over-performing Canberra Raiders side from last year, winning off the boot of Chad Townsend in the 75th minute. The Raiders were flustered, missing out on several huge chances to overcome the Cowboys, although the team were resilient, and battled hard in the heat of Townsville. At Shark Park, the Rabbitohs came out on top of Cronulla, with strong defense prompting two second half tries for Campbell Graham, who had a huge impact on the right edge.

Perhaps the round’s biggest upset however, was the Dolphins victory over a stacked Roosters side, in their first match in the NRL competition. With over 35,000 people filling a sea of red at Suncorp, the teams had a strong tussle and scores were even, 12-12, at half time. However, Felise Kaufusi inspired with tackles forcing turnovers, and Jamayne Isaako’s footwork broke the Roosters left edge, seeing the Dolphins have a huge win in their opening fixture. Luke Keary provided a spark late in the second half, but the Roosters efforts weren’t enough, with their left edge defense a clear weak point of which Wayne Bennett’s men utilized.

Finally the Titans had a promising win over the Tigers, inspired by a double from Phillip Sami. Wests’ new signings; Api Koroisau and Isaiah Papali’i showed some promise, although support around them was limited.

Overall, round one of the NRL premiership was filled with upsets and nail-biters, as this year’s season looks to be both exciting and unpredictable. Whilst the inclusion of the Dolphins saw the Dragons have a bye, all sides look to be leaving everything on the field, as new signings have struggles for successful teams, and opportunities for the underperforming sides of last year.

Napoleon Complex

Does Short Man Syndrome really exist?

J. C. Lai

What does Napoleon, Mussolini, Stalin, and Hitler have in common except being modern history’s most wicked dictators? They all possessed short stature and were considered ‘little’ during their respective milieus.

According to the Napoleon Complex, these two properties are directly related to each other, and many believers of the theory have attributed their psychological and social actions to their physique. 

The Napoleon Complex, known to many as ‘Short Man Syndrome’ is a popular belief that a short stature is a societal disadvantage, and these people, particularly men, compensate for this so-called ‘disadvantage’ by propelling themselves into quests for power, ambition, and self-confidence. Those who suffer from the Napoleon Complex are thought to possess overly aggressive and domineering social behaviour to cover-up their insecurities or distaste for society.

The syndrome is named after French Emperor Napoleon, who supposedly compensated for his 5 feet 2 inches stature by seeking war against an array of European coalitions as a form of overcompensation for his height. Nicknamed Le Petit Caporal (the little corporal), he was depicted all over art and print as a short-tempered small man in enemy states.

In reality, the view of Napoleon as a short-tempered small man was created by British propaganda as an attempt to diminish their present enemy. Historians believe that Napoleon actually measured up to 5 feet 10 inches, well above the average height of a male adult.

The belief was created from Alfred Adler’s 1956 ‘Inferiority Complex Theory’, which claims that those who feel a certain inferiority or insecurity on certain traits overcompensate on others. Human evolution based on sexual selection provides a framework and supposed scientific backing for the belief. Evolutionary psychology suggests that an individual’s height and physiology provide an advantage in intrasexual competition- competing with rivals (other men) for mates- due to heightened male physical characteristics, such as strength and size. Therefore, to re-enter the intersexual competition, shorter men suffering from a Napoleon Complex would venture into ultra-masculine qualities that society prescribe onto taller men, such as power and social standing.

So is the Napoleon Complex actually real, or is it just a ruse used to discriminate against those with shorter statues similar to the namesake of the theory? Well, there is actually quite a bit of research that supports it…

A look at the research done on the topic will show that there is certainly an argument that the theory exists. A paper by the Association for Psychological Science found that height differences do matter in intrasexual competitions between men. Through a series of competitive interactions between men, those with a shorter stature were found to have been substantially more greedy, ambitious, and physically aggressive compared to a taller opponent, aligning with predictions from the sexual selection theory and the Napoleon Complex. However, the research also found that those who felt insecure about their physique or physical appearance equality presented these traits.

Another study conducted by the University of Wroclaw in Poland further supports the argument. It found that shorter people compensated for their dissatisfaction with their height by presenting heightened Dark Triad traits (psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellians).

So what should we take away from this? Are all short people evil?

Certainly not.

The point I’m trying to make is that people with shorter physiques do not overcompensate for their shortcomings because they are short, but this occurs because society makes height such a big deal for them. There is such a high expectation for a male to be tall, to be above 6 feet, that those who aren’t are forced to mask their insecurity from society’s persecution, because at the end of the day, their height is not up to them.

Maybe height did play a contributing factor a few millenniums ago, when we were living in caves and men had a societal expectation to protect their mates using their enormous physique from potential prey or enemies. But times have changed, unless you plan on playing in the NBA one day or need to reach the top shelf of the supermarket on a daily basis, height really has no role in today’s society, and really shouldn’t be associated as a societal disadvantage.

In order to put an end to the very real Napoleon Complex, it is time for society’s ideologies of masculinity to change. Is height really that important?

Photography

Art and history

J. A. McCreery

A universal language, a snapshot in time – it is still –  yet alive.

Without words or sound, photos communicate so much in but an instant. Wherever you are from, whoever you are, the visual world will always speak to you.

For some it is art. Although relatively new, and not one of the traditional seven forms of art, it still falls under the artistic umbrella. The Pictorialist movement pushed its case. Beginning around 1885 this trend pursued a visual aesthetic which emphasized artistic control and expression over photos. The focus lay on the beauty of the subject matter, tonality, and composition rather than the documentation of reality. 

Photography as a form of evidence, capturing events, is still incredibly important. A snapshot in time is insightful to the scale of events, participants and conditions. Take the iconic examples below; U.S. Marines plant the American flag on Iwo Jima during WWII and Michael Phelp’s hundredth of a second win over Milorad Cavic at the 2008 Olympics. 

Regardless of one’s stance, there is something striking about the simplicity of  photos, no convoluted plotlines, no sequences of concentric ideals. It allows for an appreciation of the small, and big, moments of life in their base form. When all the chatter and stigma and explaining stops, it is hard to hide. Or is it?   

Photoshop.

Change an image to your will, great for artistic expression, not so great for the aforementioned accuracy, truth and simplicity. It can impress unrealistic standards and thrust forward fallacies. Propaganda machines and the ill-intentioned can push one of their course.

Many have already taken steps against it – Norways has passed new laws banning photoshop among social media influencers, making it illegal for celebrities to post without explicitly stating they have altered the image. 

Should we follow? 

The Mindless Dissonance of Modernity

Part 3: Being Happy as the Worker Ant

M. D. Kwak

While the cricket idles, the ants work hard. Winter comes, and the ants enjoy the warmth of survival while the cricket freezes outside and begs for help. 

Capitalism points us to those ants and says: “that is happiness, that is success” and makes us work as hard as those ants so we too may enjoy the warmth of a house, or the safety net of a retirement fund. That is the lie of capitalism and happiness. Surely the human condition transcends maximising efficiency or the 70-hour-week corporate grindset? Surely, happiness and fulfillment is something more?

The ideology of capitalism is not merely economic – it is also a personal and psychological framework. According to capitalism, the metrics for happiness (among others) are freedom and economic success – all heavily focussed around the singular individual. 

Yet, the fact modernised capitalist countries a) still have high levels of inequality and b) suffer from unhappiness and mental health problems, suggests the underlying narrative of capitalism is a lie. Obviously, a large group suffer from inequality but even those who have succeeded within the ideology – the wealthy and privileged – struggle with personal relationships and suffer from stress and anxiety. These two phenomena aren’t separate – they’re caustic. Several psychology papers have posited that capitalist values have directly contributed to a decline in social well-being and an increase in psychopathology throughout the western world. 

Clearly, the projected version of capitalism is different from reality. The lie of capitalism and happiness is twofold. Firstly, it is that in our developed society, anyone can succeed through capitalism. The second is that once the capitalist conception of ‘success’ is attained (i.e. being able to fulfill most material wants), one will be happy and fulfilled. 

The first lie arose because the politicians who championed capitalism and the media moguls who disseminated their messaging, were and continue to be in positions of privilege and ignorance. Capitalism had clearly worked for them and in a classic ‘egocentric bias’ moment, they assumed it would for everyone else. 

Similarly, the unrealistic expectations put onto current youth, may have been far more achievable for their grandparents. Old narratives were for an older generation: a car by 20, owning a house by 25, nuclear family by 30 and retirement by 60. However, these norms haven’t stood the test of time and changing economic and cultural landscapes have shifted the goalposts. Amidst supply chain issues and recessionary concerns as well as failing democratic representation and global warming, the capitalist dream has become outdated, stagnant and profoundly false. The increasing difficulty of meeting these arbitrary milestones and achieving societal constructs of ‘success’ and ‘happiness’ are another cause of youth mental health struggle.

The second lie assumes that the criteria for happiness which capitalism offers is not only legitimate but universally encompassing. Arguably, it is neither. 

Firstly, any metric that attempts to standardise happiness and make its attainment procedural is profoundly silly. This is because everyone finds happiness through different avenues and although some may find it in the corporate world and earning 6 figures in reward, others find it constraining, stressful and deeply unfulfilling.

The consequences are devastating. When an individual feels unhappy, and the world insists they should be feeling the opposite (perhaps because they are affluent), society is denying and delegitimising their unhappiness rather than giving them support to combat it. Not only is it ignoring their problems – it alienates these individuals and makes them feel guilty and embarrassed for being unhappy whilst in a position of privilege (in the capitalist definition). 

According to Gilbert (2006), this has a very real impact on mental health, with low social support, intense individual competitiveness and increased social failure increasing one’s susceptibility to depression.  

Secondly, wealth isn’t a perfect metric for happiness and pretending it is, has harmful impacts. A 2010 study by Princeton researchers found that happiness leveled off when annual incomes reached $90,000. Another study (Killingsworth 2021) found that differences in income account for a small percentage of overall variation in happiness – consistent with the law of diminishing marginal utility of wealth. Further research by the University of Sydney (2021) reveals that health, religion and familial social connections are important contributors to happiness that are unrelated to material wealth. 

The banality and vapidity of consumerism is not groundbreaking. Films like Fight Club and Parasite are cultural and filmic masterpieces for the reason they speak to the inadequacy of consumerism and critique the ultra-competitive, capitalist hierarchy that fails those most in need. 

Although most people understand the flaws of capitalism, many don’t see the inherent trade-off it presents as it exists in tension with other social and collective considerations. In order to chase the dollar or shop for the next fashion item, the capitalist narrative neglects our emotional needs and incurs the opportunity cost of our attention being spent away from things like family and community. It is a zero-sum game – corporations lure us into social media addictions or mindless consumerism and make it so that many of us would rather scroll through reels rather than converse at the dinner table. 

Twenge wrote: “A rise in psychopathology among young adults has been attributed to a shifting cultural emphasis away from intrinsic goals, e.g. social relationships, community, and competence, to extrinsic goals, like money, status, and appearance” (2010).

These extrinsic goals are the hallmarks of capitalist ideology – they’re positively embraced and promised as part of the ‘American Dream’. Not only are these extrinsic goals definitionally hierarchical and exclusionary (the concept of being rich necessitates poor people to exist as a point of comparison) but there’s an inherent shallowness and inadequacy to them. 

Furthermore, success and happiness under capitalism are often framed as individual endeavors – a competition to beat others, working late nights to get a promotion, working hard to earn money for oneself to buy the new iPhone. The individualistic and zero-sum nature of capitalism remains at odds with social and collective responsibilities to our fellow citizens, to cultural communities or to family. 

When there’s a correlation between student anxiety and low social connectedness (Twenge 2000), collective institutions that bring people together may be the missing piece in current Western social environments. For many, these institutions have provided their lives with purpose, offered stability and insulated them against the worst of mental illness. 

However, the disenfranchised may detect the deceptiveness of two-faced educational and social institutions that espouse tone-deaf platitudes. Collective structures can be coercive and destroy the individual psyche by ignoring and homogenising it, with broad sweeps of its uncaring agenda.

However, in ‘Catcher in the Rye’, Holden’s rejection of society doesn’t bring him cathartic relief. Rather, he’s in a Catch-22, whereby institutions fail to provide his ‘raison d’être’ but without them he struggles to create and find meaning himself. Above his existential crisis, readers get a sense of his profound loneliness; his attempts to connect with strangers and old acquaintances are either foiled by self-sabotage or tainted by perverted betrayals and the vapidity of post-War New York.

The positive feedback loop of loneliness and social despair in the absence or corruption of communal structures is exacerbated by technology. Paradoxically, our world is the most connected it has ever been, yet internet use has been correlated with greater feelings of loneliness and depressive symptoms due to less family communication, smaller social circles, and lower self-esteem according to Kraut (1998).

Schwartz (2000) also offers an un-intuitive analysis of the freedom capitalistic societies afford the individual. The high degree of self-determination may be a double-edged sword – freedom is certainly laudable but excessive choice may affect depression rates by causing paralytic indecision, greater expectations, stress, and eventual dissatisfaction, blame, and regret.

However, the greatest tragedy is that the lie of equality and the lie of capitalism contradict each other – it’s impossible for both to simultaneously exist as truths. When society defines success as being the best, there’s an inevitable group of people who – by definition – cannot be the best and are condemned to unhappiness and angst. Capitalism necessarily exists within a hierarchy of wealth and sorts people based on their productive economic value. It encourages and relies on people using their arbitrary leverage to outcompete others. 

In one breath, society tells us we are all equal but in the next, it says true happiness is found by rising up the hierarchy and being richer than the person next to you. In the face of these two incredibly coercive but incongruent narratives, people would have no alternative but to feel confused, powerless and mentally fatigued. 

Dyson Sphere

A Beginners Guide to Stellar Engineering 

L. F. Findlay 

The history of humanity is written in terms of the energy output of the civilization. We started with our own bodies, using muscles to carry objects around, and to kill other animals. We then discovered the wonderful ability of fire, using it to cook the food we eat. Then we discovered fossil fuels, allowing us to properly harness the energy buried inside of the planet’s crust. We are currently transitioning to renewable sources of energy, and if we are lucky, soon able to harness nuclear fusion to power our civilization. As we expand throughout the solar system, we will require an immense amount of energy to power our colonies over the system. An issue soon arises, how do we power our civilization? Our current energy sources won’t be reliable enough to ensure sustainability over centuries in space. 

In 1960, world renowned physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson, published ‘Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infra-Red Radiation’ in the Science Magazine, the concept of how advanced civilizations would have met their energy requirements. Freeman proposed the idea of a megastructure encompassing the civilizations home star, an appropriately named Dyson sphere would meet the energy requirements of a technologically advanced civilization by harnessing the star’s energy. He stated that we could look for larger amounts of infra-red radiation around stars to locate other space faring civilizations. At the time of writing this, we haven’t located one. However, many have proposed the idea of Dyson spheres to power our species in the future. Freeman was inspired by Olaf Stapledon’s 1937 science fiction novel, Star Maker, in which a Dyson sphere is alluded to in one line, ‘Every solar system surrounded by a gauze of light traps, which focused the escaping solar energy for intelligent use’. 

The original concept of a Dyson sphere involved a large array of satellites or mirrors orbiting the sun, harnessing its energy to power our civilization. Freeman stated that a rigid structure would be unfeasible as it would be prone to shattering and would be susceptible to drift, potentially crashing into the sun. The potential power output of a Dyson sphere is estimated to be 360 yotta watts (3.6×10²⁶ watts). A yotta is the third largest prefix in the metric system, so if you hadn’t heard it before, you have a good reason. 

The most viable design for a Dyson sphere is a Dyson swarm, a large collection of swarm solar mirrors in orbit around the sun, beaming energy into massive solar collectors. To construct one of these structures, we need a strong foothold in the solar system, and the required resources. The correct infrastructure will come with time but will mostly involve an army of robots to safely construct the sphere. Oxford University physicist Stuart Armstrong states that the process is easy in theory, however, it will take an immense amount of resources. Armstrong provides 5 simple steps to build a Dyson swarm; get energy, mine Mercury, get material into orbit, make solar collectors, and extract energy. The idea is to build the swarm in iterative steps, not all at once. We can use a small part of the swarm to power the rest of the construction. 

To acquire the resources for the construction we are going to have to mine a planet, most of the evidence points towards Mercury due to its proximity to the sun, and the mineral rich composition of the planet. We would use our robotic worker army to extract, refine, and construct the swarm satellites, no more than simple foil mirrors to reduce the risk of them shattering around the sun. To launch the satellites into the sun, we wouldn’t use conventional rockets due to the cost of individual launches even when they are fully reusable. Instead, we would use a rail gun on Mercury to fire the satellites into solar orbit. Once we have operational satellites in orbit of the sun, we reflect the sun’s rays into giant solar collectors about a kilometre large, and convert the light into power, and use the power to power our space endeavours and continue construction of the swarm. If one mirror can collect the energy to construct another individual mirror, we can use the power of exponential growth to continue construction of the swarm. If it takes one month to construct a kilometre of mirrors, we can get the construction done in about 60 doubling times, which will take about a decade to complete. 

With the construction of such a structure, we now have access to enough energy to truly make an impact on a galactic scale. If a civilization with a strong presence in space wants to construct such a structure, it would be like our ancestors moving from muscle power to fire, not difficult, just a very long process. The power this provides, we would now be able to mould the solar system to our will. We could terraform all the terrestrial planets and in the solar system, build monuments to honour those of us who we most admire, build even more megastructures, upload our minds to the cloud, or achieve interstellar travel.  

Senior SLS – Years 11 and 12

J. A. Krawchuk 

Captain of SLS

After many Saturday sessions of hard work, training for the carnivals, Mr Bird decided to treat the Seniors with free time on the boards. There was much jubilation amongst the boys as from the balcony of the brand-new clubhouse they could see that the Long Reef Bombie was in fact firing. A mad scramble for the best boards soon followed as the lads were keen to paddle out to the surf. Many good waves were caught, and a few boards were lost. Special mention to Spencer Nelson who was absolutely charging and caught the wave of the day.

The clock struck 11:00 and it was time for the Patrols to switch over. Patrol 3 who had watched the boys at the bombie in jealousy all morning finally got a turn as Patrol 4 hopped on the afternoon shift. After many more good waves and lost boards later, inevitably, the time had come for the boys to return to Shore for a swim event.

The following results were recorded:

1st Ollie Hurt and Jasper Krawchuk

3rd Angus Brewer

4th Lachie Walter

5th Ben Anderson

6th Rory Cope

Shore Tennis: Week 5 vs Riverview

S. J. Wensley 

Captain of Tennis

Firsts:

It was a successful, albeit hectic day, for Shore Firsts against Riverview. Shore is ranked higher on the ladder than Riverview this season and came in confident. A strong performance by Oliver Wilcox and Sam Wensley to win their doubles 6-0 6-0 is to be commended, helping Shore to a close 2-1 lead after the doubles. Riverview did all they could to fight back. Many of their team members and supporters were yelling comments to the Shore tennis players during their singles matches, trying to unnerve them. Nonetheless, the Shore team remained even headed and refused to retaliate back. After the first four singles matches were completed, Shore was up a convincing 6-1. The Riverview players slowly lost hope as wins became more convincing. Felix Harrop’s calm and dominant game won him the first set 6-0 and caused his opponent to lose this temper and be defaulted. Ultimately, Shore finished the day winning 8-1, a testament to their fine Shore-like behavior and assertiveness to not retaliate to Riverview.

Seconds:

Under 15s

It was a great day for the 15s on Saturday. The Ds only dropped 7 games out of 43 winning all their matches. Special mention to the following players who won 6-0 in their singles, A. Xu, A. Jones, C. Lo, J. Lin & J, Pan. Overall, the 15s had an undefeated day and displayed excellent sportsmanship as well.

Under 13s

From a wet court in the morning to humid and hot midday finish the Under 13s had one of their best performances of the year. They came through with a 18-6 win against Riverview. The Bs and Ds did well, both coming away 6-0 each after some excellent doubles and singles. D. Wallwork and T. Hazell had terrific doubles with strategic coordination and well placed shots earning them a straight set win.

Shore Tennis Results Win/Loss in rubbers (matches)

Shore Tennis ResultsWin/Loss in rubbers (matches)
Age Group	U13s	U14s	U15s	U16s	Opens	2nds	1sts
Week 5 results (W/L)	18-6	12-12	24-0	22-2		9-0	8-1

Picture: 2nds at Northbridge