Cadets, Co-Curricular and Citizenship

 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave

(1 Corinthians 9: 26-27)

Dear Students, Parents and Carers

In 33 years of being a Headmaster across five schools I have seen tens of thousands of students make the journey from children towards adulthood. Sadly, some of these young people have been adrift in life with no clear anchors, no discernible purpose and no apparent hope. They have been at war with society, with the adult world and with themselves. At its most extreme this has led to vandalism and other anti-social behaviour, substance abuse, teenage pregnancies and even gaol.

I am delighted to say what I see at Shore is very different from this. I see young people who are mostly confident in who they are, expressed in self respect and respect for others and sufficient self confidence to embrace life’s challenges, mostly with equanimity. This is no doubt the result of excellent parenting, with good nuclear and extended families, but experience tells me school has a part to play in that as well. Increasingly, research is saying the successful development of young people to fully functional adulthood requires significant other adult mentors, in addition to the role of the parents. Anyone with teenage children knows that sometimes these children set at naught the advice of the parent as a matter of course! Parental allies are rather useful.

Teachers and coaches are often these very mentors. They do spend a lot of time with young people and often are the subjects of respect, even admiration, rapport and emulation. Teachers are familiar with the important role of being in loco parentis, that is standing in as parent figures while the actual parents are off the scene, earning the money to pay the school fees! This is part of pastoral engagement of the school with its students.

Over the last week, I have experienced a range of these significant points of contact between students on one hand and teachers and coaches on the other: our splendid Musical, a bevy of sports dinners – rowing, basketball and cricket; sporting matches – basketball, cricket, swimming, tennis and water polo, and a Cadet dinner, followed by a Cadet parade. Sporting matches so often saw Shore come back from the brink of defeat to win the game, or Shore students, through determination and committed effort outscoring their opponents. Similarly, our current Musical has required agility to shift to an outdoor mode. What students learn from this is to subsume their own identities in a cause greater than themselves; the value of team and support of team members; perseverance despite the odds; resilience amidst hardship and grace and dignity, whether winning or losing. Shore’s barracking, like the play on the field itself, has been highly enthusiastic but also appropriate. I have witnessed an abundance of self discipline, so important by adulthood, and respect for players and coaches and teaching staff. At the Cadet functions I saw excellent discipline, ability to abide by structures, traditions, protocols and rules, and what I liked most of all, an easy and natural rapport between the Wenona girls and Shore boys in the Unit. These are wonderful formative experiences for young people, as indeed all of our co-curricular and sporting activities are part of our character building program, Building Good Men. We see this through our Christian prism.

²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave (1 Corinthians 9: 26-27).

This is reminiscent of what Sir Donald Bradman said, at first instance surprisingly, when asked to describe cricket: ‘Cricket is a game played in the mind.’

Mastery of self, as the Apostle Paul indicates, is an essential prerequisite of most successful activity. Our program provides ample avenues for boys to flourish, and acceptable ways for them to burn off energy and channel the aggression which is part of the hormonal development of teenage years. It enables them to develop control of self by channelling emotions in ways which are constructive, not destructive. These life development processes are a direct outcome of the activities, which, while enjoyable and worthwhile in themselves, have a larger purpose and value. Part of this is to develop a tremendous sense of belonging within the wonderful cultural and familial entity which is Shore.

The Apostle Paul of course had spiritual disciplines in mind in his letter to the Corinthians quoted above. We hope that our Christian Education program, which is part of our character building, enables our students to think through world views as they appropriate the messages in Chapel, in Christian Studies classes and elsewhere in the school. We hope the whole program will equip them to stand against life’s inevitable buffeting.

We should greatly value the multiplicity of opportunities provided for our boys. To say the least, they are very wholesome and formative. Research suggests that students who invest deeply in the total program of the school actually do better academically than those who fail to do so. At first glance this is counter-intuitive, as one would think co-curricular and sporting activities take students away from their studies. What the research suggests is that students who commit deeply to the co-curricular program at their school gain a huge sense of identity and commitment which spills over into all their school activities, which includes their studies. Of course there is limit to this in terms of how much can be accommodated, as each day has only 24 hours. It would appear that some of the discipline learnt on the sporting fields, on the stage, in bands, orchestras, choirs and ensembles carries over into studies and the rest of life itself.

The Shore ‘glue’ of all of these activities certainly appears to hold teenagers together in a way which produces fine men. The manner in which our boys are both confident and respectful is in my experience strikingly unusual and indicates something here, here meaning Shore in all its activities and manifestations, as well as in families, is very good indeed and to be celebrated!

Dr J Collier
Headmaster

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

Boots for Kokoda Kids

Please donate your old Rugby and football boots to the Kids of PNG.

Place your boots in the boxes labelled in various locations around the Senior School Campus.

Foundation Breakfast Speaker Series with Piper Duck

The Shore Foundation Community Breakfast Series in 2023 was kicked off to a great start with a special guest speaker, Piper Duck, Australian Rugby Union player. 

Over 50 boys from Prep to Year 12 and their parents attended the breakfast at Graythwaite, including seasoned and aspiring rugby players, to hear Piper talk about her rugby journey starting at school, to making her international debut for the Wallaroos against Fiji, and now playing for the Waratahs in the Super W competition. 

Piper was inspiring and engaging, with the boys eager to know how much she could bench press!  The importance of leading by serving others, no matter your title or position and being mentally and physically prepared for everything you do were just some points of discussion between Piper and the engaged audience.  Piper also talked about her teammates as her family – something which inspires her to do her best every time she plays a game. 

Last year the Foundation hosted its first Breakfast Speaker Seminar, with Chris Reason (Journalist) as the guest speaker. These informal breakfasts are a great way to connect and engage with different aspects of the school and our community.  

We hope to see you at the next one in Term 2 – watch out for your email invitation next term.  

Mr D Mason-Jones
Executive Director, Shore Foundation

More photos can be viewed via Lampada.   

COVID-19 Update

We are fortunate that COVID-19 case numbers, both at Shore and more broadly in New South Wales, remain relatively low. However, we need to continue to take care to protect our community, especially as we approach the winter cold/flu season. 
 
In managing risks associated with COVID-19, Shore continues to follow NSW Department of Health Guidelines. Up-to-date information is available at: http://bit.ly/3TFkBu6

A reminder that under current NSW Department of Health Guidelines, following a positive COVID-19 test result:

1. Students and staff should stay home until acute symptoms have gone, being able to return to School once they have passed. 

Other New South Health recommendations include: 

1. Staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations and considering an influenza vaccination. 

2. Staying home if you have cold or flu symptoms and getting tested for COVID-19. 

3. Wearing a mask in crowded, indoor places. 

4. Staying a safe distance from people. 

5. Washing or sanitising hands. 

6. Covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing and sneezing, or using your elbow.  

We will regularly remind students and staff of these measures and would appreciate it if you could follow these recommendations and remind your sons of them. 

Thank you for your ongoing support. 

Dr A Mansfield 
Deputy Head Operations 

Chapel Notices

Chaplains Chat

I am sure we can often reflect on major events in our lives that have profound and deep implications on us as a result. It might be a medical diagnosis that involves a great change in lifestyle or a fractured relationship that seemingly changes everything. Perhaps it was an unexpected conversation with someone that changed the direction of our working lives. A former Shore Senior Prefect told our Year 11 boys on Step Up Camp one year that a Year 9 video, at School was the catalyst for him later working with First Nations people after he had left school.  

We have been looking through the book of Acts this term in Chapel. Last week we saw Saul on the road to Damascus. Jesus appeared to Saul, and as a result, instead of continuing to persecute Christians, Saul became one of the dominant figures in the spread of Christianity. It is fair to say that this was a major event in his life! Anna Hogg, in her writing entitled The Relevance of a Christian Philosophy of Education describes how the life, death and resurrection of Jesus ‘has implications for the value of man, for the change to be effected in him is something which only God could do, and which, moreover, He was willing to do.’ The wonderful news of Jesus is for all people, regardless of our background, and it reminds us of the great change God can bring about in our lives as we seek to follow him.  

Rev A Benn
Chaplain 

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 a 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 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-served basis.

A list of all available workshops will be available through Lampada from Friday 18 March. Please note that 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 to 2022, contributed well to their success during the HSC examinations.

Mr I M Middleton
Assistant Director of Studies

Update on Shore School Harmony Week Celebrations for 2023

This year Shore School will be celebrating Harmony Week in Term 2 Week 3. This decision was made earlier this term to avoid a clash with other school events this week including NAPLAN, the School Musical and Head of The River boat race.

Several terrific events have been organised to take place during the week, including tutorial activities led by the House Captains to share our different cultural backgrounds, multilingual readings and hymns in Chapel, student guest speakers in assembly from Holroyd High School, and food vans for students to sample Gozleme, Volkhurst Sausages and Pizzas. Thank you to Janet Tierney and Lynette Richie for their ongoing work to lead and organise these events.

Harmony Week is an important celebration that recognises the diversity of Australia and brings people from all different backgrounds together. It is a time to promote inclusiveness, respect, and a sense of belonging for everyone. By celebrating Harmony Week, Shore School hopes to embrace the rich cultural diversity that is present within its community.

During Harmony Week, the school will be organising a range of activities and events to celebrate the many different backgrounds and cultures represented at Shore. These activities will aim to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity and further promote inclusivity and acceptance within the school community.

In addition to the celebrations, please follow the link below to see a School TV Special Report about Harmony Week. This report provides helpful resources and links for students, parents, and staff to learn more about the day and its significance. The report covers topics such as the importance of celebrating diversity, the history of Harmony Week, and ways to get involved in the celebrations.

The school is looking forward to celebrating Harmony Week next term and hopes that the celebrations will help to strengthen the sense of community and inclusivity within Shore School.

SPECIAL REPORT: Celebrating Harmony Week | SHORE

Mr D Champion
Acting Deputy Head Pastoral Care

Cadet Ceremonial Parade 2023

On Friday, 17 March 2023, the Shore Cadet Unit (SCU) together with Wenona, held the Annual Ceremonial Parade on the Shore School Oval at North Sydney with participating cadets from Years 10 to 12. The evening before, the SCU had celebrated the achievements of the Year 12 cadets with a Dining-In Night, generously hosted by Wenona. These two events mark the conclusion of the 2022-2023 Cadet year.

The parade was led by Regimental Headquarters Team SUO Sophie Moore, 2IC Dominik Mautner, ADJT Penny MacGill, RSM Tom Hebblewhite, TRGO Alex Gilchrist, and OPSO Caleb Atkinson. The Flag Party under CUO Axel Bailey added a unique and splendid flair to the parade. Also, the Company Commanders and their companies are to be congratulated for such a laudable performance under challenging conditions. It was a sweltering summer afternoon and with the oval in the full sun, posing a considerable strain on everyone. The senior leadership team have been guided and coached by Commanding Officer Major (AAC) Chris Oxley, who tirelessly supported the Unit throughout the year. Well over 600 cadets marched out onto the oval, the largest number in the history of the SCU, and delivered a perfectly timed and executed parade. They were accompanied by the beat of the SCU Band under Drum Major, CUO Justin Gao.

We thank the Reviewing Officer for this year, Brigadier Malcolm Wells DSC AM, Chief of Staff – Forces Command, for attending the Unit’s parade and delivering such an inspirational speech. A heartfelt thank you also to the Headmaster of Shore, Dr Collier, and the Principal of Wenona, Dr Scott, for their support throughout the year. This year marks the 115th year of the SCU, with its extensive cadet history since 1908. Friday’s parade was another impressive testament to the SCU’s rich traditions and the strength and excellence it provides for the generations to come.

CUO Dominik Mautner, 2IC

2023 Musical – Singin’ in the Rain

Tickets are now on sale!

Tickets are selling fast for the 2023 Shore Senior School Musical, Singin’ in the Rain. It is a wonderful show for the whole family, and the original 1952 film won numerous awards. It offers a light-hearted depiction of Hollywood in the late 1920s, with the three stars portraying performers caught up in the transition from silent films to ‘talkies’.

The Musicals at Shore are always a highlight to start the year, and this year will provide a unique experience for the community, being our first outdoor Musical. Under a setting twilight sun, each performance will truly be an event not to be missed! 

With over 60 in the cast, in addition to orchestra and crew, the students and staff have been working tirelessly this term and warmly invite you to attend one of seven performances from 23 March to 1 April. 

Tickets are selling fast and can be purchased via Trybooking.

I look forward to seeing you at one of the shows! 

Dr L Gilmour
Deputy Head Co-Curricular

Senior Athletics Carnival

Monday 27 March sees the Annual School Athletics Carnival at Homebush.  This is one of the highlights of the school calendar and allows all boys in the school the opportunity to compete in any number of track and field events during the carnival. Participation and enjoyment are seen as paramount for the day.  

The Championship races on the track for Years 7-10 are based on the Athletics Trial performances from earlier in Term I. For boys in Years 11 and 12, the Championship races are based on the previous year’s performances. However, for boys running in division races, their times are compared to the results in the Championship races, and therefore they can still receive Championship points for their performances. The track events on the day include the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, Hurdles and House 6 x 100m Relay (with the 1500m races contested before the carnival), while the field events involve the High Jump, Long Jump and Shot Put. The boys simply need to turn up to the marshalling area on the carnival day to compete in their chosen events. We look forward to an exciting and enjoyable carnival day next week.  

Programme of Events

Rev A Benn
MIC Athletics

126th Head of the River Regatta

GOOD LUCK TO ALL ROWERS AND COACHES  

from all boys and staff at Shore! 

Mr M J Ticehurst
Sportsmaster

Basketball Report

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

Player of the Week: Angus Baker is an easy choice here – not only did his 13 points make him the top scorer for the 6ths, but the last two were free throws with six seconds left to secure a one point win.  Cold-blooded!  

Team of the Week: I’m going to depart from tradition here and give team of the week to the coaching team, who’ve worked hard all season to support the boys and created some really special memories along the way.

Mr G Davis
MIC Basketball

Cricket Report

Round 14 First XI Match Report v Sydney Boys High School (SBHS)

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

Round 14 Second XI Match Report v Sydney Boys High School (SBHS)

Saturday 18 March played at the War Memorial Playing Fields, A Ground, Northbridge.

Shore 10/223 defeated SBHS 9/139 (Oscar Everett 28 (52), 31 (37), Jack Robson 35 (42), Jack Mott 30 (35), Chris Lovell 2/22 (6.0), Toby Ogg 2/30 (10.0), Ben Powell 3/33 (10.0), William Johnston 2/10 (4.0)).

Coming into the final Round of the season, Shore Second XI were sitting in equal second place with Joeys’ Second XI with Kings’ too far ahead to chase down for the Premiership. However, we wanted to finish the season in outright second place. This meant we had to defeat SBHS (ideally with the bonus points) with Joeys needing to lose to Kings, and Scots either had to lose or win without the bonus points. A lot at stake, but we could only control our match, so we needed to stay focused on the process that got us to this position. With an injury in the First XI, Matt Melville deservedly got the call-up and we brought in Third XI captain and Year 12 student, William Johnston. Johnston loves his Cricket and we were all thrilled to present his cap to him at the commencement of the days play on Saturday. Billy Kwan lost the toss and we were sent into bat, which we were excited about. With this being the final game ever for the Year 12 students, we made some slight changes to allow all the Year 12 students to bat up the order. Our top three remained the same with Oscar Everett 28 (52) and William Kowalski 15 (25), once again, getting us off to a flyer with a 48 run opening stand in under ten overs. We then went into the first drinks break at 2-88 looking to possibly post well over 230. Angus Molchanoff 31 (37) and Jack Robson 35 (42), coming in at number four, continued the momentum. This was well supported by Billy Kwan 12 (12) and Jack Mott 30 (35) to go into the final session at 4-160. Although we still managed to set a very high score of 223, we felt we left a lot out there as we lost all our wickets in the 46^th over. Johnston batted very well at the end scoring 13 (25) who put on a tenth wicket partnership of 16 runs with Fraser Pandit coming in at number 11. Our goal now was to bowl them out for under 112, which we felt capable of doing.

Jack Mott 0/30 (8.0) opened with Chris Lovell 2/22 (6.0) who bowled well and had them 2/31, thanks to a classic catch from Johnston diving to his left at mid-on. We then had our spinners of Toby Ogg 2/30 (10.0), Robson 0/10 (10.0 with give maidens) and Ben Powell 3/33 (10.0), come on and do their expected role of bowling tight, giving nothing away and making the batters play a false shot. Wickets fell at regular intervals, but SBHS were fighting hard and creeping closer to the adjusted target score. We had them at 8/101, meaning we needed two wickets for ten runs. Credit to SBHS, they hung in there and batted very well. Their final wicket stand of 21 runs off 95 balls allowed them to see out the 50 overs and prevented us from getting the bonus points. We also managed to give Kowalski the opportunity to bowl the final over of the match, which was his first over of the season.

The boys came off the field excited about the win, but we were unsure of the results from the other schools. When we finally heard that Joeys had lost and Scots failed to get the bonus points, we were then able to celebrate knowing we officially finished outright second. It is an amazing turnaround, considering we were sitting in fifth spot after eight rounds. We came home to win the final six rounds, with three of them coming with bonus points victories.

The boys worked hard throughout the season and thoroughly deserved to be sitting in second place. I would like to thank all the boys, parents and MIC Mr O’Kane for such an enjoyable season. I especially would like to thank my assistant coach, Harry Davis-Rice for his amazing support and friendship.

Mr G S Tesoriero
Second XI Coach

Third XI: While the rest of the Shore cricketing community was able to feast on the perennially weak SBHS, the Thirds were tasked with taking on the stronger of Kings two undefeated teams at this level.  And to travel out to Parramatta for the privilege of doing so. On a hot day, Kings won the toss and elected to bat and Shore bravely took the field much like the Light Horse at The Nek, all suspecting their undoubted fate and many of them probably envious of Elliot Perkins, who was running late after his bus was involved in a minor altercation with a truck. Our bowlers were on song early, bowling some excellent line and length. But a severe case of the dropsies had infected the team. No fewer than ten catches were grassed, most of them straightforward. Not surprisingly, Kings scored a motza. At one stage, we looked like containing them to a realistic target before their #5, who looked like he had been poached from the All Blacks second row, helped himself to a 20-ball 50 before needing to go off to refuel from an unfortunate nearby cow. And so, to what would be the final innings in their Shore cricketing career for some of the line-up. Digging in for the duration was the intent but it is not easy when almost every ball is fast, accurate, swinging into the stumps and cutting off the pitch. The right-hand side of the score struggled to keep up with the left for the opening spell. Sundries and a few judicious edges to the third-man boundary came to the rescue and we snuck past the score we had tallied against the Kings’ Thirds “B” team, our previous nadir for the season. As such, we denied the opposition mess hall bragging rights, making the day a minorly successful one in our eyes. It has not been a happy season for the Third XI. With the lack of depth in Shore opens cricket, they were always up against more talented opposition. But the boys always trained with intent and played with good humour, even when faced with what they knew was an insurmountable task.

Mr RJ Ward
Third XI Coach

Fourth XI: It was with mixed emotions that The Toadies arrived at Northbridge to defend ‘The Bridge’ for the final time as a team. Eager to get the win but also aware that it was very much the end of an era. Winning the toss, our fearless skipper Jack McRae chose to bat. After the worst possible start, Tom Santow was sent back into the pavilion after three balls without troubling the scorers. Fortunately, the innings soon took a turn for the better with Sam Andrew (53*) and Samuel Lewarne-Dale (52*) both demonstrating their full skillset to hit the High bowlers to all corners of the park.

With both batsmen retiring within short time, it was up to the middle order to keep the score ticking along, and while there were no big scores, they were able to move our total along to a very strong 156 after the 20 overs. Knowing this was their final opportunity to don the Shore whites, The Toadies went out into the field full of energy and chatter. Cal Forster opened up from one end with his raw pace, while a surprise was thrown in the other end with Finn Baxter (2/20) opening up with offies at the other end. Runs were being scored at a good rate, but Shore was able to take wickets often enough to never let a big High partnership get going. Nonetheless, it was still coming down to the wire in the final overs. Lewarne-Dale bowled a great set to finish with 3/19, but with six overs still to be bowled, it was anyone’s game. Enter unsung hero and hugely underrated leg spin bowler Eoghan Killick (2/28), who was able to send down more than a few that would’ve made Warnie proud! With Killick putting an end to some of the strong SBHS resistance, it was fitting that The Toadies captain for 2022/23, Jack McRae was able to bowl the final over and restrict SBHS to eight runs, ensuring one Shore’s greatest ever cricket sides finished the season with a win. A huge thank you to the plethora of boys who showed up over the course of the season. It was tremendous to see every player grow in ability and respect for the game, and I wish every Toadie the very best of luck as their cricketing careers no doubt continue to head onwards and upwards in the years ahead.

Mr N A Trumbull
Fourth XI Coach

16A: The 16As lost the toss against SBHS and were sent into bowl. The Shore opening bowlers had to adapt quickly to the synthetic pitch as they were both slipping at the crease, meaning they had to adjust their run-up. Shore maintained constant pressure on SBHS as they struggled to form any partnerships. Everyone in the team got a bowl and the wickets were shared by everyone. Shore managed to bowl out SBHS in the 27th over for 113 runs. From the outset, the Shore opening batters batted with confidence and kept the scoreboard ticking over. Will Scott-Mackenzie (40) and Neo Pressley (38*) formed a solid partnership to put Shore in a commanding position. Josh Evans hit the winning runs in the 22nd, over which saw Shore claim a great win to end the season.

Alex Robinson
16A Coach

15A: Shore 15As showed up to Centennial Park hoping to get their sixth win in a row and finish off the season with a bang. Daniel Harvey won the toss and chose to bat first. Shore started slowly with SBHS opening bowlers hitting very good areas. An unfortunate run out resulted in the dismissal of Stian Constable. Noah Quayle and Harvey rolled the momentum into Shore’s favour with excellent patience and shot selection. With the slow outfield, the boys continued to rotate the strike and frustrate the opposition. Once Quayle was dismissed in the 18th over, Julian Harrison showed great intent to move the scoreboard along. He scored a well-made 24. In the end, Shore set SBHS a target of 145 for victory with Harvey to star with 63*. Harry Kowalski and Daniel Jonker opened the bowling and challenged SBHS from the get-go. The first wicket falling in the fourth over. Shore maintained control of the game and were ahead at half-time with SBHS 2/59. With the game in the balance, the boys went to another level in the field by taking three wickets in three overs. SBHS made a short burst at the end, but it was too little too late with Shore dismissing them for 106. Nick Yates had the best figures of the game, 3/16 but it was a great overall team effort. It has been a great season from the 15As with ten wins from 14 games, including six out of the last seven. Look forward to seeing these boys progress in their school cricket careers in the coming years.

Saskia Horley
15A Coach

15B: Shore won the toss and elected to bat on a hot Saturday afternoon. Though the top three batsmen lost their wickets early, the middle order and tail-enders combined to amass a good score of 136. Lachie Richards top scored with 21 runs; Joe Stephens contributed with 12, and Oscar Finlay and Olly Doy, batting at number eight and nine, scored 14 and 12 runs respectively. Shore then dismantled the SBHS batting order, bowling them all out for 57. Charlie Ryan took 2/10 and Henry Pritchard 3/9, but the figures of the day went to Joe Stephens, who ended up with 4/1 off four overs, including two wicket maidens in a row. Congratulations to the 15Bs for finishing the season with a good win.

Mr A N Mason-Jones
15B Coach

14A: The final game of the season was upon the 14A’s as they ventured over the bridge to Moore Park. As Shore was put into the field, SBHS got off to a conservative start. Some quality fielding from the Shore boys saw the first wicket come in the form of a run-out, with Cooper Glanville whipping the bails off. A partnership began to build with the next two batsmen, ticking the run rate over as it neared closer to drinks. Jack Campbell got the breakthrough with an excellent catch from Oscar Brown in the field. Shore continued to bowl well, and the wickets soon fell, Angus Brooks and Lachlan Boys picking up a wicket each in their first spell for the year. SBHS were all out for 90 at the end of the 30th over.
As they have all year, Thomas Hamilton and Lachlan Boys set a strong platform for the team’s run chase. Aidan Kurtis soon followed and looked to get the target before drinks. In the 16th over, the winning runs were scored as Shore finished the season on a high note.

Mr J Murphy
14A Coach

14B: A great win to end the season from the mighty 14Bs. Reversing the batting order, illness and injury made for a close and exciting game. A great partnership between Ryan Doherty and Tom Gocher proved to be the difference.

Mr MD Webster
14B Coach

14C: The boys were ready to bring home a win for our final game of the 22/23 season. Winning the toss, we elected to bat, eager to set the pace for the match. The innings started with a hiccup as our first three batsmen were dismissed early, but this led to a batting masterclass from Alistair Nieland, who smacked Newington bowlers all over “G” ground for an impressive 31*. Helping Neiland pile on the runs was Henry Johnston, who was showing off his newfound cover drive. By the end of the innings, Shore had a solid total of 113 runs. Newington began their innings with an incredible batting display from their opening pair, who reached 65 runs before drinks. With a batsman retired on 50*, Shore began to see the wickets fall and the run rate slow. Newington’s lower order couldn’t handle the lethal outswinger Oliver Dorney was serving up, taking three wickets for his efforts. Needing four runs to win off the final five balls, Newington didn’t have to lift a finger as Shore mis-fielded and watched the ball roll to the boundary, and it was game over.

Mr C D Burke
14C Coach

13A: Shore won the toss and elected to bowl on an astroturf wicket under hot, cloudless afternoon skies in Sydney. They bowled extremely well throughout, restricting the opposition to 57 runs, an outstanding display of accurate, pressure-building bowling. SBHS fell for five ducks in their innings, with Oscar Buckley snaring 3-3 from three overs; SBHS’ last eight wickets fell for 18 runs. Opening bowler, Sam Kierse was deadly, clean-bowling two in a row and just missing a hat-trick, finishing with 2-10. Shore bowled ten players, and only an early finish to SBHS’s innings prevented all 11 doing so. In addition, the fielding was magnificent, not a catch grassed while executing a brilliant runout in the process. It only took Shore 12.4 overs to chase down the target with the loss of only a single wicket, a ruthless and clinical performance with both bat and ball. Toby Smith’s 24 n.o. was highlighted by a magnificent six back over the bowler’s head, while Jack Courtenay was back in the runs with a well-compiled 18 n.o. It should be noted that every player in this extremely talented side secured wickets this season. There was a different MOTM in each of the six games, while Shore was only dismissed before the allocated overs twice. Shore dismissed their opposition for fewer than 100 runs in four of six games and won five from six in total, falling by 12 runs in their only, uncharacteristic, loss. They are an extremely talented team across the board, but most importantly, they are a humble, hard-working and generous-at-heart group of young men. They were a joy to coach and hold Shore’s future firmly and positively in their hands.

Mr B N Morris
13A Coach

13B: Well, what a way to finish the season! Up against SBHS at Northbridge for their last game at home, the Bs won the toss and elected to bat. The twins, Josh Cawood (28*) and Max Cawood (20) opened, and they were explosive with the bat in hand, scoring at over ten an over. Playing on the larger B Ground, they had to run hard and that they did, with Max Cawood hitting three 3s for his 20. Coming in at first drop, Xavier Simmonds showed a fine display hitting the ball to all parts of the ground before retiring for a classy 30*. At drinks, Shore were 1/101 after ten overs, and they just kept piling on the runs with some late cameos from Angus Edwards (20*) and Will Hadfield (21*). As he only faced a couple of overs, Archie Watson finished up on 7*, but impressively he has not been given out in any innings this season. Shore finished up on an imposing 175 scoring at over eight runs an over in their second T20 of the season. As it was a T20, the team opted to open with Zach France’s leg spin, and he immediately made an impact, finishing his two overs with figures of 2/1. Unfortunately, SBHS couldn’t offer much resistance with wickets being shared about before Simmonds (2/1 of three balls) and Max Cawood (3/3) finished them off. SBHS were all out for 25, meaning the 13Bs went undefeated throughout the season – what an achievement!

Mr H J Guest
13B Coach

13C: Shore took on the undefeated Kings School on Saturday in their final game of the season. Shore lost the toss and were sent into bat where Will Tomes and James McCowan got us off to a fantastic start scoring 27 and 25 respectfully. The tail came in with some useful runs which left Shore on 91 runs to finish the innings. Shore’s bowling got off to a brilliant start with Charlie McGuiness getting two wickets in the first over. More impressive bowling from Ryan Leckie helped Shore restrict Kings to 49 all out. This concluded a fine season for the Under 13Cs, having only lost one game all season.

Mr S Chapman
13C Coach

13D: Shore’s impressive performance in the sixth and final cricket match of the season against Kings resulted in a victory with nine wickets to spare. Winning the toss, Kings elected to bat first but struggled against Shore’s exceptional bowling. Owen King and Dash Vonwiller made a significant impact, taking two wickets for three runs and two for six, respectively. Kings were all out for 45 runs. Shore’s second innings chase started strongly, losing only one wicket before easily reaching the target. Sid Shoemark contributed an impressive 21 not out while King retired with 15 not out. This was a dominant display by Shore, who remained undefeated throughout the season. The boys’ skills in batting, bowling, and fielding improved significantly, resulting in a very successful season. In conclusion, Shore’s win against Kings was a great way to end the season, with King receiving the Player of the Match award for his two wickets and 15 not out.

Mr C R Tyson
13D Coach

13E: Spirits were high for the Shore team heading into the final game of the season, with this week being their first home game. After inspecting Northbridge’s characteristically well-curated pitches, Shore won the toss for the first time all season, and decided to bat. Openers Alexander Merrin and Nathan Klante got the Shore team off to a flying start, wasting no time to get the runs flowing, scoring 11 off the first over. They continued to knock the ball around G ground, eventually both retiring at drinks on 30* and 33* respectively. A partnership between Will Johnston, and Thomas Mann saw the runs continue through some aggressive running, challenging the Kings’ throwing ability. Before the innings ended with some power hitting from Richard Low, Harry Ross and Josh Nieland. Setting a season best score for the team of 4/121.

Kings’ chances of chasing Shore’s score was swiftly diminished as Ross ran out both openers and bowled a two wicket maiden, leaving Kings 4/21. Shore ensured wickets would continue to fall throughout the Kings’ innings, with tight bowling and fielding, as Merrin, Klante, Kaya Macpherson and Low all took wickets. Shore’s bowling has improved greatly over the season, which has seen far fewer extras, and allowed them to combine their skills to hold Kings to only 58 runs at the end of their innings, resulting in an emphatic victory for the Shore team to end the season on a high.

Tom Marshall and Nick Griffiths
13E Coaches

Player of the Week Nominations:

1. First XI – M Melville 2/12 from 10 overs

2. Second XI – William Johnston 13 runs, 2/10 (4.0) and 2 catches

3. Third XI – Riley Meale 1/11 and 8 runs

4. Fourth XI – Samuel Lewarne-Dale 52* and 3/19

5. 16A – Will Scott-Mackenzie 40

6. 15A – Daniel Harvey 63*

7. 15B – Joe Stephens 12 runs and 4/1 off 4 overs

8. 15C – BYE

9. 14A – Lachlan Boys 35

10. 14B – Ryan Doherty

11. 14C – Alistair Nieland 31*

12. 13A – Oscar Buckley 3/3

13. 13B – Xavier Simmonds 30* and 2/1, Max Cawood 20 and 3/3

14. 13C – Will Tomes 27

15. 13D – Owen King 15* and 2/3

16. 13E – Harry Ross 2/15, 8* and 2 runouts 

Player of the Week: Daniel Harvey 63* 

Swimming

GPS 5 Report

The Shore Swimming team has finished the GPS Swimming Season strongly with exceptional performances across the team. The Shore team knew what they had to do to solidify their placings in the various point scores, and they did just that with a true team performance in front of 3000 vocal spectators. Shore placed second in the Junior and Intermediate point scores, sixth in the Senior point score and third in the GPS Open Relay point score.

GPS 5 is a truly memorable experience swimmers. All AAGPS schools send a large number of students and parent spectators who create a spectacular atmosphere. Shore had strong support from a very well-behaved year 11 cohort. The Shore Swimmers responded to this support with personal best times falling across the night and valuable points being added to the progressive point scores.

In GPS 5, every event is point scoring and this really shows the depth of the School team. Shore showcased its depth across each age group with strong performances across division and championship events. Congratulations to the following boys who won the Championship 50m Breaststroke events (20 points), Archie Lawry and Ethan Cook. Shore placed well across several championships with the flowing boys placing second, Archie Lawry (2), Noah McLaren (2), Alexander Freischmidt, Ethan Ng, Will Bestic (2) and James Hoskins. Shore placed well across the night with many wins in the division events that add valuable points and great racing experience. The Shore relay teams raced well, with wins to the 15 years 4 X 50m Medley Relay, 13 years 4 X 50m Freestyle Relay and the 14 years 4 X 50m Freestyle Relay.

The Shore swimmers would like to thank everyone who has supported them over the GPS season with a special thanks to coach Thomas O’Keeffe who prepared the boys well throughout the season and brought the best out in the swimmers. It has been a fantastic year for Shore Swimming with many boys due to be selected to represent the AAGPS at the NSW CIS Championships on the first and second of May.

GPS Open Relay Final Points 2023

GPS Intermediate Division Final Points 2023

GPS Junior Division Final Points 2023

GPS Senior Premiership Final Points 2023

Mr J Somerville
MIC Swimming

Surfing Report

The surf was clean but a bit weak on Saturday morning as the Shore surfers set up just north of the lagoon. It didn’t take long for the crowds to arrive and the surfers had to work hard to get their waves.

Harry Murdoch-Tilmouth quickly got his wave count up with some nice rides in front of the lagoon.  Lachie Warner surfed strongly early, reading the backwash well to milk every inch of power out of the small waves. Will Hoy and Morgan Elvy were also impressive – managing to find the best waves amongst the crowd. Duncan Cowan and John Rajaratnam both got their fair share of the waves, with Cowan coming close to landing the big air he has been going for this term.

Overall the session was a good warm-up for the Shore surfing competition which takes place on the 1 April.

Mr J McClelland
MIC Surfing

Tennis Report

Shore Tennis: Week 7 vs SBHS

The School tennis season has come to an end, and it was an exciting and competitive one. After months of hard work and dedication, the teams have given their all, and the results are in. The season was filled with intense matches, surprising upsets, and moments of triumph.

The players have shown incredible skill, athleticism, and sportsmanship throughout the season. They have developed their techniques and strategies and worked tirelessly to improve their game. Their dedication to their sport has been truly inspiring. The coaches have also played an important role in the success of the season. They have worked closely with the players, providing guidance, encouragement, and expert advice. Their leadership has been instrumental in helping the teams achieve their goals.

Overall, the tennis season has been a great success. The players have grown both as individuals and as a team and have shown what can be achieved through hard work and dedication. We look forward to seeing what they will accomplish in the future, and wish them all the Year 12s the best in their future endeavours.

First and Seconds end of season dinner

Saturday evening, the first and second tennis teams along with their parents and coaches, gathered for a night of celebration. The event was held to commemorate the end of the tennis season and to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the players and coaches.

During the night, the first and second team captains, Sam Wensley and Matthew Hogg, respectively, gave speeches reflecting on their time in tennis and the highlights of the season. Both captains, who were in their final season, spoke about the lessons they learned and the friendships they made throughout their tennis journey.

The event was marked by a sense of camaraderie and community among the players, coaches, and parents. The coaches expressed their pride in the team’s performance and thanked the parents for their unwavering support.

The night was also an opportunity for everyone to come together and socialise outside of the tennis court. The atmosphere was lively, with everyone enjoying the delicious food and drinks on offer.

Overall, the tennis season dinner night was a great success, celebrating the first and seconds achievements and to say goodbye to the departing captains. It was a fitting end to a successful season, and everyone left feeling proud of what they had accomplished.

Seconds

The final home game and final match of the season motivated the seconds to finish off a strong season performance. The task of beating Sydney Boys High School (SBHS) was not one to be underestimated. Last time both teams met SBHS got a slight 5-4 win. However, this week was going to be different. The doubles performance gave Shore an early upper hand, winning two out of the three, wins from Matt Hogg/Jimmy Nicholas and Chris Mathur/Connor Fung. Shore was determined to keep the momentum of the doubles rolling into the singles. A strong start from Jimmy Nicholas’ singles (6-2 6-0) kept the momentum moving. Shore went on to win three out of the next five singles matches with convincing straight set wins from both Connor Fung and Chris Mathur to finish out with an overall 6-3 win against SBHS. Overall, a convincing end to a well fought season to finish a respectable fourth on the ladder (an improvement from previous years). Hopefully, the strength of Shore tennis can keep on building as it has in the past few years and can reach the final goal of a premiership coming home.

Under 15s

Over the weekend, the Under 15s tennis team played against different teams and showcased their skills and great sportsmanship. The players displayed impressive technique and determination throughout their matches. Notably, Shore’s C4 player, Hugo Mason-Jones, faced off against SBHS A4 player and emerged victorious. This win marked Hugo’s undefeated season in singles, highlighting his exceptional talent and hard work. Overall, the team’s strong performance and positive attitude on and off the court were commendable and a testament to their dedication to the sport.

Under 14s

The final match day of the season was one to remember, playing against SBHS has never been a difficult round of matches and it didn’t change on Saturday. All the boys put up an excellent fight, and we should all be proud of each other for the season played. A special thanks must also be given to our A’s player, James Warren, who had to endure playing two singles matches, even with the scorching heat. Overall, this season did not come without it’s ups and downs but we can all congratulate each other on a successful summer, and I look forward to seeing the boys next spring for a new season!

Mr J Straney
MIC Tennis

Holtermann Columns

The SVB Incident: The Second Biggest Bank Failure in US History

How a $212 Billion Bank Imploded Overnight

J. C. Lai

Founded in 1983, Silicon Valley Bank was the 16th largest American bank, managing US$209 billion in total assets at the end of 2022. It specialised in providing financing for start-ups and venture-backed firms within the tech and healthcare industry, including big-names such as Roku and Roblox.

The onset of the COVID pandemic saw a period of rapid growth for the bank, as a combination of higher corporate saving ratios and lower risk sentiment drove many firms to deposit more in banks. Between 2019 and 2021, SVB deposits tripled to US$189 billion, which saw their emergence from the 34th largest bank in America to within the top 20s. 

The excess cash generated from this sudden and rapid growth were mostly invested into long term US treasuries and government backed mortgage securities, with SVB’s securities portfolio rising about US 100 billion dollars between 2020-2022. Such securities are traditionally considered to be safe, if not the safest form of investment, as it is backed by the U.S. government, meaning that unless the government collapses or undergoes severe turmoil, the likelihood of the debt to be repaid is high.

Around the same time as when these bond purchases occurred, however, the American economy re-opened from the pandemic and a strong rebound of domestic demand, coupled with supply side shortages linked to supply chain disruptions from COVID and the Russian-Ukraine war, led to soaring inflation rates, rising from 1.2% in 2020 to a 9.1% peak in June 2022. This called for a contractionary monetary policy stance by the federal reserve in order to tame inflation, leading to a rise in the Federal Funds Rate from 0-0.25% in March 2020 to 4.5-4.75% today.

Rises in the Federal Funds Rate has an inverse effect on the value of bonds, as newly issued bonds pay higher amounts of interest compared to pre-existing ones, decreasing the demand and hence the market value of these older bonds. This usually does not pose a problem to major banks, since as long as bonds are held to maturity, the market value does not affect the book-value of the original investment which the government is subject to repay upon maturity.

However, an unanticipated USD 30 billion dollars fall in deposits from the collapse of the tech boom from November 2021 forced SVB to sell some of their bonds and take on the loss in order to fund these withdrawals. In a regulatory filing on March 8, 2023, SVB announced that it sold US 20 billion dollars of securities and took a loss of around US 1.8 billion dollars to mitigate the decline in deposits, and plans on selling US 2.25 billion dollars in new shares to raise capital.

This had two immediate impacts which led to the bank’s ultimate demise.

Following the regulatory filing, SVB investors fled the company and the share price crashed at the market opening. A business that was originally valued at US 44 billion dollars on the stock exchange 18 months earlier fell to below US 7 billion dollars, effectively destroying the company.

Furthermore, a bank run followed the stock sell-off, where start-ups and other tech companies withdrew their cash from SVB due to fears of the bank’s stability. Within one day, US 42 billion dollars were withdrawn in deposits, which amounts to around 1 million dollars a second. 

The following day marked the end of SVB, when regulators seized control of the bank. The FDIC announced that all deposits, including accounts which were uninsured (>US$250,000) would be covered, allowing customers to recover all funds and to prevent financial contagion to the economy.

Many have blamed the SVB’s failure to the Trump administration’s roll back of Obama’s 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, which ensured that major banks like SVB would face stricter regulations. The collapse of SVB reveals the persisting vulnerability of banks following the GFC, showing how further regulation is needed to protect the stability of banks and the money of its customers. 

Tennis

S. Wensley

The Firsts couldn’t have finished their 2022-2023 season any better. The boys were relaxed in the warmup, with confidence that they could beat Sydney Boys High. This came to fruition in the doubles, where all three matches were won convincingly. A special mention to Sam Wensley. After 6 years of playing in the 1sts tennis for Shore he finished his last doubles match with a 6-0 6-0 win. In the singles, results were similar. The boys proved more consistent than the Sydney Boys High team and hence won every set of every match. With this 9-0 victory, the Shore team finished third. The Shore 1sts teams haven’t paralleled a result this strong in 8 years. This season the team showed their true potential by beating both schools that finished above them (Newington and Joeys). It is further impressive that 5 of the 6 players in the team have come through the Shore prep school, and been developed as tennis players the whole way.

Constructing Style

What is Style?

J. Y. Gao

What is style? The global conversion to postmodernism in the past half century has made the term ever more elusive. Emphasis on subjectivity in interpretation and reception has increasingly stolen the creative power of the artist and bestowed it upon the audience. Thus, below, created in a fashion that may be overly enthusiastic and to the point, are two ways that allow you to find your own writing style – your own voice within the scrambling, chaotic cacophony of eager Set One students, poetic English teachers, and spontaneous Art teachers. 

1. Find what your passionate about (and know when to trigger your passion)

When was the last time you felt an emotion so intense that it made you shut off every other thought in your head? Were you laughing? Crying? Shouting? Punching the wall? Mentally describe this scene. Try recalling this whilst laying on your bed before you go to sleep. Often, the transitional moments between awake-ness and asleep-ness, a process where the external world slowly fades away, allows the natural self-editing of thoughts and emotions to die down. These self-editing mechanisms help you conform to the myriad of social conventions and expectations you experience during the day. Fortunately, these mechanisms control your emotions when they are inappropriate for the context, and are often experienced in the form of internal ‘voices’ that observe and discuss every thought that traverses your mind. During your twilight hours, when the cognitive processes of the brain start to slow, these voices dwindle down to one. One voice means less efficient, but more focused, computation of surrounding information. Netflix, books and Instagram reels easily engage the singular voice, and the external world becomes unnoticed. If you have tried completing Maths homework in the late hours of the night, you might have found that the questions were wrestled quickly, but with extraordinarily poor accuracy. Your focused attention – that singular voice – does not have the multiple inputs of the voices you experience during the day, which means crucial parts of the question, as well as important segments of working out, become completely ignored. 

Unlike your struggles with numeracy though, creative processes, especially that of writing, often benefit from the reduced ‘noise’. The normal issues with the crafting process, such as not knowing where to start, what to write, and how to write it are all byproducts of indecision between an array of choices swimming in your head. These choices interact through comparison, which results in evaluating certain options above or below others. All giving their personal opinions, these voices create a self-editing effect, and often prevents a singular flow of thought that can be materialised into writing efficiently. Conversely, the focused voice before bed does not. If you find the emotional trigger and extrapolate from it the things that you value most, that one voice will flow onto the page without stoppage, and will be riddled with emotive resonance and personal style. 

Ironically, these sentences are not being crafted with such ease. I’m not in bed, and it’s 8:50 in the morning. Situations like these, where you are required to creatively produce during class and time-stress environments, are frequent at Shore and require more than just a reliance on intuition and the natural flow of a tired (but passionate) internal voice. 

2. Note down your favourite words and phrases

At some point during your time on the internet, you might have come across comedians demonstrating their ability to slip into any accent they want, often for comedic effect. The demonstration involves an explanation of a key phrase or a key word they use to get the voice of the accent in their head. You can do a similar thing with writing. Certain phrases and words are very unique to a certain style of writing/tone of voice, and may be very personal to your experience. For example, through watching some of Stephen Fry’s talks, I have found that replaying the way he says ‘extraordinary’ skews my internal voices towards the sort of British, upper class voice that uses complex, dense sentences with plenty of ‘which’ and ‘having been’ phrases, to deliver an extraordinarily powerful emotive expression. The pair of words, ‘perhaps’ and ‘indeed’, used at the start of a phrase creates a less clear voice that sounds closer to the ramblings of an Oxford professor. If I’m aiming for something more acerbic, I replay Jordan Peterson’s, ‘by any stretch of the imagination’; a critique loaded with political motivation is thus generated. 

Some other times, beautifully written metaphors, like the one published twice in the SWR, ‘traverse across the canvas of the heart’, is ripped apart and stuffed back into imaginative pieces and discursive contemplations. When writing essays, appropriate chunks of analysis directly from publications like the Harvard University Press (accessible on jstor through Shore email); clear analysis that is packed with conceptual nuance is sure to differentiate you from the rest of your English class. A list of commonly used essay verbs like, ‘accentuates, delineates, elicits, elucidates, epitomises, evokes, imbricates, provokes, reifies, critiques, lambastes, promulgates, polemicists, frames, employs, advocates’ are a sure way to keep the flow going under high pressure exam conditions (source of words: Fitty). Choose your favourites and perfect your use of them (of course, never overuse). 

Try these two methods during the week and see if you can recognise any patterns in sentence structure or word choice that you can capitalise on. Before you know it, you will have consolidated your personal writing style. From there, a world of possibility awaits as you discover ways to deconstruct the writing style of novels and academic essays and incorporate them into the existing and defined structure of your own voice.

Movie and Musical Adaptions

(and what ruins them)

E. O. Milne

Only a few weeks ago it was announced that the Oscar winning movie ‘La La Land’ is going to be adapted to Broadway, for what is going to be one of the most anticipated performances of the decade. The movie is known for its great soundtrack and its tragic, yet beautiful, story line. Furthermore, on top of that the performances in the movie by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling finish it off flawlessly, with Emma Stone having won best actress for her role.

But without these two such significant people being in the show, will this musical become one of the biggest let downs of the last decade?

Until the show is out and the critiques come rolling in, we will not know the answer to that question. However, this isn’t the first time a big movie has been adapted to the stage.

Movies like Heather, Beetlejuice, Mean Girls and more have all had their adaptations and became great successes. But this is not always the case, because there is sometimes something about a movie that changes the perspective of the viewer. Or the other way around.

In this article I want to talk about the differences between a story’s movie and musical versions and what can bring one to be better than the other.

An example of this is a movie called ‘Cats’, it was adapted from the beloved musical of the same name. It seemed to be perfect being given an all-out famous cast list, a giant visual effects budget and a director who had already directed Les Miserables some years prior.

It seemed like this movie was going to go down in history as one of the best adaptations ever seen before. But then when you actually watched the movie, all those ideas went down the drain.

Not only was the CGI terrifying, but the whole movie was just a complete showcase of the actors themselves, almost like a promotional 2-hour long movie just so that afterwards you would go watch James Corden in Peter Rabbit or listen to Taylor swift’s latest album.

What I’m trying to say is that everything that was done in the movie all evolved around making the cast look good and it seemed through such great expectations they forgot to actually make a good film.

They missed the plot, they missed the emotion, and in the end, they forgot to do what made the musical so good, there was no passion. Like eating a dinner made by a chef that wanted to be anywhere else.

I think one of the biggest issues with these adaptations, when you have such big expectations weighing on your shoulders, to create a great film or musical, you begin to lose any sense of creativity and focus more on if it is going to have people coming to watch in the first place through curiosity brought by the title and not by the new material alone.

Another time that things did not go to plan with a movie to musical adaptation was with the story of Spiderman, and when I say this, I am being dead serious. There was a musical adaptation of the superhero we all know and love but from the reviews online I’m beginning to think that in this show people disliked Peter Parker so much that they were ready to walk out in the first 20 minutes.

I think even the sound of ‘Spiderman the Musical’ sounds tacky and that’s because it was only made to put some extra money into the pockets of the rich. That is another way that these kinds of movies are ruined.

It is because the fanbase is already there for a movie or musical based on the other and they are only doing it so that they can get some more money from something that is already complete. Though that is a repetitive topic that is so common you just must begin to ignore it after a certain amount of time.

So, to give my judgment on ‘La La Land’ becoming a Broadway musical.

I would do anything to have this performance not be rubbish, but that must be left up to the creative minds writing the show as you read this.

Every now and then a show like ‘Mamma Mia’ comes along and reassures you that there is still hope in the art of adaptive storytelling.

And Broadway has still got its magic.

Fins Up

An Insight into the Dolphins Domination

F. A. Loxton

AFTER THREE STRAIGHT WINS IN THE FIRST THREE ROUNDS ON THE NRL SEASON the newest franchise from Queensland – the Dolphins, are placed second on the NRL ladder, silencing many critics in their first year of first grade. Whilst many believed the team to be a top 12 side at best, Wayne Bennett’s men have played a resilient brand of rugby league seeing them out working teams, and claim late victories.

The first round of the official season saw the Dolphins biggest upset so far, as they overcame the Roosters in front of over 35,000 at Suncorp stadium. Although the side from Sydney were expected to impress, with new signing Brandon Smith debuting for the tri colors at hooker, Felise Kaufusi inspired with huge tackles in defense and Jamayne Isaako broke through the Roosters right edge, cementing the first win in history after their first official fixture.

In round two, the Dolphins hustled a second victory in a close battle against the Raiders, which saw Hamish Tabuai-Fidow’s fullback support inspiring two runaway tries. Down by 12 after thirty-four minutes of play, Jesse Bromwich’s men were tested, but proved to their resilience coming back and sealing the win with a try from Jamayne Isaako. Mark Nicholls was pivotal with 185 meters through the middle, providing space on the edges for the experienced backline.

Most recently, the Queensland side had their first challenge away from home, coming up against the struggling Newcastle Knights without concussion-restricted Kalyn Ponga. Once again, the Dolphins started slowly and allowed the Knights several first-half tries, however their resilience, once again, proved the difference scoring 4 tries in the closing twenty-five minutes winning 36-20. These as seen previously, came through their Broncos and Cowboys signings – Tesi Nui, Jamayne Isaako and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.

In next week’s fixture, the first ever battle of Brisbane will take place, as the Dolphins face the Broncos, the only other team with three wins in the competition. With Reece Walsh and Kotoni Staggs in all-time best form, and Selwyn Cobbo providing strong firepower on the wing, the side that beat Penrith in round one will prove up to date their greatest challenge. However, the grounding leadership of Wayne Bennett and inspiring heroics of Felise Kaufusi will provide much anticipation, even though the Broncos are favorites.

Having won as the underdogs in two of their last three fixtures, the friday night clash is expected to be one of the games of the season so far, as Wayne Bennett looks to get his ‘fins up’ once again. They also face the Dragons in round five which, although may seem like an easier fixture, could prove close as has been the theme of the NRL premiership so far.

For more insight into the Dolphins entry into the NRL and pre-season which has set up success in the first three rounds, the Stan exclusive ‘Dawn of the Dolphins’ outlines their journey so far, from winning the franchise bid in 2021 to starting pre-season in December with a mix of new debutants and recently signed experienced veterans.

Ultimately, the NRL season so far has been amazingly unpredictable, and the Dolphins heroics have been forefront, with tipping being particularly challenging and the top eight looking as open as ever. Whilst the Dolphins early momentum is expected to slow, and a first season premiership would be incredibly unlikely, the side will look to make a strong top eight campaign, and develop into contenders in the coming years, as Wayne Bennett looks to sign more talents for the seasons ahead.

Cricket Report – Round 14 1st XI Report vs SBH

Saturday 18th March played at McKay Oval, Centennial Park

Shore 10/122 (Josh Constantian 24, Lachie Hunt 22) SBH 6/123 (Matt Melville 2/12)

In the wake of a resurgent victory against GPS runners-up, St Joseph’s College, the SHORE 1st XI looked to carry this form into their final game against Sydney Boys’. The injury of GPS leading wicket taker, Ben Hocking, saw young off-spinner, Matt Melville, debut and receive his 1st XI cap at the beginning of the game, a significant achievement towards the end of the season. SHORE lost the toss and a Sydney Boy’s High team with experience at the ground elected to bowl on a thick and slow outfield. This served to their favour and SHORE quickly fell to 4/26, the swing and bounce of the High opening pace bowls seeming to disturb them. Some minimal stabilisation came in the form of a 45-run partnership between Hunt and Robinson, but both were dismissed in impatient fashion, leaving Carney, Constantian, and Fuzes to scrape the side to a measly 6/123 after 48 overs.

A significant bowling effort would be required from SHORE to be able to defend this total. As per usual, openers Tom Fuzes and Sam Walton shared the new ball well, and although they did not take a wicket in the first 10 overs, were successful in restricting the High batsmen to scoring under 2 an over. SHORE was able to continue to maintain High’s slow scoring rate, continuously bowling dots up both ends and restricting runs in the field with some stifling field placements and aggression. This seemed to bother the High batsmen, provoking some dangerous running between the wickets in an attempt to lift the scoring rate, which subsequently saw the first 3 dismissals all fall to run outs. At this point, SHORE’s off-spinners, Bailey and Melville, were continuing to play a significant role in stemming the run flow from the High batting side. Bailey’s 10 overs did not reap a wicket but only went for 14 runs, a remarkable display of economical bowling. On the other hand, Melville’s difficult lines and disturbing pace brought about the dismissal of 2 High batsmen, seeing his figures finish at 2/12 from 10 overs with 4 maidens. Such a stat line on a 1st XI debut for Matt speaks volumes to his ability and passion and he should be commended on this performance. Unfortunately, once the pivotal spinners Bailey and Melville had concluded their spells, High began to take the game away from SHORE, with some aggressive and risky hitting from their number 6 batsmen. Despite SHORE’s bowling efforts, they simply did not have enough runs and High reached their total by the 45th over.

A disappointing end to the final game of the season must not cloud the impressive debut of Matt Melville nor the achievements of the 1st XI this season. It has been a pleasure to play cricket at SHORE this year and write about its results in the record and the conclusion of this

is very sentimental, although I look forward to seeing how the 1st XI perform next year and will always remember the time I have spent playing cricket for SHORE

The Shocking Collapse of SBV

An Insight into the Biggest U. S. Bank Failure since 2008

B. N. Dent

“It is easier to rob, by setting up a bank, than by holding up a bank clerk.” – Bertolt Brecht

Due to high levels of regulation, diversification, and risk management, the abrupt collapse of prestigious banks is not a common occurrence. However, when these institutions do collapse, there are brutal consequences for the stakeholders involved, often resulting in a financial bloodbath. Depositors and investors can lose millions of dollars, and a chain effect can occur whereby other institutions who are tied to the collapsing banks also suffer and can also collapse.

Just recently, as of March 10^th, Silicon Valley Bank, the United States’ sixteenth largest bank, was shut down by federal regulators, and depositors and investors were left petrified, fearing that they would never see the money they put into the bank again.

Founded in 1983 and based in Santa Clara California, SVB, was a publicly listed commercial bank that provided services for companies at all levels, but particularly focusing on technology start-ups. As of 2021, SVB was in control of 189 billion dollars USD in deposits alone. Fuelled by the 2020/21 tech boom, this was a growth from just 65 billion dollars USD in deposits in 2019. So how did this behemoth of a bank crash and burn?

The three main contributors to the bank’s collapse were its extremely low liquidity (the efficiency at which an asset can be converted to cash without affecting its market price), the collapse of the tech boom, and rising interest rates. 

Low Liquidity

Amidst the seemingly utopian market conditions during the 2020/21 tech boom where interest rates were low and it seemed like the value of everything was rising, SBV experienced massive growth in terms of deposits as their tech clients were receiving large amounts of funding and needed a place to store this capital. Observing the great market conditions, and looking into the future with an optimistic lens, SBV essentially came to the conclusion that, due to the vast amounts of funding within the market, their customers would not have a need to withdraw their deposits any time soon. Therefore, SBV decided to invest these new deposits into long term fixed income securities, mainly government bonds. For those unaware, this process of investing the deposits of customers is not illegal, and it is the main way in which banks generate revenue. That being said, it does expose them to vulnerabilities. SBV invested 94% of the deposits into these securities that were of a hold to maturity (HTM) structure. This structure means that investors will receive payments on a fixed interest on the investment until it reaches maturity, the stage at which the initial price the bond was purchased at is returned to the investor. The time to maturity for the bonds purchased by SBV were mainly around 10 years, meaning that they are unable to withdraw the money put into these bonds for 10 years. This is where SBV’s extremely low liquidity came in, and why when customers came asking for withdrawals, the bank was unable to provide them. The following two reasons are why the customers came asking for withdrawals in the first place. 

Collapse of Tech Boom and Rising Interest Rates

Whilst the two aspects listed above are separate causations for the collapse of SBV, they are closely related, and both contributed to the demand for withdrawal from consumers. Following the unbelievably good rises in the tech market during 2020/21 the boom ultimately came to a crash in 2022, seeing tech stocks fall more than 30%. On top of this, interest rates that had been next to nothing during 2020 and 2021 began to drastically rise during early 2022 in order to combat high levels of inflation that was being driven by large amounts of consumer spending following society’s escape from Covid. These two events ultimately led to many corporations around the world, including those tied with SVB needing to draw from their deposits in order to operate. This phenomenon is known as a ‘run on a bank’ whereby large numbers of depositors fearing that their bank will be unable to repay their deposits all simultaneously try to withdraw their deposits. When this run on SVB occurred, the bank was scrambling to repay depositors due to their low liquidity, and they tried to sell some of the long-term securities that they had purchased. In selling these bonds, SVB lost 1.8 billion dollars. This was announced and led to an even greater demand from depositors to withdraw. Ultimately, the bank was unable to pay back all of their depositors, and subsequently the bank collapsed.

Luckily for depositors, the US treasury decided to bail them out, and paid depositors their uninsured deposits back in full. The reasons for this included the fact that most of SBV’s clients are tech based and play an extremely important role in the US economy. The other reason was a fear that this collapse would lead to a domino effect whereby other uninsured depositors in different banks would begin to withdraw en masse. 

Was the causation of this collapse more a case of corporate greed or simply a case of utter mismanagement, making a naïve decision to lower liquidity in the hopes that interest rates would stay low? Regardless, the knife that drove through the heart of SBV was a lack of foresight, and this event should open our eyes to the idea that these perceptually unstoppable institutions are not indestructible and are not warranted our unconditional faith.

The Weight of Brilliance

Why do the Gifted Lose Themselves

y J. A. McCreery

“No great mind ever existed without a touch of madness”

– Aristotle

Chaplin, Pythagoras, Tesla, Michelangelo, Dali, Newton, van Gogh, Mozart, Freud, Beethoven, Hemingway and Nietzsche. All tormented by their minds. From being plagued by anxiety and egotism to rage, narcissism and mania, all these ‘legendary’ characters suffered – but was it a product of their brilliance?

“Creativity and psychosis often go hand in hand. Or, for that matter, genius and madness.” – Fleming.

In a 2022 review, Schmitt reveals how writers of the romantic era dubbed bi-polar disorder “a disease of men of genius” and theorized that the depressive episodes lead to perfectionism and the periods of mania produced illusions of grandeur and fueled ferocious levels of productivity. Clearly the notion that creativity comes at a cost is well established in public thought but is there empirical support?

Researchers note the incidence of bipolar amongst artists is ten times higher than the general population. Further, a 2014 by Dean Keith Simonton found an increased rate of psychopathology in 204 eminent figures. This study further indicated that great thinkers appeared the most troubled and scientists the least, artists, writers and composers, being somewhere in the middle. 

However, a paradox is at play. Creativity and psychopathology were found to be both positively and negatively correlated. This is the product of two independent propositions: (1) among all creative individuals, the most creative are at higher risk for mental illness and (2) among all people, creative individuals exhibit better mental health than do non-creative individuals. Thus, as put by Simonton “Even if psychopathology is specified to correlate positively with creative productivity, creators as a whole can still display appreciably less psychopathology than do people in the general population because the creative geniuses who are most at risk represent and extremely tiny proportion of those contributing to the domain.”

Analysts posit that this is a result of the hallmark symptoms which include; an increased rate of idea production, verbal fluency and formation of loose associations. Schmitt expects this is a result of the inability to tune out information which would otherwise be irrelevant in their surrounding environment, a process called cognitive disinhibition. The stream of information is often overwhelming and disruptive yet it may allow for the consideration of left-field ideas that many simply would not consider. Other symptoms of mania are increased energy and insomnia which by their nature are likely to aid in the creative process. 

Intelligence, in the form of IQ scores, is another area which notes great correlation with psychological disorders. Those with high levels (>130) being more likely to experience adhd and autism or anxiety and mood disorders.

A Mensa study, consisting of more than 4000 individuals of considerable IQ, found that of those 4000, nearly 40% had either a mood or anxiety disorder. That rate is around four times higher than the number you would expect to find from a random sample of the population.

Theories suggest this may occur as those who have very high levels of intellect are more prone to rumination and worry (‘overthinking’) due to persistently high levels of frontal lobe activation – a cornerstone of anxiety and depression. Others suggest that the arrogance and alienation that comes with superiority may remove some from peers and cause strain in relations, in turn catalyzing a form of identity crisis where individuals have the choice between altering their actions to fit in or embracing the role of the pariah. 

These studies may seem decisive yet there is enduring controversy amongst academics, some disregarding this phenomenon as a myth. Arne Dietrich published a paper titled “The mythconception of the mad genius” whereby he argued the rate of mental illness is high enough (50% experiencing it within their lifetime) that the differences between correlation and causation within such a small sample size cannot be declared. Quite scathingly Dietrich declares: 

“Like no other field of psychology, the study of creativity is beset with nebulous concepts, combustible propositions and myopic theorizing, to say nothing of all the vacuous fluff out there. The fog enshrouding this particular Potemkin village is nevertheless easy to lift. We need only to drill into some basic numbers on mental illness that continue to be enthusiastically ignored—incidence and prevalence data, to be precise—take the wraps off an astonishing medley of cognitive biases—base rate fallacy, availability heuristic, illusionary correlations and the like—and unpack a few question-begging definitions of creativity.”

That is the downfall of studying humanity, the social sciences afterall are a soft-science. They are prone to accidental confirmation bias and the mental blurs of researchers themselves. It is the immeasurable complexity of the subject matter which both makes questions intriguing and near unanswerable. 

Nevertheless, the bulk of researchers confirm a hypothesis that psychopathology and genius are linked. That’s your excuse to stop thinking so much!

Head On

Moving Forward with Concussion

Axel Bailey

Concussion has become the biggest issue in the early stages of the NRL and AFL seasons, with legal action being taken by former players seeking compensation for pain, suffering, financial loss, and medical expenses due to head injuries sustained during their careers. More than 60 former AFL players have filed a class action lawsuit in the Victorian supreme court, seeking up to two million dollars each. The same day, the AFL released new guidelines for concussion management and a four-year strategy, which includes a 10-year twenty-five million dollar study into the long-term effects of head injury on players.

Lawyers representing a second group of footballers affected by head injury have also vowed to file papers for a lawsuit this week, with the affected cohort including the former Melbourne player Shaun Smith, former Crows star Darren Jarman, and the wife of late Richmond player Shane Tuck. This second case has been eight years in the making, with Greg Griffin, managing partner at Griffin Lawyers, estimating hundreds of players could join the case.

Meanwhile, there has been a tussle between the NRL and its clubs when it comes to taking responsibility for concussion-affected players. Last week, the Dolphins coach, Wayne Bennett, and Canberra Raiders coach, Ricky Stuart, both criticised the NRL’s independent concussion-spotting doctors, who have been in place since last year. Canterbury-Bankstown’s general manager of football, Phil Gould, called the independent doctors “the greatest abomination perpetrated on our game in history”. On Wednesday, the NRL announced its previously more club-based discretionary concussion stand-down process would be replaced by a mandatory 11 days off-field for players who have been diagnosed with what they are calling “category one” concussion.

The Australian Sports Brain Bank has revealed that high-profile former players, including Polly Farmer, Danny Frawley, and Shane Tuck, had been posthumously found to have suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease caused by repeated head trauma, which has been increasingly linked to contact sports. The Concussion in Sport Group (CISG) statements on which all these codes rely heavily for their concussion policies are controversial among the scientific community as they have so far denied a cause-and-effect relationship between contact sports and CTE, even as the scientific evidence for precisely this keeps growing.

The pressure to be more conservative is having at least some effect, as all of this is occurring in the midst of a senate committee inquiry into concussion and repeated head trauma in contact sports. The inquiry was called after the AFL apologised to players who had been part of a previous, huge and supposedly “ground-breaking”, study about concussion that resulted in no published research and “confusion” about what happened to tests performed on players. The review that led to that apology was itself a consequence of pressure from Guardian Australia for the AFL to account for the work of its former concussion adviser, Dr Paul McCrory, whose academic and scientific publishing record has been blackened by numerous allegations of plagiarism.

The question of liability is at the centre of all of this, and how much the codes can or will be held to account for the ongoing health of players, particularly those whose serious conditions only become apparent after their playing careers are over. While concussion is a dangerous condition that can have serious and ongoing consequences, the still-unaddressed problem is sub concussive blows: that is, all the bumps and thumps and crash-tackles that happen in the course of playing collision sport, that don’t result in concussion symptoms but can cause microscopic damage to the brain.

When it comes to concussion and long-term brain damage, Australia’s biggest sporting bodies are trying to thread a very fine needle. How successful, and how accountable, they will be remains to be seen.

ISDA Debating – Round 5 vs Kambala Report

– Jimmy Nicholas

Last Friday, Kambala hosted Shore on topics related to ‘Women and Family,’ and our debaters were victorious in four of six debates in a strong night of at the podium for the men in white and grey.

Excited to be on the road for the first time in a while, our Year 7s negated the rather challenging topic ‘That childcare should be free.’ Incredibly, the team pulled off a spectacular win in the face of the almost impossible topic, their better cost mechanisms, and analysis of the priorities of government spending assuring they came out victorious. The team was able to establish a strong throughline between speakers, and hope to build on the win in the coming rounds. Negating the same topic, our Year 8 boys pulled off an equally impressive win, with notable improvements to their rebuttal and manner. While the adjudication indicated the debate could have gone either way, the boys articulated their arguments well and ultimately look to secure their postseason spot against Brigidine this Friday.

Despite being awarded the victory on the night, our Year 9 team were ultimately awarded the loss in a shocking turn of events that saw justice for some questionable adjudicating and a disheartened Loretto team (this will be relevant later). Moving forward, the boys look to expand their analysis of stakeholders and highlighting the principle of the topic. Negating the topic ‘That female students should receive an ATAR bonus when applying for STEM qualifications at University,’ our Year 10 side brought an end to their losing streak with a classy victory on a topic notably difficult to negate. Spearheaded by their principle of fairness and their nuanced analysis of the perception of women within the STEM field, the boys challenged the Affirmative to expand on the long-term implications of their model, a challenge largely left unanswered. Despite the win, it was a close debate, and the boys look to keep improving on their wording and to delve deeper into counter models to support their arguments.

The Senior Bs

Invigorated by the chance to secure a spot in the ISDA postseason, our Senior Bs were handed the interesting topic ‘That signing a formal financial agreement (e.g.. prenup) should be compulsory along with a marriage certificate.’ Hinged on the skill of each team to find an imperative around the importance and quality of marriage, and the need to protect it via a prenup, the boys focused on the destabilising effect of the motion in its pre-empt of divorce. Further, they argued that in abusive relationships a prenup could be entered into under coercive circumstances in response to the opposition’s mechanism of a safe exit in the case of abuse. Ultimately, while the debate ended in a loss, the boys did well to remain competitive on the harder side of the topic.

Negating the same topic, the Senior A’s crushing domination of Kambala’s Year 10 Bs team set off an incredible chain of events punctuated by shock, disgust, and sadness that ultimately ended in relief as they were awarded the win in possibly the first ever instance of a result-reversal in the ISDA competition’s history. Brimming with confidence and the knowledge that they would be facing an inexperienced Kambala side (their Senior As coincidentally went missing on the night of a social), and anger at the impertinence of Eastern Suburbs drivers, the boys got to work in the prep room. Spearheaded by Blake Fite’s interesting perspective on marriage, walking into the debate room the boys couldn’t imagine what was about to unfold. Focusing on the nature of prenups under the status quo as a mechanism for the conservation of wealth by the financially dominant individual in the relationship, the boys eloquently tore apart their opposition’s poorly constructed arguments, and cruised to what they thought would be their fourth win of the season.

Fuelled by the taste of victory, the boys naively remained unconcerned with the constant dropping out of their adjudicator, and her apparent location within a bar. Nonetheless, as she persisted that ‘it was an extremely close debate,’ Lachlan Hunt passed Jimmy Nicholas the fateful note, ‘imagine if we lose.’ Shock. Complete and utter shock was the feeling in the room when the decision was announced as the reigning semi-finalists, six-year veterans of Shore debating were handed an unbelievable loss against Kambala’s Year 10 B team. Needless to say, both sides were completely dumbfounded by what Ms. Wolseley credited ‘the worst adjudication I’ve ever seen in eight years of Shore debating.’ Remaining composed, the boys congratulated their opposition, and departed Kambala still in a state of complete shock. Incredibly, thanks to the tireless persistence of MIC Ms. Melville, and the cooperation of Kambala, the result was ultimately overturned in a historic turn of events days later; and I hereby reiterate the immense thank you of the boys for your tireless dedication in this matter Ma’am. Moving to four and one on the season, the Senior As look to fully secure an Octos berth in the coming rounds.

A special mention to both LND teams for their efforts on the night, and the Prep Year 6 team who continue to show improvement in their speaking week over week. This Friday, the men in white and grey return to the Colosseum against Brigidine, and look to cement their places in the ISDA postseason as the end of Term 1 draws ever nearer.

ISDA Season Tally Up to Round 5