The 70 Club

The September lunch was enjoyed by all – see photos below.

Our quest to find relatives of the ‘Fallen’ has started. If you are related to any Old Newingtonian who was killed during WW1, the College would like to invite you to the Centenary ANZAC Service and parade on Wednesday 29 April, 2015.

Regional lunches at Davistown RSL, Central Coast on 12 November 2014 and at Harrington Irish Hotel, Mid North Coast 20 November 2014 are planned and we are looking forward to very good attendance.

Please contact the ONU Officer on (02) 9568 9544 for more information about these events.

News Magazine Spring 2014

The Spring 2014 edition of the Newington News magazine is available as a digital “flip-book”.

Click here for your copy.

Save the Date Reunions and Events 2015

Below is a list of dates for Reunions and ONU Events for 2015. 

• Newington Golf Day – Concord Golf Club – Thursday 5 March 2015
• Class of 1955 (including Classes of 1954 and 1956) – 60 Year Reunion Lunch – Saturday 14 March 2015
• Class of 1965 (including Classes of 1964 and 1966) – 50 Year Reunion Lunch – Saturday 31 October 2015
• ONU Dinner – Centenary Hall, Newington College – Saturday 18 July 2015 – includes 4 Reunions
• Class of 1970 – 45 Year Reunion – Newington College – Saturday 18 July 2015
• Class of 1975 – 40 Year Reunion – Newington College – Saturday 18 July 2015
• Class of 1980 – 35 Year Reunion – Newington College –  Saturday 18 July 2015
• Class of 1985 – 30 Year Reunion – Newington College –  Saturday 18 July 2015
• Class of 1990 – 25 Year Reunion Dinner – Newington College – Saturday 8 August 2015
• Class of 1995 – 20 Year Reunion Dinner – Newington College – Saturday 8 August 2015
• Class of 2000 – 15 Year Reunion Drinks – Newington College – Saturday 25 July 2015
• Class of 2005 – 10 Year Reunion Drinks – Newington College – Saturday 25 July 2015
• 7o Club Lunch – Centenary Hall, Newington College – Tuesday 10 March, 2015
• 70 Club Central Coast Lunch, Davistown – Wednesday 4 November, 2015
• 70 Club Mid North Coast Lunch – Wednesday 18 November, 2015

For more information and to make a booking click here.

Reunions 2014

 Class of 1969 – 45 Year Reunion

Class of 1974 – 40 Year Reunion

Class of 1979 – 35 Year Reunion

 Class of 1984 – 30 Year Reunion

Class of 1989 – 25 Year Reunion

Class of 1994 – 20 Year Reunion

Class of 1999 – 15 Year Reunion

Class of 2004 – 10 Year Reunion

ONU 119th Annual General Meeting

The Old Newingtonians’ Union 119th Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 18 November, 2014 in Prescott Hall commencing at 6:30pm. A light dinner and refreshments will be provided. All are encouraged to attend. Please RSVP to alumni@newington.nsw.edu.au

The minutes from the 118th ONU AGM are available here.

Election of ONU Councillor and Executive Positions

Nominations from Old Boys for ONU Councillor or Executive positions are encouraged.  If you are interested please fill in and return the ONU Councillor Nomination Form.

Reunions – International

Old Newingtonians are living all over the globe and several international catch ups were organised in 2014. 

Hong Kong

On 23 Sept current parents Tony and Linda Rogers hosted 25 Old Boys and current and future parents at the home in Hong Kong. Attended by Rod Bosman (ON 1978) Director of Community and Development, this was a very successful evening and has established a more formal Old Boy network in Hong Kong.

London

Bruce Mellor (ON 1982) met up with Old Boys and their wives at Madison Cocktail and Tapas Bar, St Pauls in September. Many thanks to Londoner Aaron Nihilan (ON 1994) for suggesting the venue.

New York

The New York function was a Newington only event following cancellation of the main AIS USA Foundation event and 10 attended and all are very keen to keep the relationship going.

San Francisco

Following the New York event, Rod Bosman flew to San Francisco for the first of two Biennial Receptions for the AIS USA Foundation. Four members of the Foundation Board are Old Boys and Newington is the largest beneficiary of the Foundation. The San Francisco reception was attended by 25 in total representing about eight schools and of which four were Old Boys and partners and one son and, again a very successful function. 

Golf Day 2015

The 2015 Newington Golf Day will be held at Concord Golf Club on Thursday 5 March, 2015 and promises to be a fantastic golfing day for the Newington community.

Cost is $150 per player.

Funds raised will go towards the ONU Depression Fund and the ONU Tongan Bursary.

For more information contact alumni@newington.nsw.edu.au or telephone 02 9568 9544.

Seeking Relatives of Newington’s WW1 Fallen

The vestibule of the Founders Building contains the College’s Roll of Honour for the First World War, listing Old Newingtonians who served, and who fell, in that great conflict which started one hundred years ago this year.

In all, 635 names of past students, staff and theological students who served in the War appear on the Roll of Honour. Of these, 111 are known to have died during or as a result of their service: they represent our Roll of the Fallen.

For our ANZAC Service and Parade next year, representing the Centenary of the landings at Gallipoli, a very special event is planned.

The College wishes to invite living relatives of as many of the Fallen as practically possible to attend the Service and Parade. We have identified relatives of some of our Fallen, but many are not identified. Sadly, this reflects the fact that, in many cases, these men died before they had an opportunity to have children and, consequently, they have no descendants.

You can help by letting the College know if you are a relative of one of our Fallen; or, if you know someone who is, by asking them to contact the College. Please email community@newington.nsw.edu.au to let us know or for more information.

View the Roll of Honour on the Register of War Memorials in NSW website here.

What a Legend! Con Dedes (ON 1987)

A heart kid himself, Dedes had open-heart surgery when he was six years old and then again when he was 29.

“I’m in my 40s now and still very much a kid at heart, thanks to the wonderful work Heart Research Australia and HeartKids do – I know I have personally benefited from their efforts and determination,” he said.

HeartKids and Heart Research Australia were the beneficiaries of the 100km, two-day trek which started from Stuart Park in Wollongong and finished the following day at his Deckhouse restaurant at Woolwich.

Con said the walk was “definitely rewarding and as it raised just over $90,000 for both HEARTKIDS and HEART RESEARCH AUSTRALIA.”

Football 1st XI Premiers 2014

Newington were crowned 1st XI Premiers winning the Wanderers’ Cup on Saturday 6 September. The boys had a great year going through undefeated, and the final game played against St Joseph’s College saw the boys bring the trophy home with a 2-0 victory. It is the first Football title that the College has won since 2006 and the first time the College has achieved the title undefeated since 1996. A big congratulations to all the boys involved in the victory, the coaching staff and the parents who provided so much support to the program throughout several seasons.

The 2nd XI were gallant throughout the season providing plenty of support and challenging the 1st XI boys at all training sessions. Congratulations to St Ignatius’ on winning the 2nd XI competition.

A great way for many of our Year 12 Footballers to finish their Footballing experience at Newington College!

Enrolling Your Son at Newington – Change in Policy for Old Boys

New Admissions Policy for Newington Old Boys

Due to the consistently high demand for places, the College Council recently endorsed a new Admissions Policy to formalise the priority status of sons and grandsons of Old Boys.

The Council has confirmed its commitment to prioritising registrations of sons and grandsons of Old Boys as long as registrations are received in accordance with the following time table:-

• Kindergarten entry – registration and fee must be received and paid by the boy’s first (1^st) birthday
• Year 3, 5 or 7 entry – registration and fee must be received and paid by the boy’s fifth (5^th) birthday

Click here to register online or for more information visit the Admissions section of the Newington College website

This policy will be effective as from start of Term 1, 2015 and we encourage all Old Boys to register their son or grandson as soon as possible to secure a priority placement on our Year Lists. Unfortunately, due to the demand for places, if registration is not made by the relevant birthday, we cannot offer priority and the registration will be placed on the wait list for that year in chronological order of registration date.

Rural and Regional Boarding Fee Relief

The Council is likewise committed to growing the Edmund Webb Boarding House in the years ahead and is keen to ensure that regional and rural boarders continue to be well represented.

To this end, students who are both Australian Residents and live outside a 100km radius of Newington, may have a portion of the boarding fee waived if they are ongoing boarders in the Boarding House. Currently the Boarding House caters for Years 9 to 12 only.

If a boy commences in Year 9 in the Boarding House and resides there for four consecutive years, then the College will waive payment of the Year 9 and Year 12 Boarding fee. Therefore, a four year boarding commitment equates to only two years of boarding fees.

If a boy commences in Year 10 in the Boarding House and resides there for three consecutive years, then the College will waive payment of the Year 10 Boarding fee. Therefore a three year boarding commitment equates to one year of no boarding fees.

Please note that this fee relief applies to Boarding only, not tuition fees. Eligible boys are encouraged to apply for a number of Scholarships and Bursaries available for rural and regional boys.   More information can be found on the Newington College website Scholarships and Bursaries page.

Rugby News 2014

GPS Rugby

It is with real optimism that we review the 2014 Newington Rugby Program. This year saw us fielding 25 teams across the five age divisions, with the most consistent performances coming from the strong u16’s age group. This, coupled with our young 1^st XV, bodes well for all of our GPS teams next year.

The 1^st XV had an inconsistent season eventually finishing 4^th but there were still a number of highlights, including a character filled home victory over St Joseph’s College in the first round and the retaining of the Bryan Palmer and AJ Rae Shields.

For many the season will be dominated by the 101 – 0 loss at Scots College and the subsequent media coverage. While no one associated with the 1^st XV will ever forget the feelings of that day it is unfortunate that there was little mention of the outstanding win over Joeys just 7 days later.

The theme of that, and subsequent, weeks was that if we stayed united and worked hard for one another then there was a tremendous opportunity to actually do something truly unique. No team has ever been able to turn things around so dramatically.

Former Test Cricketer Gavin Robertson spoke to the boys about resilience in adversity and how true strength of character is forged on those ‘dark days with your backs to the wall’. The resultant change in work ethic and mindset of this young squad will hold us in good stead to again be contenders in 2015.

On an individual level congratulations must go to Vunipola Fifita and Sepesa Loga-Tarogi on their selection in the Australian Schoolboys Test team narrowly defeated by New Zealand in Pukekoe. Congratulations also to Matthew Serhon, Thomas Piroddi, Simon Kennewell and Melie Laimani who all represented NSW Schools at the National Championships in July.

Well done to all the boys who participated in Rugby this season with special mention going to the 16A’s who won the David Jacobs Trophy (captain Hamish Duvall), Peter Richardson Trophy winner Melie Laimani and Alan Thorpe Trophy recipient Latu Latunipulu.

Benjamin Rosenstrauss is the winner of this years ONU Service Prize and is thoroughly deserving of this accolade. Ben is a credit to the program and embodies everything that is great about Newington Rugby.

Ben is a  former First Grade (Warringah) and Provincial (Border Reivers,Scotland) player he has held senior coaching roles in both Australia and Ireland.Including Head Coach at Warringah in the Shute Shield and Director of Rugby at Blackrock RFC in the All Ireland League. His most recent role was as the Senior Technical Advisor at Blackrock College in Dublin. A school famous for producing 5 British and Irish Lions Captains. Ben is a passionate and approachable educator with a philosophy aimed at allowing each boy to reach their potential while enjoying all the camaraderie a team sport like rugby has to offer.

Shute Shield

The 2014 Shute Shield Grand Final saw Eastwood 33 defeat Southern Districts 13. Newington had 3 Old Boys playing on the day, Eastwood Hooker, Hugh Roach (ON 2010) and Southern Districts No 10 Ben VolaVola (ON 2010) and No 12 Apo Latunipulu (ON 2010). All three were members of Newington’s 2010 GPS Champion 1^st XV Team. Hugh Roach also was a member of the Waratahs Squad who won the Super Rugby title this year, so he has had a very good year.  All three players are currently playing for the Greater Sydney Rams in the National Rugby Championship. 

ONU and Supporters Rugby World Cup Tour

Gullivers Sport Travel is offering a 10 night package tour of next year’s rugby world cup. Click here for brochure.

A Message from the ONU President

At the Valedictory Day Celebrations,  the Year 12 students were farewelled by the College and took their leave into the next phase of their post-school life. They were presented with their Old Boys’ Tie by the ONU.  Wearing this tie in future years, symbolises a proud connection with an enviable and extensive Old Boys’ network and an outstanding school.

The ONU is genuinely committed to reaching out and fostering the well-being of Old Boys, especially our young University graduates. The ONU mentoring program is an avenue to guide and support younger Old Boys to break into an industry or to get that necessary edge over other candidates, a significant factor in times of uncertain employment outcomes for University graduates.  I will send out a letter before the end of the year, seeking as many Old Boys as possible to join up as Mentors.

There have been many ONU get togethers and reunions in recent months and even more to come before the end of the year. Opportunities to revisit and renew friendships and update contacts were enthusiastically greeted by Old Boys from London to Hong Kong, San Francisco and New York, the GPS Gold Challenge, the September 70 Club lunch in Centenary Hall and reunions for the Classes of 2004, 1999, 1984 and 1989.  Still to come are reunions in Bowral, 70 Club Christmas lunches on the mid-north Coast and Central Coast and class of 1964 – 50 Year reunion.  

Congratulations to those Old Boys from the Classes of 1981 and 1982 who competed in the GPS Gold Challenge over the October long weekend. It may have taken us a little longer to recover but the fantastic GPS spirit and camaraderie of the day were well worth it. A special congratulations to Glen (Junior) Butler (ON 1982) for his terrific effort in winning the Redkite challenge by raising $8,000 of the total $34,000 for Redkite.

Congratulations also to Dane Rampe (ON 2008) Sydney Swans midfielder for a valiant effort in the recent AFL Grandfinal. Dane played basketball and soccer at Newington and was 17 when he first played Australian football. 

The ONU Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 18 November at 6:30pm in Prescott Hall, Newington College. Nominations for positions on the ONU Council and Executive are now open. 

As we gear up for the busy times ahead of the end of the year, make a note of the 2015 highlights on the ONU Calendar. The ONU Golf Day on Thursday 5 March at Concord Golf Club with funds raised going towards the ONU Depression Fund and the ONU Tongan Bursary. There will be an ONU Dinner in 2015 on Saturday 18 July in Centenary Hall, Newington College.  Hope to see you there!

Looking even further into the future, the ONU looks forward to working with Tupou College as they head towards their 150th celebrations in 2016.

GPS Gold Challenge 2014

Congratulations to the Classes of 1981 and 1982 for their gutsy effort at this year’s GPS Gold Challenge. Competing across all events: golf, rifle shooting, athletics, basketball, touch rugby, rowing, tennis,  indoor cricket, swimming and debating,  603 participants in this year’s GPS Gold Challenge raised an outstanding $34,000 for Redkite.  The GPS Gold Challenge is held every two years for Old Boys of the nine NSW GPS Schools who have reached, or about to reach, the age of 50 years and is held over the October long weekend.  Now in its fourteenth year, the event aims to rekindle friendships among former class mates, develop new contacts among the GPS fraternity and raise money. Glen Butler (ON 1981) won the Redkite challenge for his year, raising an outstanding $8,000 with the help of the Macquarie Foundation.  www.gpsgoldchallenge.com.au