Newington College Junior Production 2013 presents Two Weeks with the Queen.
Playing from 13 – 15 June 2013 at 7pm at the Old Chapel, this is a must-see.
For more information about booking tickets, please click here
Thirteen of Newington’s finest (and only) netballers travelled to MLC School on Tuesday 4 June to take on the girls in the annual netball challenge. After two solid lunch time training sessions, the boys travelled to Burwood with immense confidence and a lot of height on our side.
With five players over 190cm, it was always going to be easy to see what our tactic would be. The very first comment when we arrived was “We didn’t think you would be THAT tall” and with that it began. There was also a lot of effort put into the team uniform with long white socks being a must.
With Ms Smith as our coach on the sidelines, we got off to a good start in the game, opening with a 5-0 lead, with thanks going to our Goal Shooter, Jack Jones (12/PR), who dunked most of his shots. But soon enough, the girls started to mount a comeback, knowing the embarrassment that they would face if they lost to us, and a strong crowd on the sidelines helped to spur them on. The Newington boys were able to sustain their lead and ended up winning 9-7 in what was a closely fought battle.
Special mentions go to Max Schultz (12/PR) who put his body on the line for the game, which included drawing blood on several occasions, Daniel Trent (12/PR) who did a remarkable job as a replacement goal shooter and George Prassas (12/MO) who by the end of the game eventually learnt how the “three-feet” rule worked.
Lachlan McKirby (12/LE)
Newington Netball Team
The music boys paid tribute to The Beatles, Silverchair, Jimi Hendrix, INXS and more at Rockfest 2013 on Tuesday 4 June. Choreographed and coached by lead rocker Mr Chris Paton, Head of Contemporary Music at Newington College, the night was a roaring success with a special performance by Jack Jacobs (9/FL), winner of the 2013 Newington College Songwriting Competition with his song Good Girl.
The bands playing on the night ranged from all year groups with the youngest being the Year 7 Rock Club “Ballistic” who opened the show with American alternative rock band The White Stripes’ most well-known song Seven Nation Army.
Other notable mentions include Five Man Traffic Jam from Year 11 and 12 who paid homage to David Bowie’s glamrock cred. The lead vocalist Clinton Chan (12/FL) even painted a star on his face thereby channeling Mr Bowie himself. The Dropouts, a Year 10 band took on the all-time rock anthem Tribute by Tenacious D and it wasn’t even intermission yet.
As a mosh pit formed around the stage in the second half, there was no doubt the senior boys had taken centre stage belting out chart-topping tunes such as Mr Brightside by The Killers, Even Flow by Pearl jam and Get it On by T-Rex setting up a mean precedent for the staff rock band with Jo Fabro, Mark Howard, Chris Paton, Steve Rackowski and Shaun Tarring.
Overall it was a great night with some truly memorable performances. A pat on the back goes to the music staff and boys who put on a sonic feast, and a special thanks is extended to the sound and lighting team who worked tirelessly to make it a night to remember.
Four years ago Newington embarked on an exchange partnership with Lycée St Vincent in Senlis, a town 50km north-east of Paris. Since then a number of students have benefitted from the immersion experience.
French exchange is a fulfilling and worthwhile experience. From it, one receives a significant boost in foreign language ability, as well as making lifelong friends and unforgettable memories.
In December-January 2012-2013, seven people from our school went to Senlis, a town 40 minutes northeast of Paris, an ideal location as we were able to experience a true, local French town whilst being less than an hour away from the major attractions in Paris. In saying this, Senlis had lots to see anyway, such as the Cathedral, the architecture and nearby attractions such as Chantilly Castle, as well as the local hangouts; typical French cafés such as Nina’s and Le Commerce.
Whilst in Senlis, we received an invitation into the homes of our exchange families, all of whom were incredibly hospitable, warm and enthusiastic to make our stay as memorable as possible. We saw first-hand the similarities and differences between Australian family life and French family life, such as how French families sit down as a family for lunch, whereas in Australia this is not generally so. Also every meal was sided with a baguette and finished with a delicious typically French cheese plate, yoghurt and chocolate. The food was exceptional wherever we went. Our families also took us on holidays over the Christmas break, with some going skiing in Switzerland, one going to Cannes and another going hunting in Nantes, giving us even more unforgettable experiences.
The most interesting part of the trip was attending Lycée St Vincent. The school is over 170 years old, and the style of teaching and classes taken differed greatly from Australia, which was interesting in itself. The school instantly made us feel at home, and organised classes for the Australians in French, trips on Thursdays to Paris and allowed us to participate in many school activities. We also made many friends at school who we keep in contact with.
Apart from the tourist side of the exchange, there is also something to be said for the cultural learning experience. Each of us, after 5-6 weeks saw an exponential improvement in our French speaking, writing and listening abilities, which has transferred back to our marks in Sydney. The experience enabled us to communicate in French with everybody we met, giving a view of different perspectives on personal and international issues, as well as allowing us to see how similar people really are, across all types of cultural boundaries.
From all of us who have done an exchange already, our advice is to seize the opportunity, and discover what’s possible. French exchange has created some of the best experiences of our lives, and we recommend that anyone who has the ability to do it, should.
Sean Hatten (8/ME) and Joey Faux (11/FL)
Arriving on the night of the 18th May our families came to pick up us at the airport. For the following week we went to lessons with our exchange students and we were all star struck by the sheer size and almost futuristic look of the Newington complex. By Thursday we had all received our uniforms – wearing them everyday and seeing all the other students wear them was quite a shock to us. Fortunately none of us were too affected by the jetlag and we all managed to get into the Australian way of life. The highly active and sporty Australian lifestyle was quite a shock to the system, we had been informed about this but nothing could have prepared us for the level of physical activity that the average Australian student endures. The second Thursday we went on an excursion around Sydney. First we stopped at Paddy’s Market where we were able to buy all sorts of souvenirs, then we toured Darling Harbour before getting a ferry to Manly where we visited the high street, beach and area in general. Up to now everything is going well and we are all really enjoying ourselves.
Oliver Rear, Marc Vigneron, Alexis Secheresse, Julien Dubreuil
French Exchange Students
On Saturday May 25, Newington fencers participated in three competition events.
Boston Fawkes (9/ME) won the Championship for the State School Sabre Individual Championship. Alex Mei (11/JN) won the Bronze Medal of the State School Foil Individual Championship. The Newington Foil Team came second at the A.J. Rae Shield and therefore qualified for the National School Team Championships in Brisbane.
The Newington Foil and Sabre teams have also qualified to go to the National School Team Championships in August.
Alex Mei (11/JN), Adam Chew (10/MO) and Max Schultz (12/PR) have been selected to represent the NSW Team to fence at the National School Individual Championship and the Team Championship.
Well done to all fencers.
Newington 1sts tennis player Blazo Djurovic (12/LE) played for NSW in the prestigious Pizzey Cup. NSW defeated Queensland in a tough final match, with Blazo winning both his singles and doubles fixtures. From this tournament Blazo has been selected in the Australian School Boys’ Merit team. Congratulations Blazo on your tennis achievements this year.
The following boys were selected to compete in the CIS Cross Country Championships out at Eastern Creek on Thursday 13 June.
U18s
Patrick Elliot (12/ME)
U17s
Morgan McDonald (12/MO)
Max Morrison (11/ME)
Haydn Green (11/FL)
U16s
Sebastian Gray (11/JN)
U15s
David Murray (9/PR)
Taylor McDonald (10/MO)
Tom Naayen (9/Fl)
Will Naayen (9/FL)
U14s
Callum Lowe – Griffiths (9/PR)
David Charlton (8/MA)
Lawrence Neil – Smith (8/JN)
Ewan Green (8/FL)
Jack Christie (8/MA)
U13s
Hugo Charlton (7/MA)
U12s
Matthew Dyster (7/FL)
Oliver Smith (7/MA)
The following Newington boys have been selected to represent the NSW All Schools Basketball team that will compete in the National Championships in Perth in August:
Chier Maker (11/FL)
Jack Jones (12/PR)
Jack Haddrick (12/MA)
The Corporate Rowing Program finished up for this year culminating in The Great Autumn Regatta in the wind and rain at Sydney International Regatta Centre. The Newington staff crew, aptly named “Slightly Tipsy” won the C-Final in grand style. This is the culmination of four weeks training on Sunday mornings and mid-week sessions before school commencing at 5.00am!
Their dedication paid off! This was real nitty gritty Newington community made up of Non-teaching staff, teaching staff and Old Boys all working well together for a result! Not often do you see a group of Newington staff smiling their heads off whilst shivering their butts off on a Sunday afternoon in Penrith!!
Congratulations to the crew: Cate Lukins, Olivia Cox, Isobel Davis, Stephen Bowden, Helen Bremner, Adam Hellyer, Jane Wynn-Jones, Peter Yates, Karen Meagher and coached by super coach Lachlan Hine (ON ’11).
Mr Simon Pennington
Former Director of Rowing
Here’s an account from one of the rowers, Cate Lukins:
“After spending nearly 50 minutes warming up in the freezing wind and rain we fronted up for our first race only to be told that they had run it early due to the nasty weather conditions so we missed out. We managed to get into the next available race but we were placed in a grade above so there were no smiling faces after this.
But, it ended up being a Cinderella story. While we were all there sweating, rowing, sweating and rowing, I had a sneaking suspicion we’d place, but to win was amazing. I had to be helped out of the boat after the race as my hands and feet had no feeling. But, as you can see, nothing was going to stop me from climbing the dais.
It was well worth the effort. We’re all feeling a bit lost and deflated now our mission is complete.”
From May 20 to May 30, students from Wyvern and Years 7 and 8 at Stanmore participated in a worldwide competition where they were able to deepen their knowledge of the language they are studying or to explore a new language from a variety of choices.
In the 10 days of competition 579 students answered a total 557,595 questions. An outstanding effort!!!
The following are some notable achievements from our students:
Questions answered in each language: French: 345,261, Chinese: 47,724, Italian: 44,944, Japanese: 41,988, Latin: 28,193, German: 18,307, Spanish: 14,957, Indonesian: 7195, Maori: 5120, Greek: 4284, Russian: 477.
The student who achieved the highest score at Newington was Kelvin Du (7/ME) with 10,007 points. This was an outstanding effort, placing him 248th in Australia but more notably 465th in the world out of 120,000 participants. Kelvin achieved Elite status (10,000 points), and his certificate will be presented at a school assembly later in the year.
Other notable achievements:
Gold Awards (3000 points)
Silver Awards (2000 points)
Newington students also gained 31 Bronze Awards (1000 points) and 62 Credit Awards (500 points).
Congratulations to all boys on their efforts and many thanks to the Language Teachers at Wyvern and Stanmore for their support and encouragement of the students.
Mr Michael Bennett
Head of Languages
This year over 100 Geography students from Years 8-11 took part in the National Geographic Australian Geography Competition. Following on from the success from last year whereupon Yianni Van Gelder (11/MA) and Erol Gorur (11/LE) both finished in the state’s top 10, this year Benjamin Rigney (10/FL) finished equal second in the state. Newington College as a whole finished 7th in Australia, a great result for all who participated! A total of 16 boys were in the top 5% of the country with Erol Gorur (11/LE), Alex Goth (9/MA), James Dummett (10/MA), Ashan Karunagaran (10/KL), James Kwok (10/ME), Nicholas Bramich (11/JN) and Nicholas Peppercorn (10/PR) being placed in the top 1% of the country.
Benjamin now has the chance to compete against other winners from the other States and Territories for a place at the International Geography Finals in Krakow, Poland. I am sure you will join with us in wishing Benjamin the best of luck!
The nature of the competition involves the students answering several higher order questions testing their basic knowledge of all things geographical. From map skills to current issues, the boys are tested with a series of challenging questions designed to promote their interest in the wider world. I congratulate all students who took part.
Mr Justin Verco
Geography Teacher
One of the great privileges I have of being in chaplaincy at Newington is that I work in a team with two great guys whom I respect enormously. We are a very unified little team of ministers. We each have our own perspective on life and faith, but share a common passion for education and relating our Christian Faith to boys, young men and families within the milieu of the exciting landscape that is Newington College.
Last week, at the annual Fletcher House Chapel service, it was a great pleasure to be a member of the congregation, rather than doing the “up front” stuff. My colleague, Michael Bennett, had lovingly crafted together a homily that looked back on the life of Joseph Fletcher, and used his historical insights to bring an inspirational challenge to the rest of us.
The Reverend Joseph Fletcher was President of Newington from 1865 until 1887 and was responsible for leading the College Council to relocate Newington from Silverwater to its present campus at Stanmore. An important theme for Fletcher was a sense that God was the one whom credit was due for the prosperity and progress of Newington in those early formative years. Being a man of the Scriptures the Reverend Fletcher had identified God as “Jehovah Jireh” which translated from the original language of the Bible means “God the Provider” – the One who has “foreseen and then provided” (see Isaiah 50:7-9). It is thought that Fletcher in fact wished that the words “Jehovah Jireh” would become the motto of Newington College – the sentiment certainly was his own personal mantra throughout his long and adventurous life.
Chaplain Bennett challenged us to consider whether we see God at work providing for us and our families. Most of us at first would think that the good things of life have arrived on our “doorstep” through our own hard work and skill. We look at the amazing story of the growth and development of Newington College over the years. Surely there is so much to be thankful to God for. Surely we can see evidence that God the Provider has been faithful to this unique school community in the midst of the rapidly expanding city of Sydney. Is this not also true of our own lives and the blessing our own families bring to us?
Chaplain Bennett spoke of God’s provision in his own life through tough times and through good times. Again we were invited to ponder on our own journeys thus far. As he concluded Mr Bennett quoted from Joseph Fletcher, and I leave you with this thought, from the annals of our school’s own history: “My whole life has been built on God’s promises…seek earnestly to make your Christian life real, real enough to be the one reality in death.”
Be thankful for what God has blessed you with, and be thankful for life and the life that is ahead of you, where there are no more tears, or pain, or death, only life with God into eternity. We appreciate your work Chaplain Bennett – for your encouragement and challenge.
David N. Williams
College Chaplain
Sexting is the sending of provocative or sexual photos, images, messages or videos using a mobile phone or posting online.
Sexting images may be considered child pornography.
Young people explain that they take and share such pictures for different reasons. A survey found 51% of teen girls had sent sexual messages or images due to male pressure. Some pictures were intended as private self-portraits. Some were for fun.
Teens are most at risk from people they know. In fact, the biggest threat is posed by people who are “friends” on social media.
Researchers have found that sexting covered a range of behaviors, from innocent flirtation to threatening behaviors, including harassment, humiliation, cyberbullying, stalking, coercion and even sexual assault.
For the victim it can lead to serious mental health issues such as poor self image, school avoidance, self harm, eating disorders and in some cases suicide. Remember once you send a picture you no longer own that picture. Even pictures sent on Snap Chat are not deleted and can be found with some effort.
It seems that males who sext are considered funny or pranksters while females are criticized and looked down on.
Sexting can be a crime depending on the age of the people sexting and whether the pictures would be considered ‘offensive’.
Under Commonwealth law anyone who sends, receives or even asks for a naked or sexual image of a person who is or appears to be under the age of 18 is at risk of being charged. It is more serious if the person is under 16 years.
For example a 15 year old girl sends her boyfriend a semi-nude photo of herself. He is committing a crime if the photo is found on his phone/computer and she has committed a crime for taking a photo and forwarding it.
Even if the young person gives permission for the photo it’s a crime. This is because in Australia, child pornography laws were designed to protect children from the abuse of adults and didn’t consider that teenagers might want to take such pictures. If found guilty of a serious sexting crime, you could be put on the National Child Offender Register.
Victoria was in the news last week as the first state to consider changing the law around sexting. It recommends that ‘minors who can legally engage in sexual relations with one another should not be regarded as child pornographers if they take a photo or video of that activity.
“However, if there is more than a two year age difference between the minor depicted in an explicit image or recording and the person who possesses it, it should be treated as a child pornography offence.”
If you receive an image that is explicit or makes you feel uncomfortable, delete it, never share and report this to a responsible adult.
If you know that an indecent image of you or a friend has been posted on the internet, you or your friend can contact the service provider, such as Facebook or YouTube, to have it removed. You can do this by visiting the safety areas of their websites and following their reporting links.
The Youth Hotline Number can give legal advice on 1800 10 18 10
Sister Margaret Bates
School Nurse
Dear Newingtonia echoed through Doltone House and across the waters at Pyrmont, as 670 Old Boys sung their beloved school song at the ONU Sesquicentenary Dinner on Saturday 25 May. Guests were entertained by; MC His Honour Magistrate Greg Grogin (ON ’76), the Headmaster Dr David Mulford, James Jordan (ON ’81) President of the Old Newingtonian’s Union; and special guest after dinner speaker, comedian Jean Kittson (pictured above), who is married to Old Boy Patrick Cook (ON ’67). As well as enjoying the company of school mates and past masters, the celebratory milestone of 150 years of Newington College was applauded and acknowledged in a toast by The Hon RN (Angus) Talbot (ON ’53) Chairman Newington College Council.
As part of the Sesquicentenary Celebrations, the Headmaster hosted an Afternoon Tea for more than 80 past Newington Senior Prefects, Deputy Senior Prefects and Senior Boarder Prefects on Saturday 25 May in Prescott Hall. Spanning the decades from 1945 to the present day and travelling from far and wide, Newington’s past student leaders joined the Headmaster and the Director of Development – Archives, Alumni and Foundation. A commemorative group photograph of Newington’s former student leaders was taken in front of the Founders building to celebrate the occasion.
As the date for the opening of the Wesleyan Collegiate Institution in July 1863 neared, Rev. John Allen Manton became increasingly concerned. The two Masters he had sought from England had not arrived and there was no information as to when they would.
On 31 May 1863, however, a young probationary Minister of the Wesleyan Church, Rev James Egan Moulton, arrived in Sydney from England on board the clipper Merrie England, on his way to mission work in Fiji. He now learned that he could not proceed to Fiji: mission rules forbade single men from serving in the South Seas missions, due to the temptations that might arise. Moulton was engaged, but his fiancée was still in England. Manton quickly sought his services and he found himself acting as ‘Head Master’, organising for the start of classes once the College opened.
Manton wrote to his daughter Emma: ‘I cannot help feeling the deepest thankfulness to God for His goodness in raising up a Master for the school just at the last hour… just as I was at my wit’s end, Mr Moulton has come into the Colony and not being able proceed to Fiji at present, has come to my aid and suits well.’
Moulton would stay at the new school until early 1865. When he finally resumed his missionary work, it was not to Fiji, but to Tonga, that he sailed. There, he founded our brother school, Tupou College, the following year and started our College’s long association with Tonga.
In a society where we appear to be more connected than ever with so many avenues for communication, how can some students get it so wrong?
This is a question we are often faced with at school; where some means of communication has been used inappropriately thus hurting others as a result. These students have broken the law, probably without even knowing it.
Some students unwittingly believing that what they write on Facebook or other social media sites is not public knowledge and that they cannot be held accountable for any wrongdoing. It is hardly surprising that students are not made aware of their online responsibilities because of the pace of communication advancement.
I will be addressing the College soon on what the law is regarding electronic communication. Last year at the UNSW Law Update for Schools, I was briefed on how the law affects our students. There is a myth that we have ‘freedom of expression’, especially when it comes to identifying others and defaming them. Defamation laws are uniform across Australia and have been since 2005. Our boys need to be clear on three distinct points:
So many young people identify, defame and publish without realising it. To receive something defamatory on email and to then forward it on or even comment on it and forward those comments makes them libel.
The point of raising this subject with parents is to ensure that our boys have the knowledge to be on the right side of the law. In discussing these issues with the boys, the principles of good character and integrity will be highlighted. Being a responsible user of social media is a good test of character.
Cyber- bullying is often witnessed by many who condone it by not stopping it. Defamatory remarks against others can be damaging and hurtful and we ask that our boys step in and stop those who are publishing them. If we are informed about inappropriate use of social media, we will intervene if it affects another member of our community.
Many students use this forum well; for study purposes and sharing ideas which is encouraging. It is the minority of poor usage that brings down the reputation of many.
Have a great week!
Mr Bob Meakin
Deputy Head of Stanmore – Head of Pastoral
Edmund Webb Boarding House recently entered a team in the Cancer Council’s Relay for Life at Centennial Park on May 18-19. Fundraising efforts, led by Senior Boarding Prefect Harry Hunt (12/MA) and other senior leaders, helped raise $3,045. Twenty six boarders plus families-in-residence participated in the Relay itself with 18 camping overnight.
The 24-hour Relay included a Hope Ceremony, Survivor’s Walk and Fight Back Lap. The boarders are to be congratulated for their genuine respect and maturity on these solemn and celebratory occasions. Three boarders entered the Miss Relay Competition – to some success.
The team baton, a toy Wyvern, made over 400 circuits of the track. Lap 150 was dutifully celebrated.
Thanks must go to Newington Challenge for loaning Edmund Webb a dozen tents, and to Alliance Catering for their generous contribution to the fundraising efforts and being so accommodating with meals.
Thanks must also go to the Boarding House staff-in-residence (Mark Oliphant, Rex Nottage, James Norman and Tom Lever) and their families (especially Amanda, who was at Centennial Park for 28 hours straight) who all volunteered their time over a tiring weekend. Thanks also to Maz Bustamante who did the 5am shift!
The boarders are enthusiastic to participate again in 2014.
Above: Gap student Ed Lifely speaking to the MC as Edmund Webb prepares for their last lap of the circuit.
Mr Will van Asperen
Boarding House Staff
On what was a glorious sunny Sunday May 26, over 170 of our Year 10,11 and 12 boys volunteered to participate in this year’s Red Shield door knock appeal. Once again we were fortunate to enjoy the support of over 30 Newington parents and staff, combined with a team of 20 volunteers from our local Rotary who all acted as drivers, enabling us to cover a wide area of our local suburbs. This year for the first time we were also joined by a group of approximately 30 senior boys and girls from Casimir Catholic College in Marrickville. All together we managed to raise a record amount of $22,921 (with more to come from all the donation envelopes left in letterboxes of those not at home).
This was an example of the Newington community at its very best and all those involved can be extremely proud of their achievements!
Mr Mick Madden
Head of Service Learning
Celebrating our champions of the past and honouring our champions of the future.
Click here for more information.
Boys in Year 12 who are 17 years of age can enroll to vote, but are not eligible to vote until you are 18. If you are 18 before the scheduled Federal Election on Saturday 14 September, you will need to enroll to vote. Electoral Enrolment forms and reply paid envelopes are available outside the P & F Careers Centre. Please see Mr Jamie Breden for assistance.
RSA and RCG Training Course at School
Each year the P & F Careers Centre organises an RSA and RCG Training course for boys in Years 11 and 12. As in previous years, BarMax will deliver the 2 days course on site at Newington. The proposed dates are Friday 20 and Saturday 21 September. Approximate cost for the 2 day course is $220.00. If you are interested in attending the RSA and RCG 2 day training course click here.
Newington Careers Expo – Thursday 13 June 2013, 6.30pm-9.00pm, Centenary Hall and Library (Rae Centre)
Families with boys in Years 10-12 should receive a letter in post shortly outlining the Newington Careers Expo in more detail. More details can also be found by clicking here.
Stay up-to-date with the latest Careers information – become a member of Careers on Spaces.
If you would like to make further enquiries or to make an appointment, please contact me on 02 9568 9429 or Email. The P&F Careers Centre is located next to the Year 12 Centre, Level 1, Rae Building.
Mr Jamie Breden
Careers and VET Coordinator
Come and help us honor our footballers of the past and celebrate footballers of the future at the Football Season Launch on 12pm Friday 14 June 2013.
Mark Bosnich Fox Sports commentator will be the special guest at this event along with Alex Tobin, former Socceroo Captain and our second most capped Socceroo having played 87 games for his country and Damien de Buhun, CEO of the Hyundai A League.
This is the inaugural Football Season Launch lunch and we look forward to meeting you at the event.
Don’t miss out!
Click here for more details