Dr Hugh Mackay on What Makes a Life Worth Living?

We warmly invite you to the final Centre for Ethics 2013 Public Lecture with special guest Dr Hugh Mackay at 7:00 PM on Wednesday 6 November.

Dr Mackay is a psychologist, social researcher and the author of 15 books. In recognition of his pioneering work in social research, Dr Mackay has been awarded honorary doctorates from Charles Sturt, Macquarie, NSW and Western Sydney universities.

He has also been a newspaper columnist for over 25 years, and is a frequent guest on ABC Radio. In this lecture, Dr Mackay will introduce his latest book, The Good Life which explores the themes of self interest and self sacrifice in a quest to live a happy and ‘good life’.

The Good Life, is a book that will start conversations, ignite arguments and possibly change the way we live our lives.

To find out more about the Centre for Ethics 2013, please visit the insite here

Sport Report

Training during Exams

Boys in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 will have training during the exam period. Year 7 will train as per normal in Period 6 on Tuesday and Thursday. Years 8, 9 and 10 will have a modified training schedule. This will be placed on the respective sporting pages on SPACES.

Athletics

Newington was well represented at the recent NSW All Schools Athletics Championships, with boys from Years 7 to 12 competing against the best in NSW. Year 7 boys competed in 13 events highlighting that the future of Newington Athletics is in good hands. All boys participated well with many achieving personal bests.

There were a couple of highlights with James Roach (7/MA) winning the 100 m and 200 m in the U12 age group. David Murray (10/ME) ran in the 1500 m with a broken arm showing tremendous courage and tenacity. Lachlan Little (ON 2013) and Patrick Elliott (ON 2013) ended their fine Athletics careers at Newington with fantastic performances. Pat won the U19 1500 m in a time of 4:22:07 and Lachlan Little won the U19 Long Jump with a leap of 6.80 m.

Congratulations to all boys involved, particularly to Pat and Lachlan who ended their Newington Athletics career on such a positive note.

Cricket

Two Newington boys Ben Page (8/JN) and Lawrence Neil-Smith (8/JN) have been selected in the AAGPS squad to trial at the Combined Independent Schools cricket trials. We wish both boys the best in the upcoming trials. The 2013/14 AAGPS cricket season starts this weekend with the 1st and 2nd XI teams playing one day fixtures against Scots College. The boys in the 1sts and 2nds will be presented with their caps on Thursday. Best of luck to the teams

Tennis

Two Newington boys Paul Howe (7/ME) and Hunter Karam (7/PR) were selected to represent the AAGPS U15 tennis team at the Combined Independent Schools tennis trials. Both boys are vying for selection in the Newington senior tennis teams for the upcoming season. Congratulations boys.

Tupou College Service Learning Tour

The U15 Rugby and Service Learning Tour to Tupou College was once again a great success this year.

The relationship between our communities has clearly grown over the last few years as a result of the time that we have spent together on each other’s campuses.

While on tour, we were privileged to be in the company, meet and try to dance for, The Queen Mother, Halaevalu Mata’aho, wife of the late King Tupou IV (ON 1936). She has a great affection for Newington College and said that she was very happy to see us in Tonga.

Another highlight of the Tour this year was the annual delivery of a container of resources. It was sponsored by Ken Grover from Gulliver’s Sport Travel and is an opportunity for our community to enhance Tupou College’s teaching resources.

This year, with the help of the Newington College Community, we sent textbooks, science equipment, classroom furniture, laptops, a data projector and other IT equipment, farming equipment, clothes, catering equipment and various Rugby resources.

During the tour we also played two games of Rugby. We won our fixture against Tupou College for the first time and the second game was a mixed game where everyone was a winner!

In terms of hands-on work, our boys and staff worked in Tupou College’s new pre-school and gifted them toys and learning resources. Ms Organ conducted Science lessons with the donated microscopes, Mr Corcoran taught English and Mr Gill and myself gave Woodwork lessons.

Mr Gill also ran some Rugby clinics for coaches and players, whilst Ms Organ coached Tupou College’s first Football team!

Newington boys spent a large part of their trip unloading the container and their efforts were much appreciated.

The Tour Blog describes the day-to-day happenings of the tour.

Our staff and boys all count themselves blessed to have been welcomed with open arms and hearts by our family at Tupou College. We all have many fond memories and have have learned valuable lessons on how we should live for others, that no doubt will serve us well in the years ahead.

There is no better testament to the success of this year’s tour than the boys own comments about their experience.

Bayley Kuenzle (9/MA)

“Going to Tupou College was one of the best experiences I have ever had. Just hanging out with the Tupou boys, playing Rugby and seeing what it is like to go to school in Tonga was very special. The food and hospitality was awesome, and the brotherhood between the Tupou and Newington boys really thrived. This tour has certainly changed me. I have been on many tours before, but this one is by far the best. I really recommend going on the tour in the future.”

Louis Gray (9/MO)

“I liked that they were so friendly and welcoming and that they put such an effort into making our stay as good as possible. I also loved giving back to Tupou College and seeing how much they appreciated it.”

Zac Newton (10/LE)

“It is such a life changing experience getting to know their culture and how they live. Getting to know the boys was like meeting relatives that you have never met.”

Cameron Murray (10/ME)

“The most heart-warming experience I have ever been a part of. The memories we have shared with the students and staff at Tupou cannot be replaced. Everything about the trip was so special.”

This tour could not have been such a success without the tireless efforts of Mr Corcoran, Mr Gill, Ms Organ as well as all of our boys who made sure we were respectful and giving during our time at Tupou College. Their huge contribution to this unique relationship is very much appreciated.

Mr Cameron Quince
Tupou College Tour Co-ordinator/Head of Fletcher House

Anne Zahalka and her Amazing Artists Opening Night

Anne Zahalka and her Amazing Artists opened last Tuesday 22 October to an enthusiastic crowd of parents, staff, members of the Newington community and luminaries from the art world, including special guest Judith Blackall, former Head of Artistic Programs at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Yr 9 Photographic and Digital Media boys showed off their works alongside pieces from Zahalka’s Artist Series which was being shown for the first time in Sydney.

Zahalka, Newington College’s inaugural artist-in-residence courtesy of the New Women group will be on show until this Saturday 2 November 2013.

For more details on the exhibition and to see a full gallery of the images Zahalka took on Back to Newington Day 2013, please visit the Concordia Gallery Insite.

CineArts 2013 Coming Soon

The 13th Annual Film Festival CineArts kick off at  7:00 PM Thursday 28 November in Centenary Hall. Don’t forget to book tickets with Ms Filomena Moretti.

To find out more, click here for the promotional poster.

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History Boys move into next round in Debating

The grand final victory of our Year 10 team in 2012, their debut year, in the NSW Inter-school Les Gordon History Debating Competition has created much interest amongst our budding historians here at Newington. Growing interest has led to two teams being entered into the competition for 2013. Our teams from Year 10 (debutantes) and Year 11 have had great success so far. Thirty two schools from across the state enter the respective Year group competitions and Newington has succeeded in making the semi-finals (the final four schools) in both Year 10 and Year 11.

Both teams were successful in their quarter finals last week against Kincoppal (Year 10) and Sefton High (Year 11). Both debates were of a high quality, especially the one against Sefton High – by far the strongest opponents we have faced in our experience in the competition. What is of added interest is that Newington was the only all-boys school left in the competition by the quarter final stage in each Year group (11 all-girls, 4 co-ed all up). We have obviously now consolidated upon this strong achievement by being the only boys school left in the final four. We are as yet, not aware of our semi-final opponents, but are preparing to face formidable opponents from Barker College, Tara Anglican School for Girls, James Ruse Agricultural High School or SCEGGS, Darlinghurst.

The boys involved should be congratulated on the hard work and dedication that they have put into this intellectually enriching extra-curricular activity. The Year 10 team is made up of Alexander Ianuzzi (10/MO), Callum Strachan (10/JN), Justin Ting (10/JN) and Jean-Luc Gallo (10/MO) (coached by old boy, Hugh Piper (ON 2011). The Year 11 team, which is trying to retain the title from last year is made up of, Sean Hatten (11/ME), Ben Adams (11/FL), Samuel Wallace (11/MO) and Sebastian Rees (11/PR). We wish these boys all the best in their efforts to hopefully make the grand final!

Mr Marco Scali
History Teacher 

Life Saving the First Head Master of Newington College

The histories of Newington and of Tupou College, our brother school in Tonga, would have been very different but for the quick action of two boys.

One Thursday in October 1863, the 22 year old James Egan Moulton, Newington’s first ‘Head Master’, took a group of boys for a swim at Haslams Creek, some distance from Newington House. While all the boys could swim well, Moulton could swim only ‘very indifferently’. As soon as he entered the water he sank to the bottom. Immediately, two boys, Robert McKeown, aged 16, and Andrew Houison, 13, plunged in and ‘with the greatest difficulty and after severe struggling saved his life.’

We know about this incident from a letter written a few days later by the College’s founding President, Rev John Allen Manton, to Robert McKeown’s father. Manton’s copy of the letter is in the College Archives. He wrote to Robert’s father ‘Fearing that you should hear a garbled account of what has taken place here and become alarmed for the safety of your son.’

Manton was quick to reassure Mr McKeown that, while the party ‘all came home in a very exhausted state’, they were recovering rapidly. He was clearly proud of the two boys: ‘The heroic conduct of your son is beyond all praise, and the event will not soon be forgotten here.’ He added that ‘Mr Moulton is so beloved by all the boys that I believe there is not one but would risk his life to save him from danger.’

Moulton remained at Newington until early in 1865, when he sailed to Tonga to resume his missionary calling. The next year, he established Tupou College, under the patronage of King Siaosi (George) Tupou I. He continued to work there for 20 years and was associated with Tonga for more than 40 years, becoming a beloved and revered figure. In 1893, he returned to Newington as President, serving in this role until he retired in 1900.

Mr David Roberts
College Archivist 

2013 – 2014 Student Leadership Training

During the recent school holidays, the new student leadership team gathered to train for their new roles, prepare for the year ahead and set clear goals for 2014.

The structure of Senior Prefect, Deputy Senior Prefects, House Captains and Vice-House Captains, has not changed but their portfolios and their mission have. Significant areas of the school were targeted and nine portfolios were identified where Senior student influence was deemed crucial in the delivery of specific goals.These portfolios were: Communication; House areas; Sport; Music; Drama; Service Learning; Chapel and Ministry, links with the Preparatory schools; and smaller Co-curricular activities. These nine portfolios were assigned to the House Captains and Vice-House Captains; each leader receiving three portfolios with specific goals and duties.

All leaders retain the general task of Prefect duty supervision and assistance to their Head of House for assemblies and House meetings. The general goals of promoting cross-age/year connections in Welfare, Inclusion and Diversity are their goals for the coming year.

Welfare at Newington encompasses well-being programs, individual support, and a focus on positive well-being which follows on from the theme that Lachlan McKirdy (ON 2013), Deputy Senior Prefect 2013, introduced on Mental Health.

Inclusion focuses on being a school that is indeed inclusive not exclusive. It requires a prioritising of identifying lonely or less connected boys and inviting them into the community through interests and Co-curricular groups.

Finally, Diversity shines a light on our many faiths, cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, interests and abilities. It aims to showcase the many beliefs and views promoting tolerance and understanding, a real strength of Newington College.

The leaders worked hard at bedding down strategies for these goals and were inspired by our guest speaker, Mr Simon Poidevin, a current parent, a leader in the corporate finance world and a former Australian Rugby Captain. His message was clear and highly motivating which united the team through the themes of cooperation, support for each other, the dangers of complacency, and setting and adhering to demanding goals. He spoke of ‘difficult conversations’ with peers that would be required if they were to succeed and his ‘take a mate with you’ for those conversations, was both simple and effective advice.

The leaders have practiced their public speaking both with and without a microphone and were appraised by Mr Jon Mountain, Head of Johnstone House, and myself. This term their focus will be on Welfare and Kevin Stathis (11/JN), Senior Prefect, will speak about this in Assembly.

The team has made a fine start and they show a great deal of promise. A special thanks to Simon Poidevin and to Jon Mountain for their time and wisdom at the training sessions.

Mr Robert Meakin
Deputy Head of Stanmore / Head of Pastoral

Newington Chess Team NSW Metropolitan Champions

Congratulations to all members of the Intermediate A Chess team. Although they were unable to overcome the might of James Ruse High School in the final, their efforts throughout this year have been both distinguished and honorable.

All players have been excellent ambassadors for the College displaying sportsmanship, determination and dedication together with a high degree of skill.

The team lost 3 -1 with Justin Ting (10/JN) winning his match on the 3rd board while the others had hard fought losses to highly credentialed opponents.

My personal thanks to the individuals concerned: Cedric Koh (9/MO), Victor Dai (10/FL), Justin Ting (10/JN), Nicholas Sharp (9/JN) and William Tao (9/KL).

Mr Graeme Downward
Chess Coordinator 

When Fire Comes

So the fire is coming. There is nothing you can do to stop the impending disaster overwhelming your home and your worldly possessions. You have one suitcase and only 20 minutes to take what you wish to preserve. Your children and pets are safely waiting in the car for you—what do you choose?

What an incredible week it has been in New South Wales. I do not always get the chance to read the morning newspaper but on Tuesday last week I read a most moving little piece by Tony Kleu (SMH 22 October 2013) about his having to face such a scenario. Several parts of this article touched me. He expressed the deliberate choice to live in the Blue Mountains while knowing the risks, “that is why so many who lost everything will rebuild exactly here…where the air is clean and fresh”.

However the point that got to me the most was this Blue Mountains dweller’s ability to recognise that what it all boils down to (my expression), is he says, “there is not much you need to worry about, and you reflect on how much of a modern urban life is worth saving.” In other words, he is saying not much is – “remarkably little, as it happens, once the photos, passports and other vital documents have been saved. That is just one carton….there’s not an appliance, not a utensil, not a chair, not a knife. [That needs to be saved].”

And so he concludes his summary of the very dramatic events that had transpired in his life with, “As long as our memories and souls are secure, she’ll be right mate.”

And this reminds me of the words of that ancient philosopher we find in the first section of our bibles – “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity and a chasing after the wind…have reverence for God and obey His commandments (love God and love your neighbour) this is what we were created for.” (Ecclesiastes 11)

These last few days have been a very sobering reminder to us all and have allowed us to reflect on what is important in life. I am sure many of you, like me, have wondered and maybe discussed with your loved ones, what would we actually take with us if we had to go knowing that the rest would be lost. When it’s all said and done, there is not much we would value over human life and the memories of our family, past and present, and that intangible dimension to the life of the soul, and the companionship of family and close friends. How precious these things are and how blessed we are to have them.

David N Williams
College Chaplain

New Record at CanTeen National Bandanna Day 2013

Friday October 18 was CanTeen’s National Bandanna Day. The Bandanna has become a worldwide symbol for those undergoing treatment for Cancer.

Senior boys from Fletcher and Le Couteur Houses were out in force in the morning before school and again at recess, selling bandannas to boys and staff alike.

These brilliant salesmen managed to sell 391 Bandannas, raising $1,565 (a new record for us!)

This money will go towards funding CanTeen’s camps, counselling and various supports for young people whose lives have been effected by Cancer.

On behalf of CanTeen, sincere thanks and congratulations to all.

Mr Mick Madden
Head of Service Learning

How to Treat a Burn

With all the terrible fires around Sydney I thought I would remind you about first aid for burns. Burns are divided into three categories:

• Superficial – these burns cause damage to first layer of skin. The burn site will be red and painful.
• Partial thickness – includes damage to the first and second skin layers. The burn site will be red, peeling, blistering and swelling with clear or yellow-coloured fluid leaking from the skin. This burn site is very painful.
• Full thickness – involves damage to both the first and second skin layers, plus the underlying tissues, muscle, bone and organs. The burn site is usually black or charred with white exposed fatty tissue or bone. The nerve endings are generally destroyed and so there is little or no pain experienced at the site of the full-thickness burn. However, surrounding partial thickness burns will be very painful.

First aid for minor burns

Initial first aid can influence final cosmetic outcome, so know what to do.

If possible, remove jewellery and clothing from around the injury unless the clothing is stuck to the burn.

Immediately cool the area under cool running water until the skin returns to normal temperature up to 20 minutes. This will help up to 3 hours after a burn has occurred. Studies have shown that this significantly reduces tissue damage, improves wound healing and decreases scarring. If this is not possible apply and continually reapply a cold-water compress. Do not use ice or iced water as this can worsen the injury. If a limb is burned – elevate to reduce swelling if feasible.

Cover the burn with clean, sterile (if possible), non-stick material. Laying (not wrapping) a few layers of cling wrap over the burn is appropriate once cooled. Cling film is very clean, transparent, won’t stick and provides a barrier. Keep the person warm by covering up unburned areas of the body.

Remember – COOL THE BURN, WARM THE PERSON

DO NOT use adhesive dressings, apply fat, ointment or lotions, break a blister or touch a burn.

Jelonet, a Vaseline gauze, can be folded and applied to a minor burn. There is an extensive range of dressings and treatments available for more serious burns.

Urgent hospitalisation is required for:

• Burns covering large areas of the body (i.e. the arm, thigh or chest)
• Electrical or chemical burns
• Burns of the face, hands, genitals, feet, joints or airway
• Third degree (full thickness) burns to the very young and the elderly
• A person, if they have another serious medical condition such as diabetes.

Finally, make sure your smoke alarm battery at home has been changed recently and keep safe this bushfire season.

Margaret Bates
School Nurse