Reminder of the Significance of Easter

One of the great traditions at Newington, at the Stanmore Campus, is the Shrove Tuesday (last day before Lent commences) Pancake Bake-Off. Instigated by our Headmaster, Dr David Mulford, the chaplains and various other staff, were up early that morning firing up the College’s barbeques in readiness for the hordes of boys who would march down the drive to receive their Shrove Tuesday pancake and sweet sauce – hopefully cooked beautifully, although some were either on the rare side or charcoaled.

This year the “password” to get a pancake was simply to tell us one fact about Easter. Well this was an education for us rather than the boys. We had at least three students say “isn’t it something to do with the birth of Jesus”. One lad whipped his iPhone out and “googled” to search for a fact that would earn him a pancake! That moment stuck in my mind more than any other.

They all got pancakes, and the chaplains and staff realised how little some young people know about the Easter story. Most simply associate Easter with a holiday, preparation for Anzac Day and chocolate.

One does hope that the whole experience of the pancakes, and the start of Lent, did focus the attention of many to the fact that Easter was coming and that for Christian folk, this is probably the most important time of the year – even more so than Christmas.

Easter is all about the mystery of the Almighty One coming to us in our form, as the Christ, and sacrificially offering all so that we might have life, and life in all its fullness. Let’s give ourselves a chance to catch a glimpse of the Grace and Wonder of Easter this year and remind ourselves that even in the midst of tragedy, loss and suffering, there is a promise of eternity – life beyond this material existence, as well as the chance to be embraced by God in this present existence.

Rev David Williams
College Chaplain

Australian Champions at National F1 in Schools Finals

Newington’s F1 in Schools team, Team Quantum won 1st prize in the Development class at the National F1 in Schools Finals Awards Ceremony from March 17 – 19 at the National Convention Centre in Canberra. The team is made up of Year 9 boys Anton Maraldo (9/ME), Sebastian Hodge (9/ME), Evan Favos (9/ME), Roger Li (9/FL) and led by F1 in Schools Co-ordinator Mr Paul Honeywill. Competing against 29 other teams from across the country for the chance to represent Australia at the World Championships in Abu Dhabi, Newington raced ahead taking out the categories for Most Energy Efficient, Best Team Portfolio and Best Team Pit Display.

The F1 in Schools competition is the world’s largest Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) program which involves more than nine million students across 31 different countries. The aim of the challenge is for students to work as a team to design, manufacture, test, market and compete a miniature F1 car capable of 80 km/hr. Students  as young as 10-years-old can participate in the competition where they not only get the chance to experience the adrenaline of a fast car, but also develop leadership, team building, project management, public speaking, marketing and business planning skills.

A big congratulations to the boys and everyone involved in the coordination of F1 in Schools at Newington College on this mammoth achievement!

Skip to 2:45:00 in the clip below to see Team Quantum receive their award on stage.

Building Healthy Study Habits

I must be honest, I am enjoying the recent drops in temperature that have come as we have moved more fully into autumn. Please don’t get me wrong, I do love summer and all that comes with it, but I do like the natural rhythms of the year and the way things change.

The movement through the annual terms at school is very similar for our boys. Each of the terms have their very different academic character and in the same way I trawl through different drawers of clothing in different seasons, students need different approaches to maintain their momentum in their learning at different points in time.

As we head to the end of Term 1, the boys are moving into their first assessment cycle. Senior boys are about to start examination periods, while boys in other years are working towards a wide range of tasks across their patterns of study. Managing their time, working towards deadlines and preparing for set tasks require a different mindset than those times when the boys are building their foundation knowledge. In conversations with boys at this time, there are some important questions to ask:

• What is on your plate? It is easy to focus on the task, assignment or exam that is the closest in your diary, or for a range of reasons might cause the greatest anxiety? It is important to put that into perspective with the bigger picture by laying out all assessment commitments in the foreseeable future. Sometimes what your son might be most concerned about can distract him in the short term, and exacerbate the pressure he might feel in the long term.
• Can you cut it all up? Successful students, at all stages of their schooling, will tell you how managing their time, allocating it to different tasks and being organised in how they approach preparing for assessments was crucial for them. Talking with your son about what that might look like, and encouraging them to chat with their Mentors is an important first step.
• Are you working smarter, or just harder? Preparing for examinations and tests should not be measured in hours, but evaluated in terms of what boys are doing to give them confidence going into a task. Talk with them about what they do when they study, but more importantly why they do it. Help them to reflect upon how they are spending their time.
• There will always be a place for studying foundation knowledge- understanding terms, essential concepts, the breadth of content in a subject. Reading and summarising is one approach but using flashcards (either old-school bits of cardboard, or any of a range of online or iPad apps), writing sample questions, or designing mind-maps or tables improves retention and increases the effectiveness of the use of time.
• Boys should also ensure they are applying their learning when they study. Past papers or sample tasks, collaboratively working on questions with friends, using the variety of resources they are given are key to finding out what they do (and most importantly don’t) know as they move closer to an assessment.
• What else have you got going on? There is a fine art to avoiding distraction and creating distraction for boys. Time and space for boys to continue with their sport, their social and their family life is essential to give them balance and time away from study in those periods where the pressure can often mount. It helps maintain healthy perspective, but also means that the time spent studying has more impact on them, that they get more value for the time they spend.
• However equally important is how to control distractions. Phones, Facebook and other social media don’t tend to understand study timetables, so talking to boys about how to compartmentalise them helps take pressure off them in the long run.

Students who get the most from their study, and as a result take pressure off themselves, find that they develop habits over the years that work for them. It is easy to get caught in conversation about what boys need to do at these times, not the how. It is a focus on the how, the mechanics of what boys do, that helps to build successful habits.

 Mr Trent Driver
Head of Academics / Deputy Head of Stanmore

Sport Report

Fencing

On Saturday two Newington boys entered the National Foil Qualifier Competition. Alex Mei (12/JN) was awarded second place and Adam Chew (11/MO) ninth place. Alex Mei will represent NSW A Team and Adam Chew will represent NSW B Team and both will fence at the National School Individual Championship in June at Brisbane.

Congratulations to the boys on their fantastic achievements!

Cricket

Four Newington boys, Jordan Gauci (11/FL), Sam Smyth (12/LE) – Captain of Cricket, Josh Stewart  (12/FL) – Captain 1st XI and Sam Wood (12/PR) – Deputy Senior Prefect) were selected to represent the GPS Combined Cricket 1st XI competing in the the Lord Taveners’ Cricket Week played in Sydney from 10 to 14 March. Newington 1st XI Coach, Mr Troy Stanley, was selected to coach to coach the side.

GPS won two tight matches against CHS 2 and CAS before a narrow loss to CHS 1. The team lost that early momentum losing to eventual winners Combined Catholic Colleges, and NSW Country Schools and finishing mid table.

Sam Wood (12/PR) was selected in the NSW Schoolboys Cricket Team to play a series of fixtures in December 2014. Sam’s selection was based on his match winning feats with the ball backed up with solid efforts with the bat. Jordan Gauci (11/FL) was selected as a shadow player in the Schoolboys team based on his efforts with the bat against CAS and Combined Catholic Colleges.

Pre-Season Concussion Testing

Concussion has certainly been in the news again lately with former Australian Rugby League player Ian Roberts speaking out about brain damage from contact sports on Channel 7’s Sunday Night Program two weeks ago. I listened to Hack on Triple J as well when Tom Tilley spoke to Ian and neurosurgeon Professor Gavin Davis about the risks involved in certain kinds of sport, and former Rugby Player Mario Fenech has also admitted to having brain damage after years of being a professional Rugby League player.

Fairfax Journalist Peter FitzSimons, sporting personality Matty Johns and Triple M presenter and NRL legend Mark Geyer are also talking about it on their programs  as well as raising awareness and taking part in some of the research that doctors at Deakin University are currently undertaking in regards to concussion in contact sports.

A concussion is an injury to the brain usually caused by a blow to the head that results in temporary loss of normal brain function. A person does not need to lose consciousness to suffer a concussion. Because the brain floats inside the skull cushioned by the surrounding spinal fluid, a concussion occurs when an abrupt blow to the head, or even a rapid deceleration causes the brain to bounce against the inner wall of the skull. There is potential for tearing of blood vessels, pulling of nerve fibres and bruising of the brain. While concussion can occur in any sport, we see more incidents during Rugby and Football season.

Symptoms

Common symptoms include headache, vision disturbance, dizziness, vomiting, confusion, memory loss, ringing in the ears and loss of balance.

A concussion can effect memory, judgment, reflexes and muscle coordination.

Behavioral changes such as inappropriate emotions, irritability, feeling nervous or anxious may be seen while poor attention, sensitivity to light and noise, lack of concentration and sleep disturbance can also be symptoms of concussion.

During a game, the rule is that if a concussion is suspected then the player is removed from play and must not be allowed back on. If in doubt – it’s best to advise that player to sit it out and seek medical attention.

Pre-Season Concussion Testing

At Newington we take concussion seriously. For the past six years we have been doing pre-season concussion testing on all Rugby players and 1sts and 2nds Football players.

This involves a paper and pen, 90 seconds and a Digit Symbol Substituting Test (DSST). Basically the boys have to match symbols to numbers and get as many done as they can in the time allotted. If a boy suffers a concussion he will repeat the test in the clinic the following week to compare. This test is a useful tool for the doctor but must be used in conjunction with player symptoms and balance testing.

This year at Newington we will be trialing online concussion testing for the 1sts and 2nds Rugby teams. This is a computer card game that measures the athletes’ reaction time, concentration and memory before concussion, allowing doctors to compare the result to the same test done when the athlete has concussion. Hopefully we will be able to offer this to more teams next year.

Management

Adolescents (10 – 18 years) need a conservative approach when tested for concussion because studies have shown that their brains take longer to recover. The medical practitioner responsible for treatment will advise on how long the player should rest from physical activity. In some cases shorter school days and/or reduced school/computer work may be required to ensure mental rest, which is important.

The player who has been told he has a concussion should report to me when next back at school and I will ensure coaches and relevant school staff are aware of his condition.

Once clinical symptoms have completely resolved, a graduated return to play is undertaken followed by a medical clearance. The player can then commence a return to sport.

The Graduated Return To Play (GRTP) program

Each stage of the GRTP takes at least 24 hours, with a requirement that the player remains symptom free after each stage. If symptoms develop then the player rests for 24 hours and starts that stage again.

• Stage 1 – Rest and Recovery determined by the medical practitioner
• Stage 2 – Simply walking, swimming or stationary cycling at a low intensity
• Stage 3 – Progress to running drills
• Stage 4 – Complex training drills – no contact. Start resistance training
• Stage 5 – Medical clearance obtained to return to full contact training.

At our seven home games this year where the 1sts Rugby are playing at Stanmore there will be a doctor specialising in Sports Medicine on duty from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Dr Ameer Ibrahim Sports Doctor who has been with the College for the past six years has undertaken a new position as a doctor for the  the Sydney Roosters NRL team so we welcome Dr Paul Mason from Sydney Sports Medicine Centre at Olympic Park. Dr Mason and I will work from the First Aid room just inside the big gates on Newington Road at each of the Rugby home games.

Let’s hope you don’t need to see us, but in case you do, you know where we are.

 Ms Margaret Bates
College Nurse

Interested in Representative Chess?

The Representative Chess season begins in early Term 2 and Newington needs to register with the NSW Junior Chess League the number of teams in each division we wish to enter into the competition.

All matches in the regular season are played on Friday afternoons from 3:30 PM until around 6: 00 PM. There is travel involved, but generally only within our designated region. This is the Met-East region.

Teams are made up in 3 divisions: Junior (Years 7 & 8), Intermediate (Years 9 & 10) and Senior (Years 11 & 12).

Teams of four are selected by rating (or by challenge) and then seated by rating within teams, i.e. the best player in each team plays the best player in the other team and so on.

If you wish to nominate for a team in any division you need to contact either Mr Downward, Mrs O’Rourke, Mr Chambers or Mr Fowell within the next three weeks.

If you played in a team last year but wish to withdraw from this year’s teams please let us know as well.

Because it is played on Friday afternoons there can be a clash with the services, (Cadets and Newington Challenge), such clashes have been resolved in the past so do not allow this to be an impediment to your participation.

If you have any enquiries all staff will be present in W11 or outdoor board during lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays or after school in W11 on Friday.

Mr Graeme Downward
Chess Co-ordinator

Want to become a New Woman?

A popular P&F support group at the College is New Women whose members are all mothers of boys currently at the College. New Women supports just three events each year – the Year 7 Mother Son Dinner, the New Women Evening and Back to Newington Day.

“Our group is able to direct where our funds raised go,” says New Women President, Helen Burton. With sons in both Year 8 and Year 10, Helen has a keen interest in being part of College life and ensuring that the funds that New Women raise benefit as many of the boys across each year level as possible.

“At high school it can be difficult to make close connections with other parents. Our group encourages interactions amongst mothers, and this is helpful on a range of levels,” said Helen.

The recent Year 7 Mother Son Dinner was organised by New Women for exactly that reason. Over 180 new mothers attended with their sons and were able to meet other mothers and experience the strong Newington community spirit.

From time to time New Women lend a hand with other activities too. For instance all mothers would be aware that by Term 2 the boys must have a new tracksuit with the new design. “We are asking mothers to donate good quality used tracksuits with the old design to benefit the boys of Tupou College, our brother school in Tonga,” said Helen.

“This isn’t a fundraising activity, but an activity which we consider important. It’s a great way to use this clothing which would otherwise be difficult to recycle”, she said.

If taking part in New Women appeals to you, then Helen encourages you to get in touch.

“We welcome all mothers from every year level. For our group to thrive we rely on mothers to join us,” she said.

“You can donate as little or as much time as you have – every bit counts.”

For more information email newwomen@newington.nsw.edu.au.

From the Archives – Schools Reports

The stories of our past students’ school careers can be pieced together from a variety of original record sources in the College’s archives. One type of record that is little represented in the archives, however, is a student’s school reports. This is hardly surprising, as the reports are sent home to the boys’ parents or guardians and, historically, the College did not keep a copy. Consequently, when an Old Newingtonian offers his school reports to us for the College’s archives, we are particularly grateful.

Warwick Dunn (ON 1946) was a young student in the Preparatory School between 1937 and 1939. When he returned to Newington for the re-opening of the Le Couteur Centre on 26 February this year, he brought his school reports and presented them to me for preservation in the College’s archives.

There are four reports: one for the third term of 1937 and one each for the three terms of 1938. Each is a single page form completed by the student’s Form teacher and signed by the Headmaster, PR Le Couteur. Warwick’s reports show him in Form 1B (covering the equivalent of today’s Years 1 and 2), and show that this Form had an average of just eight students during this period. They show the subjects that he studied (English, History, Geography, Arithmetic, Spelling, Reading, Writing and Scripture), his rank in the Form and his marks that term.

There is also a ‘Remarks’ area, providing room for a short assessment. In Warwick’s case, these are all very positive, noting his good work, keenness and improvements each term. He is shown as absent from school for only one day during the four terms covered. Perhaps keen to make a good impression, Warwick practised his handwriting by writing the name and address of the College five times on the back of the December 1937 report.

Warwick Dunn’s school reports provide us with a unique insight into his time as a young student at Newington and into primary school education in this period. We are grateful that Warwick has kept his reports safe for 75 years and has now given them to the College to be preserved by his old school.

 Mr David Roberts
College Archivist

A Season of Success – Summer Premierships

Congratulations to all Newington boys who competed and participated in the Summer Sports Season for 2013 – 2014. We had some landmark victories in the GPS competition with Cricket, Water Polo, Tennis and Swimming all earning Premierships.

Swimming

The Newington Swim Team of 2014 collected two out of three AAGPS Premierships on offer during the Swimming season in Term 1 which culminated in the GPS Swimming Carnival at Sydney Olympic Park last Friday 21 March.

This year the Swim team comprised of 55 members.

Our Juniors staged a remarkable comeback win in their premiership to retain the silverware at Stanmore for the fourth consecutive year. The strong relay teams in the Under 13s and Under 14s age groups is a fantastic sign for the future. The Juniors season was highlighted by Jack Rudkins (8/MA) (U13s) breaking a longstanding 100m Freestyle Newington College record with a 1:02.22 at the Newington Age Championships.

In the Intermediate age category Newington dominated all point score carnivals. Our depth in this age category coupled with outstanding individual performances by Callum Lowe-Griffiths (10/PR) led to a resounding premiership victory. Among the highlights were two records to Callum in the 50 m and 200 m Backstroke events.

Our Senior squad, led by Captain of Swimming – Samuel Turner (12/MO), was never far off the pace in any event and won valuable points in relay events helping them to a fifth place finish overall in the Senior premiership.

2014 was also the farewell season of the Head of Swimming, Mr Jeff Snare, who has overseen the team for no fewer than 11 seasons. Mr Snare’s knowledge of swimming and rapport with the schools swimmers will be missed next year and in the future.

Tennis

Congratulations to Newington on a successful Tennis season. The Newington 1sts finished as undefeated Champions of the GPS, and the 2nds finished a credible fourth. Damien Minguez (12/FL) and Richard Palmer (12/KL) of Year 12 gained selection for CIS and they were joined by Julian Panagopoulos (10/LE) of Year 10 when AAGPS defeated CAS in the annual challenge match.

Water Polo

Water Polo has once again secured the 1sts, 2nds and Under 16As GPS/CAS Premierships in season 2013 – 14. This year’s treble was a particularly special achievement as all three premiership teams won their trophies undefeated for outright premierships for the first time ever.

The Firsts overcame a very strong St Ignatius 10 – 9 in their closest match of the season. After that tussle Riverview will have a point to prove next season.

The Under 16As provided one of the highlights of the season in their “get out of jail” victory against Scots College thanks to a goal from Harry Gilkes (9/KL) in the dying seconds to win the match 5 – 4.

Congratulations on a superb season!

Cricket

Newington Cricket witnessed a successful 2013-14 season with the 1st XI, capably led by Joshua Stewart (12/FL), winning the AAGPS Premiership for the first time since 2003. In addition, the 1st XI won the recently inaugurated Joseph Coates Trophy played between Newington and Sydney Boys High. The Trophy commemorates Joseph Coates who served as Headmaster of both schools and was a renowned cricketer in his day.

Back to Back Premierships for History Debaters

On Thursday 13 March our Year 12 History Debating team made up of Ben Adams (12/FL), Sean Hatten (12/ME), Sebastian Rees  (12/PR) and Samuel Wallace (12/MO) won the 2014 Les Gordon History Debating Competition Grand Final against Good Samaritan School, Hinchinbrook. The boys successfully affirmed the premise that “the historian is more important than history itself” and came home with back to back competition wins.

This is the first time any high school has won the competition consecutively, and the boys did this in style with a record of 12 wins over the last two years which has culminated in this enviable title. The three adjudicators came to last Thursday’s decision unanimously – a fantastic achievement!

The event was held in our very own Prescott Hall, certainly a fitting venue for such a distinguished event.  Our guests, who were accompanied by a strong supporters crowd, were pleased to receive a warm Newington welcome from boys, staff and parents who also attended the event in good numbers.

Our boys have certainly gained a formidable reputation for their performances over the past two years and will soon gain wider notoriety by appearing in the journal of the NSW History Teacher’s Association, Teaching History. Similarly the students of Good Samaritan School, who had defeated some very experienced debaters to reach the Grand Final, acquitted themselves very admirably both in argument and delivery.

The boys should be commended for their exceptional achievements and for representing Newington History with such distinction over the past two years. They are a true credit to our College.

Mr Marco Scali
History Teacher

The Newingtonian 2013

Newington College’s yearbook, The Newingtonian 2013, has arrived! This year’s special Sesquicentenary edition is filled with 404 pages of photos and reports from our three College campuses.

The  Newingtonian will be provided to each Newington boy who attended the College during 2013 and copies will be distributed to boys during their designated English class. Year 12 2013 students will receive their copy by post.

We hope you enjoy reading about Newington’s academic, co-curricular and sporting achievements in The Newingtonian 2013 and that the boys will keep this hard copy record as a valued chronicle of their days at Newington in 2013.

Sarah Kent
Publications Officer

Inter-Schools Chess Competition

On Thursday 6 March,  more than 140 students from 20 local schools in the Inner West area arrived at the College to compete in the Inter-Schools Chess Competition hosted by the Sydney Academy of Chess.

The tournament consisted of two sections (Primary and Secondary) playing seven rounds each in a Swiss format, a format which pits players with equal points against each other, with strict time limits over the course of the day.

Each player received 1 point for a win, half a point for a draw and zero points for a loss.

Newington College had nine representatives in the secondary section and nine in the primary division.

Wyvern House Representatives:

Hamish Thompson (5/HO)

Kieran Casey (5/LU)

Adrian Lo (6/LU)

Calum Boland (6/HO)

Kim Lam (5/WI)

Christopher Mina (5/HO)

Jaxon Jarvis (5/CO)

Benjamin Nguyen (6/LU)

Fallon Fotaras (5/HO)

Stanmore Campus Representatives:

Yianni Van Gelder (12/MA)

Bilal Arabi-Jallad (12/PR) 

Victor Dai (11/FL)

Justin Ting (11/JN)

Cedric Koh (10/MO)

Nicholas Sharp (10/JN)

Eric Sheng (10/ME)

William Tao (10/KL)

Jack Murtough-Coombes (8/KL)

As you can imagine, with nearly 100 primary school students and 40 secondary students in such close quarters, there was a lot of energy in the room. During the lunch break our Senior boys acted as mentors for many of the primary schoolers, shepherding them across to the ovals and to the cafeteria for much needed release from the tension of the Chess. Their efforts were exemplary and they received glowing reports from many of the parents and staff of the Junior students.

At the conclusion of the tournament, Newington College had finished 3rd overall in the primary category against very strong opposition. The secondary teams event saw Newington victorious and in the Individual competition, Newington won four out of the top seven positions:

1st Cedric Koh (10/MO)

2nd William Tao (10/KL)

4th Nick Sharp (10/JN)

7th Victor Dai (11/FL)

My thanks to Bevan Clouston from Sydney Academy of Chess for his organisation and expertise that allowed the students the opportunity to participate in the event, and to all the staff who assisted and made this such successful venture.

Mr Graeme Downward
Chess Co-Ordinator

End of Season Rowing Report

The 2013-14 Rowing season has shown that the Newington Boat Shed has genuine optimism for the future successes that will come. Regularly, there were eight quads competing at Year 8 level and sometimes there were nine quads at the Year 9 level. In general, most boats were very competitive with wins being recorded and positive places achieved. The main goal was to get the students to row technically well as this is important for progress to be made next year. The Junior Eights have had an excellent season as they were consistently achieving 1st, 2nd or 3rd on most races. At the Head of the River, the Junior 3rd VIII came 3rd; the Junior 2nd VIII came 4th as did the Junior 1st VIII. This strong squad will form the basis of next year’s Senior group and with their determination, our GPS crews will be very good.

The Senior squad, whilst down in numbers, trained hard all year and committed to the task of competing at the highest level. The fours had a difficult preparation period, often only two crews were able to be boated, but they stuck to it and were competitive on the day of the Head of the River. The 2nd VIII were continually disrupted due to injury and illness but they should be proud of the way they kept going and showed terrific character. The 1st VIII also had difficult periods where they would start to show promise but a setback would occur and make it hard to maintain the 4th position that they often achieved. Their 7th place at the Head of the River will be a disappointment to them but the crew can look back on many highlights throughout the season.

Newington junior crews competed at the NSW Schoolboy championship and a number of medals were won, whilst the mini-tour to Canberra for the ACT School Regatta, showed fantastic spirit amongst our younger members for the club. At that regatta we won many races and came away with the Boys’ Pointscore Trophy.

We are already planning for next year where we will be giving our rowers the best opportunities we can to allow them to compete at the highest level. A tour to the UK is planned for a group of Senior boys where they will have the chance to race at Henley Royal Regatta and we will also arrange trips to race in Canberra.

I would like to thank all parents for their ongoing support of Rowing, as well thank the coaches for their significant time and energy in helping the boys aim to reach their potential. Special thanks go to Mr Paul Robertson for all his work behind the scenes. I look forward to the next season.

Mr Mike Partridge
Director of Rowing

Farewell to a Former Head of School, Bob Buntine (1929–2014)

Robert (‘Bob’) Buntine, who served as Senior/Deputy Headmaster at Newington from 1975 to 1996, passed away on 8 March 2014. Just the night before, the Robert Buntine Room in the AJ Rae Centre had been named in honour of his many services to the College and contributions to its successes during his long association with our community.

Before coming to Newington, Bob had taught and been a Housemaster at The King’s School and Headmaster at Wolaroi College in Orange. At King’s he built an enviable reputation as a Rowing coach, coaching several crews to GPS Regatta wins.

As Deputy Headmaster, Bob had charge of the daily operations of the College. His conscientious and efficient management ensured smooth organisation: the school was said to have run like clockwork. As MIC of discipline, he was fair but decisive. His innovations included New Daily and Black & White.

Bob worked closely with Michael Morgan OAM during a golden age of Newington Rowing, co-coaching the 1st VIII and other crews and making a major contribution to the remarkable record of successes in the 1980s and 1990s.

Bob and his wife Ivy attended Chapel services regularly and he was a strong supporter for the chaplains. He was also a keen contributor to the musical life of the school, playing the tuba and clarinet and singing, including in a staff barbershop quartet.

Bob’s son Barnaby (ON 1985) attended the College from 1978 to 1983.

After retiring as Deputy Headmaster in 1996, Bob compiled a comprehensive register of past students, which forms the basis of today’s past student data in Synergetic.

Bob and his wife Ivy have been beloved and welcome figures at events at the College since his retirement. Their friendship covered a wide range of people, particularly in the Newington and King’s communities.

On 13 March a Funeral Service of Thanksgiving and Celebration for Bob’s life was conducted by Rev Dr Peter Swain OAM RFD (Chaplain 1970–1999) and Chaplain Michael Bennett in the College Chapel. Over 350 of his relatives and friends, including many from the Newington and King’s communities, gathered to farewell him. The service featured readings by Bob’s grandchildren, Sophie and James, and eulogies by his children, Sarah, Victoria and Barnaby, and by Michael Smee (Headmaster at Newington 1993–2003) and Jon Wickham (Headmaster at The King’s School 1984–1997). As befitted a great Rowing coach, a guard of honour of rowers from the two schools joined 600 Newington boys to line the Memorial Drive to honour this dear friend of the College.

Newington Musicians Sing for Petersham Metro Rehab Patients

On Wednesday March 5 four of our Year 12 musicians volunteered their time to entertain the patients at Petersham’s Metro Rehab Hospital.

The patients were treated to several contemporary songs ( and one traditional Tongan song ) which our boys are refining for their HSC performance pieces.

The boys were enthusiastically received by their audience and both patients and boys alike benefited from the experience.

The students were accompanied by their music teacher, Ms Rebecca Grubb and the Head of Service Learning, Mr Mick Madden.

Keane Eye for the Truth

Professor John Keane opened the 2014 Centre for Ethics lectures at Newington College with a potentially (in his words) “very brief dissertation on Does Truth still Matter in Politics?”

As a creative thinker about democracy, the answer to Prof Keane’s conundrum on truth in politics was anything but fleeting, as he began with the controversial suggestion that currently, amongst many people, there is a “great suspicion of truth – a rise in the level of cynicism and awareness of irony, that says truth is a trope.”

Further, Prof Keane proposed that truth in politics and the media has been replaced by “truthiness” – a term he uses to show the twisting of truth to tailor to those with power and knowledge.

“But the strange paradox,” he said, “is that people continue to seek truth and use terms like ‘indisputable facts’, ‘truth commissions’, ‘truth-o-metres’ and spend time on the internet searching Factscheck.org. He reminded us that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and his supporters “have a great attachment to truth”. His argument was thought-provoking in depicting the doubleness of our relationship with truth – while we may undermine truth as a flawless concept, we still cling to the belief that truth matters.

If one of the goals of the Ethics Centre lectures is to challenge the complacency we have towards truth while juggling with our busy, contemporary lives, Prof Keane held up an extraordinary portrait to the audience of academics, teachers, parents and students that truth is dynamic, changeable and perhaps, does not last. But then again, Prof Keane suggested that in a world without truth, we would also lose the chance to measure the effects of power on truth.

“We would have no weapon to criticise leaders, bring corruption to account, or rebel against ignorance,” he said.

So how do we deal with this dichotomy of cynicism about truth and our dependability on it, particularly in regards to truth from our political leaders?

He proposed a little humility is perhaps needed in the statements from our politicians, and from us, an acceptance that they cannot know all truth. Is there anything wrong with a politician saying honestly “I do not know – but I will find out?”.

We should avoid expecting our politicians to have “heads stuffed with unlimited quantities of information about reality”, and instead expect them to be wise citizens -“those who know that they are not the only ones who know that they do not know everything”.