Modern History Tour

This year’s Modern History tour ventured into some of Western Europe’s darkest moments over the last one hundred years. Beginning in Germany at the site of the former Berlin Wall, Newington history boys were able to witness the disturbingly ordinary site that was once a surveilled stretch of land called the ‘death strip’ that kept residents of East Berlin’s Soviet-controlled ‘Eastern Bloc’ from escaping to the West.

Moving on to Checkpoint Charlie, another historically significant site that has now been converted into a living museum of memorabilia and personal accounts of life on either side of the wall, the boys were able to witness a city still coming to grips with it’s recent history. 

From here on, the Black and White brigade took a seven hour bus ride to Krakow Poland, where the bustling town square with its  Polish Renaissance architecture sat only a short distance from two of the most notorious Concentration Camps during the Nazi Era – Auschwitz Camps I and II. 

Prague was next on the travel itinerary and provided a welcome change of mood. The boys toured the fairy tale-like city paying a visit to the ‘Communist Museum’ near Wenceslas Square to learn about the origins of the ‘Velvet Revolution’  before again boarding the bus to return back to Germany.

In Nuremberg, Munich and Salzburg, our History boys again found themselves in former Nazi occupied land and were able to learn about the Nuremburg Rallies and Trials, the significance of Hitler’s holiday retreat, the famous Eagle’s Nest, and admire some of the extraordinary Ice Caves that exist beneath it all.

Once out of Germany, the boys welcomed the smell of pizza and look of Gelato sold on the street as they arrived in Italy. Venice was the first stop where beyond admiring St Mark’s Basilica and the Piazza san Marco, the boys also tried their hand at busking. In Florence, Senior Prefect Jack Jacobs (11/FL) was not only in awe of the original Renaissance Man, Signor Leonardo Da Vinci, but was reminded of former Newington History Teacher Mr Mark Scali’s description of the city as “rebellious, beautiful and serendipitous.”

With not many more days left on the trip, the tour ended in Rome where the boys toured the Vatican City and admired some of the incredible architecture that exists on each street corner. 

A big thank you to Mr Alex Fisher, Ms Jessica Christian and Mr John Kenny for leading the tour.

Sportsmanship reigns in Sydney Basketball Tournament

From 1-2 October 2015, Newington competed in the ninth Sydney Schools Shootout and both our 1sts and 2nds finished with excellent results.

The Sydney Schools Shootout had 36 teams playing in round robin games before progressing through to a finals system. This year the event had an International flavour with the inclusion of Bellflower High School from Los Angeles, California. Newington made the finals of the Premier Division (1^st) vying against The Scots College for the title, but due to a change in the final format to accommodate Bellflowers HS, the finals game ended up being cancelled due to the well-being of a player. The decision to call the final a draw shows maturity that is not always evident in schoolboy sport. This action demonstrates a genuine concern for the boys.

Newington 2nds went through the rounds undefeated until the quarter finals. Unfortunately, Newington lost in a heartbreaking game against St Augustine’s College, the score was 32-30.

The Sydney Schools Shootout has once again been an excellent preparation vehicle for the upcoming GPS season for our Basketballers. Congratulations to all the boys who competed!

Results for the 1sts are as follows:

Rounds:

• Newington 45 def St Pius 25
• Newington 59 def Waverley 28
• Newington 62 def Bellflower HS (USA) 40
• Newington 46 def Knox 31
• Q/F Newington 40 def St Partition Brothers Fairfield 37
• S/F Newington 39 def Randwick 37
• G/F Newington V Scots – Draw

Results for the 2nds are as follows:

Rounds:

• Newington 41 def Waverley 24
• Newington 36 def Knox 34
• Newington 40 def Oxley 39
• Q/F St Augustine’s 32 def Newington 30

News from Service Learning

Service Learning at Newington is an integral part of the way our boys learn and grow. Each year, the school calendar is filled with events that encourage whole Year and House groups to reach out and give back to the community. Rarely, however, do we hear stories about the boys who go out on their own to fundraise for a charity or sacrifice their holidays for a good cause.

Year 12 boys Josh (11/MO) and Tim Hare (11/MO) made a selfless decision over the school holidays to take time out of their hectic pre-exam schedules to participate in the Hands Across the Water Charity ride in Thailand. Riding alongside their father, the Hare contingency rode 500 km over five days from Bangkok to Khao Lak with 21 others to help raise money for children living in poverty in Thailand.

Along the way, the riders visited two orphanages that the charity supported.

“I found it very humbling to see the kids in Thailand living in these orphanages. I was also surprised at how happy the kids in the orphanages were and was very pleased with the way they were being taken care of,” said Josh.

“I was shocked to find out that the government didn’t supply any money to orphanages such as the one we visited and that it had been established solely from donations. Overall, it was a very moving experience and not one I will soon forget.” 

His brother Tim had a similar experience saying, “Seeing the smiling kids at the orphanages taught me a lot about how generous people can be, even when they have nothing. Seeing kids living in such hard conditions made me rethink what is valuable in my life and just how small of a relationship there is between happiness and material wealth.”

Hands across the Water is an Australian charity that began in 2004 after countless Thai children were left without homes and families due to the Boxing Day tsunami. The charity focuses on assisting at-risk Thai children and their communities by building schools and homes.

Our Sister School—MLC School

MLC School is regarded as Newington’s ‘sister school’, having been founded as the Wesleyan (later Methodist) Ladies’ College, Burwood, in 1886. Among many other links, the two schools have a Principal in common: MLC School’s founding Principal, the Reverend Charles Prescott (from 1886 to 1899), served as Headmaster at Newington from 1900 to 1931.

For many Newington families past and present, ‘sister school’ has had a literal meaning: brothers coming to Newington, sisters to MLC School. The Goldsmiths, from Trangie in western NSW, were one such family before the First World War. Recently the Archivist at MLC School, Barbara Hoffman, sent me a digital copy of this photograph — showing Herbert Goldsmith, flanked by his sisters Levenia and Ruby, all in their school uniform headgear — provided to her by Herbert’s grandson.

Herbert William George Goldsmith entered Newington in 1909, his sisters entering MLC School the same year. We don’t know how long Herbert stayed at Newington, but he clearly did well in his first year, being awarded Dux of the ‘Lower Modern’ Form. Accompanying the photograph was a digitised copy of Herbert’s report for the second half of 1909. His Form Master reported that he had ‘great ability and application and his examination results and place in Form [were] exceedingly creditable.’

Levenia, Herbert’s older sister, seems to have stayed at MLC School for only a short time. Ruby, however, stayed until 1913, won prizes for Music, Writing, Drawing and Sewing, played hockey and tennis, and served as a Prefect.

Mr David Roberts
College Archivist

Farewell 2015 – Valedictory Day

It’s hard to believe that 2016 is coming to a close and the time has come again to say goodbye to our Year 12s as they begin their lives beyond the College gates.

Boys, staff, parents and friends gathered in the New Gym on Friday 11 September to say farewell to the Class of 2015 and hear our Senior leaders address the school one last time. Senior Prefect Saahil Parekh (12/MO) gave a moving and inspiring speech that paid thanks to his parents, teachers and fellow students for their sacrifice, support and camaraderie over the years. He also thanked Dr Andrew Hirst, who is celebrating his last Valedictory at Newington, for the tremendous way he has served the school and the Class of 2015. Saahil then presented the retiring Head of Stanmore with a Newington flag signed by the boys.

As well as a day of reflection and celebration, it was a day of new beginnings as the incoming House Captains, Boarding Captains and Senior Prefects were announced. The College erupted in applause as Senior Prefect, Jack Jacobs (11/FL) stood up to shake hands with the Headmaster and retiring Senior Prefects followed on by Deputy Senior Prefects Alexander Barrat (11/JN) and Jeremi Capese (11/MA).

Congratulations Year 12 Class of 2015. You’ll be greatly missed!

“Value you, Support him, Stand with her”

Last week at the first assembly for Term 4, our 2016 Senior Prefect Jack Jacobs (12/FL 2016) delivered a powerful speech. His inaugural address in this leadership role showcased not only the attributes of courage, resilience, care and integrity that define all that is in a Newington Man of Substance, but also vision for a better tomorrow. 

Congratulations to our Senior Prefects and the Leadership Team on being selected to lead the student body into 2016. May the year ahead be challenging, rewarding and fulfilling.

Address from the Senior Prefect Jack Jacobs (12/FL 2016)

Good morning Dr Hirst, Mr Meakin, Mr Driver, staff, and boys.

Today it is exciting for me to introduce to you our new leaders school motto and vision for 2016. This year, we are going to do something different, whilst developing the themes of service and success established by past leaders.

Our motto isn’t a slogan. It isn’t catchy: slick or funny. It takes on some uncomfortable topics, and will force us to start confronting conversations with one another; conversations that we need to have as young men. It is: “Value you, Support him, Stand with her.”

This motto looks at three very connected concepts. The first is ‘self worth’. We can only make a difference in the world if we first value and respect ourselves and that means behaving in ways that preserve our dignity. The statement ‘Value you’ takes a much more personal spin on diversity. We are all unique, and have the potential to be brilliant in our own way. So let’s embrace that fact and be proud of who we are and what we can achieve. The second concept realises that once we value ourselves, we need to focus on supporting those around us. Essentially, we must be an anchor for those who need our help. Now we have always been good brothers; united at school occasions.

But, many of us find it very hard to show support to our friends in times of hardship and distress, yet these are the times when our mates need us the most. With ‘Support him’ we are maintaining our focus on friendship and service, whilst looking after one another in the bad
times, as well as the good.

The third concept focuses on correcting an injustice. This year we are going to tackle Gender Inequality. Many of you may be wondering why we are doing this at Newington: an all boys school. We are doing this here at Newington, because we can’t ignore that women are a huge part of all our lives. They are our mothers, our sisters, our teachers, our friends. We can’t ignore the violence, the disrespect and discrimination that some women have to endure at the hands of some men.

What hurts them, hurts us. So we are making a bold and brave commitment that as young men, wherever possible we will no longer allow these injustices to persist: not under our watch. We have a responsibility to treat women as equals and with respect in our lives. What is important about our motto is that it doesn’t just imply or bury this responsibility as a general inference or assumption under a catchy rhyme. It names the problem and owns it.

If we want violence against women to stop, then just assuming all men will ‘do the right thing’ by women is not enough; because that is what has been assumed for the past few decades and there seems to have been little improvement. The statement “Stand with her” makes our goal clear and puts all the cards on the table. We will “Stand with her”. On that note, tomorrow is Think Pink Day. This day is an opportunity for us as young men to support women fighting cancer. With our help in building awareness, there is hope of finding a cure; in funding research, prevention methods and support services. Tomorrow, students and male staff are encouraged to wear a pink item of clothing to show their support for this cause. Pink ice-cream will be sold at recess for $2 in front of Centenary Hall and donations will be welcomed at the front desk of Founders Building.

This year we need to make a stand and be good sons, good brothers, good partners – good men in the fight women have against cancer and gender equality. Let’s be brave, and participate on the day. It takes a real man to wear pink. So, not only does this motto embody the values of our College, it identifies those actions we need to take to become better men. This motto gives each one of us a sense of direction, and three clear steps to work towards. A personal commitment to these goals will benefit our community and wider society.

“Value you, Support him, Stand with her.”

2016 Senior Leaders

Faith, Friendship and Being Good Men

So it is Rugby World Cup time and I must admit it is a very exciting and stressful time for a Kiwi like me living in Sydney surrounded by passionate Wallaby supporters (including at least one of my daughters-in-law), and you can imagine what it’s like mixing in with my colleagues in the sports scene at Senior Campus here at Newington. There are a number of Kiwis who give me courage should we win (or lose) this weekend in the final of the World Cup.

However, so far so good. As I write this both teams have confirmed themselves as the best two teams in the world, and will meet in the final on Sunday morning.

Now I don’t want this to sound too biased towards the All Blacks but I do know a few things about their culture and behaviour that I think are worth sharing with you.

Did you know that after the Tongan versus NZ game, as the Tongan’s gathered and knelt to pray at the end of the game (having been heavily defeated), three All Blacks, Jerome Kaino (my Chapel Prefect when I was at St Kentigern College in Auckland), Waisake Naholo and Liam Messam asked if they could kneel with them and pray together. Wow – incredible comradery and brotherhood and sharing of faith.

Did you know that after every game in NZ, when the All Blacks play, the leadership group of Richie McCaw, Kieran Reid and Kevin Mealamu sweep out the changing rooms? This has such a sobering effect on the younger members of the squad – success and humility go hand in hand.

Humility in the midst of success is a wonderful goal to head towards, and even better when it is attained. As Jerome Kaino (the All Black No.6) has been heard to say, “You play hard to win, but afterwards you are humble.”

This team has become known for its after match welcoming of the opposition into their changing rooms for a celebration of the game. The lowly Namibian team at the World Cup were blown away when they were invited into the All Black changing room at the end of the 58-14 defeat.

The huge NZ second-rower, Sam Whitelock, summed it up with these words, “you’ve got to treat people as you would like to be treated.” Simple, yet incredibly profound for building a positive supportive community.

Surely at Newington we wish to embrace these values. To embrace humility in the midst of success, and to treat others as we wish to be treated ourselves (it used to be called the Golden Rule).

And of course these are divine values as we see from the Letter to the Philippians, 

“Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God’s Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others.² Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. ³ Don’t be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. ⁴ Care about them as much as you care about yourselves.” (Philippians 2:1ff)

Surely our dream at Newington is so similar to this – faith, friendship and making truly good men. Let’s encourage every member of our school community to give our utmost to achieve this goal.

Rev David N Williams
College Chaplain 

Drama Tour of Chicago and New York

“The Drama Tour to the US not only gave me tips for drama but in general was a life changing experience.” – Liam Taylor (9/PR)

There are bad reviews, good reviews and then there are rave reviews, and this year’s Drama Tour of Chicago and New York led by Ms Tamara Smith, Mr Terence Priester and Mr Ben Williams got just that –  a rave review.

With most boys claiming that they had ‘the time of their lives’ or ‘the best fun ever’, it would be hard to resist being a bit curious about what it was that made this year’s tour, ‘the best ever’.

This year’s tour started in Chicago, imagine Lake Michigan in the foreground and towering skyscrapers all around. The first couple of days in Chicago were spent on foot and by rail as the boys experienced the city like true locals.  

On top of taking a mandatory selfie at the Chicago Bean and seeing some El Greco works at the Art Institute of Chicago, the boys got down to business when they paid a visit to the famous iO Improv Bar and Theatre. Here, the boys took part in an improvisation workshop and learnt that improvising with the truth is a lot more effective (and much harder) than simply pulling a gag from their instructor ‘Caesar’.

After a challenging and eye-opening workshop, they boys then sat down to watch a show by the Improvised Shakespeare Company. Louis Nicholls (10/FL), an audience member wrote, “The shows always have some sort of Shakespearean theme, the actors use Shakespearean language, characters have motives taken from the playwright’s famous plays. It felt uncomfortable to know that the actors did not have any knowledge of what they were going to do before they acted it, though to fully enjoy the experience we had to place our full trust in them and not doubt any of their decision making.”

The Shakespearean theme continued with the boys seeing a production of The Tempest directed by Aaron Posner and performed by the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (CST). The boys were able to speak to some of the actors and musicians to ask questions about work behind the scenes after the show.

But no visit to Chicago is complete without seeing a baseball game at Wrigley Field and a dinner at Bubba Gump’s, and that’s exactly what the boys did before heading off to New York, New York.

While in New York, the boys climbed to the top of the Empire State Building, strolled through Central Park, dropped into the Metropolitan Museum of Art and polished their shoes in their hotel rooms before seeing ‘Otello’ at the Metropolitan Opera House. Our enthusiastic travellers were also lucky enough to be in New York on a Sunday to experience Sunday Mass at Thessalonia Baptist Church in the Bronx where songs of praise were sung along with dancing. 

All in all, the tour was a huge success with countless memorable moments. A big thank to Ms Tamara Smith, Mr Terence Priester and Mr Ben Williams for organising the trip and making sure that everyone had the most fun possible!

Critical Acclaim 

“A definite highlight for me was ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time’. This play was adapted from a much loved book of mine, and seeing it come alive was simply astounding. Activities ranging from the baseball (Cubbies we love you) to a singing and dancing workshop gave me an extremely well-rounded and enjoyable experience of the States. I’ll treasure the experiences gained for all my life, and must thank Ms Smith, Mr Williams and Mr Priester for making sure we had as much fun as possible!”– Fergus Finlayson (10/JN)

“The shows were incredible. ‘The Tempest’ was an outlier for me with its perfectly performed, magician-styled representation of magic and fantastical music. The workshops were a great way of getting everyone out of their comfort zones and their social circles to become one big cohort of Drama enthusiasts. What surprised me was how many of them really got into the ambiance of America, which was definitely shown off at the baseball; go Cubs! The vibe that our group had created, although different from last time, brought everyone closer. Overall, I was over the moon that I was able to go back to the USA and, paraphrasing Ms Smith, I’ve never had so much fun in my life” – Harrison Saunders (11/LE)

“A great experience of the trip was the Something Rotten workshop on the last full day. The workshop required the group to complete a dance and song routine that was extremely fun and quite hilarious. The workshop was one of the most enjoyable parts of the tour and I’m sure the whole group would agree that it was a great way to sum up a fantastic trip.”  – (Tom Stapleton 10/KL)

“My favourite part of the US drama tour was New York—because of the Empire State Building. I also enjoyed Gino’s East which is famous for it’s deep dish pizza. It’s customary to write on the walls. I wrote on the wall “Mr Bean has been here”. I enjoyed the workshop at  iO (formally known as Improv Olympic) where we split in two groups to do some Improv stuff which is made up on the spot for about two hours.” – Vincent Blackwell (11/JN)

“The Drama Tour to the US not only gave me tips for drama, but in general was a life changing experience. It was fun to attend all these workshops and my favourite was the Broadway singing and dancing workshop with the cast member of the show we were about to watch: Something Rotten. My experience during that was so different from what I thought it was going to be. It was far from awkward and embarrassing as you weren’t individually being embarrassed, but as a group being embarrassed. My favourite show was probably ‘Something Rotten’, with all of its witty and funny jokes (and the odd inappropriate joke) allowed it to not only be amazing to watch and listen to, but also entertaining from start to end.” – Liam Taylor (9/PR).

Sprain that becomes a Pain: Ankle injuries

Most people will suffer an ankle sprain at some time in their lives. The majority will settle quickly within one to three weeks, allowing rapid return to normal function. A moderate percentage will continue to be troubled by on-going symptoms, including pain, swelling, stiffness and/or instability.

To understand why, it is important to consider the anatomy and structures that can be damaged in an “ankle sprain”.

The ankle comprises of the tibia, fibula and talus bones, which are arranged in a mortise (house), which is held together by a capsule and ligaments. The lateral ligaments (outside), anterior talofibular, calcaneofibula and posterior talofibular ligaments restrict inversion (inward) movement, the most common direction for a sprain.

In all ankle sprains, there is potential damage to the joint (articular) cartilage. This aspect may be overlooked initially, but can represent the most serious threat in the long-term. Look for focal tenderness on the front of the ankle with a history of ongoing pain and swelling that is activity induced and does not reduce within three weeks.

Common sprains of the lateral ligaments are treated with ice, compression and elevation for 24-48 hours. Most cases will not require x-ray. Early weight-bearing is encouraged followed by a functional rehabilitation program involving balance and strength work such as one leg standing and calf raises. Optimally, this should be supervised by a Physiotherapist although suitable exercises can be found on the internet. Most ankle sprains should have fully recovered in one to four weeks.

To learn more about College Physiotherapy or to book in for an appointment, visit the College Physiotherapy SPACE.

College Physiotherapy

Newington Students on US Exchange

Leaving Australia on Saturday 19 September, David Charlton (10/MA) , Henry Gowers (10/ME) and myself [Sam Maley (10/KL)] travelled to Connecticut, USA on an exchange to Brunswick school in Greenwich. I stayed with Cole Fiorita and family, Henry Gowers stayed with Harry Rogers and family, and David Charlton with Andrew Kelly and family.

Our outbound journey began early one Saturday morning and ended 25 hours later in New York’s John F Kennedy Airport. Arriving late at night, we were greeted by Mr Hastings, the Brunswick coordinator of the exchange who then escorted us back to the school to meet our families. We were able to have our first taste of American food – a chicken schnitzel burger and a lemonade/iced tea half-half drink – within hours of landing. The remainder of the first weekend was spent perusing the town and close surrounding areas like the beach (with views of New York Skyline) and the shopping strip, all the while keeping a careful eye out for the ever-present jetlag that could hit us at any moment.

We spent the first two days at school shadowing our counterparts around to all their classes and learning how the school worked, where things were and meeting new people. We also also participated in sport with our exchange brothers. The first Wednesday was a Jewish Holiday, meaning there was no school, so we travelled with our respective families into New York City to look at the sites. Highlights of my day in New York City included:

• Visiting the tragic location of the World Trade Centre towers and the 9/11 memorial
• Bike riding through Central Park
• Going to a Broadway show (The Book of Mormon)
• Walking through Time Square
• Going to various shops, ranging from confectionery shops to street vendors and a six floor Nike store
• Ascending the Empire State Building.

The remainder of the week was spent back at school becoming more integrated into the school routine and some of the classes. The weekend arrived and hence our first opportunity to see a game of American Football! Brunswick was playing AVO and we had a pretty relaxed weekend in Greenwich.

In our second week, we were able to modify our classes to explore the diverse range of classes on offer at Brunswick. We were able to take up classes like Film Production, Ceramics, World Cultures, Ethical Dilemmas and Advanced Placement Biology. The second week also saw the opportunity to experience how the different sports at Brunswick operated. I did weightlifting, while David Charlton (10/MA) ran with the Cross Country team and Henry Gowers (10/ME) stuck with Soccer.

The second week – the first five day week that Brunswick had had for the school year – saw us integrate ourselves into the new classes, yet already we could see that time was slipping away from us. 

The final week was spent dreading the rapidly approaching end of our stay at Brunswick. Even though we thoroughly enjoyed our time we all felt somewhat somber yet grateful. The teachers at Brunswick were enthusiastic and warm, always willing to help “the kids walking around in the heavy black blazers” (us!), and while Henry Gowers (10/ME) forced himself to buy more souvenirs, I was dreading how I’d fit all my things into my bag which was already 8 kilos overweight.

Sam Malley (10/KL)

Sport Report

Image caption: L-R Simon Kennewell (12/ME) and Sepesa Loga-Tarogi (12/MA) after their game with the Australian Schools against New Zealand Schools game.

Athletics

In the last week of the school holidays, a number of Newington boys competed in the NSW All Schools Athletics competition in Homebush. Angus Beer (8/ME) competed and won the U13 800 m and 1500 m, setting a new record for the 1500 m. Well done Angus! Newington has added Athletics as a summer sport option for boys in the 2015/16 season.

Rugby

Newington had an U14 touring party of 25 boys and three staff who headed over to the United Kingdom for two weeks. The boys played four schools and attended three Rugby World Cup games. The first game they watched saw Australia play Fiji with Ben Volavola (ON 2009) playing for Fiji and scoring a great individual try against the Australians. Whilst the boys were overseas Newington 1st XV players Simon Kennewell (12/ME) and Sepesa Loga-Tarogi (12/MA) were representing Australian Schools against New Zealand Schools. Teu Atiola (12/FL) and Opeti Helu (11/FL) were also chosen to represent the Australian Barbarians team. Congratulations to all boys on their achievements.

Sport Training During Exams

With the upcoming exam period for boys in Years 7-10, sport training will still be on. The training schedule for each sport may be modified to accommodate the boys and their exams.

Boys are asked to check the respective SPACES page and liaise with their coach.

How to prevent cramps and stitches

Cramps

A cramp that occurs during exercise causes a muscle to tighten involuntarily. It comes on suddenly, although the muscle may start to twitch before tightening and can cause pain ranging from mild discomfort to excruciating pain, lasting a few seconds to several minutes. The muscle can then feel tender up to 24 hours.

Cramps usually occur early in the season when the athlete is not accustomed to the specific training and does prolonged intense exercise in hot humid weather.

The most commonly affected muscles are the calf (gastrocnemius), the front of the thigh (quadriceps) and the back of the thigh (hamstrings). The muscle affected is being repetitively contracted during the exercise.

The cause of these exercise induced cramps is not well understood but it is generally accepted that muscle fatigue is a factor. Other causes such as dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, hardness of the ground underfoot, lack of adequate stretching, poor pre-exercise diet and family history may also play a part but are not scientifically proven.

Treatment of cramp is to:

• stretch the affected muscle
• ice may ease the pain in hot weather
• rest from the activity as this is a sign of fatigue
• massage the muscle
• supplements like Magnesium have not been clinically proven to help

Prevention of cramp:

• exercise at reduced intensity and duration
• improve fitness
• regular stretching of the affected muscle
• eat well balanced diet, keep hydrated
• allow adequate recovery time

Stitch

A stitch is a sharp pulling pain in the side under the ribs, sometimes accompanied by pain in the shoulder tip. They are common – 1 in 5 people running the City to Surf will experience a stitch.

Right side pain is twice as common as left side pain.

Swimmers get stitches, but cyclists don’t get them as often probably due to their leaning forward.

The lining of the abdominal wall has two layers – one covers the abdominal organs like the liver, spleen, gut, etc., and the other lines the abdominal wall. There is fluid between the layers and a stitch occurs when there is friction between the two.

What and when you eat and drink before you exercise can increase your chances of getting a stitch.

Tips to avoid a stitch:

• Be well hydrated by drinking water in the 12 hours before you exercise but only drink small amounts in the two hours prior.
• Don’t eat a big meal at least two hours before exercise.
• Avoid sugary drinks such as fruit juice or soft drinks before or during activity

Other methods thought to help – improve your fitness, strengthen your core and improve your posture.

To relieve a stitch try:

• Deep breathing
• Pushing or stretching the affected area
• Bending over forward.

I hope this helps you through the summer season of sport.

Margaret Bates
School Nurse

Rugby World Cup Tour

In late September a group of 25 students in Years 8 and 9 accompanied by Mr Steve Muir, Mr Tom Lever and Director of Rugby, Mr Ben Manion headed off on a 16 day tour of the United Kingdom to follow the Wallabies at the Rugby World Cup. The tour was a fantastic opportunity for these Rugby enthusiasts to get a real feel for the game in the Northern Hemisphere, develop new friendships and soak up the culture as we travelled around Britain.

The touring party was lucky enough to see the Wallabies’ victorious early pool games against Fiji and Uruguay as well as the brilliant win over England at Twickenham (the highlight for many!). The atmosphere was something the boys will never forget. The College’s own games were no less successful with the boys winning all four of their matches against a very spirited opposition.

Outside of the Rugby, the boys took time to visit the home of Shakespeare, walk around the grounds at Rugby School (where William Webb Ellis first picked up the ball and ran with it creating the game of Rugby), explore the Think Tank Science Museum, stepped back to the Middle Ages at Warwick Castle and saw first hand the educational institutions of Eton College and the University of Oxford.

Mitchell Loveridge (10/MA) reflects on Tonga

In the October holidays, 29 boys accompanied by Mr Cameron Quince, Mr Myles Carrick, Mr Troy Stanley and Mr James Norman embarked on a Service Learning/U15s Rugby Tour to Tupou College, Tonga. Over the years the relationship between Newington and Tupou College has continued to strengthen as a result of these special touring opportunities. Below is an edited speech given by Tour Captain, Mitchell Loveridge (10/MA) after returning from the Tonga Tour.

Our time in Tonga went way too fast, but thinking back to our first day in Tonga it feels like a lifetime ago. In only eight days we were involved in so many extraordinary experiences that it felt like a lot longer.

I am and I think we are all grateful for Dr Mulford’s efforts in reuniting the two brother schools. Both schools are incredibly blessed to have such a tight connection to each other, improving each other and giving them both more diversity. Tupou College’s Principal has also seen the importance of the relationship and he has spent a lot of time strengthening the bond; he provided us 29 boys and four teachers with amazing hospitality. I think that Mr Quince should be given enormous praise for the pride and passion he puts into the relationship. We all saw the respect and love he gives the Tongan culture; back at Newington you can see how he looks after the Tongan boys so kindly. The Tupou boys’ lifestyle is completely different from ours, but they embraced us with open arms and helped us immerse ourselves in their unique culture.

All of us had a wonderful time in Tonga because of the way everyone looked after us. Every boy was humble, respectful, friendly and generous; not once did I hear anybody complain. These attributes we hopefully will bring home to Sydney and Newington. All of us, staff included learnt a lot from our Tupou brothers, whether to smile at boys passing by or to share what little you have. To put this into perspective, many of the Tupou boys spent all of their own money to buy a lollipop for us and would not let us refuse it. Even if they had not eaten all day, their money would go towards us. If you walked between classes you would have seen at least 50 boys go out of their way to come and say hello. Not once did I meet anyone at Tupou, or in Tonga who was not friendly. The Tongan boys who slept in our dorms sacrificed so much for us, including their brand new dorms and their studying time. The equivalent of their trial exams were on while we were there and they provided us with a lot of care. A boy in our dorm became really sick, but two of the Tongan boys stayed up all night long going to the toilet with him to make sure he was ok. I know everybody on that trip had moments which we will cherish for as long as we live.

Our touring party had some life changing experiences in Tonga. Amazing experiences where you could not get anywhere else in the world. There are not many places where you can see and feel so much passion in their singing. You could pay thousands to see the best singers and musicians; however, I would choose to sit in their chapel and listen to the Tupou boys any day of the week. Being able to witness a traditional Tongan wedding, as well as watching traditional dancing and fire twirling in the Hina Caves are things we will never forget. For example, when we asked a boy if he could climb a palm tree and he responded no and then laughed and within 20 seconds was 20 metres up dropping down coconuts.

An experience which will probably stay with me for the rest of my life was when George Atiola’s little brother got up and sent us all to tears as he spoke about how he felt when his brother left for Newington. When he started crying and told us how much he misses his big brother and told us how he has not seen him for over two years, I realised that when the boys come over from Tupou College that it is incredibly hard for them to leave their parents, brothers and sisters, all of their friends and their rich culture. These boys are given an amazing opportunity to come over to Newington. It is incredibly hard for them to leave and integrate into a different culture, but they do it so well. These boys are and need to be treated in the utmost respect by the Newington staff and boys as they are doing something incredibly courageous. In just eight days, we crammed many different experiences into the tour but it was what we learnt which we will remember the most.

In our society and even at our school we seem to judge people on measurable achievements rather than qualitative achievements. We tend to believe that the person with the highest salary or whoever scored the top mark is a better person, rather than qualitative accomplishments. You cannot really score those who help the struggling boy, the boy who cleans away the plates, or the one who studies the hardest but has been made to repeat three years in a row. We were given huge proportions of amazing foods and the leftovers were given to the boys, these leftovers were probably going to be some of the best food they would eat that year.

Yet never did I hear anyone complain, even when they waited on our arrival until 4 AM to have dinner, even when they were sleeping on the concrete with backpacks as pillows and we were in comfy beds and even when we went to the farm helping weeding for just half an hour and we were complaining and they came back after six hours and had smiles ear to ear. I learnt from Tupou College that you should not miss these little and quiet achievements as these things make a person and a community better. It gives a heart to a school and to a country. Something that we have been working on at Newington is to build us into men of substance rather than hollow men. Tupou has shown me that it is a lot more important to have character and be a good man before anything else.

The opportunity we were given to travel to Tonga and be embraced with such love and compassion was a once in a lifetime trip. It was great to see a different perspective and side to the Tupou boys who come to Newington. We were incredibly fortunate to be able to immerse ourselves so easily into such a rich and unique culture. Words cannot describe how thankful everyone on the touring party is for their amazing hospitality. I wish I could stay there forever, as I could never get sick of the smiling faces and delicious food. I recommend that everyone should be signing up for next year’s tour and it will be even more special as it is their Sesquicentenary.

Snowsports Update

In September, Newington College had several boys representing the College at both the NSW State and Australian National titles. From  25 to 30 August in Perisher, we had 12 boys from both the Stanmore and Wyvern campuses (Flynn Gannon (6/HO), Toby Phillips (6/LU), Will Rumi (6/LU), Harry Quinn (8/KL), Max Inglis (8/MO), Lachlan Rennie (7/LE), Thomas Billingham (6/WI), Josh Billingham (7/MO), Jonathan Sharpe (9/JN), Eden Bradford (10/LE), Alex Woolley (8/MA) and Sam Martin (7/MA) ) competing across several disciplines in both Skiing and Boarding.

I am pleased to report that of those 12 boys that competed at Perisher, eight boys qualified in the top 10 of their respective events (either through individual or team performance) and therefore earned their place on the starting line at the National Championships at Mt Buller. By far the largest cohort of boys the College has seen at Nationals. Some of the more impressive results at the State titles included Max Inglis (8/MO) finishing a personal best of 10^th in the Cross-Country, the Division 3 Moguls team (Sam Martin (7/MA), Alex Woolley (8/MA) and Josh Billingham (7/MO) ) finishing 5^th overall and the Division 4 Snowboard team (Flynn Gannon (6/HO), Toby Phillips (6/LU) and Will Rumi (6/LU) ) finishing 4^th. This included an incredible 1^st placed finish for Flynn Gannon (6/HO) who also finished 4^th in the Snowboard Cross event.

At the Nationals last week, we also had some very impressive results against the best young skiers and boarders in Australia. Our Division 3 Moguls team (Sam Martin (7/MA), Alex Woolley (8/MA) and Josh Billingham (7/MO) ) finished 6^th overall with some very consistent performances from all three boys in difficult conditions. Max Inglis (8/MO) finished a very impressive 18^th in an unfamiliar cross-country event whilst the Division 4 Snowboard team (Flynn Gannon (6/HO) and Toby Phillips (6/LU) ) finished 9^th overall. This included another exciting display from Flynn Gannon (6/HO) who finished 3^rd and 4^th for Snowboard and Snowboard Cross respectively, an amazing effort!

I wish to congratulate all boys who represented the College on the mountain in what has been an extremely successful year for the College in the Snowsports program.

Mr Justin Verco
MiC Snowsports

The 2015 School Fees Raffle – Enter Now!

The School Fees Raffle conducted by the Newington College Rowing Association gives you the chance of winning up to $25,000 for your child’s education! The prize is payable towards the school fees of any one boy at any one of the three Newington College campuses. With tickets selling fast and at only $100 per ticket, get going with your entry now! The Raffle will be drawn and prize winner announced at the annual Seafood Night at the Newington Boatshed on Saturday November 7, 2015. 

For full details on the competition and how to enter and make payment see the SPACES page.