Boys joined staff, parents and special guests at the Commissioning Ceremony for Newington’s 19th Headmaster, Mr Michael Parker, on Wednesday 13 February. The event included a presentation of symbols from students, College Council, ONU, Staff, Uniting Church and P&F representatives, as well as a spectacular performance from our Chamber Strings.
To read the Headmaster’s Transcript of Response, please click here.
Confused? That was kind of the point!
Last week the Senior Production Love and Information by Caryl Churchill, took place in the Drama theatre. An ambitious project involving boys from Years 11 and 12, and girls from PLC Sydney, the show was performed on a revolving stage and featured complex technical design. But perhaps the most talked about component of this unique show was the seemingly confusing structure and form that defied all of the things we have come to expect and want from a play when we go to the theatre.
So, what was the point? What did it mean?
Churchill’s plays can be described as ‘anti- plays’ as they defy traditional conventions of theatre in terms of narrative structure and character. The play is written in seven parts, and Churchill requires that each of the seven parts be played in order, but the scenes within each part can be performed in any sequence. In addition, there are ten scenes at the end of the script titled Depression, of which any number can be inserted into the play at any point. The rule here is that the production must use as least one Depression scene. We chose to use seven of the ten.
Further to all of this, Churchill provides sixteen scenes titled Random, of which any can occur at any point in the production, but none of which are compulsory. As a result, any given production of Love and Information will contain somewhere between 51 and 76 scenes. Our production used 72 of them, allowing glimpses of 129 different characters played by the cast of 11. In this play, audiences can’t find a narrative or characters to guide them through a story. Instead, they see a myriad of different people, places and situations, which have seemingly no connection at all. These scenes are the pieces of a puzzle that combine in a way which – much like our fast paced, technology-fuelled, “twenty tabs open at once” lifestyle – forces audiences to consider a broad range of scenarios from the insignificant to those which impact us greatly. In choosing to stage Love and Information, we set out to showcase a piece that is unexpected and different. A piece that we hoped would challenge what audiences think theatre might, should or could be.
One of the most liberating and daunting things about staging Love and Information, is that the playwright does not give detail of context or character for her scenes. Each scene is given a title followed by dialogue that is not assigned to any character. How many people are in each scene, who they are and where they are is entirely open to interpretation. We had a wonderful time bringing each of the moments in the script to life and are grateful to the Newington College community for supporting such a inimitable play. We hope those of you who saw it are still thinking about moments and discussing scenes long after leaving the theatre!
Congratulations to Sam Burkitt (12/FL), Finn Hoegh-Guldberg (12/MO), Theodore Katsieris (12/MA), James Koumoukelis (11/LE), Joshua MacFarlane (12/ME), Alec O’Shea (12/ME) and Jaga Yap (12/ME), and the girls from PLC Sydney, Eli Biernoff-Giles, Aja Davidson, Georgia Dedes and Yashica Moodley for their wonderful performances of this difficult script.
Tamara Smith
Head of Drama
Photos courtesy of Christopher Hayles.
On Tuesday 5 March, many of our boys lined up in front of the Chapel to be served a pancake and asked the question, ‘What do you know about Shrove Tuesday?’ Also known as ‘Pancake Day’ or ‘Fat Tuesday’, it heralds the commencement of Lent, a period of some forty days before Easter.
The tradition of Shrove Tuesday dates back to the middle ages where Christians in Britain decided to discard the likes of flour, sugar, butter and eggs as they would not be consuming such products during the Lent period as this was traditionally a time of fasting. Thus, the genius realisation that such products formed the ingredients for pancakes, sparked the idea to cook pancakes the day before the Lent period commenced.
Although this is a Church tradition more than a Bible tradition, such celebrations do help to promote a sense of inquiry as to its nature and purpose. The notion of Lent is connected to the forty-day period of fasting that Jesus undertook in preparation for the start of his ministry. The denial of material goods helped Jesus to focus on the essence of his ministry; to love people unconditionally, which would have been a massive undertaking, considering the way Jesus was treated leading up to being crucified.
For the Newington community, Shrove Tuesday, Lent and Easter provide opportunities for our boys to question the significance of the Christian message and how this might influence their lives and how it has influenced the values of our college. After all, who doesn’t enjoy a pancake on their way to class?
Rev Geordie Barham
College Chaplain
Newington College is committed to supporting Clean Up Australia Day but this year we were impressed and overwhelmed by how many students were keen to give up their Sunday morning for such a good cause. Over 180 students from all year groups met on Sunday 3 March at 8am to begin the clean up of our own school grounds and the surrounding streets of Stanmore. Armed with gloves and garbage bags (non plastic of course!), groups of students were set to work in teams dedicated to collecting either recyclables or landfill.
By late morning students returned with smiling faces, some odd items and full bags of rubbish. In total we had approximately 20 canvas bags of recycling and just as many with landfill; the boys were proud of their contribution to cleaning up our local environment and hopefully they were able to form some new friendships with students from other year groups.
Many thanks to the ever-efficient Jo Dwyer who helped to organise the event, to Mr Mark Scott for his support and assistance on the day, to Mrs Mary Nosworthy who gave up her time to assist with organisation early Sunday morning and finally to Fotis Doulougeris who collected and sorted all the bags of rubbish at the end of the event.
If boys are interested in assisting with other sustainability projects at the college, they need only attend our fortnightly meetings in W19 every Monday lunchtime Week A.
Caterina Troncone
Sustainability Co-ordinator and English Teacher
The Academic Excellence Assembly for 2018 was held on Wednesday 20 February in Centenary Hall.
The College recognised a group of young men who achieved exceptional academic success in 2018 and acknowledged the energy and commitment that brought each of them to this point in their lives.
‘Over the course of last year, 233 boys trod their own paths towards the end of the Year 12. Whether it was through the NSW Higher School Certificate (HSC), the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB) or nationally-recgonised qualifications through Vocation Education Pathways (VET) their individual journeys have been just that – individual,’ Deputy Head of Stanmore (Academic), Trent Driver, explained.
Academic Colours were awarded to 18 boys and first in course to 32 boys. We also celebrated 18 boys whose major practical works were selected by NESA as exemplars for exhibition and performance. We awarded the Dux of Edmund Webb Boarding House Rohen Wong (ON 2018), congratulated two HSC all-rounders Raymond Huang (ON 2018) and James Knight (ON 2018) and applauded the 13 boys who received an ATAR or IBDP UAC rank of 99 or above.
Guest speaker, Theodore Iannuzzi (ON 2013), was Dux of his year with a perfect IBDP mark of 45 and is now studying Medicine. He spoke to the boys about embracing all that Newington has to offer. Theodore referenced fish, butterflies and roosters in his speech and the three main points of his message were:
Congratulations to all of the award recipients. Please click here to view the program and list of award recipients.
On Sunday 17 February, eight Newington cadets provided a Catafalque Party for the National Servicemen’s Association Ceremony held at Bardia Barracks (now Ingleburn Military Heritage Precinct) to honour and remember the ‘Nashos’ who fought and died while on national service.
The National Servicemen’s Association was made up of men who were conscripted in two schemes between 1951 and 1972. The first between 1951 and 1959 was because of the Korean War and the second between 1965 and 1972 for the wars in Borneo and Vietnam.
The cadets involved included: SGT Gabriel Haslam (12/KL), CUO Ned Stevens (12/LE), CUO Aaron Hawkes (12/KL), WO2 Isaac Carriline (12/MO), CUO Angus Waldon (12/MA), WO2 Nathan Nankivell (12/LE), CUO Rohan Wood (12/PR) and WO2 Joshua Roncolato (12/LE).
The boys volunteered their time for various reasons, some of which are shared below:
I volunteered to be a part of the NCCU’s Catafalque Party and take part in the ceremony as I believe it is incredibly important to show respect for the sacrifices made and the horrors faced by these brave men and women. I think that being a part of a ceremony such as this, really highlights that we are a part of something much bigger than ourselves. – CUO Aaron Hawkes
The Cadet unit as a whole has given me so many fond experiences and memories. I felt like I owed it to them to volunteer for events like these and participate in the unit’s wider activities. I also thoroughly enjoy meeting people at these remembrance services, the stories that people tell at events like these are always so interesting and it’s fantastic to speak with some Australian army veterans. I also felt like I owed it to them as well, as they put their life at risk so that mine would be much more pleasant. – WO2 Nathan Nankivell
I decided to join the Catafalque party because my older brother was a Sentry for the Catafalque Party the year before. I also thought it would be a great opportunity to do something challenging and out of the ordinary while I was at school. – WO2 Joshua Roncolato
I volunteered for the Catafalque Party for the simple reason that I wanted to be apart of this college tradition and the tradition of the cadets. I feel greatly honoured to take part in an event such as honouring National Servicemen, particularly because my grandfather served in the National Service. The act of taking part in a Catafalque Party is not one to be taken lightly and the heavy weight of our fallen heroes weighs heavily on all our shoulders yet this I view as a privilege. Whilst standing in 30 degree heat as we did on 17 February is quite difficult, it pails in comparison to the sacrifices made by the men and women of the Australian Defence Force. The opportunity to take part in a celebration and remembrance of the men and women who served us is one that I take with the upmost respect and gratitude. – CUO Ned Stevens
Participating in a Catafalque Party is an important and sombre responsibility that respects the military traditions of the Newington College Cadet Unit and commemorates those soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice. For me, volunteering to take part of this event as a member of the Catafalque Party was an opportunity to show my respect to those in the wider community who suffered through war; such respect is an important aspect of becoming a leader in cadets. – CUO Angus Waldon
On Thursday 28 February and Friday 1 March the NSW All Schools Triathlon Championships were held at the Penrith Regatta Centre. On Thursday, 12 boys competed in the individual event across three divisions (Juniors, Intermediates and Seniors). On Friday, seven teams competed across the same three divisions.
Congratulations to all the boys that competed individually or as part of a team. For some, this was their first time competing in a triathlon while others previously competed in this event and began training during the summer holidays.
Huge congratulations must go to Nicholas Venetoulis (9/KL), Hugh Harvey (9/MA) and Henry Isherwood (9/MA) who placed 1st in the Juniors and Lucas Pollard (8/MA), Charlie Burt (8/MO) and James Southon (8/LE) who placed 2nd in the Juniors. This is a remarkable achievement for the College and by the boys given over 250 teams took part in that relay alone.
Special mention must go to James Southon and Charlie Burt who competed in both the individual and team events and secondly to Ricky Zheng (12/MO) who competed in the senior individual event. Not only did Ricky finish the race, he also completed the 20km bike leg with a flat tyre for more than 10km. This was an outstanding display of determination and commitment.
For all results please go to the below link
NSW All Schools Triathlon
Sam Irwin
Assistant Head of Sport
Newington Challenge is an experiential learning, outdoor education program which has specifically been tailored to meet the needs of boys in Years 9 and 10. Newington Challenge consists of a two-year journey-based program designed to promote personal, physical and emotional growth of the individual, while encouraging a sense of belonging to a group and the wider community. The boys work in small groups alongside staff members, instructors and Year 11 and 12 student leaders. On February 14 and 15, Newington Challenge members welcomed Year 5 boys to campus for a sleepover. Xavier Papps (12/MA) shares a first-hand account below.
‘The Wyvern Sleepover’ is an important event for Year 5 students allowing them to ‘See the big school’ whilst learning valuable skills like tenting, bonding with their classmates and meeting older students in the process. The event also helped teachers to get to know their students a little bit better. A team of dedicated Newington Challenge leaders ran initiative games, set up tents and assisted staff in order to make the event run smoothly whilst being as fun as possible for the Year 5’s.
In the dead of the afternoon, we marched down to the Old Boys Oval, exhausted after a long day of house comp. We introduced ourselves to each of the eager-eyed gents and began to commence some activities to alleviate any stress they might’ve had going into the camp. After all, many of them had never put up a tent before, or even gone camping, although it was clear after the activities had ended that each of them were bubbling with energy and excitement, with most of their insecurities almost completely gone. Afterward, we helped them to set up tents all across the oval and left them off for dinner.
‘The Wyvern Sleepover appeared to be a really great experience for the students. The Newington Challenge leaders did a great job’ – Tim Rollston (Newington Challenge Year 10 Group 2 Leader)
On Friday morning, we came in at 7am to help pack down the tents and debriefed the Year 5 boys. We fought through the brisk early morning to dry out and pack up the tents. The Year 5 boys spent their early morning playing a variety of different sports. A good plan from the teachers to tire them out before class.
In conclusion, being able to have the opportunity to help these boys was a great way to help establish a connection between the up and coming boys and the existing Newington Challenge members. The chance to meet some new faces and run our own games allowed us to help the boys become more comfortable in their new classes and bond with one another. A highlight of our time at Newington.
Xavier Papps
Baseline Concussion Testing
Newington College has once again teamed with sports injury specialist Dr Ryan Kohler to implement the HeadSmart Sports Concussion Program for schools and clubs. This year, at Stanmore, every student (Years 7-12) will be required to complete a preseason baseline computer concussion test. This is a tool used together with clinical questioning and a physical examination, to help in the management of a suspected concussion.
This online baseline test is a series of four card games structured to test memory accuracy, attention span, concentration and brain processing speed. It takes about eight minutes to complete. If a concussion is sustained, the player will repeat the same online test in the Health Centre, which is compared to the baseline.
All students will soon notice a green button on their Spaces page. Once clicked they will be able to see the online test. It should be completed at home in a quiet place without distraction for best results.
Baseline tests need to be completed by 31 March.
Concussion Clinics This year Newington will again run concussion clinics on Monday mornings in the Health Centre with a Sports Doctor. This is so we provide effective consistent concussion management. I will coordinate this clinic which commences on April 8, at no charge to the student.
Before returning to their contact sport, a player must:
For more information
Concussion Management – Guidance and Procedure
Community Concussion Guidelines
Football Federation Australia Concussion Guidelines
Concussion
While concussion can occur in any sport, we see more incidents during the winter sports season. A concussion is an injury to the brain, causing a disturbance in the brain’s ability to acquire and process information. It is usually caused by a blow to the head or indirectly by an impact to the body transferring a force to the brain. This causes the brain to rotate and/or move forward and backward within the rigid skull cavity.
A person does not need to lose consciousness to suffer a concussion but if a person does lose consciousness then it is an automatic concussion.
Concussion symptoms may evolve over hours or days following the injury.
Symptoms
Physical symptoms can include headache, vision disturbance, dizziness, vomiting, confusion, seizure, unsteady ‘jelly’ legs, ringing in the ears and loss of balance or being slow to get up.
Cognitive behaviour changes affect memory, judgement, concentration, reflexes and muscle coordination. The concussed player can ask repetitive questions.
Emotional changes such as irritability, feeling nervous, crying, aggressiveness or laughing inappropriately.
Sensitivity to light/noise and sleep disturbance (sleeping more or difficulty going to sleep) can also be symptoms of concussion.
On the day the rule is: if a concussion is suspected, the player is removed from play and must not be allowed back on that day. If in doubt, sit it out and seek medical attention.
Rugby AU have been trialling a blue card system. Once a player is shown a blue card by the match official, they cannot participate any further in the match and are required to undergo a mandatory medical assessment and then follow a set program before returning to rugby.
Management
Children and adolescents need a conservative approach as studies have shown that their brains take longer to recover. Most concussions will settle in 10-14 days but some symptoms may persist for longer.
A doctor will diagnose a concussion from clinical history and physical examination. Sometimes a CT scan or MRI is ordered to rule out any bleeding in the brain or fracture, but these tests will not identify a concussion.
The player who has a concussion should inform the school nurse, his coach(es) and Mentor.
The treatment for concussion is rest – physical and mental. Computer games, reading and doing homework, for example, tire the brain so initially it is best to stop these activities. As the symptoms reduce these can be gradually reintroduced.
Missing school or shorter school days may be required to ensure mental rest. A ‘Return to Learn’ plan may be developed to help with return to school and homework.
Once clinical symptoms have resolved a graduated return to play is undertaken with a medical clearance from a doctor required before returning to sport.
The Graduated Return To Play (GRTP) program.
Each stage of the GRTP takes at least 24 hours and the person must remain symptom-free after each stage. If symptoms develop then the player rests for 24 hours or until symptoms subside and starts that stage again.
| Stage 1 | REST – mental and physical – once managing school. Graded Return to Play guidelines once symptoms have subsided. |
| Stage 2 |
15-20 minutes light aerobic exercise: walking / swimming / stationary cycling If no symptoms develop 24 hours later he progresses to stage 3. |
| Stage 3 |
25 – 30 minutes sport-specific, non-contact drills with change of direction. If no symptoms develop 24 hours later, he progresses to stage 4. |
| Stage 4 | 25-30 minutes sport-specific with team, non-contact drills and light weights. Remains at this stage until 19 days from end of symptoms has occurred (rugby). |
| Concussion Clearance |
A ‘Concussion Clearance Certificate’ from a medical doctor must be given to the concussion coordinator (School Nurse M Bates) before starting contact training. |
| Stage 5 | Contact training session / practice
If symptom-free 24 hours after Stage 5 then the player is able to participate in a game or event. |
Helmets in sport have been shown to reduce impacts and lacerations to the head but have not been shown to reduce the incidence of concussion. They are essential when bike riding, skiing etc. to aid in the prevention of skull fractures.
The use of mouth guards has been shown to reduce dental injuries and maxillofacial injuries. Some studies have suggested that mouth guards reduced impact forces applied to the jaw from being transmitted to the brain.
Sister Margaret Bates
School Nurse
The school year started late in 1919.
The influenza pandemic of 1918–19 would eventually cause more than 50 million deaths worldwide. Despite quarantine measures, the first Australian cases appeared in early January 1919. The NSW Government proclaimed an outbreak of ‘pneumonic influenza’ on 27 January and, among other measures designed to minimise its spread, ordered that all Sydney schools (later extended across most of the state) should remain closed for the foreseeable future.
While the impact on students’ schooling was a concern for all schools, for boarding schools the loss of income imperilled their survival. On 31 January a deputation of principals asked that boarding schools be excepted from the order, but the Cabinet determined to adhere to it. The principals tried again on 17 February, with ‘a huge deputation’ meeting the Minister for Health, Jack Fitzgerald, to plead their case. Perhaps to make a point, he insisted that they all wear masks and sit in chairs placed at wide intervals. Newington’s Headmaster, Rev. Charles Prescott, took a leading role in the discussions, arguing forcefully that ‘if there was a ghost of a chance of starting early in March the situation would be saved.’
Concerned that the epidemic might ‘at any moment burst out into a blaze that would carry it far and wide’ — ‘You would then be very sorry that you had pressed me to open the schools,’ Fitzgerald chided — he nonetheless relented. Boarding schools could re-open, but under strict conditions: no day students or weekly boarders could return; any classes should be held in the open air; and ‘proper precautions [were to] be taken in respect of servants’, i.e. domestic staff. All day schools, including government schools, were to remain closed.
At Newington, with boarders unable to leave the school at weekends and with inter-school sport suspended, the boarding housemaster, Ben Jarvie, organised alternative activities. On the first week-end after re-opening, the Upper and Lower Corridors competed in shooting, athletics, cricket, swimming, diving, boxing, singing and recitation. The Uppers received three tins of biscuits as their prize. On Easter Saturday, the Coast and Tablelands competed with the West, followed by a debate and mock trial in the evening.
It was not until the start of May that day schools re-opened and Newington’s day boys returned. The pandemic was now ebbing, and the forty cases suffered by Newington students in the second term were all mild. At the end of the year, the Headmaster reported that ‘the influenza had touched the school only very lightly.’
David Roberts
College Archivist
The Athletics NSW Junior State Championships were held from 22-24 February at Sydney Olympic Park. Newington had a strong representation with 11 boys competing in various events over the course of three days. Below are the results.
Under 15s
Under 16s
Under 17s
Under 18s
Well done to all competitors, particularly the place winners. A number of these boys will go on to compete at Nationals, which will be held in early April.
Cameron Black
Director of Athletics
Students Louis Anderson (9/MA), Max Buist (12/MO), Patrick Fitzgerald (12/LE) and Toby Phillips (10/JN) recently spent time volunteering in support of Surfers Healing Australia at Manly and Cronulla beaches. Surfers Healing organises free surfing programs for children and families impacted by autism. Families gathered to spend time at the beach and in the water for one-to-one surf lessons with volunteers and professional surfers. An estimated 800 Australian children with autism and their families took part in the event this year. Our Newington volunteers share about their experiences below.
How did you get involved in this volunteer opportunity?
My Mum’s friend Christine Fitzgerald works for Australia Autism, so my Mum offered to help on the day and so I decided to take the opportunity. Louis Anderson (LA)
I got involved because of my mum. She helps run and organise these events and is heavily involved in the charity. Patrick Fitzgerald (PF)
I got involved through family friends who organise these events. When they told me about it I thought it would be a great idea. Toby Phillips (TP)
What aspects did you help with during your volunteer time?
I presented the kids with their medals when they came out of the water and helped them get ready for the water. (LA)
Throughout the day I was in the water as an aid to the surfers. My job was to help the kids on and off their boards and to ensure that they were safe in the water. (PF)
I was in the water helping the kids onto their boards, making sure that there wasn’t any serious collisions between kid and board. (TP)
Would you encourage other Newington students to get involved with this opportunity in the future?
Yes, it’s a fun day helping kids that are less fortunate. (LA)
Yes, I would highly recommend this for students in the future as it is a very rewarding experience, and it is a great day for all the families affected by autism. (PF)
I definitely would. It is a rewarding and a great bit of fun and everything that you give you get back out of the experience. (TP)
How has this experience impacted you, and the community?
This impacted me heavily as it made me feel how lucky I am compared to some of these kids and their families that have it extremely tough. It has helped me to further my skills when working and collaborating with kids who have it tough. (PF)
It’s impacted me in a way in which I [now] know that there are programs that help everyone no matter their needs. I feel as though it helps the community because the kids look forward to this day every year and cannot wait to come back next year. (TP)
At the beginning of Term 4 in 2018 several boys volunteered to ‘try out’ for the GPS squad in the tennis program. One of those boys was Year 10 student Martin Duong (10/LE). Martin brought an enthusiasm and fervour to the courts which was noticeable to the coaching team and infectious to the students around him. Since then, Martin has proved himself to be a valuable member of the GPS team. Martin is pictured below on the 1st of December winning his first ever GPS match against Shore at home on the Newington Courts.
As Impressive as this feat is, it is overshadowed by the virtues Martin has cultivated during the short amount of time he has been part of the GPS contingent. During round 3 of the AAGPS season Martin was scheduled to play in his age group team during the Saturday morning fixtures, however upon receiving word one of his team mates in the GPS 2nds team was injured and unable to compete that day, Martin did not hesitate to step up and volunteer his services. This meant Martin spent a mammoth seven hours on the court that day and personified the attitude and character Newington hopes every student aspires to achieve.
Well done Martin and thank you for your ongoing contribution.
Chris Steel
Director of Tennis
Newington’s ONU Basketball stars cleaned up at the NSW Combined Independent Schools Sports Council (CIS) Awards evening on Friday 15 February. Brandon Freire (ON 2018) and Matur Maluach (ON 2018) received CIS Blues Awards for Basketball excellence and Reed Nottage (ON 2018) received a Blues Award for excellence and the prestigious CIS award for Outstanding Individual Sportsman. Reed and Brandon also competed in the Under 20’s Nationals tournament in Canberra on Sunday 17 February where they represented NSW and their team won Bronze. Congratulations to all.