Nepal Tour

As Toni Morrison once said, “At some point in life the world’s beauty becomes enough. You don’t need to photograph, paint, or even remember it. It is enough”. For three weeks, the beauty of Nepal certainly was enough for the students and staff who were fortunate enough to go on this Service Learning tour. Digital screens were replaced by scenes of beauty that took our breath away; social media was replaced by social interactions and connections with the local Nepalese people, and with each other. Our busy lives receded, and the urban noises eventually died away, leaving space for peace, serenity and wonder. Life became very simple as life in Nepal is very simple. This enabled us all to reflect and appreciate just how rich our own lives are, with all the community and opportunity that awaited us on our return. 

During our tour we were fortunate to engage in two different communities. The first was the village of Jubing, located in the Solukhumbu District, where we worked on landscaping the surrounding area of a medical centre, as well as visit the local school and learn about the lives of Nepalese students. The second was the SOS School in Kathmandu, where we connected with the local school students, coming together in a competitive game of football. We also participated in the ’10 Pieces Litter Collection’ initiative, collecting rubbish along the trails as we trekked, contributing to a cleaner Nepal.

In three weeks, we made a difference: to the Nepalese community, to each other and to ourselves. There is something magical about this extraordinary country, and something tells me it will stay with us forever. Here’s what some of the boys and teachers had to say about their experiences in Nepal:

‘It was a truly humbling experience to go on the Nepal trip and see how different our lifestyles are, yet see common passions such as football are shared’. Sam Bencsik (12/PR)

‘My largest reflection on my time in Nepal was how privileged we are. Not just Newington students, but Australians as a whole. I realised that we are very fortunate to have so many things we take for granted’. Jessie Goh (12/KL)

‘Mine would definitely be that clear day we first saw Everest. The day after we’d arrived in Namche in the snow. Waking up to pull back the tent and see the mountains bathed in sunshine was pretty awesome.’ Mr Justin Verco 

‘My favourite moment during the tour was watching Alistair give a man from Jubing his work gloves. He was so happy to receive something that we took for granted, and it was a very humbling experience.’ Bailey Kang (12/ME)

‘My favourite moment of the trip was playing soccer with the boys from the local school at Jubing’. Dylan Howard (11/KL)

‘I found the views of the mountain vistas and the starry night to be the most breath-taking and most memorable part of my trip. Nothing will ever make me forget walking out of my tent in the morning to see the sun shining over a snowy mountain peak, or at night when the mountainside village huts turned on their bright lights and the stars filled the sky and they blended so much that you couldn’t tell where the land ended and the horizon began’. John Entwisle (12/KL)

You learn a lot about not just the culture of Nepal but yourself as well. Lachlan Sheehy (12/JN)

‘Seeing Mount Everest for the first time was unreal. At first I couldn’t believe it and then looking at the surrounding mountains it became real. Also, visiting the school and talking to all the students about their culture and exchanging our facts about Australia’. Finn Hawkins (11/LE)

‘Snowball fights at Namche was really fun.’ Oscar Hogg (11/JN)

‘My favourite memory of the Nepal was the walk up to the summit we reached. It was a sunny day, there was little to no wind, there had been large snowfall the previous day and night. On the way up we walked through the most amazing trail. The little shrubs that lined the trail were all covered in snow and the snowy trails were untouched by anyone else. We got to a point around one of the guest houses and there was Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world just sitting there behind Nuptse and Lhotse. The air was so fresh’. Jordan Stojcevski (12/PR)

‘Meeting the sherpas and getting to know their backgrounds and stories was extremely interesting’. Tom Marchese (12/LE)

Rebecca Panagopoulous
Head of Learning Enhancement

Mathematics Mindset

Year 7 have just experienced their first Growth Mindset Week in Mathematics. Instead of beginning the year with what you may recall from your high school days as ‘the history of number’ with Roman numerals and the basics of our Hindu-Arabic system of numbers, we began with a week of Inspirational Mathematics lessons developed by Professor Jo Boaler from Stanford University.

In previous years we have used these lessons during the STEM Festival or at other times, but they were so successful and engaging we wanted to give teachers and students the chance to start the year exploring and being inspired by mathematics. The unit of work is used as an introduction to Mathematics in high school. Year 7 students have all had different experiences with Mathematics before coming into the classroom and unfortunately a lot of them bring negative views and misconceptions about this subject. It is important to change these misconceptions as soon as possible. One of the biggest goals that we aim to achieve is changing students’ language (particularly their internal ‘mindset voice’) so that they believe they should keep going even when work is hard, and they make mistakes (that is a wonderful thing)!

So, ask your son about number patterns in Pascal’s triangle or the 4-Fours game or honouring other people’s ideas and building on them. Mathematics should be open, creative and visual. If you would like to read more about the importance of mindset and other messages from brain science, please explore the many resources available on Professor Boaler’s website https://www.youcubed.org.

Newington Basketball tours USA

On Wednesday 26 December 33 boys, eight staff and numerous parents departed for the USA. The tour started in San Francisco, California where the group was broken into three squads for tournament play. The 1sts and 2nds teams played in the Sand Dune High School basketball tournament with both teams going undefeated in a series of exhibition games and our development team won the Purple and Gold Classic basketball tournament.

The group next traveled to Central Washington for games against Chelan High School where the boys experienced country life staying with host families for two memorable nights before traveling to Seattle, Washington for more games and practice at Seattle Pacific University. The next stop was Portland, Oregon for more games and a visit to the Adidas North American Headquarters and employee store.

Off the court, the boys enjoyed many educational experiences. In Portland, the boys visited the Shoot 360 basketball shooting complex. Tours in Seattle included visits to the Space Needle, Museum of Flight, MoPOP Museum and Pike Place Market. In California, the group visited the Golden Gate Bridge and surrounding National Parks and also had time for some fun at Disney California Adventure Park, Disneyland and Universal Studios. The boys attended two NBA games and one college contest. For the record, the 1sts came back with 9 wins and 1 loss, the 2nds 7 wins 2 losses and the Development team had 7 wins and 1 loss.

Rex Nottage
Director of Basketball

Student exchange to France

My experiences on this exchange spanned the breadth and width of my wildest hopes and expectations. From thrilling chance encounters with the Yellow Jacket protestors, to enlightening visits to museums throughout Paris and Chantilly, and the discovery of new friends and culinary experiences, every successive chapter of my exchange has been more fulfilling and enlightening than the last.

I remember the day of my initial arrival, and the gentle rapprochement of my host family who proved highly generous in their desire to sacrifice time, money and energy towards the betterment of my exchange experience. I am extremely grateful to them for their enthusiasm and patience in the face of countless questions, enquiries and judgements regarding their culture, language and way of life. I can say with total certainty that the answers given have enabled me an invaluable understanding of France that will transcend high school in its significance and depth. It is a very rare thing to claim genuine first-hand experience with and knowledge of a society so different to your own, and I’m overjoyed that my host family was able to provide that for me.

Tom Charley (12/PR)

Photo 1 – Our trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower was also fascinating because it gave us a unique perspective of the city’s layout and interesting geography, with large boulevards and ancient towering landmarks like Invalides and the Louvre.

Photo 2 – This photo shows my class in Paris. I made a lot of friends here and learned much about the French way of life from both the curriculum and interaction with the students.

Below is another student account of an exchange to France.

In December 2018, I participated, for the second year in a row, in the Newington College French exchange program. I attended a school called ‘French in Normandy’, an international language college, based in Rouen. As I mentioned, this was my second time participating in this type of program and being given the opportunity the first time was fantastic, so having the chance to go again was even better, as I already knew many of the teachers at the school as well as what to expect from the workload. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone who is looking for a way to improve their French and to learn more about French life and culture.

The school in Rouen was as I remembered it. The first day was the same as last time, with a spoken and written placement test. I thought it was very accurate, and it assured that I would be placed in the correct class for my level of French and for throughout the time I was there. Although I was only at the school for two weeks, each week we had a different teacher and topic, which incorporated learning French with other aspects of French life and culture and life in general, such as art and the media. All of the classes are taught exclusively in French which I think accelerates your abilities to understand and converse in French.

Many activities are run after school and the host families were involved in a lot more of the school social events than my last visit. On weekends we spent time as a group going to night Christmas Markets and going ice-skating in the local town centre. Activities like this were often organised by the group and we had the freedom to catch up after school and at night as long as we kept our host families informed. I also spent many nights with my host family and helped in preparing dinner. Of the organised activities by the school, they were all optional which allowed you to pick and choose which ones you wanted to go to. It was a great way to socialise and make friends with the other international students. 

Overall, the difference this time was that I spent a lot more time with the other Australian students outside of school while still allowing me to spend time with my host family. Again, as with my last visit, my time at French in Normandy was one of the best experiences of my life. I have already said, but I feel like it needs to be said again, that I would 100% recommend to anyone who wants to improve their French, experience French life and culture and also make some great friends as well.

Harrison Rowland (12/FL)

Student exchange to China

During the summer holidays, nine boys from Years 10 and 11 (now 11 and 12) travelled to China to embark on an exchange program. The stay took place for three weeks and we were housed in the boarding dormitories of the No 2 Yizhuang Secondary School Beijing. This location was perfect for the exchange, as it engaged us within the school and promoted our use of the Chinese language. The exchange was split into two parts with school stay from Monday to Friday and homestay from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon.

The schooling aspect of the trip provided quite a shock to all of us. We quickly became immersed within our host school’s 14 hour days and contrasting teaching styles. Within the constant intention of developing our language, we were also treated to some extra curricular activities. The nine of us were provided with a taste of Taekwondo and it is safe to say that martial arts is not a strong suit for us as a group. We were also given the opportunity to attend a calligraphy class where we learnt the intricacies of Chinese character writing. 

The homestay aspect of the trip provided us with the greatest opportunity to extend our language skills. Each weekend we travelled all over Beijing, discovering the culture of the city and using our Mandarin to converse with locals. One of the highlights of the homestay weekends was travelling to Nan Luo Gu Xiang, a long alleyway filled with small shops and an unimaginable amount of food. 

This exchange was beneficial in two ways. Firstly, our understanding of the Chinese language grew in leaps and bounds due to the immersion experience. Secondly, the opportunity that we were given to meet new people with different ideas and perspectives on life, allowed us to develop a deeper appreciation and understanding of Chinese culture. This experience is one we will never forget.

Daniel Bordina (11/ME)

IB CAS Day

The new Year 11 IB cohort came together on Friday 8 February to begin their IB journey by exploring the core component of Creativity, Activity and Service. CAS, alongside the Extended Essay and the Theory of Knowledge, lies at the heart of the Diploma Programme and it allows the students to live the IB’s philosophy, becoming internationally-minded, empathetic global citizens.

The boys engaged in a range of activities that allowed them to explore what it means to be an IB student, as well as how to put together a satisfying, challenging and fun CAS program to be carried out over the next 18 months. We look forward to seeing their adventures, their creative pursuits and their service to others.

Cheryl Priest
Head of IB

A new direction for Swimming at Newington

In January, Newington welcomed new Head Swimming Coach Mr Jared Goldthorpe. Below, he shares his coaching philosophy and exciting updates coming to the swimming program.

Our mission for the Newington swim team is to encourage all students to take up the opportunity to develop their swimming skills. We aim to cater for all age groups and abilities ranging up to national-level swimmers. By providing more structure within our squads, we aim to value each swimmer’s progression as they strive for individual success based on their specific needs.

Being on a swim team can be incredibly fun, but unquestionably very challenging. These challenges ultimately teach valuable skills transferable into everyday life. Being a competitive swimmer requires individuals to build both physical and mental endurance. Further, it is a formative experience that shapes character. My coaching philosophy is to instil life lessons and develop character in each of our swimmers. Traits such as teamwork, perseverance, effort and dealing honourably with both success and failure can all be developed by being on a swim team. 

Newington Swimming Club

The Aquatics staff are hoping to create a Swim Club in 2019, which will be linked to Newington College. This will be a great opportunity for swimmers to commit to further their competition and racing skills at a wider range of swimming meets. For most swimmers, joining the club will likely be an introduction to competitive club swimming (outside of school). The club will cater to all levels of committed swimmers, regardless of ability. The ultimate goal is to see our highest achieving squads competing in NSW State and Australian National Championships.

It is the hope that Newington Swim Club/Squad will offer convenience for all members, as training sessions will be held on school grounds. This will limit travel time and allow time for the boys to work on homework and other activities. Additionally, a direct interaction with teachers and coaching staff will allow for deeper understanding of swimmers’ needs. We will share further updates on the proposed Swim Club via Spaces and future editions of Black & White.

Swim Captaincy

Congratulations to Lachlan Sheehy (12/JN) who has recently been awarded the opportunity to lead Newington Swim Team for the 2019 GPS swimming championships. Lachlan is a valuable member of the swim team, representing Newington since Year 7 and providing consistent support and feedback to other members of the team. He recently shared, ‘I am greatly privileged to take on the role of the 2019 Captain of Swimming and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead.’

Alongside Lachlan we have selected two Co-Vice-Captains to assist leading this year’s team including: Miles Parhash (12/MA) and James Douglas (12/PR). When interviewed, each student expressed the desire to have a long-lasting influence on the culture and traditions of the Newington Swim Team. The staff at Newington are eager to see what the team can achieve after already breaking the AAGPA relay in our first point scoring event, the 4×100 Medley Relay at the SBHS carnival.

A note for current swimmers

Whether you’re an elite swimmer or a just beginner, the fundamentals remain the same. For success in the pool, swimmers should aim to always improve the following: 

Technique, Growth Mindset and Purpose.

Undoubtedly, Swimming technique can be one of the hardest skills to master. Water is 800x denser than air which makes it essential for all swimmers to continuously improve body position and stroke efficiency. Many elite swimmers work daily on perfecting the smallest changes because at any given point a race can be won or lost within a millisecond.

A Growth Mindset is an important part of becoming a resilient swimmer. At every opportunity, swimmers should perceive success and failure as a chance to enhance performance. The right mindset can assist a swimmer’s performance tenfold.

Purpose – Any swimmer who knows what they want to achieve can become unstoppable. Swimmers become intrinsically motivated when they understand why they are pushing through pain barriers and seek other ways in which the can improve.

Jared Goldthorpe 
Head Swimming Coach

Sport report

Sport Weekends in Term 1

Sporting fixtures and trials will be held on the following Saturdays in Term 1.

Saturday 16 February
Saturday 23 February
Saturday 2 March
Saturday 9 March
Saturday 16 March
Saturday 23 March – Head of the River Rowing Regatta – Penrith
Saturday 30 March – Winter Trials Saturday 6 April – Winter Trials

Captains of Sport

The following boys have been announced as captains of their respective sports for the AAGPS season:

Basketball – Sam Clemens (12/MO) 
Tennis – Daniel Nailand (12/LE) 
Swimming – Lachlan Sheehy (12/JN), vice captains – James Douglas (12/PR) and Miles Parhash (12/MA).

Congratulations boys.

Cricket

The following Newington 1st XI cricket players have been selected in a Combined AAGPS 1st XI squad for representative fixtures later in the season:

Ned Barnet-Hepples (11/KL) 
Clancy Barrett (12/JN) 
Dominic O’Shannessy (11/LE)

Well done boys on your selection.

Rowing

On Saturday 9 February, the Year 8 and 9 Rowing squads competed in the All Schools Regatta in Hen and Chicken Bay. Newington crews were drawn in a Division with Scots, Sydney Grammar and Riverview. Of our ten crews entered, nine of the crews finished in first place. This is one of the best performances from the rowing squad in many years. The rowers were very happy to notch up a win as it is not easy to achieve. The crews have all been training hard and the results were a great reward for their efforts.

Swimming

The Newington Age Swimming Championships were held in the School pool on Friday February 8, congratulations to all boys who participated in the event. Results from the meet can be found on the following link:

Newington Age Swimming Championships

We would also like to acknowledge two of our long distance swimmers William Gray (10/KL) and Ben Wainman (10/FL) who both participated in the Australian Open Water Swimming championships in the recent holidays, Ben and Will both participated in the 5km race, Ben then went on to swim in the 7.5km race, a fantastic achievement by both boys

Tennis

Over the course of the weekend Newington 1sts tennis players were involved in a series of matches to determine representation in the AAGPS team, the following Newington 1st players have been selected in a squad of 8:

Justin Dong (9/MA) 
Eric Tripathi (11/JN) 
Tully Suttie (10/LE)

Water Polo

The following water polo players have been selected in a combined AAGPS (U17s) Water Polo team:

Toby Goldschmidt (11/KL) 
Grayson Richardson (11/KL) 
Andrej Grgurevic (10/FL)

Congratulations boys on your selection.

Newington Age Swimming Championships

Well done to all swimmers who competed in this year’s Newington Age Swimming Championships. A new record was set this year with the greatest attendance of swimmers from previous years. As the newly appointed head swimming coach, it is encouraging to see the great potential Newington has to offer. Many tough races were won by hundredths of a second. This truly displays the depth we have at Newington. Vice-Captain Miles Parhash (12/MA) noted the great sense of camaraderie at the Championships. ‘I enjoyed the racing and the spirit of the carnival. It was great to see so many boys swimming in all age groups. I especially enjoyed spending time and racing with my mates who I’ve swum with since Year 7,’ he said. 

After tallying up the point scores for each event, our age group champions are as follows:

• 12 Years Newington Age Champion:  Joel Zipeure (7/FL)
• 13 Years Newington Age Champion: Sebastian King (7/MA)
• 14 Years Newington Age Champion: Sebastian Parhash (8/MA)
• 15 Years Newington Age Champion: Thomas Oates (10/JN)
• 16 Years Newington Age Champion: Karl Kovarik (10/LE)
• 17 Years Newington Age Champion: Samuel Lye (11/LE)
• Opens Newington Age Champion: Lachlan Sheehy (12/JN)

Congratulations to each age group champion, many of whom won multiple events during the night. Mr Moar and I will have some tough decisions to make when selecting the Newington Swim Team this year. I look forward to assisting all swimmers at our training sessions in preparation for the upcoming AAGPS series. I am confident that we will be strong contenders for this year’s title.

Jared Goldthorpe
Head Swimming Coach

What does your love look like?

Luke 5:18-20

Some men came carrying a paralysed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’

I’d like to take the opportunity to introduce the Chaplaincy team of Pastor Richard La’Brooy (Lindfield and Stanmore campuses), Mr Isaac Williams (Wyvern campus) and Rev Geordie Barham (Stanmore campus). Our role is to provide a platform of spiritual support across all the Newington campuses. Each Newington student at Stanmore will take part in a Chapel Service each fortnight and a House Chapel service on a specific Wednesday night within the first semester. There is also a student Christian group (CRU) that is currently held each Monday lunchtime in the Old Gym, as well as a prayer group (Polotu) every Wednesday night from 6.00pm-7.00pm in the Grove Room (back of the chapel). All students are welcome to take part in these groups should they desire to explore or be supported in their faith journey.

During chapel over the past two weeks, we’ve highlighted the Year 12 motto for 2019: ‘In white and black, we’ve got your back’. Our Senior Prefect Mark Elwaw (12/JN), in his address to the school late last year, emphasised the reality of mental illness within the broader community and how important it is that we look for ways to support one another. Approximately one-in-five teenagers are predicted to experience what is termed a ‘severe mental disorder’ at one point in their life. Such a staggering statistic reinforces the need to look out for one another and the important role that we all play in each other’s lives.

The scripture above highlights the significant role that the friends of this paralysed man played in helping him heal from his debilitating condition. The friends didn’t solve the problem for the man, Jesus did; however, getting their friend to the help he needed was significant. They had to overcome obstacles, including the crowd, the extra effort to hoist him onto the roof, removing the tiles and digging a hole through the roof, before lowering him in front of Jesus. What if their efforts had all been in vain? What if the owner of the house had taken offence to his roof being damaged? What if Jesus decided that he couldn’t help this paralysed man? Despite the obstacles, these friends persisted in getting their friend to the help that he required.

The point of this passage is the same for all of us here at Newington. When we take the time to look out for each other and make whatever effort is required to care for each other, it makes all the difference. Fostering good mental health is about making sure we give each other the necessary support to cope with the normal stresses of life so that we all function productively and fruitfully within our community. Asking each other simple questions like ‘Are you okay?’ or ‘Are you having a great day?’ shows that you care and is often the catalyst that helps others struggling within to lean on the support that is on offer.

Rev Geordie Barham
College Chaplain

From the School Nurse

Welcome back and especially ‘welcome’ to all new parents and students to the College. I hope that you enjoy this year. The Davidson Health Centre is situated on the Ground Floor next to the Tupou College Centre. It is well signposted between the Chapel and Le Couteur building.

I am in the Health Centre Monday–Thursday 8.00am–5.00pm and Friday 8.00am–4.30pm. We also have first aid coverage for Saturday sport in the first aid room just inside the back gates on Newington Road.

I would also like to warmly welcome Sister Erin Tidball RN who joins us this year as the Boarding House Adolescent Health Nurse.

Please let me know of any change in medical details for your son, new medication or of any recent injuries/illnesses so that I can update their files.

Parents, we have some boys at school who are receiving treatment for serious conditions. These students are recovering well but are nevertheless more prone to infections. Therefore, it is very important that if your son develops an infectious disease – in particular chicken pox, shingles, measles or whooping cough – that you contact me at the Health Centre. It is also important for your son to stay home if quite unwell with a fever/bad cold and cough or if they have a gastric infection, to help prevent the spread of infection to others.

The college is not a ‘nut free’ zone. There are, however, many boys at school with anaphylaxis to various nuts and so it would be appreciated if nuts and nut products were not brought to school. If your son is really keen to bring these items then please have a conversation with them about not sharing these foods and explain how some boys have a serious life-threatening allergy.

Spare EpiPens are located in the Health Centre, pool office, library, cafeteria, Common Room, Drama Centre, Tech kitchen, Concordia Gallery, Boarding House and Boat Shed.

For those with asthma, please try to remember to carry your reliever in your bag. At school Ventolin inhalers are available from the pool office, library and the Health Centre.

Vaccinations for Year 7 will commence on Tuesday 5 March. These vaccines are only free while your son is in Year 7. Consent forms will be handed out to Year 7 in Mentor time shortly and should be returned to their Mentor promptly.

Vaccines offered

• Boostrix (diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough booster) single dose
• HPV vaccine (Gardasil) in a 2 dose course (Newington uptake last year was over 95%)

Vaccinations for Year 10 will be on Tuesday 4 June. 

NSW Health will be offering the Meningococcal ACWY vaccine to all students in Year 10.

For more info on the School Program click on the link https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/schoolvaccination.aspx

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding immunisation, as it can be confusing.

I have a small supply of spare uniform in case an item has been forgotten or is damaged, which the boys are welcome to borrow. I would appreciate if these could then be returned ready for the next boy.

If you would like to discuss any concerns, please feel free to contact me at 9568 9426, mobile 0407 004 738 or email mbates@newington.nsw.edu.au

I hope we all have a great year at Newington.

Sister Margaret Bates
School Nurse

Forming a Cadet corps at Newington

Almost 150 years ago the first step was taken towards the foundation of the Newington College Cadet Unit.

The minutes of the meeting of the College Council on 26 February 1869, held at the Methodist Book Depot in George Street, Sydney, record that:

‘On the subject of forming a Cadet corps at Newington, the President was requested to obtain information as to the working of their organization in Meth [sic] schools.’

Nothing further is recorded in minutes of the Council’s meetings until the formation of the Corps in August 1869. We must assume that the President of the College, the Reverend Joseph Horner Fletcher, carried out the investigation and made the necessary arrangements in the intervening months.

At the time of the Council’s request, there were only two school-based Cadet corps in New South Wales. The first had been founded in 1866 at St Mark’s Collegiate School, Macquarie Fields. In 1868 St Mark’s became the re-established King’s School, moving to Parramatta at the end of the year — King’s had closed temporarily in 1864 — and its Cadet unit formally became the King’s School Cadet Corps in August 1868. The second corps had been founded in 1868 at Camden College, a Congregational school in Enmore. Meanwhile, a composite corps based on a number of schools had been formed in Melbourne in 1867, though it was short-lived.

The terse report in the minutes gives no indication of the Council’s motivation. As at many other schools, drill was already taught at Newington, with our first drill master having been appointed in 1865. Drill was regarded as a valuable form of physical education and character building. A Cadet corps was likely seen as a means of furthering these goals.

A Cadet corps would also enable the establishment of a new school sport: rifle shooting. Thus we will also celebrate the 150^th anniversary of that sport later this year.

The new Cadet corps were also part of a larger picture. Since the Crimean War, fear of Russian attack had stimulated the formation of volunteer units across the Australian colonies. At the same time, the British military presence was reduced, leading to the decision to remove the last Imperial troops in 1870. Thus providing schoolboys with military training was regarded as a means of preparing for the future defence of the Colony and the Empire.

To mark the sesquicentenary of the start of our Cadet Unit, a history is being prepared. Authored by Old Newingtonian and former teacher, Cadet and Cadet officer, Peter Hipwell (ON 1964), it will tell the story of this great Newington institution.

David Roberts
College Archivist

Congratulations!

Swimming

For the second consecutive year, the Newington 4 x 100m Medley Relay team has broken a GPS record in the first event of the 2019 GPS swimming calendar. The event is contested each year at the Sydney Boys High School Swimming Carnival at Des Renford Aquatic Centre in Maroubra. Lachlan Sheehy (12/JN) (Backstroke), Charles Dillon (11/FL) (Breaststroke), Christopher Mina (10/PR) (Butterfly) and Karl Kovarik (10/LE) (Freestyle) touched out St Ignatius’ by a very small margin and recorded a time of 4min 09.30sec.

Baseball

Rohan Wood (12/PR) was selected and played for New South Wales in the Under 18s National Baseball Championships from 11-20 January at the Olympic Baseball Centre in Blacktown. As a pitcher, Rohan pitched out 7 innings of the Semi-Final against Victoria, leading NSW to victory 6 runs to 5. He had an impressive batting average of 0.33 over the championship.

College Physiotherapy at Newington

College Physiotherapy would like to welcome everybody back for another school year, especially the new students, families and staff joining Newington College.

We would like to extend a special welcome to our new Headmaster, Michael Parker.

With the resumption of the Summer Sport season, it is important to remember to hydrate, sleep and eat well, but also to look after any new or ongoing injury issues you may have.

The on-site physiotherapy team are committed and professional in their approach and more than happy to assist you to return to your best.

Students, staff, Old Boys and immediate family of current students are welcome to attend the clinic. See our Spaces page for fees.

Where students are concerned, we work closely with coaches, the Nurse and the Strength and Conditioning staff at the College to ensure that boys are well looked after and performing at their best.

New in 2019 

We are now able to process payments with a Newington Student Card! Simply top up your card through Spaces and ensure you have it with you for your appointment – this can still be used in conjunction with Private Health Care Cards, as per usual, to subsidise consultations (dependent on your level of cover). Please note that sometimes it may take time for your funds to be ready to use so you may want to top up ahead of time.

On-site hours for 2019

Monday 7.00am-5.00pm

Tuesday 1.00pm-5.00pm

Wednesday 12.00pm-5.00pm

Thursday 12.00pm-5.00pm

Friday 1.00pm-5.00pm

For more information or to book an appointment, check out the College Physiotherapy Space or email any enquiries you might have to collegephysio@newington.nsw.edu.au. 

Physiotherapist Spotlight: Head Physiotherapist Matthew Anthis

Matthew has been involved in Newington medical services for the last seven years. He has personally participated in the vast majority of sports available at Newington which gives him a great insight into the skills and movements required. This understanding enables him to prescribe a comprehensive and targeted rehabilitation program.

In 2016, Matthew travelled as team physiotherapist with the Newington 1st XV on their tour to Japan, where they took part in games against local schools. He has also worked with the Sydney Roosters Junior Representative rugby league teams and the Intrust Super Premiership Wyong Roos (Sydney Roosters former NRL feeder team).

Matthew is also very interested in Rowing having rowed, coached and worked as a physiotherapist with the Newington rowing program. He has completed a sports medicine course targeted towards rowers and is a Rowing Australia Preferred Provider.