Another year, another P & F inspired fundraising event that was sure to impress! With the brilliance of P & F leader Julianne Ashworth on the case, a well-organised and fun-filled event was always going to ensue.  The magical event aside for a moment, this was all about the cause, and this year it was an inspired choice. The Special Olympics showcases the immense talents of the intellectually disabled, and this year we had the pleasure of meeting and listening to former Olympian Mel Eustace. Her speech was heartfelt, enthusiastic and awe-inspiring, reminding us all that with hard work and determination, great rewards are possible………speaking of which, lets get into the events of the day!!

After a brief description of the many and varied sporting events a tireless and dedicated team of parents had agreed to assist with, the boys were off, and fun and games they had. Split into K-2 and 3-5 year groups and under the watchful eye of classroom teachers, specialist teachers and the Year 6 cohort, the atmosphere was positively sizzling as the first events began.

For the K-2 boys, there were three events to partake in: Sack Races, Gymnastics and a Ball Games station. The Sack Racing turned into a endurance event as each year group jumped, and clawed and crawled as powerfully and strongly as they possibly could and after 30 minutes of this resembled the colour of one of the sacks as they gleamed a happy, slightly red colour. Surely they could not possibly have any energy for the Gymnastics event!!!

Gymnastics was a sea of equipment and eager and excited boys as both the K-2 and 3-5 boys shared the space with varying degrees of difficulty. For the K-2 boys, it was another endurance event with forward rolls, handstands, cartwheels and log rolls the order of the day with some brilliant results. The Primary boys found themselves jumping, twisting, turning, lifting and tumbling their way across a great range of Gymnastic apparatus.

The junior boys then took to the JP area for some ball games with a difference. 6 stations stood before them with a mix of throwing, kicking, passing and underarming, all testing their ability to concentrate and aim for a target. The result was a brilliant display of skill and precision!

After the exploits in the Gymnastics, the primary boys moved to the Basketball court for the most anticipated event of the day…..the hole in one!! A brilliantly designed toilet (Tim and Nicholas Davies) and a bucket full of empty toilet rolls, just meant one thing……fun, fun and more fun to see who could  throw the rolls into the toilet bowl. Now seriously, what more could a boy want??? Add toilet humour here!!

The boys then moved down to the bottom field for the tug-o-war to end all tug-o-wars. And the victors…well, you will have to ask the boys because it is all hush, hush. The only thing I saw was the big smiles and the red palms. I heard something about an epic plane throwing contest as well where I think young Toby Ashworth left all behind him with a plane that would have made the Wright brothers proud.

Last, but certainly not least, was the Newington Burn where boys tested their true endurance skills with a run up the treacherous grass mountain….well, several runs up the mountain. And despite a few red faces and some sore legs, I think they all really enjoyed themselves!!

So after a morning of inspiration, perspiration and a whole lot of fun, we were left with the reason for the event itself…the fundraising. And when it was all tallied up, Newington had raised $10,062 for the Special Olympics. As well as this, we had some amazing individual fundraisers and they are listed below:

Athan Chronis: Kindergarten

Edward Xu: Year 1

Koyla Herbst: Year 2

Toby Ashworth: Year 3

Hugo Minetti and Marcus Gripton-Corbett: Year 4

Jack Middleton: Year 5E

Aditya Apana: Year 5L

Marcus Renshaw: Year 6C

Jock McCloskey: Year 6E

A great way to finish an amazing day of healthy competition and a massive thank you again to Julianne Ashworth and all the parents who assisted on the day to make it a wonderful event and I for one cannot wait to do it all again next year!