- 2017

RECOGNITION FOR A VERY BRAVE EFFORT

During the Canberra Day long weekend earlier this year a family outing almost turned to tragedy when a Canberra man and three of his children were swept away by a rip at Denhams Beach, near Batemans Bay.

Fortunately, another family group were close by and Erindale College Year 11 student William Nash, and his father Kevin, quickly responded and rescued all four people successfully. The family were all treated by NSW Emergency Services on the beach and the 39 year old father was later air-lifted to Royal Canberra Hospital. William reflected later that “if it had been 30 seconds later, he (the father) would have been gone.”

On September 7th, William and his father attended the 2017 ACT Aquatic Industry and Water Safety Awards and were recipients of the prestigious AUSTRALIAN RESCUE MEDAL from the Royal Life Saving Society-Australia. This was a rare nomination with the Medals being issued to only three ACT residents previously.

Congratulations to both William and his father Kevin from everyone at Erindale College.

OZTAG

Recently two Erindale College students Elana Sliwinski and Tyler Meredith-Brown competed for Australia in the Oztag big four competition.

Elana in the U18 girls won their grand final undefeated overcoming Lebanon, Indigenous Australia and Pacific Islands,

Tyler competed in the U20's mixed winning 5-0 in a 5 game series against Indigenous Australia.

Newsletter Issue Date: 18th September 2017

FORMER ERINDALE COLLEGE STUDENT SIAN A’HERN

Congratulations to 2016 TSP Sportswoman of the Year, Sian A’Hern who finished 9th at the World Championships (Downhill Mountain Biking) last week in her first attempt at the Elite Women’s category.

Newsletter Issue Date: 18th September 2017

RECOGNITION FOR A VERY BRAVE EFFORT

During the Canberra Day long weekend earlier this year a family outing almost turned to tragedy when a Canberra man and three of his children were swept away by a rip at Denhams Beach, near Batemans Bay.

Fortunately, another family group were close by and Erindale College Year 11 student William Nash, and his father Kevin, quickly responded and rescued all four people successfully. The family were all treated by NSW Emergency Services on the beach and the 39 year old father was later air-lifted to Royal Canberra Hospital. William reflected later that “if it had been 30 seconds later, he (the father) would have been gone.”

On September 7th, William and his father attended the 2017 ACT Aquatic Industry and Water Safety Awards and were recipients of the prestigious AUSTRALIAN RESCUE MEDAL from the Royal Life Saving Society-Australia. This was a rare nomination with the Medals being issued to only three ACT residents previously.

Congratulations to both William and his father Kevin from everyone at Erindale College.

Newsletter Issue Date: 11th September 2017

PHOTOGRAPHY

The Photography classes in the Innovation and Arts Academy ran an Instagram competition for students that attended the Botanic Gardens excursion in week 4. Students were able to take photographs at the Botanic Gardens with the aim to submit them to the annual student photographic competition run by the Australian National Botanic Gardens. Students had a wonderful time exploring light, texture, line, shape and form in their work, posting their favourite images to school approved public Instagram accounts using #botanicerindale to collect the images together. There was a prize for the image that secured the most likes and a prize for a staff choice.  Well done to all students who have captured some amazing images.

Students, staff and parents are encouraged to follow the schools Instagram account @erindalecphoto or to watch #edalephotos for more interesting artworks produced by students.

Newsletter Issue Date: 11th September 2017

Rookie of the year 2017

2016 Erindale Male Sport Star of the Year Nick Cotric has won the Rookie of the Year Award at the recent 2017 Les Macintyre Medal Awards Ceremony for the Canberra Region Rugby League. In what has been a difficult year for the Canberra Raiders Nick has consistently been one of the best players on the field in each game and is thoroughly deserving of this recognition for his efforts. In 22 games played so far he has scored 16 tries, taken 240 hit ups and made 17 line breaks.

Of interest are the Erindale Alumni whose names appear on the Rookie of the Year Shield Nick is holding, including Michael Robertson and Paul Vaughn.

Newsletter Issue Date: 4th September 2017

Alex Viertel – shooting gold!

On the weekend of September 2-4, Alex Viertel entered the Illawarra Junior Shooting Championships. Alex competed in 5 different events winning gold in all five events. The competition was shot as a 10m indoor air rifle competition.

Alex won gold in the junior team’s event, E grade team’s event, R4 team’s event, E grade singles and R4 singles.
Along with the medals Alex obtained two personal bests, scoring 300 out of 400 in offhand and a 367 out of 400 in rest.

Newsletter Issue Date: 4th September 2017

LEAGUE

Last week the Girls League Squad travelled to Sydney to compete in the inaugural Rugby League State 9’s knockout. Eight teams travelled from all over NSW to compete in the finals day after winning their respected region.

Travelling up on the Wednesday the girls did a final training run to go over some final strategies followed by a team dinner. After a slow start in the first game against Kiama High School the girls clicked in the second half and ran away winners 14-4.

The second game was called off early due to an injury but Erindale were in total control winning 12-4. In the third pool game a much smaller Erindale team was matched up against Chifley High School who had been dominating teams with their size and power. Understanding that we would not win the battle upfront the girls turned to their skill and speed to out play Chifley and jump to a 10 nil lead. Unfortunately due to the referee making a mistake on the competition rules Chifley were able to salvage a late try and despite protest the game was announced a 10 all draw. Going back to a countback Erindale finished second in the pool and would be matched against number one seed Bass High.

Again Erindale would give away size. But as the old saying goes ‘it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog’ and once again Erindale jumped to the lead through some great vision and speed. At half time the stress of losing was evident as the Bass girls copped a good old half time spray. It must have worked because they came from behind to scrape at 16-10 victory and earn themselves a spot in the final against Chifley who they eventually defeated.

It was great trip and something the girls had been working towards all term. They had the opportunity to meet many of the Jillaroos national team even having one of them run water for us. A true underdog story with many spectators and even the commentators praising the style of football and skill level of the Erindale girls. Although not winning the girls still finished 3rd in the state which is an amazing effort, it was pleasing to see the how proud of themselves they were especially with their performances against the two powerhouse schools.

Newsletter Issue Date: 4th September 2017

Laura Hughes - selected for the Junior Matilda's

Congratulations  Laura Hughes (year 10) who has been selected in the Junior Matilda's side to compete in the AFC U 16 Women's championship held in Thailand next week. If the team can finish in the top 3 they will progress to the U17 World Cup next year. Laura has spent most of this month in trial camps at the AIS. We wish her all the best for the tour

Newsletter Issue Date: 4th September 2017

ERINDALE HOSPITALITY DELIVERS

For a recent Writing Fair held at the Hedley Beare Centre for Teaching and Learning (HBCTL) the Hospitality classes at Erindale College were commissioned to provide the nourishment for the afternoon tea. This included the preparation, the delivering and the presenting/serving of all that was on offer, a real-life educational opportunity.

A challenge in itself to organise for the anticipated audience of 200, it quickly escalated to a major event when the Hospitality teacher, Mitchell Samin, was advised the numbers had grown to an expected 700!

It quickly became a major across-College effort with staff from the Enterprise Academy, the Front Office and the Senior School Executive all working in the team to ensure it was a success for Mitch and the Hospitality students.

After days of planning and preparation by the students, both in and out of class, a wonderful feast of food delights were revealed for all attendees to enjoy.  As teacher Mitchell Samin observed “The food looked great and the feedback was positive!”
Likewise, Principal Michael Hall received huge compliments from the Directorate Directors at HBCTL about the quality of the catering which he was asked to pass on to the teacher and all of the students involved. One of the most pleasing compliments for the students came from the HBCTL Manager who was “fabulously excited” that the venue was left so clean. Michael said “What a tremendous effort from Mitch & students – well done all!”

VET Coordinator Lyndall Henman added that Mitch and the students were “deserving of huge congratulations for successfully pulling off such a massive undertaking”.

Hospitality teacher Mitchell Samin wanted to make special mention of Ali Fraser, Lyndall Henman, Eddy Hoek, Sandy France and all of the Front Office staff for their help in making the event the success it was.

Newsletter Issue Date: 4th September 2017

Cross Country

Congratulations to Josh Torley who is now the Australian Champion Cross Country runner for his age group!
Josh recently competed in Tasmania in the Australian School Sport Cross Country Championships.
Josh was the overall winner of the Boys 18/19 age group, with a convincing win over his other competitors.

Newsletter Issue Date: 28th August 2017

Mountain Biking

Kye A’hern (Mountain Biking) has been competing at Crankworx at Whistler in Canada. It was an extremely successful event for Kye who is the National Champion. He won two events (one being the Canadian Open), as well as finishing second in two events. He was crowned “Prince of Crankworx” in his age division. His race time in the Canadian Open would have seen him win the age group above. Congratulations Kye.

Newsletter Issue Date: 28th August 2017

ACT Schools Constitutional Convention

Four students recently attended this event held on 27 - 28th July. The first day was held at the National Archives of Australia where discussion about the Australian Constitution and how it affects decision making in the Commonwealth Parliament. They then went to the Museum of Australian Democracy to debate the topic whether the Commonwealth should have specific powers to legislate for the environment.

This involved taking on various roles for the government and the opposition and cross benches of politics.  On Friday, the debate became State/Territories based as students represented various positions. The referendum was then voted on in an Australian Electoral Commission style.  Overall the experience was very informative and provided students with an experiential learning experience which enabled them to enhance their debating and knowledge of how Australian politics operates.  Students who attended were: Clarissa Goina, Matthew Scargill, Josh Cattle, Paul Wang.

Newsletter Issue Date: 28th August 2017

GIRLS FOOTBALL CODES

In only its second year running the girls football codes class and we are now starting to see the results of their continual hard work and skill development.

The classes most recent success having 10 girls named in the ACT Brumbies Schoolgirls team. Congratulations to Zoe Kershaw, Nirvana Ngan Woo, Tamara Taliai, Ahlivia Ingram, Caitlyn Fazey-Robinson, Elana Sliwinski, Taunese Feaunati, Ososo Feaunati, Zoe Podmore on this amazing achievement. This is complemented by having 9 girls named in the Tarsha Gale Canberra Raiders Rugby League 9’s team at the start of the year.

The class offers a unique opportunity to girls in Canberra to participate in a specialised training program exposing them to each of the football codes and developing the skills and knowledge needed to compete at the next level. It provides a pathway into a number of sports as the skills and decision making learnt in class applies to all of the different variations of football.

Newsletter Issue Date: 21st August 2017

OZTAG GALA DAY

On Friday 11 August Erindale College participated in the annual ACT Oztag Gala Day held at O’Connor Playing Fields. Erindale College had 4 teams entered (2 boys and 2 girls) highlighting once again the excellent participation from our students. The top Erindale boys and girl’s teams went through the whole day undefeated going back to back champions, winning in both 2016 and 2017. A big congratulations to all the students involved and thankyou to those who helped manage and coordinate games.

Newsletter Issue Date: 14th August 2017

HOCKEY

Erindale College wins ACT Colleges Mixed Hockey in a thriller.

In one of the most exciting days of School Sport seen in recent years our Hockey team won 3-2 in a penalty shootout after extra time versus Lake Ginninderra College. Lauren Freeman in goal was the hero after keeping out 3 of 5 attempts in the shootout.

Results
Rd 1 v Lake G – 0-2 loss
Rd 2 v Canberra – 3-1 win (Ethan Long, Malcom Long, Breanne Runge 1)
Semi Final v Daramalan 5-0 win (Ben Toole 3, Chloe Ives, Breanne Runge 1)
Final v Lake G 2-2 (Ben Toole, Breanne Runge 1) Erindale won 3-2 in the shootout (Turi Hides, Breanne Runge, Chloe Ives 1)

Newsletter Issue Date: 7th August 2017

ART

Congratulations to Erindale College Media studio Charlotte Dunlop who has just been announced as a finalist in the NOVA Employment 2017 Focus on Ability Short Film Awards in the Open Documentary Section.
In its ninth year, the Focus on Ability Awards is designed to encourage film makers to focus on the ability of people with disability. This year the competition is fierce with a record number of 209 entries, including 101 school entries and 53 international films.
Charlotte has two opportunities for her film to be recognised in this year’s awards:
1.The Judge’s Choice Award wins $10,000, courtesy of Clubs NSW

2.Most Online Votes wins $10,000, courtesy of Ernst & Young

Newsletter Issue Date: 7th August 2017

Rugby Waratah Cup

This week the Erindale Rugby squad travelled to Sydney for the semi‐finals of the NSW state knockout the Waratah Cup. The format for this stage of competition requires the winner from each sector of NSW to split into two pools and play against each other to narrow it down from 6 to the final 2.

In the first game Erindale started slow as it appeared the ref only had one arm only giving penalties to the opposition, but as the game went on and the boys adapted to the conditions and law interpretations they eventually ran away with a 37‐5 victory.

The second game also started with a grind against 2014 winners Epping Boys High until Jack Gilmour made a strong run dissecting his way through several defenders to score under the posts. From here a clinical Erindale team displayed running rugby not seen in this country since the early 2000's the final score 55‐5

Winning both games will now qualify Erindale for the Grand Final against last year’s winner, Rugby League juggernauts Patrician Brothers Blacktown. The lads will be looking for redemption as they lost in a controversial nail bitter in 2016.

The final will be played in week 7 at TG Milner Eastwood in Sydney.

Newsletter Issue Date: 31st July 2017

AFL

In Week 1 our AFL team competed in the Giants Cup Finals Series in Wagga Wagga. This was the culmination of the Giants Cup Competition. As the regional winner, we had the opportunity to join the best 6 teams from across NSW for a crack at the claim to being the best Schoolboys team in NSW/ACT. In wet and muddy conditions, our AFL team won against St Francis Xavier (from Leeton), before going down to eventual winner, Kildare (from Wagga). Injury soured the day with 3 boys requiring medical attention.

In Week 2 the team travelled to Melbourne. The opportunity to travel to the heartland of AFL in Australia included a visit to the Carlton Football Club, as well as a tour of the MCG and the National Sports Museum. The highlight of the trip was a game against Xavier College. Xavier has 34 teams in the local competition and 650 players in their AFL program. This was a massive "eye opener" for the AFL boys. The game was of a high standard and our team acquitted themselves extremely well, going down 78‐53. Isaac Gallahar and Dom Hawksworth were the best players on the day. To conclude the trip we were joined by former Erindale College student and AFL player Jason Tutt. Jason spoke at length about his experiences as an elite athlete and had great advice for the players.

Newsletter Issue Date: 31st July 2017

National Schoolboys Rugby Championships

During the first week of the school holidays (between semester 1 and 2), 3 students Peter Lefau, Fred Kaihea and Jack Gilmour as well as Dan Hawke Erindale College Sports Academy teacher (head coach) all participated in the National Schoolboys Rugby Championship. The week broke a 29 year old drought for the ACT claiming the national title after an undefeated week which was emotionally draining for everyone involved. It was an amazing underdog story and all 4 of the Erindale boys contributed immensely.

Newsletter Issue Date: 24th July 2017

Cambridge

On Thursday 20th July, students and parents of thhe Cambridge program joined us for an information evening to learn more about Cambridge International at Erindale. We also took a moment to recognise the students who received certificates for completing their Cambridge International Examinations last year. Congratulations to: Jane Spooner, Ryhan Summerfield, Criosaidh Hodge, Ben McKeahnie, Marcus Cameron and Terry Stamp. We'd also like to thank Mitch and the Year 11 Hospitality students for preparing a wonderful spread for us on the evening!

Newsletter Issue Date: 24th July 2017

Netball

Recently the Erindale College netball squad entered 2 teams in the Intercollege Southside competition. Both teams played well in a toughly fought out competition – with many close games and great challenges.

The Erindale Red team went through the competition undefeated, qualifying for the Finals day.

With a forfeit by Gungahlin College, Erindale progressed straight through to the grand final awaiting the winner of the Lake Ginninderra vs Lake Tuggeranong game.

The grand final came down to Erindale against Lake Tuggeranong with the match ending up a tough contest; with a strong defensive battle resulting in a low scoring game. In the end, Erindale Red were eventual winners 17-12.

Congratulations to all members of both the Erindale Black and Erindale Red teams who continued to representative the college with the highest of standards.

Newsletter Issue Date: 17th July 2017

Canberra's Michael Matthews is a credit to his hometown and supporters

July 25 2017

While it is still possible to debate about whether or not Michael Matthews is Canberra's greatest ever cyclist, let alone sporting talent, two things are in absolutely no doubt.

The first is that having won the coveted green jersey in this year's Tour de France the refreshingly modest, but doggedly determined, 26-year-old is probably the fittest athlete this city has ever produced.

The second is that few, if any, other Canberra sportspeople would have ever been watched performing at the absolute top of their game by upwards of four billion people around the world.

Matthews, who gave Australian cycling fans something to cheer about after Richie Porte crashed out of the contention for the yellow jersey during a horror descent on the ninth stage, has just completed one of the most arduous endurance events in sport.

He has ridden 3540km in the past three weeks, completing roughly 486,000 pedal strokes for an average speed over the ground in excess of 40km/h.

Matthews, who shrugged off unsportsmanlike behaviour by a disgruntled competitor after his second stage win, led the charge for Sunweb to become only the third Australian green jersey winner and the first Canberran since this category was established for the most consistent finisher more than 60 years ago.

While Matthews will be happy with the estimated $36,000, plus endorsements, that comes with the green jersey, nobody can doubt it was the sense of mission accomplished and appreciation of the recognition he has received that put the beaming smile on the young rider's face when he flashed the V for Victory sign in Paris.

He was in a very different place to troubled Australian tennis player, Bernard Tomic, who said in a television interview on Sunday night he wasn't in it for the love of his sport but rather the prize money and what that prize money could buy.

Matthews' modest acknowledgement that making this particular dream come true had been a roller coaster ride spoke volumes about the years of preparation needed to become a front runner in what is unarguably the largest annual sporting event on earth.

This year the tour was contested by 198 riders from 22 teams who had to complete 21 daily stages, which could be up to 222.5km long.

To just complete the tour marks a cyclist out as an outstanding athlete capable of pushing their body to the absolute limit.

Matthews not only completed the event, he took the green jersey by the convincing margin of 370 points to the 234 collected by his closest rival, German Andre Greipel.

This has put him on the world stage as a serious contender in his chosen sport for years to come.

His tale is an inspirational one that shows that with talent, resolve and the support of a strong sporting community such as Canberra's cycling fraternity a young athlete can make their dreams come true.

Source: The Canberra Times

ACT COLLEGE SOFTBALL CARNIVAL

Congratulations to the Boys and Girls Erindale Softball team who competed in the ACT College Carnival Friday 26 May.

The Boys started slowly with a loss by 4 runs to       Gungahlin College. All this changed when our Pitcher Matt Sheehan who was running late for the first game, arrived.

In the second game with our full strength side Matt threw thunder bolt pitches that the other team had trouble seeing let alone hitting. We won 17-1.

In the final vs Gungahlin we demolished the other side with a man of the match performance again from Matt Sheehan to win 25-1 and become ACT College Softball Champions.

The girls had a 3 game series v Gungahlin. With a strong start they demoralised the opposition with a   30-0 win. Game 2 they took their foot off the pedal but still won convincingly 13-2. The final was a dead rubber with the Girls again winning.

Congratulations on becoming ACT College Softball Champions.

NewsLink Issue Date: 5th June 2017

STEPHEN LARKHAM SHIELD

On Wednesday 31st May Erindale Rugby squad competed in the local Stephen Larkham Shield to see who would qualify for the NSW state wide knockout the Waratah Cup. With a number of students unavailable due to injury, it required a big effort from the entire squad to play 3 games in one day. Throughout the day all the students were well behaved and were often found helping out other teams if they were short players. The Erindale boys were too strong in their first 2 games convincingly beating Lake Ginninderra and Gungahlin College. Due to both wins the last game was conceded a dead rubber so an ACT Barbarians team was selected to play against Erindale. In a much more competitive game the Erindale boys managed to stick to the structure and shape they have been learning in class and eventually ran away winners to take out the Stephen Larkham Shield and progress through to the Waratah Cup which begins next term.

NewsLink Issue Date: 5th June 2017

NATIONAL GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Congratulations to Alex McDonald who won Gold at the National Gymnastics Championships for the Vault in Melbourne last week. Alex is in Year 11 and a member of the Talented Sports Program. He was also named in the U17 Junior National Squad. He is the only ACT athlete to be nominated for any of the National Squads. Well done Alex.

NewsLink Issue Date: 5th June 2017

KYE A'HERN

Congratulations to Kye A’Hern who was crowned 2017 Downhill National Champion at Mt Joyce, Queensland on the weekend. Kye capped off a perfect season after earlier winning every round of the National Series. His elder sister, and 2016 TSP Sportswoman of the Year, Sian Ahern (graduated 2016) finished 2nd in her first National Championships at the Elite Women’s level. Congratulations to both Kye and Sian.

NewsLink Issue Date: 5th June 2017

YEDUNG MURA PROGRAM AT OUTWARD BOUND

The Yedung Mura (good pathway) program was held on Wednesday 10 May at Outward Bound Australia’s national headquarters at Tharwa. This program was specifically held for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander students and encompassed Indigenous mapping sessions with Aboriginal guides, and physical challenges centred on the largest high ropes course in the Southern Hemisphere.

Olivia Smith of Year 12, a member of the Talented Sports Basketball squad, signed up for the program, and spent an interesting and very challenging day learning many new skills, and no doubt a lot more about her individual strengths.  Olivia enjoyed the cultural aspects of the program, and was then instructed on the skills associated with climbing and working on the high ropes.  All of the students found this component particularly challenging, but were encouraged and supported by the trainers who were very experienced in this work.  Olivia displayed great courage and tenacity, and accepted all of the challenges before her.  She was a credit to herself, her family and Erindale College.  Outward Bound Australia provided a great program in a beautiful setting for the students who accepted the challenge.

Jennifer Blackall - Mindyigari Centre

NewsLink Issue Date: 15th May 2017

LAURA HUGHES

Congratulations to Laura Hughes for being selected in the ACTAS Women’s Football program.

NewsLink Issue Date: 15th May 2017

7S FINALS DAY

On Wednesday 3 May the Brumbies hosted a 7s finals day where the best 7s teams from all of southern NSW and ACT competed to be crowned champions of the Brumbies region. Erindale had both a boys and a girls team competing as both squads had qualified from the ACT area. It was a disappointing day for the boys team as they did not play to their potential and implement the structure they had practiced at training. In a show of good will and sportsmanship many of the boys played for other schools who had suffered injuries and were short of players throughout the day. After cruising through the round games the boys lost their semi final battle by 5 points to a very enthusiastic Gungahlin College who were the eventual champions of the day.

Once again the girls demonstrated their class and skill by playing an expansive and attacking brand of football. They managed to go through the whole day undefeated and took out the chips and chocolates with Soso Feaunati being named player of the tournament.

NewsLink Issue Date: 8th May 2017

Erindale College Outdoor Student Garden

Erindale College is the fortunate winner of Round Three of the Vikings Group Cast Your Vote Promotion where members vote for local school fundraising initiatives by placing their receipts (and therefore casting their vote) in the available boxes at one of the Vikings Group clubs.

The school initiative submitted by Erindale College for consideration was the Sustainable Garden in the Enterprise Academy.  This student maintained garden is where herbs and vegetables are grown and the produce is then used in the Food Technology and Hospitality classes, highlighting the origins of our food supply and assisting with the budget.  Food scraps are also composted which reinforces the importance of recycling and sustainability.
Vikings Group kindly provided $300 to contribute towards the costs of maintaining and further developing the garden.

Erindale College would like to thank the Vikings Group for their ongoing support for schools in the Tuggeranong network.

LUKE DEUTSCH

Congratulations to Luke Deutsch who has won selection in the National Team squad (Australian Outback Team) for Gridiron after the recent National Championships.

Luke has an Oceana qualifier comp against Samoa and NZ later this year in August and if selected he will tour for the World Cup next year.
Well done Luke.

ACT LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES

Students from Legal and Global participated in the ACT Legislative Assembly Parliamentary Debates on Friday 7 April. There were a lot of lively debates, the students were able to ask questions and they debated topics such as; gambling during sporting broadcasts and the drinking age should be raised to 21. This experience enabled students to hone their debating skills in a real life environment and understand what it is like to be a member of the ACT Legislative assembly. They also mingled with some MLA’s at morning tea and had a short office tour and chat with MLA Bec Cody which is not a common practice at these events.  The students enjoyed the experience and held their own as they developed strong arguments and questions.

KYE A’HERN

Congratulations to Kye A’Hern who won the 4th Round of the National Downhill Series in Toowoomba. Kye has been undefeated in this series and has been crowned the national Series Winner. He will compete in the National Championships in May. His sister, Sian, Year 12 Erindale College 2016, was awarded the Junior Female DHI Rider of the Year. Well done to you both.

GABBY CLARKE – WORLD’S GREATEST SHAVE

On the weekend Year 11 TSP student Gabby Clarke shaved her head to raise money for the World’s Greatest Shave raising money for leukaemia research . Her target is $1500 and currently has $1200 so donations are still available for this great cause. To donate please visit http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/gabbyclarke or see Daniel in the Sports Academy for cash payments. The school would like to congratulate Gabby on this brave and generous act. She has done the college proud.

Year 11 Student becomes the Student Voice

Jessica Franic-Blowers (r) making a valid point as Peter Teo from Skills Canberra listens on.

On Friday 31 March Jessica Franic-Blowers (Yr11) attended the CBRVET Summit at EPIC. This was a summit organised by Skills Canberra to bring together stakeholders in the apprenticeships area, including those doing ASBAs, the Australian Schools-based Apprenticeship program, including VET as part of the Year 12 package.

The assembled audience included the 2016 ACT Apprentice of the Year Jacob Keed, who went on to win the Australian Apprentice of the Year 2016, along with other apprentices, ASBA students, business people (host employers) and industry representatives. Jessica enjoyed the opportunity to meet some fellow ASBA students and became actively involved in the conversations that arose around three focus questions. All of the questions revolved around what has worked and what hasn’t in engaging apprentices and ASBAs and keeping them involved.

Each focus question was followed by a short reporting period where the first two-three major points were recorded and the records secured by Skills Canberra staff to be used in formulating their next policy and recommendation to Government.

Jessica said she enjoyed being able to give some student voice and input into a process that will impact on so many other students in years to come.

Posted: 11th April 2017

PUBLIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION CAPITAL CHEMIST WINNERS 2017

The Capital Chemist College Scholarships are for ACT public school students who will be in their final year of secondary education in 2017.

Each of the ACT’s nine secondary colleges and two specialist schools are awarded up to three scholarships, including an Academic Excellence Scholarship, a Citizenship Scholarship and a Capital Chemist Scholarship offered to a student with a particular need.

Each scholar will receive $1000 to be used for their direct educational benefit during their final year of schooling. Funds are to be administered by the student’s School Principal, on the scholar’s behalf.

The scholarship is to cover educational expenses.

This years winners from Erindale College are;

Jane Spooner: Academic Excellence Award

Jane with Minister Berry and Public Education Foundation Board Chair Chris Ryan

Jane is a young woman of immense talent with a maturity way beyond her years. Jane adopts an independent stance in relation to all facets of her life with an exemplary capacity to delicately balance the competing demands of her academic studies, sporting commitments, family life, social interactions and part-time work. Jane is a leader within Erindale College and offers her advice, wisdom and practical assistance whenever the opportunity arises.

Isabella Beath-Williams: Citizenship Award

Isabella with Minister Berry and Public Education Foundation Board Chair Chris Ryan

Isabella has overcome numerous challenges to perform well at Erindale College. She constantly endeavours to improve her results by focusing on her goals. She is also to be applauded for managing the demands of a complex life involving home, college and social environments. Bella has the unerring support of her teachers as she demonstrates all that we expect of young citizens.

Josh Harper: Capital Chemist Award

Principal Michael Hall presents Josh with his Scholarship

Josh is a strong academic student who studies high level Maths, Science and English. At Erindale College, Josh has been instrumental in the student leadership group and has offered his support to a diverse range of initiatives. He is a strong advocate for student voice in the decision-making process. He is also selfless in his contribution to welcoming new students and advocating for their well-being.

Posted in the MARCH Bulletin 2017

ABORIGINAL & TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER SECONDARY SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS CEREMONY 2017

Corroboree Park Hall Ainslie on Thursday afternoon 2nd March was the venue for an event arranged by The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Section of the Education Directorate. The hall was filled with an enthusiastic group of ACT Government students, their parents and families, departmental officials, and teachers.  The event was organised to congratulate a group of twelve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Year 11 and Year 12 students who had successfully applied and were awarded scholarships worth up to $8,000 to support their Secondary Education.

Four talented students from Erindale College were presented with scholarships.  They were Bella Beath-Williams and Rebekah Pender of Year 12, and Chloe Ives and Lauren Freeman of Year 11.  In order to be considered for a scholarship, in September 2016, these students had to complete a written application with a portfolio of evidence against seven key competencies. After the application stage they were then required to attend a thirty-minute presentation interview using their portfolio of evidence.  They were also required to present a plan toward their chosen pathway and a budget that demonstrates effective use of the scholarship.

We congratulate these young women on their initiative, their ability to successfully negotiate a challenging application process, and their ongoing commitment to their education.

Jenny Blackall - Mindyigari Centre

Posted in the MARCH Bulletin 2017

HOSPITALITY OFF TO A FLYING START

Our new students in Erindale College Hospitality have started out 2017 with a display of promising talent in the classes. The students are excited at the prospect of their chance to run the college Class ACT Café which will start term 2 for the year 11 classes.

The continuing year 12’s are launching into their new semester this year with excitement as we start to work on some more technical recipes in the subject of appetisers, soups and salads.

The start of the year has already offered our Hospitality students a chance to cater for the Rugby 9’s canteen at Seiffert Oval and the Parent Information Night.

Mitchell Samin - Hospitality Teacher

Posted in the MARCH Bulletin 2017

MUSIC AT ERINDALE HITS THE RIGHT NOTES

As Albert Einstein said,
“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music”

That is how many other people also see it. Erindale College Music is headed up by Sandy France, a very competent composer in several genres and multi-instrumentalist who inspires the students to challenge and extend themselves.

(L) Declan Shrubb

In recent years Erindale graduates have included the composer of the soundtrack of the film, Me and my mates vs the Zombie Apocalypse, Morgan Quinn. Morgan has also released two successful albums with his band, Pleased to Jive You. Declan Shrubb, another ex-Erindale Music student is the Writer and Director of this cult film.

Another former Erindale Music student, Madison Wallace , who was the featured performer/entertainer at the opening of the Tuggeranong Sustainable Living Trade Training Centre when she was a student, has recently travelled to LA to follow her music dream as a performer and a composer. Madi is currently considering an opportunity to have some of her own songs included on a new compilation album. Her brother Will has started studies at the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney.

From the graduating class of 2016 multi-instrumentalist Justin Wilson has continued on his musical pathway enrolling in the music Course at CIT. A fellow alumnus from last year, Jack Costigan, recently won the highly competitive and sought-after position working full time at Better Music. Congratulations Jack!

Music teacher Sandy France (L) with Jack Costigan (R)

But not all students desire to follow a career performing music. For example, James Weeden, who after completing a double major in music at Erindale College some years back, got his music education degree through University of New England and taught overseas before returning to Australia. James was recently appointed the music teacher at Caroline Chisholm School this year. Congratulations James!

Yet another pathway after studying Music at Erindale College was followed by the current Erindale Theatre Manager, Alex Clifford. His immediate predecessor, Chris Wind, also worked in the Erindale Theatre after finishing his double major in music at Erindale College before winning the highly coveted position of technician at the Melbourne Recital Hall. Go Chris!

When you throw into this Musical mix Gibb (Gabriel Tartaris) , a professional musician, producing and composing electronic music, teaching and touring the world, Chad Barnier  playing in successful band "Drawing North", vocalists Leanne Olsen and Tash Carlton, and violinist Heather Roche, actively participating  in the local music and music theatre scene you can see a glimpse of the wide variety of career pathways that studying music can open up.

So whether students are interested in Vocals, Instrumentals, technical/production or song-writing teacher Sandy France says “It’s all about helping them to find their own sound.”

There will be lots of showcase performance opportunities for the Music students to present their sounds during 2017 and the students hope you will take the opportunity to hear and enjoy what they have to offer.

Posted in the MARCH Bulletin 2017

ERINDALE TALENTED DANCERS HIT THE BOARDS RUNNING

In only its second year of operating, the demand for places in the Talented Dance Program has meant that everyone has to hit the boards running – so to speak. The dedicated opportunity for students to follow a pathway that could lead to a career in Dance has been so welcomed by students that it has meant a delightful headache for Dance teachers Ali McEwen and Pip O’Shea in narrowing down the number of applicants to match available class spaces.

“There’s just so much talent in so many dance styles amongst the students, it doesn’t make our job any easier,” Ali said.

Their year got off to a flying (leaping?) start when a two-day on-site excursion, TDP Dance Camp, happened in early Term 1 with all Dance students having two intensive days with two workshops and one fitness session each day.

“It’s important to teach the students that to be able to enjoy dance they really have to have their fitness and flexibility right up there, and it also helps with recovery after injury too,” Pip emphasized.

The four workshops were run by guest tutors that included Annette McCarthy (Ballet), a graduate of the VCA (Victorian College of the Arts), Sarah Kennedy, a tutor with the Macarthur Ballet School (Sydney), ex-Erindale student Leena Wall (Hip-Hop) from Fresh Funk and Kate Ticehurst (Afro-Brazilian) from Subsdance.

Leena Wall (left) leading the Hip-Hop workshop

Alex Clifford from the Erindale Leisure Centre also came along as a tutor leading the Fitness sprint/spin class on Friday.

The Talented Dance Program has filled a void that many young dancers were looking for to incorporate their love of Dance with their senior school studies. Already the pathways are starting to become clearer as evidenced by ex-students Rachel Thornton being on-stage in The Addams Family at the Q Theatre and Brad Crockford continuing his Dance studies at Brent Street Studios in Sydney (also currently dancing professionally with Phly Crew) Another former student, Shannon Hanrahan, is now an in-demand choreographer in Sydney, choreographing for 7 Vices last year.  Also, current Yr 12 student Rikayla Martin auditioned for the famous Moulin Rouge on their most recent casting call to Australia and made it through to the final stages where only her age meant she was ineligible to be signed up.

Yet another example of the quality of Erindale TDP students is recognised in the choreographic input into the current AusDance project ESCALATE by Jacob Brown, who is also featured in the publicity material doing the promotional rounds at the moment.

Both Ali and Pip are excited with what will happen with TDP this year, particularly after being the opening dance performance at this year’s Multicultural Festival and getting rave reviews (even though it was only a few weeks into the school term). With Dance Festival and numerous other showcase events happening later in the year there will be a host of opportunities to see how good these students are.

Erindale College Talented Dance Program is certainly a showcase event for the performing arts in Canberra schools.

Posted in the MARCH Bulletin 2017

'Sorry lord, this is it': Father recalls story of nearly drowning at South Coast
Finbar O'Mallon

March 20 2017

Kevin and William Nash, 16, who helped rescue Anuar Medina and three of his children, (L-R) Freja, 9, Francis, 11, and Francesca who almost drowned at the South Coast last week. Photo: Rohan Thomson

A Canberra man who nearly drowned along with three of his children after being caught in a rip off the South Coast has recalled the nightmarish ordeal as he heaped praise on his rescuers.

Anuar Medina, his wife Adelia, and their four children, Francis, Francesca, Freja and Anton were at the coast on March 12 enjoying lunch when they decided to go for a swim.

They stopped at an information centre and asked for directions to a safe beach and was pointed towards Denhams Beach.

At the beach, Mrs Medina and Anton stayed on the beach while Mr Medina and the other children went into the water.
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"My four kids were just playing on the sand and the water is above the knee, so I said maybe let's go a little bit further," Mr Medina said.

Mr Medina went back ashore with wife before he heard the children screaming and he ran back to the ocean. "I didn't shout for help, I thought it's not too deep; I can manage to rescue the children," Mr Medina said.
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He'd grown up in Masbate province in the Philippines, right near the water where he could just jump off a bridge and start swimming.

"I respect the ocean: I know how to swim, I know how to fish."

He would later tell his mother, "the ocean here's completely different, I thought I could manage".

Mr Medina swam to Freja first as she was the closest.

He tried to hold her up, but he was paddling and couldn't touch the surface.

A wave hit him in the face and his memory was blurry after that.

"One thing I remember I was staring at [Francis and Francesca] and I thought to myself, 'Sorry Lord, this is it'," Mr Medina said.

It was at this point Canberra teenager William Nash and his father Kevin, stepped in to rescue Anuar and his children.

William told Fairfax Media that he placed Mr Medina and Freja on his surfboard as he swum backwards to shore.

"I know how dangerous rips can be, but this was the first experience I've had that was that bad in the water," he said.

According to posts on social media a third man, Henry Barrington, helped Francis and Francesca.

Mr Medina was dragged back to shore before he heard Kevin and William insisting he walked but could only lie in the sand.

"I hear this woman saying, 'All of your children are doing well'," Mr Medina said.

Mr Medina's children don't want to go near the water for now and he frequently replays the ordeal in his head.

He said he owed his life to Kevin and William Nash as well as the third man, Mr Barrington.

"If they need to get an award they deserve that," Mr Medina said.

"I want to give thanks personally for saving my children and my life, and I don't know how I'm going to repay them." "It's not their responsibility to look after us but they just volunteered. They're like angels to us."

with Kate Lockley

The Canberra Times: 20th March 2017

'30 seconds later, he would have been gone': Canberra teen helps save family on South Coast

by Kate Lockley The Canberra Times

What was planned as a casual afternoon of surfing turned into a dramatic beach rescue for a Canberra father and son last Sunday.

Shortly after arriving at an unpatrolled South Coast beach on the afternoon of March 12, 16-year-old William Nash and his father, Kevin, were alerted to a family of five struggling in a rip.

With no time to spare, the quick-thinking Conder teenager handed a surfboard to a beachgoer to assist three of the children and paddled out himself to rescue the father and another child.

"I paddled out to the father and his young daughter … he was under the water and she was screaming, trying to hold him up," William told Fairfax Media.

"I grabbed him by the neck and put his head on my board. If it was 30 seconds later, he would have been gone."

Kevin also took part in the rescue.

William said the man, believed to be aged in his thirties, was unconscious when plucked from the rip.

"The whole time we were in the water, he wasn't good," William said.

They spent tense minutes trying to get the man to regain consciousness.

"He did get a bit of awareness and almost gave up and wanted to slide back into the water, but we just didn't let him," William said.

He said the rip had pulled the man and young girl more than 15 metres out from the Denhams Beach headland.

"I put him and the little girl on my board, sitting in the rip for a bit," William said.

"I jumped off and had the nose of the board and swam backwards until the waves were pushing us into shore.

"About 20 metres off shore, another bloke helped me carry him to shore and we laid him on his side."

William, Kevin and other beachgoers stayed with the man until paramedics arrived minutes later.

Far South Coast Surf Life Saving spokesman Andrew Edmunds said the rescue was one of several during the weekend's big swells.

"The father responded well to treatment on shore by ambulance and was transported to hospital in a conscious state," Mr Edmunds said.

A NSW Health spokesperson said the man was taken to Batemans Bay Hospital and later flown to Canberra in a stable condition, where he was discharged on Monday.

Mr Edmunds said the children did not require treatment.

Two days after the rescue, William said he was struggling to come to terms with the near tragedy.

"It was not until after it really hit me," William said. "I can't stop thinking about it."

For the teenager, staying focused on the rescue at hand helped him in those frightening moments.

"I just had to be focused on what was happening," he said. "Someone had to be strong and sensible out there. I just took charge of it and grabbed my board."

Father Kevin said he couldn't be prouder of his son's brave act.

"Kids these days cop a lot of flack and don't get recognition," he said. "He's more of a man than I was at 16."

Despite being an avid watergoer, William said the incident was his most traumatic surf encounter so far.

"I know how dangerous rips can be, but this was the first experience I've had that was that bad in the water," he said.

The close call served as a reminder for beachgoers to learn to identify how dangerous rip currents flow.

Erindale College, where William is currently a Year 11 student, also paid tribute to his rescue efforts on social media.

"With disregard for his own welfare, Will swiftly decided to act," the school wrote on Facebook. "Congratulations to Will and his dad Kevin for their great inspirational efforts."

The Canberra Times: March 19 2017

LEAGUE TAG 9’S

WHAT AN AWESOME DAY OF NRL.

A huge thank you to all teachers’, coaches and students for their efforts on the day. The day was played in Great Spirit. Again we had Illawarra Sports High performing well on the day and took out the Trophy Final, while Gungahlin College taking out the Plate Final. For the fourth year in a row Erindale College took out the Cup final. Lachlan Ingram was named player of the match in the Final.

The day could not have gone as planned without the fantastic work of Erindale College Rugby League students along with Sport and Recreation students. A big thank you goes again to Phil Dodd who was in his best form as MC for the day. Another huge thank you goes to Mitch and his hospitality students who ran the canteen on the day. The day would not have been a success without Gideon Afemui, Lazarus Vaalepu and Harley Smith-Shields who did a fantastic job referring games of 9's NRL along with league-tag.

Newsletter Issue Date: 14th March 2017

GIRLS LEAGUE TAG 9’S

To coincide with the Canberra 9’s Erindale college also hosted the inaugural Girls League Tag 9’s at David Campese Oval in Queanbeyan.

The event saw 12 teams from the surrounding private and public schools and included 3 teams from Erindale, demonstrating the growth and strength of the Girl’s Football Codes class.

What started off as a typical beautiful sunny day in Queanbeyan turned into a rainy afternoon which was the only dampener on an otherwise very enjoyable day. There was very strong competition in each pool and many games were only decided by a couple of points. After the round games each pool was separated into the cup, plate and bowl semi-finals. Erindale having a team in each division.

At the conclusion of the day the Erindale Girls top team remained undefeated in another fantastic display of grit and determination winning the Cup Final 5-4 against SFX.

Bowl Winner: St Clares College
Plate Winner: Lake Ginninderra College
Cup Winner: Erindale College

Congratulations to year 11 student Chloe Ives who was named player of the final.

A very big thank you to former students Steve Solofa, Tom Watego and Teagan Gaughran who helped run the day. As well as current students Gideon Afemui, Harley Smith-Shields and Lazarus Vaalepu who between them somehow refereed 30 games, an amazing effort. If it wasn’t for their help this great day would have never run so smoothly.

Newsletter Issue Date: 14th March 2017

KYE A’HERN- DOWNHILL MOUNTAIN BIKING

Congratulations to Kye A’Hern who won Round 1 and 2 (pictured at Thredbo) of the National Downhill Mountain Bike Championships. Round 3 is in Toowoomba in 2 weeks. Well done Kye.

Newsletter Issue Date: 13th February 2017

RYLIE YOUNG: FOOTBALL

Picture – Back 5th player from the Right

Congratulation to Rylie Young, who attended the Manchester City Academy in England during the school holidays.  He gained valuable experience whilst playing in a number of games for the side.

Newsletter Issue Date: 13th February 2017