Congratulations to Durack House! Back-to-Back Senior School Athletics Champions. And Congratulations to Glowery House, the Middle School House Athletics Champions for 2021

Durack and Glowery Houses took out the 2021 House Athletics Carnivals on a perfect day at Memorial Oval. Coming off the back of an inspirational Australian Olympic campaign in Tokyo where former Aquinas students, such as Zac Incerti and Aran Zalewski, showed the Australian Olympic spirit, our Senior and Middle school students turned up in large numbers, proudly wearing their House colours in a terrific display of Aquinas College House spirit.

The competition was hard fought all day with excellent participation rates from all Years in all Houses. There were many standout performers on the day which gave Acting Head of Sport Kristian Leeson some optimism going into the PSA Athletics season.

What makes this day so great for me is seeing the enormous number of boys across the Year groups all out on Memorial Oval enjoying being a part of a spirit and culture that is centred around participation and giving it your best effort. So many boys step up into events to have a go and to compete in a friendly manner against mates, all while being supported and encouraged by peers and staff. It’s more than a day of activities for me, it’s a day where boys get to showcase their talent, skill, determination, and commitment.

These events don’t just happen, they take great work in the lead-up and during the carnival, I would firstly like to thank the students for getting involved in the day and behaving in a way that is respectful and highly competitive. I’d also like to thank all the staff for their determined help during the day, each event has at least 8 staff helping so thanks to those who raked sandpits, measured throws or timed races, your support is invaluable. Lastly thank you to the Heads of House and tutors for organising the students into their races and for fostering a House Spirit that encourages boys to participate and engage in the day.

Our sincere thanks are also extended to Trin Suckling for coordinating Farmers’ Food Festival along with the extended boarding communities support, this event was held on the same day as the House Athletics Carnival. In total $9,000 was raised on the day with some great food options for the students available along with some great raffles and prizes to be won. It proved to be an extremely successful occasion, it’s great to have the extra engagement of the Aquinas community to enhance the spectacle of the day.