I’ve spent some time pondering two things since our family started boarding in 2017, will I ever get used to them being away from home and will my name tag sewing skills ever improve? While I am still not used to my children being away from me, I can say I am better at it, the sewing skills remain dubious.

We have two boys boarding at Aquinas and one eager future Aquinian at home, which for us lies an hour’s drive north of Geraldton in Ogilvie. We’re broadacre farmers, have a handful of cows and a few ‘pet’ sheep. We are a close-knit family, farming with my Brother and Sister-in-law, who have three girls and started their boarding journey with Santa Maria this year.

Many people ask what it is like to have your children away at school, the best way I can explain it is, uncomfortable. It is uncomfortable, but what makes this subside is hearing your child on the end of the phone when they’re loving life with their friends, the opportunities they’re experiencing and the connections they make with their boarding family. And it’s not just the kids who get to broaden their horizons. We've met amazing people through the College and ticked off a bucket list item, travelling the Gibb River Road, with two of our boarding families last year. This is the comfort.

When my children started primary school, a departing parent encouraged us to linger - we focus on settling our children but forget to settle ourselves. This is what I have found helps at drop-offs, the boys shoot off to their friends and stories of EXEAT and holidays, but I’m not quite ready to go. So, I linger, that’s when I see the happiness on their faces and their interactions with their house ‘Dad’ or house ‘Mum’ and it makes it that bit easier to get in the car and drive home without them.

I’ve always loved and believed in the African proverb, “it takes a village to raise a child”. We are so lucky to have our boarding and school community as part of our village. The most endearing thing we find in our Aquinian village is the culture. Simple things that build the boys into the men they will be. I love the way the boys spend much of their school life bemoaning Sunday night chapel but then return as Old Boys, sneaking in the back on the odd occasion to find some solace and re-grounding. Aquinas is a forever place.

There have been the best of times and the worst of times and navigating them from a distance was, at first, very overwhelming, but we have complete faith in the people who share in raising our children. We appreciate the times they tell them something they don’t want to hear, encourage them to have faith in their potential, pat them on the back when they deserve it and remind us, as parents, to go a little easier at times.

On our first drive down to Aquinas, I sat and read aloud the boarding handbook. The kids sat in the back laughing as I cried intermittently and tried to read through it. Three years on I still cry, much to the amusement of my boys. I was once told boarding isn’t about you, it’s about your child, I’m not sure I agree, it’s about us. So, I cry, and they laugh but know they secretly love knowing they are missed.

During the recent school holidays, I did some volunteer cricket umpiring for the WACA (Western Australia Cricket Association), for their JCL competition (Junior Cricket League).

The JCL was a bunch of teams around Perth, with kids aged 9-12, who come to play games of cricket organised by the WACA. There were 2 JCL’s, one before and after Christmas, each of them was played over 2 days.

This volunteer work allowed me to umpire 11 games on the WACA Ground and a further 4 on Mann Oval at Trinity College. I volunteered to umpire because of the experience, and to help younger kids playing in the competition to enjoy their cricket, as well as to give back to the game I enjoy. I got a lot out of the experience, helping the young players enjoy their cricket was the biggest thing I took out of the experience. Because it makes you, as an umpire, step back to appreciate what you do has an effect on others in a positive way. I also got to improve my skills over the 4 days, this includes on-field skills as well as off-field (communicating with coaches and scorers), that I can take forward into my umpiring career as well as my everyday life as a young Aquinian.

On the 14^th of January 2020, a group of 10 students (including myself), 2 staff members and an Antipodeans travel leader set off on what is undeniably the trip of a lifetime to Tanzania, immersing ourselves in Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders.

Having never travelled overseas before in my life, I soon learnt that Tanzania is such an amazing place, and definitely set the standard high for future travels. The 17-day trip began by climbing the amazing Mount Meru - a physical yet rewarding challenge that presented us with views that you simply don’t get to experience here in Australia. We then arrived at the Christian Brothers community in Shams where we met two Christian Brothers who would be our hosts for a large part of our stay, as we made connections with Edmund Rice Sinon Secondary School. The Brothers made it feel like our home away from home; not only was it an oasis for the body and soul, but also a vibrant experience of Brotherhood and Community. The hospitality and the kind welcoming nature of the brothers will never be forgotten!

Inspired by the vision of EREBB, this first connection between Edmund Rice Sinon and Aquinas College was designed to spark an interest in exploring how our two Edmund Rice Communities could connect 'beyond borders'. Throughout our week as guests on campus, our delegation was invited to participate in several rituals, processes and discussions to acknowledge and nurture these aspirations. I would have loved to have discussed everything we did, but this article will become far too long, so here are a few of the things we did.We were lucky enough to be invited to attend mass at a local parish, which is in the process of building a new Church. The current Church was filled to the absolute brim and the Edmund Rice Sinon students sang and danced. As a group, we all had a community cook up night at the school, where we attempted to cook both Australian and Tanzanian cuisine together. Whilst the food was delicious, it was probably one of the most memorable nights because we all truly came together and started to form a special bond, sharing stories and creating friendships. Whilst at the school, we were also part of a whole school assembly where we all sang the national anthem in front of over 1300 students.

This was followed by a presentation of twin boomerangs, symbolising the unity of our two schools. There was also a unifying ceremony conducted, in which earth from Aquinas’ campus was mixed with soil from the grounds of ERSSS which was later used in planting a Christmas tree - to signify the growing connection between our two schools. Other events included a visit to a Maasai community where we all sung and danced; an Edmund Rice camp day with kids from a nearby school; a tour of the campus; becoming an ERSSS student for a day; a soccer match and future planning for our connection. The last two days of our trip was spent on a Safari and was a remarkable way to finish what had already been such a magnificent trip. There was an abundance of animals and I am sure that we would have seen every animal possible, except for a leopard (which is pretty rare to see anyway

s).

The EREBB Immersion to Tanzania is a trip that I will never forget and hope to make again someday in the future, hopefully visiting the many friends that we all made and are still in contact with to this very day. I hope that once the Coronavirus situation settles down and international borders are re-opened, this trip can become a regular immersion for future students to enjoy and to continue building the connection between Aquinas College and Edmund Rice Sinon Secondary School in Tanzania.

Our New River Centre hosted an evening of thanks last Saturday for all those who have contributed to the project in some way over the last twenty-plus

years. The weather, the Canning River and the River Centre itself combined to provide a magnificent evening for the 80 plus guests who gathered together to swap rowing stories and to see the fruits of their labour: an amazing facility for our thriving rowing community.

As the sun set on a very warm evening, guests gathered on the hardstand for the naming of three quads and one eight, all dedicated to Aquinians who have given much to rowing and the College over the years. Congratulations to John Perry (65), Mike Scott (57), Stuart Reside (95) and Nick Guidera (00).

The names of four boat bays were also revealed on the night, representing four great men of Aquinas rowing: BR N Wilson (46), Brian Tonkin (67), Peter Hutchinson (76) and Stuart Reside (95).

The River Centre is now open for business and we look forward to much success on the water!

Dear Mr McFadden,

On behalf of the Como Conference of St Vincent de Paul I would like to pass on my sincere thanks to you and to everyone in your school community for your very kind donations of food items for our annual Christmas hamper appeal. With these donations and others we have received from St Columba's Catholic School in South Perth, St Pius X Catholic School in Manning and from the Holy Family Church in Como, we hope to be able to distribute up to 90 food hampers to needy families in our area. This area covers South Perth, Como, Manning, Kensington and Karawara. We will be delivering these hampers on Saturday December 19th.

Could you please pass on our sincere thanks to John Richards, Director of Christian Learning, for his role in coordinating the donations of food items from your school community.

We look forward to an ongoing partnership with your school and thanks again for supporting our Christmas hamper appeal in such a generous way.

I wish you and all the staff at Aquinas, the school children and their parents, a very happy and holy Christmas and joyful New Year.

Best wishes

Mike Cosson

President, Como Conference

At the Australia Day Citizenship and Volunteer of the Year ceremony held at Sir James Mitchell Park, the City of South Perth recognised some of the outstanding efforts in several categories, including youth and team volunteers.

It was a thrill to see Kurtis Tanna receive his nomination for Youth of the Year. However, it was another Aquinian who took out the prize; Anthony Meo ('16) for his work with the Reds Volleyball Association, which continued to attract hundreds of players in 2020 despite the pandemic. Anthony was also recognised for several years of service-learning. including after school mentoring at Aquinas and Manning Primary Schools.

The College was awarded recognition for its work with the McDougall Park Community Garden. Five students were invited to receive this award. They were; Jared Cardoso, Leo Paoliello, Lesa Katwishi-Chirwa, Marcus Taylor and Jonah Smith who helped to transform this garden - which now provides organic vegetables to the local community.

You may have heard the rumours circulating that Aquinas will soon have its very own coffee shop. As of January 27^th, this is very much a fact.

Holy Ground Coffee was established to provide the Aquinas community a place to meet and enjoy each other’s company over a great cup of coffee and a light snack. While it feeds the community, it will also serve to empower Senior School Students with employable and life skills, qualifications and experiences – teaching them customer service, accountability, mindfulness, perseverance and how to make a coffee that’s truly holy. Both ATAR and VET Senior School students will have the opportunity to gain work experience. Earn a wage and complete a Cert III in hospitality. Musically gifted students from across the school will also be given the opportunity to ‘busk’ at the Holy Ground Coffee’s pop-up location next to the hockey pavilion. The van is designed to travel around the school and to Aquinas events – meaning you’ll never be far from drinks, cakes and toasted bagels made from fresh local produce.

If that isn’t enough to sweeten the pot, proceeds from sales will be used to establish a bursary fund to assist less fortunate boys to receive an Aquinas education.

Holy Ground Coffee will have a soft opening on the 27^th of January through to the 29^th and will officially open to all staff, students and families on February 1^st – just in time for the new school term.

Opening Hours:

• Mon – Thurs, 6 am – 11 am
• Friday, 6 am – 2 pm
• Saturday, 8 am - midday

2020 was a year like no other in prior LAX years. The pandemic forced a change in the way we host functions and raise funds for our students. LAX is the longest standing community group and is very much steeped in tradition. One thing I have learnt above all others is that it is possible to succeed in uncertain times if we have faith, hope and community.

The year commenced with a beautiful New Mothers Morning Tea and Mass, held in the newly refurbished College Chapel. This is a wonderful way to start a new year and serves great importance, welcoming new mothers to the school from Kindy through to Year 12. Aimed at all mothers from day students to boarding mums that live outside the metro area. This was a memorable and moving mass for all that attended, followed by morning tea in the Waterford Room overlooking the Canning River.

The Ladies Auxiliary was proud to support a campaign called “She’s Someone” initiated by the College Captain, Kynan Ganza, to raise awareness about respect to women. Twenty-six mums from LAX and the school community took part in an assembly, followed by a workshop to educate our boys about respect to women of all ages, in-person and online across social media platforms.

Shortly afterwards our planning and events came to a sudden halt as we all went into lockdown because of the COVID 19 pandemic. As fear and uncertainty gripped the nation The Ladies Auxiliary used this time to complete administration tasks. It allowed the time to reorganise, shuffle and plan for functions and events when the lockdown would eventually end. The committee endeavoured to stay connected via zoom video calls and smaller group meetings following restrictions and social distancing requirements. One meeting was held in the driveway of a coffee shop. Three committee members attended the meeting, standing in a triangle measuring 3m apart from each person. I believe that we will laugh at this scenario in years to come.

Throughout this strange and unpredictable time, our committee remained positive and committed to finding creative ways in which to continue the work that we do for our boys and for our school.

The first opportunity we could all get together as in the past was The Senior Old Boys Day. This was an enjoyable day out for the Old Boys of the College as they met for a sit-down lunch. The Hughes Dining Hall was filled with 120 guests that enjoyed a presentation and the opportunity to reconnect with each other.

Our post-COVID lockdown spring luncheon ‘Ladies@Lunch’ event replaced our annual July Morning Tea this year and was a sell-out. Guests were treated to a two-course lunch catered by Steven Lewis, dazzled with a fashion show by Zingara and an ensemble of musical performances by the talented students of our school.

This year the Year 12 students were treated to a graduation dinner off-site at the amazing Optus Stadium. Tricia Radotic and her working group spent days of preparation and endless hours of hard work to ensure that our students would have a night to remember for a lifetime, following what was a disruptive academic year. The families of the graduating students had an amazing evening and the boys were gifted with satin- boxed traditional College cuff links from The Ladies Auxiliary.

The year ended with a ‘Thank you’ event hosted by the Aquinas College Leadership Team. The volunteers were treated to an evening “off” and were spoilt with five-star service by the academic staff. Thank you to Peter Robertson, Nichole Rowsen and the Aquinas College staff for your recognition of service. We would not be able to do what we do without your continued support.

After two amazing years, it is time for me to hand over the reins of LAX President. It has been an absolute privilege to work with the amazing executive team, an experience that I will cherish for years to come and that I am very grateful to have been involved with. To the parting committee members of 2020, I thank you for your hours of service.

Finally, I would like to welcome the new incoming President, Shelley Stokes and the 2021 LAX committee; Lisa Kennedy (SS VP), Rachael Gardiner, Helen Nolan, Janelle Walford, Anette Bower and Tricia Radotic.

I wish this marvellous and talented team of women everything of the best as they lead our school community of volunteers to support our boys, as LAX has continued to do since 1938.

Early in 2020, I had the opportunity to travel to Adelaide and meet with all the other Edmund Rice schools’ Captains from across Australia. It was a real privilege to spend time with this group of young leaders and we’ve stayed in contact throughout the year to bounce ideas off each other and talk about how we can effect change. During this year of lockdowns and restrictions, one thing everyone in the group wondered was how to make the year about more -to talk about more than just coronavirus and get the attention away from that great big elephant in the room.

This wasn’t as much of a challenge to our Prefects. The elephant was and is still there, however, we as a school and as a community weren’t stopped by this. The subject of the pandemic throughout the year has been inescapable; in the news, quiet centres or toiletry shortages. Aquinas, however, always had something better to show. From the master chef competition to NAIDOC week basketball matches, Greenbatch recycles to the staggering number of supporters lining the stands of our 1st sports teams, and, finally, the presentation and graduation evenings. Throughout the whole year, the Aquinas community as a whole came together and got busy. There were no mistakes to be made; 2020 to us was never about the pandemic. In fact, I’ve only officially mentioned it less than a handful of times. 2020 was about coming together; that unity between junior, middle, senior schools, and the communities we are a part of. 2020 was about all the big and small things we accomplished - something that not I nor any one person can take credit for.

Our very accomplished year is a success which we endeavoured toward, and enjoyed, together. Something I think really embodies this has been the supporting crowds at some of this year’s 1st team fixtures. Coming from over East, trying to understand the nuances of 1st footy wasn’t quite my forte, but what’s great about the red and black is that it doesn’t matter. Those clouds of red shirts dominated the sidelines and there’s this spark of energy - maybe it's another record one of our players just smashed or the entire Brother’s House which comes down to watch - but it invites you in. It’s ironic, even, that the biggest crowds and tightest community I’ve felt a part of here at Aquinas has been during the year of lockdowns and social distancing, but that’s us. That’s how we responded to Covid.

We’ve been so well supported by each other, the staff, and the numerous organizations within the college and community who’ve given us the footing to not only complete the year but do it well. Conversely, to speak of our successes is not to forget the real hardships many of us faced throughout the year. On top of the pressures the year already dolloped onto us, it’s been tragic to see anticipated events such as the Head of the River regatta or Senior School Production being delayed or put off. In all of this, the boys’ resilience really came to show, and with the backing of our amazing support network, we’ve been able to recoup much of the year that was: productions, school ball, and with the new rowing shed, it’s hard to miss the swathes of boats back on the water, ready for the next season.

In finishing my own journey as a student I’m met with a sense of bittersweet proudness. When my Instagram feed is splashed with the familiar colours of the Aquinas page, showing off all the many new and exciting things our councils are up to, I feel excited and proud to have been a part of this student community and I know it’s something I’ll definitely miss. At the same time, I feel the support of the broader Aquinas community embracing around our year 12 group and have come to realize that while we have left the school as students, we’re always welcomed back as part of that community.

I’d like to challenge the senior school of 2021 to keep at it; keep my Instagram feed interesting like you have been and hold onto that red and black spark and spirit. Our legacy is in keeping that fire alive. You’re what makes Aquinas special to me. From myself and the year 12’s especially, it’s been an honour to come here all these years. I’ve had a blast, but now it's your turn. For that, I’m thoroughly excited.