Over the weekend Year 5 student, Matthew Trueman, competed in the Swimming WA Junior Short Course Championship.

Matthew competed in multiple events and walked away with:

• Gold 50m Backstroke
• Gold 100m Backstroke
• Gold 200m Backstroke
• Gold 4 x 50m Boys Freestyle Relay
• Gold 4 x 50m Boys Medley Relay
• Silver 4 x 50m Mixed Relay
• Bronze 200m Freestyle
• Bronze 50m Butterfly
  

Aquinas College would like to congratulate Matthew on his outstanding achievements.

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.

My name is Jesse Motlop, and I’m a proud Larrakia man from the Darwin region in the Northern Territory.

Joining me is fellow Year 12 Student and 1st XVIII Footballer, Xavier Bradshaw-Pini.

Over the past 18 months, we have been sketching out a number of ideas. We have drafted many different jumper designs, using different colours, symbols, and styles. It wasn’t until late last term that we settled on a design that we were happy with, and we’re excited to present it.

On the front of the jumper, we see four white shields, these same shields can be seen as you enter the college at the roundabout. They each have a touchstone to represent the Edmund Rice Education Australia symbols but have been converted into Indigenous designs. The touchstones stand for:

• Liberating Education
• Gospel Spirituality
• Inclusive Community
• Justice and Solidarity

Across the front of the jumper and wrapped around the sides we see the Waugal, otherwise known as the snake. It was the Waugal that made the Noongar people custodians of the land so as a way to pay respect to the Wadjuk Noongar tribe, we have used the Waugal as a way to represent the group on this jumper, as this is their country that we play our sport on.

Some of you may have heard of a man by the name of Yagan, he was a Noongar leader and resistance fighter in the early 1800s and was feared by Europeans as a patriot fighting for his land. It is said that Yagan used to protect the point of Aquinas way before the College’s time, so to represent him we have included the four Red-Tailed Black-Cockatoo feathers on the jumper, the feathers of which Yagan use to wear on the top of his bandanna.

On the back of the jumper, you will see a river, this represents the Djarlgarra, also known as the Canning River. In the middle you will see a symbol to represent a meeting place, that is Aquinas College.

Designing the jumper has been an exciting project. Xav and I have put a lot of effort and time into this, and to be able to see the end product turn out this good is very rewarding.

Lastly, thank you to Aquinas for allowing Xav and I to embrace Aboriginal culture and history into the College’s 1st XVIII Footy jumpers. It's an awesome idea and a great way to celebrate NAICOC week.

The jumpers will be made available to purchase in the uniform shop in the upcoming weeks.

The introduction of our Junior School extended day program has been a roaring success and students have readily engaged in many club opportunities. Towards the end of each term, we give students the opportunity to nominate to try different clubs for the coming term. Here are some short wrap videos of some of the clubs in Term 2, 2021.

At 7 am on Friday the 4^th of June, a very chilly morning, 12 brave Aquinas Surfers and Bodyboarders dove into Scarborough Beach for a warm-up surf before the contest. The conditions were perfect, offshore winds with a small swell pushing through some nice chest high waves.

With the contest meeting out of the way and the rules established, the first heat started at 8 am. It was still about 6 degrees on the beach. Roan O’Hehir was our first surfer and he made a solid start with a couple of good radical turns off the top of a couple of nice left-handers, he tagged in Michael Selwood who struggled with the cold conditions and a lack of paddle fitness. Michael did manage to get a few small waves, all straight handers. Zander MacKenzie took centre stage and he lived up to his reputation as a very competent surfer with the solid know how to read waves well and understand how to get some power out of relatively small conditions. Zander easily won his heat and set Aquinas up with a very good start.

Catch up on the latest sports news.

On the 30^th and 31^st March, boys from Yr 11 Outdoor Rec classes took the hour and a half bus trip to Dwellingup.

There we completed the Turner Hill (11km) and the Marrinup (8km) mountain biking trails. Turner Hill being the more challenging of the two. We weaved our way through the trees with minimal stacks and no serious injuries. The weather forecasted for a slight chance of rain but thankfully that was avoided. it was a good day and was followed by a much-needed servo stop on the way back, giving us a chance to refuel for training in the arvo. Thanks to everyone who organised it.

The Junior School House Cross Country Carnival was held on Thursday, 29^th April on McMahon Oval.

All students from Kindergarten to Year Six competed, with race distances ranging from 250m to 2.5km. The wind provided an issue on the day and the conditions made it tough for the competitors. However, all races were completed before the downpour. Additionally, it was great to see many of the teachers and Middle School student volunteers running with and supporting the boys throughout the carnival.

Final Points

1. Egan – 114.2
2. Quinlan – 117
3. Redmond – 117.2
4. Clune – 125.4

Congratulations to Egan for being the Champion House and to the following boys who were named Champions and Runners-up for their year level.

Kindergarten & Pre-Primary

• Champion: James Murphy (Quinlan – PP)
• Runner-up: Arlo Trembecki (Clune – PP)

Year 1

• Champion: Beau Smith (Quinlan)
• Runner-up: James Groombridge (Egan)

Year 2

• Champion: Jeshua Landrigan (Redmond)
• Runner-up: Oliver Neo-Johnston (Clune)

Year 3

• Champion: Maxime Blackadder (Egan) – New course record
• Runner-up: Jordan Trueman (Redmond)

Year 4

• Champion: Luca Zoiti (Redmond)
• Runner-up: Kirby Mincham (Egan)

Year 5

• Champion: Kane Peckham (Redmond) – New course record
• Runner-up: Will O’Hehir (Clune)

Year 6

• Champion: Lewis McLernon (Quinlan)
• Runner-up: Liam Trewhella (Egan)

Special mention to the following boys for their record-breaking performances on the day. Maxime Blackadder broke the Year 3 course record by 3-seconds. Additionally, Kane Peckham broke the Year 5 course record by a significant margin of 18-seconds. Congratulations, to you both on your outstanding achievements.

Congratulations and well done to all boys who represented their House and gave it their all on the day. The boys selected in the JPSSA Interschool Cross Country team will be competing at Wesley College on Thursday, 10^th June and we wish those boys the best of luck.

Lastly, thank you to all staff members, ground staff, ICT staff, Middle School volunteers and Sam Coffey for all your help and support on the day.