In this issue

Mr David Marriot | Head of Senior Boys’ Boarding

On behalf of all the Boarding Heads, it has been wonderful to welcome back all of our boarding students for another term.  We’ve loved hearing about what every student got up to on the holidays.  While some relaxed over the break, others worked hard on family properties or in their workplace – some were grateful to come back to school for a change of pace.  Regardless, it is great to know that everyone used their three-week break as a time to recharge away from the College in order to make this term a successful one.

We take the opportunity to reflect on some of the past and recent events in boarding. The activities include the wonderful Combined Boarders Dinners (held in week 9 of term 2) at Chung Hing Restaurant, where all boarders shared a great social time together over a nice meal.  Since then, we’ve celebrated birthdays, enjoyed pizza nights and relished in a great State of Origin win for Queensland (some of our boarders were not as happy as others with the end result!).

Perhaps these stories are best told in photos, so please enjoy!

Mr Bailey, Mrs Everson and I look forward to a great term ahead with our boarders, where many more spirited times will be shared and most importantly, all students continue to develop into the best and most respectful young humans they can be.

Mr Tom Bradbury | Direction of Co-Curricular Activities

Welcome back to Term 3!  I trust you’ve all had a restful and relaxing break as we prepare to ‘do it all again’ for Term 3, which is set to be a busy one!

Interschool Hockey Fixtures

In the Interschool Hockey Grand Final at the end of Term 2, SCOTS played Warwick SHS in an enthralling match that see-sawed from end to end. All team members contributed to what was a narrow 3-2 win against the star-studded Warwick SHS outfit. Sam Bourke was his usual skilful self, guiding the ball past many players, whilst brother James kept us in the game with some excellent goaltending.

Lily Malone was also a standout with Krystal Petersen, Rory Farrell and Will Angus, who never gave up throughout the contest which undoubtedly contributed to the win. Seniors, Nicholas McGahan, Mika Repo (new to the game), and Captain, Millie Groves lead the team by example throughout.

The Grand Final wraps up the season for our Senior students having demonstrated improvement at the Darling Downs Schools Cup in both the girls and boys divisions and then retaining their title in the Warwick Schools Competition.

I thank all students, parents and officials for a fantastic season. I also deeply thank Miss Jaime Slattery and Mrs Angela Groves for their support of the team/s throughout the year, for without them, the opportunity would not be possible.

Darling Downs Finals | Cattle Judging and Paraders

The Darling Downs Cattle Show Finals were held at the end of Term 2 with the College very successful across several categories. Congratulations to the team and Mr Peter Collett as their coach, on a fine effort.  The results are as follows:

15 – 25 yrs unqualified; 1st Georgina Buchan, 2nd Dan Hughes

15 -25 yrs Qualified; 1st Ben Carey

Interbreed Stud cattle Judging; 

U15 yrs; 1st James Buchan, 2nd Tiffany Litt-Baker

15 – 25 yrs (unqualified); 3rd Patrick Little

15 – 25 yrs (Qualified); 3rd Dan Hughes

School team event (Perpetual trophy awarded)

1st Ben Carey, Dan Hughes and Oliver Miller

3rd Georgina Buchan, Mackenzie Taylor and Jessica Martell.

So, this means that Ben Carey has made the State Finals for Prime Steer Judging which will be held at this year’s EKKA. Georgina and Dan, unfortunately, missed out on qualifying for the state finals in both Paraders and Stud judges after being beaten in the Darling Downs finals by a very talented student from Downlands.

The team are currently preparing for the Brisbane Exhibition in a few weeks’ time, which will be the pinnacle of their season for sure. We wish all participants the very best for a successful show.

Dramatic Arts

Our end of Semester 1 ‘Winter Performing Arts Concert’ was held on Monday 6 June, with some 39 students largely from SCOTS, but also from a few external students participating. The WALEC was the scene of the performances where students from Years 2-12 performed for family and friends.

A huge congratulations to our students for their outstanding performances.  Congratulations and thanks to our teachers – Jill Hulme, Natalie Blanch, Arlene Bird and Mary-Jane Cook who prepared our performers so well for the evening. The breadth of the students participating highlighted the journey on which the students were embarking, and how the application and dedication to their craft could manifest over the years.

Outstanding performances from students such as Alice Rogers, Lucy Unwin, Harrison Grayson, Ella Hutchison, Elsie Holden and Genevieve Hunter highlight that there is a place for everyone at SCOTS PGC to express themselves and develop their skills and confidence for the future.

Musical performances from Myles Burgess, Matthew Bailey and Hannah Myer showcased the quality achievable by our dedicated and persistent students coupled with our talented and patient teachers.

Basketball Banter

Late last term, our Junior Girls (Years 7-9) faced off against Assumption in the final of the Southern Downs Secondary Schools Basketball Competition. The game was an extremely tight affair with SCOTS holding a slender lead throughout.

All the girls contributed immensely to the match given we were down a few reserves due to illness. The lack of reserves became a telling factor in the third quarter with Assumption storming back at the valiant SCOTS team.

The girls entered the fourth quarter with a 6-point advantage that soon was eaten up by the home team. With just minutes to go the lead for the girls was a mere 2 points and they were fast running out of legs.

Some excellent defence from Phoebe Bryant, Phoebe Selleck and Briana Groves under the net saw the SCOTS girls hold off the fast-finishing Assumption side in dramatic fashion.

Rugby Roundup

Over the holidays and at the end of Term 2 we had some students busily engaged in Finals footy and Representative pathways.

The U14 Girl’s 7s were involved in the teenage Grand Finals where they faced Highfields for the bronze medal playoff. Unfortunately, the girls went down in a fairly one-sided affair, but two tries, one runaway to Mylie Caldwell, were certainly highlights in the afternoon’s proceedings.

State Schoolboys Team Selection

Jesse Bohm represented Darling Downs at the U18 Queensland Schools Rugby Union Championship over the last week of Term 2 and had an amazing carnival. Jesse’s performance caught the eye of selectors and he was named in the Queensland 2 Team to attend the Australian Schoolboy Championship in Sydney over the holidays. This whirlwind few weeks saw Jesse in camp with his teammates for three days followed by a week of matches against some of the best schoolboy players in the nation. Queensland 2 did it a bit tough finishing 7^th overall and Jesse stated to me, “It was an amazing experience in which he learnt heaps, and it has inspired him to keep improving”.

South Queensland Selection

In further Rugby selection news, Innes Nowlan represented South Queensland Country at the inaugural Queensland Country Championships. Innes was selected firstly from our College/Club Team in Term 2 as a member of the Downs Rugby U13 Team that contest the South Queensland Titles in late Term 2. From this, he was named in the South Queensland team and after his performance at the Queensland Country Championships was named as a shadow for the Queensland Country squad. We congratulate Innes on his successful journey so far and wish him well for the future.

Rugby League State Championships

Equestrian State Championships

Over the school holidays,  a dedicated group of our most successful Equestrian Team attended the Interschool Queensland State Equestrian Championships after qualifying through earlier regional events including our very own Extravaganza.

The middle week of the holidays saw the Showjumping and Dressage Events held at the Toowoomba Showgrounds. Then over the final weekend, the Combined Training and Eventing categories were staged at the same venue.

We are pleased to share the following results:

Showjumping:

Dressage overall: Senior Novice 2B &C
Jessica Angus – Reserve Champion (MACARTHURS SCHOLAR)
Sophie Poole – 11th (SAINT VERDI)

Combined Training:

Our team (consisting of Jessica Angus, Sophie Poole, Gabby Sellick and Phoebe Sellick) placed 4th.

CT 60cm

Jessica Angus – 1st (MACARTHURS SCHOLAR)
Phoebe Sellick – 8th (LEROY)

80cm – Sophie Poole – 19th (SAINT VERDI)
95cm – Gabby Sellick – 17th (PASILLA)
1* – Jessica Angus – 1st (POPS CADILLAC)

Eventing Results:

Congratulations to the Reserve Champion State Eventing team consisting of Jessica Angus, Phoebe Sellick and Gabby Sellick.

EVA 80cm
Jessica Angus – 3rd
Gabby Sellick – 9th

EVA 65cm
Phoebe Sellick

Ms Amy Woodgate | Head of Junior and Middle Schools

Welcome back to Semester 2

 Winter is upon us, but the energy of our students returning to the Junior and Middle Schools has certainly made it a warm and welcoming start to Semester 2.  We have a number of new students and families joining us during Term 3 and I know that our boys and girls will help them settle into our College community.

I was fortunate to be in the Junior School playground area on the first day back and there was certainly a buzz in the air as they played together in our beautiful outdoor environment.  Our Preps have also had a positive start to the new semester, taking great delight in spending time in their shop and café play areas.  Our Year 5 and 6 students have returned ready to get underway with the new term’s learning and Year 7 and 8 students have commenced their second semester rotation of specialist subjects and I know that they are enjoying the opportunity to work with new teachers in different subject areas.

The next few weeks are busy with co-curricular events, with our Junior and Middle School students competing across the Senior and Junior InterClan Athletics Carnivals depending upon their age group.  After the postponement or cancellation of some InterClan events in recent years due to weather or COVID restrictions, I know our boys and girls are eager to compete and support their Clan.

It is set to be another busy and exciting term for our Junior and Middle School boys and girls.

Term 3 Events  

Some of the key dates for Junior and Middle Schools for Term 3 are listed below.  More information will be sent from the relevant areas of the College prior to these events or will be communicated through SCOTS Connect and the College newsletter.

The College Calendar that can be located on SCOTS Connect has been updated to include the below events, as well as the schedule for Junior and Middle School Assemblies for this semester.  The weekly fixtures and co-curricular schedule that is emailed out to all families also provide additional details about what’s on each week for our different co-curricular activities.

A Taste of Medicine | Bridget Hardy (Year 11)

Towards the end of the last term, Alexis Casey, Matt Bailey, and I were fortunate enough to attend the UQ Rural Medical School ‘A Taste of Medicine Day’ held at the USQ campus in Toowoomba. Throughout the day, we were invited to gain first-hand experience from experienced doctors, third-year medical students, and biomedical science professors on what to expect when studying medicine.

The day started off with an information session on the type of courses provided by USQ and UQ regarding Medicine and Biomedical Science, followed by a morning tea provided by USQ. Following this, the fun really began…

To start us off, the medical students taught us suturing techniques, for which we got to practise on pig trotters. This was definitely considered one of the highlights of the day, however, we soon realised that if we were ever going to become real doctors and suture real skin, we definitely need lots of practise! Afterwards, we were split into groups of 5-6 consisting of students from all different schools in Toowoomba, Pittsworth, and Stanthorpe.

These group sessions allowed us to experience a more personal, hands-on experience guided by the medical students. One of the activities included investigating the effect of heart rate when the body undergoes exercise and stress, as shown on an ECG (electrocardiogram), by cycling on an exercise bike and being put under a virtual reality roller coaster. Other activities included a trauma session, in which we were taught how to perform effective CPR and use a defibrillator, a one-on-one chat with the medical students, and an anatomy lesson.

Overall, the day was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. We all made new friends, learnt new concepts and techniques, and were inspired by medical professionals. I highly recommend attending the future ‘A Taste of Medicine’ days if you are interested in studying medicine!

Mr Richard Dobrenov | Acting Principal and Head of Senior School

A new term and opportunities abound.  The term has already begun with Parent/Teacher interviews, our Careers’ Night and both the opportunity to be involved in our rich sporting and cultural programs.  During last Friday’s Assembly, we farewelled five members of our Pipes and Drums Band who have the opportunity of playing with the Brisbane Boys’ College band at the upcoming Edinburgh Tattoo. This is an amazing opportunity for Josh Hullock, Fraser Collins, Samuel Bourke, Rory Macfarlane and Nicholas McGahan and we wish them well.

Preparations for our Art Show on July 28, featuring works from our Indigenous students are progressing smoothly. The show will also showcase the amazing artwork of students throughout the College.  A silent auction will occur during the evening with all proceeds being donated to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.  We look forward to welcoming you to the WALEC from 6.30 pm.

During Friday’s Assembly, I also spoke to the students about a real-life example of Aesop’s fable The tortoise and the hare, by highlighting the amazing achievements of Cliff Young at the 1983 Westfield Ultra Marathon, from Sydney to Melbourne.  When Cliff turned up at the start line wearing his first ever pair of running shoes and long baggy trousers, competitors and officials alike scoffed at the thought of a 61-year-old man dreaming that he could complete the 544-mile journey.  Nevertheless, the gun went off, and the hares took off, with Cliff, the 61-year-old shepherd and potato farmer slowly and methodically shuffling along behind them.  It was in fact, this lifestyle that allowed Cliff to build his enormous endurance because his family had not been able to afford horses or tractors.  On the farm, it was Cliff’s job to round up the sheep, wearing his gumboots over their 2000 acres.

As the hares slept for six hours each night, Cliff continued shuffling along and gaining ground.  Amazingly, after 5 days, 15 hours and 4 minutes, Cliff crossed the line 10 hours ahead of this nearest rival, breaking the race record by more than 2 days.

I emphasised to the students that this really is an example of ‘slow and steady wins the race’.  Cliff Young’s feat is an inspiration to us all, through his self-belief, determination, and perseverance.  A 61-year-old man, wearing his first ever pair of running shoes, dared to believe that he could win an ultramarathon against competitors who were half his age and highly conditioned; and did.

Cliff’s perseverance is an inspiration to us all.

We have a number of exciting events coming up in the next fortnight and we warmly invite you all to join us!

A Night of Light Jazz  | Thursday 21 July to Saturday 23 July

SCOTS PGC Art Show | Thursday 28 July

P & F Family Dinner | Friday 29 July