The Catholic School Debating Association recently announced that Waverley College teacher, Mr Dominic Hearne will adjudicate the State Finals.
The Catholic Schools’ Debating Competition takes in schools from Albion Park in the South to Penrith and Windsor in the West to Palm Beach in the North, and covers 93 Catholic Secondary schools and colleges.
The Year 7 – 11 teams who take out the Sydney Metropolitan Competition held between April and July are then invited to the State finals. This sees the top five teams in the Metropolitan competition battle against the top five teams in the country competitions. This region draws from Murwillimbah in the North to Bathurst in the West to Nowra in the South.
The adjudicators for this event are selected from across the State, based on experience and form over the recent season.
The College congratulates Mr Hearne on his appointment and the ongoing contribution he makes to this important co-curricular activity at Waverley College. No doubt the feedback he can provide our students based on his experiences at the top level will assist them when debating returns in winter 2017.
Dominic Hearne will adjudicate the State Finals for the Catholic School Debating Association
Another successful sporting calendar comes to a conclusion this weekend with our Water Polo teams and 2-Day Cricketers playing their last games for the year. All other teams and sports concluded last weekend and whilst all of the Waverley teams fought hard as always, Knox proved to be a typically tough opponent in most sports but we still had some pleasing results. In Basketball the 2nd V, along with most Year 10 teams, secured some impressive wins. In Cricket the 8B’s were the pick with Peter Reeves and Nicholas Quinn putting on a 99 run partnership that lead to victory. In Water Polo we had a good day with the 1sts, 16A and 14B sides all having good wins. Our 1sts Cricket, Tennis and Basketball though found the going tougher. Our 1sts Basketball were very unlucky and lead most of the way to only be beaten in the dying moments. Their improvement and attitude has been fantastic and they have shown that they are a force to be reckoned with.
All of our Tennis teams, particularly the Year 10’s, have also shown great improvement. We had a number of students compete in the schools’ tennis tournament this week and a number of players making semi-finals and finals in both singles and doubles. Well done to all of those that competed and represented the school in this event and I am looking forward to again seeing the rise in our rankings from this event.
Our 1sts Cricket struggled in both batting and fielding in the first innings, costing them a chance at winning. I am certain that coaches Boyd and Elliott will make sure they are ready for this week’s game. I also want to make special mention of our Public Speakers who performed very well from all reports this week.
A huge thank you to all of the convenors, staff, coaches, parents, officials and students for their efforts this year, and especially to any student that will not be returning to us in 2017. We have had a tremendous year in co-curricular and with the new facilities and further refurbishments it is an exciting time for Waverley’s co-curricular program. I also want to wish the best to all of our students and staff going on the European Football tour next week, and trust that all will represent Waverley to the highest standard. To all of our other students, I hope that you keep up the fitness and training in the holidays so we are ready to fire first day back next year.
Finally, I want to thank the Head of College, Mr Paxton, for his vision, support and leadership over the past seven years. You have been a true inspiration and the transformation, success and improvement in all areas in the College, including co-curricular, can be attributed to your commitment and dedication to make Waverley a wonderful community.
Enjoy the holidays and ‘Go the Waves!’
Congratulations to old boy Ben O’Donnell who has just been selected for the Australian 7’s team to fly to Dubai after being awarded player of the tournament in Adelaide.
With the full 1sts team back into play after many injuries the team headed out to Kingsford to play against Knox. Knox being one of the stronger teams and vying for first place in the CAS competition, we knew we had our work cut out for us. Waverley has proven themselves to be a stronger team than ever before, as we closed the margin on the usual huge defeat with a 3-5 (32-41) loss in the 1sts. The 2nds also gave it their best with a 4-4 (29-36) loss, despite some good wins in their doubles. This week, special mention must be made of Patrick Veron, as he had just come back after four weeks of not participating in any form of tennis due to injury and put up a good fight in his singles, only losing in the tiebreaker by one point in a 7-6(6) defeat.
In the other grades the 3rds and 4ths also lost but Huon Beccaris and Ross Mormanis achieved a spectacular win in their doubles. They are showing promise to become a strong team.
The Year 10 team proved strong, despite their overall loss, with both Alistair Jensen and Harry Karakatsanis from the 10A’s winning their doubles. A special mention must go to William Durkin and Matthew Gallagher who lost their doubles match by only one point in a 6-7 defeat. William Durkin and Daniel Hayes who won their singles in the 10 B’s should also be commended. Daniel will be missed upon his departure in an exchange program.
The 2nd V came off their biggest loss last week to Barker and hadn’t won a game since Round 1. They were hoping to get a win in the last game of the year vs. Knox. From the start, Waverley looked to be the better team, but were unable to finish transition lay ups and were losing the rebounding battle both on offense and defense.
At half time Waverley went into the break leading by 4 points, but knew they were lucky to be in the lead as Knox dominated in all aspects of the game.
At the start of the second half, Waverley finally started to click as they came out with a hard press. Knox couldn’t handle the pressure and this led to steals turning into easy buckets, especially through Josh Weinstein as his quality defense got Waverley to a 15-point lead. A coaching change by Tom Chamberlain putting Brendan Morrissey at the point guard position won the game for the 2nd V as they got out to an uncatchable lead. Credit to Knox for fighting back even when the game was over as the 2nd V won 51-41 and now go 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses.
Last week the 1st V moved into outright second on the CAS ladder and knew how important this game was for them if they wanted to win CAS, while Knox didn’t want to go into the break with a losing record.
The 1st V came out strong with an 11-point lead midway into the 1st quarter with some great offensive play by Alex Higgins-Titsha. Both teams traded buckets right till half time with Waverley only losing by one point at the break.
It was the same story for both teams as it became a defensive game with both teams struggling to breakdown each other which set up a scenario where Knox were leading by 2 with 30 seconds to go. Knox inbounded the ball and scored straight away giving them a 4 point lead, then an un characteristic play by Waverley with a confused offensive play unfortunately meant a loss 69-64 for them as they now go 3 wins and 2 losses tied with Knox.
The last round of the year saw Waverley take on Knox with both the 1st V and 2nd V eager to finish off with a brace of wins. The 1st V were coming off the back of a thrilling 1-point win over Barker the previous week, and were confident of putting in another great performance against a strong CAS team. Knox went into this game with 2 wins from 4 games, while Waverley had notched up 3 wins to date. The 1st V suffered serious disruption throughout the week with several players absent as a result of the Year 10 Camp. The consequence of this setback was a 1st V team that started the game out of synchronisation. Despite this, Nick Blakey did a great job of marking Knox’s big man and did some solid work in the offense and defense department. 1st V captain, Dean Stojanovski, showed great determination and leadership to steer and continually motivate the team. Alexander Higgins-Titsha played a remarkable game offensively, despite the interruption during the week, but fell just short defensively.
Coach Mr Johnny Jovine was happy with the team’s third-quarter performance where historically Waverley has not performed well. Compared with previous games, the third quarter saw the 1st V play well to actually take an 11-point lead. Waverley was able to get Knox’s starting big man in foul trouble, but was unable to take advantage of his absence and he was able to wreak considerable damage in the fourth quarter, making big plays on the offensive boards and keeping Knox’s hopes alive. Coach Jovine was not happy with the 1st V’s free-throw conversion rate of 50% – 11 from 22 free throws and rues what could have been if the players were able to make 73% of total free throws. Ultimately, the 1st V went down in what was a winnable game 68-64.
With the first three rounds of the season showing what the 2nd V were capable of, the team was due for a good performance after a poor showing against Barker the previous week. Coach Mr Tom Chamberlain emphasised defense during the week’s preparation in an effort to eliminate the team’s excessive fouls in the Barker game. Coach Chamberlain thought the Waverley bigs were able to out-rebound Knox and dominate the paint throughout the game, while the guards did a great job offensively, pushing the pull and capitalising of fast-break opportunities. After half-time, the 2nd V used a full-court press to break down Knox and resulted in multiple 2 on 1 and 3 on 2 opportunities. Coach Chamberlain was disappointed with the 2nd V’s failure to execute open lay ups and defend well in the last 3 minutes of the game, seeing a 20-pint lead diminish to a 10-point, 51-41 win. Nevertheless, the 2nd V finished the first part of the season with a solid 2-1-2 record and will no doubt continue to improve.
In other games, Waverley won a small number of games, including: 10A’s (40-11), 10C’s (29-18), 10D’s (27-21), 10E’s (32-23), 10G’s (26-20), 8E’s (25-17) with the 10F’s drawing 17-all. The 1st V have a 3-1 win-loss record; 2nd V, 2-1-2, 10A’s; 4-1 and 8A’s 1-1-3, while the 9A’s are still searching for that elusive first win. Other Waverley teams with solid records include: 3rd V (2-1-2), 10C’s (3-2), 10G’s (3-2), 8C’s (4-1), 8D’s (3-2), 8E’s (4-1) with the 10D’s, 10E’s, 9D’s, 8B’s and 8H’s posting two wins so far.
Thanks to all coaches, players, officials, staff and the Basketball Supporters Club for their efforts throughout Term 4. It has been a great start to the season for Waverley Basketball with everyone enjoying the fantastic new facilities.
Enjoy a well-earned break over the coming holiday period.
Waverley had a challenging round last weekend against Barker for 2-day teams, and Knox for the 1-day teams, with our development throughout the term truly tested. Most teams responded really well in lifting their standards of bowling and fielding in particular, whilst there were many highlights with the bat individually and collectively. The 4 teams playing 2-day cricket this term have a final round against Knox on Friday afternoon and Saturday, so wish them well for a strong conclusion to the term.
The 1st XI lost on 1st innings to Barker, despite bowling them out twice over the course of the match. Ben Scarf, Harry Whiteman and Ryan Connolly all took 3 wickets apiece in an innings, but it was the team’s batting that wasn’t able to generate partnerships in the match to claim the points. The 2nds and 10As both had promising starts to their batting innings, but failed to post the big score required on good batting wickets. In the 10As, well batted Darcy Mullins (36), Oliver Ruse (30) Ridley Owens (25) and Year 7 student Dylan Brown – who stepped up 2 years in age to open the batting with strength and determination in scoring a fantastic 30, and taking a wicket in the 2nds innings.
More Year 7 students piled on the runs across their age group, with Peter Reeves scoring a fluent 73, Nick Quinn 54 and matt Mcalpine 27 in the 8Bs victory over Knox, based on a huge team score of 6/171 from their 32 overs. Charles Jaeger then did the damage with his left arm spin, taking 4 wickets for 43 runs. The 8As just fell 5 runs shy of the win in a nail biting chase, requiring 13 runs from the last 2 overs. This position was created from some great early batting from Kyle McBride with 29, Jesse Sonego 24 and captain Sam Connolly with 34 and 2 wickets. James Hoggett also was dangerous with the ball in snaring 3 Knox wickets.
Season-best innings were also compiled by many boys across different teams, so are congratulated on their achievements – but challenged to maintain their focus for even greater periods and capitalise from a strong start. Hal Cumpston topscored for the 3rds with 25, Anthony Vassalo (43) and Zane Zilich (30) starred for the 4ths, while Finn Mccloskey scored 34 and Jack Sonego 22 opening the batting together in the 9Cs.
Best of luck to teams playing on this final weekend.
I am pleased to share with you the text of my address for the opening of The Cosgrove Centre by The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, His Excellency General the Hon Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd) on Friday 18 November 2016.
Waverley College is a place of learning. The mission of this community is to foster the growth of all the learners who inhabit this place. As a Catholic School in the Edmund Rice Tradition, we celebrate an additional dimension that proclaims the importance of a spirituality which is Gospel-centred, a community which is inclusive, a network of relationships based on justice and ultimately, an education which liberates. We challenge all to a “liberated way of living”. This signals a new way of describing our deepest hope for each student: the hope that he will be liberated by his learning journey, unconstrained by fear, energised by courage so that he may achieve liberation for others and himself.
Your Excellency, Lady Cosgrove, Your Grace, Dr Tinsey, Brother Oakley, special guests, staff, students and parents: on behalf of the College, I proudly welcome you to our community at Our Lady’s Mount and Waterford to celebrate the opening and blessing of these buildings – buildings which have been imagined, designed and constructed for the purpose of liberating the potential of every learner. Today we celebrate the diversity and inclusivity that characterise our students, our families and our staff.
We honour the tradition of holistic learning we have inherited from the Christian Brothers and all who have studied and taught here. We celebrate the significance of the present time in which innovation, higher order thinking, flexibility in teaching practice and classroom design are highly valued. Today, we project ourselves into a future which strongly connects the wellbeing of a student to his growth as a learner.
Bishop Richard, the Waverley College community congratulates you on your appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Sydney. You are always welcome here and we look forward to working with you in furthering the mission of our Church. Dr Tinsey, our community is indebted to your inspiring leadership of Edmund Rice Education Australia. You continue to challenge each of us as we discern the next steps in our journey as an educational community. Br Oakley, as President of the EREA Council, we acknowledge not only your strong guidance and concern for good governance, but also the contribution you, along with Br Wallace, have made as former Heads of the College.
Your Excellency, Sir Peter, in welcoming you and Lady Cosgrove to the College for the second time in your term as Governor General, and in naming this building for you, we wish to pay tribute to the way you continue to display the very qualities, values and touchstones which are at the heart of our mission as an Edmund Rice school. As an Australian, you have assisted us in understanding the meaning of liberation. As a Waverlian, you challenge each of us to reach beyond these walls, as you have done so fully, to embrace strength, resilience, compassion and reconciliation. In a world where fear appears to have the upper hand, you exemplify a spirit of hope. It is for this we are honoured to name our buildings for you. We pray that all who enter these walls will leave as people of hope.
I chaired an important Special General Meeting and AGM of the Waverley College Parents’ and Friends’ Association this week when the current Waverley College Parents’ and Friends’ Association Constitution was dissolved and a new Waverley College Parent Association Constitution was adopted.
The new Association will be a merger of Waverley College Parents’ and Friends’ Association and the Mothers’ Club. The new constitution will encompass the current roles and responsibilities of each group and allow for growth in the future.
The meeting recognised and acknowledged the significant part these groups and their members have played in shaping the history of Waverley College.
The management and control of the Parent Association was be vested in the new Committee, consisting of the Head of College; a President; two Vice Presidents; an Honorary Secretary; an Honorary Treasurer; at least one parent representative of each of the College Year Groups (Years 5 to 12), and a Clothing Pool representative. The Waverley College Development Office will be the main point of contact for the new Association.
The new Parent Association Executive will be:
The new organisation has already formalised the establishment of Parent Year Group Representatives as a conduit for parent input and participation and the full list of these representatives will be published shortly. Next year’s parents can look forward to shared contact listings (opt-in) as well as new opportunities for parents to attend an annual year group social function.
The current activities of the Mothers’ Club will be maintained by the new organisation, including operation of the Clothing Pool and support of functions like the May Procession and Year 12 Graduation Luncheons.
In acknowledgement of the historic role of the Mothers’ Club in the life of the school – it has operated since 1969 – and the importance of the Marian Tradition at Waverley, a new annual event for mothers and sons will be introduced to the college calendar – details will be announced for 2017.
It was with warm gratitude that we took the opportunity on the evening to thank the previous Executives of both groups for their service during 2016. My thanks go to Greg Bodkin, Michael Jaeger, Tom Denigan, Kathy Davies and Christina Fragias from the P&F, and also to Emanuela D’Urso, Linda McGuiggan, Patsy Thompson and Sandy Templeton-Martin from the Mothers’ Club. My particular thanks go to Emanuela and Linda, who have been associated with the Mothers’ Club since 2012.
Congratulations to all of the Year 12 students who are wrapping up their final exams and looking forward to a long well earned summer break. Best wishes for a bright future ahead. The final year of secondary school is important, but it will not be the most important year of your life. Keep things in perspective because you’re far more than your ATAR score. Your performance in Year 12 is only a measure of your ability in a test or exam at one point in time. While it does not determine your worth as an individual, it does provide a handy stepping-stone in determining the post-secondary school opportunities available.
For students in younger year levels assessments are still very much a part of their daily reality. Each assessment item and examination gives students and their families an opportunity to reflect on their preparation and their performance. This is a chance to figure out what works best for you so that you can put your best foot forward when your HSC exams come along. Youth Beyond Blue has a number of helpful tips on how to manage exam stress so that the pressure won’t get the better of you.
Tip 1 – Get enough sleep, adolescents should be getting between 8-10 hours sleep per night. Sleep plays a vital role not only in rest and recuperation but also the formation of new memories and the sorting, organising and categorising of new information so that it can be accessed more efficiently.
Tip 2 – Drop distractions, the national physical activity guidelines (NPAG) suggest no more than 2 hours screen time per day. Easier said than done when students spend much of the day on laptops for educational purposes. Add to this, significant amounts of leisure time staring at phones, video games or other screens. Backlit objects and any light before bedtime inhibits the release of melatonin, a neurotransmitter, which regulates our sleep wake cycle. This may help explain why some of our boys have trouble getting to sleep at night.
Tip 3 – Get up and get moving. The physical benefits of regular physical exercise are well documented. So too are the social, emotional and intellectual benefits of increasing blood flow and oxygenation of the brain. Exercise also secretes endorphins, serotonin and other “feel good hormones” which elevate mood.
Tip 4 – Humans are by nature social creatures our sense of belonging to family, social networks, friendships and the local community have a huge bearing on self-esteem. According to Dr Andrew Fuller an adolescent’s sense of belonging is the most powerful determinants of our holistic wellbeing. Our communities need to regard young people as our future and as a valuable resource to create a better world.
Tip 5 – Ask for help. Often, when we are faced with stressful times, we shut down, withdraw and become insular. We may feel embarrassed about the source of our stress or be afraid that reaching out and admitting that we help may make us appear weak. It takes a great deal of courage and inner strength to admit to ourselves and others that things are not going as well as we might like. Draw on the experience and expertise of friends, family, teaching staff and other significant adults to share the burden of these challenging times.
On Friday 28 October, the Festival of Bands took place in the Performing Arts Centre Theatre. The concert featured the Waterford Beginning Band, the Waterford Concert Band, the College Jazz Band and the College Concert Band. Our guest performer, the world-renowned jazz clarinettist and saxophonist, Andrew Firth, inspired our students in workshops held during the day. Then Andy enchanted our audience with his wonderful playing with guest trio Cameron Reid, Steven Barry and Michael Walder along with performances with the Jazz and Concert Bands in the evening.
Congratulations to all students involved; in particular our senior musicians Sam Walsh, flute, Tyler von der Heyden, clarinet, Eric Cordato, trumpet, Alex Vardanega, horn, Riley Addison, saxophone, Joe Nardo, euphonium and Liam Wilson, tuba, the old boys Lucas Polivis and Jamie McCarthy, the tutors NickYavtsev, Susannah Pinter, Michael Connors, Alexandra Auchère, Debbie English and Crispin Arnall the current HSC students of Waverley and St Clare’s Andreas Corcoran, Beatrice Townsend-Medlock and Eleanor Finch, our Head of Bands Mr Dan Williams, Jazz Band Conductor Ms Jenna Cave, our wonderful Music Supporters Club, the MC’s Angus Mullins and Zachary Straker, our stage crew Peter Truong, Ryan Bakels, Saem Goffe, and Leo Bosi.
The 1sts and 2nds arrived at the Cranbrook home courts, Dangar Courts at 7:30am. The team was down their A1 team member due to illness and recruited Ross Mormanis to complete the team. Everyone felt the pressure to perform their very best. All members of the team fought valiantly and with the morning progressing it was clear that it would be a very close match between the firsts and seconds at Cranbrook. In the end Waverley lost in the first 4-4 (47-38) and 5-3 in the Seconds. The Thirds were down 5-1, and the fourths had won 4-2. Other years had success with the year 10 As and Bs wining winning 10-2. The rest of the years didn’t have the same luck with the year 9 As tying 3 sets all and the Bs losing 6-0. There were some players who showed great ability even out of their comfort zone. Ross Mormanis, played for the first time in the second’s squad and won his singles set 6-4. Special mention should also be made of Lachlan Unsworth and Kolt Piggins-Massaad who both won their singles and doubles, despite having to play higher positions than usual.
The tennis community would also like to thank the tennis supporters for a great contribution of new resources. This equipment is invaluable and very much appreciated by the teams at Waverley, please do not hesitate to get involved with this initiative.
The training week leading up to the much-anticipated Friday night game against Cranbrook was disrupted due to the staggered departure of Year 12 to the Senior Retreat however this allowed for more intense training for those that attended, and resulted in a solid preparation.
In the first game of the season the 2nd V had a great win against St Aloysius’ and looked to carry that momentum into the game against Cranbrook, buoyed also, by the prospect of support from a big crowd of vocal Waverley supporters.
However, from the start, Waverley 2nd V were forced into making critical mistakes by the intense Cranbrook press. This caused problems for the whole game and led to many turnovers from Waverley and easy baskets for Cranbrook to allow them an early 16 – 8 lead. Tactical changes by coaches Mr Tom Chamberlain and Mr Tony Montano in the latter part of the first half flipped the momentum in Waverley’s favour. This was supported by strong contributions by big men Jake Thomas and Finn Wright. An exciting, intense, and competitive first half ended with Cranbrook leading 29 – 23.
Waverley started off the second half well with speed on the fast break that led to quick, easy baskets from Brendan Morrissey and also strong full court from Matteo De Vecchi. This initial onslaught surprised the opposition and Waverley seized an early lead in the second half. The game oscillated back and forth, with little room for error, and players from both sides were finding it difficult to maintain composure given the pressure of the situation and the frenetic support from the boys in blue and gold on the sidelines. Unfortunately Waverley’s big men found themselves in foul trouble and Cranbrook was able to exploit that to their advantage and edge their way back into the game. With 45 seconds on the clock, Waverley led 47 – 42. Cranbrook called a time-out and then drew up a play, which resulted in a 3-pointer. This cut Waverley’s lead to 2 with 30 seconds remaining. After a tactical foul on Waverley, there was a scuffle, which amounted to two free throws from each team – shooter Miguel Joson making one from two, and Cranbrook making both, to further decrease Waverley’s lead to 48 – 47. Free throws ensued by both teams until Cranbrook made one from two to tie the score up with 10 seconds remaining. The atmosphere was chaotic: Waverley called a timeout and ran a play to attempt to score. Miguel Joson then rolled to the ring and made a valiant attempt at a lay up with the ball hanging on the rim and falling out with no time left on the clock. Game over and game tied. It was a great effort by the 2nds with congratulations to debutant Jacob Gibson, who was making his first appearance for the 2nd V.
The 1st V were also coming off a great win against St Aloysius’ the previous week and were looking to continue their form against Cranbrook to make it the best start for a Waverley 1st V team for many seasons. The first quarter started well with Dean Stojanovski scoring a stunning three pointer in the first 10 seconds and going on to contribute 8 out of the first 10 points. The relentless pressure applied by wing players Jeremy Petritsis and Alex Higgins-Titsha gave their opposing numbers no end of trouble when trying to enter the ball into the key to start their set plays. The first quarter was dominated by Waverley with steady, determined and sometimes brilliant plays that culminated in a 24 – 7 lead.
The second quarter also started off well with the boys making strong, determined play, and showing good decision-making. This set the tone for the rest of the quarter with Waverley maintaining relentless pressure and drive to the ball. The team was led by defensive bulldog Johnny Pawle, who set the tone on offence and defence with a huge 3-pointer and some late shot clock heroics where the ball was thrown up and miraculously curled in. Many steals from Alex Higgins-Titsha allowed for fast break points that helped Waverley keep the lead at a substantial 38 – 18 at half-time.
Surprisingly, Waverley was slightly unsettled at the beginning of the second half and Cranbrook capitalised with a string of scores and 3-pointers. The momentum was with Cranbrook until veteran big man Ryan Lewis made an inspirational lunge at a free ball in the centre of the court to stop a certain fast break score. His desperation at ending up on the floor to save the steal reinvigorated the team to hold onto a 50-34 lead at three-quarter time.
Waverley came out in the final quarter determined to keep the pressure up to Cranbrook and remain positive and composed in order to secure a second win of the season. Dean Stojanovski, Alex Higgins-Titsha, Jeremy Petritsis and Johnny Pawle led the team to the convincing 69 – 55 win. Congratulations to the 1st V and coaches Mr Jovine and Mr Montano for propelling Waverley to the top of the CAS table (tied) and for achieving first and second round wins for the first time in many years.
Special thank you to all the Waverley boys who made the effort to come to Cranbrook and support the 1st V and 2nd V last week. It is an unbelievable experience to play in front of passionate, vocal supporters, and that support is a big factor in the success we achieved on the night.
We are looking forward to the matchup with Trinity Grammar School this week. Good luck to all teams competing.
1st V half-time break
Waverley took on local rivals Cranbrook last week with the highlight of the round being the showcase Friday night games featuring 1sts and 2nds. Coach Mr Tom Chamberlain reports that the 2nds began slowly, failing to execute their offensive sets in the first half of the game in the face of a strong defensive effort from Cranbrook. Trailing by 6 points at the break, Waverley came back stronger in the second half to overtake Cranbrook with a 7 point lead with approximately 3 minutes remaining in the game, however a couple of mistakes and missed opportunities by Waverley gave Cranbrook the opportunity to capitalise. With both teams in foul trouble, free throws became crucial in the dying stages and Cranbrook were able to draw the game 49-all. Coach Mr Chamberlain thought the 2nds were impressive for a second week and he was particularly happy with the team effort to get back into game after trailing early on. Jake Thomas, captain James Markham and Matteo De Vecchi were best on-court, however it was another inspiring team effort by the Waverley 2nd V.
The 1sts had a tough assignment with the small Cranbrook gym and parochial crowds working to inflict bitter disappointment on Waverley teams in recent years. Nevertheless, the 1st V came out with guns blazing in the first quarter and blew away a rattled Cranbrook side, ending the term 24-7 in Waverley’s favour. Coach Mr Johnny Jovine was pleased with the defensive effort of the players in getting stops and turning them into fast breaks and scores at the other end. The second and third quarters were much closer affairs with Waverley taking honours in the second stanza (14-11) and pushing out to a 20-point lead and Cranbrook the third (16-12) on the back of five 3-pointers by the Cranbrook guards, poor defensive rotations on Waverley’s part and a lack of teamwork. While the final quarter was tense and Cranbrook were able to stay with Waverley, the 1st V’s first-quarter blitz of Cranbrook meant that their lead was always going to be difficult for Cranbrook to overhaul. Despite a series of further 3 point baskets to Cranbrook, the 1st V were able to cruise to victory with the final score 69-55 to Waverley. Coach Mr Johnny Jovine believes the preparation and commitment of the players during pre-season has paid off, with better shooting and teamwork the most significant improvements. Defense has also been a major factor in the 1sts improved performances, with Coach Mr Jovine a firm believer in its importance to win games. The 1st V’s two wins from two games see them move to the top of the CAS table, shared with Trinity Grammar. The team will need to refocus for this crucial game as Trinity is one of the favourites to take out the CAS competition.
The fervent support of Waverley students and old boys on Friday night needs acknowledgement and praise. A number of prefects and senior students were present and were marvellous in organising chants as well as encouraging positive behaviour and conduct from attending students. A huge thank you to all of those supporters, particularly the prefect body and Mr Richard Chen (Head of Year 7), Mr Greg Radford (former Waverley 1st V coach), Mr James Spargo (9A/B) coach and Year 12 student Daniel Szabo for filming all 1st and 2nd games to date.
In other games, Waverley posted wins in the 3rd V (44-27), 12th V (31-24), 10A’s (48-35), 10E’s (28-25), 10H’s (36-24), 9C’s (36-32), 8B’s (42-36), 8C’s (24-23), 8D’s (28-25), 8E’s (54-7) and 8H’s (31-20). The following teams played well, but narrowly lost their games: 4th V (25-20), 10D’s (23-21), 9B’s (42-37), 9D’s (32-26), 8F’s (12-9) and 8G’s (23-17).
Special mention must go to our 1st and 2nd players who have been mentoring junior players and assisting coaching staff on a weekly basis. This mentoring program has been a regular feature of the basketball program for many years now, and the enthusiastic participation of the senior players demonstrates their strong leadership skills and the dedication they have to both the program and the College. Finally, thank you to our hardworking parents who have been volunteering countless hours on the BBQ each week, feeding many hungry players and parents from not only Waverley, but visiting schools.
Good luck to all teams this weekend against Trinity.
This week we commissioned our College Student Leadership Team for 2016-2017. It was moving event, held in the Br Lacey Gymnasium in the presence of students, staff and parents. Our 2015-16 College Captains and Vice-Captains were also present. In keeping with our newly formed Student Wellbeing Model, for the first time our Prefects were elected by members of their House. We have also extended our Leadership Team to include a College Captain and three Vice-Captains. During the ceremony, we invited the parents of our leaders to pin on their leadership badges. At the conclusion, outgoing College Captain, Lachlan Drew-Morris passed on the leadership candle to incoming College Captain Tyler Von Der Heyden. In my address to the community, I focussed on three questions which are central to the way leaders should think.
Our Gospel reading during the ceremony told of Jesus washing his disciples feet as an act of service and a sign of leadership. In these times, the washing of feet demonstrated hospitality, welcome and respect for the traveller. The reading is often used at leadership ceremonies to highlight the model of Servant Leadership. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organisations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world.
During our Acknowledgement of Country we reflected on the inspirational leadership of Gough Whitlam in moving government policy in relation to Indigenous Australians from “assimilation” to “self-determination”. Self-determination is the process by which a country determines its own statehood and forms its own government or, in relation to our event today, the process by which a person controls their own life. A leader must be concerned with determining his or her own future, in collaboration with others, if he is to build a capacity to be proactive in determining the future directions of his community. The “self” must be solid if the community is to be led well.
At Waverley College we are challenged to a liberated way of living. This is a way of describing our deepest hope for each student; the hope that he will be freed by his learning journey, unconstrained by fear, and energised by courage so that he may achieve liberation for himself and others. This philosophy highlights the connection between lifelong learning and leadership – the interaction between thinking, listening, speaking and acting – as central to the cause of leadership. Each of us are called to these values in every dimension of life, every leadership moment.
Congratulations to our newly elected leaders and best wishes for 2016-17.
We would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora nation who are the traditional Custodians of the land on which Waverley College is located. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We are committed to honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual connections to the land, waters, seas and sky and their rich contribution to society.
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