From the Principal and Leadership Team

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

At the heart of the holiday season, often hidden beneath the lights, decorations, and wrapping paper, lies the one world-changing moment we gather to remember:

The birth of Jesus.

God stepping into our world.

That night in Bethlehem, in a simple manger, was so wondrous that it’s hard to imagine it ever being forgotten or overshadowed amid our celebrations.

 God of Light,
Turn our hearts to the wonder of Christ’s birth.
Let the joy of the angels, the faith of the shepherds,
and the hope of the manger fill us again.

Open our hands to kindness,
our words to peace,
and our lives to Your transforming love.
May Your blessing guide us
and Your presence renew the world.

Amen.

I wish you and your family all a safe, holy and merry Christmas.

Long Serving Staff Members 

I would like to acknowledge several long-serving staff members whose dedication, passion, and commitment have profoundly shaped our community. 

Thank you to Mr Nathan Brown who has been the Acting Head of HSIE and taught senior Economics for the past two years. Mr Brown has a accepted a position at Mount St Joseph Catholic College, Milperra.

Thank you to Ms Tamara Bliznjakovic who has worked in our Senior Library for the past 3 years as a Library Technician and Bookhire Coordinator. Tamara has accepted a position at St Vincent’s College.

Thank you to Mr Sam Douglas who has worked at the College as a PDHPE teacher for 4.5 years and coordinated the Mountain biking. Mr Douglas has accepted a position at Trinity Grammar School.

Thank you to Mr James Horrocks who has worked at Waverley across two stints. Mr Horrocks has been the Director of Student Wellbeing and served on the College Leadership team with distinction for the past two years. We congratulate him on his appointment as Dean of Students at St Joseph’s Nudgee College, Brisbane.

Thank you to Fr Bernie Thomas for his 9 years of service as College Chaplin and his partnership as Parish Priest. Bernie has contributed to the faith and spiritual life of the College and supported our retreat, Kairos and liturgical program. Bernie is moving to a large parish in Ipswich QLD where he will support many city and country parishes. We wish him all the very best. 

Thank you to Mr Adam Wallington for his service to the College over 10 years, his contributions to the HSIE department as Head of Department and his development of Sailing and Surfing at the College. Mr Wallington has been appointed to a position at Brigidine College Randwick.

And thank you to Ms Kaitlyn Downey for her 11 wonderful years of service as PDHPE teacher and Head of Brennan House. Ms Downey has been appointed as the Assistant Principal Students at St James College in Brisbane. 

Presentation Day Awards 

Yesterday we celebrated the successes of Waverley College Years 5-11 students at our annual live-streamed Presentation Days in the Brother Lacey Gymnasium.

On days like this, we pause to acknowledge the efforts, talents, gifts and achievements of selected students who have made remarkable gains during their 2025 learning journey.Presentation Day is not simply a ceremony of medals and certificates; it is an acknowledgment of the character, resilience, courage, and hard work each young man has brought to this year.

2025 has been a year of purpose – a year in which our students embraced new challenges, deepened their learning, and strengthened their connection to each other and to our mission as an Edmund Rice school. It has been a year in which our staff offered extraordinary care, expertise and passion, and a year in which our parents and carers provided unwavering partnership and trust.

 It was rewarding to see our well-deserved Junior and Senior School students receive their awards in the presence of their peers, parents, carers, teachers and support staff. Thank you to all performers and bands that presented and showcased their amazing musical and artistic talents. 

To the students receiving awards today across academics, creativity, sport, culture, faith, service, and leadership: your success is never accidental. It grows from disciplined effort, from listening and trying again, from being open to feedback, and from surrounding yourselves with people who genuinely believe in you. We honour not just your achievements, but your journey.

And to every student – award or not – remember this: there should be no ceilings on what you believe you can achieve. 

Congratulations to our Award Winners

Junior School

Click here to view the list of Junior School winners

Year 7

Click here to view the list of Year 7 winners

Year 8

Click here to view the list of Year 8 winners

Year 9

Click here to view the list of Year 9 winners

Year 10

Click here to view the list of Year 10 winners

Year 11

Click here to view the list of Year 11 winners

Special Community Awards

Mayor of Waverley Social Inclusion Award 2025

Malakai Quinlan, Year 10

Allegra Spender 2025 Emerging Leadership Prize

Isaac Symes, Year 5

Eric Li – Year 9

Dr Marjorie O’Neill Social Impact Award

Oliver Macgee, Year 5

Stirling Quinn, Year 10

35th Edition of Wavelength

The 35th edition of Wavelength has arrived! This issue celebrates the many vibrant achievements of the Waverley College community – from claiming the Andrew Reid Cup for the first time in 30 years, to honouring a legend, Br Bob Wallace, to powerful creative arts showcases, global tours, and the lasting impact of our Old Boys.

Click the link to explore the full edition online. Happy reading!

Waverley College Literary Evening and Community Book Club

Our second annual Literary Evening and Community Book Club took place on Tuesday, 25 November, marking another significant milestone for our school’s Literacy and Library team.

The evening brought the Waverley College community together to celebrate a shared love of reading and writing. We were privileged to welcome special guest Gabrielle Mace, who shared invaluable insights into fostering a genuine reading culture. Gabrielle encouraged us to build a ‘reading ecosystem’—a network of relationships connecting students, peers, families and the school—and challenged us to consider how reading can become a natural part of daily life. She also highlighted the value of audio and eBooks in engaging students who don’t always connect with physical books. It was an inspirational presentation for all in attendance.

We were also delighted to hear from our 2025 Extension 2 English students, Archie Godby and Lieme Chan, who spoke passionately and sincerely about the role reading has played in their academic and personal development.

Thank you to the parents, students and staff who joined us to share in our love of reading, and special thanks to Ms Bliznjakovic for transforming our library into Murakami’s ‘Strange Library’ – a truly atmospheric touch.