On Thursday 3 June, Waverley was fortunate to host Studio 10 who came and talked to our Creative Arts students about their filmmaking journeys for Wavefest. It was filmed live back to the studio and across Australian television screens.
Thank you to alumni Martin Dingle-Wall and Jack Caldwell for inspiring our students and guiding them in this exciting industry. There are many fantastic short films in production. Students were interviewed about what their films are about, what inspires them to be filmmakers, and how Wavefest is supporting their passions and dreams in this area.
Ms Belinda Buchan
Academic Enrichment Coordinator
E: bbuchan@waverley.nsw.edu.au
A most appreciative audience of staff, parents and family members were treated to an afternoon of well-prepared and ably performed piano pieces at the Inaugural Waverley College Piano Competition on Wednesday, 19 May, 2021. In a heartening display of proficiency, students submitted themselves before adjudicator, Mr Evan Streater, who skilfully juggled critical listening, report writing, and then determination of places, as well as offering valuable and detailed remarks at the conclusion when prizes were awarded.
The standard of playing and general behaviour of the students throughout was exceedingly commendable, and ultimately made judging take a little longer due to the overall proximity of points distribution among entrants. We congratulate all contestants for a fine presentation of their work and feel encouraged by the standard of performance, with the success of this event likely establishing it as an annual fixture in the Music Department’s calendar.
Sincere thanks must be offered to Mr Evan Streater for his expertise in adjudicating; Head of Department Mr Chris Balkizas for approving and strategising the concept; PAC Coordinator Ms Keiran Kossenberg for her unwearied administrative assistance; faculty member Ms Jaz Dolso for her interest and work behind the camera; and for their attendance and obvious keen support, Mr Chris Blenkinsopp, Ms Michelle Rollins and Mr Thomas Mitton. Year 8 student Thomas Jackson-Whitlock is also to be recognised for his effort in very competently compèring proceedings.
BRAVO to all performers, and long may you admire the wonders of the piano and its repertoire!
Mr Chris Balkizas
Head of Music
E: cbalkizas@waverley.nsw.edu.au
After hosting last week’s Theatresports heats at the PAC, Waverley’s senior team made it into the semi-finals at St Andrew’s Cathedral School next Tuesday 1 June! The team consists of Dexter Craddock, Finn Nebauer, Aidan Rogers and Michael Richmond. They will be up against six other determined and talented teams on the night.
It would be great to see as many supporters turn up for the senior semi-finals at St Andrew’s Cathedral School as we can muster! Parents and friends who want to see the show can buy tickets at the door from 6.45pm on the night ($10 for adults, $5 for students). For the semi-finals, teams need to arrive between 5:30-6pm.
The Intermediate Team acquitted themselves very well in the heats last week at St Ignatius, but were edged out at the last minute. The Intermediate team consists of Evander Hudson, Cjuba Lord, Jay Palm, and Zachary Straker. Orlando Smithers-Haines, Perri Quirk and Achilles Zanapalis round out the squad as reserves.
Waverley is proud of all these dedicated and talented young performers. They should all be given a round of applause for their excellent efforts.
The Intermediate Team: L-R Cjuba Lord, Jay Palm, Zachary Straker, Evander Hudson
Mr Peter Lamb
Theatresports Convenor
E: plamb@waverley.nsw.edu.au
On Monday 10 May, Year 8 students were given a theatrical treat as the internationally renowned company, Zeal Theatre, returned to our Performing Arts Centre with their new show, ‘Meltdown.’ The play is the company’s fiftieth original production and is aimed specifically at the issues affecting secondary school students and their families. ‘Meltdown’ deals with fear, depression, anxiety, stress and anger. With Zeal’s dynamic multi-character acting and blend of music, drama and comedy, the show is a powerful story for all high school students.
After the performance, students participated in workshops with the company. These highlighted the profound value of Drama for students. Students practised invaluable collaborative and creative skills – negotiation, listening, proposing ideas, compromising, evaluating and understanding how dramatic meaning is created on stage. The Drama incursion is one of several initiatives at Waverley College aimed at encouraging more students to choose Drama as an elective in their Year 9 studies. Thanks very much once again to Zeal for another great day at the theatre.
Mr Peter Lamb
Acting Head of Drama
E: plamb@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Congratulations to our Junior and Senior school entrants in the 2021 Waverley Youth Art Prize.
The Waverley Youth Art Prize encourages creativity in young artists from across Sydney. It is open to anyone aged between 9 – 18 years old who is living, studying or playing in Sydney’s East. All artworks are hung so that future artists get to experience the joy of exhibiting and see an audience appreciate their work. Young artists also go in the running to receive encouragement awards including art packs and vouchers to attend classes at local institutions such as the National Art School.
The Waverley Youth Art Prize responds to a different theme each year. In 2021 the theme is, ‘We are Family – Ancestors, Bloodlines and Belonging.’ Our students created diverse artworks that took on ‘We are Family’ in a deep and meaningful way. Congratulations and good luck in the competition.
Entry by Renato Rovacchi Year 8
Ms Jenna Turnbull
Visual Arts Teacher
E: jturnbull@waverley.nsw.edu.au
The Waverley College Choir rehearse and perform a variety of repertoire under the Direction of Ms Jaz Dolso and Mrs Anne Fahy. Rehearsals are held on Friday mornings at 7:30am in the Recital Room of the Performing Arts Centre. There is no audition required, all students are invited to join.
The College Choir is engaged throughout the year to sing at many College events, College liturgies, masses and concerts. Over the last 10 years the Choir has participated in several overseas tours performing in Germany and Italy. Students also have the opportunity to attend a Music Camp and to participate in performances across the wider community.
If you would like more information, please come and see Ms Dolso in the PAC.
Ms Jaz Dolso
Music Teacher
E: jdolso@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Waverley College Music Festival will showcase the abundant talent of Waverley College students in vocal, brass, strings, elective music and ensemble performances from both the Junior and Senior Schools.
Guitar Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, The Cliff Goodchild Concert Band, Matthew Coorey Concert Band, Waterford Concert Band, College Choir, Cantores, Elective Music Students and Soloists will showcase the event.
Tickets are available to purchase using TryBooking. Click here to purchase tickets.
You will need to be quick, only a few tickets remaining! Performers do not need to buy a ticket.
Entry: Adults $25, Children $15.
Location: Br R J Wallace Performing Arts Centre, 131 Birrell Street Waverley.
Performers should arrive no later than 5.30pm.
Hot food and drinks will be available to purchase from 5.15pm prior to the commencement of the concert. Some of the delicious offerings include: butter chicken and rice, steamed chicken and shitake mushroom or vegetable dumplings, pulled pork tacos, pies, sausage rolls, cakes and sweet treats.
PAC Supporters Group are looking for parents to assist with the evening. Please email: pac_supportersgroup@waverley.nsw.edu.au if you can help with donations or service on the night.
Raffle tickets are available from the Music Office and will also be sold at the Festival. Any unwanted tickets and monies should be sent back to school by Tuesday 8 June with your son. Please remember to complete your details on the dockets. Great prizes including musical instruments and vouchers. The raffle will be drawn on the night.
Ms Keiran Kossenberg
PAC Coordinator
E: kkossenberg@waverley.nsw.edu.au
The Matthew Coorey Concert Band and the Cliff Goodchild Concert Band rehearsing for the upcoming Music Festival
The Matthew Coorey Concert Band and the Cliff Goodchild Concert Band rehearsing for the upcoming Music Festival
The Matthew Coorey Concert Band and the Cliff Goodchild Concert Band rehearsing for the upcoming Music Festival
The Matthew Coorey Concert Band and the Cliff Goodchild Concert Band rehearsing for the upcoming Music Festival
The Music Supporters Annual General Meeting was held last Thursday, 13 May in the Performing Arts Centre.
The new Office Bearers for 2021 are:
President: Christina Leonard
Secretary: Joe Rede
Treasurer: Karen Birrell
Thank you to all those who attended the meeting. Your support and assistance is welcomed. Parents interested in being part of the Music Supporters Group are encouraged to email: pac_supportersgroup@waverley.nsw.edu.au to register your interest.
Ms Keiran Kossenberg
PAC Coordinator
E: kkossenberg@waverley.nsw.edu.au
The Music Camp this year was held at Naamaro in Lane Cove from 5 – 7 May. We had students attend from the Matthew Coorey Concert Band, Cliff Goodchild Concert Band, College Choir, Guitar Ensemble and Strings Ensembles. It was three days of intensive musical rehearsal and the obligatory talent quest at night.
I would like to congratulate all students on their exemplary behaviour and on the amount of musical output from these three days. I would like to thank all staff including, Mr Blenkinsopp, Ms Dolso, Mr Williams and Mr Lee for their generosity in time and for their professionalism. I would also like to thank Ms Kossenberg on providing such wonderful support in making the camp run as smoothly as it did.
Looking forward to the Music Festival!
Mr Chris Balkizas
Head of Music
E: cbalkizas@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Exemplary Behaviour at the Music Camp 2021
Music Teacher Ms Jaz Dolso with Students at the Music Camp 2021
Music Camp 2021
Congratulations to Oscar Wilson, Renato Rovacchi, Fox Stapleton and Isaiah Close-Brown for their collaborative submission in the annual Clancy Religious Prize celebrating creativity and spirituality. The students worked tirelessly during their lunch breaks and after school to create their reflection of the school’s unique history in Catholic Education to enter into the competition. Thank you to Visual Arts teacher Ms Turnbull for her support and creative guidance of these students over the past few months.
Waverley College ‘Clancy Prize Entry’ – contributing artists: Oscar Wilson, Fox Stapleton, Renato Rovacchi, Isaiah Close-Brown
The exhibition opening is at 6pm Friday 21 May, 2021 at the McGlade Gallery (Australian Catholic University) Strathfield campus, and will be on show until Sunday 30 May. Winners of the prize will be announced on opening night.
Bookings for the gallery exhibition opening can be made through:
Diane Merrilees at ACU | 9701 4140 | E: diane.merilees@acu.edu.au
The theme for 2021 explores celebrating 200 years of Catholic education in Australia.
The triptych is a collaboration reflecting Waverley College in how we know it, as a community. This triptych reflects our 117+ years of unique history of Catholic Education in the Eastern Suburbs. Each panel represents our school’s foundations and how this instills spirituality within its students. Furthermore, we also wanted to represent the longer history of the suburb of Waverley and the land our school sits upon. In collaboration with Year 11 student Isaiah Close-Brown, symbols are included that represent our school and the land of Waverley; as we believe this is much a part of our school as anything else, and to show the inclusions and diversity that we as Waverley students pride ourselves on.
Panel 1: Represents how Blessed Edmund Rice’s mission of Catholic Education has instilled in us as students to become a more whole person, with a mission to graduate from Waverley as a more rounded human being and to create a positive difference locally and globally.
Panel 2: Reflects Blessed Edmund Rice’s tradition instilled with Br. Brian Murphy (Teacher, Sports Master, Queens Park Groundskeeper). Br. Murphy started his career at Waverley in 1973, and he made an impact with students, the school’s sport and the spiritual guidance of the College. Now retired from teaching, Br. Murphy keeps strong ties with the Waverley College community, both on and off the sporting fields. Before school he can often be found greeting the students by name and with a handshake as they arrive. At the conclusion of his interview at Queens Park, Murphy, still a man of action, excused himself to dash across to the far field to assist with training.
Panel 3: Represents the key foundation of Waverley College, Blessed Edmund Rice. Edmund Rice was a man of action, offering his home to those that couldn’t afford education, and he enabled those people to live with hope in the future. Under Edmund Rice Education Australia, we at Waverley still strive to live out Edmund Rice’s mission with liberating education, within an inclusive community committed to justice and solidarity.
Good luck to these students and well done on their creative reflection of our College as we celebrate the bicentenary of Catholic education in Australia.
Ms Natalie Oates
Head of Visual Arts
E: noates@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Throughout term 1 and the beginning of Term 2, Year 8 students Renato, Oscar, Fox and Year 11 student Isaiah, have been working on a triptych artwork for the Sydney Catholic Schools Clancy Prize Art Competition.
This Friday, they will be submitting their work to Australian Catholic University (ACU), to be judged and exhibited along with other Sydney Catholic Schools. The theme for the this year’s exhibition is ‘Celebrating 200 Years of Catholic Education’.
The group of artists have created a triptych which reflects our own unique history with the subject matter of Blessed Edmund Rice, Brother Murphy and our own students. This is alongside elements that symbolise the land our school sits upon. The artwork emulates the unique school of Waverley in the eastern suburbs and how these elements combine to make Waverley.
On 21 May we invite everyone to come and view this artwork at ACU and the presentation of awards. We also wish the best of luck to Renato, Oscar, Fox and Isaiah for the competition selection process.
Ms Jenna Turnbull
E: jturnbull@waverley.nsw.edu.au
We thank Music Captain and Aungier House Prefect Harrison Palmer (Year 12), who volunteered to play ‘The Last Post’ on his trumpet at the ANZAC Day ceremony at North Bondi RSL on 25 April 2021.
Harrison proudly represented Waverley College and his great great grandfather, who was an ANZAC, and whose medals he is wearing. Everyone at the RSL was very appreciative of Harrison’s dignified playing.
Harrison Palmer with his trumpet on ANZAC Day 2021 at North Bondi RSL
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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