Dear Parents and Friends of Duggan

House,

I am sure that you are enjoying the

company of your sons at the moment as we

are half way through the holidays. The

weather here at Rostrevor is beautiful; 28

degrees today. The groundsmen have been

busily preparing the ovals all week in

readiness for the cricket season which will

commence at the beginning of Term 4. I

even noticed the sprinklers were working

this morning when I went outside to check

things out! It is such a marked contrast in

such a short time from the wet and cold

winter which has now, hopefully, passed

us by.We were all relieved to see the end

of third term which seems to pass so

slowly once the school football season

ends.

Towards the end of third term there were

a number of significant events which are

worth mentioning. Year 11 students were

asked to nominate for leadership positions

for 2013 and I am pleased to say that 15 of

our current Year 11 cohort put themselves

forward for consideration. Unfortunately,

as we all know only too well, “many are

called but only few are chosen”. Of the 15

boys, eventually, after a comprehensive

selection process, 3 boys went on to be

appointed a Prefect for 2013. These lads

are Tom McCarthy from Bordertown,

Jake Spain from Broken Hill and

Zac Ingles from Roxby

Downs. Each of these

boys impressed the

selection panel

immensely and we are

rightly proud of their

achievement. Tom is to

be Captain of Webb

House, Jake, Captain of

Barron House and Zac is

Head Boarder, Captain of

Duggan House.

We are equally proud of all boys who

were nominated and feel the depths of

their disappointment at not making the

‘final cut’. However, we will try to use this

experience as an opportunity to teach them

a little about life and how to develop

‘resilience’. Much has been written, in

recent years, about young people and the

need for them to become more resilient in

the face of life’s disappointments. The fact

is that everyone will face, at some time in

their life, a situation which affects them

adversely or where they will be greatly

disappointed by some result which they are

not expecting. They, and indeed all of us,

need to be able to face these circumstances

and get on with our lives in the knowledge

that our characters are not defined by our

disappointments but by how we face up to

and deal with them. I have tried to explain

to those lads who did not get selected that

the result does not reflect their

shortcomings but simply the shortage of

leadership positions. We will look for

other ways for them to show leadership

within Duggan House in the next twelve

months.

An important part of that process is

participation in the Year 11 to 12

Boarders’ Leadership camp to Victor

Harbor in the last weekend of October,

26th to 28th. This is an Exeat weekend at

the end of week 3 of Term 4. We have

been holding this camp for a number of

years now and the feedback has always

been positive. It will be an opportunity for

next year’s Year 12 cohort to spend some

time together, getting to know each other

better and thinking about how they can be

good leaders in Duggan House in 2013. Mr

Paul Belton, Deputy Principal, and I will

take the boys down on Friday after school

and bring them back in time for lunch on

Sunday. They should have plenty of time

Making Duggan House your son’s home away from home, by encouraging the development of an atmosphere which is both affirming and secure, and in which each person displays a healthy respect for themselves and the rights of others.

Important Dates for Term 4, 2012

October 8th: Boarders return from 4.00pm

October 22nd: Year 12 lessons finish

October 26th-

28th:

Year 11 Boarders’ Leadership

camp at Victor Harbor & Exeat

weekend

October 29th: Year 12 Exams commence

November 3rd: Spring Fair

November 14th: Year 12 Boarders’ Dinner in the

Pavilion

November 15th:

Year 12 Graduation Dinner at the

John Di Fide Centre, Windsor Gar-

dens

November 21st: Presentation Night for the whole

College at the Convention Centre

November 23rd: Swotvac for Year 10’s and 11’s

preceding final exams

November 25th &

26th:

New Boarders’ Induction from

6.00pm

December 4th: Final Day for students in Years 9,

10 & 11

December 7th: Final Day for all other students

October 2012

“Big brothers”, Aaron Pollard and Gary Warren, share a meal

with Year 7 boarder, Dylan McGregor-Baptista.

to do any set homework when they return.

The weekend will also be a good

opportunity to explore ways in which to

involve more boys in more specific

leadership roles within the House next

year.

The highlight of the last week of term 3

was High Tea which was held on

Wednesday, 19th September. The theme

for the night was “footy” (surprise,

surprise) and guest speaker was Mr Barrie

Bryan, who, while remaining at the

College as a teacher, has resigned after

eleven years as Coach of the First XVIII

football team. Barrie gave a very

interesting and informative talk about his

time as Coach with special mention of

those boarders, who in his time, have

contributed to the College’s on-field

success. Being a teacher, Barrie could not

help but spend time drawing lessons from

the experiences of his time as coach and

passing on much helpful advice to his

audience. We thank Barrie for giving up

his time to speak to us and wish him all the

best for his next coaching endeavour.

High Tea has traditionally been time to

announce special Awards for the term just

passed. In term 3, “Boarder of the Term”

was awarded to Zac Ingles, 2013 Head

Boarder. Zac has been a great role model

for all boarders in many aspects of

boarding life. Encouragement Awards

were given to Geoff Green, Andrew

Smulders and Dylan Tilmouth. In addition

to these awards, it was decided to give a

new award to a boy or group of boys who

carried out their allocated jobs in Duggan

House, reliably, thoroughly and

energetically. Winners of this award for

Term 3 were Sam McKay, Shawn Harvey

and Matthew Williams. Well done, boys!

As we look to the final term of the year

we can expect a term which will be busy

and relatively short. All boys are expected

to return to Duggan House on Monday, 8th

October between 4.00 and 9.00pm. We

would appreciate it if you could notify us

of any difficulties you might have in

meeting this schedule or if your son needs

to be collected from the Central Bus

Station or Airport late at night. Whilst I

will not be back in Adelaide until late on

Tuesday night, 9th October, David

Mazzarelli and Andy Miller will be there

to meet you if you are bringing your son

back to school this term. We still plan on

holding a Parents’ meeting at 5.00pm as

we normally do. Tanya, Ian and Tara will

make sure that the meeting is run and

recorded as is the custom. The main topic

for the meeting will, no doubt be the

Spring Fair to be held on Saturday, 3rd

November. Many families have already

generously donated items for the raffle,

silent auction or for sale on the Boarders’

stall on the day itself. We are still hoping

for more donations of things to sell on the

stall; things like cakes, jams, various

sauces and spreads, eggs, honey, wine,

olive oil or anything else you may cook,

bake or make that we can sell on the day.

Michelle Jaeschke, Michelle Cousins and

Katy Forbes will be happy to talk to you

about any of these matters should you need

advice or clarification on what would be

suitable. Literally anything you can

produce, we can sell!

Please consult your Rostrevor Calendars

to check dates for important events in the

final term. Some events have been

changed slightly to be more convenient for

those taking part. For example, the Year

12 Graduation Dinner will now be held

on Thursday, 15th November and the Year

12 Boarders’ Dinner will be held the night

before on Wednesday, 14th November.

Whereas the Thursday night event is a

more formal occasion, with limited seating

October 2012

Boarder of the Term, for Term 3, 2012,

is Zac Ingles pictured here receiving

his Award from Mr Paul Belton, Deputy

Principal at High Tea on 19th Septem-

ber. The theme for High Tea was

“footy”. Ever the optimist, Zac was

wearing a Greater Western Sydney Gi-

ants top. Mr Belton played over 200

SANFL games for Port Adelaide and

West Adelaide in the 70’s and 80’s and

is well respected amongst the local foot-

ball community.

Guest Speaker at High Tea in third

term was Mr Barrie Bryan, retiring

coach of the First XVIII. Barrie was

coach of the team for 11 years during

which time the team experienced both

lows and highs. New Chef, Dieter Georg, who com-

menced at Duggan House in Term 3

has proved a big hit with the boys who

appreciated his great cooking and his

desire to accommodate their tastes as

well as their needs in preparing inter-

esting and appealing meals.

available for boarders and their families,

the Wednesday night will be more relaxed

with more room for extended families to

attend in our own Pavilion. The Boarding

Resource Fee will cover the cost of the

Boarders’ Dinner for each Year 12 boarder

and two members of his family. Any other

family members who would like to attend

will need to pay a small fee. Usually this

event is held the night after the Year 12

Graduation Dinner but this year, because

of its proximity to “Schoolies Week”, our

function has been brought forward to

Wednesday evening, the night before the

Graduation Dinner for all Year 12

Rostrevor students.

In looking at your Calendars you will

notice that there is a period of time

between when most Year 12’s will have

finished their exams and the date of the

two farewell events. Boys can remain in

Duggan House during this time provided

they continue to abide by our House rules

and procedures. If they are not

prepared to cooperate with staff

then they will need to find

alternative accommodation. Most

boys, especially those from South

Australia will most probably

prefer to go home when they

finish their school commitments

and return for the Dinners and

Graduation ceremonies in week 6.

If unsure, they are most welcome

to discuss their options with me

when they return after the

holidays.

Once Year 12’s finish exams it

will be the turn of the Year 11

and Year 10 students to have a

day’s ‘Swotvac’ on 23rd

November followed by their final

exams in week 8. The Annual

Presentation Night will be held

on Wednesday 21st November, a

day before then; all boys in

residence on that night, will be

expected to attend in full winter

uniform and will be bussed to and

from the venue by us. The cost of

their tickets for Presentation

Night and transport will be paid

from the Boarders’ Resource Fee.

Please remember that as,

sometimes in the past, there has

been confusion amongst some

parents. Boarders’ tickets have

been pre-paid. Family members

will need to purchase their own

tickets (but not their sons’).

As you can see, the pace of life in

Term 4 will be frenetic. Mixed in

with all of the above will be

Summer sport, New Boarders’ Induction

and High Tea. Year 10 and 11 students

will be required at school until Tuesday,

4th December, which is longer than in

previous years. This is to accommodate a

process whereby they will receive

feedback from their exams and begin the

preparation for next year. No boys will be

allowed to leave until after school finishes

on 4th December. Darwin and Alice

Springs boarders will travel on

Wednesday, 5th December. Your

cooperation in ensuring that this ‘exit’

process goes smoothly would be

appreciated. The year then finishes for

those boys left in Years 7 to 9 on Friday,

7th December at 12.55pm. Staff will

remain at school undertaking Professional

Development activities until Wednesday,

12th December.

With the new term nearly upon us there

are a couple of important points I wish to

make with all parents and caregivers.

Firstly, with regard to the Leave process,

please check your son’s Leave details

carefully; don’t just accept what he tells

you and, if unsure, speak to either Tim or

myself before giving approval. Most Leave

forms do not give enough detail as to what

the boys are going to do on their Leave

and how they are getting to and from their

destination. Please ring us NO LATER

THAN 9.30pm on Thursday night for

Leave. There has been an increasing

tendency for parents to forget to ring and

confirm leave on time. This puts staff in a

difficult position where they are asked to

make exceptions from the Leave rules.

We will be stressing with the boys this

term that they must be back from leave

within the allocated time and that if they

get back late from leave they miss out the

next week. Sunday night is especially

important. I believe that there are some

families who are not really supporting us

by allowing their sons to remain out later

on a Sunday and come back after Mass at

5.30pm. Attendance at Mass each

Sunday evening is a non-negotiable and

we expect parents, wherever possible, to

support this each week. Sunday evening is

also a study night. Friday and Saturday

night are recreation nights when it is more

appropriate for boys to be on Leave.

Enjoy your remaining holiday time with

your son. Remember that Term 4 is

Summer Uniform – no ties and no blazers!

Mr. Peter Oswald

Director of Boarding.

October 2012

Remember,(L to R), Nick Cummings, James Talbot

and Chris Eynon who were with us from July 2010

to July 2011? They recently sent me this photo of

them graduating from their Degree at the Univer-

sity of Bath. They are now enrolled in programs

which will enable them to, one day, work as teach-

ers in the British education system.

Teamwork is a valued commodity in

Duggan House. Here, Christopher

Swan from near Kings Creek, NT, helps

Karl Kopp from Alice Springs with the

difficult task of getting the perfect tie

Shane Duffy (left) and Stuart Rowlands (right)

came to say farewell to staff shortly before they

left to go home in late term 3. Both lads chose to

remain in Duggan House and help out after their

original ‘contracts’ finished. They will be sorely

missed.