By Mrs Liz Illingworth, Principal

There are so many things to celebrate at St Patrick’s College.

For the first time since 2019, all planned activities in the first weeks of College life have returned and are taking place with no restrictions - how lucky are we that things are returning to normal? 

Already our Year 9 students have attended Camp; Croagh Patrick tours have occurred; our Middle and Senior Schools have had their Swimming Carnivals; Year 8 Reflection Days have commenced; several Year 7 Core groups have been on Camp; the Croagh Patrick Athletics Carnival was today; students have worked at the Red Hot Summer Concert and the Launceston Cup in Hospitality; School of Rock rehearsals are well underway; Cricket, Tennis, Rowing and Basketball are in full swing; and importantly all learning is underway and students are engaged in their classes.  

As we celebrate great things, there are always challenges and ways to improve.  As part of continuous improvement, it is important that we as a College look to feedback and are always open to change.  

We hope that you, our parents and guardians, who have chosen to send your child/ren to St Patrick’s College, are encouraging each to fully be a part of College life.  

Being a part of the St Patrick’s College community means embracing what we are about. This means that we are each committed to living the College's Values out each and every day, and showing our membership of the community through our actions and participation in our community.

I encourage each of our students to be a part of our ‘Community’.

Ash Wednesday and Lent

Last Wednesday our students came together in their House groups to participate in Liturgies for Ash Wednesday.  Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent and the Lenten period, leading up to the death of Jesus on Good Friday and celebrating His resurrection on Easter Sunday.   For Catholics, Lent marks a period of fasting, praying and almsgiving.

During our House Liturgies, students were asked the following questions, given time to reflect and challenged to work to be the best version of themselves:

Do I show love and respect to those I love? 

How have I reached out to those around me - my family, neighbours, friends, the poor and the marginalised?

Have I set a good example through my words or actions? 

Do I treat others fairly? 

Do I speak of others with kindness and generosity? 

Am I judgemental or compassionate? 

Do I put into action my gifts and talents, or have I become complacent and lost interest in my involvement? 

Do I show care and respect for all of creation including animals, their habitats, and the ecosystems of our world? 

What can I do to promote sustainable living?

As a College, we support Project Compassion.  The theme for 2023 is 'For All Future Generations', and it reminds us that the good that we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come.  It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues. We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through your prayers and contributions to Project Compassion. We can show our commitment to our value of Social Justice by participating in Project Compassion and supporting those in need through our small donations.

I look forward to seeing many of you at our ‘Meet the Tutor Evening’ on Monday 6 March.

By Ms Kate Rockliffe, Director of Catholic Identity & Mission and Head of Learning - Religious Education (Yrs 11-12)

Pilgrimages

Students enrolled in Year 11 Religion undertake a number of pilgrimages in Term 1. Pilgrimages are religious and spiritual journeys, undertaken by Christians and other denominations, and this includes journeys such as the Camino Santiago, Aussie Pilgrimage, the World Youth Day Pilgrimage, or the pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick in Ireland. In these pilgrimages, the pilgrims walk long distances to reach a sacred place.

Our Year 11s undertook their pilgrimage to The Church of the Apostles, walking from the Main Campus at St Patrick’s College, and travelling via the Gorge. Another pilgrimage around Longford is planned for later in Term 1.

Shrove Tuesday

Middle School and Croagh students enjoyed a feast of pancakes on Tuesday 21 February to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday marks the last day of the liturgical season before we start the season of Lent.  Lent is a time of fasting, prayer and reflection in preparation for Easter. In Australia, Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Tuesday as we eat pancakes as a final celebration before this time of fasting. 

The Year 11 Exploring Issues class, guided by Mr Joshua Martin, cooked hundreds of pancakes for the Middle School, while a team of Croagh students did the same for their peers in Year 9, with Mr Jack Prosser at the helm.

At both Croagh and the Middle School, a wonderful group of volunteer students served the hungry hordes a delicious concoction of pancakes, ice cream and syrup, with the money raised from pancake sales kicking off our fundraising efforts for Caritas’ Project Compassion. An immense thank you to students who volunteered their time and energy to cook and serve pancakes and to the staff who assisted!

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday was observed by the College on February 22, with each sub-House, Croagh, and students on camp participating in Ash Wednesday services concurrently across the campus and in the south of the state. This year’s Ash Wednesday service was based on Father Michael Tate’s Ash Wednesday ‘Stardust’ liturgy, which presents the notion that we are all ‘lively stardust’, with immense energy and potential, and that God’s love will provide us with a new starburst.

Students were asked to examine their conscience and consider the following actions over Lent:

• Thanking God for our existence as earthlings with a fantastic destiny. This expression of gratitude to the Creator is itself Prayer, the first of the pillars of Lent.
• Living a little more simply for the traditional forty days in imitation of Our Lord’s fasting before embarking on his public ministry: Fasting, the second pillar of Lent.
• Being generous during Project Compassion, for we share the same genesis as every other human being. Our common humanity obliges us to share what we can: Almsgiving, the third pillar of Lent.

By Mrs Rachel Hamilton, Head of Learning - Religious Education (Yrs 7-10)

How many taps do you have in your house?

At our Ash Wednesday service, Tutor groups were provided with a small Caritas Project Compassion donation box. But what is Caritas and why should we donate? Caritas is an international Catholic charity that tackles global issues like food and water insecurity, national disaster readiness and gender-based violence. Its name was chosen because, in Latin, this word means love and compassion. In Year 8 and 10 Meaning, Values, Purpose and Spirituality (MVPS), social justice issues like these are a key theme.

On Monday 20 February, I had the privilege of attending the inaugural Caritas Project Compassion launch at The Church of the Apostles in Launceston, presided over by Father Ben Brooks. Three Year 8 students accompanied me: Karen Aganas, Daniel Wojcik and Xavier Reis. All three participated in the service and read superbly along with Grade 6 students from St Finn Barr’s. 

We were fortunate to hear from Caritas Australia's Richard Landells from Caritas Australia speaking about their work. Caritas is currently on the ground delivering emergency aid in Syria and Turkey after the devastating earthquakes. They are also in Ethiopia, a country that has been ravaged by internal conflicts and protracted drought. Richard spoke of visiting a woman who had to walk 15 hours every other day for water for her family. Imagine the joy in villages where Caritas is able to provide a central tap that brings clean water to the whole community. In a Question and Answer session afterwards, Leanne Prichard from the CET, asked students to close their eyes and to visualise how many taps, both inside and outside, they had in their house. This was to include both taps in the shower and bath as well as in sinks. I realised that I had 18 taps, how privileged am I…

Deacon Michael Smith provided a very fitting homily about why we should take the words of Jesus to heart and and provide help to others who live in situations of desperate poverty. Here it is in full, and it is worth a read: 

A little while ago I heard this story from a lady who worked in graphic design. They had received a request from a small local church that wanted a sign made for a promotion they were attempting. They needed a picture, a symbol in the form of the whole world being covered by the hand of God. They made a proof to send to the church for approval before printing. The church came back and said that the world looked really good but the hand was far too human, could she make it look more like God’s hand?

My question is, if you had to draw the hand of God, what would it look like? Would it be old or young, would it have fingernail polish or wearing rings, would it be the size of my hand or small and delicate. But if we are truthful the Hand of God would be all these forms and many more because Jesus tells us that,

“I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.”

This means simply that each time we extend our hand to help those in need we are indeed extending the hand of God. The amazing thing is that the hand of God that is extended, looks just like ours.

There is an old saying that if you give a person a fish they will eat well tonight but if you give a person a fishing rod and teach them to fish then they will eat well tonight and every other night as well. It sounds easy but I might be able to buy a person a fish but would I know anything about fishing?

The thing is that we as individuals, can only do so much on our own. To have real effect, we need to come together as a community, we need to share our wealth, our knowledge and our talents with others who lack these capabilities themselves. This is what Jesus is asking of us and Caritas and Project Compassion give us the opportunity to do just that. By raising funds for Caritas we fulfil the last line of our Gospel today when Jesus says;

“I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me”. 

So, this Lenten period, let us all join together to bring these words of Jesus alive, to raise those funds that are vital in allowing the work of Caritas to continue, and more importantly, enabling the hand of God to spread all over the world.

Stay up to date with Launceston Catholic Parish news via their weekly bulletin. 

Read the latest issue. (PDF – 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) - 26 February 2023)

By Mrs Belinda Chapman, Retreat & Reflection Day Coordinator

Reflection Days have begun at Prospect Park, with Year 8s spending time together, as a class, to reflect on the College Value of Individuality. Through games, stories, discussions, activities, deep pondering and creativity, they have taken the opportunity to discover how they are loved and accepted as themselves. We noticed how sometimes we think we need to be like someone else and how some messages in society would like us to think that we need to change ourselves.  Unlike individualism, our individuality is found within community when we see and accept ourselves as unique, special and worthy and see everyone else’s individuality in the same way – all threads in a beautiful tapestry.

By Mrs Alanna Stretton, Deputy Principal - Learning & Achievement

As part of St Patrick's College's ongoing commitment to continually improving its teaching and learning, a new initiative that we are introducing to help our teachers improve their teaching skills is a program allowing them to record some of their lessons.

These recordings will be used for self-analysis purposes to help teachers identify areas where they can improve their teaching. Additionally, these videos may be shared with other teachers within the school to allow them to provide feedback on their colleagues' teaching. This will help us to create a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement among our teaching staff.

I want to assure you that the privacy and confidentiality of our students will be of the utmost importance. The recordings will be used solely for professional development purposes and will not be shared with anyone outside the College. Only designated staff members will have access to these recordings. It is not possible for any recordings to be copied, shared or distributed outside the platform.  The focus of the recording is on the teacher and teaching practice, so no students or parents will be able to view the recordings.

We believe that this initiative will ultimately benefit our students by improving the quality of instruction they receive.  Thank you for your continued support of our College and our teachers. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. 

By Ms Jodie White, Future Pathways Coordinator

Future Pathways provides career-related information and support to students and their parents/guardians. We can help with planning which subjects and TASC courses to select and researching potential career paths, as well as supporting students in their search for a part-time job.
 
Our regular newsletter updates provide dates for tertiary applications, traineeships/apprenticeships, current job vacancies and much more.
 
We're available to meet by appointment during study periods, lunch, or after school. The Future Pathways Centre can be contacted on 6341 2976 or by email at careers@stpatricks.tas.edu.au

Tasmania Police Career Development Program

Apply now for the 2023 Year 12 Tasmania Police Career Development Program for the July and October school holidays.

Collect an application pack from Future Pathways. The application requirements include the following:

• A résumé with a passport-size photo (the size of a Schoolbox photo)
• A handwritten document outlining why you should be selected for the course and why you want to be a Police Officer
• A letter of recommendation from a teacher 

There are limited places available. Applications must be submitted to Future Pathways by Friday 24 March.

EARLY UNIVERSITY APPLICATIONS FOR 2023

Get the advantage! Apply now for an early offer at Charles Sturt

Charles Sturt wants you to have the best possible start to your next chapter. With the Charles Sturt Advantage, you can get a guaranteed spot in your course before you sit your final exams. Last year Charles Sturt made almost 6,000 early offers.

Apply by Friday 7 April, to receive an offer in May!

Apply now at https://publicrequests.csu.edu.au/public/csu-advantage/csa-early-offer 

Australian National University – Early Applications are Now Open

ANU’s Direct Applications for domestic undergraduate applicants have opened (for study in 2024).

Key points to consider:

• Applications for 2024 domestic undergraduates close Tuesday 23 May
• There is no charge when submitting an application
• Applications are open to domestic school leavers studying an Australian Year 12 qualification
• There is only one application for ANU, and it includes admission, guaranteed on-campus accommodation and access to over 200 scholarships in one form

ANU contact details for future student enquiries can be made by calling 1800 620 032 or by the University’s website contact form https://www.anu.edu.au/contact-anu/future-students-enquiry  

Experience a paid Gap Year abroad with Letz Live

Whether you just need a break from life at home or you want to immerse yourself in another country’s culture, Letz Live offers paid Gap Year experiences in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the United States and Thailand. The Gap Year programs for 2024 are now open with applications closing on Friday 9 April 2023. Click on the link to apply: https://www.letzlive.org or collect a brochure from Future Pathways located in the St Mary MacKillop Library.

Reasonable Adjustments For Students with an Impairment, Disability, Disorder or Medical Condition

By Mrs Lindsey Hills, Director of Curriculum – Senior School & Ms Alexa Headlam, Senior Psychologist, Student Wellbeing Support Services 

The Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification (TASC) provides students with Reasonable Adjustments to support equitable access and opportunities in the completion of their senior secondary studies and assessments. These adjustments are made with the intention of enabling a student to demonstrate the required knowledge, skills and standards of the courses they are undertaking; thus supporting equitable access and participation. The adjustments provide equity and fairness for all students while preserving the integrity of the assessment process. 

TASC considers the following grounds for eligibility for Reasonable Adjustments are: 

1. Formal Diagnosis condition, impairment, or disability (as defined in the Disability Discrimination Act, 1992). This includes, but is not limited to: 

• Physical disability
• Vision impairment
• Hearing impairment
• Medical condition
• Psychological disorder
• Specific learning disorder

1. Misadventure (e.g. injury, accident) 
2. Refugee student status (length of time in Australia)
3. Personal Circumstances (causing disruption to schooling or cultural obligations, e.g. death of a close family member, religious obligations)  

Further details are available on the Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification website, Reasonable Adjustments Policy at https://www.tasc.tas.gov.au 

Applications need to be submitted to TASC by St Patrick’s College by Wednesday, 31 May 2023. Applications for Personal Circumstance/Misadventure open Thursday, 1 June 2023. The College will commence the application process in Term 1 to ensure it is fully prepared by the due date. Students in Year 12 who had Reasonable Adjustments granted for a permanent condition in 2022, will automatically receive the same in 2023 and do not need to reapply. Reasonable Adjustments will apply to arrangements for internal exams and tests.

Please be aware that formal written supporting evidence from a medical or mental health professional is required for an application based on a formal diagnosis of a condition, impairment or disability. This will outline the condition and describe the Reasonable Adjustments requested. In the case of refugee status, a copy of the visa will be required. For a misadventure application, the evidence could be in the form of a  medical certificate, a statutory declaration, a police report or a death certificate. 

Please be aware that some students will need to undergo further psychoeducational assessment. Further information regarding this requirement can be obtained from Ms Alexa Headlam – Senior Psychologist. 

Please contact Mrs Lindsey Hills, Director of Curriculum Senior School or Ms Alexa Headlam, Senior Psychologist, Student Wellbeing Support Services as soon as possible if you believe your young person may be entitled to Reasonable Adjustments for exams and/or assessments for TASC Level 3 and 4 subjects. 

By Mr Shaun James, Director of Pastoral Care - Croagh Patrick

The recent Year 9 camp to the Tasman Peninsula was an incredible experience for all who attended. With activities ranging from challenging walks along the Cape Hauy and Cape Raoul trails, to learning about our nation's history at the Port Arthur Historic Site, and taking a thrilling Pennicott boat cruise around Tasman Island, the students were able to learn about themselves and each other in a unique environment. The positive impact of the camp was particularly evident in the connections forged, and strengthened relationships between students. The shared experiences of the camp brought students closer together, building a stronger sense of community and fostering a supportive environment that will continue to benefit them throughout the year. Feedback from the various accommodation and service providers was extremely positive and highlighted that our students’ interactions with the wider public were demonstrative of maturity, respect and humility. Overall, the camp was a resounding success and provided students with memories and experiences that will last a lifetime.

By Ms Sally Angus, Director of Curriculum – Croagh Patrick

The alternate camp program at Croagh Patrick was a huge success, offering the students a unique and valuable opportunity. One of the stand-out activities of the week was the mock job interviews, which allowed students to practice their interview skills in a low-pressure environment. The students were very well-prepared and enjoyed the opportunity to meet and chat with members of the public in a formal interview situation. They all rose to the occasion and I was extremely proud of the way they prepared and conducted themselves. A huge thank you to Ms Jodie White and the Future Pathways team for all the work they put into this program. 

The students enjoyed a range of other activities, including Science demonstrations, some convict research, a library scavenger hunt and our annual Gome Group versus Home Group tug of war to finish off the week. Overall the program was a great success, and I thank all the staff who supervised activities for making it a memorable experience for the students. 

Shared by Mr Patrick Moroney, Deputy Principal – Wellbeing & Leadership & Mrs Mallory Schipper, Wellbeing Coordinator

Mr Martin Heppell and our The Resilience Project team are holding an online Parent and Guardian presentation for our College on Thursday 23 March from 6:30pm - 8:00pm (90 minutes) AEDT.

What You Can Expect
Through emotionally engaging stories and practical strategies, this session will help parents and guardians understand the benefits of letting go of shame, perfection, ego and control. It will combine powerful research with candid storytelling, along with a few laughs to help support what is arguably the toughest job in the world... being a parent or guardian!

Why a Parent & Guardian Presentation?
When building positive mental health in schools, we know the best impact happens when we work together.

The Authentic Connection presentation helps do just that by sharing those same evidence-based strategies being taught in the classroom, so they can also be practised at home and beyond. Attendees will also be reminded of the importance of their own wellbeing - we bring the best versions of ourselves to our family and community, when we make time to look after ourselves.

Registration is required.

Due to our whole College St Patrick's Day Mass, the Front Offices at the Main Campus and Croagh Patrick will be closed on Friday, 17 March, from 10:00am until 1:00pm.

Dr Rebecca Seward - EAL Learning Leader

On Monday 20 February, families from our Myanmarese Chin community celebrated Chin National Day. The day is an opportunity for all cultural groups from within the Chin State of Myanmar to come together to celebrate their unique cultures and to continue calls for peace, independence and recognition of Chin peoples. Our students marked the day with beautiful cultural performances, dancing, singing and speeches. 

Myanmar is a country rich in language and culture. There are over 100 minority languages spoken in addition to Official Burmese. At our school alone, we have students who speak Hakha, Tedim, Mizo, Matu, Mindat and Falam. As a school community, we stand with our Myanmarese students as they work to preserve their unique cultures and strive for peace and stability in Myanmar. 

What does Chin National day mean to you?

“Chin National Day means that we pay our respect to every Chin culture and we celebrate with others to appreciate how we love each other.” - Phillip, Year 10

“This year Chin National Day was amazing for me because it has been eight years since I have been to Chin National Day. It was so fun to dress up and eat a lot of food. To me, Chin National Day helps me remember my country and people from Chin State.” - Biak, Year 11

All the best to Ally Wilson, who will be travelling to Coffs Harbour to play in the Inferno National Touch League senior tournament for Touch Football. Good luck, Ally!

Congratulations to Josh Milich, for his recent golfing success. Josh won the A Grade Championships, played over four weekends at the Prospect Vale Golf Club.

Congratulations to Lily Smith who recently broke the Under 15 Girls 100m record at Little Athletics.

Well done, Patrick Young! You excelled in the way you participated in the War Cry challenge.

By Mr Harri O’Tool, Sports Coordinator

Middle School & Senior School Swimming Carnivals

Last week we held our Middle School and Senior School Swimming Carnivals. These were the first swimming carnivals run in the pre-Covid format since 2019.

It was wonderful to see students' House spirit on display, participating in races, novelty events and House cheers – led by the irrepressible House Captains and House Heads. It was also great to have parents return to spectate and volunteer. Thank you to all who joined us!

In the Middle School carnival, MacKillop won the Under 13 Boys, Under 13 Girls pennants and Tenison won the Under 14 Boys and Under 14 Girls. Overall, Tenison came away with the win with 1288 House points.

Rice House won the Open Girls and Open Boys pennants, and Tenison won Under 16 Girls, Under 16 Boys, Under 17 Boys and Under 17 Girls, with Tenison winning the House Shield with a total of 1579.5 points. 

Two records were also broken in the Senior School carnival by Blake Stretton in the Open Boys Butterfly and Jack Cramp in the Under 16 Boys Backstroke. Congratulations, Blake and Jack!

Thank you to all the staff involved for making the day such a success for the students. A special thank you to Mr Tony Cullen for his work in coordinating the staffing and to my co-organisers, Mr Karl Michael and Mr Craig Boon, for all their efforts. 

YEAR 8 CRICKET RESULTS

Saturday 25 February 2023 - Round 1
SPC 8/103 (30) def LCS 8/64 (18)

Batting Performances: Cameron Nicholas 14, Jett Patterson 13*, Sam Ward 11*, Tahj Jones 7, Jonty Glover 6* and Xavier Hampton 6.

Bowling Performances: Xavier Hampton 3/4 (2 overs), Jonty Glover 2/5 (2 overs), Sam Ward 1/8 (2 overs) and Owen Woolridge 1/16 (2 overs).

By Mr Harri O’Tool, Sports Coordinator

Middle School & Senior School Swimming Carnivals

Last week we held our Middle School and Senior School Swimming Carnivals. These were the first swimming carnivals run in the pre-Covid format since 2019.

It was wonderful to see students' House spirit on display, participating in races, novelty events and House cheers – led by the irrepressible House Captains and House Heads. It was also great to have parents return to spectate and volunteer. Thank you to all who joined us!

In the Middle School carnival, MacKillop won the Under 13 Boys, Under 13 Girls pennants and Tenison won the Under 14 Boys and Under 14 Girls. Overall, Tenison came away with the win with 1288 House points.

Rice House won the Open Girls and Open Boys pennants, and Tenison won Under 16 Girls, Under 16 Boys, Under 17 Boys and Under 17 Girls, with Tenison winning the House Shield with a total of 1579.5 points.

Two records were also broken in the Senior School carnival by Blake Stretton in the Open Boys Butterfly and Jack Cramp in the Under 16 Boys Backstroke. Congratulations, Blake and Jack!

Thank you to all the staff involved for making the day such a success for the students. A special thank you to Mr Tony Cullen for his work in coordinating the staffing and to my co-organisers, Mr Karl Michael and Mr Craig Boon, for all their efforts.

YEAR 8 CRICKET RESULTS

Saturday 25 February 2023 - Round 1
SPC 8/103 (30) def LCS 8/64 (18)

Batting Performances: Cameron Nicholas 14, Jett Patterson 13*, Sam Ward 11*, Tahj Jones 7, Jonty Glover 6* and Xavier Hampton 6.

Bowling Performances: Xavier Hampton 3/4 (2 overs), Jonty Glover 2/5 (2 overs), Sam Ward 1/8 (2 overs) and Owen Woolridge 1/16 (2 overs).

By Mr Deon Birtwistle, Head of Rowing

St Patrick’s College Rowers returned to training in early January this year and have successfully competed in four major regattas already this term. 

North Esk Rowing Club Long Distance Races (11-12 February)

This is a local event on the Tamar River. The start and finish line next to our rowing shed at Riverbend makes an exciting atmosphere.

Smaller boats race 7km out to the Grammar Rowing Shed and back on Saturday, and the Eights race 11km out to the University of Tasmania and back on Sunday.

Our 10 entries across the regatta are one of our highest recorded and have a number of great results across each category.

One of our Year 8 boys crew (Thomas Tanton, Sam Dettmer, Beau Furlonge and Jasper Twitchett, coxed by Dane Furlonge) placed 1st overall and posted the second fastest time. Two of our senior girls combined with club teammates to achieve the fastest overall time in the same race. Our Year 11 boys crew, David Wilkins, Thomas Mineall, James Humphreys and Harry McGovern, coxed by Year 10 Arzaiah Bird, posted the fastest time in their Fours race and then combined with their teammates, some in Year 10, in their Eight on Sunday and posted a second fastest time overall.

View the North Esk Rowing Club Long Distance Races results

The 2023 Tasmanian State Club Championships (18-19 February) 

This regatta is the pinnacle of state-level racing and an incredible experience for school rowers learning to take that next step in rowing.

Age categories start at Under 17, meaning most of our rowers will race against older competitors. We achieved some mixed results in tough headwind conditions, either in non-championship events or divisions. Some rowers combined with their club teammates in state championship events 

View the State Club Championships results

Schools Regatta Number Three (25-26 February) 

It was an incredible weekend of weather for racing. St Patrick’s College competed in 91 races across Years 7-11, from 8:00am to 4:00pm daily.

Many high performances, challenging races, close finishes and a load of teamwork were experienced by all rowers.

Notable efforts included a number of singles races, such as Year 7 Gabriella Tonelly blitzing the field, earning the fastest overall time, Alexandra Pietsch (Year 8) and Kirrilly Jones (Year 9) fighting all the way to the line, which was fantastic to watch and Year 8 students Colby Crawford and William Brewer competing for the first time in a single with result in their fields.

Our two Year 8 Boys Quads won their divisions, Year 9 and 10 girls achieving strong seconds, thirds or fourths. Our continually improving Open or Under 16 girls and boys achieved some solid results while taking time out to help, guide and nurture our younger rowers.

This included Schoolboys Open Quad Scull 1st place and a new personal best time by four seconds (Harry McGovern, Declan Rae, Jack Clark, David Wilkins and Christopher Kingston).

Schoolboys Open Eight improving with each row and new personal best time by two seconds (Andrew Kingston, Corren Buck, Harry McGovern, Declan Rae, Thomas Mineall, James Humphreys, Jack Clark, David Wilkins and Christopher Kingston)

Notable performances were by Andrew Kingston in the Schoolboys Year 10 Single Scull, who, after a bad start, rowed from last place through the field to take 1st place by 4 seconds, and in the Schoolboys Open Single Scull, Declan Rae won 1st place. 

Finally, our support groups (parents and volunteers) covered fundraising canteen duties, coaching multiple teams, packing, unpacking and driving rowers to and from the world-class venue.

UPCOMING EVENTS

 St Patrick’s College is positioned very well for the last three regattas for this season. 

Launceston Henley Regatta on Tamar (4-5 March)

For another local event this weekend, we have up to 100 entries across all age groups. The Regatta is accessible to spectators from the local parks and Riverbend areas, starting early and finishing at approximately 2:30pm each day. This year we will have a special event, a commemorative row to celebrate Mr Alan Kitto. A local and long-time rower who passed away last year with an amazing legacy of volunteering and working with the College –  in a number of ways beyond rowing. Alan’s main involvement occurred in the 1980s and continued until the 2000s. 

Image above: 1995-96 Rowing at Lake Barrington in The Alan Kitto. Courtesy of the Archives.

In 1986 a new coxed quad boat was purchased by St Patrick’s College and named the Alan Kitto. Many rowers throughout the 80s and 90s recall learning to row in the Alan Kitto and this weekend, the composite timber and fibreglass boat, will be rowed one last time by our Rowing Captains, Ashlee Cherry and Jack Clark, joined by junior rowers Rahni Milne, Thomas Tanton and coxswain, Christopher Kingston.

Tasmanian All Schools Championships (11-12 March)

This regatta will be held at Lake Barrington. The College will be participating in heats in most races on Saturday and Championship races on Sunday with independent and public schools involved. 

SATIS Head of the River (Saturday 18 March)

Then our final event is the Head of the River, which provides an opportunity for our rowing community to celebrate the season's end together and the sport that we thoroughly enjoy.

Caitlin Clippingdale (Year 12), has followed in the footsteps of Wynyard world champion Jessie Andrewartha by emerging victorious at the Mirror Dinghy Sailing National Championships. Caitlin partnered with Hobart sailing companion Rose Landon to take home the youth title from the four-day, 10-race event in South Australia in December. 

Together they had earned the title of State Champions back in March and placed eighth overall against robust competition from South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. 

Good friends for many years, Caitlin and Rose travel to either end of the state every week to sail together at Deviot and Kingston Beach and had support from 'Mirror Class legends', David and Jenny Graney, in the lead-up to the Championships. 

Caitlin and Rose are now bound to compete in the 2023 Mirror Dinghy World Championships in Sligo, Ireland, this July. With the weekly training schedule seeing them travel between Kingston and Launceston, and their upcoming international travel ahead of them, they are raising funds to assist with the costs of competing at the World Championships. 

If you are in a position to support Caitlin and Rose, no matter how small, your contribution will be invaluable. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to them, you can visit the Australian Sports Foundation website by clicking the link below.

https://asf.org.au/projects/ca...

If you’ve been thinking about enrolling your child at St Patrick’s College and haven’t yet had the opportunity to visit, or would like to learn more about College programs and facilities, then please join us for an informative and interactive session on Wednesday, 29 March.

The session is an opportunity to learn about every aspect of the College, including our pastoral care system, subject areas and curriculum, and our sport and cultural programs.

Choosing a school community is an important family decision. If your child would like to attend the session, they are most welcome. Together you will hear from staff and students about College life and what’s on offer. The session will include an introductory presentation, a walking tour of the Middle School and opportunities to get answers to any questions you may have.

Registration is essential.