The Pine 2025 Term 3 Week 10

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From the Headmaster

Deputy's Dispatch

From the Chaplain

Primary Matters

Primary Term 3 Wrap Up

Captain's Corner

Grateful!

In my various Captains' Cornerarticles and school speeches, I have tried to repeat a few ideas.

We live in a world where people are very conscious of what other people think of them. People are worried about how many likes their social media post gets and if they 'fit into certain groups'.

The only opinion that you should care about is God's. Whatever anyone thinks of you does not matter.
So the first idea I would like to leave with you all is to Live YOUR Life, not the life that others want you to live.

Secondly, people like to wait. We like to wait for the 'right moment'. We wait for the right time.
When you wait, you miss out. Later you forget; later, you regret.

So my second idea is to Start Now.
We all have something to start, something different every day. Maybe you want to start building study habits, maybe it's to start using your phone less, maybe it's to start being more patient. There is no better time to start than right now.

Mr Weber believes that the science lab is cursed. Because something always happens where one boy starts laughing, and it becomes contagious. When someone starts laughing in the science lab, every other boy begins as well. Laughing is contagious; joy is contagious.
So my third idea is to be cheerful. It makes you happy, it makes everyone around you happy.

And the last idea that I think is really important can help you achieve happiness. People are unhappy because they worry about themselves. So my last idea is to look outwards rather than inwards. Consider how you can help others, rather than focusing on yourself.

When you help others, you feel a sense of fulfilment and happiness.

Thank you, Wollemi, for everything.

Thank you, boys, for being part of our journey and for all the fun times and memories.

Thank you to the office ladies for running the school and for your constant care and support in looking after us.

Thank you to our teachers. Thank you for all of your efforts and time. Thank you for caring for us, for being with us, for pushing us to be the best version of ourselves possible.

Thank you to our mentors. Thank you for your guidance and for always being there for us.

Thank you to my Class of 2025. This has been the most awesome experience, and I love you boys so much. I can't believe that this is about to end. Thank you for the fun times, the memories, the support, and everything.

And the last idea (I promise that it's the last one) is to be grateful. Year 12 are so grateful for all that we have received. Wollemi is such a great school, and we will miss everything.

Thank you, Wollemi.

Matthias S, School Captain

Student Life

Year 8 Father & Son Camp

We arrived at Point Wolstoncroft. The view was beautiful, and we enjoyed skimming rocks on the water before sitting and relaxing. The beach was covered in mussels and clam shells, and after being questioned about it, our instructor, Jake, told us that it was a place where Aboriginals put all of the shells of the shellfish they had eaten. The ride back was a race (which Mathew C just won, beating me by a couple of meters). We fished for a while before Father Anthony celebrated Mass.

After Mass, we dined on an excellent lunch of burgers, which, I must say, was spectacular. After lunch, the two groups were separated again. We were very keen to sail, and the conditions were perfect, much better than the morning session, apparently. Most of us picked it up fairly fast, and we got pretty fast. Races were won and lost, and altogether it was pretty fun. We fished again, swam, and just relaxed until the Father and Son talk, and then, after that, we had dinner.

Dinner was schnitzel with chips and (to please the mothers) salad. After dinner, we had a bonfire. We were split into groups to do skits on the topic “Lost in the bush”. This had various takes on it from “The Terrifier” to "The Stupid Pilot”. They were all very amusing.

We said the Rosary, said some dad jokes - some of which were very funny and some … not so much. Then we played charades, which was going great with Top Gun from Mr Baird and Mission Impossible from Mr Grus, but of course the question asked was, “Can we do teachers?”. It stopped after maybe 13 teachers, most of whom were guessed before the people went up. Mr Williamson had to be sworn to secrecy :). We were dismissed pretty quickly. Murder in the dark was attempted, but stopped pretty quickly. We relaxed together, joined the dads for a barbecue and then all went off to our cabins to fall asleep at various times.

We were all awake by 7:00am. We played ping pong, talked, walked and just chilled. We went to have breakfast at 8:00am and then most of us fished till Mass at 9:30am (celebrated by Fr. Anthony again). After Mass, we had a few hours of free time before a lunch of honey soy chicken wraps. Most of us departed then; the rest just relaxed and packed up before departure.

I would like to finish this by thanking Father Anthony, Mr Williamson, Mr Johnsonand everyone who was involved in making the camp as enjoyable as it was. And of course, thank you to the dads and sons who attended our LAST EVER father and son camp. We will definitely miss it :)

Charlie B, Year 8