From the start to finish, our attention and focus of the trip was mostly centred around providing service to the local communities and villages of which we visited. I personally would say, that whilst visiting the hill tribe school in the Chiang Dao district, being able to overcome the language barrier between us Somerset students and the students of the hill tribe school by simply smiling and enjoying each other’s company, provided a surreal sensation that I will never forget.
Over the course of 10 days in the Term Two holidays, 13 students from Years 7 and 8, accompanied by two very patient Somerset staff members (Mrs Sauer and Mrs Wheeler); attended the biennial Somerset College Thailand Trip. Throughout the majority of this trip, we were accommodated by an international school located in the outskirts of the Thai village of Chiang Mai.
Alongside spending time at the hill tribe school, our students and staff also had the incredible opportunity to visit, experience and learn more deeply about the Vien Ping orphanage; located in the heart of Chiang Mai’s city. This experience was incredibly eye opening for all of the Somerset students, I think I speak on behalf of all students who have attended the Thailand Trip, when I say that visiting this orphanage was definitely a highlight of the trip and I sincerely hope we have made an impact on the lives of the young orphans.
In addition to this, our Somerset group also adventured into the city of Chiang Mai; being where we spent the majority of our trip. Our days consisted of tiring but rewarding excursions including cycling to local farms, learning about rice planting by getting into the mud fields and trying the method first hand, visiting Thailand’s infamous Elephant Nature Park; which was one of my personal favourites, visiting sacred temples including the Doi Suthep Temple, having a sit down chat with a Buddhist monk, learning and cooking in our very own cooking class and trekking through Thai villages. However, by night time, we were venturing into Thailand’s busy night markets, where over the course of the trip we developed our skills at bartering, whilst we bought all sort of Thailand souvenirs and gifts for our family back home.
Finally, after seven days in the stunning Chiang Mai, it was time for us to depart for our final three days in the busy Bangkok. The surroundings of Bangkok were very contrasted to those that we had been used to in Chiang Mai. The peak hour train rides and walking through the city’s centre was enough to make us aware of the city we were in. Bangkok was a wonderful way to top off our once in a lifetime trip. Overall, the Thailand trip was an amazing experience that myself and all of the other students on the trip are extremely grateful to have been given the opportunity. We are certainly grateful to Mrs Wheeler and Mrs Sauer for taking us and sharing 10 wonderful days and to our parents who generously agreed to let us travel overseas and experience something so different and unique; an opportunity I am certain I will forever cherish.
It’s hard to think that those living so close to Australia can be living such a different life.
Although I badly wish to, I can’t improve everyone’s standard of living over there, but at least I can help make a few students' daily lives easier. For $25.00 each this can be done by providing solar light kits from ‘SolarBuddy’ for students to construct and write a personalised letter to PNG children. Many families in PNG live without power, a solar light helps them do homework, read, learn and benefit the whole family.
Mrs Grocott suggested that we use part of the Year 6s' Celebration of Entrepreneurship Kidpreneur profit to purchase 27 solar lights. In our Kidpreneur groups we constructed the lights and wrote letters to the kids. Originally I was going to deliver them in December but things didn’t quite go to plan due to troubles and a series of earthquakes in PNG, but these holidays I finally got there. My Dad organised for me to deliver the lights to students at the nature park. After I went on a nature walk with the students I handed out the lights and letters and spent time with them while they wrote replies. One girl even remarking in her letter, that it was the best gift she had ever received.
This initial connection has moved me immensely and it would not have been possible without everyone’s help in Year 7 (Year 6, 2017). To personally meet all these caring, positive and truly grateful students was a priviledge for me as I could see how much it meant to them to receive a solar light. This journey isn’t over yet. I’m yet to give the letters back to the students in Year 7 and I’m currently working with my teachers to make this an annual service activity for the Year 6 students to participate in.
I look forward to returning to PNG to deliver more solar lights in the near future to help provide those extra rays of light and brighten the smiling faces of these lovely people.
We hope that having the full day to wear jeans to school will increase participation and therefore funds raised!
All participants are asked for a gold coin donation which goes towards helping the Children’s Medical Research Institute conduct vital research which will help to save children’s lives.
Laver 8 will also hold a fundraiser stall on the day, where a host of blue consumables will be sold (blue for denim, not for Veivers!). There is also an online fundraising page where donations can be made here.
Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
We look forward to seeing the creative outfits that our Year 12s create this year!
After the official introduction we completed the individual’s competition. It was a difficult test, but I believe we all gave it our best try. Then we commenced the tour around the Brain Institute campus. We looked into some of the various technological devices being used for scientific research at the labs, as well as looking at the worm labs and extracting a strawberries DNA.
After lunch we took a bus over to the Brisbane Convention Centre to complete in the teams competition. After the two hour competition of reading posters and gathering information we placed second overall. It was an amazing effort from all members of the team putting in 100 per cent effort, which in the end paid off.
We received our medal and certificate on stage and collected our prizes. We then commenced the journey home from Brisbane all amazed at what we had just experienced at UQ. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience like no other.
Volunteers from wildlife rescue organisations all over Australia work tirelessly to care for sick, injured and orphaned animals, 24 hours per day, every day of the year. The most common reasons for rescue include habitat destruction, road traumas, attacks from domestic pets and foxes, poisoning from pest baiting and entanglement in barbed wire fencing.
Rescued animals are brought to their local wildlife hospital or RSPCA to get the medical attention they need. After assessment and treatment, they are discharged into the home of a wildlife carer. Rehabilitation of wildlife can include four hourly feeds around the clock, daily leaf collection, vigilant cleaning and lots of love.
Very young orphaned marsupials are kept warm and safe in fabric pouches until they are old enough to live independently. A wallaby joey may need up to 80 progressively larger pouches during its time in care, so there’s always a demand for more.
The MYP Sustainable Spartans group is dedicated to raising awareness about threats to wildlife and providing opportunities for members of the school community to become active in conservation. If you would like to find out more about making pouches for rescued joeys, please contact Ruby Jay at 29770@somerset.qld.edu.au.
In typical social Cricket fashion, the game had to be pushed back an hour, with the majority of players showing up 10 minutes before the readjusted start time of 11.00am. After winning the toss and electing to bat, Somerset’s own W.G Grace (the W stands for Walther) and I opened the batting on a slippery syntho wicket. Having kicked off a decent start of none for 18 off the first three overs, we began to look at a score of 140 to 150. After I retired at 25 off 14 balls, Mr Brad Cates came out to the wicket and play his usual technically correct game, as he and WG managed to push the score to 63 after 8 with no loss. Mr Stephen Walther battled through a chest infection to push and nudge the ball around in an uncharacteristic display, at one point being 3 off 15 balls. After Mr Cates retirement at 25, Mr Troy Zernike took to the crease and played a power game against some of Beechmont’s slower bowlers, optimised by a huge six onto the clubhouse roof at mid-wicket.
When Mr Zernike was bowled for 22, Somerset were 1 for 92 after 11 with Mr Walther battling his way to 9 off 22 balls. Mr Michael Fenton and Ms Kate Griggs put on a partnership of 18 after WG was bowled by a half tracker. Ms Griggs was particularly impressive scoring 5 in her competitive cricket debut. James Guy and Mr Scott Walsh managed to add some quick late runs with 25 retired and 27 not out respectively. Fill-in Dean Guy managed to be run out for a diamond duck (he scored zero runs without facing a ball) having slipped over and lost his bat when turning for a second in the last over. Mr Walsh’s cameo included three sixes and a four, hitting the last ball of the innings for a six so big it should have been worth 12! At the end of our 24 overs, Somerset had managed a score of 6 for 172, leaving a big chase for the home team.
After the luncheon break, Dean Guy and Mr Cates opened up the bowling terrorising the Beechmont batters with pace and late swing. Both went wicketless in their two overs conceding 8 and 2 runs, respectively. They were ably supported by first change bowlers Mr Fenton who bowled a typically hard to hit length and Ms Griggs. When Lab Technician Mr Nathan Loh made the all-important double breakthrough with both openers removed by sharp catches, Beechmont were 2 for 57 after 12. Mr Loh was a late call-up into the team after the withdrawal of two players, in true social cricket style having not played cricket for ‘about 10 years’ but bowled like his last game was the weekend previous. I think we have uncovered another one of Mr. Walther’s ‘secret weapons’ for the Staff against Students match later this year.
James Guy came in and rolled over his economical, Queensland national title winning left arm orthodox with great effect. Able to extract the little turn offered by the slippery syntho wicket, Beechmont struggled to find the momentum required to chase the nearly 10 an over asking rate. Mr Walther’s fearsome off-breaks, zooter, doosera and fabled half-trackers managed to starve off any hope for Beechmont recording figures of 1 for 22 off 2. Mr Walsh’s wicket keeping was particularly impressive across the entire innings, proving to be Somerset’s answer for MS Dhoni with bat and gloves!
Wickets were shared around in the later stages of the innings with M. Guy (1/6 off 2), Mr Zernike (1/15 off 2) and Mr Walsh (1/7 off 2) all stifling the lower order. The match came to a tame end with Mr Fenton (1/13 off 3), James Guy (0/21 off 3), Mr Loh (2/27 off 3) and Ms Griggs (0/26 off 3) all being rewarded with third overs. Beechmont 9/153 after 24 overs, a Somerset victory by 19 runs.
Finally, I would like to thank Mr Walther and Mr Lunniss for assisting with the organisation of the match, the Beechmont Cricket Club for hosting us and providing lunch for both teams and all of the staff who participated and those who didn’t play but had an interest in the game.
Jade Mansell and Katherine Plume fought hard in their pair coming a very well deserved third place. Jade also came away from the regatta with a bronze in the School Girls Open Single Scull.
It was great to see some of the younger rower’s shine through over the weekend. Zak Van Da Brink claimed a bronze in the Under 14 Years Single. As well as Harry Jordan and Callum McClure who rowed themselves to a silver medal in the Year 8 Double Scull, then backed it up the next day with a silver medal in the Year 8 Quad Scull joined by Raffi Anderson, Xavier McMullen, and Jasper Mansell.
The Year 11 and 12 boys finished the regatta with a glorious race in the Open Quad Scull. The crew of Julius Wright, Blake Mills, Marc Eksteen, Aidan McKeon and Jasper Mansell came away with a gold, and Declan Thew, Joe Lanham, Lachlan Munro, Cian Muenster and Austin Macrossan came away with bronze.
I would like to extend my thanks to Olivia Sina and Reuben Mansell for all their help over the weekend, ensuring everything ran smoothly. Another thank you goes to Greg Juniper, who drove the bus early each morning. And a very special thanks to all the parents who made the trek out to support, especially the parents who help to set up the tents before the regatta.
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