No. 4, Term Four, 2020

The Girls played their tournament on Friday October 23. The first match was played against our rivals King's Christian College. It was a great game from both sides, ending 2-all.

Somerset won the following three games against Calvary Christian College, St Andrews Lutheran College and Islamic College, to make it to the semi finals versus Islamic College. The girls won for the second time to make the Finals, again facing King's.

After the earlier game, the girls knew they faced a tough challenge and had to perform their best to become the best of South Queensland. And the girls did it! Great teamwork made for great goals and brought us to victory.

Well done Sarah Nickels, Natalia Zotti, Ellie Davies, Zara Ryan, Ari Thake and Georgie Zerbst. Big thanks to Coach Nigel who worked with the Girls during the Futsal season.

After success from the girls, Monday October 26 was the opportunity for the Under 8 Boys. Only having two Under 8 teams qualify meant both teams were automatically placed into the final.

During the day the Boys played the Under 9s from King's Christian College, Calvary College and Faith Lutheran College. It was a great opportunity to practise against futsal players a year older. They picked up new tactics and set pieces.

The boys were all pumped for the final. In the first minutes Somerset created many changes but couldn't get the ball in goal. The side then managed a goal and gave the team confidence until end to book a well-deserved win over Calvary. Congratulations to William Baillie, Danny Wang, Harper Loon, Conner Millar-Martin, Zhander Griffiths and Oliver Ng.

Big thanks to Coach Sean who coaches the team in Futsal Club. It was evident the experience from playing Club helped during the school tournament.

For any questions about Futsal at Somerset. please contact our Head of Football and Futsal. Maarten de Kruijf mdekruijf@somerset.qld.edu.au

These bags continue to be available for sale in The Collective each Wednesday. All proceeds from the bags will be used to buy local native plant seedlings for the Creek.

What has evolved from a blend of pagan and Christian tradition, and fuelled by commercialism, is a social festival, a celebration of having the young amongst us and the joy that the laughter in little voices brings.

Tomorrow night, Gold Coast streets will be full of tiny caped and masked marauders threatening terror if their lolly buckets aren’t filled. Adults have already spent over-budget to be prepared to comply, not out of fear of the little monsters but instead of being known as “those” neighbours who have no lollies and therefore must have no hearts.

My wife and I have set a pattern of being a go-to stop for these costumed beggars, just for the joy of it. I set up spooky sounds in our garage, we hang spidery webs from our shade sails, and even occasionally dress up (me a ghastly clown, she a purple witch). I have found that I can inflict my own little horror on the urchins as they reach in to get their booty by snapping the bottom of the lolly bag which causes the items to dance crazily like little demons. Oh, the shrieks. I am judicious in my choice of candidates, most laugh, teens sneer and “phht”, but none have cried. Yet.

All of this plays out under the watchful eyes of the guardians of the ghouls. The parents and carers, some also in costume, many with their own sugary (usually fermented) confection - in liquid form – chat with each other in the street. They also often chat with us. We rarely know each other’s names, but what we do share is a sense, for this one night, of being a community.

And here is the point, Halloween in Australia in the 21st century is a celebration of neighbourhood. Where people who live close to each other share a sense of belonging to each other. Where children encounter adults who, though not related by blood or friendship, share the gifts of acceptance and laughter with them.

The fact that nearly every other message children receive is about wariness around strangers, and the hectic round of school, work, music and multiple sports obligations, means that real community is not often found in Australian neighbourhoods. We live in houses bounded by 6 foot fences, or on sprawling acreage, or in dense high walled apartment and unit blocks where no one plays in the street and community is sometimes only experienced as a shy wave and a quiet hello when there is a coincidence of arrival or departure at driveways.

Our desire should be to change this, and those who have turned their neighbourhoods back into communities will attest to the value of doing so, but for most of us we need to settle for what is offered to us. This weekend, it is a carnival of little people who know nothing of the history, and care not much for their loot, they just want to have fun and laugh. It is not time for the grown ups to judge or analyse, but for this night to become children too and marvel at the joy.