Somerset Mooting Club 2018
In one competition this year, our speaker was stopped ninety seconds into a presentation scheduled to last ten minutes and then questioned on the topic for some eight minutes before being asked to sum up their argument.
This year Somerset received an invitation to compete in two prestigious competitions namely, the Bond University National Moot and the Griffiths University Qld Moot. The Bond Moot attracted some 110 schools from across the country.
The competition was conducted in two stages. Firstly, there was the elimination stage. Here, 110 initial entrant teams were reduced to 10 ‘finalists’ teams. The second stage saw those ‘finalist teams’ compete for the two places in the Grand Final. This year we were extended the honour of submitting two teams. We chose to enter a Year 12 senior team and a Year 11 development team. The development team did very well and learnt a great deal about mooting that they were able to carry forward a few months later. The senior team did outstandingly well making stage two (last 10) of the competition. They were however not able to make the Grand Final which was eventually won by Scots College Sydney.
One of the highlights of our senior team’s performance was that Alexandra Gerrard received a ‘Speaker Award’. Alexandra was one of six other speakers chosen from a field of 200 speakers for this recognition. Congratulations to her on this special and rare achievement.
Each of the senior team members received a participation medal along with a personalised invitation to apply for a scholarship to Bond Law School. Finally, the College received a plaque to recognise the achievement of the team in making the national final.
The senior team consisted of Kydra Walden (Senior Counsel), Alexandra Gerrard (Junior Counsel), and Kirst Brodbeck (Solicitor). The Year 11 team consisted of Chloe Garrier (Senior Counsel) Ainsley McCarthy (Junior Counsel and Emmanuelle Svoboda (Solicitor). Congratulations to all.
The, College, was also invited to submit two teams to the Griffiths University mooting competition. This competition attracted some 20 entrants. Our Team consisting of Chloe Garrier (Senior Counsel), Lilly Thompson (Junior Counsel) and Emmanuelle Svoboda (Solicitor) were the winners. Our second team also did very well and were very close to tasting success. The second team consisted of Ainsley McCarthy (senior Solicitor,) Julius Wright (Junior Solicitor) and Marcus Ware (Solicitor). In addition, Chloe Garrier and Ainsley McCarthy won ‘outstanding speaker’ awards. Once again, congratulations to all.
On behalf of our team member’s I would like to recognise and thank Mr Coleman, Professor Gerrard and our Headmaster for their assistance and support. I we would also like to recognise and thank Bond University and Griffiths University for their work in conducting these great events.
R U OK Day
The main goals the organisation sets out to achieve are:
- Boost our confidence to meaningfully connect and ask about life's ups and downs
- Nurture our sense of responsibility to regularly connect and support others
- Strengthen our sense of belonging because we know people are there for us
- Be relevant, strong and dynamic
- Students were informed of the four steps of asking RUOK.
The students enjoyed some cake while listening to music and gathering on picnic blankets on the Quad during the lunch break.
2018 Fishing Camp Reflection
Tent envy soon ensued, as the two, six-person tents stood proud over their cramped neighbours. After dinner that night, we sat around the first campfire of many.
Early the next day, half of us got up and ready for the first deep sea fishing boat trip. Unfortunately, the sea was not on our side, and it was way too rough to leave the bay. Everyone was surprised to see the boat return so early, but at least they made it back in time for bacon pancakes (with maple syrup, of course). We did have some successful fishing trips over the next day, but we only caught fish that were either too small to eat, or poisonous.
It soon became clear we weren’t going to have much luck with the weather, either. The wind picked up, and dark storm clouds gathered above the campsite. It still didn’t stop us from exploring the island. We walked through a spider web covered sand track and found ourselves on the beach on the other side. Thankfully, unknowing that it would be the source of most of our entertainment, someone had packed a football. We played for a good few hours until the rain became too much, and we had to take shelter.
This became a reoccurring pattern throughout the camp; the sun would start to come out, we would walk to the beach, it would start pouring with rain. It seemed to us that trips to the beach were cursed. We spent a lot of time under roof of the barbeque site. It was during this shelter we became acquainted with the local wallabies, Winfrey and Clementine. We also became experts at Jenga and Uno.
Although we didn’t eat any fresh fish, food was a big part of the camp. When the weather was really bad, eating was the preferred way to pass time. Pancakes became acceptable for every meal. Luckily we had Master Chef Mr Solihin, who made us amazing green and red curries that were perfect in the cold weather.
On the last day, how quickly and easily we worked together to unload the boxes compared to Monday morning was proof of how much we had come together. We didn’t catch any edible fish during the camp, and the weather was mostly terrible, but we all got so much closer. We realised we were all feeling the same way about it being our last camp, and how close we are to being in our final year of school. The week was a reminder that we can always find support in our peers, and that we have more in common with each other than we think. Whether we remember the weather, the bacon pancakes, the wallabies, or the Jenga, none of us will forget the 2018 Year 11 fishing camp.
Year 10 Camp 2018 – An Adventure in the Bush
We hiked all over the place, hauling our packs full of food, water, clothes, and other equipment across the park. On one day we hiked over 14 kilometres out of Barney Gorge, a hike that was supposed to take up to seven hours, in as little as three and a half, taking in the beautiful scenery and singing songs as a group as we trotted up and down the terrain. Down in this gorge, we walked along the creek where we skipped rocks, swam in the freezing cold water, and built a little shelter out of fallen tree branches we found on our way. Luckily, we had very little rain despite unpromising forecasts.
Thursday gave rise to our biggest challenge yet, climbing Mt. Maroon, the second tallest mountain in southeast Queensland. We were faced with steep inclines, overgrown paths, and rock faces, sometimes resorting to our hands and knees in order to scale them, all while we carried our water and lunches in packs up the slope and only occasionally stopping to let those who fell behind catch up. In only an hour and 40 minutes, the “Somerset Gurkhas”, as Mr Evans put it, stormed up the mountain to take in the amazing panoramic view from the top, watching the rain fall on areas in the distance. Arriving back to base camp that night was a treat, as another group had arrived and we got to share our experiences from the week.
This really was an amazing experience for not just me, but everyone on the trip. The 14 students in my group got along famously, with plenty of conversation and always a good laugh. Whether there was stick battles or dance fights, there was rarely a dull moment for us. As a new student, I thought this was really an incredible experience, as I have never done anything like this before. I made some amazing new friends and strengthened the friendships I’d already made. I am grateful I was fortunate enough to go on this camp trip.
All the Year 10s, including me, who went on this trip are all thankful to all the staff members who made this possible, and who will continue to make it possible in the years to come.
Somerset Tops Gold Coast Primary Inter-School Chess Championship
- Our top team were once again Gold Coast Primary Teams champions, and our second team also qualified for State Finals.
A huge congratulations to our first team: Eason Wang (7/7 and individual gold on Board 1), Kenny Ming (7/7 and individual gold on Board 2), Anson Qu (4/7 on Board 3) and Raphael Atia (7/7 and individual gold on Board 4). Congratulations also to our second team, finishing equal fourth in Premier: Melody Yang (4.5/7), Michael Rossiter (3/7), Sophia Ahern (4/7) and Kona Baldock (3.5/7).
In A Grade, congratulations to Sasha Hanford on an excellent equal first place, 6/7. Sasha was fourth on tie-break and unlucky to miss out on a medal. Also winning ribbons of merit: Tyler Bethscheider and Kakeru Adachi on 4.5/7.
In B Grade, Caspar Crampton finished 6/7 and equal first, but also narrowly missed out on a medal due to tie-break. Somerset Team 9 won gold medal: Phoenix Crampton (5.5 and sixth place), Hugh Cromack (5), James Young (4.5) and Abhiraj Sarmah (4). Other notable results: Calen Tang (5.5 and seventh place), Elijah Hadikusumo (5), Benji Liu (5), Jacob Yuan (5), Jack Walker (4.5) and Harrison George (4.5).
In C Division, Ken Yang won the silver medal with 6/7. Merit ribbon winners with 4.5: Cooper Leat, Riley Jennings, Alonso Espin, Tamar Chester-Haviv, Liam Moore, Ryan Longfield and Annika Lim.
We also had two merit winners in D Division, both on 5 points: Noa Chester-Haviv and Adriana Smith. Grade 1 student Miranda Shum was a super-star in Division I, winning gold medal with 6.5/7.
It was an incredible day for all our 99 students that took part. Well done to every participant, not just to the prize winners. The State Finals will be on 20 and 21 October at St Joseph’s, Gregory Terrace.
Lyanna Chan at the Asian Girls U14 Championship
Year 8 student Lyanna Chan has returned home from her trip to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where she represented Australia at the Asian Girls U14 Championship. Lyanna finished on a score of 2.5/9, including a draw with a player rated 1633. Nearly all her opponents were rated higher than her, and the experience will surely prove invaluable for her future chess pursuits.
Upcoming Chess Events
- Somerset Junior School Inter-House on Friday 14 September after school
- Junior Masters on 15 and 16 September at Hinterland Hotel, Nerang
- One Day Challenge on Sunday 16 September at Hinterland Hotel, Nerang
- Nell Van de Graff Classic on 22 and 23 September at Hinterland Hotel, Nerang
- Holiday Chess Program Monday 24 to Wednesday 26 September
- Broadbeach Mall Tournament on Wednesday 3 October
Tennis Red Tournament
The four participating students were:
- Patrick Deacon
- Samuel Carson
- Lucy Pluss
- Inca Burdett
We had some great results.
- Patrick Deacon finished fourth overall.
- Samuel Carson finished 21st.
- Lucy Pluss finished ninth in her first red ball tournament.
- Inca finished 11th in her first red ball tournament.