It was a case of third time lucky for this year’s Inter-House Athletics Carnival. There were some very tense moments as the grounds staff put up the tents in torrential rain and the Health and Physical Education staff set up the events. We were very fortunate and especially grateful that the sun made an appearance. We were able to have a great carnival with very good weather conditions.
We are extremely appreciative of the tireless work the grounds staff do in preparing the running track and field event stations given the challenge of the weather in the previous weeks leading up to the Carnival. The grounds looked spectacular, undoubtedly the best school facilities in the Peel Region and a credit to the work they do. It is obvious they take great pride in their job. I was also pleased with the support students showed as the clean-up of rubbish was minimal, and a number of students volunteered to help pack away after the event. There were even a few who helped out before the event which we were grateful for.
We try to make the day a mix of House spirit, competition and participation while providing an environment that allows students to mingle, relax and cheer on their mates. We try our best to appeal to the majority, but it is also an opportunity to provide competition for our elite athletes in their chosen events. So, while it is a fun day for most it is also an opportunity for our best track and field athletes to shine.
Congratulations to these individuals who have attained the most and second most points in our carnival. It is impressive to do well in one event, however, to achieve champion or runner-up at our carnival is truly a great accomplishment.
- Year 7 Female Champion: Li-Anke Fick
- Year 7 Female Runner-up: Imogen Jones
- Year 7 Male Champion: Robert Murtagh
- Year 7 Male Runner-up: Jake Thornton
- Year 8 Female Champion: Ella Polmear
- Year 8 Female Runner-up: Brooklyn Carmody
- Year 8 Male Champion: Darrell Elephant
- Year 8 Male Champion: Cooper Beard
- Year 9 Female Champion: Zoe Thompson
- Year 9 Female Runner-up: Isabel Boonzaaier
- Year 9 Male Champion: Dylan Sparkes
- Year 9 Male Runner-up: Micah Carmody
- Year 10 Female Champion: Amelia Holdich
- Year 10 Female Runner-up: Hitomi Cording
- Year 10 Male Champion: Reilly Hull
- Year 10 Male Runner-up: Josiah Dore
- Year 11 Female Champion: Chelsea Maley
- Year 11 Female Runner-up: Isabella Morrissy
- Year 11 Male Champion: Liam Riegert
- Year 11 Male Runner-up: Mitchell van Nus
- Year 12 Female Champion: Tess Purcell
- Year 12 Female Runner-up: Vanessa Baker
- Year 12 Male Champion: Albert Esterhuysen
- Year 12 Male Runner-up: Pierce Clay
We also had a number of long-standing records broken.
- Year 7 Male 800m - Jake Thornton 2:32.72 (old record 2:36.45 Reilly Simmons in 2015)
- Year 7 Male 1500m - Jake Thornton 5:21.44 (old record 5:26.63 Tasnim Mushrafi in 2018)
- Year 10 Female 1500m - Ryleigh Allan 5:30.88 (old record 5:36.97 Kirstie Hardstaff 2009)
- Year 12 Male Javelin - Albert Esterhuysen 47.23m (old record 46.71m Brett Mickle 2000)
Congratulations to these impressive individuals.
I would like to acknowledge the Heads of House as they have been successful in lifting the House spirit this year. Participation is our primary focus, and this is always key to the points tally. The Heads of House as well as House Seniors did a great job to ensure that each event had 100% participation.
Our Year 12 students led by example and continue to be very good role models for the younger years. This was highlighted by their participation in the 1500m, a great tradition that demonstrates the quality of students produced at our school.
Congratulations to Mr Byas the Head of Gordon who was able to encourage the ‘Green Machine’ to victory again, as they have managed to top both the Swimming and Athletics Carnivals in 2024.
Well done to all Houses as it was a fantastic day with great support, encouragement and athleticism, which is proof that the Frederick Irwin culture remains strong.
House Score Summary:
1st - Gordon 2676.3
2nd - Ellis 2606.5
3rd - Arnold 2543.4
4th - Rose 2506.3
5th - Barrett 1997.7
6th - Jamieson 1732.2
So Congratulations to all the students and staff of Gordon House in winning the Inter-House Athletics Carnival – Secondary for 2024.
This is our only whole secondary event with students from Years 7 to 12 participating. It takes a great deal of effort from all of our staff to allow for such a successful and enjoyable carnival. Our Physical Education teachers put in a number of hours and work hard for this event, but I would like to also acknowledge our staff that are well outside of their comfort zone. It is not generally part of a teachers’ jobs to measure the javelin or become experts in the rules of triple jump, nor is there much fun in plugging data into computers all day. Fortunately, our incredible staff value these experiences and sacrifice their classroom time to make this event the great success it always is. The positive involvement on this day by both the staff and students is testament to the strong culture at Frederick Irwin Anglican School.
Thank you to all involved in the day.
Kevin Watson
Head of Health and Physical Education