“Quit yourselves like men! Strive and strike again, with bodies fit and minds in fettle, if strewn your path with rose or nettle”…

Well, as Old Boys you know the rest of the song, and despite its age the words are remarkably fitting for these times. The COVID-19 lockdown has taken our shed, boats and Regatta’s from us for the time being, but the Old Collegians' Rowing Club will carry on regardless.

Don’t let the lockdown fence you in, come and row with the “virtual” crew at the Old Collegians' Rowing Club. If you have access to an ergo and WhatsApp, then you are all set to join our home rowing training program from wherever in the world you find yourself. What better way to dig into some fitness goals and enjoy some great banter in the months ahead. You will get to mix (social distance compliant) with an entertaining bunch of characters spanning generations. We are in all shapes, sizes and ages so there is a place for the novice through to the Masters competitor and everyone in between.

The ergo programs are being assembled by rowing and fitness professionals, so variety is guaranteed along with the ability to build and track progress towards a personal goal. Wade Ruffin (OC 1984) is a guru in crafting creative formats. You will get more out of this than you put in and, with the dark winter months ahead, this will be a great avenue to fuel both heart and mind. There may even be the opportunity to battle the Grammarians and Churchie Old Boys in a virtual regatta if that catches your fancy to battle once again with rivals of days old.

We officially kicked off our COVID-19 ergo program on Monday 30 March with three ergo sessions a week. The response to date has been great with the existing club welcoming an array of new virtual members with Old Boys spanning the ranks from 1973 to 2018. One week in, and the club has rowed a cumulative total of 381km’s – an outstanding effort.

Speaking of outstanding effort and achievement, let’s acknowledge OCs Elliot Apel (OC 2014), Mac Hamilton (OC 2003) and Jack Kibble (OC 2016) who along with coach Randall Martin (OC 1990), were selected to represent Queensland in the 2020 Kings Cup VIII. Alas the shroud of the virus lockdown has since scuppered the 2020 race; a challenging situation given the countless hours of effort expended. Look out for these lads in the future as adversity has a knack of building champions.  

Finally, the great thing about virtual rowing is the endless capacity, so don’t hold back. Please contact Adrian Humphrey (OC 1984) on mobile 0417 625 919 or Andrew Clough (OC 1987) on mobile 0473 888 880 to find how to “on board” for the COVID-19 ergo training.

Two Old Collegians were honoured late last year at the 14^th annual Lord Mayor’s Business Awards on 18 October 2019, a City Hall gala ceremony attended by Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner and over 650 members of Brisbane’s business community.

Cr Schrinner took to the stage to present a special Lifetime Achievement Award to Scott Hutchinson (OC 1976), Chairman of Hutchinson Builders.

“The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented on discretion to an outstanding finalist who has contributed greatly to Brisbane in their lifetime,” Cr Schrinner said.

“Mr Hutchinson has not only led the rise of Australia’s largest privately-owned building company but has also helped keep Brisbane’s music scene thriving through advocacy and investment in The Triffid and The Fortitude Music Hall.”

The Singapore Airlines Award for Young Business Person of the Year went to Jonathon Runge (OC 2002), founder and CEO of VostroNet.

“A vision to improve the delivery of internet within Australia led Mr Runge to establish what is now a leading provider of high-speed internet and fibre networks across the Asia Pacific,” Cr Schrinner said.

“Within just five years, VostroNet has grown to service over 25,000 connections to hotels, co-working spaces, student accommodation and residential apartments.”

We congratulate these two Old Collegians on their outstanding achievements, and are very proud to count them amongst the members of the BBC Clan.

Taehwan Kim (Highest Achievement by an International Student), Xavier Catford (Distinguished Academic Achiever) and James English (Distinguished Academic Achiever).

See below for a summary of BBC's Class of 2019 results.

An important aspect of BBC’s student wellbeing model is the ASPIRE Positive Education Framework, designed to guide the delivery of Positive Education by focussing on the development of essential human skills or character strengths. 

As part of our OCA Centenary celebrations this year, we are seeking to compile a list of 100 Notable Old Collegians who embody these character strengths, and who will serve as an example to inspire our boys to face the world with courage, compassion and conviction as future-minded and inquisitive life-long learners, caring citizens and resilient individuals. 

The ASPIRE Positive Education Framework:

As mentioned in the last newsletter, we will be sharing the stories of some of these notable Old Collegians with the BBC Community over the coming months, and we start with Rear-Admiral Galfrey Gatacre CBE, DSO (OC 1920) 

After enlisting as a Naval Cadet in 1921, ‘Gat’ became a navigation specialist and served on the Rodney. He played a major role in the tracking and subsequent sinking of the WWII German Battleship, the Bismark.  Gatacre was Captain of the Arunta and ANZAC before becoming Commander the 10^th Destroyer Squadron. The aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne was commissioned as the flagship of the Australian fleet and Galfrey was appointment its First Captain, and Flag Officer of the Australian Fleet. Rear-Admiral Gatacre’s distinguished career spanned 43 years and he is BBC’s most highly decorated Serviceman. 

Aspiration - Altruism: Fairness, Leadership and Teamwork

There are so many more names to add to this list, and we are asking for your contributions. Just basic information is all that is needed for our College Archivist, Helen Jackson, to do further research.  Please contact Helen at hjackson@bbc.qld.edu.au

The 2020 GPS Championships saw our BBC swimmers achieve an overall place of 5th with a total of 225.5 points – the 3rd highest total points for a BBC team – even more than two of the three years that we placed 3rd! Our swimmers had 19 podium placings – nine at 1st place, four at 2nd place and six at 3rd place. The crowd of BBC supporters was in fine voice throughout, demonstrating the true BBC spirit.

BBC Cricket achieved many successes during the 2020 GPS season, where the influence of rain and COVID-19 saw a season reduced in matches. The Third XI, 10A, 10B and 10C teams all finished the season ‘undefeated’, an outstanding achievement. In addition, seven other teams (Second XI, Fourth XI, 11A, 10D, 10E, 8A, 8D) all finished in the ‘top three’ for their respective competitions.  Congratulations to the BBC Cricket First XI who secured the GPS Premiership (joint with GT) for the first time since 2003. Special thanks to First XI coaches, Jarrod Turner (OC 1999) and Mat Cox (OC 2003). This is the College’s sixth GPS Cricket Premiership and one that will be remembered for years to come. 

After consistently finishing in the top three all season, the Rowing 1st VIII suffered disappointment by finishing 6th at the GPS Championships. Despite this, the boys showed true BBC spirit and conducted themselves in an exemplary manner at the dinner afterwards, where they enjoyed sharing their journey and experiences.

Senior A Debating finished 4^th overall with 11/19 teams finishing in the top 3. Thanks to our new MiC Larry Huynh who revamped the program and ensured quality experiences were delivered throughout the term.

First VI Volleyball finished 4^th. Final collation of results is currently being prepared given the truncated season

GPS Sailing championships have been postponed, and we hope to provide an update later in the year.

BBC Music launched their 2020 concert season in March with the Twilight Concert. More than 230 musicians from the Junior, Middle and Senior School performed for a sold-out College Hall audience with performances by the Pipe Band, Big Band, Collegians, Colla Voce, Camerata, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, College Strings, Junior Strings, Action Strings and College Symphony.  Click here to view photos from the event.

GPS Music Showcase was a wonderful occasion where the true 'spirit of fellowship' amongst all GPS schools was on display. The dedication and hard work put in by students and staff over the years was evident and resulted in an enjoyable event which truly showcased the immense talent and creativity of our students and staff.

The six-episode series The Season 6 follows the BBC Rugby First XV throughout the 2019 season as they aim to be the greatest team in the College’s 117-year history. The ebb and flow of the team’s fortunes are experienced through the prism of high school sport, with cameras capturing life on and off the field as the players balance school, work and play as the GPS competition approaches.

Filmed throughout 2019, the main narrative is chronologically driven by the First XV GPS season but the critical human-interest content revolves around BBC’s broad co-curricular offerings including our many sports and activities, the globally recognised Pipe Band and Robotics programs as well as our nationally recognised Music, Theatre and Service Learning opportunities.

The documentary culminates not in Championships or Premierships, but instead in greater life lessons that will prove more valuable than any trophy or title. It is a story of perseverance, resilience, leadership and teamwork that reaches beyond any individual boy into the heart of our College and our mission to produce men with the confidence and capability to change the world.

The Season 6 episodes 1 - 4 are now available to view on the BBC website

To mark the centenary of the OCA, we have produced a Centenary Cap designed to capture the history and spirit of the OCA. This limited edition OCA Cap is designed and produced by Old Boys to commemorate the centenary of Barney Rudd forming the Association in 1920, the year after many returned from active service in WW1.

The Cap features high quality embroidery, original OCA badge, full War Cry along brim; blazer stripe under brim, with 'Old Boy' emblazoned on the back and Centenary dates on the side. A unique OCA item of memorabilia for all Old Boys.

Proceeds from the sale of the OCA Centenary Cap will go towards supporting needs-based bursaries for the sons and grandsons of BBC Old Collegians.

Purchase your OCA Centenary Cap for $35 from the College Shop. Contact Trish Hennigan on phone: +61 (0)7 3309 3523 or email: shop@bbc.qld.edu.au. Alternatively, if you would like to have a cap posted to you, please call Carol Stephens on +61 (0)7 3309 3526.