Dear Parents of St Leo’s Residents

In September ‘23, I wrote my first Parents’ Newsletter shortly after starting my role here at St Leo’s. And now here we are again, reflecting on Term Three of 2024 like no time has passed.

Before we dive into all the Term Three action, I wanted to share some highlights from the semester break.

Throughout June, 27 Leonians participated in The Push-Up Challenge to raise funds for men’s mental health. This initiative was planned by the residents themselves, and together they raised $240 for The Push For Better Foundation, an organization which promotes mental health through connection, education, and wellness.

Every year, the St Leo’s rugby team runs a rugby camp before the start of semester II. This year, the team was fortunate to access the facilities at Ballymore Stadium. Over three days, the boys utilized the gym and tennis courts for fitness sessions, the fields for training, and the pool for recovery. To conclude the week, they joined a crowd of 23,164 rugby fans at Suncorp Stadium to watch the Queensland Reds take on the Welsh Dragons.

On Sunday, 4 August we opened our doors to the public as part of the 2024 UQ Open Day. This is always a special day for St Leo’s as we showcase our residents and facilities to potential Leonians and their families. My favourite part of the day is when a St Leo’s Old Boy passes through with his family. While the parents and sons are interested in our facilities and chatting with residents, the Old Boys just want to revisit the Junior Common Room (aka The Snakepit) and their old bedroom. I’d like to extend a massive thank you to our Students’ Club Executive, Residential Assistants, and all our volunteers for their hard work on the day.

The 2024 Archbishop Sir James Duhig Memorial Lecture & Dinner was held at St Leo’s on Tuesday, 6 August. This event is the longest-running annual college public lecture at The University of Queensland and arguably the most prestigious event held at St Leo’s. Over the years, the Duhig has featured leading Australians, including serving prime ministers, leaders of the opposition, high court and supreme court justices, premiers, influential media personalities, novelists, musicians, playwrights, and business leaders. First Year Resident Darcy Bouwman performed the night’s musical interlude with an acoustic solo of “More Than Words” by Extreme. I wish I had a video of Darcy’s performance to share with you—he was excellent!

Robert Caslick, founder of Two Good Co., made history by being the first St Leo’s College Alumnus (’95 – ‘97) to deliver the Duhig. It was a full-circle moment, and we’re incredibly grateful and proud of Robert for returning to share his inspiring journey with our current residents. His words touched everyone in the room. His speech was recognized with a standing ovation.

Rounding out August, we welcomed dads and families to the College for our annual Fathers’ Day BBQ. Despite temperatures reaching middle 30s and a faulty detector setting off the fire alarm, we managed to grill up some tasty treats, enjoy cold drinks, and share plenty of laughter.

The Francis and Kassulke rugby match has been moved to a Wednesday night to better align this game with UQ Sport’s event schedule. In a very close match, Kings won in the second half, 17-12 after Leo’s led at half-time. Leo’s finished in fourth place on the rugby ladder.

The results from Term Three’s Inter-College Council (ICC) Sport and Cultural competitions are as follows:

• Basketball – 5th Place
• One Act Play – 6th Place
• Soccer – 7th Place
• Badminton – 7th Place
• Art Show – 8th Place

Michael Bongers, Dean of Students and Ben Duffy, Student Club Vice President, hosted a networking evening that brought together St Leo’s alumni and current residents. Over 100 residents attended, engaging in breakout sessions with twelve Old Boys from diverse professional fields, among those Business, Management, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Public Relations, Communications, Medicine, Dentistry, Health Sciences, Engineering, Sports Exercise, Clinical Exercise Physiology, Built Environment, Landscape Architecture, and Information Technology. The event fostered meaningful connections and discussions, allowing residents to build new relationships and explore various industry insights.

In July, a group of Leonians shaved their heads to raise money for the Leukemia Foundation as part of the World's Greatest Shave. They raised an impressive $3,526, exceeding their fundraising goal by over $1,000. A huge congratulations to everyone involved, with a special shout-out to First Year residents Sam Adams, Julien Mezieres, Jesse Gordon, Jock Menzies, and Zac Davidson, who were the top five fundraisers.

Parents of Third Year residents will have received a “Save the Date” for our Valete Luncheon on Saturday, 26 October. The formal invitation will be posted later this week and I hope to see you all there as we honour and celebrate your sons’ achievements over the last three years. We are planning a special day, so I look forward to seeing the RSVPs rolling in.

Before I sign off, as usual I encourage you to reach out anytime and share your thoughts with us. What could we do better? Do you know something we don’t that is impacting your son’s experience? The St Leo’s Staff are keen to hear your thoughts. Good or bad, we are here for it all.

With best wishes

Peter Arena

Marketing, Communications & Advancement Manager

St Leo’s College within The University of Queensland

The Push-Up Challenge: Issac Green, Tom Molloy, Will Jackson, Jeremy Green and Joe Siemon

Rugby Camp: The St Leo’s Rugby Team visiting the National Rugby Training Centre.

UQ Open Day: Joe Doljanin taking a potential Leoninan and his family for a College Tour.

UQ Open Day: Ethen Tsiamalili welcoming a potential Leonian to the College

Duhig Lecture & Dinner: Darcy Bouwman’s musical interlude.

Duhig Lecture & Dinner: Guest Speaker Robert Caslick

Fathers’ Day BBQ: Various guests

F&K Cup: Henry Thomasson getting it done

ICC Art Show: Jack Doolin’s iron casting of a horse head achieved 2^nd place in the 3D art section.

ICC Basketball: Dane-O-Mite Lehndorf getting in front of things