Sport

Round 8 was one of our busiest yet, with a home GPS round against Ipswich Grammar for our cricket, volleyball and debating teams, and the postponed rowing Head of the River Championship at Wyaralong Dam.

Despite the challenge of the rescheduled Head of the River, our rowers showed great resilience and strength. Notably, the Year 9 and Year 11 crews delivered exceptional performances, highlighting the programme’s strong foundation and promising future.

We look forward to closing out Term 1 with strong performances and a celebration of our collective achievements this weekend, when we face BBC away. This will be followed by the support groups’ end-of-season award presentations for volleyball and cricket.

Swimming

As ex-tropical cyclone Alfred emerged, forcing the rescheduling of the 2025 GPS Swimming Carnival and Championship, Churchie’s team remained focused and resilient. Extending their season by another week, the boys maintained peak performance readiness. Both the Junior and Senior teams aimed to improve their overall points total this year.

The Juniors finished second, 19 points behind Gregory Terrace, and recorded the second-highest points total since the inception of the GPS Junior Carnival. The Senior boys improved on their 2024 result by just two points, rising to third place after dominant breaststroke events, before finishing fourth overall following a challenging final event.

Congratulations to all boys who competed and secured valuable points. Special commendation goes to our dedicated squad of reserves, including Arthur Richards, who stepped up to support the 13 years and under freestyle relay team in the early stages on Thursday 13 March.

Congratulations to our 10 to 12 years and under athletes for their remarkable performances:

• 22 first placings across all individual events
• 17 second placings across all individual events
• Four third placings across all individual events
• All junior relay teams placed in the top three

This is Churchie’s fourth consecutive year finishing second overall.

Top highlights of the morning included:

• The 10 years and under medley relay team set a new GPS Carnival record with a time of 2:45.82. Well done to William Rynne, Evan Zhao, Edward Jansen and Wilbur Kilpatrick.
• Edward Jansen also delivered multiple first-place finishes and broke the GPS Carnival record in the 50 m backstroke with a time of 38.26.

At the GPS Championship, Churchie celebrated many personal bests, including Fraser Kilimnik in the 50 m backstroke and the 14 years and under freestyle relay team. Eight podium finishes were recorded across all age groups:

13 years and under

• 1st: Cameron Dula – 50 m breaststroke (35.05)
• 2nd: Fraser Kilimnik – 50 m backstroke (32.09)
• 2nd: Cameron Dula – 100 m freestyle (1:01.62)
• 1st: Henry Zhao – 50 m butterfly (30.41)

14 years and under

• 1st: Ronnie Leung – 200 m freestyle (2:06.87)
• 3rd: Ronnie Leung – 50 m breaststroke (33.08)

15 years and under

• 3rd: Boe Duncan – 200 m freestyle (2:11.27)
• 3rd: Boe Duncan – 50 m breaststroke (33.26)

A highlight of the afternoon came before the final race—the Open boys freestyle relay—when just one point separated Churchie from fourth place and half a point from fifth. The team’s collective efforts placed Churchie in contention with Gregory Terrace and Brisbane State High.

Outstanding relay performances:

• 1st place: 13 years and under medley relay team – 2:04.89, just 0.46 seconds shy of the GPS record. Congratulations Fraser Kilimnik, Cameron Dula, Henry Zhao and Lucas Pollock.
• 2nd place: 13 years and under freestyle relay team – 3:00.64. Congratulations Mason Li, Arthur Richards, Max Pepper, Harris Shonhan, Oliver Fitton and Angus Rascoe-Parton.

The season concluded the following Wednesday afternoon with a modified award presentation event. Congratulations to the award recipients:

Spirit Awards

• 13 years – Tully Fuss
• 14 years – Ernest Reeve
• 15 years – William Shooter
• 16 years – Archie Waller
• Opens – Spencer Kilimnik

Coaches’ Awards

• 13 years – Arthur Richards
• 14 years – Henry Juniper
• 15 years – Joschka Holdt
• 16 years – Henry Wilford
• Opens – Kaspar King

GPS Championship MVP

• 13 years – Cameron Dula
• 14 years – Ronnie Leung
• 15 years – Boe Duncan
• 16 years – Eugene Luk
• Opens – Lachy Evans

Outstanding Team Relay Performance Perpetual

• 13 years medley relay: Fraser Kilimnik, Cameron Dula, Henry Zhao and Lucas Pollock

Spirit Award Perpetual

• Charlie Wehl

On behalf of the School, we express our gratitude to everyone who contributed to this season. Thank you to Churchie staff and coaches, parents, the Swimming Support Group, our Year 12 students in their final season, Captain of Swimming Charlie Wehl, and all boys for their support and commitment. Thank you for a season full of memories.

Jaye Finocchiaro
Director of Swimming

Rowing

After a week’s delay, the 2025 GPS Head of the River was held with mixed results for the Churchie Rowing programme.

Before diving into the outcomes, I would like to thank the coaches for their tireless commitment during the extended training period. Many had to rearrange work and university commitments to ensure they remained by their crews’ sides right to the end.

Sincere thanks also to the Rowing Support Group for preparing the supporter and spectator areas and for ensuring our boys were well fed and hydrated. Your efforts in coordinating carpooling and managing limited parking so that as many families as possible could attend did not go unnoticed.

A personal thank you to Michelle Carr-Brown and Nicole Budgen for coordinating bus bookings and assisting throughout the season, particularly with arranging transport for spectators on Saturday due to car park closures.

The results from Saturday show that we still have a journey ahead of us to become the premier rowing programme in Queensland and Australia. While our outcomes didn’t always convert into wins, there were many stories of growth and improvement.

A standout achievement was our seven podium finishes across the Year 9 divisions—more than any other school at Head of the River. This success highlights the value of our initiative to place experienced coaches at the Year 9 level and bodes well for future seasons.

Another promising result was in the Year 11 age group. Last season, every Year 11 crew finished last at Head of the River. This year, the group secured three second placings and a fourth in the Year 11 1st VIII, placing Churchie second overall in the age group behind TSS. This improvement provides a strong platform for our 2026 Old Boys Cup campaign.

Two of our crews capped off their seasons with well-deserved wins: the Year 9 11th crew and the Year 10 9th crew. Congratulations on your outstanding achievements.

The Opens are a prime example of a successful season that may not be reflected fully in the final results. The Open Second VIII included two Year 11 students stepping up to ensure the crew could complete the season—an inspiring act of selflessness and teamwork. The Open First VIII became the first Churchie crew to win a regatta since 2022—a result that cannot be taken away. Their strong season under coach Sean Carolan, in his first year at Churchie, was a credit to all involved.

I hope the 2025 Head of the River has left the Churchie Rowing community hungry for ultimate success and has laid a foundation of high expectations for the seasons ahead. We are a successful programme, and we will continue to grow stronger.

Tyson Sholl
Director of Rowing

Volleyball

Round 8 marked the second-last round of the 2025 GPS Volleyball season, with Churchie hosting the senior teams from Ipswich Grammar School at home. Ipswich, currently rebuilding its programme, faced a challenging day at the SJPC.

Churchie teams once again demonstrated the strength, depth and consistency that have defined our programme this season. With an almost clean sweep across both junior and senior matches, the performances on court reflected the hard work and dedication shown by players and coaches throughout the year. It was another strong round, highlighting the quality and growth of Churchie Volleyball in 2025.

In an exciting finish to the season, the First VI claimed their first win—an outstanding highlight in what has been a season of persistence and growth. The team came together with focus and determination, delivering a commanding 3–0 win over Ipswich Grammar School in front of a supportive home crowd.

A standout moment of the match was Jack Kassiou making his First VI debut. Jack rose to the occasion, contributing three impressive kills and showing great composure and potential in his first appearance at this level.

George Dee anchored the team defensively, finishing the match with a near-perfect passer rating. His consistency in serve receive and court coverage provided a strong foundation for the team’s offence and helped maintain momentum throughout the game.

Adding to the firepower, Oliver Crum made a major impact from the backcourt, delivering several powerful hits that put pressure on the opposition and helped swing momentum in key moments.

This win is a testament to the team’s resilience and development throughout the season. Congratulations to the players and coaching staff for finishing on a high note.

The Seconds continued their unbeaten streak against IGS and remain yet to drop a set this season. Although it was a slow start, the team stayed in control throughout. Despite not playing to their full potential, they still secured a comfortable 2–0 win. The team now looks forward to enjoying their final GPS match against BBC in what will be their last appearance together.

Next weekend marks Round 9, the final GPS fixture of the 2025 season, with the seniors travelling to Brisbane Boys’ College (BBC). This round presents a great opportunity for all teams to finish the season strongly and showcase the hard work, growth and commitment that have defined the year.

Following the day’s matches, we look forward to coming together as a community to celebrate the season at our End of Season Awards Night. This special evening will recognise individual and team achievements, acknowledge the dedication of our players and coaches, and reflect on the highlights of what has been a memorable season for Churchie Volleyball.

We encourage all players and families to attend what promises to be a fantastic way to cap off a successful year.

Carrie Mill
Director of Volleyball

Debating

The depth and strength of Churchie’s debating programme continues to reveal itself as the season progresses. Where a weaker programme might show signs of fatigue or inflexibility, our teams are surging ahead with strong wins across the board.

Round 8 of the GPS competition, against Ipswich Grammar School, presented a meaningful challenge for our first division teams, with well-coached opposition offering valuable opportunities for engagement. For some of our teams, the round provided a chance to recalibrate expectations and refocus heading into the final stages of the season. For others, deserved wins affirmed the hard work put in at training.

Special mention must go to our .2 teams, whose earlier outcomes this year have not always reflected their capability and team spirit. All of these teams came away with wins on Friday night—a fitting reward for their perseverance.

The flagship Senior A debate also served as a powerful example of engagement, empathy and collegiality. Arguing the affirmative case on the topic ‘That we should fully integrate traditional medicine (e.g. acupuncture) into conventional hospital treatment’, our Senior A boys built a thoughtful and well-structured case, securing a narrow but well-earned victory in a 2–1 split decision.

This outcome is even more impressive considering the competing demands on our Senior A debaters, who had also secured a finals-qualifying win in the QDU competition just two nights earlier at St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace. Facing 2024 QDU Premiers, Somerville House, our boys presented a compelling negative case on the topic of whether disadvantaged people should form their own political representative party—and emerged victorious.

Special congratulations also go to our 10.1 team, who won both their QDU and GPS debates this week, remaining undefeated in their GPS division.

We look forward to seeing how our Year 9 and Year 11 teams perform in their QDU debates on Wednesday evening, and we are excited to host the opening round of the Year 7 QDU competition this Thursday. Many of our youngest debaters will be delivering their maiden speeches—an exciting milestone for the Churchie debating community.

With our boys continuing to go from strength to strength, we remain hopeful that their positivity, thoughtfulness and community spirit will lead to strong outcomes as we close out the season. Heading into Round 9, our Senior A team has a real chance at a podium finish, and many of our other teams are also vying for premierships or top-three placements.

As always, I encourage the boys to maintain their principles. Anyone can be a good speaker—but it takes effort, integrity and humility to be a good person. I hope our boys always remember which is more important.

Rebecca Hewitt
Director of Debating

Cricket

Saturday’s round of GPS cricket fixtures saw Churchie take on Ipswich Grammar School (IGS) in the annual Pink Stumps Round.

With The Flat and Smith Field 1 back in use, at least six teams were able to play at Churchie, with IGS hosting the remainder of the GPS division fixtures.

It was an incredibly competitive day of cricket, with Churchie edging IGS in the overall number of wins, highlighted by several outstanding performances.

The match of the day was undoubtedly the 7A team’s stunning win, which featured one of the greatest run chases in GPS history. After IGS set a mammoth total of 7/324, the Churchie boys delivered an exceptional batting display, chasing down the target with two overs to spare and finishing on 3/327. The innings was headlined by an explosive century from Tully Fuss, who struck 113 not out off just 51 balls. Henry Orthman also went agonisingly close to a century, dismissed for 99.

Other standout victories came from the Second XI, 10B, 9A, 7C and 6A teams.

The First XI returned to the Main Oval for the final time this season, delivering a strong all-round performance to secure their second win of the season. After winning the toss and electing to bat, Churchie posted a competitive 8/216, with key contributions from Daniel Desmet (49) and Angus Storen (42). In the field, three runouts proved crucial, while bowling efforts from Tighe Morris (3/30), Angus Peters (2/28) and Kian Chapman (2/36) ensured Churchie held on for a thrilling 7-run victory.

Congratulations to the boys below for their excellent performances on the weekend.

• Tighe Morris (First XI): 28 & 3/30
• Daniel Desmet (First XI): 49
• Sam Hayes (10A): 4/11
• Arjun Dhanda (9A): 5/23
• William Walters (9A): 66
• Tully Fuss (7A): 113*
• Henry Orthman (7A): 99
• Tomas Gazzard (7A): 50
• Jackson Hall (6A): 29*
• Henry McGuire (6B): 25*

Thank you to everyone who supported the Pink Stumps BBQ last Friday at the Viking Café. The fundraising event saw Churchie raise over $1,000 for the McGrath Foundation.

A special thank you to the First XI squad and Churchie Cricket Mums—Annie Burke, Nicole Dewar, Dimity Germon, Krista Moore, Olivia Rascoe and Amanda Wild—for their efforts in running the event on the day.

This Saturday marks the final round of the 2025 GPS cricket season, with Churchie taking on Brisbane Boys’ College. The season will officially conclude with the End of Season Dinner at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre later that evening. 

James Patmore
Director of Cricket

Sporting Achievements

Congratulations to the following students on their recent sporting successes:

Track and field

State Athletics Championships
The 128th Queensland Athletics Championships were held from Wednesday 13 to Saturday 16 March. Several Churchie athletes competed and produced excellent results:

Adryel Taunao

• 1st – Under 13 100 m
• 1st – Under 13 200 m

Cash Glavis

• 1st – Under 15 shot put
• 2nd – Under 15 discus
• 2nd – Under 15 javelin
• 3rd – Under 15 hammer throw

Josh Kwan

• 2nd – Under 16 long jump

Lachlan Moore

• 3rd – Under 18 3,000 m
• 8th – Under 18 1,500 m

Congratulations to these young men on their outstanding performances. They have now qualified to represent Queensland at the Australian Athletics Championships in Perth from Friday 4 to Saturday 13 April.

Old Boys

Churchie Old Boy Ky Robinson (2019) represented Australia at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Nanjing, China from Thursday 21 to Saturday 23 March, winning the bronze medal in the 3,000 m.

Congratulations, Ky, on a remarkable achievement.

Trent Goodrick
Head of Cocurricular