'Good evening, Mr and Mrs James, Mr O’Regan, Mr and Mrs Sullivan, esteemed staff, distinguished guests, and fellow Knox students.

As we gather here tonight, I am filled with a profound sense of nostalgia and gratitude. With our time at Knox drawing to a close, this evening provides me with an opportunity to reflect and share the journey that we have experienced, all of the lessons we have learned, and the memories we have created. As well as this, I stand before you with the privilege of sharing some thoughts on my own experiences at Knox, where I have had the honour of serving as the Senior Boarder this past year.

Living at Knox has been, and will remain, an unmatched experience, an incredible adventure and one that I will forever cherish. This journey, of course, was filled with its ups and downs, but it is these ups and downs, successes and failures, that have moulded us into better individuals and embedded invaluable life lessons into us. Being a boarder has taught me the overpowering importance of relationships and how these bonds with your mates have been instrumental in fostering our success, both individually and collectively. It truly is an experience that is unique to boarders and it is indescribable to everyone else, as it has been an experience that has enriched our lives in countless ways.

My journey at Knox began in 2020 when I arrived as a Y9 student from a small country town called Cootamundra, moving to a school that is nearly half the population of my entire home town. This transition was not merely a change; it was a transformation – an immersion into a world of possibilities, going from living on a farm, to embracing a new urban lifestyle, diversifying myself, being able to eat sushi and meeting new people. While the change was undoubtedly significant, it was a change that I embraced wholeheartedly, with it being a change that has impacted my life and many others for the better.

Knox has been more than just a school; it has been a crucible for personal growth, an incubator for lifelong friendships and a beacon of opportunities. Through my experiences as someone who has lived at the school for four years, I have come to understand the significance of relationships and the importance of them. Living together, sharing our joys, as well as our failures, supporting each other when we need it, and the ability to trust each other, have taught me that true bonds with individuals are the formula for success. Boarding life has a unique way of nurturing these deep connections and transforming them into our successes.

The global reach that Knox has within our boarding community is physical proof to our diversity. As I have been roommates with boys from Gunnedah and Lake Cargelligo, Japan and Hong Kong, sharing my life with boys that live nearly 8000 km away, from vastly different cultural backgrounds is something that only Knox has been able to provide me. This diversity has been celebrated through initiatives like the 'Back to Country Day', where we come together to appreciate and learn about each other's cultures, engaging in activities such as Aboriginal dancing and Fijian singing with Reverend Sam. These experiences have reinforced the idea that unity in diversity is one of the strengths that makes Knox unique.

Another remarkable aspect of boarding life is the interconnectivity that spans across year groups, from Y7 to Y12. At the start of this year I stated that it was our goal to interconnect the years and I can say proudly that we have succeeded in that. This was evident through termly Borders' Brother Trophy competitions, encompassing basketball, trivia, and touch footy. It was not only a source of fun, but also allowed us to integrate and form bonds with boys of all ages. These connections, forged through friendly rivalries and shared victories, will undoubtedly be cherished as we move forward in life.

In my view, the memories we have created are priceless. Solidifying the tight-knit relationships that I believe will be instrumental in our future successes. The round-the-clock camaraderie of Boarding life has allowed us to spend an extraordinary amount of time together and is something only we can comprehend. When day boys go home, boarders return to each other, creating an environment where genuine connections flourish. It is the amount of time spent together that has played a significant role in building strong, lasting bonds amongst us.

One universal truth that resonates with all boys is that it is the seemingly insignificant moments that often become the most significant. Whether it's the nights spent on Knox 1 playing touch footy, the group study sessions after multiple failed attempts due to procrastination the night before an assessment, or the gatherings around the toastie machines just before lights out, these moments have come to define our Knox experience. For me it’s the smaller and more ordinary moments that mean the most. For example, one of my fondest memories include the chilled-out conversations filled with jokes after school in the kitchen or common room. While it may sound ordinary, it was moments like these that forged my strong sense of belonging. It is this sense of belonging that has not only connected us with each other, but has also bound us to the larger Knox community.

If there is one piece of advice I could impart from my time at Knox, it would be the importance of seizing opportunities. As I near the end of my Senior School journey, I find myself reflecting on what my life would have been like if I hadn't been fortunate enough to come to Knox. I realise how fortunate I am and, more specifically, how grateful I am for embracing the opportunity that Knox presented. You may have heard this before, but I implore you to take this advice to heart. When writing this speech, I came across the quote 'You against you'; there may be many ways that this quote can be interpreted, I believe it reconciles with the idea of seizing opportunities, as the only person preventing you from doing that is you. So, try everything and anything that interests you – attend the extra rugby training down at Knox 1 with Mr Rownes, get up in the morning to go to the gym, join an afternoon club, play in House sport. It may not seem significant now, but I can assure you that these decisions will shape your Knox experience and become sources of gratitude as you find yourselves in our position, sitting here with less than a week of school left until graduation.

In conclusion, as we bid farewell to Knox, let us carry forward the bonds of friendship, the spirit of camaraderie, and the legacy of excellence that define our time here. Let us continue to cherish the little moments that make life meaningful and impactful. Let us never forget the sense of belonging that Knox has given us, for it is this sense of belonging that will continue to shape our journey long after we walk out of those gates for the last time.

Before I finish, I would like to specifically thank all the key individuals that helped us make it through the past years:

Mr and Mrs Sullivan, all the Heads of Stages and House Managers, especially Mr Norman, Ms Andronicus and Ms Malpass, all the clinic staff, the cleaning staff, the laundry ladies, Chartwells for providing our food, all other boarding staff members.

Thank you especially to our parents, as we genuinely would not have been able to do this without you. I'm sure the boys sitting here will agree with me that we can’t truly express the level of gratitude we feel, as you have all sacrificed so much for all of us.

Thank you once again to everyone else who has been a part of our Knox experience. Congratulations to the graduating Class of 2023, and may our futures be filled with remarkable achievements and the succession of our future.'


Ethan Shepherd

There were a number of fantastic events this term; a highlight being the Boarders' Senior Social which saw 450 Y10, Y11 and Y12 boys socialising with Boarders from 11 girls' schools. It was a really fun night filled with music, dancing, games, meeting new people and catching up with friends.

Y12 were treated to a Brazilian BBQ for a special dinner in the city to celebrate the end of Trials. The food and company was excellent and the boys were very thankful to Mrs Sullivan and House Managers for organising the event. Similarly, after Y11 Examinations the boys opted for an Indian Banquet at O’Bombay in Hornsby. The boys were very pleased with the food, service and conversations shared.

The boys of Y11 also attended the ‘Barbie’ movie. The social constructs of the movie and the well presented questions it posed over masculinity were thought provoking. It was interesting to hear the boys' discussions afterwards as they spoke about identity, sense of belonging and purpose.

This time of year also presents the extraordinary fruits of the boys’ labour on display. The Major Works across Industrial Technology, Visual Art, Design and Technology, Drama, Music, Science and Extension English were displayed and discussed at the Y12 Showcase. The standard was amazing and we were extremely proud of these boys. We also saw a handful of boys complete their Individual and Group Performances in Drama and once again, these were absolutely incredible.

This term always provides a number of really significant moments for our Y12 Boarders, and the final Boarders' Chapel Service and Formal Dinner was one of these. This was a lovely evening. The Senior Boarders' Banquet and the Annual Chapel Service and Family Dinner were also outstanding evenings and extremely fitting ways to come together and celebrate the outgoing Y12 group.

In summary, while it was a challenging term for many, there has been an overwhelmingly positive feeling of personal development amongst Stage 6. We wish the Y12 2023 group all the best for their future endeavours. We look forwarding to supporting Y11 as they begin their final year at Knox in Term 4.

James Norman

This term, both Y9 and Y10 were joined by Headmaster Mr Scott James and Mrs Louise James, for a lovely time over supper. It was a casual night with many positive stories shared. The Headmaster and Mrs James also had the great pleasure of being introduced to our new boys during the evening. Mr James shared some key messages with the boys to reflect upon and he challenged each of the boys to be leaders and to aspire to bigger things, to contribute to the School and to start this now while in Stage 5.

The term has seen many activities take place, both internally and externally. For our Y10 boys, they all experienced the ‘Tomorrow Man’ mentor sessions targeting positive masculinity. This was a wonderful insight for them as they continue to grow into fine young men. The Y10 boys also had their Careers Information evening in the Great Hall to help them with their aspirations for the future and the career paths they wish to explore. The boys enjoyed some fun outings which included the social outing at the Boarders' Picnic Event with well over 150 girls and boys from a number of Sydney Boarding Schools enjoying each other's company at the Sydney Botanical Gardens and the energy driven Paintball/Skirmish outing, which was really well attended. The boys had a lot of fun on these outings.

The Y10 Formal is always a great evening for the Y10 boys. It has long been a rite of passage and the current cohort of young men had a wonderful time.

The Boarders' Chapel Service and Annual Dinner is always a highlight for the boys. The Chapel service provided an opportunity for the boys to sing like they have never sung before. The dinner is a special time for the boys and their families. It was a lovely evening where the wider Boarding Community came together to celebrate our wonderful community. It was also an opportunity to farewell the Class of 2023 and welcome in the Class of 2024 as the new leaders of Knox Boarding.

Term 3 also provided a wonderful opportunity to support worthy causes, both on and off the school grounds. Jersey Day and RUOK? Day, are two wonderful charities doing amazing things to bring awareness to very important issues. We also had a number of boys involved with Legacy Day, selling badges to raise funds at the Wahroonga Village Shops and a number of our Y10 boys enjoyed supporting the community breakfast at St Edmunds College, Wahroonga.

For the Y10 boys, they will soon be heading towards the Y11 Preliminary HSC course. Week 5 next term, they are looking forward to transitioning into Gillespie Heritage House to become familiar with the Stage 6 routines, in readiness for a very smooth start in 2024. Our Y9 boys will also transition up to Level 4 and be joined by the current Y8 boys who move up to Stage 5 on Level 3. This provides our Y9s with opportunity of setting their new leadership tone in Stage 5 and take on greater responsibilities moving through Term 4.

In Week 7 of Term 3, Stage 5 boarders welcomed me, Peter Shannon, as the new Head of Stage 5 Boarding, and what a great welcome it was!

Y9 and Y10 are an important two years in a student's progress through school. With growing expectations for them to take on further independence and maturity in their learning, we are keen to see the boys stretch themselves further, often out of their comfort zones to test their capabilities and grow in confidence. This can only happen in a safe and supporting environment and I am keen to make sure this continues as a mark of my time as Head of Stage 5.

It is great to be back at Knox after 15 years and I look forward to serving this wonderful community both in Boarding and through teaching Mathematics as I had done previously. I value the benefit of seeing boys maturing through experience and forming strong habits of resourcefulness and empathy towards their peers. I also feel very blessed to be part of the Stage 5 team, led by Mr and Mrs Sullivan, and I am excited about the learning experiences that I too will have as I work closely with my colleagues in providing excellent care for our boys.

It would be lovely for my wife Julie and I to meet you soon, so please do make yourself known to us when you next visit.

Brian Sullivan and Peter Shannon

From visits to the Uniform Shop, to participation in social games in the city, the conduct of our junior boarders on outings throughout the term was recognised as being very positive. On the outing with Pymble Ladies' College our boys were challenged to fun games of ten-pin bowling at Chatswood's Strike Bowling. Our Y7s also visited and learnt about community growth at the Sydney Olympic Park, as well as enjoyed an outing to Macquarie Rink to watch an Ice Hockey game where our boarders were impressed with the excitement of big collisions and the incredible skills of the players. We were grateful to be invited to attend the Inaugural Boarders' Picnic within the grounds of the spectacular Royal Botanical gardens. This was was the perfect backdrop for boarders and staff from schools across Mittagong to Potts Point to mingle and create positive connections. It was an absolute pleasure to escort our junior boarders on these outings and to these events.

We were also fortunate to experience many on-site opportunities that stimulated further conversations about future prospects or individual growth. Our Y8s were accompanied by Mr Yates to The Transition to Middle Academy Expo. It was great to see this year group take on the responsibility of deciding their elective school subjects, also prompting parental and family interactions. Mrs Bayley accompanied the boys who signed up for the Money Matters presentation in the JAPAC. Most returned with some valuable information that will help them be more conscious about financial management relevant to their age.

The national pride was infectious when large animated groups gathered throughout the Knox Boarding Houses to loudly cheer on the Matildas. This was also the case when the Wallabies Rugby World Cup Squad graced Knox 1, with ex-boarder Nick Frost (OKG17) striding away from his training duties to talk and pose with some members of our boarding community.

Individual creative flare was high mid-term, with artistic assessment submissions for Languages and Visual Arts subjects, as well as multimodal presentations for Geography, PDHPE and History. Level 2 of the KBC sometimes replicated public speaking symposiums, a newspaper editing floor or a busy industrial kitchen! The rewards of self motivation and teamwork were not only shown academically, but also recognised at our termly Boarders' Chapel Service and Formal Dinner. Congratulations to Benjamin Stone and Kyle Lee for receiving the Term 3 House Manager's Award and to Hugh Lipscombe for receiving the Stage 4 ConneXions Award.

To further support our Stage 4 boys, we were aided with day school staff support. Mr Haselden provided weekly academic and wellbeing support, Ms Allen supplied time and art supplies for the Endangered Animals assessment. Further we acknowledge Mr Barbat and Mrs O’Brien for their weekly support and PDHPE expertise, and Mr Moss for facilitating a bespoke Cadet presentation in the lead up to next term's Cadet program commencement. These sessions were extremely informative for our boys.

On behalf of all Stage 4, I would love to thank our tireless staff in the Boarding community who have helped in facilitating a positive experience for all. Wishing all families the happiest of holidays.

Allan Glassie

A highlight of this term would definitely be the Education Sunday celebration that was held on 10 September at St John's, Wahroonga. I am especially grateful for the support from Allan Glassie, Helen Clarke, and Jeremy Dunn for assisting me in safely taking a handful of Stage 4 boarders to attend the worship service.

There, we celebrated the lives of teaching staff and gave thanks for the lives of students. After the service, the boys joined the St John's community, along with other schools present, in a community morning tea with exceptional refreshments. The feedback received from the boys was positive and hopeful, and a want to connect more with the St John's community.

I am reminded of Paul's letter to the Corinthians where he encourages the people of Corinth to stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong and let all that they do be done in love. That has certainly been the case for the Boarding staff members for this term. Their tireless work has always been done in the firmness of love, and it is my encouragement and prayer that we continue to hold each other in God’s love as the term draws to an end.

Rev Samuela Sadrata

RSA and RCG Course
Knox Boarding is again offering the opportunity for our Stage 6 boys to complete the RSA and RCG courses. Both must be completed to fully qualify to work in hospitality.

Dates: 14 October and 21 October 2023 in the Senior Boarding Centre.  The CBD College will conduct the RSA and RCG Courses and are recognised as NSW Government Training  Providers.

Please let Mr Norman or Mrs Clarke know if your son wishes to take up this opportunity. The total cost is $429. See the details below:

• SITHFAB002 provide responsible service of alcohol and SITHGAM001 provide gambling services $269 (usually $329)
• SITHFAB002 provide responsible service of alcohol $160 (usually $199)

Dylan Farr
Congratulations to Dylan Farr, who is one of our Boarding Prefects and has been awarded the Youth Co Community Service Award. He was honoured by Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales at Government House last week. Dylan, who has recently been honoured as a member of the NSW Youth Advisory Council, also graduated via the AIEF and was a guest speaker at the AIEF Speaker Series: Future-Proofing the Planet.

Legacy Day
Thank you to the Stage 5 boys who helped sell Legacy merchandise on Legacy Day. The boys’ interactions were positive and supportive of their many customers, and it was heartening to see the boys’ confidence in their interactions. Congratulations and thanks to the boarders who helped on the day: Martin Cao, Tom Kelly, Brian Lee, Jock Carolan and Alan (Youmu) Huang.

Walgett/Goodooga Immersion
Four of our boarders were part of the team to undertake the Goodooga Indigenous Games Service and Cultural Immersion Trip this term. Ned Kimpton, Mackye Bron, Malakai Dwight and Noah Farr had the opportunity to visit the Brewarrina Fish Traps, worked with the children in school at St Joseph’s PS at Walgett, and participated in the Indigenous Games at Goodooga that supports children from remote small schools in far west NSW. A swim in the thermal pools at Goodooga was a highlight of the visit.

Learn to Cook in Year 9 
Our Year 9 boys will have an opportunity to participate in a Seafood Paella cooking lesson at the Sydney Seafood School and enjoy the delicious meal they  make afterwards. This is a compulsory event for all Year 9 Boarders. Date TBA.

Transition Camp for Year 8 and 9 Boarders in Term 4
Later in Term 4, our boarders from Years 8 and 9 will have a weekend camp at Land’s Edge, Mosman. This will be fun learning experience to ensure our boys transition to the next stage of Knox Boarding with resilience and confidence. Dates are from Saturday 18 October (after sport) to Monday 20 October.

Helen Clarke

I would like to congratulate our Y11 and Y12 boarders on their dedication during their recent exam blocks. STUVAC can be a challenging time, especially when having to manage your own study schedule. I was pleased to see our senior boarders taking advantage of the Senior Academy and Boarding Centres to complete their revision and exam preparation. It is great to see them working individually and collaboratively, as they created and discussed study notes, completed past exam papers and took advantage of the academic support that was on offer. Their behaviour during their exams has been outstanding. Well done, gentlemen!

During the upcoming school holidays, I would like to encourage our boarders to find an interesting book and enjoy some reading time. I hope this helps them to develop a love for reading, whilst maintaining or building their literacy skills.

I hope that our Boarding community has a safe, relaxing and recharging spring break. I look forward to seeing our boarders back at the start of Term 4 and working with them again. If you have any concerns about your son’s academic progress, please do not hesitate to reach out so that we can assist you.

Michael Haselden

Navigating through the heavy senior academic period, we only ran the Boarder Brothers Trophy events twice this term. Congratulations to Harrison Tanner for being nominated BBT Leader for 2024. He led our Boarding community and new BBT House Captains across indoor dodgeball and basketball events. Engaging 150 students and staff in an activity is no mean feat, however, Harry and his team made a brilliant start to their tenure. 

Following is a list of our new BBT program leaders:
• BBT Leader - Harrison Tanner
• Fisher - Wallace Shen
• McNaughton - William Slack-Smith
• Menzies - Charles Kellahan
• Riley - Harper Strachan
• Taylor - Simon Kinsey
• Thomson - Bernard Lau

Wellbeing - Flourishing
Thank you to our 2023 STAGS members for your dedicated service for our Boarding community. Your understanding of life as a boarder and development of keeping student residents acknowledged and engaged is a credit to your sincere leadership. The CID calendar, GHH garden maintenance and Boarder Brothers program initiatives will be attributed to the legacy you are leaving for our future boarders.

It is fitting to congratulate and welcome to our new 2024 STAGS leadership group! As we step into a new chapter of Knox Boarding, we look forward to planning and implementing initiatives that will benefit our community for the future.

Allan Glassie