We are excited to launch the Rostrevor College Centenary Book in celebration of the College’s 100th year. Written by Leanne Craig and Greg Hay (’73), the book documents the rich and unique story of Rostrevor and captures the many aspects of what it means to be a part of the community.     

It is dedicated to the 13,000 students who have walked through the gates since 1923. It is dedicated to their families, the Christian Brothers, and the 500 College staff who have supported and guided them.   

Through a blend of historical recount, reflections and photographs, the Centenary Book journeys through the decades to showcase the history, the memories and the spirit that have shaped the Rostrevor College experience over the last 100 years.   

The limited print run is now available for pre-order and will be ready for collection from the College or delivery in time for Father’s Day this year. 

Pre-order your Centenary Book HERE.

Over the last two weeks, students in Years 7-12 were selected by their English teachers to compete in the 101-year-old Rostrevor Purton Oratory competition. The competition sees students present a persuasive speech to an audience of their peers, with adjudicators assessing and announcing a winning speaker at the end. It is a tradition that was started by our first headmaster in 1923, Brother David Gabriel Purton. A lecturer in Psychology and Logic, Br Purton was often sought after by literary and debating societies for his skills in public speaking and adjudicating. He recognised the importance of the skill and sought to pass it on to boys at Rostrevor College. Well done to all students who spoke at this year’s Purton Oratories for their efforts, courage and participation, and congratulations to the winners for 2024; 

• Year 7 - Johnny Silvestri 
• Year 8 - Onitha Wickramasinghe 
• Year 9 - Owen Tallis 
• Year 10 - Arjun Malhotra 
• Year 11 - Alecs Zorzi 
• Year 12 - Aaryan Sareen  

Two of Rostrevor’s First Nations students, Cooper Pedler (Year 5) and Thanasi Sianis (Reception) had the opportunity to participate in the Thriving People event at Carclew House this week, run by Catholic Education SA. Alongside other Junior Years students from across Adelaide, they got to experience a range of activities that celebrate Aboriginal culture, history, and stories, including basket weaving, dancing, and carving and decorating boomerangs.

The STEM Day Out this week saw our Year 8 students participate in three STEM workshops, each focused on a different STEM learning area and linked to a degree at UniSA. The Science Workshop (UniSA degree - Aviation) explored the science of air and flight, as students discovered the science behind planes and how they fly. In the Engineering Workshop (UniSA degree - Engineering), students worked in small groups to design and construct the tallest tower possible, while the Perplexing Puzzles workshop (UniSA degree - Mathematical Sciences) provided a series of fun, captivating brain-benders through which students discovered how mathematical thinking links to problem solving.

We are once again choosing to participate in the Vinnie’s Winter Appeal which will take place in the first few weeks of Term 3. Families are encouraged to make donations of warm clothing and blankets which will be collected in the blue bins placed inside Equity and Student Services. I’ll be using my holiday time to clean out my closet to find goods to donate to those in need, and wholeheartedly encourage the rest of our community to join me in this. Let’s fill those bins! 

Vacation care delivered by the YMCA is available for Rostrevor families on-site over the upcoming school holidays. For activity schedules, fees and to book, view the flier HERE. 

Congratulations to the Year 7/8 Knockout Basketball team, coached by Old Collegian Michael Benalis (’23), who on Tuesday were named champions of the School Sports SA competition! Hear from Team Manager, John Coop about the team’s performance:  

The rainy Tuesday morning this week saw the Year 7/8 Knockout Basketball team head to the State Centre at Wayville for the School Sports SA competition. Group games against Woodville, Cardijn and Brighton called on every player to produce the goods in front of a growing crowd of parents. Three wins in the bag meant the Rossi boys topped their half of the draw. Stunning work from Dylan Rehn, rebounding everything, Kai Fendt, scrapping for the loose ball and the cool head of Alex Babic showed the way. A semi-final win against a talented Henley High was greeted with cheers from all. The boys with their trusty boom box got in the zone for the final and went head-to-head with St. Francis De Sales. A game that to-ed and fro-ed went to the wire and with seconds left on the clock an errant St. Francis shot for glory cannoned off the backboard into the arms of a Rossi player. The buzzer was met with jubilation from the squad as they had left absolutely nothing on the court. Ryder McNamara, Dylan Lomman and Jordan Becker were supreme in their efforts showing both high levels of skill, teamwork and leadership. A fantastic win to cap a great term.  

On Tuesday, Rostrevor’s First V and Open B Basketball teams hosted friendly matches against teams from fellow Edmund Rice school, St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace, who were on their annual South Australian tour. The Bs lost by only two points in a hard-fought game. The First V led for most of their game, with the strong team from Queensland gaining momentum late in the final quarter to level the score to 50 all at the final siren. Gregory Terrace kept up their momentum to win by five points in overtime. Both schools competed with spirit, sportsmanship, and passion. It was a great display of high-quality basketball and the talent we have at Rostrevor College. Our boys enjoyed the close game scenarios and the competitiveness between both schools. Well done to Jake Lomman (Bs) and Sebastian Zealand (First V) for being selected best on court. 

A group of Year 7 soccer players were selected to participate in a match against Morialta Secondary College in the inaugural Moules Cup on Wednesday. The friendly match was arranged to help strengthen the relationship between the schools and showcase both schools' footballs programs. With most of the host school’s students looking on, Rostrevor came away with a 6-2 win in a game which was played in good spirits by all players. We look forward to continuing this partnership over the years with the hopes of playing the Moules Cup across different year levels in the future.

Hear from First XVIII Coach Scott Uppington about last week’s game: 

It was a highly competitive game with both teams having bursts of momentum. Our theme for the day was “hanging on to the rope” which I thought we did. We built a seven-goal lead by halfway through the third quarter but St Michael’s wrestled the momentum back late in the third quarter to hit the front in the last quarter with about 10 minutes to go. With the game seemingly slipping away at this point, I was incredibly proud of our playing group for digging in and kicking the last two goals for a character-building win which should give us enormous belief heading into Term 3. 

Well done to Ned McCarthy and Majoor Ackland who kicked five goals each, and to Jack Michalanney, Ned McCarthy, Majoor Ackland, Julius Piro and Will Marshall who were named as Rostrevor’s best on ground.  

Hear from Coach Jamie Lee about Wednesday’s game against Trinity College: 

Rostrevor’s First XI made it seven wins from seven games this season as a 3-0 victory over Trinity College this week confirmed their place in the top four and a spot in the end of season finals! In a relatively comfortable match for the red and black, they made a blistering start as Vincenzo Scalzi weaved his way into the box before firing a shot into the bottom corner. Vincenzo was causing the Trinity defence all sorts of problems as he continued to pick up the ball and drive at their backline. This time he saw his shot saved but the goalkeeper could only divert it into Antony Rapuano’s path who snapped up the opportunity to put Rossi 2-0 up. Vincenzo then added a third in a carbon copy of his first goal, this time wriggling away from two defenders and unleashing another strike that found its way into the bottom corner. 

The pace of the game dropped after half-time and a lethargic second half performance from the Rostrevor team saw Trinity get a couple of chances to get themselves on the scoresheet. Noah Matthews produced two smart saves to keep the clean sheet intact to ensure Rostrevor head into the interstate cup next week in good form. 

The Year 9/10 Knockout Volleyball team ventured to the Lights Community and Sports Centre yesterday for the Division 2 Year 9 and 10 Boys Volleyball Statewide Schools Competition. They played excellently in a very strong competition, finishing fourth overall.

Congratulations to Year 9 student Matthew du Plooy on his selection for the South Australian Under 16 Rugby Union Team. This is the second year in a row Matthew has been selected for an SA Rugby Union team, and as he is a year younger than his teammates, he will be eligible for selection into this same team again next year. We wish Matthew the best of luck as he competes in the Southern States Junior Rugby Union Championships next month at West Beach.