31st May

Zone Athletics

31st May - 2

nd June

Limousin Youth

Cattle Show

31st May - 4

th June

NWEE - Coona

1st June

Venturers @

Wee Jasper

6th

June Students leave for

DESI

11th

June Students return from

DESI

12th

– 14th

June

Holbrook Sheep &

Wool Fair

14th

June

Riverina X-Country

15th

June

McCaughey Ball

16th

June

P&C Meeting

22nd

– 23rd

June

Shooting Group @

Bowral

27th

June

Yr 11 2014 Subject

Selection Presentation

Night.

Years 10 & 12

Parent/Teacher

afternoon.

28th

June

Years 7-9 &11

Parent/Teacher day

28th

June

Last day Term 2. No

buses.

1st – 6

th July

Canada Trip

14th

July

Students return to

school

Private Mail Bag Telephone: 02 69511500

YANCO NSW 2703 Fax: 02 69557297

Email: yancoag-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Friday 31st May, 2013

Term 2, Week 5

As you sow, so

shall you reap

Yanco Agricultural High School

Newsletter

UPCOMING

EVENTS

IN SUPPORT OF OUR COMMUNITY

The team working at Bookham – 15 students from Years 10, 11 and 12 with staff –

Mr Jason Sachs, Mr Paul Bandy and Mrs Vicki Bradford and the Armour family – Louise,

Kellie and Tony

School ANZAC service – respect for those that have fallen.

YAHS represented at the Leeton ANZAC Parade

Red Shield Appeal

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT TERM 2 WEEK 5

I commend this newsletter to you and I hope you

will enjoy the many articles. Many staff and

students have contributed to the newsletter and I

would like to thank them for their efforts.

This edition features a theme around the amount of

work our students complete in both the extended

and local communities. Our front cover features the

ANZAC Day Service here at school just prior to the

holidays where a new recognition for the fallen was

incorporated into the service. Year 12 have made

and painted crosses with the names of the fallen that

were former Yanconians. These were placed by

students in the garden beds around the cenotaph. A

wonderful concept initiated and driven by students.

Many thanks to former student, Andrew Condon,

himself a retired member of the Defence Forces,

who gave the address. Mr Condon‟s address and

those prepared by our School Captains are printed

in this news and are well worth a read.

The contingent was only small but proud to

represent their school in the Leeton ANZAC

Service during the school holidays. Lauren and

Emma also marched at the dawn service with Mr

Press and Mr Hammond. A huge thank you to these

students and congratulations on a fine effort. A big

thank you to the Nevinson family who travelled

over from Hay to participate.

Recently, fifteen Year 10, 11 and 12 students

undertook the task of removing burnt and broken

fences and constructing new ones in their place

amongst the blackened and parched paddocks at

Bookham. Again see the full story in the news.

These students did a wonderful job and took great

pride in their workmanship in both difficult terrain

and very wintery conditions. Well done to all

involved.

Last Sunday 24 students joined many of the local

services to participate in the Salvation Army Red

Shield Appeal. Working with the locals over $8000

was raised on the day. Captain Phillip McCall

presented special certificates to the students and

thanked them for their efforts. Without our students

the coverage of Leeton and surrounds would not be

possible.

The school is most proud and pleased to support the

local community and students enjoy the

opportunities they receive to volunteer their

services. Recently the Year 11 students have again

begun their visits to Gralee Special School. This is

another student initiative which has great benefits

for both schools. More on this in the next

newsletter. There are many success stories of both

teams and individuals in the news and below are a

few snippets.

Rugby League – both our Open and Under 14

teams have had great success this year and have

progressed well into the later rounds of the

University and Buckley Shields. In 2013 we are

fielding some of the strongest teams for many years

and we are confident the success will continue

further. Individually, Open students Tom Webb,

Jesse McDonald, Keiran Fair and Tim Hillam were

selected to go to Canberra to contest the Greater

Southern Championships, and Tom was selected in

the final team to contest the NSW Championships.

In the Under 15 side Zac Saddler and Mitchell

Pippin were selected to go to Canberra and both

were selected in the Greater Southern team to

contest the NSW Championships. This event is on

at the moment. Many of these players have also

represented Group 20 over the last few weeks with

success.

Australian Football – all teams, both boys and

girls, opens and under 15‟s have had considerable

success in this code. Many of our school teams have

made finals which they will contest over the next

few weeks. Sebastian Webb and George Alexander

have been selected to play for Riverina Murray in

the State Under 15 Championships in the near

future.

Cricket – I am aware this is belated and a little out

of season but these students also need to be

recognised from the recent summer season. Steven

Burrows was named „Cricketer of the Year‟ in the

local „C‟ grade competition and was third in the

batting aggregate with 253 runs. Tim Hillam was

first in the bowling average in „C‟ grade with 5.64.

In the Senior representative awards the Keith Plant

Memorial Cricketer of the Year was awarded to

Alex McMaster.

Netball - Marnie Whytcross has been selected in

the 2013/2014 Far West Academy of Sport Netball

Academy Squad. Marnie attended trials for the

squad in October 2012 where there were girls from

all over the western division of NSW also trying

out. This included girls from Broken Hill, Cobar,

Bourke, Collarenebri, Coonabarabran, Coonamble,

Gilgandra, Lake Cargelligo, Nyngan, Walgett and

Warren. Marnie is now participating in several

training weekends and is gaining access to, and

working with, elite coaches and receiving assistance

to develop her personal training program. Marnie

has just recently competed in the Clubs NSW 2013

Academy games held in Wollongong in April and

has gained invaluable experience, playing against

very experienced and talented teams from mostly

around the Sydney region. She will continue her

training program and participate in more netball

carnivals throughout the year.

Music – Sally McNiff and Lyndsey Mitchell were

selected in the Riverina Central Choir and

performed in the In Concert performance at the

Sydney Town Hall. Nathan Morris was nominated

for Griffith Young Musician of the Year Award and

although not successful received a Highly

Commended Award and was requested to perform

at the presentation ceremony.

Squash – Gavin Evans has been selected in the

Riverina team.

Lawn Bowls – Sam Larsen has been selected in the

Riverina team.

Congratulations to all these students for a fine

effort. A large number of students have been

selected in athletics and cross country teams to

compete at regional level over the next few weeks.

Best wishes to these students as they strive to do

their best.

Former student Annabel Lugsdin was recently

announced as the successful applicant for the 2013

Peter Westblade Scholarship. The scholarship

encourages young people in agriculture to go

further and promotes the adoption of new

technology in the sheep industry. The winner gains

mentoring from industry innovators and leaders and

is involved in the Peter Westblade Memorial

Merino Challenge. The scholarship also provides

travel opportunities, research books, cash and in-

kind support up to the value of $10000. Annabel is

a project officer with Australian Wool Innovation in

Sydney and was heavily involved in the sheep

livestock program at Yanco. Congratulations

Annabel.

This is a short term and the end will come quickly.

Reminder to all parents that there will be no buses

at the end of term and parents are expected to

participate in parent/teacher interviews over the last

two days of term. It is expected reports will be

available on line well prior to this time but hard

copies will not be posted and will be able to be

picked up from the office prior to your interviews.

Year 10 will have an information afternoon on the

Thursday. Final details will be supplied after desi

but I would highly recommend that all parents of

Year 10 attend and receive the best possible advice

prior to students making their subject selections

early next term for 2014.

Remember Year 10 and 12 students plus their

siblings can book interviews for the Thursday 27th

and all other years have interviews on Friday 28th

Old Yanconian Ian Armour

June – the final day of term. Parents are requested

to work with us on this to allow the best access to

staff. An exception this year will be the families and

students travelling to Canada on the 28th

, they will

be able to book interviews on the Thursday.

Performance Night will be on Thursday 27th

so

come along and support your children and school

for this great night of entertainment. Miss North has

indicated this year will be the best yet and all

involved are very excited and enthusiastic about the

event. Admission for adults will be $5 and students

$2, payable at the door.

The website is working very well and thank you to

parents for your support. Again if it is not meeting

your needs and you have suggestions please don‟t

hesitate to pass them on.

A reminder to parents that the area around

McCaughey House is not a parking area and I

would request parents use the assigned parking

areas in the school. This is a student walk area and

with our buses continually on the move cars parked

in this area are making it very difficult for all

concerned.

Thank you to the many parents who are using the

exemption forms to explain the absence of their

children. This helps the school greatly. Families

need to be aware that the exemption does not

necessarily also give exemption to any assessment

tasks due during this time. This particularly applies

to Years 10, 11 and 12. It is also a concern that far

too many students are requesting exemptions when

they should be in school in the classroom to

complete their studies. If parents have concerns

over these issues please don‟t hesitate to contact me

at school.

We have had our front driveway upgraded by kind

donations organised by the Owen James from

Downer EDI and supported by Andrew Twigg from

Milbrae Quarries. These Yanco families have

organised this greatly required donation and the

school is most grateful for this work as there is no

way the school could ever afford such an exercise.

Term 3 will see a new stage in the organisation of

the DEC. The new Executive Director for our area

has been appointed. Her name is Dail McGilchrist

and she will work out of offices in Dubbo, Wagga

and Warilla. She will be responsible for all areas

west and south of Orange, or the old Illawarra and

South East, Riverina and Western NSW regions – a

very large area. I would like to acknowledge the

work of our previous regional director, Mr Colin

Parker. Always an excellent support for this school

and we wish him well in the future. He finishes at

the end of this term. The Directors who will replace

our present SED‟s will be known shortly after their

applications closed this week. Once we know these

decisions I will pass them on.

Until the next news, I wish you well and hope to see

you at performance night and the coming parent

teacher interviews.

OLD YANCONIAN’S VISIT

One of the highlights for the school is the visits

undertaken by former students from long ago. Many

of these students have not visited the school for

many years and their eyes light up when they see

the many changes that have taken place over the

years. This photo is of

Ian Armour, who visited

the school on a recent

bustrip full of bowlers

from Canberra. He now

resides in Lyons in the

ACT and was a student

of the school from 1947.

He was delighted with

visit and very proud to

be a Yanconian amongst

his fellow bowlers.

Another visitor recently was 94 year old Henry

Johnson who has now written wonderful

information about his time at Yanco which we will

proudly in our archives. Henry‟s story will be

featured in the next news – it makes wonderful

reading.

If there are any Old Yanconians out there reading

this or you are a family or friend of one please have

them write their story so we can keep this

information and continually remind us of our past

and traditions.

Sam Barnes (middle)

John Duryea

NATIONAL CLAY TARGET ASSOCIATION

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Recently four of

our students

competed in these

Championships in

Perth and achieved

excellent results.

John Duryea, Sam

and Will Barnes

and Dane Doyle all

competed with

success. Will

competed in the

Sub-Junior section

and Dane in the

Junior and „B‟

grade competitions

with Sam and John

competing in the

Junior and „AA‟ competitions. The „AA‟

competitions are the highest grade and open to all

competitors including shooters from overseas.

Dane was successful in being placed second in the

National Double-barrelled Championship for „B‟

grade.

Sam was placed second in the junior (under 18)

National Double-barrelled Championship and was

also a member of the highly successful NSW Junior

Trap Team

John continued with

his excellent success

and was selected in

the Junior All-

Australian team of 3

which will compete

in New Zealand at

the World

Championships in

March 2014. John

had only recently

returned from the

Oceanic Games in Tahiti where he was competing

in the three-man Australian team. During his time at

the games John was awarded a Silver medal in the

team competition and a Bronze medal in the

individual competition.

Yanco is proud to have these quality sportsman in

the school and would like to congratulate them on

their success in such a highly competitive sport

where a majority of the time they are competing

against adults.

Yanco Agricultural High School P&C Association

CALLING FOR HELP!!

The 2013 YAHS Artshow needs a

P&C Artshow Coordinator/s.

If you can help in this very important role

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

Contact Monique Owen on 0417 415 503

or email monique_owen@yahoo.com

The success and continuation of this event

is at risk if we cannot get a coordinator/s

to assist our Visual Arts teacher very soon.

Your help is urgently needed!!

Yanco Agricultural High School P&C Association

Private Mail Bag, Yanco, NSW, 2703

2013 Art & Photography Exhibition

Friday September 13th

Please see attached flyer for information and entry from.

School Captains and Vice Captains at the Old Yanconians Dinner and presentation

of the original architectural drawing of the rear of McCaughey House.

OLD YANCONIANS DINNER

The Old Yanconians dinner was held the night

before Gala Day and the School Captains, Sabrina,

Royce, Harriet and Murray, as well as senior

executives were

invited to

participate.

Additionally this

year John

Duryea was

invited to the

gathering to talk

about his trip to

Wales last year

where he

represented

Australia. This

trip was

supported by the

Old Yanconians.

This year the

1951 starters

presented the

school with a

magnificent piece of history led by Dick Jane Jnr.

This is a fully framed original architectural drawing

of the rear of McCaughey House. The school would

like to sincerely thank the Old Yanconians for this

magnificent gesture. It will be proudly displayed in

a prominent position in McCaughey House. During

the evening Mr Jim Ceely, a 1957 starter, made

comments in his toast to the Old Yanconians.

Following are his comments - makes wonderful

reading.

Toast to the Old Yanconians by Jim Ceely

“I feel very proud to be given the opportunity to

propose the toast to Old Yanconians. I do this on

behalf of all these distinguished gentlemen, who

like me, started at YAHS sixty years ago. The letter

I received from Leo promoting our reunion was like

a „call to arms‟. It took me back in time; sliding

down the bannister in McCaughey House, building

a hut in the bush, getting up before daylight for

dairy duty, boxing my mate on Gala day for the

coin shower, playing footy, dances in the hall and

the old movies on Saturday night. We arrived at

Yanco as boys but we left as young men, ready to

take on the world as Old Yanconians. I returned to

the area a few years later, a raw 19 year old teacher,

joining the first 26 settlers at Coleambally to set up

a school in a small abandoned mud hut. Word had

got around

before I

arrived that I

was an Old

Yanconian –

this meant a

lot to the new

farmers, they

felt I would fit

in, and I did. I

think I spent

more time on a

tractor than

teaching in

that first year

helping to

prepare for

that important

first rice crop.

The reputation and success of any enterprise is

under pinned by tradition and foresight. The legacy

we can give to the reputation of our school as old

Yanconians is by the contributions we are seen to

make in our communities through our life‟s

endeavours. I must congratulate the tireless work of

the Old Yanconians Union in its ongoing support of

the school and the organisation of this great reunion

dinner. We must all be proud to wear the tag “Old

Yanconian”.

FENCING AT BOOKHAM

In January the

temperatures were

intense and in the mid

40‟s when fire swept

through the farmlands

in the Bookham area,

including a number of

properties with close

connections to Yanco.

Tony and Louise

Armour‟s property

„Glenrock‟ was badly

affected with nearly

3000 sheep lost and

most of their acreage burnt to a cinder as the fire

rushed past on several fronts.

Both will agree they

were very lucky and,

with the help of the

bushfire brigade, the

buildings and major

structures were saved.

Their beloved horses

were also saved,

although ending up

tethered in the front

yard and in poultry

areas.

Many contributed to

the survival of the remaining stock and Blaze Aid

were also there in numbers to help replace the

fencing. In discussions with Tony it was suggested

that a group of students from the school could

spend some time on the property constructing

fences in some of

the more difficult

terrain. School

Captain, Royce

Johnston, took the

lead to organise a

team and ensure it

all happened.

On a bitterly cold

May weekend 15

intrepid students,

three staff and the

Armour family

embarked on the task at hand. Five kilometres of

fencing in very rugged

country which vehicles

could not penetrate. All

materials and equipment

was manually carted to

the positions by the

students and the work

was completed in very

quick time over the three

days of work.

Students included

Year 12: Royce Johnston, Alex Stewart, Rowan

Horne, Aaron Nevinson, Nicholas Allan, John

Duryea, Blaine Johnson,

Year 11: Harry Carey, Harley Bruce, Bailey

Taylor,

Year 10: Tom Smyth, Jack Pippin, Jayke Martin,

Cooper Thatcher, Toby Commens

Staff: Mr Jason Sachs, Mr Paul Bandy, Mrs Vicki

Bradford

The students can be justifiably proud of their efforts

in most unpleasant conditions and the school is very

proud of the way the students fulfilled their task.

All students in the group possess exceptional skills

and the job could not have been completed better if

they were a professional fencing team. All students

were keen to complete a worthy job and the

neatness of the finished product was testimony to

the pride they took in their workmanship.

The Armour family expressed their enormous

thanks to the boys for their efforts. This community

spirit is a wonderful asset to all involved and

something the school is very proud of.

YAHS would also like to thank the Armour family

for the time and care they took with our team and a

special thanks to the staff, who gladly contributed

their time to make the initiative come to fruition.

NEW STAFF

Welcome to our new staff at YAHS in Term 2.

They all have a great desire to teach at the school

and are very enthusiastic about this opportunity. All

are highly skilled and we look forward to a long and

productive association.

It is my pleasure to introduce our new staff

commencing in Term 2.

Mr Phillip Ronald

I completed my Plant

Mechanic apprenticeship

in the mid-1980s and was

employed in the mobile

machinery maintenance

industry for over 20 years.

In this time I progressed

from apprentice through

the ranks to project

manager in open cut

mining. In 2000 I decided it was time for a career

change and followed a lifelong desire to teach

Industrial Arts. I accepted an offer to join an

accelerated teacher training program and began

teaching in 2003. Over the next 10 years I worked

in NSW schools teaching in the TAS faculty, and

the last 3 years as the Apprentice Master for a

mining company.

Mr Nathan Cassilles

Growing up in Western

Sydney I attended school at

St Gregory's College,

Campbelltown. It was here

that I developed a love of

all things sports related

along with my passion for

rugby league. This led me

into the career choice of

becoming a PDHPE

teacher. I attended the University of Wollongong

where I met my wife Sally Cassilles (Maths

Teacher). I have travelled the world and lived in

both America (teaching water skiing and wake

boarding at a summer camp) and England (casual

teaching in primary and high schools). I love that

we are at Yanco Ag, not only is it a great school full

of amazing people but it is literally one big family!

I boarded for my last 2 senior years at St Gregs and

it was in those years that I really appreciated what

the school was about and how special the

experience of a boarding school is! I get to

experience that feeling all over again and am

extremely grateful for that. I hope to become a

valued teacher at this school and an integral

member of what is the Yanco Ag family.

Mrs Samantha Irons

From 2004 to 2006 I

completed a Bachelor of

Medical Science at Charles

Sturt University in Wagga,

then a Diploma of

Education in 2007. In 2008

I worked as a Science and

HSIE teacher at West

Wyalong High School,

before moving to WA in

2009 with my husband. From 2009 to 2012 I

worked at Comet Bay College in various roles

including Science teacher, year coordinator and

head of student welfare. At the end of 2012 we

moved back to Narrandera (my husband's home

town). Since the start of 2013 I have worked at

Narrandera High School and now Yanco

Agricultural High School.

REGISTRARS OFFICE

Term 2 fees are now overdue. Please ensure fees

are paid in full unless prior arrangements or a

payment plan is in place. Please contact Registrar,

Julie Fitzsimon if you need to discuss outstanding

fees.

TRAVEL OFFICE

PVC claims are due at the end of Term 2. Please

note any claims received after this date will not be

processed. Please hand these in when you come to

pick up your child at the end of term. Electronic

versions of our PVC claims can be downloaded

from the Schools website under Forms / Travel.

A copy will also be emailed home to all families.

ANZAC DAY 2013 - GUEST SPEAKER

COLONEL ANDREW CONDON

Colonel Andrew Condon,

CSC (retired) grew up on

his Grandfather‟s World

War 1 settler farm at

Yenda near Griffith.

He attended Yanco

Agricultural High School

1976 to 1981.

In 1982 he joined the Army and graduated from

Duntroon in 1985.

His operational service includes Iraq in 2004 and he

was the Commander of the ADF Joint task Force

that conducted the evacuation of 5000 Australians

from Lebanon in the 2006 war between Israel and

Hezbollah forces, for which he was awarded, in the

2007 Queens Birthday Honours list, the

Conspicuous Service Cross.

He also had shorter operational visits to Timor,

Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Sinai and Sudan.

After 27 years in the Australian Regular Army,

Colonel Condon took up his current position as

Chief Executive Officer of Sydney Legacy.

Colonel Condon’s Anzac Day Speech

On or near the 25th of April each year, Australians

all round our nation, and around the world, gather

together to

commemorate the

first nationally

significant military

action fought by

Australian and New

Zealand forces at

Gallipoli during

WW1.

Anzac Day 2013

marks the 98th

anniversary of this

first significant

military action

fought by the

Australian and New Zealand Army Corps where

9000 Australians died at Gallipoli, while another

18,000 were wounded. They were our first Anzacs.

We gather on days like today to remember our

fallen Service personnel of all wars and subsequent

generations of Anzacs, with commemorative

services held at dawn, and at parades, and at

services such as this here at Yanco Agricultural

High School.

I am particularly

pleased that this year‟s

Yanco Ag Anzac

Service will include

the placing of white

crosses, each with the

name of a former

student who went on

to serve their country

in a time of war, that will be placed during the

reading of the Roll of Honour.

The student placing the cross

being from the same house as

the former student. The

reading of the Roll of Honour

of those who were killed in

war is an important tradition

for this school. A tradition

that started during World War

II where at each school

weekly assembly, the School

Principal would read out the names of former

students who had been killed in the War in the past

week. My father was a student at Yanco Ag during

that war and

recalls on one of

those

assemblies, the

School Principal

reading out

amongst the

names of those

killed that week,

the name of his

own son.

I left Yanco Ag

to join the Army

after my HSC,

and after four

years at Duntroon Royal Military College I had

postings around Australia and overseas. In 2004 I

was posted to a Coalition Corps Headquarters in

Baghdad, and in 2006 I was again on operational

service overseas for the evacuation of Australian

nationals from Lebanon during the war between

Israeli and Hezbollah forces. Shorter operational

visits included East Timor, Syria, Lebanon, Israel,

Sinai and Sudan. But let me say, having seen a number of countries

around the world ranging from 1st to 3rd world

nations, I came to understand how truly lucky we

are to live in Australia. We are very lucky to be

able to enjoy a quality of life that I believe is the

best in the world.

Not because of

material wealth, but

because of our

inherent freedoms.

Freedom of speech

and freedom of

association are basic

fundamentals of life

we in Australia take

for granted. We

have great public

institutions, we vote,

and we don‟t have to live in fear of surrounding

violence, we don‟t have compulsory conscription

for all 18 year olds into the military. Education and

welfare is available for all. Australia is a great

country, but we should not take it for granted and

work to keep it that way.

The Anzacs, and those that followed, who paid the

ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom and our

values, are our generation‟s inspiration for working

together with the same Anzac spirit of mateship,

loyalty and dedication, to work hard to ensure their

sacrifices are not in

vain.

This year is the 95th

anniversary of the

Battle of Villers-

Bretonneux when on

the 25th of April 1918

Australian forces re-

captured the town of

Villers-Bretonneux on

the Western Front in

France. Villers-

Bretonneux was the

most important of a series of battles fought by

Australians that resisted German attacks on the

Somme in the first half of 1918.

The German capture of Villers-Bretonneux at dawn

on the 24 April was the final effort of the offensive

that had commenced so successfully for the

Germans on 21 March 1918. Early in April the first

German attack towards Villers-Bretonneux had

been thwarted, but when the Australians had been

moved to another part of the front, the very young

British defenders on 24 April had little answer to

the German

advance, and the

village fell to

the enemy. Two

Australian

brigades, the

13th and 14th

Brigades, were

set the task of

retaking the

township.

During the night

of April 24th

, the 13th Brigade faced intense

machine-gun fighting before they could proceed.

The two brigades then linked up east of the village

to encircle the Germans. The allied attack to retake

Villers-Bretonneux was achieved at dawn on 25

April, through the fierce fighting.

The Australian Battalion that played a key role in

this action was the 33rd Battalion. One of the

members of the 33rd Battalion was Private Tom

Condon, who sent his two sons to Yanco Ag. Two

Grandsons also attended the school, and his Great

Grand Daughter is a current Yanco Ag student.

The counter-

attack cost

nearly 1,500

Australian

casualties, but

the action

restored stability

to this area of

the battlefield

and added to the

reputation of

Australians on the Western Front. During the

fighting in Villers-Bretonneux the school was

destroyed, and when the Australian diggers returned

to Australia, they raised the money required to

rebuild the town‟s school.

I was privileged to be in Villers-Bretonneux on 25

April 1993, for the 75th anniversary of this battle

and visited the school that still stands, complete

with Australian marsupials carved into the wooden

stairway in the main foyer of the school. What I

learnt was the people of this town had not forgotten

what the Australian diggers had done for them

during and after the Great War. When you walk

into the main quadrangle of the school, there is a

large sign, prominently displayed that reads, “Never

forget Australia”, and the school children sing two

national anthems, the French and the Australian.

These people do not take their freedom for granted,

and always remember those who fought for that

freedom.

Today while there are over 3000 Australian troops

on operations in foreign lands, including

Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Sinai, Sudan,

and the Solomon Is., we gather on this special day

to remember those who have gone before us, who

have sacrificed

all to give us

the great

nation we

enjoy today,

for which we

here today

should never

take for

granted, and may all Australians continue to work

together with the same Anzac spirit to keep our

country free and strong, and maintain the same

values of those original Anzacs.

Lest we forget

ANZAC CAPTAINS’ SPEECH

I was recently asked the question “Why celebrate

Anzac Day, why not just tie it all in with

Remembrance Day on the 11th

of November?” This

seems a valid question.

Ladies, gentlemen & distinguished guests, we are

gathered here today to commemorate Anzac Day.

The 25th

of April 1915 was the day the first Anzacs

stormed the beaches of Gallipoli and consequently

received an absolute battering; many drowned and

were killed by Turkish fire before reaching the

beach. This battering lasted over 8 months and

resulted in the deaths of approximately 8,000

Australian soldiers. It was one of the greatest

imperial or allied setbacks of World War 1. It

effectively shattered Australians imperial illusions.

And yet we choose to remind ourselves of this

landing annually on the 25th

of April.

Why? Because Anzac Day is not only solely about

the human misery and mortal destruction the first

Anzacs faced upon the shores and cliffs of

Gallipoli.

Prior to the landing at Gallipoli, Australia was a

country little known by nations around the world?

But on that day, and on subsequent days, the

bravery of young men, their loyalty, devotion to

duty, leadership, teamwork, mateship &

determination were such that they became a nation

in the eyes if the world.

The Anzac tradition and spirit were established in

this landing, and their defeat, and carried on in

campaigns and wars, in which Australian soldiers

fought to defend our shores and loved ones and to

preserve the principles of freedom that we all

believe in today. These soldiers fought against what

they considered evil forces which could bring about

the demise of the common good throughout the

world.

From Anzac Day we learn of the camaraderie and

national spirit displayed by Australian soldiers in all

of these centuries‟ wars. Out of Australia loss come

understanding and realisation of the atrocities of

war, and provides insights about ourselves and our

country.

Anzac Day is a

day to display

our gratitude to

the men and

women who

fought and

sacrificed their

lives for our

freedom. With

the freedom and wellbeing of Australians future

generation in mind soldiers drove themselves into

the point of no-return and sometimes through it.

It‟s a day to recognise the sacrifice Australian

soldiers have made in their centuries wars, and to

pay our respect to those who made the ultimate

sacrifice for a higher purpose. It also recognises

Australia‟s national identity and to celebrate the

spirit of our nation which Australian soldiers of the

past and present contribute to.

The values of a Yanconian can be associated and

linked to those of an Anzac. The loyalty and

mateship we have in our own community is

something to be proud of. So as a Yanconian or a

person who interacts with

Yanconians, you should

realise that every day you

are living the kind of life

that many people went off

to war to defend and die

for. Past generations of

Australians saw need to

defend this way of life and

were prepared to do it with

their lives. For me, I think

this explains why so many

Yanconian‟s have served in war, because the spirit

of the Yanconian is as strong as the spirit of a

nation. It is an unmistakable link to the Anzacs and

we should be very proud of it. Without this sense of

unity that we Yanconians hold true, we would not

be doing the things we do today in our free and

democratic nation.

So in closing, I would just like to say that Anzac

Day remains a most important national day and I

trust it will always be so, providing an opportunity

each year for children, particularly, to

commemorate the ideals and remember Anzac Day.

Sabrina Finch and Royce Johnston,

School Captains 2013

Teresa Sutton & Clare Bolam( Yr 12

2012) congratulating Talosaga at his

Passing Out Parade ceremony.

PASSING OUT PARADE – KAPOOKA

A bitterly cold, windy and partially sunny day

greeted the family and friends of Talosaga Lelea

(Year 12, 2012) who gathered at the Kapooka Army

Barracks to congratulate him on his successful

completion of 83 days of extensive and physically

demanding training as an army recruit.

The Passing Out Parade address was delivered by

Major General Paul Brereton. In his address he

acknowledged that the recruits have demonstrated

great courage, initiative and teamwork to survive

the challenging training that was provided at

Kapooka in the utmost of adverse conditions. He

indicated that they had just completed the first

milestone of their long training process in a life

shared with their family in today‟s modern armed

service. The recruits were reminded that their

family had now been extended to include the

members of their platoon and in their new roles as

Privates in the modern day army that they need to

live by the motto of providing “Service before Self”

The recruits were also told that their role in serving

with the military involved them committing to the

fact that they are the future custodians of army

values and they are only one part of a tri service

team. As they develop within their military role

their job will be requiring them to be prepared to

serve either within the country or abroad and that

they will be involved in “service” that values a life

of safety and security that we in Australia take for

granted. Talosaga has now entered the formal phase

of his training as a Medical Operator and is

currently housed at the Bandiana Barracks in

Victoria. He is currently completing his Induction

course prior to this formal training commencing.

We as a school community wish Talosaga well in

his future career.

IN MEMORY OF BENJAMIN

(BEN) SAPUDJAGAD LAKSITO

30/11/1976 – 22/04/2013

During the Term 1 school holidays Ben Laksito

(Old Yanconian 1994), tragically lost his battle for

life as a result of a brain tumour.

Classmates of Ben, from the finishing Year of 1994,

Old Yanconians; Mr William Barwick and Mr

Alan Draper (Year Advisor), Mr Brian Roberts

(Principal 1994), Mr Greg Press and Old Yanconian

parents and many other friends of Ben were among

those who

met on the

picturesque

banks of

Lake Forbes

to remember

a remarkable

young man at

a memorial

service held

in his honour.

The service outlined what Ben had achieved during

his life by speeches from his Aunty and two Old

Yanconians and very close friends of Ben, in Ben

Alexander and James Hooke. An exceptional

moving song was also sung in Ben‟s memory by his

father Untung at the close of the service.

Ben commenced his studies at Yanco Agricultural

High School a little over 24 years ago in 1989. It is

interesting to note that the friends that Ben met on

that very first day have remained close mates since

that day. One of the special qualities that is unique

in a school such as Yanco.

The eulogy read at the service spoke highly of

Ben‟s character and in particular;

“The thing about Ben that you all probably know is

that he could never sit idle. If there was a sport to

play, a group to join or an adventure to be had, he

was there. Probably first, and certainly the best

prepared. He was amongst the smartest in the

school, but he was generous with those of us that

were less gifted than him. A keen outdoorsman, the

school environment couldn‟t have been better suited

to Ben; hundreds of acres of bush, a big river,

plenty of mates and lots of time. Ben was, as were

many of us, part of Scouts, Duke of Edinburgh and

Venturers. Trips, camping, canoeing, hiking,

abseiling and caving were constant and great fun.

Ever the achiever Ben attained the Queens Scout

award in Venturers which was quite a feat.”

Ben Laksito was the 4th student in the school to

achieve this highly coveted Queens Scout Award.

After school “Ben was always going to be in great

demand, and it came down to a two way tussle

between the Defence Force and BHP”. Ben chose a

cadetship with BHP. After completing his cadetship

he decided it was time to explore the world and

along this journey he explored more about himself

and as he travelled he truly developed a philosophy

about what life meant to him and how he should

contribute in some small way to assist those less

fortunate than himself.

“The Ben that returned from his travels started to

focus on that want to change the world, and he

decided he was going to do it one non-English

speaker, or one youth, or one non-English speaking

youth at a time. Ben undertook leadership roles in

outdoor education, continued his exploration of the

world and ultimately found himself performing

those two things simultaneously. It was in Canada

that he was concerned that something wasn‟t quite

right. A pause was put on his world changing

aspirations and it was quickly confirmed that he had

a tumour. On return to Australia, he was to truly

discover the extent of the beast in his head.”

“The road to

recovery from the

initial surgery was

not so much

governed by Ben‟s

body as it was by

his will to get on

with life. He was

told that the

tumour was

inoperable, but we

all know how that

turned out. Once

strong enough,

Ben tested himself with employment in a Bakery in

Balmain, and from there began preparing himself to

take a new path in life. That path was to be

teaching. In the later period of his life Ben

struggled not to define his existence by his illness.

There is one thing that really stands out, and that is

that Ben just couldn‟t stand still. Everywhere was

just a stepping stone on the path to somewhere else.

The end of the journey was not defined, and even

recently his mother suggested that he was still with

us in these late stages simply because he kept busy.

Despite his physical limitations over the last four

months, he decided to undertake new challenges

and new interests in a diverse range of activities that

he could manage in the back yard veggie garden,

blogging or communicating using any form of

communication that was available.”

Ben had a concern over the legacy that he was not

able to leave in the world prior to his departure but

those who have known Ben well all agree that just

allowing us to play in some part in his life was

something that was special and those times will

always be greatly treasured .It can be said that Ben

Laksito in the face of great adversity lived and

displayed the YAHS school motto: “As you sow, so

shall ye reap”.

Ben Alexander, James Hooke (Yanconians 1994)

and Greg Press.

PARENT RECOGNITION

The following article appeared recently in The Top

Wire, the newsletter of the ICPA. Kerrie has been a

parent at YAHS since 2006 and actively involved in

our P&C. Well done Kerrie.

Parent Acknowledged with Public School Award

Kerrie Johnston is a valued and active member of

Rankin‟s Springs Branch of ICPA having held the

position of Treasurer for many years. When Kerrie

won this award I was thrilled but not surprised.

Even though we talk quite regularly, Kerrie likes to

fly below the radar, therefore we would never have

known about this well-deserved award. Anything

Kerrie supports she does 100% and always to

perfection but would never want thanks or

recognition for her efforts, which are always far

beyond what is required of her. Kerrie‟s husband

Alan is a wonderful support to her and together they

are the best role models for their beautiful family.

This is what drives Kerrie in her endeavours – to

make the lives of all children better, with a good

education and the opportunities that can bring.

Rankin‟s Springs Branch congratulates her on this

wonderful award. We are very proud to have her in

our Branch and call her “Friend”.

Andrea Finch, Branch President

Kerrie Johnston – Public School Parent of the

Year

Naradhan Public School‟s Kerrie Johnston was

surprised at a recent school assembly when she was

awarded the prestigious Public School Parent of the

Year award for the Riverina region. Kerrie received

the award from Riverina School Education Director,

Mr Geoff Pellizzer, after being nominated by the

Principal, Crystal McGuigan.

Kerrie has been an untiring supporter of the school

for the past sixteen years, having begun her

involvement even before her four children started

school, by becoming a member of the Isolated

Children‟s and Parents Association, where she still

plays an active role. She has been a dynamic

member of the P&C during the past decade and a

half, organising school events, including the 75th

anniversary celebrations and school fundraisers.

Kerrie is a talented volunteer at the school, offering

her expertise is music by conducting singing

lessons with the students on a weekly basis. She has

been an enthusiastic supporter of their involvement

in KROP (Kids Rapt on Performing) in Griffith,

their performances for the elderly and for

community members and has been a huge help in

past years when the children participated in

Eisteddfods.

Mrs Johnston was overwhelmed by the honour and

thanked her family for their support of her efforts

and acknowledged the rest of the strong parent

network at the small school.

SHOPPING AT WOOLWORTHS

From April 8th

– June 9th

when shopping at

Woolworths you will be given one Woolworths

Earn and Learn point per $10 spent. Remember to

collect your stickers and support YAHS. All

support for the school is greatly appreciated.

CROSS COUNTRY REPORT

In contrast to last year Cross Country we were able

to use both boys and girls bush as part of the course.

On a perfect day at Yanco students were able to

take full advantage of the weather to post some

strong times.

Age Champions

AGE Boys Girls

12’s Max Hatty Amber Bevan

13’s Dylan Whiley Brianna

McAuliffe

14’s Reid Burley Loren Gregory

15’s Gavin Evans Brydie Mannion

16’s Andrew Reid Erika Quinn

17+ James Leane Sabrina Finch

Our School team will be participating in the Zone

Cross Country held on Friday 24th

May. This year

we are lucky enough to be holding the Zone Cross

Country at our school. Hopefully we can use the

home advantage to get more Yanconians through to

Riverina.

UNIVERSITY SHIELD UPDATE

Last week Yanco continued on their winning way

with a solid win over Griffith High School, 38 - 18.

Griffith proved to be a determined and enthusiastic

opponent with the score close in the first half. In the

second half the team used their considerable fitness

and teamwork to overpower the gallant Griffith

side. Well done lads. They now move onto the next

round, most likely against a school from Wagga.

RIVERINA SECONDARY SCHOOLS

NETBALL KNOCKOUT 2013 –

WAGGA CARNIVAL

On Wednesday the 22nd of May, Mrs Thurgood

took 10 girls to Wagga to compete in the Riverina

Secondary Schools Knockout Netball Carnival. Try

outs were held earlier in the month and many girls

from Years 9 to 12 turned up. In the end the team

selected to play included:

• Sabrina Finch – Year 12

• Natalie Rayment – Year 12

• Grace Cornish – Year 12

• Melanie Guttler – Year 11

• Lilly Serafin – Year 11

• Grace Skipworth – Year 10

• Meg Potter – Year 10

• Marnie Whytcross – Year 10

• Courtney Menzies – Year 9

• Jane Goldsworthy – Year 12

We had an early start, leaving at 7:15. As cold as it

was at Wagga, we jumped right into our first game

against Wagga High playing a very good game and

catching right up to them but, in the end, losing by

10 goals making the score 35-25. Wagga High then

went on to win their division and the whole

knockout so it was an extremely good effort for our

first game together as a team.

The next game was against Griffith High. Again

everyone played extremely well with Mel, Marnie

and Grace Skipworth playing great Defence, Lilly

and Grace Cornish holding up the mid court.

Courtney, Nat and Sab also shot really well. We

ended coming out on top with the score being 34-6.

The same went for our third game was against

Tumbarumba. After a number of injuries on the

other team Yanco won strongly with the final score

of 56-2.

After a short

lunch break

and a lot of

rain, we went

back out, cold

but confident,

for the semi-

finals. We

played against

James Fallen

and even Mr

Benjamin noticed the obvious height difference

between our teams. Still we fought hard and it was

a very close game, the wet conditions making it

very difficult,

but after a

long, hard

game James

Fallen got the

best of us and

beat us by six

gaols 23-17.

Even though

we didn‟t win

every game it was a very enjoyable day and

everyone had a great time. Especially as Mr

Benjamin took us to Maccas afterwards. Thanks to

Cherie Potter who came and umpired all of our

games for the day. Also a big thankyou to Mrs

Thurgood for organising everything and training

our team and just making it a good day in general,

and to Mr Benjamin for driving.

By Meg Potter Year 10.

HARMONY DAY POSTER COMPETITION

REGIONAL WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Congratulations to Karley Clissold (Regional

Winner) and Kirsty Clark (Regional Runner Up) on

their success in this year‟s Harmony Day Poster

Competition. Yanco Ag entered along with a

number of other schools in the region and we are

thrilled with the results. Karley and Kirsty have

been invited to an awards presentation at NSW

Parliament House later next month where the

overall state winner will be announced.

Harmony Day is a day of cultural respect for

everyone who calls Australia home – from the

traditional owners of this land to those who have

come from many countries around the world

(harmonyday.gov.au)

CHESS REPORT

On Monday 20th

May, the Yanco Agricultural High

School First Grade Chess Team (Chess Club 7) and

Mr Gifford set off to Wagga Wagga to try and stay

alive in the knockout round of the Country

Secondary Schools Chess Competition. Yanco

emerged victorious with Jeremy Hillam, Breanna

Carr and Jack Semmler winning their games.

James Wade lost in a tight game but hopes to

achieve a better result in the next round. After the

competition games were out of the way, everyone

decided to improve their skills with some chess

doubles games which tested even the most skilled

chess players. A big thanks goes to Mater Dei

Catholic College for the games and hospitality and

congratulations to Yanco Agricultural High School

First Grade Chess Team for their solid 3-1 victory.

Mr Gifford would also like to extend his

congratulations to the four players who

demonstrated great sportsmanship and humility in

their victory. At the end of the day friendship and

chess were the real winners.

Jack Semmler committing to

a sneaky sacrificial Queen move

Kirsty Clark Year 9

Karley Clissold

Year 10

Jeremy Hillam, deciding which

best way to trap his opponent

Breanna Carr is all smiles

after her victory.

James Wade thinking eleven

moves ahead

Sally McNiff and

Lyndsey Mitchell

Ellen Shepherd & Vanessa Patey

Awarded Gold

Hong Kong skyline

RIVERINA CENTRAL CHOIR IN CONCERT

On May 12th

-14th

we got the opportunity to go to

Sydney and sing at the Town Hall in the „In

Concert‟ directed by the Arts Unit. We travelled to

Sydney by train with the Riverina Regional Choir

which we attend once a

month in Wagga

Wagga. We had a full

day of rehearsals for the

concert that night. The

choir consisted of 650

other students and two

different orchestras

from schools from

Sydney. It was amazing

to be able to sing with

such a big group of

people but also with a

full orchestra. It was a great experience to be able to

sing in Town Hall and we loved every minute of it.

We would also like to thank Miss North for driving

us to and from Wagga Wagga once a month just so

we can rehearse with the regional choir, so we can

have opportunities like this, as well as Judy

Gollasch, the regional choir director, who took us to

Sydney.

By Sally McNiff and Lyndsey Mitchell

HONG KONG TRIP

From the 11th

to the

18th

April, Vanessa

Patey and Ellen

Shepherd travelled

to Hong Kong to

compete in the fifth

Hong Kong

International Youth

Music Festival

against 11 other

groups. The West

of the NSW Divide

wind ensemble

consisted of 45 high

school students

from 17 different schools. During the 3-day festival,

apart from competing, the band participated in

workshops and master classes at St Paul‟s Co-

educational College and at the Good Hope School,

as well as enjoying a few concerts by professionals

and the Good Hope School choir. The band was

awarded gold for their performance and on the

second last day of the trip the band had the

opportunity to perform at Hong Kong Disneyland.

While they were in Hong Kong they also got to

explore the night

markets and enjoy a

light show on the

harbour, having a

sightseeing tour and

being taken to a huge

music store. Vanessa

and Ellen both had an

amazing time and really

appreciated the

experience.

Mitchell Ryan "Bouldering"

Negotiating our way around

the base of the climb.

VENTURERS – THE ROCK BUSH WALK

On Saturday 18th

May, Andrew Thorn, Mitch Ryan

and Damian Cox went with Mr Press on a fact

finding mission to The Rock National Park.

We left school at around 10 o‟clock in the morning

and made our way to Lockhart where we stopped

for morning tea. After this we proceeded to The

Rock National Park passing through some

interesting small towns on the way, such as Tootool

and Milbrulong. When we arrived at The Rock

National Park we enjoyed preparing a rather large

BBQ lunch.

We started the bush walk at about 1pm and our first

objective was to find some suitable rock climbs on

the North East Face of The Rock and establish the

marked routes and codes that had been painted

along the base of the ridge line of the climbs. The

marked climbs that we discovered were then related

back to some established notes that had been

written in the early 1990s that guide the rock

climber along the safest route to the top of the cliffs.

After we were

satisfied with the

climbs that we had

found and discussed

what equipment we

needed to complete

the climb at a future

activity we then

walked around the 1 ½

km of the base of the

cliff line to assess any

other possible climbing routes. Walking along this

path proved difficult with loose underfoot rocks but

we managed to work our way along the contours to

exit the bush at the trail leading up to the summit of

the Rock.

At this point we were about 15 mins from the

summit and Mitch and I proceeded to the top. From

the top of The Rock the view was excellent, we

could see the whole district and we could also see

Galore Hill, where we sometimes go abseiling.

After this we headed back down the track to the car

park. After returning to the bus we estimated that

we walked about 8km during the day and cooked

dinner.

The day was enjoyed by all and we are certainly

looking forward going back with some gear and do

some of the rock climbs we found.

By Andrew Thorn YR11

FISHING AT BLOWERING DAM

On Friday the 5th of May the Yanco Ag fishing

club set off for Blowering Dam with high

expectations for a line tensioning weekend. We

arrived late that arvo and started to set up camp

before dark. Thanks to the parents for getting the

wood before we got there. It was great being able to

get that fire started straight away before it cooled

off too much.

The next morning we were straight into the action.

We had some groups enjoying a fish off the bank

and groups of 3 or 4 out on the water trawling. This

would not have been possible without some of the

parents generously lending us their boats.

Out on the water Tom Newbigging reeled in an

impressive 44cm yellow belly, being the only

reasonable fish of the weekend, it was fantastic to

get it in the boat. The next day it was time to leave.

With no rush we packed up making sure nothing

was left behind, put the boats on the trailer and

headed off back to school.

All the students would like to thank Peter Fraser,

Alan Briggs, Bernadette Smith, Mr Sachs and all

the parents and friends who helped out over the

weekend. Without you we could not have made this

trip happen. We all really enjoyed it.

Thank you.

Will McLean.

VENTURERS CAVING TRIP TO BLUE

WATERHOLES.

On Friday the 3rd of May, the YAHS Venturer unit

set off to camp at Blues Water Holes (North

Kosciuszko National Park) on one of our caving

adventures.

We arrived at about 11:00pm at the Mount

Coolamine campsite, set up camp and went to bed

around 12:30am on Saturday morning. We had a

late rise and cooked brunch at around 8:00am. After

a good feed of bacon, sausages, and eggs we headed

further down the Blues Waterholes track to the start

of the walking tracks towards the caves.

The first cave we ventured into was Murray‟s Cave.

In the cave we experienced many different unique

formations and many old signatures dating from

1902 to the present. We arrived at the sump of the

cave to find the water levels about 3 metres below

what they normally are. After exploring this cave

we hiked a long trek around the ridgeline and back

to the bus to have lunch at 3:00pm.

Once we had finished lunch we were back on the

track and heading to the Coolamine cave, we

explored this cave for around an hour and a half.

The features we negotiated around in this cave

included tight squeezes and wide open, but low

level, chambers. We explored a little bit more

around the joining of Coolamine main and

Coolamine right, this part of the cave was left for a

return visit in the future as it would take at least

another 2 hours to crawl through this section. When

we exited this cave it was starting to get dark so we

decided to get back on the track and head to camp,

where we had

a late dinner of

steak, sausages

with mashed

potatoes and

later with soup

being served

around the fire.

The next morning we were off to an early start. We

headed to Barber‟s cave for our last adventure of

the weekend. After we had been tested with a few

creek crossings through the base of an enormous

rock gorge we were at the entry of Barbers‟ cave.

We entered this cave through its exit hole at river

level and throughout the cave we encountered many

different problems from rock falls to carefully neg-

otiating ledge climbs. We had to climb up a rock

fall to go down deeper into this cave which included

exploring several smaller tunnels. To get out of the

cave we had to climb up a rock face. Mitchell

finally found his way through the maze of small

tunnels and led us out of our last cave of this

adventure. We made our way back to camp where

we started to pack up and head back to school. The

Venturers that attended this trip were: Andrew

Hulak, Mitchell Ryan, Lyndon Edgerton, Bailey

Cox, Andrew Thorn and our Venturer leader, Mr

Greg Press.

By: Lyndon Edgerton and Mitchell Ryan

AUSTRALIAN STOCK HORSE NATIONALS

TAMWORTH

On Friday the 3rd May, Carrie Hammet, Sheri

Hammet, Johanna Graetz, Will Peterson, Jess

Afflick, Erika Quinn, Courtney Stubberfield, Jack

Kimpton and Ryan Van-Gemert travelled to

Yanco‟s first Tamworth Australia Stock Horse

Nationals till Friday the 10th

May.

All successfully

competed in a range

of events, from

dressage test, led and

hack classes to

working and station

horse. In the led

section, Jess Afflick

led Rayma China

Girl to Champion

Led Mare 4 years old

and Jack Kimptom

led Rayma Spices to

win 1st in the

yearling led gelding. In the ridden events Jess

Afflick rode Rayma China Girl in the pleasure stock

horse mare 4 years old to be placed 4th, Erika

Quinn rode Pendergast Paris in the novice stock

horse mare 5 years and over, to be placed 3rd

and

Sheri Hammet rode Rayma Just a Doll to be a

finalist in English Attire.

In the dressage, Courtney Stubberfield showed very

successful

results by

taking out the

highest youth

points score

and placed 2nd

in dressage test

2C, along with

Will Peterson

taking out a 6th

and 10th

in two of his dressage tests.

In the working classes, Carrie Hammet placed 4th

in

novice working mare with Rayma Simplicity and

Courtney Stubberfield placed 5th

in the novice

working gelding. Johanna Graetz, Carrie Hammet,

Erika Quinn and Courtney Stubberfield all

competed in the mare and gelding station horse

event. The overall week was successful and the

equine team would like to thank Paul and Vicki and

the parents who made the trip possible.

By Johanna Graetz and Carrie Hammet

ANGUS YOUTH SCHOLARSHIP WINNER

On the 29th

and 30th

of

April I had the privilege of

attending the Angus

National 2013 Conference

held in Wagga Wagga,

after winning a scholarship

provided by Angus Youth

Australia. The two day

program was jam packed

with speakers from all over

the world who had to come

together to share their

knowledge. The days covered a range of sectors

about the beef cattle industry from seed stock

programs to the direction of the Angus Australia

society.

I found the days to be of great interest, as I was able

to get a good look into a well-developed industry

from a youth‟s point of view. I was given a

wonderful insight into animal genetics and the

different things that are involved to be able to get

the best results. It was also an eye opener of what is

achieved from simple DNA testing, and how it can

change the value of your stock and blood lines.

The two day conference was a wonderful learning

experience and enables me to further my knowledge

on the beef industry as well as providing me with a

fantastic network opportunity as I meet amazing

people from all areas of the industry, both in

Australia and overseas.

I am very grateful for the opportunity that the

Angus Youth provided me with and I would highly

encourage others to also become involved in Youth

programs, to develop their skills and improve their

industry knowledge.

Inez Mara Year 12

Keiley O'Brien

ROYAL BATHURST

SHOW REPORT

On Wednesday 10th

April, Paul Bandy,

Vicki Bradford, Bobby

Hammet, Sonya

Afflick, Louise and

Kellie Armour, Shirley

Worley, Alison

Prentice, Nicole and

Maryanne Paulston,

Tracey Stubberfield,

Carrie and Sheridan

Hammet, Erika Quinn,

Caitlyn Beer, Jess Afflick,

Blake Paulston, Courtney

Stubberfield, Grace Armour

and myself travelled to

Royal Bathurst Show. We

rode on Thursday, Friday,

Saturday, and Sunday. On

Thursday we had Pony club

events with Courtney: 1st

Girl rider 15 and under 17.

On Friday we had Australian Stock Horse Classes

and Caitlyn jumping. We were very successful with

many ribbons including; Jessica Afflick: 1st ASH

Junior Handler, 2nd ASH Led Mare, and 4th Hack

Mare. Erika

Quinn: 2nd ASH

Led Mare, 3rd

ASH Junior

Handler, 2nd

ASH Junior

Working. Carrie

Hammet: 2nd

ASH Junior

Handler, 1st ASH

Open Working, 1st ASH working rider under 18,

and Reserve Champion

ASH Working. Sheridan

Hammet: 3rd Novice

Hack. It was a very

successful day. On

Saturday we had Caitlyn

Beer: 2nd Led Clydesdale

Mare, 1st and Champion

Driven Clydesdale.

Sheridan Hammet: 1st

Ridden Pony, 1st Led

Riding Pony, 1st

Ridden Riding

Pony, 1st and

Champion Ridden

APSB Riding Pony.

On Sunday Caitlyn

Beer: 3rd Ridden

Buckskin. All in all

we had a very

successful and fun

weekend. I would

like to thank Paul

Bandy, Vicki Bradford and all Parents who made

this weekend possible. It was fantastic.

Will Peterson.

MURRAY GREY YOUTH AMBASSADOR

On the 14th-16th of April-

the first weekend of the

school holidays, Year 12

student Keiley O‟Brien

left study behind to attend

the 2013 Woodburn

Murray Grey Youth

Ambassador Awards, held

in conjunction with the

National Murray Grey

Show and Sale in Wodonga. Keiley participated in

the Youth‟s programs as well as the Murray Grey

Education Day and an Invite Only Leadership and

Life Coaching Clinic conducted by Jennie Wright

from Boil-The-Billy. Overall she said the

experience was very rewarding and allowed for

both her knowledge and leadership within the beef

industry to expand to a personal high. Keiley then

went on to be named the 2013 Junior Murray Grey

Youth Ambassador and gained a scholarship to

attend either the National All Breeds Junior Heifer

Show in Dubbo N.S.W. or the South Australian

Junior Heifer Expo in Adelaide S.A. to be decided

later this year. This is the second year in a row that

Keiley has been selected as the Junior Murray Grey

Youth Ambassador.

Rose Nevinson

Junior Judging

Dubbo Show - Goolgunya Shield

DUBBO SHEEP SHOW

Yanco‟s White Suffolk Stud sheep and students

have just spent four days at the Dubbo Sheep Show.

The show encompassed a large number and range

of sheep breeds, with a large White Suffolk

representation of 196 stud sheep. This benefited the

students immensely as they did a lot of networking

with stud breeders

and other schools,

and gained a lot of

industry knowledge.

The students

exhibited the stud's

sheep in the Open

Classes against some

of most influential

studs in Australia.

We are very proud of

our stud's progression

within the White

Suffolk Industry. One

of the most notable accolades we received was in

the Pair of Milk Tooth Ewes Open class, where we

placed sixth in a field of fourteen against elite studs.

Our proudest highlight was placing fourth in the

Open Objective Ewe class against a field of twenty

sheep; which was the largest and most competitive

class in the White Suffolk Judging. This class is

judged using objective eye muscle and fat depth

scan data, live weight, and subjective visual

appraisal. This encompasses the direction of our

breeding objectives towards improving

performance, and is the culmination of several years

of selective breeding using LAMBPLAN database

of Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs).

This allows us

to produce and

market a ram

bred especially

for producing

supermarket

trade prime

lambs.

On the final

day of the

show, the

Junior Judging

and Handling competitions were held. The students

performed exceptionally well against over one

hundred other young competitors. The students

were required to demonstrate their knowledge of

ram and ewe selection by accurately judging

Merinos, short wool and long wool meat breeds of

sheep, which were Border Leicesters and White

Suffolks, as well as parade sheep for judging of

their handling skills. Lindsay Brown, in Year 7,

won first place in the

Under 15 years Merino

Sheep Junior Judging,

with Tom Arnold in Year

8 placing second. Rose

Nevinson and Andrew

Hulak of Year 10 were

selected for the finals of

the Over 15 years Merino

Sheep Junior Judging,

with Rose Nevinson

placing fifth overall.

Charles Hogan, in Year 8,

placed fifth in the Under

15 years Meat Sheep Junior Judging and in the

Under 15 years Junior Handling competition.

Emma Gale and Colleen Head from Year 10 were

selected for the finals of the Over 15 years Meat

Sheep Junior Judging, with Colleen placing fourth

overall. Aiden Raeck of Year 10 was also selected

for the Over 15 years Junior Handling Competition

finals, receiving a commendation from the judge for

good sportsmanship when he helped another student

who had lost control of her sheep. Special mention

must also be made to Tom

Arnold, who assisted Jeff

Sutton, of Wattle Farm

Border Leicesters, prepare

and parade his sheep for

judging on Friday and

Saturday. This embodies

the outstanding work ethic,

initiative and leadership

qualities that YAHS is

renowned for. Overall, the

students did an outstanding

job preparing and

presenting themselves and

their sheep, and

demonstrated excellent initiative, teamwork and

leadership skills throughout the show. YAHS

students are an absolute asset to the school and the

wider Agricultural community.

Year 11 Ag. Weighing sheep

Pregnant ewes

YANCO WHITE SUFFOLK STUD TO BEGIN

LAMBING

The school‟s McCaughey White Suffolk stud‟s one

hundred and forty breeding ewes are about to start

lambing on the 25th of May. They were scanned for

pregnancy in March to identify whether they are

carrying single or multiple lambs, and have been

moved onto lucerne

pastures. Many of

the year groups have

been involved in

crutching and

branding the ewes

with numbers on

their sides to

identify them in

preparation for

lambing. The green

brands, which are

stamped on both

sides of each ewe correlate to their ear tag number,

and allow us to identify exactly which ewe owns

which lamb, and who that lamb is sired by. Our

Stage 5 and Stage 6 Primary

Industries students will be

checking the ewes and tagging

and weighing the lambs at birth.

This is the first year that the lambs

will be tagged with electronic

identification tags to assist in

recording production traits and

information for the lamb‟s

lifetime in electronic format.

Weighing the lambs and recording

whether they are a triplet, twin or single is the first

step in a long line of data collection for the

performance database, LAMBPLAN. Later in the

year, at weaning and at four months old, the lambs

will be weighed again and scanned by an ultrasound

scanner to determine the depth of their eye muscle

in the loin area and fat coverage. All of this data

goes to Sheep Genetics Australia, to produce

Australian Sheep Breeding Values, which are

estimates of how valuable an animal‟s genetics are

based on traits that are desired by commercial prime

lamb producers. These traits include early growth of

the lambs, so that

they reach market

weights earlier and

greater amounts of

muscle and fat on the

carcase. Despite the

negative perception

of fat by many

consumers, fat is

actually important for

meat flavour,

juiciness and

tenderness, and for

the survival of lambs.

Students will be involved in all of this data

collection, and will be able to see how this data is

transformed into these values, and

what their significance in for

commercial producers and in a

ram breeding operation. The rams

produced in this year‟s lambing

will go through our rigorous

selection process and be available

for the public to purchase next

year. There are currently 12 month

old rams available for purchase

from the school, all of which have

Australian Sheep Breeding Values data for use as a

selection tool.

For any enquiries about these rams or the stud,

please contact our Farm Foreman Natalie O’Leary

on 0427 498 788.

Pregnant White Suffolk Ewes on Lucerne Paddocks

Agrifoods Naranderra Excursion

Agrifoods Naranderra Excursion

Planting trees

Stage 5 Agrifoods planting new gardens

Agrifoods - Repotting plants

AGRICULTURE OUT AND ABOUT ON THE

YANCO FARM

Students in the Agriculture, Agrifoods and Primary

Industries subjects have been getting amongst it

when it comes to operations on the school farm and

garden.

Many of the year groups have been involved in

planting windbreaks using native trees and shrubs

on the top block of the farm, across Euroley road,

adjacent to the irrigated Lucerne paddocks. There is

little shelter on that part of the property, and the

windbreaks are being planted to reduce the potential

for wind erosion, and to provide shelter for

livestock. This has involved Year 9 and 10

Agriculture, as well as Stage 5 Agrifoods and

Primary Industries.

The Stage 5 Agrifoods students have been involved

in re-potting plants donated to us by the Narrandera

Forest Nursery during an excursion in Term One,

before it sadly closed its doors in April. They have

been planting some of these plants, in the newly

landscaped gardens outside the TAS classrooms,

which have all been planted with water-wise native

plants, and mulched with rice straw.

Year 8 planting market

gardens

Year 7 working on their veggie patches

Stage 5 primaries -pigs

Jack Pippin and Phoebe Priestly

mouthing rams

Year 7 working on their vegie gardens

Year 11 and Stage 5 Agrifoods students had the

privilege of listening to our consulting Agronomist

speak about Lucerne management, the varieties

which the school farm grows; their winter activity

and their suitability for grazing and hay cutting.

These include Sardi 9, Genesis 7 and Titan 7. He

also spoke about integrated pest management and

grazing management for stand longevity.

Stage 5 Primary Industries has spent Term One

looking at Workplace Health and Safety, and is now

looking at livestock behaviour, handling, health and

welfare. They have been observing the natural

behaviours of flocking animals such as sheep and

cattle, and intensively farmed pigs, and learning

how to use these to their advantage when they are

handling and moving them.

Year 7 and 8 Agriculture have been working hard

constructing their garden beds, raising seedlings

and planting for their vegetable patches and market

gardens. The students have planted cabbages,

broccoli and other winter vegetables in their

gardens.

Repotting trees

Year 8 students standing proudly behind

their market garden

The chestnut colt we chose.

Karly Clissold with a

stallion

Emily Belling with the

colt's father

Sarah Oost with a mare

Breanna with the mare

CLYDESDALE HORSE REPORT

On Saturday 25th of May, Paul Bandy and a bus of

equine students set off to Mr & Mrs Colin Brown‟s

Clydesdale stud, “McMurchie”, to select some

horses for the

Melbourne Show

2013 and the

Sydney Show

2014. Overall

there were around

30 horses on the

property, includ-

ing four stallions.

Scanning the foals in

the paddock, the

Equine Show Team

picked out a chestnut

colt. His colour is the

traditional Clydesdale

colour type and he was

sound in all aspects.

With this decision

made, the Equine

students were able to

have a look at three of

the four stallions and

then at a herd of

seventeen mares, all

differing in colour. A

young filly was

selected as well. The

experience was

fantastic with students

getting up close and

personal with these giants of the horse world.

Many thanks to Mr

and Mrs Colin and

Karen Brown for

having all of us

there.

By Breanna Carr

Murray Smith, Sabrina Finch,

Royce Johnston & Harriet Condon

TERM 1 COMMENDATIONS

Year 7: Amber Bevan, Zara Carlson, Sebastian

Clarke, Emma Cullen, Abbey Curran, Brad Daunt,

Hayley Dowling, Jackson Doyle, Mitch Dunne,

Blake Haddrill, Max Hatty, Georgina Hughes,

Annie James, Bryce Johnston, Thomas Kimpton,

Lyndsey Mitchell, John Mullins, Vy Owen, Kaylee

Radburn, Olivia Reid, Cameron Saul, Zoe Thomas ,

Ethan Viant, Jasmine Whitehurst.

Year 8: Thomas Arnold, Reid Burley, Charlotte

Butt, Grace Daunt, Ben Davis, Jaclyn Dwyer, Kylie

Fairfull, Gemma Fisher, Austin Flamisch, Madi

Gillett, Loren Gregory, Abbie Hurst, Grace Kalinin,

James Kearines, Hannah Kolve, Emily Parker,

Connor Ricciarelli, Angus Smyth, Jake Smyth,

Arabella Tobin, Alison Treloar, Dylan Van Gemert,

Chloe Ward, Dylan Whiley.

Year 9: Olivia Alexander, Grace Armour, Amber

Arthur, Cody Brown, Claudia Cheers, Kirsty Clark,

Tarhlia Claydon, Zoe Cumming, Connor Edmunds,

Nicole Fairley, Liam James, Deanna Johnston,

Meagan Lette, Erika Lucas, Brydie Mannion,

Cambell McMaster, Sally McNiff, Matthew Owen,

Ryan Pike, Claire Tagliapietra, Hannah Walker,

Lucy Webster, Angus Wilton.

Year 10: Jane Arndt, Harry Beal, Caitlyn Beer,

Toby Commens, Lyndon Edgerton, Stacie Fraser,

Arnah Garwood, Andrew Haenig, Colleen Head,

Natalia Henderson, Luke Horrobin, Georgia

Howard, Cameron Ingram, Heidi Johnston, Samuel

Larsen, Joshua Leonard-Mclean, Liam McCallum,

Jock McPherson, Nathan Morris, Rose Nevinson,

Sarah Oost, Jack Pippin, Meg Potter, Aidan Raeck,

Andrew Reid, Rebecca Ritchie, Grace Skipworth,

Thomas Smyth, Candace Staker, Eaden Turner,

Brad Willis.

Year 11: Grace Alexander, Joshua Beer, Amellia

Butt, George Calman, Emily Crick, Zoe Dunn,

Jacquiline Ervin, Melanie Guttler, Maddy Haddrill,

Emily Head, Zoe Howe, Jessica Johnston, Hayley

Mildren, Amy Miller, Jack Moran-Turner, Teia

Oliver, Ashley Pike, Cameron Read, Samuel Ryan,

Adam Saul, Lilly Serafin, Mitchell White, Chelsea

Whytcross, Carl Williams, Rick Worland.

Year 12: Emma Carmichael, Courtney Cheers,

Harriet Condon, Damien Cox, Tavia Dalton, Trevor

Dowton, Sabrina Finch, Emma Freeman, Laura

Gaffey, Jane Goldsworthy, Johanna Graetz, April

Harvey, James Hincenbergs, Melanie Jenkins,

Royce Johnston, Robert Leane, Denise Littlehales,

Jesse McDonald, Keiley O'Brien, Vanessa Patey,

Emily Pike, Cherie Potter, Lucy Simmonds, Rachel

Skinner, Murray Smith, Billie Stenhouse,

Alexander Stewart.

Gem Achievers

School Captains and Prefects