FROM THE MASTER - Mr Greg Eddy

I applaud the new Wyvern Review and I look forward to reading all the news of the College.

As we rush towards the end of semester, I’d like to acknowledge three of the staff. At the Commemoration Dinner we formally farewelled the Deputy Master, Peter Walker and his family. Peter was Deputy for 7 years and we celebrate his appointment as Principal and CEO of Grace College here at UQ. The Registrar, Rachelle Hynds was also farewelled as she moves on to a new role in the Uniting Church. Rachelle has been on staff for 12 years and has been a wonderful Registrar and a critical connection with prospective students and their families. I am sure that the popularity of King’s is often because of the connection made with Rachelle Hynds. More recently, my EA, Ronda Eastall has resigned after 8 years on the staff. Ronda will take up a role as an Executive Adviser to the Assistant Commissioner Technical in the Qld Government. I am sure you all join with me in congratulating the staff on these significant roles and thanking them for their enormous contribution to King’s over many years.

How fortunate we have been and continue to be to have had such long serving and committed staff. I look forward to introducing you to new appointments in due course, but I do acknowledge the new Deputy Master, Andrew Eunson who has already made a huge impact on the College community.

In the last couple of months, I have visited numerous schools and talked to many prospective students. There is a common theme in their choice of King’s College and that relates to the community that is King’s. I am very grateful to all students who have, this year, been wonderful ambassadors for King’s here and away. I thank all the Student Leadership Team but I pay tribute to the KCSC Executive led by Will Bradley who have shown courage in their choices – I love their initiative and that they are willing to try new things - as I write this I sincerely hope that the King’s Formal, in its first year, is a huge success.

To all Old Collegians reading this don’t forget the Centenary Cocktail Reception to be held at the College on Saturday 15th July from late afternoon. There will be more information soon, but this will be a fabulous celebration of 100 years of remarkable service from Old Collegians for their College.

Best wishes to all students as we move towards end of semester examinations.

Greg

FROM THE DEPUTY MASTER - Mr Andrew Eunson

Over the past few weeks, I have written to students about the many things that come together to create great communities and great individuals. I have referenced support of one another, the concepts of personal growth and integrity: looking within to serve outwards, as well as the import part that positive conversations around mental health play in all our lives. I'm encouraged daily by the conversations I have with King's College Collegians around the the campus and at various events.

As King's College continues to develop and respond to the needs of the modern-day, I remind students that we should bring high expectations to all that we do. This relates to our academic preparations, our sporting and cultural preparations, as well as how we hold ourselves both within and outside of King's College. It is the examples of those who have gone before us that allow a model for continual improvement and progression.  

Over the next couple of weeks, I'm looking forward to meeting with many parents and old collegians at the various upcoming cocktail and rowing events. If you see me or my family around the College, please come up and say hello.

Andrew

FEATURE EDITORIAL - FULL INTERVIEW VIDEO BELOW

Captain of Boats, Harry Pettet and Inez Kritzler, on Rowing at King’s College and the Upcoming Henley Trip! 

This week I sat down with Captain of Boats, Harry, and Inez, to discuss the last weekend’s success of the King’s College Boat Club at the first lead-up regatta of the season. Having both learnt to row from the beginning of high school, the pair tells us what it means to row and how college has challenged and supported them to be their best self.    

Harry and Inez have both been rowing for over seven years since learning to row at the beginning of high school back in Year 7. Inez, a former student of MLC Burwood in Sydney, had no expectation of what rowing would be like thinking it was like kayaking. Harry, a former student of Sunshine Coast Grammar School had a similar experience whilst learning to row. He felt like he was way out of his depth when sitting in a quad scull for the first time.   

Having come a long way in their rowing journeys, Harry and Inez have become highly skilled in rowing. Both quick in the single scull, they have claimed medals on a state and national level throughout high school and out. Their commitment and consistency to perform at their best, whether racing or training in the early morning, has set them apart from other rowers.  

This past weekend King’s College hosted the first lead-up regatta before the ICC Regatta on Sunday, May 28th. The greatest achievement of the weekend was every division winning their event. An extraordinary effort for half the crews who have only learnt to row since March! Moving forward, Harry and Inez, alongside coaches Matt Hart and Jon Tannahill, want everyone to continue to work hard and win once again performing at their absolute best.  

The Henley Royal Regatta is fast approaching for Harry, Inez and the rest of UK squad. The tour will kick off in June after the ICC season concludes when the crews fly over to the UK. Harry rowing in the male first VIII, and Inez in the single scull will continue to train hard weekly - adapting their programs to suit the needs of their boats. We wish them, and the rest of the Kingsmen and Kingswomen, the best of luck.  

Thank you to Harry and Inez for giving us some insight into their rowing journey at King’s College. We anticipate their performance and successes to follow for the rest of the season and then at Henley in the UK.  

Quick Questions with Harry and Inez! 

Daytime or night time study?  

Harry: Daytime 

Inez: Daytime 

Bucket list destination? 

Harry: Riding with the bulls in Spain 

Inez: The Amazon River 

Favourite person to row with?  

Harry: Mitch Nelson, just for the vibes 

Inez: Hannah Riches 

Favourite moment of first year? 

Harry: All of Lower J 

Inez: All the events, but King’s at Home because of the bucking bull 

Sweep or scull?  

Harry: Scull 

Inez: Scull 

Most prized possession? 

Harry: My heater in my room 

Inez: My fridge, keeps the food cold 

Sunset or sunrise row? 

Harry: Sunset 

Inez: Sunrise  

Favourite thing about kings? 

Harry: The people and the rowing 

Inez: The people and the community  

Editorial by Miss Ruby Wolfe (King's 2022 - )

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC AND CAREER SERVICES - Mr Tony Andres

For those who attended the King’s Commemoration Dinner two weeks ago I hope you enjoyed the evening. Congratulations again to all the scholarship and bursary recipients for Semester 1, 2023 (full list below) and to the 2022 King’s Scholar, Flynn Boorer (full write-up also below). The Commemoration Dinner is a great way to recognise and celebrate King’s students who not only excel academically, but also engage with King’s College and the wider community. I hope these awards provide a great incentive to all students to aim for academic excellence and to get involved during your time at King’s.

And thank you to all those who participated and attended the various events and activities last week as part of the Business & Commerce Careers Week. There were some good sessions on offer, but the highlight of the week was the Broomhead Feros Society Professional Development event on Tuesday evening. I hope you gained some valuable insight from the panel members and were able to do some networking in the process. As Lynda noted in her write-up this week, there are still two other Careers Weeks on offer this year so be sure to keep an eye out for additional information on the online community Careers page. However, in the meantime, if you need any support around creating/updating your CV, LinkedIn profile, career planning, or just general advice on how to apply for jobs, please don’t hesitate to contact Lynda or me. It’s never too early to start planning your career!

As we approach the final weeks of the semester teaching period I would encourage you, if you haven’t done so already, to take a moment to write down and put in your calendars the items that you need to do/complete for the remainder of the semester. Of course, this should include attending your last lectures/tutorials/pracs, any study sessions provided by your course, and the exam prep workshop provided by the Student Services Unit. You should also be attending the tutorials at King’s. Our tutors can assist with preparing for the final exam. I have also asked the tutors to discuss with their tutorial group what sorts of academic assistance you require during SWOTVAC and exam block as we can continue to provide academic support during this period. If you do not see your course in the tutorial schedule (below) or need to meet with Brian, our Writing Consultant, please come see me/Lynda ASAP. 

I imagine anxiety and stress levels will be increasing over the next several weeks so please look after yourself and each other. And be sure to utilise all the support (academic and otherwise) available to you both at King’s and at your university.

To quote Benjamin Franklin, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” At this point in the semester there is little time to waste. To put yourself in the best position to do well, be sure to prioritise your time with your academic studies. And of course, you should continue to eat healthy, exercise regularly and rest.

If you are planning to change degrees/programs for Semester 2 2023 please come see me to discuss your plans. QTAC applications are due by May 25th.

As always, if you require any additional support don’t hesitate to get in contact.

Be good to yourself and work hard!

Tony

FROM THE DEAN OF STUDENT WELLBEING - Ms Adele Johnston

Stop trying to do everything. Pay yourself first (with time)

Do you ever get to the end of the day and wonder why you haven’t made progress on something important to you?

Like a savings account, when we put a portion of our pay aside, we can save for something important to us. On the other hand, if we spend our pay, we won’t have anything left.

According to Oliver Burkeman, in his book ‘Four Thousand Weeks’ the same is true for our time.

If you don’t save a bit of your time for yourself every day, you’ll end up spending it on everyone else and have no time left for you.

So, how can we pay ourselves first with time?

1. Work out what’s important to you right now. Is it your fitness? Connecting with friends? Spending time with family? Surfing? Learning the guitar? Dance lessons?
2. Spend the first hour of every day or schedule one hour into your diary to work on whatever it is that lights you up.
3. Accept that you can have anything but you can’t have everything. Work out what you are going to have to sacrifice (one extra hour of sleep, going out until 3am, watching Netflix) in order for you to do the thing that matters to you most right now.

"If you plan to spend some of your four thousand weeks doing what matters most to you, then at some point you're just going to have to start doing it." Oliver Burkeman.

FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC AND CAREER SERVICES  - Ms Lynda Murphy

If you are studying for a Business or Finance related degree, we trust you enjoyed the scheduled events during careers week last week. Still to come in 2023 is Engineering & IT Careers Week (August 14-18) and Health & Medical Sciences Careers Week (11-15 September). A reminder, at King’s you needn’t wait for careers week to benefit from careers and employability support. Ask yourself, if the dream opportunity came my way tomorrow, is my resume and LinkedIn profile ready to go? Do I know how to prepare for a job interview? Am I equipped to answer interview questions in a way that positively articulates my experience and skillset? If the answer to these questions is no, don’t worry, help is at hand. Planning and preparing for your career need not be an onerous task - it starts with a 20-minute chat. Send us a message or pop into the Learning Centre and plan for the assistance you need.

If you have not yet spent time on the online community platform Careers page, check it out for the latest news, jobs, and events. The jobs board features more than 200 of the latest graduate, intern, and casual vacancies, sourced from top industry job sites, professional contacts, and Old Collegians. If you are not looking for work right now, I recommend you use the jobs board as a tool to research who is hiring and the skills in demand. What are the most common skillsets requested by organisations? Which skills and experiences do you lack? As you prepare to launch your career, this type of research could be time well spent. 

Did you know that King’s College offers a recruitment service? Through King’s connections with Old Collegians and industry organisations we often hear about opportunities and are invited to introduce King’s students and graduates - another great reason to be ‘job application ready’. Will Robinson shares his recent experience in ‘I found a job through King’s’.

Lynda

AROUND THE CAMPUS

KEY DATES

21 MAY - COLLEGES' REGATTA #2 AT KING'S COLLEGE

27 MAY - SEMESTER 1 PARENTS' COCKTAIL PARTY

28 MAY - ICC REGATTA AT KING'S COLLEGE

9 JUNE - NEXT EDITION OF THE WYVERN REVIEW

11 JUNE - UK ROWING TOUR DEPARTS

17 JUNE - UQ SEMESTER 1 EXAM PERIOD ENDS

24 JUNE - QUT SEMESTER 1 EXAM PERIOD ENDS

24 JULY - UQ/QUT SEMESTER TWO COMMENCE

A fantastic event being led by Claudio Mastronardi. Contact Claudio for more info.