Viewpoint

In its new form, the GKC is a British Parliamentary (BP) competition involving students from years 7-12. British Parliamentary debating is unlike the usual 3 v 3 debating with which most Australians are familiar. Rather than two teams of three—an affirmative and negative—BP debating features four teams of two—an Opening Government, an Opening Opposition, a Closing Government, and a Closing Opposition. While the opening half of the debate is similar to Aus 3 v 3, the closing half is significantly different, with closing teams required to provide an “extension”, new analysis that does not contradict or refute their opening team, but either provides crucial reasoning that fills in gaps or an an entirely different argument that is more important than the opening’s argument. In addition, speakers can ask each other Points of Information, questions / rebuttals in the middle of speeches.

While less known in Australia, BP is a globally popular format. Indeed, it is the format of the World University Debating Championship, the pinnacle of global debating, and a competition several Old Ignatians have won.

While some of our students had prior experience with BP, the vast majority were learning the format for the first time, though you wouldn’t know it from the quality of their speeches and cases.

This year’s GKC was broken up into two competitions: Junior—featuring years 7 and 8—and Senior—featuring years 9, 10, and 11. Congratulations to all students for their diligence and the high standard to which they spoke.

We are pleased to specifically congratulate the following individual students and teams on their distinct success:

Individuals
Best Year 7 Speaker: Archer Branson
Best Year 8 Speaker and overall best Junior speaker: James Koch
Best Year 9 Speaker - Toby Lau
Best Year 10 Speaker - Austin Clark
Best Yr 11 Speaker and Best overall Senior Speaker - Stephen Barchinski

Teams
Best Year 7 Team: Kevin & Kevin (Dominic and Jock Kevin)
Best Year 8 team and 2025 Junior Glen King Cup champions: Carney & Koch (Will Carney and James Koch)
Best Year 9 Team: The Debataholics (Alexander Blayney and Xavier Chan)
Best Year 10 Team: Clark & Mills (Austin Clark and Lewis Mills)
Best Year 11 Team and 2025 Senior Glen King Cup champions: The congregation of bards in relation but not limited to the symphonic wind band (Caelan Cosgriff and Stephen Barchinski)

The GKC will return next year, and we encourage even more students to take part! Trials for 2026 teams will commence today and continue next week.

_{Junior top speakers: Jason Herrera-Hu, William Carney, and Jordan Herrera-Hu}

_{Senior and Junior winners: The congregation of bards in relation but not limited to the symphonic wind band (Caelan Cosgriff and Stephen Barchinski) & Carney & Koch (Will Carney and James Koch)}

Charlie Culbert and Thomas Poynton were back in action on Saturday, joining Lachlan Maiers (Dalton House) and Matteo Shipman (Smith House) in the U20 4x800m relay. In one of the standout moments of the meet, the boys delivered a gutsy and perfectly paced run to claim gold upsetting powerhouse club favorites Randwick Botany and Ryde Athletics Club in a thrilling finish. Their determination and teamwork were on full display, earning well deserved cheers from teammates, coaches, and families watching on.

Across the entire weekend, Riverview athletes consistently stepped up, supported one another, and represented the College with pride. Beyond the medals, it was inspiring to witness individual growth, rising confidence, and the genuine excitement the boys brought to every race. Their willingness to put themselves on the line for their teammates and school was something truly special.

It is a privilege for our coaching staff to guide these young men through a major state championship, and on behalf of the College, we extend our heartfelt thanks to all the boys for their commitment and effort. We also sincerely thank the parents for their support and for making the long journey out to Blacktown Sports Park, your presence makes all the difference.

With such a strong and historic start to the season, the future looks bright for Riverview Track & Field. Go View!

This year, we continued to refine and enhance the course. We removed the long, uneventful tail section, creating a more compact and engaging layout. Additional barricades and taped-off sections ensured riders stayed on track with no opportunity for shortcuts. We also introduced a one-off sprint start featuring a sudden left-hand turn around a tree, injecting excitement and a touch of chaos into the opening seconds of the race.

Parents, students and SPC staff from The King’s School, Waverley College, Barker College, Knox Grammar School, St Augustine’s College and newcomers Chevalier College all enjoyed the challenge of the slopes. We were also delighted to welcome our Rector, Father Tom Renshaw SJ, who spent the morning cheering on riders and offering words of encouragement. The atmosphere was energetic, and while storm clouds threatened, the weather held out, giving us ideal overcast conditions. Spectators enjoyed coffee, drinks and cakes from the coffee van, while music from the lap-timing area set a lively tone.

A huge congratulations to our Riverview students, who produced outstanding results across all divisions.

Juniors
James Hampson – 6th of 22
Sam Cudworth – 10th of 22
Byron Hunt – 15th of 22

Intermediates
Remy Camus – 2nd of 28
Max Tavanian – 8th of 28

Seniors
Lucius Pimpini – 1st of 37
Marcus Hughes – 4th of 37
Patrick Waterford – 6th of 37

Full results can be viewed here

A round of this scale would not be possible without the dedication and support of our exceptional coaching and operations team. A special thank you goes to Lachlan Ambrogio, who continually enhances the track layout each year and spends countless hours under the sun marking out the course with tape and bollards. Thank you also to Harry Spice for rider briefings and announcements, and to Jack Caine, Judah White, Matthew Mooney and Eoin McCarthy for their work as marshals.

We extend our gratitude to Taj from Green by Nature for supplying additional soil and preparing the track surface to a pristine, race-ready standard. Finally, sincere thanks to Blake Tuxford, Reece Duggans and Khalil for managing logistics, including bus parking, gate closures and traffic management—essential tasks that ensure the event runs safely and smoothly.

In Round 3 we welcomed the full complement of our 1st VI skippers. Healy returned from his international regatta schedule and enjoyed a change of pace, racing alongside his schoolmates on a sunny Sydney Harbour. In the first of our match-ups, the Riverview 1st VI defeated The Cranbrook School 2nd VI. This Cranbrook team placed 3rd at the 2025 Australian Championships in June, so being competitive against them—and ultimately beating them—was a very pleasing result. After winning the first race, we conceded the next to some clever strategy, before securing a dominant start in the final race and taking out the best-of-three challenge. With so many matches won or lost in the start sequence, Riverview has been working hard to improve in this critical phase of the course.

The Riverview 2nd VI then raced against Waverley’s 1st VI. Waverley are relatively inexperienced in this competition, and the Riverview flotilla made short work of the match in a decisive 3–0 result.

The 2nd VI continued their winning streak even after being promoted to Division 2 of the competition. Their first round at this higher level was against the Sydney Boys High School 1st VI. SBHS is an experienced team in the Teams Racing circuit, so it was a great testament to our sailors to see them compete so confidently and decisively against such quality opposition.

Round 4 coincided with the NSW State ILCA Championships. All three of our starting 1st VI skippers are serious contenders in the ILCA classes, and each of them returned with impressive results in both their age groups and overall. Riverview Sailing is very proud to support these athletes as they continue to advance their skills at major events. Congratulations and well done!

As a result of their ILCA commitments, the 1st VI Round 4 match-up with The Scots College 1st VI has been postponed to this weekend.

This weekend marks our final scheduled matches of the competition, with races against Cranbrook School’s 1st VI and The Scots College 2nd VI. The teams have been training and studying hard in preparation, and we wish them good luck and safe passage across to Woollahra on Saturday.

Ben V, our captain, despite close matches, has found winning difficult. Not today. He got out of the blocks early, had 2 birdies in the first few holes and won the match 2 up. Teddy, also recorded his first win, with a very gutsy display. He had won on forfeit two weeks earlier. Hugo played the match with his partner in great spirit, and when the rain came he was 4 down. He had previously won his two matches.

The 3-1 victory was well deserved, and the boys are looking forward to building on this momentum next Saturday when they take on St Aloysius' College at North Ryde Golf Club.