Basketballers reach nationals

August 14, 2014 by Brenton Stacey

But results at Eastern University Games mixed

Avondale men's basketball team

Men’s basketball joins men’s touch football as automatic qualifiers for the nationals after strong showings at the Eastern University Games in Newcastle July 7-10. The former finished fifth—down from fourth in 2013—but qualified because three other teams had already done so. The latter went one better than this past year by winning bronze, although expectations were higher—the team, gold medal winners in division two at the most recent Australian University Games, led 4-0 in its semifinal before losing 5-4. Credit: Colin Chuang.

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Expo returns interest

June 27, 2014 by Brenton Stacey

Generates hundreds of enquiries for Avondale

Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

The facilities and support Avondale provides as host of an annual regional careers expo ensures its return to the college is a “no brainer.”

Central Coast Career Pathways Expo

Lecturer Linda Cloete from the Faculty of Nursing and Health speaks to senior high school students attending the Central Coast Careers Pathways Expo, which Avondale hosts on its Lake Macquarie campus. Credit: Annalise Lindsay.

The Central Coast Careers Pathways Expo brings together exhibitors from the business, government, education and trade sectors and senior students from about 30 public and private schools in the region. It returned to Avondale College of Higher Education’s Lake Macquarie campus for a fourth consecutive year this past Tuesday (June 24), generating more enquiries—419 this year—and more goodwill.

“Working with Avondale is so good,” says coordinator Phil Williamson, the head teacher for vocational education and training at Northlakes High School in San Remo. He speaks of the facilities—the Chan Shun Auditorium is the primary venue—and the logistical support from Marketing Services, particularly the student workers it employs, as keys to the expo’s success. “The decision our planning committee makes to return each year is a no brainer.”

The agreement for Avondale to host the expo will enter its fifth year next year.

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Helping Hands a win-win

May 28, 2014 by Brenton Stacey

Mentoring, recruitment initiative good for enrolment, community

Bianca Reynaud
Public relations assistant
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

Helping HandsAn Avondale College of Higher Education mentoring and recruitment initiative is as its name suggests giving new students and their friends a helping hand.

Helping Hands

Breane Grange (left), with Tara Hansen, has eased into life at Avondale thanks to Helping Hands. Credit: Bianca Reynaud.

An initiative of Marketing Services, Helping Hands encourages students to mentor those they introduce to Avondale by, among other things, helping them register, accompanying them to their first lectures and introducing them to life at Avondale. Mentors are rewarded with a free unit or $1000 off the cost of their accommodation and the satisfaction of helping a friend.

“She’s been tops,” says Breane Grange about her Helping Hand Monique Graf, a final-year Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Teaching student. Breane enrolled in semester one this year and is studying a Bachelor of Education (Primary). Helping Hands eased her into her course “because there was one person [on which I could rely.] It just made everything so much easier and less scary.”

Monique eased into her role, too.“Just be someone who’s approachable. Encourage, listen. Your student [needs to feel like] someone is there for them.”

Helping Hands began in 2009 but improved its accountability requirements the following year. Students must now attend orientation with their recruited student, complete an activity log and attend a mentoring session.

“I’m studying teaching to be a mentor,” says Monique, “and the mentoring session reminded me what it’s all about—thinking of someone other than myself.” She adds that “it’s been cool to see Breane settle in and enjoy [her time at Avondale].”

According to marketing officer Alana Brown, at least 50 students register for Helping Hands each year. They recruit about 100 students. This win-win builds a stronger sense of community on campus. Says Breane, “We feel like we’re part of the community from the very first day.”

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From Bible lands to baptism

May 15, 2014 by Brenton Stacey

Study tour helps lead students to Christ

Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

A Bible lands study tour and Seventh-day Adventist education entities have influenced four Avondale students to publicly declare their belief in Jesus Christ.

Emma McCrow, Gina Siller, Maree Bagley and Kylie Stewart baptisms

Clockwise from top left: Emma McCrow, Gina Siller, Maree Bagley and Kylie Stewart—with members of her family—at their baptisms. Credit: Kirsten Groves.

Emma McCrow, an international poverty and development studies major, joined chaplain Dr Wayne French on the Middle East tour in 2011. The experience, among others, contributed to a “gradual growing in her life” that led to the decision for baptism.

Primary education student Gina Siller wanted to get baptised on the tour in 2013 but decided to wait so her husband could attend.

Studying at the college of higher education helped Maree Bagley (bottom right), also a primary education student, make her decision.

Enrolling her children at Avondale School helped Kylie Stewart (bottom left) not only make a decision for baptism but also a decision to study primary education.

The baptisms at 7.28 this past Friday are likely to lead to others. Wayne says they and the Bible studies that precede them are the “best parts of my job.”

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Great mates

May 7, 2014 by Brenton Stacey

All Stars show respect for student’s loss

Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

Basketball took a time out at the beginning of All-Star Weekend as players and spectators remembered an Avondale student whose mother had died.

Mark Singh tapes a black band to the arm of Kenneth Lozada before the Rookies versus Returns All-Star game. Credit: Annalise Lindsay.

Mark Singh tapes a black band to the arm of Kenneth Lozada before the Rookies versus Returns All-Star game. Credit: Annalise Lindsay.

Kyle Armstrong has yet to return to college after the death of mother Kerrie at the family home in Forest Hill near Toowoomba, Queensland on April 25.

His friends paused to pray with other players and spectators before the Rookies versus Returns game on Saturday. Players in that game wore black armbands as “our way of showing respect,” says Avondale Basketball Association co-president Jarrod Cherry, a high school friend of Kyle’s.

The evening began on a musical note with four members of Avondale vocal ensemble The Promise performing their own arrangement of the national anthem.

In the games themselves, the women of Andre Hall defeated their contemporaries in Ella Boyd Hall 48-28 while in the men’s, Returns held off Rookies 63-60. Honours were even in Sunday’s City versus Country games, with the metro girls almost doubling their opponent’s score (45-24) and the rural guys winning comprehensively (68-45).

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