Anglican Church Grammar School raids Samoa for rugby prospects

Anglican Church Grammar School raids Samoa for rugby prospects

Matthew Fynes-Clinton From: The Courier-Mail

ANGLICAN Church Grammar School has been directly importing rugby prospects from the South Pacific nation of Samoa.

The private East Brisbane school, better known as Churchie, says the students have been brought in from their island home – between Hawaii and New Zealand – as part of an "education and service program" run by senior school deputy head Bruce Hodges.

The scholarship scheme has drawn at least 14 boys through the gates since 1998, each staying for two to four years on free board and tuition and many playing two seasons in the First XV.


One of the recruits achieved the revered rugby prize of Australian Schoolboys selection and another made Queensland Schoolboys, while others have gone on to youth and Test football for Samoa and the first-grade competition in Brisbane.

The full article is here:

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/q...-1225852900353

alternatively they could have used this headline for the article

"Churchie offers hope to Samoan Children"

yes Churchie are offering sporting scholarships, but these kids from Samoa are also getting a education that is beyond anything they could have hoped for in Samoa, i dont see what the problem is.

Ask the Principal of Joeys (It was Joes the other day wasn't it?)

Terrace

Sorry, don't know the scene over there.

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Originally Posted by TOCC

alternatively they could have used this headline for the article

"Churchie offers hope to Samoan Children"

yes Churchie are offering sporting scholarships, but these kids from Samoa are also getting a education that is beyond anything they could have hoped for in Samoa, i dont see what the problem is.

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That was also my immediate thought on reading the article - one man's raid is another man's scholarship opportunity offering a potentially whole new range of life opportunities. I take it Fynes-Clinton normally writes about one of the other codes?

I think its great, but it still kinda sucks that they need to be good at sport though to be offered a decent education :(

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Originally Posted by Lonzy

I think its great, but it still kinda sucks that they need to be good at sport though to be offered a decent education :(

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academic and cultural scholarships are offered as well...

There has to be some sort of criteria; This just happens to be the criteria this school has chosen. One could be a bit cynical as to the schools motives. Perhaps there are other equally altruistic schools whose criteria excludes sporting potential- and welcomes geeks and couch potatoes (meant in a nice way) - at the expense of athletes...

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Originally Posted by normie

There has to be some sort of criteria; This just happens to be the criteria this school has chosen. One could be a bit cynical as to the schools motives. Perhaps there are other equally altruistic schools whose criteria excludes sporting potential- and welcomes geeks and couch potatoes (meant in a nice way) - at the expense of athletes...

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There probably are normie, speaking as a school administrator, that's always the way scholarships go. The school thinks about the areas they want to support (this is ALWAYS an inward-focussed decision) and then goes out to offer scholarships in that area.

Most commonly it's a public pronouncement of the focus of the school, Churchie is saying (rightly or wrongly) "we are a rugby school" Other schools will not value that side of their programme as strongly and be academic schools, or performing arts schoolds......the one question is, how many of THOSE schools offer international scholarships (particularly to PI students) I would argue not many!

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Originally Posted by TOCC

academic and cultural scholarships are offered as well...

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... so do you think I could get one! :D

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Originally Posted by Lonzy

... so do you think I could get one! :D

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You would surely enhance the culture of any high school Lonz!