Perth Residential College – Page 5

Wing Events at St Cat’s

By Sian O’Sullivan

At St Cat’s, your wing is full of your closest neighbours. There are 12 wings at St Catherine’s and each wing is managed by a Residential Adviser (RA). Your RA is there for your wellbeing and is there to assist in organising fun events throughout the year! Wing events are an awesome opportunity to get to know the other residents in your wing.

These events are relaxed and fun, and usually happen once or twice a semester. The event can be anything and RA’s are always open to suggestions. In semester one, Upper Whitfield held a movie night with some yummy snacks and a blanket fort! To celebrate making it halfway through the semester, residents of Kumba and Casa enjoyed some ice cream, chats and great company.

Other events can be a bit more competitive, and we often have games between the wings to establish a bit of rivalry and add an element of excitement. At St Catherine’s there are so many opportunities to get to know your fellow residents and make friendships that will last a lifetime.

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Commencement Dinner

Commencement Dinner marks the beginning of the academic year and welcomes all residents, both old and new, to celebrate the festive spirit of community that St Catherine’s stands for.

2019’s dinner had drinks on the house, a mouth-watering spread of food and enchanting live music, all promising for a night that was both memorable and magical.

The dinner was a lovely chance for freshers to form new friendships and returning residents to rekindle existing ones.

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Resident Profile: Matt Randall

Interview by Sian O’Sullivan

My name is Matt Randall and I’m studying a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Finance and Economics at UWA, living in the new Banksia building.

I’m from Innaloo and I went to Hale School in Perth. I have lived in Perth all my life but I was lucky enough to receive a scholarship to UWA, and with that came the opportunity to go to St Catherine’s.

I never originally planned to stay at college. I asked a few friends that were at the College already and they told me nothing but positives, so I thought I’d give it a try.

I play a fair bit of sport, right now I’m doing rowing with UWA and footy with West Coast football club. I also volunteer in my spare time.

I’m looking forward to second and third-year units to get a bit more direction for where I want to go in the future. I’m excited to experience internships and professional work placements.

I was surprised by the number of people that you become so close with here and the massive amount of support that you get. I would have thought you could only become really good mates with a handful of people. You get to spend so much time together and it’s a really great environment to be around.

My favourite part of College so far has been the Inter-College sport, I absolutely love it. The Inter-College hockey day was awesome. We played five games back to back against every other college. We ended up making it to the grand final. Having everyone there and supporting St Cat’s even if you weren’t playing made it a great day. We showed lots of college spirit.

The Cat’s ball is coming up, and that’s meant to be the event of the year so I’m looking forward to that. I’m really glad I decided to give the College a chance, it’s been great!

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The Making of a Bee Friendly Garden

By Arjun Bhugra

This year, St Catherine’s set up its “Honey Bee Project.” The project was established on the College rooftop gardens in order to create a bee nesting ground. Bees play a crucial role in the ecosystem, seeing as they are primary pollinators and are key to ensuring the continuous reproduction and longevity of various species of plants.

St Catherine’s knows about the importance of the environment and, as such, took great pride in encouraging its residents, Laure Law-Lin and Bec Cotton, to take on the initiative and enhance the biodiversity at the college.

The Honey Bee Project was officially open to residents on Wednesday 8 May, with the planting of native flora species that bees were naturally attracted to. The species of flora planted were intentionally made to have structures that made it ideal for Blue Banded Bees. These species of bees are known for being less aggressive in nature when it comes to stinging and for the natural pollination they provide in agriculture.

With the Honey Bee Project now established, St Catherine’s hopes for its residents to admire the wonders of nature while becoming more aware of the vital role that even species as small as bees play in not only preserving the ecosystem but allowing it to flourish. The project also aims to raise awareness about the interdependence between native flora and fauna, and how providing suitable breeding grounds for both creates the optimal opportunity to reverse the detrimental effects of environmental change.

Future plans include establishing wooden “insect hotels” which allow insects and bees alike to reside in artificial shelters, further encouraging them to thrive and contribute to the biodiversity in the St Catherine’s rooftop gardens.

See more articles on our blog site here.

Multicultural Week

By Arjun Bhugra

Multicultural week celebrates the kaleidoscope of cultures present at St Catherine’s.

The week celebrates the diverse array of ideas and backgrounds St Catherine’s is privileged to host. One night in the week, known as “Multicultural Night” allows residents to showcase their cultural backgrounds through dances, musical performances and heart-warming speeches.

The night ends with an elaborate spread of cuisines from all corners of the world, allowing for a community dinner where residents can get to know one another better within the diverse community represented at St Catherine’s.

See more articles on our blog site here.

St Cat’s Wins Fresher Dance Competition

A College tradition, residents spend O-Week learning dance steps before competing in a dance-off against other Colleges at the Fresher Festival at Matilda Bay, on the banks of the Swan River.

St Cat’s won the Inter-College Fresher Dance for 2019.

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WA’s leading mining companies form alliance to support St Catherine’s

Education and employment outcomes for young Indigenous people in the Dandjoo Darbalung program have received a $180,000 boost from four corporate leaders in the Western Australian mining industry. AngloGoldAshanti Australia, Barminco, Independence Group (IGO) and Sandfire Resources have joined forces to provide an investment in the program of $45,000 over three years.

IGO’s Company Secretary and Head of Corporate Affairs, Joanne McDonald, responded to a request for support by the College and was the driver behind the partnership .

“This was a perfect opportunity to reach out to others within our industry to see if they would be interested in taking a collaborative approach to community investment. AngloGold Ashanti, our joint venture partner at Tropicana, Barminco our mining services provider at Nova, and Sandfire our neighbour in the Fraser Range region, it made sense as we all have operations in remote locations where many of the students in the program come from. It was through the power of collaboration that we saw an opportunity to make a significant impact.

“We are so excited that we have been able to finalise the agreement and help the program expand and be able to assist more students. I think this serves as a great example for our peers in the mining industry to find more ways to collaborate on programs that bring shared value – together we can make a huge difference,” Ms McDonald added.

Fiona Crowe, the Head of St Catherine’s College strongly advocates this approach, “This program is making a fundamental difference to young Indigenous people from regional and remote communities. Supportive partnerships such as this enable us to grow the program and provide the depth of academic and pastoral support which ensures real success. Higher graduation rates and secure employment for Indigenous students are our shared objectives!”

March 16, 2019

6 Ways to Live Your Best Life at St Cat’s

Welcome to St Cat’s! You’ll soon realise that College is more than a place to sleep at night (and party all day, or the opposite). It’s a safe space for exploring yourself and the world around you. There’s so much room for all sorts of things and it’s really up to you to make the absolute most out of your time at Cat’s. The opportunities are truly endless and we can’t wait to go on this journey with you.

The College Staff and RAs are always here for you (and everyone else too)!

The College Staff (and everyone in College, really) are some of the friendliest and most caring people you will meet. If you ever need to have a chat with someone about anything at all (be it uni or personal issues or a cool idea that you have), please know that you can always approach any of the College Staff. Or if you prefer, you can also choose to talk to any RA you feel comfortable speaking with, not just your wing RA. St Cat’s is your home now. We are all family and we care about you.
Apply for Tutorials and Tutoring

You can apply for weekly in-house tutorials if you are having a bit of a struggle with uni or if you just want to stay ahead of the game. It’s a perk of being a Cat’s resident, so be sure to sign right up! Plus, it’s a lot easier to bump up that GPA early on in the game! And if you’ve performed well in a unit, you can apply to be a tutor, which is great for earning some extra cash on the side!!
Go to Faculty Dinners

This may not necessarily be the first thing on your mind as a fresher, but networking is a huge part of adulting. You know as they say — it’s not what you know, it’s who you know! Faculty Dinners are a great way to get started. In essence they are small-scale, networking events and an opportunity to meet academics, potential mentors and people both in your field and out of your field. You can also choose to invite your lecturers and tutors to come along as guests. It’s a great way to open your eyes to all the possibilities.
Check out Bloom

Bloom is a youth innovation hub with its home in the heart of St Catherine’s College. It is a space where ideas come to life and everyone is welcome to come along, which is especially easy to do if you’re a resident here! Pop in with an idea (or even without an idea) and be inspired by all the entrepreneurial magic happening all around the BloomLab co-working space. And if you think that Bloom’s your thing, it’s worth checking out the UWA unit that Bloom runs — Launchpad!
Apply for scholarships

Scholarships can seem a little tricky, but it’s not as hard as you think! They are not too difficult to apply for and we have them all nicely listed out on our website according to the different categories available. Scholarships lift a huge financial weight off your shoulders and all opportunities should be fair game for everyone. Unfortunately though, applications for 2019 scholarships are now closed but be sure to keep a look out for them next year.
Find something that you’re passionate about

Obscure films, fundraising, event ideas for College, pop culture, current affairs — whatever it is, you can bet that there’s at least one other person in College that feels the same! Start a club and huddle together for a good discussion and a great time. It could even be a great way to explore some new interests and meet some new friends! If you get stuck and you don’t know what to do, who to ask or where to go to, you can always bring it up with the RAs and they will be sure to help you out. In a College of 400+ residents, St Cat’s is your oyster.

See more articles on our blog site here.

Finding Uni accommodation that’s right for you

Moving away from home is a HUGE milestone. This is the time for a lot of growing up to be done, making some awesome new memories, and finding your footing in the world. Choosing a place to call your new home (away from home) is a daunting task but St Catherine’s College is here for you!

The biggest plus College Row has to offer is it’s close proximity to UWA’s Crawley campus. Roll out of bed and rock up to an 8 a.m. lecture with coffee in hand, five minutes to spare, and maximum sleep. You save on transportation costs and gain on maximum fresh air and scenic walks.

As part of the College Row community, you are sure to have your needs and interests heard by the UWA Guild Council. The Residential Students’ Department (RSD) is the peak representative body for students living on-campus. And as a huge plus, the RSD organises loads of inter-college events throughout the year — Fresher Fest, Inter-College Lip Dub (see here *ahem*), debates, Battle of the Bands, RSD Ball, the list goes on and on and on. Don’t worry, there will never be a dull day in College.

MEDIA REFERENCE

Azrin Zaihan (St Catherine’s College) (+61 8) 9442 0591

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5 Achievable New Year’s Resolutions

It’s a new year and a fresh start. New year’s resolutions are always fun for a hot minute until you actually have to do it and it takes way too much effort to keep up. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it at all. Keep your resolutions small and achievable and celebrate the small wins in life.

This one’s so easy! You’re about to start uni (and maybe move into College..??). There will be new friend candidates everywhere you turn — be it the guy asking where the lecture theatre is, or the girl sitting next to you in class, or hey, why not even try a new circle! And if you’re going to be living in College, you best believe you’ll be making loads of friends here.

Time to give back to the community! There are so many ways to get involved and UWA Guild Volunteering has made it so easy. Events, sports, community, tutoring — find what interests you and do what you love while doing some good! Wins all around!

Learn about a new culture or language. Explore a new hobby or skill. Pick up Photoshop or coding or soccer! It’s totally ok to try something out and not end up liking it. All that matters is to give it a shot anyway!

There is no excuse not to! A nice evening walk along Mat Bay, or a run along Mounts Bay Road, or hike up to King’s Park. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re a beginner or a gym junkie. UWA Sport also offers gym memberships, which are included in your college fees! And on top of that, UWA Sport organises Social Sport Leagues all year round for all sorts of sports. So gather all your friends (they don’t have to be in UWA!) and form a team for some good ol’ healthy fun! And for the college kids, we have inter-college sport competitions too!

Have a conversation, talk about your hopes and dreams, favourite music, least favourite music! Go out exploring! Plan a great road trip down South! Try a new cafe down Hampden Road! The real world is your oyster.

See more articles on our blog site here.

Tag: Perth Residential College

Wing Events at St Cat’s

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Commencement Dinner

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Resident Profile: Matt Randall

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The Making of a Bee Friendly Garden

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Multicultural Week

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St Cat’s Wins Fresher Dance Competition

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WA’s leading mining companies form alliance to support St Catherine’s

6 Ways to Live Your Best Life at St Cat’s

The College Staff and RAs are always here for you (and everyone else too)!

Apply for Tutorials and Tutoring

Go to Faculty Dinners

Check out Bloom

Apply for scholarships

Find something that you’re passionate about

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Finding Uni accommodation that’s right for you

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5 Achievable New Year’s Resolutions

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