St Columba’s student balances work and play for HSC
Luke Brame, a recent graduate of St Columba’s Catholic College, Springwood, spent the last two years of his schooling balancing his HSC studies with his much loved hobby of mountain biking.
Luke spent 16 weeks travelling around Australia (to Perth, Victoria and Brisbane) and around the world (Germany, Czech Republic, Andorra, Switzerland and France) while studying to complete his HSC.
Luke said the HSC exams started just seven weeks after the world championships where he placed 61st in the men’s juniors.
‘It took a lot of organising with the teachers and a lot of out of hours communications via email and Edmodo,’ Luke said. ‘I would also have morning classes and lunchtime classes to make up the time I missed.’
‘The teachers at St Columba’s are so helpful and I have now completed the HSC and I feel like I did a good job,’ he said.
Luke hopes to pursue a career in mountain biking but has also applied to study Business at the University of Technology Sydney in 2016.
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
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12 Nov 2025
From Facebook
St Columba's students Luciana and Rohan gathered with the local community at Springwood War Memorial on Tuesday to commemorate Remembrance Day. The students laid a wreath on behalf of the College to honour those who have given their lives in service. Lest we forget.
12 Nov 2025
From Facebook
Year 9 camp is off to a fabulous start! Our students are having a wonderful time challenging themselves with fun activities and spending time with their friends and teachers.
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12 Nov 2025
From Facebook
St Columba's students Luciana and Rohan gathered with the local community at Springwood War Memorial on Tuesday to commemorate Remembrance Day. The students laid a wreath on behalf of the College to honour those who have given their lives in service. Lest we forget.
12 Nov 2025
From Facebook
Year 9 camp is off to a fabulous start! Our students are having a wonderful time challenging themselves with fun activities and spending time with their friends and teachers.
10 Nov 2025
From Facebook
Have a look at our Year 9 Elective Japanese students doing a wonderful job cooking yakisoba! This fun activity was the culmination of their unit of work on healthy eating and food habits in Japan.
10 Nov 2025
From Facebook
We are thrilled to celebrate the spectacular water polo achievements of Nikolas (Y11) throughout 2025. This year Nikolas played five games for the Opens New Zealand Water Polo team and was named on the 2025 New Zealand U/18 National Water Polo team. He was selected in the Opens NSWCCC Water Polo Team (for the fourth year in a row!) and competed in the Australian Schools Water Polo Championships in Brisbane in August. These impressive achievements are no doubt the result of determination and hard work over many years. The St Columba's community is incredibly proud of Nikolas and we all look forward to supporting him as he continues his water polo success.
04 Nov 2025
From Facebook
On Friday, eight Year 9 students attended Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Parramatta where they received an award for their service throughout the year as Special Religious Education Catechists in two of our local public primary schools, Ellison Public School and Winmalee Public School. Their commitment to this important ministry has been evident throughout the year. Every week they turned up with enthusiasm and interest to share the Gospel in Scripture classes. They have been exceptional role models and are much loved by the primary school students. Mrs Anne Ellis has driven this program for many, many years. The students’ humble work is a testament to her tireless leadership and service. Thank you to St Thomas Aquinas Parish, Springwood, for the support it has provided. Congratulations to all involved in this vital ministry!
03 Nov 2025
From Facebook
👮♂️🤝🎓 Great things happen when community comes together! Today, Blue Mountains PAC, NSW Police Force Youth Command & Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese joined forces at a productive forum hosted by St Columba's College. 💬✨ Following our September Principal's Forum, this is another step in building strong partnerships for safer, more connected communities. 💙
03 Nov 2025
From Facebook
⭐TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY ⭐ To thank our teachers for their incredible care, enthusiasm, and commitment, the student leaders and Hospitality team at St Columba’s organised a magnificent morning tea in Columba Café to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Day on Friday 31 October. We are truly grateful for all the dedicated and hard working staff at the College.
31 Oct 2025
From Facebook
Yesterday St Columba’s had a team of Year 8 students compete in the WeSSSTA Geography Competition. There was some fierce competition and our team came 6th out of 24 teams - only 2 points from the top 4 teams!
25 Oct 2025
From Facebook
The College has had some excellent results at the Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza! Our lightweight steer placed 5th in his class and our midweight steer placed 4th in his class, and we still have paraders classes to come on Sunday. Congratulations to the students, who have been working hard and have done a great job presenting the College's animals, and an enormous thank you to the staff for all their work and support.
21 Oct 2025
From Facebook
🏆 Mountain Majik Futsal Gala Day Champions! ⚽ St Columba's won championship titles in every age group at the Mountain Majik Futsal Gala Day in Katoomba on Monday. It was an incredible clean sweep for the College, with teams from Years 7, 8 and 9 dominating the competition and displaying outstanding sportsmanship and teamwork both on and off the court. The following teams won their grand final games to become Champions: ⚽ Year 7 Boys Team – Champions of the Year 7 Boys Pool. ⚽ Mixed Years 7 Team – Champions of the Mixed Years 7, 8 and 9 Pool. ⚽ Year 8 Boys Team – Futsal Champions for the Year 8 Boys Pool. ⚽ Year 9 Boys Team – Champions for the Year 9 Boys Pool after an exciting penalty shootout victory! ⚽ Year 9 Girls Team – Undefeated Champions of the Year 7/8/9 Girls Pool. Special congratulations to Archer (Y7) and Isla (Y7) who were awarded MVPs of the tournament and well done to all players for their fantastic effort, enthusiasm, and success throughout the day. 💪🎉
16 Oct 2025
From Facebook
As our Year 12 students begin their HSC examinations today, they have the support and encouragement of the entire St Columba's community. We are tremendously proud of their hard work, dedication, and resilience. Over the coming weeks we hold these students, as well as the families who love and care for them, in our hearts and prayers.
15 Oct 2025
From Facebook
Celebrating Our NAIDOC Cup Representatives! Over the holidays, Year 7 student Hunter and Year 8 student Henry proudly represented Football NSW in the NAIDOC Cup. We’re incredibly proud of their commitment, enthusiasm, and willingness to get involved - a true reflection of the school spirit and values we celebrate every day. Well done, Hunter and Henry! Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese