Functions
College is not just about studying to get your degree. It is an all round life experience. One of the most fun aspects of College is the functions. These have been tradition at UNE Colleges for decades. They are not compulsory, but at the functions a good time is compulsory! Held away from the students’ study bedrooms (so those with assignments and those who like early nights aren’t disturbed) in the College’s brick Courtyard and Dining Hall, each function is unique and creative. Functions are a wonderful part of College that help cement friendships and create everlasting memories.
O'Week
O'Week is a very busy week. With no lectures, this week before the Semester starts is designed to welcome students and to get them familiar with their new surroundings. Selected Senior students arrive early to set everything up. These include the RFs, Academic Mentors and O’week committee. The welcoming O’week Committee wears bright orange shirts so that all new students (freshers) know who they can go to for help. The RFs know the names of everyone in their block and help everybody to get settled, while the AMs help with any degree and study questions. Activities are organised each day, from games to treasure hunts to formal dinners. These are designed to help get rid of nerves and homesickness and to help create new friendships. O’Week’s theme night is usually on the Friday when all of the senior students return. There is a different theme each year and everyone goes to great efforts to be the best dressed!
Functions
Woolshed:
Woolshed is uniquely Duvalian. Traditionally held early each year, this is one of the favorite functions. The dress up theme is country/rural. Everybody brings themselves and a cup on the bus and we travel to an actual woolshed on a sheep property out of town. The afternoon starts with a BBQ and the traditional country dancing (heel and toe etc) goes on into the night.
Aussie Night:
This is one of the year’s biggest functions. Everyone is invited, from other colleges to friends from home, you get a prize for bringing the most non-Duvalians to Aussie Night. The ticket price includes an engraved Duval Aussie Night Stein, a BBQ and a few drinks. Come dressed as anything Aussie, from Vegemite to ANZAC biscuits. There is a band that plays all of the great Aussie Classics, and there’s plenty of dancing. Aussie night is always a great night to meet new people and to have a great time!
Sex Change:
Perhaps the funniest function for the year, Sex Change is a lot of fun. It is amazing just how much the boys love to dress up in girls clothes. Some will come as grandmas, but most love to put on a short skirt and hang out of some heels. The girls get just as involved, but the thing that they really notice is how handy it is to have pockets!
Parent's Weekend:
Every Year the Parents/Guardians of every student are invited to come and see what College life is like for a weekend. It begins with wine tasting on the Friday evening which is a great way for parents to meet the students and other families that they have heard so much about. Saturday and Sunday see Sports played, from netball to rugby, New students against senior students, and allows students to show off their athletic prowess. The Weekend culminates in a formal dinner followed by, you guessed it, dancing in the JCR. Parents always really enjoy this weekend and a chance to see what the famous Duval College really offers.
Sports & Cultural Dinner:
Term four is a relatively quiet Term as everyone knuckles down for end of year exams. The two important dinners that are held in Term four are both formal. Sporties & Cultural Dinner is a night when Duval celebrates its sporting and cultural achievements. Awards are given out to best sportsman, sportswoman, best supporter and many more. Awards for those involved in the SFK competition are also given out and there is often a musical interlude performed by Duvalians during the dinner.
Valedictory Dinner:
The other Term four dinner is also formal. Valedicts looks back on the years at College for those students who are graduating. A slide show and history is presented for each valedicting member. It is a funny night of great memories and an opportunity to farewell Duval’s senior students.
Commencement Dinner:
This is a wonderful function that celebrates Duval’s academic success. Dress is formal (suits and dresses) and senior students wear academic gowns. Many awards and Scholarships are presented throughout the evening with a gourmet meal, dessert and wine served. Names of Duval College's high achievers are embossed on the Silver and Gold Honour Boards to celebrate and remember their achievements. It is followed by dancing in the JCR.
Desperate and Dateless:
The idea of this function is to have everyone look as feral as possible. People mostly go to Op shops to find items like a hideous shoulder poof gold sequined 80’s brides maid’s dress or used gandpa slippers with a school jumper and fluro tights. Every girl’s name is put in a hat and every boy chooses a name. The ladies then wait in their room until their date comes to pick them up and take them to dinner in the dining hall. This is a hilarious night, again with (very bad) dancing in the JCR.
Night of Stars:
Night of Stars is Duval’s annual talent night. It is a chance for people to show off their talents (or to just plain make a fool of themselves) and there are prizes for best dressed and best act. It is always a very entertaining night, and is followed, once again, by dancing in the JCR.
Guest Speaker Dinner:
This formal dinner is always interesting and usually inspirational. Guest speakers are ex-Duvalians who have been successful in their endeavors since leaving College. Their speeches are motivating and they give relevant and useful advice to our students. Previous Guest Speakers include Ms Mary Grace, Director of Human Resources at the RTA, Ms Gillian Cappelletto, Accounting Consultant working predominately within Australia and Asia, Ms Bronwyn Haack, Solicitor, Victorian Office of Public Prosecutions, Richard Hicks, Agricultural Consultant who works with world class agencies around the globe advising on bringing Agriculture into the forefront of sustainability in places like Turkey and Afghanistan, Ms Susan Sims (Frater), a participant in the recent 2020 Summit, and Ms Anne Plunkett, Chief of Protocol, and former Australian Ambassador to Ireland and non-Resident Ambassador to the Holy See.
Christmas in July:
Get out your Santa Suit, or your elf shoes, or simply come in Red and white stripes as a candy cane! Don’t forget to buy and wrap a present to go under the Christmas tree. There’s always a mad rush to get the biggest present, but remember good things come in small packages. A traditional hot meal is served with pudding as dessert, and then there is dancing in the JCR to those good old carols!
Duval Ball and Recovery:
Ball usually has a theme and is always a beautiful night. Ball Committee spends months getting everything ready, and spends the day of Ball decorating the venue. Held away from the college, Ball is a chance for everyone to get really dressed up, have a lovely meal and a proper dance. The afternoon is usually busy for the ladies, with girls doing nails, swapping shoes and dresses, desks covered with sprays, straighteners, dryers, curlers, crimpers and glosses and perhaps a quick champagne! As always the boys start ironing and shoe shining with only 5 minutes until the bus arrives. Ball is always a wonderful, fun night with plenty of photos and great memories.
The day after Ball, to stick with tradition, the College has Recovery. Everyone wanders down to the Courtyard for a BBQ a band and beverages. People sometimes dress up, or wear screen printed shirts for Recovery. The day is filled with activities, from a paddling pool to table tennis, and is always great fun!
DuVegas:
Get out that feather boa, or that smarmy suit and gangster hat and get ready to win the big bucks! Fake money and cocktails, fake card games and roulette, the theme is Vegas and it’s an awesome night!
Other functions
Other functions include: Back to School Night, Couth Day (dress well, have good manners and don’t swear, raises money for charity), RF Functions (every floor has a different theme and decorates themselves and the hall way to that theme, everyone meets in the courtyard at the end), Duval Olympics (come as different countries and compete in silly events for prizes), Block Dinners (go out to the College sponsor pub for a meal with your block and the College Principal), Pub nights (usually with a dress up theme like 80’s, sports stars, traffic light nights (red=taken, green=single, orange=either), rubix-cube nights (go dressed in heaps of different colours and swap clothes until you are wearing all one colour), Buy a boy a beer day, and Buy a girl a flower day.
Nothing is compulsory
No functions or College activities are compulsory.
One of the greatest things about Duval is that we encourage students to get involved in College Life, but nothing is forced or compulsory. The venues for functions are separate to the study bedroom areas so that those who need to finish assignments, or those who don’t want to go to functions, can do so in peace. We understand how important it is for students to get an appropriate balance between work, rest and play. For the two weeks leading up to the exam period a curfew is introduced. During the weeks of exams the curfew is made more stringent. No functions or college activities are held during the curfew period to ensure that students have no distractions and ample time to study.