Tatachilla news

The spotlight has shone brightly on Year 12 student Toby White, whose short film Three Times of Tanner Shud has claimed the coveted Best Film Award at this year’s TATFEST Film Festival. Visually striking and emotionally resonant, Toby’s production captivated audiences and judges alike, earning praise for its compelling narrative and technical excellence.

A celebration of student storytelling

Hailed as the best TATFEST in a decade, the 2025 festival showcased the extraordinary talent and creativity of our Year 12 Media students. Eighteen original productions lit up the screen, offering a rich mix of genres — from engaging documentaries, to powerful music videos and thought-provoking short films.

An impressive field of finalists

With such a high standard across the board, the judges faced a formidable challenge in selecting the winners. The top three films — Shortcuts (Fionna Brown and Joanne Buckley), Faceless (Eliza Hollitt), and Three Times of Tanner Shud (Toby White) — demonstrated exceptional storytelling and production quality.

Expert judging panel

This year’s judging panel brought both experience and TATFEST heritage, featuring Mr Tom Taylor (English teacher), Ms Jessica Zotti (English/History teacher), and returning Tatfest legends Benjamin Stidston (2022 dux and past winner), Tom Terry (2022 college captain and past TATFEST winner), and Ash Wynn (2024 TATFEST winner).

Creativity at its peak

The 2025 TATFEST was more than a film showcase — it was a celebration of collaboration, imagination and the art of storytelling. Congratulations to all our Year 12 Media students for an outstanding year of creativity and achievement. Your work continues to inspire and elevate the legacy of TATFEST.

Our Year 9/10 girls’ basketball team battled hard against Eastern Fleurieu School (EFAS), securing a thrilling two-point victory to qualify for the state finals at Wayville Basketball Stadium in November.

It was a tightly contested game, with both teams trading leads throughout. Tatachilla started strong before EFAS fought back to even the score. Grace McDonald, Milly McCool and Isobel Baraiolo drove the ball confidently down the court, while Nara Weber led from both ends, top-scoring with 19 points and providing a rock-solid defence.

In a nail-biting final quarter, the girls held off a late EFAS surge to seal the win and book their place in the finals.

Team:
Year 10: Grace McDonald, Nara Weber, Isabelle Cameron, Abigail Styles
Year 9:   Milly McCool, Isobel Baraiolo
Year 8:   Alannah Munzberg

Special thanks to assistant coach Eva Aldridge (Year 11) and coach Jenna Fowler for their support and leadership.

Tatachilla’s soccer teams have wrapped up an outstanding season, showcasing skill, teamwork and determination across every age group.
(Pictured above, our Year 7/8 girls' soccer team, who secured first place in the state!)

Season highlights

• 9/10 boys – 5-a-side: State finalists and zone champions. Drew 3–3 with the eventual state champions and won the third-place playoff.
• 9/10 girls – 5-a-side: State finals competitors and zone champions.
• 5/6 boys – 9-a-side: Finished third in the state after a 3–2 playoff victory.
• 7/8 boys – 11-a-side: State runner-ups. Finished second after a 3–3 grand final draw and a tense penalty shoot-out.
• 7/8 girls – 11-a-side: State champions with a dominant 4–1 grand final win.
• 7/8 girls – 5-a-side: State champions.

Congratulations to every player for representing Tatachilla with passion, sportsmanship and pride. What an amazing finish to the season — well done, everyone!

The Year 5/6 Tatachilla cricket team wrapped up an impressive run in this year’s competition, showing great skill, teamwork and sportsmanship.

Last week, Tatachilla hosted McLaren Vale Primary School and delivered a dominant performance. After batting steadily to reach 0/73 from 20 overs (Jayden Smith 16 not out), our bowlers were outstanding, dismissing McLaren Vale for just 29. Fletcher Hunt (3 wickets), Jayden Smith (2) and Mitchell Hollitt (2) led the attack.

In Week 2, the team faced St Martin de Porres in challenging, damp conditions. St Martin’s set a strong total of 1/134, and despite a solid partnership between Fletcher Hunt (18) and Mitchell Hollitt (7), Tatachilla was bowled out for 77.

A big thank you to Max Tresidder, Macklin Baldock (Year 9) and Hayden Pitcher (Year 10) for assisting with coaching, umpiring and scoring, and to teacher Tommy Scott for coaching the side.

The players can be proud of their efforts and look forward to building on this experience in 2026.

Team:

Year 5: Sebastian James, Fletcher Hunt, Hugh Semmens, Remy England, Archer Duke, Felix Cooter, Mitchell Hollitt, Jacob Boyce
Year 6: Jayden Smith, Harry Byrne, George Archontidis, Ned Owens, Lachlan Moore

Congratulations to three talented Tatachilla students who have earned selection to represent the Onkaparinga South District in upcoming SAPSASA state carnivals.

• Albrecht Du Toit (Year 5) and Emma Painter (Year 6) will compete in the state tennis carnival at Seacliff from Monday 10 to Wednesday 12 November.
• Kayla Hooper (Year 5) will represent the district in the girls’ AFL state carnival at West Beach, from Monday 27 to Wednesday 29 October.

We wish them all the best for their upcoming state competitions.