Go behind the scenes of Gold Coast’s leading school sporting nurseries and it’s sports excellence program producing national, international stars

Palm Beach Currumbin State High’s sports excellence program is nearing three decades of producing national and international talent and 2024 has been no different. We breakdown the programs on offer and reveal the secrets to their success.

Langer Trophy Grand Final schoolboy league - Marsden SHS v PBC SHS, Stones Corner. Picture: Liam Kidston

Palm Beach Currumbin’s sports excellence program is notching up three decades of producing national and international talent, and there’s no question that 2024 will be a year for the history books according to Head of Department Neil Mackay.

He arrived at the school in 1991, watched the inception of its sports excellence program unfold in 1996 and witnessed greatness every year since - but Mackay said this year’s list of achievements outweighs the past 28 by a mile.

“It’s been one of those years,” he said.

“When you look across the board at the range of individuals and teams that have had super success, you think okay 2024 was a wow year.”

From the cohort of almost 900 athletes across 11 teams, led by more than 30 staff, PBC racked up an impressive medal count of 115 Queensland, 34 Australian and three world champion titles.

Women's 10km swimming silver medalist Moesha Johnson of Team Australia poses for a photo on day fourteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

If that wasn’t enough, one current student and four alumni took centre stage at the Paris Olympics to bring home two silver medals and one bronze.

“The Olympics was the icing on the cake,” Mackay said.

“You get five (athletes) and get a couple medals but then you go across our teams ... our rugby league boys are national winners, the surfing team are national winners, tennis open boys for state and four cross-country state teams.

“We actually have to run two sports awards night this year because we can’t hold everyone in the venue.”

This year marked the first time PBC won back-to-back Queensland Schoolboys rugby league titles, and following the heartbreak of a poor nationals performance in 2023, the squad went on to claim an 18-16 National Schoolboys victory on Gold Coast soil.

Winners PBC. Langer Trophy Grand Final schoolboy league - Marsden SHS v PBC SHS, Stones Corner. Picture: Liam Kidston

“I was there on the day and ended up taking my eye to the crowd just to see the reaction in the grandstand,” Mackay said.

“That is one of my fondest memories of the year ... there was so much joy.”

Caitlyn Thorne and Kiara Bischa (AFLW), Will Graham and Jed Walter (AFL), Jaylan de Groot (NRL) and James Durrington (Brisbane Roar) were six of the school’s alumni to debut at the pinnacle level of their sport this year while Keano Kini was named GC Titans player of the Year.

“You watch them on TV and can say ‘well I was a part of that’ that was their dream, they wanted to play professional sport and we helped them get there.

“It’s very rewarding when you see that.

“The girls program is one of the newer programs so to have our first two make AFLW is great.”

Kiara Bischa poses during a Gold Coast Suns AFLW media opportunity on December 19, 2023 in Burleigh Heads, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

With all this success in 2024 and years prior, where did it all begin?

Mackay started his teaching career at PBC half a decade before a sports excellence program came to fruition, but said the keys were always there.

The same year he arrived, the rugby league boys secured their first Queensland Schoolboys title, while track and field was well and truly booming.

“(We) didn’t have sports excellence, but we were successful in sport.

“We had to do something regarding our numbers and to establish ourselves.”

A mid-90s swing towards private schooling was taking place and the nearby Elanora High was seeing similar success in their sporting endeavours.

Palm Beach needed to establish themselves as a powerhouse school

“Because sport already had a foothold in the school, it was like ‘ok this is what’,” Mackay said.

“It was a huge jump to start a sports excellence program and call ourselves a sports excellence school.

“There was a lot of courage in the mid-90s to do that.

“Twenty-eight years later, (it) is booming and has really matured.”

Palm Beach-Currumbin High School surfing programme. (L-R) Surfing Queensland Surf Coach Phil McNamara and student Mitch Ellis in the 2010s

The then Head of Department (sport) John O’Keefe was a catalyst for it all coming together - approaching the principal at the time and hatching a plan to put in motion which included visits to leading NSW schools such as Westfield Sports High School.

PBC Sports Excellence officially started in 1996.

Mackay said it was impossible to pinpoint just one year the program stepped up a notch.

“It’s just that gradual growth when your programs become more mature, you work out what’s going on and the more kids want to come to your school,” he said.

“You build on things, but your foundations are always there about making (students) better humans and linking in to their schoolwork.

“The sporting success that you see on the back page of the Bulletin, that’s just the icing on the cake.

“There’s a lot of other success criteria under that.”

Trials are run each year where students are selected based on performance plus behaviour and effort on their report cards.

“You’ve got to look after your academic part,” Mackay said

“Over the years we’ve become a trusted brand and we do as we say ... we are really solid on certain standards for kids.

“We’re going to look after that student ... because school is not for everybody, but if sport can lure them to stay and find their pathway, that’s what parents want.

“They want their kids to be happy.”

Jake Roger, Jed Walter, Will Graham and Ethan Read pose during a Gold Coast Suns AFL media opportunity at Palm Beach Currumbin Football Club (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Each of the 11 programs are run at least one day a week before school hours, with staff members sacrificing their own time throughout the year to ensure success.

head of the Future Stars and Junior Boys AFL program himself, Mackay said the dedication of staff has never ceased to amaze him.

“The staff’s discretionary effort, the extra stuff they do ... they give up their lunch times, they go away for competitions, the amount of time they spend chasing their students and giving feedback and our development reports which is another lot of reports on top of Education Queensland.

“Their effort and love for their program is unbelievable.”

While Mackay waits out the 30-year anniversary (2026), it’s no surprise that Palm Beach has become a staple nursery of sporting talent on national and international stage.