Principal's Message
Mr Cameron Fellowes
The College Community gathered on Tuesday to farewell Mr Cameron Fellowes, our colleague, teacher and friend. He passed away after a relatively short illness.
No one person can ever be adequately described in terms of an impact that a life can have on others. For us, we knew Cameron to be a person of great integrity, quiet persistence, fastidious planning and faithful both to friends and his God.
On Friday of last week, the students of St Bede’s College were offered the voluntary opportunity to remember Mr Fellowes through prayer.
It was telling that the College Chapel was overflowing with young men who wished to mourn their teacher’s passing and honour his legacy.
I have had many students describe the impact that Mr Fellowes has had on them, especially those who were in his homeroom in the younger years. They have not forgotten his kindness and care for them.
At this time, we especially pray for Cameron’s family; he was the youngest sibling. We think of Keith and Margaret Fellowes and their children Bruce, Graham, Helen and Anne. We trust that the Lord will envelope them with His care and compassion.
The College will be formally recognising Mr Fellowes' contribution to the St Bede’s College Community at a time in the near future.
Ash Wednesday
The College recognised the start of Lent through the distribution of ashes. This ancient and sacred ritual was well explained to the boys via their homeroom and tutor teachers. The level of respect for this ceremony was noticeable.
Year 7 Welcome Evening
Thank you to our Parents’ and Friends Association for their wonderful work in hosting this event. We had an excellent turnout and a very social evening.
IT News
We now have a new website. Please go on line and witness the substantial work of our staff in developing a very user friendly interface. The interactivity of the site is a highlight.
On conclusion of the new Technology Building Project, our students will have much enhanced spaces for I.C.T. Work on the first stage is now progressing at a better rate and the second stage is about to begin with an overall expected finish time at mid-year. There has been a substantial effort put in by our IT staff in having to install all new servers, transfer across all data and install new lines. This has been well managed.
Year 12 Retreats
I have had the opportunity to attend all the retreats to date. The year level has been split into 9 groups for this experience. Each group meets in the afternoon for a session with the Youth Ministers. They are then joined by a number of recent “Old Boys” who form a panel. The entire group then retires to the RSL for a meal together. I have been very impressed by the role of the Youth Ministers. It is important that our seniors are given the opportunity to reflect on their time ahead.
Lasallian News
The Lasallian Leaders Gathering (LLG) took place just over two weeks ago. This was held in Brisbane and brought together leaders from across the Province. Russell Saunders, Anthony Brinkley (both from the College Board), Ms Ria Greene and myself attended. In addition to having an input into the Strategic Plan, we also visited various parts of YourTown. These are amazing facilities, and equally impressive group of people, that are spread across 54 locations Australia wide. Their focus on young people and young families is inspirational. I encourage you to look up their website: https://www.yourtown.com.au/
Br Peter Bray (fsc) recently gave a short talk on his work as Vice Chancellor of Bethlehem University. This fascinating oration was well received by staff and locally invited guests.
College Open Morning
A large number of people attended this two hour morning session with numerous tours operating. It was a most positive day with interest in the College remaining strong.
FI (Formula 1) Schools Final
Our F1 team made the State finals and competed in Launceston. They competed strongly and were in the mix amongst the top teams. This week long event is intense and very rewarding for the boys. It is an excellent example of creative engineering in practice.
Class of 2008
This group will meet on Friday evening. We are very much looking forward to hosting these men, all of whom are now in their late twenties. Such occasions allow us to see the fruits of many years of work with this group as they progressed through the College.