Pastoral Care

From the Assistant Principal Pastoral Care

Wellbeing anecdotes from the Student Diary

“If you think you can, you’re right. If you think you can’t, you’re right.”

Henry Ford

“Teachers open the door, but you must walk through yourself.”

Chinese proverb

• ANZAC Day Commemorations
• Commemoration of Indigenous Service Men and Women
• NZ Rugby Tour and Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders
• Pastoral Care Red Dirt Social Justice Expedition and CIP Hours
• Shoah Memorial Monday 29 April
• Iftar Dinner
• Old Boys News

ANZAC Day Commemorations

Chatswood Garden of Remembrance Dawn Service:  Prefects Lachlan Donlevy and Jason Sacre were joined by Year 5 student Max Crino, grandson of Willoughby Councillor and St Pius X Old Boy Tony Mustaca, Year 7 students Tom Reay and Oscar Ashford, as well as Mr Couani, Mr Reay and numerous members of the Willoughby and St Pius X College communities in the pre-dawn Service Commemorating ANZAC Day at the Chatswood Garden of Remembrance.

A fitting Occasional Address was provided by Willoughby Girls High student Anna Thieben who set a high standard for our St Pius’ senior students to follow next year. Our St Pius Kokoda Expedition 2018 / 2020 students may be able to provide a personal reflection on their journey to honour the endurance, mateship, courage and sacrifice of our service men and women and indeed all those affected by war and conflict.

It was pleasing to join with Willoughby Mayor Gail Giles-Gibney, her husband, Chatswood RSL leaders Barney Flanagan and Gary Brigden, Mr Leo Oakes Consul General for PNG and friend of the College, Mr Trent Zimmerman Federal MP for North Sydney, as well as numerous parents and students for a commemorative cuppa in the RSL.

Club Willoughby Service, Crabbes St Wiloughby:  At 7am we were represented again by Mr Couani, Mr Rogers, and Jordan Moore of Ms Iwatani’s Year 6 class, who laid the Book Donation on behalf St Pius X College, while his brother Dylan Moore of Year 8 formed the Guard of Honour as a Willoughby Scout. In attendance were members of the St Thomas Willoughby school community along with local MP Gladys Berejiklian, and sadly Michelle Haywood the daughter of ex-servicewoman Daphne Dunne, who passed away in her 90’s the week before. Daphne’s first husband Albert Chowne was a Willoughby local who won the Victoria Cross posthumously in Papua New Guinea in WWII. Ms Dunne met regularly with Prince Harry who recognized the purple VC ribbon each time he visited Sydney! RIP Daphne Dunne, a member of a great generation of Australians whose fathers served in WWI, grew up in the Depression years, and showed great character and values to defend Australia and the world from the tyranny of totalitarianism in WWII.

Lest we forget.

Commemoration of Indigenous Service Men and Women

Our next commemorative commitment including school student leaders and representatives will take place on Friday 31 May concluding Reconciliation Week. Class Captains, House Vice Captains and students of Aboriginal and Torres Strait heritage are invited to see Mr Brannan for an information/permission note.

These students will attend the newly refurbished Hyde Park ANZAC Memorial to lay a wreath and pay our respects to a group of Australians who served their nation, in many cases before they were afforded the vote.  I refer to Australia’s Commissioned Officer Captain Reg Sanders MBE, whose forbears served in the Boer and WWI and whose brother was KIA in 1942.

Please see or contact Mr Brannan ASAP if you have an interest in attending this ceremony.

NZ Rugby Tour and Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders

The 15s Rugby Squad tour of New Zealand was successful on many levels, not least of which included connecting with our ER cousins at St Thomas of Canterbury School Christchurch, St Kevin’s Oamaru and Liston College, Auckland.  

The match in Christchurch was preceded by a prayer led by Cameron Franic Smith and Max Roberts (Year 9) in which we reached out to the students and community of St Thomas’ who have been greatly affected by the recent tragic atrocity. In reciprocation St Thomas presented St Pius 15A Captain Harry Melloy a jersey which will join our Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders hall of honour.

Oliver Pegus’ recount of highlights of the 15s rugby tour featured our Maori Marae stay and downhill luge rides in Rotorua, Hanmer Springs thermal pools, and the Auckland last supper to celebrate Shoaland Griffiths birthday. The rugby was as tough as expected and our students got better every game.

Pastoral Care Red Dirt Social Justice Expedition and CIP Hours

St Pius X College Coonabarabran, Walgett and Bourke Pastoral Care and Social Justice July Expedition

Preparations continue for the July Pastoral Care Expedition when a team of our students will consolidate our links and connections with the schools and partnerships we have developed in rural, remote and indigenous Australia.

The expedition will take place on the first week of our (Saturday sport playing schools) July holidays when the schools we will visit are still in term.  We aim to depart Chatswood very early (5.30am) Sunday 30 June and return Saturday 6 July mid afternoon.

Given the rich learning, social justice, and cultural activities planned on this expedition, Community Involvement (CIP) Hours required by Year 10 and 11 students who participate will be completed on the expedition.  The evolving itinerary includes

• A tour of Siding Springs Observatory Australian Astronomical Telescope Coonabarabran
• A guided tour of the Piliga Scrubs Sandstone Caves, Dandry George Archaeological sites, Sculptures in the Scrub Reconciliation artwork, and Baradine Local Area Land Council Centre and NPWS Discovery Centre.
• A visit to Coonabarabran High and St Lawrence’s Catholic Primary School to run a sports morning.
• Walking the Warrumbungles iconic Grand High Tops hike, taking in the Breadknife Igneous Rock Structure and Warrumbungles NPWS Visitors Centre.
• A visit to St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Walgett to take reading, literacy and numeracy group lessons and sports afternoon.
• A guided tour of Brewarina Fish Traps which is reportedly one of the oldest in situ archeologic structures in the world.
•  A visit to St Ignatius’ Catholic Primary School Bourke to run their athletics carnival.
• Outdoor Mass in the desert.
• A visit and bike ride around Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo.

Contact Mr Brannan, Mr Mulheron, Mr Balboa, Mr Quinn or Ms Spanyik if you would like to register.  Expressions of interest are due this week with permissions confirmations etc required mid-term.

Shoah Memorial Monday 29 April

Religious Education Coordinator Dr Katie Meale and myself were hosted by the Jewish Board of Deputies NSW to a commemoration of the Shoah, the holocaust, on Monday evening at Masada College, St Ives. A powerful address by Dr Brendan Nelson, director of the Australian War Memorial and former AMA President and Minister for Education, was based on the need to stand up and show character to prevent negative outcomes. This was complemented by emotional accounts of survivors and their stories of their journeys, survival and tributes to the tragedy of 6 million Jewish lives and 60 million lives lost in the holocaust and WWII.  Entitled 'Memorials and Memories'.  

Iftar Dinner

In the early evening of Wednesday 29 May our friends from Amity College, the predominantly Muslim Faith school at Prestons, will host 10 of our student representatives for a dinner to celebrate the end of Ramadan and youth empowerment generally. This represents a great opportunity for interfaith dialogue and learning about religion and culture in an inclusive and positive manner of hope for the future. If you are interested in attending please see Mr Brannan or Ms Meale soon as numbers are limited.

Fide et Labore

Old Boys' News

The Old Boys' Dinner will be held on Friday 13 September.  The AGM is upcoming soon with details to be confirmed.

Please feel free to assist on the Old Boys' BBQ any given Saturday, and stay tuned for our Orchard Tavern get together in Term 4.

Mr Sean Brannan - Assistant Principal Pastoral Care