Living with Strength and Kindliness

Last Thursday night, we celebrated the achievements of our departing Year 12 graduates. We celebrated mass together before the graduation ceremony and then headed out to the Rich River Golf Club for more celebrating with dinner and dancing.

I want to share Senan McNulty’s address to our school community on behalf of our graduates.

Enjoy!

Wow! Well where do I begin. What a year! What an amazing 6 years! So much has happened over that time that has led to us all being here today, with our proud parents and teachers smiling on at our successes.

This journey started 6 years ago, yet, throughout our young lives our parents and experiences have shaped us, allowed us to grow and change, spreading our roots out in many directions. In our final year of primary school, as our parents deliberated and ultimately decided to send us to St. Joseph’s College, these roots were planted in Brigidine soil and the adventure that has led us and our families to this exact moment began.

Our familiarity is as strong as our uniqueness, all of us have been cultivated by the same beliefs, morals and faith, yet who we have become is unique to each and every one of us. We have artistic geniuses, scientists, novelists, musicians, builders, plumbers and the list goes on and on. The path has been long but at every turn we were given the chance to develop our skills, we have had incredible teachers, incredible opportunities, and incredible support from not only our families but the entire community of Echuca-Moama. I know that all of us are extremely grateful for the chance we have had to learn in such a phenomenal space and amazing town.

There’s always been a constant message that I have heard from past Year 12’s, they all say that you won’t realise it but you’ll find yourself friends with everyone in your year level. Now I never truly believed that, to me it sounded a bit crazy, there are so many people in the year level with so many differing personalities, surely not everyone will get along. I have definitely been proven wrong. I’m not sure what it is, but it is stunning. The common ground that’s been created during the Year 12 effort produced a sense of necessity throughout the year level, the necessity to support each other because we all know what a struggle Year 12 can be. This support for each other has shown how compassionate we all are and has truly made us all feel like we belong. This feeling of belonging at St. Joe’s has been fostered since Year 7, whether you are religious or not, the school's proud Catholic Identity, it’s openness and invitation to faith and development of spirit has allowed many to feel comfortable within themselves and helped provide a solution to some of our difficulties.

There are lots of us who have faced some tough challenges during our schooling, and as we move forward we are all bound to face more, life is a brutal game, yet each of us has gained something personal from the experiences, the friendships and the spirit of this Year Level which will influence our future decisions. The trials we have overcome together or alone throughout this year will forever remind us that success does not come easily and despite our strains, life has a funny way of figuring everything out.

We all entered on that first day in Year 7 fresh faced, nervous and with unlimited potential. Some friendly faces have left, some new faces have joined, yet those faces I see before me are faces that have created a special bond, a bond that will transcend job titles, degrees and any differences. Together we have made it through the tears, the challenges and the harsh landscape that is Year 12, exams are done, here we are at graduation, all of us are about to go on to bigger and better things, but none of us will forgot the bond that was formed when we completed Year 12 together.

Peace, 

Renee Oberin