The Crest

Principal's report

Mr Steven O'Connor

We remember those who have been affected by the fires around Ballarat and various regions of Victoria as we send this edition of The Crest to the St Patrick’s College community. We hope and pray that all remain safe and that the fires are brought under control as soon as possible. 

Head of the Lake – A Great Day! 

This week has been a very happy week at St Patrick’s as we celebrate and reflect on the wonderful set of results achieved by our rowers across all age groups in last weekend’s Head of the Lake regatta at Lake Wendouree. The incredible set of results reflect the incredible work, dedication and talents of all involved in the rowing program and I offer my sincere congratulations to all of our rowers, their coaches and of course, their parents! 

 

I wish to acknowledge the work of our Rowing Coordinators in preparing for and leading the rowing program across the 2023-24 season. The groundwork for these achievements was set up by Mr Tom Nash, who led the rowing program until the end of December, 2023. Following Mr Nash’s appointment to the senior leadership role of Head of Junior School, his role as Rowing Coordinator was taken up jointly by Rebecca Gribble and David O’Doherty. Bec and Dave have done a terrific job in leading the crews through their holiday training camps and the rowing season this term. I thank and congratulate Tom, Bec and Dave for their wonderful leadership of the entire program – well done! 

 

Some of the highlights from Sunday’s regatta include:  

  • Boys Year 9 Division 5-7 – Winners, along with gaining 2nd place
  • Boys Year 9 Division 2 – Winners, by more than six lengths
  • Boys Year 10 Division 3 – Winners
  • Boys Year 10 Division 1 – Winners, with a new record set
  • Boys Open Division 4 – 1st, 2nd and 3rd , with a new record set
  • Boys Open Division 3 – Winners, by 26 seconds and a new record set
  • Boys Open Division 2 – Winners
  • And coming into the Boys Open 1st Division as underdogs – Winners, in an incredibly exciting and close finish! 
  • Winners of the overall Boys Premiership on 50 points, with the next closest school – Ballarat and Clarendon College – on 35 points. 

Congratulations to all crews on these wonderful results! 

 

To our 1st IV – Ned Bennett, Angus Murfett, Henry Reinehr, Paddy O’Brien and Jarvis McLean (Cox) – well done and congratulations on your wonderful achievement. The SPC crew started as underdogs on Sunday but showed incredible belief, determination and skill to win the Head of the Lake in one of the closest finishes in memory against the highly-skilled crew from BCC. I am so pleased for these young men and so very proud of them. I wish them all the very best for the States and Nationals in the weeks ahead. 

 

I want to acknowledge Paddy O’Brien and Will Charles as Co-Captains of Rowing for their positive leadership not only of the senior crew, but of the entire rowing shed this season. Both Paddy and Will have done a tremendous job in their roles and we are grateful for this. 

 

Finally, and very importantly, I wish to acknowledge the wonderful support provided for all the SPC crews via the Year 12 Spit Crew and spectators on Sunday. I was immensely proud of the positive support that the SPC Spit Crew showed during the course of last week in the lead up to the Head of the Lake and on Sunday itself. There was no shortage of enthusiasm and Paddy pride on display throughout the day but also, there was genuine respect and admiration in acknowledging the crews from the BAS schools and the successes that they enjoyed throughout the regatta as well. 

 

Many thanks to all of our Year 12s in this context and especially to Archie Caldow, Ollie Hannaford and Max Treweek as the Spit Crew leaders – well done! 

 

We are very proud of the efforts of all involved in the Head of the Lake regatta. Well done and thank you to all for providing us with a wonderful legacy and a set of memories which will last a very long time.

International Women’s Day

We look forward to celebrating and recognising International Women’s Day with an afternoon tea on Friday, 8 March. The College is pleased to host Kristi Davidson, founder of the Offspring Project, who will deliver a keynote address in the main auditorium of the Performing Arts Centre. Full details of the event can be found via this TryBooking link. I encourage you to register your attendance early as numbers are limited.

 

In addition to this, we will once again participate in ‘The Respect Cup’ at Mars Stadium on Wednesday, 6 March. St Patrick's will play the curtain raiser match against Geelong's St Joseph’s College before supporting the main game between Loreto College and Geelong's Sacred Heart College. This has become a positive means for a number of our students to participate in an event which promotes the important values and messages around women’s equity, respect and equality. 

 

Our new artwork in the forecourt of the Performing Arts Centre, ‘Revelation’, highlights the important influence that a number of women played in the life of Blessed Edmund Rice, shaping his view on his vocation and the formation of religious orders to respond to the social inequities and injustices he could see around him in Waterford. 

 

As an all boys’ school, and as a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition, the messages promoted via International Women’s Day are really important and reflect our approaches and commitment to developing young men marked by genuine character, compassion, respect and community.  

Coffee and Conversations

I am pleased to announce the introduction of ‘Coffee and Conversations’ mornings. These will be an opportunity for current and prospective parents to come to the College and over some morning tea, interact with and hear from some staff about specific programs, events and opportunities available here at St Patrick’s College. These gatherings enable opportunities for parents to engage with staff and ask them questions about these programs and opportunities. 

 

The first of these will occur at 9am on Tuesday, 19 March and we will gather in the auditorium of the Performing Arts Centre. At this first session, Acting Deputy Principal Ms Carol Roberts will outline the strategies the College has developed and implemented in the classrooms around teaching and learning. 

 

I look forward to welcoming people to this informal gathering and to catching up with them over a cuppa! 

 

To register your attendance, please RSVP by Friday, 15 March via this TryBooking link.