From the Principal

THE CARNIVAL IS OVER……….

For those old enough to remember, a popular musical group called The Seekers sang this song entitled ‘The Carnival Is Over’ at a farewell concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Sunday, 12 March 1967 to a crowd of 200,000 fans.  There was a record number of Melburnians present at a concert, amongst whom was a young Brian Hanley and his parents.  It was very emotional.

So too is the imminent departure of our esteemed Year 12 students as they graduate and move to the next period of their life.  Destinations and aspirations will vary, for some further study to ensure a career dream come true, for others selecting a vocational path, and for a certain percentage a long-desired gap year away from study.  Whichever, the ‘carnival’ of Monican secondary education will be over.

I truly hope that our 2026 graduands will leave SMC with many positive memories, valuable experiences, warm and close friendships, and genuine and deserved feelings of accomplishment. May they neither regret nor welcome the end of this carnival.  May it be an important stepping stone in their young life towards adulthood.

I commend those students who have achieved much in their time as secondary students through their endeavour, hard work, perseverance and effort.  Those qualities rate highly as one climbs the success ladder.  It has meant long hours of study, attentiveness in class, and determination to achieve through usage of the gifts endowed to them by God and their parents.

Equally, I applaud those Year 12 students who have struggled but come through to the end of their secondary education and thus graduated.  Not all students find learning easy (or even interesting), many have accepted the support given in Special Education, Arrunga, literacy and numeracy intervention, Acutis classes.  Bravo to them!

Our departing seniors have undertaken different courses suitable to and appropriate for them.  Some have reached the end after two or maybe three years of VCE units, others have gone down the VETiS path doing vocationally based certificates, whilst others have chosen VCAL (or Vocational Major) streams and units and enjoyed and thrived from the practical application of learning. 

I do hope that Religious Education classes, the six College Themes they have lived through, the liturgies they have attended, the daily prayers over the public address system, the social justice and Be More activities in which they have participated, and wearing our beautiful College Pin have all resulted in well-formed, kind, and authentically caring individuals who have six Kingdom Values of compassion, generosity, forgiveness, peace, humility and love of neighbour presented to them as essential to a genuine understanding of divine Truth.

Thanks are extended to parents who have financially supported a Monican education.  Gratitude and admiration to our exceptional Monican staff who have mentored, guided and cared for our Year 12s.  Valete, and God bless to each and every Year 12 student for today and tomorrow.  This ‘carnival’ may be over, but a new life is ready to bloom for Monicans. 

Once a Monican, always a Monican.

Mr B Hanley OAM

College Principal