The Pat Cronin 

Foundation 

WebEx Presentation

On Wednesday, 25th August, during period 3, the Year 9 cohort attended a WebEx presentation given by Ben O’Toole. Ben O’Toole shared his story of also being assaulted at a young age, which is why he chose to be a part of the Pat Cronin Foundation. This enables him to not only share his but also Pat’s story to young people, as well as helping young people understand the impact of violence and fights on the victim and the innocent people that are surrounded by it. There was a Q & A at the end of the presentation for any of the year 9s who wanted questions to be answered by Ben. 

Pat Cronin’s Story

Pat was at a bar in Diamond Creek with his friends, enjoying life when suddenly a fight started that saw one of his friends on the ground amongst it. As Pat was trying to help his friend up, he was hit from behind by an individual (who was eager to get involved in the fight) with what is called a coward punch at the back of his head that left him injured. The effects weren’t instant, however, later that night whilst being at his friend’s house, that’s when the impact of the punch began to affect Pat. Even though he was taken to a hospital promptly, with several nurses and doctors working on him, he tragically passed away that night with his family by his side. 

Thank you Ben O’Toole for helping us see the impact of violence in a new sense and also for sharing your’s and Pat’s story.

Mayah Obamwonyi 9B