MISSION CENTRAL

Service Report 

By Jayden Cox 

At Saints, we hold dear the Marist characteristics of serving others and strive to emulate Mary in our daily lives. As part of our commitment to making a positive impact in the community, we support the Salvation Army by door knocking the Brinsmead area every year. This fundraising effort, for the Red Shield Appeal, helps the Salvos provide essential services to those in need, including drug and alcohol, family and homelessness services. The event is taking place on Sunday 26 May, and it was great to see so many boys attend this week's meeting. If your son is interested in participating, please ask him to send his name to Mrs Cross by Tuesday 21 May.

Fundraising events

The annual Ride for Rosies on Friday 31 May is another wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and support a great cause. This year's event at the Velodrome in Manunda will also involve St Monica's students who are joining us to raise money for Rosies, which provides much-needed services for those who are living in poverty. Over 70 students from both colleges will be participating in the ride, showcasing their commitment to helping others. Please ask your sons to pledge a donation for every lap their mates do, or simply ask them to donate a set amount. Either way, they'll be contributing to a worthy cause and supporting our riders as they pedal tirelessly to make a difference - it's sure to be a great event! 

Thank you also to the volunteers (staff and students) who continue to support the weekend Rosies care for community events where food and other goods are given to people in need.

Relay for Life is the College’s largest annual fundraiser and another remarkable event that is all about hope, optimism and support. Last year the Saints community raised over $23,000 for the Cancer Council’s vital research and services. It’s happening next term with fundraising beginning soon.  

Learning About Leadership the Vinnies Way

by Aidan Ellis and David Packham

The St Vincent de Paul Society's Ozanam Leadership Program gives Years 10 and 11 students the chance to become compassionate leaders. The program focuses on values and skills, helping students build their knowledge and abilities to benefit their community.

This program is named after the founder of the society, Frédéric Ozanam, a law student in France during the 1830s. He often walked to school and saw many disadvantaged people along the streets. He debated this with his fellow law students when eventually one of them challenged him to take action. Frédéric recognised his inaction and founded the St Vincent de Paul Society.

The program allows students like us to give back to their community while also developing leadership skills, following a similar path to Frédéric. During the program we did a wide range of activities that allowed us to cultivate our skills and leadership. These included a three-day outdoor retreat, leadership development sessions, advocacy events and many volunteering opportunities with Vinnies Youth. 

More from David...

The Emu Gully adventure started with a welcome surprise: Thursday night in cosy cabins, but Friday morning brought a twist – we traded cabins for tents. Groups from Toowoomba, Brisbane and Townsville arrived, and initial awkwardness melted away into a shared sense of anticipation. The camp transformed us into history makers. During one activity we re-enacted the momentous breaking of the Hindenburg Line. Another had us pulling a heavy cannon through the mud, experiencing a gruelling but crucial task from WWI. We even tackled a challenging obstacle course replicating the muddy slog of the Kokoda Trail, the difficulty ramped up by carrying a stretcher the entire way. 

Another activity had us tearing around a massive track in some buggies. Teamwork returned in a different form as we collaborated to build a bridge across a stretch of water using army pontoons and rails. The satisfaction of crossing that bridge, a testament to our collective effort, was unbeatable. Our camaraderie truly solidified during a thrilling paintball game. Working together, we devised a strategy and executed a plan to get six of us up a hill and touch a stretcher carrying a mannequin. Laughter and cheers erupted with each successful mission. Saying goodbye to our newfound mates was bittersweet, but well wishes were exchanged as we packed up and headed back to school the next day.

Student Voice 

Kaleb Howard in Year 11 attended the inaugural Student Voice Forum last term alongside three other students from our college. Kaleb continues to volunteer with this project. He delivered the Acknowledgement to Country at this week's Principals Conference accompanied by Thompson Guligo who played the didgeridoo. Kaleb also delivered the collective insights from the Student Voice group together with two students from St Mary’s Catholic College. Kaleb spoke with confidence and authenticity, and his messages were well received by the principals. We will continue to follow the progress of this new initiative by the Cairns Diocese.

Year 8s' ecological project with Cairns Regional Council

The Year 8 back-at-school program included a collaborative project with the Cairns City Council in which the students weeded the Yellow Arrow walking track. It was a successful morning for both groups. Here are some of the student comments: 

“I thought it was an amazing experience to give back to our environment and community, and I really enjoyed it.”

“It was fun and I really liked being outdoors.”

“It was a good alternative to just being at school for a change.”

“It felt good to do something for the community.” 

“I liked it.”

“Are we doing it again?”