From the Principal

Wednesday 24 July, marked the celebration of the birthday of Mother Gonzaga Barry. It was on July 19 in 1875, after sailing all the way from Ireland, that Mother Gonzaga Barry and her nine companions stepped onto the Sandridge Pier in Port Melbourne and began their incredible ministry in Australia. With great faith and courage, under the leadership of Mother Gonzaga Barry, the Loreto Sisters arrived in Perth in 1897 and established a school in Adelaide Terrace before the Sisters opened Loreto Osborne in Claremont in 1901. 

In her travel diaries, Mother Gonzaga Barry explained, ‘I suppose no one will ever realise what it cost me to leave Ireland and my Irish friends. It nearly broke my heart. Though I was told by my superiors I would not be sent against my will, I felt I had to do it, or be unfaithful to grace…’

As we know, John XXIII College formed in 1977 following the amalgamation of Loreto College and St Louis School for Boys and continues to maintain close Ignatian connections with Loreto and Jesuit schools throughout Australia. Our College's Mission expresses our Catholicity and our strong spiritual, historical and ongoing links with Loreto and Jesuit communities.

Mother Gonzaga Barry’s contribution to the education of young and older Australians should not be underestimated and continues to shape Australian schools today.  It was Mother Gonzaga who wrote: ‘Aim at something excellent; our life is largely influenced by what we aim at – our ideals often make our realities.’ (Eucalyptus Blossoms, Dec 1897). She ‘had high hopes and expectations for the contribution that Loreto educated students would make to society from the very first days of her foundation in Ballarat in 1875’ (Building a Nation) with many benefiting from her establishment of kindergartens, schools and tertiary institutes across Australia. We look forward to celebrating the one hundred and fifty years of her influence on Australian education during 2025.

During this week, Year 12 students attended the first of a series of Year 12 Principal’s Lunches for the year. This week’s lunch proved to be an excellent opportunity to hear from our most senior students, where, as well as sharing lunch, we also discussed what makes our College so strong and what opportunities might be worth exploring in the future. I extend my thanks to the Year 12 students from Campion House who so willingly embraced the conversations during our time together.

Our Year 10 students and their parents have been demonstrating the importance of valuing deep discernment over recent weeks as they shape their Years 11 and 12 paths of study. I extend my thanks to the staff involved in supporting our Year 10 students and parents during their course counselling sessions this week. Particular thanks are extended to Assistant Deputy Principal Year 10, Luke Bostelman, Head of Pathways and Transition, Jane Hedley, and their team of Year 10 Course Counsellors, Shani Andrews, Morgan Ball, Tim Chaney, Anna Davila, Lana Gregory-Turner, James McLaughlin, Chris Morris, Janeen Murphy, Andrew Osnain, Liam Smith and Joel Wynn.

Today’s Secondary Interhouse Athletics Carnival showcased our secondary students’ exceptional physical prowess and the real sense of camaraderie and joy that permeates our College community. The excitement of the competition, the passionate cheers of the crowd and the opportunity to proudly represent one’s House were all evident throughout the day. I extend my thanks to Head of Sport, Jess Pillera, and Secondary Health and Physical Education staff for the extensive pre-planning and organisation that went into our carnival, the staff and parent volunteers for their valuable contributions, and to the student leaders for all of their efforts in fostering the passionate House spirit evident throughout the day.

Finally, I am pleased to report that our Senior Ethics Team comprising Gemma Bailey, Meg Cleary, Meg Derbyshire, Asha Paton and Sky Pineda Beasley was awarded the Bronze medal in this week’s International Ethics Olympiad Final, with the Gold Medal being awarded to Canada - Marc Garneau Collegiate and the Silver Medal awarded to New Zealand - Papanui High School. I extend my thanks to our Head of Magis, Daisy Farley, for her expert guidance of our team and congratulate everyone involved in what is a significant achievement. Aim at something excellent indeed!

Daniel Mahon

Principal