Faith and Mission

Guest Speaker Simon Meredith

Our Year 9 RE Elective students welcomed guest speaker Simon Meredith, AFL Umpire, Old Collegian and College parent to their RE and Sport elective classes.

Simon spoke to students from both Campuses about “Fullness of Life”, the overarching theme of their study, derived from the Gospel of John (10:10). The talk was based on questions posed by the students and proved an enriching experience for them.

"Simon Meredith delved into his experiences as an umpire and taught us a lot. He told us about his starting days as an umpire and what the path looks like if you want to become an AFL umpire. He talked about how the grading system works for umpires and how heavily scrutinised they are. There are correct and missed calls and they are miked up so they can hear everything, as well as two umpire coaches sitting there. He knows where he is going every Tuesday and has gone interstate over 15 times this season. He also talked about an incident in 2014, when during a game he had a brain bleed but kept on umpiring until the 3rd quarter. He was rushed to hospital and was told he could die the next day. He stated this is what keeps him grateful and how he relates to the Gospel of John 10:10. He has been named as an All Australian Umpire and has gone to multiple Brownlow nights." Jack F

"Simon's session was truly inspiring, particularly his stories about the resilience and dedication required in sports and umpiring. One surprising takeaway was his perspective on living life to the fullest by embracing every opportunity, no matter how challenging it seems. Simon showed us how sports and religion (RE) both teach valuable life lessons about fairness, empathy, and perseverance. His journey reminded me of the importance of staying positive and focused, even in tough times, and I’m inspired to bring this attitude into my schoolwork and everyday life."

Darcy K

"Meeting Simon Meredith was a really interesting experience. Learning about his story of going from umpiring for SMJFL as a boundary umpire in 1989 all the way through to umpiring in 8 AFL Grand Finals was fascinating. The most interesting thing Simon talked about was his experience with Fullness of Life. He mentioned how an experience changed his view. When umpiring in 2014, he suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage in the brain. Hearing about how this changed his view, to thinking how privileged we are to be a part of footy and finding the positive in everything was also interesting. I enjoyed hearing about the Brownlow. He told us that umpires go in after the game and nail it down to about 6-7 players that they thought were the best and then decide on the votes. He also mentioned he has to balance between doing the Brownlow and the actual decisions also. The session overall was really interesting to find out about his life, and how umpiring works." Xander C

"We were fortunate to meet AFL umpire Simon Meredith who has umpired 469 games and eight Grand Finals. He spoke about his time at St Bede's and all the lifetime friends he made. He told us how he started his umpire journey and what he had to do and the progress of becoming an AFL umpire. He told us about injury he faced in Sydney suffering a brain bleed during the game and in the fourth quarter he came off and went to the hospital. We thank Simon for coming to talk to us."

Jed R

Have a Ball Day

Friday 20 September

Wear your team colours and bring a donation of sport balls, footy boots or a gold coin next Friday!

The Have A Ball Foundation provides sports equipment to kids in schools and communities in remote areas of outback Australia. The Foundation also raises money to support the health and wellbeing of Indigenous children and bring awareness of the poor standard of living conditions in these areas.

Thank you in advance for your contribution. Donations will be collected on Friday 20 September.

2025 Lasallian Volunteer Applications Now Open

The Lasallian Volunteer Program offers opportunities for young people wanting to gain invaluable experience in the education and social welfare sectors. This program is an experience of a lifetime. It is an opportunity for self-growth and independence to explore the wider world and to give back to those less fortunate.

Lasallian Volunteers offer placements in communities across Australia and New Zealand. Applications for Lasallian Volunteers 2025 are now open! This opportunity is ideal for those who want to answer YES to these questions:

Want the opportunity of a lifetime?
Want a gap year that is meaningful?
Want to be part of a community that values and celebrates diversity?

Come chat to Brother Tony, Miss Greene, Kyle Goodwin or Liam Collins for more information.

Australian Catholic Bishops Social Justice Statement 2024

Australia’s Catholic Bishops say peace is possible if people commit to speaking the truth and redouble efforts to end war.

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has released the Social Justice Statement for 2024–25, entitled Truth and Peace: A Gospel Word in a Violent World.

Every year, in time for Social Justice Sunday - marked this year on 25 August - the bishops seek to make a substantive comment on a key social issue. This year the focus is on the promotion of peace and the need for truth in public life.

Ria Greene

Deputy Principal - Faith and Mission