Principal's Update

Dear Families, 

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to spend the first six weeks of this term on Enrichment Leave. The experiences I had were amazing and I have definitely returned energised to continue to work with our students, staff and families to make Trinity College the best school it can be. 

In my absence, many of my colleagues took on extra work and responsibilities to make sure our College continued to thrive. It is reassuring to know that we have such capable staff to step into leadership positions when someone is away. Rachel McGennisken did a fantastic job as Acting Principal and was well supported by Natalie Holt as her deputy. Caide Robertson stepped into the Director of Students role and Victoria Andes was our interim Year 9 Coordinator. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to each of these staff members for their willingness to take on these roles and for the professional manner they carried them out. 

Before heading off on leave, I made sure that my schedule would allow me to be back in town for the performance of The Addams Family, and what a performance it was! Congratulations to all involved – the talent on display was incredible and all the backstage work ensured the performance was professional and polished. The rave reviews were a testament to the tireless work put in by everyone involved and the pride and appreciation of their families, the College, and the community has highlighted the incredible power of art to unite and uplift us. While all the performances on stage were amazing, I did want to single out Thomas Billing who not only shone in the role of Gomez here at Trinity but also in the Mercy College production one week later. I was also very proud to hear that many of our performers attended Mercy’s production to support Thomas and the Mercy cast. Their commitment to their peers is a tribute to their families, a hallmark of our community, and highlights the Trinity difference that fosters a sense of belonging, achievement and purpose in all of our students.  

A musical production such as this is not possible without passionate and committed staff. April Greaves led the way and was supported by Grace Wiedemann, Sarah Glennen and numerous other staff from Trinity as well as Red Door. I extend my thanks and congratulations to all. 

Coming back to attend The Addams Family was a heart-warming reminder of all that is good about our College. While I was away, I was immersed in a vastly different educational environment teaching in Thailand, where I experienced children eager to learn in the most basic of conditions. The staff and students had virtually no technology and support, and some still used chalk and blackboards! The high schools run classes for Year 7 to Year 9, then students who are capable and can afford it are required to enroll in a senior school. The reality for many of the young Thai students is that, despite their academic capabilities, they don’t have the opportunity to complete school beyond Year 9 because they are required to work to supplement the family income. The experience highlights for me how fortunate students at Trinity are with the support of their families, and the facilities and education they are provided with. 

In addition to teaching in Thailand, I was also able to visit a number of Catholic schools in Darwin and spend time in the Daly River community speaking with Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann and her husband Ken. Miriam-Rose is a woman of deep faith and extraordinary service to her country, and I definitely developed a much greater understanding of Aboriginal culture and learned about some of the challenges faced by the secondary schools we visited. 

The final part of my leave was to immerse myself in the life and history of our only Australian Saint, with a tour of MacKillop Centre in Melbourne and a visit to the museums in Penola and Adelaide. Sister Mary MacKillop is one of our House icons and it was fantastic learning so much more about her incredible journey and of so many other selfless people who joined her cause and devoted their lives to helping marginalised people. 

While I enjoyed the time away and learned and experienced so much, I am very happy to be back and looking forward to reconnecting with the school and wider community. I look forward to seeing all our dads, grandads, significant male mentors and carers at our Father's Day breakfast on 1 September and hopefully we all have good news about our football teams to share – being a Carlton supporter, I'm very happy with the season so far! 

Have a great weekend!

Paul Clohesy

Principal

Trinity College respectfully acknowledges the Gulidjan people as the traditional custodians of the lands on which we live and work.