PRINCIPAL'S PEN 

Last Monday was the feast of St Augustine. As a school named after St Augustine of Hippo, we don’t really give him a great deal of attention when it comes to our major Masses and feast days. Largely, we focus on the Marist charism and St Marcellin Champagnat. But St Augustine has an interesting story from which we can glean many valuable lessons. 

St Augustine was a sinner who struggled with many vices and bad habits. But through prayer and reflection he gave up his life of sin and partying and became a priest. He was a strong advocate for the poor and, interestingly, is the patron saint of brewers!

On Monday, I listened to Mr Dorahy, in no uncertain terms, challenge our Year 12s to lift their game. He evoked the spirit of St Augustine and urged them to turn away from bad habits and, while Mr Dorahy didn’t ask them to become priests, he challenged them to finish well and do the right thing.

Father’s Day Assembly

Yesterday, 300 fathers attended our annual Father’s Day Assembly, which was followed by a sausage sizzle before students and staff headed off for the annual College Walkathon.  There are often comments on how great the family spirit and sense of community are at St Augustine’s and this day helps build that. 

The assembly celebrated our fathers, and we heard Patrick Rigby and Trey Tapim speak passionately about their dads. We watched outstanding teams cross the stage to be recognised for their success in top-level competition. We recognised three boys, Max Poglio, Sahan Warshamana Dewayalage and Gus Rolfe, who received the Three Violets awards for the Marist values of humility, simplicity and modesty. St Marcellin considered these virtues to be at the heart of what it means to be Marist. Boys received STEM and Long Tan awards; we listened to the Year 9 camp report and enjoyed a performance by the Saints Percussion Ensemble. Our assembly is a wonderful celebration of our values and achievements. 

"The Man in the Mirror"

During the assembly I read an excerpt from "The Man in the Mirror". This poem was originally published in 1934 as the "Guy In The Glass". I initially came across it some years ago when I read Wayne Bennett's book about his 21 years at the Brisbane Broncos. I happened across the book in Mr Gregory’s office two weeks ago and thought the message would be good to share.

The fellow whose verdict counts most in life, 

Is the man staring back from the glass.

He’s the fellow to please, never mind all the rest,

For he’s with you clear to the end,

And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test,

If the man in the glass is your friend.

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,

And get pats on the back as you pass,

But the final reward will be heartache and tears,

If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.

The message was a simple and hopefully a pertinent one for our boys: you can trick everyone, and even if you have everything, if you don't respect the way you've gone about life, then you have cheated yourself. Ultimately, you must live with yourself and your actions.

My challenge to each of our students was to take a step back, truly look at yourself in the mirror and be able to say, “I am a good man; I have done the right thing”. 

Cerise and Blue

Finally, on behalf of the College, I extend a heartfelt thank you to the young men of Saints who helped showcase their school to potential families. As usual, there was plenty of excellent feedback on the interactive displays, music and Tolle’s chips! However, the overriding feedback was on the outstanding tour guides who spoke about their school with pride and a sense of belonging.