From the President

Dear Old Virgilians,

Welcome to 2024 and I hope all had a safe Christmas and enjoyed a break with family and friends.

Clearly 2024 has commenced in a challenging manner for the College, the OVA and members of our Community.  It is appropriate that on behalf of the OVA Committee I provide the following report to you:

On 5 February 2024, Mr Jon Franzin - College Principal and Br Paul Conn - Christian Brothers Deputy Province Leader, communicated to members of the Old Virgilians’ Association, advising that the Science Block at the Austins Ferry campus is no longer named after former student and staff member, Mr Robert Hamilton. The letter also stated that Mr Hamilton was removed from the Old Virgilians’ Association Honour Roll. These decisions were exercised at the discretion of Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA), the College and the Christian Brothers.

In late 2022, the OVA Committee was informed that the College had been made aware of negative experiences that former students had with Mr Hamilton. There were several adverse reactions by Old Virgilians’ after reading the story of Mr Hamilton in the May 2023 edition of OVAtions. Following these communications, the College advised the OVA Committee that a detailed review was being undertaken by the College, Christian Brothers and EREA.

The review considered the alleged serious misconduct of Mr Hamilton which revealed substantiated allegations of serious physical assault and emotional psychological abuse. The College recently decided it was appropriate to remove all references to Mr Hamilton's name at the College and from the OVA Honour Roll. The OVA would like to acknowledge the potential distress that this decision has caused Old Virgilians’, the College community and Mr Hamilton’s family. 

Due to the sensitivity of the matter and the College’s duty to protect the privacy and confidentiality of all parties involved, any details regarding the College’s processes or investigations will not be made public. In the interests of its members, the OVA Committee has made enquiries of the College Principal and is satisfied that an appropriate review process was undertaken by the College before initiating the actions referred to above.

The OVA is aware that that the College has received multiple complaints following Mr Franzin and Br Conn’s letter on 5 February 2024. Any allegations against the College or former teachers or students, are not within the domain of the OVA to investigate and must be dealt with by the College. 

The OVA recommends any Old Virgilians’ who wish to seek further support regarding Christian Brothers during their time at the College, to contact the Executive Director of the Christian Brothers Oceania Professional Standards Office, Mr Shane Wall.

Mr Wall’s details are:

            Email: swall@edmundrice.org

            Phone: (03) 8359 0109

This is obviously a challenging situation for the entire St Virgil’s community and reinforces the need for the OVA to work collaboratively with the College. The OVA, through its committee, will be endeavouring to work much more closely with the College.

Yours sincerely 

David Mazengarb