Principal's report

Welcome to Term 2

We warmly welcome everyone back to the College for Term 2. I hope that everyone is feeling refreshed after the break and ready to take on the many opportunities that lie ahead during the term at the College. It is always a busy term with end of semester assessments and/or exams, a change to Semester 2 subjects later in the term, the winter season of sport commencing, our first major musical production, ‘The School of Rock’ occurring in the Performing Arts Centre in May and the launch of the Liam Duggan Football Academy. 

We start the term conscious of and deeply saddened by the horrific events that occurred Saturday afternoon at the Westfield Shopping plaza at Bondi Junction in Sydney. The flags at the front of the College flew at half-mast on Monday as a sign of respect for the victims of the brutal and violent attacks, their families and friends and the broader community which has been impacted by these events. I am also conscious of the significant impact of the horrific incidents of violence in recent times in Ballarat and surrounds. We cannot fathom these acts and the impact they have had on the lives of innocent people and their families. We remember Hannah McGuire, Samantha Murphy and Rebecca Young – their families and their friends – as they come to terms with the unthinkable impact of the violence inflicted upon them. I ask that we keep them in our prayers and thoughts as we commence Term 2. 

The moral compass of young people is fundamentally set, reinforced and attended to by parents in their families; as the primary educators they have the most significant influence on their children, their personalities, their outlook and values – we must not forget this. But as the next most influential set of adults in their lives as school students, teachers and the staff in any school community also have a big influence on developing a strong moral compass or code in our students. In this sense, the importance of the partnership between home and the school is highlighted and emphasised. 

In our strategic plan, we talk about the significance of ‘Character’ in our approaches to educating our young men. We remain steadfastly committed to developing good character in our students via an education enriched and informed by the Catholic faith in the Edmund Rice tradition. Ours, we hope, is an educational experience which is holistic; it is about educating the body, mind, heart and soul of each of our young people. 

As I reflected on the horrible events of Saturday afternoon in Sydney, and more particularly the incidents of domestic violence in Ballarat recently, this aspect of our work in partnership with parents was highlighted. We should never underestimate the significance of the work we (parents and teachers) do in this sense. The impact of consistently and constantly articulating our positive expectations of our boys in terms of their behaviour and conduct in this important area is enormous. We should never ignore any statement or action which is disrespectful from our boys towards others, and in particular, towards women. The work we do with our students around respectful behaviours and attitudes, particularly towards women, is so very important – whether this is formally in our various programs which address this, or informally, as we interact with them and observe them so many times each day. Our conversations and interactions with parents are fundamental in this context, as we actively and closely support the raising and educating their sons.  

2024 Football Tour of Ireland, London and the Western Front

The touring party of 50 students and seven staff returned early on Saturday, 13 April from the trip to Ireland, the UK and France. The trip was a great success and was based on a very busy itinerary; the boys were fortunate to experience some incredible things during the 19 days away. 

The trip provided many incredible highlights, and I am sure that the students will recall these often in the months and years ahead. They certainly displayed wonderful athletic ability and skill in picking up the peculiarities of Gaelic Football quickly and successfully in the four games they played while they were in Ireland. They won three of the four games – all of them fast moving and played in very good spirit – with the boys connecting with their Irish counterparts very easily and happily during and after the games. 

Other highlights in Ireland included visiting the birthplace of Blessed Edmund Rice and Mount Sion in Waterford, the first school established by Edmund in 1802. The tomb of Blessed Edmund Rice is located in the Chapel at Mount Sion, and the boys were able to pay their respects to the founder of the Christian and Presentation Brothers. 

Some spectacular scenery and world heritage sites were included in the itinerary with the touring party visiting the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren and Donegal on the Atlantic Way on the West Coast of Ireland, as well as the Giant’s Causeway on the Antrim Coast in Northern Ireland. 

Following our time in Ireland and Northern Ireland, we made our way to London and experienced the incredible vibrancy of this great city. The boys enjoyed visiting The Tower of London, a tour of Lord’s Cricket Ground, attending an EPL game (Tottenham Vs Nottingham Forest), watching a West End show (‘Back to the Future’) and walking around Westminster, through Whitehall and down The Mall to Buckingham Palace. They all learnt how to successfully navigate their way around London on the Tube and of course, enjoyed some retail therapy along Oxford and Regent Streets. 

Our final port of call was the Western Front in Belgium and France. We made our way across to the continent on the Eurostar and spent the next couple of days visiting a number of key battlefields and memorials. Our time on the Western Front included participating in the evening memorial service at The Menin Gate with two groups of boys laying wreaths as part of the service. We also visited the Sir John Monash Information Centre at the Australian Memorial at Villers Bretonneux – a recent addition to the Memorial which provides visitors with a wonderful insight and overview of the involvement and contribution of Australian service men and women to the Great War.

Did you know our students kept a travel diary during the tour? Check it out here:

Ireland, UK & France Football Tour '24 - St Patrick's College Ballarat (stpats.vic.edu.au)

A special trip like this does not happen without a lot of hard work behind the scenes and the generous support of staff who sacrifice their time with their families over the holidays to make it possible. The staff on the tour were sensational and I thank them for their contributions across so many areas. Thanks to Ms Carly Twaits, Mr John Richards, Mr Nathan Geaghan, Mr Steve Biggin, Mr Jason Lappin and Mr Peter Ryan! 

Special thanks also to Mrs Leonie Spencer from Lifestyle Travel for the incredible work she and her team did in preparing an incredible itinerary for the touring party. Leonie and her husband Roger joined us on the trip via the parent supporters and it was great to have them on hand and to share a lot of the highlights with them.

Finally, I acknowledge the wonderful work of Mr Howard Clark, the Coordinator of Football at SPC, in relation to this year’s trip to Ireland, the UK and the Western Front. Thanks, Howard, for the inspiration and vision which underpins this wonderful experience! 

The tour is well timed with ANZAC Day on Thursday, 25 April. I thank everyone involved in the various ceremonies and significant events where the College will be represented both in Melbourne and Ballarat.  Lest we forget.