From the Principal

Lessons learnt from Murphy 

We have a new celebrity here at the College, Murphy, the one-legged pigeon. His name is a tribute to our Canteen, Murphy's, because he's often been spotted hanging around that area.

The Canteen, in turn, is lovingly named after an important person in the history of the College, Mother Francis Xavier (Ellen) Murphy, our first principal. 

Mother Murphy came to Tasmania from Ireland back in 1866. 

Murphy (the pigeon) and Mother Murphy have a lot in common. Both would have had to deal with many life challenges and both would have had to be prepared to adapt and never give up.  

Murphy cannot compete for food with the rest of the seagulls and pigeons in the playground. Instead, he bravely collects tidbits even where there is a canteen line-up of noisy students. 

Most students show respect and compassion for Murphy and recognise his friendliness as a need for survival. It's lovely to see this kindness in action. 

I asked a few students if they have learnt anything important from Murphy and these are the top three lessons: 

1. It's OK to accept help from others.
2. We need each other.
3. Resilience – whenever life gets you down, keep on flapping.

Jacqueline Conboy

Acting Principal