Principal

Harmony Week 20 - 26 March 2023

Harmony Week is the celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds. It’s about inclusiveness, respect, and a sense of belonging for everyone.​ We will be celebrating this week across the College because it resonates so strongly with our touchstone of Inclusivity.

Harmony Week has been celebrated in Australia since 1999 and it celebrates the fact that Australia is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world—approximately one in four of Australia’s population was born overseas and around 44 per cent were either born overseas or have a parent who was born overseas. Australians identify with more than 270 ancestries, speak over 260 languages, and practice a wide range of religions. The largest source countries for Australia’s overseas born are the United Kingdom and New Zealand, followed by China, India, and Italy. However, the most recent figures show that this is changing. Australia recently received more permanent migrants from China than from any other country last year. This is the first time ever that the United Kingdom has not been the number one source country for permanent migrants to Australia.

The enrolment population of St Patrick’s College would reflect the post-WWII migration to Australia from across the world. I am living proof of the opportunities afforded to poor migrants after the war who came to this land for a better future. As I move about the College and speak to students, their parents/carers and grandparents, I hear the rich stories of their journeys to this amazing country. I have heard people comment that our College is “dominated” by one ethnic culture or another, a claim that is not factually true. And even if there was one dominant culture in any school, that does not necessarily mean the students are not inclusive, but rather a reflection on their geographic location or a cultural group that a school caters for. Sadly, cultural stereotypes still abound, and poor behaviour is linked to a cultural identity when that is not the case. Bad behaviour is bad behaviour in any culture and not exclusive to one over the other.

In our own unique case, there is no, one dominant ethnic culture at our wonderful school with only a handful of boys born overseas. This is one of the features of our College and one that Old Boys comment upon. I attended the Annual Old Boys’ Lunch at the Four Seasons Hotel last Friday 17 March with over 800 men who finished across the years. Each one is still strongly connected to mates they had at SPC, and they constantly remind me that what they loved about their school was the chance to meet, learn and play with young people from all cultures, socio-economic backgrounds and financial means. 

One look at our Year 12 Student Leadership Team will convince you that there is no one dominant demographic culture here. The dominant culture is the way of Blessed Edmund. We strive to give each boy a liberating education, grounded in Gospel spirituality, that is inclusive with justice for all. It is not easy. It is, in fact, very hard and counter cultural. It is the greater good that propels us with the paradox of everyone lifting at the same time. Boys do make mistakes but facing consequences, restoring relationships, and moving forward in a positive way are life-long lessons that Old Boys quote as a feature of their education here.

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony:                                                                                                                             Mahatma Ghandi

In Memoriam

We received the sad news last Wednesday that Old Boy Brian Walsh (’73) passed away suddenly at age 67 years. This is a big shock as he was such a huge presence in the arts and entertainment industry. Brian Walsh was one of Australia’s longest serving and influential television executives. In a stellar career that spanned almost five decades, Brian held senior posts at the Ten Network, Britain’s Sky Broadcasting, Sky TV in Asia and Australia’s Foxtel. Brian played an instrumental part in the early careers of stars such as Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Kylie Minogue, and Jason Donovan. He also spearheaded the ‘Simply the Best’ marketing campaign, featuring singer Tina Turner, that transformed the branding of rugby league in the 1990s. He will be greatly missed by his classmates and the entire community of St Patrick’s College. May he rest in perpetual peace.

Dr Vittoria Lavorato

Principal

SPC boys can do anything! 

**except divide by zero