Sr Sylvia,

Father Maurie

Fellow Principals

Staff , College families

And most importantly, students.

Thank you to the Morrison Government for investing in education. The Capital Grant monies that the Federal Government allocates to the Catholic Sector ensures that Catholic families who have a desire for their children to receive a Catholic education can have the confidence that when they make this choice it is not a choice that will disadvantage their children. Capital investment by government in infrastructure ensures that schools such as ours can provide great facilities to meet the educational needs of a modern curriculum that offers VCE, VCAL and a multitude of Vocational Education and Training options as well.

Postcode should never determine the education that any young person receives and the capital grant of $1 million for the Dennett Courts and the commitment by the Morrison Government will continue to ensure this remains the case. We are very grateful to the Federal Government for their investment in this community, an investment in the future of every student now and for many years to come.

I wish to thank and recognise the support of the Catholic Education Melbourne, Architects Henderson and Lodge especially Joe Scully and Shirley Cooper. The builders Beahmer and Wright for their work which was more challenging than perhaps they initially expected due to rock. This project experienced numerous challenges and setbacks not the least of which was, as I’ve mentioned rock and a lot of it I might add. Father O’Reilly, Father Maurie and Michael Testa - Their support and encouragement has been critical and I thank each of them. Michael Casey from MJC Horticulture who designed then executed the landscaping which sets this facility within our grounds. Michael, you always have student learning at the forefront of your designs. It is a pleasure to be on the same page with someone else when imagining a design to resolve the access and egress as well as how it will look for students when being used by them. I am grateful for the wonderful work of our maintenance team, Lino, Abdul, Phil and Chris as well as Gina Zumbo who helps keep everything, including me on track. The IT Team especially Kjetil and the LT who lived the journey of the four years this build took. In receiving the grant from the Federal Government we were supported by the Catholic Development Fund in matching the funding and provided with interests subsidy by the Grants Allocation Committee Secondary.

This is the school where Chris Ansti first picked up a basketball in Year 11 and decided he liked the game going on to play for Australia in an Olympic Team. This is the school where 4 students went on to become Socceroos playing for Australia at multiple Olympic and Commonwealth Games and where Thomas Deng went to school and whom we hope will go on to represent Australia at future Olympic and World Cup games because we know he is that good. This is the school where Adam Kennedy who is an AFL player for GWS kicked a footy as well as many former AFL players from Essendon and the Western Bulldogs players, where an Olympic kayaker, a female world title kickboxer and so many other young men and women who represented this school in the Interschool SACCSS competitions dreamed of making a career from their sporting passion. This is the school where these dreams were fostered and nurtured. And where they came true. They didn’t have the facilities we have today, they had very little by way of facilities but they had passion and determination. They also had staff who believed in them and wanted to see them achieve. Today the staff are just as committed and we have the facilities to support the hopes dreams and aspirations of those who might dare to dream.

Kevin Sheedy wrote of this school in his book ‘Pockets of Greatness’ dedicated a chapter to this school saying then that it was a little known school in the west of Melbourne that continued to punch above its weight to produce sports men and women of the highest calibre who have gone on to be elite athletes.

I believe this remains as true today as it was then. Only now the facilities exist to provide the additional support and coaching that we have always wanted to give our students. Now we can. I have always believed our students are the best, that they deserve the best and that we, as a community should do all we can to provide the very best for them and their education. I believe in every student and in supporting every pathway.

What we have opened today is as much a classroom and learning environment as any other part of the College. My hope and prayers are that this facility will allow more of you to use your gifts and talents, to share them with this community and to shine, to be recognised and shine. Each of you has something, a special gift, a special talent that when shared enriches our community.

Ignus

Special Issue · 28 Aug 2019

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