From the Principal
John XXIII 40 Year Anniversary Ball
It was wonderful to have over 550 people in attendance at last weekend’s Ball. It was an outstanding endorsement of our current and past College community.
Our host for the evening, Christina Morrissey (current parent) set the scene by discussing the year 1977 and the events of the world at that time. I then provided a background and context to our 40 year commemoration.
John XXIII College was established through the vision of the Jesuit Priests and the Loreto Sisters and Catholic Education Western Australia. We acknowledge with pride our heritage as the schools of Loreto and St Louis. On our Opening day (in Feb 1977) 660 girls and 500 boys attended – total 1160 students. We have now grown to be a Catholic school community of 1500 students and 250 staff. Enrolment applications are very high and we are thrilled that we remain a College of choice for many families.
Attending the Ball tonight we had:
Past parents, current parents, current grandparents, past and current staff and alumni.
Parents with children at the school who are third and fourth generation St Louis/Loreto/John XXIII.
Parents who were students of St Louis and Loreto before they amalgamated, and those who were students in the inaugural year of John XXIII College’s formation.
Parents who attended John XXIII at the Koolyangarra, Campion, St Louis and Loreto campuses.
Current parents whose own parents were instrumental in making the vision for our campus a reality we now enjoy.
Parents who were the first Year 12 leavers of the current College campus.
Parents who attended the College as students and have returned to the College as staff members.
Parents who were married in the College Chapel, and had their children baptised here.
Parents who are still active members of Jesuit and Loreto justice committees
Members of the College Council past and present.
Members of the College Foundation past and present including the Chair Mr Michael Anderson.
Other friends of the College.
We also had Monsignor Michael Keating attend as he has a strong family connection via his cousins, the Lennon family. I related that in 2016 Monsignor Keating was kind enough to pass on some memorabilia from when he met Pope John XXIII as a young Priest.
I would like to also specifically acknowledge our wonderful Ball committee for their incredible efforts:
Julie Bevan (Chair)
Kristin Serra
Marion Connelly
Mary-Jane Rowbottam
Lucette Quinlan
Brenda Bardinet
Gabrielle Bouffler
Paula Hackett
Skye Frizza
Libby Youd
Amanda Zuvela
Our staff were incredible with their work in preparation for the event and the preceding Valete and Day of Invitation ceremonies. Ric Del Pizzo (Community Relations) and Jeff Jansen (Audio Visual) were exceptional and superbly acknowledged by those in attendance.
We look forward to continuing to build relationships with our community both past and present.
Together, let us seek justice.
Yours sincerely
Robert Henderson
Principal