MEDAL TOM HARDYMAN - THE MORVEN - March 2021, Issue No.1
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MARCH 2021, ISSUE NO. 1
THE MORVEN
St Patrick's College, Shorncliffe Old Boys' Association Magazine
THE
TOM
HARDYMAN
MEDAL
FOR SENIOR
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
THE MORVEN
MARCH 2021, ISSUE NO. 1
MESSAGES IN SHORT
2 From The President
Rekindling Reconnection 18 On the Calendar In History
Then & Now of College happenings
3 From The Principal
TITLE
Alumni & Friends 12 Shout Out
4 From The Foundation Recognising you
Old Boys of Action
5 Welcome
You are part of the story
IN THE LOOP
Recipients of the Inaugural Tom Hardyman
6 Farewell Fr Bryan Medal for Senior Academic Excellence.
Good Luck and Thanks
8 St Patrick's Day FEATURES
The SPC '91 Swim Team
The Carnival Days
8 The Great Morven Race ON CAMPUS
9-10 New Old Boys
A flashback
Welcoming the newest Old Boys, 17 Fly By Fly Thru
Results & ATAR explained. A 360 view of SPC in 2021
11 Mentor 'Partner' Ship
Our 2020 Trainee Success
13-14 The Tom Hardyman Medal 21 The New Street Cafe
17 The Pat's Connection Tuckshop Take 2021
Presentation of the Medal for
Waterford Born & Bred
Senior Academic Excellence.
23 Blessing The Paddy's Van
25 Connect & Contact Old Boys & Staff visit
15-16 A Tribute
Get in touch
A tribute to the late Tom Hardyman by 24 70 Years by the Sea
College Principal Mr Chris Mayes. Morven's Makeover
25 On the Calendar
Upcoming dates
24 Seeing Double
19-20 The Generation Effect SPC Twins & Triplets
25 Register & Update One family's St Pat's journey.
Register & Update 26 Speak Up EREA for Change
your details International Women's Day Pledges
Let us remember that wherever we are in Australia, we are on
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
the sacred country of Australia's First Nations People. For us
OF COUNTRY here at Shorncliffe we recognise the Turrbal people as the
custodians and guardians of this beautiful place where learning
and ceremony have happened for thousands of years. We pay
our respects to all those elders who have gone before us and
who have nurtured the spirit of this country. We respect the
living culture of Indigenous Australians today, and we commit
our community to working alongside them in building a
community of respect, justice and reconciliation.
1
WELCOME TO
THE MORVEN
MARCH 2021, ISSUE NO. 1
A link between past and
current students and families.
As current president of the
St Patrick’s Old Boys Association, I
would like to congratulate the
College Foundation for producing
and publishing The Morven.
This publication provides a link
between past and current students
and fa
f milies. St Patrick’s College has
a great history, and The Morven
allows it to be passed on through
generations of students.
I would urge all past students to
ensure that they pass their contact
details on to the College Foundation
so that this publication can be spread
to as many Old Boys as possible into
the fu
f ture.
Please also take the opportunity to
assist with recounting our history by
passing on stories and photographs
or other artefa
f cts of interest.
fa
It is my hope that The Morven
rekindles an interest in past students
and faf milies and may be a conduit for
them to reconnect with the
St Patrick’s community.
MR PHIL LAHEY, SPC '78
PRESIDENT, OBA
2
MARCH 2021, ISSUE NO. 1
ALUMNI
&
A lifetime community
Welcome to our very first edition of The Morven. It is our hope that this
quarterly magazine will be another way of keeping past and present
members of the College connected, as St Patrick’s carries so much history
and has so much more to give to future families and community.
This College has grown from a small school with a student population of
172 young men and a teaching staff of four Christian Brothers who started
in primitive conditions, to a College of just over 1400 students and a
teaching staff of 116 people and another 67 school officers. Whilst the
Christian Brothers may no longer have a significant presence in our
schools, the Charter touchstones clearly remind us of their legacy. Since
1952, this College has not only grown in numbers, but also stature. It is
well-known for its work and success in community service programs,
academic and skills and training outcomes, and vast array of cultural and
sporting activities. The College has come a long way since it opened its
BE A
doors in 1952. This success is very much attributed to the work of past STUDENT
staff, students, and families.
Today, we understand that we should never take our great opportunities
and facilities for granted. They were built on the shoulders of the giants Are you interested in
who went before us.
sharing your advice
It is my hope that by being able to publish this magazine to past families and experience to
and students, a well as the present, everyone will have the opportunity to current students?
see the journey of this great College over seven decades. The Morven is a
tribute to all our stories and the journey that we have shared over such a
Contact Us.
long period. It is my hope that everyone will look forward to the next
edition and enjoy and reminisce over past and current stories.
oldboys@stpatricks.qld.edu.au
MR CHRIS MAYES
PRINCIPAL
The Graduating Class of 2020.
3
MARCH 2021, ISSUE NO. 1
OLD BOYS
OF
ACTION
"Be part of the Community of Action"
This first issue of The Morven is a welcome addition to the stories of
St Patrick’s College. This school has touched its community in so many
ways – from Old Boys recalling memories of their school years to parents
and staff with recollections of what St Patrick’s means to them.
This community feel underpins the work of the St Patrick’s College
Foundation. The Foundation helps the school community in four ways:
A Bursary Fund that meets the school fees of six young men who
otherwise would not have had the opportunity of a St Patrick’s
education;
The Certa Bonum Certamen Fund that offers funds to St Patrick’s
families that have suffered unexpected hardship; HOW YOU CAN
The Building Fund that assists in projects around the school and;
Oversight of the Paddy’s Van and the outstanding opportunities that it HELP
provides St Patrick’s College and the local community.
The Foundation will also play a role in helping to tell the stories of
St Patrick’s to our past and present communities through The Morven.
SPONSOR events
This edition includes so many of our community stories — from the
inspirational tales of Tom Hardyman and his impact on St Patrick’s and
beyond, to memories of the old school tuckshops at the blessing of the
ATTEND events
New Street Cafe. Everyone who is part of St Patrick’s has a story to tell. We
want to hear those stories and share them with others.
MAKE a donation
The Foundation only exists through the generosity of so many who want to
make St Patrick’s College a better place.
BECOME a mentor
Thank you to all who provide support to the Foundation. We are grateful
for your help.
SHARE the word
MR MICHAEL CRUTCHER, SPC '91
CHAIR, THE COLLEGE FOUNDATION
4
YOU ARE PART OF THE
ST PAT'S STORY
Welcome
Tell us your stories about your time at St
Pat's. The short stories and the tall stories.
The day-to-day moments to the insane
to The Morven, Issue No.1. and far-fetched urban myths that remain
unconfirmed. Tell us some of your
favourite, funny or significant memories
Enjoy the page-turner that is your new quarterly
from your days associated with
magazine!
St Patrick's and we will aim to include
them in your Old Boys magazine.
Take a look back through the Term that has just
gone and check in on the years gone by.
The Morven also relies on members of the
SPCOBA Family to inform of the passing of
You are part of the St Pat's story. These stories
a loved family member and their
will be included in each edition. The success, the
connection to St Patrick's College.
relevance and the joy of the magazine and the
The magazine endeavours to include
OBA online presence, does rely on you — our St
everyone but can only do so with your
Pat's characters, family and friends — letting us
help.
know about the achievements of Old Boys and our
College Friends.
If you would like to share your's, or a
family member’s achievements, please
Your story, whatever it be, is a story to be told.
contact the editor of The Morven
The exceptional and the talented, the brave and
magazine:
the resilient and, even in the everyday ordinary
lays an exquisite and extraordinary story. oldboys@stpatricks.qld.edu.au
5
Whilst it is with a heavy heart that we say
farewell, it is with a loving one that we say
'thank you'.
& THANK YOU
FR BRYAN ROWE, SPC '86
Of all the precious gifts that we can give each other, time is one of the most valuable.
Extract from speech given at the St Patrick's Day Mass.
"We have the great honour of farewelling Fr Bryan. Fr Bryan's journey into priesthood was not a usual
I know that that sounds a little strange, farewelling one. In all that he did before his ordination, and
a person is never really a great thing to do, there was much, I am sure that the light was always
especially a person such as Fr Bryan. But I call it an shining and drawing him to that hill. In being brave
honour because we have been lucky enough to enough to be that light, I would like Fr Bryan to
have had him within our community for the time know that he does indeed make a significant
that we have had. difference to those that he meets.
Fr Bryan is a proud Old Boy of the College. He To be a priest today must be a very difficult task,
knows the story of this community and is one of with so much change and challenge of past
the giants of past years whose shoulders we now practices. However, the good news that we can
stand upon. exclaim is that with a person such as Fr Bryan
showing us all how to be the face of Christ, there is
We tried to get Fr Bryan to our College for some certainly hope for our Church and the world into
time. At the time, his commitments were too great. the future. We say that our Mission is to form Men
Fortunately, due to some changes, he worked hard of Action who will make a positive difference to the
to fit us in to his very busy schedule. The problem world. Well, we have to look no further than
is that Fr Bryan is once again in high demand due Fr Bryan to see a real-life example of that!
to the Archdiocese commitments, which have
increased and his own parish commitments as well Thank you Fr Bryan for showing us how to see our
as the school within his parish which is also own light and best wishes for the future."
growing.
MR CHRIS MAYES
PRINCIPAL
1. Fr Bryan Coaching Tennis.
2. T.A.S Open A Tennis Team 1984. Fr Bryan was the 2. 4.
Australian Junior Tennis Champion 1985-1987.
3. Fr Bryan (centre) 1986 SPC Athletics Team.
4. Fr Bryan Celebrating the SPC Opening Mass 2021
5. Fr Bryan Senior SPC cohort 1986
1.
3.
5. 6
7
ST PATRICK'S DAY
The first St Patrick's Carnival
was held in 1968. It was a whole
school celebration that the
community would attend from
The first St Patrick’s Day
noon to midnight. It featured
parade was held in
entertainers, stalls, street
processions, and a discotheque!
The carnival ran annually until
1987. Past students fondly recall
having the day off on St Patrick's
in 1903.
Feast Day.
Waterford is the oldest and
the fifth most populous city
in the Republic of Ireland
THE and also the place where
Edmund Rice established his
GREAT
first school.
MORVEN RACE A race through history.
The Great Morven Race, 1994.
The students had lined the College driveway, ready to
cheer them on. They were pumped. The runners were
edgy, they were itching to go. There was a buzz of
excitement in the air, a feeling that this was a moment
that would be remembered forever.
Half way down the drive, leaning against the flagpole,
was a fair-haired kid in his first year at St Pat's. He was
new, curious and wide-eyed. He craned his neck to get a
glimpse of the start line. He didn't want to miss a thing.
He could see the group of Year 12 students, so tall and so
much older. Dressed in their oversized Nike swoosh
t-shirts and white sneakers, the sun glinted off their
mirrored sunglasses as they leaned forward. Floppy 90s
hair, fell across their eyes, but it was no distraction. They
were focused, they were poised. They were ready to bolt.
He'd seen Chariots of Fire. He'd watched the Trinity
Great Court Race at Cambridge University. This was The
Great Morven Race of St Patrick's College, and this fair-
haired kid wanted to run it. He wanted to win it.
This was going to be his legacy.
One day, The Great Morven Race
would be his race.
The Great Morven Race, 1994.
PE Teacher Mr Michael Harris, in background. The winner of the inaugural Noosa Triathlon in 1983 in a time of 1.55.21.
The Great Morven Race wasn't run again after 1994 until its return to the College Calendar some years later.
8
MARCH 2021, ISSUE NO. 1
NEW OLD BOYS
Welcoming the 2020 Graduates of St Patrick's College
2020 YEAR 12 RESULTS
Never underestimate a Paddy's Man,
because he can do anything.
PUBLIC
We are proud of all the Class of 2020 accomplished EXAMINATIONS
during a year like no other. During times of rapid Did you sit the Senior
change, adjustments and sometimes heightened anxiety, Public Examinations?
their resilience, camaraderie, and sense of hope were
truly tested, and they modelled the way for their The last external Senior
parents, peers and teachers. Public Examinations for
tertiary entrance was
These young men know what they are capable of held in 1972...until last
achieving, how well they can cope with pressure and year, when the Class of
how readily they can adopt new ways of doing things. 2020 sat the first round
of the new Queensland
As the first cohort through the new system of Senior external assessments.
Assessment and Tertiary Entrance, our 2020 Seniors
have demonstrated that one should never St Pat's students sat a
underestimate a Paddy's Man, because he can do
combined total of 3,480
minutes of testing
anything.
across 16 school days
MS ELIZABETH GABER and 25 different exam
DEAN OF ADMINISTRATION & BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE sessions.
9MARCH 2021, ISSUE NO. 1
ATAR EXPLAINED
Source: QTAC.edu.au
ATAR - the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank - is the primary mechanism used nationally for
tertiary admissions and indicates a student’s position relative to other students. It is the standard
measure of a student’s overall academic achievement in relation to other students where these
students have studied different subject combinations.
ATARs are expressed as a number on a 2000-point scale from 99.95 down to 0.00 in steps of 0.05.
So the highest ATAR is 99.95, then 99.90, then 99.85, and so on, down to 0.00. ATARS below 30 are
reported as ‘30.00 or less’.
It is always worth remembering that, an ATAR is not a measure of a child’s worth.
15
2020 RESULTS
85.00
19
76%
7
95.4%
10MENTOR SHIP
MENTOR
SHIP
As a College, we provide trade training and work experience to develop technical
skills and enhance our students employability post St Pat's. We are proud to work
in partnership with industry & Old Boys.
Renew Builders, owner Dane Watson (Old Boy and
current parent) hosts students for work placement to
gain an insight to residential building/construction. SKILLS IN TRAINING
STATS, 2021
De Gee Group, owner Joshua de Gee (Old Boy) hosted
student, Oscar Olivo, in 2020 and employed him upon
graduation claiming “best work experience student
we’ve ever had”.
19
Gavin Rauber, Field Officer at Osmac, looks out for SPC
boys and assisted with signing up current Year 12
student, Connor Chadwick.
IN THE AREAS OF:
Engineering Applications, Hemmant has partnered with
SPC to provide opportunities to our seniors for work
placement and possible employment. They hired Ethan
Pusterla (2020 graduate) at end of 2020 giving him
praise for his work ethic and skill level.
Lifestyle Homes & Renovations regularly host our
students to provide work experience and have employed 17
school leavers (most recently Thomas Dore, 2020
graduate).
Work experience is considered the most IN THE AREAS OF:
beneficial activity for students to utilise in
choosing a career and enhancing employability.
3000+
15%
Dane Watson, SPC '01 with
Ollie, SPC Year 11
11SHOUT
GOT SOME
GOOD NEWS?
OUT
Recognition, achievement, good news.
C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S
TO JACK GRAHAM, SPC ’16
Old Boy Jack Graham - Class of 2016, was
awarded the Alumni Friends of the
University of Queensland Medicine Prize
2020 for the highest aggregated results for
the first year MD Course. A great
recognition of hard work and a celebration
of commitment to study and achieving
goals. Nice work Jack!
BACK TO SCHOOL AGAIN
Aaron Sheppard, SPC '98 and his wife Alaana
proudly attended the Night of Excellence in
November to see their son, Peter awarded
prizes for Academic Achievement. Aaron told
us that "It has been great to reconnect with
the SPC community. Whilst there has been
many changes to the appearance of the school
and the amazing resources and infrastructure
— the spirit and the identity of the school are
still very recognisable. I think that it is a
credit to the school system and staff that
despite the impact of COVID, student learning
remained on track and we were very grateful
that PJ was able to experience success."
QUT MOTORSPORT PAYS TRIBUTE
#RacingForTom has been established by the
Queensland University of Technology
Motorsport Team in memory of their team
member Tom Hardyman, SPC '16. Tom joined
the motorsport team in his first year of uni
in 2017 and went on to become the team’s
Vehicle Dynamics Lead from 2018 through to
2020. The team dedicated their 2020 work to
Tom by following the 2019 McLaren F1 livery
for their own livery design a nod to Tom's
beloved orange McLaren MP4-12C.
12The Hardyman Family; Mrs Ros O’Connor, Leanne, Paul, Chloe
and Mr Chris Mayes.
THE
TOM
HARDYMAN
MEDAL
FOR SENIOR
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
On Tuesday 9 February we welcomed The
Hardyman Family back to St Patrick’s
College for our Scholars' Assembly and
the presentation of the inaugural Tom
Hardyman Medal for Senior Academic
Excellence.
This medal honours Leanne and Paul's
late son Tom, SPC '16, and was presented
to our 2020 graduates who achieved an
ATAR of 95 or above.
We would like to thank the Hardyman
Family — Paul, Leanne, Chloe and Mrs Ros
O’Connor — for joining us at this very
special and inspiring ceremony.
13Congratulations to
the Year 12, 2020
recipients of the
Tom Hardyman Medal
Connor Andersen
Mitchell Bell
Jed Cates
Benjamin Clarke
Caleb Coleman
Jack Davey
Juan Carlos Florenciano
Connor Geissmann
Heath Huelin
Finnegan Kelly
Jacob Larsen
Jared Noble
Connor Stewart
Henry Swan
Bradley Welch
Recipients of the Tom Hardyman Medal
for Senior Academic Excellence. 14A TRIBUTE
Tom Hardyman, SPC Senior 2016
St Patrick's College Principal Mr Chris Mayes
honours the late Tom Hardyman, SPC '16, in his speech at
the College Scholars' Assembly held on 9th February.
"This medal will be awarded every year to all During the meeting, Tom spoke with clarity and
students who receive an ATAR Score of 95 or confidence that all would be well after the
above which was roughly the equivalent of operation and he would continue his Year 12
Tom’s OP2 score. To the young men here to without having to delay his senior year. He
receive it today and the many in this building wanted to graduate with his mates.
who will be awarded one into the future, accept
it with pride and an understanding that it ...accept it with pride and
carries the best wishes of a past SPC giant an understanding that it
whose shoulders you will stand upon. carries the best wishes of
a past SPC giant whose
Every now and then in our lifetimes, we come
shoulders you will
across a person or people who have a profound
stand upon.
effect on us. Tom Hardyman was a person who
had such an effect on me personally. I started
Mr Campbell, Mr Polich and I were not as
teaching in 1986 and I can confidently say that I
confident that this would be possible because of
am yet to meet a tougher young man with the
the many weeks away from school for the
same amount of determination, grit and
operation and ongoing months of chemo. We
courage as Tom possessed.
agreed to give it a try, but also raised Plan B
with added assistance and extra time to get
I met Tom properly in the last term of 2015
things done and maybe a delay for a Year as
during my first year as College Principal at SPC.
Plan C. It would be fair to say, that Tom was
A meeting had been scheduled in my diary to
pretty set and determined to only do Plan A –
meet with Brian Polich (Mooney House Dean),
finish with his mates.
Chris Campbell (Dean of Teaching and
Learning), Paul and Leanne Hardyman and Tom,
who was in Year 11. I knew of Tom as one of our
brighter Year 11 students, but I had little idea of
the purpose of the meeting, but it was one that I
will remember for a very long time.
Tom and his parents came into my office with a
contraption made of titanium and with spikes at
each end. They then went on to explain that
Tom had just recently been diagnosed with a
serious form of bone cancer and had to
undertake an operation where his bone from
above and below and including the knee would
be removed and replaced with the titanium
contraption. The spikes at each end would be
jammed into the bones where they could take
hold.
Tom Hardyman, SPC '16
15 MARCH 2021, ISSUE NO. 1What followed was a journey through senior I learned what true friends do for one another
school that I observed in absolute awe. As when friendship is all you have to offer.
expected, Tom missed several weeks through
Year 12 due to chemo and other operations, he I learned that life can sometimes be short, but it
worked from home and in hospital and always does not have to be uneventful or without
got his work done. purpose.
He went to his formal with a walking stick and no I learned to be grateful for what I have and to
hair and showed up at Curlew Park when he was celebrate that.
able, even though he was often tired and weak.
His mates were always by his side and he always We have named this award after Tom, not because
had a smile on his face. No matter how difficult of his adversity with his illness, but because in a
things were or how much pain he was in, he short period of time, he showed many of us what
never let you know. He was one tough person. it really was to be a Man of Action and because he
had Persistence, Effort and Attitude in spades.
At the end of 2016, Tom graduated with an OP2 –
the top 5% in the State. He followed his passion I am sure that this award would make him proud,
of Formula One racing into a degree in and I would like to think that in his own way, he is
mechanical engineering at QUT. He was a still influencing each of you to live life to the full,
McLaren nut. and no matter how hard you think things might
be, you can still fight the good fight."
Whilst his cancer continued to cause concern
during his studies, it took a more significant one
during the latter stages in 2019 and early 2020,
still little signs of self-pity but much about
determination and perseverance.
In his time at QUT from 2017 – 2020, Tom
achieved: a Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship for
Academic Excellence, was awarded the Dean’s
List of Students for Excellent Academic
Performance and a Posthumous Degree in
Bachelor of Engineering Studies (Mechanical).
...no matter how hard you think
things might be, you can still
fight the good fight.
So how has Tom affected me?
I learned that when things were not going right,
complaining would not fix it.
I learned that no matter how I feel, a smile will
put everyone at ease.
I learned that if I truly wanted to achieve
something and put all that I can into it … things
can happen.
I learned that sometimes looking too far ahead
can stop me appreciating now. Sometimes now is
all that needs to count.
Tom & Br Chris Pritchard at
the Scholars' Assembly 2017.
MARCH 2021, ISSUE NO. 1 16"Waterford born & bred."
THE ST PAT'S It was a grand day out at the College Inter-
Connection
House Swimming Carnival when we met Esther
from Minnie's Espresso.
Alumni & Friends As the all-important coffee provider at the
recent College event, Esther attended the
Lawnton Aquatic Centre with her super popularr
Minnie's on Wheels coffee van. This delightful
Brighton local brought her Irish smiling eyes andd
an always-appreciated-caffeine fix to the staff at
the pool.
Esther, and her partner Billy, are born and bred
in Waterford, Ireland. Esther attended the girls
Presentation School in Waterford, which
Edmund Rice helped the Presentation Sisters
open in 1798. Edmund Rice decided to open
something similar for boys and would go on to
start the first Christian Brothers school. This is
the school where, many years later, Billy was
educated.
Keep an eye out for Minnie's on Wheels! You cann
often find her near Decker Park on a Sunday
morning for your weekend caffeine hit. You will
be greeted with a smile and a coffee experience
that has excelled on the Frank Torrisi rating
Minnie's Espresso; Esther & her sister Sheila
system.
at the Inter-House Swimming Carnival.
TAKE A A virtual tour down memory lane.
TOUR
Take a 360 tour of the
St Patrick's College
campus tour!
Take a virtual fly-through
of the SPC Campus. Check
out the New Street Café,
Junior School, Music,
Christian Brothers Building,
Senior Science, Drama,
Design Technology, Gym,
Learning Support and our
Library. See what's new
since you were at St Pat's
and enjoy the trip down
memory lane.
17ON THE CALENDAR & SEE IT
IN HISTORY
AS IT
Then & Now
THEATRESPORTS THURSDAY
It's an improvisational theatre with no script with the
added drama of being a competition. A sport where
teams perform scenes based on audience suggestions
and are scored by a panel of judges. This is
Thearesports. It was developed in Canada in 1977 by
director Keith Johnston who observed the techniques
used in professional wrestling to generate audience
reaction. Mrs Carmel Moir, Head of Culture, has
informed us that Mrs Marthy Watson started the
Theatresports program here at SPC in 2007 and it is still
going strong!
AFL @ SPC
Did you know that it was in 1991 that Aussie Rules was
reintroduced to St Pat's after a 30-year absence?
Open Captain Glenn Broomhead believed St Pat's had
a strong future in Aussie Rules & that it would have
been a shame if it hadn't continued and students had
to wait another 30 years to experience the Australian
code of football.
OPENING MASS
Fr Bryan, SPC '86, led the school community in its
Opening College Mass on Friday 5 February. Our 2021
Year 12 leaders pledged to "Commit, Serve, Inspire,
Together...Brothers". A promise reminiscent of that said
by past student Simon Dash about the Opening Mass in
1984. "This day is probably the most important in the
school year, for the spirit & pride, produced through the
day's celebrations is a lasting reminder of the strength
and unity of the College."
AIC SWIMMING
Before the formation of, and SPC's membership of AIC,
St Patrick’s was part of The Associated Schools
Swimming. According to year history, the 1990 swim
team, was one of the “best ever” groups to compete. It
was the year of the new ‘Swimming Shirt’ and the large
“St Patrick’s Swimming, ‘Simply the Best’” banner and
the year that the Shorncliffe flag hung proudly from
the diving board. In this pic you can also spot Mick
Crocker in the centre, he would go on to be a
Queensland State of Origin forward.
18THE
GENERATION
EFFECT By Catherine Palmer
Catherine Palmer is the mother of third-generation Paddy’s Boys.
Her five young men have passed through the halls of St Patrick’s College,
along with their father, grandfather and their uncles. The family journey
came to an end last year with her youngest boys graduating.
In a speech on behalf of the parents, Catherine shared a few thoughts...
"I am the mother of five Noble boys who have passed through the halls of St Patrick’s College,
including our twins, Jared and Ethan, whose graduation we celebrate tonight.
Our eldest son's journey through education started in 1996, so it’s been a long haul. Just how long
that haul would be, only dawned on me in 2008 which was the year the twins started prep at St
Joseph’s Bracken Ridge, and our eldest son Josh started Year 12 here at St Pat's. It is perhaps
something I should have realised long before that day. I was clearly in denial.
As our family comes to the end of our formal school
journey, I’ve done a few calculations that some of you "...in our household we’ve
may be able to relate to – in our household we’ve prepared about 12,000
prepared about 12,000 school lunches, ironed St school lunches, ironed St
Patrick's College uniforms 5000 times, purchased
roughly 300 pairs of grey school socks, 50 pairs of black Patrick's College uniforms
school shoes, 62 school bags, and waved the boys away 5000 times, purchased
on 17 school camps, attended 11 Back to Shorncliffe Days, roughly 300 pairs of grey
five Kairos retreats, five music camps, three ski trips and
one India immersion.
school socks, 50 pairs of
black school shoes, 62
You’re probably wondering if I’ve calculated the amount school bags, and waved the
of school fees I have paid over those 24 years – we’ll
boys away on 17 school
come back to that later.
camps, attended 11 Back to
...My father was a student here in the Shorncliffe Days, five Kairos
early 1960s and the boys' father retreats, five music camps,
Andrew also attended St Pat's. My three ski trips and one India
brothers were educated here, the boys'
immersion."
uncles went to school here...
Even prior to our St Patrick’s enrolment interview, our
family already had a long and proud history with the
College. My father was a student here in the early 1960s
and the boys’ father Andrew also attended St Pat's. My
brothers were educated here, the boys' uncles went to
school here, as did a number of our other family and
friends.
19So there was never really any question that the ethics and values they teach, that
the five sons of our Noble house would be have helped to shape all of my very
third generation Paddy’s Boys. It is well different sons into the wonderful young
known in the wider community that this men they are today.
school has an outstanding academic record,
a great sporting tradition and wonderful
cultural experiences — it was This school not only gave my
probably those attributes that I was looking sons a fantastic education, it
at when I enrolled the boys here.
helped me to raise them to be
good men.
But after 24 years as a mother of school-aged
children, I can confirm that great schools are
about more than the grades they produce My son Kieren, who was in the class of
and the sports trophies they win. What 2011, was married across the road in
makes this school stand head and shoulders Moora Park a few weeks ago, with two of
above the rest is that St Patrick’s is all about his groomsmen who were Paddy's boys
community. Look no further than this year of too, standing beside him. Covid restricted
the Covid-19 pandemic to see how this the number of wedding guests, but the
school and this cohort pulled together to friends he chose to share this special day
overcome the challenges it presented. In our were his St Pat's friends. Jordan (who was
house, we’ve always called this 2020 a graduate in 2016) Jared and Ethan
graduate cohort the guinea pig year — first recalled highlights such as Kairos, school
full year of prep, first to enter high school in camps, senior Theatresports games with
Year 7, first year of ATAR, and now a home crowd advantage, and a wildcard
graduating amid a global pandemic. entry which saw them into the
Theatresports grand final last year.
..great schools are about I know that for Ethan and Jared being
more than the grades they elected O’Rourke House Captains was the
produce and the sports pinnacle of their St Pat’s experience. I
trophies they win. What thank my lucky stars that my boys were
makes this school stand head allocated to O’Rourke House with Andrew
Pashley at the helm as House Dean for
and shoulders above the rest
the past 16 years.
is that St Patrick’s is all
about community My eldest son Josh graduated in 2008 and
I know that Mr Pashley and the College’s
Counsellor at the time, the late Mark
Gentlemen, you are well equipped to handle Mewburn, both watched over him during
anything life throws at you. Your resilience is his years here. Josh is turning 30 in
legendary. Like all families, ours has February and he said to me: “Without
experienced the best of times and the worst those two men and the St Pat's community
of times. And it has been during those times I wouldn’t be the man I am today."
that this school has provided a safe haven for
my boys. I was able to teach them many I haven’t calculated the amount of school
things, but a mother can’t demonstrate to fees I have paid over the years. This
her boys how to be good men. It is the school not only gave my sons a fantastic
community of St Patrick’s, the teachers, the education, it helped me to raise them to
staff, the House Deans and the College be good men. You can’t put a price on
leadership team, the example they set, that."
MARCH 2021, ISSUE NO. 1 20ST PATRICK'S
NEW STREET CAFE
"HUNGRY PUPILS SIMPLY COULD NOT LEARN"
New Street gives us a real connection
to the origins of our Mission
No longer known as the tuckshop like in years past, the New
Street Café is a modern and spacious environment offering
delicious and healthy lunches and food options cooked on
site by the College Café Team.
The College officially named & blessed it’s ‘new’ Café on 16
March, after the event was delayed in 2020 due to Covid-19
Restrictions.
Further to our Indigenous Australian roots here in
Shorncliffe, St Patrick’s College is tied to Ireland through our
Patron Saint and the legacy of Edmund Rice and the
Christian Brothers. With other buildings on campus
reflecting this connections — the Callan Centre and The
Waterford Building — the New Street Café has been named
after New Street in Waterford where Edmund Rice converted
a stable to become his first school in 1802.
New Street gives us a real connection to the origins of our
Mission and the legacy of the Christian Brothers. It also
resonates with the purpose of EREA schools and their
humble, but purposeful beginnings. The school offered a
liberating education to the young people who attended and
gave them a belief in themselves and an opportunity for
transformation to a new life.
21Edmund’s devotion and that of his staff at the
time, were more than an occupation but a
vocation to rise to the needs of those who
most needed his support. In addition to his
desire that poor boys be educated, he took it
upon himself to ensure his pupils, were fed
and clothed.
Denis McLaughlin, in his book The Price of
Freedom (2007), commented:
“Rice’s vision for the education of
children was crystal clear. One of
its basic premises was that schools
Edmund Rice Bake House in Waterford -
were not ends in themselves but
constructed by Rice to ensure pupils were fed, shod
means to fulfilment of the Mission & clothed. [Credit:http://edmundrice.ie/]
of the poor and their liberation
from the poverty trap that held
them fast.”
It would be a lovely vision that even today we can wander down New Street, St Patrick's
Shorncliffe, and observe a liberating education still in action nearly 220 years later.
The Rita Prackert Tuckshop
The original St Patrick's Tuckshop inside Morven.
in its last year of trade.
Morven House Tuckshop 1960-70s
22MORVEN
Celtic - Gaelic
meaning: Lives by the sea
THE PADDY'S VAN
The Paddy’s Van and our volunteers provide a
weekly breakfast service at Decker Park, dinner at
the Sandgate Community Centre, serve regular
healthy breakfast options at a nearby Redcliffe
school and a BBQ in Sandgate Village every
second Saturday night.
In 2020, with the support of the community, the
St Patrick's College Foundation assisted the
purchase of a brand-new Paddy's Van. Special
thanks to Anika Wells MP, Federal Member for
Lilley, for the generous $20,000 Stronger
Communities Program Grant which enabled the
purchase of the trailer.
Thank you to Mr Tim Kenny, Dean of Identity, for
putting together such a wonderful event. We
were joined by long-standing supporters of the
Paddy’s Van Ministry, including Mr Anthony Ryan
who began the Van ministry more than 15 years
ago. Past staff members, Mr David Gardiner, Mr
Kev Van Der Weide, Mr Peter Bancroft, Mr Rob
Morris, Mr Paul Corfield and Mrs Liz Devine were
also in attendance. Recent St Pat's Old Boys,
TJ Reupena, Mason Brown and Jack Wright who
were very faithful to the Van ministry throughout
their time at the College, joined us for the
occasion.
Fr Joe Duffy, a past student of St Pat’s c.1950s,
undertook his first duty as our new College
Priest, making the heartfelt blessing. Many thanks
to the St Patrick's College Foundation Board,
those who attended and all those who continue to
support the wonderful work of the Paddy's Van.
23 MARCH 2021, ISSUE NO. 1MORVEN
Celtic - Gaelic
meaning: Lives by the sea
2022
GET READY TO CELEBRATE 70 YEARS OF
ST PAT'S! 2022 will be the year for
Morven's Makeover as we raise funds to
refurbish, renovate and remember this old
70 YEARS
dame. Keep an eye out for how you will be
able to support this project through the
College Foundation as we celebrate the
BY THE SEA school and those that have walked the
Morven halls.
In 2021 we welcomed seven new multiple birth families to St Patrick's.
This brought the total sets of twins and triplets across Years 5 - 12 at
the College to 16!
seeing
The extraordinary numbers made national news with Ms Ebony Cavallaro
from 9 News making her way to The College to celebrate the twins and
triplets.
DOUBLE
SPC's 16 sets of twins & triplets
It was a fun and lighthearted story that fell in sync with Multiple Birth
Awareness Day. It was also a good opportunity for us to draw focus to
St Pat's value proposition - individualised education for all!
Ms Elizabeth Gaber says, “as a College we may be teaching brothers in a
classroom, but we know each individual child is unique and has their own
specific set of needs, purpose, passions and interests. We are fortunate to
have a Learning Management System that integrates with our
comprehensive Learning Analytics program, TrackOne."
"Our teachers are highly skilled in the use of the system and this year we
have been able to ensure transparency and visibility for our parents who
can access their son’s goal setting from any device.”
Watch the segment on StPatsOfficial
MARCH 2021, ISSUE NO. 1 24Connect
UPCOMING EVENTS
& Contact
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25 ANGWIK SHAN
COLLEGE CAPTAIN 2021
BACK TO CONTACTS
SHORNCLIFFE College Principal:
Mr Chris Mayes, office@stpatricks.qld.edu.au
DAY
5
President, OBA:
Mr Phil Lahey, oldboys@stpatricks.qld.edu.au
The College Foundation, Chair
Michael Crutcher, foundation@stpatricks.qld.edu.au
SATURDAY College Development Manager:
JUNE Stacey Bishop, sbishop@stpatricks.qld.edu.au
College Development Officer:
Terri Brauer, tbrauer@stpatricks.qld.edu.auANGWIK SHAN
ST PATRICK'S COLLEGE
CAPTAIN 2021
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