The Magazine of St Aloysius’ College ‘Excellence in Education’ Issue XXXII • Winter 2002

ALOYSIAD

The New Chapel Organ

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New Members

At the first meeting of the year in February 2002,Council welcomed two new members. BrendanO’Loughlin was Captain of the College in 1987.

Council also welcomed back Eric Goodwin, past parent, andan inaugural member of the College Council from 1993 untilhis work took him overseas in 1998.

Each will add his own particular expertise to the work ofthe Council. Brendan is a pharmacist and business man andis a valuable addition to the Human Resources subcommittee.Eric, with his wide experience of business, building andfinance is the new convenor of the Finance Committee. Bothbring a deep commitment to mission of the College.

Meetings

Four meetings of the Council have been held to the endof Term II. Work at those meetings included;

● approval of the College protocol on privacy legislation;

● adoption of an occupational health and safety policy;

● beginning discussions on 2003 College leadership asannounced by the Provincial;

● setting in train plans for refurbishment of the ground floorover the 2002 Christmas holidays; and

● the adoption at the Annual General Meeting of auditedfinancial accounts for 2001.

Council Retreat

The May meeting of the Council took the form of aweekend retreat at Terrigal. Attended by all membersand officers of the Council, the weekend proved to be

most rewarding, with the emphasis on the ministry of serviceto the College Council.

At the Saturday morning session, Mr Chris Barrett led aworkshop on the theme of 'Talking the Work of the CollegeCouncil’. Members discussed the role, membership andstructures of the Council and responded to the question‘Why did you join the Council?’

Multiple reasons were given, such as: - responding to acall; love and affection for the school; giving back; scope tomake a positive contribution; self development, sense ofbelonging; wanting to be involved in the distinctivelyIgnatian charism and ethos of the school. Great generosityof spirit characterised this session and others over theweekend.

Mr Martin Scroope, director of the Loyola Institute andPast Deputy Headmaster of the College, spoke to his paper‘With us all days’ on the Ignatian formation processes forschool communities. He and Rev Br Ian Cribb SJ also led amorning of reflection on the first part of the Principle andFoundation from the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius -"Youare created to praise, reverence and serve God your Lord andby this means to save your soul”

The content of these presentations can be found on thenew website of the Institute at www.loyola.jesuit.org.au.

Sub-committee on Ethos andSpirituality

At the retreat meeting, the Council decided to form asub-committee of Council on Ethos and Spirituality,which Rev Br Ian Cribb SJ has agreed to convene.

The establishment of the sub-committee reflects theCouncil’s view that their primary responsibility is to ensure,in cooperation with the Headmaster, that Catholic, Ignatianethos and spirituality permeates the school community andlies at the heart of all teaching and learning in the College.

The Council feels the need to understand and support theHeadmaster, management and staff in their efforts to achievedirections and outcomes for students, staff and parents, whichare clearly counter cultural in the present climate.

The first meeting of the sub-committee will take place inTerm III once membership has been finalised.

Council Publications

In April 2002, the Council published its report for 2001,listing policy developments and decisions made duringthe year and summarising reports on the whole school

review and the review of cadets.

The College Council Report seeks to provide the schoolcommunity with indicators of school performance in keepingwith the College Mission Statement. It provides a broadoverview of academic performance noting excellent results inthe 2001 Higher School Certificate and that more than 96%of school leavers in 2001 won places at University.

Other indicators include evidence of a high level of parentinvolvement in College life and the very positive findings ofthe School Reviewers on the ethos and spirit of the College.

The Council also published a brochure on the wholeschool review giving details of College strengths, strategicpriorities identified and the recurring themes to continueaddressing in the future.

Members for 2002

Council members for 2002 are Reverend FathersMichael Head SJ, (Rector of the Community), JohnEddy SJ, Ross Jones SJ, (the Provincial’s Assistant to

Schools), Brendan Kelly SJ and Reverend Brother Ian CribbSJ. Mrs Jo Lonergan (Chair of Council), Mr Bill Clark(Deputy Chair), Mr John Churchill (SAC 1971), SisterMarilyn Kelleher SGS, Ms Natalie McNamara, Mr JockMurray (SAC 1966), Reverend Brother Paul Oakley CFC,Mr Brendan O’Loughlin (SAC 1987) and Mr Eric Goodwin.

Officers of the Council

Reverend Father Anthony Smith SJ (Chief ExecutiveOfficer), Mr Laurie Byrne (Bursar), the HonourbleJohn Kearney QC, KCSG (SAC 1938) (Ambassador

of the Council), and Mr John Curtin (SAC 1974), the newPresident of the St Aloysius’ College Foundation Limited.

Mrs Jo LonerganChair of Council

College Council

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Over the last year the Heads of the CombinedAssociated Schools (CAS) have been looking at thedefining aspects of our association. There is a line of

thinking that to encapsulate the spirit of our six great schoolsin terms of our relative sporting prowess, with a little Chessand Debating thrown in, is less than worthy. So considerablethought has gone into developing a spirit and an ethos thatmore truly sums up our operation. In the next couple ofmonths, quite publicly, the Associated Schools will reveal aplethora of opportunity, which we believe will more nearlyreflect our spirit.

As the CAS Heads work towards such a resolution, StAloysius’ College, too, standing on the threshold of the 21stCentury, must begin to more clearly develop a niche for itselfwithin the educational community of the city of Sydney andthe state of New South Wales. As I prepare to depart thisscene I have been raising such issues in various forums. At theCouncil meeting before the end of Term II, Council membersparticipated in a limited “think tank” on some of the issues.The College Directors, too, have shared their ideas on issues.The College stands on the threshold of a brave new worldand if it is to remain true to its past then it must boldly stepinto the future. So I present some issues which we must facebefore we can clearly delineate who we are.

The first issue concerns the size of the College. When Icame to St. Aloysius’ College in 1985 there were 1130students on the school roll, today there are 1130. Thetemptation has been to expand for a whole host of very validreasons. A bigger school would be more:

● Economically viable - (for the electives and the sports we offer)

● Physically viable - (considering our site, can we beanything other than small?)

● Emotionally viable - (in contests against bigger schoolswe often always lose? - the emotional drain on the part of

some boys who have been in a team for three or moreyears and have never won a game.)

But is there a place for a small, personal school in anenvironment that sees schools becoming bigger and bigger?

The second issue revolves around our Religious Ethos.This school is unashamedly Jesuit & Ignatian. A realchallenge is to further the Ignatianisation of Council, Staff,Students, Parent and Old Boys especially in the decreasingpresence of the Jesuit presence within the school. StAloysius’ College is also a work of the Church. We are aCatholic school. In the light of this it is interesting to readthe front-page article in a recent Sydney Morning Herald byGerard Noonan who reports that there is an approximate20% non-Catholic component in Catholic SystemicSchools. This school has insisted on a clergy reference butof late we recognise that we are increasingly becoming“Church” for so many who have become alienated from theirlocal Church. Such alienation is due amongst other thingsto the practice and demands of local, national andinternational Church.

The third issue of consequence looks at the culture ofthe College. Our mission statement boldly states “St Aloysius’ College is a Jesuit school for boys. Incooperation with our families, we offer a Catholic educationwhich: proposes Christ as a model of human life; pursuesexcellence in teaching and learning and promotes life longlearning and spiritual growth.” What are the consequencesof such a statement to this Catholic School, which is Jesuitand Ignatian, which is family centred, family involving andhas an academic programme that is both personal andpastoral?

The fourth issue revolves around what I perceive to be areal tension and can be best put when discussing thedemands of the competing priorities that face our students.Do we ask too much? Do all give as much as they might? Sothe questions revolve around what do we ask of a boy at theCollege. And a defining moment can be found in theresponse to the description of the perfect “Aloysian”

And the fifth and final issue revolves around funding,fees and in particular the direction government funding istaking. At what cost do we maintain our niche – especiallyin the light of the new Federal Government funding scheme.This College sees in the SES an inadequate indicator for thisschool and probably most of our schools. Let’s not forgetpossible new direction at State level with the release of themuch vaunted Part 2 of the Grimshaw Report?

A lot of questions and few answers! And these are someof the bigger issues. These issues, too, can be found at theheart of review process, which is being carried through, inthe College’s strategic plan.

Rev Fr A V Smith SJHeadmaster

From the Headmaster

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From the Foundation

Introducing the New President

John Curtin was elected the new President of the CollegeFoundation at the Annual General Meeting held onTuesday 25 June. John is an Old Boy of the College

(SAC 1974) and a Past and Current Parent of the College(Tim SAC 1999, Jeremy Year 11 and Michael Year 6).

In a recent interview with the Aloysiad, John outlined thevital role of the College Foundation and how its activities willplay a role in St Aloysius’ College achieving its vision for the future.

What does the College Foundation seek to achieve?

The demands on education have never been greater thanthey are today. St Aloysius’ College must continue to leadby providing the very best education for the current andfuture generations of Aloysians. The College Foundationplays a vital role in assisting the College to funddevelopments at the school. Since its inception in 1989 theFoundation has been able to assist in the funding of theJunior School development, the renovation and extensionof the Year 11 and 12 building Wyalla, the construction ofthe Learning Centre - an integrated Library and Computerfacility in the Senior School and the renovation andextension of the Pavilion at the College Oval. The mostrecent project the Foundation was involved in was theconstruction of the Visual Arts Centre during December2001 – January 2002.

To make future developments a reality, the Foundationseeks to attract significant capital gifts for St Aloysius’College to maintain its leadership position amongstindependent schools whilst, very importantly, keeping itsfees as affordable as possible.

The Foundation also has a broader role in the generalformation of this College as a unique educational experience

that has character, history and a tradition all of its ownunlike any other in Australia.

This richness of the total Aloysian experience is notuniversally understood across the Aloysian Community andpart of the Foundations role is to foster this understandingso that any support of the Foundations activities is made inthat context which is more than simply donations to the taxdeductible Building Fund.

What future projects will these Capital Gifts support?

The appeal for capital funding is in response to the College’svision of maintaining its leadership position in education inthis country and developing leaders for Australia and theworld. Future developments like the completion of therenovation of the Middle School (Years 7 – 10) Building,possible purchase of land for a sporting complex andconsolidation of the College space at Milsons’ Point, allrelies on the generosity of the College Community.

Planning for the future is integral to the Collegecontinuing as an outstanding educational institution. Thisplanning is achieved with the assistance of specialist Counciland Foundation Committees like the Finance Committeeand Building Committee.

The pace of previous developments has been supportedby the gifts made to the Foundation by members of theCollege Community – Old Boys, Parents, Past Parents,Widows of Old Boys and Friends and Suppliers of theCollege. Without their valuable support the College wouldnot have been able to sustain the pace of development in thelast 12 years.

There are many worthy causes to support in our community,why do you and others choose to give time, expertise andfinancial support to the College?

St Aloysius’ College has a proud history of philanthropicinvestment that has been fundamentally important inmaking the College what it is today. People supportparticular causes for many different, personal reasons and Iam sure that is also the case with St Aloysius’ College.

I have enjoyed reasonable success in my commercial life,which I attribute, in no small part, to the opportunities andeducation I received when I was a student at St Aloysius’College and I strongly believe in the notion of giving back ifyou are able.

There are other powerful motivators; a natural one is thedesire of every parent to provide their children with the bestpossible facilities and conditions to learn and grow and thatthey have benefited from the support of previousgenerations.

Another is a strong belief in the fundamentalimportance of education, particularly private education andthe role it plays in the future development of the individuallong after they leave school.

I believe that the leverage of a gift to the St AloysiusCollege Foundation, over time, will be significant, resultingin enhanced community-wide educational outcomes.

John Curtin (SAC 1974)

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How can members of the College Community support theFoundation to assist the College?

The St Aloysius’ College Foundation was established in1989 by a group of Parents and Old Boys who wanted toensure the financial future of the College was guaranteed.The College Community is the broader owner of theFoundation. It was established by the Colleges’ stakeholderswho support the vision of the College.

Any member of the College Community is welcome tojoin the Foundation by making a gift. In the last 12 yearsthousands of members of the College Community havedone just that and through their support, the College hasbeen able to provide the best possible facilities for our boys.

Each year new parents to the College are approached viathe Foundations New Parents Dinner to make a pledge tothe Foundation. To date this year over $475,000 has beenpledged by the 2002 New Parents. Some families are not ina position to make a gift to the Foundation in their first yearat the College so we are in the process of reapproachingthose families and asking them for their support.

The Foundation realises that some families are not in afinancial position to assist the Foundation, whilst otherfamilies are capable of making a gift. All we ask is thatfamilies consider assisting the Foundation to provide newfacilities and upgrade existing facilities that their sonbenefits from.

Many Old Boys have also joined the Foundation. Theyfeel that they want to give something back to the College.Many of these Old Boys do not have sons at the College,but have made the decision that they want to be a part of theongoing success of St Aloysius’ College.

The support of the College Community for theactivities of the Foundation is heart-warming and veryexciting. It makes me proud to be the President of such anexciting and vibrant organisation, an organisation whosesole purpose is to help provide current and futuregenerations of Aloysians with the best possible educationalexperience and facilities.

Any member of the College Community who would liketo become a part of the Foundation is asked to either contactany of the following:● John Curtin (SAC 1974)

President, on 9869 1732 (home) or 9272 1533 (work)● Kevin Dixon, Chair of the Foundation Membership

Committee, on 9908 1788 (home)● Murray Happ (SAC 1985),

Director of Development, on 9929 4692 (work).

Alternatively, members of the College Community cancomplete the coupon and return it to the College directly.

All correspondence with the Foundation is treated withthe strictest confidence and anonymity will be respected.

I would like to make a gift to support the work of the College Foundation in providing the current and future generations of Aloysians with the best possible educational facilities.

St Aloysius’ College Foundation Limited

Name: ......................................................................................................................................................................................

Address: ...................................................................................................................................................................................

Tel: ......................................................home .................................................work .................................................mobile

I am a: ❏ Parent ❏ Past Parent ❏ Old Boy – Class of ………… ❏ Friend of the College

I would like to make a gift of $ ……………… per year for……………… years totalling $………………

Please direct my gift to the: ❏ Building Fund – tax deductible ❏ Library Fund - tax deductible

❏ Education Fund – non-tax deductible ❏ Attached is a cheque made payable to St Aloysius’ College Foundation Limited.

Please debit my: ❏ Amex ❏ Bankcard ❏ Diners Club ❏ MasterCard ❏ Visa

Name on card: ............................................................................................................... expiry: ............................................

Signature: ...............................................................................................................................................................................

Please return this form to: Mr Murray Happ, Director of Development, St Aloysius’ College, 47 Upper Pitt Street, Milsons Point NSW 2061

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Major and Minor Notes from the Music Department!

Abig event in any music establishment is the arrivalof a new instrument. The Aloysian community isnow well aware of the construction in the chapel

of a wonderful new organ. If you have not yet caught upon the background to this, then the following summarywill help:

The story of Letourneau Organ Op22:

Early in 2001, Rev Fr Smith SJ asked me how Iproposed to foster more of our musical boys asorgan scholars. I replied that the existing chapel

instrument, having seen many years of faithful servicewas long overdue for major restoration. Rev Fr Smithasked me to look into options and report back. By June2001, the College had secured the services (asconsultant) of Mr Peter Kneeshaw, Principal Organist atSt Mary’s Cathedral and responsible for overseeing therecent installation of new instrument in that building.Mr Kneeshaw and I gave a major presentation to theSAC Council with various comparisons of instrumentsand cost and revealing that we had discovered an ‘almostnew’ instrument in Canada, which the diocesanauthorities were seeking to relocate. The Canadianinstrument by Organ builder Fernand Letourneau wassituated in St Joseph’s Catholic Basilica in Edmonton inthe far North of the country. The basilica authoritieswere seeking to remove the instrument in order to allowfor major development works to occur. Not wishing topurchase an unheard, unseen instrument, we needed apair of experienced ‘eyes and ears’ to assess the suitabilityof the instrument for our beautiful chapel. Rev Fr DavidRankin SJ (SAC 1953) an Old Boy and past member ofthe St Aloysius staff has been resident in Canada for

some years. On ourrequest, he flew toEdmonton to inspect theinstrument and quietlyreport back. His glowingrecommendation tippedthe scales. A decisionwas taken by the CollegeCouncil on the last dayof Term II 2001 and theprocess of securing andrelocating the instrumentcommenced soon after.

Australian organ builders,Pitchford and Garsidewere contracted to removethe instrument and see toits relocation. In January2002, two organ buildersspent two weeks inEdmonton in sub zerotemperatures and with alittle local help,dismantled and crated the

instrument in readiness for the long voyage to Australia.Most of February was spent tracking the progress of theinstrument as it passed from freight yard to port to ship andfinally after a long voyage, to Sydney in March.

Meanwhile certain site works were completed in theCollege Chapel. Engineering reports were obtained andstrengthening of the chapel floor completed in time forthe installation process, which began in late March.The boys at the College have watched with quietinterest for several months as the instrument has takenshape: First the casework was completed, thensoundboards were installed (the pipes sit on these onseveral levels); the mechanism (or action) was installedand finally the pipework. Students of Elective Musicwere especially interested in the progress, as they havebeen required to complete a major assignment on theinstrument! Various nicknames have been given to theinstrument including the ‘birdcage’ and ‘the house inthe chapel’. But there is a real sense of pride amongstthe boys as the new arrival has taken shape. For thetechnically minded, the organ boasts over 1400 pipes,20 draw stops with a combination mechanical/electroaction. The completed instrument fits exactly into itsnew home, and sits about 20 millimetres from theceiling of the Chapel!

There is now great excitement as the instrument hasbeen sounding for some days. A touching momentoccurred last week when Year 9 organ scholar JamesGoldrick was given the opportunity of playing the (as yetincomplete) instrument. The sounds coming from thechapel attracted a crowd of boys into the gallery whoresponded with loud applause at James’ efforts. Therewas a genuine shared sense of pride and warmth in themoment, which underscores the true spirit of our Aloysius Boys.

As this edition of the Aloysiad goes to print, the organwill be complete and awaiting its Mass of Inauguration tobe held on September 1st with the principal celebrant to beArchbishop Dr George Pell. Our organ scholars will nowhave no excuse for lack of practise!The new Chapel Organ

The new Organ arrives at the College

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Oliver! 2002

The College musical in 2002 was Lionel Bart’sperennial favourite, Oliver! (the name shortened fromthe Dickens original for Broadway) became a part of

the musical stage repertoire in 1960, written in total by themulti-talented Lionel Bart, who with consummate skillcrafted the book, the music and the lyrics. Oliver! premieredin London on June 30, 1960, and ran until September 9,1966, for a total of 2,618 performances - making it thelongest-running musical in British theatre to that time.

Oliver! is a dark story. Under the fizzy and energeticmusical score, the show chronicles the evils of untrammelledcapitalism and child abuse. Charles Dickens might however,be surprised at what has happened in the long, long history ofhis 1837 magazine serial, but there’s no doubt he’d be pleasedwith our St Aloysius production!

Oliver! has been a collaborative effort between fourschools: St Aloysius’ College, Monte Sant’ Angelo, LoretoKirribilli and Wenona North Sydney. A total cast andorchestra in excess of 150 students gave three memorableperformances. The main principle characters Fagin

(Alexander Guidera SAC Year 11); Oliver (David BultersSAC Year 8); Nancy (Lydia Bertini, Loreto); Artful Dodger(Emmanuel Spiropoulos SAC Year 8) and many more gaveprofessional-standard performances. Members of the Music,Drama, Mathematics and Foundation staff worked tirelesslywith the cast, orchestra and crew from the time of auditionsin November 2001 to ensure a memorable musical. Inaddition, many, many parents ably assisted the cast and crew.This willing band of helpers took responsibility for suchdiverse matters as costume sewing, property collection andmuch more.

The benefits of these musical productions are wellknown to our past students, many of whom cherishmemories of their moments ‘strutting the boards’, makingnew friends, and discovering a love of music and drama.This is indeed what education is all about! Thanks to theDirector, Mr Peter Gough; Musical Director Mr AndrewQuinane; Technical Director Mr Robert Schneider (SAC1958); Ms Trish Flynn - Choreography; Mrs Liz deAmbrosis - Costumes; Mrs Sia Mastro, Ms Chris Hawkins,Mr Wesley Martin all the Music Staff, and the Stage Crewfor their tireless efforts in bringing such pleasure to cast andaudience alike.

Michael HisseyDirector of Music

A thief ’s education!

Nicholas Plummer ( Year 5), Edward Hastings ( Year 10)and Alex Knight ( Year 7)

Ted Talas (Year 6), Matt Martorane (Year 7), Tom Malek (Year 7),Nicholas Plummer (Year 5) and Simon Lobascher (Year 7)

Chris Chase (Year 11) and Matthew Griffiths (Year 12)

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Drama Department

Billy BuddPerformed in the best traditions of St. Aloysius’ College drama.

Ships are floating worlds. This was especially so at the endof the 18th Century when this play is set. Without any oftoday’s electronic communications’ systems, ships were cut

off for months, even years from their homelands and widersociety. The captains of these vessels had total command overtheir crews and were responsible for administering justice andmaintaining order. Melville also sets his play during a periodwhen the English were at war with the French. In thesecircumstances, captains had power over life and death. Harsh,confined conditions with no escape frequently led to sociallyexplosive situations. The crews of two naval vessels, the Spitheadand the Nore, had already mutinied. All captains feared similarcatastrophes on their vessels.

Melville is one of the trulygreat American novelists. Heis up there in the same leagueas Conrad, Hawthorne,James and Fitzgerald.Melville presents us, as allgreat writers do, with aprofound and significantmoral dilemma. His CaptainVere is stretched on the crossof choice and must decidebetween true human justiceand the maintenance of orderthrough a strict upholding ofthe law. The other issueMelville presents to us is the

incompatibility of good and evil. Billy Budd, the new impressedseaman, cannot see there’s evil in the world and Claggart, thesadistic Master-at-Arms, won’t see the good. Claggart bears amalice towards a grace he could not have. There is no reason inhis intolerance and that is what makes it all the more dangerous.The language and concerns of this play are comparable toShakespeare’s. It presented a mature challenge to our youngactors and it was a challenge, which I wanted to set before them.

As a director there are some plays which you simply do notundertake unless you know beforehand that you have actorscapable of playing the key lead roles. I was collecting somepaperwork at the rear of the Auditorium one morning whileanother class was doing someacting at the other end. I wassuddenly distracted by avoice I did not recognise. Itwas the unaffectednaturalness combined with adepth of feeling which struckme. I looked up from mypapers. It was a student whohad recently come to us fromanother school. I stayed towatch the rest of hisrehearsal. At the end of it, Iknew for the first time infifteen years at St Aloysius’that there was a student whocould play the titular role in

Billy Budd. It was Alex Romans (Year 11). But did we havesomeone who could play the equally unusual and demandingrole of his antagonist, Claggart? Alex Guidera (Year 11),another very talented and committed young actor, cameimmediately to mind. He had already decided to re-enrol indrama so was available. He auditioned and was cast only towithdraw. He had also been cast as Fagin in the musical Oliverand felt having to cope with two lead roles one after the otherwould be too demanding. We re-auditioned for the role ofClaggart. There was no one comparable. The cast and Idiscussed it and Alex agreed to continue in the role. We had aplay again: the one which was so well performed this term bythis young Year 11 drama class.

It was their commitment and enthusiasm which so impressedme. Chris Lobasher (Year 11), as Captain Vere, worked hard tosecure this role and equally hard to raise his performance to oneof maturity and distinction. Thomas Grace, Nicholas Muellerand Huw Rabone (all Year 11) as his fellow officers aboard theirship The Indomitable were poised and subtle in the rendering oftheir roles. The aged and wise Dansker is given some ofMelville’s best lines and Hugo O’Connor (Year 11) deliveredthem with moving understanding. Dansker is the sage whounderstands when no one else does why evil cannot tolerate goodand must seek to destroy it. One of the most promisingperformances, however, was delivered by Nick Walsh (Year 11)as the turbulent, set-upon Jenkins. He was intense andpassionate but at the same time deeply vulnerable. Thesupporting cast gave almost unblemished performances. CarlHockey, Zac Norman, Carl Sullivan and James Woodward (allYear 11) were especially impressive in their characterisations.

An Old Boy of St Aloysius’, now an architect, NicholasPlayoust (SAC 1991) provided us with an ingeniouslyimaginative set design which overcame the serious restrictions ofspace and height which our auditorium presents.

Bernard Kennelly, a parent of the school, came regularly afterwork with two other parents, Michael Birrell and Tony Walsh, toconstruct the set.

I felt genuinely privileged to work with all these people.Their talent, their generosity, their untiring commitmentinspired me throughout. This College has something veryprecious in these young people, in our parents and in our Old Boys.

Robert Schneider (SAC 1958)Drama Department

Alex Romans ( Year 11)

L to R; Todd Kuiters, Jarrah Petzold, Zach Norman, Hugo O’Connor, Greg Egan, Nicholas Walsh

Chris Lobascher ( Year 11), Alex Guidera ( Year 11)

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From the Registrar

This year was the first time the College tested boys forentrance to the College two years prior to entry forYears 5 through to 11. Entrance examinations for all

boys wishing to enter the College in 2003 (Years 3-11) and2004 (Years 5-11) were held in March and April and havenow been completed. We have waiting lists for most gradesnext year.

Just on 1000 applications were received for 2003 and2004. Of these 1000 applications, 600 boys sat entranceexaminations. Year 5, 2003 and Year 5, 2004 hadapproximately 120 boys sitting each of these examinations.Year 7, 2003 and Year 7, 2004 had similar numbers. Theseexaminations took place over several Saturday mornings bothat the Senior School and Junior School campuses. Interviewswere conducted in May and offers of places went out at theend of May.

The Scholarship/Bursary Examination was held on 4May for boys entering Years 7 & 11 next year. It will be a fewweeks yet until families are contacted about their sons’ results.Everyone will be notified if successful or unsuccessful ingaining a Scholarship or Bursary.

I have had many requests for copies of the College’s newprospectus over the last few months since it was printed earlyin the year. Several prospective parents have congratulated uson producing such an informative prospectus, one whichgives a lot more information about the College than manyother schools produce in theirs. Parents have also said thatfrom reading it that they feel the College has a real‘friendliness’ to it and they are most impressed.

I will run a late entrance examination on 25 October forany late applications for 2003. Application forms will need toin by mid September. In addition to the normal 2004 and2005 entrance examination, there will also be a late entranceexamination for applicants for 2004 Year 5 to 11. This will beheld in April next year. However, limited places will be available.

Anne-Maree McCarthyRegistrar

Prefects Report

The Prefects invited the Prefects from our brotherschool, St Ignatius’ College to a BBQ on the roof ofthe College in Term I. The event gave us the

opportunity to meet each other and talk about the bonds thatbind the two schools together.

Whilst both schools have the common bond of beingJesuit Schools, we have a different heritage. St Aloysius’ is theolder of the two schools (being founded in 1879, whilst StIgnatius’ was founded in 1880); we are a day school, whilst St Ignatius has boarding and day boys. The BBQ gave us anopportunity to celebrate our Jesuit heritage and acknowledgeour differences.

We look forward to strengthening and developing thebonds between the two schools over the years to come.

Simon AldridgeCaptain of the College

St Aloysius’ and Riverview Prefects

Student AchievementsGraham Purcell (Year 9):Winner of two events at the Combined IndependentSchools (CIS) Swimming Championships (200 metresfreestyle and 200 metres individual medley) and winnerof the All Schools Championships (200 metres butter-fly) and placed third in the 200 metres individual med-ley and fourth in the 200 metres freestyle and 100metres butterfly. Selected in the NSW Schools Team forthe Nationals in Darwin.

Sam McConnell (Year 7):Third in the 12 Years 50 metres butterfly at the AllSchools Swimming Championships.

Peter De Gail (Year 12):Selected in the NSW Under 18 State Waterpolo Teamand CIS Team.

Martin Mikulicin (Year 12):Selected in the CIS Team and NSW Under 18 StateBasketball Team.

Ronald Tan (Year 12), Chris Lobascher (Year 11) andAlex Romans (Year 11):All selected in the CIS Volleyball Team

Graham Purcell (Year 9) and David Taylor (Year 12):Both selected in the CIS Cross Country team to run at the All Schools Championships.

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Grumitt Scholar News

ANZAC Day at Gallipoli

It was a very cold night, we were all strewn together, not apiece of ground or blade of grass could be seen, only bodies,bodies that just kept going as far as the eye could see. As I

sat there in my sleeping bag taking in what was around me Icouldn’t help but think back to that morning in 1915 when thebodies lying here, probably in quite a similar fashion, would havebeen torn by bullets, and crushed by shells.

We were all there for a different purpose, not to fight a warbut to commemorate those who had fallen to protect our future.I was surrounded by some 20,000 people who had all made thepilgrimage to Gallipoli, ANZAC Cove for the dawn service.

Having arrived on the beach around 1:00 am I was amazedto see that the place was already full with people, sleeping bagscovering a huge area. There were some people talking around afire on the beach, some others over to my left were starting ascratchy attempt of Waltzing Matilda. Settling down to my ownlittle patch of grass I decided to get some sleep before the dayahead.

On waking my vision was filled with a huge orange moonhanging low in the sky. Its beaming glow was reflected gently offthe water framing those on the beach around what were nowmany little fires. I emerged slowly from my sleeping bag slightlydisorientated and meandered down to join those around the fires.The first group were all Turkish, yet I did not feel out of place,they greeted me and made room for me in their circle. Nonecould speak English, or more pertantly I could not speak

Turkish. Still I sat and listened to what I picked up as a verysombre conversation, no doubt discussing family lost in the war.As a lull developed in this conversation the eerie sound ofbagpipes was carried across the night air signalling the start ofthe much anticipated dawn service.

A mysterious calm enveloped the entire area, not a breathwas heard, not move was made and the service began. As theservice progressed a giant silhouette was cast in the morning sky. The cliffs of ANZAC Cove. They rise almost perpendicularout of the ground and the thought of scaling them seemsimpossible let alone trying to scramble your way up with bulletsflying at you.

Many kind words were said of the soldiers both Australian,New Zealand, and Turkish. Stories of the bravery, camaraderie,and the relationship held between the Turks and ANZAC’s.

When it had reached the point where the flags were loweredand the lone bugle sang its melancholy notes across the mass ofpeople I realised the most significant thing that I will bring awayfrom this experience, was that of realising that there were twosides in this fight. So often we only talk of the bravery of oursoldiers and what they came up against. We very easily forgetthat the people we were fighting against were just like us, normalhuman beings.

The soldiers fighting didn’t forget this; the stories retold ofthe way the Turkish conducted themselves towards the enemyare incredible.

An Australian was wounded near a Turkish trench during avery heavy fire fight, a Turk risking his life, waved a little whiterag above his head. He climbed out of the protection of histrench, carried the wounded man on his shoulder and broughthim to the aid of the medics in the Australian trench. This is justone of many, many stories about the decency, the basic care forhuman life that was shared between these two enemies. I havenot forgotten that they were there to kill each other, but theynever saw it as personal, there was never hatred. It was just anincredibly unfortunate situation they had arrived in, due to thestupidity of an apparently intelligent race.

Let us not forget the families of those that were pitchedagainst us.

Lest We Forget.

Joel Menzies (SAC 2001)2002 Grumitt Scholar

Nik Kirby (left) and Joel Menzies (right) with Turkish soldiers anda Royal Australian Navy Seaman at Anzac Cove

Nik Kirby (SAC 2001) and Joel Menzies (SAC 2001) at the LonePine Cemetery, Anzac Peninsula

Joel Menzies (SAC 2001) and Nik Kirby (SAC 2001) at ANZAC Cove

11

It only seems like yesterday when we touched down atHeathrow Airport, in the middle of a freezing Englishwinter, ready to face the challenges of the year of our

life. Already we are half way through this year and lovingevery second of it. Our first three months flew by as wetaught students at St Ignatius’ College in London and St.George’s Primary School. Our pilgrimage to Spain duringEaster, in the footsteps of St Ignatius, was a fantasticexperience. At his home in Loyola we were fortunate toattend a very rare mass in the room where Ignatius wasconverted. Here we discovered a strong sense of realismfor the endless years of rhetoric that has been central toour education at St Aloysius College.

At the moment we are in the very dauntingcommunity service period that has wreaked havoc for somany that have attempted it. After a month travelingthrough Spain, Portugal and France, we have allencountered a side of this world where words like‘beautiful’ and ‘unbelievable’, are inadequate. All of asudden we have been faced with a very different side ofthis world, at our community service placement.

We are currently situated just outside Colchester in arural community, about an hour and half north east ofLondon. Throughout this year our Aloy’s partnership hasremained unbroken, and being placed at Wakes Halltogether has gone a long way to counteracting the isolationand loneliness problems of the community service months.However, our work here is enjoyable despite being verychallenging, all at the same time. As incredible astravelling Europe has been for us, there is satisfactionattained from this work, that can’t be fulfilled from livingthe high life while ‘trotting the globe’.

We have been living and working the last two monthsin Wakes Hall, a centre that houses about 30 adult clients(patients) who suffer from Cerable Palsy and Epilepsy.Wakes Hall is a society aiming to provide the clients herewith maximum choice and excitement in day to dayactivities. The three month community service section is

usually the most feared and overwhelming of the wholeyear, however we have been welcomed and greeted withkind friendly faces. Not knowing much about thecondition we didn’t know what to expect, when we arrivedat the start of May. Our first few days were quite differentto how we feel now. At the end of a day we used to findourselves sitting in our rooms reminiscing on the goodtimes at Aloysius’, and all our schooling moments,dreading the fact that we’d have to wake up and faceanother day. Very quickly as the time passed and theclients became more familiar with us, things turnedaround and our ‘work’ became more like play, and so muchmore enjoyable.

The clients have varying degrees of physicalcondition, but many cannot move at all, some areconfined to a wheelchair and require daily needs to becarried out by the staff and volunteers. All of the clientsrequire close care, with daily dressing, washing andfeeding, all part of the many staffing responsibilities. Weare mainly stationed in the Day Centre which receivesoutside clients, who come in to spend the day doingactivities and having a good time. Our principle role is toprovide that care and entertainment whether it be in agame of wheelchair cricket outside in the English ‘sun’,painting, watching a movie, doing arts and crafts or somegardening or even just talking to them, even if sometimesthey can’t communicate back verbally. We even go out onday trips such as to Colchester Zoo, to a rugby game, iceskating, horse riding, to town fairs, shopping, or to thepub for a pint. Basically anything where they can dosomething different and stimulating. We are here to helpprovide the clients with the ability to live a normal life,and have choices.

Probably the most confronting aspect of our life here istoileting, something which we were both praying not tohave to do this year. Once shown the proper proceduresthough, this duty became so much less of a problem. At thisstage of the community service placement, everything hasbecome second nature to us, and adds to the daily intrigue.

Don’t get us wrong, while our work has been a fantasticexperience, it can be taxing, frustrating and you do needpatience and tolerance. Consider the stories of some of theclients here, many who were as normal as you or I, until afreak accident on the roads, at work, or at birth which haschanged their lives forever. ‘Rewarding’ is often a wordthat is thrown around with this type of work experience,but we can honestly say that we have discovered a newappreciation of life and will miss this place and all theclients when we leave. Lying in wait for us still this year isteaching in Hungary, and work with street kids in Kenyaand India. For now though, the time is flying and we areloving every minute here.

Ad Majora Natus

Tom Bateman and Ben Wilford (SAC 2001)2002 Grumitt Scholars

Ben Wilford (SAC 2001) and Tom Bateman (SAC 2001)with students from St Georges Primary School, England

12

Micronesian Scholar News

The school year here at Xavier is fast coming to aclose with the Graduation of the Class of 2002being the last significant occasion of the school

year.

On Saturday, 11 May we were fortunate enough towitness the Graduation of the class known as the‘Musketeers’. Graduation here follows the Americansystem, which is different to what it is at St. Aloysius;there are gowns, mortarboards, diplomas and best of all,no final exams after the graduation ceremony!

The occasion is significant not only for the studentsand their parents but for the whole Xavier community.The students bid farewell and thank their Chuukesesponsor families for four years of accommodation andsupport. Graduation was also an emotional time for theother students who saw their surrogate big brothers andsisters for the last time.

The whole graduation process began with aBaccalaureate Mass where each graduate was escorted ina procession into the beautifully adorned Chapel. Thecongregation included family and friends from all overMicronesia who came to Xavier to be with graduates atthis special time in their lives. Following this was ‘SeniorEntertainment’ where the whole school was involved indances, skits and songs as a farewell show for the Seniors.

Setting up for the whole Commencement(Graduation) Ceremony was tough going. We battledrain and wind for the whole week to turn the basketballcourt into a grand pavilion. We thought the weatherwould remain wet and inhospitable to our many guestsbut once again we were granted beautiful sunshine on theday just like on Culture Day. Like most American HighSchools, at Xavier there is no requirement for schooluniform, so when the students had to wear black dresspants, shirts and ties, they were most uncomfortable.

Seeing students wearing baggy dress pants and scarletgowns, rushing around asking faculty members to do uptheir ties, was an amusing sight. The graduates lookedhandsome in their scarlet gowns and mortarboards.

The whole ceremony commenced with the studentsslowly marching on a red carpet onto the stage.Following were speeches given by alumni andpresentations of awards. The ceremony concluded withthe presentation of diplomas to the valedictorians of 2002.

Later that evening we shared a ‘last supper’ of sortswith the graduates. The meal was nothing short of afeast. A large pavilion was erected to house the feastwhich included such local delicacies as turtle, three hugepigs, seafood, taro and countless other titbits. This waswashed down with chilled, fresh coconut juice, of whichRichard partook four helpings (he didn’t eat the nextmorning). Following the feast were numerous speechesof thanks and then we were treated to a musical feast -our very own band, ‘Xavier Pride’, who played their songslong into the night. Those not incapacitated byovereating were invited to dance with the Seniors, manyof whom we would never see again. Finally, the nightended at around midnight, when the Seniors went‘downtown’ to continue their partying well into the night.The rest of us were left with the colourful long-anticipated cleanup that took us until 3 am. TheGraduation Ceremony was a grand and fitting farewell tothe Class of 2002. We felt privileged to be here to meetand farewell such a great group of students. To the‘Musketeers’ of 2002, farewell and best wishes for the future!

The Summer Break for Xavier students begins May29. We will be running the Higher AchievementProgramme (HAP) in Chuuk during the holidays, forabout 6 weeks. The HAP was set up in Chuuk a fewyears ago by the Jesuits with the aim of giving less ablestudents an opportunity to be tutored in Maths, Englishskills and Science. We will be administering the HAPwith the help of some Xavier students, who will use theopportunity to work towards their Community ServiceProjects (somewhat like the Community Service for Year11 at St. Aloysius’). Judging from all accounts, the HAPoffers great opportunities for the students and theadministrators. We Micronesian Scholars hope ourparticipation in the HAP this summer will contributeholistically to the students’ learning. At the completionof the HAP, we hope to travel to the island of Pohnpei,to witness the Micronesian Games, where some Xavierstudents will be competing in track and field events.

Ad Majora Natus

Bosco Wu and Richard Clifton-Smith (SAC 2001)2002 Micronesian Scholars

The Class of 2002 graduate from Xavier High School,Chuuk, Micronesia. Please note the old Japanese built bunkerthat serves as the main building for the school.

13

2002 Annual Giving Appeal

As St Aloysius’ College faces the future with confidence,we can thank our many friends and members of theCollege Community who enthusiastically continue to

support all we do. To maintain our excellence, we must ensurethat our facilities are constantly improved as necessary and thatwe provide educational opportunities for boys, both now and inthe future.

One way that the College Community (Old Boys, Parents,Past Parents, Widows of Old Boys, Friends of the College andSuppliers to the College) can support the improvement anddevelopment of the College is by making a gift to theFoundation’s 2002 Annual Giving Appeal.

This year’s Annual Giving Appeal Patron is ProfessorEmeritus Sir Gustav Nossal AC CBE (SAC 1947), Australian ofthe Year in 2000 and world-renowned scientist. Every member ofthe College Community should by now have received a letterfrom Sir Gustav urging them to support this year’s Appeal.

Funds raised from the Appeal will be directed to theconstruction of a Chaplaincy - Pastoral Care Centre and therenovation of the College Canteen (a very popular decision with

the boys!). This work is a part of Stage IV of the CollegeMasterplan, the renovation of the Middle School (Years 7 to 10)Building.

Donors may also wish to support the Foundation LibraryFund, which provides books and other related material to theCollege Libraries ( Junior and Senior School) or the FoundationEducation Fund that provides funding for the College’sAcademic Means Tested Bursary Programme.

Gifts to the Foundation Building Fund and Library Fund aretax deductible, however Australian Tax Office rules do not allowfor gifts to the Education Fund to be tax deductible.

If you have not yet sent in a gift but would like to support theAppeal please complete the gift form and return it to theCollege.

To date over $85,000 has been donated to the Appeal. Yoursupport of the Appeal will ensure that the much-neededrenovations to the Middle School Building become a reality.

Funds raised from the 2001 Annual Giving Appeal weredirected to the construction of the new Visual Arts Centre,which was opened in Term I this year.

Yes I would like to support the 2002 Annual Giving Appeal

I would like to make a gift of:

$100 $50 $200 $500 $350

$750 $1000 Other $ ............. to the

Foundation Building Fund (Tax-deductible)

Foundation Library Fund (Tax-deductible)

Foundation Education Fund

Enclosed is a cheque made payable to the St Aloysius’ College Foundation

Please debit my Credit Card

Amex Bankcard MasterCard

Visa Diners

Name on Card: .....................................................................

Signature: ...................................................... Expiry: .........

Name: ...................................................................................

Address: ................................................................................

Telephone: ................................... h ...................................w

E-Mail: ..................................................................................

I am an:Old Boy of the College - Class of 19/20.................. Parent at the CollegePast parent of the CollegeCurrent or Past Staff MemberFriend of St Aloysius’I wish for my gift to the College to remain anonymousPlease send me some information about leaving theCollege a Bequest in my Will

Sons of St Aloysius’ – current and future – will benefit from your supportSt. Aloysius’ College Foundation

47 Upper Pitt Street, Milson’s Point NSW 2061 Fax: 02 9929 6414 Email: murray.happ@staloysius.nsw.edu.au

I would encourage every member of the College Community to make a gift to the 2002 Annual GivingAppeal, your valuable support will make the construction of the Chaplaincy – Pastoral Care Centreand the renovation of the College Canteen a reality. This project will benefit every boy at the College,now and in the years to come.

Sir Gustav Nossal AC CBE (SAC 1947)Patron, 2002 Annual Giving Appeal

14

Cadets

A Memorial with the General

On Friday the 31 May, the Unit’s Year 12 cadetsattended a memorial service at North Head. Theservice marked the 60th anniversary of the

Japanese midget submarines attack on Sydney Harbourand the shelling of Sydney and Newcastle by enemysubmarines. Wreaths and books were laid at the Plaqueremembering the 19 Australian and 2 British sailors whowere killed when their ship, HMAS Kuttabul, a convertedSydney ferry used for accommodation was destroyed by atorpedo fired from one of the subs.

Hon Tony Abbot MP (SAC 1975) Minister forEmployment and Workplace Relations was the Master ofCeremonies for the sombre occasion. We were veryfortunate to hear a stirring speech delivered by TheCommander of Australia’s Armed Forces, LieutenantGeneral Peter Cosgrove AC, MC, outlining the historicevents on the night of the 31 May 1942. The currentcommander of HMAS Kuttabul, Commander VickiMcConachie CSC RAN also made a speech.

The ceremony was very humbling for all who attendedas we remembered the ultimate sacrifice made by so manyAustralian service people to preserve our great Australianway of life. It was also a time where many of us reflectedon the fact that the event marked the first time thatSydney had been directly effected by the war and that itcould have been a lot worse if not for the Navy’s swiftresponse.

After the Ceremony we were treated to lunch and tookthe liberty of exploring the tunnels, 9.2 Inch gunemplacements and Artillery Museum at North Headwhich we all very much enjoyed. It was also with greatpleasure that we were able to present to the College a copyof the book made for the occasion, “No Cause For Alarm”personally signed by Lieutenant General Peter CosgroveAC, MC.

Scott TaylorSenior Under OfficerSt Aloysius’ College Cadet Unit

Cadet Officers with Chief of the Defence Forces Lt. General Peter Cosgrove AC, MC.

CUO’s with Old Boy Hon. Tony Abbott MP (SAC 1975)

15

CAS Cadet Drill Competition

Late last term, Barker College hosted a conference todiscuss the future of Cadet units in the CombinedAssociated Schools. An initiative was presented at

that conference, to establish a CAS Cadet competition,much like the CAS sporting and debating challenges. TheCadet Conference was made up of three representativesfrom each of the CAS cadet units, excluding CranbrookSchool, who are currently in the process of re-establishinga cadet unit. Also present were the Commanding Officersof each Unit, including the CO of SACCU, Lt. Col.Laurie Newton. Representatives from the St Aloysius’College Cadet Unit were the Senior Under Officer (SUO)Scott Taylor, The RSM; WO1 Dominic Kennelly and SgtChris Yee.

The agenda of the day was to establish a plan forthe CAS Cadet Competition. The first event of thenew scheme was to be a Drill Competition. The formatagreed upon was a pre-organised series of manoeuvresthat would be performed by a fourteen-man drillsquad. This would be the first CAS drill competitionsince the practice was abandoned at the outbreak ofWorld War II.

Early this term, preparations at St Aloysius’ began forthe drill competition. This involved the selection of afourteen-man drill squad to compete in the competition.Auditions were held at cadet parades, and the sheernumber of entrants made the selection a difficult process.Many skilled and dedicated cadets auditioned, but as onlyfourteen cadets and reserves were allowed, only the bestcould be chosen. The final group included the followingcadets. From Year 9, two cadets, Tristan Deeves and JamieMonckton made the squad, as well as Corporals JamesCrittenden, Vincent Floro, Edward Hastings, JohnMcCormack, Toby Messina, Tim Scarfe, PatrickTompsett and Jayden Zullo from Year 10. From Year 11,Seargents Nicholas Chan, Andrew Emanuel, James

Harrison, Dominic Haylen, Lu-Wee Koh, PaulMarosszeky, Paul O’Byrne, Seb Robertson and Chris Yeeparticipated in the competition.

These cadets spent countless mornings and afternoonspractising drill manoeuvres at school, some days arriving at7.30am and regrouping after school for further practicesuntil 5.30pm. The commitment shown towards thesepractices displayed the high standard of spirit anddetermination in our Cadet Unit. The competition washeld in May at the Knox Grammar School oval. Cadetswearing standard camouflage uniform without weapons orflags performed the drill.

On the 24 May 2002, at 4pm, the drill squad travelledto Knox, supported by the entire St Aloysius’ CollegeCadet Unit. The 250 Aloysian cadets took their place inthe grandstand alongside Knox. As gentle rain began tofall, the Aloysian Cadet unit cheered the Aloysian drillsquad onto the parade ground. The competition ranwithout a hitch, apart from the fading light in the laterstages of the meet and the SACUU drill squad performedmagnificently under the command of the RSM.Unfortunately we were unable to win the competition,however, it was later revealed that point tallies had theAloysius squad in at third place, ahead of Barker andWaverley, which was a great result.

Cadets is indeed alive and well at Aloysius andalthough we did not win, the competition showed theother schools that Aloysian support and cadet proficiency,and also set the pace for future competitions which willhopefully be held in years to come. My congratulationsand thanks go to all the members of the drill squad andalso to the unit as a whole for representing the school sosuperbly.

Seargent Chris Yee (Year 11)

Preparing for the Drill Competition

Final preparations

16

Legacy Badge Sellers

The top Legacy badge sellers from Sydney schoolsvisited HMAS Huon on Tuesday 9 April 2002.The 12 students from across Sydney raised money

for Legacy, which cares for 132,000 widows of ex-servicepersonnel and 1,800 children across Australia.

The students included Jordan Dolce (Year 10) from St Aloysius’ College.

Many of these dedicated students raised more than$1,000 each on the day, starting before dawn to catch earlymorning commuters, and remaining throughout the day tocatch them again on the return home.

The students were given an extensive tour of HMASHuon, the lead ship in the Navy’s Billion-Dollar MineHunter Coastal fleet. They were impressed by the level oftechnology onboard and by the space (or lack of it) in thecrew’s living quarters.

Following the tour of HMAS Huon, the studentsvisited Spectacle Island for a historical tour and BBQlunch.

Legacy covers all military conflicts in which Australiahas been involved as well as caring for the spouses anddependants of regular or reserve forces killed in hazardousservice or training accidents such as the Black Hawkhelicopter and HMAS Westralia tragedies. Legacy nowalso embraces the families of the Defence Force personnelwho served in East Timor and are now serving inAfghanistan.

The Boys from St Aloysius’ College have faithfullyserved as Legacy Badge Sellers for many years. Legacy andthe people it helps thanks the College and the Students ofSt Aloysius’ for the ongoing support and assistance.

Lieutenant Jason Taylor RANRMine Warfare and Clearance Diving GroupRoyal Australian Navy

A Man for Others … Cornelius Page

Recently the ABC 7.30 Report ran a segment on theunveiling of a memorial to civilians executed by theJapanese during the WWII occupation of the

island of New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. Most wereplanters, missionaries and officials.

Con Page was a student at the College in the mid-1920s. In 1942 he was manager of Pigibut plantation onSimberi Island, just off New Ireland and was appointed asa coastwatcher for the Royal Australian Navy intelligence.Con provided the earliest reports on Japanese aircraftheading for Rabaul and other key PNG sites. TheJapanese made determined efforts to curtail hisintelligence gathering activities and finally succeeded. Hewas taken to a nearby island and shot.

Con’s story is one of sixty biographies in GerriNicholas’ forthcoming book, Men for Others, covering theOld Aloysians who lost their lives in the various wars.Men for Others will be launched on November 11. Forfurther information, please contact Mrs Gerri Nicholas on 9954 4454.

At the July 4 Dawn Service ceremony at Kavieng oneof the participants Dr Jan Roberts, historian and friend ofGerri Nicholas, placed local orchids on the plaque in Con’smemory, on behalf of the College.

Champion Legacy Badge Sellers visit HMAS Huon

The memorial at Kavieng, PNG

17

Pastoral Care

Drug Education

2002 is the second of a three-year drug preventionprogramme at St Aloysius’ College. Mrs Jill Pearman,the College’s Drug Education Consultant, has worked

faithfully with the College to ensure that our drugprevention policy and programmes puts us at the forefrontof an area that is constantly changing. Jill works for thePrevention Resource Centre and has had over 20 years ofexperience in working in this area. Jill’s work means she hasdirect contact with people having addictions and shecompliments her work by speaking at many schools andconferences right across the world. I have always beenimpressed by her knowledge with the latest research in sucha diverse area. In employing Jill Pearman as our DrugEducation Consultant, the College has embarked on acomprehensive and positive strategy involving students,parents and staff at the College. Jill has worked with thestaff in advising on curriculum inputs and also with theparent body. The cohesive nature of our drug preventionactivity places us at the forefront in this vital area of drugs.

This year Jill has concentrated on workshop sessionswith the students. The Year 8 and Year 9 students were thefirst students to be broken up into groups of forty and hadworkshop sessions with Jill during their activity andreflection days on March 25 – 27. These sessions fittednicely into the programmes of problem solving and buildingbridges that were the themes of the activity and reflectiondays. The Year 7 boys followed in the last week of Term I,but their discussion groups were based in their homeroomclasses. The Year 10-12 groups also had small groups thattook place in week three, four and five of Term II. All thesesessions took place in Wyalla Lecture Theatre. The JuniorSchool will be the focus of Jill’s work for Term III.

Jill pitched her marvellous presentations at differentlevels based on the age of the students. The Year 12 boysfor example had some discussion based on the effects ofalcohol and driving and marijuana while the younger yearshad more discussion based on cigarettes. Despite this, Jillmentioned we should never underestimate the knowledgeof even our Year 7 lads about drugs! I found Jill’s

presentations always interesting and thought provoking forthe students. The positive rapport Jill has with the studentsand the great interaction that is generated is a wonderfulsight to see.

The workshop sessions were complimented with variousparent drug education evenings and these were timed to tryand coincide with the boy’s presentation. The logic of thiswas to ensure that plenty of discussion took place betweenparents and child. I thank all the parents who attended onthese nights.

In recent weeks there has been some media attentionabout the latest statistics from the Australian Institute ofHealth and Welfare on drug and alcohol use. This is themuch-awaited 2001 National Drug Strategy Household(NDSH) survey that Jill often talks about in her discussionwith parents. The following web site should enable you toaccess further information on this www.aihw.gov.au/ndshs/index.html

I am hoping in the future that on the College web pageI will be able to provide websites and relevant informationso as to keep our College Community up to date withrelevant information in the area of drug prevention.

St Aloysius’ College considers the area of drugeducation as an important priority for our students. It hassuch an important impact on other areas of the childdevelopment such as self-esteem, spirituality, connectednessto the family and the College, resilience and the list goes on.I think all the work that has been undertaken this year willhave a positive impact on all members of the AloysianCommunity. It will better prepare our students for a worldthat has easy accessibility to drugs and a culture thatpermeates that drug taking is ‘cool’.

Jill and I are still thinking of ways of changing theformat of future presentations. One suggestion for next yearis to have a compulsory night for Year 10 students and theirparents. This would ensure that in a student’s lifetime at StAloysius’ College both boys and parents would be educatedin this area. I would appreciate your thoughts on this idea.

Chris GouldDirector of Pastoral Services

A touch football game held during a retreat

A Liturgy at a recent retreat

18

College Retreats

Retreats, Camps, Reflection andActivity Days

Between 25 and 27 March 2002 St. Aloysius’College embarked on a new venture. For the firsttime in the College’s history we decided to have the

entire Senior School have their retreats, camps andreflection and activity days taking place at the same time.

Each Year focused on a particular theme. The mainpurpose of the Year 7 camp was to smooth the student’stransition into the senior school by giving the studentsopportunity to meet and make new friends. There weremany physical team orientated activities at the beautifulNarrabeen site. The Year 8 theme was building bridgesand looked at relationships. Like Year 9 it was based at theschool with a wide range of activities involved.

Year 9 focused on problem solving for life. Many reallife situations were proposed so that the studentsdeveloped the skills to approach solving very diverseproblems. Year 10 visited three locations, Hazelbrook,Otford and Somersby and the traditional theme ofvocations was reinforced. All of Year 11 were at the onesite, Elanora Heights, but were split into three groups fora large number of their activities. The virtues of being partof a community were central to this retreat. The Year 12gentleman travelled to the South Coast, Bowral and thefoothills of the Blue Mountains, which ideally matchedthe theme of Journey. Each year had a unique experienceand many teachers worked hard to prepare challengingand rewarding ideas.

As one traverses from Year 7 to Year 12 the complexityof the activities developed. The adventure in Year 7 wascalled the Year 7 Camp as the traditional physical activitiessuch as abseiling, canoeing and rock climbing dominatedon these days. In Years 8 and 9 the days are called Activityand Reflection Days. On these days there is a mixture ofphysical activities and discussion. Years 8 and 9 had anamazing multimedia presentation that addressed a numberof issues such as relationships, drug taking, setting goals

and peer pressure. It was these Years that were lucky tohave our drug consultant, Mrs Jill Pearman, present aworkshop session to small groups of boys. This proved tobe a very popular and many questions were asked.

In Years 10-12 we encouraged the relationshipbetween the retreatant and God. We do this in theyounger Years, but the older students look at the issuemore deeply. Each Year experienced the Stations of theCross in various forms. This was an integral and vitalcomponent, especially as this just occurred before Easter.

Not only was the teaching staff present but also someparents, Old Boys and Jesuit Novices. The Novices visitedthe College earlier in the year as part of the VocationTeam. I thank all those members of the Aloysiancommunity who have contributed to making the programsand assisting me in any way. The majority sacrificed theirhome life for two nights and three days and were able tocollapse into the Easter break.

Part of the Mission statement for our College states thatthe school promotes lifelong learning and spiritual growth.I feel that what happened in our time before Easter was soimportant in achieving this goal. St Ignatius encouraged usto reflect and find God in everything. The Retreats, CampsActivity and Reflection Days gave the opportunity for thestudents to do this. It was a time to have fun, enjoy goodcompany and be challenged into thinking about some of themore deeper and meaningful issues of life.

Chris GouldDirector of Pastoral Care

Activities on retreat

Teamwork in action on a retreat

Dramatisation of The Passion

19

Feast of St Aloysius’

To celebrate the Feast of our Patron, St Aloysius,the entire College (boys and staff ) walked toNorth Sydney Oval on Friday 21 June to enjoy

a Picnic Day, which was organised and managed by theCollege Prefects. Various activities were organisedwhich involved staff and students – obstacle course,sack races and touch football. The Prefects cooked aBBQ lunch and very professionally fed 1,200 people!

The highlight of the day was a ‘tug-of-war’ betweenthe Year 12 boys and the staff. After throwing down thegauntlet to the staff, the Year 12 boys, despite havingmore hands, lost the battle in a very tight competition.

The last day of Term, the entire College travelled toSt Mary’s Cathedral for a Mass to celebrate the Feast ofthe Patron and to close Term II. The Mass wascelebrated by the Dean of the Cathedral, MonsignorTony Doherty. The College Music Departmentprovided wonderful musical and choral performances tomake the day a fitting way to celebrate the Feast of St Aloysius’.

Year 12 vs Staff ‘ Tug-of-War’

Alex Hammerton ( Year 8) tackles a sausage sandwhich

Matthew Jones ( Year 8) and Tom Wright ( Year 8) enjoyinga game of cards at the St Aloysius’ Day Picnic

Jarrah Petzold ( Year 10) tackles the obstacle course

20

Thank you to all those who have welcomed meinto the Aloysian family this Term. I have beenmost impressed with the support that the boys

receive. This Term, the boys have focused on theirfitness, team work and believing in who they are andwhat they can do. I put to the boys a challenge for themto not only believe in themselves but more importantlyto believe in each other. As a result, we have seen someoutstanding accomplishments. We have also seen theboys take more pride in the ‘Blue and Gold’ and what itmeans to represent the College but also they havebegun to play with spirit and determination. Thearticles that follow only represents a fraction of whatthe boys have achieved this Term.

Mosman Mini Marathon

On Sunday 23 June fourteen boys from Years 3to 6 represented Aloysius Junior School in theMosman Mini Marathon. All boys ran

exceptionally well with the Year 5 team consisting ofTim Rowland, Tim Kirkby and Tom Riisfeldt finishedin First Place in the School Division. The Year 6 teamconsisting of Mitchell Axam, Henry Cornwell and BenSweeney finished Second Place.

Notable individual performances were TimRowland (Year 5) who finished 7th in a field of 500with a time of 7min 14 seconds, and Paul Sindoni (Year3)running 7min, 48 seconds. Mitchell Axam (Year 6)ran particularly well to be the second Aloysian home ina time of 7minutes 34 seconds. The winning boysreceived a backpack, hat, t-shirt, drink bottle, $20.00gift voucher and medal.

But the highlight of the day was that St Aloysius’running team won the overall perpetual school trophyas well as some computer software. This was onlyawarded after a count-back of three schools times dueto the fact that each of these schools had a 1st and 2ndplace team. The school now has the Mosman MiniMarathon Schools Challenge trophy in its possessionand will not be letting go of it!

Special mention must go to Tim Patterson (Year 5)who decided to run on the day and entered as anindividual. He finished with a time of 8.00minutes,which would have placed him second in the Year 5Team. Well done to all boys, it must have been thedeafening war cry that they received at Friday’s schoolassembly as well as the boy’s determination to do theirbest that saw the College receive these great results.

Rugby Gala Day

On Saturday 15 June all Under 11 and Under12’s Rugby boys took part in a 7 a side Galaday at Willoughby Park. This gala day was

organised so that the boys would not miss another weekof Rugby due to a scheduled bye in the competitiondraw but also gave boys the opportunity to competeagainst each other in some friendly team buildinggames. The day was a great success and really tested theboy’s fitness and endurance. Credit for the success ofthe day, within the tight schedule, must go to all theboys for ensuring they were on the correct field on time.

Primary School SwimmingAssociation (PSSA) Swimming

As you would be aware the selections for PSSAswimming took place at the end of Term I, twoboys, Mark Sindone (Year 5) and Chris

Sudarmana (Year 5) qualified in these finals and wereselected for the NSW Team. These boys will betravelling to Darwin later on this year to compete at theNationals in the hope of securing a place in theAustralian Team. The boys will be selling raffle ticketsin all classrooms to subsidise the price of the trip(approx $1,200) and so far the school community hascome together to assist the boys in theiraccomplishment.

Independent Schools AFL Gala Day

On Sunday 16 June St Aloysius’ Junior Schoolentered two teams in this gala day made up ofboys from Years 5 and 6. Despite both teams

being a player short in the 9 a side format for half of thepreliminary games, the Aloysius’ Blue Team was able tomake it to the final unbeaten. In a tense battle with anexperienced Knox side the Aloysius’ Blues were able towin 3 goals 2 (20) to 2 goals 3 (15) after being headedearly in the second half. All boys from both teamsplayed with determination and showed true collegepride in the finals. The boys now look forward to thenext gala day on the 11 August.

Grand Final Winning Side:Eamon O’Loughlin (Year 6), Joe Jenkins (Year 6), Adrian Cordi (Year 5), Max Hutchings (Year 5), Justin Hall (Year 6), Michael Brennan (Year 6), Matt Cotton (Year 5), David Munday (Year 6)and Jack Hawkins (Year 6)

Alex Donnelly (Year 5), and John Stapleton (Year 5)helped to make up the numbers when required of themin the preliminary rounds. The boys presented thewinning trophy to Mr Lobo at the Junior SchoolAssembly.

Junior School Sport

21

Development Officer Visit

Over a period of two weeks this Term adevelopment officer from the NSW TouchAssociation visited the school assisting me in

teaching the boys from Years 3 to 6 the game of touchfootball. The boys have being learning the fast andexciting game of touch since week 1 in an effort toimprove their passing, catching and overall running game.The emphasis was on ‘passing’ techniques, defence, and‘running’ the ball. The officer has coached State PrimaryTeams and has run skills sessions for primary school teamsand Rugby Union teams. This sort of cross training notonly assisted the boys that play Rugby but also increasedall boys’ stamina and fitness which can only benefit ourPrimary Soccer teams.

Canberra Rugby and Soccer Tour

On Thursday 16 May 35 boys, Mr Paul Adamsand myself set off for Canberra on the annualtour to Canberra Grammar School. Fuelled by

the idea of a new season and plenty of Allen’s snakes theboys looked forward to both games. After lunch, and

some introductions to their billets we headed down forsome pre-game training with the first’s soccer playingfirst. A quick and aggressive Canberra saw us lose 6-2,with obvious signs that we needed to work on ourfitness. A determined Prep First XV set about to takeon a slightly bigger Canberra team. Despite foulweather we were able to hold them out, with the resultbeing a 10-7 loss. Both Aloysius’ sides showed somepotential.

On Friday we headed home, but before that wechecked into Tudor House Bowral to take on their first’steams. With a new game plan and new attitude boys fromboth teams destroyed Tudor House with two wins, 29-7 inrugby and 4-1 in soccer. Special mention must go toSimon Vranas (Year 6) and Ben Sweeny (Year 6) forsuburb play and defence. Congratulations to bothCaptains, Malcolm Gander (1st XV) and James Flint (1stXI) on excellent leadership and inspiration.Congratulations to all boys on a great trip that turned outto be an ideal way to start the pre –season.

Mr Trevor DunneJunior School Sportsmaster

Wheelchair Basketball

The Junior School were treated to a special exhibitionof Wheelchair Basketball from the NSW Team. Itwas a fast and exciting game to watch and each

member of the team showed amazing agility around the courtdespite the fact they were bound to their electric wheelchairs.

Teachers, Prefects and boys alike got the opportunity toparticipate in a game, and even before playing, needed toreceive instructions on how to use the wheelchair as well asplay the game. They soon realised it was not as easy to simplyplay the game, as they needed to co-ordinate both movingtheir wheelchair and playing the game well. Unlike havingthe natural use of their legs to run, they quickly appreciatedthe skill that was needed to do both things at the same time.

There was indeed a lesson for us all – not to take forgranted what we have, and to acknowledge and appreciate theeffort it must take to adapt to what life deals out to some of us.

22

College Website

www.staloysius.com.au

The St Aloysius’ College Website has existed in itscurrent format as a news-based site for 18 months. Itis updated at least three or four times a week reflect-

ing the bustling community that is St Aloysius. The aim isto develop the website into a notice board for the wholeschool community and its visitors, a sort of one-stop shopfor all information and communications. It is definitely achallenge to keep up with the remarkable array of activitiesthat staff, students and the wider Aloysian community areengaged in.

The website is divided into several different sections thatdocument, amongst other things, the history of the Collegeand its buildings; the role of Jesuit Education and theIgnatian Pedagogical Paradigm; the curriculum and theadmissions procedures of the College. The website is onethe first points of contact with the school, particularly forprospective students and their parents.

One of the most useful sections of the site is the schoolcalendar. This is updated weekly and provides informationabout the day-to-day running of the school that helps par-ents, students, Old Boys and other members of the Aloysiancommunity plan their activities and commitments. NextTerm the calendar functions within the website will beexpanded, with separate calendars for different groups with-in the school. Feedback forms will accompany these.

The website aims to keep the community up to date withthe activities of the College associations including theParents and Friends Association and the St Aloysius’College Old Boys Union. The College’s wide co-curricularprogramme is documented on the website including the

weekly sports report and photos from drama and music pro-ductions. An improvement that will be made is to more fullycommunicate the activities of all the co-curricular groupsincluding the College’s debating teams and Cadet unit.

The website has been a fantastic tool for chronicling theinstallation of the College’s marvellous new Organ. Thephotographs of this incredible instrument reveal thecomplexity of its structure and allow the Aloysian communityto see what will not be able to be seen once the organ’sinstallation is complete. The website provides us with awonderful opportunity to preserve the history of the college.All the photographs used on the website are now electronicallyarchived, helping to document the rich history of the College.

Improvements are constantly being made to the website.Over the coming months, there will be a new drop-downnavigation bar with a number of new sections to better cat-egorise and accommodate the ever increasing amount ofinformation. This will hopefully make the site user-friend-lier and information easier to find.

The Webmaster role is an enjoyable one, particularly as it is an opportunity to see the busy thriving nature of our College community and provides a forum for the stu-dents to celebrate their achievements and accomplishments.The website belongs to the whole College community andyour feedback is very important. Please contact me with anysuggestions or comments atadam.murdoch@staloysius.nsw.edu.au

Adam MurdochWebmaster

23

SAC Triathlon Newsletter Report

The Annual St Aloysius’ College Triathlon was heldon Sunday 10 March and once again proved a hugesuccess. Balmoral Beach was the venue for the

500m Swim, 7km Bike and 5km Run which saw over 200competitors participate.

This year saw many new categories with many parentsand students from Loreto Kirribilli, Monte Sant Angeloand Riverview, joining our boys at the start line. Onceagain it was Matt Harris (Loreto PE Teacher) taking linehonours. Matt entered the Triathlon only 7 days aftercompleting the 46km Six Foot Track Marathon, arguablythe toughest endurance event in Australia. In second placewas our own Damien Pasfield (Year 11) who came in 2minutes behind the winner. In only his third everTriathlon, Damien proved that he has a great future in the sport.

Thank you to all who supported and volunteered timeand sacrificed their Sunday morning sleep in to help makethis event a success. Special mention to Ms Carr and MsCaristo who worked extremely well under pressure at thefinish line and Year 12 students Phil Thompson andRichard Robinson who assisted in the important task ofregistration.

Triathlon ResultsIndividualJunior School 1st John Stapelton (Year 5),

2nd Tim Blundell (Year 4)Junior 1st Harry Grace (Year 8),

2nd Ben Kirkby (Year 7)Intermediate 1st Michael Peters (Year 9),

Ben Marshall (Year 9)Senior 1st Damien Pasfield (Year 11),

2nd David Taylor (Year 12)Parents 1st Michael Kirkby, 2nd Chris MulveyStaff 1st Mr Bookalill, 2nd Mr CaillardOld Boys 1st Ed Tarrant (SAC 2001),

2nd Dave Lally (SAC 1999)

TeamsJunior School: 1st John Carroll, Henry Cornwell,

Mitchell Axam (all Year 6)2nd Tim Geldens (Year 5), Steve Kelly (Year 6), Tim Rowland (Year 5)

Senior School:Junior 1st Tim Butcher, Tyron Bicknell,

Arthur Gatt2nd Mark Williams, Andrea Bertini,Harry Irving (all Year 8)

Intermediate 1st Jarrah Petzold (Year 10), Paul Dietz (Year 10), Shaun Feehan (Year 8).2nd Nick Bateman, Dan Baxter, Paul Swinski (all Year 9)

Senior 1st Michael McCooe, Blake Hughes,Mark Switzer (all Year 11)2nd Jeremy May, Will Gray, Simon Aldridge (all Year 12)

Parents 1st Chris Butcher, Guy Bicknell, Steven Gatt.2nd John Mc Cooe, Graham Ratue,Tony Power

Staff 1st Greg Marinan, Michael Key, Jenny Hoare.2nd Sue Martin, Nick Boys, Marianee Busitill

Family 1st Tom Kiely, Chris Kiely and Steven Knight2nd Peter West and Jay Anderson

It was a fantastic day and with your support andenthusiasm it will continue to grow into a highlight of theSt Aloysius’ College calendar.

Mr Laurie Newton and Mr Ben Gavan

College Triathlon

Damien Pasfield ( Year 11) winner of the Senior Division

24

Rugby

The season commenced with a highly successfulrugby launch at the College Oval in which MrFrank Clarke, new MIC, spoke of his plans and

directions for the code both in the Junior and SeniorSchool in front of over 300 people. Guest speaker on theevening was Gary Ella, ex-Wallaby and one of the famousthree Ella brothers.

As part of Frank’s initiatives, a tour to Queenslandtook place in the July holidays incorporating for the firsttime the Opens, U16s and Preps with the aim ofdeveloping rugby at all levels within the College. A reportof the tour will appear in the next edition of the Aloysiad.

In both the Senior and Junior School particularly, alarge number of Old Boys are coaching at all ages. Theseinclude Nick Lah (SAC 1998), Marcus Loomes (SAC1999), Michael Williams (SAC 1999) and Morgan Dunn(SAC 2000) in the Senior School and Nick Edwards (SAC2000), James Nakaan (SAC 2000), Michael Nicholson(SAC 2001), Philip Jensen (SAC 2000) and Ben Frost(SAC 2001) in the Junior School. The Junior School hasbeen targeted especially with all age groups receivingexcellent direction from both specialist and Old Boy coaches.

The 1st XV season so far has been a littledisappointing with the team playing well only in patches.Two good performances against Kinross (23-23) and St Ignatius’ College (14-32) with the latter a much closergame than the score indicated, have been followed up withsome average performances against St Pius X College andNewington College. On paper the team has excellentcredentials with many boys back from last year’s Team.Hopefully the team will show its true potential after thetours in the competition proper.

All other age groups have had their share of success sofar with the U15s and U14s doing particularly well,especially at A level.

Soccer

Like rugby, the soccer season also began with aseason’s launch at the College Oval, which was wellattended. Mr Eduardo Moerbeck, Director of

Soccer and 1st XI Coach, introduced his other specialistcoaches who will be assisting in various age groups. Anumber of Old Boys, Peter West (SAC 2001), PaulAuguita (SAC 1999), Byron Michalandos (SAC 2001),Chris Hillege (SAC 2001) and Oliver Sartor (SAC 2000)are also involved in coaching teams.

Presently the Soccer Committee is attempting toorganise a tour of England in late November with boysfrom Years 10-12 eligible for selection.

The 1st XI has been most successful in the trial seasonso far with wins over Knox (3-2), St Ignatius’ College (4-3), Sydney Grammar (3-2) and a draw against St Pius XCollege (2-2). They too defeated Masada College (2-1) in

Round 1 of the Independent Schools Cup. In the comingholidays they tour to Melbourne to participate in the JesuitSchools Tournament, hosted by Xavier College.

For the first time soccer is being played in Year groups,not age groups but only in the CAS competition. Most ofour trial games are against GPS and ISA schools that arestill playing in age groups. Despite this, all Year groupshave fared well. The 10As are still undefeated. The 9s and7s are our two strongest age groups.

Tennis

The 1st IV Tennis Team, in attempting to emulatelast year’s success in winning the CAS WinterPremiership, has started the season in fine fashion.

The competition is played over two rounds (home andaway) and the boys have defeated Barker, Knox andTrinity but lost to Waverley narrowly after 4 rounds.Three of the team, Ross Lalic (Captain) (Year 11), JohnGanderton (Year 11) and Stephen Goh (Year 8) wereCAS Representatives in the summer season.

Most other Year groups have had their share of thesuccess but the Year 7s are still undefeated. The same boyswere placed unofficially second in the summercompetition.

Volleyball

The 1st Volleyball team, under outside coach MrChris Barton, remain undefeated after four gamesof the CAS competition. Like tennis, the boys play

two rounds. The team has been impressive in their victoriesover Knox, Barker, Waverley and ‘heavy-weights’ Trinity.

Three of the boys, Ronald Tan (Year 12), ChrisLobasher (Year 11) and Alex Romans (Year 11) have beenselected to represent the CIS at the NSW State Cup to beheld in late July.

The College fields three Opens Teams only and allCAS schools compete except Cranbrook. SydneyGrammar takes their place in the winter competition.

Cross Country

The cross-country team is only small in number butis highly talented. Seven of the twelve runnerswere recently picked to represent CAS at the CIS

Championships. All boys performed well with Captain,David Taylor (Year 12) finishing eighth in the Under 17Years and Graham Purcell (Year 9) third in the Under 14years. Both boys now proceed to the All Schools meet. Inthe Junior School, Tim Rowland (Year 5) was placed 10thin the Under 11 years event. The boys train in themorning before school under the direction of Mr JohnCaillard whist Mr Phil Farmer remains as MIC.

Mr Paul Rowland (SAC 1973)Director of Co-curricular

Senior School Sport

25

Athletics Report

My personal anticipation of season 2002 was unlikeany other. I could sense the enthusiasm right fromthe beginning. By Term IV 2001, training had

begun in earnest. Fearless young men battled the swelteringheat of the summer months under Head Coach ClaytonKearney. The high level of dedication was evident in the largeteam that frequented the Wattle Series every Friday night ofTerm IV and then through Term I. Thanks to Old Boy EdMcGlynn (SAC 2001), the squad continued training rightthrough the Christmas holidays in the picturesque setting ofBalmoral. The spirit and commitment of the boys involvedwas truly inspiring.

The Athletics calender wasmarked week in week outwith personal bests and aclose-knit team striving toimprove at each performance.Each individual workedtirelessly and punishedthemselves at training, allbound by the common goalof victory at CAS. Thisdedication was emphasisedfurther with a group of 50boys who made thepilgrimage to Runaway Bay,on the Gold Coast, for fivedays of intensive trainingand hard work.

The athletics season of 2002has been an unqualifiedsuccess, and the results atCAS were no different. At

8:00 am, May 18, the College rose to the occasion in fullvoice. This marked the atmosphere of CAS and reaffirmedto every athlete that the College believed in them. The teamfinished a creditable 5th in the Championships. Throughoutthe afternoon we challenged Trinity Grammar for 4th placingin what was a day of high drama with disqualifications andprotests keeping coaches and officials busy.

While our success can’t be solely measured by points,there were numerous outstanding performances on the day.The team managed 9 wins with the distance boys leading theway with some extraordinary efforts. Individually MatthewWalker U/15 (Year 9) placed first in both the long jump andhurdles championship with placings in both the 100 and 200metres and Thomas Borger (Year 11), who was the mostdeserving CAS champion in the U/17 javelin, threw aphenomenal 50 metres. Both athletes were rewarded withthe honorary blue and gold singlet.

As the team, which became a family, relaxed andreminisced over the season, they realised that they were partof something very special. I must extend my greatestappreciation to the unsung hero of the day, Mr Bookallil,MIC of Athletics. His undying passion for athletics andgenuine interest in the team is unparalleled. He has moulded

the team over the pastyears into the success it istoday. To the Vice-Captains AndrewRobertson (Year 12) andDouglas MacDougall(Year 12), congratulationsfor your endless supportto the team and on anamazing season both onand off the track. Alsothanks to Head CoachClayton Kearney, hisprofessional yet funtraining techniques havebrought a new dimensionto athletics at St Aloysius’.Mr Rowland (SAC 1973)and his continued support of athletics over the years has beensecond to none.

To all the athletes, be proud of what you achieved, as I amproud of you. Thanks for the memories.

Patrick JonesCaptain of Athletics 2002

FootnotePatrick Jones is arguably one of the greatest athletes in thelong history of St Aloysius’ Athletics. He has no fewer than15 school records and has won numerous CAS titles. He ledthe team magnificently in 2002 in difficult circumstances. Hewas in tremendous form pre-season with a sub 50 second400m without any track training. A hamstring strain limitedPat’s preparation, but he continued to be positive andmotivate the team with his presence, knowledge andenthusiasm. Who will forget the standing ovation at the finalAthletics assembly before the CAS carnival. Pat Jones whowould never say quit, and who proved that he is not only afine athlete, but he is a fine leader and young man. TheCollege is forever indebted to Patrick Jones and will welcomehim back in a coaching capacity in the future.

Matt BookallilAthletics Master

Tim Karbowiak (Year 11) leading a race at the College AthleticsChampionships

David Taylor (Year 12) aftercompeting in the CAS Hurdles

Ben Marshall (Year 9) crossing theline at the CAS Championships

26

Rugby

Rugby at the College is on the way forward. This yearhas seen the game ‘they play in heaven’ given a new

impetus and profile in the College. Numbers ofparticipants are increasing and so too are the skill levelsand fitness of all players.

I have now arranged for Rugby to be administered as awhole-College programme from the mighty Under 9sthrough to the 1st XV. This has proven beneficial alreadyas the energy and enthusiasm at the College is movingforwards.

Over 30 Opens and Under 16s players attended a 4-daypre-season camp at Ulladulla, where they received someexcellent coaching for the season ahead.

A 5-year development plan to improve rugby at the Collegehas been initiated. Some of our first year goals are alreadybeing achieved with 22 players from the Opens, Under16sand Under 12s participating on a weeklong rugbydevelopment trip to Brisbane, Toowoomba and Warwick.This is intended to be an annual trip highlighting theimportance to develop rugby throughout the College.

Results and reports of this trip will feature in the nextedition of the Aloysiad. An ARU Level 1 Coach has beenappointed to each team in the College. College headgear(in Blue and Gold of course!) has been designed and allplayers have been encouraged to wear it to all trainingsessions and games.

As a College we find it, at times, difficult to dominatesome of our competitors who have much larger class sizesand offer ‘interesting’ scholarships. However, we havesome great homegrown talent for which much is expected.Particularly, the Under 14s Age Group is very strong andhas good depth of talent. The Under 15s and16s haveparticularly strong “A” sides and extremely willing “B”sides, which have already caused some major upsets usingtheir tenacity as their guide.

The Opens age group are extremely fit and mobile. This isthanks largely to PDHPE teacher Mr Ben Gavan, whoinstituted a fitness program for all sportsmen in the SeniorSchool from the start of Term IV last year. The 1st XVsquad have fitness, speed and a vast range of skills, whichhelps them, make up for a weight advantage they may giveaway to some slovenly opponents.

In the Junior School, the enthusiasm of players justlearning the game is extremely pleasing. With the addedfocus of the Australian Rugby Union’s “Smart Rugby”Programme, which promotes safety and confidence incontact, the numbers and abilities of players in the JuniorSchool is dramatically on the rise. The mighty Under 9sare proving unstoppable, and the other age groups areplaying well above their weight, with some excellentresults thus far, particularly in the Under 11s group.

A full report of the Aloysian Rugby season will appear inthe next edition of the Aloysiad. I am contactable on anyrugby matters via email rugby@staloysius.nsw.edu.au.

Keep an eye out for the College rugby newsletter,complete with match reports, “The Good, The Bad andthe RUGBY” which will appear in Term III.

Here’s Looking forward to an enjoyable, safe andsuccessful CAS competition.

Mr Frank ClarkeMaster in Charge

David Coburn ( Year 12)

Dates to RememberPlease note that Debating follows the CAS draw

but is held on the preceeding Friday night.

July 27thRugby/Soccer v Cranbrook School (home)

CAS RoundAugust 3rdRugby/Soccer v Barker College (away)August 10thRugby/Soccer v Knox Grammar (home)August 17thRugby/Soccer v Christian Brothers College Waverly (home)August 24thRugby/Soccer v Trinity Grammar (home)August 31stRugby/Soccer v Cranbrook School (away)

27

Senior Chess Team Term 1

Once Chess was regarded as a game for men.Today women, boys and girls are playing it too.Chess games are not dull, with its many

combinations and rich possibilities of play it isinexhaustible as a means of entertainment. Every gamesprings some new surprise. Chess has educational valueand its ethical value encourages clean play. Chess teachespatience, clear thinking, courage and it also promotesgood sportsmanship.

This Chess Season has been very encouraging, we havefielded three full Chess Teams, with a number of boysacting as reserves.

This Season has been unique as every Tuesday andThursday at lunchtime the Chess Room is full with manyenthusiastic players practicing to improve their skills andenjoying a Chess Game.

This year the support from students, friends, parentsand teachers and team members has been outstanding.

As far as games are concerned, we have had some verygood games, a few close encounters, but mainly it has beena very successful season. The Team Members have beenvery competitive, committed, reliable, supportive and itfeels good to be part of such a dedicated group.

We would like this commitment to continue, in orderto strengthen and improve our skills, knowledge andunderstanding of this fine game. Dedication anddetermination will only bring victories, and should be ourvision. “Ad Majora Natus”.

We would like to thank Ms Zingarelli and Rev FrHead SJ for their great support and assistance throughoutthe season, which has contributed enormously in a verypositive note to the success of the Chess Season.

Alexander Lasky (Year 11)Captain

Intermediate Chess Term 1 Report

The Chess season of 2002 began on Friday 8February. The Intermediate Team, whichconsisted of Tom Larcher (Captain), Tyann

Young, Diran Fabricatrian and Mark Walden (all Year 9)were all desperate to begin the new season of chess with afew good victories.

These victories came soon enough for the intermediateteam against Barker College with a 3-1 victory.Unfortunately the next rounds weren’t as lucky. In Round2, the entire team lost except for a fabulous statement byDiran Fabricatorian. In Round 3, Tyann Young and TomLarcher pulled off two incredibly difficult statementsagainst CBC Waverley to bring the score to a 1-3 loss.Then after this came Round 4, the dreaded Round 4. Theintermediates and the seniors both lost, with thedisappointing scores of a 4-0 loss against Knox. The last

round of the season was Round 5. Tyann Young was theonly player to achieve a victory against the powerfulCranbrook team, bringing the score total to a close 1-3 loss.

All in all the season was an interesting one. Apart fromthe losses and few victories, the team remained happy withtheir result and hope to improve their skills for thechallenges that the next season may hold. The team learntmany valuable lessons through their mistakes and lookforward to having a better second season in the chessleague.

Tom Larcher (Year 9)

Junior Chess Team Term 1

The Junior Chess team for 2001 had quite asuccessful out come. We won 1 of our rounds lost2 and drew 1 match.

All the games that we played were very close and aboutfour of them were very unlucky losses.

To start the Term rolling we had a large amount ofapplicants, which totalled 32 so it was a very large poolfrom which we drew the team.

The final team was composed of Alexander Bryden,Mark Slaven, Joel Mortimer and Peter Farmankis andEdwin Nelson (all Year 7).

The first week we played Barker where unfortunatelywe lost. However an exciting close game was played byAlex Bryden on Board 1. This match fired all of us for therest of the season which was most exciting. We are nowpreeparing for another successful season in Term III in theJunior Chess League.

Edwin Nelson (Year 7)

Divine intervention in the YellowPages!

Looking through the Yellow Pages to find someonewho could restore the brassware in the CollegeChapel, I thought I’d try a listing in Manly Vale as

it was close to the College. As it was my first call, Iexplained that I was secretary on the P&F at St Aloysius’College and I was looking to restore brassware items in ourChapel, do you do this sort of work? Imagine my surprisewhen the reply was, No, but I will! A little taken aback Ihesitated. John Garling (SAC 1982) then introducedhimself as an Old Boy and immediately asked after Rev FrSchneider SJ. He was thrilled to hear he was still activelyinvolved with the College as he had many fond memoriesof him. In fact John would not discuss quotes, he insistedthis was his gift to the College. Thankyou very much Johnon behalf of the P&F and the College for so generouslyrestoring every piece of brassware that Rev Fr SchneiderSJ found. A great Aloysian spirit!

Helen GoodenP&F Committee

28

Social Justice at St Aloysius’s College has become muchmore dynamic in the last six months. Formerly, the groupwas known as the St Vincent de Paul Society. We felt that

this title described just a small part of what the group aimed todo. As a result we have “morphed” into the Social Justice Society.

The group has now expanded its range of activities. Newinitiatives this year have included the Sbox forum and volunteerwork at the hostel for homeless men operated at St Canice’sParish in Kings Cross. These are on top of the fundraisingactivities for charities and our involvement with Life For Kids.

Sbox

Sbox is short for “soapbox” and the aim of the forum is topromote within the college community an awareness ofissues of social concern in our community.

It is hoped the forum will provide the opportunity forstudents to “critique economic, social, political structures in ourworld which are integral to a just social order and which havesignificant effects on the dignity and basic rights of every memberof the human family on this planet.” Inform, Issue 74, July 2001.

Our speakers to date have included Michael Crews whospoke very warmly to the boys about the work of the ExodusFoundation. In particular he spoke of the work the organizationdoes to help students who have been expelled from school to getback into the system in 20 weeks. He emphasised the importanceof literacy by telling the students that 80% of people in jailcannot read or write. Even more worrying was the fact that 85%of homeless men are aged between 35 and 44 years of age.

As a result of Michael’s speech to the school community,students in the senior school brought in cans for the Mass of theSacred Heart in Term II. The response from the boys was verygenerous.

In late June the national Director of Catholic WelfareAustralia and Old Boy of the College, Mr Toby O’Connor (SAC1975), visited the College and spoke of the work of the Churchin the Social Justice area. Toby also spoke of how we canreaddress the imbalance in Australia. As an Old Boy of theCollege it was interesting to hear how Toby credited his socialconscious to the teaching of the Jesuits at St Aloysius’ and howthe style of education offered at the College made him aware ofthe problems that face our society.

Finally, The Social Justice Society was also responsible fororganising our first student mass for 2002. Rev Fr Paul MullinsSJ celebrated the mass for us on May 9. The students organised

the readings, wonderful music and an inspiring reflection aroundthe theme of A Faith that Does Justice.

You can read more about our group on the web! I encourageeveryone to visit www.staloysius.nsw.edu.au and have a look atthe Wednesday Soap Box page.

If you are interested in becoming involved in any aspect ofour work please get in touch.

Miss Margaret BryantCo-ordinator SAC Social Justice Society

Life For Kids

Is a group that has grown from the deep compassion andcommitment of Rev. Fr. Headmaster’s Secretary, Mrs AilsaGillett for the children of the disadvantaged and marginalised.

Mrs Gillett and her energetic band of helpers have developeda support group Life For Kids. The group is involved especially inthe indigenous community around Woolloomooloo. The grouptake the children out to breakfast on a Saturday morning and onoutings to the beach or on a picnic.

The St Aloysius’s Social Justice Committee have enjoyedhelping out with picnics and a Christmas party last year(complete with a slim Santa!). The aim of the group is to give thechildren some time out of difficult domestic and peer situationsand “have a life”, even if it is an hour or two each week. Ourinvolvement has been great fun. We have grown to admire MrsGillett and her boundless energy.

It is quite easy to see the genuine affection the children have forMrs Gillett in particular. No birthday goes by unacknowledged,and quite often it is Mrs Gillett and her group that provide newschool shoes or a box of groceries for a family in need. She hasearned a great deal of respect from the Woolloomooloo community.

Mrs Gillett is a great example of the Jesuit call to be “awoman for others”.

Donations to Life For Kids can be sent to the College.Volunteers are always welcome! For more information contactthe College on 9922 1177

Social Justice at SAC

Social Justice Committee members with children from ‘Life for Kids’

Social Justice Committee members with Toby O’Connor (SAC 1975)

29

Social Justice in Action“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapesbut in having new eyes”.

On Thursday 6 June, my eyes were opened when I took avoyage into a world that I’ve never been to before. It wasa world quite foreign to me yet it was only 6 kilometres

from my school gate. I was not sure what to expect. I consideredthat it would be similar to my experiences in my CommunityInvolvement, which was with people with multiple disabilities.My original assumption would turn out to be very wrong.

On the evening of Thursday 6 June, Patrick Tai (Year 12),Rory Maguire (Year 12) and myself accompanied by MissBryant, went to St. Canice’s in Kings Cross. St. Canice’s Churchis a place where people who live on the streets can come by andpick up some tea or coffee and a bite to eat and stay the night inbeds set up in a hall.

In the beginning I felt quite intimidated by this ‘new’world, not only was I in a suburb that I was unfamiliar with, butI was amongst people who have huge social prejudices againstthem. After socialising with these men for a while, I soon cameto the conclusion however, that the ground that these socialprejudices stand on is not very solid. As I watched theseprejudices fall into pieces in front of my eyes I began to see thereal world that these people live in and the real personalitiesbehind the faces.

What we did was to make up beds (complete with hospitalcorners my Mum would have been proud of!), make the tea orcoffee as required and make toast or a bread roll with jam orvegemite. After filling up our newfound friends till they weresatisfied we began to chat with them, thus beginning my voyageof discovery. We talked to a number of people that night.

One man I remember was “Jason”. “Jason” is a great guy, hehas a great sense of humour and was easy to chat to and readilyshared his life story with a complete stranger (me). His story islike so many, he fell into drug use and his schoolwork fell away.In his own words he “completely wasted the opportunity” to getan education. As a result he can’t read and write. He only “uses”twice a week now he says. “Jason” would be about mid-twenties.It was a bit shocking to see a guy close to my age forced to liveon the street, but after a few minutes of talking to him my shocksoon turned to compassion.

At 10pm it was time to leave. We had set out that eveningthinking we would be helping others. I was really mistaken as atthe end of the evening I realised that I had gained far more fromthis experience than the men at the hostel would get from a cupof coffee and a bed.

This night remains in my memory as a night where I wasintroduced into a foreign world and through new eyes andexperiences, I found the flaws behind some social prejudices ofpeople who live on the streets, and I can now see the good behindpeople who help others and the rewards in stepping out of thesafe boundaries we set ourselves, and taking voyages into placesthat may intimidate us a little.

Tim Hunt (Year 12)St Aloysius’ College Social Justice Society

The Place of Social Justice At SAC…Where to from here?

In the recent College review all members of the CollegeCommunity named Social Justice as a priority for our futureplanning. A group has been convened to address this and

decide how to implement the priorities. Currently a group ofinterested and experienced staff led by Miss Margaret Bryant arediscussing the approach we can take to develop and enhance asense of Social Justice in our College community.

Titled A Faith that Does Justice, our recommendations to thereview will include strengthening ties with Jesuit Social Servicesand involving the parent and Young Old Boys in initiatives andoutreach programmes.

Our discussions have been lively and include the expertise ofMr Nick Boys ( Junior School), Mrs Ailsa Gillett (a Director ofLife for Kids and Father Headmaster’s Secretary) as well asReligious Education teacher Miss Hannah Tancred. Mr JohnCochrane, Miss Madeline Smith and Rev Fr Iain Radvan SJrepresent the Senior School Staff on the Committee. We lookforward to giving our final recommendations to the College.

Santa Claus (Phillip Emmanuel, Year 12) distributes gifts to children from ‘Life for Kids’

THE JESUIT REFUGEE SERVICEwarmly invites you to

A Melbourne Cup Luncheonat the ANA Hotel, The Rocks

on November 5, 2002 from 12 noon

Guest of HonourSir Gerard Brennan AC KBE

Cost $85

Table bookings/enquiries:Felicity Coughlan: 9960 4154 H, Ailsa Gillett: 9960 3170 HThis will be a spectacular highlight of the year so gather friends for amarvellous day. It will also be an opportunity to support the extensivework of The Jesuit Refugee Service both in Australia and overseas.

The Jesuit Refugee Service seeks prospective volunteers for a multiplicity oftasks – lawyers, dentists and doctors, visitors to detention centres, teach-ers for camps and schools, administrative and friend/fundraising activities.

Please phone JRS 9356 3888.

POPS

POPS, the Parents of Past Students movement cameinto being in 1989. We began with 47 names on ourmailing list and we presently have 198 families who are

members of the group. Along the way some of our membershave passed away, others have moved and not left aforwarding address and others have slipped off the family treedue to busy lives and other commitments, like grandchildren,and in some cases sadly, ill health.

We do not have a joining fee and we only meet twiceyearly, and pay $10 per person to cover the cost of the stamps,the food and the drinks. We cover cost and on someoccasions have donated to one worthy cause or anotherthrough the College. We have a midday Mass in winterfollowed by a sausage sizzle on the 4th floor and a 6pm Massin December followed by a Cocktail Party on the 4th FloorRooftop Garden.

The idea of POPS is to keep in touch with the Collegeonce the last son has left the school and to catch up withfriends made during that time and involvement with St Aloysius’.

Our next function on Sunday December 8th is a specialoccasion as we will farewell the Headmaster, Rev Fr TonySmith SJ, so we hope to have a good representation of POPS,old and new, to say goodbye to him. There will be a Mass inthe Chapel at 6pm followed by a Cocktail party on the 4thFloor Roof Top Garden.

Any past parents of the College, or parents whoseyoungest son is in Year 12 this year, who would like to jointhe group, is asked to complete the membership form andreturn it to the College.

Please return the information to me care of the College.For any enquiries call after 6pm on 4975 4376 any day.

Pat KennedyPOPS Co-ordinator

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Parents & Friends

POPS Membership Form

Name: ................................................................

Name of sons:....................................................

Years attended SAC: .........................................

Address:.............................................................

...........................................................................

Telephone No:...................................................

Fax No:..............................................................

Email: ................................................................

Please complete and return to:Mrs Pat Kennedy 47 Upper Pitt Street,

Milsons Point NSW 2061 or fax to 02 9929 6414.

P&F Report

Early this term we celebrated Mothers Day, whichseems to becoming a tradition, by having a lunchat the College Oval on Thursday 9 May. It was a

glorious sunny day and the Pavilion was transformed intoan elegant dining room with white tablecloths andbeautiful multicoloured roses and petals. Threegenerations of ladies enjoyed a delightful meal served tothem by two Old Boys Nick Edwards (SAC 2000) andRussell Skinner (SAC 2000).

At our Forum on 14 May we were fortunate enough tohave Rev Fr Richard Leonard SJ as our guest speakerenlightening us on Jesuit Vocations in a most entertainingway.

Our annual Card Day was held on 13 June and I thinkthose who worked in the kitchen enjoyed themselves asmuch as the card players.

As another way for us to get together this term westarted our Fabulous Foodie Tours. Under the guidance ofMaeve O’Meara forty ladies discovered Little Italy inHaberfield and our eyes were opened to a new side of foodin Sydney. We had a delicious lunch and tasted manydifferent delights ranging from Italian sausages towonderful Italian biscuits and cakes as we were shownaround many varied businesses. On 20 June we went a bitfurther afield and investigated the fascinating food ofTurkish Sydney on our day out in Auburn. As well atasting a myriad of delights ranging from Turkish Pizzato, of course, Turkish Delight we were fortunate enoughto be taken on a tour of the Gallipoli Mosque – amagnificent insight into another culture! Next term we aregoing to visit Little Portugal (in Petersham) – somethingto look forward to! Also we are holding a fashion paradeand lunch on Friday 23 August in the Great Hall andhope to see you there.

Roberta PaveyPresident

Mothers visit ‘Little Italy”

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Mooving Art Exhibition

The Year 6 students of St Aloysius’ College wereasked to participate in the Mooving Art Exhibition,which was held in Sydney from March to

June 2002.

This Exhibition consists of fibreglass cows beingplaced in the city landscape, appearing in areas wherepeople work, shop, eat and play. These fibreglass cows willhave been painted by leading Australian artists and somewill be sold at auctions at the end of the exhibition, withthe proceeds going to various charitable organizations.

Our part in this exhibition was to paint the barn atDarling Harbour, which will become the place where anycow that needs to be fixed or paint touched up will come.This was a great opportunity for the boys to be part of alarge art event in their own city.

After having completed the barn at Darling Harbouron 26 March, the public relations company offered theJunior School their own cow to paint. This cow named bythe students “Born for Greater Beef ” was placed outsideCustoms House of the month of June. Many aspects ofthe Junior School life were depicted on our cow; sport,music, religion, computers, library and art.

Melissa MushanArt Co ordinator Junior School

Junior School Boys involved in painting the Mooving ArtExhibition

Surf Lifesaving

Whilst Surf Lifesaving is not an official Collegesport, a number of boys are members of SurfLifesaving Clubs and compete in local and

regional competitions on weekends. Tom Mathew (Year7), Dominic Monckton (Year 11), Jon Daley (Year 11),Michael McCooe (Year 11), Damien Pasfield (Year 11),Oliver Loomes (Year 10) and Alex Jones (Year 11) are allmembers of the North Steyne Club.

A number of the boys from North Steyne competed inthe State Lifesaving Championships at Swansea –Belmont in March. The boys trained hard to do well intheir races and win a place in the NationalChampionships. The effort the boys put into theirtraining paid off with four boys traveling to Kurrawa inQueensland for the National Titles held in late March.

ResultsDominic Monckton (Year 11)U/19 Board Relay Final (Qualified for Nationals)Damien Pasfield (Year 11)U/16 Board Relay Semi Final (Qualified for Nationals)Jon Daley (Year 11)U/19 Double Ski Final (Qualified for Nationals)U/16 Board Relay Semi Final (Qualified for Nationals)Alex Jones (Year 11)1st Place - U/16 Champion Lifesaver (Qualified for Nationals)

After battling shark-infested waters, the boyscompeted with over 7,000 top competitors from all overAustralia the competition was tough. The boys can bejustifiably proud of their achievements, given that they dothis sport on a part time basis and they were competing ina national competition.

ResultsDamien Pasfield (Year 11) U/16 Surf Swim Semi FinalsAlex Jones (Year 11) 8th Place Open Champion Lifesaver

The boys look forward to competing in the upcomingseason and improving on their results this year.

Damien Pasfield, Jon Daley and Dominic Monckton (all Year 11)at the National Surflifesaving Championships at Kurrawa Beach in Queensland.

32

From the Archives

1884 to 1902: Bourke Street, Darlinghurst - second site of St Aloysius’ College from The Express, 9 February 1887; drawing courtesy State Library of NSW

1890 St Aloysius’ College - First Class Back Row: Austin Curran, ?, Cecil Riley, Ernie O’Connor, George Ahern, Bob Crowe, Harold Curtis, Leslie Bridge,

?, Harold Broinowski2nd Back Row: Mick Shannon, ?, Ernest McGrath, Alf Sippel, Rev W Power SJ, D O’Meara,

C Barrington, Humphrey Oxenham, Victor Cronin, ?2nd Front Row: Paddy Flemming, ?, Ernie O’Dowd, Jack Mandible, ?, George Cronin, Lionel Cahill, Cecil Cahill

Front Row: ?, Gus Curran, Jack Toohey, Burchill Benbow, W Curtis

33

2002 ... Centenary of the last year of theCollege at the Bourke Street site

1902 - a year when Sydneysiders were absorbed withAustralians fighting the Boers, the franchise for womenand test cricket success against England, the JesuitFathers were agonizing over the future of the College.How would they solve the pressing problem of lack ofspace ? Would they simply close the doors or would theymove for a second time? Bourke Street had proved to bean unsuitable site in a somewhat unsavoury area. Apartfrom overcrowding, the boys were subjected to regularabuse from the local lads who did not appreciate theJesuit ideals of ‘a Catholic gentleman with a cultivatedmind’.

The solution came with the proposal to move to Milson’sPoint, a district seen as the gateway to the North Shore.Trains, trams and ferry services were encouragingresidential growth and offered easier transport for theboys. A Jesuit parish was already established in the area.The problem was solved until the late 1950s when thequestion of overcrowding loomed once more.

Ms Gerri Nicholas, College Archivist Tel: 9954 4454

Extract from original fees ledger for 1894. Charles Murray was the grandfather of Old Aloysian, Peter Murray (SAC 1965), killed during the Vietnam War.

1897: Program for annual prize-giving, held in Sydney’sfirst Opera House, York St. Guests were entertained with a gymnastics display on parallel bars, orchestral pieces andscenes from Moliere’s comedy, Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme.

Roll of Honour Commemorative PublicationMany thanks to those in the Aloysian family whoresponded to my plea for information relating toOld Aloysians who lost their lives in the variouswars. Research and writing are progressing well.The book will be launched on Armistice Day. Thisis a final plea for any snippets, family recollectionsor suggestions for contact with relatives of ...

WWI - Harold Barraclough, Richard Horan,Frank Bauer, George Willlmott, Joseph Dease, Fred Doyle, Myles Fitzgerald, Geoff McLaughlin,Daly Mugliston and Fred Vincent

WWII - John Dallas, Joe Hamlet and Con Page

Please contact Gerri Nicholas, College Archivist, 9954 4454, Tues. & Wed,

or Gerri.Nicholas@staloysius.nsw.edu.au

new honourboards which will be held in conjunction with thelaunch of the book, Men for Others written by the CollegeArchivist, Mrs Gerri Nicholas.

Men for Others pays tribute to those Old Boys of theCollege who died whilst serving their nation. The booklaunch will be held on Monday 11 November, commencingwith a Remembrance Day Ceremony to be held in theCollege Chapel at 11.00 am. Light refreshments will beserved in the Foyer of the Great Hall at the conclusion of theunveiling and book launch. Dress for the event is LoungeSuit or Uniform for serving members of the defence forceand medals.

To RSVP for the event please call Trish Flynn in theCollege Development Office on 02 9922 1177 or e-mailtrish.flynn@staloysius.nsw.edu.au

34

Our Unknown Soldier

This wonderful photograph in sepia was taken bySidney Riley Studios, Pitt Street, Sydney. It is part of a collection of unidentified photographs saved by

the late Rev Fr Conway SJ. Does anyone recognise this young AIF soldier?

This is a tantalising mystery for me because there are afew Old Aloysians who died during WWI for whom I do nothave a photograph to include in my book, Men for Others. Is this Harold Barraclough or George Willmott, killed atGallipoli? Is it Daly Mugliston, Gus Curtis or Joseph Deasewho lost their lives on the Western Front? Perhaps it issomeone who survived and whose family were spared thetragic loss?

If anyone recognised this young unknown soldier, pleasecontact me on 9954 4454 - Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Gerri NicholasCollege Archivist

War Honourboards

As reported in previous editions of the Aloysiad, theCollege is keen to update the Honourboards of Old

Boys who served in times of War. A number of people havecontacted the College to update their details or to report arelative or classmate.

The following list contains names recently reported.They will be listed on a new honourboard to be erected in theFoyer of the Great Hall.

Anyone wishing to make an addition or alteration to thelist is asked to contact Murray Happ (SAC 1985) in theDevelopment Office on 02 9929 4692 before 30 August 2002.

Veterans, descendants of veterans or classmates of thosewho served are cordially invited to attend the unveiling of the

Archives

Boer WarRobert William Lenehan SAC 1883+ Jack Ferris SAC 1882

World War IIGeorge Thomas Franki SAC 1944Desmond Maxwell (Max) O’Connor SAC 1907

KoreaRussell McNamara SAC 1940John Morgan SAC 1943

Malaya and Borneo+ James Decent SAC 1952Brian Roland Honner SAC 1955Russell McNamara SAC 1940Ewart John O’Donnell AM, MC SAC 1954Michael Peters SAC 1954

VietnamReg Beesley SAC 1955Michael Carroll SAC 1957Richard Donnelly SAC 1964Brian Roland Honner SAC 1955Anthony Lanarch-Jones SAC 1954Peter Naughton SAC 1955Ewart John O’Donnell AM, MC SAC 1954John O’Donnell SAC 1963David Paul SAC 1957Anthony Perriman SAC 1951Michael Peters SAC 1954Peter John Saxton SAC 1964

East TimorLuke Baily SAC 1994John Cunningham SAC 1988Kurt Black-Sinclair SAC 1995John Flynn SAC 1963Andrew George SAC 1993Robert Lusby SAC 1964James Murray SAC 1989Peter John Saxton SAC 1964Mark Shephard SAC 1981Damian Short SAC 1989

+ Killed in Action

35

letyour

memories guide the futureRemember the days that you spent studying at

St Aloysius’ College that helped you develop

throughout your life. The lasting friendships you

made. Seeing the city develop and grow from the

windows of the College. Being a part of a College

sporting or co-curricular team. These memories

remain not only with you but also for many others

since and will do so for generations to come.

St Aloysius’ College has been educating young

men in Sydney since 1879.

As the College approaches its 125th anniversary,

we ask you to consider remembering the College

when you prepare your will and leave a legacy that

will benefit the generations of Aloysians to come.

By doing so you will assist young men with an

excellent academic education.

Your gift will be allocated to whatever you specify.

This may be in the form of a Bursary to support

a needy student, the Building Fund to enhance the

physical developments of the College or the

Library Fund to provide more academic resources

for the boys.

If you would like further information on the

College Bequest Programme, please contact any

of the following;

Murray Happ (SAC 1985) on 9929 4692Hon John Kearney QC (SAC 1937)on 9922 1177Rev Fr A V Smith SJ on 9922 1177

36

From the President

Term II has been a busy one for SACOBU. Itstarted with the Career’s Day for the boys in Year12. For many years this day has been sponsored

by SACOBU, as the Union sees it of one way that we canassist the boys as the prepare to leave school and enter theworkforce. The focus was again on preparing a resumé,although to add a new dimension to the day, Tony Birrell(SAC 2000) spoke about the cadetship he has at one ofthe major accounting firms, whilst Michael Crowe (SAC1986) spoke to the boys about the importance of resuméand interview preparation.

The highlight of the SACOBU calendar is theAnnual Dinner and this year was no exception. Followingthe success of last year’s return to Milsons Point, it wasagain decided to hold the Dinner there, although it wasmoved to the larger function room at the Kirribilli Club.I was pleasantly surprised to see so many of the youngerOld Boys attend; over half those attending had beenstudents at the College while Rev Fr Smith wasHeadmaster. Of course, many attended to say “farewell’to Rev Fr Smith, but they clearly enjoyed themselves andhopefully will become regulars at future Dinners. Thisyounger generation of Old Boys has much to offerSACOBU and I would encourage them to becomeactively involved in its activities and thus ensure that it isrelevant to their generation. As noted in the adjoiningreport on the Dinner, we were fortunate that theinstallation of the new Chapel organ had been completedahead of schedule and those attending the Mass wereable to hear its first public playing.

Between writing this report and the publication of theAloysiad, the annual bar-b-que for the previous Year 12will be held. This is always a popular event and I’m surethis year’s will be the same. A report will be included inthe next edition of the Aloysiad.

This year the annual SACOBU Golf Day will be heldon at the Manly Golf Club on Thursday 29 August.Places for this event always fill fast so I encourage thegolfers, both men and women, in the Aloysiad communityto RSVP early. Further details can be found on the insertthat appears below or by calling Greg Lambert (SAC1967) on 9967 2990 (home).

Finally, I would remind those attending the IndianBazaar, which this year is being held on Saturday 21September, to drop by and support the SACOBUchocolate wheel. Anyone interested in staffing the OldBoys Wheel is asked to call Paul Quoyle (SAC 1961) on9419 7366 (home).

Ad Majora Natus

Bernie Egan (SAC 1967)President

SACOBU 2002 Annual Dinner

Around 180 Old Boys attended this year’s dinner,which was held at the Kirribilli Club. In adeparture from the recent tradition, there was not

a guest speaker but instead the theme of the evening was atribute to Rev Fr Smith SJ, who will complete his term asHeadmaster at the end of Term I, 2003.

Three Old Boys provided different perspectives onRev Fr Smith’s term as Headmaster. Hon John KearneyQC KCSG (SAC 1938) spoke from the perspective ofhis involvement on the College Council and also praisedRev Fr Smith’s pastoral work. Michael Donohoe (SAC1967) reflected on being a President of SACOBU duringFr Smith’s term and also as a parent, who has had at leastone boy at the College for all but the first couple of yearsthat Rev Fr Smith was Headmaster. The student’sperspective, including some legendary anecdotes, wasprovided by Ben Farmer (SAC 1994), Captain of theCollege in 1994.

Prior to the Dinner, Rev Fr Smith celebrated Mass atthe recently re-opened College chapel. The highlight ofthat part of the evening was the first public playing of thenew organ. It was great to see so many Old Boys at theDinner and there was a good spread of years from the1940’s to the Class of 2001. Mr Geoff Deegan (SAC Staff1951 – 1985) also came to the Dinner and Mass.

S.A.C.O.B.UST. ALOYSIUS’ COLLEGE OLD BOYS UNION

1960’s leavers at the Dinner

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2002 ALOYSIAN GOLF DAYMANLY GOLF CLUB Balgowlah Road, Manly

Thursday 29th August, 2002Lunch from 11.00 am – SHOTGUN start 12 noon sharp!

Ambrose Competition – All WelcomeLots of Prizes – Best Teams, Nearest the Pin, and More!

All Members of the Aloysian Family are welcome – Old Boys, Past Parents, Parents & Friends

COST: GOLF, PRIZES, LUNCH & SUPPER – only $110 (incl GST)

Name: ......................................................................................................................................................................................

Address: ...................................................................................................................................................................................

Telephone: (W) ...................................... (M) .................................. Email: ...................................................................

Handicap: ......................... Social Player: .......................... I enclose cheque for $ ..............................................................

Complete if applicable: I am in a Four Ball consisting of MYSELF and

2. ............................................................ 3. .......................................................... 4. ..........................................................

I am a member of a Four Ball organised by ............................................................................................................................

please debit my: ❏ Bankcard ❏ M/Card ❏ Visa

No:

Exp. Date: ................... Name of Card:................................................. Signature: ...............................................................

All correspondence directly to: Greg Lambert P.O. Box 271 ARTARMON 1570

ENQUIRES: Greg Lambert (SAC 1967) (W) 9906-5377 (Mob) 0411 644 820 (F) 9906-5481Kevin Emanuel (SAC 1967) (W) 9262-6777 (Mob) 0411 150 452 (F) 9262-5757

PAYMENT: Cheques payable to ‘SACOBU’ – PRIOR TO THE DAY – to confirm booking

St Aloysius’ College Privacy Collection Notice

1. We may collect personal information about you from time totime. The primary purpose of collecting this information is toenable us to inform you about our activities and the activitiesof St Aloysius’ College and to keep alumni members informedabout other members.

2. We must have the information referred to above to enable usto continue your membership of St Aloysius’ College Old BoysUnion.

3. As you know, from time to time we engage in fundraisingactivities. The information received from you may be used tomake an appeal to you. It may also be used by St Aloysius’College and St Aloysius’ College Foundation Limited to assistthem in their fundraising activities. If you do not agree to this,please advise us now.

4. St Aloysius’ College Old Boys Union may publish details aboutyou in the Aloysiad and the College’s website. If you do notagree to this you must advise us now.

5. You may seek access to personal information collected aboutyou by contacting the Director of Development care of theCollege.

6. If you provide personal information to us about other people,we encourage you to inform them of the above matters.

1955 Reunion Lunch

At the Inaugural Lunch held last year, Rev Fr Ian Dillon SJ, Mr Geoff Deegan

and Mr Hal Power were made Honorary Members of the Class of 1955.

The second Annual Class Luncheon will be held on Nov 1 2002,

at the Kirribilli Club (RSL) at 1pm. The Lunch will be preceded by a Mass

in the College Chapel at 12 noon.

For further enquiries please call Paul Lenehan

(SAC 1955) on 0408 064 948.

✁

38

S.A.C.O.B.UST. ALOYSIUS’ COLLEGE OLD BOYS UNION

Old Boys News

1945Trader Faulkner, star of many Aloysian Gilbert andSullivan productions, is a well-known actor living

in London. A book version of his recent one-man London showcalled ‘Loosing My Marbles’ will be launched in London inOctober and released in Sydney before Christmas.

1948Professor Jacques Miller has been recently awardedthe Copley Medal by the Royal Society. The Medal

is the most prestigious award that can be conferred by the RoyalSociety which was founded in 1645. Previous winners of theCopley Medal include Captain James Cook, Charles Darwinand Albert Einstein. Jacques has been honoured for his discoveryof the immunological function of the thymus and Tlymphocytes. This discovery revolutionised understanding ofhow the immune system operates, thereby influencing vaccinedevelopment. He was also honoured in Australia with theFaulding Florey Medal 2000. The College salutes Jacques’ careerand his important work in the field of medical research.

1952Graham Rouse recently appeared in the play“Spinning into Butter” at the Ensemble Theatre.

1959Professor Charles Watson is the Executive Dean ofHealth Sciences at the Centre for International

Health at Curtin University in Western Australia. Charles isinvolved in research into mapping the brain. Twenty years agoCharles co-released an acclaimed atlas of the rat brain – now thesecond most cited text in the field of neuroscience. He is nowworking on an atlas of a chickens’ brain. It is hoped that thiswork will allow scientists to develop a greater understanding ofthe development and abnormalities of the human brain. In hisspare time Charles is the Convenor of the Coalition for GunControl and is involved in a number of medical committees.

1962Colin O’Connor was installed as a Judge of theDistrict Court of NSW on 24 June 2002.

Colin joins John Maguire (SAC 1952), Tony Puckeridge (SAC1955) and Terry Christie (SAC 1959) on the District CourtBench, whilst Tim Studdert (SAC 1952) sits on the NSWSupreme Court.

1971John Kramer was recently appointed as a part-timelecturer at Coffs Harbour Campus of the School

for Rural Health, Faculty of Medicine, at the University ofNSW. His special interests are in Aboriginal Health andPalliative Care. Any Old Aloysians either working in RuralMedicine or Living in the Coffs Harbour area are encouraged tocontact John. (Please contact the Development Office at theCollege for John’s contact details)

1972Tim Hayman has just taken up new appointmentas Pastor of North Manly Baptist Church, having

gained a Bachelor of Ministry. Prior to his appointment Timtaught at various private schools for 18 years.

1974Damian Macey is currently Unit Manager of DMacey Film Services. He is currently coordinating

location logistics for a joint Channel 9 and BBC production“Don’t Blame Me” for viewing later this year.

1975For the past 18 years Pastor de Lasala has beenteaching senior French and Latin at SCECGS

Redlands. He is still very involved in playing the harpsichord andthe pipe organ where he specialises in 17th and 18th CenturyFrench Music. He is a Councillor for the Organ Historical Trustof Australia and has been Parish Organist at Sacred Heart

Mosman for the past 24 years. Pastor is currently recording his3rd organ CD and has published numerous musicaltranscriptions. Over the past 20 years he has recorded numerousradio programmes for 2MBS-FM. Pastor travels to Franceannually where he has played the organ at a number of venueswhich include the Royal Chapels of Versailles andFontainebleau, Poitiers, Orleans, Toulouse, Albi, Paris, StRaphael, St Maximin, Bourges, Lille and Strasbourg.

Mark McGuire was recently appointed as Associate Professor inMedicine at Sydney University. Mark also practices as aCardiologist at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

David Buchanan married Francoise in January 2001. Their firstchild, Yannick was born in October 2001.

1976Simon Rice is the President of Australian Lawyersfor Human Rights and President of the Law

Foundation of New South Wales. He was awarded a Medal ofthe Order of Australia (OAM) in the Queen’s Birthday HonoursList. Simon was awarded the Order of Australia for service to thelaw and to the community through the Law Foundation of NewSouth Wales, and for commitment to the provision of legalassistance and advice to people who are economically and sociallyvulnerable.

1978Fortunato Pezzimenti recently held an exhibition ofhis works at the Carmichael Gallery in Roseville.

After many years of suppressing his skills as a painter, he finallywent back to painting in 1998. Fortunato is married to Paula andhas a son Valentino.

Hugh Darwell married Kerryann White at St Francis Xavier,Lavender Bay on 2 March.

1983Tony Kinnear was recently appointed CEO ofSoftlaw Corp, a Canberra based company that

provides Legislative Processing Technology to Governmentagencies in Australia and the UK. Prior to his recentappointment, Tony was the CEO of Butterworths in Asia andAustralia for 5 years.

1984Peter MacMillan is the Managing Director of hiscompany Alliance E-Finance. The company is

based in Sydney with office in Melbourne and Brisbane. Peter ismarried to Lucy and they have two daughters, Siena andMatisse.Roger Harris is working in the Emergency Department at RoyalNorth Shore Hospital. He and his wife Elizabeth live inWilloughby with their children. Their son Thomas is in Year 6at the College.

1985Michael Taylor is completing his Diploma inEducation this year. Michael has just completed a

prac at Chatswood High School and will complete his secondprac at Newington College later this year. For many yearsMichael has worked in the fitness industry and in his spare timeis involved in Roseville Cricket Club along with contemporariesMatthew Hill and Stephen De Lorenzo.

1986Geoff Thompson was awarded a Logie for theMost Outstanding News Reporter at the annual

Logie Awards in Melbourne in April. Geoff is currently postedto New Delhi as the ABC Correspondent to India. His beattakes in the region from Afghanistan to Burma. He has alsocovered events further afield, including reporting from northernAfghanistan during the US attacks on the Taliban and al-Qaedaterrorist forces. Geoff spent many months in East Timor,

39

reporting the independence referendum and the violence thatfollowed, and was part of the ABC’s team covering the coup inFiji. Apart from winning a Logie, Geoff is the winner of twoprestigious Walkley Awards - Australia’s most-respectedjournalism awards - one for ABC Radio and the other for ABCTV. He holds a Bachelor of Laws degree and a Bachelor of Artsdegree with studies in South East Asian history.

Justin Grace has announced his engagement to CarrieVanderweele. Justin works as an accountant for Ernst and Youngin Dallas, Texas. Justin and Carrie plan to marry in October thisyear in the United States.

Ian Seeto is working as an IT Manager for AMP based inSydney and Parramatta. He and his wife Cindy live in Lane Cove.

1988Daniel Kennedy has returned to Australia afterliving in the United States for a number of years.

Whilst in the United States, Daniel worked for Greenpeace inCalifornia. Daniel will commence working for GreenpeaceInternational upon his return.

Peter Mullins has recently recovered from a stroke and is nowworking as an administrator for the Uniting Church in Sydney.

Michael Reade will graduate with his Doctorate in Medicinefrom the University of Oxford in October 2002. He has acceptedthe job of Senior Registrar in Intensive Care Medicine in Oxfordfor a further year. Since leaving school Michael has been amember of the Army Reserve. He spent last Christmas as anAustralian Army Reserve Medical Officer attached to the BritishUN forces in Kosovo. He also hopes to do one more operationaldeployment with the British Army before returning home toAustralia in 2004.

Adrian Molloy moved to the UK at the beginning of 1994following his graduation from Macquarie University inEconomics and Accounting and now lives in Amsterdam withhis fiancé Claire. He is a derivatives trader and is getting marriedin the UK in November.

1989After leaving the College John Biviano studied atthe Australian Catholic University before deferring

and pursuing a career in the IT Industry. Today John is workingas the Australian/New Zealand Country Manager for a USSecurity software company based in Sydney. He marriedGabrielle in the College Chapel to in 1996. They have twochildren, Kate aged 5 and Bill aged 2.

Donovan Melloy, Christian Denny and Damien Reed are allpartners in a number of pubs around Sydney including theCommodore Hotel at McMahons Point and the Woolowich PierHotel at Woolwich. They have recently taken over the Bourbonand Beefsteak Bar at Kings Cross.

1993Luke Carter graduated from Arts Law at theUniversity of NSW in December 2000 and is

currently working as a solicitor for Peter M Wayne andAssociates in Sydney.

David Waddle is a Financial Planner working for an accountingfirm called Account Invest based in Hurstville.

1994Paul Behm has returned to Australia after living inthe UK and Europe for 2 years. Paul is working in

the insurance industry.

1995Lt Tim Sill has been appointed a TroopCommander with the 2/14th Light Horse

Regiment, Reconnaissance Unit based in Brisbane. Tim’s unit

are equipped with Armoured Personnel Carriers and are chargedwith reconnaissance duties with the army. Tim’s is theCommander of A Platoon and as such all vehicles in his Platoonhave names starting with A. It comes as no surprise that there isan armoured personnel carrier charging around Queenslandcalled Aloysius!

1996Greg Behm has graduated as a Doctor ofVeterinary Science and is now practising as a Vet in

Harbord.

1997John Pappas owns a Media Production Business,and has been working as a Lighting Director for

several major TV Stations for the past four years lighting majorshows such as Carols In The Domain, The ARIA Awards, People’sChoice Awards, Logies, Elton John, the Rumba Music Festival andthe Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. He was recently spotted at the2001 SAC Swimming Carnival where he was lighting acommercial featuring Ian Thorpe for Channel 7. John also writesfor a major media industry magazine, and continues to work as avolunteer fire fighter, something he has been doing since Year 10.He will shortly commence full time employment as a FireFighter, whilst juggling his media commitments on his days off.

1998Matthew Wallace is now working at StanleyThompson Valuers and L J Hooker Commercial

North Sydney as a Property Analyst, whilst finishing his finalyear of a Property Economics Degree at the University ofTechnology, Sydney.

2001Mark Chan has been awarded the Gold Duke ofEdinburgh Award. Mark is studying Economics at

Sydney University. Mark has also been elected as the First YearRepresentative of the Australian-Asian Youth Business Council.

RugbyA number of young Old Boys have continued to play rugby sinceleaving the College. In recent years the Lindfield Colts, playingin the Sydney Sub-Districts Competition, has become a populardestination for Old Boys. This year 13 Old Boys are playing forthe Club: Andrew Schubert (SAC 1998), Nick Moore (SAC1998), Sam Nolan (SAC 1999), Alistair Dalzell (SAC 1999),Mike Swain (SAC 1999), Sean Daggett (SAC 1999), DanMcGirr (SAC 1999), Tim Curtin (SAC 1999), Matt Dolce(SAC 1999), Nick Love (SAC 1999), William Christopher(SAC 1999), Mike Williams (SAC 1999) and Russell Skinner(SAC 2000). The side is on top of the competition ladder mid-way through the season and following last year’s Coltspremiership (which contained no less than 13 Old Boys) areattempting to become the only Lindfield team to have won back-to-back premierships.

Births:

1985Tim Sidgreaves and his wife Raelene had a son on3 June. Thomas James Sidgreaves, a brother to

Madeline and Annabel.

1987Richard Johnston and his wife had their first child,Thomas earlier this year.

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S.A.C.O.B.UST. ALOYSIUS’ COLLEGE OLD BOYS UNION

Obituaries:

The College is saddened to hear of the passing of the followingOld Boys of the College. We ask you to remember them andtheir families in your prayers;

Dr John Patrick Edward O’Brien (SAC 1931)Doctor John O’Brien was born on 27thMay 1914 in Mosman. He was thefourth of Edward and Ellen O’Brien’sfive children. He completed hisschooling at St Aloysius (as did his twobrothers, Maurice (SAC 1937) and Paul(SAC 1935), both deceased) where hewas Dux in 1931. He read medicine atthe University of Sydney graduating withhonours. He joined the Royal Australian

Army Medical Corps after his internship and undertook the requiredtraining course for pathologists because he had heard that there wasa need for them in the Army. As well as serving in Darwin, DutchNew Guinea and the Moluccas he was for a time the medical officerthat looked after the interned refugees from the Dunera.

He married Jeanne McMahon in 1943. His doctoral thesis,based on his military experience in the Pacific War, was on miliariarubra and its associated skin disease of prickly heat. This pioneeringwork and later papers on he subject were recognised in the Yearbookof Dermatology for 1950 as “a ‘must’ for all those interested indermatology, climatology, bacteriology, physiology, metabolism andmilitary and industrial medicine; in short, in medicine and biologyin general”. He continued his research work in New York under aFullbright Scholarship and a grant from the RockefellerFoundation.

He developed his Australian pathology practice in Lewisham,Macquarie Street and later opposite the Prince of Wales Hospital.He was the foundation President of the Australasian College ofDermopathology and President of The Royal Australian College ofPathologists from 1969 to 1971.

While his fame in dermopathology had already been established,it was embellished by his work in the 1970’s on the effects of solarand other radiation on the skin, leading to the identification of adisease now described as ‘Actinic Granuloma (O’Brien)’. The latestissue of The American Journal of Dermopathology has two relevantarticles: one a tribute to John’s work. He was far more interested inthe other, which was entitled Actinic Granuloma is a Unique andDistinct Entity.

John is survived by his beloved wife Jeanne, by his son Geoffrey,his daughters Christine and Maria and eleven grandchildren. Hedied from the effects of cancer in the Sacred Heart Hospice,Darlinghurst on 3rd July 2002. His talents went far beyond medicineand research: he was a gifted self-taught photographer, artist andcarpenter. He was a gentle and caring man and a loving husband andfather who will be sorely missed.

Major General Michael O’Brien CSC (Rtd) (SAC 1964)Nephew

Geoff Short (SAC 1955)Geoff started at Aloysius in 1947 and finished in 1955. Our pathscrossed first in 1947 and we remained friends until his death inMarch this year, a total of 55 years. He was much loved andremembered by his peers during those school years, playing football,cricket and travelling to and from his family home in Lane Cove,which he shared with his sister Diana and brothers Adrian (SAC1958), Warwick (SAC 1962), Andrew (SAC 1963) and Graham(SAC 1965).

His career as a financial journalist started when he became acadet at the Sydney Sun and went on from there, including a stint atFleet Street, in London, where he worked during his 20’s.

His marriage to Sister Jan Buckle, of the Royal North ShoreHospital, was a great event in December 1967. Their childrenDamian (SAC 1989), David (SAC 1995), Caroline and Alison wereraised in a loving family and all spoke movingly at their father’sfuneral. Their other son, Richard, died at an early age.

Geoff had a very engaging personality, he knew how to makepeople feel at ease and comfortable and was never judgementalabout others. He could see the strengths in people and was alwaysready to balance a negative comment about someone withsomething positive about them: black and white thinking was notpart of his personality.

He gave generously of his time to helping others, his work withthe Sacred Heart Hospice, the Old Boys Union and the OldAloysian Cricket Club is well known. His wife Jan was a greatcompanion and as a trained nurse, she was a tower of strengthfollowing his cancer diagnosis and during the lengthy treatment heunderwent.

I had many conversations with him over the last few months, atthe Royal North Shore Hospital and at his home. He had numerousvisitors from friends, relatives and old school mates. But it was Jan,through her nursing skills, her loyalty and love for him that enabledhim to die at home as he had requested.

During one particular discussion just a short while before he died,he said “that he had enjoyed a most rewarding and fulfilled life”.

Vale, old friend, Ad Majora Natus

Anthony Kidman (SAC 1955)

Monsignor Lex Johnson (SAC 1957)Lex Johnson was born in Sydney to Alexander and Joan Johnson andeducated at St Aloysius’ College.

He studied for the priesthood at the Springwood and ManlySeminaries and was ordained by Cardinal Gilroy in July 1965.Bishop Pat Power, Auxiliary Bishop of Canberra-Goulburn, saidhis death came as a surprise to everyone. He and MonsignorJohnson had been close friends for more than 40 years – from theday they began their studies at Springwood in February 1959.Lex was his closest friend in the priesthood, and very supportiveof all his brother priests. He even organised an annual reunionfor those in his seminary class, keeping them up to date withnewsletters.

He had no airs and graces about him and related well to peopleat all levels. He was a good honest man. He was never rattled byanything and did a lot of pastoral work in many parishes as well asthe Kings Cross area, before he moved on to his appointment asDean of St Mary’s Cathedral. He will be sadly missed by family,friends and many others whose lives the beloved priest touched. A heart attack claimed the life of Lex who died only a few days afterhe was appointed Parish Priest of St Therese’s Church in Mascot.He was 61.

Darren Hartigan (SAC 1993) Died on the 3 April 2002, after suffering a heart attack.

Eternal Rest grant to them O Lord, may perpetual light shine upon them,

may their Souls and all the Souls of the faithfully departed Old Boys of the College, Rest In Peace.

St Aloysius, pray for us!