A LU M N I
M AG A Z I N E
PELICAN SEMESTER 2, 2020
V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
STRONG CHARACTER.
TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G .
PELICAN: SEMESTER 2, 2020
Photo: Staff v Students Cricket Match
PAGE 2
Alumni Magazine of St Edmund’s College Canberra
Featured in this Edition... Principal’s Report Joe Zavone
Page 4 - 7
Board Chair’s Report Nichole Overall
Page 8 - 9
Carlo Sorrentino Alumni Profile
Page 10 - 15
First XV Rugby Season 2020 Neil Roberts
Page 16 - 19
Craig Wagstaff Alumni Profile
Page 20 - 23
Lara Kirk Community Profile
Page 24 - 26
Lachlan Quinn Alumni Profile
Page 28 - 29
Pat Anderson Community Profile
Page 30 - 33
Peter Gordon Alumni Profile
Page 34 - 37
Michael Wellsmore Alumni Profile
Page 40 - 45
Jason Howe Achievement Highlight
Page 46 - 47
Read the Latest College News @ sec.act.edu.au/news
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PELICAN: SEMESTER 2, 2020
Principal’s Report
V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
STRONG CHARACTER.
TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G .
Joe Zavone College Principal
Semester Two saw us move closer towards a sense of normality after the fragmented nature of Semester One due to the remote learning. But even with our return to school there were still parts of College life which could not return to normal. For the past two years we have been encouraging as many students as possible to attend the Rugby games against Marist on the Heritage Day as well as the Grand Final game – our students turned out in significant numbers and in complete winter school uniform – it was a magnificent sight and really worked to build College spirit in a big way! This year, it was very difficult for me to encourage students not to attend these games because of the COVID restrictions.
Whilst it was wonderful to have a First XV
victory against Marist on both the Heritage Day and in the Grand Final, it would have been a sweeter victory had we had our boys there supporting
Front Steps +
the teams and cheering them on. In the previous edition of The Pelican I wrote about the damage we suffered due to the hailstorm in late January of this year. The bulk of the repair work is now complete, with the roof replaced on all buildings of the school, new covered areas and awnings and many of our classrooms and corridors with new ceilings, light fittings and floor coverings. Out of adversity always comes opportunity, and we welcomed the opportunity to have many parts of the College refurbished. We still have a long way to go in refreshing all areas of the College. We had intended to commence a campaign this year with our ex-students to raise funds for the continued refurbishment of the College, but the COVID environment and economic consequences clearly told us that this was not the year to commence such a project. We will commence this project at some stage next year when we look forward to inviting our old boys to being a meaningful part of the ongoing revitalisation of the College facilities. PAGE 4
Alumni Magazine of St Edmund’s College Canberra
Front of Schoo
New Roof
Statue of Mary
ol - Roof Finished
Quad Scaffolding
PAGE 5
(Years 4 – 9 and Years 9 – 12) to launch our new Statement of Eddies Pride. It is extremely important to commence the term with a tangible sense of community, with all students having a sense of belonging and brotherhood. Our new Statement of Eddies Pride is a series of aspirational statements clearly indicating what it means to be a member of our community.
V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
STRONG CHARACTER.
TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G .
PELICAN: SEMESTER 2, 2020
We commenced Term 3 with two smaller school assemblies due to the COVID environment
Sam Gibson (2020 College Captain) with Pat Langtry (Assistant Principal - Student Wellbeing) This replaces our previous Non-Negotiable Statements, giving our students something to strive for and something that adds to their character rather than just being told what not to do. The Statement was developed with input from students, staff, the Student Leadership Team and the College Leadership Team and was also developed in the context of the positive psychology framework known as PERMA. The Statement clearly articulates individual and group expectations of our students. The Statement of Eddies Pride reads as follows:
Statement of Eddies Pride
We are young men of vibrant spirit and strong character. Eddies pride is... •
Striving to achieve my personal best, showing resilience and engagement
•
Investing in respectful, positive relationships with everyone in my College and wider community
•
Contributing to a constructive learning environment and meeting College expectations
•
Honouring our College name, reputation and facilities
•
Reflecting the College motto, Christus Lux Mea, in all that I do and say
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Alumni Magazine of St Edmund’s College Canberra
V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
ST R O N G C H A R AC T E R .
TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G .
We have received a great deal of positive feedback regarding the new format of The Pelican, with this being the second edition of this new format. The profiles we have featured in this semester’s edition are interesting and exciting, revealing several fascinating insights into school life and exemplifying the myriad of journeys that take place upon leaving school. We have profiles from old boys from the classes of 1969, 1973, 1978, 1993 and 1999, as well as profiles of a College Board member and the grandmother of one of our current Year 11 students who has been awarded the Order of Australia and works tirelessly in the area of Aboriginal health and community. This edition of The Pelican clearly demonstrates the depth and wonder of diversity we have in the history and culture of St Edmund’s College. I will leave you with an extract from the very first edition of The Pelican (May 1957) explaining the importance of creating a sense of heritage and tradition within the College:
“
It is a feature of older schools that they look back with satisfaction and pride on the achievement of the old boys, particularly of their oldest old boys. We have no doubt that in the years ahead other boys will be told of the deeds of the present boys of Saint Edmund’s. They are making the early history of what promises to be a great and distinguished school. Yet schoolboys are not called on to do great deeds even though they dream of being heroes. Their greatness consists in doing the ordinary duties in day-to-day life extraordinarily well. Every honest word, beery honest deed, every well-prepared lesson, every act of kindness in the home, every game well played: these go to make a day well spent. A long series of days so passed will produce men of the future upon whom the boys of the future will look with affection and pride. The good boy of today is the excellent citizen of tomorrow. This is a privilege of the boy of Saint Edmund’s. By his devotion to his school and his pursuit of the high ideals it offers him, he will some day grow into a man worthy of imitation; an honour to his school, a credit to his family and an ideal citizen of his country...
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PELICAN: SEMESTER 2, 2020
“
None of what is mentioned below happens in isolation. These are the results of combined efforts produced through the commitment of time and energy from so many people. It’s what community is about, and in particular, it’s a strength of our St Edmund’s community...
Board Chair’s Report
V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
STRONG CHARACTER.
TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G .
Nichole Overall College Board Chair We’re nearing the end of a most unusual
The St Edmund’s College Board has also
year – one I’m sure none of us would ever
spent time this year working even more
wish to again have to face.
closely with the College Foundation and our Old Boys’ Association. These groups
In stating that obvious point, for all the
are jointly looking at ways to further foster
difficulties and challenges, there has also
relationships and contact with the many
been much to celebrate. We’ve witnessed
young men who have shared the educational
an active demonstration of the resilience,
experience of Eddies’.
creativity, innovation and commitment of our St Edmund’s family – the boys, staff, parents
Efforts have similarly been focused on
and families, as well as those who continue
assisting
to support our school in myriad ways. Our
greater engagement with not only our wider
strong community spirit has once again been
community, but the region and beyond.
develop
a
program
for
even
fully brought to the fore. Each and every one of the young men who Our
recent
School
Renewal
Program,
is a St Edmund’s boy is a success story in his
conducted by the EREA, has confirmed
own right. There have also been many high
this positive direction and the outstanding
profile examples that are a direct reflection
progress we continue to make.
on the aspirations and achievements of the College as a whole as well as serving
From
our
highly
regarded
Gifted
and
Talented Program, to our authentic social justice
framework
based
on
as positive role models for our current and future cohorts.
modelling
good citizenship, our pronounced “sense of
Just one recently brought to the attention
brotherhood”, and the value we place on the
of the Board: from 2011 until his 2017 re-
Gospel spirituality which is at our core.
tirement, John Bryant was the US-based President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Feedback from all quarters – internally and
global, multi-billion dollar Kelloggs company
externally – is some of the most positive it
with its 30,000 employees...
has ever been. PAGE 8
Alumni Magazine of St Edmund’s College Canberra
CO L L E G E B OA R D @ F R O N T ST E P S Left to Right: Lara Kirk, Joe Zavone (Principal), Brian Berg, Ian Garrity (Deputy Principal), Nichole Overall (Board Chair), Christa Gordon, Samantha Brady (Director of Business Services)
Absent:
Gerard Tiffen, John Owen, Lucy Stamandinoli and Stephen Buckman
The former Kambah local and Eddies’ boy from year 5 was appointed to the position at the age of 45. He continues to maintain his Canberra connection. With all of this positivity, we encourage everyone to help spread the word and look forward to welcoming those with a previous association to share with us their journeys. Thank you to you all, and for the remainder of 2020, on behalf of the St Edmund’s Board, I wish you peace, good health and the very best wishes as we prepare ourselves to go forward into what’s promising to be a bright new year.
John Bryant (Class of 1983) Read more about our College Board @ sec.act.edu.au/board
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PELICAN: SEMESTER 2, 2020 TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G . STRONG CHARACTER. V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
Carlo Sorrentino Alumni Profile Class of 1985 + Staff Member Back in 1971, life was very, very simple. You went to school, came home to get changed, went and played outside until it was dark and then came home for dinner. After dinner the homework was done. We walked and cycled our way through all the suburbs of Canberra without a care in the world, even going swimming in Lake Burley Griffin unsupervised. I started at St Edmund’s College as a grossly overweight European boy back in the beginning of Year 5, topping the scales at 10.5stone (around 70kg). The ‘real’ full cream milk supplied free from the ACT Government every morning significantly added to my problems. This, combined with the challenges of being new to a big high school and coming from a different ethnic background, made my primary school experiences very challenging. Catching the bus to school became an anxiety filled time as the Telopea High students would ambush my brother and I (the only two St Edmund’s students) at the bus stop each morning with a hail of plums. How we dreaded the plum and berry seasons. It was a daunting time but I had some great primary school teachers who assisted me to assimilate with the general population of the school. It probably shaped me into the person I am today. One of the greatest highlights of primary school was our maintenance man, George, who lived on the premises in a small room near the primary school area. He possessed a Holden HR ute, lime green in colour, which he parked on our gravel playground. On a regular basis, whenever he hopped into his car, the yell would come; “Chuck a wheelie George”, and off he went doing circle work in the middle of our playground at both recess and lunchtimes. He would then zoom off and we were left in awe as well as eating his dust. George was a fine example of the genPAGE 10
Alumni Magazine of St Edmund’s College Canberra
erosity and compassion of the Christian Brothers community here in Canberra. Many individuals as well as families were provided short term accommodation on the school grounds for a myriad of reasons until they were able to find something more permanent or until the crisis had passed.
“
I finally made it to Year 12 with many, many happy memories and good friends. It was an amazing year as it brought our cohort even closer together. We were part of that generation that started in Kindergarten together and went all the way to Year 12.
As each decade goes by, our Old Boys Reunions have always been well attended and there is plenty of sharing great memories of school life. With school done, I left St Edmund’s and, setting my sights on becoming an architect, applied to couple of universities in NSW. When this career choice proved out of reach I went with my second choice which was to become an industrial arts teacher. The only way to achieve this at the time was to do a Diploma of Teaching and proceed from there. I qualified as a primary school teacher at the end of 1982 and applied for primary school jobs all around Australia; I even went to the front office at St Edmund’s College to drop off an application. At the front office, I bumped into Brother Bob Wallace, the Headmaster at that time, who asked what I was up to and told me to leave my details with his personal secretary. After a big night celebrating my 21st birthday, I received a phone call the next day, a Sunday morning. It was Brother Wallace, asking if I could come to Eddies that morning for a chat. Sitting a little tentatively in his office, he announced that he had a position for me starting on Monday. I was a little bit startled and surprised but happy at the same time. His next piece of information PAGE 11
PELICAN: SEMESTER 2, 2020
was to tell me I would be teaching high school; talk about being well and truly thrown into the deep end! I fronted up to my first ever class which was a Year 8 History class complete with a baby faced Fred Zarb sitting at the back. What an eye opener it was; it took a while for me to get used to it. I looked so young and fresh, that on numerous occasions I was told to go to the end of the line at the tuck shop, as they thought that I was a student. It was also strange being on the same footing as other teachers who had taught me during my time at Eddies. I had to earn my stripes. Thank goodness Phil Hawke took me under his wing and his support provided me with the confidence to teach to the best of my abilities. That Year 8 History class was a tough class to teach, but it provided me with some of the best, that class and even now continue to be great friends with those who have become part of my family circle. A group of them even provided the waitering and assisted with the cleanup for our wedding, which was quite big, with no charge and exclaimed “It was our wedding present to you!” This to me is just one of the many things that portrays the true spirit of the relationships that are what St Edmund’s College has always been about.
V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
STRONG CHARACTER.
TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G .
most rewarding moments of my teaching career. I forged great relationships with more than half
When I first started teaching back in 1983, petrol was 34 cents a litre, bus fares were 20 cents, milk and bread were delivered to your doorstep daily - bread at 50 cents and milk at 48 cents. With 91 cents you could purchase a dozen eggs. The average new home was $76,400. The only computer that existed was in the TV show ‘Lost In Space’ on the spaceship Jupiter. Cyber bullying only existed when Dr Smith would tell the Robot what to do. Smoking was allowed on the premises and the seniors had their own smoking room at school. The average class size was 36 students but on many occasions, especially my Year 9 Commerce classes, that would blow out to 41. Trolls only existed in Middle Earth and you could never ever leave your music cassettes in the sun. What a great time it was. PAGE 12
Alumni Magazine of St Edmund’s College Canberra
In the early years my tutor group participated in “Rock and Roll Wrestling - King of the Platform” competitions. The classrooms back then had a raised platform at the front, where the teacher’s desk was located so we could impart our knowledge to the masses. This was the area where after, the administration and roll call was completed, the students had an opportunity to knock me off the platform. No head shots or below the stomach hits. It was a fun filled and bruising part of schooling for many of the students. These were the days that parents constantly expressed to me that Tutor Group was best part of their sons’ schooling day and that whatever I was doing to keep on doing it. Our now President of the Old Boy’s Association, Matthew De Jongh, was on the receiving end of many of the exchanges; it amazed me how he had the tenacity and courage to never give up and still come back for more. In a crazy way, it probably has shaped him to be the man that he is today; believe it or not, he has turned out to be a socially well-adjusted person and father in our community. Ex- students such as Rodney Skvorc and Matt Percy, who also work tirelessly with our Old Boy’s Association, were fantastic students back in the day and are now proud fathers who have molded well rounded and respectful sons whom I teach today. This ‘circle of life’ provides me with a great sense of satisfaction and is one of the main reasons I have stayed at Eddies for so long, knowing that I have played a small part in shaping of some of these fine men. I started off coaching Australian Rules and Cricket for the first 17 years, however I found my passion was in the area of Debating. Over the course of many years it has been immensely rewarding to see shy and introverted students turn out to be confident and well-spoken young men. The Trimboli family were a fine example of this; Ross, Guiseppe and Ross Jnr. Myself and the school are indebted to both Dom and Joe Trimboli of “Mezzalira” and “Italian and Sons” who have continuously supported and contributed to our Debating fraternity here at Eddies.
“
Over the course of my 37 years at St Edmund’s College, I have met and worked with so many amazing teaching staff, support staff and students. There are numerous people that have significantly impacted on my journey at the College and far too many to mention individually, but there are some I need to acknowledge...
Our grounds keeper and maintenance man, Eric Blewitt and his faithful Staffordshire Bull Terrier, ‘Rocky’ who became an important and influential force in my life. Eric’s presence and dedication to St Edmund’s College and the Christian Brothers community was truly immense over the 37 years he belonged here. He was a sounding board for many teachers and leaders of the school who just required a stress free discussion mixed in with a practical no nonsense voice of reasoning. Rocky would always be milling around the students on the ovals, quadrangle and corridors of the school on the hunt for rodents; pest control was never an issue when he and Eric were around. The sense of community has been passed down the generations with Michael Bulters and Justin Giteau coming along at that moment of my life where I felt like I had plateaued. Their encouragement and mateship brought out the belief in me, as an older gentlemen, that I could be just as fit, and maybe even fitter than the younger up and coming generation. Carrying a bulky frame of 112kg, they would
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PELICAN: SEMESTER 2, 2020
motivate and push me until I was capable of doing sets of chin ups. It does worry me now that so that many senior students, who should be in the prime of their youth, have difficulty in trying to keeping up with us ‘oldies’ in the gym. If I had to mention a regret from my time at St Edmund’s would be the fact that I did not end up sending my son to school here. Over the history of our school there has been some leadership that provided Eddies with some very challenging times and because of this my wife and I made the decision to send him to the other ‘school’ in Canberra. Being disillusioned at the time, I neglected the rest of the amazing and talented staff we have here at this school and I know my son would have cemented some solid relationships with many of them. When I would ask him about what was the best thing about school for him, his reply would be,
V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
STRONG CHARACTER.
TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G .
“3:30pm”. It was somewhat sad to hear that, however, at the end of it all, everything has worked out and he is now an arborist and my daughter became a nurse. While on the subject of regrets, I often have many ex-students pop in to visit me or I meet them out in society. I always ask about their thoughts and memories of Eddies. Most often than not they would resonate the same feelings: “I wish I had tried a lot harder at school”; “I wish I got more involved with all the activities”; “I should have tried to go for some of the leadership roles” and “I should have taken my friendships more seriously with other students”. I suppose it always falls back on the same cliché: make the most of everything that comes your way. For decades I have told each of my classes that as they lay their heads to go to sleep each night, that if they dismiss the day and think of it as a waste of time, they stunt their true growth. If they can remember just one small thing from that day, you will always continue to grow and be the best person you can be. Over the many years at St Edmund’s I have heard from numerous families that have had either three, four, five and even six boys attend the school at one time or another and they would echo the same feeling about how their sons turned out. “Even though my son may have not been academically inspired, he still turned out really well- adjusted with good work ethics, a good sense of justice and a good dose of self-respect as well as respect for others, ready to hit the real world”. Hopefully I will have a few more years to go as my passion for the classroom is still burning. Seeing and hearing of so many ex-Eddies’ students in and around our local community, in Australia and parts of the world doing and participating in a variety of activities; being successful and happy provides me with a warm fuzzy feeling deep inside. The ex-students who are now fathers with kids at our school are also the ones that keep that flame going for me. Their constant support, encouragement and the fond memories they have of Eddies keeps me plugging along. Thank You! PAGE 14
Alumni Magazine of St Edmund’s College Canberra
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PELICAN: SEMESTER 2, 2020
First XV Rugby Season 2020
V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
STRONG CHARACTER.
TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G .
Neil Roberts First XV Head Coach The 2020 First XV Rugby team have had to endure a disrupted and different Rugby season this year due to the obvious COVID-19 Lockdown. However, this did not deter them from producing a magnificent display of attacking rugby over the course of the shortened season. So much so that by the end of the season, they were crowned Undefeated Premiers, by far being the most dominant team of the local competition. In fact, 5 boys can say they have never lost in a First XV Jumper over two seasons. As a big fan of statistics, the team of 2020 were able to produce very impressive numbers during the season consisting of nine games: •
78 tries at an average of 9 tries per game
•
496 points for and an average of 62 points per game
•
133 points against at 16 points average
The boys embraced game plans and for the most part embraced the team before the individual mentality. There was a clear message from day one - don’t be selfish; put your team mates before yourself and you will see a happier more successful team. There was proof in the results, when we followed advice and let the ball do the work, we were an unstoppable force; when we didn’t, you could clearly see a drop in process. The challenge for this group was to play for 70 minutes. We got close on a few occasions and the score would indicate this. My favourite games were Daramalan in the first round and the highlight was the 31-0 start we got against Marist at home. That was when everyone simply did their job to the best of their ability and let the ball do the work. Our strengths lay in our lineout which was very well organised by Josh Davis who excelled as a lineout operator, no doubt the best in the ACT for his age. Our driving maul was outstanding which allowed us to convert over 90% of all penalties in the corner. It was a well-oiled machine, especially the seven man maul and the five sweep around the front. If we caught it we generally scored. PAGE 16
Alumni Magazine of St Edmund’s College Canberra
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PELICAN: SEMESTER 2, 2020
We had threats all over the field especially with a small number of boys returning from last year’s premiership. Junior at fullback, Lachie Davis on the wing and Clay Webb at number 8. Ryan Hoare at number 10 was a coach’s dream. It was a case of Ryan’s attitude that this is what we are doing and he would go “yes” and just get it done. He did not ask why or how come … he just went away and worked on his skill set to help the team. But it was the boys who hadn’t played First XV who impressed the most. Lewis Buckman just did a great job and loved playing First XV coming from the Thirds; Kai Pearson improved as the season went on and Tommy Lachlan gave us width and accuracy and his goal kicking proved to be the difference in the Grand Final. Sam Gibson played his best game in the Grand Final and I was just so happy for the boys. Andre Lopilato, Kai Bower and Baden Godfrey gave us athleticism around the field. Jonty Godfrey also gained confidence as the year went on and ran some superb lines off set piece.
V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
STRONG CHARACTER.
TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G .
Corey Davis gave us great mobility out wide and his lineout accuracy was consistent.
“
It wasn’t always perfect but when it came to Rugby they just loved being together and getting stuck in. The team worked hard for nearly a year to get to where it is today and although our Grand Final was not a perfect performance and we did not play to our potential, the pure joy on the boys’ faces after the final whistle was proof enough of what it meant to them...
Of course a great range of other individuals need to be thanked and acknowledged for their contribution to this season. Mr. Denzil Fox’s role was not only keeping the team fit and healthy each week but he was also a sounding board for the boys in both rugby and non-rugby matters. The time, love and care Denzil gave to the boys was second to none. His role is far more important than mine, far more important than game plans, patterns of play and an unbeatable rolling maul. The boys are very lucky to have such a caring staff member looking after them. Mr Pat Langtry gave us his technical assistance and advice each week. Once again the boys are very lucky to have such an experienced coach with his ability and experience and he showed the players genuine care. Mr Andrew Castrission and the reserves bench provided consistent efforts in backing up for the Firsts week in week out and although some of you did not get much game time, you have been rewarded for your dedication to that sometimes thankless task of riding the pine. Boys did get opportunities like Andy and Paddy McFarlane, who did not care what position they played, they just embraced it and gave their all, especially after the tough Seconds Grand Final for them. Those boys still came over to support their mates in the Firsts and sat on the bench; they are truly deserving of their white jumper and I thank them. Mary Jane McLeod was our manager and is to be thanked for her organization, her quiet work behind the scenes and her tireless work to put on such a memorable occasion for the boys and parents. PAGE 18
Alumni Magazine of St Edmund’s College Canberra
To Elliott Rechtin, Will Maher, Sid Davis, Angus Balmaks and Alana (as Captain’s mum) for your weekly support and going over and above in keeping the machine rolling and all performing a very important role. I know the boys really appreciate all you did for them. To the leadership group of Daniel Shaw as Captain, Clay Webb and Corey Davis as Vice Captains, thank you for your positive attitudes, keeping the boys focused and providing good examples of what it means to play First XV. We were a better team with your leadership. These were very prestigious
FIRST XV
-
H E R I TA G E R O U N D 2 0 2 0
positions to hold and you really did a great job.
Finally to the boys, you have achieved something that only a
2020 Award Winners
handful of teams can say they have. Undefeated premiers. Well done. Hopefully you can look back on the year and say that we tried our best to give you every chance to succeed and create
Players Player Junior Tupou
memories. You were simply awesome. The way you played footy this year made you the talk of the town. All the weights sessions, the pre-game preparation, the early mornings, the extra Satur-
Sportsman Award Ryan Hoare
days just allowed you to go out and express yourselves with the ball. I am tough on you and have high standards, but as I tell the boys I would rather you be sat round the fire after the game with your closest mates with a medal around your neck than not; and sometimes that takes tough love and tough decisions. Thanks again all. You are and were awesome and I thank you for what you have achieved this year.
Best Back Lachie Davis SHARED
Best Forward Clay Webb SHARED
Best Forward Andre Lopilato PAGE 19
PELICAN: SEMESTER 2, 2020 TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G . STRONG CHARACTER. V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
Craig Wagstaff Alumni Profile Class of 1993 As I drive along Canberra Avenue, I always look towards our great school with a smile and like so many other Old Boys, am often accused (and excused) of over-zealous albeit unofficial campaigning – perhaps those of an unappointed pseudo-ambassador. It’s been fantastic, over recent years, to get back to the College, to get back home in many respects, for Old Boys events and First XV functions. There are many Old Boys far more deserving of the opportunity to contribute their ‘Eddies Story’ so I am genuinely thrilled, and very much humbled for I well know that in my graduating class, let alone across our College Alumni, there are much greater credentialled (and far better) academics, artists, musicians, sportsmen, community contributors, business leaders and-the-like. We moved to Canberra on the eve of my commencement in Year 4 (1985) and as such, I too began my time at St. Edmund’s College along with many other incoming Year 4 students. Whilst some students knew each other from their feeder schools, there was a sense of newness for all, for me, not just at school, but here in Canberra. It was a genuinely warm and sincere welcome, from so many perspectives. That welcome meant quickly being anointed, as most of us were, with a nickname(s). Waggs, or even Waggles – these were given from very early-on and are names that have very much stuck. Hearing them does spark memories of my time at Eddies.
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Alumni Magazine of St Edmund’s College Canberra
After graduating, I was fortunate to remain involved as Manager of our First XV, for seven years in total, as an Old Boy alongside coach John Papahatzis. It’s fair to say that whilst I’ve always loved the game of rugby, it was clear that as a player, I was far more cut-out to be behind the scenes or as an MC at events, rather than with jersey and/or boots on.
“
I was very fortunate to try my hand at a range of sports at school, another example of access to opportunities that we were all lucky to be
First XV Warratah Shield - 1997
afforded.
One of my key memories is the wide range and diversity of students. The potential to understand and learn from a different people and perspectives is something that very much assisted and enhanced day-to-day life, my studies and professional appointments both here in Australia and overseas in the years since graduating. After my tertiary studies, I worked in the administration
and
management
of
a
sports supplier before moving into media – primarily commercial radio, an industry I’ve been part of for nearly 20 years. My first experience was here in Canberra at HIT104.7 and MIX106.3, where I learnt a significant amount
and progressed over nearly six
years to then move overseas for various commercial and strategy roles at ASTRO Malaysia, based in Kuala Lumpur before my family and I moved to Dubai, UAE, where I again worked in media. Whilst the cultural, professional development, travel and lifestyle opportunities
“The Survivors” - 1993
PAGE 21
were a major enticement to live and work overseas, PELICAN: SEMESTER 2, 2020
the highlight for my wife Tammy and I, will always remain the birth of our daughters Asha and Lila, as part of the nine years we were away from Australia. The opportunity to submit my application for the position of General Manager, HIT104.7 and MIX106.3 was a key consideration behind our intention to move back to Canberra, driven of course by being closer to family and that of our wonderful city/community in which to bring up children. I was extremely fortunate to be successful in my application and to return to both HIT 104.7 and
V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
STRONG CHARACTER.
TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G .
MIX106.3, my current role. By virtue of my parents’ love for and work within the airline industry, travel has always been a passion of mine and whilst never taking it for granted, it is something I felt fortunate to do especially via our school – be it Tuross, Sydney, Queensland, New Zealand, even South Africa as part of the 1996 Year 12 Retreat - Class of ‘93
Rugby Tour.
In my mind, St. Edmund’s College prepared us and provided us with a readiness for adult life… •
Did I love being at Eddies – yes, absolutely, without any question…
•
Was every-single day of schooling life amazing and enjoyable – no, of course not every day…
•
Did the great and good days outweigh and outnumber the days that were a bit tougher… easily and by far.
•
Though did those days/times of challenge make ready me for life after school… certainly and of that, I am sure.
I guess a school’s charter is to educate and develop us from boys into young men and then adults. Being a part of the Eddies environment, part of our culture, is not just a privilege, but an asset we’ve carried, as I have been blessed-to, for life. For our year group and classes, there was of course our friends, mates – some of whom are close, like brothers, some of whom are friends, some of whom you don’t have too much to do with. What was amazing though, even after all this time and as recently as Old Boys events in the last few years, not only did our class get together and those different type of relationships all merge into good mates, so too did we laugh and joke with other students from years older and younger. There’s a common thread that runs through us all, and that was evident – there is an Eddies spirit, an Eddies bond. I’ve tried for years to explain it to others, but it’s just no point, unless you’ve been a part of it, regardless of when, it’s something only you will understand. This doesn’t just PAGE 22
Alumni Magazine of St Edmund’s College Canberra
apply to fellow-students, but also to staff – as you mature, you often become close to members of the teaching faculty. Many will remember Dr. Ron Widmer, it was great to keep in touch with him and he was the MC when my wife and I got married. As above and in addition to the guidance of my parents, being at Eddies taught me perhaps the most valuable skill-set I hope that I still carry to this day – that of understanding and embracing diversity, whether it was students from different nationalities, ranging levels of skill in studies or in sport, different financial circumstances, varied interests and hobbies - right through to different plans following our graduation, be it further study, apprenticeships, travel, employment even professional sport.
“
Again, in readying us for adult-life, Eddies is not about knowing everything and liking every-aspect about every-one, but in acknowledging, accepting and adapting to the diversity that you will find in our school - and then, in the workplace, in our community and especially if one travels and experiences different cultures. I guess it comes down to respect – respect we were given by every member of staff and respect that we learnt and aimed to apply here at Eddies and in the community...
The second aspect for me was that we were encouraged to be ambitious, to try new things, to strive – be it with a textbook or on the sports field and that we could, with discipline, succeed. This was or never is about being THE best, though that may in fact be the case, it was more about being OUR best, to improve and develop, to enhance what we did and how we did it. I can recall so many emotions and memories, everything from the nervousness and excitement of starting school in Year 4, the tense feeling prior to exams, the work that goes into finishing assignments, sometimes late into the night before they were due, the thrill of playing sport, the disappointment of defeat and the joy of winning – again and as above, all aspects of being here that prepare you for life
1999 FIRST XV RUGBY TEAM
after Eddies. #EdmundstotheFore
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PELICAN: SEMESTER 2, 2020 TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G . STRONG CHARACTER. V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
Lara Kirk Community Profile School Advisory Council I grew up in suburban Canberra. My parents, returning from medical training in England, chose to settle in Canberra in 1962 when Lake Burley Griffin didn’t exist and the population of Canberra was not yet large enough to support a full time urological specialist. In order to support his fledgling practice and burgeoning family my Dad made monthly visits down to Bega and out to Young until there were enough ailing kidneys in Canberra to keep us afloat! After living in rental homes around inner Canberra, my parents built a family home in the new suburb of Mawson where my 7 siblings and I had a great life adventuring in the nearby bush on weekends, playing spotlight till all hours on summer evenings and even bringing our Arabian pony ‘Gypsy’ home to visit for a week at a time on our half acre suburban block. My association with St Edmund’s College began as a primary school student in the late 70s. Our next door neighbours invited me to tag along with them to the German Language School which was run every Saturday morning out of the St Edmund’s College buildings. The College buildings themselves made quite an impression on me as a little girl: the expansive front stairs and colonnade entry, the wide corridors and high ceilings, the multiple levels and internal stairwells were all quite outside my normal weekday experience at St Peter & Paul’s, Garran! My accidental involvement with German language at Eddies developed into an academic pursuit throughout high school and university and included my living for a time just outside Heidelberg, Germany as an exchange student in 1986.
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Alumni Magazine of St Edmund’s College Canberra
Br Wallace was at the helm of St Edmunds when I was a secondary student at ‘Catholic Girls High, Griffith’ in the early 80s. For me, St Edmund’s was a parallel universe across the road which I dipped into only occasionally through combined school musicals and school ‘socials’. I recall that the Eddies boys who were, on average, shorter than us at the Year 8 disco, were taller than us by the time the Year 9 disco came around. There was also a year or two when I became involved in a weekly lunchtime youth ministry type discussion group with students at Eddies. This had developed after a youth retreat I was invited to at The Pines, Tuross. It was run by the local Archdiocesan Youth Ministry, but given participants were transported in a St Edmund’s mini bus, I assume the brothers must have been supportive.
“
My post school involvement with St Edmund’s did not extend beyond socialising with friends made during my school days. But when the invitation came in 2016 to join the St Edmund’s College Board (now School Advisory Council), I happily
Tim & Lara Kirk
accepted... The interim years were quite full. After a few gap years working in the public service and as a youth minister, I studied Philosophy, English & German at the ANU and concurrently Theology at St Marks, Barton. I married my high school sweetheart mid-degree. We first met debating against each other when he was a student at Daramalan College and we eventually decided to make a vocation of it! We moved to Melbourne and I completed my studies at Monash University and Catholic Theological College and went into secondary RE and English teaching, first at Camberwell Girls Grammar, then at Ivanhoe Grammar.
Speaking on Marriage
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V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
STRONG CHARACTER.
TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G .
PELICAN: SEMESTER 2, 2020
My husband Tim was also teaching at the time with the Jesuits at Xavier College, Kew, but was becoming increasingly obsessed with the crazy notion of making a go of winemaking on his family’s farm back in Murrumbateman. After the arrival of our first baby in 1995 Tim managed to secure a year’s leave without pay from Xavier College and convinced me to move up to the family farm “just for a year, to try it out”. Twenty four years later we are still living in Murrumbateman where Tim is the acclaimed CEO and Chief Winemaker at Clonakilla Winery.
Meanwhile I got busy raising our five amazing children, the youngest of whom is currently completing Year 12 as Co-Captain of St Francis Xavier College, Florey. Music and church involvement have been a huge part of our life as a family in Murrumbateman. We have been members of a Catholic lay community our entire adult lives which has been a great support to our marriage and family life. Our children are also keen musicians and have created various bands such as the “Kirks & Co” folk band with their cousin Declan, “Way Scared” with some mates from Murrumbateman & our second oldest Anna is currently creating a social media presence with Anna Therese Music. My own foray back into the world of paid work has included working as a workplace trainer, then as a political staffer and speech writer for two Labor Senators. Most recently though I have been working for the Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn as the Manager of programs relating to Marriage, Family & Relationships. This is a job I was made for. It is hugely varied including working with CatholicCare to deliver marriage preparation programs, and with Catholic schools to deliver puberty programs for primary children and their parents and values-based sexuality and relationship education for high school students. I recently trained and lead a team of 12 committed Catholic family men who happily took half a day off work to help run a program with the Year 10 boys at St Edmund’s discussing healthy and toxic dynamics in intimate relationships. I have also had the opportunity with my husband Tim to speak to local, national and international audiences on the great value of working to create and maintain a ‘functional enough’ marriage and family life. We are passionate about bringing good people together in community and in faith and about encouraging others in the challenging but rewarding work of marriage & family life.
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Alumni Magazine of St Edmund’s College Canberra
Inspired by the charism of Edmund Rice the St Edmund’s College Foundation (the Foundation) was established to give financial assistance to marginalised or disadvantaged families so that the cost of educating their sons would be alleviated. Since its inception in 1988 the Foundation has supported the education of over 100 young men at St Edmund’s College in Canberra.
The Foundation’s aim is to support families... •
Who are experiencing financial barriers that may limit their ability to provide an Edmund Rice Education for their sons.
•
Provide appropriate fee relief to ensure the boys have the quality education that they deserve.
•
At times tragedy may affect families and during these times of crisis, the Foundation will look to offer support where possible so students are able continue their education at St Edmund’s College without disruption.
How to Donate Contact foundation@stedmunds.act.edu.au or 6239 0673 and ask to speak to our Finance Staff for more information on how to make a donation. Donations of $2 or more to the St Edmund’s College Foundation are tax deductible in Australia.
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Your donation to the Foundation will enable families in need of help in educating their sons leaving a lasting legacy that will benefit current students as well as students for generations to come... PAGE 27
PELICAN: SEMESTER 2, 2020 TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G . STRONG CHARACTER. V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
Lachlan Quinn Alumni Profile Class of 1999 I started at St Edmund’s College as a Year 7 student in 1994 and was later followed by my younger brothers Billy, Anthony, Raymond and Matthew.
“
Looking back at my time at St Edmund’s, I do so with fond memories of a place of learning that helped shape the person that I am today. I made many lifelong friends and was guided by teachers who had a great influence on my education and values...
Sport played a big part of my time at St Edmunds - Australian Rules Football in the winter and Cricket in the summer. The weekends couldn’t come quick enough, when I could represent the College on the sporting field with my friends. I was fortunate to play in the First XVIII team for the College for a couple of years. Following on from school I continued to play Aussie Rules for Eastlake and ANU with a number of Eddies Old Boys. Academically, I was never a grade A student but it was the Economics and Commerce classes, particularly in my later years at the College, that sparked an interest and that would shape the majority of my life after school. After finishing Year 12 in 1999, I began a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Canberra before transferring to Charles Sturt University majoring in Accounting and Finance. Upon completing my degree, I was offered a Graduate Accountant position at WalterTurnbull (which would later merge with Price Waterhouse Coopers) where I was able to gain valuable experience in a “Big Six accounting firm” and complete the Chartered Accountants post graduate qualification.
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Alumni Magazine of St Edmund’s College Canberra
Over the last six years, I have worked at MGI Joyce|Dickson where in my role I have been able to work closely with my clients from a wide range of industries including construction, medical, retail, transport, primary production and trade. I really enjoy building relationships with my clients and assisting them in all facets of their business including structuring, finance, tax, estate and succession planning. Outside of work I like to keep active by playing golf, exercising and spending time with friends and family. As a big sports lover, I have been lucky enough to attend various sporting events including racing carnivals, Wallabies tests, NRL and AFL finals to support my beloved Collingwood Magpies. Since finishing St Edmunds in 1999, I have maintained strong relationships with my school friends. Every January, a group of 40 of us catch up for a golf day to reminisce about the old days, with attendees coming from all over the country. In 2016, I was contacted by Paul Scholtens who asked me if I would like to join the Board of the St Edmunds College Foundation as Treasurer. This opportunity has allowed me to reconnect with the college and give something back. The Foundation’s charter, inspired by Edmund Rice, is to offer support where possible so that students faced with adversity are able to continue their education at St Edmunds College without disruption. It is this sort of love, care and compassion for our student community that sets St Edmund’s College apart and that makes me very proud to be an “Old Boy”. I cherish the time I spent at St Edmunds and the lifelong friendships I made whilst I was there.
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Pat Anderson Community Profile Grandmother of Student At 15, I wanted to go to university. I wanted to be a teacher. But in those days in Australia, I may as well have said I was going to build a rocket to go to the moon. A university education in the 1960’s was an impossible aspiration for many people then, but out of the question for a young Aboriginal girl living in the Parap Camp in Darwin, a makeshift town of tin huts that was home to many Aboriginal people and a few others who were also marginalised by mainstream society at that time.
“
Education of course is not a panacea for everything but it was a gift that took me eventually to university and beyond, to lead health services and inquiries, speak to the United Nations, serve as co-chair of the Prime Minister’s Referendum Council, and play a lead role in the development of the Uluru Statement of the Heart...
But it has been a long, circuitous, and often painful route. My mother was one of the Stolen Generations, taken as a young girl from her Alywarre family in the country north-east of Alice Springs, sometime in the early 1920s, and incarcerated at Kahlin compound in Darwin. Growing up in Kahlin, she was not taught to read or write. It was policy of the day not to educate my mother and all like her. She and my father made sure that my siblings and I got the schooling she had been denied. Still my employment options as a 15-year-old were to be either a domestic or to do other manual jobs, following in the reluctant footsteps of my mother and my older sisters. This was all we were allowed to do.
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Alumni Magazine of St Edmund’s College Canberra
But as is often the case, it ended up not being a big moment or event that shaped or shifted my career and life. It was being accepted into a modest government program to develop a pool of local stenographers. I moved from being in the typing pool to being a stenographer to the Clerk of the Legislative Council and later became a secretary with one of the big well-known local law firms. This firm was given the brief to work on the landmark Royal Commission into land rights in the Northern Territory, which in 1974 led to the Northern Territory Land Rights Act. For me that work was like seeing the pieces of a jigsaw come together, that after all this time and dislocation, people knew their Country so well - proof that we had a case for land rights, confirmation that we knew what we were talking about. From there I became part of the Aboriginal movement for health, justice, education and self-determination that has taken me across Australia and around the world.
Awarded with an Honorary UNSW Law doctorate. Living at Parap Camp, with all the other families with a similar history and background, we grew up with a strong sense of justice, of what was right and wrong. We saw and experienced racism on a daily basis. In our home, we saw our mother’s pain at being denied the fundamental human right to be able to read and write. My mother, forcibly removed from her family, was deliberately denied an education and suffered all her life from this profound injustice.
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I can remember as a child at Parap Camp being taken to political meetings, falling asleep hearing adult conversations about the injustices experienced by us all and what we could do about it. From the radio we got news of political movements at home in Australia and in the United States. When people talk about the importance of education, it can be easy to dismiss it as another platitude. But as you see my own experience shows how profoundly important it is. Education is a fundamental human right, but like many other rights it has been – and continues to be – denied to many.
V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
STRONG CHARACTER.
TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G .
Those of us lucky enough to have been given the fundamentals of a good education should recognise the precious nature of the gift and the responsibility that this gift places upon us. It’s our responsibility to maintain a commitment throughout our lives to the values of lifelong education and a commitment to social justice. To be not just educated but decent people, and to speak up against injustice and discrimination wherever we see it.
Pat Anderson was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2014 for distinguished service to the Indigenous community as a social justice advocate, particularly through promoting improved health, and educational and protection outcomes for children. In 2018 Pat was presented with the NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award. Pat has also been awarded honorary doctorate from Flinders University, Edith Cowan University, University of New South Wales and University of Melbourne in recognition of her exemplary, inclusive leadership, her forthright advocacy for the advancement and recognition of Indigenous communities and voices, and her highly distinguished contributions to health research that benefit not just Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples but the nation at large. Pat has a grandson currently enrolled at St Edmund’s College.
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Peter Gordon Alumni Profile Class of 1973 My journey and life in Canberra really began on the start of school in 1971, the first day in Year 10. My siblings and I had just moved from Wollongong, where I attended a Marist school (don’t hold that against me), and like any 15 year old attending a new school, especially in Year 10, I was quite frankly very anxious. Starting in a new school is always daunting and my experience was certainly that. Trying to make a good first impression I got a sensible haircut, short back and sides. I turned up and just wanted to melt into the walls. Somehow I’d forgotten it was 1971 and a teenager with a short back and sides then was like a unicorn. Before I had the chance to turn around and walk all the way back to Bulli Beach, Tony Larobina kindly came up to me and shook my hand to welcome me. Day one of the rest of my life. With Br Bob Wallace at the helm Eddies was destined to be a Rugby school and I, an accomplished rugby league player, was required to join the rugby ranks which I did with pride. I played on the wing for the First XV in 1972 and 1973. My focus on schooling was not what you would describe as first rate, but being in the Firsts helped a lot to avoid unnecessary studies. We thought we were pretty special as we got to travel to Sydney and Melbourne for Rugby, but I see now where the kids go and realise just how much has changed. As a team we were keen to enter the Waratah Shield but when you see just how much better later First XVs became it was probably for the best that the school’s entry to the elite schools rugby competition was delayed.
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Alumni Magazine of St Edmund’s College Canberra
“
I didn’t realise it at the time, but my three years at St Eddies started me on a path which has shaped everything I have done has been very rewarding. I married a girl from St Clare’s and had four children, had jobs I’ve loved and started a community foundation. I have had a colourful life, but as I reflect on it, where I’ve ended up is thanks in large part to my three years as an Eddies boy...
I could have studied harder, but my time at school between football games taught me was that I would need to study - eventually. At the age of 47 I was awarded a Master’s Degree from the Australian Catholic University. Like many of my generation, the first to get a degree was normally the first person in that family to attend a university. By the time I received the qualification I had already been responsible for the Vocational Education and Training systems in Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. I am a member of the board of the Indigenous Marathon Foundation and I helped establish the board of the Canberra Area Theatre Awards. I also chair a number of wind farm related community consultative committees. My work has taken me to some incredible places and none more so that the central desert of Australia where I worked for some time in Aboriginal affairs, and that experience changes people. My sister lives in Alice Springs and after having lived there in 1980 I visit a lot and renew my love of the Australian desert. I have worked as the Education Counselor if the Australian Embassy in Bangkok and many years ago I was the first CEO of the only truly independent state training authority in the country which was in Western Australia.
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St Edmund’s and before that St Paul’s in Wollongong ingrained in me the importance of appreciating where you are and how you got there. It is that sense of connection to your community that has been a cornerstone in my life. My current work is to encourage every Canberran to get involved in our community. Hands Across Canberra was started by me and others ten years ago as a practical endeavor to convince everyone in Canberra that the wellbeing of our community is all of our responsibility. It is not for the government to do it all and if we all do a bit that we will be all okay. Hands
Across
Canberra
being
Canberra’s
community
V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
STRONG CHARACTER.
TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G .
foundation has as its long-term plan to have many millions invested to allow us to make substantial grants to charities and community organisations every year. We will have generated over $10 million income in our 10 years and this year we will make about $1 million available in grants. We work with over 250 local charities and for-purpose organisations - each of which works with vulnerable people.
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I was adopted by the Canberra community at 15 and I think this is my way of saying thanks and to leave our city in better shape for generations to come...
I remain in touch with many of my classmates mainly Terry Kimball and others.
Writing this article reminded me that
along with the late Tony Daniels and others we started an old boys Rugby Club in about 1980 which eventually grew to include a rugby league team. The Brothers club was able to draw on the amazing reserves of ex-students and despite a substantial abundance of talent the local rugby authorities would never allow us to progress up the grades. We won many second division medals on the way. My brothers Paul, Philip and Richard also attended Eddies, as did my son Tim, briefly in 1994. Each of my children are outstanding products of the ACT education system and they are thriving, and my four grandchildren are in great hands.
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The Pines The Pines is located in Tuross Head which is south of Moruya and is able to accommodate up to 100 people at one time. The Pines is owned and operated by St Edmund’s College Canberra with all St Edmund’s boys having the opportunity to experience some time at Tuross. Students also attend Tuross for retreats as well as the specialised excursions and is currently being developed as an off-campus field studies centre. The Pines is also used and available to Old Boys, current family groups, community and sporting organisations as a relaxing holiday venue or conference facility.
TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G .
Tuross Head Tuross Head is surrounded by water with Coila Lake to the North, Tuross Lake to the South, the Pacific Ocean to the East and the mountains to the West. The area is famous for fishing, fresh oysters, water sports and its wildlife particularly whales and birds. Tuross Head has a shopping village with nine food outlets ranging from first-class restaurants
STRONG CHARACTER.
Club has bowling greens and a golf course.
V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
to take-a-way cafes. The award-winning Tuross Country
able. A two star equivalent facility that gives you and your
The Pines The Pines is located on three acres of land just a short stroll from Tuross Lake and the beautiful beach of the Pacific Ocean. Open for functions, birthday and wedding celebrations for up to 100 people with catering options availguest’s complete privacy.
To make a booking please contact The Pines at the following details... Mark Todd – Manager Phone: 02 44738122 Email: thepines@stedmunds.act.edu.au An enterprise owned and operated by St Edmund’s College Canberra.
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Alumni Magazine of St Edmund’s College Canberra
The St Edmund’s College Building Fund enables the community to make a direct contribution to the refurbishmen, maintenance and development of infrastructure at the College. Like many independent schools, St Edmund’s depends on the support of the entire community - school fees and government grants alone do not support new capital projects, major maintenance and restoration of existing buildings, or the ongoing support and enhancement of the college’s scholarship programmes.
We would like to provide our students across the College with learning spaces which... •
Can be adapted to accommodate learning modes and technology
•
Create opportunities for students to learn independtly and in groups
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Support collaborative learning and teaching for students and teachers
•
Provide optimum learning conditions that are aesthetically appropriate
How to Contribute 1. Visit our College website at https://sec.act.edu.au 2. Find ‘Links’ at the top or bottom of the page. 3. Click on ‘Online Payment’ which should take you to our College Payment Portal. 4. In the ‘Event’ selection menu, click ‘Voluntary Building Fund’
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All gifts support our future, and whether large or small, gifts are greatly appreciated and assist the College’s vision to deliver contemporary educational and learning facilities... PAGE 39
PELICAN: SEMESTER 2, 2020 TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G . STRONG CHARACTER. V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
Michael Wellsmore Alumni Profile Class of 1969 My last year at St Edmund’s meant that I had spent over half my life at that time at the one institution. While it is a bit strange to think of it in those terms, the more interesting aspect is the threat that hung over my fellow students and me in my first year. We transferred early from the suburban primary school to Eddies in those days, which for me was St Peter Chanel in Yarralumla. However, it was the last year that St Edmund’s would have a fourth grade primary class for many years. This meant that we lived with the potential menace that if we did not do well and pass our exams at St Edmunds, we would be sent back to the nuns, to do the year again. Of course, it would be unacceptable these days for such a sword of Damocles to be held over the head of children at such a young age. Jonathan Haidt would have had little to write about back then, in terms of a fragile generation, but perhaps that is the point. During my time at St Edmund’s it was a place where young boys were put into an environment where competition and challenges existed, in various forms. These were both physical and over time more cerebral, but excellence in both was recognised. It is interesting the things that are imbedded in a child’s mind and are delivered back as recollections some 60 years later. And all because I was asked to write about my time at St Edmund’s and the influence that my education may have had on my life. So, with that said, let’s start from the beginning.
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My first day at the school was enrolment. Along with others we congregated with one or more of our parents on what I recall as the imposing front veranda. There was a bell that kept going on and off at short intervals, but they did not have fire alarms then so there was some confusion as to the cause. It turned out that the part of the wall my father had chosen to lean against had the front doorbell button and as he shifted his weigh the button was engaged. Again, little things from a child’s memory. Enrolment finalised, my life at St Edmund’s commenced. I do not recall much from Primary school other than Miss Gordon and what there is of them, the memories are good. However, I do recall that on several occasions I left the school grounds as a 5th or 6th grader. I don’t recall the reason for leaving but obviously I was not a “happy camper”.
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As a farm boy who had been taught by my father at a young age to navigate in the bush, the walk from the school to my parent’s store in Manuka was easy. I do recall having to be persuaded to return to school so maybe I wasn’t that anti-fragile yet...
College Captain - 1969
As I am sure it is today, the move from primary to secondary school was a big thing. You were now starting out the process that was supposed to help set the course of your life. However, I recall we were told that we would have to do 6 years of high school not 5. The last class under the old Leaving Certificate model was 1965, I think. We were told we were very lucky to be part of the new Wyndham Scheme that would better prepare us for life after school. I recall being unimpressed, and perhaps that attitude was an indication of why I achieved a less than spectacular scholastic score at the end of the process. And repeating sixth form didn’t make one bit of difference. Despite my preference for sport, I did receive a well-rounded education covering Latin, French, Maths, Science, English, History (ancient and modern) as well as Geography (a favourite) and Art (hopeless). There may have been more, but I do not recall. The importance though is that in later life, the information I had been exposed to on such a range of subjects, has proven to be especially useful. But life and experiences are all about context. One such example was Maths. My Maths teachers would have been surprised to find that the placing of a $ sign in front of numbers was the key to making mathematics “come alive” for me. A useful discovery given my many years in business. And as already
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indicated, the broad range of subjects I was taught proved useful to an adult inquisitive mind. If only that side of the brain had kicked in during my school years. The desire to remove myself from the school grounds did not return, no doubt assisted by the ability to play all of the sports I wanted. We seemed to be in one constant round from football (rugby of course), to swimming, athletics, rowing and sometimes tennis. I made several of the school teams and/or squads, but nothing all that outstanding. However, for someone who started life as a painfully shy child, by my final year I was able to speak in public. This no doubt helped me in my business life eventually presenting papers at overseas conferences in North America and Asia as well as representing industry groups with government at Local, State and Federal level.
V I B R A N T S P I R I T.
STRONG CHARACTER.
TA I L O R E D L E A R N I N G .
I was fortunate to be School Captain in my final year and choice that was not made by my peers but by the Brothers. I think I was the least likely to cause a revolution. However, I was grateful for the honour and I had a great working relationship with the office staff and with the headmaster, Br Darmody. The prefect group and I were allowed to try a few different things and the staff in the office provided the support to turn our ideas into reality (thank you Mrs Durie). Perhaps the most interesting was the football competition, which was developed to engender some interest within the student body, in the exploits of the First XV. Money was chosen as the vehicle. So, a 5 cent entry allowed you the opportunity to select the following: the winning team; the winning margin; the first try scorer for St Edmund’s. Entries had to be in by close of school on the Friday before the match and prizes were given at assembly on following Monday. The thing was almost shut down when a boy from the primary school, a 5th grader I think, won $25.00 as he was the only one to correctly pick all the outcomes. As school came to an end, I was unsure of my career path.
However, I was not all that
taken with the oft expressed comment that your school years would be among the best years of your life. I never quite understood that at an emotional of analytical level. If this was as good as it was going to get, then I thought there was something terribly wrong.
So, for those who
need hope that it gets better, it gets much better. And if it doesn’t then it may be that you have taken a few wrong turns and need to get back on track. So, it is obvious that I was
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pleased to be leaving, although there was no particular reason other than life is about stages and I was keen to move on. I was unsure what to do but having done labouring on building sites during school holidays over the previous few years, I turned to what I knew. For an 18 year old the money was good, but I grew sick of it after 10 months and in August 1970 I persuaded my father to allow me to enter the family real estate business as a salesman. I was very “green” and made most every mistake in the book, but I persevered and under my father’s instruction I turned out to be a reasonably good agent. The early 70’s was an exciting time in Canberra as more and more Public Servant departments were relocated to the nation’s capital. Due to my age, I focused on selling homes to first home buyers and I found it to be very rewarding. However, I grew restless. As is a child’s desire, I wanted to branch out on my own and in 1974, I acquired an agency of my own called Reg Daly Real Estate. With people who would eventually become my partners, I set about trying to set the Canberra real estate world “on fire”. Malcom Fraser’s rise to power made that a little difficult as the expansion of the public service was hobbled. However, life went on and following my father contracting cancer, my partners and I acquired the old family business and the foundation of what is today the independent property group in Canberra was born. I eventually sold out my interest in all the agencies in the mid 80’s to pursue other interests in the property sector and this has been the main focus of my activities ever since. However, I was enticed to return to agency practice on several occasions in both the residential and commercial sectors. Outside of agency practice, development management and consulting work in property related positions became the focus of my career. I took on ever growing responsibilities to produce outcomes for individual clients and/or client groups. There have been many challenges and many joys, but they turned out to be ephemeral in the context of other things in life. But I was not to fully appreciate of this until 2012. As the saying goes “life is what happens when you are busy making other plans”. In late 1974 I met a young lady who would become my wife. Ann Cotterill had come to Canberra to study midwifery, after working in Melbourne for some years as a nurse. Our meeting was serendipitous, and many times I have though that the gods were smiling on me that day, as our meeting was so improbable. The timing of events was so precise to within 5 - 10 seconds, either side of that and we would not have met and it forever intrigued me. Long story short, we got married 4 years later and had two beautiful children. And now with the two grandchildren they are very much part of my life.
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In 2007 my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately, 5 years later after regular test over the intervening period, she was assessed clear in terms of breast cancer. Unfortunately, she had not been well for about 6 weeks before receiving the all clear diagnosis. The “busy making other plans reference” relates to what happened next. Within a week we discovered why she had been unwell and by this time it was too late. A new unrelated cancer had advanced too far as to be inoperable. I stopped work completely to be with her and within five months she was gone. I began then to understand what she had been trying to teach me; but more life lessons were ahead of
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me. Following my wife’s death, I struggled to deal with life and decided that a move to Sydney may help - it didn’t. Just two years later I started my own medical journey and over the next three years or so there were heart issues, multiple cancers, multiple operations and procedures, along with the usual complications. “Life is what happens etc etc…………..” If this article is supposed to contain some wisdom I have learned, then I suppose this is the time to impart it. People have a range of reactions to my life story, especially the more recent years.
The
message, if there is one, is that everyone has different sorts of struggles. For me this has meant taking all that I have lived, including my school education, and seek to find a way to make it work. It appears that life will throw up a series of challenges, it is part of that thing they call the human condition. There is always a choice as to how you react and I have not always made the right choice, but I have persevered, and solutions have appeared. Susie, my, partner found me this great quote and for me it has been helpful, so I share it with you: “don’t look back because that is not the way you are going”. The end of the story is good. In October 2019, the oncologist told me that my results are now so good that it is if I never had any cancers; but just to be sure he will continue with the six month monitoring etc. I have returned to Canberra, should never have left, and have reentered agency practice, which gives me a goal each day. And the depth of knowledge in agency and property means that I have a far less stressful life than I lived previously.
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Achievement Highlight Jason Howe Class of 2019
Young Canberra Citizen of the Year Award
It is our pleasure to inform the Eddies community that one of the recipients of the Young
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Canberra Citizen of the Year Awards is Jason Howe, Class of 2019. Jason achieved this award in the category of Personal Achievement. Jason’s acceptance speech is included below – this wonderful account of Jason’s life explains beautifully why Jason was awarded this recognition. The Young Canberra Citizen of the Year Awards were introduced in 1989. The ACT Government conducts the Awards in partnership with sponsors to recognise young people aged between 12 and 25 who have contributed through their personal endeavours, or who have been actively involved in the ACT community. These Awards recognise the talent of individuals and groups from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, who have made significant contributions in areas including community work, sport, education, science, culture, the arts or the environment. Further, the Awards seek to acknowledge and recognise significant personal achievements of individual young people and groups. Congratulations to Jason. We are all very proud of Jason’s achievement and we wish him well with his future endeavours. He is a strong symbol and model of motivation and resilience. We would also like to thank Mr Michael Monagle (Assistant Principal - Mission & Identity) in nominating and supporting Jason for this award.
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“
Jason’s Acceptance Speech Good evening everyone. It is a real honour to be here tonight and to be given this award. As a kid back in Colombia I never imagined that I would be standing here tonight receiving an award like this, this really means a lot to me. I grew up in a family of eleven kids and we were a really poor family. I missed the opportunity of being at school because I had to help my mum collect recyclables to help support the family. I always wanted to study to be in a position where I could help people in need but I never thought I would have the opportunity. Through a series of profound events I ended up in an orphanage and then was adopted by an Australian missionary who was working in the orphanage. Coming to Australia was like coming to a new world. This country of equality, fairness, respect and opportunities, things l never experienced in my whole life in Colombia. One thing that impacted me the most was that despite me being different, teachers and kids at school were really respectful and friendly. I was 21 years old when I graduated from St Edmund’s College. It was really hard to study at high school as an older student but I am so grateful of how I was warmly accepted and that I had the opportunity to progress academically. This year I am doing a Bachelor of Business at University of Canberra but I am changing this semester to a Bachelor of Education because I was touched by how supportive my teachers were and I realised the impact that good teachers can have on their student’s life. I want to thank my dad who has always been there for me and gave me everything. He gave me a family, but he also gave me the love and belonging that I never had. I want to thank my grandma who has always there supporting my dad through the adoption process which was really hard. When I was having a really hard time in Colombia she came to encourage me and show me that I was loved; she is my second biggest fan and she cooks the best frijoles. I want to thank Mr Monagle for nominating me for this award, and all the St Edmund’s teachers who supported me. Once again thanks for this recognition...
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Thank You Thank you for reading the last edition of the Pelican for 2020! Previously, the Pelican served to highlight various events taking place at the College. These events were and continue to be covered in other publications of the College such as the weekly newsletter (Vortex), the College Yearbook and our Social Media channels. This year the Pelican has been focused on our alumni, our Old Boys and significant members of our College community. This personal stories, and to share the far reaching effect that an Eddies education and link with the College can have on the local and broader community.
Feedback The St Edmund’s College Community Development Office is committed to the continuous improvement of the Pelican magazine and we welcome any feedback or suggestions you may have at: publications@stedmunds.act.edu.au.
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aims to demonstrate the breadth and depth of experiences and
Samuel Sergi
Community Development Officer
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