Dear Members of the St Mary’s College Family,
It has been fantastic to witness the support of our Conanti Corona Magazine . I am excited to welcome you to the third edition, which continues to celebrate the triumphs and achievements of St Mary’s College students, staff and Old Boys.
2019 has been a momentous year at St Mary’s College, as we proudly celebrate 120 years. In 1898, Br Patrick Ambrose Tracey, Provincial Superior of the Christian Brothers in Australia, was visited in Sydney by the then parish priest of Toowoomba, Fr Denis Fouhy, about the establishment of a boys’ Catholic school in Toowoomba. On the 28th January 1899, tenders were invited for the erection of the College, designed by William Hodgen HRIBA. After 24 weeks of construction, St Mary’s College officially opened. The first day saw 120 pupils attend, with the first student being William McGoldrick, who had won a foot race from Our Lady of Lourdes Church to St Mary’s College.
Since 1899, St Mary’s College has been, and continues to be, an integral part of the education of many young men in Toowoomba. Our successes range from academic, cultural, sporting, social and spiritual pursuits with many Old Boys enjoying outstanding careers post-school, in a variety of fields.
We celebrate this rich history of St Mary’s College and are proud to stand on the shoulders of the many giants who have gone before us.
To mark this major milestone, St Mary’s College hosted the 120 Years Old Boys’ Dinner, with special guest winning Premiership (NRL) and World Cup Challenge, Queensland and South Sydney Rabbitohs player, Ethan Lowe (2008). The night was compered by Mr James O’Shea (1999) and included the launch of the new history book Good Old Boy: Conversation with Dan , written by Felicity McArdle. This dinner was a wonderful opportunity for Old Boys to reunite and celebrate 120 years of our fine College.
We give thanks to our loving God for our many blessings, our past teachers, the Christian Brothers, our many opportunities, education and the brotherhood that we share.
I trust you will enjoy reading the third issue of our Conanti Corona publication.
May our loving God walk with all members of the St Mary’s College family.
Mr Michael Newman College Principal
During Catholic Education Week, the Toowoomba Catholic Schools’ Long Service Awards were presented, recognising staff throughout the diocese who have achieved a significant tenure within the organisation.
This year, we celebrated outstanding St Mary’s College staff who have reached wonderful milestones of service to Catholic Education.
Alwyn Rix has achieved 40 years of service to Catholic Education; Phil Cutler 35 years of service; Brian Steer 30 Years of service; Michael Newman 30 years and Frank Strachotta 20 years to Catholic Education.
We are proud to announce that two St Mary’s College staff were nominated for the Spirit of Catholic Education Award 2019: Sally Callaghan and Rod Logan.
The Spirit of Catholic Education Awards are presented annually as part of Catholic Education Week celebrations. The awards aim to recognise those who are making an outstanding contribution within the Catholic education community. Sally and Rod were nominated as they implement change that improves teaching and learning and supports greater equity in education, demonstrate excellence in team work that supports and builds Catholic education, and demonstrate outstanding service to others in the school education community and beyond.
Many thanks to the St Mary’s College Old Boys Association representatives on the Future Planning committee, who agreed to the refurbishments of the cricket nets and basketball courts, which are situated on Herries Street .
St Mary’s College students are now published story tellers, with the Wise Humans of the Downs book being launched during Seniors Week. The publication features the life experiences of 30 local seniors as told to Toowoomba secondary students. Twenty students from the College volunteered to join the project, spending time with an older participant to listen to and record stories from their life. The students were excited to test their interview skills and to be part of a published book.
The book is a special project by not-for-profit organisation YellowBridge QLD in partnership with St Mary’s College. Its purpose is to uncover, record and celebrate the lived experiences and stories of people aged over 60 years.
“We can learn so much from the older members of our community and we wanted to help share their wisdom and tales,” YellowBridge chief executive officer Penny Hamilton said. “It is fascinating to hear how life was in previous generations and how people survived triumphs and tragedies along the way,” Ms Hamilton said. “We believe that everyone has a story to tell. The ordinary is just as important as the extraordinary and they help us to have more compassion, empathy and appreciation for others.”
The College funded this project, which students are now able to use during physical education and team training.
Along with celebrating 120 years since St Mary’s College first opened the gates, we are proud to launch our new book ‘Good Old BoysConversations with Dan’.
The author, Felicity McArdle, has cleverly woven together a variety of stories about particular Old Boys, reflected through the eyes of Dan McErlean. Dan is responsible for faithfully writing and editing the Old Boys newsletter since the beginning of 2001 for the College. Dan has been enthusiastically assisted by a wide network of Old Boys through the years, and this work
provides the encouragement and links necessary to unite the Old Boys.
The St Mary’s College family is forever grateful to Dan for his kindness, generosity and gentlemanly grace in managing this publication. Now Dan’s generosity has extended to the sharing of his reflections on a very small number of stories of Old Boys. They are tales he has been fortunate to locate, and he had the foresight to recognise their value, and record and preserve them. Contact St Mary’s College to purchase a copy of the publication.
In 2019, St Mary’s College celebrates 120 years, and to mark the major milestone, hosted the 120 Year Old Boys Dinner.
The 120 Year Old Boys Dinner was a huge success, with hundreds of Old Boys gathering in the T. P. O’Brien Hall with old classmates, enjoying dinner and drinks. The event featured special guest, winning Premiership (NRL) and World Cup Challenge, Queensland and South Sydney Rabbitohs player, Ethan Lowe (2008) and the event was hosted by MC James O’Shea (1999). A major auction of sporting memorabilia was held, and all guests had a chance to celebrate all of the milestones over the last 120 Years at St Mary’s College.
A new Religious Education course for Years 11 and 12 students has been launched at St Mary’s College, with Principal, Michael Newman, and Assistant Principal Identity, Paul Grealy, contributing to the writing of the course.
The Living Water praxis course provides students with the opportunity for practical application of their faith through involvement in flexible, enriching and engaging experiences. It calls young adults to positive action in the world and provides contemporary experiences that better meet the needs of senior learners.
Through these core elements, the course integrates models of service learning, theology, social justice, Scripture and prepares students to go into the wider community in service learning roles. Some of the practical experiences that the students will implement include: preparing a prayer and liturgical activity, facilitating a retreat for primary school students, involvement in an advocacy activity for a voiceless group, 40 hours of community service, reflections and involvement in a school retreat.
It is hoped that the praxis course will be uplifting and relevant to senior students with the aim of enabling not only their personal development but also the ongoing engagement with their faith into the future.
At St Mary’s College, we are very proud of the fact that we had 100% improvement of our Year 7 to 9 results in all areas of spelling, reading, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy.
This follows significant increases in results of students as they progress from Year 7 to Year 9 in all areas of Literacy and Numeracy.
The result has been 100% improvement.
Congratulations to St Mary’s College students who placed 1st out of 8 schools on the 3rd day of the 2019 Science and Engineering Challenge.
Held at the University of Southern Queensland, eight schools from across the region gathered to participate in the challenge. The event encouraged students to think outside the box and test theories. It was an event where getting something wrong was encouraged. The students were provided a challenge and a set of materials to complete a specific task.
The event aimed at allowing the students to engage in fun, yet competitive activities involving elements of science, engineering and technology, encouraging the students to explore scientific principles, rather than being guided to an answer.
Well done to our boys who were placed third at the finals of the QAMT Maths Quiz. They were the first placed Toowoomba school tying with Toowoomba Grammar and only three points from first place.
Students held their own across five key categories including estimation, fast response, problem solving, short answer questions, history and general knowledge of Mathematics.
We congratulate all boys and thank their teachers, Mr Wayne Williams and Mr Nick Strickland.
St Mary’s College Year 8 students made it to the Grand Final of the 2019 Darling Downs Debating Union competition. The boys developed quite a strong and mature set of debating skills, tackling difficult topics. Schools within the Darling Downs Debating Union continue to provide very strong competition which enables our boys to further develop their skills, skills which transfer into their academic life.
This follows our debating success in past years with our Open team winning the Darling Downs Schools Queensland Debating Union in 2015 and 2018.
Well done to our Primary students who participated in the Youth Parliament, hosted by the Queensland Parliament and chaired by the Speaker, the Honourable Curtis Pitt MP, along with local Members of Parliament. Students debated a motion on a youth issue or spoke in an Adjournment Debate for one minute about any issue falling within the jurisdiction of the Queensland Parliament.
Well done to four St Mary’s College teams who have made the finals of the 2019 Mayoral Telstra Innovation Awards.
TEAM MEMBERS INCLUDE:
TEAM INDIGITECH:
Alexanda Myers, Joseph Doljanin and Connor Nicholls
TEAM MATCHPRACTICE:
Dhairy Shah, Craig Danckwerts and Joshua Lane
TEAM SOLESOLUTION: Bailey Fry, Khai Van Heerden and Lachlan Ramm
TEAM SUSTAINABILITY: James Sullivan, Tikiri Lamb and Alex Rashleigh
The boys’ innovations include: Online information on Aboriginal place names, culture and tourism, a pair of augmented reality goggles for cricket net practice, a sport shoe with multiple sole attachments - reducing the cost of sport shoes for parents and a STEM kit to build an envirocity (model city) to teach students about environment sustainability
We wish the boys the best of luck for when they present their innovations to the judges.
St Mary’s College Year 10 students have been given invaluable support to start considering their future careers’ path. They have done this by participating in a program with Career Avenues and our College Psychologists. The students completed profiles and questionnaires that are personally tailored to stimulate career exploration. As well, they participated in group presentations, workshops and one-on-one interviews wherein they reviewed their profile with a Career Avenues counsellor. The program inspires and supports students by embracing their uniqueness, exploring future career options and launching their best career avenues through comprehensive personalised profiling and career interviews. This is one of many support opportunities provided for our students, as the boys get closer to stepping out into the big wide world of employment or future studies. Here at St Mary’s College, we work to ensure each individual student has the skills and qualifications needed to successfully live out a life of their choosing.
Not all boys look at University as their direct path of choice after school. Some boys choose a pathway of school-based apprenticeships, participate in and gain qualifications in certificate courses, or have direct links to Old Boys for support in their chosen future fields of employment. Regardless of the pathway of their choice, future employers view all these options as extremely valuable, enabling our boys to have the best opportunity to be employable as soon as they walk out of the gates of St Mary’s College. In the meantime, the boys continue to enjoy the full range of activities and experiences that a school provides, including: sport, cultural and spiritual undertakings and friendships.
As a part of this selection, St Mary’s College offers its students a School Based Apprenticeship (SBA) Program, allowing senior high school students the opportunity to commence an apprenticeship with an employer while at school, along with getting paid. While correspondingly studying for their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE), some boys complete schoolbased apprentices part-time and undertake the first stage of their formal or off-the-job apprenticeship training.
Students are also able to study courses that not only contribute towards their QCE, but also give them an industry recognised qualification upon completion of school. Vocational Courses may be studied at St Mary’s or at TAFE, through the TAFE delivered VET in Schools Program. Courses vary from Agriculture and Horticulture, to Construction, Engineering, Furnishing and Manufacturing; Business and IT to Tourism and Hospitality and Creative Arts; and Sport and Recreation to Entertainment. Being part of these certificate courses means that if a boy wishes to study at TAFE after he graduates from St Mary’s, he will be deemed to have completed part of that TAFE course already. Along with this, St Mary’s College is proud of its growing ‘Men at Work Program’, which directly links Old Boys with a student in their future field of employment. This rich program enables the Old Boy mentor to connect with a St Mary’s College young man, nurturing and providing him with experienced advice as he transfers into his future ‘dream’ job. A mentor acts as a guide, a source of information, and a practical sounding board for his mentee by offering guidance and even industry visits at his place of employment.
Congratulations to the following boys who received Distinctions in the recent Australasian International Competition and Assessment for Schools Examinations (ICAS) held during Term 3 by the University of New South Wales.
This competition has student participants from Australia and 20 other countries throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, Pacific and America. Congratulations go to the following boys on this outstanding achievement:
Mathematics Distinctions Year 5 - Rylan Borger, Year 7 - Andrew Dennis, Ethan Payne, Year 8 - Harrison Clancy
English Distinctions Year 7 - Nathan Ottobrino, Year 8 - Alexander Eddie
St Mary’s College students were lucky enough to spend one-on-one time with award-winning author Jack Heath, when he visited the College. Jack Heath is the award-winning author of thirty action-packed thrillers, including the Liars series (middle school fiction) and the Hangman series (senior fiction). His novels have been translated into six languages and adapted for film. Jack fell in love with reading in primary school, when an ear infection left him unable to do much else. In
high school, he was frustrated by the slow pace and lack of excitement in most teenage fiction, so he started writing his own novel. It was picked out of a slush pile and published while he was still a teenager, and it soon became an international success. During his visit to St Mary’s College, Jack shared his skills in reflective writing with students in all year levels, discussing how to develop characters, hosting writing workshops and even signing his book for students.
Congratulations to Year 8 student Alexander Eddie, who achieved highly commended for his short story, submitted into the Queensland Independent Education Union Writing Competition. Entrants were invited to submit their poetry, short stories or non-fiction prose. Alexander was amongst twelve St Mary’s College students who entered the competition. Alexander has been invited to attend an awards ceremony in Brisbane.
St Mary’s College Year 10 students have become involved in Social Justice by supporting the local community and various organisations.
Students spent three days during their final week of Term 2 at organisations such as Endeavour Foundation, St Vincent de Paul, Yellow Bridge, Actscare, Bigdog Support Services, Bupa Aged Care, Cambooya State School and Food Assist. St Mary’s College demonstrates outstanding commitment to social justice and mission.
The exceptional enthusiasm, energy and commitment demonstrated by boys, staff and families to a number of causes exemplify the essence of the St Mary’s College spirit. As a College in the Edmund Rice Tradition, there is a focus on the poor, the marginalised and the abandoned within and beyond our College.
At the end of Term 2, the St Mary’s College community celebrated Edmund Rice Day, which began with Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral, where our College community: staff, parents and the boys, worshipped. Fr Ray Crowley and Fr Hal Ranger said a reflective Mass and asked students to consider what it means to never let a brother or sister down.
Staff and students were reminded to live a life of action in the spirit of Edmund Rice, being thankful for the privilege of attending a school that is guided by such socially just principles. Three Christian Brothers who joined us for the occasion, including Br Matt McKeon who is 94 years old and attended St Mary’s College 81 years ago. Speaking to the Brothers and dignitaries, they were all impressed by the behaviour and sense of occasion that the current group of St Mary’s boys demonstrated.
The second part of the day saw the boys and staff engaged in fairground activities, The Great Debate and the annual Staff vs Year 12 Boys Rugby League Game.
Congratulations to the boys who were chosen as the 2019 Spirit of Catholic Education Award winners at St Mary’s College. This award comes after significant consultation with staff regarding those boys who live the Christian Ethos of the College, contribute in religious education classes and serve the wider community admirably. The boys were joined at the College assembly by family and friends and enjoyed an afternoon tea afterwards. Award recipients are as follows: Thomas Wilson, Michael Pfingst, Yanojan Navaneethan, Luke Conway, Anshul Shiju, Connor Nicholls, Sebastian Morcom and Patrick Upton.
In 2019, the boys of St Mary’s College have strived to be an outward looking community and to be inspired by Edmund Rice’s call ‘to do’. The boys have engaged in local partnerships with agencies that share our values of faith, integrity, action and excellence. They have been active in their pursuit of ‘walking beside’ others in their time of need and have demonstrated a desire to better understand the circumstances of those who are on the margins in our community. As the College continues to grow, so have the opportunities for boys to serve others. Here are just some of the experiences the boys of St Mary’s have engaged in this year:
• St Vincent de Paul Youth Camps
• United Nations Youth Climate Change Summit
• Rosies, Friends on the Street Ministries
• Orange Sky – Innovation Headquarters experience
• Oz Harvest – understanding food sustainability and security
• Yellow Bridge service learning experience
• Brodribb Nursing Home Visits
• Awareness raising for World Vision Australia
• St Vincent de Paul ‘Buddies Days’ – Darling Downs Zoo
• Lessons in Advocacy by the United Nations Youth Ambassador
• Edmund Rice Camps social justice experience
• Fundraising for a range of local and national charities
• Red Cross appeals
• Edmund Rice – ERA for Change Advocacy Group
• Support of Refugee and Migrant families
In this, our 120th year anniversary, St Mary’s College celebrates our namesake and the most significant feast day in the Church’s calendar year, The Assumption. This feast day recognises the importance of Mary, the Mother of God in the story of Jesus, our Christ and God. The Christian Brothers who founded St Mary’s College from Ireland in 1899, had a great devotion to Mary. They prayed to her, to ask her son Jesus to hear their prayers. Mary was seen by them as a person of faith to whom they interceded or prayed to so that God would hear their prayers. The idea was very much that the mother would not refuse the request of her son, Jesus.
It was wonderful to celebrate this feast day of Mary with the most reverend Bishop Robert McGuckin DD MCL JCL and the St Mary’s College family.
It’s been an absolute privilege in 2019 to be witness to the way in which the St Mary’s College boys constantly strive for the crown, and in doing so, become positive change agents for our community. Take care, Ryan Baines (Cross Campus Chaplain)
In 2019, St Mary’s College saw high representation of students at Darling Downs, State and even National level sporting events.
10 students represented Queensland in a range of sports, and one even earnt the highest of honours in being named to represent Australia.
Queensland Representatives (pictured)
Back Row:
Cooper Tate-Roche (Rugby League), Jack Moore (Hockey), Luke Levitt (Softball), Lincoln Walk (Softball)
Front Row:
Lachlan Parker (Swimming), Charlie Dettori (Rugby League), Riley Williams (Athletics), Braithen Scott (Aquathon, Rugby League & Touch)
Absent: Nicholas Murphy (Soccer & Softball), Charlie McMahon (Touch), Lachlan McGrath (Touch), Seth Hardaker (Umpire Softball), Ryan Johnson (Rugby League)
Australian Representative (pictured) Luke Levitt – (Softball)
St Mary’s College students went down to Nerang with 18 students competing from Years 8 -12, for the 2019 National Schools Mountain Bike Championships.
Over the course of three days, the boys competed in various disciplines including: XCC (Short Track Cross Country), XCO (Olympic Cross-Country) and GE (Gravity Enduro). The boys were tested constantly and raced hard all weekend.
Senior student, Declan Trezise, was fortunate enough to come away with a win in the Year 12 XCC. Declan showed some real grit in all his racing. Additionally, Declan took time out all weekend to assist the younger boys with their bikes and any additional help they needed. Even right before his race, Declan was still helping boys change tyres and fix derailleurs.
Students, Alastair Doljanin, Matthew Neville and Bart Stefan all finished within the top 10 in the Gravity Enduro. Considering the high level of competition at the event and a record number of participants this year, this is a supreme effort.
Congratulations to the St Mary’s College Confraternity Shield Team who made themselves and the College proud through their efforts and the way they conducted themselves at the 2019 Confraternity Shield in Bundaberg during the June holidays. The boys finished in a very creditable 5th position out of 48 teams. Congratulations to Cooper Tate-Roche, who was named in the QISSRL honorary team and coach Rob Anderson, who was named honorary coach.
Congratulations to the St Mary’s College Firsts Basketball team on winning the Armstrong Auto Group Cup.
Well done to the St Mary’s College U14 Soccer Team who made it all the way to the quarter finals of the Independent Schools Soccer Association (ISSA) Cup in August. The boys competed against Kimberley College at Carbrook. This competition is supported by Football Queensland and sponsored by UHL Sport.
The students played extremely well, winning all five games culminating with a 61-56 defeat of St Joseph’s College in the final.
Thank you to Mr Lymer for his dedication in preparing the team and manager, Mr Hardy, for his support.
Well done to all the students who represented the College at the Catholic Education Week Touch Carnival in Term 3. Both the Primary teams, Year 5 and Year 6, were victorious on the day, as well as the under 13, under 15 and open teams. It was great to see all of the boys eager to play their hardest and, in doing so, ensure positive sportsmanship. Ten senior students assisted on the day by coaching and refereeing the games. The boys then progressed to Queensland All Schools Touch Tournament. The under 13, under 15 and open teams all made the quarter finals in QLD. This is our best result in 10 years.
St Mary’s College Showband and Jazz Combo were honoured to be invited to perform at the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation major fundraiser Legends at their Game, featuring special guests Cameron Smith and Johnathon Thurston.
The groups performed a number of musical pieces during the course of the day in front of 500 guests.
The event raised money for Triple M Darling Downs Give Me 5 for Kids Appeal.
Congratulations go to our Primary Chess Team who progressed from the annual Toowoomba District Primary School Teams Chess Competition qualifying rounds for the State Championships. At these qualifiers, the students came third with the top six teams going to the State Championship.
The first annual inter-house chess tournament also took place at the College, with 27 boys across all grades competing to be the champion chess player of St Mary’s, with Waterford House walking away winners.
Huge congratulations to all our students who participated in this year’s Toowoomba Eisteddfod.
St Mary’s College was well represented with many ensembles, small groups, and solo performances in both musical and dramatic sections.
Both the Showband and Drumline picked up 1st place in their sections, with our Concert Band, Percussion Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, and Choir performing strongly against stiff competition.Congratulations also go to Khai van Heerden (1st), Tui Rei (two 2nd and two Highly Commended), Judd Rei (2nd and two HC), Luke Tully (3rd), Andrew Kisiel (3rd) for their efforts in their individual sections.
Tui Rei was also singled out to receive the Primary Speech and Drama Bursary award to support his continued excellence in his dramatic studies.
Well done to Year 6 student Andrew Kisiel being placed third in the boys Humorous Verse section for poetry.
Student Karne Young, Abraham Ajak and Connor Simmons had their artwork selected for the annual Creative Generation exhibition, which was held at the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery. These students were included in the nomination list for the Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art with other talented Senior Visual Art students in our region.
Karne Young’s wall painting of ‘A Dream’ was photographed and will be included as a photographic exhibit.
Abraham Ajak competed a digital painting called ‘James Harden is a Machine.’ Connor Simmons also completed a diptych of digitally manipulated self-portraits.
The College Marching Band performed at the Toowoomba Show at which they were personally congratulated by the Governor-General, followed by an excellent performance in the Queensland Commemorative ANZAC Day March through Brisbane CBD. They were then invited to perform as part of the Ekka in Brisbane as a roving performance and, having impressed all present with their playing, were invited to return in 2020. They’ve now wrapped up their projects for the year with their involvement in the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers Parade.
Director and founder of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia, Paul Dillon, attended St Mary’s College for the 6th year in a row, addressing our senior students on Drugs and Alcohol education.
Paul Dillion spoke to students about the importance of looking after their mates; how to deal with situations if something goes wrong and what they need to know about alcohol and other drugs.
In 2009, his best-selling book for parents was released titled ‘Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs‘. With a broad knowledge of a range of content areas, Paul regularly appears in the media and is regarded as a key social commentator, with interviews on television programs such as Sunrise, TODAY and The Project. Paul also writes a blog where he discusses topical issues of the day, as well as addressing some of the questions and queries he is regularly asked by those attending his presentations.
It was wonderful to have so many attend our inaugural Home Run Dinner in September. Organised by our College Captain, Nick Kuhnemann, Year 12 leaders from across a range of Toowoomba schools came together to enjoy a dinner, and had the chance to reflect on their roles within their schools.
Students were able to celebrate the memories and experiences gained during their schooling years, and shared the excitement of graduation nearing.
Paul Dillon has been working in the area of drug education for the past 25 years.
Through his own business, Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA), Paul has been contracted by many organisations to give regular updates on current drug trends.
Paul continues to work with many school communities across the country to ensure that they have access to good quality information and best practice in drug education.
St Mary’s College’s annual Year 12 Mother and Son Luncheon was a chance to not only have mothers and sons spend quality time together, but for students to acknowledge what an impact their mums have had on their education and lives so far. The beautiful luncheon, hosted at Preston Peak Winery, was filled with music, speeches and thanks; a chance to reflect on the importance of a mother and son luncheon.
It was wonderful to see fathers enjoy a hot breakfast with their son, for Father’s Day.
This was an opportunity for the boys to enjoy some quality time with their fathers and for the College to say thank you to all present.
Fathers are revered by their sons and often boys share many traits with their dad. As a key role model, guide, confidant, advice provider and encourager, their important role in the upbringing of their son should never be taken for granted or undervalued.
At St Mary’s College, we certainly admire and wish to reinstate the importance of fathers in their sons’ education, wellbeing and growth.
Our special guest, Queensland Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington, spoke about her love for regional Queensland, and encouraged the boys to never let their geographical location define their opportunities.
Please reserve as Claimer Dates Friday 22nd November for our Brisbane “Pre-Christmas” luncheon, and 6th December 2019 for the similar function at the Headland Golf Club Buderim, (contact Terry Murphy 54564340).
Please remember in your prayers Old Boys & Friends of the College recently deceased;
• Francis Gillick (Frank) Donaghue, (97 yrs) died 3/7/2019, husband of Joan (RIP), father of Judith, Michael and Terrance.
• R.J. (John) Englart (1950-1959), husband of Maureen, father of Kerri, brother-in-law of Sue (OÇonnor) Englart.
• Joseph Anthony (Joe) Hanna (1947-1954) son of Norman and Lavina (both dec), husband of Judy, father of Robert. Brother to John, Margaret, Joan, Michael (dec), Elizabeth, James, Dianne, Anthony and David.
• J.T. (Trevor) Muller (1948-1955), husband of Josephine, father of Jillian (Korneha) and James, brother of Terry, Noel and Lorraine (Fraser).
• J.W. (Jim) Stokes (1937-1943), Husband of Carmel, father of Kerry, Tony, Chris, Sarah, Sam (dec) and Ben.
• Joan Thygesen, wife of Bill, mother of Charles (dec), Peter, Catherine, James, Anthony and Bernadette, sister-in-law of Frank and Sister Helen.
• Jean Mary Mullins, wife of Joe (dec), twin sister of Joan (Fitzgerald) (dec), Pat Waters, Tom and Kevin (dec), mother of Peter, Michael, Clare, Paul, Cathy, Christopher and Stephen.
• Gary Blacka (1967-74), son of Bill and Irene (dec), brother of Kevin, Bryan, Tony (dec), Laurie, and Kathryn.
• Fr Peter Schulz, former College Chaplin
Dan McErlean
22 Years Reunion
Saturday 16th November 2019
40 Years Reunion
Saturday 16th November 2019
Old Boys’ Mass
11.00am, St Mary’s College Chapel
Fondly remembering friend, family and former classmates of St Mary’s College
RSVP: Mrs Lucia Armstrong 4631 7333 | armstrongl@stmaryscollege.com
Presentation Night
Wednesday 6th November at the Empire Theatre. St Mary’s College Old Boys are invited to attend the 2019 Presentation Night.
RSVP: Mrs Lucia Armstrong 4631 7333 | armstrongl@stmaryscollege.com
If you are wanting any help or advice on reunions, or to book a tour of the College, contact Public Relations and Foundations Officer Bronte Latham at lathamb@stmaryscollege.com or on 4631 7333
A huge thank you to all Old Boys, along with their family and friends, who attended the 120 Years Old Boys’ Dinner.
It was great to see so many of you gather at the event, celebrating the St Mary’s College significant milestone.
We hope you all had a wonderful night. A big thank you to Old Boy, Ethan Lowe, for being our special guest on the night, and to Old Boy, James O’Shea, for being our master of ceremonies.
St Mary’s College students are lucky enough to have Old Boys often return to the College, to share their expertise and experiences.
2016 graduate and College Vice-Captain, Patrick Collins, returned to the College to talk at the Home Run Dinner, celebrating the leadership roles held by Year 12 students. Patrick took the chance, as guest speaker, to talk to students about his personal experiences in leadership positions, and how they gave him the opportunity to find employment and continue his studies at University.
Old Boy Dean Spanner, Director of Kennedy Spanner Lawyers, held a seminar with St Mary’s College senior students about keeping themselves safe, and how landing themselves in court can drastically change their lives. Dean is a Queensland Law Society Accredited Specialist in his area of expertise. He is one of approximately 110 such accredited specialists in Queensland.
Cory Paix (2017) - Old Boy Cory Paix has found his voice as a starting half for the Redcliffe Dolphins and he’s also earned himself a new Brisbane Broncos deal until the end of 2022 at the same time. The Queensland Under 20 Half had the opportunity to showcase the development in his game at ANZ Stadium during the Under 20’s State of Origin game against New South Wales. He credits that to his elevation to a starting Intrust Super Cup player and the outstanding examples he has right in front of him every day at the Broncos.
Jordan Biggar (2018) - Old Boy Jordan Biggar is one step closer in chasing his dream of playing professional basketball. Jordan has taken his talents to Alberta, Canada and played for Prairie College. Jordan achieved a lot over the five years at the College, where he captained the Opens team, represented and captained the Darling Downs team, achieved top 5 scoring at CBSQ, captained QLD exposure team in America, captained 21s Toowoomba Mountaineers, QBL Development Player, highest average point scorer in SBL div 2 and the highly-acclaimed Rod Logan
Award. Such a great achievement on what is looking like a bright future for the talented prospect. Congratulations and good luck on your basketball journey.
Jake Simpkin (2018) – Old Boy Jake Simpkin has taken the next step towards his NRL dream, signing a three-year contract with the Wests Tigers. Currently with Wynnum Manly in the Hastings Deering Colts competition, Simpkin will link with the Sydney-based club in November under the tutelage of premiership-winning coach Michael Maguire.
What was your time like at St Mary’s College as a student?
“It’s a joy to recall memories of the past. It’s a long time ago that I was at St Mary’s College. In 1938, I was in Year 5. One of the memories I have from that year was that the Principal at the time, Brother Lavender, taught us. Principals of today are very busy. This particular man was very busy also, so every now and then he would just disappear from the classroom. Students didn’t know what he was up to, but obviously, business of the school had to go on because Principals at that time had no secretaries and taught every period. Brother Lavender would leave us work, and we often enough came close to finishing that work, but some of the boys would begin to play up. But what was mysterious to us was the fact that Brother Lavender would walk back into the classroom and would nominate students to stand up in a line so that he could correct them, and we wondered how on earth he knew what they were up to! Many weeks later, we realised that the window from the Principal’s office, which Brother Lavender could see the Year 5 classroom from, had a big box in it of which he could stand up and look at us. So, when he finished his work, he would turn and look out the window and see who was mucking up.”
When was the last time you got to visit St Mary’s College?
I was privileged to go back to St Mary’s College for Edmund Rice day this year. I am deeply impressed with St Mary’s. I was impressed with seeing all the boys in the cathedral, deeply impressed with the attitude that they displayed, impressed with the quality of the leadership of the senior boys. I was very surprised for my name to be called out. Here I am, 94 years of age, having left the school a long, long time ago, suddenly to be recognised and to be asked to stand up and be acclaimed by the boys. Now that was a joy and a surprise!
What called you to become a Christian Brother?
I was a youngster who honestly should not have lived. I was premature and my parents were told to baptise me quickly as they didn’t believe I would live long, so I was baptised immediately. But that little bloke did live! I think that was a great blessing that I received. One day, as I was searching for what I was going to do as I was close to leaving school, I picked up a pamphlet at the back of a church which said ‘Have you a Vocation?’. One of the things I read was ‘There are thousands out there that will never know about Christ and we need volunteers to go and teach them’. I thought ‘I like that!’. Brother Smith soon came around, inviting people to become Brothers, so I put my hand up and volunteered and soon, I was accepted.
What was your time like working at St Mary’s College?
I was working for 6 years in Mackay in that beautiful weather, and then I get a message saying that the following year I am going to be transferred to St Mary’s College Toowoomba. So I was going from the lovely tropics to the cold! It was an amazing place to be, because of the incredible spirit that I found at St Mary’s in the students, in the parents, in the staff, and also in the past students. Everyone contributed to the spirit of that school. No matter who you met, where you met, or when you met, that magnificent brotherhood was always so strong, and I still, to this day, keep my St Mary’s College crest on my desk.
Why did you become a Christian Brother?
All my life I was surrounded by the Brothers; they sat behind me at Mass and taught me at school. That inspired me to join the Brothers because that’s what I wanted to do. When I finished school, and I was leaving home, my mother was sad because I was the youngest and the last to leave. My father asked if becoming a Christian Brother was really what I wanted to do, and I said “yes”. My father replied “Good. But if you ever change your mind, remember that you are always welcome to come home.” That was in a time when if you left religious life, it was a terrible thing. But here is my dad, over 50 years ago, saying if I changed my mind, that I would still be welcome home. So, the love from my family, I took in to the love of the Christian Brothers.
What was your time like at St Mary’s College as a student?
The school would have had about 400 students at the most when I attended. Those were the days when you’d have a lot of fun! Brother Matt McEwen would come over to my house and have breakfast with me before we’d go to school at St Mary’s College together. When I left school, I kept in touch with my classmates.
What would you say to today’s students about the importance of faith?
Faith is an everlasting, continual presence, and we don’t talk enough about that aspect of it. The work of Christ goes on, day by day; it never fades away. The whole idea of how Christ pervays; it lives in our lives. Living in Christ and being formed by him is the beginning of the accomplishment of individual creation for each student. Ignorance, deprivation by less than a frugal existence and rejection by society are obstacles to be removed.
It was great to see so many Old Boys participate in the annual St Mary’s College Old Boys Association Golf Day, in August. Old Boys gathered at the Toowoomba City Golf Club for a round of golf, concluding with an afternoon tea.
St Mary’s College newest history book written by Felicity McArdle
The book, launched at the 120 Years Old Boys Dinner in October, was first inspired after Dan McErlean was the guest speaker during Catholic Education Week in July 2012. The Diocese of Toowoomba had honoured Dan as the 2012 recipient of the Spirit of Catholic Education Award. The Principal, Michael Newman, thanked him for his “endless drive, energy and generosity”. And, as Dan puts it, “as part of the penalty” he was invited to address the student body.
From months of conversations between Dan and author Felicity McArdle, this new publication came to. Here are some extracts from the book.
Page 8:
As the story goes… one of the Brothers gave the boys a good talking to one day, as they had been neglecting the May Altars. (In every classroom, there was a small altar that honoured Our Lady, the Mother of God, and the boys were expected to tend the altar, keeping it spic and span, and ideally, adorned it with fresh flowers). After he had ‘read the riot act’ to the boys over this, the Brother was quite pleased to note that the boys appeared to have taken his words on board, and the altars now had fresh flowers each day.
Pleased, that is, until one day the school received a visit from the local police officer — apparently, there had been complaints that ‘someone’ had begun nicking roses from the prize gardens just down the road from St Mary’s. As they spoke, the police officer and
Brother were both looking at the beautiful rose on the May Altar in the classroom. Nothing more was said…
When any group of “Old Boys” get together, the yarns like this begin to flow. Tall tales and true, of valour, bravery, honour, heroics. These “Boys Own Adventures” are sometimes ironic, often times threaded through with wry and irreverent humour, always colourful, and they are honed and perfected with each re-telling. Tales that celebrate mischief, the outwitting of authorities, and clever wit are often disguises for a deeper underlying spirit. Each story is a gem, and a gift, with something worth keeping.
Page 23:
One of the first points Dan makes about St Mary’s College in our initial conversation is something that he returns to frequently:
“We are not Nudgee. We are not Terrace. We are not a Boarding School. We are just a day school, in Toowoomba. And yet….”
St Mary’s College has always been, since its foundation in 1899, a school for day scholars only. And, as Dan puts it “the doors are open to all who want to enrol”. In one sense, the College carries that legacy of the early Irish catholic immigrants, actively working for fairness and social justice for their children. Dan’s pride and valuing of this ethos of social justice is evident. Perhaps too, there is a little of that Irish attitude of competing with the best of them, stepping up, and showing their mettle! Perhaps this is the ‘school spirit’, which Dan refers to repeatedly. Perhaps the spirit is captured in the story of the missing roses from the gardens.
Or is this the story of the ‘little school that could, and did’… that produced players on the sporting fields, and players on the world stage. Perhaps Toowoomba-ites can relate to the story of a small place, ‘punching above its weight’. Toowoomba is not a capital city, it is not on the Coastline of Queensland, and yet…
Some might say it is no accident that a school grew like the community it was part of - both inspire lifelong loyalties, relationships that stretch across time and place, a strong sense of connectedness and belonging.
As we celebrate 120 years of St Mary’s College in 2019, what a fantastic time to rewind the clock!
On the first ever school day at St Mary’s College in 1899, the College had 112 students, many arriving on horses.
Here are photos of an early class group, sports teams and a confirmation class, dating between 1900 and 1911. A passage from our history book ‘A Century On’ says; “Students certainly didn’t have the pressures that their counterparts at the end of the century would experience. Boys had to create their own interests, a Huckleberry Finn approach, in which horses, country life, picnics, community dances, traditional music, fishing, wild life, plants, singing concerts and simple enjoyments loomed large.”
Here are photos of an athletics team, scholarship class, swimming teams and cricket teams between 1913 and 1929.
St Mary’s College students have always had a love for sports and sporting carnivals; however, some things have certainly changed since the 1930s! Here, you can see the boys taking part in bell races, water wading races and push ball races.
In 1949, St Mary’s College celebrated the Golden Jubilee, 50 years since the College opened. The special anniversary was celebrated through gatherings and events held at the College, of which the Principal Rev. Br. G. T. Barfield said “The social gatherings brought together many old friends. All thoroughly enjoyed recalling the ‘Brave Days of Old’ and their activities inside and outside the schoolroom. One man remarked after the celebrations that it was the happiest time of his life with the exception of the day of his marriage. Later, on his way to Brisbane, he conceded that it was the happiest day of his life, without exception”.
