Commissioning our new Head

At St Michael’s the 2023 school year began with great fanfare as we celebrated the Commissioning and Installation of Mr Gerard Houlihan as Head of the School on Tuesday 31 January. Students, staff, and distinguished guests gathered for a service at All Saints Anglican Church in the presence of Bishop Genieve Blackwell, representing the Archbishop.

Mr Andrew Eddy, Chair of the Board presented Mr Houlihan to Sister Elisa Helen, Provincial of the Community of the Sisters of the Church, who formally commissioned Mr Houlihan as Head. He was then welcomed by Tassara (12B) and Nicholas (12M) –Co-Captains of the School, Mrs Nicole Armatas – Deputy Head and Head of Junior School, Ms Emma McDonald – Deputy Head and Head of Senior School, and Ms Jacqui Walker –President of the Parent Community Association (PCA).

Prayers were read for the Nation, the Church, children and families, the Houlihan family and the School. These were delivered by several longstanding staff members, Miss Monique Warwick, Mr Murray Phyland and Mr Pat Tyrrell as well as our School Co-Captains and Ms Jacqui Walker.

The service was elevated by the music led by Dr Gary Ekkel who conducted the 2022 New Zealand Touring Choir, Old

Michaelian and staff singers and the combined student, staff and guest Orchestra.

When Mr Houlihan addressed the congregation, he referred to the many roles he plays that have helped shape him including, “son, brother, teacher, leader, and most importantly, a Michaelian”. He has been a staff member at the School for more than 22 years and has always modelled the School values of Dignity, Respect, Care and Compassion. His dedication and passion have inspired many students during his time at the School and he is committed to ensuring that St Michael’s continues to offer the highest quality holistic education for which the School is renowned.

We know the entire St Michael’s community looks forward to supporting Mr Houlihan in his work as the Head of the School.

Our sincere thanks to everyone who attended this significant event in the life of our School.

A grand and glorious evening

The official opening of the Performing Arts Centre, St George’s

The much-loved St George’s Church has been reborn as the new Performing Arts Centre, St George’s. This outstanding new facility was officially opened on Thursday 4 May with an exciting program of performances featuring guest artists, students, Old Michaelians and staff.

As befitted the date, following a reception in McLellan Hall, once guests were seated in the Performing Arts Centre, the Scholastica Band commenced proceedings with a rousing excerpt from the Star Wars theme.

The Chairman, Mr Andrew Eddy, welcomed guests and spoke about St Michael’s commitment to creating engaging and contemporary places for learning that reflect the School’s values, spark curiosity, and enhance well-being, commenting that this new Centre embodies these ideals. He acknowledged the immediate past Head of the School, Mrs Terrie Jones’ role in guiding the planning of the redevelopment. He advised guests that, it was for this reason, Mrs Jones’ portrait will permanently hang in the Performing Arts Centre at the head of the Northern aisle. Mr Eddy also thanked the many donors who had contributed to the redevelopment by supporting the restoration of the exquisite stained-glass windows and advised that the opportunity still existed for others to also support the project.

Mr Eddy announced that the Auditorium within the Performing Arts Centre will be known as the Janette GordonClark Auditorium. Dr Janette Gordon-Clark was a hero of St Michael’s Grammar School. She joined St Michael’s as a student in 1940 at the age of three and had an 81-year association with the School. After years of service to the Old Michaelian Committee, in 1973, she was a foundation member of the School Council (now the Board of Directors) and served on the School’s governing body for an unbroken 40 years. As a thespian and student of drama she made an important contribution to planning the redevelopment as a member of the Facilities, Infrastructure and Technology (FIAT) sub-committee of the Board. Dr Gordon-Clark passed away in 2021 but her proud family were present on the night.

Following Mr Eddy’s presentation, Mr Paul Grabowsky, renowned musician, cultural icon and a past parent of the School, performed a beautiful piano piece. Paul, a pianist, composer, conductor and producer of note is one Australia’s most distinguished musical artists with an extensive and ever-expanding list of achievements and accolades. The New Zealand Touring Choir, never in better voice, then sang, demonstrating the versatility and excellence of the acoustics within the Auditorium.

The former St George’s Church occupied an important place in the St Kilda community and is listed on the Heritage Register because of its many outstanding features. Mr Gerard Houlihan, Head of the School, spoke about these aspects in outlining the redevelopment process. He also thanked the very many people who had played a critical role in the project before introducing Ms Anna O’Byrne (OM 2003).

Anna has an international career spanning opera, theatre, concert and film. Shortly after graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts Anna successfully auditioned to understudy the role of Christina in the Australian tour of Phantom of the Opera She performed the role in Perth and Adelaide and has subsequently appeared in theatrical productions in London and Melbourne and for world leaders and royalty and released a solo album. To the delight of the guests, she performed two numbers from her musical theatre repertoire.

The entertainment continued with presentations from Mr Ben Moody, former Director of Performing Arts, and now Director of Curriculum (7-12), and Mr Tyler Hess, the new Director of Performing Arts. They orchestrated the official opening announcement with a mix of technology, humour and glorious music from the Scholastica Band. After a blessing from Father Kenyon McKie, the evening concluded with the cast of the recent Years 10-12 Musical, The Boy from Oz, coming to the stage to sing I still call Australia Home Guests were enthusiastic in their applause for the whole evening and eager to explore the Performing Arts Centre.

The new facilities and the beautiful heritage features retained inside the building are a surprise to all who visit. From the outside, it appears that the Church has simply been cleaned, although the wonderful new landscaping suggests bigger things.

Throughout the redevelopment, careful attention was given to the many heritage features which make the Performing Arts Centre unique. The magnificent, vaulted timber ceiling, the heritage organ by renowned organ makers Lewis and Sons of London, and, of course, the beautiful stained-glass windows, crafted by leading artisans at the end of the 19th century, have been fully restored. So too, the impressive honour board acknowledging the service of members of the St George’s congregation who fought and died in the First World War. This has been relocated to the Northern entrance, along with other important military plaques, so that they are more readily accessible by family and members of the community. And within this inspiring space, state-of-the-art facilities have been installed to ensure that our students have access to a theatre that is arguably among the best in Australia. Both the sound and lighting are of the highest quality. The nextgeneration sound system L-ISA is similar to that installed in the refurbished Opera House, and the Performing Arts Centre is only the second venue in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere where the system is installed. The sound and lighting will not only enhance performances but will enable our students to gain valuable production experience using the most sophisticated contemporary equipment available.

A special sprung floor has been installed to make the space suitable and safe for dance, aerobics and movement across a range of genres. Electronically controlled blackout curtains will mean the space can be configured for a variety of performances. The seating is also flexible with a main bank of raised seating for more than 200 with the additional capability to add almost another 200 chairs at floor level along with a special stand for a choir.

Students have begun to use the space with great enthusiasm and the School’s intention to open the Performing Arts Centre, St George’s, to the community has already been realised. On Saturday 20 May, the Hush Foundation hosted the launch of a new album by acclaimed classical guitarist and Old Michaelian, Slava Grigoryan (OM 1994). Slava began composing the music for the album, Gratitudes, during the pandemic, as an expression of thanks to healthcare workers. The event also featured a special guest, composer and pianist, Luke Howard (OM 1995).

The opening of the Performing Arts Centre, St George’s, is an exciting step in a long-term plan to redevelop our campus to ensure that our students have the very best facilities to learn and flourish, and to open our School to the community.