Friday, 15 June Issue 12/17 THE RECTOR - St Aloysius
Friday, 15 June Issue 12/17 THE RECTOR - St Aloysius
Friday, 15 June Issue 12/17 THE RECTOR - St Aloysius
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It is necessary to suppose that every good Christian is more ready to put a good interpretation on<br />
<strong>Friday</strong>, <strong>15</strong> <strong>June</strong> <strong>Issue</strong> <strong>12</strong>/<strong>17</strong><br />
another’s statement than to condemn it. - <strong>St</strong> Ignatius Loyola SJ, Spiritual Exercises, 22<br />
<strong>THE</strong> <strong>RECTOR</strong><br />
Two of our alumni, Bernard Foley (SAC 2007) and Pat McCabe<br />
(SAC 2005) have been selected in the Wallabies squad - it is a great<br />
achievement for them. I recently read Openside, a book by the new<br />
captain of the Wallabies David Pocock, which chronicles the journey<br />
to the Rugby World Cup and his team‟s fortunes, including the<br />
dramatic win over South Africa in the quarter finals. David also talks<br />
of his life in Zimbabwe, his relationship with his wife Emma<br />
Palandri, his aid work with EightyTwenty Vision and his company<br />
Heroes Boots. At only 23 years of age, he has a story to tell and all<br />
royalties from the sale of the book go to<br />
Heroes Boots and EightyTwenty Vision. He writes<br />
humbly of the role he played in the World<br />
Cup campaign; discusses his love of art and<br />
crafts, especially painting, screen printing and<br />
collaging; and speaks candidly about a stress<br />
related eating disorder which he still manages<br />
today. He is psychologically insightful in<br />
writing about the power of the shadow self, and<br />
the significance of his relationship with<br />
Emma in helping him to love with a deep spiritual freedom.<br />
David was fourteen when his family migrated to Australia in 2002<br />
having fled Zimbabwe after their farm was confiscated during<br />
Mugabe‟s violent land distribution program. He began his rugby<br />
career when at the Anglican Church Grammar School in Brisbane,<br />
playing inside centre in the First XV alongside Quade Cooper. In<br />
2005 he played for the Australian Schoolboys rugby side and made<br />
his Wallabies debut in Hong Kong in late 2008. Wallabies coach<br />
Robbie Deans recently hailed Pocock as the „best ruck warrior ever‟.<br />
However, in so many ways, it is Pocock‟s efforts off the field that<br />
have inspired others. Blessed with strong family support, much of his<br />
motivation comes from a strong faith. On reading the story of Jesus, I<br />
realised how much he cared for people who were oppressed and forgotten, and how<br />
much he stood with the poor.<br />
On a visit, with his wife Emma, to a hospital in Zimbabwe where<br />
there was no electricity or running water, and patients had to cook<br />
their own food, they were struck by the fact that even though the<br />
patients had few resources, they were able to utilise these limited<br />
resources. They are not helpless victims of poverty … the average Zimbabwean<br />
is just incredible; so resourceful and so resilient. With close friend Luke<br />
O‟Keefe, he established EightyTwenty Vision in 2009, a non-profit<br />
organisation that assists communities in Zimbabwe to become selfsufficient:<br />
This is about opening our eyes to see how other people are living,<br />
realising that the majority of the world face a very bleak reality, and then look for<br />
ways to partner with them to bring change. EightyTwenty Vision decided to<br />
focus on the simple things that work: training in conservation<br />
farming – so people can feed themselves, drilling and maintaining<br />
bore holes – so people have access to clean drinking water,<br />
refurbishing mothers‟ waiting shelters – so mothers can give birth in<br />
safer environments, school refurbishments – so children can safely<br />
attend school, and human rights - specifically the rights of female<br />
children. EightyTwenty Vision has given me the opportunity to partner with<br />
people to help improve their lives. One in seven people on our planet live in<br />
extreme poverty. Not by choice but by necessity. It‟s hard to imagine what that<br />
must be like and at times impossible to see how we can change it. But it starts<br />
with walking in someone else‟s shoes and consciously thinking how it could be<br />
different. People don‟t choose poverty, but they will choose to step out of it if they<br />
can. David doesn‟t want EightyTwenty Vision to just be a charity where<br />
you make a one off donation or attend a fundraising dinner - paying off<br />
our consciences and then getting on with our everyday lives. Rather he sees it as<br />
re-thinking the way we live and how we can be more community minded and<br />
inclusive, as well as more generous to others. He quotes Ghandi: I like your<br />
Christ, but I do not like some of your Christians. Some of your Christians are so<br />
unlike your Christ. And goes on to say: It is sometimes cringeworthy to see<br />
what some people justify by their Christian faith and their claims to follow Jesus,<br />
a non-violent person who spent most of his time with the poor. If Christ was about<br />
„good news for the poor‟, then surely in today‟s world that means first and foremost<br />
food, shelter and dignity. David‟s humanitarian efforts have brought hope<br />
to disadvantaged communities.<br />
Aware of the exploitation of workers in the sports apparel industry,<br />
David had taken to painting his boots black - to hide the logos - and<br />
rejecting financial incentives to wear branded products realising that<br />
the manufacturing process was connected to the exploitation of<br />
workers. He found it abhorrent to think that the financial gain for the<br />
endorsement of a product would be greater than the wages of so<br />
many factory workers labouring in poor conditions: To accept money to<br />
wear boots when the people who are making them can hardly afford to feed their<br />
families or send their children to school, I just decided I couldn‟t do that. He<br />
began to research how to design quality boots (football boots and<br />
running shoes) and clothing that could be made in workers cooperatives<br />
or fair-trade factories which could directly affect another<br />
person positively. In 2011 Heroes Boots was launched. It has been a<br />
challenge: It‟s proving hard to get things made ethically, yet still be able to<br />
compete with companies that produce their boots wherever they can as cheaply as<br />
they can.<br />
David is not a holier-than-thou person. He says: I think it was<br />
<strong>St</strong> Francis of Assisi who said “preach at all times and sometimes use words”. I‟ve<br />
always been a believer in just letting your actions do the preaching. His wife<br />
Emma has been a powerful influence in his life. She has helped me to<br />
see how history is largely written by men, generally from a male perspective,<br />
recording their own efforts. An important part of the feminist movement is to<br />
reclaim the history of women, to honour women and affirm their worth. The same<br />
applies to any marginalised, dispossessed or oppressed group. He and Emma,<br />
who married in a wedding ceremony in 2010, have declined to seal<br />
their relationship legally until their homosexual friends have the same<br />
freedom. David concludes his book with a most profound paragraph:<br />
“Munhu munhu ngevanhu” is a proverb of the Shona people of Zimbabwe<br />
meaning “a person is a person because of other people”. It is this shared humanity<br />
and care for our fellow humans that I believe is so important. A life lived for<br />
others is a life worth living and we can find fulfilment – not by accumulating more<br />
possessions or earning more money, but by having meaningful relationships with<br />
the divine and the people around us and reconnecting with the earth and the rest of<br />
humanity – giving of ourselves and working towards a world that is built on love,<br />
fairness and equality.<br />
Peter Hosking SJ
<strong>THE</strong> PRINCIPAL<br />
Two opinion polls early this month captured my attention – one<br />
reflecting how Americans believe in evolution, and the other showing<br />
the low opinions of the democratic system held by many young<br />
Australians.<br />
The Gallup poll found that about half of Americans (46%) believe in<br />
creationism, namely, that God created humankind in a single day<br />
about 10,000 years ago, as written in the Bible‟s book of Genesis.<br />
About 32 percent believe that human beings evolved with God<br />
guiding the process, and only <strong>15</strong>% believe in simple evolution.<br />
Moreover, even one quarter of all Americans with postgraduate<br />
degrees believe in creationism. The percentage believing in<br />
creationism has actually risen in recent years.<br />
While we should always be respectful of people‟s beliefs, it does<br />
strike me that the American figures are disturbing, in that they posit a<br />
fundamental class between faith and reason, and because they reflect<br />
an understanding of the Bible that ultimately is rigid in its<br />
fundamentalism. While presumably the majority of the Americans<br />
who profess creationist beliefs come from Evangelical and<br />
Pentecostal churches, it would seem that numbers of conservative<br />
Catholics share their beliefs.<br />
Over the years in the Gonzagan, I have pushed my conviction that the<br />
Catholic faith does not hold that there is any fundamental conflict<br />
between faith and reason, nor between religion and science. In a<br />
school in which we encourage questioning and thinking, and where<br />
we affirm human intelligence as a gift of God, the relation of faith<br />
and reason is so important to the understanding of faith. To identify<br />
Christianity with a creationist viewpoint is, to my mind, ultimately to<br />
undermine the possibility of faith for many. It goes against our Jesuit<br />
tradition which has accorded such respect for science. It also risks<br />
destroying a mature faith understanding of the Bible, by reducing its<br />
authority to a literalist reading, which could not be reasonably<br />
sustained by many of us. Creationism reflects/creates a rigidity to<br />
faith that leaves it so vulnerable to the critiques of the Richard<br />
Hawkins of our world.<br />
I am a little confused as to why so many Christians are made so<br />
uncomfortable by the idea of evolution. As a Catholic and a Jesuit, I<br />
see no necessary contradiction between evolution and my faith. In<br />
part, this stems from the influence of the Jesuit paleontologist and<br />
mystic, Teilhard de Chardin, whose writing opened up a connection<br />
between the science of evolution and a spirituality of a God to be<br />
found in all things.<br />
I do believe that God plays the creative role in guiding the process,<br />
though the exact detail about how God may guide the process is<br />
different for many people. The view that the universe as a whole<br />
displays a profound intelligibility through which one might argue<br />
philosophically that the existence of God is manifest, is a view<br />
scientists and people of faith could share. The Australian physicist,<br />
Paul Davies, in The Mind of God, appears to argue in this direction. So<br />
would Francis Collins, the Director of the Human Genome Project,<br />
who can write, as a believer: “I see DNA, the information molecule of all<br />
living things, as God‟s language, and the elegance and complexity of our own<br />
bodies and the rest of nature as a reflection of God‟s plan”. This is a long way<br />
away from holding to a belief that Adam and Eve walked the Garden<br />
of Eden ten thousand years ago (and presumably that the fossil<br />
record was created by God to test our faith!).<br />
Reading Teilhard de Chardin on evolution, or watching a nature<br />
documentary, or considering the billions of stars that make up<br />
billions of galaxies, or pondering the ocean breaking on rocks on a<br />
beach, or reading the first two chapters of the book of Genesis, all<br />
point for me to the wonder of a God who is the author of life, whose<br />
creativity defies any understanding, and who bestows the great gift of<br />
freedom on the universe. I am more than happy to leave the<br />
mechanics of how this occurs to science.<br />
Evolution, however, becomes a threat to some Christians because it<br />
threatens their basic understanding of their relationship with God, a<br />
relationship shaped by a fundamentalist understanding of the Bible as<br />
literally God‟s Word that has an absolute authority for them.<br />
Anything that appears to contradict the Bible is dismissed as of the<br />
evil spirit. Catholics and many other Christians, share a more<br />
complex understanding of the Bible. We see it as a library of books,<br />
with varying literary forms, that needs to be interpreted according to<br />
those forms. It is to be understood within the tradition of the<br />
community for which it was compiled. We understand God to<br />
communicate through our use of the Word in prayer and worship.<br />
I get frustrated at the attitude still found among Catholics that<br />
everything in the Bible must be literally true or otherwise everything<br />
is called in doubt. When David is described as “having the heart of a<br />
lion” the writer of Second Samuel is not proposing a literal truth but<br />
he is indeed recording a truth about courage. On a much bigger scale,<br />
the Bible needs to be read in terms of its form, as history, as poetry,<br />
as apocalyptic literature, as wisdom sayings etc. The word of God is<br />
addressed to thinking beings, and our response to the Word includes<br />
our ability to reason.<br />
Catholic theology traditionally sees no fundamental conflict between<br />
faith and reason. <strong>St</strong> Anselm wrote a millennium ago “that Faith seeks<br />
understanding”. Even earlier <strong>St</strong> Augustine wrote “I believe, in order to<br />
understand; and I understand, the better to believe.” Questioning,<br />
philosophical enquiry, searching, these can all be part of our response<br />
in faith. We are not called to wipe our minds to be believers, but we<br />
give love the primacy, and at times trust in love to carry us onwards<br />
when our understanding may fail us.<br />
For me, therefore, there is no conflict between science and religion,<br />
between evolution and faith. There have been times of course, when<br />
the Church has allowed itself to be fearful of scientific investigation,<br />
as happened with Galileo, or, for many Christians, with Darwin. But<br />
just as surely the Church has been patron of science through much of<br />
its history, and indeed Galileo himself came under its patronage.<br />
The history of Science cannot be taught without any<br />
acknowledgement of that debt to faith. To take a few examples:<br />
Roger Bacon, one of the earliest advocates of modern scientific<br />
method was a Franciscan, Copernicus was a cleric, Gregor Mendel,<br />
who laid the foundations for modern genetics was a monk. Blaise<br />
Pascal, a theologian, has a law in Physics and a theorem in<br />
Mathematics. Fr Georges Lemaitre first proposed the „big bang<br />
theory‟ and Roger Boscovich, who devised an atomic theory that was<br />
to influence John Dalton (himself a devout Quaker), was a Jesuit<br />
scientist. Or it could be put another way: how many science books<br />
describe Louis Pasteur, the pioneering microbiologist, a devout<br />
Catholic? Today, Fr Michael Heller writes on relativistic physics and<br />
non-commutative geometry. The Jesuits run a world class astronomy<br />
facility for the Vatican. Then, and now, many scientists have been<br />
able to combine deep faith with great scientific contributions.<br />
The other poll that caught my attention was one conducted for the<br />
Lowy Institute here in Australia. According to this research, only<br />
39% of young Australians (18 to 29) believe democracy is better than<br />
other forms of government. 23%, by contrast, believe that “for someone<br />
like me, it doesn‟t matter what kind of government we have”, while another<br />
2
37% say non-democratic rule can be best. It is understandable that, in<br />
a country where we have never had to really fight for democratic<br />
freedoms (though Aboriginal Australians could take issue with this),<br />
young Australians might not value the democratic process. But at a<br />
time when the Arab spring has released passions in the Middle East,<br />
and when many in China risk all in the name of democracy and when<br />
Aung San Suu Kyi has been released in Burma, it is surprising how<br />
little perspective young Australians seem to have.<br />
Australians are generally a fairly sceptical group regarding politics and<br />
politicians, and Federal Parliament, with the Slipper and Thompson<br />
scandals, a minority government and unpopular political leaders, does<br />
not present a particularly appealing face. The lack of respect for<br />
democracy might stem in part from this „image‟. Yet, I believe, the<br />
argument can be fairly easily made that the Australian political system<br />
is, by world standards, remarkably healthy and responsible. There is<br />
very little by way of political corruption in the story of Australian<br />
politics – minor peccadillos certainly, but who can name an Australian<br />
politician who benefitted significantly from corruption, or who<br />
accepted personal bribes to influence policy or sold favours etc? The<br />
Australian political system is quite disciplined, thanks to the strength of<br />
the political parties, and fairly transparent, thanks to a media that has a<br />
fairly ferocious reputation, and is largely honourable because of the<br />
quality of politicians that we have. We should be careful of allowing<br />
„the grass is greener‟ syndrome to go unchallenged.<br />
The Church, itself, historically, has not had a great record with<br />
democracy. The rise of modern democracy was associated with the<br />
French Revolution, which was violently anti-clerical and which<br />
culminated in the Terror, and with British democracy, which had<br />
persecuted the Catholic community. Thus, Catholicism as a whole<br />
was suspicious of the democratic age. Democracy was also associated<br />
with free-thinking and a certain suspicion of authority and tradition,<br />
which were so much part of the Catholic ethos. Kings seemed more<br />
reliable, or so it seemed.<br />
It was in the new countries where a new and deeper appreciation of<br />
democracy in religious circles developed. The Church in the United<br />
<strong>St</strong>ates flourished in the most unexpected way, and theologians, such as<br />
John Courtenay Murray, reflected a new Catholic understanding of the<br />
potentialities of democracy and the religious freedom that came with it.<br />
Here in Australia, figures such as Cardinal Moran, were able to utilise<br />
democracy to nurture the Catholic community, and consequently<br />
played an important role in the early history of the Australian Labour<br />
Party. And in recent decades a more substantial recognition of the<br />
values of democracy as expressing that which is best in human values<br />
has come to have a central place in Catholic thinking. While there are<br />
undoubtedly tensions around moral issues in a pluralist and democratic<br />
state, it is difficult to imagine any respected Church figure denying the<br />
advantages of the democratic system.<br />
Here at the school we seek to encourage the boys to put their views<br />
forward, to be able to articulate and defend them, while at the same<br />
time respecting and seeking to understand those with differing views.<br />
The SRC is one mechanism by which student views can be expressed.<br />
At a recent forum on whether Year 10 students should be allowed to<br />
wear the blue blazer, almost two hundred students participated in a<br />
vigorous exchange of ideas with the Principal – it would seem that<br />
the sense of democratic process has some support amongst our<br />
students by the appeals to the numbers at that discussion. When<br />
balancing the faults and limitations of the workings of democracy,<br />
and there are many, it is hard to go past the assessment of that great<br />
democratic warhorse, Winston Churchill, who observed that<br />
“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all<br />
those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”<br />
Congratulations to those selected to represent the CAS at the CIS<br />
Cross Country Championships this week: Anthony Slaven,<br />
Brendan Suffield, Tim Robinson, Joe Whelan, Chris Munoz,<br />
Christian Breslin, Joel Vozzo, Luke Gorman, Matthew McKeon,<br />
Lucas Anderson, Leo Pucci, Gus Whelan and Hugo Whelan.<br />
Congratulations to the Gordon U16 team which won the <strong>St</strong>ate Rugby<br />
Championship on the weekend, and to its Aloysian members, James<br />
Dainton, James Fraser, Nick Slaven, Ben Wilkinson and Rory<br />
Vevers.<br />
From time to time, it is our great pleasure to congratulate boys who<br />
have achieved at the highest level in sports not offered by the school.<br />
It is our policy to encourage boys to compete in such sports where<br />
they are not offered by the school and where they are performed at a<br />
high level. In recent years we have had boys perform at<br />
representative level in sports such as Rowing, Hockey, Yachting, AFL<br />
and American Football. Our congratulations go to the Tafft boys<br />
who competed at the National Judo Titles over the long weekend.<br />
Kiernan Tafft won the bronze medal in the Senior Boys U40kg<br />
division. Xavier Tafft won the national title and gold medal in the<br />
Junior Boys U42kg division.<br />
Congratulations to Fabijan Krslovic on his selection in the Australian<br />
U<strong>17</strong> Basketball team to compete at the world championships in<br />
Lithuania.<br />
Chris Middleton SJ<br />
Oremus<br />
Let us pray<br />
For the sick:<br />
Sharon Rorke, wife of Gordon Rorke (SAC 1955)<br />
Margie Smith, wife of Peter Smith (SAC 1955)<br />
For those who have died:<br />
Yvonne Borzi, grandmother of Jordan (SAC 2011), Paddy<br />
(Year 11) and Braden (Year 8)<br />
Sheila Larkin, grandmother of Thomas (Year 6)<br />
Pina Sindone, mother of Mario (past parent) and Andrew<br />
(current parent), grandmother of Mark (SAC 2009), Paul<br />
(SAC 2011) and James (Year 10), and aunt of Antony<br />
(SAC staff)<br />
Sanny Morrison, father of Alex (SAC 1974), Ian (SAC 1975),<br />
Greg (SAC 1978) and Luke (dec) (SAC 1982), and<br />
grandfather of Hugh (SAC 20<strong>17</strong>), Sam (SAC 2009) and Jim<br />
(Year <strong>12</strong>)<br />
Justin Lenehan, son of Pam and Paul Lenehan (SAC 1955)<br />
Ask and you shall receive … knock and the door<br />
will be opened unto you.” (Matt 7:7)<br />
If you would like someone to be prayed for by the College community<br />
(even anonymously), please pass the details to the Rector<br />
3
WHAT‟S COMING UP<br />
16 <strong>June</strong> Year 7 Parent Function<br />
<strong>17</strong> <strong>June</strong> Cadet Ceremonial Parade & Dining-in Night<br />
18-22 <strong>June</strong> Jesuit Vocations Week<br />
19 <strong>June</strong> <strong>St</strong>ring Showcase<br />
20 <strong>June</strong> HSC Drama Showcase<br />
21 <strong>June</strong> <strong>St</strong> <strong>Aloysius</strong>‟ Day Mass & Celebrations<br />
22 <strong>June</strong> Term 2 concludes<br />
SACOBU Annual Dinner & Mass<br />
23 <strong>June</strong>-14 July Philippines Immersion<br />
23-27 <strong>June</strong> Cadet Promotion Courses<br />
25-28 <strong>June</strong> Kairos Retreat<br />
1-3 July Jesuit Debating<br />
1-5 July Jesuit Football<br />
<strong>17</strong> July Term 3 commences<br />
<strong>THE</strong> HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL<br />
At the 2000 “millennium<br />
games” in Sydney, all eyes<br />
were on native daughter Cathy<br />
Freeman, an Australian of<br />
Aboriginal descent, who lit the<br />
Olympic torch in the opening<br />
ceremony. As the first<br />
Aboriginal-Australian athlete<br />
to compete in the Olympics,<br />
Freeman, a sprinter, was under intense pressure to perform big in the<br />
400 metres in her home country. She had won the silver four years<br />
earlier in Atlanta, and she was now determined to prove her status as<br />
the “Queen of the Track”. And Freeman did not disappoint. Cathy<br />
Freeman was the only Australian athlete to win gold in athletics at the<br />
Sydney Olympics.<br />
In taking her victory lap after clinching gold, Freeman draped the<br />
Aboriginal and Australian flags around her neck, to the delight of her<br />
countrymen. Her commitment to her country, her heritage, and her<br />
sport has enabled fans to appreciate all that drives athletes.<br />
Next week being the final week, there will be an end-of-term<br />
assembly in the Chapel at 9.00am on <strong>Friday</strong>. As always, we would<br />
love to see as many parents as possible come and join us at this<br />
celebration. On 19 <strong>June</strong>, as per the dairy, the Boys‟ Chapel will be<br />
venue for the <strong>St</strong>rings Showcase event, featuring all Year 3 and 4 boys<br />
and a number of Junior and Senior string ensembles. Please note<br />
the slightly delayed starting time of 6.<strong>15</strong>pm as per the note sent<br />
home last week. On 21 <strong>June</strong>, we celebrate the feast our young Patron<br />
Saint, <strong>Aloysius</strong> Gonzaga. <strong>Aloysius</strong> is great role model to our boys, a<br />
young man who chose to follow God‟s call and serve the plaguestricken<br />
people of Rome, having just joined the Jesuits against his<br />
father‟s wishes for him continue the family‟s noble tradition, fame<br />
and fortune. This is one occasion when the whole school comes<br />
together for a Eucharistic celebration in the Great Hall at 9.00am.<br />
Unfortunately, as we can only accommodate the students and staff<br />
(only just!), we are not in a position to invite parents to join us for<br />
this service. Boys will have a wonderful time during the day, with a<br />
special morning tea (supplied by school), entertainment and games<br />
galore following the Mass when they will join their Senior<br />
counterparts for most of the day. Boys are asked to come to school<br />
in their sports uniform on Thursday, as well as <strong>Friday</strong>, next week.<br />
It‟s hard to believe that we are already approaching the end if Term 2.<br />
Teachers are currently gathering data from ongoing assessments and<br />
their observations of your boys, in relation to their participation and<br />
application throughout the Semester, that would form the basis of<br />
the progress report that will be mailed out at the conclusion of this<br />
term. Please feel free to discuss these reports with your son‟s<br />
teacher/teachers at the start of next term. At next week‟s assembly<br />
we will acknowledge five boys from each class who have been<br />
nominated by their teachers for a merit award, based on their<br />
exemplary application and effort during Term 2. We congratulate the<br />
following boys and urge those not featured in this group to give their<br />
best during next term:<br />
Year 3.1 Year 3.2 Year 4.1<br />
Finn Hremaiko Martin Law Jonathan Vo<br />
Louis Pribula Leroy Park John L‟Estrange<br />
Daniel Walsh Samson Hyland Andre de Mestre<br />
Alessandro Fotea Gilbert Tong Edward Conlon<br />
Benjamin Squires Cameron Ingle Francis Bolster<br />
Year 4.2 Year 5.1 Year 5.2<br />
Brinn Noble Lachlan Burke Dominic Nissen<br />
Sebastian Adams Finn Crawford Samuel Potter<br />
Kieran Gorman Christian Kyle James Walbank<br />
Tobi Thomes Patrick O‟Connell Brendan Lee<br />
Jaden Walsh Lachlan Sanderson Connor Gum Gee<br />
Year 5.3 Year 5.4 Year 6.1<br />
Matias Benitez Angus Allen Michael Sywak<br />
Rafael Colinares Mitchell Rae William Crellin<br />
Luke Denvir George Van Den Bos Tallon Zahra<br />
Rory Martin David Vucic Benjamin Pollack<br />
Joseph Mayer Max Walburn Kieran Dean<br />
Year 6.2 Year 6.3 Year 6.4<br />
Simon Geary Christopher Curulli Julian Batongbacal<br />
Alexander Rozenauers Max Mazaraki Mason French<br />
Murray Peh Callum Tonuri Declan Irving<br />
William Greenland Fintan O‟Shea Finnian Kelleher<br />
Flynn Jowitt Thomas Larkin Oliver Menzagopian<br />
On Thursday this week, we celebrate the feast of the Sacred Heart<br />
with the traditional Poor Man‟s Mass. Thank you to all the boys and<br />
their families who have donated a variety of toiletries for the<br />
„Canice‟s Kitchen‟ a shelter in the city for the derelict men. The Feast<br />
of the Scared Heart is symbolic of the preferential love that Jesus has<br />
for the poor, and it‟s our way of sharing a little of what we may have<br />
in abundance with those that have little or nothing. Mrs Cobb‟s class,<br />
6.3, have prepared this liturgy. As it‟s often said that “Charity begins<br />
at home”, we will have introduced at this Mass an initiative that<br />
encourages staff and students to acknowledge our good deeds and<br />
gestures towards one another. Each Junior School Class Teacher has<br />
been issued with a “THANK YOU, you‟ve made my day” card with<br />
their name on the back. The teacher, in turn, will pass that on to a<br />
student whom he or she sees fit as deserving of such a compliment<br />
and explain to the student why he deserves that compliment. It could<br />
be a kind deed, comforting words to another boy in distress, or going<br />
out of their way to include another boy in their game. The boy who<br />
receives this cards peels the teacher‟s name off the back and inserts<br />
his own name, before passing it on to another boy (someone other<br />
than his close friends or classmates) if he notices such kind deeds.<br />
Each time a boy receives this complimentary card, the boy receiving<br />
the card will report to me and, once a week, there will be a special<br />
mention made of one student whose action stands out as<br />
exceptionally exemplary. This is not a competition, but an<br />
opportunity for the boys to acknowledge the positives they see in<br />
each other.<br />
National Judo Champion 20<strong>12</strong>: We have a National champion in<br />
our midst in Xavier Tafft (6.1) who was awarded a Gold Medal,<br />
having won all his fights in the 42kg Division at the National<br />
Championships held on the weekend in Wollongong. What an<br />
outstanding effort and well-deserved reward for Xavier for his<br />
commitment and dedication (not to mention that of his parents) over<br />
the years. Please watch this space, and many other spaces with wider<br />
circulation, in years to come. Congratulations, Xavier.<br />
Our congratulations this week go to the following boys who are<br />
celebrating their birthdays:<br />
11 <strong>June</strong> Daniel Walsh<br />
14 <strong>June</strong> Fintan O‟Shea<br />
16 <strong>June</strong> Hunter Meaney, Leon Rebecchi<br />
<strong>17</strong> <strong>June</strong> Brinn Noble, Benjamin Squires<br />
Martin Lobo<br />
4
CURRICULUM NEWS<br />
CAREERS<br />
PwC Cadetship: PwC is currently offering cadetships open to all<br />
Year <strong>12</strong> students intending to study a Commerce/Business degree at<br />
university. The program offers students two years‟ full-time work in<br />
the Tax & Legal, Assurance or Private Clients divisions, whilst<br />
completing their degree. Applications for the program close 24 <strong>June</strong>.<br />
Deirdre Agnew<br />
Careers Counsellor (deirdre.agnew@staloysius.nsw.edu.au)<br />
My usual days at the College are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday<br />
MATHS CHALLENGE CORNER<br />
Last week‟s solution: 50<br />
Explanation: Angle ACB is 25 (reflection), therefor b is 25<br />
(alternate angles in parallel lines)<br />
Thus x = 25 + 25 = 50 (exterior angle of a triangle)<br />
A<br />
B<br />
Maths Challenge Corner will return in Term 3 with more puzzles to<br />
stimulate interest.<br />
<strong>St</strong>ella Robinson<br />
Head of Maths<br />
b<br />
B’<br />
<strong>THE</strong> COLLEGE COMMUNITY<br />
<strong>THE</strong> PARENTS‟ & FRIENDS‟ ASSOCIATION<br />
x<br />
As we roll on to the end of Term 2, we thought it was time to reflect<br />
on some of the great activities that have been held around the School<br />
as part of our “friend raising” work. Obvious highlights include the<br />
Mothers‟ Day Dinner, along with the Mother & Son Mass with<br />
morning tea which followed. However, there have also been a<br />
number of Year functions and other events which have gone a long<br />
way toward enhancing your experience as a parent in the College<br />
community. In that regard, my apologies to Year 7 whose Class<br />
Function is on 16 <strong>June</strong> at the Northbridge Golf Club (no you can‟t<br />
bring your clubs). So if you have not booked, contact Jacinta Walsh<br />
as soon as you can for arrangements.<br />
This weekend, our team will be involved once again with the Cadet<br />
passing out parade. The cadets start a practice early on Sunday<br />
morning, at the end of which the P&F will provide a light breakfast.<br />
We will be catering for about 250 boys, and will also provide tea and<br />
coffee for waiting parents. If you are interested in getting involved in<br />
P&F work, please don‟t be shy. We‟re always looking for volunteers.<br />
Are you interested in buying an Entertainment Book? The<br />
Entertainment Book is a very popular discount voucher book for a<br />
whole range of entertainment options across Sydney. The P&F<br />
receives a donation on the sale of each book, so if you would like to<br />
do buy one, please do so through this link –<br />
https://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/2002j52. Once<br />
ordered, you will receive a receipt number which can be taken to the<br />
25<br />
D<br />
C<br />
reception of either the Senior School (Merryn <strong>St</strong>ewart) or the Junior<br />
School (Debbie Edwards) to receive your copy.<br />
Something to ponder from the erudite Mr Henry Ward Beecher: “It‟s<br />
easier to go down a hill than up it, but the view is much better at the<br />
top.”<br />
Bryan Jenkins<br />
P&F President 20<strong>12</strong><br />
DIARY DATES<br />
The following functions are scheduled shortly:<br />
16 <strong>June</strong> Year 7 Parent Function: 7.00pm<br />
<strong>17</strong> <strong>June</strong> Cadet Ceremonial Parade: 8.00am [College Oval]<br />
CONTACT DETAILS<br />
Chairman Phillip Cornwell 0414 223 765<br />
President Bryan Jenkins 0414 355 255<br />
Vice-President Merin Boyd 0419 969 111<br />
Vice-President/Pastoral Care Michael Morgan 0419 679 591<br />
Secretaries Ann & Alex Paton 04<strong>12</strong> 250 551<br />
Assistant Secretary Jacqui <strong>St</strong>ene 0408 969 766<br />
Treasurers Cate & Greg Russell 0405 100 463<br />
Assistant Treasurers Marie and Chris D‟Cruz 0413 255 400<br />
Logistics Co-ordinator (JS) Jo Marchione 0488 230 198<br />
Logistics Co-ordinator (SS) Catherine Verschuer 0404 050 673<br />
Oval Canteen Co-ordinator Bruno Moscaritolo 0414 365 511<br />
Prayer Group Co-ordinator Edwin Lapitan 0410 463 5<strong>17</strong><br />
<strong>THE</strong> SENIOR SCHOOL CANTEEN<br />
The following parents have kindly offered their services in the Senior<br />
School Canteen for the week commencing 18 <strong>June</strong>:<br />
Monday Kate Breslin, Barbara Goh, Elizabeth Porter, Kandy<br />
Russo<br />
Tuesday Theresa Tyacke, Caitlin Douglas, Margaret Wachnik<br />
Wednesday Margaret Diamond, Margot Duncan, Margie<br />
Gillespie, Sarah Janssen, Cathryn Thomson, Elizabeth<br />
Laukka<br />
Thursday <strong>St</strong> <strong>Aloysius</strong>‟ Day<br />
<strong>Friday</strong> Jennifer Courtenay, Kathy Daly, Louise Jackson,<br />
Catherine Williams<br />
Nadia Lorenzutta<br />
Canteen Manager<br />
<strong>THE</strong> UNIFORM SHOP<br />
The Uniform Shop operates Tuesday and <strong>Friday</strong> from 8:00am to<br />
3:00pm during school term.<br />
Bob <strong>St</strong>ewart Credit Accounts: I urge that, if you have not yet<br />
opened a Credit Account with Bob <strong>St</strong>ewart, kindly please do so; as it<br />
helps to process transactions much faster and gets the boys back to<br />
their classes. For more information, please go on to the College<br />
website, under Uniform Shop, to download the form. If you do not<br />
wish to open a Credit Account, please obtain a form of payment for<br />
your son to make a purchase.<br />
* If you would like to send your son to the shop for a uniform<br />
purchase, we are happy to fit him for your convenience. We accept<br />
cash, cheques (payable to “Bob <strong>St</strong>ewart Pty Ltd”), credit cards,<br />
EFTPOS or Bob <strong>St</strong>ewart Credit Account.*<br />
Irene Lau<br />
Supervisor (staloysius@bobstewart.com.au /9955 4193)<br />
5
CO-CURRICULAR NEWS<br />
<strong>THE</strong> DI<strong>RECTOR</strong> OF CO-CURRICULA<br />
In cross country, congratulations to the following boys who will be<br />
representing CAS at the CIS Championships this week. They include<br />
Anthony Slaven, Brendan Suffield, Tim Robinson, Joe Whelan, Chris<br />
Munoz, Christian Breslin, Joel Vozzo, Luke Gorman, Matthew<br />
McKeon, Lucas Anderson, Leo Pucci, Gus Whelan and Hugo Whelan.<br />
CAS Rugby teams had great success over CHS teams last Thursday in<br />
the annual fixtures at Hordern. CAS 1sts defeated CHS 1sts 28-0 in the<br />
main game, whilst CAS 2nds had a more comprehensive victory 38-10<br />
against CHS 2nds. Luke Vevers had a superb game at fly half in the<br />
2nds match. In the U16‟s fixture, North Harbour beat South Harbour<br />
60-<strong>15</strong>. Following that game, Nic Slaven, Rory Vevers and James<br />
Dainton were selected in the CAS U16 team to play next week. CAS<br />
Rugby teams play GPS next Tuesday at Riverview (2nds at 1.30pm,<br />
1sts at 3.00pm) and ISA on <strong>Friday</strong> at Curagul (2nds at <strong>12</strong>.05pm, 1sts at<br />
2.25pm). CAS 16s play CCC on Saturday at Knox at 11.10am.<br />
CAS Football teams played GPS last Tuesday at Weigall. In the 1sts<br />
match, CAS snatched a 3-3 draw at the death, with Mason Yates<br />
scoring a top goal to secure the draw. GPS was too strong in the<br />
2nds and 3rds matches.<br />
In chess news, our Seniors won all four matches in the Secondary<br />
Schools‟ Competition last <strong>Friday</strong>. Juniors won their games by forfeit.<br />
Intermediates won only half of their matches.<br />
Good luck to our Intermediate Theatresports team that competes in<br />
the Grand Final at the Enmore Theatre on Sunday at 2.00pm.<br />
The Annual Cadet Passing Out Parade is on this Sunday at the<br />
College Oval commencing at 10.30am. Cadets need to be at rehearsal<br />
by 8.<strong>15</strong>am on the Sunday. This year, we will be farewelling twentyeight<br />
Year <strong>12</strong> cadets.<br />
For all ruby enthusiasts, a Rugby Lunch will be held on 10 August at<br />
the Hilton Hotel Ballroom. Old Boys and current Super <strong>15</strong> players,<br />
Tom Kingston and Patrick McCabe, have confirmed their attendance<br />
and will be speaking. Cost is $<strong>12</strong>5 per ticket which includes two<br />
courses and three hours of drink. Like football, all funds raised will<br />
be directed to the renovation of the pavilion at the College Oval and<br />
to the sport itself. A flier on this function appears later in this issue.<br />
This weekend, the College plays Trinity Grammar in all sports. 1sts<br />
teams are playing away and would welcome any support. The Cross<br />
Country is at Ewen Park, commencing at 9.00am. Tae Kwon Do is in<br />
the gym at 8.30am.<br />
Paul Rowland<br />
<strong>THE</strong> JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORTSMASTER<br />
CIS Football Report: On 28 May, I travelled up to Gosford for a<br />
NSWPSSA football tournament. I was in the CIS (Combined<br />
Independent Schools) team. On Monday we<br />
didn‟t play any games but only had a light<br />
training session to prepare us for the week.<br />
On Tuesday we were meant to play three<br />
games, but it began to rain so we had to<br />
move fields. The time delay resulted in us<br />
playing only two games which meant we had<br />
to play four games on the next day.<br />
There were two pools and to make it through<br />
to the semis you had to finish in the top two places. Our first game was<br />
against Sydney North. Three boys from my Rep team were a part of<br />
this team and this gave me the desire to win. Our team played very well<br />
and we won 1-0. Our second game was against the eventual finalist,<br />
Sydney South West. We didn‟t play very well and had a loss.<br />
On Wednesday we needed to win all four games to confirm our place<br />
in the semis. We had great wins in all four, beating South Coast 2-nil,<br />
North Coast 2-nil, Western Branch 2-1 and Barrier 11-nil. The next<br />
day we were up bright an early for our semi- final against the eventual<br />
winners Sydney West. We played well and held them to nil-all at half<br />
time. Early in the second half they scored a well-constructed goal.<br />
Our coach then took the risk and changed our formation so we had<br />
less defenders and more attackers. Unfortunately for us, they scored<br />
two more goals and beat us 3-0. We then had the third place final,<br />
losing to MacKillop, 3-0. I wasn‟t named in the NSWPSSA team but<br />
was very proud of my efforts and that CIS finished fourth out of 14<br />
teams. (Tallon Zahra)<br />
Football „Make Up‟ Clinic: This clinic is open to all the Junior<br />
School boys who attended April‟s school clinic that was cancelled on<br />
Days 2 & 3 due to wet weather. A small number of places is also<br />
available for boys who did not attend the April school holiday camp.<br />
It is an intensive clinic run by our newly appointed Director of Junior<br />
School Football, Mr Eric Daly, along with Junior School coaches,<br />
who will focus on skill development and overall game play. It is an<br />
ideal environment for all players who want to improve skill and<br />
overall football development. Passing, dribbling, shooting, goal<br />
keeping, positional awareness game principles along with speed and<br />
general fitness will be the focus over the two days.<br />
The clinic will be held at the College Oval (for Years 3-6) on <strong>12</strong> &<br />
13 July, from 8.30am-<strong>12</strong>.30pm. We will assume that your son will<br />
attend if he was registered for the April clinic. If your son is not<br />
available to attend, please let me know ASAP so his place can be<br />
offered to another boy. No payment is required for those boys who<br />
have paid previously for the April school holiday clinic. New boys are<br />
required to pay $100 for the two days make up clinic. Cheques (made<br />
payable to <strong>St</strong> <strong>Aloysius</strong>‟ College) or cash (in envelope along with<br />
Medical and Registration forms) need to be returned to the Junior<br />
School marked to my (Trevor Dunne) attention. Funds generated will<br />
be used specifically to improve and develop Junior School football.<br />
See me for registration forms. The camp contact will be Eric Daly<br />
(Director of Junior School football).<br />
Wet Weather Notifications: Can we crack the 200 mark? We are<br />
nearly there. The feedback for the use of Twitter in the Junior School<br />
has been very positive and currently we have 116 families following<br />
for wet weather notifications. This has been used to notify for the<br />
cancellation or amendments for both midweek sport training and<br />
Saturday matches. Notice for ground closure by local councils for the<br />
same day is usually communicated to me by 1.00pm where grounds<br />
may be closed. When this is the case I will leave a „tweet‟ online and<br />
may include ground changes if applicable. If training venues are<br />
changed as a result of grounds being closed, and others open, I will<br />
try to include all this info on the same „tweet‟. Also this information<br />
will also be available through Debbie in reception.<br />
Due to the nature of Junior School sport (where we play over 11<br />
different schools in any one round), compared to Senior School sport<br />
(one school per round in major sports), sportsmasters communicate<br />
with each other at 6.00am on Saturday mornings. This is after we<br />
hear from local council rangers in regards to their grounds being<br />
open or closed. This timeframe, tied in with some games starting at<br />
7.30am with travel time not included, does not allow for a large<br />
window for all parties. A tweet will be placed online between 6.30am<br />
and 6.45am regarding all games. Please note that Junior School policy<br />
is that, if games are cancelled at this time and the weather improves,<br />
games are not rescheduled. For example, if you read on twitter at<br />
6.30am that all cricket games are cancelled, and even if your sons<br />
cricket game is scheduled for 11.00am and the weather improves, his<br />
game will still remain cancelled.<br />
Coming into Athletics season and finishing off winter sport, where all<br />
boys are in teams and most Athletics carnivals start quite early, let‟s<br />
see if we can crack the 200 or even the 250 mark for „Junior School<br />
followers‟ on line. The use of twitter is open to new possibilities<br />
regarding updates from the various school carnivals we have, updates<br />
on achievements in sport, along with general notices that need to go<br />
out instantly. The following is the link to our Junior School wet<br />
weather notification: http://twitter.com/SacJuniorSport<br />
Rugby Luncheon: Join us on 10 August at <strong>12</strong>noon for <strong>12</strong>.30pm in<br />
the Hilton Hotel Ballroom, Sydney to find out why <strong>St</strong> <strong>Aloysius</strong>‟<br />
College is the new nursery for Australian Rugby. Cost for the event is<br />
6
$<strong>12</strong>5, which includes two courses and three hours of drinks. Funds<br />
raised at the event will be directed to the development of Rugby at<br />
the College and the renovation of the Pavilion at The College Oval.<br />
RSVP Online at www.trybooking.com/BLWW by 3 August at<br />
5.30pm. Any enquiries should be directed to the SAC Development<br />
Office (9936 5568). See the flyer later in this issue.<br />
CIS Rugby Trials: On 4 <strong>June</strong>, boys in the Prep 1sts Rugby – Alex<br />
Di Sano, Miles Branagan, Darcy Hampton and Luke Ryan –<br />
participated in the 20<strong>12</strong> CIS Rugby Trials to represent <strong>St</strong> <strong>Aloysius</strong>‟<br />
College at Bressington Park Homebush. Over 100 boys trialed for the<br />
CIS team that would tour Armidale. There were boys from schools<br />
like Trinity, Barker, Knox, Waverley, <strong>St</strong> Pius‟ and Riverview, and<br />
from Coogee Prep, Oxford Falls and Tudor House. The trials were<br />
separated into two – morning and afternoon. All of us went in the<br />
afternoon. It was a hot day after weekend of rain. To our luck the<br />
oval was dry and we could play. The trial started at <strong>12</strong>.00pm and<br />
finished at 2.30pm. We played six <strong>15</strong>-minute games with only a fiveminute<br />
break in between. Unfortunately, Alex Di Sano and Darcy<br />
Hampton didn‟t make the next trial but Miles Branagan and Luke<br />
Ryan made it through for a another trial, which would determine<br />
whether they would make the NSW CIS team. There was a lot of<br />
competition and it was a very tough trial, but we all had fun and<br />
fought our hearts out for the top spots.<br />
Miles Branagan – Back Row Alex Di Sano – Scrumhalf<br />
Luke Ryan – Hooker<br />
Darcy Hampton – Flyhalf<br />
On the Wednesday trial, Luke and Miles had an even tougher test.<br />
Unlike the Monday trial, it was only forty people competing for<br />
twenty-two spots in the NSW CIS rugby team, and it was wet and<br />
cold. Everyone was very nervous and many claiming representative<br />
experience. At the end of the day we found out if we made it through<br />
to the team. Unfortunately, Luke Ryan was competing for a very<br />
tough spot and did not make the team. Miles, on the other hand,<br />
made the team for the back row. Over the days, we learnt more in<br />
rugby and had a great time. (Miles Branagan)<br />
Trevor Dunne<br />
MUSIC<br />
From our College Organist, Mr Peter Kneeshaw: A quote from<br />
an article in the Sydney Organ Journal Vol 43 No 3 Winter 20<strong>12</strong> – “The<br />
Theatre Organ Society of Australia, NSW<br />
Division, recently held a fund-raising<br />
show to assist with its current project of<br />
restoring a Christie Theatre Organ.<br />
The show, a concert, was at Marrickville Town Hall on 22 April using<br />
the Society‟s wonderful Wurlitzer theatre organ. There was a special<br />
guest artist, John Murray (SAC Year 8). John confidently stepped up<br />
to the console and played the Toccata in D minor by J S Bach. John‟s<br />
opening phrases and subsequent playing wowed the audience of <strong>12</strong>0<br />
and he received a rousing recognition of his performance.”<br />
Congratulations, John!<br />
Congratulations, also, to the following boys who were recently<br />
awarded their AMEB (Australian Music Board Examination)<br />
certificates:<br />
Flute<br />
Brendan Doyle – Grade 1<br />
Travis Raheb-Mol – Grade 2<br />
Sebastian Judge – Grade 2<br />
Clarinet<br />
Patrick Doyle (Year 9) – Grade 5<br />
Piano<br />
Tom Smelt – Preliminary<br />
Liam Fardy – Grade 2<br />
Piano<br />
Joseph Knox – Grade 6 (Distinction)<br />
Dylan Ferguson – Grade 6 (Distinction)<br />
Saxophone<br />
Sam Carmichael (Year 9) – Grade 5<br />
Michael Garnon (Year 11) – Grade 6<br />
Tim Hughes (Year 10) – Grade 7 (High Distinction)<br />
A special thank you to their teachers, who have nurtured them along<br />
the way. Well done!<br />
Tim Chung<br />
Head of Music (Performance)<br />
SNOWSPORTS<br />
20<strong>12</strong> Interschools‟ Snowsports: Racing Registration closes 20 <strong>June</strong><br />
– LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER<br />
11 July Snowboard<br />
<strong>12</strong> July Moguls & Primary SkierX<br />
13 July Primary Alpine & Secondary SkierX<br />
14 July Secondary Alpine<br />
Held in Perisher. Primary – Years 3-6; Secondary – Years 7-<strong>12</strong>. Please<br />
email me with your son‟s name, year and race event.<br />
Rose Bartolotta (roseb@royalelimousines.com.au)<br />
7
SENIOR SCHOOL SPORTS FIXTURES & RESULTS<br />
8