The Magazine of St Aloysius' College ⢠'Men for Others' ⢠Issue XLVII ...
The Magazine of St Aloysius' College ⢠'Men for Others' ⢠Issue XLVII ...
The Magazine of St Aloysius' College ⢠'Men for Others' ⢠Issue XLVII ...
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Dinner is more than a simple statement <strong>of</strong> reality, though<br />
this is in itself extraordinary enough. Our approach <strong>of</strong><br />
regarding the <strong>College</strong> Co-curricular Programme as a<br />
whole surely says something about how we see ourselves<br />
as an educational community. We seek to value each and<br />
every activity that the boys undertake, and, in doing so,<br />
value each and every student. Our educational philosophy<br />
looks to the <strong>for</strong>mation <strong>of</strong> the whole person, and this holistic<br />
approach embraces the physical and the aesthetic, the<br />
creative and the intellectual, and the ability to work with<br />
others in teams, ensembles, units and casts. As a <strong>College</strong>,<br />
we seek to respect the passion, commitment and skills <strong>of</strong> all<br />
who participate, endeavour and achieve.<br />
Our commitment to our Co-curricular Programme is<br />
exercised in the context <strong>of</strong> the identity and values <strong>of</strong> the<br />
<strong>College</strong>. As a religious school the <strong>for</strong>mation <strong>of</strong> the heart<br />
and the spirit shapes our identity. We do not apologise<br />
<strong>for</strong> giving clear priority to the boys’ academic programme.<br />
We do not <strong>of</strong>fer sporting scholarships. As far as is possible,<br />
we allow students, who have achieved at a certain level<br />
in activities not <strong>of</strong>fered by the school, the freedom and the<br />
support to continue to do so outside <strong>of</strong> the school. We<br />
seek to maximise the boys’ participation and involvement<br />
across a range <strong>of</strong> activities, because this accords with our<br />
commitment to <strong>for</strong>ming well-rounded young men: the First XV<br />
<strong>for</strong>ward who plays the violin, the debater who plays Fourth<br />
XI football, the cadet <strong>of</strong>ficer who per<strong>for</strong>ms on stage.<br />
Part <strong>of</strong> the purpose <strong>of</strong> the Dinner was to highlight the<br />
rich and diverse tradition that is the Aloysian co-curricular<br />
programme. In debating, <strong>for</strong> example, since 1986 Aloysius<br />
has provided three Australian Schoolboy Debaters and<br />
nine NSW <strong>St</strong>ate Debaters. Our drama and music tradition<br />
reaches back to the early days <strong>of</strong> the school. When you<br />
combine these elements in our tradition – speaking and<br />
per<strong>for</strong>ming – is it any wonder that the <strong>College</strong> has such<br />
a rich heritage <strong>of</strong> actors and per<strong>for</strong>mers, musicians and<br />
singers, comedians and reporters, writers and journalists,<br />
and even politicians? Take comedy, <strong>for</strong> example Ross<br />
Higgins (SAC 1946) <strong>of</strong> Kingswood Country; international<br />
conductor Sir Charles Mackerras AC CH (SAC 1942);<br />
writer, producer and director, Mel Morrow (SAC 1959);<br />
stand up comedian Anh Do (SAC 1994); Billy Birmingham<br />
(SAC 1970) <strong>of</strong> <strong>The</strong> Twelfth Man; Daniel Lapaine (SAC<br />
1988) <strong>of</strong> Muriel’s Wedding fame and Julian Morrow (SAC<br />
1991) <strong>of</strong> <strong>The</strong> Chaser.<br />
Medallists Cecil Healy and Peter ‘Pod’ O’Donnell (SAC<br />
1957) (yachting) only begin to head the list <strong>of</strong> sportsmen<br />
who have gone on to achieve at the highest levels.<br />
On the night I also acknowledged the tremendous<br />
commitment and contribution <strong>of</strong> our Director <strong>of</strong> Co-<br />
Curricula, Mr Paul Rowland (SAC 1974). Paul, himself, is<br />
part <strong>of</strong> the living tradition that we celebrated at the Dinner.<br />
Back in 1973, as a member <strong>of</strong> our First XV, Paul scored<br />
one hundred and three points in the five rounds <strong>of</strong> CAS<br />
competition, surely one <strong>of</strong> the standout ef<strong>for</strong>ts in Aloysius<br />
sporting history.<br />
It is also interesting to note the nature <strong>of</strong> our sporting<br />
facilities given recent publicity surrounding Government<br />
funding to non-government schools. We have one oval<br />
(11 km away in Willoughby), one indoor basketball court<br />
(which serves also as <strong>The</strong> Great Hall and examination<br />
centre), and one outside court at the Junior School. In the<br />
summer season we fielded twenty tennis teams, twenty-nine<br />
basketball sides, fifteen cricket teams, three volleyball teams,<br />
six water polo teams, three chess sides and one swimming<br />
team, as well as squads in Tae Kwon Do and fencing in<br />
the Senior School. In the Junior School, we fielded ten<br />
cricket teams, six basketball sides and eight tennis teams.<br />
That same season in CAS competition we were premiers in<br />
tennis, second overall in GPS/CAS water polo (and best<br />
in CAS), third in volleyball, and fourth in cricket, basketball<br />
and chess. <strong>The</strong> cadets have no training grounds to speak<br />
<strong>of</strong>, yet the Unit fields two hundred cadets, all volunteers,<br />
and has three full-size working hovercraft (built by the<br />
boys!). <strong>The</strong> refurbished Miguel Pro Playhouse provides an<br />
intimate space <strong>for</strong> many fine productions throughout the<br />
year. Music has limited specialised facilities (though they<br />
are on the drawing board); boys can be seen rehearsing<br />
in every nook <strong>of</strong> the school, with over five hundred learning<br />
musical instruments. A spectacular production <strong>of</strong> Tommy<br />
this year will stand in the long tradition <strong>of</strong> <strong>College</strong> musical<br />
productions,<br />
A proud tradition <strong>of</strong> involvement and achievement lives<br />
on.<br />
Fr Chris Middleton SJ<br />
Principal<br />
Our Cadets continue to provide a steady stream <strong>of</strong><br />
young men who serve and stand in a tradition <strong>of</strong> so many<br />
Aloysians who have laid down their lives <strong>for</strong> this land. In<br />
Music the list <strong>of</strong> musicians might include Martin Cooke<br />
(SAC 1972), leading baritone voice <strong>for</strong> the Bavarian<br />
<strong>St</strong>ate Opera and Paul Dyer (SAC 1972), founder <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Australian Brandenburg Orchestra. And in sport, the names<br />
<strong>of</strong> Aussie cricketers Jack Ferris (SAC 1882) and Gordon<br />
Rorke (SAC 1955), Wallabies Paddy Moran, Dan Carroll,<br />
Eddie Mandible and Les Austin (SAC 1952), NSW<br />
Rugby Player James Allen (SAC 1985) and Olympic Gold<br />
<strong>St</strong> Aloysius’ <strong>College</strong><br />
A Jesuit School <strong>for</strong> Boys _ Founded 1879 aloysiad / page 5