Headmaster’s Message – August 23, 2018

Dear Parents, Guardians, Friends, Staff and Students of St Patrick’s College,

What’s the Buzz Music Concert

What a busy few weeks it has been in the life of SPC! Last week, more than 300 people gathered at the Wendouree Performing Arts Centre for a superb evening of entertainment presented by our musicians. Featuring a number of high-quality ensembles, the audience enjoyed a variety of performance genres and were most impressed with the standard of playing. I would like to acknowledge all of our music students involved last Tuesday evening on their level of musicianship and dedication, and strongly encourage each of them to continue to pursue their love of all things music. Of course, such a superb evening does not happen by itself. It is important to acknowledge the staff of the Music Faculty, under the direction of our Head of music, Ms Fiona Wilson, who work tirelessly to challenge the boys and encourage them to be their very best. We wish our music students and their conductors well for The Royal South Street Competition over the coming weeks in Ballarat.

Howard Clark and Herald Sun Shield Grand Final

Last Saturday, our 1^st XVIII travelled to the MCG for the Grand Final of the Herald Sun Shield Competition against St Bernard’s College. Achieving the milestone of 10 consecutive Herald Shield finals is an incredible effort and reflects a superb and well-established football program and culture, which continues to offer such positive experiences for those involved. As many will be now aware, our 1^st XVIII Coach, Mr Howard Clark, will retire from this role after 18 years of dedicated and inspiring leadership. Howard’s incredible vision for a football program aiming for excellence, yet ever-mindful of the overriding importance of developing each player as a person of great integrity, will see the program continue to grow for many years to come. Howard has left the College a great gift and legacy through many selfless years of dedication and commitment to the young men he coaches and mentors, and we are fortunate he will still be involved in the football program to continue to share his wisdom and knowledge. – We look forward to acknowledging his contribution at the John James Medal in the coming weeks.-

Watching our boys in the Grand Final against St Bernard’s was a privilege. Despite being out scored in the first quarter, they never gave up and were gallant in defeat. Each of our boys represented the Green, White and Blue with pride and we acknowledge another impressive season in 2018.

125 Year Celebration at the MCG

Our 125 Year Celebration to be held at- the MCG on Friday, October 12 has nearly sold out. This evening promises to be a wonderful evening of celebration, bringing together many generations of Old Collegians as well as our current community, to retell lost stories and reconnect past friendships. If you are interested in attending, I encourage you to purchase your tickets today at https://www.trybooking.com/VLDT .

Finally, with a number of cold and wet weeks still ahead of us, we remain mindful of the need for extra strength in our efforts towards our academic studies and in our relationships with each other. On behalf of the entire College community, we offer a prayer for strength and perseverance for all of us as we enter into the second half of Term 3.

Dear Lord,

We pray for your blessing on all members of our SPC community,

We pray especially for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one recently, and those who are experiencing sickness and grief at this time,

Grant us your grace, Lord, that we may continue to give our best in all that we do,

Guide us in our decision making to ensure we place the needs of others before our own,

Bless our efforts and give us the wisdom to act wisely, even when we are tired.

We ask this prayer in Jesus’ name

Amen

Have a great weekend.

Mr John Crowley

HEADMASTER