Boarding Bulletin Board

News around the Boarding Precinct

On Sunday May 23, we welcomed over 100 friends and family to our term 2 Family Dinner and Mass, coinciding with Reconciliation Week. The Mass was a wonderful celebration which concluded with the attending boarders and day students receiving a candle on the alter. This was then followed by a beautiful smoking ceremony, under the stars in Chapel Court. A Welcome to Country was then followed by a wonderful meal and an enlightening speech from our guest speaker, Mr Jon Kanoa. One of the many highlights from the night was the donation made by  current Year 11 Boarder, Jack James and his family of a beautiful artwork purchased in the Northern Territory. It was a fantastic evening, celebrating the cultural diversity in our community – and an opportunity to be thankful – for the many enriched young men who make St Patrick’s College the wonderful inclusive community it is. Below is a copy of Charlie Delaney’s (our Captain of Boarding) speech from the evening:

Good evening Mr O’Connor, Invited Guests, Staff, Students and families,

My name is Charlie Delaney and I am the 2021 Captain of St Patrick’s College Boarding. I have been at the College for two years now and it is an honour to welcome you all here this evening.

In its broadest sense ‘reconciliation’ means ‘coming together’. The dictionary defines ‘reconciliation’ as a situation in which two people, or groups of people, become friendly again after they have argued.

Reconciliation to me is about unity and respect between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and non-Indigenous Australians. It is about respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage and valuing justice and equity for all Australians.

But ultimately, it’s about learning from that past as a way of reshaping the present and making a better future for all Australians

Reconciliation Australia’s theme for 2021, More than a word. Reconciliation takes action, urges the reconciliation movement towards braver and more impactful action. Personally, as the Captain of Boarding, I will be urging all boarding students to play a part to collectively build relationships and shape our community into one that values Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.

In closing, I would like to leave you with a quote from Patrick Dodson, a Yawuru man from Broome and an Australian politician representing Western Australia in the Australian Senate.

“The river is the river and the sea is the sea. Salt water and fresh, two separate domains. Each has its own complex patterns, origins, stories. Even though they come together they will always exist in their own right. Our hope for Reconciliation is like that.”

 

 

* As Reconciliation Week continues, we would like to acknowledge our Indigenous Boarders who are participating in several events throughout the week. A number of our Boarders spoke brilliantly at the Reconcilation Mass and Assembly on Tuesday, sharing their thoughts and stories with the College. We also have a number of students participating in the upcoming junior Taatee Shield on Thursday and a netball game against Loreto on Friday. We are very proud of current Year 8 boarder, Mikey Raggett, who attended Magpie Primary School and spoke to their students about his journey so far at St Pat’s. Well done and congratulations to all.

• On what may have been one of the coldest nights in May, our Year 10 Boarders, along with the entire Year 10 cohort, experienced what it may be like to be homeless for one night. Students were visited by the Ballarat Soup Bus and listened to guest speakers before embarking on a cold night outdoors.

 

• Following on from the One Night of Homelessness, Fiona and Louise came and spoke with our Boarding Students on Monday evening about the Salvation Army and the Red Shield Appeal. Boarding Students have made a commitment to collect loose change to donate to the Red Shield Appeal to help those less fortunate in the Ballarat Community. A ‘money spinner’ is located in the front foyer of the Boarding Precinct and the Year 11 Prefects will be running events to help raise money for the appeal.

 

• Congratulations to current Year 11 Boarder, Brayden Purchase, who recently competed in the Golf State Finals at The National Golf Course. This is a tremendous achievement and one that we are very proud of Brayden for reaching. Well done Brayden.

 

• Weekend activities continue in full force as a number of Boarders accessed their competitive side on the Go Kart track on Saturday. The competition was fierce and the bragging rights strong as Boarders raced around the track. A great day was had by all.

 

• We are often asked the process for our Boarding Students to visit with friends over the weekend. Friendships outside of the Boarding Precinct are so important for our Boarding Students and are certainly encouraged by the staff. If a Boarding Student would like weekend leave, an email to boarding@stpats.vic.edu.au or a phone call to 5222 4414, will start the approval process.

• As a number of our weekly boarders utilise public transport to return home for the weekend, a friendly reminder for parents to contact Boarding to let us know that students have returned home safely. This can be done via an email to boarding@stpats.vic.edu.au or a phone call to 5222 4414

 

Up-Coming Events

 

* Wednesday June 9 – VCE Unit ¾ GAT (no classes for Yr10’s)

* Friday June 11 – Monday June 14 – Boarding EXEAT weekend

* Tuesday June 15 – Year 7 – 9 Exams begin

* Friday June 18 – End of Term 2