The College recently reconnected with Paul McCulloch (SPC 1954-57) where he credits an early failure changed the course of his life for the best. Paul, who was crowned the College’s famed McNeil Cup tennis champion over consecutive years, continued to play competitively through to veterans’ and now enjoys the sport socially.
Where has life taken you since leaving SPC?
After my failure to gain entrance to the Ballarat Teachers College in 1958, I obtained a job in Melbourne as a junior clerk with one of the ‘big six’ life insurance offices. Not too much of a wrench as
I had been raised in West Footscray until age 13, and was familiar with public transport in the City of Melbourne.
In retrospect this was a blessing, as my wife, a teacher, often gently said ‘you would have made a terrible teacher.’ I attended lectures after work conducted by the then Victorian Insurance
institute to gain a qualification in life insurance administration and management. I also continued to play tennis, joining a well-known Melbourne Pennant Tennis Club, and represented the
Victorian Insurance Tennis Association interstate.
I resigned from my original employer after nearly 10 years to join a UK-based life insurance office with a smaller operation here in Australia, and more opportunity. I retired from that organisation
in 1999 after occupying senior positions in superannuation law and marketing.
I subsequently enjoyed some overseas travel with my wife, nurtured my ageing mother who lived to be 97, and who resided in Melbourne following my father’s death. I continued to play
competitive tennis at Veterans level, and I’m now playing socially. I am still engaged in some charitable work and have belonged to a UK-founded Catholic Men’s Association, the Catenians, since
1988. A great joy in both of our lives since retirement has been sharing in the lives of our 12 grandchildren since they were little ones. We had five children. And we now have two great grandchildren.
Do you have family ties with SPC?
My younger brother, Jim (SPC 1953-59, PY1960) (dec) also attended SPC after my family moved from West Footscray to Ballarat in January 1953.
On the wider front, there are many cousins on our mother’s side of the family who attended SPC. The Callahan name dates back a few generations; our Callahan cousin’s mother was a younger
sister of our mother. My wife’s father, Vincent Burton, attended the College as a boarder in the early 1920s.
We also had a McCulloch uncle, Ernest, who attend the College for a few years in the 30s.
My mother also served on the Mothers Committee with Mrs O’Connor during my senior years at the College. Mrs O’Connor had two sons at the College, David and Gary.
What are your fondest memories of your time at St Patrick’s College?
My fondest memory is the last year when I boarded for two terms. We resided in McCann House under the watchful eye of Br Killian. I shared a room with John Curtain (also a Ballarat resident),
Denis McKimmie (a former Ballarat resident) and John McLaughlin from Melbourne, all now deceased. John Curtain was best man at our wedding and we maintained contact until his premature
death from prostate cancer. I caught up with John L at a few Catholic charity functions in Melbourne, and Denis at the 50-Year Reunion in 2007, by which time John C had died.
In retrospect, there was a collegiate atmosphere among our group at McCann House, mixed with a little bit of mischief.
Which teacher from your time at SPC had the greatest impact on you? Why?
I think Br Justin Kelty, in Leaving, who was our Class Teacher had the greatest impact. Very strict, but a legendary teacher of Latin and Greek & Roman History. He was sorely missed, after he
moved in 1956 to Rostrevor College in Adelaide as Principal.
How has your education shaped your professional life, as well as your personal values and family life?
I think my brief spell as a boarder helped shape my entry into the commercial world the following year. I was fortunate to be able to spend most weekends at home during my final school year,
which kept me in touch with what was happening on the family front. And the values on the home front coincided with the SPC values. I might add that being at McCann House enabled me to
write many letters to my girlfriend who has been my wife for over 60 years.
If you could pass on one message to the students of today, what would it be?
Fond memories and lasting relationships come from face-to-face interaction. From time-to-time, I hear of the many Facebook friends young people have. My generation was lucky not to have to
deal with the distractions of the digital age; make sure you keep it all in proper perspective, and keep safe, all of you.
