Where are they now – David Morris (SPC 2011-12)

The College recently reconnected with Old Collegian David Morris (SPC 2011-12) who attended his 10-Year Class Reunion and values his SPC education for giving him the opportunity to mature as a young person and create lifelong friendships.

 

Where has life taken you since leaving SPC?
After finishing school in 2012 I returned back to Stawell briefly for a gap year working at the local abattoir and then heading to an American Summer Camp for four months driving a ski boat for kids aged 5-16 years old.
In 2014 I moved to Geelong and started the Exercise and Sport Science degree at Deakin, I then moved degrees and started a Paramedicine degree in 2015 at ACU in Melbourne while continuing to live in Geelong.
While completing my degree I worked with a local disability company working with autistic children and adults with varying intellectual disabilities. I loved this job and found it incredibly rewarding on so many levels.
I have continued to play football throughout this time splitting my time between travelling back home to Stawell to play and playing for Leopold in the Geelong Football League.
At the start of 2018, after completing my degree, I was offered a Graduate position with Ambulance Victoria in Sunshine. I worked in Metro West for around 18 months before I was given an ongoing position in the Geelong region which was a huge relief no longer needing to travel over an hour for work.
I am incredibly lucky to have a long-term partner, with us purchasing our first home in 2020 and we then welcomed our daughter, Mila, in July 2021.

Do you have family ties with SPC?
No family ties, I was the first person from my family to attend a boarding school.

 

What are your fondest memories of your time at St Patrick’s College?
The school football program has a significant position in my memory of my time at St Pat’s. I played with some incredibly talented footballers but also some incredibly great guys who I have created lifelong friends from. I was also lucky enough to experience life as a boarder at St Pat’s throughout 2011-12. This is still one of the best experiences of my life, allowing me to grow as a young man but also have some of the most fun I have ever had. It felt like a school camp that ran for two years that you got to experience with your best mates.

 

Which teacher from your time at SPC had the greatest impact on you? Why?
Mark Waddington is the reason I attended St Pat’s, he was the first face my family and I met when being given a tour of the grounds when considering going to boarding school, and my parents and I are 100% sure he was the reason that we went ahead with this. He was warm, kind and incredibly relatable. He had a tremendous relationship with all of the boarders with friendship and respect.
Howard Clark was the other staff member who had an incredible impact. Any of the boys that were lucky enough to be a part of the football program speak highly of Howard and for good reason. His purpose was to always raise young boys into young men and that was built off respect and relationships. This was evident at the recent reunion where Howard showed care and genuine interest in what all the boys had gotten up to in their life.

 

 

How has your education shaped your professional life?
If I was being honest, my football was ahead of education when I first attended St Pat’s but this quickly shifted with the care and love the teachers showed with each subject. I enjoyed my schooling and the education created a really good balance with football commitments. This also created a really good base for me to progress into university and my current work life as a paramedic. I have St Pat’s to thank for me having the education and skills set that I now have in my working life.

How has your time at SPC shaped your personal values and your family life?
St Pat’s gave me the opportunity to mature as a young man and create relationships with individuals I would never have had the chance if I had not of attended. I love speaking about my time at St Pat’s and how boarding was and still is one of the best experiences of my life. I learnt to be respectful, hardworking and the value of having strong relationships with the people around you. I was also lucky enough to meet my partner, Abbey, in Year 11 while at St Pat’s who I have been lucky to spend the past 11 years with.

If you could pass on one message to the students of today, what would it be?
Enjoy your time around your best mates, this will never happen again in your life. Work hard, have fun and enjoy the experience of what makes St Pat’s so special to all the young boys that walk in as you leave a well-respected young man.