the Monivae College Hamilton DolphinISSUE 32 : MAY 2018 Home of the Western Country Regional Cricket Hub An elite cricket training facility “In the twilight of a long and happy life, I still think cricket is the finest character builder of all our sports.” Sir Donald Bradman AC 1996 mind spirit Monivae heart College Hamilton Welcome EVENT DATES Welcome to our Autumn edition for 2018. TO REMEMBER: First term always starts with a bang with school swimming and athletic sports, the presentation ball, • 10 Year Reunion school camps, open days and this year an additional get together, ‘The Golden Oldies’ Reunion. Saturday 1st September at Mumbler Bar There was general excitement with the announcement of the Western Region Country Cricket Hub to be • 20 Year Reunion built at Monivae. This will no doubt be a great addition to our school and for the local community. We are Saturday 1st September all looking forward to watching its progress. at Blue Malt Restaurant Please keep us informed with all the news from the Monivae community to share on our Births, Marriages • 30 Year Reunion and Farewells page. We are always happy to hear good news stories that we can share in the Dolphin or Saturday 13th October via our Facebook and Instagram pages. at Roxburgh Café • 40 Year Reunion Facebook and Instagram are both great platforms for keeping you up to date with the day to day goings Saturday 13th October on at our school. Please feel free to follow us on www.facebook.com/monivaecollege, and Instagram @ Hamilton, Venue to be monivae_college. The Development Office at Monivae is happy to hear from you anytime. Email information confirmed and images to Jill Whiting Director of Marketing & Development, [email protected] or Lia Mailes, Alumni Co-ordinator, [email protected] (All Reunions will commemce at 5pm with a tour of the College.) www.facebook.com/MonivaeCollege @MonivaeCollege #MonivaeCollege OUR FRONT COVER: Vincent Huf, Principal Mark McGinnity and Jess Field EDITORIAL: Jill Whiting and Lia Mailes (Development Office) PHOTOGRAPHY: Thank you to everyone who has contributed and collaborated to help create this edition Principal’s Message This is quite an historic year for Monivae College. For the first time since its inception, there is no MSC presence in the school. Our Chaplain and co-Director of Faith and Mission for the last three years, Fr Peter Hendriks MSC, was appointed as the Parish Priest of Nightcliff commencing at the beginning of this year. There are still two semi-retired MSC priests who reside in Allan Myers House: Fr Peter Wood MSC and Fr Ted McCormack MSC, but their commitment to relieving parish priests means that they do not spend much of their time here. While this change presents some challenges for our College community, it is something that the MSCs have been preparing our staff for over many years. The Chevalier Institute devotes significant resources to educating all staff (not just teachers) in the Heart Spirituality that is at the core of the MSC ethos. Hospitality is a key attribute of the MSCs and is enshrined in Section 32 of their constitution. On a recent visit to Daramalan College where some of our rowers competed in a regatta on Lake Burley Griffin, the Monivae contingent was the recipient of much warm hospitality from a number of Old Collegians based in Canberra with children at Daramalan. Frequently we receive stories that Australia wide and even world-wide that the connection between Monivae Old Collegians is something very special. The Golden Oldies dinner last month was an example of this with some not having seen each other for up to 50 years and yet describing the event like catching up with old family members. The Chevalier Centre continues to be a hub for so many wellbeing initiatives within the extended community. Youth Mental Health First Aid courses are regularly conducted in the Seminar Room with attendees from all of the schools and other groups within the region. Monivae itself is a gold level skilled workplace in its staff embracing this initiative. Monivae College is also the lead school in the Western District for the implementation of the state government’s ‘Respectful Relationships’ program that has been set up in response to the increasing problem of family violence in the wider community. ‘Headspace’ continue to operate one day a week out of the counselling rooms in the centre assisting with the mental health needs of our students. In the next few months construction will commence on the Western Country Regional Cricket Hub here at Monivae College. We have received notification of a State Government grant to partially assist with the costs of setting up what will be a great facility for both the College and the local community. The project consists of a modern indoor training centre on the second field with room for six practice nets and an upgrade to our main oval including the provision of covered seating and change rooms. Br Dan Geary MSC who worked here at the College for 25 years and would be known to generations of Old Collegians has been diagnosed with inoperable cancer that has now spread throughout his body. Br Dan, a man of great faith, is in palliative care and preparing to meet his God of love with a very positive outlook. A great card and letter writer throughout his life, if anyone would like to write to Br Dan, his address is C/O St Joseph’s Home, 2 Kensington Rd, Kensington, NSW 2033. Mark McGinnity Principal From the Foundation ‘WALK THE WALK’ with us, it’s a rewarding journey! Monivae College has a proud history of supporting students and their families in need. This is very much a part of ‘who we are’. Some of our most notable alumni are, in fact, students who received lifelong benefits from a Monivae College bursary or academic scholarship. The ‘Walk the Walk’ student sponsorship program provides an opportunity for past students, families, teachers and friends of Monivae to contribute towards the education of a student in need during their time at Monivae. A detailed brochure is available on our website. THANK YOU We take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to Mrs Judy Trompf and her late husband, Mr Vanne Trompf for donating the funds necessary to establish the ‘Vanne and Judy Trompf Perpetual Bursary Fund’. As many of you would be aware, Judy taught at the College from 1984 to 2012. Her late husband, Vanne, was always a strong believer in, and supporter of, Indigenous students throughout Australia. Their fully endowed perpetual bursary and scholarship fund will focus on supporting the education and wellbeing of Indigenous students during their time at Monivae. Please view our website (which can now facilitate donations) at www.monivaefoundation.com.au. It should be noted all donations are fully income tax deductible. Should you require any further details regarding any aspect of the Monivae College Foundation, please contact the Director of Development at the College, Mrs Jill Whiting at [email protected] to obtain further details. Golden Oldies Reunion After the Development Office received an email from Thomas Tsing (class 1968) from Hong Kong expressing interest in a 50-year Monivae Reunion, it was decided to organise a Golden Oldies Reunion Dinner involving old collegians from the class of 1954- 1969. The Chevalier Centre was the perfect venue and with the help of our school caterer, Mary Golding, the 3-course meal was organised, the tables were set and the Monivae memorabilia on display. The relaxed mood for the night was set with background keyboard music by student Vania McCaskill, giving the guests plenty of time to rekindle friendships over the extensive variety of canapés’. Following the sit-down dinner, the guests were entertained by memories of the past on a moving power-point display. It was then time to remember the good ole days! Pat Howman, a Foundation member, asked old collegians for some memories of their time at Monivae. Mick Dodson (1968) acknowledged the traditional owners of the land. Mick then remarked about his classmates: “We had our squabbles, we had our differences, we had our friendships, and we had our Thomas Tsing (Class of 1968) with Sue Patterson & Sue Condon disagreements, but low and behold anybody outside the place that wanted to take us on, we would stand up to the death for each other. This was particularly on the sporting field but also in the scholastic sense”. Thomas Tsing (1968) recapped the cultural shock on arriving at Monivae from Hong Kong, Thomas remarked, “Because education in Hong Kong in those days was very different, a ‘British’ type of education, whereas Monivae was pretty free”. He also recalled, “I remember being in the practice nets, I didn’t know about cricket in those days, everybody was out there collecting balls and somebody called out to me: ‘Hey Moses!’so I thought to myself, ‘Who is Moses?’The person who called out was Pat Foster. He said that in form 4 the new student from Hong Kong was called Abraham Pat, so if there is an Abraham……. there must be a Moses! …………..so I was Moses.” Tim Gurry OAM had fond memories of Monivae being a multicultural school, well ahead of its time.”When we went to school here, it was probably the first time we had encountered Asian students, we had indigenous students, we had Nauruan students. This was a multi-cultural school before multi culturism ever existed, and we are so privileged to have had that experience, and I know that is what shaped my life”.