THE NEWSLETTER OF THE CATHEDRAL SCHOOL OF ST ANNE AND ST JAMES
APRIL 2017 | NUMBER 59
Principal’s Report 100th Birthday Countdown
The countdown to the School’s 100th birthday is now only 120 days away, and clearly the excitement is building amongst both past and current members of The Cathedral School community and the Old Girls of St Anne’s. The Townsville area has been blessed by some beautiful summer rain and the school grounds are looking to provide a magnificent setting to the celebrations in four months’ time. The school is gearing up to welcome as many of our students (past and present), staff and parents as possible, particularly around 21 July. The functions being run over the weekend, beginning on Foundation Day, have been well publicised and I encourage all Past Students and Old Girls to join us and each other over what will be an historical achievement for all involved. Already we have over 200 people booked for the dinner on the 22 July and 120 booked for the Friday night cocktail function by the lagoon. I am delighted to announce that work has started on the Centenary project by the lagoon after some very frustrating delays over the past six months. The $20,000 raised through our Connection Place fundraiser in 2016 will be used to provide the glass that will hold the 12,500 names of the students and staff that have worked and learnt in the school throughout its first 100 years. It has been a huge job to gather these names and we are still finding names that don’t exist in our historical school records. Early in first term, the school welcomed renowned musician and composer Mr Paul Jarman, who has been asked to write a school song for our Centenary. Paul has done this for a number of schools across Australia and while this song will be performed for the first time on Foundation Day, we hope that it will be a tune that is sung alongside our School Hymn in the years to come. Paul spent three
days at the school, talking to students and staff about what our school means to them. He was delighted with the feedback he received and quite taken aback by our spectacular Rain Trees, which are likely to feature somewhere in the lyrics. There are so many stories that will be told and remembered throughout 2017. One of my favourites will be the story of the cleaning of the Chapel Bell, which hangs at the front of Heatley House. A member of St James’ Cathedral parish, Darrell Mathewson, approached me after a Sunday service early in the year and said, “It’s your School Centenary this year, would you like me to clean your bell?” Of course I answered in the affirmative and after some very significant effort Darrell has returned a gleaming bell that will be rung three times on Foundation Day to begin the Lagoon Dash of the Century. There is more information below in an article on the Chapel Bell. We hope to see you all at your old or current school in July of this year, we have so many stories to tell and so much to celebrate! Mr Ian Gamack Principal
Paul Jarman Commissioned To Write Centenary Song This term, we welcomed Cathedral’s composer-in-residence, Paul Jarman, to the school. Up from his home in Coffs Harbour to compose the forthcoming school song for the centenary celebrations, Mr Jarman spent some three days taking in, and gauging, the atmosphere of Cathedral to gather ideas for a work that truly reflects who we are. In discovering the soul of our school, he interacted with classroom music students to see what, from our perspective, makes Cathedral the place it is. While many of his questions to us were often met with the ubiquitous teenage response of blank faces and the occasional grunt,
any comments or answers given were highly valued, and provided a broad sheet of stimulus that will no doubt shape the song he writes. Of particular note was the writing task in the senior music class, which allowed Mr Jarman a real insight into the egalitarian foundations that underpin our school. Indeed, there is no doubt that with such a clear view of Cathedral’s identity, Mr Jarman will compose a song that will sound for many years to come. John Atkinson Year 12
PICTURED ON THE FRONT: Class of 2016 graduate Cassandra Kath hands over her balloon to a Kindergarten students in the Year 12 Guard of Honour on the last day of School.
Page 2
The Connection - April 2017
Past Students’ Association President’s Report We are only months away from the Centenary of our School and the excitement is growing. The works on the Connection Place by the lagoon have begun, the surface has been prepared ready for the foundations to be put in, and the names of more than 12,000 past students and staff have been sent to the graphic designer. So, stay tuned to Facebook for updates of the construction process.
has supported me and I will always be grateful. I am looking forward to hearing your stories about your years at school. As part of our focus on the school’s history, the Past Students’ Association has paid for signs to be installed on a number of school buildings, explaining who they have been named after. These signs allow current students, staff and visitors to the school to understand more about our school’s foundations and the inspirational people who have contributed to its development. Each year, the PSA provides a scholarship to a Year 12 student who embodies the school’s ethos and spirit. This recipient becomes a current representative on our Past Students’ Association committee. This year the panel chose Emelie Williams, a boarder from Winton, who is going to have a busy and exciting year as we celebrate our centenary.
Tom Porter with brother, Christopher Porter at the Class of 2016 Welcome Back Lunch
There is also a lot of excitement building around the Centenary weekend events and I hope you’re looking forward to joining the celebrations. Just ask yourself when was the last time you had an opportunity to be a part of a centenary, and know that you can now be a part of it with your old (or not so old) school friends. We have all the event bookings open and the spaces are filling up fast, so I encourage you to book your tickets now. Check out this Connection for events details and if you need any help or have questions please get in contact with the school. The Centenary book is now at the printers and I must thank Toni Lanphier, Regina Blackburn and their proof-readers Mary Gallagher and Judy Newman for all their work to capture the wonderful history of our school. Stay tuned for the final three videos of our past students. I think that with this project we have captured what St Anne’s and The Cathedral School is about, and what the Sisters and our staff have done to guide our students to life-long success. It’s time to start recollecting the memories of your years at school, whether it was St Anne’s or The Cathedral School. I have so many I could write a book on my memories as a student, a staff member and as the President of the Past Students’ Association. The school
At the annual interhouse swimming carnivals, it’s always great to see the passion the students have for their house whether it is More, Chatham, Langton or Bede. The PSA this year awarded the House Spirit trophies in the Middle and Senior School carnivals to Chatham House. My wonderful Past Student committee is working tirelessly to prepare for our centenary, and we are all looking forward to PSA President Tom Porter congratulates seeing as many past scholarship winner Emelie Williams students as possible join in the celebrations from Friday 21 to Sunday 23 July. Book early to avoid disappointment, and we’ll see you there! Tom Porter PSA President
2017 PSA Committee members
The Connection - April 2017
Page 3
The Class Of 2016 Another Great Year! Congratulations must once again go to our fantastic students. The Year 12 cohort of 2016 was comprised of 117 students. Of these, 85 were on an OP pathway (including 5 international students), while 22 were on alternative pathways or the selection rank system. Our OP results were again outstanding. Of the 80 domestic students studying an OP pathway, five students, Alex Myhill, Esther Lim, Kira Maher, Kristopher Dickinson and Thomas Butson were all awarded the highest achievement, an OP1. However, the good news did not stop there, eight students were awarded OP2’s and four more students an OP3. This equates to just over 21% of our students in the top OP1 - OP3 range, quite an achievement. The entire cohort worked very hard, and this was shown in their overall results, with 60% of the grade achieving in the OP1 - OP10 range, and over 90% in the OP1 - OP15 range. However, although the student results were terrific, it is just as important to our school that each student can follow the career pathway of their choice. In 2016, 7 Certificate 1’s, 43 Certficate II’s and 5 Certificates III’s were awarded and a further 16 students completed a Diploma of Business through Careers Australia. Many students use these qualifications for entry into tertiary studies, with the Certificate III and Diploma allowing for direct entry into some institutions.
2016 Dux Alex Myhill receives QCAA Award, with his parents and The Cathedral School Director of Studies, Mr Allan Carman
E sther Lim
Further congratulations must also go to Alex Myhill who was also awarded with a Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) Distinguished Academic Award in Brisbane earlier this year. Furthermore, Alex is the youngest Queensland graduate to receive this award, well done Alex! Mr Allan Carman Director of Studies
Kristopher Dickinson
yhill A lex M
Page 4
K ira M
a he r
T homa
s B utso
n
The Connection - April 2017
Young Women of the Future The Cathedral School was proud to recently sponsor a ‘Young Women of the Future’ High Tea hosted by the Townsville Business Women’s Circle. The keynote speaker was Cathedral past student Georgie Juszczyk from the Class of 2014. Georgie finished school with awards for Dux of School and Best All Round Student, and has continued to demonstrate her considerable motivation, dedication, leadership and community involvement since then. She is now studying Law and International Security Solutions at the Australian National University in Canberra, is heavily involved in UN Youth Australia and a member of the Army Reserve. In her speech, Georgie reflected on leadership through the lens of a young woman. She said that, to be a leader, you need to first know your own identity - both personally and as a professional trying to deliver outcomes in social and corporate hierarchies. The speech discussed how the upcoming generation of young women can step into future leadership roles, while mothers and mentors can connect them to those opportunities. She argued that feminism, however, is no longer the means to pursue these ends. The ‘brand image’ of the movement has been marred, to the point where many (incorrectly) perceive it as a means for the pursuit of women’s rights at the expense of equality between the sexes. She also pointed out that, despite women’s rights being at their most advanced stage in history, true gender parity had not yet been achieved. So although allegations that feminists are ‘fighting the fight that is already won’ remain untrue, the question then becomes ‘how to re-brand and re-connect?’ The answer to this was opening dialogues in a non-confrontational and inclusive manner, with both male and female experiences in mind. Most importantly however, it is a matter of establishing your own identity and connecting to other women to absorb their stories, knowledge and lessons learnt. Such connections provide empowerment opportunities for all involved. Georgie’s address was very well received by the audience of current and future business women, including mothers and daughters from The Cathedral School community. We will follow her future career path with great interest! Guest speaker Georgie Juszczyk at the High Tea with Ms Katrina Edmeades and Mrs Toni Lanphier
Raffle Prize Donations...
Old Uniforms / Dressmakers...
Prize Request - Centenary Celebrations
Seeking old school uniform items
We are asking assistance from our past students and parents in supporting our Centenary celebrations.
We are trying to assemble a complete set of all the school uniforms that have been worn by students at St Anne’s and The Cathedral School over the past 100 years. There have been numerous variations over the years, and the range of accessories is also quite extensive.
We are on the lookout for raffle prizes that can be contributed to our major raffle. Tickets will be sold across the weekend and drawn at the Gala Dinner on Saturday 22 July 2017. We very much welcome support in this way from our past students/parents and their businesses. All contributors’ names will be mentioned and thanked on the tickets, the Gala Dinner program as well as listed on our Past Students’ Association Facebook page. All money raised from the raffle will assist The Cathedral School Past Students’ Association to continue to support the school and the students into the future.
Do you have any school uniform items that you could donate to the school’s archives for display during our centenary celebrations? This may include badges, hats, gloves, ties as well as the larger clothing items. Please get in touch with the school if you have something to add to our collection. We are also planning to make some additional uniforms using the old ones as a guide. If you have sewing skills and a bit of spare time to help in this project, please contact the Registrar, Mrs Toni Lanphier.
Should you have any questions associated with this request or our Centenary Celebrations in July please do not hesitate to contact me. Mr Tom Porter PSA President
The Connection - April 2017
Page 5
Class Of 2016 Welcome Back Lunch In February we welcomed back some of the Class of 2016 for a BBQ Lunch before they head out into the world of life beyond school. There was a good roll-up and they all looked very relaxed after their holidays and excited about the challenges ahead of them. There were also a number of apologies from fellow classmates as some have already left for university in other locations and others are currently volunteering overseas. We hope that we see you all again soon!
Page 6
The Connection - April 2017
Centenary Videos Since the last Connection newsletter, three more past student video stories have been added to the website www.cathedral.qld.edu.au/centenary Scan the QR codes to view the videos 7. Nazareth Youngblutt - Nazareth Youngblutt (nee Lowatta) started at The Cathedral School in Year 10 in 1981 and graduated in 1983. She was a boarder from Palm Island and was one of only a few indigenous students at that time. Nazareth has a strong family connection with the School and reflects on her time as a student and the impact some of the staff have made on her life and her children’s. 8. Brad May - Brad May attended St Anne’s CEGS as a Kindergarten student in the early 1970s but left for his primary years. He returned in 1980 for Year 8 when the school became coeducational under the reins of the first lay Principal, Mr Neil Tucker. Brad shares his
memories of the transition of boys into the school, curriculum changes that needed to be made and the many past student reunions he has enjoyed attending over the years. 9. Scott Burgess - Scott Burgess was a student at The Cathedral School from 1983 to 1990 and was School Captain in his final year. Scott reflects on the School’s popular interhouse competitions, the staff who inspired him and the turbulent time the School experienced in 1990 with the departure of the Principal, Mr Fred Danielsen.
International Past Student News
Vale Thomas Whitney
BELOW: On a recent trip to Hong Kong, Deputy Principal Ms Di Brisbane and Registrar Mrs Toni Lanphier caught up with two of our past students - Edward Yeung and Bryan Wong from the Class of 2009. Both have successfully completed their university studies and are establishing their careers back home. Edward studied Business Management at UQ and is working at the Hong Kong Standard Chartered Bank, while Bryan followed his artistic talents by taking a degree in Fine Arts at Curtin University in Perth. He is now a successful entrepreneur, having established his own jewellery design business. He has already won two awards for his unique designs at international shows. You can view his work at www.neriya-jewellery.com
One of our recent past students, Thomas Whitney (Class of 2015) was farewelled in a memorial service held in the school’s Rock Centre in February. It was a poignant service attended by a large gathering of past and current students and staff who all had fond memories of the boy whose life ended in a tragic car accident in December. During the service, Thomas’ uncle, Matthew O’Halloran, summed up Thomas’ purpose in life in this way: he filled a dual role of ‘drawing people together in love and truth’ and ‘constantly challenging both himself and others around him’. He has left a remarkable legacy for such a young man, and will be sadly missed by all who knew him.
RIGHT: Some of our more recent international students graduated from UQ at the end of last year. Yuna Nakanishi (Dux in Class of 2011) completed her degree in Engineering and has now taken up a position with Ricoh in Japan. Stephanie Ho (Class of 2012) is now a qualified Speech Therapist, and Dorothy Lau (Class of 2013) has graduated from a Fine Arts program. Both Stephanie and Dorothy are working towards launching their careers in Australia.
The Connection - April 2017
Page 7
Nepal Coolies Tour Late last year, I had the pleasure of accompanying three inspiring Class of 2016 graduates, Caitlin Johnson, Sophie McGahan and Kiah Heyward to Nepal as part of Cathedral’s Coolies program. The concept of “Coolies” is just brilliant! Rather than attending Schoolies, Cathedral students are provided an opportunity to volunteer through Projects Abroad, undertaking humanitarian work in a developing nation. In the weeks leading up to the trip, thanks to the generosity and support from our school community, we managed to raise just under $3,000 and collected over 700 pairs of socks! After a brief stopover in Singapore, where we spent a fun-filled day exploring Sentosa Island, we arrived in Kathmandu and hit the ground running. Day one we took on our first project; a sizable painting task at a local private school. “The Little Garden English School” surprised us with a traditional Nepali welcome, presenting us with a Khata and Tikka blessing. Each of their 36 pupils gave us a small, handpicked bunch of flowers and voiced a personal and extremely cute, “Namaste”. After painting five classrooms inside and out (including some rather impressive wall murals) we presented them with much needed learning resources including; sporting equipment, educational books and wall hangings. It was sad to say goodbye to both students and staff, who equalled the warm welcoming with speeches of gratitude and a moving farewell. Our next project took us to the Olgapuri Village where the girls had a great time teaching the kids how to do the “Nut Bush” and play “Duck, Duck, Goose”. We were given a tour of their impressive new facility funded by donations from the USA and UK governments, as well as very generous individuals. We enjoyed a delicious “Dal bhat” lunch (i.e. lentils and rice), eating among the friendly residents in a newly established dining hall. The Olgapuri Nepal Youth Foundation do extraordinary work with the displaced children of Nepal, so we felt extremely proud to present their 71 children with all the donated socks and two
Page 8
substantial frontloading washing machines for their previously empty laundry. Both the children and staff at Olgapuri were extremely appreciative of our time and donations. After an incredible two day trek of the Annapurna Range via Pokhara, we finished our humanitarian work at a school that had been badly affected by the 2015 earthquake. The Disaster Recovery project had us trying our hands at some rather physical tasks; including manually sifting sand, mixing mortar, bricklaying and plastering walls. Despite the challenging nature of this work, Caitlin, Sophie and Kiah all agreed that working with other Projects Abroad volunteers here, was a definite highlight for them. I would like to personally thank Ms Katrina Wilshire for the opportunity to be part of the Nepal Coolies last year and for her ongoing organisation of this valuable program. Additionally, I must acknowledge Caitlin, Sophie and Kiah for being amazing tourists and noble citizens. Finally, many thanks go to the generous Cathedral community who donated money and/or socks to support this very worthy cause. In closing, it would be remiss of me not to strongly encourage our current and future seniors to embrace the opportunity that our wonderful school offers and get involved in the Coolies program. It’s in giving that we receive and I guarantee, it’s a life changing experience where you will gain far more than you give! Mrs Angela Mitchell
The Connection - April 2017
All past netball and rugby tourists are invited to reunite and share stories Saturday 20 May | 6.45pm - 11.30 | The Rock Centre Dress - Smart Casual (Gentlemen should wear a tie) Cost - $55 per person
Includes gourmet canapés’, dinner platter and desserts Cash bar available for drink purchases | partners welcome Entertainment provided by “Cranky Pants” Tickets available through http://www.tryboking.com/OTPC Bookings close Monday 1 May 2017
Interhouse Swimming Carnival Congratulations Chatham House in both the Middle and Senior School who were awarded with the Past Students’ Association House Spirit Shields at the recent Interhouse Swimming Carnival. Unfortunately the Junior School Other Strokes Carnival had to be postponed due to wet weather, so we will have to wait till next term to see which house takes out the award for House Spirit.
The Connection - April 2017
Page 9
Year 2 Take A History Lesson Of Heatley House Earlier this term, the students in Year 2 were taken on a very informative history tour about The Cathedral School and in particular Heatley House. The School’s Registrar, Mrs Toni Lanphier, a past student herself shared some very interesting stories with the students and showed them items such as old uniforms and the famous Nottingham bells. Here’s what some of the students had to say about their visit:
Abbey:
I liked the boardroom because the floor is slippery and they used to have dances in there.
Nicholas: I think the old uniforms would have been really uncomfortable to do P.E in and the Cross Country. Lily:
I think the stained glass windows, they are very pretty.
Marnie: I loved ringing the bell - it was awesome. Cosmo:
I liked the kitchen because the tiles were fire proof.
Amelia:
I liked the old uniforms. The white one was pretty but it would have been hard to do P.E in that dress.
Year 6 Canberra Tour During Term 1 we went to Canberra with our year level. While we were in Canberra we went to the Australian Institute of Sport, Questacon, Parliament House, the Telstra Tower and many more. One of the particular places that we visited was the War Memorial. Mr Baills bought a poppy for us to put next to Private Ben Chuck’s name. This was incredibly inspiring and memorable. It reminded us of all the soldiers that have died at war and how they have represented our country. It is also amazing that a Bede House leader went to war. Ben inspires us to achieve our goals and to do great in school. Canberra was a trip to remember, it was adventurous and exciting (except for the tiring trip home). Oliver Pool and Cadence McManus Year 6 Bede House Leaders
Page 10
The Connection - April 2017
The School Chapel Bell The original School Chapel was built in 1929, and Sister Alice appealed to the school community to assist with furnishing it. At that time, she wrote in The Northern Churchman: “We have decided that we must have a Chapel large enough to hold the whole school. This will require seating accommodation for at least 150. We have neither space nor money for a very beautiful building, but we are doing our best with what we have, and we hope to be able to provide furnishing which can still be used when a more permanent Chapel is built.” The items requested to be provided included an Altar, an Altar Cross and Candlesticks, a Sanctus Bell, a Censer, a Processional Cross and a Chapel Bell. Chairs were also needed, as a cost of 13/6 each. As was so often the case in those early days, the community responded generously and these items were duly provided. School days were punctuated by the ringing of the Chapel Bell. It called the students to Morning Prayer, Evensong and Holy Communion services in the Chapel, and it rang out the eighteen-chime Angelus for silent prayer three times a day. The bell moved with the Chapel to the Mundingburra site in 1959, then was installed outside the temporary chapel in Kardinia in the mid 1990’s. Although the school no longer has a designated Chapel building, regular services are still held in the Lecture Theatre or the Rock Centre, and the old chapel bell lives on. It is proudly hanging at the front entrance to the school, and it has recently been refurbished by Darrel Mathewson. In recent years it has been a tradition for the ringing of the bell to signal the start of the Lagoon Dash race on the School’s Foundation Day each year. Principal Mr Ian Gamack receives the beautifully restored bell from Mr Darrel Mathewson
Butson Family Update: Harry is currently studying 2nd Year Medicine at JCU. He is in the Army Reserve and is in the process of applying for an Army Undergraduate Scholarship for next year. Thomas has just begin a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Physics and Aviation at the Australian Defence Force Academy (Canberra). The photo was taken last Saturday at the Chief of the Defence Force Parade at ADFA, to mark the end of initial military training for First Year Cadets.
Rain Tree Lights Thursday 17 November 2016 was a special moment as we turned on the Rain Tree lights to celebrate the School’s Centenary year. The 2.5kms of lights were kindly donated by the parents of Year 12 student, Derrick Tam. Thank you to Mr and Mrs Tam for your very generous donation and for honouring our school’s milestone and the Class of 2016. The Rain Tree lights are available for everyone to see every night in the lead up to our Centenary in July.
The Connection - April 2017
The Butson siblings - Harry (Class of 2014), Emily (Year 12), Thomas (Class of 2016)
Page 11
Tickets on sale now http://www.trybooking.com/NSKO For more information please visit the website www.cathedral.qld.edu.au/centenary Telephone: (07) 4722 2000 | 154 Ross River Road, Mundingburra QLD 4812 www.cathedral.qld.edu.au
FRIDAY 21 JULY
Gala Dinner Dress Code
9.30am - Foundation Day Service (by invitation only)
We have had some queries about the dress code for the Gala Dinner. It will be a formal occasion, as befits such a significant milestone, but it certainly does not require a tuxedo or floorlength ball gown! We want all past students and staff to join together to celebrate this occasion, so please just put on your best outfit and come along.
10.00am to 11.30am - Opening of the Centenary Project “The Connection Place” and running of the Lagoon Dash 6.00pm to 8.00pm - Cocktail Function by the Lagoon Tickets $15 per person which includes welcome drink on arrival and canapés (cash bar available) SATURDAY 22 JULY
Five Year Reunion - Class of 2012
6.00pm - Gala Dinner at Quayside Terminal Tickets $125 per person which includes three course meal and entertainment (cash bar available)
The Class of 2012 is invited to come for their Five Year Reunion at 5.00pm on Friday 21 July, just prior to the Cocktail Function by the Lagoon. We apologise for leaving this off the original booking details for the centenary events. Please book online if you would like to attend.
***Limited tickets available, book early to avoid disappointment***
RSVP date for all centenary bookings
9.00am to 12 noon - School Open Day and Tours
SUNDAY 23 JULY 9.00am - Church Service at St James’ Cathedral 12 noon - Picnic lunch by the Lagoon hosted by the Parents & Friends’ Association Page 12
Bookings for all events will close on Friday 30 June, but don’t leave it till the last minute to book, as some events may be sold out earlier. Don’t miss out on your chance to share this historic occasion in the life of the school.
The Connection - April 2017