St Joseph's Nudgee College

February 12, 2009

The St Joseph's Nudgee College community is doing its bit to help victims of the Victorian bushfires by rolling swags and donating money.

A constant contributor to Street Swags, a not-for-profit organisation that provides homeless people with a more comfortable place to sleep, Nudgee College received a call on Tuesday advising that the Salvation Army needed 300 swags urgently for the fire victims in Victoria.

Such a large task requires the help of many hands and, with the support of the boarding community in rolling the swags, all 300 were loaded, together with 200 brand new pillows, onto pallets for transport Wednesday. 

"We received a great response from the dorms," Nudgee College’s Street Swags Coordinator Mr Brian O'Reilly said.

"Over 50 boys turned up at Tierney Hall at 7pm Tuesday night and by 9pm we had in excess of 300 swags rolled, 450 metres of cloth cut and inserted into 300 swags."
 
In addition to helping those affected, Mr O’Reilly said one of the added benefits of rolling the swags was watching the interaction between the Senior boarders and the younger ones.

"We had many of our new boarders, including our Year 6 and 7 boarders who came to help and who saw Nudgee College in action for the first time. The Senior boys did a great job in working with the younger boys which was just fantastic to see," he said.

The assistance offered by the Nudgee College community towards the bushfire victims will continue in coming days with another 1,000 swags being rolled.

The Nudgee College staff community and the Staff Club have also contributed to the bush fire appeal through monetary donations. Westpac Bank will match Nudgee College’s donation dollar for dollar.

Dean of Community and Mission Mr Chris Ryan reminds everyone how powerful prayer, coupled with a practical response which meets a genuine need, is at a time like this and believes Edmund Rice would have been proud of Nudgee College’s contribution.

"Edmund Rice was a great teacher for rolling up your sleeves and getting involved," he said.

"We are praying for the people of Victoria as a whole school, in classes, boarding houses, day houses, and as year levels.

"Nudgee College is delighted that our students and staff can support, and be in solidarity with, our friends in Victoria and are proud to support the Street Swags Program. We hope that this small action will help families who are feeling the cold and will provide some comfort for them at this challenging time."