Principal
What a memorable celebration last Saturday evening was. A crowd of 900 people came together to celebrate in great style, with a palpable sense of joy and a genuine appreciation for the beautiful restoration of the heritage precinct of the College. For those who could not attend as well as those who were there, I share with you my speech delivered on Saturday night as well as some of Brody Grogan’s photos taken throughout the night.
I wish the community well for Term 2 - one that promises to be highly energetic and features a number of significant events.
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Welcome to the celebration of 130 years of St Joseph’s Nudgee College. In honour of this special moment earlier this afternoon, we blessed and rededicated this heritage precinct in the presence of Archbishop Mark Coleridge. Tonight is an opportunity to come together as a community with a great sense of gratitude and appreciation for this magnificent redevelopment. How beautiful is the Treacy building, Mary’s Tower as well as the Edmund Rice mall? How fitting it is to be able to celebrate 130 years in the very original areas of the College that have been so magnificently restored.
How do you capture 130 years of a school such as Nudgee College? The truth is you cannot. It is too big a story. But, where we can capture the essence of our story is in those stories of the individuals who have been a part of this community since 1891.
The stories of one of the 10,000 brothers. Of every boy who has ever worn that uniform; who has sat in those classrooms; who has slept in the dorms; who has bloodied his knees and elbows on the Flats. Local boys from Boondall as well as boys from nearly every corner of Queensland, from every state and territory of this great country and from countless other countries overseas.
The stories of their Mums and their Dads; their sacrifice to send their sons to Nudgee and their generosity to support Nudgee.
The stories of the Christian Brothers and those of every teacher who has followed in their footsteps and lived their vocation as an educator.
The stories of every support staff member. Anonymous men and women. Some who have worked for years in the laundry, the kitchen, the health centre, the finance office or on the grounds.
Their stories are the Nudgee story. Stories of connection, belonging and of being a part of something bigger than themselves. A community. A brotherhood. Connected by a spirit. Something unique to this place - Nudgee Spirit. A spirit that we find hard to put into words but something that we experience both within ourselves and between each other.
If there is a structure that speaks of that spirit, I believe it is Mary’s Tower. Last year, the Nudgee community showed just what it meant to us all when we raised $162,000 from 731 donors in one day. What an amazing show of community spirit. You all deserve a round of applause for that effort. I would also like to recognise the major benefactors in that campaign: The White family, the Power family, the Henry family and the Williams family.
Further to that, the College Foundation, through the College Building Fund, donated $1.6 million to the building project. We could not have completed this project without that support. I thank every family who has so generously donated to that Fund in recent years.
I also express my gratitude to all the staff who worked so hard to make tonight happen. Performing Arts staff and students, the Dev Comm office, the AV crew, the Property & Services team, the Catering and Kitchen staff. What an effort!
In conclusion, whether you are a new member of the Nudgee community, or someone who has been connected to the College for years, this heritage precinct and the magnificent Treacy building has been handed on to the current generation by those who went before us. So too, a legacy built over 130 years has been passed on to us. Nudgee spirit is integral to that legacy. It is our responsibility, as the Nudgee community of 2021, to nurture that legacy and that spirit. We do that by continuing to be just, inclusive, courageous, grateful and authentic. It is a legacy that calls each of us to be Signum FIdei - a faith of faith.
Mr Peter Fullagar
Principal