Principal
On Tuesday afternoon under clear blue skies we marked the Feast Day of Blessed Edmund Rice gathered as a community on Wilkes Oval. As we prayed together I recalled the impactful words of Br Philip Pinto (an Indian Christian Brother who led the Congregation of Brothers in the recent past).
And as we celebrate the Feast of Blessed Edmund – on 5 May – I ask you, what are you celebrating? You belong to an Edmund Rice school, but that does not necessarily mean that you are an Edmund Rice person!
So what must you do to be an Edmund Rice person? I think the answer is with Edmund himself. He lived in such a way that his heart was broken open for people. We are told that he opened his whole heart to the poor. Compassion was at the heart of what Edmund was about. And compassion means opening my heart so that someone else comes into the centre – and I am not in the centre of my life; someone else is at the centre of my life.
When was the last time someone was at the centre of your life? When was the last time you moved away from the centre and let someone else in? And if you really want to celebrate the Feast, then I invite you over the coming days, even today, for one moment, for one experience, for one situation – put someone else at the centre, see who needs you.
You belong to a group that is much bigger than the school. The Edmund Rice network spreads all over the world, in more than 30 countries, in all of the continents. Can you open your heart large enough and big enough to allow people from other parts of the world to occupy that central space, so that their needs come before your own! When you do that – then you are celebrating Edmund Rice Feast Day!
With this reflection in mind there are certainly some Nudgee College families who we could place at the centre of our lives.
These past weeks the College community has been touched by the passing of several Old Boys. Last Monday we hosted a memorial service for Sandy Kidd BEM, a legend of the channel country of Queensland and student here from 1955 to 1958. On Tuesday senior staff from the College attended the funeral in Ayr of Victor Dalle Cort (NCOB 1948-49). Vic was a hard-working North Queensland farmer and well-known figure in the Burdekin community. The sons of both Sandy and Victor attended the College and now their grandsons are here as proud Nudgee College men. The story of these two families, our Boarding community and the College, more broadly, are deeply intertwined.
Both Sandy and Vic lived long and full lives. Sadly, this is not the case for Peter Tennant who was a Senior of the class of 2015 and who passed away on Sunday night after a motor vehicle accident. Peter was a Magee Prefect, a Hodda boarder, a rower and a much loved and respected Nudgee College man – a true Sign of Faith. His funeral service will be here in the Chapel, next Thursday 16 May at 10.00am. Fr John Gillen SM will lead the service and we expect many younger Old Boys and their friends will join with Peter's family to remember him and celebrate his life. Please keep all three Nudgee College families in your prayers.
Many in the community will be aware of the serious health situation that Aidan Roost (Year 10 Barrett) is confronting. Aidan was recently diagnosed with T-cell ALL Leukaemia and is currently undergoing chemotherapy at the Queensland Children’s Hospital. The family has been well supported by Nudgee College families and Aidan’s parents, Penny and Andy, are very grateful. Members of the College community have also set up a Go Fund Me page. There is information about his condition there as well as a means of assisting the family financially. Ms Kate Kluck is one of the mums who is helping to lead the support and her details are available through the College Office.
There are other College families, including those of members of staff, who are also facing challenging times at present. As a Catholic school community we know the power of prayer during such moments in our lives. One of the great daily practices of Edmund Rice’s life was his daily devotion to Mary, the Mother of God. This practice was subsequently followed by the Christian Brothers who always prayed to Mary. Symbolically, statues of Mary were placed in prominent positions in their schools. At Nudgee College she looks gracefully down upon us from the top of the entrance to the Treacy Building. Therefore, in the Marian month of May, and during a time of sadness and challenge for many in the community, let us place the needs of others in the centre of our prayers.
With every best wish for the week ahead.
Mr Peter Fullagar
Principal