Nudgee College Old Boys' Association

by Daryl Hanly - Principal

Dear Members of the Old Boys’ Association,

In a letter I received recently, a Nudgee College Old Boy described to me the key components of the “value adding” he received during his time at St Joseph's Nudgee College, which components contributed to his successful professional life. Two elements stood out for him – the strength, dedication and gentleness of the Christian Brothers, as well as their enthusiasm for the subjects they taught.

2010 sees the first time in 120 years in which there will not be a Christian Brother on staff at St Joseph's Nudgee College. Br Marty McHugh, who has been with us for the past 16 years, leaves to take up another ministry. Brother Marty is significantly involved in the programs associated with providing access to students who could not afford to come, but who benefit significantly from an education at St Joseph's Nudgee College, as well as the program which supports our Indigenous students.

Although we will have no Christian Brothers on our academic staff, we are indeed fortunate to have a significant number of Christian Brothers living in our community. So what will we do to ensure that the key elements so aptly articulated by an Old Boy continue to impact upon our students?

There are two elements which are integral to the ongoing development of an institution such as ours – its soul, and its body. The body of St Joseph's Nudgee College is its infrastructure. When you visit this College, you will notice that there is a significant amount of work progressing. This is what I call ‘the body’ side of the College. The Purton Science Building and the Tierney complex are being refurbished to provide world class facilities – science laboratories, classrooms, and a 432 seat theatre.

There are significant parts of the body which are integral to life, e.g. the heart! One part of the heart of St Joseph's Nudgee College is the Boarding community. Two levels above Ryan Hall, we have just completed recreation space equivalent to the size of Ryan Hall for the boarders in Years 8 – 10. Their comfort and well being is integral to the well being of this College. Another significant part of the body which links to the soul is the Treacy Building – the original building which began its life over 120 years ago. When we celebrate the College’s 120th Birthday, we are intent on repairing this Heritage building. (We are allowed to repair rather than refurbish.) It will become the administrative centre for this great College.

And what about the soul of this College? In terms of passion for learning, we continue to provide appropriate professional development and training for our teachers. The continual upgrading of learning facilities ensures that the excellent teaching qualities of our staff are enhanced by the facilities provided.

Just as in life there is a plan for each of us, it is critical that for St Joseph's Nudgee College, we move forward in a planned way, uniting both body and soul. Hence, our Strategic Planning process for 2010 – 2014 is an integral strategy for our ensuring the successful outcomes for our students and the ongoing life of this College as a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition.

The involvement of Nudgee College Old Boys in the life and soul of our College – by contributing time and money to our attempts to ensure its legacy, is welcomed and encouraged.

We look forward to ongoing productive relationships with the Nudgee College Old Boys Association.