St Vincent de Paul Society

De La Salle Parents’ Association

Our year started with the rush of book packing and distributing, meeting and greeting new parents and of course welcoming back the many familiar faces of the parent community. This year the Executive Committee wanted to introduce some new ideas for our functions. A Lawn Bowls Day was held in Term 1 and all those who attended had a great day. Families and friends were able to play together on equally testing terms. We hope to hold this family function again in the near future, perhaps on a balmy summer evening with a B.B.Q. The Year Level Cocktail Parties were again very successful. These are always a fun and easy way to meet and get to know the parents of other boys in your son’s class. All evenings were well attended, and some only finished because the lights were flicking on and off, and the tables were cleared! Many groups continued their evening at nearby restaurants. An escape to Jan Juc for mothers was held in March. This ‘mini fix’ of sleep, shopping, relaxing activities and talking, gives their ‘batteries a recharge’, possibly their purses a bit of a hiding; but definitely a ‘rev up’ for their energy. This year we reintroduced the Father and Son Weekend when many fathers took the opportunity to get closer to their sons in a fun way, while enjoying the company of other fathers and their sons. Every spare bit of space was utilised in the houses at Jan Juc and a great time was had by all. We will definitely be continuing these weekends in the coming years. On what must have been one of the coldest nights this winter, 50 tables of budding trivia geniuses pitted their wits against each other. From the start the odds were against many, as that glass of pink champagne at the door, did not sharpen the brain cells as much as they may have hoped. Still a fun, noisy and definitely enjoyable night was had by all. September heralded the arrival of the annual Fashion Parade. The night started with a musical performance then teachers, office staff, students and parents modelled the variety of clothes. Another new function for the ladies this year was the Oak’s Day Lunch, held at the Brighton Baths Restaurant. It was a fun day with sweeps, raffles and prizes for the most elegant and innovative hats and dresses. Due to the great success of the day out, this luncheon will be planned again next year. With monies raised this year, a cheque for $ 20,000 was given to help pay for new computers and $10,000 was given towards the cost of the new front fence. This year, as a new President, I was joined by many new faces on the Executive Committee. Their enthusiasm and willingness to try lots of new ideas was inspiring, encouraging and I would like to thank them all for their hard work, for generously giving their time, effort and support throughout the year. Liz Kortum Parents’ Association President