Mater Maria New Life Magazine - Autumn 2013

NEW LIFE

AUTUMN 2013

MATER MARIA CATHOLIC COLLEGE

WALK IN NEW LIFE

A BIANNUAL MAGAZINE FOR PAST STUDENTS AND FRIENDS OF THE COLLEGE 5 FOREST ROAD WARRIEWOOD NSW 2102 AUSTRALIA TELEPHONE 02 9997 7044 FACSIMILE 02 9997 6042 WEBSITE www.matermaria.nsw.edu.au

CAMBODIA HOUSE BUILDING TRIP It was an unforgettable experience for the thirty-one parishioners, students and past students from the Catholic Parish of Pittwater and Mater Maria Catholic College who travelled to Cambodia. The combined Parish and School house-building trip to Cambodia was a privileged opportunity to serve the very poor in this developing country and was the direct result of the generosity of the $48,000 raised in our parish and College communities prior to travelling.

For some of us, we were returning for the second time as house builders. What a difference three years can make - there was a wonderful energy in the city of Phnom Penh and a reflection that the place had improved for the better. The house building took place in a rural region of Cambodia, which still remains home to some of the poorest of the poor those who face multiple challenges in every sphere

of their lives. They have no access to electricity or water.

In the remote village of Kirirom we spent two days building the thirty houses. The houses constructed were simple. The raised footings (to accommodate the wet season) and frame including the roof had been completed prior to our arrival by local tradespersons, utilising local resources and techniques. Our job was to hammer the floorboards into place and sheet the exterior in corrugated sheets. It was hot sweaty work though tremendously rewarding, even more so because family members were eagerly looking on awaiting the completion.

The families we built for had participated in a unique family savings program arranged by the Tabitha Foundation, a program that invites the poor to

overcome despair and contribute to their own future.

Each family must contribute US$25.00 to the project which usually takes a couple of years to save.

As well as building we explored the stunning natural beauty of Cambodia. The group visited the majestic Angkor Wat, the twelfth century Hindu temple in Siem Reap and came to better understand the tormented history of a country that survived the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. We visited the hideous torture cells of the Tuol Sleng prison (a former school house) that today is a genocide museum. We also took a guided tour of the killing fields - another sobering reality of the regime’s insidious control during those years.

NEW LIFE WALK IN NEW LIFE

WELCOME Welcome to the Autumn 2013 edition of New Life.

I would like to firstly acknowledge the wonderful celebrations that we all enjoyed in 2012 as we acknowledged fifty years of Mater Maria Catholic College. The opportunity for students, alumni, parents and staff to join together was a privileged occasion in the history and development of Mater Maria.

We are delighted by the success of the Class of 2012 who completed the Higher School Certificate in 2012. From the seventy-eight students who presented for the examinations, six students achieved an ATAR of over 90 with Adam Natoli being awarded Dux of the College for 2012. We congratulate all the students on their individual achievements and welcome them to the mailing list of New Life with this edition.

In the dynamic life of this College, we have

experienced some leadership changes within the College Executive. In December, Ms Karen Shawcross accepted the position of Assistant Principal at St Paul’s Catholic College Manly after ten years of wonderful service to our community.

In January, Mr Marc Reicher took up the role of Assistant Principal at the College for 2013. Mr Reicher joins us from St Leo’s Catholic College, Wahroonga and I very much looking forward to working with him over this period.

In addition, I have accepted the position of Founding Principal of St Brigid’s Catholic College, Lake Munmorah, which will open with Year 7 students in 2014. I will remain at Mater Maria until I am needed full-time later in 2013. The Catholic Schools Office will commence the selection process for the new principal of Mater Maria in the coming months.

INTRODUCING OUR NEW ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL We are delighted to welcome Mr Marc Reicher to the College in the role of Assistant Principal.

He comes to us from St Leo’s Catholic College, Wahroonga where he was Assistant Principal.

Mr Reicher has had a long period of leadership in pastoral care, administration, teaching and learning and for the past nine years has worked in the Diocese of Broken Bay. He has also held other significant leadership positions in the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta and the Archdiocese of Sydney.

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Mr Reicher is a scientist holding a Bachelor of Science and is completing his Masters of Education (Leadership) where he has received distinguished results in the course. Marc and his wife, Amanda, have two children and belong to St Bernadette’s Parish in Dundas Valley. Marc holds high standards for a quality learning environment which promotes healthy relationships and spiritual growth. This vision will benefit our community for years to come and we warmly welcome him and look forward to the time ahead.

I hope you continue to stay connected to your College community and are able to join us for any of the events detailed in this publication. Please remember to keep us informed of your journey and remember that you are always welcome at Mater Maria Catholic College.

With best wishes

Julie Terry Principal

AUTUMN 2013

MATER MARIA CATHOLIC COLLEGE

LAUNCHED INTO THE WIDER WORLD The Presentation of Awards in December 2012 was the concluding event of the College’s Golden Jubilee celebrations and the final opportunity for the community to acknowledge the special milestone of fifty years.

We offer these words, prepared by Mrs Pauline Byrne - teacher and long time friend of the College, to all students and alumni of the College as we look forward with confidence to the next fifty years of Mater Maria Catholic College.

Over the past half century Mater Maria has produced many hundreds of successful graduates who have contributed a great deal to their communities.

A number have had distinguished and very high achieving careers. It has seemed invidious to mention the few I happen to know about, but not the dozens of others. Yet the doctors and nurses who care for us in hospital, the scientists who investigate our world, the teachers, lecturers and professors who educate the next generation, the professional and humanitarian workers who make the world a better place, the entrepreneurs who run successful businesses, the artists and musicians you admire, the lawyers who defend or prosecute in our courts, the tradesmen and women who build and maintain our homes and workplaces, may well be alumni of Mater Maria Catholic College.

Examples who have recently featured in the Sydney Morning Herald include Professor Marian Baird of Sydney University, Inger Sheil, executive assistant to

the director of the Australian Maritime Museum, Genevieve Lemon, star of stage and screen, and Wendy Frew, deputy arts editor of the Herald.

And there are lots more, entrepreneurs like Nic Andronicus, doctors like Cheryl Woodcroft, Craig Plambeck and Erin Noonan, scientists like Wendy Chambers, sports stars like Sean Kenny, as well as world-ranging journalists like Simon Robinson.

One of the rewarding things about having taught at Mater Maria for 33 years is the way so many young men and women will greet you and ask if you still remember them. What is interesting is that sometimes students who were rather challenging to teach can be positive about their experiences many years later.

Telephoning a television station for access to a program I wanted to show to a class, I was greeted with, “Oh, you mean the producer!” This was a former student who at times had seemed disengaged.

He was very helpful. Another young man who had been difficult to motivate returned one day wearing his company uniform as a communications technician, and told us he realised he had not been an easy student to teach.

Throughout the past fifty years, it is the students who have been one of the greatest strengths of Mater Maria, and many have celebrated their close bonds at their class reunions. It has been a privilege and delight for me to share so many memories with them.

Pauline Byrne

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NEW LIFE WALK IN NEW LIFE

STEWARDSHIP - ARE WE NEIGHBOUR TO CREATION? In 2013 each member of the College community is invited to be a custodian of the College value of Stewardship. This focus will extend across all areas of College life and below we provide Principal, Julie Terry’s speech to the College community as she launched this Year of Stewardship to the student body.

beings. If we continue to have disregard for mother earth, we will pass on to our children and grandchildren an impoverished planet, depriving them of what has brought beauty, joy and wonder to human beings, and nurtured their art and their spirituality.

Fr Dennis Edwards, an Australian priest and scientist and author of ‘Jesus and the Natural World’ begins his book with the photo, ‘Earthrise’ which was taken by astronaut William Anders. The Apollo 8 mission which left Earth in December 1968, was the first successful mission with humans aboard to leave the Earth’s atmosphere, orbit the moon to see the dark side for the first time, and safely return to Earth. This photo is credited as one that changed the world. In describing what they saw, another Apollo 8 astronaut, James Lovell, said, “In the whole universe, wherever we looked, the only bit of colour was back on earth.

It was the most beautiful thing there was to see in all the heavens”.

Fr Edwards comments further on in his book, that Jesus had a deep respect and connection with the natural world. Many of the parables through which he taught his message of love, were based on natural phenomena: the growth of a mustard seed, the lilies of the field, the lost sheep, trees that bear good fruit amongst others.

This relatively small, vulnerable planet contains all that we hold precious: all of humanity’s life and culture, all of human love, and all the other diverse and beautiful forms of life we know. At the same moment in human history we are faced with the knowledge that we are doing great harm to the planet that we depend upon to sustain life. We are betraying our responsibility to other life forms and our obligations to future generations of human 04 NEW LIFE AUTUMN 2013

Many people report feeling a special sense of being with God when in nature: they express being caught up in the utter beauty of the natural world in which we find ourselves giving us a sense of the wonder and awe for the Creator of all things.

One of our great Popes, John Paul II wrote of an ecological conversion, to which all Catholic Christians must commit. He commented: ‘Human beings are appointed by God as stewards of the earth, to cultivate and protect it’.

We humans are not apart from but a part of the natural world and so must take our place in creation living as neighbour to all other humans and other living creatures as well as using the earthly

resources, mindful of the delicate balance of life and the material world.

So what does that mean for us here at Mater Maria?

How are we going to commit to an ecological conversion? How are we going to live as stewards and disciples of Christ? We begin where we are, in small ways, to make a difference: what can this look like here for us?

Our value of Stewardship calls us to be neighbour to creation. To care for each other and the place where we live together.

Do we care for the environment?

Do we show respect for our beautiful College?

Do we care for each other in the way in which we interact?

Are we stewards of the human family through respectful actions and language towards each other?

Are we stewards of the good name of our College?

Are we stewards of our own reputations?

Do we ensure that we are always our best selves?

Are we stewards of our own wellbeing - always trying our best in whatever we attempt so that we can be proud and have a sense of accomplishment?

I invite you in this year of Stewardship at Mater Maria Catholic College to be agents of stewardship in all that you do.

AUTUMN 2013

MATER MARIA CATHOLIC COLLEGE

2012 HSC RESULTS We congratulate the seventy eight students who sat for the 2012 Higher School Certificate at the College. In 2012, our Golden Jubilee year, we achieved 27 distinguished achievers’ places for marks of 90 and above.

Our HSC students achieved 152 Band 5 results. 81 per cent of results were placed in the top three performance bands.

Congratulations are extended to Adam Natoli who was awarded Dux of the College. Well done to our other highest performing students - Alec Malia, Nicholas Labone, Brae Fisher, Ellen Kusturin and Jesse Williams.

We are delighted to acknowledge nine students whose exemplary major performances or major projects have been selected for display by the NSW Board of Studies.

Lauren Paterson and Morgan Dodson’s Visual Arts body of works were selected for display at Art Express.

Michael Davies, Alexander Gastrell, Tylah Hutchinson, Kelly Lynch and Samuel Zaccone’s Industrial Technology projects were selected for display at INTech. Tara Boreham’s major project for Textiles and Design was selected for display at TexSTYLE. Finally, Nathan Stark’s major performance for Music 1 was nominated for Encore.

Stephen Maiolo was the recipient of the 2012 College Mission Award for embracing the opportunities encompassed in the Mission Statement of the College.

His dedication to all that our Catholic School strives to achieve has enriched our community.

We are blessed that the students of Year 12 2012 have significantly engaged themselves in a full range of College and community-based activities. They have been active in social justice campaigns, were members of our combined Parish and School house building trip to Cambodia in November 2012, were publicly recognised in the creative and performing arts, have actively mentored and guided our younger students and have displayed excellence and service in leadership of our student body. They are young people of hope who have all, individually, achieved success in the 2012 HSC.

INTRODUCING THE PASTORAL CARE COORDINATOR In 2013 a new senior leadership position focusing on pastoral care has been established at the College.

The Pastoral Care Coordinator is a newly created position that provides coordination and supervision of the College’s overall pastoral care and is strongly focused on supporting and enhancing the well being of students at the College.

This new role will centralise whole College approaches to programs involving transition to secondary school, peer counselling, drug education, anti-bullying and

mental health. It will also provide structures to provide effective classroom management if difficulties arise that affect the quality of the learning environment for students.

We are pleased to announce that Mrs Allison Hurley has been appointed to this role for 2013. Mrs Hurley as been a Year Coordinator for many years at the College and has been responsible for the transition program and many of the College’s anti-bullying initiatives.

JOIN US FOR OPEN DAY Sunday March 17, 2013 11.00am - 2.00pm

Our co-educational community is focused on learning, positive support networks and an infinite array of opportunities grounded in our shared College values of community, hospitality, justice, spirituality and stewardship. Our young men and women are called to nurture curiosity, be globally focused and confident collaborators who are engaged in their studies and model service to others.

We invite your child to embrace this spirit of freshness, innovation, community and wonder. Please contact our Enrolment Registrar on 02 9997 7044 or email deborah.fitzgerald@dbb.catholic.edu.au.

Enrolment Applications for Year 7, 2015 close on April 3, 2013 at 4.00pm.

Enrolment Applications for Year 7, 2014 have closed - waiting list applications only.

AUTUMN 2013 NEW LIFE 05

NEW LIFE WALK IN NEW LIFE

INTER-FAITH DIALOGUE STUDY TOUR I was incredibly privileged to travel with Muslim and Catholic participants, led by Bishop David Walker, to Istanbul and Rome over two weeks in October. The aim of the tour was to learn more about each other’s faith and cultural traditions, to build strong relationships between each group and to develop leadership in the area of intercultural understanding.

It was an incredible experience. In Istanbul the Muslims took us to places of historical and cultural significance. We visited Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, and enjoyed a cruise on the beautiful Bosphorus. We celebrated Mass where Pope John XXIII lived and preached as the Vatican ambassador to Turkey prior to his election as Pope. We visited many organisations working in the area of inter-faith dialogue such as the Journalist and Writers’ Foundation, Faith University, aid organisations and television stations. We experienced amazing hospitality as we travelled in Turkey and also visited a few homes for dinner.

I could not get over the incredible hospitality of the Turkish people, welcoming eighteen strangers into their homes for five course meals and showering us with presents as we left. One host had just had her sixth baby only ten days earlier! By Thursday I just could not eat any more Baklava (which I love) because at every meeting plates of it were served as a sign of hospitality and welcome. After five to six plates a day it was extremely filling!

In Rome we explored the historical sites of the Roman Forum, the Colosseum; we experienced Mass at the tomb of Pope John XXIII, who began the Second Vatican Council thereby paving the way to new Christian relations with people of other faiths in the declaration known as Nostra Aetate. We visited St Peter’s, the Vatican, the Catacombs, Vatican radio, the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue and Assisi to visit the hometown of St Francis and St Clare. We stayed at Domus Australia, the hotel owned by Cardinal Pell, and we spoke to him every

day as he was in Rome for the Synod. The highlight in Rome for me was being a member of the Papal audience. We knew we had VIP seats, but we were not expecting to sit just twenty metres away from Pope Benedict!

We had many informal discussions about different aspects of our faith. For me, the best thing about the trip was the people who we travelled with. I learnt from our Muslim friends that we have so many things in common, rather than things that divide us.

It was the best Religious Education in-service I could ever hope for. I also learnt many things about my own Catholic faith from Bishop David, Sister Trish and others. For 2013, I have collaborated with other tour participants to arrange three opportunities for our students to get involved and experience inter-faith dialogue for themselves.

Nicky Chin Youth Ministry Coordinator

NEW CANTEEN FACILITY In 2013, the College opened its new canteen facility which replaced the tired domestic facility that was housed in the Guringai Building. The new stainless steel fixtures, refrigerators and other commercial equipment have facilitated new and exciting opportunities for food preparation and food service at the College.

The new facility promotes the importance of a healthy, balanced diet and so it has also been a timely opportunity for the College and the contractor to incorporate improvements where possible. New cold well displays, contact toasters and other equipment have been incorporated to facilitate menu improvements which we hope will increase availability, variety and quality and encourage healthy and balanced eating choices.

The new menu prepared by the catering contractor provides a broad range of food including daily specials, vegetarian, salad, sandwich choices as well as snack options that are available each day. Carbonated drinks and traditional “junk foods” have mostly been removed from the menu at the encouragement of the College. The nutritional content of many of those that remain have been improved significantly.

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AUTUMN 2013

MATER MARIA CATHOLIC COLLEGE

STUDENT LEADERSHIP It is our great pleasure to introduce the College Prefects of 2013. Each College Prefect has been elected to a specific ministry in which they can share their gifts and talents, contribute to the College in a significant way and make a difference. These students are support by a teacher or group of teachers. We profile each of the ministries below: College Captains With the help of our fellow College Prefects and College Leaders, we are hoping to live out the College motto, whilst leading our College community to the best of our ability. We hope to make the most of our positions by actively being involved at events and with the student body. Our focus is to be both approachable and respectable role models for our fellow peers and younger students in our final year of schooling.

Jessie Moore & Mitchell Hasler 2013 College Captains College Vice-Captains We are very excited to be elected as the College Vice Captains for 2013. We would like to congratulate Mitchell Hasler and Jessie Moore on their appointment as College Captains and look forward to working with them over the next twelve months. As College Vice Captains we are excited to be working closely with the Student Representative Council ensuring that all members of the College understand that their voice can be heard and that they can make a difference. We have great hopes for the next year and are sure that the entire College Prefect body of 2013 will make a lasting and positive impression on the College.

Matilda Dwyer & Curtis Smyth 2013 College Vice Captains Community As the College Prefects - Community we wish to present and promote a positive attitude towards College life and act as representatives to the College in the extended community. We will use our collaborative skills to define an infinite array of opportunities for students and teachers at the College as well as support and engage in community teamwork. We wish to learn and develop the College’s aspirations into physical accomplishments while modelling confidence and enthusiasm in our roles. We would also like to lead and encourage participation in College events and work with the other College Prefects to enrich the school’s spirit.

Adriana Camilleri & Julian Lau 2013 College Prefects - Community

House We are very excited to be the College Prefects House of 2013. Our aims for the year are to get people more involved in Inter-House events and build students’ pride in their Houses. We will also bring a refreshed College spirit to the community, one where students are proud and are excited to participate in a range of College events. We shall encourage these students by example and demonstrate to them the pride we hold for our College.

Rebecca Pimentel & Jake Williams 2013 College Prefects - House Liturgy As the incoming College Prefects - Liturgy for 2013, we wish to strive to allow each and every student an opportunity to connect with and express our faith.

Our aim is to ensure that our liturgies and masses are engaging for our fellow students and are grounded in the areas of social justice, charity, compassion and community in addition to reflecting the five College values introduced at the start of 2012, those of stewardship, community, justice, hospitality and spirituality. We want to lead by example and show the students and wider population, God’s love through our leadership.

Madeleine Norris & William Evers 2013 College Prefects - Liturgy Performing Arts Performing Arts is one of the important parts of College life and we are very excited to be leading this ministry for 2013. The performing arts are a combination of music, drama and art and through our guidance and the support of the teachers we

hope to encourage students to reach their full potential. Our goals and aspirations for 2013 are to help students to enjoy the arts, while contributing to the community of performing arts. We wish to make this year, one of participation, dedication and most of all, enjoyment.

Jasmine Cunningham-Walsh & Lachlan Duncan 2013 College Prefects - Performing Arts Social Justice During the year of 2013 we’re excited to serve as the College Prefects - Social Justice. In this position we will promote justice within our communities of both Mater Maria and the wider parish. We intend to enhance the College’s awareness of issues and raise substantial funds to support situations of injustice.

We aim to support a range of organisations whilst encouraging united College spirit throughout our role. We are enthusiastic to step right into our roles as leaders.

Adelaide Dedden & Edward Leaver 2013 College Prefects - Social Justice Sport As the College Prefects - Sport for 2013, we believe it is our aim to work together to provide great opportunities for the students across the field of sport. We both love our sport and will try our hardest to pass this love on to the younger students at Mater Maria. We aspire to raise the numbers in regards to student participation in all areas of the sporting life at our College, including being representatives for our Diocese of Broken Bay. Michelle Gray-Purcell & James Burrell 2013 College Prefects - Sport AUTUMN 2013 NEW LIFE 07

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AUTUMN 2013

MATER MARIA CATHOLIC COLLEGE

WALK IN NEW LIFE

GOLDEN JUBILEE CONCERT BAND TOUR On November 29 and 30, 2012 the Mater Maria Concert Band was privileged to tour around three primary schools on the South Coast. The Concert Band was accompanied by Mrs Delaney, Mr Leaver and Mrs Shaw, the Concert Band conductor. In the Golden Jubilee year of the College, the schools visited were also schools which had been established by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan and therefore we shared a special connection.

At each school we performed a polished repertoire which we had rehearsed throughout the year. The Concert Band also had the opportunity to demonstrate to the primary school children their own talent, whilst also teaching them a bit about all the instruments within the band. Our aim for the tour was to encourage students to get involved in music and motivate them to either pick up or continue playing a musical instrument.

Our time away was an outstanding success and was a fantastic opportunity and experience for everyone who was a part of it.

Rebecca Pimentel College Prefect

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