Dear members of the Mount Lilydale Mercy College community
Welcome to the first newsletter for Term 2 at the end of what has been a very busy opening fortnight. Pleasingly our first day for the term saw the College’s student leaders organise and run a whole College Assembly. In addressing the students at that assembly, I had three things on which I wished to focus:
- the recent Easter season, the Paschal Mystery, the death and resurrection of Jesus remembering that the resurrection was not a resuscitation
- our theme of 'Compassion Through Us'
- role Models for success.
With time being short, I decided a discussion of heroes was a good focus. Please find below a shortened and abridged version of what I said:
Jesus is a hero and a role model. In fact by any measure Jesus would have to be a hero to us. In the period just celebrated Easter, we remember his suffering, his passion, his death by crucifixion and his resurrection. But in this, Jesus was a hero. He knew that pain was to come; he knew his fate. He was scared yet he knew what had to be done and he did it. He overcame his fears and gave his life for others. He is a clear example of a hero, but there are many others around you who could be heroes. Not because they are perfect. Far from it. They have faults and fears, but they overcome these to achieve and grow their talent. Throughout the coming weeks I hope you will see examples of our alumni who may be considered heroes. They are people who have a talent and they have developed that talent to benefit others. They do what they love to do, but by doing it they give back to community in some way. They develop God-given gifts and use them within our society.
People like:
- Anna Baird (Class of 1995) who created specialist footwear and then built a company to manufacture them
- Kyle Adnam (Class of 2011) NBL Championship player and member of the Australian Boomers
- Adam Grinyer (Class of 2001) Pilot with the Royal Australian Air Force
- Michelle Dunn (Class of 2005) Obstetrician
- Eloise Deen (Class of 2007) Veterinarian
- Ben McNamara (Class of 2004) Adventure Photographer and Filmmaker
- Casey Wright (Class of 2012) Olympic Athlete
- John Kehoe (Class of 2000) Journalist with the Australian Financial Review
- James Merlino (Class of 1990) Deputy Premier of Victoria
- Heidi Joosten (Class of 2003) Invictus Games gold medal winner
- Lucas Russell (Class of 2004) Forrester and District Manager
- Emerson Woods (Class of 2018) AFLW player
Now, you might ask, how are they heroes? How? They became or are still becoming the best version of themselves. They are developing their talents. And then using those talents to serve or help others through a whole range of avenues. They are everyday heroes. And you, too, can be an everyday hero.
The everyday hero is within every single human and is expressed by simple, ordinary actions. Heroes do simple acts, of kindness, courage, and love. Heroes become the best versions of themselves that they can be. Heroes live their passions. Heroes are positive and life giving. Heroes celebrate the success of themselves and all others. If you aspire to be the very best version of yourself and then give back in compassion and love, then you, too, will aspire to be a hero.
Around our College you will find stories of young alumni who have been successful in a particular endeavour. Our hope is that such examples will help inspire our current students to want to succeed — to be the best versions of themselves and then to use their talents to serve others.
ANZAC Day
The first week of Term also the College commemorate ANZAC Day which, of course, is a public holiday on 25 April. The College ANZAC service was led by Mr John Ryan, our Humanities Faculty Leader, Humanities Prefect Patrick Keating and other student leaders. The service was well presented and consisted of a remembrance over the College PA system, while homeroom teachers displayed a previously prepared PowerPoint in homerooms. It was a short and concise service, but one that allowed a prayerful remembrance of all those who have fallen or suffered in time of battle, war or conflict. Thank you to Mr Ryan and Patrick for their efforts.
The College was also well presented by our College Choir, led by Ms Caroline Dickason, at a very well-attended dawn service in Lilydale. The College was further represented with the attendance of Mr John Rodgers and Mrs Janet Barr as well as our College Captains and Vice Captains, who laid wreaths on our behalf. You can read more about the College's contribution to Anzac Day HERE. Lest We Forget.
College Play
Tonight will see the one and only performance of the College Play for 2019, which is a change from previous years. Although, originally we did plan and calendar three performances. Remembering that the play is and has always been an outcome and a production of the Year 12 Theatre Studies class, changes to the study design and workload of that class necessitated a change in approach to the College Play. In previous years, students in the class have overseen the whole production and included students from Years 7 to 12, making it a whole-College event, but now it is a much smaller production essentially produced and performed by that class.
The 2019 Theatre Studies class have selected Tom Wright's adaptation of Joan Lindsey's classic Australian Gothic thriller Picnic at Hanging Rock. They have spent nearly 10 weeks in classes producing and rehearsing this show for part of their Unit 3 assessment. Over the last several years, the first outcome for Unit 3 VCE Theatre Studies was a student-produced performance on a selected play script. Students were to learn about the production process (including planning, development and presentation) with two theatrical stagecraft areas. With the new 2019-2023 VCAA Study Design, while the purpose and nature of the task is essentially the same, the size and scale of the task has been reduced significantly with both the amount of work (both practical and documentation) and time required to undertake the task. The number of selectable stagecraft areas students may choose have also been reduced — now including direction, acting, set design, costume, makeup, sound, lighting and props.
The play will still be an excellent production and tickets are available for those who would like to see it — which I encourage. Break a leg.
Mother’s Day
As our prayer in this newsletter reflects, Mother’s Day (Sunday 12 May) fast approaches. It is important that we teach our children to give thanks and recognise all those who give so much for them. It is also important that all mothers and female caregivers come to understand how much they are appreciated and loved. Perhaps Mother’s Day is time to remind ourselves to focus on just that. To remind us to tell our mothers, whether they are still with us nor not, that we love them.
A happy and joyful Mother’s Day to all.
Mother...
You filled my days with rainbow lights,
Fairytales and sweet dream nights,
A kiss to wipe away my tears,
Gingerbread to ease my fears.
You gave the gift of life to me
And then in love, you set me free.
I thank you for your tender care,
For deep warm hugs and being there.
I hope that when you think of me
A part of you
You’ll always see.
— Anon
Personal Pars
Let us pray for the repose of the soul of Danny Janse, uncle to Riley Spicer (Year 9), who passed away suddenly in the last fortnight. May Danny rest in peace.
God bless
Philip A Morison
Principal
