Term 2, Week 9

Welcome to the College Newsletter for Week 9 of Term 2, 2025.

This week, the College hosted Dr Mary Murphy and Professor Denis McLaughlin when they provided a guest lecture on the Compassion, Liberation and Presence of Blessed Edmund Rice. The evening formed a part of the 150-year celebration of Edmund Rice Education in Queensland and simultaneously, an acknowledgement of our 110 years as a College. Attended by Principals, school leaders, teachers, staff and Christian Brothers from across Brisbane, Denis and Mary provided great insight into the life and times of Edmund, highlighting both the uniqueness of an Edmund Rice Education in its humble beginnings, as well as the distinct contextual similarities that remain in our communities today. 

While Denis and Mary are foremost experts on the history of Edmund Rice Education in Australia, my bias would say that it was our students in attendance who stole the show. Their insightful understanding and reflection on all that was discussed was a testament to the fact that both the Edmund Rice philosophy and the Touchstones are alive and well in our community. 

Thanks must go to Brother Damien Price (former Lauries staff member) as the organiser of this lecture series and Mr Lachlan Heshusius, who hosted the evening on behalf of the College.

Brisbane’s Archbishop Elect 

The College has been recently advised that Pope Leo has announced the appointment of the Bishop of Sandhurst, Shane Mackinlay, as the seventh Archbishop of Brisbane. Further details will no doubt be available in due course about the Archbishop’s appointment.

At present, we offer our prayers of hope, and congratulations as the new Archbishop prepares to undertake this role. We also acknowledge the work of Archbishop Mark Coleridge and his strong connection to the Lauries community, as he moves into his new journey of retirement. 

House Choir

A feature of the school calendar since the inception of the vertical pastoral system has been the annual House Choir Competition. Competing for their House, staff and students form a 180-person choir to sing a song randomly allocated to them during College Assembly. With a heavy influence from the Music Department, the Houses combine vocals, interpretation, and movement in their attempt to win. 

Last week was the House Choir showcase, with all Houses performing their allocated song. Congratulations go to Ms Bec Dwyer (Head of House) and Nagle House for their winning rendition of Shallow. The standard of this competition continues to grow each year, and I congratulate all Houses on their performance in what was a tightly contested competition. 

Term 2 Sports and Runcorn Upgrade

Over 1200 students participated in Term 2 Sports at Lauries. With the AIC competition now concluded, it is appropriate to acknowledge the efforts of all students involved and especially thank the coaches, managers, parents, and volunteers who allowed this to happen.

To snapshot the season, our Football finished first in the aggregate, Chess placing second and Rugby third. The AIC is now one of the largest school sporting associations in Australia. Even more pleasing is the College's ability to support students who would like to participate outside of the AIC competition through the school-based Colours Cup Competition. Colours Cup continues to grow across each Term and means that students who do not make an AIC team or who want to compete socially have an opportunity to do so. To support this growth in participation, the College recently announced an upgrade to the playing surfaces and facilities at Runcorn. Over the next few years, the students will experience:

• Upgraded state of the art playing surfaces on Fields 1, 2 and 3
• The return of the white picket fence on Field 1
• A designated Football hub
• A Bespoke scoreboard to service multiple sports 
• New resourcing for most sports

It is hoped that the upgrades will facilitate greater use for our students and provide some future-proofing for the College into the future. 

The Learning Exchange and Professional Development

As the students begin the holiday period tomorrow, staff of the College will begin their annual professional development week. Following the finalisation of assessment marking, collaboration and reporting, the teaching and non-teaching staff of the College will be involved in a series of bespoke activities to enhance their professional development. 

With a consistent theme of formation in mind, the non-teaching staff will hear from Brother Damien Price on what it means to work in an Edmund Rice School, while the teaching staff will workshop with Fr Richard Leonard on Catholic Identity and teaching. Father Richard is a Jesuit Priest who is an accomplished author, academic and presenter and we look forward to welcoming both Brother Damien and Father Richard to Lauries.

During the professional development week, the College is also excited to host the annual Learning Exchange (LEX) conference for staff. This event is a yearly culmination of the ongoing collaboration between St Laurence’s College, Iona College and Padua College. The collaboration enables staff of the three schools an increased opportunity to network, collaborate and acquire resources around learning and teaching. The conference traditionally also includes a guest presentation for staff. This year, we are excited to welcome Mr Trent Dalton, author of the best-selling novel, Boy Swallows Universe, who will be interviewed by a friend of the College, Mr Michael Crutcher (former editor of the Courier Mail and Director at Comms 55). The conference shapes as an exciting opportunity for staff to grow and share with a focus on improved outcomes for our students. 

Thank you to the 17 Lauries staff members who will present at this year’s conference on a wide range of learning and teaching topics and Ms Grace Loyden, for her overall organisation and coordination of this collaboration. 

Westcourt Café

At the start of Term 3, the new Westcourt Café will increase its capabilities to include a before-school service. The new service will provide coffee and food options for the community. Café Edmund will continue to operate on a Wednesday and Friday for staff and students, maintaining a menu that compliments the new Westcourt Café.

In consultation with the Lauries Community Committee and the School Advisory Council, the decision has been made to allow Year 11 and 12 students to purchase coffee from the café. Coffee purchases will be monitored and families who wish their sons not to have the opportunity to purchase coffee are asked to please note this on their My Student account. 

Translink Changes

Beginning Monday 30 June, there will be significant changes to Brisbane's bus service network. If your son relies on these bus services to travel to and from the College, I recommend visiting Translink's Brisbane's New Bus Network page. From here, you can search for your bus route to view any possible changes. 

You can also plan your new journey using the Translink Journey Planner by entering a start and end location and selecting a date from the start of Term 2.

Staff Farewells

Over the holiday break we have several staff retiring or moving on to further opportunities. I would like to acknowledge the work of the following staff and thank them for their service to the Laurie’s community:

• Ms Samantha Harris – Ambrose Treacy College
• Mr Sean Vivian – International School
• Mr Neil Smith – St Patrick’s College
• Mr Mark Whiting – Retiring

I also make special mention of Ms Heather Batchelor who, for the last seventeen and half years, has worked at the College in administration, College archives and as the Executive Assistant to three College Principals. Heather leaves next week to enjoy a retirement filled with travel and family. On behalf of the community, I thank Heather for her dedication to the College and personally thank Heather for her wisdom and support.

Holiday Activities

Over the break, our College Co-Curricular programs continue, with students involved in a variety of tours, carnivals and activities. I would like to wish those attending the following events the best of luck and safe travels:

• SLC Rugby League Clinic hosted by the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs
• Confraternity Shield Carnival in Rockhampton 
• STEM Japan Tour 
• QSF Futsal Championships
• SLC Tennis Championships held at Griffith University
• SLC Basketball Clinic
• State Honours Ensemble Project at the Conservatorium of Music

On behalf of the College Leadership Team and all the staff, I would like to wish all families a happy and safe holiday. To those who are travelling, safe travels, and we look forward to seeing all families return refreshed for the start of Term 3.