Friendships and community were the key themes of our St Patrick’s Day Lunch, held last Tuesday.
More than 110 people from the SPC community turned out for the lunch celebrations at the College’s Old Collegians’ Association, overlooking the Main Oval, where students participated in fun St Patrick’s Day activities in and around the wet weather.
There was a wonderful turnout of Old Collegians and partners present celebrating Class Reunions, including members of the Class of 1966 for their 60-year anniversary, and the Class of 1976 celebrating a half a century milestone of 50 years.
The Class of 1966’s Peter Howley led a warm welcome to his cohort, followed by Simon Grigg who greeted his Class of 1976 classmates.
The Most Reverend Paul Bird took grace after officiating at the College’s student-led Assembly earlier in the day.
In a first for our St Patrick’s Day Lunches, Class of 1966’s Peter Klopotowski and his wife watched the day’s proceedings from their computer screen at their home in South Australia after the escalating fuel scarcity crisis forced them to abandon their plans to drive interstate join the reunion festivities.
College Principal Steven O’Connor said SPC’s special “sense of community is clearly evident at gatherings like today”.
In welcoming the audience, Old Collegians Association president Dr Charles Flynn said there were many reasons to celebrate.
“In a time when the world seems to be a little bit crazy, we celebrate the fact that we live in a country that is a long way away from conflict,” he said.
“We celebrate the fact that this school has been educating young men for 130-plus years. We celebrate the commitment of the thousands of academic and administrative staff who have helped to shape the minds of the tens of thousands of young men who have graduated from this school.
“We celebrate the fact that the school has been continuous use as a springboard that has launched young men into an impressively diverse range of careers. “
Dr Flynn said this tradition continued today with the young men entrusted in SPC’s care “to have the optimal school experience to help each individual to become the best possible version of themselves”.
Guest speaker John Larkins (SPC 1961-67), who is currently chair of the Victorian Liquor Commission following a successful career as a barrister in Melbourne, recounted many fond memories of his time as a boarder.
“We managed to have a lot of fun out of very little,” he said, highlighting the camaraderie often experienced by fellow boarders, even decades on, after “having an experience together that really cannot be replicated”.
John brought along his father’s 1932 high jump trophy from home. He remembered watching his father writing out a cheque for his SPC education “but for the life of me, I can’t remember if it was 50 guineas (equivalent to $100) for a term or the whole year”.
John said he was delighted to catch up with classmates at the lunch, some he had met on his first day of SPC at the tender age of 11.
He recalled the in the boarders dining room where the entire process was based around “seniority”.
“I also remember two (food) strikes in my time … in relation to ‘red dogs’ … they were very red sausages and the boys remained steadfast in their seats and refused to go up and get them,” he laughed.
He recounted Br Tuck’s interesting coaching style as a member of the 1966 First XVIII Football team, and the “legendary William Thomas O’Malley” and “what an experience that was”.
In reminiscing, John said Br O’Malley often reminded him of having taught, not only his brother – but his father as well – when he felt it was time for John to pick up his grades.
Sixty years on, John also confessed a secret of intercepting an important College letter which warned of expulsion following his involved in some mischievous behaviour.
“I always remember the last line. ‘Would you please impress on him the importance of this warning’.
“I thought I’ve got the message and there’s no need for my father to see this … and my father went to his grave knowing nothing of this.
“But I still think it was the right thing to do,” he laughed.
John said he was especially thankful for his education at SPC.
“I was to say I’ve found revisiting my youth in this regard, and I don’t know if everyone feels this way, to be quite a profound experience to be thinking back 60 years to who you were, how you went about things, the mistakes you made, the growing up you did, in many ways painful and how it prepares you for the vastitudes of life, and I found that to be a pretty good exercise.”
As a special keepsake from the day, group photographs were taken of the two reunion groups, and a personalised framed photo was presented to each member of the Class of 1966 in attendance to signify the special 60-year milestone.
Moments like these are a great reminder of the strong bonds that make St Pat’s so special.
