Newman College - University of Melbourne
Transcription
Newman College - University of Melbourne
The Newman College Newsletter NEWM AN Autumn 2014 Volu m e 4 6 • Nu m b er 1 Gardener If it were England, and later in the day, she might have met him, faded shirt, scuffed leggings and all, partly shadowed by long allees at, say, Chiswick – everything turned to vista, seeking out the Statue of Cain and Abel, the Domed Building, the Rustic Arch, the Doric Column Topped by Venus, the Bagnio, the Obelisk, and the Deer House, and the rest. As it was, the heart gone out of her with grief, she picked her way through scrubby bushes, expecting nothing but the nothing left when love’s pegged up for the sun to eat. It was peculiar, then, to round a rock and find some idler, hands pinked by spiky work, but the rest of him at ease, liking the morning, nestling a crocus, his wide mouth practiced about her name. Peter Steele John 20: 11–18 In this edition... Gardener – Peter Steele SJ 2 Scholarships 2014 29 From the Rector 3 The SCR in 2014 32 From the Provost 5 The Healing Mind 35 Founders and Benefactors Mass 2013 8 College Ball 42 Valete 2013 10 From the NOCA President 43 Graduation 13 David McKenna 44 Diamond Jubilee Celebrations 14 John Kearney 46 Cardinal Newman Dinner 22 Weddings 48 Orientation 2014 25 News of Former Collegians 50 Commencement Mass and Dinner 2014 28 Remembering – Edmund Ryan 53 Good Friday 57 cover photo: A John Kauffmann photograph of the College, 1918. inside front cover: The College gardens in 1950. Other photograph in this publication come from: Michael Francis, Jenny Fiegel, Jack Fang, Sean Burke and Eileen Hu. 2 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 from the rector the college in 2014 In 2014, we have 282 students in residence – the largest the College has been in its almost one hundred year history. There are also 18 non-residential members of the College. The Junior Common Room is made up of 208 residents, about half men and half women, with nearly 60% coming from country areas in Australia, predominantly from Victoria. The Senior Common Room members residing in the College total 74, with slightly more women than men. Most are engaged in Masters Degrees (Coursework or Research), Professional Degrees (predominantly in the Health Science areas), Honours Degrees and eight in PhD studies. Almost 80% of the total student population are Catholics or come out of the Catholic Schools System. outreach 2014 We have already been the beneficiaries of three outstanding after dinner speeches: Mr James Gorman at the Cardinal Newman Dinner on the Global Financial Crisis, Ms Kate Torney on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and her own career in media at the Commencement Dinner, and Mr Michael McGirr, who addressed us at our Council Dinner held in Holy Week on “Healing”. We also heard an excellent address from the Allan and Maria Myers Florey Institute Visiting Fellow, Professor Vladimir Hachinski, on “Preventing Stroke and Alzheimers”, and a panel, headed by Professor Gerard Vaughan, on conserving Melbourne and Victoria’s historic past and ensuring the future. This last lecture is the first of three that Professor Vaughan and Mr Shane Carmody are organising on this topic. Seven Helder Camara lectures organised by Brother Mark O’Connor, FMS, are planned for 2014. These lectures will bring Dr Aoife McGrath (Pontifical University of Maynooth), Archbishop Martinez (Granada), Archbishop Diarmund Martin (Dublin), Cardinal Louis Tagle (Manila), Cardinal Timothy Dolan (New York), Bishop Robert Morneau (Green Bay), and Dr Suzanne Mulligan (Pontifical University of Maynooth) into our College. Along with this are the continuing series of Irish Studies Seminars, and the College Choir will present three concerts, one of which in September will centre on the music of George Gershwin and Cole Porter. These “outreach” events continue to attract an increasingly diverse audience, both religious and secular, and enable the College to engage not only with an academic and university constituency but also with the wider Melbourne community. N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 3 the allan and maria myers academic centre It is now ten years since we opened the Allan and Maria Myers Academic Centre. This Centre is a wonderful facility enjoyed by the students of both Colleges. It also provided the impetus for our remarkable Outreach Programme overseen by Professor Manion IBVM. It is fitting at this time that we again acknowledge those who brought this Centre into being. Most importantly to Allan and Maria Myers who gave $5,000,000 towards the cost of the Centre ($8,000,000), to the architects, Peter Corrigan and Maggie Edmond, to Sir James Gobbo who chaired the Appeal, to Mr Edmund Ryan who managed the project from inception to finish, on time and under budget, and to all the staff and the contractors who worked tirelessly to ensure its happening. It is a great blessing. jesuit matters Mr Kieran Gill, S.J., completed his Diploma of Education studies at the Australian Catholic University at the end of 2013 and has left Newman to take up a teaching appointment at St Ignatius College, Athelstone, in South Australia. Father Christopher Horvat, S.J., continues in residence at Newman while acting as assistant to the Australian Jesuit Provincial, Father Stephen Curtin, S.J., at the Jesuit Provincial Office in Hawthorn. Father Gerard Healy, S.J., has a 0.6 appointment in the Graduate School of Education and has a special chaplaincy ministry to Jesuit partner schools in Watsonia, Drysdale and Hervey Bay (Queensland). In addition to my rectorial duties I continue to serve on the board of the University of Divinity and four ethics committees: Royal Australasian College of Surgeons; Melbourne Health; Eastern Palliative Care; Father Brian McCoy, S.J., who was resident at Newman while completing his doctoral studies, has been appointed to succeed Father Stephen Curtin, S.J., as Jesuit Provincial. He will take up his appointment from July 31st, 2014. We wish him well in his new appointment during these volatile ecclesiastical times. fees, scholarships and bursaries In recent years, we have through careful management kept our fees as low as low as possible. In addition, in 2014, 182 students are recipients of some sort of financial support – the majority are in the form of a bursary. Our aim is to make the College as accessible to as many families as possible. We are extraordinarily fortunate in our benefactors, but it is a still a relative few who contribute so generously to our Scholarship and Bursary Fund. Once again in 2014, we are blessed in having substantial gifts from the Myers and Gannon Families. In addition, Cabrini Health and the Eldon Hogan Trust continue to assist our students. In 2013 and 2014, the Victor Fox Foundation have made funds available to support students studying music; the Italian Services Institute have made available funds for the next three years to support students from an Italian heritage in need; and, Ms Louise Arendsen, the niece of former Rector, Michael Scott, has established scholarships in his name. We are most grateful to them, and all our benefactors. Everyday in Mass, we give thanks to the benefactors past and present. I ask all, who have are not at present donors to the College, to consider a gift to the Scholarship Fund. Providing an opportunity for others to attend this College, and thus the University of Melbourne, is a great and good blessing. All donations, large or small, help. Kathleen Cunningham Breast Cancer Foundation. W. J. Uren, S.J. Rector, Newman College April, 30th, 2014 4 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 celebrations The start of 2014 provided us with a two memorable opportunities for celebration. from the Provost Sixty years ago, Bill Uren, at the tender age of seventeen, was one of twelve who entered the Society of Jesus. On Friday, 31st January, 2014, over 240 people gathered at a celebratory Dinner in College to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Father Uren’s joining the Jesuits. The main address at the Dinner was given by Bishop Greg O’Kelly SJ, who reflected upon Father Uren’s commitment to tertiary education, his work in bioethics, his active membership of many boards of directors, his leadership roles in the Society of Jesus, his commitment to exploring the boundaries of the sacred and the secular, and his commitment to Jesuit cooperation with the laity. The Cardinal Newman Dinner was held on the 27th February, 2014, during Orientation Week, and to coincide with a visit to Australia by former Collegian, James Gorman, who agreed to be our guest speaker. Academic Results 2013 Our results from 2013 were, again, most satisfactory. Below is a summary of the undergraduate grades for those attending the University of Melbourne in 2013. H1 H2A H2B H3 P F 26.7%21.9% 19.2% 13.7% 15.3% 3.1% Four of our students appeared on the 2013 Dean’s Honours List of the Faculty of Business and Economics: Xiaowei Pan, Helen Zhou, Eduardo Riquelme and Thomas Hennessy. Forty-three students – undergraduate and graduate – achieved an H1 average for 2013. My thanks to the Deputy Provost, the Senior Tutor, all our academic tutors, the SCR mentors, and the General Committee, who work together to create an appropriate learning environment. Our tutorial programme for 2014 was up and running in the second week of the academic term. Well over eighty tutorials are offered weekly to undergraduates and graduates. 1 1 The Provost with SCR members: Alex Pham, Johnny Jiang and Tracy Tian. N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 5 2 orientation 2014 All feedback, both formal and informal, suggests that the 2014 Orientation Programme was most successful. Providing a safe environment for learning and fun, managing expectations, and giving a sense of the Mission of this community, is a never-endingly complex and exciting task. Many people need to be thanked for their support and labours, the staff of the College, the students who assisted in orientation under the leadership of Peter Catterson and Alicia Deak, Senior Constable Nick Parissis, from the North Melbourne Police, and Dr Jane Page and Ms Catherine Gow from the University of Melbourne. new scholars joining the scr We are delighted that Dr Gerard Vaughan, former Director of the National Gallery of Victoria, and Mr Shane Carmody, former Director, Collections and Access, at the State Library of Victoria, have accepted invitations to join the Senior Common Room. Both Dr Vaughan and Mr Carmody, who now have positions at the University of Melbourne, have agreed to participate in our Outreach Programme, and Mr Carmody is advising us on matters pertaining to fundraising. the rotary club of melbourne Two of our students were awarded Young Achiever Awards by the Rotary Club of Melbourne. The Rector, the Deputy Provost and I attended a lunch at the Windsor Hotel (soon to be totally refurbished) where the Governor of Victoria presented Awards to three young recipients – two from this College, and the other to Ms Marita Cheng, a former student of JCH, and the Young Australian of the Year in 2012. These Awards are given for excellence and outstanding community service for young folk between the ages 18-26. Vocational excellence can be demonstrated through academic or vocational education, business, sport or the Arts. Leadership capabilities and broad interests are also common features of future leaders. 6 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 3 major maintenance, stonework and refurbishment Our stonework restoration continues on the Dome rotunda. This phase of the project is scheduled to be completed in May. Indications are that we are on schedule and within budget. Over the summer, we completed a number of minor and major maintenance projects and the full refurbishment of ‘A’ Extension. We are also in the process of examining options for the redevelopment of the Fleming House site. the start of the 2014 academic year I am writing this in the seventh week of the academic year. The only problem is that it is not the seventh week! The advent of the graduate programmes and summer undergraduate subjects mean that some students have been in classes from early January. So the notion of an ‘academic year’ being distinct from a ‘calendar year’ is fast disappearing. Some random thoughts at this time: • A fter discussions with Jesuit Social Services, we have agreed to be in partnership with them in helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds acquire work experience and training. In 2014, we are employing the equivalent of one full-time person in this capacity. • A s the SCR now represent almost 30% of the student cohort, we have more formalised the structure of the SCR, and the President of the SCR will now present a report to the Council. • T he University is fast approaching parity with respect to graduate and undergraduate numbers. About 30% of the University population are International students. One suspects that if one just looked at the graduate cohort, this figure would be higher. • T here is much enthusiasm and energy on committees both in the JCR and SCR. Opportunities to engage in community service, social, sporting, cultural, intellectual and spiritual activities abound. Sometimes we have to remind them to do less, better, but one constantly encounters the goodness of so many. • T he fact that our tutorial programme was up and running in the second week of the semester is a great tribute to both the Deputy Provost and the Senior Tutor. • T he Choir this year has a record fifteen students who are residents of the College, and two who are non-resident students, and one who is a former resident. The Choir is a great blessing to this community. • In early 2015, we are to host the launch of Brenda Niall’s biography of Archbishop Mannix. Some work on the history of Newman College has started. • P ossibly some of the most important discussions we have had in recent months have centred around faith. We have an energetic young committee who are keen to encourage faith development, building upon existing structures and offerings, and developing further opportunities for growth and development. The Rector is continuing his Catechism and Ethics sessions and we are examining opportunities for another Camino de Santiago, and a retreat, and all are keen to develop a synergy between social justice and our development of faith. Simple provision for fellowship after our Sunday Masses has been reinforced, and a group of students have undertaken to provide music at our Sunday morning Mass to complement the wonderful work of the Choir during our Sunday evening Mass. 4 5 • W e have just concluded our Easter celebrations. The Services were extraordinarily well attended. The Choir wonderfully complemented the liturgy at all the four Services. thanks This community works, and it works well, because of the endeavours of many. They deserve our thanks. The Staff, and in particular those in leadership positions – the Deputy Provost, the Business Manager, the Chaplain, the Services Manager and the Director of the Academic Centre – deserve special praise. The Council Committees, with their advice to the College through the Council, provide an invaluable service to this College. The co-operation and support of the General Committee and the Senior Common Room are important elements in this community. As with any family, we have our moments, but the level of goodwill, kindness and understanding is significant. And, most importantly, our thanks must go to Father Rector and our Jesuit Fathers for their leadership, guidance and challenge. Every year we challenge ourselves to move out of our comfort zone, to change and to grow closer to God. It is good work, and we tread on ‘enchanted ground’. Sean Burke 1st May, 2014 6 2 After the Commencement Dinner – with the Provost, from the left: Jack Fang, Kieran Iles and Josh Chang from the SCR, Hillary Mansour (Arts 1 from Melbourne), Xiaowei Pan (Commerce 2 from China), Miranda Fenton (Arts 1 from Tasmania), Kingsley Advani (Commerce 2 from Queensland), Monique Bulan (Arts 1 from the Philippines), Kamwende Gatende (Commerce I from Kenya) and Elizabeth Gauw (Biomedicine 1 from Indonesia). 3 With the Rector, Provost and Deputy Provost, Rotary Young Achievers of 2013, Dr Sarajane Ting and Ms Christina Jovanovic. 4 Choir members: Tom Attard (Science 2), Lily Nalder (Science 2) and Matthew Thompson. 5 Harry Ukich from Barooga, NSW (Environments 3), Rebecca Thwaites from Leongatha, Victoria (Science 3), Ella Trimboli from Perth, Western Australia (Environments 3) and Mickie Tanna from St Lucia, Queensland (Science 2). 6 More Choir members – Liam Headland (Music 1) and Matthew Bennett (Science 2). N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 7 JOHN HENRY NEWMAN FOUNDERS AND BENEFACTORS MASS The homily given by the Rector at the Founders and Benefactors Mass on October 20th, 2013. John Henry Newman was born on February 21st, 1801. He died on August 11th, 1890. His life, then, spanned nine decades of the Nineteenth Century and all but eleven years of the reign of Queen Victoria. He outlived five Popes (Pius VII, Leo XII, Pius VIII, Gregory XVI and Pius IX). Forty five years of his life were spent as a very committed, active and controversial member of the Anglican Church, and the other forty five years were spent as an equally committed, active and controversial member of the Catholic Church. Newman ministered as a priest of the Anglican communion from 1825 to 1843, famously as Vicar of St. Mary’s, the University church at Oxford, from 1828 to 1843. Subsequent to his conversion to the Catholic Church on October 9th, 1845, he travelled to Rome where he was ordained as a priest of the Oratorian Congregation on May 30th, 1847. He was accused and convicted of libel in the famous Achilli trial on June 24th, 1852, a conviction that was both contrary to the manifest evidence and was an index of the depth of antiCatholic sentiment that his conversion to Catholicism seven years earlier had provoked. He was created a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Leo XIII on May 12, 1879, and he was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI at Cofton Park in Birmingham on September 19th, 2010. His feast day is October 9th, the day in 1845 on which he was received into the Catholic Church by the Italian Passionist, Father Dominic Barbieri. These are some of the more salient facts of Newman’s life. But who was this man who figured so prominently not only in the religious but also in the academic, social and even political life of Victorian England? He was first and foremost a writer. The great Irish author, James Joyce, no mean stylist himself, said of Newman that “nobody has ever written English prose that can be compared with that of a tiresome footling Anglican parson who afterwards became a prince of the only true church”. 8 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 Newman wrote over thirty books, there are seven volumes of his sermons and addresses, and there are thirty two volumes – each of almost 500 pages – of his letters and diaries. He wrote letters, he wrote sermons, he wrote critical historical works, he wrote controversial religious tracts, he wrote verse, mainly religious, of sufficient quality to be included in most reputable anthologies of Victorian poetry. He wrote philosophical and theological treaties of enduring religious significance, he wrote two novels, “Callista” and “Loss and Gain”, and he wrote the lyrics of the “Dream of Gerontius”, which was set to music by Edward Elgar in 1900. It is hard to overestimate the significance of Newman’s contribution to English life and letters, not only in his own lifetime but well into the Twentieth Century and beyond. He was an exact contemporary of Charles Darwin – whose “Origin of Species” he believed constituted no threat to Christianity – and of John Stuart Mill, of Charles Dickens, Thomas Carlyle and George Eliot, of Alfred Tennyson and William Makepeace Thackeray, of William Ewart Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli, and he shared the Victorian stage with all of these. At the time of the Modernist crisis in the Catholic Church at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, Newman was both invoked and pilloried as the source of some of their ideas. And fifty years later he was hailed as the father and the inspiration of the Second Vatican Council. Among his theological works his “Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine”, his essay “On Consulting the Faithful in Matters of Doctrine” and his “Letter to the Duke of Norfolk” liberated many of the better-read bishops and their advisers at the Second Vatican Council from the stifling and narrow anti-Modernist theology that had dominated Catholic thought during the first half of the Century. Whenever the nature of university education is discussed, Newman’s “Idea of a University” is sure to be cited, even if only in disagreement because he did not advert to the important of research in a university’s profile. His latest (1870) substantial work, “The Grammar of Assent” is a serious philosophical tract in the field of epistemology. The distinction he draws between real and notional assent and the priority he assigns to conscience continue to have relevance to this day. His sermons, while perhaps more than a little ponderous for modern taste, are generally acknowledged as masterpieces of English prose and rhetoric. And finally, of course, his “Apologia Pro Vita Sua” cedes pride of place only to the “Confessions” of St. Augustine as an expression of spiritual autobiography. Granted, then, the eminence of John Henry Newman in the Victorian age and his enduring legacy, it was not surprising that when the founders of this institution in 1918 sought for a name and a patron to signify this college of the University of Melbourne, they chose the name of John Henry Newman. He was not even beatified then, let alone a saint, and to some degree he was under an ecclesiastical cloud for having been invoked by the Modernists as a predecessor to some of their alleged heretical views. But his outstanding intellectual gifts as a theologian, as an historian, a philosopher, a poet and a rhetorician, the holiness of his life and his willingness both as an Anglican and a Catholic to enter into controversy – all these made him a very appropriate, if somewhat surprising, choice by the founding fathers of this new Catholic college for its patron. Their choice has been more than vindicated over the last ninety years. It has been frequently said the Newman College was fortunate in its choice of architect, Walter Burley Griffin. Again it was a surprising choice – not a Catholic, not a local architect, not even an Australian, already in 1918 mired in controversy over his designs for the national capital. The founding fathers of this College have been vindicated over the years in the wisdom and foresight of their choice of architect. May I suggest as we commemorate our founders and the College’s many benefactors at this Mass today, that they are at least equally to be congratulated for what was then in 1918 an especially bold choice of patron – John Henry Newman. N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 9 “For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me” (Matthew 26:35) Valete Mass 2013 The homily given by Father Rector at the Valete Mass on Friday, 11th October, 2013. On July 8th Pope Francis went to Lampedusa on his first official visit outside Rome. The Pope said Mass in a sports field which had served as a reception centre for thousands who fled the Arab Spring unrest in North Africa in 2011. He used a wooden chalice carved by a local carpenter out of the wood of a migrant boat. His altar was a small painted boat. And then he laid a wreath in the port in memory of the thousands of migrants from Africa who have died trying to reach this small Sicilian island. His words on the occasion were direct and confronting: “Where is your brother?” Who is responsible for this blood? In Spanish literature we have a comedy of Lope de Vega which tells how the people of the town of Fuente Ovejuna kill their governor because he is a tyrant. They do it in such a way that no one knows who the actual killer is. So when the royal judge asks: “Who killed the governor?”, they all reply: “Fuente Ovejuna, sir”. Everybody and nobody! Today too, the question has to be asked: Who is responsible for the blood of these brothers and sisters of ours? Nobody! That is our answer: It isn’t me; I don’t have anything to do with it; it must be someone else, but certainly not me. Yet God is asking each of us: “Where is the blood of your brother which cries out to me?” Today no one in our world feels responsible; we have lost a sense of responsibility for our brothers and sisters. We have fallen into the hypocrisy of the priest and the levite whom Jesus described in the parable of the Good Samaritan: we see our brother half dead on the side of the road, and perhaps we say to ourselves: “poor soul…!”, and then go on our way. It’s not our responsibility, and with that we feel reassured, assuaged. The culture of comfort, which makes us think only of ourselves, makes us insensitive to the cries of other people, makes us live in soap bubbles which, however lovely, are insubstantial; they offer a fleeting and empty illusion which results in indifference to others; indeed, it even leads to the globalization of indifference. In this 1 2 10 The island of Lampedusa is a tiny island in the Mediterranean Sea about 120 kilometres off the coast of Tunisia. Traditionally its only claim to fame was its fishing and tourism industries. But in recent years it has become one of the main points of entry into Europe for poor and desperate migrants willing to risk the crossing from North Africa to Italy. They usually make the crossing in overcrowded and unsafe fishing vessels and small boats. Thousands are known to have died over the years and numbers of others are presumed lost without trace. Just last week somewhere between 250 and 300 lives were lost when a boat carrying refugees capsized off the coast of Lampedusa. Lampedusa is in effect Italy’s Christmas Island. N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 globalized world, we have fallen into globalized indifference. We have become used to the suffering of others: it doesn’t affect me; it doesn’t concern me; it’s none of my business! Now, I would not want to underestimate the immensity of the refugee “problem” – if that is the right word – nor do I think there is an easy “solution”. But what I think the Pope is reminding us as a primary consideration is that in addressing the situation it is human beings and human lives – like the man fallen among thieves on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho – that are at stake. It is not a refugee or asylum seeker “problem”. It is asylum seekers and refugees. And no “solution” therefore is acceptable that is inhumane either in whole or in part to people. And what is true of asylum seekers and refugees off Lampedusa and Christmas Island is true also of those people who live on the margins, not on our borders, but within our communities, too – the people Jesus invokes in the Gospel reading we have just heard: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned – they, too, are people, not problems. And we, I submit, not just as Christians, but as fellow human beings have a responsibility for them. Jesus said these things because they are right; they are not right simply because Jesus said them. The Pope talks about us living in a bubble: “The culture of comfort, which makes us think only of ourselves, makes us insensitive to the cries of other people, makes us live in soap bubbles which, however lovely, are insubstantial”. Those of us who have lived at Newman College even for just a year know that we do live in a bubble. Even compared to virtually all the other students who attend the University of Melbourne, we know that we are very comfortable and very privileged. It can easily make us self-centred, it can make us insensitive to the cries of other people, it can make us indifferent to the problems that beset our society and, indeed, our world. Or it can make us realize that the appropriate response to being privileged at one time is being willing to accept responsibility at another. The French have a word for it: “Noblesse oblige”. But has living at Newman as a matter of fact made us self-centred, insensitive and indifferent? There are signs even now. Have you participated in community service or the tutoring programmes conducted by the Students’ Club or in similar activities within the University itself? Have you befriended a stranger in College or have you stuck to your own group? Have you in effect broken out of the bubble? Have you changed? “To live is to change, and to be perfect is to change often” as John Henry Newman reminds us. Perhaps you have changed and broken out of the bubble. Perhaps you haven’t. But even if you haven’t, there is still hope. At this time of the year we are inclined to ask: “Has 2013 been a successful year at Newman?” May I suggest that we will only know at the earliest ten or fifteen years down the track. It’s only if our valetants this evening and all the rest of us gathered together in this chapel are then devoting a not insubstantial part of our time, resources and energy, whether in our professional practice or in our leisure time, to feeding the hungry, alleviating the thirsty, visiting the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and the imprisoned that we can affirm that 2013 has been a successful year at Newman and that in one way or other some of us did manage to break out of the bubble. Otherwise we will have just exchanged the Newman bubble for another bubble. Perhaps a corporate bubble, or a professional bubble, or a wealth bubble, or a society bubble, or a fashion bubble, or a football bubble or an entertainment bubble – the Pope’s words: “all lovely, insubstantial…a fleeting and empty illusion”. So, to those of you who are leaving – and, indeed, to those of you who are staying – please don’t keep just bubbling along. Like the Blues Brothers, I’m sending you on a mission. Make a difference. Don’t let people perish off the coast of Lampedusa or Christmas Island or on the streets of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth, or, for that matter, those of Mumbai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur or Quito. Change yourself, burst out of the bubble, change at least the little part of the world you live in. Or, as the College motto has it: “Luceat lux vestra” – “let your light shine”. 1 Valetants: Madeleine Lloyd, Patrick Woods, Patrick Burke and Dominic Gasparini. 2 Valetants Charles Li and Sarajane Ting with the Rector. 3 Valetant Van Ngo with the Provost and Rector. 3 N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 11 Valete 2013 The following students, having met the necessary criteria, were formally farewelled at our Valete Mass and Dinner held on the 11th October, 2013: Emma Bechaz Sean Keem Ben O’Shea Daniel Belluzzo Genevieve Lawrence Sandeep Pratap Patrick Burke Charles Li Will Pridmore Fei Diao Madeleine Lloyd Pratheepan Puvanakumar Hana Fraser Kimberley Malone Emma Sevior June Gabriel Callum Maltby Daniel Sinnott Dominic Gasparini Robert McCubbin Miriam Storti Julia Gorton Rebecca McElhatton Matt Thomas Molly Hennessey Felix Moeller Sarajane Ting Thomas Hennessy Van Ngo Rhys Wilkosz Will Howard Nathan O’Hanlon Lachie Williams Elspeth James Larissa Ong Patrick Woods. At the Mass each were presented with a crucifix by one of the Jesuit Fathers and at Dinner the Provost gave a brief reflection on each of the Valetants. 12 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 graduation Every year students who are at the College, or who have previously been at the College, graduate from the University of Melbourne. For example, at the Medical graduations in December, 2013, thirteen current or formers students graduated from the University. Here we feature but some of these graduations. 1 2 3 4 1 Arts (Honours) graduates Sophia McQuillan, Michael Francis and Richard Lyons, with the Provost. 2 Charles Li after graduating with degrees in Medicine, Surgery and Medical Science with the Rector and Provost. Charles spent six years in College with another year away studying at Yale University. 3 Sarajane Ting after graduating with degrees in Medicine, Surgery, and Medical Science (Honours) with the Rector, Provost and her parents. Sarajane spent five years in College and a year away at the University of Oxford. 4 2013 President of the Students’ Club, Dominic Gasparini with his parents after receiving his B. Science. Dominic is reading for the MD in 2014. 5 Graduating JD student Timothy Gorton with the Rector. 5 N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 13 Diamond Jubilee the Rector’s joining of the Society of Jesus 14 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 1 Sixty years ago, Bill Uren, at the tender age of seventeen, was one of twelve who entered the Society of Jesus. On Friday, 31st January, 2014, over 240 people gathered at a celebratory Dinner at Newman College (University of Melbourne) to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Father Uren’s joining the Jesuits. Also at the Dinner were Fathers Julian Slatterie SJ and Terry Kelly SJ, who also joined the Jesuits on the same day. The main address at the Dinner was given by Bishop Greg O’Kelly SJ, who reflected upon Father Uren’s commitment to tertiary education, his work in bioethics, his active membership of many boards of directors, his leadership roles in the Society of Jesus, his commitment to exploring the boundaries of the sacred and the secular, and his commitment to Jesuit cooperation with the laity. A graduate from the Universities of Melbourne, Sydney and Oxford and the Melbourne College of Divinity, Father Uren has lectured in moral philosophy and bioethics at Murdoch and Edith Cowan Universities in Perth, at the University of Melbourne and the University of Queensland. He was the Foundation Director of the Goody Centre for Bioethics in Perth and has been Rector of three Jesuit University Colleges: Newman College, St Thomas More College in Perth and St. Leo’s College in Brisbane. From 1991 to 1996 he was Provincial Superior of the Australian and New Zealand Province of the Society of Jesus. He has served on over twenty clinical and research ethics committees in hospitals, institutes of medical research, universities and professional bodies, and for three years worked as a clinical ethicist at the Mater Hospital complex in Brisbane. From 2000 to 2006 he was a member of the Australian Health Ethics Committee of the National Health and Medical Research Council. He is currently a member of the board of the Melbourne College of Divinity, and was formerly a member of the boards of Cabrini Hospital, the Queensland Institute of Medical Research and Boystown Family Care. He was the foundation Chair of the Xavier College Council. Father Uren has published widely on issues such as the law and abortion, moral and ethical aspects of assisted reproduction, euthanasia, stem cell research, treatment of the human embryo, gene therapy, ethical dilemmas in rationing the health dollar and informed consent for research. He is a much respected Catholic voice in the secular environment. Also speaking at the Dinner were the Provincial of the Society of Jesus, Father Steve Curtin SJ, the Provost, Mr Sean Burke, and Dr John Uren, the Rector’s brother. Archbishop Denis Hart brought the evening to a close with the final blessing and Grace. 1 The Rector with Archbishop Denis Hart and Bishop Greg O’Kelly SJ. 2 2 At the Rector’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations a trio of Jesuits: Bishop Greg O’Kelly, Provincial, Father Steve Curtin, and Father Michael Stoney. N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 15 the address given by father rector at these celebrations: Your Grace, Bishop O’Kelly, Father Provincial, Reverend Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, Ladies and Gentlemen: First, a word of thanks to Father Provincial, Steve Curtin, to my brother, John, and to my friend and Jesuit colleague, Bishop Greg O’Kelly. Yes, despite some of the things he has just said, he is still my friend. Being appointed a bishop, Australia’s first and only Jesuit bishop – and setting a precedent, one might say, for a parallel first appointment of a Jesuit to the Papacy – this being a bishop hasn’t changed Greg a bit. Whenever he comes to Melbourne he still drinks my whisky! 3 Second, thanks to the Provost, Sean Burke, for organising this evening, and to our Business Manager, Becky Daley, our Services Manager, Eugene Spanti, and our chefs and dining room staff for implementing Sean’s initiative. Sean really likes celebrating anniversaries and having a party. Great venue, sorry about the weather! Thanks, too, to John Funder who has provided the wine for tonight’s celebration from his own vineyard. Thirdly, thanks to all of you for coming this evening, especially during the oppressive weather we have been experiencing recently in Melbourne. Your presence is most appreciated and, I can assure you, is really quite overwhelming. And fourthly, a small correction to the invitation which the College sent you. It was my oversight entirely. It said on the invitation that I had eleven companions on the day I entered the Jesuit novitiate at Loyola College, Watsonia, on February 1st, 1954. As a matter of strict fact there were thirteen of us, not twelve – six from Xavier College, three from St. Ignatius College, Riverview, in Sydney, two from St. Louis School in Perth, one from Gregory Terrace in Brisbane and one from the Jesuit parish of Sevenhill in Adelaide. But one of our number, a very quick learner – he was dux of Riverview – left the novitiate the next morning. Hence, very quickly, we were twelve instead of the original thirteen of the night before. 4 16 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 We were joined by two others in the course of 1954, so we were fourteen novices altogether at one stage. Of these, two further left as novices, two left as scholastics, and three left subsequently as priests – so a 50% survival rate! Of the seven who survived, two have died, Tony Walsh and Tim Quinlan, so there are five of us left. Terry Kelly and Julian Slatterie are here with me at High Table this evening, Bob Bruce is at St. Aloysius College in Sydney, and Tom Keogh has been for over fifty years in the Australian Jesuit Mission in Hazaribagh in India. Tom is the real hero of the 1954 cohort, contributing mightily to Jesuit education in India at the highest levels. 5 When we entered the Jesuit novitiate on February 1st, 1954, there were 347 Jesuits in Australia, and 123 of these were in training either as novices or as scholastics/seminarians. The numbers peaked for the Australian Province in 1963 when there were 404 Jesuits, of whom 156 were in training. Today there are 133 Jesuits in the Australian Province, only 11 of whom are in training. We have two young men entering the novitiate in Mount Druitt, Sydney, on Sunday, Joshua Choong, 37, and Brett O’Neill, 32, not quite as young as most of us were in 1954. So, let’s pray for them and let’s pray and hope for a further increase in vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. The extraordinary thing, however, is that, despite the dramatic decline in manpower, the Australian Jesuit Province is involved in about twice the number of ministries it was involved in in 1954. When I was at Xavier in 1953 there were 26 Jesuits and 18 lay teachers for a total school population – Xavier, Burke and Kostka Halls – of just on 1000 students. Now there are 200 lay teachers and only two Jesuits in a school of over 2,200 students. In this, as in so many other of our Jesuit ministries, the laity have taken up the slack. It has been the most significant transition not only in Jesuit ministries but in the Australian Church as a whole over the last 60 years. I know I speak for all my Jesuit confreres when I say how grateful we are for the way in which we have been supported by the laity not only in the actual ministries themselves – in education, social welfare and pastoral care – but also in various lay/Jesuit boards and councils, in offering advice and expertise and, of course, in financial support. As an eminent predecessor of mine at Newman, Father Gerald Daily,S.J., 3 The Jesuit Provincial addressing the Dinner. 4 The Reverend Canon Professor John Morgan with the Provincial of the Society of Jesus, Father Steve Curtin SJ. used to say – and he said he was quoting that most practical of women, St. Teresa of Avila – “Very little good and very little evil can be done without money.” I know personally that, apart from the ten years I have spent in seminaries in ecclesiastical education and the ten years in universities and secular education, I have hardly ever worked in a ministry that has involved more than two or three Jesuits. My lay colleagues have done the heavy lifting, and I am profoundly grateful to so many of you out there tonight with whom I have had the privilege of working. If the Jesuit enterprise in Australia is alive and flourishing – and I think that it is – it is in large part due to so many dedicated and expert lay colleagues who, often at no small personal cost, have joined themselves to us. May I take the opportunity of this 60th anniversary to salute and thank you all. John Henry Newman, the patron of this College, once wrote: “To live is to change, and to be perfect is to change often.” If this is the case, this is my sole claim to perfection. I’ve changed Jesuit communities many times over the past 60 years – just on twenty times to be exact. Most of these changes have been regular and predictable, but about once every decade or so something quite different has emerged more or less out of the blue. Although initially this has been more than a little disconcerting, in the end I have been profoundly grateful. I mean no disrespect to my erstwhile Provincial Superiors and their consultors who made these decisions, but on most of these occasions I may, at least initially, have said to myself: “Here we go again. This must be the will of God, because no sensible human being would have made this particular decision!” It usually takes me about eighteen months for me to realize that the decision might also have been sensible from a human point of view! When I entered the Jesuits all I wanted to do was to go back to Xavier College, join the Jesuit community there, teach a few classes and coach cricket and football. At the end of two years in the novitiate and three years studying scholastic philosophy, I was scheduled to go to the university. 5 Ray and Margaret Wilson with Chris Marshall and Jane Page. N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 17 6 I was initially enrolled, precisely in view of a career in secondary education, in English, History and Ancient Greek and Latin. But about a week before the first term began, Father Noel Ryan,S.J., who was in charge of Jesuit university studies at the time, made the mistake of going to a Melbourne University Philosophy Conference at Portsea. It was the height of British linguistic and analytic philosophy, and Noel was both bedazzled and challenged by it. So I was withdrawn from English, History, Greek and Latin – and in effect from secondary education – and launched on Philosophy Honours. “It must be the will of God” I’m sure I would have said, as then at least I was a pious and obedient Jesuit scholastic! they call it?” I thought:”This is a strange question for a distinguished prelate and a knight of the realm to be asking a celibate male religious.” So, I replied very circumspectly: “Not much.” it was less than three years since the first IVF baby, Louise Brown, was born in July, 1978. “Well, neither does anybody else,” the Archbishop replied, “but the Western Australian Government is setting up an IVF Ethics Committee and they want a Catholic representative. You’re it.” So, I moved from moral philosophy and jurisprudence to bioethics, and thirty odd years later and membership of over twenty clinical and human research ethics committees in universities, hospitals and research institutes, I’m still at it. It, too, must have been the will of God! Then, ten years later, in 1970, when I had managed to make some headway in Philosophy, mainly in the Philosophy of law and the relation of law to morality, and I had completed theological studies and was ordained, I was appointed to Canisius College in Sydney. From there I was to take up a research fellowship in jurisprudence at the University of Sydney Law School. During theology I had completed a Diploma of Jurisprudence at the Law School, where there was a flourishing school of legal philosophy under the leadership of Professor Julius Stone and Tony Blackshield. I had moved to Sydney, books and all, when there was a call from the Provincial, Father Peter Kelly,S.J., to return to Melbourne. There was a vacancy as Dean of Newman that Gerald Daily, the then Rector, said must be filled by a Jesuit. Thus began a career of twenty eight years in four university colleges, fifteen years of which have been at Newman. So, once again, it must have been the will of God! I could go on. Ten years later, in August, 1990, when I was Rector of Newman and we were celebrating the centernary of the death of Cardinal Newman in the Great Hall of the National Gallery with John Funder as the guest speaker, Peter Steele, the then Provincial, drew me aside and said: “You are to be the next Provincial.” I’m not sure that was the will of God. I was once at a meeting of Jesuit Superiors subsequently and we were talking about some of the difficulties a Superior encounters in exercising that role, and I said that I quite enjoyed being Jesuit Provincial. There was a general sharp intake of breath, and then one of the assembled brethren said not exactly sotto voce: “You would!” He evidently thought it was the permissive, rather than the active, will of God – like, “Why does God let the innocent suffer?” Then, again a decade later, in 1980, I was happily ensconced as Rector of St. Thomas More College in Perth, also Chaplain to the University of Western Australia and lecturing in moral philosophy at a couple of Colleges of Advanced Education, when I had a ring from the Archbishop of Perth. He rejoiced in the wonderful Arthurian name of Archbishop Sir Lancelot Goody. Could I make an appointment to see him? When I arrived he was, as usual, blunt and to the point: “What do you know about this IVF,” he said, “ in vitro fertilization, I think . 18 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 And then finally in 2003, I was living at the Jesuit presbytery in Toowong in Brisbane. I was gathering some first-hand bioethics experience working as the hospital ethicist at the Mater Hospital complex in South Brisbane – paediatric intensive care rounds on a Tuesday, private hospital intensive care rounds on a Wednesday, public hospital intensive care rounds on a Thursday and neonatal intensive care rounds on a Friday. Mark Raper, the Provincial, took me out for a cup of coffee. He seemed very interested in, and supportive of, the coalface ethical experience I was having at the Mater. 7 Then he sprang the surprise: “Andy Bullen has been ten years as Rector of Jesuit Theological College. He needs a break. I’d like you to succeed him in mid-year.” I was flabbergasted. Then he added: “ And Peter L’Estrange has been thirteen years at Newman. He also needs a break. There’s a new chap at Newman as Deputy Rector, Sean Burke. I hear he’s very experienced and very competent. Could you also fill in as Acting Rector at Newman – a figurehead?” So, in the mornings I’d walk from Jesuit Theological College to Newman, and after lunch I’d tread the same path back from Newman to JTC, thinking of all the exercise I was getting and not exactly muttering: “ The will of God – must be – no sensible human being would load you with two Rectorships, let alone with Sean Burke as well!” So, more or less every ten years of my Jesuit life a significant change has happened. In 1960 the change was in effect from a career in secondary education to a career in tertiary education. In 1970 I left Sydney and the Law School for Melbourne and Newman College. In 1980 the change was from legal and moral philosophy to bioethics and to clinical and human research ethics committees. In 1990 I left the students of Newman College for the Jesuits of the Australian Province. As Pat O’Sullivan is reputed to have said: “Being Provincial is like being the driver of a truckload of drunken footballers.” So, Newman was a good preparation! And finally in 2003 I exchanged the intensive care wards of the Mater Hospital for Jesuit Theological College. Again, not a bad preparation! 6 Father Chris Willcock SJ with Sally and Francis Moore. 7 Allan and Maria Myers with Father Andrew Hamilton SJ. 8 So, I do recall frequently John Henry Newman: “To live is to change, and to be perfect is to change often.” The next instalment is just about due. I hope the Provincial is not listening! A very good friend of mine, Kay Cole, sent me a book this week. It’s called: “You Only Get One Innings.” It’s by a South Australian schoolteacher turned journalist, Barry Nicholls. The blurb on the back cover says it is “a backyard memoir on how cricket can change your life.” Some of the chapter headings are very pertinent – I’m sure Kay knew what she was doing when she sent me the book. They read as follows: Prologue: The shadow shot. One: Slow is good. Two: Appreciate your generation. Three: Trust your instincts. Four: Respect what has gone before. Five: Dream big. Six: We all need a community. Seven: Value work, however menial. Eight: Take risks. Nine: People make things happen. Ten:Hope. Eleven: Build good partnerships. Twelve: Develop a love of reading. Thirteen: Keep it simple. Fourteen: Know your limitations. Fifteen: No pain, no gain. Sixteen: You only get one innings. Seventeen: Know when to quit. Eighteen: Play like you’re a kid. Nineteen: Don’t drink too much. Twenty: Everything is not as it seems. Twenty-one: Leave sporting heroes to childhood. Twenty-two: Enjoy where you’re at now. Twenty-three: T20 isn’t cricket. Twenty-four: Cricket’s not that important. 8 Carole Hart and Professor Jack Martin. N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 19 9 12 After sixty years as a Jesuit I’ve had a very good innings. I’ve been lucky enough to be dropped a number of times in the slips and have LBW decisions reversed on appeal. As I’ve indicated, there have been more than a few surprises – shortpitched Mitch Johnson bumpers aimed at the head – but, as Ian Chappell would say, you either learn to hook or you get hurt. I’ve had some bruises, one or other ecclesiastical missiles in mid-innings that I didn’t quite avoid! But if I have survived, there are so many people in the team that I have to thank – forgive me, it’s a long list. First of all, may parents, Bill and Mary, and my family, Mary, my sister who died much too prematurely in 1987, and my brother, John, his wife, Fay, and their family – seven of them with their spouses and children, all there on Table 1. I’ve even had a grand-nephew here at Newman, Lachlan. For the most part he managed very wisely to conceal the relationship from the other students! 10 11 20 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 Secondly, my teachers and supervisors: school, seminary, university. In the first instance, the Sisters of St. Joseph at St. Roch’s School, Glen Iris. thanks to them I’m very good at spelling, I’m a pedant at punctuation, I still know how to parse and I know the difference between a direct object and a complement – very important for foreign languages! Then, there are the Jesuits and lay teachers at Xavier College, to whom above all, under God, I owe my vocation as a Jesuit: Paul Keenan, Jerry Owens, Dan Fitzpatrick, Walmsley Smith, Jimmy Dynon, Paddy Stephenson, Lud Van Baer, Joe O’Dwyer. My guides and lecturers in the seminaries at Watsonia and Pymble: Ned Riordan, John Begley, Pat McEvoy, Jim Flynn, Tony Finn, Bill Dalton, Peter Kelly, Dermot Hogan, Bill Daniel, Peter Kenny, Phil Gleeson, Noel Ryan, Des Durnin. The lecturers and supervisors at the Universities of Melbourne, Sydney and Oxford: at Melbourne Max Charlesworth, here tonight, Eric D’Arcy, David Armstrong, John and Mary McCloskey, Camo Jackson (whose son, Frank, is also with us tonight); Ilmar Tammelo, Tony Blackshield and John Traill at Sydney Law School; and Tony Kenny, Richard Hare, Justin Gosling, John Ackrill and Philippa Foot at Oxford. 13 Three very special diocesan priests: Tom Considine at East Malvern and Patrick Loughnan and Vin Arthur at Glen Iris, where I was an altar boy for many years. Then, there are the people I’ve served with, and learned from, on so many boards, councils, Heads of University Colleges and ethics committees, and the groups whom I’ve been privileged to serve as a chaplain in the Teams of Our Lady and the Christian Life Community. There are the Jesuit and lay staff with whom I’ve worked mainly in university colleges; here at Newman especially, but also at St. Thomas More College and St. Catherine’s College in Perth, and St. Leo’s College in Brisbane; also at JTC and Toowong. And don’t forget the students – God bless them – both graduate and undergraduate with whom I’ve lived in university colleges for almost thirty years – always challenging, at times exasperating, but mostly delighting. Finally, my friends: men and women – I need say no more – and my Jesuit brethren – as Chapter 6 said in “You Only Get One Innings”: “We all need a community.” Thanks to you all once again for coming this evening, especially to my fellow novices, Terry and Julian. Thanks to Steve, Father Provincial, to Bishop Greg and to my brother, John, for their (mostly) kind words, and to Archbishop Denis Hart, who has graced us with his presence. Denis and I were together at Xavier, albeit separated by about five years, and he is now the very supportive chairman of the Newman College Council. And finally, of course, thanks to the Provost, Sean Burke, and to the staff at Newman for making this happen. I feel and know that I am very privileged. I never thought in those 60 years that I have been a Jesuit that I would live to see a Jesuit Pope. But it is another one of those surprises that overtakes us. He said recently about being a Jesuit: “Being a Jesuit means being a person of incomplete thought, of open thought – because he is always thinking by looking at the horizon of the even greater glory of God who surprises us endlessly.” Sometimes I think that I have had enough of surprises. But in my better moments, even after 60 years, I look forward to those new horizons Pope Francis commends to Jesuits. 9 Cherry Collins, Gonni Runia and Professor Hugh Collins, former Master of Ormond College. 10 Fellow Diamond Jubilee Jesuits, Father Julian Saltterie SJ and Father Terry Kelly SJ, with former Collegian, Dr Richard O’Bryan. 11 The brothers Uren, John and William, with Professor Gabriel McMullen. 12 Former Collegians Alice Mulhebach, Naomita Royan and Louise McInerney with Alistair Pound. 13 Aneleise Gannon and Will Bell with Noa Ascheich and Liran Haim. 14 Professor Margaret Manion IBVM with Professor Andrew McGowan, Warden of Trinity College and Dr Felicity Harley-McGowan. 14 N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 21 1 2 Cardinal Newman Dinner 27 february 2014 The Cardinal Newman Dinner was held on the 27th February, 2014, during Orientation Week, and to coincide with a visit to Australia by former Collegian, James Gorman, who agreed to be our guest speaker. Mr Gorman is the Chairman and Chief Executive officer of Morgan Stanley, a global finanical services firm. Mr. Gorman joined Morgan Stanley in 2006 and held a variety of executive positions before being appointed CEO in 2010. Before joining Morgan Stanley, Mr. Gorman was a senior executive at Merrill Lynch. Prior to Merrill Lynch, Mr. Gorman was a senior partner of McKinsey & Co. based in New York. Earlier in his career, Mr. Gorman was an attorney in Melbourne, Australia. Among his civic activities, Mr. Gorman serves on the Federal Advisory Council to the U.S. Federal Reserve Board, the Board of Overseers of the Columbia Business School, the Monetary Authority of Singapore International Advisory Panel, the Financial Services Forum, and the boards of the Partnership for New York City and Institute of International Finance. He formerly co-chaired the Business Committee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and served on the board and as Chairman (2006) of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association in Washington, D.C. Born in Australia, Mr. Gorman earned a B.A. and Law degree from the University of Melbourne, during which time he was a resident of Newman College, and an M.B.A. from Columbia University. 22 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 Well over 200 students, former Collegians and friends of the College attended the Dinner. At the conclusion of his address, which centred around the recent global financial crisis, Mr Gorman took a number of questions from the audience. Former Collegian, and current member of the Council, Ms Alice Muhlebach, gave the ‘vote of thanks’ to Mr Gorman. 1. Father Rector with Maria Myers and Melissa Byrne. 2. Emmeline McFadyen, Keith Grabau and Moira Peters. 3. The Provost with Professor Ed Byrne, Vice-Chancellor of Monash University and Professor Jim Best, former Collegian, current member of the Newman College Council, and Head of the Medical School at the University of Melbourne. 4. Former Collegians, Alice Muhlebach, Ben Kiely and Naomita Royan. 5. Professor Doris Young, Father Gerry Healy SJ, and former Collegian, current member of the Council of the College, and Federal Minister, Kevin Andrews. 6. James Gorman with second year Commerce student, Helen Zhou. 7. Former Collegians Gerardine Dillon and Joseph Butler with Michael Gannon. 3 4 5 6 7 N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 23 8 9 10 11 12 13 8. Phil Lukies with former Collegians Janet Whiting (also a current member of the College Council) and Justice Bernie Bongiorno. 9. Dr Mark McCombe and James Gorman. 10. James Gorman with former Collegian and current member of the College Council, Alice Muhlebach. 11. Justice Susan Crennan, Justice Leo Hart, Michael Crennan and Justice Joseph Santamaria. 12. Helen Gannon, Sue Cunnigham, Vice Principal, University of Melbourne, and Mark McCombe. 13. Former Collegians Professor Jack Martin and James Gorman with Father Gerry Healy SJ. 14. Former Chaplain and SCR member, Josh Puls, with former President of the Students’ Club, Alex Eastwood. 14 24 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 During Orientation Week this year, at our first Formal Dinner, two students addressed the gathering; a student who is in his fourth year in the College, and another who has only been here a few weeks. Here are extracts from their speeches: Orientation 2014 Good evening Father Rector, Mr Provost, Ladies and Gentlemen. Sean has very kindly invited me to speak tonight on the topic of what makes Newman special… if anything. A difficult topic and one that I really hope I can do justice. First, a little bit about myself. I started at Newman in the O-Week of 2011. I had just completed two years in the boarding house at Xavier College – a place where I felt I survived by withdrawing as much as possible to the safety of the ‘boardo’. So much so that on my last day of Year 12, I still wouldn’t have felt comfortable walking into the Year 12 common room at lunch time. That is not to say that my time there was miserable by any means. I received a wonderful education, and boarding life was never boring. But it wasn’t until I became a part of Newman College that I felt truly happy. But it didn’t happen straightaway. O-week was awkward. It was week of forgetting people’s names, forgetting dance moves, and forgetting my keys. First semester at university was also a shock to me. No longer could I coast along on the bare minimum of study – and it really wasn’t until the latter stages of my first year here that I realised I was beginning to feel at home here – my new friends and I were starting to talk about things more important than just our favourite sporting teams or class results. I began to realise that this place is special. When I was told that the measure of success here was based on how we changed as individuals, I treated it with suspicion. Somewhat arrogantly I thought that I was doing alright for myself and that I had enough maturity to last me a lifetime. I now cringe at my naivety. Now that I am embarking on postgraduate study I feel that it is the right time to reflect on what I have learned in the past three years, and although I profess no great knowledge, I will attempt to answer the question, what is it about this institution that makes it so special? Here are a few of my thoughts about what Newman is. When you are feeling confident, Newman is a springboard. It is every opportunity you could wish for, with a safety net underneath waiting to catch you. When you are feeling lost and overwhelmed, it is a refuge. N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 25 1 A safe haven with all the professional and academic support to get you back on your feet. And when you are simply in need of a friend, it is over 300 of them. A smarter man than I once said that when your time here comes to an end, not only will you have been changed by Newman, but Newman will have been forever changed by you. He wasn’t talking about scratching your name on the back of your wardrobe door, nor writing your achievements and accolades in the book of Valetants. What he was talking about was the lasting effect each of us have on the lives of our neighbours, and our role in shaping the culture of this community. If God were to take away these fine walls one night, and instead should He see fit that we should live in a simpler dwelling, I would not weep. This College is special. But it has nothing to do with the genius of our great American architect. It is the College of beating hearts and inquisitive minds that is truly special. It is the fundamental belief we have that each person has an innate dignity and undeniable importance that commands our love, respect, and our curiosity. This is what matters, and it transcends gender, race and religion. Our heritage and personalities are the decorations of our College but it is our shared humanity that is the stone upon which everything we do is built. Now, in your time in this place, you won’t hear every story there is to be told. Nor will you bear witness to every gift this community has to offer. But keep your ears peeled and your mind open, and it will be an unforgettable journey. Lastly, I appreciate that I may be describing a College that you don’t yet know. All I can say is, throw yourself into everything you do with gusto, and in the peripherals this place will work its magic. “You have no idea what I’m talking about I’m sure... But don’t worry…You will someday” {Lester Burnham, American Beauty (1999)} Patrick Woods 26 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 Good evening Father Rector, Sister Manion, Mr. Provost, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is a great honour for me to take part at this long lasting tradition in Newman College and to speak at the first Formal Dinner this year. My name is Noa Alsheich, and I am a new resident here at Newman. I have come here to write my PhD thesis at Melbourne University under the MILA scholarship given to me in light of a unique collaboration between the Melbourne Law School and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. My PhD is in the field of comparative criminal law and focuses on offences against property. I came to Australia from the state of Israel. For those of you who heard about my country it probably can be best compare to a Royal Baby – as much as it is little, it gets a lot of headlines. But for those of you who heard only a little if anything about Israel, I will begin by saying that Israel and Australia have several things in common. I am not talking, of course, about the size of the country or the kangaroos and koalas. Rather I mean that Israel also is a very multicultural country. Since I arrived here I heard wonderful, special and enlightening stories about the routes and culture of many in this community. In the few minutes I have I would like to briefly share with you my own story, as I believe it is an example of the importance of multicultural openness and mutual understanding. I choose to share it with you as I was asked to talk about myself and I believe that this story defines who I am. I was born in Jerusalem which is the Capital of the State of Israel. My family’s Jewish roots – the families of Alsheich, Rozenshain and Shaomer – are the paradigm story of the nation of Israel. My father name is Eliyahu. His family immigrated to Israel from Spain more than five hundred years ago. As my family was Jewish, they were asked by the Spanish authorities at that time to choose whether to convert to Catholicism or to leave Spain. They chose to leave and arrived in the land of Israel. As it was life-threatening for Jewish people to live in 2 Israel before it became a state in 1948, my father’s family suffered many casualties over the years; from what was quite a large family, only a few have survived. My mother name is Zehava. The origin of her family is from Poland. My grandparents were the only survivors to their families after the Holocaust. As opposed to my father’s family, my mother’s family never got the chance to leave Poland. My grandmother’s family were well-known Jewish scholars and Rabbis from the city of Krakow. My grandfather was from the city of Lodge. He was married and had one daughter. Both of those great families perished at the Holocaust along with other six million Jews. My grandparents met each other when the war was over in Bergen-Belsen, which was one of the worst Nazis camps on German soil. Before, they were in camps outside of Germany as Auschwitz, Birkenau and Theresienstadt – they survived them all. 3 us the possibility to talk and learn from each other. There are great things to cherish in our history, and others to make sure that will never happen again. My personal view is to listen, learn and respect other people, nations and countries. From my experience you can learn a lot on yourself in this process, whether the matter is you, your roots, your state, or even your legal system. I wish us all a wonderful academic year. Noa Alsheich IN 1947, they attempted to go to Israel in what is considered today as one of the most heroic and famous immigration stories – the story of the ship Exodus. As Israel was a British colony at that time, they were not allowed to land in Israel and after a long fight they were transferred back to Germany. They did make it a year after, in 1948, when the state of Israel was established as a national home to all Jewish people from around the world. In light of my personal story, which is in fact the story of many Israeli families, I also had no doubt that Newman College is the right place for me to reside in Melbourne. Before I came here, but much more today, I greatly appreciate the respectful tradition of the Catholic community here, which emphasizes the strong connection between religion, education, and respect for other religions of all kinds. I am honored and thankful to be part of a community that cherishes these values. I really appreciate Australia for being so hospitable to all nations; this is not a thing that should be taken for granted. I also thank Father Rector, Sean, and Gugliemo, for giving 1 Students first meeting in small groups during Orientation. 2 Noa Alsheich with the Deputy Provost, Dr Guglielmo Gottoli and Dr Liran Haim. 3 Patrick Woods with Michael Francis on his right, and Hana Fraser on his left. N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 27 1 2 Commencement 2014 7 march 2014 On Friday, 7th March, 2014, all of the College gathered in the Chapel for our Commencement Mass which was followed by Dinner in the Dining Room. Over 300 sat down for Dinner, where our guest speaker was former Collegian Kate Torney. Ms Torney, was appointed Director of News at the ABC in April, 2009. Prior to that, she was Head of Asia Pacific News. She has been instrumental in establishing Insiders, Offsiders, Inside Business, Newshour (for AustraliaNetwork) and ABC News Breakfast. Under her leadership ABC News launched News 24, the country’s first free-to-air 24-hour television news channel. 3 28 In a most thoughtful and thought-provoking address, Ms Torney spoke about her career in media, the relationship of the ABC with government and with the public, and about leadership. 1. The Entrance to Commencement Mass. 2. Our guest speaker at the Commencement Dinner, Ms Kate Torney. 3. Arriving for Mass. 4. President of the Senior Common Room, Alicia Deak – Commencement Mass. 4 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 Scholarships 2014 Old Collegians Scholarships: Joseph Curran Xavier College, Kew (Science 2) Geng Zheng Aranmore Catholic College, Western Australia (Biomedicine 1) Myers Family Scholarships: Sam Dent, Monivae College, Hamilton (Science 3) Courtney Essex, Xavier High School, Albury (Science 2) Laura Field, Canberra G.G.S., ACT (Arts 2) Undergraduates The Archbishop’s Scholarship: Eileen Hu, Wilderness School, South Australia (Biomedicine 1) Daniel Lee Guilford Young College, Hobart, Tasmania (Commerce 1) Stephanie Li, Abbotsleigh, NSW (Science 1) Jesuit Scholarships: Daniel Roberts, Monivae College, Hamilton (Science 2) Chloe Pan High School of Peking University, China (Commerce 2) Tiffany Pang Walford A.S., Adelaide, South Australia (Science 1) Esther Chen PLC, Burwood, Victoria (Commerce 1) Robert Medland Somerset College, Queensland (Biomedicine 1) Jenny Pham, Pulteney G.S. Adelaide (Biomedicine 1) Frank & Joan O’Collins Scholarship: Maryanne Lia, Marist-Sion College, Warragul (Science 3) George Timothy Ryan Scholarship: Michael Wei, Brisbane State High School, Queensland (Science 1) Simon Farley Scholarship: Mark Zhang Brisbane State High School, Queensland (Biomedicine 1) Sebastian Reinehr, Xavier College, Kew (Arts 3) Mary Carmel Condon Scholarship: Georgia Chisholm, Assumption College, Kilmore (Environments 3) Meg Carroll Sacred Heart College, Newtown, Geelong (Biomedicine 1) St Thomas More Exhibition: Ben Carmody Xavier College, Kew (Science 1) Peter Norris Scholarship: Helen Zhou Norwood High School, Magill, South Australia (Commerce 2) Father Brian Fleming SJ Scholarships: Sam van den Nieuwenhof Darwin High School, Northern Territory (Arts 3) Paul O’Shea Trinity College, Colac (Arts 2) Cabrini Scholarships: Faolan Ayres, X avier College, Kew (Science 1) Gina and Mark Ryan Scholarship: Michelle Clark Kilmore International School (Biomedicine 3) Michael Scott Scholarship: Amelia Ekkel Sacred Heart College, Newtown (Arts 2) Italian Services Institute Scholarships: Eliza Short Tennison Woods College, Mt Gambier (Science 2) Olivia Franco Marian College, Griffith, NSW (Commerce 1) Father John Begley SJ Scholarship: Tessa Marshall Westbourne Grammar School (Biomedicine 1) N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 29 Margaret and Brendan Dooley Scholarship: Tim McOwan St Patrick’s College, Ballarat (Biomedicine 3) Graduates and Postgraduates Archbishop Mannix Scholarship: Peter Steele SJ Scholarship: Michael Francis Canberra, ACT (MA) Imogen Moore St Michael’s G.S., Hobart, Tasmania (Fine Arts 3) Daniella Zavatti Memorial Scholarship: Frank and Lina Cinotta Scholarship: Melvan Selvamahesan Melbourne High School (Commerce 3) Kate Funder Scholarship: Tom Smardon St Patrick’s College, Ballarat (Science 3) Ellen Wren Scholarship: Micki Tanna Genazzano FCJ College, Kew (Science 2) William John & Mary Cross Scholarship: Charlotte Kavanagh Colac, Victoria (Grad Dip Education) Gannon Family Scholarships: Christina Jovanovic Kingsgrove, NSW (DDS 4) Ali Teasdale Bendigo, Victoria (M Nursing 2) Kate Funder Scholarship: Nathaniel Huynh Melbourne, Victoria (MD 2) Myers Family Scholarships Mitchell Black Benalla, Victoria (PhD) Ella Trimboli MLC, Perth (Environments 3) Ariane Florent Melbourne, Victoria (M Clinical Psychology) Eldon Hogan Scholarship: Iee Sun You Auckland, New Zealand (DDS 1) Michael Woodburn Xavier College, Kew (Science 3) Daniel and Margaret O’Connor Scholarship: Gannon Family Scholarship: Daniel Sinnott Warnambool, Victoria (MD 1) Hadley Black Benalla S.C., Benalla (Science 2) Margaret and Brendan Dooley Scholarships: Sir Michael Chamberlin Scholarship: Nicholas Goulding Greensborough, Victorai (MD 1) Conor Dickson St Patrick’s College, Ballarat (Biomedicine 2) Michael Keem Ballarat, Victoria (MD 3) The Victor Fox Foundation Music Scholarships Ben Wong Perth, Western Australia (D Optometry 4) Liam Torney St Ignatiius College, Drysdale (Music 1) Stephanie Pidcock Loreto, Mandeville Hall (Music 1) Amelia le Plastrier Hunter Valley Grammar School, NSW (Music 1) Peter Steele SJ Scholarship: Sophia McQuillan Geelong, Victoria (M Teaching 1) Frank Maher Prize: Paul King Ballarat, Victoria (JD 2) Liam Headland St Joseph’s College, Geelong (Music 1) Nat Bonnaci Scholarships: Claire Block Monivae College, Hamilton (Music 2) Sannan Ijaz Lahore, Pakistan (M Engineering 1) Penny Latham Lauriston Girls School, Armadale (Music 2) Patrick Woods Wagga Wagga, NSW (M Engineering 1) Robert Muirhead Home Schooled (Music 2) O’Dwyer Family Scholarships: Maximilian Rudd St Joseph’s College, Geelong (Music 2) Ryan Marsden-Smith Bendigo, Victoria (M Engineering 2) Guillermo Aranguren Venezuela (Commerce 3) Jim Peters Scholarships: Sean Keem Ballarat, Victoria (MD 1) Jessica Beh Singapore (MD 3) 30 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 rector’s exhibitions Charis Kho Singapore (MD 1) Noa Alsheich Jerusalem, Israel (PhD – Law) Paul King Ballarat, Victoria (JD 2) Jorge Andrade Ecuador, (M Urban Planning 2) Abigail Leong Singapore (MD 1) Kathryn Azzopardi St Clair, NSW (D Opt. 1) Herianto Lim Indonesia (PhD – Physics) Tristan Beale Melbourne, Victoria (JD 3) Michelle Mannering NSW (M Global Media & Comm. 2) Emma Bechaz Warragul, Victoria, (JD 1) Arshiya Mediratta India (M Global Media & Comm. 1) Jessica Beh Singapore (MD 3) Kira Merigan Melbourne, Victoria (MD 1) Patrick Burke Melbourne, Victoria (JD 1) Di Miao China (JD 1) Aravind Burla India (M Management 2) Shakti Nambiar India (JD 1) Wee Chaimanowong Thailand (M Science {Physics} 1) Ben O’Shea Ballarat, Victoria (B. Biomedicine {Hons.}) Johnny Chen Jiang China (M Eng. {Mechanical} 2) Dulanjalee Panagodage Canada (DVM 1) Yik Sheng Cheng Malaysia (MD 3) Alex Pham Singapore (DVM 2) Sebastian Cheung Artarmon, NSW (D Opt 3) Patorn Piromchai Thailand (PhD – Medicine) David Clifford Melbourne, Victoria (MD 2) Nicole Plati Canada (M Audiology 1) Alicia Deak Melbourne, Victoria (B. Arts / B. Theology) Gaille Ramos Philippines (M. Music {Performance Teaching} 2) Mahesha Dombagolla Auburn, NSW (MD 1) Jay Son South Korea (PhD – Computer Science) Phillip Dowling Canberra, ACT (M Eng. {Electrical} 1) Rachel Taylor Townsville, Queensland(MD 1) Alex Duan China (M Science {Physics} 1) Adrianus Thio Indonesia (MD 3) Jenny Fiegel Illinois, USA (JD 2) Tracey Tian China (M Finance 2) Michael Francis Canberra, ACT (MA {History}) Patricio Vera Castillo Chile (M. Applied Linguistics 1) Hana Fraser Victoria (B. Biomedicine {Hons.}) Doreen Wang China, (Arts 2) Jayami Ganepola Auckland, New Zealand (D Opt. 3) Andrew Wang Auckland, New Zealand (MD 2) Haylene Goh Bunbury, Western Australia (M. Audiology 1) Jessica Woods South Morang, Victoria (DDS 1) Nicholas Goulding Greensborough, Victoria (MD 1) Patrick Woods Wagga Wagga, NSW (M. Eng. (Electrical} 1) Tamara Gunasena Sunnybank, Queensland (DDS 1) Bishoy Hanna Wahroonga, NSW (MD 1) Eugene Ho Edinburgh, Scotland (M. Engineering) Poh Hui Ho Malaysia (M. Architecture) Yu Xia China (M. Management {Accounting} 2) Joel Yong Singapore (PhD – Engineering) Xiaoping Zhu China (M Public Policy Management 1) Gen Holland Boort, Victoria (B. Radiology) Kieran Isles Maribyrnong, Australia (PhD – Earth Sciences) Michael Keem Ballarat, Victoria (MD 3) N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 31 Senior Common Room 2014 The Senior Common Room of 2014 includes seventy-nine students, of whom seventy-four are in residence. Fifty-two of these students are returning to the College in 2014. Most of the students are engaged in graduate studies (coursework or research) and eight are PhD candidates. Here we feature some of the SCR. Mitchell Black, Liran Haim and Noa Alscheich. Mitchell Black joined the College in 2006 from Benalla Secondary College. He has completed, with distinction, a BSc, BSc(Hons), and MSc at the University of Melbourne and is well on his way towards a PhD. The recipient of numerous scholarships and bursaries (Donovan, Madiros and Myers Family) in his time in College for academic excellence, Mitchell is now the Senior Tutor at Newman College. Over the years, he has played a major role in organising many of our community service projects. From Jerusalem, Noa Alscheich is with us in 2014 enrolled in PhD studies at the Hebrew University as part of their exchange programme with the Law Faculty at the University of Melbourne. Her husband, Dr Liran Haim, is a member of the Faculty of Law, University of Haifa and Bar-IIan University. In 2014, he is lecturing in the Law Faculty of the University of Melbourne. Joel Yong and Herianto Lim. Joel Yong, from Singapore, arrived at Newman College in early 2013. He has a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the National University of Singapore and a Masters in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois. He is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne in the area of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Herianto Lim joined Newman College in 2012. From Indonesia, Herianto has a BSc and MSc from the University of Melbourne and is now engaged in PhD studies in Physics. 32 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 Jorge Andrade and Gaille Ramos. Jorge Andrade joined us in 2012 and will complete his Master of Urban Planning this year. From Ecuador, he was awarded a scholarship from the Secretariat for Superior Education of the Ecuadorian Government to undertake graduate studies in Australia. He has an architecture degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Quito. All were delighted that Jorge’s wife, Veronica, joined us in the College in 2014. They were married at Christmas. Gaille Ramos will complete her Masters in Music Performance degree later this year. From the Philippines, Gaille has a Bachelor of Music from St Scholastica’s College, Manila. Patorn Piromchai, Michael Francis with the 2014 President of the Students’ Club, Peter Catterson (Commerce 3). Dr Patorn Piromchai came to us from Thailand in 2012 from the Department of Otorhinolarynglogy, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University. He has a MD from that University. He is now engaging in PhD studies at the University of Melbourne. Michael Francis joined Newman College from Casuarina Senior College, Darwin, in 2010. He was awarded his BA(Honours) in 2013, and is presently engaged in a MA with his research on Archbishop Mannix and the issue of conscription. Michael has been the recipient of numerous scholarships during his time in College including the Archbishop Mannix Scholarship and the Peter Steele SJ Scholarship. Patrick Burke, Tim Gorton and Jack Fang. Patrick Burke is from Xavier College in Melbourne and is in his fifth year in College. Patrick completed a B. Commerce and Diploma in Mathematics last year and is in first year of the JD. Patrick was Treasurer of the Students’ Club in 2012. Jack Fang was born in China, and his family migrated to Australia when he was three. Jack joined Newman College in 2009 and completed his B. Commerce (Honours) in Actuarial Studies and is now working with a firm in the City. At the start of 2014, Jack moved out of College and is now a non-residential member. He is Treasurer of the SCR and a long-time member of the Choir. Shakti Nambiar, Haylene Goh and Jayami Ganepola. Shakti Nambiar was educated at St Xavier’s College in Mumbai and at the University of Mumbai (BA). She joined the College this year to read for the JD. Haylene Goh comes from Dalyellup in Western Australia. She completed a Science degree at the University of Western Australia, and joined Newman College and the University of Melbourne at the start of 2014 to read for a Masters degree in Audiology. From New Zealand, but born in Sri Lanka, Jayami Ganeploa joined Newman College in 2012 to read for a Doctor of Optometry at the University of Melbourne. Her undergraduate studies were at the University of Auckland. N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 33 34 Third year Music student from Ballarat, Ellan Hyde, SCR member, Tristan Beale and Father Chris Horvat SJ. Tristan Beale joined the College in 2011. A long-serving member of the Choir he has degrees in Engineering (RMIT University), a Masters of Engineering Structures from the University of Melbourne and is now in the JD programme. First year Biomedicine student Mark Zhong from Brisbane State High School, with SCR member, Paul King. Paul joined Newman College in 2010 from St Patrick’s College in Ballarat. After an undergraduate degree in Journalism from the RMIT University, Paul is now in the second year of the JD programme at the University of Melbourne. Paul, a recipient of numerous scholarships over the years, was a member of the General Committee in 2012, and was awarded the Frank Maher Prize in 2014. Josh Chang, Timothy Gorton and Alicia Deak. From Brunswick Secondary College, Josh Chang joined the College at a non-residential member in 2011 at the age of fourteen! He has completed a BA degree and is now engaged in Honours studies. Josh has experienced two periods of study in Italy. The last, in Semester 2, 2013, where he was engaged in studies at the Università per Stranieri di Siena. Josh is the recipient of the Dante Alighieri Scholarship from the Dante Alighieri Society and the Father G. Daily SJ Travelling Scholarship from the College. Josh is a major contributor to our music programme in the College. Timothy Gorton has spent five of the last six years as a resident of the College. Firstly as an undergraduate (BArts), and latterly as a JD student. He graduated in 2013. From Xavier College in Melbourne, Tim was a member of the General Committee in 2010. Alicia Deak, the 2014 President of the SCR, is in her final year of a double degree in Arts (University of Melbourne) and Divinity (University of Divinity). She was a member of the General Committee in 2010 and is a former student of Loreto, Mandeville Hall. Yik Sheng Cheng, Jenny Fiegel and Sebastian Cheung. Yik Sheng Cheng is in his third year of the MD at the University of Melbourne. He joined the College in 2012 after spending his undergraduate years at St Mary’s College whilst reading for a degree in Biomedicine. In recent years, Yik has been instrumental in organising the Michael Scott Art Prize and tutoring for disadvantaged school students in the surrounding areas. Jenny Fiegel came to Newman College at the start of 2013 to read for the JD at the University of Melbourne. From Illinois in the USA, she has a BA from the Loyola University, Chicago, and prior to her arrival in Australia, worked as part of the Teach for America programme. In the last summer break, Jenny undertook an internship at a large law firm in Shanghai. From Sydney, Sebastian Cheung joined the College in 2012 to read for the Doctor of Optometry at the University of Melbourne. He has an undergraduate degree in Biotechnology from the University of Technology, Sydney and was schooled at St Ignatius College, Riverview N ewm an Autumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num ber 1 The address given by Michael McGirr at the Dinner held for the Council, some parents and students of the College in the Dining Room on Wednesday, 16th April, 2014. The healing mind It is great for us to be able to come together like this on Wednesday night during Holy Week. In a couple of days, on Good Friday, most of us will gather more quietly to hear once again the story of the passion and death of Jesus. When I say ‘again’, I don’t mean this in any tired sense. The passion story is inexhaustible. With every year, I find it more confronting and in some ways more confusing. I sometimes tell the teenage students whom I teach at school that one of the main reasons I am still a believer after all this time is that I don’t understand Christianity yet. If I did, it would mean my God was too small and too much under my control. The death of Jesus was, in its time, a tiny historical event, yet one which reveals the incalculable scale of God’s love. It is the most important thing that ever happened in the entire human story. Yet it almost passed unnoticed. We do need to find fresh heart for the passion story. The world of which we are a part has become desensitised to it. One reason for this is that we are habituated to so many images of violence. We live in a visual culture, one in which our eyes are expected to do work which should be borne by our whole being. The pornography of violence makes it harder to stop and appreciate what Jesus experienced. At least this is one thing we shared with Jesus’ contemporaries. If they noticed what was happening on that grim afternoon, it was perhaps as a form of entertainment, a momentary distraction from more important realities. As I took teenagers through Mark’s story this year, I was struck by the repeated use of the phrase ‘passer by.’ It seems that nobody was there by choice, least of all the soldiers. There is no escaping the poignancy of the words of the centurion at the end of Mark’s crucifixion: ‘Surely this was God’s son.’ If you were a Roman soldier in those days, a posting to Judea, the last province of the empire, was hardly a status symbol. These soldiers were on the way to nowhere. They were nothing if not crude. They performed hundreds of crucifixions and were good at creating entertainment out of routine violence. The centurion was their ringleader. To put it mildly, he was not a nice guy. Heaven only knows what experiences in life can lead to someone inflicting such wilful damage on a fellow human being. Yet the story shows that, by the end, this man had experienced something that could N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 35 1 only be called healing. His mind and heart were open; he had become sensitive to the reality of another. Not only that, but the community of Mark, struggling in Rome sometime in the 60s and no stranger to Roman oppression, chose to honour this story. The community had experienced such healing that they were able to give the crucial moment in their crucial story to the voice of a man from whom they had much to fear and dread. Our own need for healing can help us experience the passion of Jesus as something we have never quite heard before. A vision of healing is very much at the foundation of this wonderful community at Newman College. Newman College opened its doors in 1918, in a world that had been deeply brutalised by the trauma of World War I. As we approach the centenary this August of the outbreak of that war, our thoughts will all be turned to one of the most tender sores in western history. Newman College was planned and envisaged well before World War I even started, but 1918 was a providential year for new beginnings. This community was an expression of more than Catholic social aspiration and more than a facility at the service of individual careers. It was an embodiment of the belief that healing owes a great deal more than we often recognise to the life of the mind. We often imagine that our minds are at the service of our egos. That is ultimately to suffocate them. I sometimes think that that tweedy Oxford don, J R R Tolkien, would have been at home here, although, these days, he would have been asked to take his pipe out to Swanston Street where he could have chatted with the ever-watchful parking inspectors. Tolkien is emerging for me as a central figure in the story of the twentieth century. He was always interested in languages and as passionate about their preservation as other people are about protecting endangered species. Two things happened to him in 1916 when he was 24. The first is that he married Edith who, like him, had been an orphan. They found sanctuary in each other. The second is that he signed up and took a commission in the Lancashire Fusiliers. He and his regiment were behind the lines of the 36 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 2 first day of the Somme, July 1, 1916. Tolkien did not see action on the Somme until July 14. But that fortnight of waiting left a significant mark. Tolkien saw the injured and heard tales of despair about the carnage that he never forgot. Years later, when He came to create one of his most lovable characters, Sam Gamgee, he said that he was paying honour to the good-natured vulnerability of the ordinary soldier. Tolkien was lucky, if you could call it that, to contract trench fever and be repatriated. He spent a good part of the next few years convalescing while Edith shouldered the burden of their young family. Over that time, Tolkien slowly enlarged upon a project he began before the war. He invented a language, Elvish. He knew that every language requires a community and a history, and so the stories that eventually formed the Silmarillion began gradually to surface from the rivers and caves within him. Those stories would finally take shape as one of the few grand narratives of the post war period. In a world that had become broken into many little pieces, Tolkien told a big story about The One. He went to Mass at 7am every day he was working on The Lord of the Rings. Why was Tolkien’s big book so significant? Among the many casualties of World War I was language. The horrors of the great war were so far beyond words that many people became sceptical of the power of language to do justice to human experience. It would take a long time to explore this, but if you think of Joyce’s Ulysses and Eliot’s The Wasteland, both published in 1922, you will realise that they are brittle and incomplete. In them, language is defeated by basic tasks, such as describing a single day in the life of a single person in a single city. Indeed, people have commented upon the 1400 or more war memorials that were built in Australia after the war. They are often impressive. The superb one in Albury, high on the hill that overlooks the city, was the first monument in the world to be flooded by electric light. But these monuments have very few words, usually just dates and names. They offer very little in the way of explanation; they are inarticulate with grief. They have a palpable presence in every community of Australia, but have very little light to shed. 3 Tolkien was among those whose journeys into the deepest recesses of language was profoundly healing. I would not be the first to think that some of the battle landscapes of The Lord of the Rings are closer to the western front than they are to New Zealand. Tolkien insisted, somewhat strangely, that he was an historian, not a myth maker or fantasy writer. He was rebuilding a place called home and using words to do it. John Henry Newman, our patron, would have understood this calling only too well. Newman’s experiences in the 1850’s as rector of the Catholic University of Ireland led to a book of essays book called The Idea of a University. It is built around a vision of a world held together by the humble encounter of the human mind with the mind of God. It is a holistic vision, to employ an over-used expression, one that seeks to stop the world dissolving in fragments. When Newman says of the world that ‘God has so implicated himself with it’, we need look no further than the cross of Jesus to share this vision. For Newman, the pettiness of ego can put blinkers on the mind: All knowledge forms one whole, because its subject matter is one; for the universe in its length and breadth is so intimately knit together, that we cannot separate off portion from portion, and operation from operation, except by a mental abstraction; and then again, as to its Creator, though He of course in His own being is infinitely separate from it … yet He has so implicated himself with it, and taken it into His very bosom, by His presence in it, His providence over it, His impressions upon it, and his influences through it, that we cannot truly or fully contemplate it without in some aspects contemplating Him. The mind plays an undervalued role in healing. I’d like to share something of the story of Ray Parkin, one of the survivors of captivity during World War II on the Thai Burma Railway. Parkin died as recently as 2005, and I only knew his story in outline until I recently met a friend of his. This drew me to the three books Parkin wrote about his wartime experience. Into the Smother, the second of them, deals with his time on what became known as The Line. Alongside The War Diaries of Weary Dunlop, it is one of the most significant acts of witness in Australian culture. 4 Parkin was a member of that almost forgotten clan, the Methodist working class. Born in Collingwood, he was a practical sort of bloke who joined the navy as a teenager. But he was also an autodidact who loved philosophy and read hungrily. Most of all he was an artist and many of the best know images of The Line are his work; they survived because Dunlop hid them under the lid of his operating table. Parkin was on HMAS Perth when it went down in March 1942. In captivity, he had a vital but hidden role in motivating his commander, Weary Dunlop. After Dunlop had been forced to perform yet another major operation without anaesthetic, which was an ordeal for the patient but also pretty hard for the doctor, Dunlop would seek out Parkin and the pair would talk philosophy; Parkin especially liked Spinoza. Parkin would help Dunlop deal with the brutality of his immediate situation by reconnecting him with the broader human family and the nobility of its attempts over many centuries to understand itself. However horrific their current imprisonment, Parkin was tough minded enough to remember that it was not the whole story. Parkin committed himself to draw and paint beautiful things while in captivity. He created hundreds of images of butterflies and orchids, insects and flowers. There was a discipline in this vision that helped him and plenty of others as well. Many of the prisoners collected butterflies for Parkin. Wonderful things will always share the world with dreadful ones. Sometimes it takes courage to see them both with the same pair of eyes. Parkin wrote: 1 First year Biomedicine student Joshua Murray from Glenthompson with his parents, Ian and Sylvia. 2 Joe, Kate and Claire Connellan. 3 Second year Science student, James O’Connor, with his parents, Luke O’Connor and Julie Fitzgerald. 4 The Smith Family – Alex, Paulette and Todd. N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 37 5 A cloud of butterflies of all sorts, large and small. I captured a beautiful specimen, which is the richest I have seen. I hope to paint it Sunday. This changing nature is what I like to watch – time passes while you watch it. He pinned dead butterflies to the bamboo roof of his hut and I believe he allowed those in poor spirits to experience the magic of them fluttering in the air. Years later, Parkin told his biographer, Pattie Wright that ‘the Sistine Chapel had nothing on it.’ Finally, from another time and place, the healing life of the mind is evident in the story of the greatest religious poet in the English language, John Donne (1572–1631). Donne was much admired by the late Fr Peter Steele whom I know this community still misses very much. I am sure Donne also has a place in the affections of many of us; he was a kind of raft for me in my difficult last year at school. In Donne I first encountered the experience of being passionate about God rather than just interested in God. Earlier this year our family was holidaying in northern Tasmania and I found in an op-shop an old school poetry text, used by a student in Year 11 in 1991. The section of Donne was covered in notes, mostly the ideas of an impressive teacher. But near the love poetry the girl had drawn a few love hearts, and I was delighted to see Donne speaking over the intervening miles and centuries to a young woman whose world he could not possibly have imagined. It saddens me that poets such as Donne are much less familiar to students than they were even 20 years ago. Donne had poor credentials as a spiritual explorer and guide. Most of his life seems to have been about advancing his career. He came from no ordinary Catholic family. His forebear was Sir Thomas More, his younger brother, Henry, died in the Tower in 1593 where he had been imprisoned for harbouring a Catholic priest, his uncle was a criminal because he was a Jesuit and his mother lived many years in exile because she was a Catholic. But Donne became an Anglican because that was the best career move. He was nothing if not pragmatic about such things and even wrote a tract saying that martyrdom was really suicide because it was avoidable and, well, silly. 38 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 6 Donne’s marriage to Ann More, ten years his junior, cost him his prestigious job in the public service where he was a rising star. It was a rare miscalculation on his part described by Isaac Walton, his first biographer, as ‘the remarkable error of his life.’ Thereafter, he struggled both financially and socially. The couple had twelve children (five of whom they buried), and Donne was never more lonely than when surrounded by the demands of many noisy little kids. He longed for intellectual and gentlemanly conversation. In 1615, Donne was ordained as a priest. He took this step basically because he was broke and needed to earn money. In 1621, he became the dean of St Paul’s, the main church in London. Donne was a Londoner to the core of his being. One of his many biographers, John Stubbs, wrote: ‘for literary posterity, and the contemporary integrity of the Church, the appointment turned out to be the masterpiece of Jacobean patronage.’ It is hard to fully account for the awesome depth of Donne’s spiritual writing. The meditations he wrote in six weeks in 1623 after a near fatal brush with typhoid, Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, are among the most searching spiritual explorations of death we have. Donne is surely in the same class as creative people such as the composer Gustav Mahler. Mahler is often judged for having become a Catholic simply to secure his position at the Vienna Court Opera. So how can you account for the mysticism of such moments as the Veni Creator Spiritus in his 8th symphony. The answer I believe is that Donne’s mind led ultimately to his heart and let it breathe fresh air. He had plotted and planned his course through life in a calculating and cerebral manner. He worked out the odds of success in every situation. He was the ironmonger’s son who was always going to be a gentleman. But he never knew that he was the egotist that was going to learn humility. This was the work of grace and we all need it. Our minds can be wonderful instruments of healing if we can bear for them to be freed from the entrapment of ego. Donne’s religious poetry has all the passion and verve of his famous love poetry. The difference is that it is less in love with himself. 7 8 Let me finish in Holy Week with a few lines from one of Donne’s more private poems, one written as his life began to turn. It is called Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward. It is about an act of mundane violence at the heart of all creation. Who sees God’s face, that is selfe life, must dye; What a death were it then to see God dye? It made his owne Lieutenant Nature shrinke, It made his footstoole crack, and the Sunne winke. Could I behold those hands which span the Poles, And tune all spheares at once peirc’d with those holes? Could I behold that endlesse height which is Zenith to us, and our Antipodes, Humbled below us? or that blood which is The seat of all our Soules, if not of his, Made durt of dust, or that flesh which was worne By God, for his apparell, rag’d, and torne? If on these things I durst not looke, durst I Upon his miserable mother cast mine eye, Who was God’s partner here, and furnish’d thus Halfe of that Sacrifice, which ransom’d us? Though these things, as I ride, be from mine eye, They’are present yet unto my memory, For that looks towards them; and thou look’st towards mee. 9 10 5 Jim and Maree Ryan with their daughter, Sinead (Science 2). 6 James Dooley (Commerce 2) with his parents, Dolores and Phillip. 7 The Mahony Family – Mark ,Ned and Joanne. 8 Hillary Mansour with her parents Andrew Mansour and Judith Leahy. 9 Jack Stinson, Chris Cunningham and Rodney Nugent. 10 Katie, Anthony and Jackson Gravener. 11 Liz Tehan, Michael and James Woodburn. 11 N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 39 12 13 14 15 16 17 12 David, Lisa and Maree Whiting. 13 Gerald and Ronan Mathews. 14 The O’Shea Family from Ballarat: Patrick, Barbara, Tim and Ben. 15 Georgia and William Chisholm. 16 Meg Carroll with her parents, Janine and Jason. 17 John, Marcella and Esther Crowley. 18 Conor and Tim Dickson. 18 40 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 19 21 23 20 22 24 19 From Moama, the Carmody Family, Isobel (Science 3), Roger, Maris and Ben (Science 1). 20 Michelle Clark (Biomedicine 3) with her parents, Rolland and Theresa. 21 Sarah Millard, Maree Faulkenberg and Stephen Millard. 22 Michael McGirr with the Rector and Provost. 23 Arnuv, Manu and Satbir Chug. 24 Julia Frederico and Lily McCaffrey. 25 Jack and Rohan Bennett and Gabriele Cannon. 25 N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 41 college ball 2014 42 N ewm an Autumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num ber 1 From the NOCA President Since the last edition of Newman News the Association’s Annual Dinner and the Founders and Benefactors’ Mass have both taken place. The guest speaker at the Dinner, which was held in the College dining room, was the ABC’s Director of News, Kate Torney. Kate attended Newman between 1986 and 1988 whilst she pursued a Bachelor of Arts (Media Studies) Degree at the RMIT. She joined the ABC in 1994 and has been the Director of News since April 2009. She provided some fascinating insights into the way in which the ABC seeks to maintain balance and accuracy in its news reporting – an issue which was to become topical within weeks when the ABC carried reports which alleged that Australian sailors had mistreated asylum seekers who were attempting to enter Australia. There was a large contingent of the Torney family present at the dinner, including Kate’s father, Geoff, who had been the guest speaker at the dinner some 20 years earlier. It was also good to be able to welcome large groups from 1963 and 1993 who were celebrating 50th and 20th year reunions. The Founders and Benefactors’ Mass on the following Sunday night was well attended and provided an opportunity for prayerful remembrance of those who have served and supported the College over almost 100 years. I was pleased to have the opportunity to represent the Association at the Valete Dinner and to welcome the valetents to the ranks of the Old Collegians. Some 35 valetants were farewelled. Some fine speeches were made which reflected the value which the current generation of students place on their participation in the many facets of collegiate community life. It was a particular pleasure to note the number of valetants who had lived in Newman for four, five and six years. The Association now has a thriving on-line community being hosted on Linkedin. Almost 400 Old Collegians have joined, and it is proving an excellent way of finding Old Collegians in various parts of the world and in various professions. To join: simply search LinkedIn Groups using key words, Newman College, University of Melbourne. Membership is free. When applying to join, please provide information about the years you were at Newman and who the Rector was. Bill Lang (Newman 81-86) is administering the group and will provide access. E-mail him on [email protected] or call him on 0433 312 345 if you have any questions. This year’s Annual Dinner will be held at the College on 17 October 2014. Please put the date in your diaries. Booking details will be published later in the year. Yours sincerely, Richard Tracey N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 43 FAREWELL TO DAVID MCKENNA The eulogy given by Professor Tony Coady at the funeral of former Collegian, David McKenna. When friends die, their passing calls up a kaleidoscope of memories that sharpen the grief, but also revive past joys which their presence helped create. These memories are shared around as friends of the deceased gather to talk and grieve. So, my own memories of David McKenna are mixed with the stories other friends have told me, and with insights they have provided to round out a picture of this lovable, complex, remarkable man. Some idea of that picture I will try to convey today. It is a picture of someone whose identity was developed around at least four central pillars: Christianity (especially Christian humanism), the rule of law as a work of justice, politics, and his sexual identity as a gay man. I first got to know Dave at Melbourne University when I came there from Sydney in 1961 for postgraduate study in philosophy. People who knew him from schooldays at Xavier College recall a lover of talk, a leader in debating, and the winner of prizes for religious education. He also won the history prize in his final year at school, which he shared with my wife’s older brother, Bill Aughterson, who also went on to a legal career and an involvement in politics. By the time I knew David, he was, as well as a Newman College identity, an important figure in the Newman Society at the University which also rejoiced in the somewhat grand title of “The Intellectual Apostolate”. In spite of a certain excess in its sense of self-importance, this basically spiritual movement, with which some of us here were also deeply involved, had, beginning in the early-1950s, made an important, prescient, and progressive contribution to the attempted renewal of the Catholic Church that took place at Vatican Council II in the early 1960s. David, as Secretary of the Newman Society and for a time Chair or Leader of what was somewhat pompously called “the Senior Group” in the Society, was at the centre of its thought and activity and more recently wrote, that with all its imperfections: “At least we had a glimpse of the New Jerusalem. That is more than is given to most people.” David’s formation in that milieu was no egocentric or internalised spirituality; he saw faith as enjoining activity in the wider community to the betterment of life, especially for those who were disadvantaged, degraded by poverty, or oppressed. This was his driver in the practice of law, so the law was, for him, a vocation rather than a job. He saw the rule of law less as a way of keeping order, important as that can be, than as a way of respecting and upholding rights. It is no surprise that he spent many years as an active member of Amnesty International , and that when he formally retired he took up a position for a number of years with Legal Aid. The law infected much of David’s ordinary conversation, though often in an ironic fashion. He was very fond of injecting terms from the law, policing, or criminal jargon into his conversation; 44 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 terms like “alleged”, “the defendant”, and the much used “caper”. “What caper do you think Tony Abbott is up to with that?” was a typical comment. The word “hoon” was also one he delighted in since it expressed much of staid society’s suspicion of the supposed tendencies of adolescents, as also did the term “youths” pronounced in his flat, laconic voice. Politics, of course, especially Labor politics, fascinated David, and he was an active player in some major incidents in Labor history, especially in Victoria. He was a founding member of the group within the Labor Party called the Participants, who in the 1960s opposed the regime of the leftist Victorian Executive of the ALP and played a role in its demise under Federal intervention prior to Gough Whitlam’s victory in 1972. Many of this groups’ leaders were lawyers and close friends of David, and some of them later had distinguished careers in public life, notably John Cain as Premier of the State, Dick McGarvie as Governor, and Michael Duffy and Barney Cooney as Federal Labor MPs and outstanding members of an ALP Government. David was involved in branch activities and, later, was for some years Chair of the Labor Party’s Disputes Tribunal in Victoria, a position to which he brought such judicial impartiality as to make enemies in all factions in the party. “You could have no idea of the capers these guys get up to,” he would tell you with a mock sad shake of the head. Unknown to all his friends and family, David was gay, and his efforts to come to grips with his gay identity made a great deal of his life a silent misery. His genial sociability concealed, for much of the time, private suffering and spiritual confusion, and when in 1993 he decided to go public with his sexual orientation, he wrote letters to a number of his friends on the advice of his psychiatrist. My wife Margaret and I received one of these while we on study leave in Princeton. When I got the large envelope with Dave’s name on the back and took out the unexpectedly long letter, Margaret said, “What on earth could David be writing about at such length”, and I immediately said: “I think he’s telling us that he’s homosexual”, even though I had never explicitly made that judgement about him. It was a beautifully written letter that told of painful efforts to “overcome” his inclinations because of the attitudes of society and the church to gay sexuality, attitudes which he had himself internalized to a great degree. We wrote back sympathetically, and I recall apologising abjectly for any jokes or comments of mine that had in the past no doubt displayed homophobia. Dave was suitably forgiving, writing back that he too had engaged in such talk himself. Margaret wanted to have his “coming out” letter published because she thought it would help others in a similar situation, but David didn’t want that at the time. His coming out not only shocked various people that he respected, but caused a nervous breakdown that had him hospitalised for some time at Vimy House. He took some years to adjust fully to his new public persona, but added many gay friends to the existing circle and typically took a prominent part in the public activities of the gay community. His attitude to the Church became naturally tense and somewhat ambiguous, but he continued to exhibit a Christian spirituality. In my view, and his, one of the many failings of the Catholic Church at present is its incapacity to rethink seriously its teachings on a range of sexual ethical issues. There has been some welcome softening of the rhetoric, and the new Pope has shown commendable pastoral concern for gay and lesbian Catholics, even if there has been no change in official teaching. David was a warm man whose personality displayed a delightful version of what I think of as one typical Australian attitude to life. He was witty and dry with a sardonic take on the passing parade. When he once acted for us in a conveyancing matter he asked about the estate agent we were dealing with. When I said we didn’t know much about him, David advised passing a hand across his back just to see if he had a dorsal fin. Michael Duffy tells of sitting with David and disconsolate ALP friends at a polling booth after a devastating loss in the 1966 federal elections and wondering what to do. David suggested their first move should be to import folk singer Joan Baez to sing “We Shall Overcome—Some Day”. He was essentially a man of communities, as already indicated, and great company. He had the magic quality of charm. On one occasion we had him to dinner with an eminent visiting British philosopher, Jim Cameron, who later wrote us a letter of thanks which made a point of how much he had enjoyed the presence of “that very nice young lawyer.” The Christian faith holds out the promise of an eternal life. It is a mysterious claim made vulgar by pictures of pearly gates and harps, but it offers the hope that something of the best in this life survives death in community with God. The philosopher Wittgenstein once remarked cryptically: “He lives eternally who lives in the present.” I think in his life David lived the present moment to the full, and I hope and pray that, in a mysterious way, he continues to do so. The poet W.B. Yeats once wrote: “My glory was I had such friends.” David certainly had an amazing number of friends, many of them. N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 45 John Fouhy Kearney AM, QC From a eulogy given at a Memorial Service in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit John Fouhy Kearney showed great resilience, courage, determination and humour throughout his varied and interesting life of 90 years. I would like to speak from the heart and share a daughter’s experience of the man behind all his extraordinary achievements. Many of you will know some aspects of his life better than me: however, I will attempt to give you a more rounded sense of my father. My understanding of the things that were of most importance to him were his family, the Law, good education and investing in property. Dad’s father, Patrick Kearney, was a railway paymaster in Toowoomba and his mother, Lenora Hogan, a.k.a. Dolly, was a determined, entrepreneurial businesswoman. Dolly returned to Melbourne from Toowoomba and raised seven children on her own whilst running a boarding house for professional gentlemen in St Kilda, Melbourne. Dad would certainly have learned about the importance of a good education and the vicissitudes of private enterprise from Dolly. Dad’s brother, Kevin, is here with us today as I’m sure his siblings, Patrick, Mary, Tom, Sheila and Lenore, are in spirit. Dad learned about the gift of love from Mum. They have been lifetime soul mates and constant companions for over 60 years. Their loyalty, love and commitment are unprecedented. Theirs is a great love story with all that 63 years of marriage entails. Mum fondly recalls that during his proposal that Dad said, “I haven’t got anything, but I can promise you that your life will never be dull”. He was true to his word! Dad was a great communicator and story teller. He loved to have an audience and to share his jokes and anecdotes with as many people as possible. Dad attributed his surefootedness in the use of the English language and his broad and deep education to his time as a student at Burke Hall, Xavier, Melbourne University and as a Franciscan novice. It seems significant that yesterday was the feast day of St Francis of Assisi. I have fond memories of Dad sitting down with me at bedtime and telling me a story. He would weave more threads into the story each night until they became sagas. These stories were always far too exciting to go to sleep, especially as I always had an opportunity to contribute to the storyline. I delighted in throwing in a tricky twist to see what he would come up with. I was always impressed with his ability to maintain continuity despite convoluted storylines. Dad’s first love was the Law. He took the more challenging path of being an articled clerk to his eldest brother Patrick. He was admitted to the Melbourne Bar in 1949 and was one of the youngest men to take silk at 41 years. He had an interesting and varied career as a barrister, including co-authoring the Draft Bills for an Administrative Appeals 46 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 Tribunal and Ombudsman which were adopted by the Victorian Parliament. He had a pioneering interest in Indigenous Land Rights Law, writing a report entitled History of the Law concerning Aborigines in Victoria in 1969. He was Senior Counsel for the Kamkum and Butibum people in the ground-breaking Indigenous Land Rights Trial regarding ownership and acquisition of the Markham River Delta, which included the airport and city of Lae, PNG in 1972. His Junior Counsel was Ron Castan, who later became a renowned human rights advocate and senior counsel in the famous Mabo case which resulted in the recognition of Aboriginal Land Rights in Australia for the first time. Dad stated that some of the elements in the Mabo case were not dissimilar to those they submitted in the Kamkum and Butibum case, and that there was no doubt that the PNG Supreme Court’s decision to give credence to the claims of the Lae tribes had a significant bearing on the Mabo finding. He served on many boards and tribunals, including as Chairman of the Victorian Branch of the International Commission for Jurists, Chairman of the Victorian Town Planning Appeals Tribunal, Chairman of the Victorian Groundwater Appeals Board, a charter member of the International Bar Association and its Town Planning and Environmental Law committee and the Australian member of the International Data Bank Committee on Town Planning. I remember Dad going off to the Middle East to represent political prisoners, which I presume was during his time with the ICJ. He certainly instilled a sense of social justice, human rights, standing up for what you believe in and giving back to your community in his children. His experiences of the challenges of life and those of his mother, especially growing up Catholic in Australia in the 1920’s and 30’S inspired him to become a keen supporter of education. This included sponsoring many people to attend University, acting as an advisor and supporter of the foundation of Bond University and President of Friends of Bond University, a supporter of the development of Griffith University on the Gold Coast, including being a member of Griffith University Council and chairman of the Griffith Gold Coast Campus Advisory Council. He was also a benefactor of many educational bodies, including Bond, Griffith and Melbourne Universities, Newman College, Marymount, Somerset College, All Saints and Xavier. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by Bond University and an Honorary Doctorate of Griffith University in 2000. Mum and Dad shared a keen interest in heritage buildings, including the preservation of many architecturally significant buildings in the City of Melbourne, such as the jewel in their crown, the Block Arcade. He was a visionary property investor especially on the Gold Coast. He made it very clear to me that he identified as a property investor not a developer. He had an extraordinary ability to pick the eyes out of a place, to see the potential of an area and to understand how the development of that area was going to proceed. For example, he bought Woodlands and Jabiru around the time I was born. I remember him saying to me as a child that one day this area would be the centre of the Gold Coast. It was hard to imagine that a place that was a dirt road and paddocks would become Robina. He could definitely play a long game! One of my favourite things to do was to go on a drive with Mum and Dad along the dirt road from the Old Coach Road to Broadbeach to see how many wild animals we could see. The highlight of the trip was if we saw a wombat or koala. This was far more interesting than the hours I spent with Mum and Dad driving around Melbourne on the weekends looking at properties and attending auctions. I did learn how much homework Dad put into his potential investments and strategies for a successful auction bid. Dad became a Member of the Order of Australia in 2005 for services to the community as an advisor and benefactor to a number of education and church organisations and through the preservation of a number of architecturally significant buildings in the City of Melbourne. In my opinion, Dad’s core qualities included his big generous heart; his fierce loyalty to his beloved wife Alison, his family, friends and colleagues; his wry and witty humour; his strong will and determination; his incredible resilience and ability to re-invent himself when he hit hard times and his ability to embrace the simple pleasures in life - good food and good company. Dad did not have an easy life nor was it dull. He identified with the Little Aussie Battler. He may have looked like a swan but those legs were working hard under the surface. He suffered a number of set-backs in life including the car accident in 1964. I certainly learnt about the challenges and freedom of being your own boss, the importance of friends and family and how to be clear, focused, creative and resilient. JFK was truly a ‘Man for All Seasons’. It was a relief to those that loved him that Dad passed away peacefully surrounded by Mum,Benji, Edwina, Miriam and me on Wednesday 2nd October. It brought joy to my heart to see his look of serenity with the hint of a wry smile after death. Dad’s reflection on his life is capsulated in the perceptive words of the great American poet, author and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emmerson: The reward of a thing well done is to have done it. N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 47 The Sacrament of Marriage Michael Scott when Rector of the College had this to say on this subject in 1967: It (Marriage) is God’s greatest gift to us, but precisely because it is such a gift, because of its richness, and its rewards, it cannot be bought cheaply, it has to be paid for.. 1 ..I think here two things are the ones that count. First of all, the thing that is stressed in the marriage service, namely the unselfishness.. and the second one is the question of trust.. Over the years, many former Collegians have taken up the Sacrament of Marriage. Here we share some images of recent weddings and one that is a shade older. 2 48 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 3 4 1 Patrick Tehan (NC 2007-2009) and Kate Boggon May (NC 2008-2009) were recently married by Father Gerry Healy SJ in the Chapel at Xavier College. 2 Edmund Ryan (NC 1943-1945) married to Catherine O’Bryan in 1951 in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. They are photographed here with the Rector, Father Jeremiah Murphy SJ. 5 3 The wedding of Kristen Swenson and Julian Jarvis – a very ‘Newman Wedding’: The Rector, Father Uren SJ, John Jerome Myers (NC 2003-2004), Katherine Mcqualter, Kristen Swenson (NC 2003-2005), Julian Jarvis (NC2003-2005), John Eland (NC 2003-2005), Sarah Lovick (NC 20032005), Scott Luetjens (NC 2003-2004), and Rosemarie Marsiglio. 4 Former Collegians Jacqui Magee and Gary Butcher, both members of the College in 2006 and 2007, were recently married in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit by the Rector. 5 Joe Butler (NC 2002-2005) and Gerardine Dillion (NC 2002-2004) were married at Newman College in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit in late 2013. N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 49 20 year reunion newman college freshers of 1994 Save the date: Lunchtime, Saturday October 4th 2014; please get in touch via Facebook or email and pass the message on so we can confirm numbers and venue. News of former collegians Mick M ([email protected]) Est L ([email protected]) Mel M ([email protected]) Facebook Group – Newman College Melbourne – Fresher class of 1994 congratulations Congratulations to former Collegian, Major General the Hon Justice Richard Tracey AM RFD who was recognised in the 2014 Australia Day Honours List for exceptional service in the field of military law, as a consultant for the Director of Army Legal Services, and as Judge Advocate General of the Australian Defence Force. Major General Tracey has served in the most senior and demanding roles within the military justice system and has actively promoted the fairness and integrity of the system. His dedication to ensuring that Australia has a robust and appropriate military discipline system has been an inspiration to all military lawyers, and has maintained ongoing Government, judicial and public confidence in Australia’s military discipline system. 50 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 Father Rector met former Collegians Jim O’Collins and Geoff Torney at a lunch at the MCG for those with a membership that exceeded fifty years. An animated discussion took place on the merits of the 1957 College Golf Team. We discovered the photograph above right of the Golf Team in the archives featuring Geoff Torney, Glynn O’Collins, Tony Capes and Peter O’Callaghan. Absent were: Jim O’Collins, Mick Somerville and D. Johnston. Sarah McNicol (Newman 2003–4, 2007–8) has recently completed her LL.M (Masters of Law) at the Freie Universität, Berlin, having received a scholarship for postgraduate studies from the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (daad.de). Sarah wrote her thesis in German on the implementation of European Union Consumer Law. She is photographed on a recent holiday with her Mum, former Newman College Council Member, Dr Sue McNicol SC, in Majorca. best lawyers in australia Congratulations to former Collegian, Katherine Forrest (NC 1985-1990), who was named the Best Lawyers 2014-2015 Melbourne Financial Institutions “Lawyer of the Year”. Katherine Forrest (back left) with some members of the 1988 General Committee. N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 51 farewell kevin hogan, gavan hackwill, paul grundy, tony capes, angus james macissac, denis bourke, john batros and natalie shekel News has reached the College that a number of former Collegians have died in recent times. Our condolences to their families and friends and may their gentle souls rest in peace. Kevin Gerard Hogan (NC 1947-1950) died aged 83 on the 19th May, 2013; he was the last survivor, of his generation, of a prominent Catholic legal family. Gavan Hackwill (NC 1952-1954) passed away peacefully in Sale on 17th February, 2013. He spent much of his working life as a secondary school teacher, finally as Principal of Maffra High School. A Latin scholar, he mainly taught English, French and History. Angus James MacIssac who died on 27 December, 2013. He attended Newman College in 1948-1949 and married Joan Trethowan in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, Newman College in 1955. Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. (Proverbs 22:6) Natalie Shekel (NC 1998) who died tragically in a car accident in Leopold. Dr Denis Bourke (NC 1954-1959) who died on the 22nd September, 2013. Professor Emeritus Paul Grundy AM (NC 1953-1956) passed away peacefully on the 6th January, 2013. He followed his father, M.W. Grundy (NC 1919-1923) to Newman College and the University of Melbourne. Paul was very active in the Newman Society, and more recently, in the ‘Golden Years’ programme. He had a distinguished academic career (Civil engineering) at Monash University. Dr John Batros (NC 1960-1963) who died on the 14th July, 2013. The 1955 Second VIII: Back: M. Shannon, R. Koerner, R. Lilburne, D. O’Day. Front: G.A. Walsh, J.G. Joyce, D.K. Sutton, D.M. Bourke. Absent: P. Bourke. John Batros in the 1961 Tennis team: Back: A. Fry, J. Batros, J. Dynan. Front: W. Gourdie, G. Pitt, I. O’Connor. 52 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 Dr Anthony Capes (NC 1953-58) died on the 20th August, 2013. He was a great amateur footballer who was selected in the 1956 Australian Football exhibition match at the Melbourne Olympic Games. He served as the Club Doctor at the Footscray Football Club and later as Club President. Edmund Ryan AM RECOLLECTIONS OF A NEWMAN STUDENT DURING WORLD WAR II N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 53 The Provost has asked me to record my memories of being a student at Newman College between 1942 and 1945. 1 My association with Newman has lasted for many years. From the mid-1970s I was Chairman of the Building Committee. I occupied this position for 25 years, after which I became the Chairman of the Joint Committee (Newman and St Mary’s College) for the formation of the Academic Centre. In addition to this, I took up the role of manager for the Academic Centre project from inception to completion. That is by way of introduction to these recollections, and to explain why references to the physical presence of the College buildings will be woven throughout the record. I came to Melbourne University at the age of l6. fresh from the country. In my first year I attended tutorials at Newman as a non-resident student. I was enrolled in the new threeyear degree course in engineering science. This short-lived degree was a product of the war. It was introduced by Melbourne University in 1940 so that students could graduate more quickly and move into the workforce or services to contribute to the war effort. Students could take out a bachelor degree in engineering science after three years, or go on to complete a fourth year (as I did) and obtain a degree in civil engineering. 2 My decision to pursue a career in civil engineering was an odd choice; my father was a lawyer and I had no contacts or family members in the civil engineering profession. Indeed, at the boarding school I attended scarcely any information or advice had been given concerning careers and the range of university courses available. However, my choice was a good one. and opened up many opportunities for future study and work in architecture, commerce and management. I began my course two weeks before the academic year officially commenced. That was an introduction to a heavy workload for the ensuing four years. A normal University working week for those doing engineering comprised lectures, practical work, tuitions, and supervised assignments. The only free time I had was on Wednesday afternoons, and about two hours otherwise. Those doing engineering were required to spend up to eight weeks during long vacations on approved practical aspects of the course. This had to be completed in order to fulfill the requirements for admission to the degree. It was assessed at the time that, upon completion ol the double degree, our four-year course was the equivalent of five years of study. The pressure of work meant that I was known as one of the quieter members of College. 3 54 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 In my time, except for the works described in the next paragraph, the building layout of Newman was the same as when the College first opened in 1918. The Mannix and Carr Wings, and the Dome area, contributed to the total area of the College. The student accommodation consisted of a series of two-room flats, each occupied by two students, one room being the study and the other the bedroom. Around the first level of the Dome there were about five single rooms for senior students. Most students found the arrangement to be advantageous both from academic and companionship aspects. The Chapel was not fully utilized in the life of the students until the end of 1945. Construction had commenced in 1938 and progressed slowly until all was completed by October 1942. On 27 October the Chapel was consecrated and dedicated. When I was at Newman the area for Mass and other religious uses was on the first floor above the area now used for offices on the west side of the south entry to the cloisters. It was known as the Oratory—hence the present term for that area, which is today used for meetings. Two tutorial rooms were on the ground floor under the Oratory, with access to the second room being through the room opening off the cloisters. This area is currently used for the offices. The original design of the Oratory was for a two-level area, as shown by drawings held in the Newman archives. There was no provision for tutorial rooms of any practical intent in the original designs. The only two faults with the original college design were, in my opinion, the lack of proper tutorial rooms and the provision of an enclosed swimming pool at ground floor level at the end of the Carr Wing in the western projecting wing. This pool was scarcely used; it was not heated, and was so cold that for those brave enough to hazard a brief swim, including myself, it had to be followed immediately by a hot shower. The pool area was thus totally underutilized for over 30 years. The normal routine of the College changed dramatically in 1942. This arose from the arrival of members of the RAAF and the Women’s Australian Auxiliary Air Force (WAAAF). The RAAF servicemen took over the flats on the cloister side in order to attend officer-training courses at Melbourne University. Each two-roomed flat housed four defence personnel. The students had no need for alarm clocks as around 7.00am there was considerable noise and activity with the servicemen getting ready for their training at the University. The war also impacted on life in the dining room. Food shortages, and the issue of food ration tickets, meant that College meals lacked variety and meat was in short supply. A bonus of being in the First VIII rowing crew (I held No. 3 position) was that for two weeks before the inter-collegiate races crew members were given steak at dinner. The WAAAFs served in the dining room, as well as being engaged in food preparation and kitchen duties. However, together with members of the RAAF. they had their meals in the dining room outside the student mealtimes. The RAAFs and the WAAAFs were in College until the war ended in 1945. Apart from the presence of the defence forces, I recall few physical signs of precautions for war hostilities. One exception was the glazed roof lights around the centre of the Dome, which had been blacked out in case of air raids. Some architectural aspects of the dining room were significantly reduced because of the reduction of natural light. The roof lights remained covered for some decades until the dining room was upgraded. The war certainly had an impact on student numbers in College. In 1943. when I became a resident at Newman, the total number of residential students was 71. Not many more than the 56 residential students who entered the College when it first opened on 11 March 1918. In 1944 there were 81 residential students, but by 1945 this had increased to 96. As far as I can remember, medical students dominated the College student population during the war years in terms of numbers. That could be attributable to the possible need for more medical personnel in the services and on home soil if hostilities came our way. During my years at Newman the Rector was the Very Rev. J. M. Murphy SJ. He held this office for many years: he became Rector in 1923 and still occupied that position when Catherine O’Bryan and I were married by him in the Newman Chapel on 17 November 1951. He was a staunch believer in respect for authority, insisting that the students uphold certain standards. Gowns were worn for all five evening meals on weekdays. Punctuality for meals was given high priority. At the allotted time all students had to stand behind a chair at their designated tables in readiness for the Rector and others to proceed to High Table. If any student arrived after the Rector entered and said grace, the student was required to approach High Table, bow, and wait for the Rector to acknowledge him before moving to his seat. Quite often 1 Gerard Schaefler, Doug Jones and Claude Culvenor. 2 Ed Ryan with Peter Penn. 3 Edmund Ryan (NC 1943-1945) married to Catherine O’Bryan in 1951 in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 55 the Rector would deliberately avoid eye contact for students who were particularly late, or regularly late, and leave them standing. Respect for authority also extended to those at University, whether they were lecturers, demonstrators or tutors. College students generally wore ties and jackets for all attendances. There were, of course, occasions when respect was abandoned. In the engineering course there was one particularly good-natured lecturer who would declare at the commencement of the lecture that he had not properly prepared himself. There was no need for explanation, as was obvious from the lack of student attention and paper aeroplanes that flew wildly from the upper tiers at the back of the theatre. A very important member of College in those days was the Matron. When I first came to College the Matron was Miss Egan, who had occupied the position since 1922. In May 1943, Mrs Staples became the new Matron. The Matron was fully responsible for administrative matters, including the housekeeping and kitchen and dining areas, and collection of food rationing tickets. Her role was particularly onerous because of the shortage of staff, food rationing, and the increased number of people in College brought about by the presence of the RAAF and WAAAF. In addition to her normal daytime tasks, in the evening she attended to the needs of the students. For instance, she would dispense cough mixtures for minor ailments and listen to the problems of students, who had no family members available. She thus played an unofficial role as a counselor and one with a willing ear. As a result, most of her evenings were taken up with students who wished to see her. I also recall a long-serving member of staff called Ernie. His duties were obscure, his main claim to fame being that he was a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic. At about 9pm when the main doors were closed he acted as a night watchman; no student could be admitted unless recognized by Ernie. According to a story that circulated around the College, a selected few of the final year students (mainly medical) had Ernie as their personal housekeeper to make their beds and attend to their needs. This seemed to follow the old tradition at the English University colleges. Quite often on Friday nights a small group of us would go to the local picture theatre on Faraday Street The screening of films was very popular, with the theatre mostly filled by the time the film commenced. Management had no hesitation in allowing the students to sit on the aisle steps, possibly indicating a more relaxed attitude towards fire safety than exists today. On wearing our academic gowns we were admitted for the special fee of 9 pence. The presence of a 56 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 group in gowns seemed to arouse some antagonism in the local youths, which occasionally led to in an altercation between ‘Town and Gown.’ My own attitude was to beat a hasty retreat. Not so. however, for some of my colleagues, who relished the opportunity for a stoush. It may be difficult, for those with little knowledge of student life in the 1940s, to believe how rare cars were in student life. In my experience, the total number of student motor vehicles on the college site averaged one per year. One of my friends was lucky enough to possess an old 5-seater. He arranged for a group of five of us to go to the Christmas Hills north of Melbourne for a night in the open. Our object was to prospect for gold in a creek bed known to have had gold many years ago. We did find a few specks, which were carefully bottled. It was a good way of consolidating friendships, but I have never been so cold as on that night. It certainly put an end to my ever having any desire for camping. During the war years the area now occupied by St Mary’s College was a wilderness, covered with scrubland and native self-sown bushes. It was always sensible at night on going to and from the University to keep to the regular tracks as the area was sometimes frequented by the rougher element, as well as some who had to sleep out because of the difficult times. When I was a student at Newman, the predecessor to St Mary’s College was known as St Mary’s Hall and was located at the corner of Walker Street and The Avenue. Parkville. The total land now occupied by Newman and St Mary’s College, according to the original subdivision of that area, was left as one parcel to the Catholic Church. The Council of Newman College in later years agreed to hand over part of that land to the Loreto Sisters for a women’s college. In so doing, they provided a significant service to the community. My time at Newman eventually made me realize that it was the beginning of gaining a broader knowledge in areas outside my initial study of engineering. Those further pursuits greatly enhanced my career and enjoyment of life and continue to do so. In conclusion, I have always felt greatly indebted to my parents for giving me the privilege of being a resident at Newman. Good Friday 2014 The homily given by the Rector at the Good Friday Service held in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, Newman College, on Friday, 18th April, 2014. On Monday, April 7th, less than two weeks ago, a Dutch Jesuit, Father Frans van de Lugt, was shot in the head, twice, by a masked gunman in front of the monastery in which he was living in the rebel-held Old City of Homs in Syria. Father Frans, as he was universally known, was born in 1938 and entered the Jesuits in 1958. He first came to Syria in 1966, and he had lived there for the subsequent forty eight years. He was a psychotherapist by profession, a retreat leader, a pastor and the founder of an organization called Al Ard, an association that cared for the mentally handicapped. It provided one of the rare spaces where members of the three great Abrahamic religions – Jews, Christians and Muslims – could come together and pray. He was considered an eccentric, a holy puzzle, for many Syrians, a Dutchman who had learned to love Syria and the Syrians perhaps more these days than they seem to love one another. The motives for the attack were not known, and neither side or faction in the desperate civil war claimed responsibility for the killing. Though he was a European, Father Frans had come to be considered part of Syrian society. He was well-known and respected in and around the city of Homs, even by the insurgents who controlled the Old City. There were no known specific threats against him, and the rebels had even assigned him a guard, who was also shot in the attack. The civil war in Syria has claimed over 150,000 lives. Still, the killing of Father Frans struck a special chord because he chose voluntarily to share the plight of the people who stayed in the rebel-held Old City of Homs. In February United Nations and Red Crescent workers had evacuated more than 1,300 civilians from the Old City during a temporary truce that accompanied the peace talks in Geneva between the government and the rebels. But Father Frans and the remaining twenty or so Christians decided to stay. In a video posted on Youtube at that time Father Frans had warned that the Christians and Muslims trapped in the Old City were facing severe shortages of food and medicine. “There is nothing to eat. There is nothing worse than to see people in the streets looking for something to eat for their children. There are so many people here who need operations and specialist medical treatment, but have to wait for a long time and endure immense suffering. Given these conditions,” he concluded, “it is impossible that we should not stay and try with the international community to do something together.” But now Father Frans is dead, yet another victim of the 600-day siege of the Old City. His death is a stark reminder that what we are commemorating on this Good Friday is still robust and active in our own world – senseless violence that sweeps up in its embrace both government and rebels, the soldier and the civilian, the murderous gunman and the innocent priest. It happened in Jerusalem two thousand years ago, it happened in the Old City of Homs on April 7th, it happened in the streets of Sunshine on Wednesday morning when a thirty three old woman was stabbed to death by her abusive partner, it happened on Manus Island six or so weeks ago when an asylum seeker was shot dead by as yet we know not whom. I remember about five or six years ago going to the Rivoli theatre in Camberwell to see Mel Gibson’s film, “The Passion of the Christ”. It was a Saturday morning session, the film had already had a long run, and there were only about eight or ten people in the theatre. Right in my line of vision were two young people, obviously very much in love, hugging, cuddling, arms around one another N ewm an Au tum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num be r 1 57 as the film began. Those of you who have seen the film or have read reviews will remember that it is in its own way a quite violent film. Gibson does not spare the viewer any of the savagery and violence that accompanied Jesus’ passion and death – the constant buffeting, the slaps and punches to the face even by the Jewish authorities, to say nothing of the brutality of the Roman soldiers, and, of course, the scourging, the crowning with thorns, the carrying of the cross, the nailing to the cross and the final three agonising hours on the cross. When the lights came on at the end of the film the two young people were sitting bolt upright – no kissing, no hugging, no cuddling. Violence does that to you – shock and horror, what we can do to one another when anger, hatred and disillusionment take over, or when authority is threatened. Or even, sadly, when it is not any of these but when it is merely expeditious – as the High Priest said justifying the death of Jesus: “It is good that one man should die for the people.” Or when it is expeditious to win the war or to provoke fear and terror in the Old City of Homs, or perhaps even to stop the boats and win the next election. One might have thought that for members of the three great Abrahamic religions – Jews, Christians and Muslims – whether they revere Jesus as a prophet and a holy man, or, indeed, as Christians do, as the Son of God, the events that culminated in Calvary would have constituted forever and absolute no–go area for any thoughts or plans involving violence or victimisation. Calvery is, as it were, the final playing-out of the central mystery of our Christian belief, that God truly became human, and therefore mortal, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Becoming human and being the sort of person He was, and living and teaching in the sort of world that He – and we – share, there was – and is – a certain inevitability about Calvary, as there was about Father Frans’ murder in the Old City of Homs, or death on the streets of Sunshine or in the detention centre of Manus Island. The Incarnation is about God’s, through Jesus, solidarity with us. He is an exemplar not only in His person, in His teaching and in His healing, but also in His suffering and death. For those who suffer, especially for those who suffer unjustly, solidarity with Jesus in His suffering and death may be a consolation. It has always been such for Christian martyrs, and I would be surprised if it didn’t figure in Father Frans’ last desperate consciousness as he was dragged into the street by his masked assassin. But Calvary in a quite different and in a very salutary way is exemplary for all of us, too. Its violence is the antithesis of Jesus’ command that we should love one another. Every abuse of power, every fomenting of hatred or division, every exploitation of race or gender, every fraud, every deceit, 58 N e wman Au tumn 20 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • Num b e r 1 every manipulation of the truth, every dishonesty, every betrayal, every time we have been complicit in, or ignored, the victimisation of another – over all of these the cross of Calvary casts its shadow. Judas, Peter, the apostles the Jewish authorities, Pilate, even the Roman soldiers, “just doing their job”, probably weren’t all that different from you or me. The people who cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him – his blood be upon us and upon our children”, were probably the same people who cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David”, on Palm Sunday. They were just ordinary people, like you and me, caught up in the web of violence and terror that demanded a victim. That is why Jesus’ command that we should love one another is so important, why at the Last Supper, as His last will and testament, as it were, He was so insistent with His apostles. “If you love me,” He said, “keep my commandments.” “This is my commandment, love one another as I have loved you.” And finally, prophetically, “Greater love than this no man hath than he lay down his life for his friend.” The alternative to love on that first Good Friday was betrayal, denial, condemnation, violence, victimisation and death. One would wish that 2000 years down the track we had learned the lesson of the Last Supper and Calvary. But Homs, Sunshine, Manus Island are – alas – only a few of so many instances. They are enough, however, to remind us that Calvary is still with us, and that Jesus’ commandment of love is not some optional recommendation but the only sure and enduring basis for living together in harmony, civility, mutual respect and peace. It is not enough to abhor violence, important certainly as that lesson is that Calvary, above all, teaches us. It is even more important that we learn to love one another – as Jesus loved us and Father Frans loved the people of Syria, both Christians and Muslims in the Old City of Homs before, like Jesus, he was so cruelly murdered just two weeks ago. N ewm an Autum n 2 0 1 4 • Vo lum e 4 6 • N um ber 1 59 Enquiries Further information can be obtained from Newman College www.newman.unimelb.edu.au or from The Provost, Newman College 887 Swanston Street, Parkville VIC 3052 p: 03 9347 5577 f: 03 9349 2592 e: [email protected]
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