From the Principal
Br Bernie Crawford Funeral
On Thursday of this week, I had the privilege of attending the funeral of Brother Bernie Crawford, former principal of St Laurence's College (1959 to 1961). I attended Br Bernie's funeral with three Year 11 students, Nate, Aiden and Finn. While many old boys and current families would not know brother Bernie Crawford, they would be very much be aware of the great legacy he achieved in the three short years as Principal of our College. His foresight to purchase the Runcorn playing fields, along with his recognition to develop Savio Oval and Gair Field as play spaces for students, would eventually prove to be milestone moments for our College.
Further to his master planning, Br Bernie had a great dedication as a scholar and a vision to instill learning as a priority for all students. This was evident by both the former students of Br Bernie's who gave testament to his teachings and the many school placements he held to develop learning in different institutions. Dr Young (Coordinator of Culture & Solidarity) also recalls his willingness to be a member of different choirs at the College in his later years.
As the service for Br Bernie concluded, our Year 11 representatives were quickly greeted by old boys of the College who were in attendance. Indeed, some were grandparents of our current students.
While the College has changed so much, in so many ways over the decades, it is pleasing to know that the notion of the pursuit of personal excellence, study, service and activity, that was a foundation in our early life of the College, remains present in a modern Laurie's education.
2025 Student Leadership Team announcement
Following our regular Friday mass this morning (Sion House Mass), I was fortunate to meet with our year 11 cohort, the Senior Class of 2025. During this time I was able to announce the complete 2025 student leadership team. All of these students have worked tirelessly through the leadership application processes and have been nominated by their peers for these key positions. On behalf of the entire College, I both congratulate and wish all of our 2025 Leaders well, knowing they will be successful in their future endeavours.
A full list of these leaders can be found here:
College Captain: Luca Ellero
College Vice Captain: Billy Rowan
College Vice Captain: Charles Taylor
House Captains
| Callan | Duhig | Hogan | Kilian | Nagle | Rice | Sion | Treacy | Waterford | Xavier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Riley Stoikov
|
Aiden Lamont
|
Kai Harrington
|
Hayden Revell
|
Lachlan Witham
|
Luke Thompson
|
Ethan Connelly
|
Jack Rea
|
Luka Smith
|
Josh Pearce
|
Prefects
| Academic | Engagement & Wellbeing | Faith in Action | Solidarity & Culture | Spirit and School Pride |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Anton Raggl-Erbs
|
Nate Bainbrigge
|
Atticus Lynch
|
Erik Dwyer
|
Finn Cavallaro
|
|
Ben Stallman
|
Harrison Fox
|
Hugh Morley
|
Mackinnon Moffatt
|
Jack Ehler
|
|
Finn Totterman
|
Morgan Oiso
|
Aiden Savy
|
Anlin Tso
|
Fletcher Karger-Hall
|
Deputy Principal Announcement
In a week of announcements, I would also like to congratulate Dr. Liam Herbert who has been appointed College Deputy Principal. Dr Herbert was one of many fine candidates from across the country and in fact internationally, who applied for the role of Deputy Principal. What makes Dr Herbert’s appointment special for our College, is Dr Herbert is an example of a multi-pathway career and education. An education made available to him, that in many ways mirrors the choices students can make as a part of their Liberating Education here at Laurie's. With a trade background as a skilful carpenter, Dr Herbert made a career change to become top of his class in the military, before achieving his bachelor's degree as a teacher and most recently publishing his thesis to achieve his PHD and become a Doctor. I thank Mr Chris Wooley (EREA Colleges CEO) for this appointment and for allowing Liam to continue his work at the College.
Recently, our College Athletics team competed in the AIC Athletics Championships at the Queensland State Athletics Centre. After a long year of co-curricular activities, I would like to particularly mention the following students who achieved a First Place at the Championships and congratulate all athletes on their commitment and effort:
- Remi La Porte
- Ashton Samson-Wood
- Hunter Swan
- Oscar McKean
- Thomas Vaseo
- Lery James
- Terrell Thorne
- Eli Corbette
- Sebastian Daley
- Jackson Bush
- Xavier Haikings
- Riley Johns
- Oliver Blaik
I would also like to publicly thank our Sports Department, internal and external coaches, and pay special tribute to our Year 11 and Year 6 spectators who represented the College aptly and with great spirit on the day. I am sure all that were present would agree, that the highlight of the day was watching the performances of Tyrell Thorne, World Junior Athlete, on the track.
This week was also Book Week for our Primary students at Lauries. Here, the photos tell the story as we celebrated with book costumes, BBQ's, Master Chef competitions and the Real Men Read evening in the Library. The week was a wonderful celebration of literacy and the joy of reading. Thank you to the Library Team and all the 'Harry Potter' primary staff for their efforts in making learning fun this week.
By the time the next newsletter is published, the Year 12s will have begun their graduation process and will be readying for mock exams and final assessments. I wish all students well for this process.
MR BEN LOWRIE
College Principal