St Patrick’s College Mackay Year 7 to 12 recently celebrated its Opening Year Mass and Investiture of the 2024 College Leaders at the College’s Senior Campus in Gregory Street.
Nine hundred people attended the special Mass which included students, staff, parents and local dignitaries.
Miss Leesa Jeffcoat AM, Diocesan Director Catholic Education Diocese of Rockhampton gave her address to the College and was joined by Michael McCusker, Assistant Director: Schools (Northern Region); Sister of Mercy Denise Hinton; Mayor of Mackay Greg Williamson, as well as St Patrick’s College Board members; College Parent Engagement Committee members and representatives from other Catholic schools in the diocese.
The celebration was led by Most Reverend Michael McCarthy, Bishop, Diocese of Rockhampton, St Patrick’s Parish Priest (Southern Cluster of Parishes) Rev Fr Matthias Ogwo, Parish Administrator of Pioneer Valley Parishes Rev Fr Gasper Peruvelil and Associate Pastor Southern Cluster Rev Fr Anthony Nguyen.
St Patrick’s College Principal Janelle Agius and College Board members received their respective certificates and pledge during the Commissioning Ceremony before the blessing of the College badges.
Bishop Michael McCarthy presented Nicola Chimes with the St Patrick’s Medal the Bishop Bernard Wallace Award for Dux of the College. Nicola, who achieved an ATAR Excellence of 99.25, was also the recipient of a Joan McGarry bursary and will study a Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours).
During the ceremony Miss Jeffcoat and Mrs Agius presented the 2024 Student Leaders with their College badge.
These included College Captains Matthew Gakowski, Evelyn O’Brien, William Radke and Lily Wardrop.
Others to receive badges were the Senior Student Representative Council: Melisa Li (Cultural Committee Chairperson); Paige Mooney (Indigenous Committee Chairperson); Gian Lim (Social Justice Committee Chairperson); Mackensie Brown (Sport Committee Chairperson); Kacee Ziegeler (Senior House Captain Argos); Amy Goode (Senior House Captain Badila); Aidyn McSherry (Senior House Captain Midas); Bryn Henson (Senior House Captain Oraya); Lana Barnes (Senior House Captain Pindar); Camryn Zeller (Senior House Captain Triton) and Gabrielle Ipson and Anthony Sorbello (College Board Student Representatives).
Badge recipients for the Mercy Campus Student Representative Council were; Izaac Noy (Mercy Campus Cultural Committee Chairperson); Madison Mooney (Mercy Campus Indigenous Committee Chairperson); Treyce Ciantar (Mercy Campus Sport Committee Chairperson); Hunter McGeary (Mercy Campus St Vincent de Paul Committee Chairperson); Cassian Radke (Mercy Campus e-Sport Committee Chairperson); Aaron Greenwood (Mercy Campus Photography Committee Chairperson); Charlotte Redfern (Mercy Campus Book Club Committee Chairperson); Bianca Maynard (Mercy Campus Auslan Committee Chairperson); Hannah Ashis (Mercy Campus Social Committee Chairperson); Kelsi Hazledine and Mackenzie Maunder (Mercy Campus House Captains Argos); Jack Law and Archy Townsend (Mercy Campus House Captains Badila); Dominic Sorbello and Isabella Webb (Mercy Campus House Captains Midas); Lucas Boshoff and Courtney Harris (Mercy Campus House Captains Oraya); Kate O¹Brien and Myah Rokic (Mercy Campus House Captains Pindar) and Nate Harding and Calvin Ramos (Mercy Campus House Captains Triton).
Badges were also presented to the Mercy Campus Homeroom Captains: ARGOS Lily Mapp; Jessica Arbuthnot; Skye Vaughan; Charlotte O¹Brien; Tahlia Vella and Matilda Wiggins.
BADILA Zarlia Beer; Jayda Earl; Tahlia Anderson; Koby Daly; Izaac Noy and Ruby Watt.
MIDAS Skye Mole; Milly Mayfield; Tayla Cumming; Lacie Clarke; Cooper Anderson and Bella McClarty. ORAYA Maggie Thorburn; Cynthia Phan; Alice Gunning; Bailey Dewar, Lauren
Gray and Addysen Ruddick. PINDAR Gabriella Ruggeri; Tayah Poli; Aimee Trims; Piper Euler; Jake Hansen and Mason Mayer. TRITON Rourke Bagley; Tate Funk; Riley Meigan; Sangwani Chinula; Eva Hooper and Reese Morgan.
Mr McCusker presented Aspire to Teach Awards to recipients Evelyn O’Brien and Anthony Sorbello while Damian Carroll presented student Patrick Arbuthnot with the Class of 1974 Bursary for having demonstrated great dedication and commitment throughout Year 11 in overcoming adversity or disability or circumstances to achieve academic success.
Other recipients of McGarry bursaries included Jinzhao Zhang (Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery); Madeline Rasmussen (Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery); Meghan Connolly (Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery); Monique Jones (Bachelor of Engineering/Science); James Galea (Bachelor of Engineering (Honours));
Baxter Norsworthy (Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery); Phoebe Francis (Bachelor of Medicine); Jada Vassallo (Bachelor of Business); Joshua Williamson (Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours)); Gracie Watt (Bachelor of Medical Sonography/Graduate Diploma of Medical Sonography); Alex Brannan (Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery); Nicholas Bowyer (Bachelor of Medical Sonography/Graduate Diploma of Medical Sonography); Olivia Price (Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours)) and Locke Forrest
(Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Diploma of Professional Practice: Co-Op Engineering). The recipient of the Joan McGarry Nursing Bursary is Laanie John. Laanie is studying a Bachelor of Nursing.
Contributed by Chris Karas
Caption: St Patrick’s College Mackay 2024 Captains and Student Representative Council members with Miss Leesa Jeffcoat AM, Diocesan Director Catholic Education Diocese of Rockhampton, Michael McCusker, Assistant Director: Schools (Northern Region) and College Principal Janelle Agius at the Opening Year Mass
