St. Paul's College Bellambi, class of 1969-74

A St. Paul's man is "A Man", God's man ....

Introduction

The Catholic high school Marist Brothers boys-only St. Paul's College, Bellambi, Australia, operated from 1962 through to its amalgamation with the adjacent girls-only Holy Cross College into the present day Holy Spirit College during 1983. St. Paul's took students from 1st Form (present day Year 7) through to 6th Form (present day Year 12). The writer was a student there between 1969-74, after attending St. Joseph's Primary School, Bulli, operated by Sisters of St. Joseph (Josephite nuns) and then going on to the University of Wollongong in 1975. The following is an brief account of those years, based on surviving records and reminiscences. Anyone mentioned below is welcome to contact the author and have their memories included, whether those memories be good, bad or indifferent. Time has passed, and all are welcome. Michael Organ, 14 October 2024.

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Class Roll 1969-74

The following is an alphabetical listing of those who attended St. Paul's between 1969 and 1974, either during that whole period (not indicated), or for part of  it (indicated). For example, some people left at the end of 4th Form (1972) upon attaining their School Certificate, or at other times to, for example, attend a different school or TAFE, or take up employment:

1. Agnew, Daryl 1969-72
2. Andrews, "Jim" James
3. Askew, Michael
4. Boers, "Ronnie" Ronald 1969-71
5. Boland, "Bill" William
6. Bottom, Rowan 1969-72
7. Bresnahan, John
8. Brown, Phillip
9. Buchhorn, Paul
10. Buckley, Daryll 1969-72
11. Burford, Peter 1969-72
12. Burke, Paul
13. Cambridge, Peter 1969-72
14. Carmody, Patrick 1972-74
15. Chalker, Michael
16. Choros, Roy 1969
17. Clifford, Michael 1969-72
18. Coombes, Paul 1969-72
19. Cooney, Kevin
20. Cooney, Terence
21. Doust, Ian
22. Feneley, John 1969-72
23. Franciscovic, Tom
24. Frankcombe, Pat
25. Fraser, "Smiley" Colin
26. Gorello, Davis
27. Garrety, John
28. Gleeson, Noel 1969-73
29. Greenfield, Mark (Deceased)
30. Grootjans, "Bertie" Lambert 1969-72
31. Hall, David (Deceased)
32. Halligan, Paul
33. Hamilton, Gerard 1969-72
34. Harding, Bernard
35. Heenan, Michael
36. Heffernan, "Roy" Paul (Deceased)
37. Henderson, Peter
38. Hickey, Chris
39. Hickson, Peter 1969-72
40. Hill, Stephen 1969-73
41. Hollier, Boyd
42. Hough, Philip
43. Huuskes, Peter 1969-72
44. Johnston, Peter 1971-72
45. Kelly, Sean
46. Kerr, Greg
47. Kesby, Mark
48. Lanyon, Peter
49. Lawler, Mark 1969-72
50. Lawless, Mark 1969-71
51. Lear, David 1969-72
52. Lister, Gary 1969-72
53. Lowe, Phillip 1969-72
54. Mewburn, Mark
55. McDonald, Chris
56. McFadden, "Bill" William1969-72
57. McGorry, Ray
58. McNamara, Kevin
59. Mills, Kevin 1969-72
60. Murray, Gerard (Deceased 1974)
61. Neilson, Glenn 1969-71
62. Nobbs, Peter
63. O'Donnel, John
64. Onions, Bryce
65. Organ, "Harry Snappa" Michael
66. Pearce, "Bob" Robert
67. Petre, "Bernie" Bernard 1969-72
68. Pieters, Robert
69. Proust, Dominic
70. Quinn, Dermott 1969-72
71. Rawlins, John 1969-72
72. Raymond, Paul
73. Ruzzene, Dennis 1969-72
74. Sattin, Romano 1969-72
75. Scimone, "Joe" Joseph
76. Spiers, "Jim" James
77. Turnbull, Tim (Deceased)
78. Vickey, Grahame
79. Webster, Paul 1969-70
80. Wheatley, Michael 1969-72
81. Woods, Colin 1969
82. Woods, Gary 1969-71
83. Woods, Philip
84. Wright, Eric 1969-73

There were two classes during this period - the A class and the B class, with the division based upon scholarly performance.

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Honour Roll 1974

* School Dux - Kevin McNamara

* School Captain - John O'Donnell

* First XIII Football Team Captain - Philip Woods

* First XI Cricket Team Captain - Dominic Proust

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Reunions, get togethers....

The following class get togethers or reunions are known. These do not include St. Paul's general reunions:

* 1990s - Headlands Hotel, Austinmer

* 2023 - Headlands Hotel, Austinmer (December)

* 2024 - Bellambi Bowling Club (12 October). Attendees (15): Ronnie Boers, Pat Carmody, Paul Coombes, Colin Fraser, Greg Kerr, Ray McGorry, Bob Pierce, Jim Spiers, Philip Woods ......

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Some History of St. Paul's

* 1983 - Fr. Molloy, The Cawley Family and St. Paul's College, Bellambi, Bulletin of the Illawarra Historical Society, May 1983, 21-22.

THE CAWLEY FAMILY AND ST. PAUL'S COLLEGE. BELLAMBI

A publication has come to hand called St. Paul's College. Bellambi 1962-1982, consisting of a fairly large magazine-style brochure of 120 pages. It is well illustrated and covers the life of the school since it was opened in 1962. Copies are still available from the College. The publication marks the end of a stage in the development of the College because from the beginning of 1983 it has become a co-educational school and the name has been changed to Holy Spirit College. Of particular interest to our Society will be the notes on the school's origin in the generosity of members of the Cawley family. With the kind approval of the school this historical background is reproduced below:-

The land on which St. Paul's and Holy Cross Colleges have been built, are part of an original grant of land made to a Miss Harriett Overington on March 3rd, 1827. The Bellambi Estate was subdivided in 1842 and John Cawiey. an Irishman. who had arrived in Australia in 1841, took up this land. John Cawley was a farm labourer. who came from Kilmacallane, County Sligo. Ireland. He was born in 1803. and had married Mary Callaghan, a house servant from the same county. They had 10 children. one of whom was Michael. born in January. 1830. The whole family emigrated to Australia. travelling in a ship called the ‘Columbine', which arrived in Sydney in December, 1841. From Sydney the family moved to Charcoal Creek, now known as Unanderra. where John Cawley followed business interests, until 1846. when John took up a large parcel of land in the Russell Vale area. This land stretched in the east to the sea, to the beach which is now Bellambi. At Russell Vale, John built his homestead, called ‘Chestnut.’ near the present Princes Highway. John's eldest son Michael. settled on the land and married Jane Geraghty. from Thirroul. They were married in Sydney. 1859. Michael had five sons and five daughters. His eldest son, John. was born in February, 1860. Michael worked the land and built an orange orchard. The produce from the land was sent by ship from nearby Bellambi Beach. When the land was subdivided and sold. Michael had to pay the costs of putting in a road to Bellambi from Russell Vale. He named the road Kerong Avenue. At this time Bellambi was little more than an hotel. a blacksmith's shop. a school of arts but no Post Office. The town was situated at the jetty.

Michael planted a fig tree on the Terania Avenue side of what is now Cawley Park. In those days. the tree was at the entrance to the home paddock. This tree, which Michael planted to commemorate the ‘birth of his daughter, Mary. is still standing. The land was divided among the five sons of Michael, when he died. and four of them sold their portions and moved to the North Coast of New South Wales. John, the eldest. retained his land and built a homestead ‘Brightside,’ on the site which is now Holy Cross College. When his second daughter died. John's wife died and he left the area to live on the North Coast. He kept the land, and left some 60 acres of itto th e Marist Fathers for educational purposes. John died on August 13th, 1944.

The land left by him was rented by various people until the 1940s. Subsequently. the Marist Fathers Stud Farm ‘Meadowstream' at Toongabbie, used the land for agistment purposes for their Australian lllawarra Shorthorn cattle. in the early 1960s the decision was taken to build a school on the eastern end of the property. Much work had to go on to improve the land. as most of it was very swampy. A great deal of coalwash was brought from the mines to provide covering and fill. St. Paul's College was opened for students in February. 1962. So began 21 years of Marist Fathers involvement in education at Bellambi. Memories of the Cawley family remain in the school. such as Cawley House. one of the sporting houses of the school. The street alongside the school is Cawley Street. Two descendants of the Cawleys taught at the school, Father Peter Gahan, one of the original members of the staff. and Father John Burns, who taught at the College in 1975. [The information contained here was prepared by Father L. Molloy. SM.)

* 2012 - Homily by Father Paul Cooney on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the college.

Dear Confreres. Recently the College at Bellambi, which we began as St Paul’s College in 1962, celebrated its golden jubilee. Here is the homily I gave at the Mass.

BELLAMBI: 50 YEARS OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION

Bethlehem, Jerusalem, the Road to Damascus, Fourviere, Penola, Bellambi. Our God is a universal God, but also a God who breaks into history and acts. God acts in particular times and places. At Bethlehem, Jesus was born. He who is fully human and fully divine. At Jerusalem, he rode into the city on a donkey. He died on the cross and broke through to new life. In Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit descended Mary and the disciples to begin the Church. On the road to Damascus, St Paul met the Risen Lord, and from being a persecutor of Christians, he became Christianity’s great teacher, preacher and missionary. At Fourviere in the early 19th Century in a chapel overlooking the city of Lyons in France, Jean-Claude Colin with other seminarians pledged to begin the Marist project seeking to bring Christ to others in the gentle way of Mary. At Penola in the 1860s, St Mary McKillop began her work of educating poor country children and so Penola became the cradle of the Sisters of St Joseph. Here at Bellambi, 50 years ago, a project of Catholic education began. At first the Marist Fathers, and soon after the Sisters of St Joseph founded St Paul’s and Holy Cross Colleges for the education of the young people of the Illawarra. Holy Spirit College flowed from their joining together in 1983.

Today, we rejoice and give thanks to God for the blessings of these past 50 years. For all of us who are part of that story from the early days to today, whether as students, or staff, or as parents, who have sent your children here, this is a significant place. Even today, 42 years after I left school, this place still helps define who I am. Of course, not every memory is a joyful one. One of my classmates, Ross Greenfield, died in a car accident about 9 months after we left St Paul’s. I’m sure we all have a mixture of memories and emotions as we reflect back on the life of this college. Yet, there is so much to be thankful for: the beauty of the escarpment, the closeness of the sea, the spacious grounds, the dedicated teachers and staff, the joy of friendships, the thrill of learning, the ever-improving facilities, ‘Fighting the Good Fight’, ‘Letting Christ’s Light Shine’, ‘Living by the Truth’; belonging to a caring, loving, faith community; being an important part of the local Church and civic community of Wollongong; the treasuring of those who have been part of this community and have died.

St Paul in today’s reading from Ephesians says: “May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him”. I pray, that God will give us all the wisdom and perception to cherish all that is good, both past and present, about this place. May God enliven our memories to recall the rich blessings we have received here. Earlier in our celebration Jozo led us in the “Welcome to Country”. God was present here from time immemorial, especially in the lives of the local aboriginal people who would have fished and hunted and cooked and danced and loved and nurtured their children over many generations. Let us be grateful that for the past 50 years, this college, this community dedicated to Catholic education, has been so blessed. Truly God is in this place. May Holy Spirit College long continue what those pioneering fathers, brothers, sisters, lay staff and parents began all those years ago.

Happy feast day to all for the Holy Name of Mary. Paul Cooney, Provincial, 12 September 2012.

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References

Cooney, Paul, [St. Paul's 50th Anniversary homily], Provincial Circular, Marist Fathers Australian Province, vol.6, 2012.

Molloy, Fr. Louis, The Cawley Family and St. Paul's College, Bellambi, Bulletin of the Illawarra Historical Society, May 1983, 21-22.

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Last updated 14 October 2024

Michael Organ, Australia

E: hokusai22@outlook.com