In 2021, Damascus College is proudly celebrating 140 years of Catholic education, building on our shared Mercy and Diocesan history since 1881.

Throughout that journey, one of the hallmarks of our community has been a willingness to adapt and change to meet the needs of the times.

Modern and innovative educational governance has seen the current Co-Governors of Damascus College; the Association of Canonical Administrators of the Parishes of Greater Ballarat, and the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea, invite the Damascus College Board into a process of discernment on the future governance for the College.

Following a thorough process of discernment, the Board has made a recommendation to the respective entities that the future governance of the College be transitioned to the Company formed by the Bishop of Ballarat, titled Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited (DOBCEL). DOBCEL is a team of professional and committed directors who govern the schools of the Diocese for whom the Bishop of Ballarat, Rev Paul Bird, has civil responsibility.

Damascus College will continue to honour the joint charisms on which it has been founded. The place of the Sisters of Mercy here in Ballarat and the legacy of Catherine McAuley will continue to underpin the spiritual and educational offerings available to the Damascus College community. This will continue in collaboration with the spirit of service of the parishes from which students enrol.

For staff, students and families, a change in governance will not materially impact the College experience; however, it formally provides the College with the local experience of the DOBCEL Board and the support of the broader network of schools in the Diocese of Ballarat.

A working party will be formed to address the specifics of the change in governance, and these changes will be communicated to the College community as the year progresses.

As we celebrate our 140-year history throughout 2021, we look forward to recognising the extensive contribution of the Sisters of Mercy and the parishes of greater Ballarat that have led the transition to DOBCEL, the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Damascus College.

We had an awesome day at the Swimming carnival last Wednesday, and today we send off those students who experienced success in their races to the Ballarat Associated Schools Swimming Carnival at the Eureka Pool. I thank Sports Coordinator Nikki Hexter and the staff who support her in preparing for these carnivals in such quick succession.

From this Friday, the Head of School Girls Regatta will take place on the Barwon River in Geelong. This regatta will bring the 2020/21 season to a close for the girls in our program. I reported last week that there were to be no spectators at the regatta, but as is the case in modern times, there has been a change - please see below a statement from the Head of School Girls Regatta Committee around spectators:-

The Head of the Schoolgirls’ Regatta Committee is pleased to announce we have accepted a proposal from Rowing Victoria which allows a limited number of spectators on the south bank of the Barwon River.

A key consideration for the committee in planning a safe event has been ensuring there is no cross-over between competitors and spectators. The updated site plan adheres to this, retaining free movement of athletes and staff on the north bank. It will permit approximately 1800 spectators, the maximum number allowed in line with the geographical space available and keeping within the parameters of our permit application under a tier 2 category event. The number of spectator passes allocated to each school will be reflective of their entry numbers. Further information about this will be communicated to each school’s regatta contact person.

The safety and experience of each schoolgirl remains a priority for the committee, in line with our statement of purposes.

For more information on how to attend and to obtain tickets please click here.

The End of Season Rowing Dinner will take place next Tuesday evening, March 16^th, in the Damascus College Events Centre from 6:30pm. Tickets can be purchased through the College office.

This Friday, we have the Opening Mass. In order to conduct a COVID safe event, we will conduct our Mass with Year 12 students and SRC representatives in attendance. Bishop Paul Bird will celebrate Mass, and we look forward to welcoming Bishop Paul on Friday.

There are a diverse range of excursions to support classroom learning taking place over the next week, and I encourage families to check PAM permissions and take a look at your student's progress while there.

Monday was International Women's Day, and while we enjoyed the Labour Day holiday and the celebration of the Labour movement in achieving an eight-hour working day, we acknowledge that there is still work to be done in achieving equality and safety for women in our global community. We have been fortunate to have so many women work to progress our community and society, and we acknowledge those who came before us, those amongst us and those in the future. Many of these women in this community have been nurtured by the Sisters of Mercy, who celebrate 140 years of faith-filled ministry in Ballarat. In recognition of 2021 International Women's Day, a group of staff have prepared Lapel Pin Ribbons and made these available to other staff for the purchase price of $2. All proceeds will be donated to McAuley House Ballarat.

McAuley House Ballarat is another ministry of the Sisters of Mercy and opened in 2019. McAuley House offers support and accommodation services for women facing homelessness in Ballarat. Please see the following link for further information about the additional support challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as innovative ways people can donate and support this wonderful Centre.

McAuley House Ballarat - McAuley Community Service for Women (mcauleycsw.org.au)

We extend a prayer of gratitude for all the women in our lives, for their strength and courage and inspiration, and we pray that we can continue to develop as a society with just and safe equality for all.

We also pray for staff member Deb Glasson, whose mother is very unwell. We also pray for the continued recovery of staff member Kirsten Phyland.

Until next week….

MATT

What a great day it was at the Damascus swimming carnival last Wednesday. Although the weather wasn’t exactly warm, that didn’t deter the enthusiasm from those participating in the 50m and 25m swimming events and the novelty events of basketball, bocce and volleyball.

There were also many records broken today which will be communicated via the newsletter next week.

Congratulations to St Martin house finishing in first place with 1,470 points. This was followed by McAuley (1,212 points), Xavier (1,196 points) and Rice (1,034 points).

Also a huge congratulations to the following age champions:

U13 Boys – Luke Gallagher

U13 Girls – Macey McQuie

U14 Boys – Charlie Snare

U14 Girls – Charley Ward

U15 Boys – Jonah Skewes-Clinton

U15 Girls – Gemma Daly

U16 Boys – Jai Erwin

U16 Girls – Tanayah Wooller

U17 Boys – Tim Collins & Jayden Bickley

U17 Girls – Olivia Daly

U20 Boys – Ethan Rae

U20 Girls – Brigid Vereker

Celebrating 16 Productions in 30 Years - we proudly present our 30 year anniversary of The Final Hours.

“The Final Hours” is a theatrical presentation of the last few hours of Jesus’ life.

As always, it will be performed at the College during Holy Week.

Sessions available:

• Tuesday 30 March, 8pm
• Wednesday 31 March, 8pm
• Thursday 1 April, 10pm (Holy Thursday)
• Friday 2 April, 8pm (Good Friday)

Tickets available HERE

Due to limited tickets available at each performance (4 per booking), it would be much appreciated if you please book only one performance, and not mulitple performances. This will allow the maximum amount of people to experience the show.

In the event of inclement weather, performances may be cancelled. As this event primarily takes place outdoors, patrons are advised to wear warm clothing and sturdy shoes. During this event, patrons will be required to navigate stairs, bush tracks and undulating terrain.

Entry by ticket only. Your kind donation to Project Compassion will be collected at the door of the auditorium.

The Final Hours - how it began

Who would have thought when a group of senior drama students at the then St. Martins in the Pines stepped up onto a small wooden platform in 1989 that they would be starting one of the college’s most memorable traditions. This year the biannual production of “The Final Hours” is back for its 16th season with a new cast and crew and a few new surprises.

This longstanding Easter tradition at Damascus began from humble beginnings with two lights and a simple raised stage in 1990. It has now grown slowly into the very complex theatrical event being produced this year.

From its humble beginnings 30 years ago this Passion play developed by director, designer Andrew Seeary has grown into a complex and technically challenging theatrical event. The performance which utilizes both interior and exterior locations around the Mt. Clear Campus involves over forty students in both acting and technical roles. The play tracks the final hours of Jesus of Nazareth before being put to death on the cross. The structure and script focus on the gritty realism and raw emotions of a range of characters that witness the event.

“It is one of the most recognizable and well-known stories of the world and it has been told for generations in so many forms” said Andrew who has been involved in the production continuously since its inception. “Like at Christmas time, Easter’s true origin is founded in an event, one that sometimes gets lost amid holidays and commercialism. The production has always been an attempt to reconnect with the true message of Easter.

One of the great joys of the performance has always been in seeing students from all year levels working as one in a great spirit of purpose and collaboration.

As we journey towards the celebration of the event’s thirtieth year, we still feel the power of this unique production. Its capacity to reflect through drama on the fundamental stories of the Christian faith still inspires and creates opportunity for reflection.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

The Damascus College motto “To Live By The light of Christ” is never better highlighted than by our commitment to “The Final Hours” production. This is the 16th season of this incredible and moving performance, portrayed with all the passion and sensitivity we have learnt to experience from a hugely talented cast of young people. This story of Jesus’ final hours on earth is the heart and essence of our Catholic faith tradition.

We are immensely proud of our reflective Easter production and I commend it to all families as a tradition that has preceded the College’s inception and is the lived expression of Catholic Christian identity.

Mr. Matthew Byrne

We are now in the third week of Lent with the Project Compassion story of Oliva, a 22-year-old woman from Tanzania. She did not have the opportunity to go to school and was embarrassed that she was unable to read, write or count. As an adult, her business was losing money because she couldn’t add up her money and give the right change to customers.

Then Oliva enrolled in Caritas Australia’s literacy and numeracy classes. She also set up a home classroom to teach her neighbours, for free, because they were too shy to attend larger classes.

Oliva has now graduated, attendance at her classes are growing, her kiosk is thriving and she is helping her children with their homework. She aims to become a pastor and run for leadership in the next local election - to help her community to ‘Be More.’

• Approximately 260 million children don’t have the chance to go to school (un.org)

Watch a short film about Oliva’s story here.

“Aspire not to have more, but to be more.” Please support Project Compassion: lent.caritas.org.au

On Thursday March 4, four Damascus students headed to the Ballarat Regional Tennis Centre to compete in the BAS Singles Tennis semi-finals.

Semi-final results:

- Megan O’Beirne DC def LC 8-5

- Isabella Pearce DC def BCC 8-4

- Brayden Joyce DC def BG 8-3

- Jarrod Joyce DC def BG 8-1

In what was a great morning, all four students made it through to the grand final. Megan O’Beirne played a tough second set in the Senior Henderson Shield final however lost the match 6-4, 7-6 against a BHS player. Isabella Pearce played in the Junior Henderson Shield and lost 6-1, 6-2. It was a great effort for both girls to make it through to the grand final. Brayden Joyce and Jarrod Joyce played in separate semi-finals against another set of twins from BG. Both boys won their semi-final which gave us an all Damascus grand final in the Rob Benoit Cup. The final score was Jarrod Joyce DC def Brayden Joyce 6-1, 6-4. This was Jarrod’s third Rob Benoit Cup win in a row. Congratulations to all involved and thanks to Mr Gavan Walsh for supervising.

Last year, Damascus successfully applied for a Landcare grant supported by Bushman Water Tanks. The funds from this grant are being put towards the installation of a greenhouse for the propagation of murnong and other indigenous plants on the Damascus site.

On Wednesday 21^st September last year, students and staff joined in to prepare the site for the new greenhouse. Since the beginning of the 2021 school year, students in the Hands On Learning Program (HOLP) have been assembling the greenhouse as part of their classes.

This week, we received a certificate from Bushman Water Tanks commemorating our successful grant application. Pictured here are Green Group co-presidents Liana Canfield and Kaitlyn Handreck, along with HOLP class students Felix Moore and William Butcher. We thank Bushman Tanks for their support.

As you can see from the photo below, the greenhouse is nearing completion and will soon move from the construction site to its permanent home in the College’s horticulture space.

Sustainability Co-ordinator, Nick Yandell, is preparing a conference to investigate the future of sustainability at the College.

The area of sustainability is at once simple and complex. Simple, in that we cannot maintain the existing approach to living if we are to survive as a species on this planet. Complex, in that there are so many elements to the sustainability jigsaw, each with its own levels of denial concerning the reasons for and impact of climate change, deforestation, biodegradation and extinction rates, fresh water scarcity, excessive meat production, over fishing of the oceans and the impact of fossil fuel burning.

What is our responsibility as a College community? Members of the Damascus College community are invited to a conference to consider this question at Damascus College on Friday March 19^th at 1.30 pm – 3:00 pm. Students, staff members and parents are invited. Please indicate your interest in attending by contacting Nick Yandell via email by Tuesday 16^th March. N.Yandell@damascus.vic.edu.au

“Once we start to think about the kind of world we are leaving to future generations, we look at things differently; we realize that the world is a gift which we have freely received and must share with others.” Pope Francis. Laudato Si #159

In these difficult times if you and or your family are struggling to make ends meet we encourage to reach out to the St Vincent de Paul Helpline. They can assist in many areas including food and clothing.

Please see details below:-

SVdP Helpline. Phone 5334 2844

Leave a message as prompted. Callers will be contacted within 36 hours.

Ballarat Assistance Centre

6 Dawson St Sth

Ballarat

HOURS: Monday, Wednesday, Friday

10.00 to 12.00

CURRENTLY CLOSED DUE TO COVID

PROPOSED REOPENING DATE AFTER EASTER

WHEN OPENED WE WILL BE OPERATING UNDER COVID GUIDELINES

Please see following information around a Sign Up Day for

Buninyong Redbacks Soccer Club:-