Much had already been spoken and written about ANZAC Day and the 100th Anniversary of Gallipoli, when Blackfriars Priory School students and staff returned to school to commence Term 2. The school community gathered on that day for an ANZAC liturgy to reflect on the sacrifices of Australians who have fought in the many wars from Gallipoli to current day conflicts and to pray for peace in our world.
What added to the Blackfriars liturgy in a special way was the involvement of two Blackfriars Old Scholars who have quite different associations with the Australian Defence Forces. Major Matthew Barletta returned to his “Alma Marta” having graduated in 2001. Matthew shared experiences of his life and progression through the military ranks in the fourteen years since his graduation, having most recently been deployed in Afghanistan.
The second Old Scholar was renown musician John Schumann. Having graduated in 1969, John quickly rose to prominence as a singer / songwriter, best known as lead singer of the band “Redgum” recognised for their iconic war anthem “I was only nineteen“. John’s life in music has become inextricably intertwined with the lives of military veterans returning from Vietnam leading to him being awarded an Order of Australia medal in 2014 not only for services to Australian music but also to the welfare of Australian military veterans.
The involvement of former students Matthew and John throughout the liturgy brought the ANZAC message closer to home to over 1 000 Blackfriars students and staff in attendance, who sat in “absolute” silence as John played and sang a haunting rendition of “I was only nineteen” at the conclusion of the liturgy. The moving liturgy and the attendance of Matthew and John certainly made it a day to remember, LEST WE FORGET.
To find out more about Blackfriars visit the website
Four Catholic schools across South Australia have been awarded $6.34 million in grants for capital works to improve learning spaces, increase opportunities for disadvantaged students and cater for more diverse learning needs.
The State Government grants — $6.34 million for Catholic schools and $6.38 million for independent schools — are for building projects to commence over the next year.
Introduced in 2018 to ensure all students have access to a first-class education, the latest funding under the scheme has been approved for four projects at Catholic schools and 103 smaller projects at independent schools.
