Good evening, Salesians, parents, families, members of staff and, most importantly, the graduating Class of 2026.
Tonight is a significant moment in the life of our college. It is an opportunity to pause; give thanks and recognise how far these young men have travelled.
We celebrate their achievements in learning, leadership, the arts, sport and service. We also recognise their growth in faith, their developing relationship with God, and the meaning and purpose they have discovered as members of our Catholic and Salesian community. As important, we celebrate their character and the young men they have become – young men called to live with faith, hope and love, and to become “good Christians and honest citizens”.
This graduating class will always hold a special place in my story as Principal – the first group of students to have commenced Year 7 and graduated from Year 12 during my principalship.
I was surprised yet very grateful at the beginning of this year when the boys presented me with a personalised Year 12 rugby top.
In that sense, we have been on this journey together.
What a beginning it was.
When you returned to school from lockdown in Week 3 Term 4 2021 we all thought the period of disruption was finally behind us and that Year 7 school life could begin again.
As Melbourne Cup weekend approached it became apparent that a COVID outbreak was happening amongst the Year 7s in the Murdoch classrooms. A small number of absences on Wednesday escalated to over 30 by Friday. Reporting confirmed COVID cases to Monash Health on a long weekend was not in a Principal’s role description!
It was not the beginning to my principalship that I had imagined, and it was not the beginning to secondary school that you deserved.
Yet that disruption did not define you. What has defined you is the way you returned, reconnected and rebuilt.
Slowly, the familiar sounds of school returned. Conversations filled the corridors, games resumed in the yard and friendships strengthened. Over the years, that renewed sense of connection became evident in studies, the performing arts, in sport, in leadership and in the many ways you supported one another.
One of the great personal privileges of this year has been sharing lunch with each Year 12 Oratory group. I have enjoyed those occasions enormously. They have been relaxed, honest and very informative discussions, and I have appreciated your willingness to ask questions and offer your views about our great school. Our discussions have centred on what has brought you joy, what makes our school special, what could be improved and, on more than one occasion, what a question about what a Principal does.
Joy is at the heart of our Salesian identity. For Don Bosco, joy grew from faith, friendship and belonging, and from becoming the person God created each of us to be. When I asked what had brought you joy during your years at Salesian, you spoke warmly about your mates and the many opportunities you had shared. Your answers reminded me that our deepest joy is rarely found alone. It is found in relationships and shared experiences, and in knowing that we are welcomed, known and valued.
Your reflections on what makes Salesian special carried the same message. You spoke of friendships, opportunities and teachers who know and care for you. This reflects the example of Jesus, who welcomed people personally and helped them recognise their dignity and worth. It also expresses Don Bosco’s vision of a school as a home that welcomes, where young people know they are loved and are encouraged to become more.
Your ideas for further improvement were equally thoughtful, although some may require a slightly larger budget than others.
Those lunches reminded me that student voice is not simply about being invited to speak. It is about knowing that someone is genuinely listening. They also allowed me to see the humour, insight and growing maturity of the young men in this cohort.
At our Opening College Mass this year, we heard St Paul encourage us to be happy in the Lord, to show kindness to everyone and to approach the future with prayer and a thankful heart. He urged us to fill our minds with everything that is true, noble, good and worthy of praise, and then to put what we have learned into action.
Gentlemen, that is excellent advice as you leave the College.
Choose what is true when misinformation is easier. Choose what is noble when compromise appears more convenient. Choose what is good when nobody is watching. Remain grateful for the opportunities you receive and for the people who accompany you.
The Gospel at our Opening Mass gave us an even clearer direction. Jesus taught us to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and to love our neighbour as ourselves.
Your future will contain many measures of success: results, qualifications, careers and achievements. Those things matter, and I hope you pursue your aspirations with confidence and ambition.
But the deeper measure of your life will be found in the way you treat people. Whom did you welcome? Whom did you defend? Did you notice the person standing at the edge? Did you use your abilities only to advance yourself, or also to improve the lives of others?
Our 2026 Strenna offers us a beautiful response: “Do whatever he tells you. Believers, free to serve.”
These are Mary’s words to the servants at the Wedding at Cana. The wine had run out, and the celebration faced a crisis. Mary placed her trust in Jesus and invited the servants to listen to him. Jesus asked them to fill the stone jars with water, and they filled them to the brim. What appeared to be an ending became a moment of transformation, abundance and renewed joy.
The Strenna is not a call to passive or unthinking obedience. It is an invitation to listen personally and actively, to trust in Christ and to place his words into action. It reminds us that faith is not simply something we possess. Faith is something we live through our choices, relationships and service.
There will be moments in your lives when the jars appear empty. Plans may change. You may encounter disappointment or uncertainty. You may wonder whether you have enough to offer.
When those moments come, remember Cana.
Listen carefully. Trust deeply. Fill the jars.
Bring what you have: your effort, integrity, faith and willingness to serve. Take the next good and courageous step, even when you cannot yet see where it will lead.
As you do so, carry our college values with you.
Live with integrity, particularly when nobody is watching.
Show respect, especially to those whose experiences and views differ from your own.
Create belonging by noticing who is standing at the edge and inviting that person in.
Choose joy, the deep joy that comes from faith, friendship, purpose and generous service.
Live with dynamism. Do not remain on the sidelines commenting on what is wrong. Step forward and help make things better.
Tonight, we also thank your teachers and every member of staff who has accompanied you. St John Bosco described the Oratory as a community filled with life, movement, games, stories, laughter and family spirit. He taught that familiarity creates affection, affection creates confidence, and confidence opens hearts. Your teachers have sought to offer you that Salesian relationship. They have known you, encouraged you, challenged you and continued to believe in you…to become more. To our staff, thank you for your expertise, generosity and care.
To our parents and families, thank you for entrusting your sons to us. You have been their first and most enduring educators. You supported them through disruption, transition, difficult days, changing expectations, examinations and the countless ordinary moments that have led to this significant evening.
Gentlemen of Class of 2026, I am immensely proud of you. I am proud of the way you rebuilt connection, embraced opportunity and contributed to our Salesian community. I am proud of the young men who now graduate from Salesian College Chadstone.
Go from here as men who listen before acting, think deeply, love generously and serve courageously. Become what Don Bosco always wanted his young people to become: good Christians and honest citizens.
Wherever life takes you, you will always have a home at Salesian College Chadstone. You will always be part of our story, just as this College will always be part of yours.
So, gentlemen, as you leave us:
Be you. Become more.
May Mary, Help of Christians, guide you. May Don Bosco continue to inspire you. May God bless each of you and your families.
Congratulations, Class of 2026.
Go well.
Omnia Omnibus.
