Nudgee College Class of 1962

We are pleased to announce that Our Book is progressing well with a first draft almost completed. As we are now to move into formal discussions with a graphic artist and the printers it seems appropriate to move from the familiar ‘Our Book’ to a more public title. Accordingly, the title of our book will now be:

 

 

To those who may ask where did they find that title? Let us explain. The words of the title were used by Brother W V Green. They appear in the annual report in the 1956 College Annual.

 

The title was selected on the basis that it would engage the potential reader and could act as a summary of what the book is about. The book of twelve chapters, and approximately 300 pages, is meant to be more that a coffee table picture book. The compilers intend it to be a book of record both for our class mates and future historians. The book invites the reader to survey the education this Nudgee class received and to read how the students applied this education in their lives.   No doubt this will lead many to make a judgement on how well this educational experience prepared them for their later lives. Did this education have a purpose? It appears it did. The purpose was “To Elevate, Regulate and Perfect” the students in this Catholic secondary school.

 

After the title was selected further research showed that in fact the words came from an Encyclical promulgated by Pope Pius XI in 1929 titled “Divini Illius Magistri” (On Christian Education). This Encyclical was to influence Catholic educators throughout the world. The Christian Brothers, our teachers, obviously took it as a ‘mission statement’. When you read the book you can make up your own mind as to how successful they were in fulfilling their mission.

 

Our recent research has been on the lives of our teachers. As a sample we provide an excerpt from the life of Brother William Patrick Morahan known affectionately as ‘Boxhead’ by his scholarship classes and Nudgee students. Even those who were not taught by him realised that he was not only an enthusiastic but a talented athlete. Is it any wonder when one reads the following:

 

 

The chapter on Teachers provides an insight into their lives and personalities which may provoke the reader to reassess their memories of fifty years ago. We can also report that those still alive (Br. F Pelin, B W Denton and J Wagner) have been contacted.

 

So, the book is progressing according to plan. More news will follow in our next Update towards the end of the year.

 

 

 

Once the book is formalized our attention will turn to the production of a slideshow on DVD which will accompany the book. It will contain material supplementary to the book, including photos of class mates ‘then’ and ‘now’.

 

 

 

To date we have current photos of 69 class mates. They start with DOUG ADAM and end with IAN WOOD. But there are 50 in between who are missing. Are you one of these?

 

 

 

We appreciate that your personal photos are precious to you and we undertake (as we have to date) to take good care of them whilst they are in our possession and to return them as soon as we can. If you are able to scan your photos yourself could you please scan them at 300dpi and save them as a .jpg file. You can then send them to us as an attachment to an Email or you can just post or deliver them to us and we will scan them before returning them.

 

 

 

 

Background music for the slideshow will be made up of hit songs. If you have any hit song favourites from the 1950s or early 60s which you like to have included, please send us the title of the song and we will do the rest.

 

With the book, we started early and we think it has paid dividends. The production of the slideshow, which is yet to be given our attention, requires a much shorter time line. So, it would be appreciated if you could send the requested items now.

 

Once again many thanks to all those class mates who have contributed in so many ways.

 

Jim & Bob