Month: April 2025

On the 110th anniversary of the Anzac landings, 25 April, the College community gathered for the annual service of commemoration in the Chapel. The day is very important in the College calendar and for students to remember the sacrifices made in war. 47 Paulines laid down their lives in battle and are commemorated on the memorial wall of the College Chapel. The address by Rev’d Dave Schweinsberg, the senior Defence Force Chaplain – Sydney, was a powerful reflection on the devastation of war and its personal impact, the struggle for peace through military service, and the Christian ethos of love.

In the pictures are: the students gathering before heading off to the Sydney Anzac March; the Anzac address (above); Kate Brenner reading the first lesson; Jack Dawson reading the second lesson; Graduate House Prefect Claudio Garcia Ramirez with Senior Student Tilly Walker laying the wreath.

The service was led by Chaplain Rev’d Antony Weiss with wonderful music directed by Dr Jack Stephens and the College Chapel Choir accompanied by Organist and Composer-in-Residence David Drury and Undergraduate Organ Scholar Bailey Yaates. Rupert Begg on trumpet sounded Last Post and Reveille.

We will remember them. Lest We Forget.

On the night of 5 April 2025 the Union held a black tie dinner-dance at the College which brought together 160 Paulines and friends with large groups of freshers of 1975, 1985, 1995 and 2005.

The St Paul’s College Union is planning that this April date will become the regular annual event for current and old Paulines and their partners.

Two black tie dinners for students and their fathers were held on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 March organised and hosted by students. With over 330 undergraduates two nights are needed across the dining hall and JCR to accommodate the demand for this very happy event. The College is in indebted to the Holmes à Court family and Vasse Felix and the Toll Family for their generous support of the event.

Friday’s line up of speakers began with the Chaplain Rev’d Antony Weiss welcoming the gathering and pronouncing the College Grace, then Senior Student Tilly Walker gave a rousing toast to the fathers with her dad and old Pauline Dr Matthew Walker (in College 1986) responding. Dean of Undergraduates Matthew Newcombe proposed the toast to the College followed by Kristian and Michael Masi performing ‘Sultans of Swing’ by Dire Straights.  After dinner the gathering enjoyed great music in the Salisbury from the student band ‘Downhill Romance’ with Daniel Paridis on drums, Rex Bouvier on guitar, Felix Power on bass, voice and keyboard and Lockie Walter on voice, keyboard and guitar.

The line up for Saturday again began with the Chaplain, then Harry Scambler proposed the toast to the fathers with his dad David Scambler giving a tremendous reply about the St Paul’s values and traditions he had learnt about since becoming a Pauline dad. The toast to the College was proposed by the Warden, followed by musical item ‘I’m on Fire’ by Bruce Springsteen played by Adam Wong on guitar and voice and Helen Jordan on voice. They both continued to entertain the guests in the Salisbury with the addition to their ensemble of Rex Bouvier on guitar, Deuchar Taylor on drums and Michael Masi on bass.

“Every father should remember one day his son will follow his example instead of his advice.” Charles Kettering, prolific American inventor and head of innovation at GM.

John Gaden AO is one of the country’s leading actors who cut his teeth as a member of Mummers when he was at Paul’s 1959-61. He has been on stage and screen for the last 60 years and at 83 is performing with the Sport for Jove Theatre Company at the Seymour Centre this March-April in The Player Kings. This is a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Richard II, Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, Henry V, Henry VI Part 1, Henry VI Part 2, Henry VI Part 3, and Richard III by Damien Ryan Founder and director of the company. The Player Kings is staged over two epic performances during the season from 26 March to 5 April 2025.

“The story glances backward to the journey from Richard II to Richard III, in order to thrust our gaze forward to how political systems collapse and societies devour their own potential” (Seymour Centre), and John says of Damien Ryan’s creativity: “He has an extraordinary sort of understanding of the way Shakespeare works and the way it can be bridged across to a modern world without in any way destroying the fabulous sort of language and structure Shakespeare gives it; so he’s the ideal person to be directing Shakespeare and it’s a joy to work with! I mean it’s inspirational, actually.” (Honi Soit)

Some of the finest actors of Shakespeare in Australia present a hugely inventive and genuinely immersive experience. In the tradition of Shakespear’s Globe Theatre the play is performed on the York stage at Seymour Centre.

As a student John Gaden captivated the College community with his presence and wit. In The Paulines of the time his creative writing was published under “JSG” on several occasions and he was applauded as “the most consistently excellent” (The Pauline 1960) alongside Philip Clifton-Bligh in the Mummers production of Brendan Behan’s The Quare Fellow in 1960, a production very positively reviewed by the SMH.

John’s life has so many highlights and the statistics tell the story of a very rewarding career. He performed leading roles in 146 plays between 1961 and 2019 with 13 roles in 1970 alone. His Filmography includes roles in Muriel’s Wedding and 21 other motion pictures, and his TV roles span 1968 to 2022 in 19 productions including ABC’s Fisk, Rake, Mother and Son and Crawford Productions Homicide on Chanel 7.

John is one of the most distinguished Paulines who has been honoured on many occasions including AM in 1986, promotion to AO in 2018, and Helpmann Awards in 2001, 2005 and 2007.