Aquinas College is the fabric woven through the tapestry of my life. Aquinas is more than a school to me; I live the core values. Emotionally, I am forever grateful for the direction, confidence, and guidance I gained at Aquinas. Strong male role models had a positive impact on me as a young man. Veritas Vincit and a life lived with integrity, form the hallmarks of my personal value system. Courage to live your life in truth is not always popular, but it is always right.Chris Waddingham ('91)
Chris came to Aquinas College at the commencement of Year 11. The only child of a single mother, he spent his formative years in the Kimberley in Indigenous communities and missions, where his mother worked as a primary school teacher. Chris attended eight different schools - in the South West and the Kimberley - before receiving a Brother Redmond Bursary to attend Aquinas College as a boarder for Years 11 & 12. “We were beyond grateful, as without significant assistance my family simply could not afford to send me to Aquinas,” said Chris. “I was humbled - but excited - that someone had the heart to help me and I recall being very focussed to make sure I made the best of this opportunity. I wanted my family to be proud of me.”
Fast-forward 30 years, and Chris’s son, Jonathan, is now a Year 10 boarder at Aquinas, the third generation of Waddinghams to attend the College - a fact that makes Chris immensely proud. “I resolved at graduation in 1991 that I would do whatever was necessary to have my son/s afforded the same opportunities I had at Aquinas College.”
Chris believes his education at Aquinas benefitted him in many ways: in the classroom, the boarding house and on the sporting field. “I was encouraged to grow leadership skills, I relished helping younger boys in the boarding house, and to this day I am heavily involved with trainees in our business. The little lessons like ‘you get back what you put in’ are taught at school and are so pertinent in the wider world. The connections with Old Boys in the business world are mutually beneficial.”
At Aquinas, our goal is to inspire Aquinas boys to become good men in our community, and Chris is a shining example of this goal in action. Married to Michelle with three children - Claudia, Jonathan and Amelia - Chris is a small business owner in the South West, an Auctioneer, Livestock and Real Estate Agent. He loves his work, is heavily involved in the community, particularly through country cricket, and enjoys the relationships he has fostered with his rural community over the past 30 years. Without his Aquinas education, Chris is certain his life would be very different.
“If the gift of life is one of God’s greatest gifts then surely man’s is ‘giving’. An Aquinas College education WILL change the life of a young man. You have the opportunity to make a lasting impression on a young man’s life. He will never forget your help.”
We acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples of Australia as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land of our schools. We are inspired and nurtured by their wisdom, spirituality and experience. We commit ourselves to actively work alongside them for reconciliation and justice. We pay our respects to the Elders; past, present and future. As we take our next step we remember the first footsteps taken on this sacred land.
CRICOS Code: 00428E
