College Captains Day was another success in 2022. It is a day I mark in the calendar as one not to be missed. It is so enjoyable catching up with fellow Aquinians from years gone by and, despite the 12 months between each event, conversations tend to continue from where they left off the year before. Matteo Conte provided an inspirational speech, his first as Captain of the College. His words and message to his fellow students was simple - be men for others. Mr Schumacher cited Mother Teresa’s selfless life in his address, following similarly humble themes to those explored by Matteo. It is so reassuring to hear those anecdotes being told to these impressive young men. What’s even more impressive is the way they live these values. As always, I had trouble leaving at the conclusion of the function. Old memories, different ones, came back to me wherever I looked. You might forget what happened, but you’ll never forget how a place made you feel. That’s Aquinas. As I looked back at the grounds when leaving, I knew that Aquinas remained in very good hands and will continue to produce men for others. There is no more important brief.

Daniel Spencer (’03)

An eclectic group of young and not so young men had assembled around a caravan. They had one thing in common: each had at one time been College Captain of Aquinas College. Tom Hoad (’57) and John McCormack (‘58) represented their decade. The younger cohort covered each of the subsequent decades right up until Naveen Nimalan the 2021 College Captain. The van was the Holy Ground Coffee Van. It was but one of the changes they observed on an area best remembered by those more senior as the Redmond Oval. Discussion within the group gradually became a synopsis of the growth of the College from when it was a solitary building with boarders sleeping in dormitories, to the magnificent educational edifice that spread before their eyes. The highlight of the day was the announcement of the incoming College Student Leadership Team. It had come a long way from when the students lined up in the quadrangle and the Head Master called up a dozen or so young men to present them with their Prefect Badges after which the College Captain was given access to the school phone to call his parents. This year’s family-centred ceremony gave this group a detailed insight into the comprehensive structure of 21st Century student leadership. Matteo Conte, the College Captain for 2023, won the respect of his predecessors as he gave an extraordinary acceptance speech. Aquinas will be in good hands in 2023.

Mike O’Meara (’66)