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Update | News from our President
Sunday, 22 May 2022
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It is with great privilege that I write my first report for 2022 as the President of the Gregory Terrace Old Boys’ Association. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the men who previously held this position, from Ross Stenson back when I was a student in 1994 through to Dominic Condon, my classmate who sadly passed away in 2020, and of course, my predecessor David Toohey. On behalf of the Old Boy community, I want to sincerely thank David for the time, effort, passion, and commitment he has shown as a committee member over several years, as President in 2019, and for answering the call to return in 2021. I am yet to meet David’s equal in raw passion for the GTOBA. Thankfully the committee will continue to benefit from David’s experience this year in his capacity as Immediate Past President. We began the year as we always do with the GTOBA annual Mass in the College Chapel. It was a wonderful morning, and I encourage the whole Terrace community to join in the future. The Mass was followed by the Annual General Meeting, where we saw a record number of Old Boys nominated to join the committee in 2022. With Andrew Splatt (GT 2008) as Vice President, together with a great mix of returning committee members and several new faces, the committee is energised and excited about working on the many goals we have for this year. The first event of the year was the annual President’s Drinks, which we hosted at the Port Office Hotel on the now infamous flooding weekend at the end of February. Despite the rain, attendance was exceptional, with Old Boys ranging from the 1950s to the present. The committee has chosen to focus this event over the past couple of years on engaging with the previous year’s graduating class, and it was great to see the 2021 Seniors in such good numbers. Watching fellow Old Boy Harry Wilson and the Queensland Reds defeat NSW on the big screen was the icing on the cake. In a few short weeks, the committee will launch an exciting new web platform that we think will enable us to better connect with each other and with the College. We can’t wait to go live and engage with as many of you as possible. Watch this space. A key initiative that the new platform will facilitate is a new mentoring program called Mentor Connect. Amongst our community, we have an enormous wealth of experience, which we think would be invaluable to our fellow Old Boys, particularly the younger men, as they are finding their way following graduation. We already have over 100 Old Boys who put their hands up to be mentors, and we are always looking for more. This is a key goal of the committee to deliver on and we are almost ready to launch. Please look out for it; we would love you to participate as a mentor or mentee! On 27 April, we will host the Annual Br Buckley AM Breakfast at Victoria Park. This event is a special day in the calendar for the GTOBA, not just to connect with fellow Old Boys and hear from guest speakers, but because it allows us to honour one of our greatest Old Boys in Br Barry Buckley. Br Buckley was a student in 1951, a teacher, headmaster, and coach of a winning 1st VIII boat on two occasions. Br Buckley is a genuine Brother and an inspiration to many generations of Old Boys. This year we have a terrific panel at the breakfast, including the Deputy Mayor of Brisbane. She will discuss “From the world epidemic to the future” with regard to Brisbane’s preparation for the Olympic Games in 2032. Communications will follow shortly. Please save the date and come and join us for this special morning. And that is just the start. The committee has several exciting initiatives for the remainder of the year, including the Annual T-Bone Lunch, the Alumni Awards and reunions. I am looking forward to working with you and for you this year. Mr Mark Christensen (GT 1994) GTOBA President |