Patrician Emails & Letters

YCW, Phillip Island Camp, Vietnam Veterans & Patrician Connections

In October 2022 we received a letter from Brian Lawrence in connection with a YCW property on Phillip Island which some Patricians may be aware of or may have even spent some time at many years ago. The more detailed introductory explanation and Brian's letter can be accessed via this link.

Letters, Emails and Other Contacts from Patricians

Many Patricians write to SPOCA about a range of topics and often they include a paragraph or two describing some of their recollections of their time at St. Pat's. It would be a pity if these short stories went no further than committee's Inward Correspondence. Accordingly, a table of that Correspondence (from whom, SPC years, and topic) is shown below to summarize those messages. In addition, a selection of those recollections is also written more fully in the paragraphs that follow the table.

John BERGIN (SPC 34-40; from his wife, Patricia)

John died in April 2021 in Sale. Patricia recalled that “He loved St. Patrick’s and the years he spent there, and the Jesuits who educated him. They were some of his happiest days.” See full text of Patricia's letter here or in 'Recollections' section.

Frank HAWKINS (SPC 42-48)

Frank recalled the context of the picture in the December 2021 issue of the Patrician. He wrote: “the picture is from about 1942 or 43 of SPC boys digging trenches in the Fitzroy Gardens on the Albert St side to help to protect school children and part of the population of Melbourne from the Jap bombers. The best part of the adventure was the afternoon tea supplied by a number of young girls from the PLC at the time it was opposite Parade College. A good time was had by all.”

Like a number of other letter-writers, Fr Quigley was fondly remembered by Frank: “Fr Quigley was one of the best. The picture on the back page is of the group of us that took place at the Rob Roy hill climb property at Christmas Hills ... The property was used by the MG car club as a hill climb ... I think I am in the picture, the shy looking one on the right and my brother Tom ... is the second on the left with a bandage on his leg. He tells me he still has the scar from the boiling water that was spilled in the kitchen at the camp in 1947. Quig was not happy with this accident.”

Fr John HOGAN (SPC 41-48)

John is living in Perth (“I am sort of in retirement in a seminary in Perth”)

He too was interested in the same photos as Frank above. John wrote: “Regarding the photo of Rob Roy – I was there, probably the week after Christmas in 1949. I remember the place was not far from Melbourne and the owner had Shetland ponies in one paddock.

Regarding the boys digging trenches: these were in the Treasury Gardens on the west side of Lansdowne St. I started school in the second term of 1941. I knew the trenches were there but I am not sure if I ever saw them. I caught the tram on Victoria Pde to Kew.

I have a memory of Fr Quigley: he had a strap to slap the hands of the naughty boys. He called it his ‘Snickersnee’ after the name of the sword of the Lord High Executioner in the Mikado.”!!

Fr Chris MITHEN (44-48) (see further text here and here or in 'Recollections' section)

Chris writes of his time at St. Pat’s: “Our Rector was Fr Louis Loughnan. On the staff were Fr Tom van Prooyan, Mr Cecil Smith, Fr Denis Sherry, Fr Hugo Wuigley, Fr Robert Carpenter, Frs Griffin and Maloney, Mr Lud van Baer, Fr Daniel Fitzpatrick who I later met in Hong Kong. Among my classmates in those days were Peter Pirrie, Jim and Jake Pirrie. Phil Hoskins was the Head Prefect. My name then was PETER Mithen, until at the beginning of 1949 (when) I went to the Passionist Fathers Seminary in Sydney. Later on I was ordained a priest and have been so for the last 65 years and am now living in retirement at Nazareth House in Camberwell.

I enjoyed my time at St. Pat’s. When I was in Leaving in the seat in front of me were two boys who came from St John’s Hawthorn. One of the boys (was) Peter Siletto RIP and the other was Bob Matthews, now Fr Bob Matthews Franciscan. Fr Billy Dwyer SJ still a highly respected missionary in India. So I know where Billy is but I am trying to find the lad who sat next to me and was my friend Chris Rudolph – can you help at all? It is 73 years since I have seen him or heard from him. Any news of him would be gratefully received.”

[SPOCA sent emails to other students from the 1940s to determine if anyone could help with the Mithen query, but, although we received a number of replies, there seemed to be no one who could help; further research found a newspaper funeral notice concerning the passing of a Chris Rudolph in 2012 in Camberwell ... not conclusive but possible as his birth date was in 1932]

Tom SMYTH (65-68)

A much younger contributor, Tom reported on the passing of his wife’s uncle (Norman Lawler, SPC 47-51)

He passed on the information that Norm “was born on 3 April 1933, died at his home in Wangaratta. On leaving school, he joined the bank, progressing through the ranks before leaving to buy a business in Wangaratta.”

Tom also explained a little of his career after SPC: (after completing Sub Intermediate in 1968) “I went to Xavier for three years and then went to Monash and did a BA and Dip. Ed.

I taught for six years in department schools and then moved to the Catholic school sector. I worked in country schools before moving to Melbourne as Principal in a north western suburban school. after a health scare in 1999 I resigned from my principal’s role and went to work for the Marist Brothers in their Provincial house. I retired in 2010 and moved to Bendigo.

I have a little contact with former St Patrick’s students incljuding Paul Herrick, Peter Bugden, Leo Brophy and Peter Rule. I remember my days at St Pats very fondly.”