St Ignatius College
This co-educational secondary college was formed in 2004 from the merger of three Geelong colleges, has relocated to Drysdale and has grown to 1100 students, 140 staff members and an annual budget of $15 million since then. Its annual student fees are around $5000. It reports to parish priests of 13 parishes in the Geelong region. Since 2006 Frs. Gerard Healy SJ, Chris Gleeson SJ and others have provided substantial inputs to SICG processes as a Jesuit Partner School. Refer to the following weblink for further background –
Principal Mr Michael Exton hosted several SPOCA Committee members on a tour of SICG facilities in December 2019. He was most receptive to any support SPOCA members may be able to provide the college and has spoken at several SPOCA functions on SICG activities and outcomes.
Thanks to the generosity of Patrician alumni, SICG have established a SPOCA Jesuit Alumni Award presented annually at their Mosaic Speech Night to their graduate who is deemed to be most living up to the school motto “ To Love and to Serve” and to the Jesuit ethos.
In addition to the Jesuit Alumni Award funded in perpetuity by SPOCA, in 2017 SPOCA donated or loaned several images and items of memorabilia of its school life for use in home-rooms and other locations around the SICG Drysdale campus. The handover event was recorded photographically at the Annual Dinner, featuring Paul Lewis (SICG) and Jim Smith (SPOCA).
SPOCA Jesuit Alumni Award
Winners of the award have been:
2016 – Ms Chelsea Quigley (SICG 2012)
2017 – Ms Chloe McDowell (SICG 2013)
2018 – Mr Joshua Smith (SICG 2014)
2019 – Ms Molly Cross (SICG 2018)
2020 – Ms Lauren Dempsey (SICG 2019 – A short report about Lauren's award and her life since school can be found here).
2021 – Mr Hugh Fleet
2022 – Dr. Brenden Borosh (among other things, Brenden 'championed' 2 programs at the College this year, the SICG Golf Day (to which the SPOCA was invited) and the SICG Careers Panel Evening. A wonderful contribution to the College.)
2023 – Ms Kerrie Exton (see below for a report on the Presentation evening)
SPOCA Present Jesuit Alumni Book Prize at SICG Mosaic & Awards Night 2023
The Annual SPOCA Book Prize for the St Ignatius College Drysdale graduate deemed to most reflect their school motto - “To Love and to Serve” - was presented to Ms. Kerrie Exton, the eighth winner of the prize, for her current work in education, care and capacity building in East Timor. Year 10 student Stephanie Reynolds accepted the award and a copy of the SPC history book (MTAS by Healy & Head SJ) on Kerrie’s behalf from SPOCA’s Jim Smith at the SICG Mosaic Night in Geelong on 16 November 2023. The occasion also afforded SPOCA an opportunity to briefly outline the history and significance of SPC and its Jesuits, and to explain why we continue to support the work of SICG in small ways. Their campus also has twelve loaned SPC memorabilia items on display, including the 1865 front door signage from the Jesuits’ SPC Lansdown Street site, a Patricians FC football guernsey and other items.
Jim Smith