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The school year has commenced well with a record enrolment of 1250 students – about 60 more
than last year.
You must be men who are:
 not afraid to dream but be men of action;
 not afraid to question but be men of faith;
 not afraid to have fun, but be men of learning;
 not afraid to challenge but be men of hope;
 not afraid to enjoy the unique bond of mateship that exists at CBHS but as individuals
be true to yourselves.
BEGINNING OF YEAR MASS
The above words were the challenge presented to seniors of 2009 as they celebrated their
service of leadership day. A very moving Eucharist celebrated by Bishop David Cremin was well
attended by parents. The young men of CBHS were exceptional in their attitude and behaviour. Well done. Thank you to
Assistant Principal – Identity, Ms Cathie Clarke, who did an outstanding job with the organisation.
NEW HOSPITALITY CENTRE
This is now in operation . 18 Year 11 students, under the expert guidance of Mr Robert Lavulo, have commenced their practical
classes. Hospitality, as well as Marine Studies, Photography and Entertainment are VET subjects, designed to allow students
who do not seek university entrance (UAI) to still receive their HSC. Our VET will continue to develop so that it is an equal
status, relevant and challenging course that will be a genuine alternative educational pathway to those who desire it.
EDUCATING OUR YOUNG MEN – WHAT CAN I DO?
Joe Ehrmann, a recent presenter at the Boys’ Schools Coalition, reminded educators and parents of boys of the importance of
keeping the development of boys “sharp and balanced”.
We all need to tell young men about the propaganda being peddled by society that masculinity is best defined as:
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athletic ability, conquests and economic success.
These things do not matter, it is relationships that matter. Indeed it is through our relationships that we can answer the
questions:
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What kind of young man am I?
What kind of husband?
What kind of father?
What kind of son?
It was suggested that father-son dysfunction was endemic in sociaty and that it was a cycle that schools must help to break.
Fathers who hide behind work, busyness and newspapers; fathers who are emotionally sterile and unable to demonstrate their
feelings; fathers who could not say “I love you” to their sons must no longer be a feature of our society. Like the Lone Ranger,
we do not want our sons to ask “Who was that masked man?”. The four traits required to truly be a man are the ability to:
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accept responsibility;
lead courageously;
enact justice on behalf of others;
live a life designed to please God rather than self.
In the end, relationships count for so much in life, yet it is odd that we can fail to teach the importance of nurturing
relationships when at school or in the home. We, at times, can forget to tell those we love that we appreciate them. We can, at
times, be slow to tell those we admire that we honour them. We can, at times, be forgetful to tell those for whom we are
grateful.
Once again, thanks for your continued support of CBHS Lewisham.
Br Paul Conn
PRINCIPAL
Doctor John Lee
A special Lewisham welcome to Dr John lee who joined us this year as the Assistant to the PrincipalTeaching and Learning. Dr Lee quickly became a well known respected member of the Lewisham family.
Dr Lee began his duties at Lewisham with a Year 12 Student Symposium which was well received by
students and teachers. He hit the ground running and has not stopped challenging, affirming and
nurturing the Lewo staff and students. As Dr Lee said, “ Watch this space and fasten your seatbelts!”
NEW LEWO VET COURSES :
Vu Nguyen interviewed Mr Lavidis, our Science Coordinator about the new popular Vet course, Marine Biology:
What are the Course Requirements?
An interest in water, water activities, snorkelling, surfing, fishing. No form of prerequisites.
What advice can you offer for students considering taking up marine biology?
Students will expect to learn a variety of skills that can help them obtain employment in:
The marine industry
Opportunity to get extra accreditation such as:
Boat license
Other skills such as snorkelling which could help students get into tourism
The boating industry:
How boats maintain buoyancy, and maintenance of boats.
In Aquaculture:
Breeding and keeping fish and other marine animals alive for long periods of time.
The ability to build an aquarium, includes starting from scratch using plain glass
About marine animals and plants including the dangerous marine
creatures which will allow students to gain employment in zoos and aquariums
What makes Marine Biology so interesting?
Students have the opportunity to go snorkelling so that the classroom
becomes the real world.
They have the opportunity to learn to sail and drive a 41 foot class sailing
boat at Sydney Harbour
Students also find that learning about dangerous marine creatures is
interesting
Another aspect that students are looking forward to is the setting up of
an aquarium.
Matthew De Cataldo’s Speech
- Year 12 student Matthew De Cataldo
Recently at the First Semester Academic Awards Year 12 student, Matthew De
Cataldo addressed the gathering on the importance of achieving one’s personal best in all areas including Academic excellence.
As an ambitious student myself I am aware of the pressures and anxieties which surround many students, especially Year 12
during this time. However, I guarantee there is no greater satisfaction than to have worked to the best of your ability to achieve
your utmost potential. In fact, the real failure in life lies in not even realising how close you were to success when you gave up. I
am thus unable to comprehend the passivity of students who are not proactively involved in their own education.
I urge you to have the fortitude to set yourself goals and work diligently and dynamically to reach those objectives, whether it be
in your studies, relationships, music or as a sportsperson. Success is not necessarily being first, it is the knowledge that you have
achieved something meaningful with the opportunities offered to you. This achievement is not rewarded with fancy prizes or
certificates. This is a deep inner success that only you yourself are capable of knowing. There is only one obstacle; fear. The fear
of failure is the greatest challenge that you will experience at this school. I myself have personally failed countless times,
however, it is the capability to rise from failure that is truly admirable.
Finally I set you the challenge, without persistent effort success is transitory. You have set the standard for yourselves but now I
urge you to go beyond that. For those of you not receiving awards today, I encourage you to realise your full potential; not to see
challenges as problems but rather as opportunities, which facilitate personal growth and character development. I congratulate
you all and leave you with the words of Albert Schweitzer; "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If
you love what you are doing, you will be successful."
High Achievers Ceremony for students of
2008
At the 2008 High Achievers Ceremony students
and teachers welcomed back those students
who had achieved an outstanding result in their
HSC.
At this celebration students who had acheived a
University Admission Index (UAI) greater than
ninety as well as those achieving a Band 6 (90 +)
in at least one course where presented to the
school body.
- Year 12 High Achievers of 2008
First place in the 2008 HSC (by UAI) was Peter Doueihi who achieved a UAI of 99.25.tion with this, Peter was also awarded a
$60,000 scholarship to the University of New South Wales based on his results. Others who also did exceptionally well in the
HSC were : Anthony Khoury, Caleb Ioannidis, Micheal Stanton, James Azzi, Joshua Quealy, John Daskalopolous, Elias Elias,
Kristian Bodell, Adrian Sciarrone, Kurt Muller, Patrick Connolly-Keck, Khalil Saroufm and Aaron De Brower.
Students successful in scoring a Band 6 in a course studied included; Marc Bogunovic, George Boughaleb, Thomas Byron,
Pravesh Datt, Ray Jabbour, Daniel Lee, Favio Perez, Nicholas Pham, Lyndon Pullen, Dean Reynolds and Dimitri Theodoulou.
Congratulation to all those students for achieving such a fine result in the HSC. This is more than double the state average.
Certainly, a challenge has been set for the class of 2009.
Remember : There is nothing worse, than not doing
your best.
Resourced from Mr J. Merlino – Assistant Principal Curriculum
Daniel Quach and Andrew Park
Waterford Learning Centre – An Interview
with Mrs Toohey, School Librarian
What are the highlights of the new library?
The new Waterford Learning Centre is such a pleasant
place to be! This is very obvious as there are staff and
- Jake Lee, Kevin Lee & George Metlege in the Learning Centre
students here every minute of the day. We are open
ALL day, closing at 4pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and
Wednesdays. We often have 3 classes enjoying wide reading, using the computers or undertaking research, as well as students
on Senior study.
The space is very light, has comfortable chairs, numerous computers and lots of resources that are being up-dated all of the
time. The air-conditioning in winter and summer also makes a big difference too!
How important is the library to you?
Very important! The library at CBHS has come such a long way in terms of the new building, state-of-the-art technology, access
for everyone every day, as well as 24/7 access via the Intranet. I think that information is such an important part of society and
as the saying goes: “knowledge is power”! We have access to so much information these days, so it’s become even more
important for everyone to be able to find and use this information effectively. My job is to help staff and students find the best
information quickly and easily.
How do you find the new facilities such as the computers?
Fantastic! We are extremely lucky to have such modern technology in the Learning Centre. We have a black and white, as well
as a colour photocopier, computer printing is to either photocopier, we have a card system for printing, videos are shown
through data projectors to classrooms as well as being available on computers across the school. The multi-media area of the
Learning Centre has an interactive whiteboard.
Mr Merlino
Mr Watt
1980
1982
The Legend. Mr Dave Watt
Mr Dave Watt has been a teacher at Christian Brothers’ High School, Lewisham for a
very, very long time > He has taught many present staff members and many fathers of
present and past students. Legend has it that he even taught Moses.
When you first meet Mr Watt, your natural reaction is fear. He is a tall man with a full
beard and a very loud and rough voice. Even the staff were scared. But it does not take
you long to realise that Mr watt is a very kind and generous person. His enthusiasm for
his students and his teaching style make every class an adventure.
Mr Daher
1984
What makes a person stay so long at a school? Mr Watt, with his expertise and good
looks, could have taught anywhere he wanted but he chose to stay at Lewisham. The
reason is that Lewisham has given Mr Watt so many different experiences and
opportunities . Mr Watt has spent forty years teaching maths at Lewisham and for
thirty of those years he has been the Maths Coordinator. However, he has done so
much more than teach Maths.
In his younger years, he coached numerous Cricket and League teams over a range of
ages. He even ran the MCC Competition for many years.
1986
Mr Watt is a very popular member of staff. Some say he looks like Colonel Sanders,
others say Sean Connery. He has a dry sense of humour. He is responsible for a number
of staff initiatives and competitions: Melbourne Cup Sweeps; the Punter’s Club;
Football Tipping; and of course the big Kahuana Golf Classic.
Mr Watt is a legend at Lewisham. His dedication and commitment to staff and the
students is well known. He is the first one to be invited to any Old Boys’ Reunion and
often he is the last one to leave.As long as he is home by half past, his wife doesn’t
mind.
1988
Despite being in the twilight of his teaching career, Mr Watt’s enthusiasm has never
wavered. You can count yourself as one of the lucky ones if you have been taught by
Mr Watt.
Mr Gerry Daher.
Mr Donohoe
2009
1985
Mr Hogan
Mr Watt
1994
Mr Watt
Grand Final Reports
The One That Got Away-B-Grade Touch Vs Wahroonga
This year the B Grade Touch took on Wahroonga in the Grand Final. The boys went into the game undefeated but they knew
Wahroonga were a force to be reckoned with. Although Wahroonga scored the first set of six. Lewisham fought back at half
time with the score 3-2 Wahroonga leading. After half time Lewisham scored early to level the scores but Wahroonga stepped
up a gear and scored six consecutive tries placing the game out of our reach. It was an exciting match with the final score
Wahroonga 11, Lewisham 4. Conanti Corona boys!
Mr Tim Woodbine
Coach
Combined Christian
Brothers’ Swim Carnival
On the 28th of February 2009,
the CBHS Lewisham Swim
Squad participated in the
Combined Christian Brothers’
Carnival at North Sydney
Olympic
Pool.
Although
promising rain on the night the
storm did not eventuate but our
boys stormed through the night
.The
swimming
squad
performed extremely well with
a 1st in the intermediate
- The pool
division, and 2nd in the senior
division.
Mr Jeeris, Mrs Saltos, and Mr Moreira were rightly proud of their boys who went on to do very well in the North Shore
Invitational Carnival and the MCC Swimming Carnival. Congratulations to all the swimmers.
Jason Benjabutr
2009 Grand Final Winners – Lewisham Second V
Basketball
An exciting and hard fought win was fashioned by the boys in
the B Grade Basketball Final. Randwick edged out to an early
5-2 lead but a determined team approach saw the half-time
score 10-9 in Lewo’s favour. Mr. Chris Baird rallied the
players in the team huddle and exhorted them to keep up
the intensity and execution. The boys followed the script and
played their hearts out in a pulsating and nerve wracking
second stanza. Eventually we ran out 23 to 20 winners, and
- The basketball coach, Mr McCarthy
the smiles proved what a challenging struggle we had
witnessed. An historic moment had been achieved as it was the
school’s first time winning this particular grade, so heartiest congratulations to all the players involved. It was an honour to be
associated with this team and the players can be forever proud of the skill, determination and spirit of Conanti Corona displayed
at Alexendra Basketball Stadium on 26 February 2009.
Mr McCarthy
Coach
OLD BOYS’ BACK PAGE
ANNIVERSARIES and REUNIONS
CLASS REUNIONS
Ray BRENNAN, at rcbrennan@bigpond.com.au or 0412 827 183 is
seeking classmates of Lewo for a 50 years out reunion. They will use the
46th Annual Dinner in Sept as a gathering point. Likewise, Gerry
McINERNEY , 9797 7362(H) of the class of ’49 celebrating 60 years
would like to catch up with his group. Chris BALDWIN, 0400 831 311, or
c.baldwin@mary.acu.edu.au ,class of ‘99, is looking for former
classmates to get together in 2009 and welcomes contact.
The following Old Boys have been in touch and would appreciate
contact from fellow “sons of Lewisham High” for upcoming reunions:
1980 (30th next year) functions planned for April 2010; contact Steve
Mulally on 0425 297 703 or steve.mulally@cricketnsw.com.au
1959 (gearing up for this year) contact Ray Brennan, 0412 827 183 or at
rcbrennan@bigpond.com.au
1979 (30 years on) Tom Roche(tom.roche@gmail.com.au) or Edward
Sierra on 0413 209 174 (edward_sierra@hotmail.com.au) or John Luzi
0418 968 231 (jluzi@bigpond.com.au)
THE 46TH ANNUAL DINNER
To be held on Friday September 4th 2009 at
The Catholic Club, 199 Castlereagh St. Sydney
(Near corner of Park St) at 7:00 for 7:30 p.m
start.
$50 for meal & raffle tickets.
$80 for meal, raffle tickets and updated OLD
BOYS tie
As seats are limited.
Organise your reunion now  Class of ’69 (40
yrs), Class of ’99 (10 yrs).
Contact: Jim Olson 5 Hunter Street,
Lewisham 2049
9569 8624 (H) 9411 4733 (W)
jolson@bigpond.net.au
SCHOOL & OLD BOY UPDATES
A flick through the pages of our correspondence reveals:
 You can catch up with Lewo news in Highlights on-line
and become a subscriber at www.cbhslewisham.nsw.edu.au.
 Ces Davies, our long serving treasurer, is now in a
nursing home in Waitara. We ask anyone who can give some
time to this financial role to contact Jim Olson or Brian
Patterson. The Assoc’s affairs aren’t overly complicated but
it is continually falling to too few to do much.
 We were saddened to hear of the recent deaths of old
boys: Steve Anderson (’80) after battling a brain tumor; John
Katter (’78) of a heart attack in Lebanon in January and
Gerard Brailey (’78) in India. Our sympathies and prayerful
support are extended to their families.
 Both Steve and Gerard left children in need of education
and support and it was great to see fellow old boys gather and
respond to that need. To donate or assist please contact for Andersons- Steve Mulally 0425 297 703 and for Braileys-Peter
Thorne 0412 913 022.
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Under the patronage of Br Conn, and Old Boys’ Rugby League Club have re-emerged as LOBRLFC. Coached by Matt Olsen
(’99) they play in the Tertiary League comp and Marrickville Oval is there home ground. Lewo play Cumberland there on 1 st
August and all are invited to attend as they continue their winning ways. Ben Wilding (Class of 2000) as President is doing
an outstanding job and welcomes players and supporters to get involved. More info at lobrlfc@hotmail.com.au Or
lewisham.tertiaryleague.com.au Or at St Mary’s Cathedral College where Ben teaches.
Whilst on matters League, O.B. Paul Osborne (’84) has forged another direction in his career- recently announced as CEO of
Parramatta RLFC. Good luck Ossie!