FROM THE ORDINATION OF FR KABUUA TONGANIBEIA MSC.  23th NOVEMBER

FROM THE ORDINATION OF FR IOAKIM IABETA MSC, 26^th NOVEMBER

Congratulations.  Chevalier College named as a 5 star innovative school

Letter from Principal, Greg Miller, to the staff.

Dear Colleagues,

Earlier today, Educator Australia revealed Australia’s most innovative schools of 2024.

It is with great pride that I share the news Chevalier College has been recognised as one of those schools for our adoption and implementation of a future-facing approach to education. This recognition is a testament to the dedication, creativity, and perseverance of our teachers and staff.

This journey has not been without its challenges. At times, the work has been tough, requiring deep reserves of energy, adaptability, and commitment. Yet, together, we have demonstrated what might be possible when a community commits towards a vision for the future of education.

While we did not embark on this journey seeking accolades, today’s recognition offers an opportunity to reflect on the impact of our collective efforts, not just within the College, but also beyond our immediate context.

In the coming days, this achievement will be shared with parents and the wider community through social media and other platforms. For now, let us take a moment to appreciate how far we’ve advance ‘future facing learning’. As we look ahead to finishing 2024 well, and step confidently towards 2025 we know there are areas for improvement and advancement.

Congratulations to all of you and thank you for your continued hard work and dedication to nurturing heart-centred graduates who are ready for a rapidly changing world.

Regards and thanks,
Greg.

Across 2024, the college ran a trial of its ‘Best Use of Time’ initiative, involving Flipped Mondays, where students engage with pre-class content in self-directed learning spaces before arriving at their face-to-face lessons throughout the rest of the week, ready for direct connection to deeper learning activities. For the year, the school engaged an action research partner to help assess the project’s viability

“Education today must prepare students for a future in a rapidly changing world, and the current system is falling short,” says Miller. “We believe that an educational approach that is flexible, adaptable and uses time more effectively will maximise engagement and personal growth. This will see students connect more deeply with their learning, acquiring complex capabilities and greater self-awareness, helping them flourish in a rapidly changing world.”

Formators Meeting, Cuskelly House, Blackburn, 25-29 November 2024

On day 2, 3 and 4 of this meeting, the formators reflected and discussed on the formation in the stage of Novitiate, Post-novitiate, and other contemporary aspects of formation, i.e. technologies, safeguarding, clericalism and JIPC, according to the Emmaus Formation Document (2023). Also, during these days, we discussed other matters in formation, some from the formators, some from others in the Province. At the end of these days, we have come up with a list of recommendations for our initial formation in Vietnam and Australia, assisting to direct our current and future initial formation in these contexts. We also decided to continue meeting annually to discuss further matters, especially to support each other as a team in this important ministry of the Province.

On day 5, the last day of the meeting week, we met with Stephen Hackett, our Provincial Superior, and discussed with him many recommendations emanating from the week’s discussions and reflections. We also received professional development input through group supervision experience with Hien Vu, a Melbourne diocesan priest. We concluded the meeting with a celebration of the Eucharist, presided by Stephen, and a meal out with him.

We thank Stephen and his presence with us to convey his support to the important ministry of formation of the Province. We also thank all the formators travelling from overseas (Quang Bui and Danh Doan – Vietnam, and Thi Nguyen – the Philippines) and back from Sydney (Mark Hanns) to be at the meeting, Dom for his diligent secretarial work, the presence and full participation of Krish Mathavan (back from Singapore), and Khoi Nguyen, for his organising and leading of the meeting. We also thank the Province for your prayers and thoughts as we continue to reflect and improve on our ministry of initial formation.

RIP, Paul Guy MSC

Peter Hendriks writes:  We have received the sad news that Fr Paul Guy MSC died just now in Prince of Wales. Peter Guy was with him at the time and said he died peacefully.

Paul and Peter celebrated their 77^th birthday on Monday. Paul was a vowed MSC for 55 years and ordained for 50 years.

He spent most of those 50 years in PNG, in the archdiocese of Port Moresby and in the adjacent diocese of Bereina, the diocese of the MSC mission foundation of Yule Island.

May he rest in peace.

Julson Ribauw MSC, renewal of vows at Kensington.

Assisted by Phil Hicks MSC,

Steve Dives MSC, Gerard Shanley MSC, Tony Arthur MSC.

Our previous story about Julson coming to Randwick parish.

Br Julson Ribauw joined our Parish community in September and is from Nauru Island. He is gaining pastoral experience here with us in the Sacred Heart Parish community, assisting at Masses, visiting local nursing homes, and helping us with the many happenings of our busy Parish. As our resident chocoholic and go-to handyman, Br Julson is already a valuable part of our team and considers himself an honorary Sydney-sider (AFL obsession included!).

SHAKESPEARE BEHIND BARS

US, 2005, 93 minutes, Colour.

Directed by Hank Rogerson.

This is a documentary well worth seeing. It focuses on prisoners, education, a contribution to rehabilitation, a variation on restorative justice.

In the website of the program, giving the background to this prison work:

Founded in 1995, Shakespeare Behind Bars is one of the longest running, continuously operating, art, theatre, Shakespeare, and original writing prison programs in the US.

Shakespeare Behind Bars currently serves 200 incarcerated adults and juveniles in in twelve SBB programs in three Kentucky adult prisons – Luther Luckett Correctional Complex, Northpoint Training Center, & Southeast State Correctional Complex (virtual program); five Kentucky juvenile detention centers – Breathitt County Juvenile Detention Center Alternative School; Fayette Regional Juvenile Detention Center, Frenchburg Youth Home; Jackson County Youth Center; Warren County Regional Juvenile Detention Center; one Illinois juvenile detention center – Illinois Youth Center – Chicago; two virtual program for returned citizens – Shax BEYOND Bars and Shax BEYOND Bars Writer’s Circle; and one touring returned citizen memoire program – Othello’s Tribunal.

Additionally, Philomath Films and Shakespeare Behind Bars are filming a second documentary – Shakespeare BEYOND Bars.

Since 1995, Shakespeare Behind Bars has offered theatrical encounters with personal and social issues to incarcerated, post-incarcerated, and at-risk communities, allowing them to develop life skills that will ensure their successful integration into society. The youth and adults we serve experience a powerful personal transformation as a result, building life skills, emotional intelligence and coping strategies essential to successfully re-integrate into society.

In this film, the prisoners are auditioning for, training for, rehearsing, performing Shakespeare’s The Tempest. They have a performing space, a director coming from outside who has experience in working with prisoners, a talent for drama, for training in rehearsing, for affirming the performances.

In the meantime, and throughout the film, there are quite a number of scenes of the prison, its environment, the landscapes outside, the buildings inside, the vast spaces.

Quite a number of the prisoners are interested in performance, learn their lines, are coached in recitation, a strong emphasis on individual words and their meaning as well as the rhythms, extensive scenes from The Tempest.

And, the prisoners themselves. Most present themselves initially as friendly. The Dir is able to draw from them their own stories, the crimes, their sentences, possibilities for parole or not. And there are their regrets. So many of the crimes are physical violence against women. In performing and in giving interviews, there are some opportunities for the prisoners to acknowledge the truth about themselves and the consequences of their actions.

The audience gets to know some of the performers very well as well as commentary by the director.

The film offers an opportunity for the wider audience to understand something of this kind of prison rehabilitation and education, an opportunity to listen to the stories of the prisoners, to appreciate the impact of the long sentences and the desire for parole, and all in the context Shakespeare’s characters, his final play, and the social issues that the play brings up, the character of Prospero, Miranda, the rivalries, the politics, Caliban, Ariel and the touch of the supernatural.

CODE OF THE FREAKS

US, 2020, 68 minutes, Colour.

Directed by Salome Chasnoff.

This is a documentary well worth seeing raising quite a number of questions. As the title indicates, it is a focus on the portrayals of, broadly speaking, disabled persons in feature films over the decades.

It takes its opening from the 1935 Todd Browning film, Freaks, with some lengthy clips from the film, making visual impact on the documentary’s audience. In fact, throughout the film, though brief running time, there is an abundance of clips from a wide variety of feature films, but especially from English-language films. Fortunately, the title of each film appears in the top left-hand corner so that audiences can identify the films, and identify whether they have seen the films or not.

Significantly, there are a number of experts speaking to camera. There is also a wide variety, more women than men commenting, many of the commentators disabled; especially strong is a dwarf woman who engages the audience to listen to her points of view, with touches of humour. There is also the British actor, Matt Fraser (who appeared in such series as The Sister Boniface Mysteries). There are quite a number of other commentators, especially film critics, strong points of view vigorously put forward.

Some of the issues raised for audience consideration include performances by actors as physically and mentally disabled, strong attention given to Daniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot, Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawkings. (And, at the end, there is a collage of Oscar awards to actors portraying the disabled, with extensive than we might have anticipated.)

One of the issues raised is the disabled, sexuality, visual portrayals, reticence, challenging the audiences to think of disabled and their humanity, even with limitations from their disabilities.

Also considered at some length is the issue of cure, hope for cure, and how realistic this is/ and not.

And another consideration is that of the inspiration afforded by the struggle of the disabled, the contribution by their carers and mentors, a focus on such films as The Miracle Worker and the story of Helen Keller.

Audiences will not agree with every statement put forward by the commentators which, as has been mentioned, they put forward with great vigour and intensity.

The film would have been highly enhanced had there been interviews with dwarf actor, Warwick Davis, and, most especially, an actor who has achieved extraordinarily over two decades in all kinds of roles, a discussion with Peter Dinklage.

KILL

India, 2023, 105 minutes, Colour.

Lakshaya, Raghav Juyal.

Directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat.

A 2020s Indian action thriller which was very successful at the box office and the rights sold for an American remake.

Audiences interested in Indian Cinema but not having an extensive background, perhaps limited to Bollywood style dramas, romances and musicals, the more serious dramas Bangor watch and I, this is an example of the popularity of aggressive action dramas, fighting heroics, violence, some brutality, an increasing intensity moving towards going over the top. And, it has an accessible 105 minutes running time rather than the more lengthy running times of Indian films.

Basically, this is the story of a train journey, a wedding party on the train, the background of the hero and his attraction to a woman who has been pressed into a forced and arranged marriage. He is military trained, as a military friend on the train.

The screenplay also focuses on a young man, scouting for the train, in contact with his father, looking patriarchal but a fierce leader as it turns out, violent, who has a huge team of bandits who eventually attack and board the train.

There are scenes of the robbing of the passengers. There is the closing of each carriage of the train, especially the trapping of the bridal party. The motivation of the bandits his fears, the leader is often angry with his moody and aggressive son, the son actually killing the bride halfway through the film, and the tension then building up, the hero out to avenge the death, to rescue the bright sister, no holds barred.

The fights are deliberately choreographed, given the confines of the compartments and corridors on the train, but with some action on the roof, and one held out from the carriage. And the weapons are physical, knives and sharp equipment rather than guns.

The cumulative effect of the experience is quite bloody, calculated for eager fans. With the audience can identify with the hero, especially working with his friend who is often wounded and becomes the target of the bandits, the villain is completely unlikable (even to his father eventually).

Indian action filmmaking.

MEMORY

US, 2024, 103 minutes, Colour.

Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard, Merritt Weaver, Brooke Timber, Josh Charles, Jessica Harper.

Directed by Michel Franco.

Memory is a powerful human gift, the past to be re-lived. Some great happiness, some regrets and sadness. But, memories are elusive. They come. They go. They fade. And they can become entangled.

Here is a strong human drama where memory and loss of memory play an important role. We are first introduced to Sylvia, the always reliable Jessica Chastain, some extreme close-ups of members of an AA group giving their testimony, and praising Sylvia for 13 years of being clean, sober.

Sylvia is a single mother, her teenage daughter, living at home, and Sylvia working at a centre for the disabled. She has a bond with her younger sister. But she has a loathing and hatred for her mother. One night, she is rather unwillingly present at a high school reunion and a man comes and sits next to her, saying nothing. She leaves. He follows. He camps outside her house for the night.

In fact, he is Saul, Peter Starsky and winning best actor award for this performance and the 2024 Venice film Festival. He suffers from incipient dementia which is gradually taking over.

While the film shows us the growing rapport between Sylvia and Saul, not always easy, we discover more about their memories and his loss of memory. Saul is cared for by his strict and protective brother, Isaac (Josh Charles), who realises that Saul can depend on Sylvia and employs her as Saul’s carer. A positive part of the good bonding with Saul is Sylvia’s daughter and her support of him, a friendship.

But, Sylvia had remembered something about Saul, an assault in high school days, which proves to be a false memory, timing not correct. We see Sylvia going back into her memories, especially of her relationship with her father, and the animosity towards her mother (Jessica Harper) who is wanting to bond with her granddaughter  still clashing with Sylvia.

There is some intensity in this exploration of memories, of false memories, often covering memories, and characters who are unwilling to remember or suppress memories.

But, in exploring human nature, Mexican writer-director, Michel Franco, offers and option for hope, for good relationships, and for some healing of memories even if, for Saul, they continue to recede.

1. The title, not appearing until the end? The role of memory, loss of memory, opening up of memories, false memories?
2. New York settings, neighbourhoods, streets, homes, interiors, meeting places, shelters, subway stations? The musical score? The repetition of A Whiter Shade of Pale? Its significance for Saul? Listening to it over and over? The final credits?
3. The introduction setting the tone, the extreme close-ups of the members of the AA group, their testimonies, the revelations, problems?
4. The focus on Sylvia, 13 years, the sponsor, the congratulations? Sylvia at work, the shelter, the various characters, chatting, serving the food? Her home life, her daughter, Anna, at the meeting, supporting her mother? Their going to school together? Scenes at home? Sylvia, absent husband and father, her hatred of her mother, the reasons? Protective of her daughter?
5. Olivia, younger sister, memories of the past, support, tensions between them, Olivia’s family, the visit, the children asking very direct questions, the reaction of their father, issues of addiction, of sexual abuse, his closing the conversation? Olivia support of Sylvia at work?
6. The college reunion, the celebrations, Sylvia deciding to leave, Saul sitting next to her, his following her, the streets, subway, the train, outside her house, in the rain? Her coming out in the morning, his identity, the phone calls, being collected?
7. Saul, age, personality, dementia, under the care of Isaac, Isaac’s daughter, the decision to ask Sylvia to care for him? Her agreeing? The offer of the money?
8. The film exploring the growing relationship between Saul and Sylvia, at his home, the care, the conversations, the walk in the park, her accusing him of abuse, the later information about dates and her false accusation, her wrong memories? Taking his identity card, returning it, his being abandoned?
9. The details of the friendship, the talking, the reality of the dementia, his taking notes, the outings, the restaurant and his remembering the food but not the staff, his brother blocking his credit card? At home with Anna, playing the games? The bonding?
10. Isaac, his disapproval, angers, stopping the credit card? Firing Sylvia, the new Guardian?
11. Saul and his defiance, his going home with Sylvia, their meeting at the shelter, going outside, the bench, the kissing? Staying at home in Anna’s room, his collapsing in the bathroom, the sexual encounters? The consequences?
12. Sylvia’s mother, living in Florida, her social charity work, wealth, coming to New York, the encounter with Anna, talking, with Olivia and the family? Sylvia arriving, confronting her mother, expressing her hatred? The tangling of the memories, Sylvia and the relationship with her father, in the room watching television, Olivia reticent, the accusations against their mother, her knowing what was happening?
13. The effect of the meeting with her mother on Sylvia, Olivia coming to see her, the untangling of the past memories, their father?
14. Anna visiting the house, the new Guardian, taking Saul in the train, bringing home, the reuniting with Sylvia? A future?
15. The exploration of sexual abuse and the consequences, memories, hidden and overt, erroneous? Consequences? Parental control and loss of control? Issues of addiction? The final visit to the AA meeting and the declaration of the prayer? Mental illness and conditions? Support, empathy, a future?

THE MERRY GENTLEMEN

US, 2024, 87 minutes, Colour.

Britt Robertson, Chad Michael Murray, Marla Sokolof, Marc Anthony Samuel, Colt Prattes, Hector David Jr, Maxwell Caulfield, Michael Gross, Beth Broderick.

Directed by Peter Sullivan.

Another Christmas film, the putting on a show, the show must go on.

However, the show the goes on is a male dancing revue in a small American town (God bless you, Merry Gentleman!). And, for Christmas reassurance, while the innuendo is obviously there as well as the shirtless male dancers, this is very much a PG version of Magic Mike or the Chippendales.

The initial focus is on Ashley (Britt Robertson) very happy in fulfilling her childhood dreams as part of the chorus as the Jingle Belles on Broadway. She slips, is to be replaced, returns home to her parents and their small club which used to be famous in the past but is r now in trouble,unning at a loss.

The situations are obviously contrived but audiences will probably go along with all of this. She encounters Luke, Chad Michael Murray, big and strong, doing repairs, their sparking badly off each other (initially, of course). And then there is the businesswoman who threatens them with closure until they pay $30,000. Ashley’s sister, Marie (Marla Sokolof who co-wrote the screenplay), a restaurant, her partner – and, eventually, another worker and a local taxi driver will join the troupe.

A few hiccups in the preparation but the men respond extraordinarily quickly to the choreography, the gyrations, the removal of shirts (and nothing more than shirts).

Needless to say but saying it, Ashley and Luke hit it off, the act is a success, there is a moment of injury but the local old man, played by Maxwell Caulfield (remembering Grease 2) who sits at the club doing crosswords, is able to join in and the show goes on, more and more customers, more and more income, the financial adviser joining in the exuberance, money paid.

But there is one hitch, the phone call for Ashley to come back to Broadway because the ingenue cannot deal with the pressure, Ashley’s packing to go, her father urging her on, her life’s ambitions, Luke and the others upset, his being unable to perform well – the plane delayed, Ashley returning and… We know the rest.