For the first time since 2001, the May Procession and Celebration of the Feast of Blessed Edmund Rice was held in the Chapel due to the inclement weather. However, the change of venue did not diminish the prayerfulness of the event. With special guests Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP and his parents in attendance (the Archbishop’s father is a Waverley Old Boy), a ‘streamlined’ procession of banners, representative students, Old Boys, Christian Brothers and guests preceded the Marian Statue into the Chapel.
In his inspiring Address, Archbishop Fisher spoke of Mary as the ‘New Eve’ and therefore the mother of all. He reminded the congregation of her earthly trials and faithfulness to her son, Jesus, and emphasised her value as a model for our contemporary world. In his Introduction, Mr Paxton highlighted the importance of Waverley having a strong relationship with the Parish of Mary Immaculate and the other schools in the Parish and welcomed Fr John Chrysostom ofm, Parish Priest; Fr Peter Clifford ofm, Guardian of Star of the Sea Franciscan Friary; Mrs Antoinette McGahan, Principal, St Clare’s College; and Ms Hilary Cameron, Acting Principal, St Charles, in this regard.
The very first May Procession took place on 21 May 1911. Instigated by members of the Sodality, it would become a distinctly Waverley tradition and has been called ‘one of the finest moments of grace’ anywhere.
The idea of the May Procession was the brainchild of Brother Aungier, who brought the tradition with him from his native Cork, in Ireland. He was also responsible for establishing the Sodality of Our Lady, from which the Procession grew. The Procession began as a ceremony in which the resident statue of the Blessed Virgin was carried ceremoniously through the grounds of the college.
The Sodality Council, 1909
‘There was a reunion of the members [of the Sodality] who formed a procession on the lawn in front of the College together with contingents from the other three schools, Franciscan priests, Christian Brothers and parishioners from Waverley. A decorated statue was carried, hymns were sung, the rosary recited and an address on Mary given… In instituting the May Procession,’ wrote Justice W J Dignam, ‘[This] gave Waverley a distinctive stamp, the value of which cannot be too highly esteemed. It is one of the great tributes to Mary in Australia’.
The May Procession, circa 1950
April 25 marks the centenary of the Gallipoli Landings, an event which many believe shaped our nation. Several Waverley College men participated in that campaign, including Edgar Fitzgerald (enrolled 1910) who was killed on the first morning.
Edgar Fitzgerald in 1st AIF Uniform
Edgar was the son of a publican, born near Young in 1894. At 16, his parents sent him to Waverley College to finish his school years; in his final year, he won the Junior University prizes for History and Geometry. Ed was working as a clerk when he enlisted in the 1st AIF about two weeks after war was declared. Private Fitzgerald left Sydney with the first wave of enlistments on 20 October 1914 aboard the A 14 HMAT Euripides. As a New South Welshman, he became part of 4th Battalion, which arrived in Egypt on 2 December 1914. We can imagine him in camp around the Pyramids, and perhaps on leave in Cairo, as the troops were prepared for battle in the Dardanelles campaign. On 25 April 1915, 4th Battalion was part of the second and third waves ashore at Anzac Cove. It was here that Ed Fitzgerald was killed. Two others lost their lives later in the Gallipoli campaign.
The 3rd Australian General Hospital at Mudros, at which Captain (Dr) Gordon Lowe served as a medical officer during the Gallipoli Campaign. (Image courtesy Australian War Memorial)
Other Waverley College men saw action at Gallipoli. Dr Gordon Lowe, one of two Waverley College medical men who served with the Australian Army Medical Corps, was on duty at the 3rd Australian General Hospital on Mudros, off Gallipoli, after the August Offensive. Henry Flynn, Basil Hill, Samuel Martin and Harold Wainwright sustained wounds or contracted serious illnesses during the Gallipoli campaign which ended their participation in the war, while John Dugan, Rupert Gannon, Leslie Gallagher, Stanley Gow, Robert Green, James Courbarron and Francis Wood suffered wounds from which they recovered, and went on to serve elsewhere. Patrick Burke and William Molloy both served with the field ambulances at Gallipoli and continued this service on the Western Front. All of them survived the war. Peter O’Reilly served at Gallipoli from the landing in April until October, as did Thomas Westbrook; both officers were killed during the Second Battle of Bullecourt in May 1917. Bernard McTague, who was killed in June 1917, also served at Gallipoli.
As the nation pauses to remember the centenary of that first ANZAC Day, let us remember the Waverley College men involved.
We would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora nation who are the traditional Custodians of the land on which Waverley College is located. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We are committed to honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual connections to the land, waters, seas and sky and their rich contribution to society.
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