Mr Patrick Brennan, Deputy Principal - Student & Staff Wellbeing
Paul Dillon Returns to Waverley College
Ten years ago, our Head of PDHPE, Mr Patrick Darvill and I first saw Paul present on drug and alcohol trends in our community. Since then, we have attempted to get Paul back to the College. This finally occurred last Thursday. Waverley College was in fact Paul’s first school presentation! This fact was not lost on Paul who was genuinely happy to be back talking to students in Years 10 and 11 as well as parents and staff.
Paul has been working in the area of drug education for more than 30 years. In 2009, his best-selling book for parents was published titled ‘Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs’ which has since been released internationally.
>>> Click here to view information about Paul Dillon’s publication Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs.
Paul regularly appears in the media and is regarded as a key social commentator, with interviews on television programs such as Sunrise, TODAY and The Project. Paul also writes a blog where he discusses topical issues of the day, as well as addressing some of the questions and queries he is regularly asked by those attending his presentations.
>>> Click here to view Paul Dillon’s blog.
Paul’s presentations cover a variety of drug and alcohol-related issues including the decline in alcohol consumption and the rise in vape use. Interestingly, he sees online gambling an area of increasing concern for adolescent boys. This issue has previously been identified at the College and discussed at House meetings, College assembles, Mentor groups as well as in PDHPE lessons.
Our Wellbeing Framework relies heavily on the parent partnership. I thank the parents who took time out from their busy schedules to hear Paul’s entertaining and informative presentation.
Pop-Up Vaccination Facility for Students
To provide our community with the best possible protection we encourage all students over the age of 12 to follow the advice from NSW Health by getting a free COVID-19 vaccination. This will not only protect them but everyone else, as it appears likely that a single COVID-19 transmission at College will still trigger a chain of casual and close contacts. The implications of this are considerable, and anything we can do to reduce the likelihood is worthwhile.
Protecting the health and wellbeing of our community is our number one priority and the College is giving students the opportunity to receive their COVID-19 vaccination at school. If you are interested in this opportunity, please email your son’s name to healthcentre@waverley.nsw.edu.
In the meantime, The Health Centre continues to accept copies of your sons’ vaccination status. Please send clear copies, preferably in PDF format to healthcentre@waverley.nsw.edu.
Mr Patrick Brennan
Deputy Principal (Staff and Student Wellbeing)
E: pbrennan@waverley.nsw.edu.au
