Principal, Mr Graham Leddie
Father’s Day Breakfast – Celebrating the Men Who Shape Our Boys
Thank you to the many fathers, grandfathers and significant male role models who joined us for this morning’s Father’s Day Coffee and Breakfast. Your presence means a great deal to our community, and we value the time you set aside to share these moments with your sons. A special thank you also to our Year 5 and 6 fathers who attended Mass at Mary Immaculate, followed by a BBQ lunch generously cooked by our Old Boys which is a wonderful way to connect across generations of the Waverley family.
During the gathering, our new Deputy Principal – Students, Mr John Allen, reflected on his own upbringing as one of seven children in a large Catholic family. He spoke about the lasting influence of his father, emphasising how positive role modelling, storytelling and strength of character can help shape young men into compassionate, responsible adults.
We are grateful for the commitment and example you continue to provide for the boys of Waverley College and I offer this prayer for you this weekend.
God our loving Father,
We give you thanks and praise for the gift of fathers, grandfathers and all father-figures who guide us with wisdom, patience and love.
Bless young fathers, newly embracing their vocation; grant them courage and perseverance to balance work, family and faith with joy and sacrifice.
Strengthen fathers who work quietly and faithfully, like St Joseph, protecting, providing and leading with steady hearts.
Comfort fathers who are far from home, fathers who carry burdens or sorrow, and those whose children are lost or suffering.
We remember with gratitude the fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers who have gone before us; may their love continue to nourish us and their legacy inspire us.
For men who are not fathers yet mentor, coach and care for the young, thank you for their fatherly presence among us.
May every dad be a living reflection of your fatherly care, bringing light, faith and blessing to their families.
“The righteous man walks in integrity – blessed are his children after him.” (Proverbs 20:7)
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Parent Feedback Survey – Thank You
Thank you to the many families who have already completed the MMG Education parent survey, and thank you in advance to those still planning to do so. We appreciate that your time is precious and that the survey is quite detailed, but your insights are vital in shaping the future of our College.
As part of Waverley’s ongoing commitment to continuous improvement, we are undertaking a comprehensive review of the College experience for students, staff and families. All NSW schools in the Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) network participate in this independent and confidential feedback process every 2–3 years. MMG Education, a respected external consultancy, conducts the survey to ensure honest, anonymous and de-identified responses.
Your voice matters. By sharing your perspectives, you help us understand what we do well and where we can grow, ensuring the best possible learning, wellbeing and formation opportunities for your sons.
The parent survey remains open until Monday, 15 September. Once the review period concludes, MMG will prepare a detailed report and we will share the key findings with our community.
If you have any questions, please contact info@waverley.nsw.edu.au. Thank you for your valuable contribution to the future of Waverley College.
SSDA Approval Secures Waverley’s Future
I am delighted to share the news that our State Significant Development Application (SSDA) has been formally approved. This milestone provides Waverley College with a clear and confident roadmap for the next few decades and beyond.
Securing an SSDA is no small task. It is an extensive, highly regulated process requiring vision, persistence and collaboration across many months. This approval gives us long-term certainty and the flexibility we need to respond to a rapidly changing educational landscape. It also ensures that the College can continue to deliver exceptional learning and wellbeing opportunities for our students in facilities that match our ambitions.
With this approval in place, we now have a framework to schedule a suite of campus improvements as resources allow. Planned works over the coming years include:
- Science and Innovation Centre
- Student bathroom amenities
- Library enhancements and Airmount courtyard improvement
- New cross-campus accessible links and improved pedestrian safety
- Refurbishment of Centenary Building, including modernised Heads of House and Student Wellbeing spaces
- Additional sports courts
- Upgrades to the pool and broader landscape projects
These developments will not only enhance learning, sport and wellbeing, but also create a safer, more cohesive and future-ready campus for our young men.
The SSDA approval marks a new chapter for Waverley College. One that honours our heritage while embracing an ambitious, student-centred future. We look forward to sharing more detailed timelines and staging plans as projects commence.
Thank you for your continued partnership as we shape the next 30+ years of excellence at Waverley.
Commissioning of New Principal at St Dominic’s College
This week I had the pleasure of attending the commissioning of Ms Natalie Devenish as the new Principal of St Dominic’s College, one of our fellow EREA schools in New South Wales. The ceremony was led by the Most Reverend Vincent Long, Bishop of Parramatta, and was a wonderful celebration of leadership and faith within our Edmund Rice network.
Ms Devenish brings a wealth of experience to her new role, having served as Assistant Principal at both CBC Lewisham and St Mary’s Cathedral College.
Her connection to Waverley is also a special one, her brother, Mr Gary Kennedy, is a highly valued member of our Science Department. We warmly congratulate Natalie and wish her every success as she leads the St Dominic’s community into an exciting new chapter.
Legacy Badge Fundraiser
On Wednesday, members of our Senior Cadet Rank proudly supported Legacy Day, selling badges at school, Charing Cross and Bondi Junction to raise vital funds for veterans’ families. Thanks to the generosity of the Waverley and wider community, we raised over $4000, directly assisting Legacy in its mission to provide ongoing care, guidance and financial support to over 40,000 partners and children of those who have given their lives or health in service to our country.
We sincerely thank Ms Julie-Ann de Kantzow and Ms Jessica Stanley for coordinating this meaningful initiative, and all who contributed to continuing Legacy’s century-long promise of hope and stability.
Educating The Future – 10-Year Anniversary Gala Dinner
Waverley College is proud to host the Educating The Future 10-Year Anniversary Gala on Saturday 29 November, 6–11pm in the College Gymnasium. This youth-led, volunteer-run NGO founded by two Waverley Old Boys after a 2015 Timor-Leste immersion has since built and supported seven public preschools, giving early education to more than 2,000 children.
The evening will feature keynote addresses from Co-Founder Cirilo Soares and Kirsty Sword Gusmão AO, live music, DJs, dancing, raffles, a silent auction and more. Tickets are $150 per person, including a three-course meal and entertainment, with all proceeds contributing to the $100,000 fundraising goal (just $53 educates a child for a year). Join us in celebrating a decade of impact and shaping the future for Timor-Leste’s youngest learners.
Get your tickets here!
Literacy Update
Second Visit from Renowned Author Gary Lonesborough
It was an honour to welcome back Gary Lonesborough as guest speaker at our ‘Wear It Purple Day’ Assembly last Friday. Since his previous visit on 25 July, Gary’s YA novel I’m Not Really Here has gone on to win the CBCA Book of the Year Award for Older Readers.
The CBCA is an annual literary competition for Australian children’s books, established by the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) to promote high-quality literature for young Australians. The awards celebrate Australian authors and illustrators and encourage contributions to children’s literature, recognizing outstanding books for young people aged 0 to 18. To win this award is a remarkable achievement. In a time when creativity and originality are being threatened, we are very grateful to Gary for reminding us of the joy of simply writing for the love of writing.
Reading and Writing
At Waverley, we are committed to building a strong reading and writing culture – one that equips our students with skills that will serve them for life. In a time when global and local research highlights a concerning decline in reading, we are proud to see our students bucking the trend through their dedication along with the support of our library and literacy programs.
Our library improvements and the tireless work of English teachers, Learning Support, and library staff ensure that students have access to engaging books, vibrant reading spaces, and ongoing encouragement to make reading part of their daily lives.
Two of the platforms that have become cornerstones of our literacy journey are Writer’s Toolbox and Beanstack.
Through Writer’s Toolbox, students are developing their writing with enthusiasm and determination. To date this year, they have written an extraordinary 1,021,475 words, sought feedback 155,556 times, and made 214,699 improvements to their drafts. As students continue to master the twelve sentence styles, we are excited to see their writing fluency and confidence grow.
On the reading front, Beanstack has motivated students to read with both joy and purpose. Since July alone, students have logged over 48,072 minutes of reading. Our ongoing Reading Challenge has created a buzz of excitement, with prizes to inspire every reader. During Book Week, we also launched the ‘Top Reader – Teacher’s Choice’ awards for Years 7 and 8, celebrating students who have demonstrated consistency and commitment to reading.
These achievements are a testament to the combined efforts of students, teachers, and library staff, and they underline our school’s strong commitment to literacy. Together, we are building not only skills but also a deep, long lasting engagement with reading and writing that will help our students thrive and succeed beyond the school gates.
Inaugural Waverley Exchange Breakfast with Dr Sam Lackey
On Wednesday morning we were delighted to launch our new Waverley Exchange Breakfast series with guest speaker and Waverley College Old Boy, Dr Sam Lackey. The event brought together a group of engaged Year 11 and 12 students who had the opportunity to hear firsthand from Dr Lackey about his fascinating global career spanning civil engineering, mining, infrastructure, government, and corporate finance.
Dr Lackey shared practical insights and inspiring reflections on the opportunities that come with engineering, and encouraged students to choose subjects and career paths they enjoy, emphasising that passion, hard work and the ability to work with different people are just as important as qualifications.
He also strongly encouraged the boys to continue extra curricular activities whether it is sport, music, surf life saving or debating as well as charitable works as it helps to build a network and can open up doors. We thank Dr Lackey for generously giving his time and for offering such thoughtful and motivational guidance to our senior students.
Our next Waverley Exchange Breakfast will be in Term 4 with another successful Waverley Old Boy and we encourage students in year 11 to attend.
HSC Drama Showcase
The Y12 Drama class completed their final HSC performance exams last week. Now it’s your chance to see the fabulous results of all their efforts!
We invite all friends and family of Y12 Drama to come to the 2025 HSC Drama Showcase at the PAC on Tuesday 9 th September, from 5pm to 7pm. The performances are the culmination of many months of focus and dedication. The boys will perform two excellent Group Performances. Signal Lost (devised by Taj Lynn, James Peate and Lachlan Hoy) imagines a dystopian future where the only thing keeping society together is the worship of the mysterious ‘interweb’ and the ‘Doge-King,’ Elon Musk.
Turbulence (created by Renzo Walker, Harry Bowcock, Finn Jones and Harrison Thorpe) examines the way in which our headlong pursuit of an idealised life can stop us from truly appreciating each moment.
An eclectic selection of the boys’ Individual performances will also be on offer, ranging from black comedy, through the lyrical, heightened-realism of Tennessee Williams, to the dark quasi-absurdist theatre of Mark Ravenhill.
Come and help celebrate the wonderful achievements of the 2025 HSC Drama class!
See you there!
