Bryan McSweeney Dan McErlean Dan Reilly President Secretary Co-Ordinator

(07) 3278 9682 (07) 3345 4404 (07) 3395 1813 1

Dan McErlean Bryan McSweeney 12 Werona Street email: julieandb@iprimus.com.au Sunnybank Qld 4109 Dear Old Boys Our next luncheon of the Brisbane Sub-branch of the T.B.O.B.A. will be held at ‘The Public Service Club’, Level 1 Function Room, 84 William Street (cnr Stephens Lane), Brisbane on Friday 15th July 2016, from 12 noon through until about 2.00 pm; but feel free to drop in anytime from 11.00 am on, as your commitments dictate and join Old Boy mates in convivial fellowship. Future claimer dates are 16th September, & 18th November for Brisbane lunches, and 22nd July 2016 for the Buderim lunch at the Headland Golf Club. Congratulations to Rev Fr John Quinlan who celebrated the Golden Jubilee of his Ordination to the Priesthood at a Special Mass and Function at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Church, Newtown, on the 3rd July 2016. An Old Boy of St Mary’s College (1949 – 1958), Fr John is Vicar General of the Toowoomba Diocese and member of the St Mary’s College Board. Our thanks to the following Old Boys who have taken up Life Membership recently: Michael Garrett (1961-1969), Samuel John Greer (1947/48 & 1953/54), Timothy Charles McSweeney (1968/69), Darel Sterling (1948-1951), Pat Stringer (1953-1960). Please remember in your prayers a number of Old Boys and Friends of the College recently deceased: Life Members Mick Moloney and Noel Hannant OAM, Joe Mulhall, Kenneth Peter “Ken”Iseppi, aged 88 years, husband of Lorna and father of Peter & Paul who ran the “Newtown Towing & Service Station” for many years, and Doug Mendoza, father of Peter and John, and Jude Lysaght (1942-46) who we understand passed away in May 2015. There are a number unwell or recovering from surgery including, Doug and Tim Coonan, Kevin Killoran, Pat Seymour, John Keightley, Colin Green, Trevor Muller, John & Tom Hutchinson, Bill McErlean, Reg Taylor, Greg Keen, David Wilkinson, Greg Flynn, Joe Short, Brian Benson, Philip Stephens, Andrew O’Dwyer, and Mrs Pat Peut.

“Coming Events”

27/6/2016- 1/7/2016 Annual Confraternity Rugby League Carnival in Rockhampton

15th July 2016 - 11.00am – 2.00pm

Brisbane TBOBA Sub Branch Meeting – 1st Floor, Function Room, ‘The Public Service Club’, 84 William Street (cnr Stephens Lane), Brisbane

22nd July 2016 TBOBA Sunshine Coast meeting at the Headland Golf Club on Golf Links Road, Buderim. Contacts: Bernie Murphy (54780742), Terry Murphy (54564340), or Redmond Byrne (54776705)

27th – 28th August 2016 1945 – 1954 Class Reunion – Contacts: Justin McErlean (46343625) and John Bagget (33579349)

� July 2016 �

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‘Coming Events’

Present Apologies Bryan McSweeney (Brisbane Sub-branch President) Laurie Atzeni (Hon.) John Bagget Nev Card Nat Chandler Bernie Collins Frank Deighton Maurie Drew John Drew Les Duncan Brien Dunne Brian Gagen Terry Gesh Barry Gordon Rolly Griffin Peter Kennedy Barry Kuhnemann Doug Lee Fred Lincoln

Jim Long Dick Lynch Pat Mullins Mick Murphy Dan McErlean Paul McErlean Rod McDonald Peter McMahon Jack Parker Pat Stringer Martin O’Sullivan Errol Ryan Graham Swenson Kerry Taylor

Fr Paul Chandler Fr Tyrone Deere Brother Barry Buckley (AM) Bro Kevin Dwyer Frank Adamson Carl Betros Greg Butler Noel Cronin Jack Davis (Hon) Alan Duncan Brian Fagan Des Franklin John Hagan Tim Hagan Merv Henson John Hutchinson Tom Hutchinson Merv Johnstone Jim Mullins Bernie Murphy Terry Murphy

Justin McErlean Greg McErlean John O’Neill John Noonan Keith Pickels Alan Roney Reg Taylor Greg Wiedman

Brother Patrick Coman McCarthy cfc passed to Eternal Life on 9/06/2016 aged 94 years. He served as Principal at Warwick from 1959 -1964 and taught at St Mary’s Toowoomba from (1972 -74). In 1980/81 he was at St Joseph’s Toowoomba as a member of the Catholic Education Office.

Congratulations to Ethan Lowe (Yr 12 2008) named 18th man in the State of Origin Team for game two against New South wales. Johnathon Thurston will play his 35th consecutive Origin game.

T.B.O.B.A. (Brisbane Sub-Branch) Meeting – 13/05/16

Annual Membership Fee ($10.00) for Calendar Year 2016 is now due / or Life Memberships are available (Fee $100.00)

Cheques for Membership should be made payable to the “Toowoomba Brothers Old Boy’s Association” * * *

Cheques as donations towards the Indoor Sports Complex should be made payable to ‘Br. Baptiste O’Sullivan Building Fund ’.

They are fully Tax Deductible and will be receipted.

Vale Arthur E (Mick) Moloney (22/4/32 – 5/5/16)

Mick and his sister Pat (Mrs Ron Peut) were children of Ted and Ethel May (Teys) Moloney. He was born in Goondiwindi on the 22nd April 1932 and received his early education from the Sisters of Mercy at the local convent school.

When his sister Pat passed Scholarship in 1943 the family moved to Toowoomba so Pat could

attend St Ursula’s and Mick, St Mary’s College. Here he made lifelong friends with Ian “Ripper” Doyle , Frank Paterson, Frank Murphy and Fred Lincoln, just to name a few, between 1944 – 1946.

When Mick was enrolled at St Mary’s College as an eleven year old from a country school, he had never had a cricket bat or football in his hands, so it was a big learning curve sports-wise and academically. He also learnt on the first day that it wasn’t fun to be disciplined for fighting in the schoolyard.

In 1948 Mick was a member of the All Whites Undefeated Junior Minor Rugby League side and went on to be part of the Club’s 1954 Premiership winning A Grade squad and their 1955 Reserve Grade Premiers captained by Old Boy, Jim Mullins .

Mick commenced work as a mail boy and office boy at Toowoomba Foundry Sales Pty Ltd in January 1947, but left after 3 months to start an apprenticeship in plumbing with Vince O’Neill in Russell Street, Toowoomba. It was a real lesson – building galvanised iron tanks in the middle of a cold and wet Toowoomba winter where his job was to hold the steel “dolly” on the inside of the tanks to press against the rivets as they were belted in. Taking parts to tradesmen all over Toowoomba on a push bike in cold and blustery conditions was no fun either, so Mick left and was fortunate to be re-employed by the Foundry in August 1947 under Gordon Chalk, later Sir Gordon Chalk.

Early in 1948 he was placed in the Company’s Purchase & Stock Control Department before being trained in the Sales Department under Frank Bowdler, as mentor for 10 formative years. He was transferred as Southern Cross representative to Warwick in 1956 where in 1957 he was the player coach for the East Collegian Rugby League Club. 1958 saw Mick working the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales and captain/coach of the Marist Brothers Old Boys’ Football Club, Secretary in 1959, and President in 1960.

In August of 1960 he was moved to Rocklea as Field Supervisor in charge of the Company’s team of Field Representatives and later appointed to look after

Company business in Papua/New Guinea. He was already visiting properties in the Kimberley, around Esperance, in New South Wales, Western Queensland, the Gulf Country and Cape York.

He was responsible for the sale and installation of irrigation equipment to water a new polo field for the Sultan of Brunei and because of its success the Sultan ordered a complete fire-fighting scheme to protect his new Palace. The pressure on this scheme was so good it blew the tiles off the outside of the Palace.

When he retired from Southern Cross in 1992, Mick took up a consultancy arrangement to sell the company’s products and so he continued to supply products to the rural sector until it changed ownership.

Mick Moloney’s steel troughs were a speciality, and because of his immense knowledge of Southern Cross windmills, pumps, engines and water reticulation Mick was known from Hobart to Darwin, from Perth to Cape York and in P.N.G and all places in between. It was in recognition of his long service to the Pastoral Industry, without ever owning a cow, that the Northern Territory Cattleman’s Association presented Mick with a Life Membership Award at their Annual General Meeting in March 2012.

In retirement Edna and Mick had more chances to follow Rugby League and Rugby Union matches and enjoy overseas Wallabies tours and trips to New Zealand and the Holy Land. As Old Boy, Joe O’Neill. a Racing Syndicator can attest, Mick had a lot of fun following horses in his racing syndicates. He loved gatherings of family and friends and for one T.B.O.B.A. function at the Irish Club, he arranged for the presence of all but one of the living members of the famous 1924 Toowoomba Rugby League side that defeated England, as well as a number of other former Toowoomba rugby league players after a Rugby League Test match.

Mick and his wife Edna (Jackson) married in the early 1950’s and have lived at Robertson in Brisbane for some years. They were blessed with three sons and two daughters: Peter (retired Principal of Assumption College, Warwick), Gregory, Lyn (Krebs), Julie (Watt), and Michael, 17 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. The three lads were educated at St Lawrence’s College, Peter becoming a teacher, and Gregory and Michael Chartered Accountants. Gregory was a Queensland Rugby Union Representative.

Mick was a Life Member (No 73) of our Toowoomba Brothers Old Boys’ Association and after being President of our Brisbane Sub Branch, remained a loyal and active stalwart of our Association and the Christian Brothers. He was admitted to Greenslopes Hospital at Easter and despite the best efforts of doctors and the nursing staff passed to Eternal Life on the 5th May 2016. Mick was laid to rest on 12/5/2016 after a Requiem Mass attended by a large congregation and celebrated by Fr John Dobson at St Fabian’s Catholic Church Yeerongpilly.

Joseph Andrew Mulhall (4/3/1940 – 5/6/2016)

“Joe” as he was popularly known passed to Eternal Life in the early hours of Sunday 5th June 2016 surrounded by his family at the Regis Nursing Home in Salisbury, Brisbane.

His parents Paddy and Teresa settled in Home Hill after emigrating from Ireland and became cane farmers. Times were tough as it was the Depression years and economic hardship saw

the couple move to South Street, Toowoomba where their home overlooked the City Golf Course.

The couple were blessed with five sons – Mick, Nick, Pat, Austin, and Joe and one daughter June (Foote). Joe’s early education was at the Home Hill convent and later at St Mary’s Christian Brothers, Toowoomba from 1950 to 1955. Aged 15 years he began an Electrical Apprenticeship with the South Queensland Electricity Board with another school mate and lifelong friend Barry Kuhnemann. Later Joe undertook a Bachelor of Education degree and began a teaching career as a tutor at TAFE Colleges and willingly undertook this role in country centres like Mt Isa and Weipa when needed. He retired in 2005.

Joe had shown promise as a rugby league player and when his brother Austin purchased him a pair of football boots he joined the Toowoomba Southern Suburbs Club where Austin had been five-eighth in that clubs 1957 Premiership win. In 1961, Joe and another Old Boy, Kevin Stephen, were members of the Souths Premiership winning side, (10v7) over Newtown. In 1962 he represented Toowoomba in the team defeated by the touring England side (36v12), and again in the 1963 Toowoomba side, with another Old Boy Brian Marks , were beaten (22v0) by New Zealand.

When Joe moved to Townsville to play with Brothers he was selected in the North Queensland team, and praised for his sterling efforts, when they beat the touring Great Britain side (17v15) at the Townsville Sports Reserve on 5th June 1966. Joe represented Townsville in their Arch Foley Shield Final defeat by Cairns on 18/9/1966. In 1967 he was captain and lock of the Townsville side that defeated Innisfail (16v15) to win the Foley Sheild.

Joe had several traits. He was loyal to family, friends and his church and a very passionate and competitive competitor, keen to “keep his eye on the ball”. He had a diverse library and he encouraged the education of his family.

Joe and Julie (Purcell) married on the 31st December 1967 and they were blessed with six children Joanne, Kathy, Kerri, John, Christina, and Paul and seven grandchildren. A Requiem Mass for the repose of the soul of Joe Mulhall was celebrated at the St John Fisher Church Tarragindi on the 10th June 2016 and all gathered in the St John Fisher Hall afterwards to express their sympathy to Julie and the family

Julie’s father was Jack Purcell, a QLD Rugby League representative from 1923 to 1928.

Noel Hannant O. A. M.

A Life Member of our association, Noel attended St Mary’s College from 1942 – 1948 before spending his working life with Queensland Rail as a train driver.

In 2001 Noel became a founding member and long term President of The Older Men’s Network (TOMNET) in response to an alarming rate of suicide among

aged and lonely men. The organisation has since become a meeting place for older men with a daily drop-in centre and weekly meetings which attract over one hundred people in Toowoomba.

TOMNET has since expanded across south-west Queensland with some 20 branches, testament to the drive of the founders like Noel. In the 2013 Australian Day honours list Noel was recognised for his tireless work with TOMNET when awarded with the “Medal of the Order of Australia”.

Noel married his wife Joan in 1956 in St. Patrick’s Cathedral and they had five children, Laurie, Peter, Paul (RIP), Anne-Maree and Kate. Noel had three brothers, John (RIP), Vernon (RIP), and Jim who also attended St. Mary’s College and three sisters, Barbara (RIP), Judy (RIP), and Joyce.

Noel died on the 29th April 2016 surrounded by his loving family in St. Andrew’s Hospital after suffering a heart attack the day after being involved in a traffic accident.

• “Another Legend – Noel “Digger” McGowdie

Memories came flooding back to Old Boys who were enrolled at the College in 1957 when they learnt Noel “Digger” McGrowdie had been inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame recently. They recalled how this Old Boy returned to St Mary’s College after winning the 1957 Melbourne Cup on “Straight Draw”.

On hand to receive the award on his behalf were his son Michael, daughter Ann Louise, grandchildren Cameron, Clare and Rachel and great-grandson Andrew. Noel’s wife Marcia passed away in December 2014.

Noel McGrowdie was a champion apprentice in Brisbane before moving to Sydney in 1943. Known as a big-race specialist, he won three Sydney Cups, three Doomben 10,000’s, two Brisbane Cups, the Doncaster, AJC Derby, Epson, Newmarket, Australian Jockey Club Derby, and his career highlight, the winning on “Straight Draw” of the 1957 Melbourne Cup.

Having contracted to ride in Singapore and in the Malayan cities of Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur and Penang, McGrowdie took his family to Singapore in January 1961. His fifty-nine victories in his first season—including the Singapore Gold Cup and the Selangor Cup—established him as the top jockey on the circuit. He won the Sultan's gold vase at Ipoh in September 1961 and was leading the premiership in his second season when he was killed in a road accident on 9 September 1961.

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• Brother Gary Ferguson cfc

Members of the 1951 – 1959 Class Group are pleased to learn that one of their former classmates, Brother Gary Ferguson, has been transferred back to Queensland and is now part of the Christian Brothers “Viridian” Community at 2141 Sandgate Road, Nudgee. Brother has been very loyal to the group attending reunions whenever possible. He was able to attend the last Class reunion in Toowoomba in October 2015.

Brother Gary was born in 1941 at Surat, a small town south west of Roma in Queensland, to Veda Mary and Colin Peter Ferguson. He was the sixth of their nine children. His father was a shearing contractor who eventually purchased a supermarket. Gary had his early education at the Surat State School and completed his scholarship at St Mary’s Toowoomba. On leaving school in 1956, Gary trained as a Chef and worked first in a café in Surat, and then as a shearer’s cook, which required a lot of travel and working in basic conditions. It was seasonal work, so he took on other work too, such as managing his father’s business. In the early 60s Gary’s faith and desire to serve the Church directed his thinking towards Religious Life and a conversation with a priest helped his discernment.

He wrote to the postulators of various orders indicating his interest in some non-teaching ministries. Brother Ephrem replied and visited him. As a result Gary arrived at Strathfield in January 1962 and joined his group heading for Minto for their Postulancy and Novitiate year. After making first vows in 1963 a second novitiate year at Mulgoa followed and then a year in Scholasticate – he did selected courses; but instead of the teacher training component he sampled various tasks undertaken at St Mary’s Strathfield which in those times housed not only the local Brothers’ Community, but also the Provincial Council, the Juniorate students and the Brothers attending University or Teacher Training (the Scholasticate).

Brother Gary stayed on at Strathfield for two years and joined two other lay Brothers in the kitchen. His next two years were at Minto where he was responsible for catering for the Novices and Brothers’ Community. In 1968 Brother Gary made his final Profession of Vows on Christmas Day. He returned to Strathfield in 1969 where he was indispensable during the many changes to the place occurring over the next 21 years.

He was the first to hire employees for the Strathfield kitchen which had been staffed by Brothers. Brother Gary became responsible not only for catering for all the groups there, but also Jubilee celebrations, professional ceremonies, and other Liturgies. As St Mary’s gradually expanded as part of the Catholic Teacher’s College, accepting lay students in increasing numbers, Brother Gary had to open and manage a canteen to cater for the student’s needs. In addition he was bursar of the Community and in that capacity was one of the first Brothers to computerise management for the accounts and wages. Brother Brendan Duggan wrote a computer program for him to do this.

Maintenance was another area that he was involved in as well as changeover of cars and so on.

Pursuing his interest in cricket, Brother Gary became an accomplished cricket umpire and for some years umpired grade games around Sydney. In 1980 Brother Gary undertook some spiritual renewal through the Kairos programme and he relates how this changed his spirituality. Continuing at Strathfield he became a member of the St Vincent de Paul Society involved with ministering to the homeless through Night Patrol. He was on the founding committee of the Ozanam Youth Lodge, a member of the NSW State Homeless Committee and various other initiatives assisting homeless youth.

By the end of 1989, he accepted an invitation from the very pastorally minded Bishop Bede Heather to take up prison chaplaincy. Brother Gary lived at communities at Castle Hill and Penrith while ministering to inmates of Parramatta Goal, and after 1977, he lived with Brother Pat Lynch, also a prison chaplain, at Parklea Caravan Park while being full time Catholic Chaplain for young offenders and their families. He attended to prisoners spiritual needs, offered counselling, arranged many funerals for prisoners who died in prison or took their own lives, consoled their families, and visited prisoners in hospital. In 1998 he received a Commissioner’s Commendation for his outstanding dedication to duty at the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre in providing compassion and assistance to bereaved families of inmates who had committed or attempted suicide.

In 1999 he had a well-earned sabbatical at Sangre De Cristo in New Mexico and completed their Human Development & Personal Spirituality Programme. He was interested in taking up an offer to work in New York with homeless youth, but was needed back in Sydney where a similar ministry engaged him – the Brothers’ Refuge at Bidwell and Eddy’s Place in Wollongong. While continuing to work in this ministry, he was asked in 2004 to take over as manager of “Billow View” at Gerringong which was being used more and more as a retreat centre for various small groups. Brother Gary also had a hand in two major renovations of these facilities.

2010 saw him appointed manager of “Winbourne” at Mulgoa, the Christian Brothers Retreat and Conference Centre. There he was assiduous in maintaining its beautiful setting for the great range of adult and student groups, many of whom came for spiritual development through retreats. He was always looking for new ways to enhance its facilities.

Brother Gary’s fifty years with the Christian Brothers Congregation have been preoccupied with the service of others, a service given with dedication, cheerfulness and compassion. He brings his deep, practical spirituality and care for others to community life, and his Brothers appreciate his sense of humour, zest for life and culinary skills.

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• Racing trainer, Tony Gollan (Yr12 – 1996) scored his third victory with the 3yr old colt “Kamacite” at Doomben on Saturday 28/5/2016 just minutes after his 3yr old filly “Dee Nine Elle” had finished second at Randwick.

• Thanks go to Michael Quinlan (1950 – 1959) who coordinated another lunch for our Sydney Old Boys at the Castlereagh Club on Friday 27/5/2016. Amongst those who were present were Fr Michael Gilbert CSsR stationed at Kogarah. Kerry Carmichael (1951-1958), a champion schoolboy athlete and now secretary/treasurer of the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame at Wagga Wagga. Peter Solomon PhD (Law) M.Sc.et alia, an expert in resource management and technical assessment with international credentials and recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee Medal. Gordon John (John) Leis (1948-1949) and brother of Harold , served in the Navy for 12 years before joining the Department of Civil Aviation. John Arndell (1946-1950) who travelled down from Ellalong NSW. Peter Buckley (1967-1974) of Lewisham, Brendan Crotty (1957-1963) of Cammery, Steve Stratigos from Frenchs Forest and Brother Michael Dredge stationed at Marsfield.

• Old Boys celebrating birthdays recently have included Bill Blacka, John H Pobar, Ron Roney, Les Duncan, Doug Lee, John Saffrey, Laurie Walsh, Bill and Justin McErlean, Terry and Bernie Murphy, Colin Huddy and Tom Long.

• Life member, Doug Lee, has recently enjoyed four weeks holiday at Coolangatta and met up with well-known Toowoomba couple, Mick and Melody Pember. Mick was the Toowoomba rugby league half back who scored a try which he converted, and also converted two other tries and kicked two penalty goals, a total of eleven points, to defeat Sydney club Balmain (17v14) on 27th September 1948. The match, the last for the year, was attended by the largest crowd of the season, and played at the Toowoomba showgrounds. Well known Old Boy hooker Kev Boshammer and fullback Bill Sullivan played in this representative side.

• Deacon Peter Devenish-Mears

Peter attended the College between 1976 and 1980 works full time as the State Chaplin at Mission Australia and is an Army padre. Peter is now doing applied doctoral research in workplace pastoral care and mid-life.

• Michael McNab (Yr12-1981)

Managing Director of McNAb Construction building “The Village Coorparoo” on Cavendish Road Brisbane, reports that the project won two of the most prestigious development awards in Australia last year – the U.D.I.A. 2015 Best Seniors Living Award and the overall President’s Award. Sixty

assisted living units being constructed next year will complete the project.

• 19 year old Matthew Kuhnemann, grandson of Margaret & Barry and son of Paul, has earned a few man-of-the-match awards while playing for the Bishop Stratford Club in the Hertfordshire in England and has been invited to bowl to the English Test Cricket team at Lords. A left arm orthodox spinner and batsman he plays for the Gold Coast in the Brisbane competition and is to join the Queensland Bulls squad in the coming cricket season.

• Life member Terry Gesch and his wife Margaret (Bender) have just completed a busy few weeks. Firstly flying to Sydney to enjoy a retired bankers tour of the Murray Valley visiting Echuca, Shepparton and Victor Harbour and then returning to Chinchilla for a Bender Family Reunion to welcome guests from Adelaide, Canberra, Perth, and the Sunshine Coast. Following that event the couple were in Maitland to attend the 67th Queensland versus New South Wales Real Estate Bowls Tournament, won by New South Wales.

• “The Way We Were”- 1949 All Whites Premiers

In the 1949 Rugby League Grand Final this All Whites team defeated Valleys by 11 points to 8. It was captained by Brian McSweeney, father of Brisbane Sub-Branch President, Bryan McSweeney. Also in the side is Tim McSweeney and the ball boy is Kevin McSweeney, Bryan’s two uncles.

The team is (back row, from the left), F Kearney, W Sullivan, K Kennedy, C Ryan, B Nuttall, D McGovern, P Pobar; (third row), C Byrne, J Hehir, T McSweeney, K Murray, K Boshammer, B Harding, J Ferguson, W Davidson; (second row), K Doyle (Treasurer), R Brown (Coach), J Lee (President), B McSweeney (Captain), K Gleeson (Secretary), R Hanrahan (Manager), B Hudson (Masseur); (front) K McSweeney (ball-boy).