Dear Parents of St Leo’s Residents

It’s almost poetic how the Jacaranda trees begin to blossom as Term IV starts. And now, as our students wrap up their studies and begin packing to leave, the blossoms have started to fall. It’s as if the trees themselves are marking this transitional moment.

This year, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know many of your sons quite well. While I’m incredibly excited about what lies ahead for our residents who won’t be returning, I will genuinely miss them. With the majority of Leonians having moved out this past Friday, the College has become so quiet—you can almost hear a pin drop.

The Inter-College Council (ICC) year wrapped up with St Leo’s placing 4th overall. A huge congratulations to Second-Year resident Noah Fahey, who was awarded ICC Cultural Student of the Year for 2024. This award, introduced just last year, has now been won by Leonians on each of the occasions it’s been presented. A testament to our growing strength in cultural events. 😊 Another big congratulations goes to our Touch Football and Hockey teams for securing ICC premierships.

On 17 October, the College celebrated the achievements of residents excelling on the field and stage at our Sports & Cultural Awards evening. This event marks the end of the academic year and serves as the final formal gathering of our College community.

Special recognition goes to:
• Jack Waldon, awarded First-Year Sportsman of the Year.
• Jeremy Green, awarded Sportsman of the Year.
• Noah Fahey, awarded Cultural Contribution of the Year.

Well done to all the other deserving award recipients from the night!

I also want to commend the 2024 St Leo’s Students’ Club Executive and Residential Assistants for their outstanding contributions. These young men have been an absolute pleasure to work with. Special thanks go to Student Club President Finbar Rasmussen and Student Club Vice-President Ben Duffy, who have both excelled in their roles.

Looking ahead, I’m delighted to announce the 2025 St Leo’s Students’ Leadership Team. Please join me in congratulating the following residents…

Students’ Club Elect
President Tom Molloy
Vice-President Henry Thomasson
Secretary Joe Siemon
Treasurer Rhys Jenkins
Social Convenor Sam Schmidhauser
Sports Convenor Jeremy Green
Cultural Convenor Noah Fahey
ICC Rep Oliver Lynch
Sergeant at Arms Sam Hibbert-May
Shed Will Pascoe
Merchandise Convenor Sam Young
Culinary Convenor Fletcher Lloyd
The Phantom Mitch Waldon
1st Year Students’ Rep Nayth Andrejic

Residential Assistant (RA) Team
Alex Stahl (Senior RA)
Darcy Bouwman
Jack Kirwin
Grady McKay
George Needham
Mac Rogers
Lachlan Norton
Soloman Falzon
Sam Bullen
Ethan Brigstock

On 26 October, we were delighted to welcome parents, partners, and guests of our graduating Third Year cohort to our annual Valete luncheon. Together, we reflected on the remarkable achievements and contributions these Leonians have made to the St Leo’s College community, sharing in the joys of their three years of residency.

During the celebration, we proudly honoured four Leonians with the following awards:
• Ben Duffy, the Ignatian Award
• Finbar Rasmussen, the Old Boys’ Award
• Jaidan De Roia-Grant, the RC Bob Katter Award
• Armandt Grundlingh, the College Involvement Award

Special thanks to our guest speaker, Rob Rasmussen, father of Finbar Rasmussen. Rob graciously accepted an invitation from Steve Foley to speak on behalf of the parents of the Class of ’24, reflecting on Finbar’s journey at St Leo’s from February 2021 to November 2024.

Looking ahead to next year, you’ll notice fresh faces not only among the residents but also in the staff administration team. I’m delighted to share that Ms Sou McPhail will join St Leo’s as the new Deputy Head of College. Sou’s appointment follows the decision of our current Deputy Head, Glen Cronan, not to renew his contract at the end of this year.

Sou brings a wealth of experience in young adult education, having worked at the University of Canberra, Griffith University, and most recently as Deputy Head of College (Students) at Duchesne College, our sister college, for the past five and a half years. Her exceptional communication skills and ability to connect with young adults ensure that those in her care feel respected and valued. Sou’s leadership will undoubtedly make a significant contribution to our mission of educating and supporting young men in their educational and personal growth. She will begin her role on 14 January 2025. Please join me in welcoming Sou to St Leo’s!

At the same time, we extend our deepest gratitude to Glen for his outstanding contributions as Deputy Head over the past four years. We’re pleased to share that Glen will remain part of the St Leo’s community, taking on the newly created role of Dean of Studies starting February 2025. In this role, he’ll be with us every Monday and Tuesday afternoon and evening, continuing to enrich the College.

Looking toward 2025, St Leo’s is set to begin the year with a full house. Both the number of current residents returning and new applications are at record highs. As part of our preparations, we’ve also planned much-needed renovations during the summer break.

Key updates include:
Chapel Renovations: the Chapel will be thoughtfully redesigned to balance practicality with spiritual significance. The front of the space will become a versatile area for meetings and community events, while the back will remain a tranquil, sacred place for worship.

Bathroom upgrades in A & B Blocks: these updates will introduce a durable, modern design with a contemporary colour palette, perfectly suited to the busy lifestyle of our Leonians.
We’re excited about these improvements and the opportunities they bring to enhance the St Leo’s experience for all.

As always, we encourage you to reach out anytime to share your thoughts. What can we do better? Is there something impacting your son’s experience that we might not know about? Your feedback is invaluable as we strive to make St Leo’s College the best it can be.

On behalf of the St Leo’s team, I’d like to wish you a very merry and safe holiday season. Thank you for being part of our community and trusting us with your sons.

All the best.
Peter Arena
Marketing, Communications & Advancement Manager
St Leo’s College,
Within The University of Queensland.

The Push-Up Challenge: Issac Green, Tom Molloy, Will Jackson, Jeremy Green and Joe Siemon

Rugby Camp: The St Leo’s Rugby Team visiting the National Rugby Training Centre.

UQ Open Day: Joe Doljanin taking a potential Leoninan and his family for a College Tour.

UQ Open Day: Ethen Tsiamalili welcoming a potential Leonian to the College

Duhig Lecture & Dinner: Darcy Bouwman’s musical interlude.

Duhig Lecture & Dinner: Guest Speaker Robert Caslick

Fathers’ Day BBQ: Various guests

F&K Cup: Henry Thomasson getting it done

ICC Art Show: Jack Doolin’s iron casting of a horse head achieved 2^nd place in the 3D art section.

ICC Basketball: Dane-O-Mite Lehndorf getting in front of things