FINDING GOD IN ALL THINGS
By Mark Tannock, Principal, Saint Ignatius’ College Riverview
On Friday 21 November the College opened and blessed the marvellous new Wingaru Building. The building was blessed by the Australian Provincial, Fr Quyen Vu SJ and opened by the Hon. Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, Minister for Indigenous Australians and former parent and member of staff at our Jesuit school. Senator McCarthy could not attend in person because of Cyclone Fina that was close to Darwin at the time, so instead she opened the building virtually, with a recorded video.
The College was pleased to welcome special guests including Jacinta Collins, the Executive Director of the National Catholic Education Commission; Beth McConnell, Chair of Jesuit Education Australasia; Dallas McInerney, CEO of Catholic Schools New South Wales; Danielle Cronin, the Executive Director of Sydney Catholic Schools; Greg Mackay, Chair of the College Board; along with the Board Directors; the former Principal of the College, Dr Paul Hine, along with Dr Ann Hine; and First Nations Elder, Uncle Les McLeod.
From left: Matt Gordon, Chair of the College Property and Building Sub-Committee; Greg Mackay, Chair of the Riverview College Board; Riverview Principal Mark Tannock; Australian Provincial Fr Quyen Vu SJ and Riverview Rector Fr Tom Renshaw SJ. All images: VANFLIX.
The event was the culmination of years of work by many at the College and we are so grateful for the generous commitment of those who have contributed to the realisation of Wingaru. We are especially grateful to our generous donors who supported this project through their benefaction.
Riverview is fortunate to have a very generous community that supports its mission with both time and with financial gifts. The name Wingaru was chosen well before the foundation of this building was laid; back when the area it is now located it was still a basketball court. It was respectfully selected, in consultation with the Cammeraigal Elders and the College’s First Nations students.
Wingaru means “to think”. Wingaru is not simply an encouraging verb. It’s a statement about the kind of learning that will take place within its walls and across the campus. This space is designed to nurture excellence across Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE), while also encouraging reflection, discernment and a commitment to serving others—hallmarks of a Riverview education.
Along with our First Nations Program it stands as a built symbol of our Jesuit school’s commitment to authentic reconciliation in our nation. It is appropriate that Saint Ignatius’ College Riverview – a school that sits so prominently in the folk memory of the Australian Catholic Church and the Australian people – should hold such a commitment. We do so not from a sense of shame nor of guilt – these are the bad spirits. We hold this commitment from a genuine sense of hope for a just future for all our children.
