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1858 - 2008: Celebrating 150 years

Don't forget, 2008 is the 150th Anniversary of St John's College and there's a lot of celebrating to do! Check out the calendar and be sure to contact the Development Office for any events that interest you. Most importantly, there has been a change of date for the 150th Anniversary Mass of Thanksgiving, to be held at St Mary's Cathedral on Sunday April 13 at 2pm and followed by a Reception. (This was formerly advertised for March 30, but that's no longer the case, so please make a note in your diary)

Phone bookings for any of the events listed may be made through the Development Office on 61 2 9394 5201 or (preferably) email development@stjohns.usyd.edu.au

Recent past events:

The "Royal Assent" Dinner – 15 December, 2007

150 years ago to the day, an Act of Parliament was signed, which assented to a land grant for the foundation of St John's College within the University of Sydney. In the footsteps of her predecessor, Governor Denison, the present Governor of NSW attended the Royal Assent Dinner at St John's as our Guest of Honour. Her Excellency, Professor Marie Bashir, delivered a speech typical of her gracious charm, humour and wisdom – and revealed that her knowledge of St John's ran deeper than most, perhaps because she was Senior Student at The Women's College on the same campus, but quite possibly because her husband, Sir Nicholas Shehadie, coached the St John's First XV to victory in the Rawson Cup in the golden years of John's Rugby. No doubt he had a few jottings to add to the Governor's notes!

The dinner was a grand affair, held in the Great Hall at St John's College. Student trumpeters, cellists and fiddlers added a sense of triumph to the night, while the musical chords of Capella Sublima, under the directorship of St John's Fellow & MC Richard Perrignon, plucked at the heartstrings with sublime choral genius as Her Excellency re-enacted the signing of the Act.

The party continued, as parties in the Brennan Hall invariably do, with maestro Frank Curran on the ivories belting out the tunes to lilting Irish lyrics, accompanied by the haunting harmony of Frank Cheok's harmonica!

This was the first of many memorable moments to follow in this, the 150th Anniversary year of this great College! Be sure to join us at the numerous events we have on the drawing board for 2008!

Watch this space!

Annual Johnsmen's Dinner 2007

This year's event, held on Saturday 15th September 2007 was a great success with over 100 attendees representing Fresher years 1952 through to 2002. Following the AGM, (where re-elected President Peter Strain retained the reins) many "decade" and "half-decade" peer groups took the opportunity to arrange their reunions, thanks to the persistence of Johnsman organiser, Geraldo Silva who, over the months previously, patiently and systematically encouraged tables of Johnsmen and Jets to join in. MC Jeff Phillips charmed the crowd with his wit and guest speaker Dr David Daintree, Rector, informed all about the impending building program which will see the enclosure of the Wardell Quadrangle (The Shamrock) taking the College to a total of 250 resident students by 2010.

After the obligatory coffee and port fireside in the Brennan Hall, the current students proudly displayed their hospitality in the newly refurbished Common Room, the Dail, where most of the guests retreated to witness the Wallabies' win over Wales and to sing a few timeless shanties, of course.

London Dinner 2007

June, 2007

Thanks to the hospitality of the London Chapter of the St John's Alumni and in particular the generosity of Mr Michael Hintze, 19 Johnsmen enjoyed a great reunion at the Carlton Club on June 6th. The Rector, Dr David Daintree, who was visiting Europe at the time, caught up with fellow traveller, John's Association President Peter Strain and London dwellers Xav deViana, newly married former Fellow Nick Brown, Richard Applin, Paul Checketts, Nick Cooper, Nigel Deed, Neil Dunbar, Chris Manson, Stephen Laird and Philip Towzell.

Speeches were made by Michael Hintze and David Daintree, both of whom outlined the exciting building plans and drew attention to the Capital Appeal, which had been launched in Sydney only a few weeks before. Rumour has it that there were a few songs sung and a good time had by all! Thanks also to Michael's assistants Kerrie Botley and Oliver Hylton who took care of all the details at the London end and provided a splendid night for everyone.

April, 2007

The Word magazine was circulated in April 2007 with news of the current and past St John's students. If you have not received your copy, please contact us! Either enter your details in the 'Ask A Question' box to the right, or call us on 02 9354 5200 to update your details.

A Message to the Alumni and Friends of St John's College

February, 2007

St John's College Looks to the Future

At a sitting last night of the University of Sydney's Senate, a recent Deed of Agreement struck between St John's College and the University was ratified. The key points of the arrangement are as follows:

• The University has paid St John's College a fee for the right to pursue the development of a new medical precinct on grounds that include a portion of St John's land. That fee is non refundable.

In the event that a range of development related approvals are forthcoming:

• St John's will renounce a portion of its land grant from the University,
• the University will develop the Sydney Institute of Health and Medical Research
• St John's will receive further proceeds for the arrangement

Background to the Deed of Agreement

The land on which St John's stands is part of a sub-grant which was made by an Act of Parliament in 1857. A condition of use imposed at the time was that the land was to be used for educational purposes and St John's College was built to fulfill that function. Almost 150 years later, the College maintains a full residential College of 186 students and a considerable waiting list for accommodation.

St John's was guided over fifteen months of analysis and discussion by the advice of an independent property expert who supported the value attributed to the land. The Chair of St John's College Council, Mr John McDonald, a former student at St John's and leader of the negotiating team, stated that "the Fellows of St John's College Council were unanimous in their decision and Council has great confidence that this important agreement is mutually beneficial for both the University and the College."

The Land

The land covered by this deed, is on the eastern extremities of the property (on the University side of the College ovals – between the ovals and the Veterinary Science buildings across to HK Ward and the RPA Hospital car park) and is surplus to all foreseeable future needs of the College. The College ovals may be slightly realigned and new cricket nets built.

Use of the Land

• The University will construct a world class medical research facility as part of its determination to be a world leader in research
• the University's building design is sympathetic to the College and will draw St John's further into the University campus

The application of vendor conditions on the future use of land is common practice and the agreement includes the following:

• a "building envelope" governs the size of the building that can be constructed on the land, protecting the outlook for the College
• limitations on the type of medical research that can be conducted on the premises seeking to preserve the essence of the College mission

Use of Funds

The funds received will pave the way to much needed expansion of the College infrastructure and maintenance of this superb Gothic revival building, which is nearing its 150 year anniversary. The development and expansion of St John's, while still dependent on support from alumni and the community, will also meet the University's objective of increasing campus accommodation. Indeed the University is extremely enthusiastic about the prospect of the reinvestment of proceeds into College facilities.

The Rector of the College, Dr David Daintree, is convinced that "this deal guarantees our future and allows us to provide a significant upgrade in every aspect of our offering to students. It will allow us the financial capacity to provide the critical mass of student accommodation we need and in doing so allow us to reach a new level of excellence in the areas of academic achievement, personal development and student experience, helping us build the leaders of the future," he said.

The Rector Dr David Daintree

The Chairman Mr John McDonald

Dated 6 February 2007

The following members constitute the St John's College Council:

Clerical Fellows
Fr Walter Fogarty, Honorary Dean
Fr Peter Maher
Rev Professor Paul Stenhouse
Rev Professor Dennis Rochford
Fr Geoff Plant
Fr Don Richardson

Lay Fellows
Mr John McDonald (Chairman)
Ms Kerry Chikarovski (Deputy Chair)
Mr John Bowie (Secretary)
Mr John Clugston (Treasurer)
Professor Ros Arnold
Mr Robert Farrell
Mr Jacob Gresham
Mrs Elizabeth Loneragan
Mr Philip Meagher
Mr Phil O'Hara
Mr Richard Perrignon
Ms Kathryn Ritchie