Good morning everyone.
My name is Matt Nolan, I have three daughters here at OLMC, Maeve in Yr 12, Niamh in Yr 10 and Frankie in Year 7. I’ve been asked by the college to reflect on my role as a father of Mercy girls.
My wife Emma and I both attended independent private schools, our hope was to provide the same opportunity for our daughters. Being close to home, OLMC seemed like the perfect fit for us.
Most of you here today will recall sitting in Edith Angel Hall or the AMCC listening to the Open Day address detailing the history of Catherine McAuley, the Sisters of Mercy and the College itself.
Like most prospective parents attending that day, we left with an understanding of the College history, but also with a strong sense of what this Mercy community stood for and why.
A few years later, we came back with Maeve for the Year 7 Information Evening. I clearly remember an address from a teacher who said the focus of OLMC was to empower the girls to become their own person. There should be no one driving them to school, checking when notes were to be handed in or dropping off a forgotten PE bag.
We were told it was time to let our daughters grow up, to become independent, to develop resilience, which would involve letting them make mistakes, working out how to fix them and bounce back.
As we count down the last few weeks of school for Maeve, I realise that the past six years have gone by in a flash. From that very first morning of Year 7, we’ve proudly watched from the sidelines as Maeve charted her own course here at OLMC.
Mercy Values have played a large part in our families journey, so I thought I’d mention a few that relate to us:
The first is 'Excellence'
The 12-year-old Maeve who started here back in 2017 was a quiet and shy kid who was often overlooked for roles in primary school.
Within months of starting at OLMC, she found her voice. Her shyness began to disappear. She developed new interests, entered Public Speaking events and joined the Debating team. I believe it’s here that Maeve’s confidence grew and ultimately helped prepare her for her leadership role at the College.
Niamh has had the opportunity to represent the College in Cross Country, Athletics and Soccer, as well as Public Speaking, Debating and Band.
Frankie’s journey has only just started at OLMC, but already she has tried her hand at Saturday Soccer, Public Speaking, Choir and Craft Club.
I believe the diverse range of opportunities offered here at OLMC, allows each girl to excel in whatever subject or co-curricular they choose.
Then there is the Compassion and Hospitality shown by the wonderful teachers and staff, who go above and beyond to support learning & co-curricular activities, but more importantly, the care and consideration during every step of their journey at OLMC.
These Values are also clear in friendships. You may remember being told early on about the 'open circle' policy here at OLMC. A policy of always welcoming someone into your group, to never turn your back on someone in need. We’ve watched our daughters and their friends, care, encourage and support each other, celebrate each other's successes and build each other up.
There is the Mercy Value of 'Justice'.
Justice is the quality of being just, equitableness and moral rightness, knowing right from wrong.
The concept of Justice is very clear in all three of our girls. Knowing right from wrong, having the confidence to stand up for themselves, their peers, those who have no voice and those who haven’t found their voice.
Finally, there is Stewardship, the focus value for 2022. Stewardship can mean many different things and typically we associate it with care for all of creation. But I think at OLMC it is so much more than that, and as a parent I have come to see the College itself embody the role of stewards of our daughters, nurturing and helping them to grow into empowered young women, and in this sense, I truly believe it is the thread that runs through all the Mercy Values
Today, as we look ahead to Maeve’s final few weeks at school, I refer to the lyrics of a well-known Abba song, that is very popular in our house of three girls.
Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile
I watch her go with a surge of that well-known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while
The feeling that I'm losing her forever
And without really entering her world
Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture
And save it from the funny tricks of time.
As parents, you always remember the firsts. The first words, the first steps. But it’s harder to remember the 'lasts' as most of the time you don’t realise they are happening.
The last time they ask you to carry them on your shoulders, the last bedtime story, the last time you’re allowed to hold their hand when you walk them to the school gates. Little moments that pass us by so quickly.
While it’s a bittersweet feeling, it gives me comfort knowing Maeve will go off to University and into the world armed with her Mercy Values, which have helped develop confidence, self-reliance, compassion and self-motivation.
Looking forward, we now start the HSC journey with Niamh and start the whole six years again with Frankie, feeling excited and confident about what’s ahead for them both.
I’d like to finish by thanking Ms Farrugia, Father Walter, Ms Lonergan, Mrs Scanlon and the whole College team for the opportunity to speak today.
Finally, I’d like to wish all the Fathers here today, a Happy Father’s Day.
