The Ignatian - December 2016 Vol 26 December 2017 Vol 28 | Page 45

The Old Ignatians' Union Celebrates 120 Years
Left The original Old Ignatians' Union Right A gathering of the living presidents of the OIU
On 4 November 1897, some 50 Old Boys
gathered at Baumann’s Café at 107 Pitt
Street in the city for the first meeting and
dinner of the St Ignatius’ College Ex-
Students’ Union, soon to be known as the
Old Ignatians’ Union (OIU).
On Tuesday 24 October 2017, we
assembled 18 of the living Presidents of the
Old Ignatians’ Union to acknowledge and
celebrate 120 years since that first meeting.
Since the first, Thomas Francis Kelly who
was Dux of the College in 1884, there have
been another 90 Presidents of the OIU.
TF Kelly, the first, and Charlie Pidcock
(OR1987), who will be the 91st, were born
exactly 100 years apart.
We celebrated the rich history and fine
traditions of the OIU, especially as we
traced the Old Boys’ care for each other
and affection for Riverview right back to
the earliest ideas of the Union.
The first dinner involving the Old Boys
had occurred in 1889 in what was then the
‘new refectory’ (now the Main Refectory)
and during the dinner, in one of the
many speeches, John Laurence Mooney
(OR1889) proposed that a ‘union’ of old
boys be formed. It took another eight years
for this idea to come to fruition and on
the night of 4 November 1897, TF Kelly as
President and Fr Joseph Dalton SJ, the first
Patron of the OIU and the founding Rector
of the College, presided at the historic
occasion which was the birth of the OIU.
Today, we are all keenly aware of this
storied history and are exceedingly
grateful for the generosity and affection
of all who have gone before us in the most
worthwhile enterprise.
‘All That Brothers Should Be’.
JA M E S R O D G E R S (O R 1 9 7 1 ) ,
A LU M N I A M BA S SA D O R
Artwork Commemorating Survivors of Abuse
The artwork in commemoration of the survivors of child abuse during a very
distressing chapter of the school’s history has now been commissioned. In
recognition of the challenges they have faced and the strength they have shown, the
work is a sculpture which aims to convey the spirit of resilience, regret and resolve.
The survivors of abuse asked for an image that suggests “being held safe within the
hands of support”. To this end, artist Daniel Dominguez (OR1989), has chosen to
create a relief sculpture to be installed into the large sandstone rock standing above
the Survivors Memorial Garden.
“I have chosen the symbol of waves in the sea. Water is a symbol of Christ, and in
the words of Pope Benedict XVI, ‘love should be thought of as the flow of living
water…’
“Whilst being a great symbol of connectedness, the sea can also be seen as the
symbol of wretchedness. I therefore decided to create a design that reflected
the majestic power of the sea, and the dynamic tension in the lines of the waves
emphasising the power and grace of the ocean.”
The work is expected to be completed early in the new year.
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