The Ignatian - December 2016 Vol 26 July Edition Vol 27 | Page 39

From the Province Ministries
A Chat with Riverview Old Boy,
Neville Harpham (OR1961)
by Karen Goh (Head of Communication and Development, Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific)
Above, left to right This picture of Jelcia and Ester reminds Neville of his purpose; Neville Harpham (on the right);
Jelcia and Ester today, now in year 11.
Neville Harpham has been travelling
from Australia to Timor-Leste for the last
eight years. When asked why, the spry
septuagenarian is quick to show a picture
that answers the question – two beaming
13 year olds standing in front of a classroom
in their new school. The girls, Jelcia
and Ester, are among the first students
of Colégio de Santo Inácio de Loiola
in Timor-Leste. Neville says the photo
reminds him why he is so involved in the
Jesuit education project in one of Asia’s
poorest countries.
“It’s wonderful to see the young people
educated, to see their happy smiles,” he
says. “They are willing to spend longer
hours here than in a government school
and they have such camaraderie.”
It all began when he crossed paths with
Fr Mark Raper SJ, who had been a year
ahead of him at Riverview, after many
years. Neville was then Chairman of the
Riverview College Council and working for
a major property development company
in Sydney and Fr Mark was Provincial of
Australia. When Fr Mark became President
of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific
some years later, he asked Neville if he
could go to Timor-Leste to help with the
education project.
Neville was quick to say yes. “I knew Timor-
Leste was a poor country and I knew what
education had done for my brothers and
me, for my mother and her sister. I tell
people that if you give your children a good
education, they will survive. They can lose
everything in life, but no one can take their
education away from them.”
It was at Riverview that he learnt Ignatius’
prayer for generosity. “One of the strongest
prayers I have heard is the prayer of St
Ignatius. It kind of sums up my life, helping
others. You learn in the country to respect
[and] help your neighbours… then at
Riverview, man for others. So it was kind of
a natural step for me to come up and help.”
Neville began consulting on the project in
2009