From the Dean of Identity

ANZAC Day – Lest We Forget

Recently, as a College, we commemorated ANZAC Day with our tradition of holding the ceremony on the Shorncliffe waterfront. While this is a sombre but powerful occasion, the beachfront setting and surrounding cliffs serve as a reminder of the first ANZACs who fought on the beaches of Gallipoli.

We were privileged to hear from past student Brendan Caughey (Class of 2003), whose family has dedicated their lives to serving our country in places such as East Timor and Afghanistan. Service runs deep in his family—his brothers, Christopher and Sean, are also Old Boys (Class of 2001 and 2006 respectively) who have served at the highest echelons of the Army, with Sean continuing to serve today.

Brendan spoke about our College’s proud tradition of producing men who go on to serve their country. The values learned here—discipline, courage, and mateship—are the same values that underpin military service. His message resonated strongly within our community, highlighting how ANZAC Day has transcended the Gallipoli landing to set a standard for who we should aspire to be:

“ANZAC Day isn’t just about remembering history. It’s about understanding the standard it sets.

One of the most important lessons from the ANZACs is this: doing the right thing, especially when it’s hard, is what defines you.

You hear it in our school motto: Fight the Good Fight.

That might mean calling out behaviour you know isn’t good enough. It might mean standing up for a mate when no one else will. It might mean owning your mistakes, learning from them, and moving forward.

That’s what the ANZACs showed—loyalty, selflessness, and courage. They stood shoulder to shoulder and looked after each other, no matter the situation.

That’s the standard.”

In addition to this momentous event, we came together again on Saturday with students rising early for the Dawn Service and marching in large numbers for the ANZAC Day March both held in Sandgate along with our College Marching Band. We thank all our students and families for the way they embraced this important occasion—coming together to be part of something bigger than ourselves and to honour those who have served.

A full transcript of Brendan’s address is provided below.

'2026 St Patrick's College ANZAC Day Liturgy - Speech given by Mr Brendan Caughey

Good morning everyone,

To Mrs Amber Hauff and the families of St Patrick’s College, thank you for having me here today, but most importantly, good morning to all the proud young men sitting in front of me. As an old boy, it gives me pride to see that the customs, traditions and values still alive today.

My name is Brendan Caughey. I’m the proud father of Harry in Year 6, and the uncle of Harrison Caughey and Liam Mancini. It’s an honour to speak to you today about a very important day for Australia, ANZAC Day.

For me, ANZAC Day is deeply personal. I served for 15 years in the Australian Army, including deployments to Afghanistan and East Timor and as a Commando in the Special Forces. Service runs deep in my family. My brothers, Christopher and Sean, both old boys have served at highest echelons of the Army, with Sean still serving today.  My Brother in Law Matthew Mancini served for over 25 years and my Dad, Order of Australia Recipient Michael Caughey served for 42 years also joins me today.

St Patrick’s has a proud tradition of producing men who go on to serve their country. And the values you learn here like discipline, courage and mateship are the same values that underpin military service.

But ANZAC Day is about much more than my family’s story.

Before dawn on 25 April 1915, Australian and New Zealand Army COPRS, The ANZAC’s landed on the shores of Gallipoli as part of a mission to open a pathway to the Turkish capital. What followed was a day of confusion, fear, and extraordinary bravery. Around 2,000 Australians were killed or wounded on that first day alone. Over the next eight months, the campaign became a stalemate, and by the time the ANZAC’s evacuated, more than 8,700 Australians had lost their lives.

It was one of the darkest chapters in our history, but also one that helped define who we are as a nation.

And here’s something that brings it closer to home.

Can I get a show of hands from those of you who are 14 years old?

The youngest Australian soldier in the First World War, James Martin, was your age at Gallipoli. He lied about his age so he could serve. He died at just 14 years. Can you imagine yourselves going off to war. Would your parents sign the papers for you to go? And he wasn’t alone. Many young men stepped forward, not knowing what they would face, but driven by a desire to protect their country and the people they loved.

They were men of action.

And that idea, being a man of action, is so relevant for you all here today.

Because ANZAC Day isn’t just about remembering history. It’s about understanding the standard it sets.

One of the most important lessons from the ANZACs is this:
doing the right thing, especially when it’s hard, is what defines you.

You hear it in our school motto: Fight the Good Fight.

That might mean calling out behaviour you know isn’t good enough.
It might mean standing up for a mate when no one else will.
It might mean owning your mistakes, learning from them, and moving forward.

That’s what the ANZACs showed. loyalty, selflessness and courage. They stood shoulder to shoulder and looked after each other, no matter the situation.

That’s the standard.

I saw that standard firsthand during my time in Afghanistan. On one patrol, we were returning after tracking Taliban fighters when a massive explosion knocked me to the ground and sent our lead scout flying. We had stepped on an IED, an improvised explosive device. Remarkably, no one was killed. Our lead scout required surgery, and the rest of us had cuts and bruises, but we were lucky.

What stayed with me wasn’t just the explosion, but was what happened next. In those moments after, every member of the patrol focused on what we needed to do. We worked together, stayed calm and got our injured members to safety.

That’s fighting the good fight.

And that’s a big part of what ANZAC Day is about.

It’s not about glorifying war. It’s about remembering sacrifice. It’s about recognising that the life you live, the freedoms you enjoy, the opportunities you have, they all came at a cost.

So I put a challenge to you all. Tomorrow on ANZAC Day, whether you attend a dawn service, stand at a march, or simply watch it on TV, take a moment to stop and reflect on those who came before you.

Think about their courage.
Think about their sacrifice.
And think about the amazing standards they set so that we can live in this beautiful country that we call home.

Thank you.

By College Captain Jack Avila

Throughout this month, our College will participate in Darkness to Daylight in partnership with St John Fisher College, as part of Queensland’s Domestic and Family Violence Awareness Month.

As a student body, we are proudly supporting this initiative. Our two key focus areas are participation in the walks and donations to the St Patrick’s Darkness to Daylight Fundraising Page. Even a small contribution of $5–$10 can make a meaningful difference.

This initiative is an excellent way to show support for those affected by domestic violence in our community, while also being a positive and engaging social event.

We are encouraging all of our students to join the St Patrick’s College team via the Darkness to Daylight page and to actively contribute to our fundraising goal of $1,000.

We aim to walk 110km across the month of May to represent the tragic number of lives lost each year to domestic violence.

Our walks are undertaken on Friday mornings from 6.30am to 7.30am along the Shorncliffe waterfront – From the Pier to the Pool. We have two walks left (Friday 22 and 29 May) and we would love to see everyone in our community join us to ‘Unite With Purpose. Act With Courage’.

At the conclusion of our final walk on the 29 May, we will come together as a community to complete the final 5km at dawn, followed by a sausage sizzle at the Pier.

This is a meaningful opportunity to stand up for others and contribute to a safer community. So, let’s get behind this initiative and show that we say NO to domestic violence.