Dear members of the Whitefriars College family,
When I meet with families considering our College for their son’s education, I always begin by explaining what it means to be Carmelite. I often start by recounting the story of the first Carmelites— a group of men who chose to live as hermits in the tradition of Elijah on Mount Carmel, in the deserts of Israel. I then highlight the unique journey that led the Carmelites, an order not originally focused on education, to establish a Catholic boys’ school here in Donvale in 1961. Historically, the Carmelites were known more for their contemplative, monastic life than their involvement in education. However, my recent travels to Ireland and the UK, following in the footsteps of the Carmelites, revealed a richer and more expansive narrative.
When the Carmelites arrived in England in the early 1200s, they settled in urban areas, focusing on serving their communities with a particular emphasis on educating the poor. One of the early leaders in this movement was Simon Stock, the first Carmelite to earn a degree from Oxford University, where the Carmelites established a significant presence. Simon Stock became the Prior General of the order in 1244 and encouraged his fellow Carmelites to pursue the highest levels of education to better serve their communities. Over time, the Carmelites became prominent scholars at Oxford and Cambridge Universities and influential advisors to the royal court.
It is, therefore, fitting that at Whitefriars, one of our core values is Excellence. We encourage our staff to embrace lifelong learning through professional development opportunities both within the College and through postgraduate studies. This commitment to excellence extends to our students, who are continually supported to go beyond what they believe they can achieve, guided by our experts in boys’ education.
In recent weeks, I’ve witnessed numerous examples of this pursuit of excellence at Whitefriars, and I’d like to share some of these with you.
One of the most significant traditions of excellence at our school is our participation in the Debating Association of Victoria (DAV). Over the years, our College has consistently excelled in debating, and this season, our senior debaters have set a new standard. Last week, two of our senior teams competed in the final eight A-grade teams in Victoria. Their performance showcased exceptional debating skills, driven by teamwork and mutual support. One team narrowly missed out, while the other advanced to the top four and will compete in the semi-finals after the term break.
Last week, I also saw excellence on display at our Winter Music Soirée in the Healy Wilson Theatre, where talented musicians from all year levels showcased their skills both as solo performers and in ensembles. Similarly, our sporting teams demonstrated their talents during the finals of the Term 3 ACC competition. I want to particularly congratulate our basketball teams, who made multiple finals, and our Cross Country team, who finished an impressive fourth out of 13 schools in the ACC Championship.
Finally, I witnessed leadership excellence during the College Captain elections for 2025. Ten Year 11 students, who had been part of our comprehensive Leadership Development Program, bravely presented speeches to their peers and participated in interviews with the College leadership, including the current Captain and Vice-Captains. Each student showed remarkable maturity, understanding, and grace throughout the process.
After experiencing all these moments of excellence, I took time to reflect on what drives Whitefriars to achieve such high standards across such a diverse range of activities. My reflection led to two key insights.
First, as with the Carmelites, excellence at Whitefriars is achieved because we surround our students with highly skilled, dedicated, and passionate staff who believe in setting high expectations alongside high support. Second, our young men understand the power of teamwork. They know that together, they can achieve far more than they could individually, with each person bringing equal dedication and value to the group. This is the Whitefriars way.
