In memory of Zac Lerner (2003-24) who died peacefully in his sleep at College on 16 March 2024, his family has donated to the College a new major work of outdoor contemporary art by David McCracken, a sculptor based in Auckland. According to McCracken Carlyle and Kurzweil, chasing chasing was a slightly flippant choice of name initially, but turned out to be particularly appropriate. This is his fourth work in a series of circular works, hand-made in steel employing symmetry and “a slightly baroque machine aesthetic” (McCracken), giving a nod to the life Zac led—from Tennis Convener to musician to Paul’s Formal committee to his afro.
The Lerner family has a close association with St Paul’s that began with the commencement of Zac’s eldest brother, Jacob, in 2018. He was followed by brother Ben in 2020 then Zac joined as a fresher in 2022 though his life and time at College were tragically cut short. For Zac’s story CLICK HERE.
The sculpture was unveiled at a ceremony attended by Zac’s family, friends and mates at which it received a Karakia, a Māori blessing, from Paul Samuels, a family friend from NZ. Entirely handmade, manually cut and welded, it employs no high-tech design or manufacturing. Jacob shared: “McCracken was listening to audiobooks by both authors as he worked on this piece and after hours and days of repetitive welding and grinding it felt like the spirits of the two men were chasing each other around inside his head. Thomas Carlyle, the fulminating reactionary, thundering against progress, and Ray Kurzweil, the hesitant tech-guru sage with his dreams of a techno-optimist future. Only later did Carlyle, who was also a mathematician, do the work in geometry which led to him discovering the so-called Carlyle circle. McCracken went on to find that Ray Kurzweil had written a book entitled The Age of Spiritual Machines.”
The work is impressive and is carefully positioned in the grounds so it is captivating from every angle and frames views of the College, plus those Paulines and visitors who will be passing it every day.
The College acknowledges the generosity of the Lerner family for such an exciting gift that honours a Pauline whose loss is deeply felt.
The Senior Student’s Speech at the Rawson Cup Victory Dinner:
I’m going to touch briefly tonight on a few stand out moments from our Rawson campaign this year and moments that defined the entire outcome of the Rawson Cup and are the very reason we are sitting here tonight. While I raise a few toasts to some deserving teams and individuals, I’d like you to keep in mind that we are joint holders of the Rawson cup this year, meaning that we finished on the exact same point score as St Andrew’s. Had even a single game in a single sport not gone our way, we would not have won.
Firstly, I would like thank and congratulate all of the Rawson athletes who have dedicated themselves to their sports. We have had over 100 Rawson athletes compete this year, it truly has been a team effort. Of all the individual contributions to the campaign, there are a couple of standout performances that demand our recognition.
And what better way to start off than with the embodiment and personification of hard work pays off – the rowing team. Rowing training this year has consisted of 8-9 sessions per week, morning starts were at 4:55 with 40km on the erg and 60km on the water each week for the first 8 weeks of semester which was eventually enough to bring home our 5th consecutive rowing victory. This is unbelievable commitment. Their dedication laid the solid foundation upon which our campaign has been built, and without their hard work and sacrifice we would not be enjoying our time here tonight. Could everyone please raise a toast to the rowing team, to their hard work and to their sacrifice—to the rowers!
Podium on 9 April 2024Rosebowl Rowing ChampionsRawson Rowing CupThe 2024 Rowing Team
The Rawson soccer campaign was successful for the 6th year in a row, securing the repeat 3-peat. Reliable as always, the team was strong across the board, however there were 2 moments in particular that defined the campaign:
We were playing Wesley on our home turf. They’ve gone up 1-0 late in the second half and things are looking dire. Little did Wesley realise, St Paul’s had just flown Matthew “The Magician” Leijer back from France on a 22 hour flight that morning. Enter Matty Leijer, a header in the dying minutes of the game to secure a 1-1 draw which proved crucial for winning the soccer and as a result, the Rawson Cup,
The soccer campaign had a second highlight. Paul’s needed to win the final against ‘Drew’s, not just draw, to secure the Rawson Soccer victory. Had we drawn, we would not be having our dinner tonight. We were up 2-1, it was back and forth and could have gone either way, but big game players step up in the big games. Nick Efstat put Paul’s on his shoulders late second half, teammates were screaming at him to pass, he beat 2 defenders, struck from the edge of the box and put home what was the defining goal of the match which we ended up winning 3-2.
In Nick Efstat’s own words: “I got the ball, touch backwards, … spun around, beat two men, beat one man beat another, Sam Andrews was … yellin at me to pass it, … saw the goal and took my shot, nailed it”. Thank you Nick for your enlightening take on what was another crucial moment that defined our Rawson campaign. I would like to raise a toast to our Rawson Soccer Champions and their repeat 3-peat—to the soccer team!
The basketball campaign followed, and I think we all know where this is going. Game 2, Paul’s down by 1 with 8 seconds on the clock and Hugh Jordan pulls the trigger. 3 in the bag, thanks for coming, Paul’s win 53-51 over John’s. Again, I would like to emphasise that if a single moment of the campaign had not gone the way it did, we would not be here tonight. A little more or a little less on the shot and we wouldn’t be Rawson Cup champions. I know there was a lot of hard work that went on behind the scenes from our basketball team. I would like to thank them all, however on this occasion the toast goes to the game winner himself. I would like to propose a toast to Hugh Jordan—To Hugh Jordan!
This takes us to athletics. The equation is simple, Paul’s must beat Andrew’s to clinch the Rawson cup. ‘Drew’s have an Olympian who just competed at the Paris Olympics and made the triple jump final, coming 12th in the world. 12th out of 8.2 billion people isn’t bad, and the competition doesn’t get much easier. ‘Drew’s have a state runner and two elite sprinters. On paper a stacked roster. The only thing they were missing was a team. Across the board Paul’s stuck in the fight, scraping out 1sts, 2nds and 3rds where we shouldn’t have even been allowed to come close. Finally, we get to the last event of the day, the 4x400m relay. The ‘Drew’s state runner is running the final leg for their relay, but Gus Gregg had just pushed him to his limits in the 5km immediately beforehand. The ‘Drews state runner was knackered and had nothing left. Tom Collins, Jesse Cochrane and Nick Efstat laid the foundations of our 4x400m relay race and put us in a close 2nd place. They gave the baton on to Gabe Scott and he put the College on his shoulders. Coming into the final 100m, the ‘Drew’s state runner was gassed, the 5km against Gus Gregg taking its toll at the critical moment. Gabe took the lead and the race for Paul’s, securing the athletics victory and bringing home the Rawson Cup. I would like to propose a toast to the entire athletics team and their underdog win—to the athletics team!
And that brings us to tonight, we are here because of all the countless hours that have been laid down by our Rawson athletes in the pursuit of victory. The Paul’s Rawson campaign this year exemplified dedication and commitment, and cemented the old adage: “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”.
I would like to finish by raising a toast to the entire Rawson team, and the entire College. We are all now Rawson Cup champions—to St Paul’s!
The Undergraduate community has chosen its Students Club executive and committee for 2025. Congratulations to the newly elected:
Senior Student: Matilda Walker
Honorary Secretary: Jack Dawson
Honorary Treasurer: Gus Gregg
Committee Members: Kate Brenner; Will Cox; Jack Rowe; Harry Scambler and Ollie Webster.
The committee-elect begin their roles in the New Year with a retreat to coalesce as a team and to work with the Warden, Dean and residential life staff to formulate plans and goals for the year ahead.
Readers will notice our Senior Student[1] for 2025 is Tilly Walker and we offer her particular congratulations being the first woman to hold this most significant role at St Paul’s. Congratulations on this electoral result. We all wish Tilly and her committee the very best for next year.
The College community acknowledges the work of the incumbent committee under Senior Student Ed Taylor and thanks them for their untiring support for the College, Intercol, and the work they have done and are still doing for the benefit of every member of the St Pau’s community.
2024 Senior Student – Ed Taylor; Hon Secretary – Alex Robinson; Hon Treasurer – Mitchell Arcus; Rawson Rep – Banjo Cole; Palladian Rep – Nick Stack; and House Committee – Natalie McRory.
[1] In July 1928 the St Paul’s College Students Club was formed under its first constitution and in so doing elected the Senior Student and committee. Prior to this the senior student was the resident who had been longest on the books of the College. [see Alan Atkinson, Hearts and Minds, 2017 p 246]
On 11 November 2024 the College pauses for a commemoration service in the Chapel at 10.30 am and at 11.00 there will be silence in remembrance of those who have given their lives in battle. The form of service is the one used on the very first commemoration of the Armistice on Sunday 17th November 1918.
The Senior Student Ed Taylor and Senior Student-Elect Matilda Walker placed floral tributes and read the names from the Pauline World War One Honour Roll before the sounding of ‘Last Post’, one minute silence, and ‘Rouse’ at 11 am.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” [John 15:13]
For more about Remembrance Day from the Australian War Memorial CLICK HERE
The Paul’s Formal, held on Friday 11 October continued its tradition of being one of the most creative of the Sydney University colleges’ end of year parties. This year, perhaps, the most colourful ever was a journey taking you somewhere, even anywhere, in Brazil. The 750 lucky ticket holders were not to be disappointed as they explored the amazing staging and props for Ipanema Beach in Rio, through the Amazonian Rainforest to São Paulo (oh yes, St Paul!) and back to Rio with its colourful markets in the favelas.
Immense work from the Formal Committee of Matilda Walker, James Edwards, William Defina, Laura Toscan, Daniel Kovacs, Jane Holmes-a-Court, Sam Andrews, Louis Eglinton and James Kerr were supported by formal freshers Heidi Best, Axel Bailey, Ethan Shepherd, Jackson Broad, Sid Bradman, Scarlett Benias, Frankie Richards, Campbell Aitken, Darcy Maple-Brown, Fraser McLaren, Sophie Davis and Mack Johnston, who styled the Quad into a typically festive Brazilian night, with copious fresh food, great drinks and amazing music from DJs Connor Sinn, and our own Andy Xie and Luka Vujanovic.
During the night the guests were treated to face painters, reptiles, and Rio Carnivale dancers.
Photo by James Griffin of Edgeline Photography | www.edgelinephotography.comPhoto by James Griffin of Edgeline Photography | www.edgelinephotography.comPhoto by James Griffin of Edgeline Photography | www.edgelinephotography.comPhoto by James Griffin of Edgeline Photography | www.edgelinephotography.comPhoto by James Griffin of Edgeline Photography | www.edgelinephotography.com
Murder’s in the Heir – a Knives Out Mystery from the Impresario’s players, the Waddy Theatre – 12 October 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
from our own Lady Whistledown
It was a dark and stormy night.
12 possible murder suspects are gathered in the house of Simon Starkweather; family members, staff and (conveniently) a Private Detective, all brought together for a public reading of his will. Starkweather is worth billions, and he is at death’s door, as evidenced by artfully placed talcum powder in young Henry Flint’s all-too-lively hair. Never fear, a will has been drawn up that divides his fortune between his remaining family members, barring small amounts to be given to his long-suffering staff – one third to niece Fiona Starkweather and her son Jordan (Vered Lalrinpuii and David Vacek), one third to his great-niece Paula Thompson (Claudia Hall), and the last to grandson Simon Starkweather III (also Henry Flint). However, in a shocking twist right at the top of the show, Simon Starkweather Sr has decided to clone himself, effectively leaving his entire fortune to his clone, to be born via surrogate, his PA Kathy Collins (Kate Mountain). The family members will each receive a small amount of money – a fraction of what they were originally promised. This second will is being drawn up this very night by lawyer Lois van Zandt (Katherine Rosen), and will become valid when Starkweather signs the dotted line.
It will come as a surprise to no one that Starkweather is found dead a short time later. There is a blackout, and the old man is wheeled out into the living room, with a blood pressure cuff wrapped around his neck and drops of red liquid on his shirt.
So, who did it?
By the time the interval rolled around, we the audience were none the wiser about who the culprit could be. The ending hadn’t been set up at all, which is to say that everyone had been framed as a possible murderer. Was it the elderly Fiona Starkweather, convincingly portrayed by Vered Lalrinpuii, with her clumsily spilled deadly heart medication; or her sleazy son Jordan who was out to get everything he wanted, including maids and personal assistants? David Vacek put in a wonderful performance in this role, and assured the reviewer he was only pretending. Could it be Paula, the gun-toting niece who revealed to us all that Claudia Hall can do an extremely convincing southern accent? The Lawyer and the PA aren’t suspects because they have no motive. Katherine Rosen showed some real acting chops as lawyer Lois van Zandt, and this was clearly not her first rodeo. The same can be said of Kate Mountain in her role as the sweet Kathy Collins. The Private Detective is also immune, as is the heir Simon Starkweather III because he didn’t arrive until after the interval, and he is footing the bill for the investigation after all…
How about the staff? Mrs Trent, the housekeeper knows and sees everything. Mahati Garimella delivered her lines with impressive force, and showed a rarely-seen side to the quiet, sweet Mahati who resides here with us all. Bensonhurst the Butler, played ably by Claudio Garcia, was suspiciously carrying a wrench around in the middle of the night, so could the killer be him? Claudio’s right eyebrow completely stole the show as he broke the fourth wall conspiratorially. Nancy Pollard the maid was present during much of the action, and Ava Greay acted admirably, having to fend off Jordan’s advances and defend her life choices to the cook, Minerva Walker. Justina Emoh played Minerva with sass and pizazz, ominously brandishing her meat cleaver and waving it around like a would-be murderess. Miss Withers the Nurse, played by Juhi Joshi, was not happy about having to put up with the cranky old Starkweather, so her motives for doing away with the old man were plentiful. Juhi was a convincingly fed-up nurse, and didn’t smile once throughout the whole show, made all the more impressive because she is rarely seen without an enormous smile when not in character. Jim Wong Ulrich played Rufus, the loveable village idiot in hi-vis, and delivered a performance that can only be described as Jim. He was the catalyst for much raucous laughter as he appeared on stage with various household items, including an axe that needed to be brought inside and dried – a perfect murder weapon, no?
With all of these suspects and plenty of motives floating around, how was Detective Mike Davis supposed to wade through the evidence and find the killer? Paddy Golemo was very convincing in this role, endearingly portraying the unsuspecting detective thrown into a murder investigation. He and Henry as Starkweather III questioned each character until they happened upon the killer, and – spoiler alert – it was Paula who wanted to ensure that she got her rightful inheritance. The giveaway was the red candle, given to her by the housekeeper, that had dripped on poor Starkweather’s shirt. Given the vast array of potential killers, it was no surprise to learn that the play had been rehearsed with alternate endings, and each of the characters was a potential killer. The votes that were cast by the audience at the interval did in fact determine the killer, and this was a very clever device from playwright Billy St John.
Well, a rollercoaster was promised and that is certainly what was delivered. Directors Nusrat Asad and Kate Mountain put in a huge amount of effort to bring this play to fruition, and deserve bouquets for their dedication and wonderful skill. They pulled together an extremely entertaining night of theatre, ably assisted on sound and lighting by our own David Wright, as well as Lauren Lim, Jethro Mahon, Alan Huang, Sharon Chou and Simon Homsany, all in various supporting roles. I left feeling very glad to have this abundance of talent and wealth of generosity among the members of Graduate House, and looking forward to what the Impresario’s Players will produce next.
If nothing else, let us take a lesson from David Vacek and Paddy Golemo, and forge on with the show at all costs.
For their second play in 2024 and second in the Waddy Theatre the undergraduate theatrical company, St Paul’s College Mummers, presented one of the largest productions seen in many years over three shows on 25, 26 and 27 October. No less than fifteen cast members were needed to present a re-write of all 37 of William Shakespear’s plays. “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] {Revised Again} and Rewritten” by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield was directed by Ryan Bond assisted by Freya Carmody, William Nicholas and Max Philips.
“The Complete Works …” was originally performed by its creators Long, Singer and Winfield at the 1987 Edinburgh Fringe. Being a ‘hit’ it remains the second longest-running West End comedy in history and has been translated into over thirty languages. It is described as a vaudeville show in which three charismatic, ambitious actors attempt to present all of Shakespeare’s plays in a single performance. It is a hilarious time as the players make a meal out of the rudimentary concept of the stories and imperfectly memorized famous lines (source: Google Books).
The Mummers cast was: Max Philips; Freya Carmody; William Nicholas; Charlotte Hocking; Sam McCredie; Helen Jordan; Olivia McMillan; Felix Power; Jack Rowe; Ryan Bond; Jennifer Pilarinos; Annika Johnson; Archie Taylor; Heidi Best; and Grace Newton. They were well supported by the crew of: Ryan Bond – producer/director; Ben Varela – stage manager; Jack Beck, Gillian Lawrence, Robbie Sanderson – backstage; Ria Alva – designer; Ines Treharne, Tahlia Sorgiovanni, Grace Morrow – costuming; Ines Treharne, Greta Bourne – makeup; Ria Alva, Matilda Johnson, Greta Bourne – set design; Aiden Cheung, Sophie Wright – props; Milly O’Connel – lighting; Alex Mudri – sound; Gilliam Lawrence, Matilda Johnson, Tia Durovich, William Chang – photography; Jack Rowe – afters; and special thanks to Jack Stephens, Jack Vukasovic, Karyn and Steve Bond.
Join us at the Summer Soiree
The Warden and the Union Committee warmly invite Old Paulines, their partners and friends to join us for an unforgettable evening of festivities and live entertainment in the Quad and Salisbury.
