The House System at Riverview began in 1983 under the leadership of Fr Greg O’Kelly SJ and this is the 30th year of existence for eight of our twelve current Houses. On Monday 11 June, 2012, Campion House celebrated its 30th Anniversary with a Mass in Dalton Chapel, followed by Dinner in Ramsay Hall. As part of a larger initiative to include our younger members in our House events this year, it was decided that all current members of Campion House, i.e. all boys in Years 5-12, and their families would be invited to celebrate this momentous occasion. Additionally, all our House Captains over the last 30 years were invited, of whom many attended. The only requirement for the night was to dress in our House colours, black and red.

In its thirty years Campion House has seen many changes, among them structural changes to the House System itself, but also in leadership. Mr Mel Morrow held the title of Housemaster from 1983-2006, after which point Mr Andrew Szabo took over for four years. At the beginning of 2011, I, Mr Paul Achmar, became Housemaster to this institution and I haven’t slept since!

For the first time perhaps in any of the Houses we have a 2nd Generation within a single Tutor Group! Yes, Lachlan Ingham in Year 9 is in Mr James Rodgers’ Tutor Group and his father was also in Mr Rodgers’ Tutor Group 30 years ago. Beyond that, we are seeing plenty of 2nd Generation Campion boys coming through and our House has never had a stronger sense of community, with new and old families alike.

So, very obviously, this is a House seen to be special by all its members and for that reason it was decided that the only way to celebrate its 30th year was to do it in style.

The Mass

With thanks to Campion House parent Tony Baine, I was put in touch with Fr Edmund Campion earlier in the year who very generously agreed to celebrate Mass with us and stay for the subsequent Dinner celebration. James Rodgers has already shared in this issue of Viewpoint his introduction to Fr Campion before Mass began.

Throughout the Mass, we had boys from Years 5 through to 12 participate, whether by reading, altar serving, ministering Eucharist or as part of the Offertory Procession, and it was truly a reflection of a House that spans all age groups at the College.

As is tradition, our Year 12 were presented with a personalised candle to remind them of their time at Riverview, in Campion House, their endless connections to each other through our faith community. It was a moving ceremony which was witnessed by all in the very-full Dalton Chapel.

The Dinner

Following Mass, we all headed down to the Ramsay Hall through the pouring rain to begin the second part of our celebrations.

The evening was a spectacular one, to say the least. With approximately 320 people in attendance, I would like to acknowledge once more all family members and friends of Campion House who travelled long distances just to be present at this celebration, from places around the world including Hong Kong, Canberra, Melbourne, Queensland, and NSW areas such as Nymagee, Wagga Wagga, Newcastle & Dubbo.

The Dinner celebrations began with the introduction of our two MCs, Nick Kraegen (OR 2006) and Simon Kraegen (OR 2008), both Campion Captains in their respective senior years at the College. These two young men lit up the stage with their sharp wit and natural ability to engage all present, from our youngest Campion members to their grandparents also present.

All current students received a set of Campion House Cufflinks as part of a gift we hope will forever remind our boys of their association with our wonderful House. Simple in style, the cufflinks are designed to last and be used by our young men into adulthood. They are engraved with our House crest and logo, “I Lead by Example”, so that they may truly become leaders in the style of St Edmund Campion, our patron saint, steadfast in their faith and acting on their convictions.

After a short speech from myself as current Housemaster, our guests all shared a delicious meal together – on the menu: Lebanese cuisine, thanks to our caterers George Khouzame Group who got rave reviews from all families present!

Following dinner we had two legendary figures of not only Campion House but Riverview itself, Mr James Rodgers (long-time Campion Tutor) and Mr Mel Morrow (Campion Housemaster extraordinaire) on stage, with James interviewing Me and reflecting on the history of our great House. The very obvious friendship between these two great men meant nothing as their banter became more ferocious and their jabs at each other more hilarious, all in the name of good natured fun and House spirit! In subsequent conversations with our House parents and students, this stage interview was the highlight of the evening. Perhaps unfortunately for both these men, the entire spectacle has been captured on film and will be immortalised for all future generations to enjoy!

Throughout the evening, two of our many talented House members entertained us with their wonderful gifts. Angus Higgins (Year 11) played Piano on stage on several occasions throughout the evening, while Geordie Lee (Year 11) played the Saxophone equally as beautifully as people proceeded to collect their food and share a meal with each other.

Our current House Captain (Christopher Best) and Vice Captains (Joseph Baine and Patrick Benson) spoke eloquently in recognition of what Campion House has become, 30 years since its beginnings, and they acknowledged the great work of Andrew Szabo who was at the helm from 2007 to 2010. Also acknowledged by our Captains were our extraordinary Tutors who I, too, must name and publically acknowledge here: Mr Dev Gopalasamy, Ms Sharon McLean, Mr James Rodgers, Mr Peter Kovacs, Ms Suzanne Millar, Mr Damien Thompson and Mr Adam Lewis. As I said in my own speech on the night, I am indebted to these extraordinary people who care so much for the young men under their care (and make my job so much more enjoyable and manageable!)

The Charities

Thanks to the generosity of time, resources and spirit of many, many people, Campion House is able to raise enough money to support several charities. We continue to support Ernest Kapempe, our Ugandan sponsor child through ChildFund Australia. This year, we have broadened our support to embrace the Jesuit Refugee Service and, importantly, South Sudan Educates Girls (SSEG).

Kir Deng (OR 2008) and Mr Johnson Ngor were two of our honoured guests on the night of our 30th Anniversary Celebrations and they were invited to speak about the charity with whom they are both heavily involved, SSEG.(There is far too much to share about this charity in this Viewpoint article, however you will find plenty of information at www.sseg.org.au).

Thanks, once again, to the overwhelming kindness of Campion families, we ended up with prizes enough not only for a Charity Raffle, but also for a Silent Auction for several highly valuable items. There are far too many to list here and I have already acknowledged these amazing people with an email sent to all Campion families, and also publically on the night of our Mass & Dinner.

Once again, our Campion families dug deep and we ended up raising an astounding $7000 for our charities – an exceptional effort for one night of generosity! We will present our House-supported charities with donations in Term 3.

Our support for these organisations will continue beyond this monetary contribution, thanks to Campion Tutor Ms Suzanne Millar who is connected with the South Sudanese community in Sydney. There are many good things still to come from our boys in service of those in need!

The Organisers

It is no exaggeration or statement of false modesty when I say that this legendary evening would not have occurred were it not for the generosity of all those people mentioned (and unmentioned) above. And it is an equally legitimate statement to make when I say that, thanks to three very specific House mothers, the night even happened at all.

Mary Watt, Sue Martin and especially Lisa Lee were instrumental in ensuring this evening took place. It took months of planning to ensure everything happened, and this planning occurred outside work hours for all these women who were called away from their families to help organise this event. I am forever in their debt and have expressed my gratitude across several forums, yet still not enough. So, on behalf of all of the members of Campion House (and personally from myself!), thank you Mary, Sue and Lisa for your input, drive, organisation and exceptional generosity of time and spirit in planning this event.

The House

And so, now that the official festivities are over, all we can do is go back to our core business – caring for all our members in Campion House and ensuring that their time at Riverview is meaningful, relevant and fun. As far as I am concerned, the celebration is only valid if we continue to uphold the highest standards of this “cura personalis” and truly reflect the ideals of a Jesuit Education. Rest assured, those of you in Campion House have not heard the last of me yet.

Paul Achmar, Campion Housemaster