DOBCEL Board Update #2 - 31 May 2021
Catholic Education Week
Last week we proudly celebrated Catholic Education Week. The theme for 2021 is ‘Faith in the Future’, which speaks of the essence of hope in faith, essential against the backdrop of this year.
In celebration of 200 Years of Catholic Education in Australia we were delighted to welcome approximately 200 students, staff, parents and community from across the Diocese of Ballarat to celebrate Mass in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Ballarat last Monday.
Representatives travelled from:
- Alfredton – St Thomas More Primary School
- Ballan – St Brigid's Primary School
- Ballarat – St Patrick's Primary School
- Ballarat East – St Alipius Primary School
- Ballarat East – St Francis Xavier Primary School
- Ballarat North – St Columba's Primary School
- Camperdown – St Patrick's Primary School
- Clarke's Hill – St Mary's Primary School
- Colac – Sacred Heart Primary School
- Colac – St Mary's Primary School
- Coragulac – St Brendan's Primary School
- Creswick – St Augustine's Primary School
- Delacombe – Lumen Christi Primary School
- Dunnstown – St Brendan's Primary School
- Hopetoun – St Joseph's Primary School
- Lucas – Siena Catholic Primary School
- Maryborough – St Augustine's Primary School
- Murtoa – Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School
- Mt Clear – Emmaus Catholic Primary School
- Redan – St Aloysius Primary School
- St Arnaud – St Patrick's Primary School
- Swan Hill – St Mary's Primary School
- Warracknabeal – St Mary's Primary School
- Ararat – Marian College
- Ballarat – St Patrick's College
- Ballarat – Loreto College
- Colac – Trinity College Colac Inc.
- Hamilton – Monivae College Ltd
- Swan Hill – St Mary MacKillop College
- and St Patrick's Primary School, Nhill, where Olivia told us she had to get up at 5am to travel to Ballarat
It was a long way for many students and staff to travel and we appreciate and thank them for their attendance.
National Reconciliation Week
May 27 to June 3 is National Reconciliation Week. The theme for 2021, ‘More than a word. Reconciliation takes action.’, urges the reconciliation movement towards braver and more impactful action.
We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures and futures.
According to the 2020 February census, the Ballarat Diocese has 423 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students enrolled in the 64 Catholic schools and colleges; that is 182 indigenous students enrolled in our secondary colleges and 241 indigenous students enrolled in our primary schools.
DOBCEL Board Report
During this month’s DOBCEL Board Meeting Directors completed a training module facilitated by Dr John Harte, Managing Partner of Integrity Governance with Australian Institute of Directors. John’s focus was on ‘Strategy and risk for the not-for-profit Director’.
McLaren Hunt Financial Group presented the Audited Financial Report for the Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited (DOBCEL), which comprised the statement of financial position as at 31 December 2020, the statement of comprehensive income, statement of changes in equity, and statement of cash flows for the year ended 2020. In addition, the auditors presented the financial position of each of the 56 DOBCEL schools identifying areas of strength and areas for growth.
Other agenda items included SIMON, ICON and the Victorian Association of Catholic Primary School Principals.
In the ever-evolving COVID-19 landscape, know that you will be in my thoughts and prayers as we face the unknown again this week.