Principal's Reflection - 17 October

Acknowledging Our Founders

On Monday, we celebrated Foundation Day. Effectively, the birthday of the School. On this day, we hold a Worship service during which we congratulate long-serving members of our staff, we have a whole school sausage sizzle and cupcake, and we finish the day with the now-traditional Battle of the Baton. Students from Prep through to Year 12 compete in the Battle of the Baton for the glory of their House. This year, the House teams completed the relay in record times, with the first three teams crossing the line in the fastest three times ever, and the fourth-place team secured the fifth fastest time ever. A huge congratulations to Browning for taking out this year’s battle. 

An important part of the Foundation Day Worship is always the opportunity to recognise the significant efforts of those who founded St Luke’s and sustained it in its early years of operation. There are many people to thank, but in the year that we officially opened the Upper Primary Building, on the site where the Lohse Centre once stood, it was appropriate to share the story of the Lohse family with our students. When I went looking for information about who the Lohse Centre was named after, I was originally quite confused. I knew that Stan Lohse was an important figure in the history of the School, but I found two individuals named Stan Lohse, both Anglican, both connected to the School, but with different birth dates. My research led me to realise that they were father and son; there was Stan Lohse and his son, Stan Ian Lohse, known as Ian. Mr Stan Lohse was an alderman on the Bundaberg City Council, and he was heavily involved in the planning and establishment of St Luke’s. He did a great deal of the early work to bring the School into being. 

Mr Ian Lohse and his sister, Sally Lohse, who became Sally Stone, served as members of the governing body of St Luke’s for many years. They, along with the other members of the School Council, are responsible for the vision and strategic direction that ultimately led us to where we are today. As is often the case with people like Stan, Ian and Sally, they served the community of Bundaberg in many other ways, including charitable works and acts of service. Additionally, Sally's daughter, Louise Stone, was one of the 54 students enrolled on the first day of school in 1994 and went on to marry Father Andrew Schmidt, who later served as our Chaplain for a time. When it came time to name the original Upper Primary area many years ago, it was widely accepted by the School Council that, rather than a single person, the Lohse family's commitment was worthy of acknowledgement.

And so for many years, the Lohse Centre served the needs of the Primary School; a place of learning, fun, handball battles, assemblies, sport and celebration. It had a wonderful history. In constructing the Upper Primary Building, it is imperative that we preserve this important history. It was wonderful to have Jan Lohse, Ian’s wife, and Ray Lohse, Ian and Sally’s brother, join us for the Worship service to unveil a plaque that will be installed in the Upper Primary Building, so that future generations of St Luke’s students will know the contribution of the Lohse family.