President’s Report
The AMSSA Constitution identifies the following three goals as core to the purpose of our organisation:
• To further the Mercy spirituality and ethos for Secondary Education and to continue the tradition in a systematic way.
• To contribute to staff and student formation.
• To facilitate the development and sharing of ideas, curriculum and resources.
The past two years, since the last BGM was held at All Hallows’ School, Brisbane at the time of our first post-COVID staff conference, have been a time of reestablishment and returning to the practices and cycles of conferences and newsletters that were disrupted from 2020 to 2022 by the pandemic.
Our staff and student conferences are a critical pathway to achieving the core purpose of our association, bringing together those inspired by Catherine McAuley’s vision to energise and support one another in our leadership of Mercy education across Australasia and in a rapidly evolving world.
The 2023 staff conference in Brisbane quickly gave way to 2024’s student conference in Bendigo and Kyneton. This student conference, the first since 2018, saw 140 delegates from 5 states and 21 Mercy schools come together in the spirit of Mercy. The conference provided networking, faith, service and friendship together with opportunities to join in prayer and through Mass at Bendigo’s Sacred Heart Cathedral.
I would like to extend the thanks of our whole organisation to Brian Turner and Darren Egberts, Mercy Principals at Bendigo and Kyneton and to their staff who ensured the success of this event.
This year, we are here at Santa Maria College in Perth, and I would like to extend my thanks to Principal Jennifer Oaten and the whole team here at Santa Maria for their hard work over the past year to bring together what is sure to be an informative and inspiring staff conference.
The Executive have also started the work of reviewing the Association’s strategic plan and the timing of the staff and student conferences, together with considering how the conferences can be sustainable for member schools into the future.
The Association’s goal of providing networking and collegial support for Mercy school principals also continues with a principal’s meeting here in Perth and plans for these meetings to be scheduled for each year.
Executive 2023 – 2025
The AMSSA Executive meets in person once a year and online three times a year. At this year’s Staff Conference, the following people will conclude their term as members of the Executive.
At this BGM, we have three members finishing after six years on the AMSSA Executive. I would like to give sincere thanks to Nicole and Kellie for their service and dedication to the organisation over these past six years and for their tireless support and advocacy for Mercy education.
Outgoing members (after six years on the Executive):
Nicole Christensen (Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College, NSW)
Catherine O’Kane (All Hallows’ School, QLD)
Kellie Osborn (Mercedes College, SA)
I also give thanks for the continuing members of the Executive for their service and dedication to the Association, and I wish them the very best as they continue on the Executive and continue to bring the aims and goals of the Association to reality.
Continuing members:
Sarah Dwan (St Mary’s College, Auckland, NZ)
Dan McMahon (Shalom College, Bundaberg QLD)
Phil Morison (Mt Lilydale Mercy College, VIC)
Jennifer Oaten (Santa Maria College, WA)
AMSSA Membership 2025
Sixty-six schools across Australia and New Zealand are current members of AMSSA. Approximately 110 delegates from these schools will attend this week’s conference here at Santa Maria College, Perth. The consistently high number of delegates attending both staff and student conferences suggests that the Conference coordinating committees are doing excellent work in shaping programs that are dynamic and appealing.
Finally, I would like to thank Stephen Walsh, our tireless AMSSA Executive Officer, for his dedicated service and support over the past year and a half. Over this time, Stephen has resolved issues with a range of government departments and our bank to ensure that the business processes of our Association are efficiently managed and compliant with all requirements. Stephen also played a significant role in liaising with the organising team for the Student Conference, and he has overseen the updating of the Constitution and the AMSSA website and restarted the creation of the AMSSA newsletter. Stephen’s heart of Mercy is an invaluable asset for our organisation, and I thank him most sincerely for his outstanding work over the past two years.
It has been a great honour to serve as President of AMSSA, and I wish the incoming President, the Executive, and the Executive Officer all the very best as you continue to live our conference theme, “Community, Connection and Celebration,” in the spirit of Mercy and the charism of Catherine McAuley.
Catherine O’Kane
AMSSA President
28 May 2025
