07 Nov 2019
By Francis Floresca
Mr. Maurie Mulheron and Mr. Angelo Gavrielatos made their much-anticipated return to Punchbowl Boys’ High School last Wednesday to a packed assembly and a Year 10 cohort eager to learn about how they used their experiences at the school as a springboard to greatness.
“My teachers inspired me,” said Mr. Gavrielatos without hesitation when questioned about how his time in Kelly Street led him to choose a career in education. “It was here that I learnt the positive impact that education can have on the lives of young people.”
Mr. Mulheron, who is the current president of the NSW Teachers’ Federation, shared Mr. Gavrielatos’ affection for his teachers at Punchbowl Boys’.
“They helped me cultivate my love for learning,” Mulheron said of his teachers. “This place showed me that teaching could help me make the world a better place.”
Mr. Gavrielatos also took the opportunity to reflect on what continues to make Punchbowl Boys’ a great place to learn.
“Just like now, we had a great sense of community,” Mr. Gavrielatos reminisced. “’Facta non Verba’ was not just a motto. It was real. It was important for every single one of us to not just talk about doing things. We were told to go out there and actually do whatever it was we spoke about doing.”
Fuelled by those three simple words, Mr. Gavrielatos did indeed go on to achieve great things. From rugby and basketball team captain and senior prefect at Punchbowl Boys, Mr. Gavrielatos is now set to take over the leadership role at the NSW Teachers’ Federation in February 2020.
Mr. Mulheron also reflected fondly on Punchbowl Boys’ reputation as a breeding ground for greatness.
“When you think about Len Pascoe, Jeff Thomson, Steve Folkes, Garry Manuel and all the other greats who proudly call themselves ‘old boys’ of this school,” Mulheron said with conviction. “There is no doubt that this school does have a knack for producing excellent citizens.”
“This school has a high reputation and I am positive it will remain that way,” Mr. Mulheron continued. “We are all proud of the tradition of excellence that lives on in this school today.”
As a matter of fact, Mr. Mulheron’s statements were on point. In this year alone, the graduating class included rising rugby star Amer Ghazzaoui, who plays for the Sydney Roosters and the Cedars of Lebanon, and Band 320, the winners of the 2018 Youthrock Band competition, who also had the honour of performing in this year’s TedxSydney flagship event at First State Super Theatre, formerly known as the International Convention Centre (ICC).
Punchbowl Boys’ also has among its ranks another emerging star in Micqut Ngaata who is set to represent the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the 2020 Harold Matthews Cup and an Oztag team that currently ranks fifth in the state of NSW.