Concerns over student wellbeing are being raised around the country. Anxiety, depression and other mental health issues are being cited as one of the main drivers of a downward trend in school attendance since the Covid-19 lockdowns and studies show that more students are receiving support for anxiety and stress than ever before.

To address these issues, some schools are thinking of new ways to widen the scope of wellbeing initiatives they offer. One method that’s becoming increasingly popular is the use of wellbeing dogs.

Wellbeing dogs are furry friends trained to provide comfort, companionship, and emotional support. They promote overall mental health and can be found in similar settings as well as universities, workplaces and community centres, where they help create a calming environment and reduce stress. Wellbeing dogs are playing an increasingly important role in schools to support students' well-being and learning, reduce stress and anxiety, and promote attendance.

I am pleased to announce that late last year approval was granted for the Chaplaincy Team to have a College Wellbeing dog. So…..

Meet Evie. 

Evie is a 5-month-old first generation Cavoodle with an enormous heart and love of cuddles. She has been undergoing training for her role at WestMAC and is expected to be on site from Term 2, 2025. As expected, there are many students and staff who are super excited to have Evie join the WestMAC Community, so for her own wellbeing, I will be rolling out some educational materials throughout term 1 to teach everyone how to calmly and appropriately interact with her. Interactions with Evie can be requested by students and staff and she will always be on lead with a trained handler. Evie’s office will be in the Wellbeing Centre and her workdays will be Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. She will be a fantastic addition to the College and to the wellbeing of our students and staff.

World Day of Prayer 2025

World Day of Prayer is a worldwide ecumenical movement of women of many faith traditions who come together to observe a common day of prayer each year on the first Friday in March. Throughout the entire day, we collectively pray all over the world, beginning with the first sunrise and ending at the last sunset. Our prayers follow the sun’s path around the globe. WDP’s motto is “Informed prayer leads to prayerful action.” Through World Day of Prayer, women affirm that prayer and action are inseparable and that both have immeasurable influence in the world.

Coordinated services of Christian worship and prayer are held across the world in over 170 countries, directed by the international body – the World Day of Prayer International. The program for the service is prepared well in advance by women from one focus country of the world. Each service has an advertised theme and involves Bible readings, prayers and songs and a reflection and is attended by women and men.

This year the Ipswich Central event for the World Day of Prayer on Friday, 7 March is being hosted by St Paul’s Anglican Church. If you are interested in attending or would like to participate, please contact 3812 0377 for more information.

College Hymn

In 2025 approval was granted for the use of another version of the College Hymn “On Eagle’s Wings” by Michael Joncas. A version which Michael, himself, modernised to contain more inclusive lyrics.

An important part of Anglican Identity, and therefore WestMAC, is to be inclusive. Inclusion is both a reality and a goal of Anglican schools. As College Chaplain, one of my responsibilities is to uplift and uphold the Anglican Identity of our school hence the change to a version of the College Hymn which is used in Anglican and Episcopal Churches around the world.

In the new version of "On Eagle's Wings" 5 words were changed by the original author of the hymn and the number of verses, choruses, and the musical composition remains the same.

Please see attached the new version of "On Eagle's Wings" by Michael Joncas. 

World’s Greatest Shave 2025

It’s back!!! This year WestMAC will again host a World’s Greatest Shave event raising much needed funds for The Leukaemia Foundation. This College event will occur on March 27.

Blood cancer is Australia's hidden cancer crisis. Today, there are 150,000 families facing blood cancer, and 17 Australians will lose their life. Every year, thousands of Australians step up to Shave, Cut, or Colour their hair and raise funds in support of those affected. 

Every dollar you raise will help provide families with practical and emotional support to get them through the many challenges that blood cancer can bring. And you'll power Australia's brightest research minds, bringing us closer to our goal of zero lives lost to blood cancer by 2035.

For more information, please contact Rev’d Jane or Mr Alcorn.

Many blessings,

The WestMAC Chaplaincy Team