Farewell to Brother John
Brother John Furlong was farewelled at a formal tea in the Aquinas College dining room on Monday, 8th May 2017. He headed back home to Perth on the following day, accompanied by Evie, the College ‘wonder’ dog.
After working for most of his adult life in secondary schools, Brother John commenced at Aquinas College in January 2006 and for the next eight years, he was the Dean of the College, besides being the night watchman and ‘go-to’ man, after hours.
In 2014 he was Acting Head of College and for the past two and a half years he has been the Chaplain and Deputy Head of College, responsible for the tutorial programme and the enrolment of new students. Brother John’s near fatal car accident at Barmera in September 2015 became the turning point for his time at Aquinas, and he is still in recovery.
Brother John has given remarkable service to the College and for that capable and generous contribution the College community is very grateful. At the farewell dinner, on behalf of the Aquinas Council, the Chairman, Dr David Brookes spoke to the students and noted that it was a happy/sad occasion – happy for Brother John that he was on the road to better health, and was heading back home, sad for the College that he was leaving the Aquinas community.
Evie, as well, made her mark at the College and was a popular pet for all the students. She has her quirky idiosyncrasies which no doubt the people of Perth are now discovering! During her eight years at Aquinas she enjoyed her walks around the streets of North Adelaide; the many students who accompanied her found this experience to be more like a hunting expedition than a stroll in the park. She loved the students but was not that keen on other dogs.
Farewell Brother John and Evie.