Vale Brother Michael Naughtin - a great man of Champagnat

It is with deep sadness the St Joseph’s College community farewells Brother Michael Naughtin OAM, who passed away early on Saturday 21 March.

Brother Michael was dearly loved and highly respected by the boys, old boys, families, staff and Brothers of St Joseph’s. He was the embodiment of the spirit of Champagnat – a man of great faith and friendship who was wise, humble and devoted to the education and care of young people.

Brother Michael had a most distinguished career as educator, scholar and author to name only three of his pursuits.

A teaching career spanning 63 years was in itself remarkable – beginning when he was 19 and ending when he was 83. However the most significant element of his career was not the length of it, but rather the extraordinary depth and quality of his teaching and interactions with students, colleagues and families.

For almost all his teaching career Brother Michael had the responsibility of teaching at the highest secondary level, first in the Leaving Certificate and then in the newly named Higher School certificate. His classes were meticulously prepared and outstandingly successful, his particular specialties being English, Latin and Classical Greek. His teaching duties were accompanied by wider responsibilities including the role of Principal of the Marist schools at Darlinghurst, Kogarah and Mittagong. He joined the staff of St Joseph’s College in 1962 and subsequently filled a number of different roles including acting Headmaster, Deputy Headmaster and Year Master of Year 12.

Brother Michael’s expertise in education was widely recognised, leading to his membership of the Board of Senior School Studies in NSW for sixteen years. In this context he spoke to many groups of teachers on behalf of the board explaining the then new HSC.

Although Brother Michael held positions of high responsibility at St Joseph’s College, he nevertheless performed some of the mundane but necessary tasks such as the production of the teaching timetable for 38 consecutive years. He was also a coach of the First XI and Senior Debating Teams for several years.

Brother Michael was an outstanding scholar throughout his life. His chief pursuits were in the classics but he was also gifted in other areas, passing his Learning Certificate with First Class Honours in Mathematics. When Headmaster of the High School at Darlinghurst, he combined this responsibility with tertiary study graduating in the 1950s from Sydney University with a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours in Latin and Greek. From late 1958 to December 1960 he studied at King’s College, Cambridge University, obtaining a doctorate in Classics, his chosen area being Latin poetry. His expertise in the Classics was nurtured by his teaching of Latin and Greek to senior students, which he continued at St Joseph’s College until 2002.

Throughout his life Brother Michael achieved some prominence in the area of writing, being the author of a scholarly history of St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill. A hardbound volume of around 400 pages, the publication is a thoroughly researched work on the first century of one of Australia’s greatest schools. The book was widely admired at its time of publication in 1987and has served as a model to the increasing number of school histories that have appeared since.

Brother Michael also edited the Old Boys’ quarterly newsletter, Cerise and Blue, from 1989 to 2008, a task he both enjoyed and to which he was deeply committed.

Brother Michael’s custodianship of archives was another activity he fulfilled until 2008, both at St Joseph’s College and the Sydney Province of the Marist Brothers. He was responsible for cataloguing and safeguarding materials relating to some 50 schools connected with the Marist Brothers in Australia since 1872, in locations across New South Wales, Queensland and various parts of the Pacific. In his capacity as archivist he was called upon to search for information and to respond verbally or in writing to numerous enquiries and requests.

Brother Michael was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2004 for his outstanding service to education, particularly through St Joseph’s College, as a teacher and administrator.

Brother Michael will certainly be remembered for his remarkable achievements in the fields of education, scholarship and writing. But over and above this, he will be celebrated as a dedicated religious, a most gentlemanly, courteous, considerate and refined man and a person of the highest integrity. His care and concern for the boys and families of the College, as well as the staff and his fellow Brothers, provided comfort, hope and joy.

Headmaster of St Joseph’s College, Mr Ross Tarlinton, said the College community was mourning the loss of a very great man. “While this is a time of great loss for many, we know that Br Michael is now with the God he loved so much,” he said.

“Throughout his life, many people sought out Brother Michael’s wisdom, experience and compassion. He will be remembered with great honour and deep affection.”

“Our prayers are with the Brothers community at this time as they grieve the loss of this extraordinary man of Champagnat. To have known Br Michael and be formed by him in some way has truly been a gift from God.”

View condolences received by the College.

Click here to read the eulogy delivered by Brother Michael Green.

Click here to read a tribute to Brother Michael by Jack Waterford (69), Editor at Large of The Canberra Times, published on Thursday 26 March 2009.

Click here to view "A remarkable man farewelled."

All Old Boys are encouraged to visit the Old Boys' Union website to record their personal contact details for future notifications from St Joseph's College and OBU. www.sjcobu.com