Why are all my favourite friends the ones who went to Daramalan College?

Last week, my daughter asked me who my BFF was. I told her I have several.

Many went to Queanbeyan High (like me) but the one I truly adore is Sarah: a former Daramalan College student I met at work in 2010.

Then my daughter asked about my favourite former work colleagues. I’ve had 10 jobs in 27 years, there are literally thousands.

As a woman in communications and marketing, most of my work besties have been Merici College, St Clare’s and Girls Grammar alumni (and there was one random chick who went to Gold Creek High LOL).

But I also worked for a digital agency and my closest companion was Joe: a talented artist and interface designer who went to, you guessed it, Daramalan College.

A bit of a theme was emerging.

Then there’s Lisa, the chick who had a caravan near mine at Barlings Beach, back when I thought having a caravan at the south coast was a good idea. Lisa is freaking hilarious – we’re still great mates – and guess what? She graduated from Dara in ‘95.

What is it about Dara alumn that I just can’t get enough of? I have loads of friends who went to Catholic schools and colleges but this one seems to churn out the best.

What do Sarah, Joe and Lisa have in common.? They all grew up in the inner north, and attended Rosary Primary School in Watson before attending Dara.

But here are the other qualities they share:

They care deeply.

Dude. When you have a conversation with them, they actually listen. Intently. They want to know more about me and what I’m doing: they’re not sitting there planning what they’ll say next. I honestly feel like they respect and care for me, and 100% have my back. It’s a nice feeling. Many of my other friends have this quality but the Dara folk are next level.

They don't judge.

There’s an open-mindedness to all three of them that is actually rare. I could – and have – told them a million outrageous things I want to do with my life (e.g. build a little white church in my backyard in Queanbeyan, start a bank just for women and write horror novels) and they didn’t flinch. In fact, they’re all in and want to know how they can help!

They see themselves as part of something much bigger.

Having attended public schools, I don’t really get the integration of religion and education that happens at a private Catholic school. But I do know that Sarah, Joe and Lisa seem to check their egos at the door a lot.

They judge others way less than my other friends. And they all currently work in roles where the vision is about the greater good of Australia, and the world.

Whatever the teachers were instilling in students at Daramalan College in the 1990s and early 2000s, it worked. I hope they’re still doing it now.

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