Rev. Brother Patrick Toner
Rev. Brother Patrick Toner F.S.C.
(1892 – 1968)
The Third Principal of La Salle College
Brother Patrick was born on 22nd September 1892 in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. He joined the Christian Brothers at a very early age. He volunteered for the missions to the Far East and spent most of his life in Rangoon and Hong Kong. In Burma, Brother Patrick proved himself as a brilliant teacher and organizer. He brought St. Paul’s Rangoon to a very high scholastic standard.
At the end of the Pacific War, brother Patrick was posted to La Salle College. He served as the Principal from 1947 to 1956. Life in the post-war era was difficult. Resources were scarce. To worsen the situation, the British government turned La Salle College into the 33rd General Hospital for the army in the summer of 1949. The school was moved to the temporary site in Perth Street, Homantin. Despite such setbacks, Brother Patrick braved all these difficulties. With great zeal and spirit, he raised the school to a very high standard in terms of intellectual activity, discipline and prestige. Brother Patrick also devoted much effort in the promotion of religious life at school and in the community.
Brother Patrick is remembered as a man of great intelligence, a first class teacher and a strict but fair disciplinarian. He frequently took up classes from teachers on sick leave. Be it science, mathematics or arts, he would proceed smoothly. Brother Patrick appreciated nothing but the best from teachers and students. He conducted classroom inspection daily and carried out teacher evaluation himself. Mr. Henry Lau (1940) said, “He was the most dedicated and diligently devoted Principal I have worked for. Very learned, and always happy to share with us his bountiful knowledge.” Brother Patrick was cat-lover and he moved like one. People seldom noticed his sudden presence in classes. Teachers and students were on alert all the time!
Brother Patrick left La Salle College in 1957 for Europe. He died in Belfast in September 1968.
Those of us who attended Primary 5 and 6 will remember Bro. Patrick as the saviour who got rid of the biggest and most feared bully in school at that time. Bro. Patrick expelled Bruce Lee after the latter committed a horrific act upon one of our peers. No official confirmation on the identity of the victim nor the exact nature of the act. However the grapevine was loud and clear. As pre-teens, we were smart enough to stay well clear of the bully and his gang. But some of us, less street-smart perhaps, had sometimes allowed ourselves to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
When my mother decided to send me to an English school, it was natural for her to consider LaSalle which was very close to my home. I could walk to school then. Lo Wai Sum also lived in HoManTin. We often ventured the mountain together on our route to school.
Even then LaSalle was very hard to get in. My mother had to go to see Bro Patrick a few times before he admmitted me. Perhaps he believed that my mother cared a lot about me. My mother told him that I was a ‘good boy’. He responded that ‘All boys are good’.
Bro Patrick’s contribution to LaSalle was an important asset to Hong Kong education during that difficult period.