From the Headmaster
Australia’s General John Monash, considered one of the greatest war commanders in history, was determined after his return from the first World War that Australians would remember the men and women who had served their country during wartime. The Shrine of Remembrance in John Monash’s home town of Melbourne, completed in 1934, provided a place where Victorians could grieve as individuals, as families or as a community. It also served to honour the courage of the men, women and children who remained at home.
Anzac Day has become one of the few non-religious annual rituals for all Australians, bringing together people for a range of personal reasons and it was with immense pride that I attended the Anzac Day dawn service at the Bendigo War Memorial. More than 280 Girton students, immaculately presented in school uniform, attended the service with further students attending the morning and dawn services in school uniform at Maryborough, Canberra, Kyneton, Elmore, Creswick and Castlemaine. The dignity with which our students honoured this public expression of gratitude and reflection is a credit to them and the staff members who supported them. Students are now preparing to participate in the Red Shield appeal to continue the tradition of giving back to the community from which they gain so much.
The solemnity of the Anzac Dawn Service contrasted starkly with the colour and movement of the recent Bendigo Easter Festival, which took place just two days earlier. I can now share with you one of Bendigo’s best-kept secrets, which is that the new 150m long Dai Gum Loong Dragon enjoyed a few sleep-overs in the Girton gymnasium before making its way down Vine Street to join the street parade! It is wonderful to be at a school that plays an integral role in the broader community, even in these small but important ways.
Nine students and four staff members on the Girton Racing Team have arrived in Malaysia for the 2019 Shell Eco-Marathon. The Girton team remains the only team to represent Australia on this international stage, and we are immensely proud of the team’s ingenuity and commitment to this wonderful blend of sport and engineering. The team is supported by an incredible group of parents and this year, has a major sponsor, Shell Australia, which has made it possible for the team to meet the costs of travelling to Malaysia and shipping of their fuel-efficient vehicle. The team deserves to do well at this event, and we wish them all the very best.
Recent sporting achievements from Girton students in a range of sports have been sublime. Caitlin Richardson (9 Jenkin) has won gold in a New Zealand basketball tournament with the Under 16 female Australian Country Basketball team; Patrick Eddy (11 Jenkin) has been selected into the Australian Cycling team; six students secured medals in the School Sports Victoria State Swimming Championships; Ruby Conti (7 Millward) represented Australia at the Suzuki World Cup in Japan placing 12th in the International Age Group 1 category; and Abby Rowley (12 Millward) won the School Sports Victoria Regional and State Final competitions in the 3m Springboard Diving. Congratulations to students on their dedication and these fine results.
This sporting news brings me to the Senior School Cross Country event which was cancelled yesterday owing to wet weather, about which, I daren’t complain. The House Cross Country event usually determines which students go on to other cross-country events in Bendigo and beyond but for this year, we will use event results from last year to invite students to participate in additional competitions. Students new to the school will be allowed to elect whether to participate in district and other Cross Country events. We hope to hold the House Cross Country event at a later date so that the perpetual trophy and the staff “Golden Shoe” award can be presented to the rightful victor, and more information about this will be provided in due course.
There are two important information sessions for parents coming up that I encourage you to consider. The first is the RULER for Families workshop to be held next Thursday 9th May and on Thursday 30th May and the second is the Astra parent information session to be held on 22nd May. Further information is within this edition of eLink.
Following the email sent to all parents earlier this week, I wish to confirm that our new uniform supplier is Bob Stewarts located at 18 High Street Bendigo, opposite the Senior School. Uniform items are no longer available from Bolton’s, and Bob Stewart’s will begin selling the Girton uniform on 15th May 2019. Please refer to the relevant section of this newsletter for more detail.
The three-year uniform transition period will conclude at the end of this year and students are expected to be in the new uniform for the commencement of the 2019 school year. With more than 130 years of rich history woven into the fabric of the Girton College and Girton Grammar uniforms, students have always taken great pride in wearing their uniform, especially at public events such as Anzac Day. It will be wonderful to have all the students in the refreshed version of the uniform next year. In keeping with our intention to make the uniform transition period as manageable as possible for families, the School will accommodate the needs of any family that communicates to me circumstances that they believe warrants an extension to the uniform transition period.
Finally, I would like to thank Senior School parents and teachers for the smooth and productive start to our parent-teacher interviews, which commenced earlier this week. It is vitally important that parents are familiar with their children's teachers to build relationships that form a foundation of learning. Through good times and hard times, if a positive relationship is in place between parents and teachers the learning experience for the child is richer, clearer and the child’s learning is fully supported.
Matthew F. Maruff
Headmaster
As this column went to press, the news of the Girton Racing Team in Malaysia (team Incharge) coming 5th in the international Shell Eco-Marathon came through. An incredible effort and my heartiest congratulations to all involved. More information is within this edition of eLink.