PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
SWEET HOME SUNRAYSIA: LIFESTYLE, LEARNING AND LOVE OF COMMUNITY
Celebrating my fifth year as Principal at the college, I thought it timely to reflect on what first drew me to Sunraysia, both through experience and family ties. Here is an excerpt from a recent interview for our Year Book.
What about life in Sunraysia drew you to Mildura?
I have a long personal history with Mildura and the beautiful northwest of Victoria. We would often take the long way to Adelaide and stay over in Mildura, and I have good memories of those visits. But the first real adult memories I have of Mildura are from a Year 11 school trip to the Sculpture Triennial. True, it was more than a few years ago, but what I remember most was how friendly and welcoming Mildura felt. I’ve been drawn to Sunraysia ever since. It feels like home because it is home.
What do you love most about living in Sunraysia?
My husband and I love the lifestyle here. Mildura is a major regional centre, but it’s preserved the warmth of a small town. People greet one another, and that makes it feel like a real community. We also enjoy the climate this far north. It does get hot in the summer, but that’s a small price to pay for a year full of near-perfect weather. When we bought our house here, the first thing we did was put in a pool and devote time to landscaping and adding to the garden. Spending time in our little oasis is a real treat for us, especially when our friends, children and grandchildren visit.
Your family has ties to Mildura that go back a few generations. Tell us about those.
My husband, David, has family history in the Mallee which goes back three generations. His great-grandfather, AJ Blythman, farmed a 2000-acre property in the Sea Lake district for over 20 years. He was especially renowned for using innovative scientific methods to improve his wheat harvests. In the Blythman family bible, there’s a newspaper clipping which reads: “…no farmer in the Mallee, or Wimmera for that matter, works harder, both with brain and muscle, than Mr Blythman…” When the opportunity to interview for the Principal’s role arrived, it felt like a ‘full circle’ moment for our family.
This is your fifth year as the Principal of St Joseph’s College, Mildura. Looking back at all you have achieved, which achievements are you most proud of?
I’m most proud to be a part of the college itself. I work with people who I respect and admire. We have worked diligently to create a learning environment with belonging at its core. The fact that we have become a community allows our students the support they need to succeed, whatever their goals and dreams may be.
I’m proud of the opportunities at the college. We have fantastic facilities across three campuses and several learning streams for students to choose from. Supporting all of that and more are wellbeing initiatives curated by a dedicated Wellbeing Team which support students and staff alike.
I’m also proud that the St Joseph’s global fee structure, laptop policy, scholarship and bursary program show that our college has committed itself to initiatives which support equity for all students.
How does being a member of a close-knit community like St Joseph’s College make you feel?
Being the Principal of a college that not only values community, but also prioritises it, makes me feel valued and accepted. We continue to develop several initiatives at the college specifically for the benefit of students, but our work to create and grow our community ensures that everyone feels valued, accepted, and that they have a place where they belong, no matter what.
What does the future hold for St Joseph’s College?
This year has challenged everyone more than we ever imagined it would. I could not be more impressed by the efforts of our students and staff in both the launch and the conducting of remote learning. The college’s overall performance has exceeded my expectations. With that in mind, my hope is that the near future holds an end of year celebration for our Year 12 students, as well as for all students and staff on a job well done. However, we still have the remainder of Term 3 and all of Term 4 to work through, so we’ll need to wait to celebrate.
In future years, we hope to be able to continue to strengthen our community and offer our students opportunities to develop all the skills, both academic and social, to succeed in a world where, as we have experienced, we all need to be ready to adapt at a moment’s notice.
PRINCIPAL'S BLOG
My Blog is published on the college website each week. The link is available here. In this article I acknowledge our wonderful Year 12 students.
INSPIRATIONAL READING
I wanted to share the following article with you - enjoy.
DO NOT BE AFRAID. BE HOPEFUL INSTEAD.
Last weekend, my 10-year-old son stepped up to the monkey bars for his third attempt in a row. His first couple of tries lasted only two rungs before he let go. This time, however, he knew it was going to hurt his hands and he was ready for it. He knew how much it meant to him to get all the way to the end without falling off – and he focused on his goal. He then reached out to the first bar, gritted his teeth, made the “I’m pushing through the pain noise” and swung for the next bar. This extra sense of inner strength enabled him to keep going until the very end, even though he had previously believed he wasn’t strong enough to make it.
Just like falling off the monkey bars, it can be very tempting to let go when things seem too difficult. I’m sure we all know someone who would love to “let go” of 2020 and start all over again, and understandably too.
It’s during these tough, trying times that Jesus is calling us to be people of hope and, in doing so, to take up our cross and follow Him (Mt 16:24).
Hope is much more than being wishful. Wishing that everything will be okay is passive. It’s saying that you don’t have control over your situation and that you aren’t able to make a change. Instead, you rely on luck, fate or other people to turn things around for you. This style of thinking is called a victim mentality – when we believe that we have no control over our situations and how our circumstances unfold.
Being hopeful is using a survivor mentality. Hopefulness is having the will, the pathways, the people and strategies you need to reach your goals. It’s having the deep belief that you will get there despite setbacks. This mindset enables you to see more possibilities, resources, people who can help you and options for moving forward. When you come from a place of hope, emotions and traits like courage, confidence and happiness start to follow.
Even though the weight of our crosses may vary, hope provides the strength and resolve we need to keep moving forward. It is the strength deep within the core of your being that cannot and will not be defeated, no matter what comes your way.
Jesus gave his disciples a very similar message of hope when he sent them out on mission. While Jesus spoke with them, He said “Do not be afraid” three times (Mt 10:26-33).
Jesus also says “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). In fact, “Do not be afraid” is in the Bible a total of 365 times.
In other words, though you may want to let go of the monkey bars when things get difficult, hang in there. Do not be afraid of what might happen tomorrow, particularly when it is something you cannot control. Instead, remain hopeful. Focus on that which you can control, find and use new pathways, spend time in gratitude, connect with the right people and remember that things have worked out in the past and they will again. No matter what comes your way, Jesus is in your corner saying “Do not be afraid”.
Words: Dave Jorna is the founder and director of Project Hatch, a facilitation team providing leadership and retreat experiences promoting staff and student wellbeing, resilience and spirituality. Dave is also founder and host of the Do Life Better podcast which has more than 100 episodes and includes interviews with world leaders in leadership, wellbeing and personal development. Dave has studied psychology, was a campus minister in a Catholic secondary school, is an emotional intelligence consultant and has been working with young people and community leaders for over 20 years.
Project Hatch: http://www.projecthatch.com.au
Do Life Better podcast: https://dolifebetter.fireside.fm
Instagram: @davejorna
Images: Dave Jorna (self)
Unsplash, Jeff Kingma, monkey bars
God bless
Mrs Marg Blythman