From the Principal
Dear Friends,
Our final weeks of the College year hold many blessings for our community. Among others, I refer to major events like our final assemblies, the Year 6 Graduation Ceremony and Dinner, the Prep Nativity Chapel and Senior School Presentation Evening. Although these events are remarkable for their quality alone, they are so much more special because of our community’s presence. There is a lovely ambience around these public events as families and friends remain on site for conversations and catch up, and to farewell the staff leaving Oxley.
Indeed, in gratitude for their service to the College, we acknowledge with deep affection our colleagues who are leaving Oxley. They are Michele Davies, Carol Thompson, William van Pinxteren, Adeline Lim, Linda Doblin, Kate Broadley, Daniel Rodgers, Brialey Brightwell, Elaine Wong and Sam Davies. Each person has made a special contribution to Oxley, and we prayerfully commend them to the new season of their life journey.
We are delighted to welcome the new student leadership teams for next year and to single out for special recognition our new College Captains in Chloe Daly and Ruby Warburton, who will be well supported by Vice Captains Rohan Mishra, Lucy Destry, Alannah Moulton and Roman Young. All these student leadership appointments are of students receiving the greatest endorsement from staff and students, so we anticipate a high level of community support among the Oxley community.
There are many acknowledgements we could and should make among Oxley families and staff. Everyone has their own experience and offering to make towards the common good. The Biblical perspective of a body with all its parts working in harmony comes to mind, and we are thankful for each area of our organisation that makes the success of the whole possible. We are thankful for the recognition each area rightfully receives from inside and outside the College.
What a privilege it was to be appointed the Principal of Oxley Christian College. Thank you for making me so welcome eight years ago. How time has flown. Oxley is a remarkable educational community, and I urge you to publicly support the College in the public forums you engage.
A huge thank you to Ps Graham and Directors of LMC Ltd for their friendship, generosity and leadership within LMC’s unique governance structure. There is no doubt about the enormous debt of gratitude owed to Ps Graham for the initiation and project management of the College and Oxley Kids building program during this past season. This alone speaks volumes about his drive for Oxley to sustain a College community of Christian mission and excellence. I am sure Michael Bond, the new College Principal, will come to appreciate the same exemplary support.
At Christmas time we are also reminded of a much bigger picture involving the acts of grace and love by God that see us celebrating the birth of the Christ child. In this event, we are compellingly reminded of who has made the cosmos and therefore who owns it. We are brought to our senses about to whom our worship and gratitude is rightfully directed.
The story of the Christ child is the account of God’s love for us. God doing for us what we could not do for ourselves in reconciling the creation to Himself, which is the whole reason we celebrate Christmas.
I encourage us to set apart time from the distractions of this season to spend time with God reflecting on all that is true, good and beautiful and in a place where we can ponder the words whispered to the world for some 2,000 years, that:
God so loved the world that He gave His only son …
This act of love is one that offers healing, holiness, and peace to the world. May Christmas provide such a time for every family represented at Oxley, and for those places in the world experiencing uproar and the brutality and trauma of war. We hold onto the vision of the apostle John (Revelation 22: 1-2), for the time of a new creation in the midst of which is the tree of life whose leaves are for the healing of the nations.
Farewell and warm regards,
Dr Douglas Peck