Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Friends of the St Gregory’s College Community,

We have reached the end of Term 3, having carefully navigated our way through the past ten weeks of term. With God’s grace and mercy, we have not been impacted to any great extent by the pandemic and in saying this, I praise our students, staff and families for their dedication to our health regimes and our parents for their ongoing support of their children and the College.

Since commencing my principalship at St Gregory’s College at the beginning of 2019, I have been fortunate to meet an outstanding group of Year 12 young men who today have graduated from the College. These fine young men have all but concluded their time at the College, with their Higher School Certificate examinations scheduled to take place at the College from Tuesday 20 October through to Wednesday 11 November. As a College community, we have today gathered in prayer for the gift of these young men who we have had the privilege of educating and for their parents, families and staff who have shown great support in so many ways. Our prayers and blessings go with each of our Year 12 students every day into the future. We thank them for their contributions to St Gregory’s College over many years.

Following the HSC examinations throughout October and early November, we look forward to welcoming back our Year 12 students and their parents for their Graduation Mass and Graduation Dinner on Friday 20 November.

In preparation for the Year 12 Graduation Day, I had thought a lot about what I could say to the young men in front of me. Over the past two years, I have watched and listened to them as a group, we have celebrated their successes, talked about what is ahead of them, and listened as they discussed their fears and excitement. This was my address to Year 12 today: -

Today is a day of great celebration, particularly for the graduating Year 12 Class of 2020 and yet embedded in all the celebration there are the emotions of sadness. Sadness because we all take for granted the stable and predictable elements in our lives as one significant element draws to a close for Year 12 today.

Year 12, I told you at an assembly recently that the way your Year group will be remembered would be attributed significantly to the way you honour yourselves, your families and the College as you depart today and prepare for your final HSC examinations – how well you finish! I must say that I have been very impressed and proud of the way you have conducted yourselves as you have prepared to leave the College. You leave today able to hold your heads high. Our hope is that this continues well into the future.

A great adventure awaits you all as you go from the safety of this controlled environment to one where you are far more at liberty to choose your paths. That is appropriate and a significant rite of passage in the Australian context. The joys of greater freedom and responsibility await you and I believe that St Gregory’s College has helped prepare you well to take on this challenge and the change in direction in your lives.

We are proud of your achievements over the years, your various successes in a wide range of pursuits from the great scholarly achievements, to the cultural pursuits of performance and music through to sport and a broad range of co-curricular activities You have willingly and enthusiastically accepted the challenge we gave you along the way to grasp the many leadership opportunities, both formal and informal to positively influence the student body as a whole. For that I and the staff thank you.

Year 12 students, you have reached a fundamental milestone in your short lives. Today signals the end of your secondary school life. This is indeed an auspicious occasion, as I said, a rite of passage, one which might be characterised by contradictory feelings such as loss, confusion and sadness on the one hand and sheer jubilation, exultation and unmitigated joy on the other. As you look back over your memories of life so far, you might remember other milestones such as your first day at school, your first fight with a friend, receiving your school reports, being summoned to the Principal’s office, your first betrayal of someone or by someone, the death of a loved friend, and the list goes on.

Life is a rich tapestry threaded and stitched together by such events. Many scenes have been loaded into the slide show of your minds lately: your final lessons with your treasured teachers, your last Homeform with your Pastoral Care teacher, your last sporting or co-curricular activity together, and now your final College Graduation Assembly.

In auspicious rites of passage situations such as this, adults like me offer wisdom and advice, hoping that some will rub off or be stored away for future reference. I now beg your indulgence Year 12 and ask you to consider the following sentiments and lessons, which I believe to be invaluable for your life from this point forward:

This wonderful God-given life (your ‘One Wild and Precious Life’) is no dress rehearsal, every moment is precious, take hold of it and make the most of life’s opportunities.
You have the capacity to direct your own life; use the tools of love, compassion, humility, respect, trust and above all, service of others to shape your journey; don’t settle for less than your integrity dictates.
Be hopeful and optimistic and be willing to accept adversity as a challenge but never be afraid of seeking advice.
Be courageous and set yourself goals, many realistic and perhaps some fanciful – you may just surprise yourself.
Develop a sense of justice towards others: choose your battles carefully and be true to the values you hold dear.
Admire heroes who inspire you.

One such hero who inspires me is Nelson Mandela. Living a life of extraordinary adversity – 18 years in solitary confinement as a political prisoner he emerged into freedom to become the President of a reformed and racially unified government holding no bitterness to his previous captors, indeed making some of them Ministers in his government.

Nelson Mandela said during his inaugural Presidential address:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

Mandela is right. Year 12, don’t lead lives of quiet desperation; don’t rack up a litany of regrets; live extraordinary lives that benefit others. Look to do good and make a positive difference to your communities. Don’t be self-centred and selfish. Be that great generation which asserts its imprint gently on those around you. Be givers rather than takers. Be people willing to serve rather than be served. Let people see good in you always.

Year 12, I hope you have taken the opportunity to say thanks to the staff of this College who have committed themselves to you to give you the wonderful foundations who have today. Your thanks will mean so much to them – they will cherish these words and they will know in their hearts that they have done more than just be your teacher – they have shared the journey with you.

Year 12, you entered St Gregory’s to grow and to learn, to become fine young men with strong minds and gentle hearts, now through what you have been able to achieve with the assistance of your parents, your teachers, your peers and through the intercession of Jesus Christ, it is now time to go out to serve. God Bless as you take on life beyond St Gregory’s. With considerable guidance from both home and the College, you have reached this milestone with honour and integrity, well equipped to face the big wide world. Whilst the College will no longer be providing that daily touchstone for you, please do not lose sight of the values we have tried to embed in each of you. Your families will no doubt continue to provide that guidance and encouragement for many years to come. Remember you are always welcome back at St Gregory’s –you are now part of a group of Old Boys that stretch back to our foundations in 1926.

Year 12, you go with our fondest farewells, our best wishes, and our prayers. May God bless each and every one of you and may the spirit of St Marcellin Champagnat walk with you throughout your life!

SPORTS UNIFORM TRIAL – The College is currently trialling with Years 9 & 10 the wearing of the College sports uniform to and from the College on days scheduled in their timetable for practical classes in PDHPE and Physical Activity & Sports Studies. So far, the trial has been successful and most students have followed the rules in relation to their correct uniform for the day. The trial will continue to run in Weeks 1 & 2 of Term 4 with Years 9 & 10 only. Following the trial, a decision will be made in relation to students in Years 7 – 11 wearing their sports uniform to the College on practical class days.

TERM 4 REMINDERS - A reminder that classes commence in Term 4 on Monday 12 October for our Kindergarten – Year 11 students.

Term 4 for Years 7 – 10 students concludes on Friday 4 December at 3.05pm at the end of the Year 7 – 10 End of Semester Two Examination block. A reminder that Semester Two examination papers will be available to students from 9am to 12 noon on Saturday 12 December in the Foyer of the Brother Luke Hall.

Term 4 for Year 11 students concludes at 3.05pm on Wednesday 9 December.

Term 4 for Kindergarten to Year 6 students concludes at 3.05pm on Thursday 10 December.

We all need to finish Term 4 strongly and work in a sustained fashion until the last period of the final day of term. I request that parents/carers wishing for their son/daughter to finish the term prior to the final day write to me to in advance to request leave for your child. Please note that leave will not be granted for any scheduled examination period.

Term 1 in 2021 for students in Year 1 to Year 12 commences on Thursday 28 January.

BEST WISHES – We send our very best wishes to Mr Max Spencer, our Director of Boarding and to his family as he takes Term 4 as a period of leave before moving to Canberra at the end of the year to take on a new role at Marist College Canberra from the commencement of 2021. We will have the opportunity to farewell Mr Spencer towards the end of 2020.

In his place as Acting Director of Boarding in Term 4, we welcome our Year 11 and 12 Boarding Coordinator, Mr Luke Morrissey. Mr Morrissey is an outstanding leader and he looks forward to his new role next term.

Finally, thank you again for your ongoing support, encouragement, friendship and wise counsel. The support you provide assists me greatly. My door is always open to you!

I hope you enjoy the next two weeks with your son/daughter as they enjoy a well-earned rest from their study at the College. Stay safe and healthy!

I wish you God’s blessings always. May Mary, our Good Mother, Saint Marcellin Champagnat and Saint Gregory continue to guide us and inspire us on our journey.

Lee MacMaster

College Principal (K-12)

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