College Leader

Speech by Michael Hurst

I could stand up here and talk about heroes.

I could talk about people who have achieved greatness.

I could talk about Martin Luther King and how he inspired a nation.   I could talk about Kurt Fernley, the disabled Olympian with no legs that crawled the Kokoda trail.

I could talk about Mick Fanning, Roger Federer and Gary Ablett.

But they’re up here!

So I thought I’d bring it down to the level of backyard cricket.

I was watching a game last week.

… watching my 12 year old cousin bowl and bat.

It was only 4 weeks prior that she had been rushed to hospital and diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  For a healthy, vibrant young girl, this was an unforeseen turn in her life that has resulted in her having to abide by a strict diet and tolerate daily injections.  Despite her newly discovered hardships, she was playing like an ordinary kid- happy to be involved and outdoors.

When challenged by her uncle at the dinner table about how Diabetes would change her life, her response was inspiring.  She reminded him that she had been making him laugh over dinner.  She told him she could still run around and retold the story of how she had beaten him in tennis the day before.

My 12 year old cousin is a hero.

I was amazed by these words.  She is facing a huge obstacle in her life but instead of falling in a heap and feeling negative, she is facing her challenge with amazing confidence and strength.  She has every excuse to be upset, but instead choses to adopt a positive outlook about her future.  Our lives will not always follow the easy path and we too must realise the need to put our challenges into perspective and not let them consume us.

In our quest to achieve our goals, failure is not to be feared. We have all heard the saying that it is better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all.  Meet the challenge and have a go.  We are not always going to achieve exactly what we set out to achieve.  Everyone will experience failure at some stage in their life but failure can make or break us.  It is a part of life and it is our ability to deal with it that determines whether we will be successful.  Failure allows us to realise where our strengths and weaknesses lie and to pursue realistic goals.

The sweetness that comes from this bitter situation of failure is knowing you gave it your all, because the only feeling worse than failure is the regret of knowing you didn’t try.

Sometimes when the going gets tough it is easy to give up and believe that we are just no good. It is easy to say that I just can’t do that. Many people who have achieved greatness in our world attribute their success to the hard work they put in rather than to the natural talent they possessed. The old saying that “genius is 99% hard work and only 1% talent” is 100% true.  If we are prepared to work hard, we will be amazed by what we can achieve.

In 2016, I believe we are all capable of something more.  2016 is our chance to show our friends, our teachers and our families what we can achieve when we put our mind to it.  Let’s remember, when you take interest in yourself, the people around you do what they can to support your endeavours because they know you are serious about achievement.  When teachers see you taking notes as opposed to talking to your classmates or playing games, they will attempt to return that same respect and commitment.  When you work hard, others will support you and you will inspire others.

The person sitting next to you today may have an entirely different passion in life to you.  Here at St Bede’s this diversity is valued and we are encouraged to be our own men and pursue our individual talents and passions.  Achievement is not confined to the core subjects at school. You may dream of playing bass in a band, receiving an apprenticeship as an electrician or sailing in the Sydney to Hobart race.  Regardless of what path you take, understand that hard work is required to achieve.  So believe in yourself, celebrate success and realise that your life will be what you make it.

My wish for all of us at St Bede’s this year is to recognise how fortunate we are to be students of such a great school.  I implore you to make the most of the various opportunities that are provided for us throughout our secondary education. This is the challenge I put to you today:

Work hard to build good relationships with our peers. Look out for those who find it harder to make friends and enjoy the fun we can all have together.   Work hard to show respect to everyone in the school and the wider community, regardless of who they are.   Be diligent and persistent in the classroom, and strive to achieve our best in each subject realising that education is achieved not recieved.

Take every opportunity to participate in different school activities.  Get involved with Mission Action Day, Founders Day, school musicals, Lasallian youth leaders and other activities.  Be true to yourself and follow your passions.  Break down the stereotypes and don’t let others lead you down the path that might be expected of you.

Realise that there are people less fortunate then ourselves in this world and do what we can to make a difference in their lives.

Work hard to ensure that when you leave St Bede’s at the end of Year 12 you have no regrets.

When you reach one of the many crossroads in your life trust yourself to take the right path.

 So I guess what I’m saying is quite simple -

Grab your bat and hit a six.