Old and Jolly or Old and Grumpy?

When I was young, I remember pondering over old people. In my wise nuanced grasp of the world, there seemed to be two types: jolly old people and grumpy old people and that, somehow, age polarises personalities. And I remember hoping that I would become a jolly old person. I think now that getting old can be a lot harder than it looks and I am in no position to pass flippant judgements, but I would still like to be a jolly old person. And maybe I am already. 

Interestingly, having observed my own parents, the idea that personalities and temperaments can become increasingly entrenched appears to be playing out. I can readily see the calcification of the attitudes that I saw in my parents when I was a young adult, and they both, for better or worse, appear to be following set trajectories as if the decisions and choices have now rusted on and certain traits have just sort of been honed over time. 

In his classic novella, The Great Divorce, CS Lewis develops this idea. The story uses the imagery of ghostly spirits taking an excursion from hell to spend time in heaven. There, they are met by bright spirits of people they knew during life who try to convince them to let go of whatever it is that prevents them from being able to surrender to God and thus remain in heaven. 

One encounter that ‘Lewis’ (himself a ghost) observes is that of an incessant complainer. Lewis notes to ‘his’ Bright Spirit that such a person shouldn’t have ended up in hell at all – she is just a “garrulous old woman” whom some kindness would put right. The Spirit replies that the question hinges on whether she is a grumbler or just a grumble. 

In explaining further, he points out that we all have moments when we get into a critical mood. Initially, we can be distinct from it and even criticize it. But there may come times when we embrace the mood. We can still repent and emerge but if we continue in this vein there may come a point where we cannot. And, despite not gaining any joy, we are unable to separate ourselves from the mood – there is no ‘me’ that is distinct from it and we are no longer a grumbler but merely a grumble. 

Peter exhorts his readers, in view of the life they (we) now have, 

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.

                                                                                                                                                 1 Peter 2:1

It seems to me that Christmas is a good time to dry dock. To return to port and scrape off the barnacles that may be crusting on, thus limiting our trajectory.  

After all, we all want to become jolly old people. 

We do have some sad departures from staff at the end of 2022 – some retiring and some taking on new challenges in different spaces: 

Retiring: 

Peter Clough – an incredible storyteller who has regaled staff and students at DCC for the past 20 years and has been held in awe as a maths teacher by a generation of families. Peter has managed to model authentic faith in a way teenagers get and complement this with his skills as a senior teacher who is gifted in his craft.  

Elizabeth (Biff) Tulloh is a wonderful mentor- teacher who has been involved in curriculum development, and Faculty coordination in humanities and English. She has authored text books and designed courses and been a classroom teacher in many contexts since. She is wise and knowledgeable and will be missed. 

Changing spaces: 

Lisa Sacristani, who has served at DCC as an English teacher, Year Level Coordinator and most recently as our Head of Junior Secondary, is leaving to take a leadership role at Kingswood College. Lisa has a gift of being able to engage and relate with teenagers whilst still holding their respect. Her leadership has been innovative, ‘hands on’, collaborative and rich in ideas and application around learning and pastoral care. 

Peter Holmes has worked with us in refining our camping program and providing leadership in outdoor education. Peter is renowned for his experience well beyond DCC and we are grateful to have had him further develop our programs. He will continue to participate in many camps in 2023 in a freelance role.

Tineal Burger is leaving us for the Western Australian sun. Although only with us for a relatively short period, Tineal’s move is a loss for us and we pray she and her young family can flourish in their new community. 

And, finally, we say goodbye to Kinga Suwara who stepped in to cover classes on a 6-month contract. She has done an incredible job in that stand-in role and her attitude, demeaner and care for the students has been exemplary. She has landed full time work in her home suburb, and we wish her well in 2023.