Dear Parents, Families and Friends,

This week we celebrated sport at St Philip’s. We’ve often said that sport is huge at SPC just as sport is intrinsically linked to Australian society.

We are one of many nations in the world who follow sport enthusiastically. Many of us identify ourselves by the sport we play or the sport we follow, whether it is the Diamond Netballers, Adelaide 36ers or AFLW. We generally love our sport.

I love my sport and I love elite athletes who are extraordinary due to their sporting brilliance. The sporting world is full of great stories of success and the endeavors of people and clubs who go to great lengths to be successful. You will know many of them…

There are the Michael Jordans of this world who get up at 4.30am to improve their skills because they were dropped from their school’s basketball team, or the Williams sisters of this world who rise to be the best tennis players in the world despite coming from an extraordinarily challenging background, (their story was depicted in the movie, King Richard).

However, sport is more than the A graders, or those who win the gold medals or the world championships. I can think of many gold medal worthy people; people who deserve a GOLD medal for the amazing support they give the competitors. It may be you, the parents, who drive your children to competitions in town or who pay the bills so your children can fly all around the country to compete. Other A graders and gold medalists are those people who organise events, book grounds, pump up the balls, umpire, referee, score or are timekeepers.

One of my favorite gold medal moments goes to a person who is not an Olympian but provides an Olympic performance.

I don’t know the competitor’s full name, but I know what he has done. Let’s call him Alfie. Alfie is short, a little overweight, has a limp, nearly bald but he exhibits gold medal qualities.

There is only one Alfie.

He is exceptionally loyal, he loves what he does, he never missed a training session in over 50 years, and he is loved by everyone who meets him. Alfie never went to university or did a trade, he has never asked for money, never been on strike, never complains and does his work for free. If you met him, I think you would love him because he has gold medal qualities – kind, quiet and caring.

To me Alfie is a gold medalist.

You may ask – what does Alfie do? How did he get his gold medal? Actually, he did not win a gold medal, but he has all the qualities of a gold medalist.

Alfie cleans football boots at the Western Bulldogs Football Club.

Yes, he is a boot cleaner, and he has done it for 50 years with great pride.

This week we recognized students who became involved, who strived, and have been successful in their chosen sport. Many of them will go and perform on the ‘big stage’ when they leave school and I look forward to hearing their story, just as much as I will enjoy hearing the stories of other students who will become an ‘Alfie’ making it possible for others to succeed.

Regardless of whether you are on the big stage or you are an Alfie and work behind the scenes, to succeed you will need to show huge levels of commitment and persistence. I congratulate those students who are already displaying those qualities, and I wish everyone luck for their future achievements.

Be Kind Always.

~ Roger Herbert

Principal

St Philip's Soiree