Dear Families,

At Trinity College Colac, we consider it a privilege to be involved with such a close community and participate in the development of our young people into the leaders of tomorrow. Leadership is an attribute that has many guises and reinventions, and it is very likely that at some stage in our lives we will all need to lead in some capacity. Some very effective leaders do not even appear to be leading, yet others may be holding the flag high and storming from the front, and some may do both! It is a highly personalised skill and yet always takes courage and commitment.

Amongst other attributes, leaders should also have a huge dose of compassion and empathy, and with this comes good listening skills. There are times that call for quick and decisive action, but also for gathering information, asking the difficult questions, involving people and putting them first. A good leader – a wise and mature one – is a servant leader.

It was particularly heartening to host the UN Australian Youth Ambassador, Imogen Kane, on Monday. Imogen and her team had some interesting sessions with our Years 9 and 10 Humanities and SRC students, and I was really impressed that our young people had something to say about the way youth are represented and the issues facing them. Trinity was the last stop for Imogen before she heads directly to the UN to present her findings from travelling throughout the country and listening to her peers. I get a real sense of change coming from the next generation of leaders, and it is comforting to know that so many of the world’s social justice issues, environmental concerns and power tensions are taken very seriously by our youth.

The behaviour at the recent camps to Melbourne and Mt Hotham was a reflection of the maturity of these future leaders. By all accounts, the students were exemplary ambassadors for the College and, by extension, their generation. Polite, considerate, and reliable, but also letting their hair down, having fun and taking appropriate risks. We see this time and time again with our students and it is gratifying that there are few exceptions. It is a reflection of our families and the values they uphold, and I thank our parents and carers for the hard yards they have put in raising respectful and responsible young people. Thank you also to the supervising teachers who accompanied the students and provided them with these valuable opportunities to make lifelong memories.

Thank you also to the dads and father figures who attended our inaugural Father’s Day Breakfast last Friday. It was a lovely morning and some quality bonding went on over the bacon and egg burgers and table tennis. We see the opportunity for a Father’s Day ping pong championship in the future so start practicing your serve now! We would love to see more dads coming along next year as it is such a great way to strengthen our community and get to know each other better.

Our Student Learning Conversations (SLC) took place this week and this too is an opportunity for us to build relationships and provide our young people with the best chance of success in their learning and wellbeing. Thank you to the parents and students who participated and please let us know if there is anything we can do to improve the format.

It doesn’t quite feel real that we are now saying farewell to our Year 12 Vocational Major students and the students who are not sitting external exams as they finish up at Trinity at the end of this term. On behalf of the College, I congratulate these students on successfully completing their formal secondary education and offer a heartfelt thanks for the contribution they have made to Trinity throughout their time here. They will return for the final day on Friday 13 October and be formally acknowledged at our whole school assembly next week.

As this is the final newsletter for the term, I take the opportunity to wish you all a restful break with your families and look forward to a big and bold end to 2024 when we return on 2 October.

Stay safe and see you then.

Paul Clohesy

Principal

Trinity College respectfully acknowledges the Gulidjan people as the traditional custodians of the lands on which our school is located.

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