Principal

A very warm welcome back to all College families as we begin Term Two. It is always refreshing and joyous to see students return to school, and I hope that they have returned rested and having enjoyed their Easter holiday break.

We begin the term in the shadow of tragic and significant events around the world, particularly with the effects of the killings in a suburban shopping centre in Sydney resonating across the country. The seeming randomness of this attack is disturbing, I think in part because we naturally mentally place ourselves and our loved ones in the place of those who died, and worry how easily it could have been them. The shock that many of us feel in response to events like this does, though, highlight how fortunate we are to live in a place where we are at vanishingly low risk of being injured or killed at random. We enjoy the great privilege of safety but are reminded that this is not true everywhere, nor is it automatically enduring. Australia’s relative peace is reinforced when we reassert that we value others before ourselves, dialogue over violence, concession over ideology, and empathy over fear.   

Next week we will celebrate these very values as we reflect and commemorate the service of Australians across conflicts. Very far from glorifying war, ANZAC Day speaks to the same values that we are sadly reminded of through an event such as last weekend’s attacks. When we pause for next week’s services we will remember all of those whose sacrifice in whatever sphere or theatre has reinforced the values and therefore the privileges that we all benefit from in modern Australia.      

Our Junior School ANZAC Service is on Wednesday 24 April at 10.15am. Parents, guardians and family members are welcome to join us. We ask that you are seated in the Refectory by 10:10am.

Our Senior School ANZAC Service is on Wednesday 24 April at 11:00am. Students are required to wear their full winter uniform on this day and parents, guardians and family members are welcome to join us. We ask that you are seated in the Simons Auditorium by 10:45am.