A Message from
the Principal
Term 1 Week 10
After a very busy start to the year, I hope you all had the opportunity to rest and spend some quality time together. I hope too that you may have had a moment to reflect upon the great news of the Easter message.
The Gospel of St John tells us:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17
Easter is a special time to rest and reflect as we celebrate that God gave his son to die on the Cross, and who then rose again so that our sins may be forgiven. For Christians the cross of Jesus Christ is the centre of God’s offer of forgiveness to us all.
Reflection upon our Values
The disastrous Australian Cricket tour of South Africa emanating from the ball tampering incident has left us wondering how such a decision could have been made by elite players to take steps to cheat in ‘the gentleman’s game’. Cricket since its origin has prided itself on ‘fair play’ indeed the term ‘it’s not cricket’ has been readily used in various domains if conduct has been seen that is not appropriate, sportsmanlike or fair.
Without being privy to the facts of the incident I will not seek to lay blame on any particular individuals but clearly members of our national team felt it appropriate to apply sandpaper to a ball to gain an unfair advantage against their South African opposition.
How can players jeopardise the reputation of their families, themselves and their nation by undertaking such an act? How can the possible gain of such an unfair advantage be considered worthy at such a cost?
It beggars belief that such a course of action would be considered, let along acted upon.
But it happened.
Now we have a team in total disarray, players sent home, careers finished, reputations unbelievably damaged and a nation ashamed.
If only our players were able to look to their values, to use their values as their guiding compass in making decisions such a disastrous predicament would not have eventuated.
From my sideline observations it is clear our former Captain has a great love of the tradition and spirit of the game, he is a man who has immense ability – the best batsman since Bradman according to several respected cricketing pundits, but under his watch an act was committed that would incur immense damage to many reputations. It was always thought Australians played hard but fair, but no longer.
How can winning be so important? Victory can never be at the cost of our integrity, our honesty, our belief in fair play and good sportsmanship. It is so disappointing to see that a ‘win at all costs’ attitude pervades modern day professional sport. Don Bradman saw cricket as a moral lesson. Alan Border sought toughness from his team but always integrity but today we have an environment where winning at all costs is the price to be paid.
Sport at any level is worth nothing if it is based upon the betrayal of our values.
This dreadful predicament is a glaring example of the crucial importance of looking to our essential values such as Integrity, Honesty, and Respect when we are under pressure and need to make decisions.
Our values are our guiding light, our North Star and we must look to these as we go about our life journey.
Camps Week
We are soon to embark upon Camps Week, a time that sees wonderful opportunities for many of our students to engage in some of the joys and challenges of new experiences, some camping under plastic in the outdoors, others participating in service to the community; music camps or Year Group Retreats and activities. Most students who attend these camps will enjoy themselves immensely and many will grow through their experience and will find ways of helping others during the week.
Our Cadets are venturing into an environment that has an element of wilderness about it but rest assured the outdoor camps are run by people who are conscious of all the safety issues that parents would expect, and are experienced in such environments. The School has an excellent safety record due to the well-structured programs offered and the experienced and caring staff involved.
Some students can feel anxious about a camping experience, miles from home sleeping under a piece of plastic but most will enjoy it immensely and be eager to return next year. Some experiences will not be easy, they are designed to be challenging so that they can learn about themselves and grow in confidence. At times it is important that we are taken out of our comfort zone and experience a little discomfort to enable a growth in resilience, a quality sometimes in short supply among the young people of today.
May I please remind all our students of the importance of exercising responsible behaviours during camp. There are greater hazards to confront and they will be in unfamiliar surroundings so it is vital students understand the importance of co-operating fully with staff, and abiding by School rules and expectations.
Camps Week provides an excellent opportunity for us to draw upon our values and School ethos when we are confronted with unfamiliar surrounds. The experience should enable our students to grow in knowledge of themselves and of others, provide wonderful opportunity for friendships to grow and a forum to exercise integrity in decision making.
Opportunities to display physical and moral courage will present themselves to our students each day. It is for these reasons that camps form an important element of the school programs of most leading Independent Schools. It is my hope that our students will fully embrace the opportunities for personal growth before them.
Congratulations
Orange City Brass Band
I have received a letter of appreciation from the Orange City Brass Band who had the pleasure of hosting a Brass Celebration recently in Orange. The Bandmaster has sent a glowing reference for four Cadet students who each led a Brass Band through the main street of Orange for a historic re-enactment of a march held in 1908 – SUO Monique Worsley, 2IC Charlotte May, E Company Commander Zac Condon and D Company Commander Rex Crisp. The KWS Music department played a special part in these celebrations, as did Mrs Lyn Vernon. Well done to all of those students and teachers involved. It is wonderful to see our community spirit being extended to such a well-supported musical event in Orange.
ARU School Student Scholarship for Match Officials
One of our Year 12 students, Fraser Robertson has recently been announced as a successful recipient for an Australian Rugby Union School Student Scholarship for Match Officials for 2018. Only 14 students from NSW were selected to participate in the program which is designed to assist identified referees achieve their potential and continue refereeing after they finish school. Well done Fraser in reaching this outstanding level.
National Rowing Championships – Silver Medal
The KWS U17 Women’s VIII achieved a Silver Medal at the National Rowing Championships last week. The team consists of: Georgie Poole, Bella Scammell, Charlie Harding, Olivia Hilder Bridget Longley, Bridget Yeomans, Phoebe Lamph, Lucy Jenkins and coxswain Jetta Kennett. Three crews fought a torrid battle over the last 250 meters of the race, with the Loreto-Toorak crew beating KWS by 1.26 seconds to take the Gold medal. The PLC Perth team took the bronze coming in just 1.6 seconds behind the KWS crew. This was a great fighting result for our girls and they are to be commended on an outstanding row.
Kits Lit Quiz
Hearty congratulations to the KWS Secondary Team 1 for taking out 1st place in the first round of the International Kits Lit Competition. We were represented by Sophia Nelson, Ellie Crawford, Gordon Suthers and Emily Watt. They will now compete in the Australian final to be held in Sydney in May. Congratulations also to the KWS Prep Team 1 who came equal 1st in amongst the Primary Schools attending. We are most grateful for the wonderful work Mrs Deans contributes to the Kits Lit Quiz in her capacity as Co-ordinator for Australia.
Dr Andrew Parry
Principal