Year 12 Farewell Speech

As a College community we gather to farewell the Year 12 class of 2016. It is a privilege and honour on this occasion to address you. Each Year 12 group has its own special distinctive character. In thinking about the Year 12 class of 2016, there is one word which comes to mind, which from my perspective, sums them up as a collective – “Goodness”. Goodness is something which is not often spoken about and can pass us by in an instant, if our eyes are not open or observant. Much of the media attention today speaks of war, injustice, death and suffering and little about goodness - the goodness that is in a person and exhibited by people. The moments of goodness and life-giving action can pass us, before our eyes even focus enough to notice. It can be in an instant, like the flash of lightning. We see it, and then it is gone. This year, my eyes have been caught by you as a group and the goodness which to me, seems so clear. This does not mean that for individuals there have not been difficulties and struggles but it is your overall goodness which stands out. Your respect for each other, your College and your younger brothers has been significant. You have shown maturity and respect for each other. There is a depth of love and kindness within you as a group. Your goodness as a group is evident in the many different areas across the College.

As I said “goodness” needs to be seen. Too often it has been hidden in our society. Your College Leaders, your senior Lasallian Leaders, other Year 12 students outside these roles have shown goodness by their many good actions. Many of you have joined these leaders and carried out good actions. Actions do speak louder than words.

Your good actions relate to just some of the following:

Vinnies Program

Lasallian Leaders Program

Soup Kitchen

Holiday Program for the Young

Meditation Group

Leadership at House and Prayer Assemblies

Volunteer Program

And the list seems endless. Your actions (in relation to goodness) have done 2 things:

1. They have transformed the lives of people

and

2. Shaped communities for the better

There is one action among many which still amazes me:

As a class you responded to a staff member who had fallen over and broken his glasses. Not only did you help the person get up, you cared for him and quite amazingly, as a class, you collected money to make sure the glasses were fixed. A simple action full of love and kindness. Christian in all its dimensions, transforming and shaping lives.

More importantly what underpins these actions are values which seem to be at the heart of each of you. Most of you have developed a respect for self and other; many of you believe in a world which allows a God to be at the heart of your journey; many understand the value of honesty and how essential it is that we live and work with each other and you know clearly that we need to act as brothers/sisters with each other. I have been impressed with the depth of character of so many of you. Your challenge is to continue to deepen the qualities that you have exhibited at the College. Your challenge is also to continue to display goodness in your work or study situation over the coming years. Your future life will be full of choices. Blessed Solomon, whom Solomon House is named after, had to make a choice whether he supported the unjust demands of the revolutionary leaders or stand up and believe in all that was good about our God. He chose God and in the process lost his life. He died a martyr’s death but in so doing ensured goodness triumphed over everything else. He will be declared a Saint by Pope Francis in Rome next Sunday.

I believe that you, as Year 12s, have been a special group. Your leaders have been outstanding but there are many others in the group who could have just as easily become leaders. Many of you did not have a badge but stood by your leaders and displayed goodness. Not only do you understand the Guiding Principles but, as a group, you have lived them in a very practical way. Honesty, respect and care of your brother is important to you.

To Michael, Joel and Brad and all the College Leaders, I sincerely thank you for your excellent leadership. I know you well and you are very fine young men and good friends. To each Year 12 student, whether through your studies, or in the many different activities the College offers, you have participated and led in an outstanding way. Thanks for sharing your goodness.

From your younger brothers, staff and myself, thank you Year 12 for your wonderful contribution to St Bede’s College. You have often given and shown what goodness means. You have lived the Five Guiding Principles positively. We wish you well for the exams which are on the horizon and we ask God to bless each of you as you continue your journey of letting goodness shine.

Br Garry Coyte

Principal

College Captain Speech

Life is a journey filled with lessons, hardships, celebrations and special moments that will ultimately lead us to our destination, our life’s calling…

Today, our Year 12 class of 2016 is moving on.

We have completed this part of our journey and as students we will walk out the gates in our blue blazer for our final school day.

We are venturing into the world beyond to further explore the opportunities and possibilities that life holds for each one of us. Good morning Br Garry, Brothers, Staff and Students I stood up here at the beginning of the school year; anxious and a little bit intimidated by the 1600 people who sat before me. I don’t expect that you will remember exactly what I spoke about but it was about challenges, determination, resilience, positivity and individuality. I spoke to you about the year ahead and how I hoped that it would be a year to remember. For our Year 12 group, the challenges have been very real. We have been faced with an unprecedented workload, countless assessments, a race to get to the toasters and a need to pluck up all our courage to ask a girl to the school formal. We could talk at length about these challenges and how we have faced them but today I would prefer to focus on something else.

Today is a day for celebration. It is the day when our Year 12 group has an opportunity to reflect upon the years we have spent at St Bede’s

College. It is a time when we can think back to and show appreciation for those things and those people who have helped us to become the young men that we are today. We have gained so much from being part of this student community. There are 1600 hundred of us and I’ve seen many great things. I have seen the way that we, both teachers and students, join together, work hard and make things happen. There are no better examples of this than MAD Day and our amazing fundraising efforts, the school production, the music and debating groups and all of our the ACC teams. I could go on and on, but as Year 12’s we know that it has been an absolute privilege to be able to spend 6 years of our lives in such a strong community. We thank you, the students, for your willingness to become involved as it is this involvement that keeps our ‘Beda’ spirit alive and strong.

The Year 12 Leaders have worked very hard this year and it has been a privilege to be a part of this group. We thank our fellow Year 12’s for giving us the opportunity to represent them and we hope that we have done you proud. We have tried our hardest and have had a lot of fun along the way, particularly when facing up against the ruthless Kilbreda netball team, who had done their preparation. We thank the teachers who have supported us in our leadership tasks during the year, in particular, Mr Beaumont, Ms Green, Br Garry, Mr Jones, the house coordinators and tutor group teachers.

This year we have tried to value and appreciate all that our teachers have done for us. We have seen the amazing commitment shown by staff at this College. We would like to thank them for the willingness they have shown to stay behind after class and after school to assist students in the understanding of a new concept. We thank them for being prepared to give up a September holiday somewhere warm and sunny and instead come in to school to run classes and revision sessions. We thank them for taking on the extra responsibilities involved with ACC teams, the school production, camps, music groups and so many other extra-curricular activities. You have selflessly provided the opportunity for students to achieve a broad and meaningful education. The support staff at St Bede’s have been vital in helping us to get through our 6 years at the College. This year and throughout our schooling life, the Wellbeing Centre, Maintenance, Library, Careers, Old Collegians, Canteen, Office, AV and First Aid staff have worked very hard to keep us healthy, happy and prepared for school as well as the future ahead. We consider ourselves to have been incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Br Garry, Br Quentin, Br Jack and Br Mike. These men have committed themselves to the education of us Beda Boys, the young men of tomorrow, and we thank them for the inspiration they have provided over the years.

Finally and most of all, today is a day for celebrating the privilege of being part of a Lasallian community. To be part of a community that encourages students to take notice of those less fortunate than ourselves, is undoubtedly something that has shaped us into the people we are today. We should be so proud of the work that is done by our school in helping citizens outside of the College, in the local community and in Thailand and India. The Lasallian Youth Leaders have involved themselves in community services like Joey’s Van and Sudanese Tutoring. This spirit has helped to put a smile on the faces of those in great need and made us feel proud of ourselves and of our school.

On speaking to previous school leaders, at the beginning of this year, I was promised that in our final year we would realise very clearly what we valued about our education at St Bede’s College. I gain much from our increased involvement in the school and come to appreciate and value the sacrifices made by our parents to send us here. I can now say that these promises have been well and truly realised.

To our Year 12 group, life is a bit like the stages of getting your driving licence. For the last 6 years whilst we have been at school we have been on our L’s, with our teachers and parents in the passenger seat making sure we always do a head check before changing lanes. During these years we always seem to have driven to the same places, whether it be Philip Island camps or a trip down to the Auditorium for assembly on Mondays. But today our tight nit convoy have finally finished all their hours, the 'P' plates are on. Some of us will drive together for a little while, some of us will drive down the same roads and see each other on a weekly basis, and some guys may be half way up the Stuart Highway by early next year, who really knows. But regardless of where we end up… we are all decked out with the same engine, the 8 cylinder ‘Beda Spirit’ 3000, which will make sure we always keep moving forward.

On behalf of the College Leaders, it has been an honour to represent the College this year, and an experience that we will never forget. Spending time with students and working alongside incredible staff has made my position this year enjoyable, manageable and something I will cherish forever. I wish the entire St Bede’s College

community the very best for their future years at the College and thank you for your participation and involvement.

Michael Hurst

College Captain

Sympathy

Condolences