School Captains 

Captains farewell speeches from whole college assembly.

Ruby Huzzey

I approach this moment, the last day of year 12, with many conflicting emotions. Nostalgia, anticipation, accomplishment, and even disbelief as this schooling journey draws to an end. Although I am excited about what lies ahead – overjoyed in fact - at the same time it is very daunting not knowing what to expect, and not having a clear plan for the future. Despite the loss of such a genuinely caring school community, the lasting friendships and happy memories of our journey at CSC will never be forgotten, and I sincerely hope that each year 12’s can reflect fondly on their experience at this school.

To those of you who shared memories and photos of your journey through CSC, thank you; it is truly astonishing and entertaining to look back to year 7 and see how much everyone has changed (and how they have stayed the same)!

Whilst year 12 can be a bit of a slog, I can genuinely reflect that this year has been the highlight of my schooling. From the forming of new friendships, to being involved in the leadership of the school, I will always cherish my experience of year 12.  One unforgettable moment this year was the passionate and colourful display of student spirit on athletics day. The support and enthusiasm bursting from the student body was extraordinary, and I found myself full of pride for the students at CSC.

Before I hand over to Sage, I would first like to express my deep appreciation to the inspiring teachers who have been with us every step of the way. Your hard work, dedication and commitment to our schooling has been unbelievable, and I cannot capture in words how much gratitude I have for the work of the teachers at CSC. In particular, I would like to thank the incredible year 12 teachers and mentors, who have worked over and beyond this year to support and encourage us through our studies.

Finally, to my fellow year 12’s, it has been an absolute pleasure working alongside all of you! This year especially, I have felt our cohort become more united and inseparable as we head towards a common goal; and we are finally here. As we stand on the threshold of what is sometimes called ‘real life’, I wish each and every one of you best of luck for the upcoming exams and every success and happiness for your future.

I feel extremely privileged to be part of such a warm and welcoming school community, and will forever hold fond memories of my time at CSC. So, for the very last time, thank you to everyone, staff and students alike, for making my experience here unforgettable and irreplaceable.

Thank you. 

Sage Surya

Welcome all, we are gathered here today, to bear witness to the holy ceremony between all year 12s and their journey’s end to fruition.

 It’s been a long year so first of all, congratulations to everyone for making it; we’re coming to an end of another great one.

 Now if time permits, I’d like to talk about my experience this year. I remember being thankful at the first whole school assembly for the wooden podium up the front for which I could hide behind so hopefully no-one would see the shake in my legs, and I find it funny thinking back to times like that, for compared to today, although some things haven’t changed, like the fact that as well as my first assembly, I wrote this speech last night long after my bedtime, but what is different, is that I feel completely comfortable talking to you now. I hope that my address to you, my colleagues, peers and friends; my equals, can represent the gratitude that I hold for this college, and everyone within. My experience this year has allowed me to greatly improve my public speaking skills, as well as my confidence, and for that I can only thank all of you, my teachers and friends for all the constant support. I can say with confidence that I couldn’t be more proud to have represented Castlemaine this year. I never expected to enjoy embedding terrible jokes into speeches so much, but the support is appreciated, even if out of pity. If you’re like I was in year 7, and you can’t imagine speaking publicly to more than 20 people, I would highly encourage you to step out of your comfort zone as soon as possible and pursue a leadership role such as Captain, it has been one of the most rewarding experiences for my education and guaranteed it would be the same for you.

Although this year has been one of the most stressful times for many, the dedication and strength shown by all students, particularly the year 12s is highly admirable and has surely been a motivation for myself to try my best. It is this kind of sense that Castlemaine generates, and once again it comes from everyone here, and is something to be proud of.

To the year 12 students, I believe almost everyone, if not all students have completed all assessments for their schooling, which is a momentous occasion. Congratulations; and well done! Continue to display a hard work ethic and exams will come and go, leaving you with an infinite range of possibilities, for which I hope everyone enjoys with absolute bliss, for it is truly deserved. Unfortunately two members can’t be here with us today, Hannah Thompson and Alex Bantick. But I think I can speak for all when I say they will forever hold a place in our hearts, and will always remain permanent members of the class of 2015.

Now to follow the end of this speech we have a bit of role reversal, the year 12 student body has come up with various Teachers’ awards for things that we thought deserved recognition. Although some things may not quite make sense to everybody, we hope that you can appreciate the small things that definitely made an impact on us throughout our past 6 years here at CSC.

So to finish; Good luck with upcoming exams,

 And with the highest personal gratitude, thank you. I hope each and every one of you can experience such a fulfilling journey as I have here. It has been an honour representing such a gifted school community, but I couldn’t have done it alone. So as a final thank you, to Lex-God Squires, Patrick of the Wallace Variety, and Ruby, you guys are the best.

Have a good day.