FROM THE PRINCIPAL

TERM 1

COMMENCEMENT DINNER

KARRALYKA CENTRE

Lilydale High School

 Centenary Speech

March 30, 2019

Ladies and gentlemen and honoured guests, it is my great pleasure to welcome you all here tonight to celebrate Lilydale High School’s one hundredth year of service to the Lilydale and Yarra Valley community.

One hundred years of continuous service, no mean feat, and often against the odds.  Conceived during the First World War years, our amazing school -  in its original incarnation as Lilydale Higher Elementary School - had to first overcome a counter claim that Ringwood would make a better site.  Thanks to wide support in the Valley, the determination of strong advocates in public office (bearing such familiar surnames as Sebire, Rouget, Tate and Everard) and the timely generosity of Dame Nellie Melba, Lilydale prevailed.

But it’s 1919 and the post war influenza pandemic impacts our fledgling school on the eve of its opening. The new school building begins its life as an emergency, makeshift medical care facility and our first Headmaster, Mr Cummins, begins his stewardship at the Shire Hall, where daily he advises students about books required and instructs them, as best he can, in the course of study for them to pursue at home, as best they can.

Not an auspicious beginning, some might think, but I think it’s gutsy. It epitomises, for me, the responsiveness of a school to the needs of its community and the adaptability of an educator in his determination to deliver an education to his young charges, even against the odds.

Miss Mahoney, who was one of the original 1919 teachers working out of the two-room Clarke Street premises was, no doubt, looking back to those early days when, so many years later, she composed the school song, ‘The Book and the Flame’. This was in 1952 and it was to be Miss Mahoney’s final year at Lilydale High School.  No doubt she was thinking of the valiant efforts of all her colleagues and their students, past and present, working in increasingly inadequate facilities spread throughout the district.

Only the year before, in 1951, the Lilydale Higher Elementary School had won the prestigious right to educate its students to Matriculation standard. Our school is proudly renamed Lilydale High School. Enrolments increase, but post war strictures mean no extra buildings will be made available for several years.

A new school motto, Respice Lucem, look to the light, and a new school badge in the form of a lighted flame above an open book are introduced to symbolically mark this momentous event. And Miss Mahoney, works collaboratively with a gifted, young student, Judith Lambden, who sets ‘The Book and the Flame’ to music.

Clearly, Miss Mahoney was also looking ahead and speaking to the generations of future educators and students who, in turn, would pick up the book and carry the torch. She understood that history was being made and a school tradition was being born.

Her lyrics pay tribute to our predecessors and seek to inspire those who come after us. They remind us that we are part of a bigger story, part of an ongoing story, a story that belongs to a whole community.

At no time in the history of our school, has this been more evident than in the months following the 1958 fire. After years fighting for school buildings to be erected on its current Cave Hill site, after years trying to deliver a more advanced curriculum and engaging extracurricular activities in crowded, make-do conditions, in multiple make-do premises, Lilydale High School is finally up and running.

An Opening Day is held on 29th August 1957. The immense pride and joy, felt by the whole community, in this long awaited and hard fought for achievement is captured by the Lilydale Express.

A great friend and supporter of Lilydale High School, the Express heralds the Opening ‘as possibly the greatest local historical event to take place during the past 25 years’. The future looks so bright!

Thirteen of the 23 new rooms are destroyed in the small hours of 5th May, 1958.  A young Eric Penfold, one of the first to hear that the school is ‘going up in big flames’, is there that night and has to be stopped from trying ‘to get some books out’.

The recovery is led by Cliff White, a principal ahead of his time, a man who epitomises resilience. He galvanises the entire community to action. In just 11 weeks, the classes are rebuilt and back in use. Amazingly, a Re-Opening ceremony and fund-raising fair is held on 22nd August, 1958. Inspiring stuff!

Few of us, will have such dramatic stories to tell, but we will have plenty of stories that connect us to Lilydale High School and to the people we met there. Some of you might even have met the love of your life at Lilydale High School. Or, Lilydale Higher Elementary School!!! Romantic memories forever tying you to the history of our school.

Each one of you has come this evening because in some way Lilydale High has meant something to you. Some of you have travelled long distances, even coming from interstate. I see Queensland is well represented here tonight. Some of you bring memories of our school that go as far back as the Second World War years. (Fred Gaudion, Ivan and Joan Ferguson) but our largest cohort of ex-students are bringing memories of their school days from the 50’s and the 60’s. And really, that’s what this evening is all about: reconnecting with one another, taking a trip down memory lane, having a few laughs and celebrating the extraordinary achievement of 100 years of proud service to the community.

In his final year as Principal of Lilydale High, Cliff White paid tribute to his staff’s ‘invaluable capacity to create a friendly atmosphere’.

Well, I’m happy to report that a good natured camaraderie between staff and students is alive and well at Lilydale High. By way of illustration, I’d like to share with you one of my memories.

Two Year 12 girls, who shall remain nameless, decide to play a trick on their PE teacher who was in the unwise habit of slipping his thongs off during class.  As Period 2 draws to a close, one of the girls distracts Mr Tully while the other nicks off with one of his thongs.  With the collusion of several staff, both teaching and non-teaching, their little joke evolves spontaneously into an increasingly elaborate prank as they take Mr Tully’s thong on an all day tour of the school.  

To the amazement of all, Mr Tully’s thong undergoes a series of dramatic transformations: an exotic thong snake in the Reptile Room, a thong and chip roll in the canteen, a bedridden thong in Sick Bay, a close shave for an endangered thong in the Woodwork room and in the Principal’s Office.  Mr Tully’s thong miraculously morphs into Mr Benison’s phone thong.

A series of photographic clues, lead Mr Tully to the school flag pole, where he is finally reunited with his high flying flag thong. I think you will agree that it’s a pretty special school community that can spontaneously enter into the good natured spirit of things.

There are so many individuals who have, over the past one hundred years, contributed to the making of our school and to the making of a school tradition that we are proud to inherit and proud to pass on. Too many to enumerate on this occasion.  They could fill a book. In fact, they will fill a book, a magnificent commemorative book, aptly titled, ‘The Book and the Flame’, to be published later in the year.

But I will take this opportunity to pay tribute to one very special g

VALE - Helen Nicholas

Our long term and much loved colleague and friend Helen Nicholas passed away on Wednesday April 3rd, following a long illness.  

Helen will be remembered for her enormous contribution to Lilydale High School's Performing Arts program, having lead many initiatives including, a number of productions over the past 25 years.

You will never meet a more  caring, kind and considerate person, her dedication to her students and the LHS community was second to none. We will miss Helen  immensely.  

Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time.