In 2015, I first set foot on the grounds of St Peter’s College alongside my family as we took part in a school tour with Mrs Bruce. Having been on multiple tours of other Adelaide schools, Saints stood out to me by not only the sheer size of the campus but the immaculate grounds and buildings. Coming from a remote outback station in New South Wales where I attended School of the Air in my own backyard with my brother Archie and our governess who oversaw our schooling, to these incredible walls and fields was a challenge I welcomed.
I can remember being one of the new boys sitting in the crowd watching the School Captain induction, thinking that never in a million years I too would one day have the same opportunity. My journey, like many boys before me and those to come, has been full of trepidation, dreams and success. With the support of my mentors, my mates, teachers and coaches it began to dawn on me that anything is possible. To have the opportunity to be returning as the 2021 School Captain is an honour I will not take lightly.
As captains, we help organise many events and this week Rushan and I began planning the 10th National Student Leadership Summit with Louka Parry who will help co-facilitate the day. We are currently designing the program which we will deliver to student leaders from around Australia. We aim to provide the participants with a rewarding experience that provides a foundation to continue making a positive change in their school community. We are also keen to acknowledge the work of our predecessors Tim Prince and Oliver Cobain, especially in their priorities around men’s mental health and student wellbeing. In this regard, we will be offering our full support to the leaders of the Blue Group and any other ideas that students may have that are designed to improve our experience here at St Peter’s College.
As a boarder, I have had a unique opportunity that has allowed me to live away from the dusty, red landscape of the outback where drought, famine and hardship are in our blood, to now attend the magical, mystical Hogwarts known as Sancti Petri Schola Collegiata every day. I would like to thank the St Peter’s College community for the way I have been welcomed back to the school as Captain and I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead in 2021.
Sam Jackson
School Captain