07 June 2024
“There is more to us than we know, if we could be made to see it; perhaps, for the rest of our lives, we will be unwilling to settle for less.’ Kurt Hahn, German Outdoor Adventure Educator.
This quote is especially poignant for our Year 10 students as they prepare and head off on their 21 Day Journey this weekend, united in the challenge and shared goals that lay ahead. During the next 21 days they will learn more about themselves, and our hope is that this significant event will be filled with experiences that shape them as young men for the years ahead.
As our Year 10 boys trek through the Flinders Rangers, we know with confidence that they will honour the land they tread on with respect and that they will work together to support each other through the challenges and opportunities that are presented to them.
We look forward to hearing of their stories and tracking the adventures of our Year 10 boys as they immerse themselves in real-world learning in the unique environment of the Flinders Ranges.
The Journey starts on Sunday with the ‘Blessing of the Boots’ ceremony offering a supportive message of connection and friendship, followed by Uncle John performing a smoking ceremony to guide them on their way.
This ceremony connects with the events of Reconciliation Week which we recently participated in. Our boys actively engaged in special events, including sports games where they led acknowledgements of country, and our Senior Teams proudly wore Indigenous Round tops.
Father Theo’s focus on reconciliation during Senior School Muster, challenged us to co-create a community where everyone wants to live and understand why reconciliation matters, ‘now more than ever’.
As an exceptional community of learning we have an obligation to truly engage and understand the importance of reconciliation. It must reside in our actions, where we foster respectful relationships and a collective commitment to build positive and effective partnerships with all people in our community.
Each one of us has been presented with the knowledge of what reconciliation means. With this knowledge, we have choice, and our choices lead to action. Our hope is that the action amongst our students and community is one which calls out racism and disrespect wherever it exists and that we engage with each other in a positive and supportive manner.
As an Anglican School we are called to be inclusive, and that means supporting each other in truth and with respect in all we set out to do.
David Nolan
Deputy Headmaster/Head of Senior School