Last week, we formally commissioned Mr Barnaby Eaton as the School’s 11th Deputy Headmaster and Head of Senior School. Already well known to many within our community, Mr Eaton is strongly aligned with the School’s vision, mission and values. He is committed to forming young men of character and purpose and ensuring every student is known, supported and challenged to do his best.
Over the past few weeks, I have had the pleasure of attending a number of House dinners and sports presentation evenings. These occasions have been excellent celebrations of our community, and I congratulate our Heads of House, mentors, coaches and students on the spirit and tone of each event.
The speeches delivered by boys have been particularly impressive. It is always uplifting to acknowledge achievement through sustained effort, excellence in the classroom and recognition at state or national level in sport and other activities.
However, the greatest highlight for me has been the acknowledgement of character.
At many of these events, boys have been recognised for their generosity and their willingness to uplift others. We have heard about students who put others first, uphold the standards of their House or team, call out disrespect and stand beside those whose dignity needs protecting. These qualities may not always attract the greatest public attention, but they lie at the heart of the young men we seek to develop.
Such virtues are not optional extras; they are demanded of each of us as members of this community.
At a recent football presentation evening, I spoke about the responsibility we carry as a school for boys and young men. At present, it is challenging to point to an institution or community of boys and men in Australian society that is consistently providing the example we seek to follow. This makes it even more important that we establish and uphold our own standards, grounded in the values of truth, respect and service.
Recent events in Australian sport have again highlighted the need for boys and men to recognise the biases and privileges that they carry that influence the way women and girls are treated. We must challenge attitudes that excuse or minimise misogyny and disrespectful behaviour towards women and girls. This is not someone else’s responsibility. It belongs to every one of us.
Positive role models are vital in this work. As I reflected at our Father’s Day Breakfast, every boy needs someone he respects. Someone who understands his world, walks alongside him and helps him navigate the pathway towards manhood, maturity and becoming a positive contributor to society. Fathers, grandfathers, uncles, godfathers, mentors and other significant adults all have an important role to play in modelling the values and behaviours we hope our boys will carry into their own lives.
Public figures, particularly those with prominent roles in sport and the media, carry considerable influence. Their words matter. When serious cultural issues and violence against women are dismissed as misfortune or “bad luck”, as has occurred via commentators this week, it is important that others are prepared to correct the record and draw a clear line. Silence or vague language allows harmful attitudes to persist.
Our students must learn to recognise when the values of truth and respect are being undermined for all people and have the courage to respond. These values should not remain within the School gates, but be carried into sporting clubs, workplaces, friendships, families and communities, both now and after they graduate.
I encouraged our Year 10 students participating in Healthy Relationships Day with our partner girls’ schools on Wednesday to consider some important questions: Will the young women they encounter see them as allies in advancing respect for women? Will they regard them as advocates for gender equality and as people committed to their safety and dignity?
True strength also requires the humility to listen. I hope our boys will become secure enough in themselves to invite others to help them recognise their own assumptions, biases and privileges. That can be uncomfortable, but it is essential if we are to learn and grow.
As a community of boys and young men, we must demand higher standards, from ourselves and from one another. We must possess the courage to call out disrespect, the generosity to elevate others and the humility to listen when our own thinking is challenged.
These are the qualities I have seen celebrated at our recent House dinners and presentation evenings. Thank you to all staff and students who have contributed to a magnificent few weeks of celebration across the School. As the end of term approaches, let us continue to uphold the standards and values that define our community.
Mr Tim Browning
Headmaster