It was wonderful to welcome everyone back to campus last week. I hope you enjoyed a relaxing mid-year break with your family and that your son(s) is feeling refreshed for a productive Semester 2.
As we begin another term, I took the opportunity at Muster to remind our students about the balance of the strong and the lovely that we strive to embrace in all our actions and undertakings. To illustrate this point, I shared an example of such behaviour with our students.
During the break, I was fortunate to accompany a group of 25 boys on a Rugby Tour of Melbourne. Upon our return, our tour coordinator received unsolicited feedback from the hotel where we stayed. The hotel staff expressed their surprise and admiration at how a large group of young men conducted themselves with such integrity over three days. For them, this was unexpected; for us, it should be the norm. Achieving this requires a balance of the strong and the lovely.
When we engage in our activities, having a good time is important, but we must also consider whether those around us are enjoying our company. Are they also having a good time. If others are enjoying our presence, it’s likely we’ve struck the balance of the strong and lovely. If not, there’s probably too much strength, whether in action, conversation or communication, being inappropriately directed, and there is a lack of the lovely coming through.
As a school for boys, holding this balance of strong and lovely concurrently is hugely important and I encourage our students to reflect on this balance in all their actions and interactions.
For many, it was a busy non-term period. Our Exploration Society snorkelled in one of the world’s most famous natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef, while other students explored the snow-covered peaks of Mt Hotham. Our Soccer Team travelled to Melbourne to contest the Joe Roe Soccer Shield against Scotch College and our Rugby Team also competed against Scotch College, Trinity Grammar and Haileybury.
Thank you to all staff involved in making these tours such wonderful learning experiences away from the classroom. These activities build self-confidence and strengthen camaraderie between the boys as they establish friendships, some of which will last a lifetime.
Congratulations to the following students on their recent co-curricular achievements:
Archery: Year 7 student Spencer Wallace competed in the State Indoor and National Indoor Archery Championships
Cricket: Our 1st XI Cricket Captain Noah Latimer represented SA in the Under 22 National Indoor Cricket Championships.
Football: Year 12 students Jett Hasting and Ned Bowman represented SA in the U18 AFL National Championships and Ethan Herbert (Year 10) played in the U16 Championships. Ethan was later named in the All Australian Team. Good luck to Year 7 students Leo Carter, Fred Fairweather, Samuel Hawkes and Lucas Wakelin (Year 6) who are currently playing in the 12 Years and Under National Championships in Geelong.
Hockey: A strong contingent of seven SPSC representatives participated in the U18 National Hockey Championships on the Gold Coast – Angus Sloane (Year 10), Felix Lloyd (Year 11), Ryan Stockhoff (Year 11), Rhun Williams (Year 12), Bryce Hammond (Year 12) and Coell Williams (S&A 2023) with the Assistant Coach, our 1st XI coach Jethro Eustice. Bryce was named in the Men’s Australian Futures Squad.
Rugby: Year 12 students Jake Richardson and Haydn Kamencak represented the U18 State team and Samuel Kerr-Grant (Year 8) and Zack Czeglik (Year 9) the U14 team in the Southern States Rugby Championships hosted in Adelaide.
Water Polo: Nicholas Cleanthous (Year 7) competed in the 13 & Under National Water Polo Development Carnival in Hobart. The team was coached by old scholar Daniel Spiby (DAC 2023).
As we watch our Australian athletes compete at the Olympic Games, I trust our students are inspired to strive for excellence in their own pursuits. The recurrent theme in athletes post event speeches has been the crucial role the team behind them has played. This should serve as a reminder for our students about the importance of collaboration, resilience, and gratitude in achieving their goals.
Good luck to Angus Dawson (S&A 2018) who will compete in the Australian Men’s Coxed Eight Final. Our SPSC community will be cheering him on from the Torrens Boatshed tomorrow night. All are welcome to attend this Olympic viewing event.
I acknowledge the passing of esteemed old scholar, Robin Warren (MAC 1954). Mr Warren, one of three SPSC old scholars to be awarded a Nobel Prize, received the prestigious honour in 2005 for his discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. I was fortunate to correspond with Mr Warren on several occasions, and it was evident that he was a fine human being, driven by a vision for a better world, whose significant contributions greatly benefited humankind.
Tim Browning
Headmaster