Speech Day Address

We were delighted to invite Mr Paul Hadfield, to deliver the Years 7 to 11 Speech Day Address. Mr Hadfield has made an extraordinary contribution to the School over the past 41 years and was fittingly farewelled with a standing ovation following his Address.

Official party, Colleagues, Boys and Parents.

When Mr Browning invited me to speak to you today, I was deeply moved and found myself reflecting on both my time here and the experiences we share.

I have had the absolute privilege, and I do regard it as a privilege, of teaching generations of boys at Saints. In recent years, I have encountered numerous questions about the school from boys and old scholars including “Wow, how old were you when you started?” Others ask, “What was the school like back then? “Has it changed much?” “Was my dad a good student?” Some ask about teaching and learning; others are curious about our school’s successes and the need for change. I’ve even had questions about the various memorials around the campus. So today, I thought I’d share some of this with you.

A common question from the boys has been what their father was like at school -rest assured dads that are here today, the response has always been positive!

A true mark of the school’s strength is realised when old scholars send their sons to the school and when some old scholars even return to teach here (currently Father Theo, Mr Scott, Mr Freesmith, Mr Swanson, Mr Higgins, and Mr Good). It is quite surreal teaching sons of past students and now working alongside some old scholars. To me it reinforces the strength of this school, their respect for their time here, and a desire to give back to this community. Gentlemen in front of me, I do hope that you also feel the same when your time comes to leave this school.

One of my favourite school magazine covers is image 1 below. It was taken on the 1996 Water polo tour of New Zealand. That look of excitement on the students faces as they head down the white-water rafting rapids, the perceived challenge, the teamwork, the venture into the unknown, the willingness to give it a go.

I am hopeful that it is these characteristics that the 169 Year 7 boys that commenced at SPSC this year, and indeed for most of the boys here today have or will experience, whether it be the Year 10 journey or via a myriad of other activities on offer at the school. It is experiences like these that form life-time memories. That is Mr Maslen in the front row, on the right-hand side – now the schools Director of Business and Operations, and a pretty good Water Polo player in the day!

For the statistically minded, in 1984, Saints had about 1,054 students—today, that number has grown by 58%, to 1,668 students. To put that into perspective, if this Hall were full now, in 1984 every third seat would be vacant. The school was a little more, let’s say, “rigid” back then. I still remember the science lab I took over in the old Florey building when I started; it had roller blackboards, chalk dust everywhere and even a set of canes in the corner (and no, I didn’t use the canes). Mr Scott (former School Captain) tells me though, that some of our old scholars do remember corporal punishment being administered in those days.

We also had Friday after school detentions and 3-hour Saturday morning detentions. Prefects stationed at the gates after school to check uniforms and keep order, even on Friday afternoons in Rundle Mall.

At the time, there were only three female staff members in the Senior School. Efforts to address this imbalance have undoubtedly made Saints a more inclusive community. Ideas like “positive education” or wellbeing programs simply didn’t exist.

Now, initiatives like Blue Week—where we talk openly about mental health and support each other—are a core part of your experience here, as they should be. We now have an environment where it is okay not to feel okay all the time and encouraging everyone to openly support one another. Who could forget the recent powerful and moving address given by Nathan Bolton about his traumatic experiences in Afghanistan and his rehabilitation thereafter into civilian life. This modelling of raw emotion by Nathan had an impact on all of us.

The recent speeches by our Captain, James Hattingh and Vice-Captain Ryan Fowler were also moving and indicative of their amazing commitment and love for this community.

There have been significant changes to the school in recent years, both physically, academically, and in terms of cultural diversity. However, change has not always been as rapid as today’s society demands.

Image 2 of the pool on the screen holds some distinct memories for me. Built in the early 1900’s it was on the Lloyd oval to my left and adjacent to the changerooms. There was a time, I am told when boys even swam naked in this pool! Thank goodness that this changed! The pool was 33 1/3 yards long, unheated, and during water polo at this time of year, it was freezing! Originally it was filled from an aquifer with bore water, and the water from the pool was even used to flood-irrigate the Lloyd oval, originally pumped out by a steam engine—a vivid reminder of how much things have changed. We are now privileged to have a still quite modern and serviceable Burchnall Sports Centre.

Some of you have asked about the buildings and learning, and there’s a rich history to them too. One example is the school’s first computer lab (image 3), it was upstairs in the Gordon Building and equipped with BBC computers. I can tell you, they were incredibly slow. Students, and even teachers could type faster than the text appeared on the screen! Computers at the time were a bit of a novelty, something that I never thought would be used in education as they are today.

Boys, believe it or not, your Casio calculators now have more processing power than those first computers and even more power than the computers used to land man on the moon.

Historically, scientific change has also been quite slow. A fascinating example of this involves the use of X-rays. X-rays were discovered by accident in 1895 by Wilhelm Roentgen. They were put to various uses including that of old scholar William Bragg and his father Lawrence Bragg who received the Nobel prize for pioneering a branch of physics called X-ray crystallography in 1915. Their findings led the way to understanding structures that you learn about today in Chemistry and more complex molecules such as protein and DNA.  50 years later the device on the screen was commonplace in shoe stores (image 4). Yes, an X-ray machine where you can see the outline of your foot to determine an appropriate fit. For health and safety reasons this practice is no longer permitted. Today, it seems difficult to comprehend that this practice existed for many years.

Boys, a significant point of difference at SPSC is our House system. Forty years ago, the House system was far less structured than it is today. There was no morning mentor program, and just two assistants. Our afternoon gatherings involved all 75 boys crammed into a single room, often without air conditioning—quite the contrast to today’s more comfortable environment including House hubs! Even House dinners were different, with parents gathering to decide on the menu and decorations, cooking meals at home, then serving them to you. But even amidst these changes, the core values of belonging, purpose, respect, and pride, particularly in our academic, co-curricular and service pursuits have remained steadfast.

Do take time to absorb some of the school’s vast history, little things like reading the plaques beneath our 3 Nobel laureates portraits, and the schools 14 former Headmasters portraits in DaCosta dining Hall. There is also a list of the 42 Rhode Scholars in Big School Room, various memorials around the school, and indeed those posted in this Great Hall. For the Year 10 boys, you may not be aware that the meningococcal vaccines that you received this year was instigated by old scholar Oren Klemich, whose son, Jack, was tragically struck down by this insidious disease whilst at Saints. Jacks’ statue of him bowling is adjacent to the main oval.

And what about science and technology? When I started teaching, laser technology was barely more than a scientific novelty, and now lasers in surgery, telecommunications, and everyday tasks like reading barcodes are common. Even the field of Artificial Intelligence has leaped forward from early research to tools like Chat GPT that can assist with tasks we once could only do ourselves. Who could not be impressed by Elon Musk’s Stargate booster rocket recovery. However, you may not be aware that this was done by AI!

So, for you young men sitting here today, one message that I hope you remember involves curiosity. Curiosity is your greatest asset in a world that will change around you at a faster pace than I could have imagined. Have you thought about what this rapid change means for you? Will you use new technology thoughtfully, or let it shape you without question?

Community service has played a significant role in my time at Saints and one that I am still passionate about. Muhammad Ali once said, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” I am proud to say that within the Saints community, that rent has been paid many times over.

I am especially grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to lead 10 international cultural and building trips to Fiji and five to Cambodia (images 5 & 6), with the invaluable assistance of Mr Sinanis, Mrs Skujins, Mrs Daziani, Mr Green, Ms Behenna and former school nurse, Mrs Wilson. Together, with the boys, we have built around 30 homes and provided essential resources to those in need, in countries that offer little or no government support for marginalised communities.  These trips have left an indelible mark on more than 300 students.

Today, we have a dedicated Service-Learning coordinator and the activities including Sony camp, involvement at the St Mary Magdalene Centre, the Smith Family, preparation of Christmas hampers and a long list of other activities is certainly impressive. My challenge for you all is to get involved and try something completely out of your comfort zone. Not because it is a requirement in Year 10, certainly not for the hours, but because you want to learn about other people and to be able to assist them. I can guarantee that if you take this seriously, you will learn significantly more than can be taught in most of your day-to-day lessons.

And some thoughts and reflections about learning:

Before you sign off for the year, do take time to reflect on it. What sort of year have you had? What were the positives? What could you build upon?

Some thoughts for your remaining time at the school:

·        In the words of the Irish Poet William Yeats: “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

Learning is not a race and certainly doesn’t finish at Year 12. Question, question, and question and you will build understanding and probably get pretty good at it. Pursue your interests, take a genuine interest in what you are learning – I can guarantee the results will then take care of themselves.

·        Get involved, don’t be afraid to try something new. For me, this was running workshops for Physics teachers throughout Southeast Asia. At first, it was quite daunting, probably not too different from when you started at Saints, the level of expectation extremely high, but the benefits have been enormous not the least gaining considerable insight into different cultures and meeting some amazing people.

·        Be a good listener. Gain multiple perspectives before making an important decision.

·        Learn about other people, their interests, and their talents -have you been to a musical or a drama production? If you haven’t been to the school’s musical festival concert you are missing a huge opportunity to witness incredible performances and amazing talent.

·        Failure can be positive. This may seem a strange learning point, but I truly hope that you have this experience this preferably before your more senior years. Why? You learn a lot about yourself, and with a positive approach you will learn from it, develop coping mechanisms and resilience.

·        We now have a culturally diverse school. You learn as much about other people as you do about yourself once you engage in conversations. Do avail yourself of this opportunity.

·        Take care with technology. Boys from my classes know my slogan: Learning is doing, not watching! Don’t let devices control you, you need to control them.

Boys, as you contemplate on the next one or 5 years here, I can guarantee one thing and that is it will go fast! Today, also sees the end of the Saints journey for Mr Inge (34 years), Mr Harris (lab technician 26 years), Mrs Daziani (9 years), and Mr Baker (7 years). In a year of several notable departures, the words of American poet and educator, Maya Angelou, have resonated with me: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.

To conclude, this school will continue to give you an excellent foundation, not just academically but also in character, values, and friendships. Whether you’ve been here for a few years or since ELC, Saints will continue to make a significant impact on you and your challenge is to make an impact on it.

I leave here with deep gratitude and trust that you, too, will create lives filled with curiosity, purpose, and integrity and uphold the school’s values of—truth, respect, and service—and apply them in everything you do.

You have my heartfelt best wishes for a happy, healthy and successful future for your remaining time at the school and for life beyond these amazing walls and fields. Thank you.