Scotch College

How to get there …President’s Column

Scotch College is a busy place. Amid camps, concerts, assignments, sporting events and of course, the exams, it is easy to lose a sense of purpose.

At the beginning of Term 2, we are just settling into the flow of things, without the fresh enthusiasm of the start of the year, but with our goals still so seemingly distant. I would like to share a poem by Michael Leunig entitled How to get there; it helped me get through periods of confusion, boredom and stress and played a big part in my approach to school, in particular VCE:

Go to the end of the path
until you get to the gate.
Go through the gate and head
straight out towards the horizon.
Keep going towards the horizon.
Sit down and have a rest
every now and again, but keep on going. Just keep on with it.
Keep on going as far as you can.
That's how you get there.

In this poem, Leunig advocates three necessary elements for achievement.

They are action (‘go’), persistence (‘keep on going’) and a constant aspiration for forward movement (‘the horizon’).

Scotch is a place of dreams; as a centre for the development of youthful ideas and attitudes it provides the opportunities for boys to find their passion and then to pursue it. So, whether the dream is for academic achievement, character development, artistic creation or sporting growth, the path is the same. Find the dream, start running now and never stop chasing it. But, as Leunig says, rest is vital, and with the recent Term break, the boys have had the chance to rejuvenate and energise for the coming Term and it is a busy one. Foremost in the minds of most,

I imagine, will be the mid-Term exams. Also, with the commencement of Winter Sport, a whole new playing field will open. And, as the Autumn Concerts have just concluded and Drama performances approach, rehearsals will continue. Then there's Services, Debating, Student Leadership duties, Interschool Initiatives, House Competitions, Excursions and Camps. But even greater than being busy, is the excitement of trying new things, developing friendships and learning of the world around us.

We hit the ground running in Term 1, with the School community raising over $45,000 for the Bushfire Appeal and with hundreds of boys taking up the School colours at the APS Swimming finals and in the annual Head of the River Regatta. Now, as the assignments stack up and the mid-Term exams draw near, the pressure is building; but it is important to keep up the momentum from the start of the year, and never lose sight of the future.

Nathan Su
SCHOOL CAPTAIN