FROM THE HEADMASTER’S DESK I was privileged recently to attend our Junior School’s Leadership Assembly, where all of our Year 5 students were recognised as being Leaders of Norge. It was terrific to see the enthusiasm of these young leaders as they prepared to exert their influence over our school in the coming year. The vision of leadership in our school has always been one of service. Leadership should not be about telling people what to do; our leaders, rather, are encouraged to ask how they can help. We encourage them to aim at the stars, but remain grounded enough to get some practical things done. Leading needs to be learned through experience, and by watching good leaders lead. Unfortunately, it is not easy nowadays to point to leaders – and particularly to political leaders – who would be good role models for our students to follow. No matter what one’s political views might be, it is hard to escape the conclusion that many current incumbents in senior leadership roles are primarily interested
in promoting their own self-interest and personal needs above all else. It is all about them. They tend to use weasel language to avoid taking a position on any of the great and pressing issues of our time – climate change, growing social inequality, the rise of extremism, the corruption and greed which threaten the very foundations of democracy. It is hardly surprising that there is a growing cynicism about our leaders and their capacity to deal with these serious issues. Who can we point to to inspire our students? There are some who stand out, however, and who are more impressive for their apparent rarity. The recent terrible events in Christchurch have sent shockwaves of horror and disbelief around the world. It is hard to accept that such events can occur. But the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Arden, has been extraordinarily inspiring in the face of great horror. She has been strong and resolute, announcing immediate gun reforms and condemning violence and extremism,
and she has also been compassionate and human – wearing a hijab to offer her condolences and embracing the relatives of the victims and visiting nearby schools and speaking to students who lost friends. She is a politician who genuinely cares about her people, who is genuinely there to serve them, and who deeply cares about them and will do what needs to be done to protect them. She is the type of leader we need more of. I hope that our Year 5 leaders will never have to deal with such tragic and avoidable events in their lives. But I do hope that they learn from leaders like Jacinda Ardern. I hope that they will live lives of integrity and compassion, and that they will seize opportunities to serve their communities; more focussed on the needs of others than their own glory. Dr Paul Hicks Headmaster
Junior School Leadership Team Back Row: Mr Howard Kelly, Mr Michael Pettolino. Middle Row: Ms Michelle Ponert, Angus Egan, Joseph Ni, Hamish Mitchell, Maxwell Chao-Hong, William Kemp, Maximilian Coia, Harish R-Roshan. Front Row: Caleb Jack, Melvin Zhang, Lachlan Lee.
SPECTEMUR | ISSUE 1 - 2019 1
