College Leaders

College Leaders 2012

Mr Sam Magree, Hayden McKertish, Paul Casey, Darcy Conlan, Matthew Taylor, Louis Holmes, Liam Dimattina, Rhyard Sahely, Mr Tim Ford Bottom Row: James Rate, Joseph Maccora, Ms Sally Buick, Nicholas Rodway, Br Paul Rogers, Nicholas Curwood, Mr Peter Riordan, Miles Fabris, Michael Swinnerton

Too often the heads of organizations are recognized at the expense of those who work tirelessly behind the scenes. Over the Centenary year, Miles Fabris, Nick Curwood and I have been granted accolades that take away from a true team effort. So, I want to recognize and thank the College Leaders individually: Matt Taylor for his organizational skills, Rhyard Sahely for his eye for detail, Michael Swinnerton for leading by example, Liam Dimattina for his ingenious ideas and his knowledge of the City of Stonnington, James Rate for his ability to connect with those around him, Hayden McKertish for his ingenious comic insights, Joseph Maccora for his aesthetic judgement, Darcy Conlan for his technical skills, Paul Casey for his debating expertise and Louis Holmes, for being his upbeat, optimistic self, regardless of the situation. It has been my privilege to be part of such a brilliant team. To our De La staff: never underestimate the power of your roles — a good teacher will last a student a year, but a great teacher will last a lifetime, such is the influence you have on your students. From the year a student enters the College, be it in Year 4, Year 7 or later, he sits at the Final Assembly and looks at the seniors on the ‘bleachers’. Once a year, he is reminded that there will inevitably be a time when he sits there before departing to the wider expanses of the world. And each year, he should be reminded that when the day arrives, sitting beside his peers, friends, brothers for the last time, there should not be any cause for regret — to think that you could have done something differently in your life at the College is to be in an unenviable position. The class of 2012 have not had this problem. Br Quentin O’Halloran once told me that he has never encountered a school with the spirit of De La, and over the last six years I have seen this spirit present in the friendships that makes this group what it is — a band of brothers. The past six years have flown by. It is only when you are leaving you realize that time is short... But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it makes everything all the more special, because what truly counts is what you do with the time that is given to you, what defines you as a person; the people you meet, the experiences you share that make everything so vivid, long after the sun has slipped beneath the horizon. We’ve all heard the cliché that ‘your school days are the best of your life’, but that you don’t recognize this until you are well into your life; all you can do is look back wistfully and wish you had cherished them as they happened around you. Well, I’m recognizing my time at school as the ‘best days’ now. I’ve had an absolute ball with our boys and years from now, looking back, I will not long for times past, but will smile at the ways my mates challenged me, laughed at, and with me, at the ways they inspired me and directed me, always in the right direction. And for the times we shared, I want to thank you — for everything.

Nick Rodway College Captain