From the Principal

How far into the past does our imagination reach?

When we speak of our students attaining twenty-first-century skills, it often appears that our imagination reaches back to the 1950s, or perhaps to Victorian or Edwardian times when PLC Sydney

was established. We think of bank buildings that are architecturally designed to create an image of permanence and of church steeples that tower above the street. Thinkers in those days wanted to communicate that human progress was secure and that our institutions were built to last. In comparison, our new world is supposed to be nimble, reliant upon a less secure understanding of everything, ranging from philosophy to business. In introducing you to this latest edition of Camphora I wish to go back to the era before the period that promised certainty. What was life like in the 1600s and 1700s? What led our forebears to seek to create a sense of security in their existence? I have been reading The Travels of Reverend Olafur Egilsson. It is the account of an Icelandic family being taken into slavery on a pirate ship and being sold into slavery in Morocco. The end of the book is exceptionally helpful because it describes what is known as the Elizabethan period in England, the time of Copernicus and Newton, and Shakespeare. It was a time of what the philosopher Charles Taylor calls ‘cross-pressures’. Art and Science, literature and religious faith were vying for the attention of people, seeking them to inform them as to what the future will be like. I think Taylor’s phrase is very helpful for us today. Rather than seeing our task as a progressive one, to move from the old to the new, Taylor encourages us to recognise the multitudinous sets of ideas that exist and to seek to help young people to navigate them. What is helpful about Taylor is that he does not automatically think that the old is better (or worse) than the new. He accepts that something that seems grand will probably have unforeseen consequences, and something that seems troublesome might offer great opportunities. As you read this edition of Camphora, I ask you to note that the Taylor

approach to the world is closer to our own. We seek wisdom. We seek What led our to assist our students to build wisdom. This is hard for a sixteen-year-old or forebears to seek an eight-year-old. But the goal is a good one. to create a sense I hope you enjoy reading our students’ of security in their wonderful contributions to the world. existence?

Dr Paul Burgis

Principal

OUR MAGAZINE TEAM

EDITOR

Mrs Nicole Paull

COVER

Welcome to the Common Room! Term 4 saw students return to campus and Year 12, 2022 were able to move into the space officially known as the Deidre Coleman Year 12 Studies Centre.

CONTRIBUTORS

Dr Paul Burgis, Dr Suzana Sukovic, Ms Jo Knight, Ms Alison Lloyd, Ms Jo Herrmann, Mrs Helen Kardiasmenos, Marina Ruan, Mrs Fiona Hendriks, Eshwari Surendran, Michelle Hong, Jennifer Su, Amy Feng, Jenny Liu, Madeline Chang, Anastasia Prokhorov, Tessa Pavlis, Isabelle Ho Shon, Sasha Prokhorov, Julia Fang, Lydia Kim, Mr Philip Harper, Mrs Pamela Nutt, Mrs Jo McGrouther, Annabelle Qui, Stella Lin, Angela Liu, Stephanie Chew, Mrs Annie Martin, Ms Pauline Turner, Bronte Runciman, Ms Nadine Runciman, Ms Lynne Emanuel, Sarah Clifton-Bligh, Lilian Stock, Mr Gavin Sinclair, Mrs Mary-Ann Rizzo, Ms Debby Cramer, Mr John Da Cruz, Mr Malcolm Heap.

Ex-Students' News: Philippa Zingales, Ann McDonald, Lesley Meldrum, Helen Humphreys, Mia Joseph, Elizabeth Gregory. Thank you to all the ex-students and their families who contributed.

PLC Sydney acknowledges the Wangal people, of the Dharug dialect, on whose land the College resides, and pays respect to Elders both past and present.