FROM THE STUDY

The timeless story of TheVelveteen Rabbit tells of his quest to discover what it means to be real. Rabbit has a hard time seesawing between times of being forgotten and very much loved but eventually he finds a friend in the wisest toy in the nursery, Old Skin Horse. Skin Horse tells Rabbit that being ‘real isn’t how you are made, it’s a thing that happens to you’ and ‘when you are real, you don’t mind being hurt’. Being real ‘doesn’t happen to often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept’. Being real means you get scuffed up a bit, become a little shabby. Perhaps in our city of long lockdowns, Melburnians know exactly what it is like to feel forgotten, broken and just a little shabby. Nearly 100 years ago, Hilda Daniell, Principal of Ruyton, expressed her vision for Ruyton girls to be real. To be able to do and see things as they are, not as they want them to be: women with a sane and fearless outlook and with a willingness for service. Leading our school through two world wars, a depression, the fire in Henty House and a global pandemic, Miss Daniell truly knew what it meant to be real. And nearly 100 years later the Ruyton community continues to do her proud in another period of adversity. The truth about our stories is they expose what we are. It’s where we find our true selves. The curiosity and courage of the velveteen rabbit. Hilda Daniell leading a community with grit and quiet determination. Their stories make them real and in their moments of challenge, we see them for their strengths. One day our girls will look back, reflect on how long the pandemic raged and know they did well. Life has been interrupted but this is now part of their story. How they negotiated this significant time, particularly the Class of 2021 in their final years of school; the uncertainty, the challenge and the continual pivoting. As they look back on the highs, lows and special moments, we hope they recognise the values, character, attitudes and skills that make them unique. The compass and fire within that will continue to guide them through life and keep them connected to those who love them — even when distance keeps us apart. Their story is intertwined with the stories of those who have surrounded them in these years of solitude; classmates and family. But also the stories of the people of Yemen and Afghanistan, climate change, George Floyd, Grace Tame, Brittany Higgins and so many more. These are the stories of this time that have impacted our lives and thinking as the world has turned oh so slowly. It seems that a pandemic interrupts life and learning. In reality, it has challenged our girls as leaders and learners to cope with adversity, grapple with uncertainty and simply let it go, refining their emotional agility. Over the last two years they have learnt to let go of unrealistic goals and perfectionism, opened themselves to the love that comes with hurt and the success that comes with failure. They have abandoned the idea of being fearless and embraced the strength to walk into their fears with their values to guide them. They have chosen courage over comfort and learnt how to hear the heartbeat of their own ‘why’, sitting comfortably with the discomfort of discovery. In all of this our girls have found the way to focus on being their best selves rather than living their best lives; Ruyton girls have been real. Linda Douglas Principal