6 minute read
Captain of School
Banjo Harold
Captain of School
A future forged in maroon and gold
The following abridged speech was given at the Senior School Assembly on Friday 22 October 2021.
Good morning Headmaster, staff, parents, Old Scotch Collegians and boys. Welcome to the first Assembly of the new academic year. My name is Banjo Harold, and I am privileged and honoured to be the Captain of School for 2022. I would like to begin by saying how grateful I am for the opportunity, along with the other new student leaders and all of the Year 12 cohort, to lead this school in 2022.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the Old Scotch Collegians returning to the College today for the very special occasion of Founders’ Day.
After much debate by the Year 12 cohort on this year’s theme, it is now my pleasure to introduce the theme of 2022: ‘A future forged in maroon and gold’. We hope it is something that we as a College can collectively strive towards.
So, what are we hoping that this statement will capture about our school?
We believe it captures the essence of what this school is, which is a marriage between the past and the future. The past is a torch to light the way forward. This theme symbolises us using our past heritage and traditions, that being our Scottish roots intertwined within our House system. Like the tartan, which is a part of our past and present. These tartans symbolise the Scottish clans, which connect us all to our school’s proud Scottish heritage.
These notions of tradition only add to this great College’s culture, which helps us, as young men of Scotch, continue to forge the legacy and future of this College, which will have a lasting impact on the next generation of Scotch men.
The first section of the theme ‘A future forged’ is about not stagnating during your time at the College. Forging something takes effort – it takes energy. In this sense, our hard work is what will forge our reputations, individually and as a school.
Our legacy is about a group of individuals all with different interests, uniting collectively under one banner, the Scotch banner, to progress and move forward as one. To strive for a better future for this College.
But before we forge our future, we must first look to the second part of the phrase, ‘in maroon and gold’. The College’s two colours that we wear every day define us and distinguish us at inter-school events.
Founded in 1897, the year 2022 marks 125 years of tradition and culture built by men of good character, never wavering from our Scottish roots through their blood, sweat and more than just a few tears. ‘In maroon and gold’ symbolises the College’s past, our traditions, heritage and culture. Maroon and gold is a reminder of where we have come from and how important our past is for this College.
The way I see it, we can all contribute to this theme via three strands of that tartan through:
• Culture,
• Tradition and
• Legacy.
Culture is really about the welcoming feeling you get when you walk around the yard; it is intangible – but you know that it’s there. You can feel that connection to the College as an individual; you can sense the immense pride that Scotch boys feel when they pull on the maroon and gold for that Public Schools Association game. As current students, we must take on this stewardship and continue to set the bar even higher in terms of kindness, compassion, respect and empathy and work hard, as the All Blacks rugby team would put it, “to leave the jersey in a better place”.
Tradition refers to the 125 years of Scotch boys before us who sacrificed so much for us to be here today. Tradition stands for our Scottish roots and our unwavering commitment to these roots, the tartan, our hardy spirit and our pride and honour. Tradition is what defines this College; it connects us to our past but also links us to our future and symbolises the passing of the baton and our commitment to honouring the past.
Legacy refers to the lasting impact the Year 12 students leave on the school when they cross the threshold, become part of the OSC and officially pass on the baton. So I urge you to create your legacy, and by doing that, you will forge the school’s legacy. To quote Andrew Burvill, Captain of School in 2017, “How will you ever leave your own mark if you pursue others’ footsteps?”
I distinctly remember the impact of Harry Gilchrist and Benji Steinberg’s legacy on the College and on me. These two senior leaders knew my name and would say hello as I passed them in the corridor, and for a Year 9 student, that was something that had a lasting impact on me. The legacy those two great men imparted to me was to be kind and treat those around you with respect, regardless of your relationship with them.
In the next 12 months, I challenge you to try something new but, if not, continue to strive for excellence within your passion. Take the opportunity that has been given to you by your parents, make memories, learn, progress and strive for a better future.
– Andrew Burvill, Captain of School 2017
Use your talents to create something unique – forge your own reputation because one day, your time at the College will come to an end, and no one will remember what sports team you played in or how good an athlete you were; what will be remembered is how you treated others.
To finish, I will say this: always try to be kind, be courageous, don’t be afraid to try new things, be proud of the College, embrace the good and the bad. And just like Josh Ledger said 12 months ago, “Don’t remember this year as the year that you didn’t; remember it as the year that you did.”
