Andrew McFarlane

College Captain’s Address Student Leaders Induction Assembly

Good morning Mr. Zavone, staff, students and most importantly all our Year 12 leaders of this school. Today is a celebration that recognises the capacity that we possess to lead our College as well as the responsibility that accompanies such stature. Responsibility is encapsulated in leadership and I have the utmost confidence that our Year 12 cohort will uphold and thrive in this leadership. I would like to congratulate all those boys who received an academic award today and for those who received them at the end of last year. This is a grand achievement and is, no doubt, attributed to the aggregate of hard work every student has put into improving their learning experience. We, as a College, pride ourselves on our ability to learn and improve ourselves. Today, we celebrate the example of this commitment that has been upheld in the classroom. The challenge in leadership is finding your own way to lead. There is no correct or incorrect way to lead. You must find your own version of leadership which best represents your own personal qualities so that each of us may lead our house or school with great pride. Leadership is accompanied by various supporting attributes that build a firm foundation for us to thrive in the community. Our greatest successes are often a product of great leadership. However, success is not something that happens overnight. Success is the consequence of persistent resilience, in learning from our failures and progressing to betterment. Failure can be a good thing. Failure is a part of learning. Failure brings resilience to the forefront and allows us to adapt and learn. Good leaders stay resilient. When they fail, they become empowered in the learning experience they gain through the tough times. A leader benefits from the networks that they have around them. Leaders cannot work alone. A good leader understands and invests in the value of teamwork. A leader operates by using all the resources available to them. This means using their team. This also means knowing how to get the best out of their team. They need to be able to communicate well with their team. The key to success is holding the progression of the team equally to your own. At this College, the key is to work cohesively and selflessly in devoting yourself to the growth that each of us experience along our individual journeys. We as a leadership team and a Year 12 cohort will practice upholding resilience, excellent teamwork and selflessness to make sure we work in the greatest interest of the College’s legacy. To all the boys who are being celebrated for their leadership today, wear your badge proudly. Being a leader at this fine College is a rare and prestigious accolade that not many get to experience. Similarly, the pride of being a Year 12 student shows great loyalty and dedication to this College and should not be discounted. I encourage you, today, to not take the badge for granted. Yes, leadership is more than a badge, but the badge represents a great opportunity and voice in the College community. We all must accept this opportunity to ensure we leave a positive legacy for the College upon our graduation; that we leave a lasting foundation for the future years of this College. We as leaders and men are the voice of the school and must fuse the qualities of resilience, a positive mindset and teamwork to attain greatness. The roles we have been given are not ours to keep, we are custodian leaders of the school and it is our job to leave St Edmunds College at the end of the year in the best possible place. I would like to extend a final congratulations to all the boys who won academic awards today and to all the leaders who were inducted today. This is a great honour that requires substantial dedication, which I am certain we will uphold as a cohort in 2022.