From the School Council Those who know me well also know that I have always been a fan of the 20th century poet TS Eliot, and, I will frequently return to his work to gain perspectives on current events. In Journey of the Magi, Eliot reflects on the way significant events in our lives can subsequently impact how we see and interpolate the world around us. Journey of the Magi relates the radical shift in view that the Magi – the ‘three Wise Men’ – have as a consequence of witnessing the birth of Jesus. Returning home to Babylon, they are no longer comfortable with their old way of seeing things, with their old, familiar beliefs: We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation.’ As I write this article, we are once again slowly surfacing from lockdown – yet another period when we have suspended our normal routines and regular existence for a different and limiting regularity. These interruptions, whilst deemed important and necessary from a public health perspective, have also provided us with many other opportunities to reflect and consider what is valuable and critical to us so that we may live full and fulfilling lives. In so doing, they have also allowed us to consider those things that are unnecessary and potentially dispensable. Perhaps most importantly, they have taken the familiar predictability of our lives pre‑COVID, taught us new ways of seeing and being, and given us permission to challenge our ‘old dispensation’. The Russian artist and writer, Viktor Shklovsky, who was a contemporary of Eliot, described the function of the artist as ‘defamiliarising the familiar’ –
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that is, repositioning our perception of the things around us that we take for granted. Similarly, the extended and challenging experiences of the pandemic cannot help but cause us to see our old lives differently. Against this context, and all that we have learned about learning (remote and otherwise) over the past year or so, we have a wonderful opportunity as a community to reflect on Trinity’s future as we engage with shaping the school‘s strategic plan. We have also had the chance to confirm what is most important and valuable about Trinity and its culture and what we would most wish to maintain as a thriving 21st century learning community. Without question, this is a complex but immensely exciting process and will form the centrepiece of Council’s work throughout 2021. As a consequence, the school has sought to source the best facilitator that we can to assist us in the development of our strategic thinking. I am very pleased on behalf of Council to inform you that the school has appointed Christina Franklin of AdValore Partners. Christina has had extensive experience in both the corporate and for purpose sectors and has assisted a number of independent schools in both NSW and Victoria in strategic conversations. As I mentioned at the Community Forum, mapping the strategic direction for the future is the first step in a process of determining the infrastructure and facility needs that will enable its implementation. In other words, the Master Plan for the built form becomes the second step once clarity is brought to the strategic plan for teaching and learning. This does not preclude necessary development work
of existing facilities, but it does understandably slow the pace around determining major capital projects. Nevertheless, under the guidance of the Buildings and Grounds Committee of Council, preliminary work has begun in determining the scope of the master planning process and the necessary skill set and experience of appropriate consultants. Whilst at this stage Council has not committed to a final timeframe, it is envisaged that the development of the strategic plan, with both two‑year and five-year time horizons, will be concluded by October this year. Without question, the next few months will be a fully engaged period for both Council and the School Leadership Team. We have begun 2021 with a sound foundation that positions us well as we embark on the exciting prospect of collectively envisaging the next chapters in Trinity’s ever‑evolving narrative. We do so with a keen understanding of who we are as a community and what matters to us. We look to the future with a rich understanding of our past. And as we do, we will rediscover once again what is particularly special about this unique school. I leave the last words again to Eliot, drawn from his poem Little Gidding, first published in 1942: We shall not cease from exploration And the end of our exploring Will be to arrive at where we started And know the place for the first time. Simon Gipson OAM Chair of School Council
