Principal's Post

An extract from Wednesday’s assembly speech.

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Guess who turned 100 this year? Do you know? More on this later. 

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On June 21^st, last Sunday, it was the winter solstice. Do you know what the winter solstice is?

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It is the shortest day and longest night of the year. The sun set at the earliest time of the year – I think it was about 5:06pm. Did you have a good long sleep on Sunday night?

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From now on the sun will set a little later – I think tonight is 5:08pm; enjoy that two minutes of extra sunshine everyone. You may also notice the sun becoming a little higher in the sky from now on too.

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We humans have celebrated the winter solstice for over 5,000 years  – we celebrate that resurgence of the sun.

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Examples of celebrations include:

·        Vikings decorated their homes with wreaths,which were sometimes set on fire and rolled down hills to call back the sun.

·        In Roman time: Normal rules were suspended - schools were closed, and enslaved people were served at the table by their masters.

·        Rooted in Chinese philosophy, the solstice represents the peak of yin (darkness, cold) giving way to the slow, steady rise of yang (light, warmth).

·        Jesus’s birthday aligns closely with the northern hemisphere’s winter solstice – the Catholic Church aligned the celebration of the true light of Jesus conquering the world's darkness.

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Why celebrate this? Why celebrate darkness to light?

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Ongoing or persistent darkness, absence of sun, can lower our mood. Feel cold. Feel unwell.

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The sun brings warmth on skin, stimulation of vitamins, increased temperature for growth, increased intensity for plants to grow - for animals to feed on these plants and their produce.

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The sun brings new growth and symbolises hope of new beginnings.

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We are creatures of the earth - yearning for the light and sun. We are working with and a part of nature.

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Someone that helped us make the connection to our place on this planet is the famous English broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough. He turned 100 recently; and I was amazed by how many of you celebrated his birthday.  He must mean a lot to you.

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I am sure many of us have heard David Attenborough describe an event in nature - a lion stalking its prey, a mass of seals basking on a sea of rocks, plant life in the Amazon, a family of meerkats making us laugh by their silly actions of popping out of hole, standing up and looking around. 

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He makes the natural world accessible through his iconic story telling. Alongside brilliant images and film he brings out the personality of the animal, insect, or even a plant. He helps us see our own personalities in these creatures – he makes us hopeful for the future of our planet.

He provides hope for the future of humanity alongside all life on earth.

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Emily Dickinson, a brilliant writer, similarly connects hope to the natural world:

“Hope is the thing of feathers –

That perches in the soul-

And sings the tune without the words-

And never stops at all.”

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Communities are groups of people – we are an FCJ College Community. Such groups of humans support one another through the darkness into the light. Through tough times towards hope. We are searching for the sun.

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Who has supported you into the light this term? Who has been your sun of warmth, comfort and hope? Who has been Jesus like – he was a champion of hope. Who like the poem says, perches like a bird singing for you - believing in you. I ask you to thank these people, or creatures, before you finish this term. If you find this hard – it may be easier for you if you make it corny – “You are my sunshine” or “You are the bird that perches on my soul.” Or even give them a fist pump or handshake or a look to say thank you. They will appreciate it.

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Congratulations to year 7 students - one semester of secondary school down - you have done so well.

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I wish you a lovely break and I leave you all with this First Nation blessing:

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May our footsteps, on these ancient lands, remind us of creation and connectedness, in our search for truth.

May the Gum Tree, from its roots to its branches, remind us to dig deep and reach high, in our action for justice.

May the Eagle, who soars in the sky, remind us of the power, in our call for love.

May the expanse of the lands and seas, of the sky and stars, remind us of God’s timing in our faith in hope.

May the Holy three, Creator Spirit, Lord God and Papa Jesus, remind us of community.

So, with grace, mercy, and peace, go in truth, love and hope.

Amen.

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