LEADERSHIP The Head Prefect’s Prize-giving Speech
Te¯na koutou, te¯na koutou, te¯na koutou katoa. Nau mai haere mai. Nga mihi nui ki matua Wynne, te¯na¯ koe. Nga mihi nui Matua Lindo, te¯na¯ koe. Nga mihi nui matua Pickering, te¯na¯ koe. Nga mihi nui ki matua Donaldson, te¯na¯ koe. I extend a warm welcome to the staff, wha¯nau, and, most importantly, the boys. As I reflect on my time at College and the year 2023, I ask myself, what makes this school such a special place? This Prize-giving answers much of that question as we celebrate the achievements of boys throughout the past year. Success for us has translated to a record number of boys receiving Bronze Duke of Edinburgh, a top- five placing at Nationals for both rowing and basketball, outstanding productions of Peter Pan and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jr. , and much, much, more. However, we all know these are not the things that make College the school it is. Summed up in the words of Vincent van Gogh “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together”. At Junior Prize-giving last year, I spoke about using College like your childhood playground to give everything a go. So, using this same analogy, the success at College is like LEGO, lots of small pieces of different colours and shapes being put together by you and those around you to form a masterpiece. So, what are these LEGO pieces? They are the relationships with your teammates, the cast of your production, the teachers, and staff behind the scenes. They’re the feelings you
get when you are part of something bigger than yourself, of brotherhood and camaraderie, of showing or being shown a small kindness. To the boys, for those who have helped you build your LEGO house – from your parents who have enabled you to attend College to the special teachers who have had an impact on you – please take the time to express your gratitude. On a personal note, I would like to acknowledge some important people to me during my time at College. I would first like to thank the Robin to my Batman, my deputy, Matthew Brett. Thank you for being a huge support this year and all the laughs we’ve had along the way, it’s been a privilege working beside you and I am grateful for the friendship we have built. This leaves Mr Wynne as my Alfred, the wise man tutoring me behind the scenes. Throughout this
whole year, I have never been told what to do or forced to do anything – this says a lot about the warm nature and professional guidance shown by not only Mr Wynne, but Mr Donaldson and Mr Cortesi. All three of these figures have been great role models and have had complete faith in me the whole ride – maybe even more faith than I had in myself. I’ve already spoken to the boys of the incredible legacy of Mr Donaldson but here today I would again like to acknowledge his mana and impact over his 35 years of service to the school. Thank you. Another enabler for us boys is the House system, hence I thank the Flower’s staff for being walking examples of our motto, ‘Fiat Floreat’, ‘May he Flourish’, always acting in the best interest of us boys, even through adverse circumstances. My year group in Flower’s, it’s been
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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