Message from the Headmaster
‘Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you’
Ephesians 4:31 – 32
Bitterness, and Its Impeding Side Effects
Dear Parents and Carers
This Term, Chapel in the Senior School has focused on a Christian ethic by which to live. My segment, that is the week in which I speak at all Chapel services, has been dictated by my availability according to my diary. Accordingly, my topic, across the Term’s sequence, has been focused on these verses. Some staff kindly suggested I share my remarks with the wider Shore Community. Hence, the following:
Through a long life paying attention to developments across the world, I was able to go in my address to the boys to the most extraordinary instance of a lack of bitterness as seen in my lifetime. This is the story of Nelson Mandela, now acknowledged as one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century, or indeed of any century. His story is extraordinary. In the era of Apartheid, wherein the white minority, a legacy of colonialism, enforced strict segregation in housing, education, healthcare and public services on the other racial groups, black, coloured and Indian, they were denied basic political rights. Millions were forcibly removed from their homes and relocated to designated “homelands”, that is, segregated townships. Nelson Mandela led the African National Congress, classified by the Government as a dissenting, even terrorist organisation. For this, Mandela was imprisoned, often in solitary confinement, for 27 years.
Immense political pressure from around the world forced the release of Mandela and the end of Apartheid in the early 1990s, followed by the extension of the right to vote to all races, leading to Mandela being elected as President in 1994. It was assumed and widely predicted that what would follow would be a bloodbath, as the majority, now released from their servitude, and with their hands on the levers of power, would take revenge, and hundreds of thousands of white people would be slaughtered.
Mandela, with immense authority over his constituents, enacted nothing of the kind. Incredibly, he was not bitter. He stood for forgiveness and inclusion, marshalling his Christian ethic. It was Jesus who said, while being brutalised by the Roman guards as part of his crucifixion, “Father forgive them; for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Magnanimity of this order is rare in the world of politics.
When my wife and I visited South Africa early in this century and just after Mandela had retired, it was clear that he still effectively ruled, through the reverence accorded to him by all races and classes, on the basis of his moral authority.
Another example is closer to home; the extraordinary forgiveness by the Abdallah family, after three of their children and their niece were killed by a young driver under the influence of illicit drugs. They have even continued to visit him in prison.
A further instance is represented by our Guest of Honour at a Speech Day in recent years. Pastor Ray Minniecon, an Indigenous Elder, was part of the Stolen Generation, removed from his family at a young age, institutionalised and forbidden to speak his native language. The tagline of his email signature: “forgiveness is giving up all hope for a better past”, is both powerful and profound. He is not bitter.
We all know of those who are consumed by bitterness and rage against real or imagined slights and mistreatment in the past. This can be corrosive and have a very negative effect on psychological and physical health. Hence, the advice of the Apostle Paul in the same chapter of Ephesians 4:26, “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry”. This is good advice not only for our boys, but all of us, as in life, “things happen”. We need to learn to “roll with the punches”, rather than be consumed and fixated on these points.
Extraordinary Award to a Past Student
In 2019, a 15 year old Shore student, John Kenny (’22), was confronted on a sports bus with an adult who was completely out of control. His vehicle had collided with the bus, and he entered the bus in a fury, posing a real threat to the children, as the quotation from the Magistrate’s report makes clear. John stood up and placed himself between this man and the younger children on the bus. He suffered injuries to his face and eye.
On 1 August this year, Wattle Day, the Governor General introduced a new award, the Australian Bravery Decorations. Fittingly, John Kenny was a recipient. He embodies the fine manhood encouraged by Shore. I am sure the entire community of our School is proud of him.
Dr John Collier
Headmaster