From the Interim Headmaster
…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control…
Galatians 5:22
Dear Students, Parents and Carers
Our thoughts are dominated on the day of her passing by the immense stature and contribution of her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. These words come to mind: integrity, service, Christian faith, steadfastness, honour, duty, reliability, consistency. In these respects, Queen Elizabeth has been a tower of strength, a predictable and stable presence for more than the life span of not only all of our students but most of our parents. Her lived example and sheer durability has been strikingly different from not only the regular churn of the political world but also of the checkered example of some preceding monarchs who had feet of clay, rather like ordinary people. This is not a comment on the debate about monarchy versus republic, it is more a reflection and in a sense a paean to a great individual who modelled virtue.
Are Queen Elizabeth’s lived values and virtues those of a passing age or are they still relevant to the third decade of the 21st century? I would like to think the latter is the case. There is a very great deal to admire about how the Queen has lived a life of devotion and how she has manifested her Christian faith. The modelling she has demonstrated is consistent with much of what we would want in the journey of our boys to become men. In summary, she has manifested the fruits of the spirit listed by the Apostle Paul “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22). How admirable has this been! Whatever one thinks of the monarchy as an institution, Queen Elizabeth has been a great monarch, to be ranked in the opinion of this historian with her predecessors Elizabeth I and Victoria. Seventy years on the throne has dominated the world stage and provided a wonderful platform to exemplify Queen Elizabeth’s enduring values.
With the news of her passing coinciding with American Tea Day, our capacity to honour her passing in a timely manner has been limited. We will consider what appropriate responses we might be able to make as a School in the coming week.
Dr John Collier
Interim Headmaster
