The Strength of the Shore Community
… clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
(Colossians 3:12-14)
Dear Students, Parents and Carers
Last weekend Shore was the venue for the Memorial Service for Tom Livingstone, Old Boy of 2021, whose young life was tragically cut short by an accident. The grief of his parents and sisters is naturally immense. I was able to pass on the condolences of the whole Shore Community and to express that partly through a floral arrangement for the family. On such occasions one wonders what can actually be said that is helpful amidst the profound sadness.
It was notable that 500 people attended the Chapel and its overflow onto the lawn. The concern and love for the family was very visible. To be a member of the Shore Community means something important. There is great empathy, compassion and regard within.
The Bible reading chosen for the service was very poignant, “… clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:12-14). It was clear from the five eulogies, supported by the remarks by teachers, Tutors, Housemaster and coaches found in Tom’s file, that Tom demonstrated all these attributes. He had imbued the message from parents and the School. It was calculated during his time at Shore he had sat in Chapel around 300 times.
At a time when we are reflecting on our emerging Strategic Plan, as we try to set a course for the future, it is very important to recognise those aspects of Shore which are fundamental to its essence and which should never be discarded. Amongst these are Shore’s commitment to building men of good, indeed we hope great, character and to helping the community of Shore thrive and remain a constant. We see that currently in the considerable numbers of Old Boys who wish to remain involved with their School and who are happy, even eager, to attend reunions, even into their 80s and 90s. This is very precious and absolutely worth maintaining and celebrating. The African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child” is manifested at Shore. The School itself and the continuation of the Shore Community after graduation is the village.
Tom Livingstone embodied the wonderful virtues expressed in the Colossians passage above. His attributes were commendable, praiseworthy and the sign of a very fine human being. At this time of planning for the future, some voices would like to maintain these Christian values at Shore but without reference to Christian faith and Jesus, to insist on the attributes without the teaching which develops them. They would like to have the Kingdom without the King. My sense of this proposition is that it is not sustainable for very long. The plant will not flourish for long when the roots are cut off. We hope, through conducting our School’s ministry of Christian faith in the same sensitive, invitational and respectful manner as has been done for generations, to assist other fine young men to grow to maturity and be a blessing in the world at large.
Dr J Collier
Headmaster