Many of you will be aware that GPCC has been in the media in relation to a connection with the Hunter Valley bus crash. I cannot go into details here as the matter is of course under investigation by Police and Transport NSW. What I can say is that our staff acted appropriately, and we have sought to do everything correctly. Sadly, the media have been quick to distort the facts so be wary of believing everything you hear or read.

The world is a place of risk and none of us are exempt from it. As the old saying goes, ‘bad things happen even to good people.’ I travelled to New Zealand over the long weekend to visit my new granddaughter and discovered that the Government there have set a target of zero deaths on the roads by 2050. This is a laudable but unrealistic aim.

As Christians, we believe that every human being is affected by the Fall from grace that occurred in the Garden of Eden where the first people chose to disobey God and go their own way. Disobedience to authority remains a perennial problem even today. There will always be people who choose to disobey the rules: to drink and drive, to do drugs and drive, to go too fast and so on. We can and should work hard as a society to minimise this behaviour, but we cannot alter other human beings who will always exercise their will.

We have hope in the fact that God has made a way for us to re-connect with him and to get a fresh start where we can again be in relationship with him and live in accordance with the way of life he intended for us. This does not mean are perfect yet, but we are on a path toward betterment. The more we learn to live God’s way, the better we become. It does not exclude us from the effects of the world’s brokenness either, but we are assured of God’s presence with us in all circumstances and of an eternal future with him.

At GPCC we want to take every means to care for your children, but we cannot guarantee that accidents won’t happen. In this sense we take a realistic view of the world while playing our part in making it a safe place for children. This is good parenting too. We must not of course shield them from every possible hardship as this leads to a weak adult. Wind is necessary to help trees establish their roots deeply and firmly in the soil. Children need to be exposed to challenges to grow their resilience.

Together, we can help make school a place of good growth for children so that they can take their place in the world with confidence.

Phillip Nash