As we approach the end of the year, we are conscious of what a mixed year it has been and the impact it has had on all of us. We are experiencing more students who are feeling anxious, tired, and unsettled. It is important home and school help them to remain focused and in good routines so that they all make it to a positive end. Thank you to those parents who are working with us as we seek to support students in different ways and deal with occasional poor behaviour which can usually be attributed to their general feelings of tiredness and stress.

The HSC is well underway, and our Year 12 students are glad it has finally started. The papers so far have been fair, and we believe will give the students every opportunity to showcase what they have learnt. Again, we have a significant number who have received early entry offers and while this is a credit to them, it can also lead to a reduction in focus and effort on the exams. I believe we should attempt everything with a desire to do our very best, even if the outcome may already be known. It speaks to our character if we show commitment in this way. This is what we desire our students to be known for.

In this Messenger you will find reference to nominees we put forward for the Tjudibaring Aboriginal Education Consultative Committee annual awards. We are delighted that two of our students were successful in winning their category. With the purchase of our property out in the Brewarrina Shire, it gives us great opportunity to help our students understand more of Australia’s indigenous people. For those students at GPCC who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, we hope it gives them a sense of pride in belonging to our community.

We can look back with regret at much that has happened in recent Australian history in race relations, but we can look forward with optimism to a better future, where each person is valued as a creation of God, made in His image and precious in His sight. It is my hope that GPCC graduates will be part of forming a new Australia in which each person, their culture and history, is valued as precious.

Last Friday I attended the funeral of Mitchell Brown (Year 6) along with Mr Turner and Mr McSwan from Primary. We were privileged to join the family and close friends as we said a final goodbye to Mitch. These are sad and difficult occasions and I ask you to remember the Brown family as they move forward without Mitchell. They are facing the future bravely and positively and the ceremony was a tribute to a lovely boy but also a close and positive family.

We serve a God who sent His only Son to bear the penalty for the wrongs of humankind and who identifies with us in our suffering, but who also holds the future in His hands. Mitchell is with Him and will one day be re-united with his family, loaned to them for a time but precious to God. They did a great job of caring for him while he was with them.

Phillip Nash

Principal