Today, as I write this, we welcomed back our Academic in Residence, Dr Martin Dowson who has been riding his bicycle with a group from Compassion on a fundraiser from Perth to Newcastle. They arrived in Newcastle on Wednesday to officially end the event, but Martin rode into school today to a great welcome from our students. He has ridden 4,800 kilometres in 34 days sleeping in Church halls, in tents and with only a couple of motel nights.

On my way back from Brewarrina this week with our school Business Manager, we came across the group at the little village of Sandy Hollow (see photo below) and it was great to see Martin and the rest of the team as they took a rest break. This is an astonishing achievement particularly coming from someone who is a lifelong academic and researcher with two PhD’s. We do not often associate academics with sporting achievements, but it is more common than we think. Many leading sports women and sports men are highly educated, and, in some ways, this almost adds to their competitive spirit. They love a challenge whether it is an intellectual one or a physical one.

When I was Principal of Bethlehem College in New Zealand, I was also the Teacher-in-Charge of Rowing. It always amazed me that despite the many hours of training required of rowers, our team always did very well academically. The discipline of training helped them to be disciplined in their approach to their studies and kept them very fit.

Sometimes we think students, as they move up through the years, need to do less sport and interest activities, because they need to focus solely on their schoolwork. Almost the opposite is true. Complementing academic study with physical and recreational activities and interests, brings balance and keeps students refreshed.  We want our students to do well academically but we also want them to develop holistically. This means paying attention to their physical, spiritual, and social/emotional health as much as to their intellectual.

Sometimes we can go too far and wear them out with after-school activities. There is a balance in this. I encourage you to ensure your child, whatever their age, is engaged in a range of activities that give them a broad view of life and so of themselves. You need to set an example in this too.

Martin is a great example to our students, and they can learn a lot from him. He adds a lot to our goal to help students understand a holistic approach to education and to life. 

Phillip Nash

Principal