Terry Walsh 1935–2011

June 2012 :: Issue 21 Terry Walsh 1935–2011 Monivae College Hamilton - A Catholic Co-educational Secondary Day and Boarding College in the tradition of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart To Serve Them All His Days Written by Nick Floyd Class of ‘85. Terry in class Terry Walsh is dead. Over twenty-five years have passed since I departed Monivae College, and while I am not the first or only person to feel this, I cannot help sensing an emptiness in the world that was not there before 2:45 pm on 2 November 2011. This reflection is an incomplete image of Terry Walsh – one seen from the viewpoint of a student and member of the Monivae school community of the 1980s, and not from that of his colleagues or family. Doubtless, there are many other perspectives of Terry Walsh beyond this one, but it is one shared by many of my classmates, and those in the years above and below. Ascetic, opinionated, piercing, driven, resolute, steadfast, loyal, misunderstood, underappreciated, gifted, erudite, inquisitive, demanding, inscrutable, honourable, devoted, cantankerous: Terry Walsh’s descriptors form their own imposing vocabulary list, just like the ones with which he terrorised successive middle-school English classes. As a teacher and mentor, Terry Walsh was a kaleidoscope unarmed combat dojo. In each of these settings, regarded, esteemed, and indeed loved us of contradictions. Not always liked or popular, he would materialize without warning as a stone- students at a distance: silently; impassively; but invariably – if in some cases begrudgingly – faced sentinel; suddenly, each student would be imperceptibly. In contrast, his affection for Hagar respected by his students, he inspired, goaded intensely conscious of Terry Walsh’s exacting was unmistakeable, and through that bond, he and drove a generation of students to stretch gaze, and redouble their efforts. revealed his deeper humanity and sensitivity. their performances to their limits. His motivators Terry Walsh loved his dog as much as any man Terry Walsh was equally legendary for the has before him, and in doing so demonstrated included directly appealing to pride, confidence, demands he placed on his own mind and and vision sharing, but also entailed activating his capacity for the softer emotions he secretively body. Fond of his cigarettes and the occasional held for all his charges. pressure points of loss of face, challenge, ‘constitutional’ glass of red when these affections competition, and even at times, fright. were sanctioned in a now-bygone era, he was Terry Walsh would probably have denied it, Terry Walsh belonged to a genre of men that equally at home astride the dust, mud, hail, rain but I believe he was a closet romantic in the in other cultures would describe as that of the and shine of countless May cadet camps and classical sense. He would subtly trot out his ‘warrior monk’. His personal attributes of anti- other school outdoor activities. Similarly, for a one declared literary hero of Horatius (he who materialism, shyness and immense dedication sleepless boarder making that frigid and furtive single-handedly held the gate of Rome against and capacity for work contrasted starkly with the trek from upper floor dormitory to basement the Etruscan hordes) on regular occasions as a gruff exterior he assumed in his varying leadership locker room, it would be Terry Walsh’s office light, subject for literature, grammar and composition, roles over the years as studies master, boarding with him working beneath it, that was the sole but I suspect the real world characters of Cicero master, cadet commandant, and martial arts penetrator of the gloom of a sleeping College. and Socrates were also among his personal master and advocate. Terry Walsh was adept Blended in winter with the ceaseless warmth of pantheon. The qualities of analytical rigour, logic, at divining and breaching the adolescent psyche the radiator and, in my time, the unmistakeable wry critique to the point of caustic comment, – with the purpose of encouraging, challenging canine odour of Hagar, that light was at once steadfastness, sparse attention to creature and provoking us to be the best that we could inviting, at once foreboding – but always held the comforts and moral courage were shared be. At the same time, while never lyrical or promise of a challenge. hallmarks to which he clearly aspired – and achieved. Yet above all these, in the way that effusive about his Christianity, his devoutness A recollection of Terry Walsh is incomplete was never in doubt, and so provided a profound Socrates was the ‘gadfly of Athens’ and Cicero without mention of Hagar, Terry Walsh’s literally the moral gatekeeper of an increasingly dissolute example of how one can be tough, gnarly and awesome Great Dane and constant companion cynical, and yet still ‘strong in faith’. Rome, Terry Walsh would seek to cajole us onto for over a decade. For those who noticed, the path of studiousness and application to the Terry Walsh’s standards were unrelenting: Terry Walsh’s relationship with Hagar was a task – whether it be physical, moral or academic. whether in the cadet unit’s dress, bearing, subtle aperture into his makeup – a chink in his administration and quality of activities; whether otherwise brusque and impervious exoskeleton. On reflection, there is little doubt for me that Terry in the classroom – especially as a teacher of His private life was ever an unknown to those Walsh could have found considerable success English, which was his passion – the dormitories in his school life, whereas in Terry Walsh’s in other arenas beyond secondary school or study halls; or whether in the judo, karate or professional life at least, he was a man who education. Yet he chose the modest stage of 2MonivaeMonivae College College the Dolphin 1 Monivae College for a variety of reasons cloaked from us mere mortal students. Nonetheless, it was clear to all that his devotion to the school and students of Monivae was a vocation he had selected wholly and unreservedly, and to which he committed the remainder of his life. Terry Walsh is dead, and Monivae and its community are the poorer; but the richness of his contribution over his long and dedicated career overwhelmingly outweighs this loss. Terry Walsh has left generations of students a legacy of cherishing the values of dedication, selflessness, moral courage and self-discipline. It is a legacy to which we all aspire, and imperfectly adhere. Vale. Front L to R, Travis Faure ‘85, Marcus Soawyer ‘05, Graham Soawyer ‘72. Rear L to R Michael Gregory ‘84, Bernie Kelly ‘85 and John McIntosh. The Cadet Band lead Terry on his final Terry in his other favourite uniform. journey from his home at Monivae. thethe Dolphin 13 MOCA Principal SPR & Welcome to the first of two Dolphins for KRudd 2012. It will be a busy year for Monivae Old Collegian, SPR Nathan Bastock, and my fellow Old Collegians. whilst serving for Australia in A special welcome to all those who completed Afghanistan had the opportunity to Year 12 in 2011 who are joining us for the first meet former Prime Minister and then time. I hope you are settling into post secondary school life. current Foreign Affairs Minister, Kevin Rudd. This year, along with the normal year level reunions, the focus will also be on both our In April 2008, SPR Nathan Bastock marched into Cadets and our more senior Old Collegians. The army recruit training in Wagga Wagga, not long weekend of October 27-28 will see the Monivae after leaving Monivae as a student and a heavily Cadet Unit celebrate 50 years. This major involved member of the College Cadet Program. event will see senior Cadets invited back for a After completing his recruit training, Nathan then celebration dinner with Pat Dodsen as guest spent some time in Sydney before being posted speaker, followed on Sunday by the annual to the 1st Combat Engineer Regiment in Darwin. Cadet Parade which will be bigger than ever Principal Mark McGinnity (left) with ‘Jules Chevalier’ recipient Sarah Noske ‘11 and Board Chair Laurie Cogger ‘73. as befits a Golden Jubilee. The Saturday night Nathan’s team of Combat Engineers (Sappers) will also see a reunion for our students from the I’ve noticed so many wonderful things are usually based at a remote patrol base pre-Cadet dates of 1954-1962. This will be the in my first two years at Monivae. in Uruzgan Province, however he had just first opportunity for these students to come completed a task which took himself and together since the Golden Jubilee for the College The students are delightful and renowned fellow Sappers to the multi-national base in in 2004. throughout the area as courteous and polite, the provincial capital, Tarin Kowt, where he there are many dedicated staff and the College met the Minister of Foreign Affairs and previous On a personal note, it has been more than 25 is well resourced in a number of areas. While Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. Nathan said “It was years since I finished Year 12 at Monivae. Over some may not be able to enunciate it as clearly coincidence that on the same evening Kevin quarter of a century has passed since my year as others there is very much an MSC spirit that Rudd visited Afghanistan as Foreign Affairs level finished our secondary schooling , and I am pervades all of the College – that strong sense of Minister to find out what is needed by soldiers happy to say that I still have contact with many knowing we are loved by God and are called to on the ground, and to thank us on behalf of of these people.

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