SPEECH AT FOUNDER’S DAY SERVICE AND THE OPENING OF THE RAE AND PYKE BUILDINGS 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NEWINGTON COLLEGE NEWINGTON COLLEGE STANMORE Tuesday, 16 July 2013 HER EXCELLENCY PROFESSOR MARIE BASHIR AC CVO GOVERNOR OF NEW SOUTH WALES THE HONOURABLE ANGUS TALBOT, Chairman of College Council DR DAVID MULFORD, Headmaster, Newington College DR ANDREW HIRST, Deputy Headmaster, Newington College REVEREND DR MONE, Tupou College SAM HARDY, Senior Prefect, Newington College ANDREW ZHAO AND LACHLAN McKIRDY, Deputy Senior Prefects, Newington College NEWINGTON COLLEGE CHOIR TUPOU COLLEGE CHOIR SO MANY DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, MEMBERS OF THE TEACHING STAFF, FAMILY MEMBERS AND YOUNG AUSTRALIANS IT IS A GREAT PLEASURE, INDEED A PRIVILEGE, TO BE JOINING YOU ALL FOR the 2013 FOUNDER’S DAY SERVICE AND THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF A GREAT AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL. 20130716 – EDUCATION – Founder’s Day Service and Open the Rae and Pyke Buildings 150th Anniversary Newington College 1 AT THE OUTSET MAY I AFFIRM MY RESPECT FOR THE TRADITIONAL CUSTODIANS OF THIS LAND UPON WHICH WE HAVE GATHERED, — THE GADIGAL PEOPLE OF THE EORA NATION, — INDEED FOR ALL AUSTRALIA’S ABORIGINAL PEOPLE, THEIR ANCESTORS AND DESCENDANTS, WHO HAVE NURTURED OUR GREAT CONTINENT FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS. NEWINGTON COLLEGE WAS DESTINED, I BELIEVE, TO BECOME A GREAT AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL FROM THE EARLIEST DAYS OF ITS FOUNDATION. AND IT IS SO FITTING THAT THIS HISTORIC OCCASION BE CELEBRATED, ESPECIALLY BY A SERVICE OF THANKSGIVING – OF GRATITUDE – FOR THE WISE AND VISIONARY MEN, INCLUDING JAMES EGAN MOULTON AND OTHERS, RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS INAUGURATION, AND FOR THE STRONG CHRISTIAN FOUNDATIONS WHICH HAVE GUIDED AND INSPIRED ITS COMMITMENT TO THE MATURATION AND EDUCATION OF YOUNG MEN, SO MANY OF WHOM HAVE GONE ON TO SERVE THEIR NATION AND BEYOND WITH SELFLESSNESS AND DISTINCTION. THE ACADEMIC STANDARDS AND A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE, ALSO ON THE SPORTING FIELD AND DEVOTION TO ONE’S NATION IN TIMES OF NEED, ARE ACKNOWLEDGED FEATURES OF NEWINGTON GENTLEMEN – YOUNG AND OLD, INCLUDING THOSE WHOM I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF KNOWING ACROSS MY YEARS OF STUDY AND BEYOND. PERHAPS A LITTLE LESS GENERALLY KNOWN ARE THE WONDERFUL, INDEED EXCEPTIONAL, INTERNATIONAL BONDS WITH THE YOUNG MEN AND THEIR FAMILIES OF THE PACIFIC KINGDOM OF TONGA; AND ALSO TO THE TONGAN ROYAL FAMILY THROUGH SHARED IDEALS, INCLUDING EDUCATION. 20130716 – EDUCATION – Founder’s Day Service and Open the Rae and Pyke Buildings 150th Anniversary Newington College 2 IT IS SURELY A UNIQUE FEATURE OF NEWINGTON COLLEGE THAT ITS BONDS WITH THE YOUNG SCHOLARS OF TONGA IS SO LONG, SO ENDURING, SO HISTORIC, AND IS CLOSELY BOUND WITH TUPOU COLLEGE. THE PRESENCE HERE TODAY OF THE REVEREND DR MONE FROM TUPOU COLLEGE IS BOTH A SYMBOLIC AND A REAL MARK OF THIS IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP. THIS PACIFIC ENRICHMENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN NATION STANDS AS A MODEL TO BE REPLICATED. IT IS CERTAINLY VALUED DEEPLY AND ITS IMPORTANCE APPRECIATED, - NOT ONLY BY TONGA, AND BY THIS GREAT SCHOOL, BUT FAR, FAR BEYOND. THE LEVEL OF TRUST AND COLLABORATION SO FIRMLY ESTABLISHED AND FOR SO LONG WILL BE A CONTINUING AND GREAT STRENGTH TO BOTH OUR NATIONS, IN THIS – THE ASIA PACIFIC CENTURY. I WAS INDEED GRATEFUL TO RECEIVE FROM THE HEADMASTER DR MULFORD, TWO VERY IMPORTANT AND MOST INTERESTING VOLUMES OF THE COLLEGE’S HISTORY, WHICH ILLUMINATED MY AWARENESS OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO CONTRIBUTED SO VERY SIGNIFICANTLY TO NEWINGTON’S GREATNESS. THESE OF COURSE INCLUDE TWO OF YOUR OUTSTANDING HEADMASTERS, MR RAE AND MR PYKE, WHOSE NAMES WILL BE FOREVER REMEMBERED AT THIS COLLEGE WHICH THEY SERVED SO WELL. THEY WILL BE FOREVER REMEMBERED BY THE MANY YOUNG NEWINGTON SCHOLARS WHOSE EDUCATION AND CHARACTER THEY SO POSITIVELY INFLUENCED. AND FUTURE GENERATIONS, THROUGH THESE FINE NEW BUILDINGS, WILL LEARN OF THEIR LASTING CONTRIBUTION TO NEWINGTON COLLEGE, AND INDEED TO AUSTRALIA. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD MY DEEP APPRECIATION TO ALL WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED AND WORKED TOWARDS THESE SPLENDID ADDITIONS TO A GREAT SCHOOL. 20130716 – EDUCATION – Founder’s Day Service and Open the Rae and Pyke Buildings 150th Anniversary Newington College 3 IT IS THEREFORE WITH A DEEP SENSE OF RESPECT, AND WITH GREAT PLEASURE, THAT I UNVEIL THIS PLAQUE, RECORDING ANOTHER OUTSTANDING PAGE IN THE HISTORY OF NEWINGTON COLLEGE. I THANK YOU ALL. 20130716 – EDUCATION – Founder’s Day Service and Open the Rae and Pyke Buildings 150th Anniversary Newington College 4 .