Appleby College - Argus Yearbook (Oakville, Ontario Canada)

Page 9 text:

Board of Governors CHAIRMAN A,W. Baillie, Esq. VICE CHAIRMAN A. J, Little, Esq. , F.C.A. EX -OFFICIO MEMBERS A.W. Baillie, Esq. , Jr. Ian A. Grant, Esq. E.R. Larsen, Esq., B.A., M.A. R. G. Paterson, Esq. MEMBERS Allan D. Baker, Esq. F. W. Baillie, Esq. Warren Beasley, Esq. J.P, Bunting, Esq. P.A.G. Cameron, Esq. W.A. Cook, Esq. J. Douglas Crashley, Esq. A.H. Crosbie, Esq. W.H. Edwards, Esq. Rear-Admiral E.W, Finch-Noyes, CD., RCN (Ret) J.S. Gairdner, Esq. W.T. Grant, Esq. B, B, Green. Esq. D.G. Guest, Esq. , Q.C. Dr. N.B, Keevil Dr. C. MacArthur J.D. MacFarlane, Esq. J.K. McCausland, Esq. J.R. McKenzie, Esq. S,B. McLaughlin, Esq. R.R. Manbert, Esq. T.R. Merritt, Esq. D.W. Newlands, Esq. J.P. Northey, Esq. R.A. Randall, Esq. W. Struan Robertson, Esq. Rhys M. Sale, Esq. W.R. Taprell, Esq. R.G. Wace, Esq. D. S. Watson, Esq. F.R, Weis, Esq. LIFE MEMBERS The Rev. Canon J. A.M. Bell, D,D. S.G. Fearman, Esq. W.A.T. Gilmour, Esq. D.L. Gordon, Esq. , F.C.A. C.L. Gundy, Esq. H.J. Lang. Esq. J.D. Leitch, Esq. J.W. Little, Esq. D.G. Ross. Esq. J.T, Scarlett. Esq. E.P. Soanes, Esq. J.H. Thomson, Esq.

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The Headmaster ' s Message As I come to grips with a message for this year I have decided to struggle with a few searching questions. What are we trying to do? What is the special reason for our being ? Why Appleby College? There are the usual reasons: Appleby is here to build character, to prepare for College, to develop leaders, to inculcate a Christian base for living - reasons which appear in every School Prospectus and which are easily out- lined by hosts of speakers. These reasons are certainly valid, but let us look deeper. Surely we are here primarily to maintain a family, a family in which the basic needs of a curious human being called BOY can be met. Every boy, as in fact every human being, is so made that he has certain primary needs which must be satisfied. Among them is the need to feel that he belongs, - that he is accepted by others. He must know that he is valued, - valued by a community and valued in that community ' s scheme of things. Such knowledge is essential for self-respect and for self-develop- ment. At school a boy must do pretty well what every other boy does. That is life, and particularly boy life. On the other hand, a boy must also do that which he alone can do. Thus, it is important that a school ' s programme is so organized so as to include a suf- ficient variety of activities that each individual boy can find success, in a way peculiar to himself and to his abilities. Indeed while each boy needs recognition, certainly it goes deeper than this. It is the REAL per- son that must be recognized and ac- cepted; and it is a primary job of the school to know and to nourish the unique individuality that is each boy, and to help him to feel that he is ac- cepted and valued. Pursuing this philosophy I am really saying that a boy has to feel that he is wanted for himself and that, as such, he is truly cared about--even if sometimes (like the rest of us!) he may be disagreeable and unpleasant. At the same time, this genuine con- cern, which I am calling for, must not be equated with softness. There are times when a boy learns only as he fails, and it is not an example of showing concern if one spares and protects. As teachers, while we must care intensely for our boys, we must also be demanding --and the two can go together. While there must be rigorous challenges and constructive criticisms in all areas, there must also be unending patience and concern. This is no easy task, but it is what we are here for. In conclusion, therefore, I am calling for a genuine rededication to the aims for which 1 believe Appleby was originally founded --and which over the years, to a greater or a lesser degree, have made Appleby unique. I refer not to a concern for statistics as they may be compared with those of other Schools; I refer not to the de- velopment of a self-satisfied inward looking community; I refer not to the perpetration of any social class; I refer to the development of a family, in which each boy is accepted warm- heartedly, is respected for himself and cared about as an individual, and has the opportunity to develop on a secure base to his fullest capacity.

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Bert Halsey It is the College ' s misfortune at the end of this school year to have one of its most loyal and diligent old boys retire from active service. When school begins again in September, 1973, Bert Halsey will have joined a select group of selfless, faithful people who have spent the better part of their lives in building Appleby ' s fine tradition. There are many schools in Canada, some large, some small, some old, some new, but it is not an idle boast to say that very, very few of them are as attractively situated as Appleby College. It is true that the topog- raphy of its campus in large measure accounts for this fact, but no other person in the history of the school has been more responsible for seeing to it that our grounds were perennially beautiful than Bert Halsey. Bert came to the school midway through the winter term of 1935 to be the superintendant and general facto- tum in charge of the up-keep of the grounds. Now, over 38 years later, he looks back with a twinkle in his eye at the amusing, annoying, and rewarding e.xperiences he shared with hundreds of boys. Many of you who read these lines will smile I am sure as I remind you of those days. How many of you remember chasing after Bert as he sat on his lawnmower or threw snowballs at him as he ploughed out the rinks and roads? Or how many of us rocked the school truck, hurled verbal barbs, or smoked on the way back from hockey practices at the Oakville Arena? How many ever stopped to thank him for the one hundred thousand little things this man has done for all of us who have been a part of Appleby these many years? It is with pleasure that I ful- fill this duty on your behalf. Lest some of us be too complacent about our lovely campus, let me re- late to you just a few of the things which Bert has done here. When he came, only the lower fields were functional as playing surfaces leading down to them was never cut; he en- larged the bridges across the creek; he created almost single-handedly the large upper field east of the Gymnasium; he would work hoiu: upon hour cutting lawns, flooding rinks, mending this, fi.xing that; he was mailman, garbageman, engineer, electrician, plumber, mechanic, bus driver, gardener, builder, watchman. You name it, Bert did it! Anyone who has known Bert for any length of time soon becomes aware of three very evident features of his per- sonality. The first is his penchant for answering every request with Nope . Only those who are persist- ent enough to penetrate this veneer of gruffness find that beneath lies a warm warm and helpful soul. The second is his fantastic memory. Bert rarely forgets a fact, and when you stop him during his busy day and ask him for something, sure enough, he gets it for you. Finally, and probably his most endearing quality of all in the eyes of the boys, is the fact that Bert never snitched on any of them. Mr. and Mrs. Halsey will continue to call Appleby their home and will live in the same brown cottage that they have occupied for many years. 1 Bert will be available to act as a consultant on the many facets of Appleby ' s daily routine of which he has an invaluable and ine.Nhaustible store of knowledge. Thus on behalf of the hundreds of Appleby boys who have been associated with this won- derful man, I extend to him and to Marion our sincerest hope that they will enjoy many more but softer years at Appleby College. W.D.R. Smith