Brentwood College School - Brentonian Yearbook (Mill Bay, British Columbia Canada)

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HEADMASTER ' S SPEECH June 18, 1976 Ladies and Gentlemen: In giving my last report as Headmaster I thought I should not only indicate what has happened this last year, but give also a resume of developments over the whole period of my time here. I recall well the utterly disastrous state of the buildings and the grounds in March and April of 1961. All that was here was the old main building and Alex House. Both were in un- believably poor condition surrounded by grounds which had had no attention for five years. The playing fields were thick forest as was the area upon which all the new houses have been constructed. I remember well taking parents round the first summer, pleading with them to look at the view which, of course, was all we had. Well, we liked the location and we therefore took a very deep breath and bought the place for one hundred thousand dollars which we did not have and started to put it in some sort of order. By the time we started in September there were still no doors, few windows, no heat and, in general, few facilities which one regards as man- datory in this society. We expected 40 boys to start with but 92 actually turned up. I recall well the first day with seven uncertain staff, none of whom had ever done this kind of thing before, 92 uncertain boys, 92 mothers in floods of tears, and 92 fathers, for some reason thrusting money in my hand, a thing that they have never done since. If I had had the good sense to take off at that moment I would have been able to retire. I was, unfortunately, naive enough to consider other possibilities. The mothers and fathers were sent off, the boys were put to work washing windows under the eagle eye of Mr. Bunch, the rest of us tried to sort ourselves out, and the school was in being. I remember well that evening in my of- fice shaking myself loose from the incredible disorganiza- tion for a few minutes, sitting down on a chair, putting my head between my hands, and saying Good God, what have I done? In the event, the first year went really remarkably well and we are still visited by a number of old boys who attended at that time. The second year we built what is now the classroom block and gymnasium. The contractor who was responsible for this was, some ten years later, invited to redecorate the office of the new People ' s Premier of British Columbia. For this he was paid five thousand dollars more than we paid him to build the classroom block and gymnasium — an interesting statistic. In 1965 66 we built Whittall House and boys moved into it in the summer of ' 66. In 1967 we built the laboratories, in 1968 the swimming pool and in 1969 Ellis and Privett Houses were constructed along with the auditorium and din- ing room. In 1972 we renovated Alex House for use by girls. In 1974 we built Rogers House, we renovated what is now known as the Hilton, for girls, and we put a top on the swim- ming pool so that we could use it all year round. Meanwhile, in 1962 we had built two tennis courts. In 1964 two more. In 1968 a single court and in 1970 a second single one. In 1962 we dug B Field out of the forest, in 1963 we made A Field, and in 1966 we refurbished and reseeded A Field. We have built roads and parking lots, we have built wharfages, we have added a sewage plant as well a s adding one hundred thousand dollars worth of boats, three buses, two work trucks, and a number of smaller items. One hundred thou- sand dollars invested in 1961 is now worth four million dollars, thanks to the generosity and support of a small number of most excellent people who have been very good to the school. And all have been accomplised by a very small number of people who have planned in their spare time. At the same time I believe some of the social history of the school might be of interest. I remember the escapades of Sidney Tupper, perhaps the most famous of which was his midnight expedition to Shawnigan Lake. I should explain that, in the very early years of the school, we had a Sea Cadet Corps which annually went to the naval base at Es- quimau to compete in all kinds of activities. Nowhere was the competition more intense than in the rowing of whalers, and it was naturally our aim to beat the Shawnigan crew. Each crew therefore, theirs and ours, was up at 5:30 each morning for six weeks before the event training assiduously. About three weeks before the race Sidney Tupper got up at midnight, got on a bicycle, rode to Shawnigan, went down to the wharf, took all the gear out of the whaler, laid it in seaman-like fashion on the dock, rowed the whaler out into deep water, pulled the stop-cock and sank it. When Shaw- nigan went out the next morning there was no whaler and they could not find it anywhere. Of course, we knew nothing about this officially, but we thought it appropriate to get the word whispered back to them that if they looked under the water they might find the missing boat. After a week of searching they did. In the actual event, justice prevailed, for

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VALETE Miss Rita Ball Miss Ball, who joined us in 1966 from her post as head of nursing at Trail, B.C., retires this year to her sister ' s home in the Okanagan. It is rumoured that she has bequeathed to Miss Rainey her trusty thermometer and a large jar of aspirin, and has assured her that judicious use of these items will keep at least 95 per cent of the school out of sick bay and on the rugby field. We wish her a long and happy retirement. Mr. Robert Common Mr. Common, who joined us from Queen ' s three years ago, leaves us this year to take a position at the new Outward Bound school at Nippigon, Ontario. He will be greatly missed by the whole school, but especially by his group of ramblers to whom sleeping in snow-caves, swinging from crag to crag, and canoeing down impossible rapids has become a con- suming passion. Speaking seriously, he has brought the gift of a great love of the peace and serenity of the wild open spaces to us all at Brentwood. We wish him happiness in his new post. R.V.L. VALETE D. D. Mackenzie Long service at Brentwood College brings many rewards, but I regard it as a singular honour to be asked by the Editor of ' The Brentonian ' to write the Valete for David Mackenzie. Pleasant though it is, the task is not without difficulty. Where on earth am I to start with a man whose interests are so numerous and varied? Obviously with Brentwood College, for I am sure that David would regard this as the greatest achievement of his life. Although Brentwood College was founded 54 years ago, the School, as we know it, is largely a creation of David Mackenzie ' s. When, in the late 1950s, he had the idea of start- ing a school; it was a lucky accident that there existed a group of Old Boys of an establishment that had burned down in 1948. They supplied a ready-made Old Boys ' Society, and, by and large, the original Board of Governors. They would be the first to admit, however, that the new school bears lit- tle relation to the old, and, enthusiastic as has been their sup- port, the school exists largely because of one man. Just as Brentwood College under David Mackenzie was different from the old school, so, I feel, will it never be quite the same again. 1976 marks the end of an era, the ' Mackenzie Headmastership. ' Although the school has changed enor- mously in the last 15 years, it has always borne ' the Macken- zie stamp. ' Hard as this is to define, I shall attempt to do so. Anyone who has met David Mackenzie must be impressed by the incredible enthusiasm of the man. Sometimes this has led to ' boyish excess ' and to what the Staff has felt is a monopoly of his time by his latest craze. How often has a Staff member found it impossible to see David on some urgent business, because this was the time set aside for play- ing in the School band, or jogging. And yet, in retrospect, he was the most accessible of Headmasters because he loved the Common Room, and its banter. He obviously regretted the move from the old M.C.R., next to his study, to the new premises some 70 yards away. How often has the Staff sought to find out what was the School philosophy, but David would not be pinned down. Looking back, I now realize one of David ' s greatest strengths was his ability to improvise. But it frequently was harrowing to be involved with some major policy change, such as going Co-Ed, where the nitty-gritty detail had been ignored. How often has the Staff read some memo of the impending arrival of some new boy who was ' a terrific athlete, very musical and bright ' only to meet some ill-co-ordinated, tone-deaf Neanderthal. Only a man with this sort of enthusiasm could have had the audacity to start a school, and then to build it to its pre- sent stage of development where it is among the best schools in Canada. Who but an enthusiast could have taken the site of the old Solarium and hewn, literally, lawns, gardens and playing fields out of the wilderness? Who but an enthusiast could see good in the worst of boys, and, in the early days, we certainly had more than our fair share of rogues. I find this trait particularly hard to comprehend, as I feel much more affinity with W. C. Fields ' comment that ' someone who hates children can ' t be all bad. ' Who but an enthusiast would have had the good sense to gather about himself the amiable group of lunatics that made up the Staff in the early days, and inspired them with his own hopes? This, I believe, was David ' s greatest gift. He managed to persuade people to teach inspirationally, often in conditions that were far from ideal, and to devote themselves, body and soul, to Brentwood. Nostalgia isn ' t what it used to be, I know, and our present Staff is professional and dedicated. Nevertheless, there is a bond between the Staff of the first five or so years that makes ' newcomers ' different. We hear them talk of the length of their Duty days, and smile, for we worked from 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. They mention the fre- quency of Duty days, and we smile, for we stood Duty every three days. A not unusual day for us was classes until 3:30 p.m., Rugby 3:30 to 5:30, a quick bite of food. Staff vs. Boys Basketball, and then rehearsals until 11:00 p.m. for the Student Staff concert. We were young, we had energy, we were athletic (we boasted the best Staff Rugby Seven in the world) and we were few, which meant we knew each other intimately. And long as our hours were, we knew David ' s were longer. Energetic as we were, he was more so. Good athletes as we were, he was better. As an Olympic athlete, and International Rugby player, David had obvious physical advantages over the rest of us. Yet he encouraged all to become involved. He wanted ex- cellence, but he also wanted participation. He was, of course, delighted when, after years of playing the 3rd XV ' s of other Independent schools, the 1st XV finally won a game. He was naturally delirious when we won the Independent Schools ' and B.C. Championships. But he was, I suspect, almost as pleased when we put out 12 different XV ' s on the same day. Basketball, Softball, tennis, soccer, snowball fights, sledge runs down the driveway, skating on the frozen tennis courts — it didn ' t matter what it was, David was there. His recent interest in jogging has led those of us with weaker wills to marvel as he has braved the elements. His philosophy is ' Mens sana in corpore sano ' and he practises what he preaches. I realize I am in danger of painting a picture of a man that is just too good to be ture — a sort of cross between Dr. Ar- nold of Rugby and Lord Baden-Powell. I mean this remark cynically, with a typical 20th century scorn of ' do-gooders, ' but I suspect David would be flattered with the comparison. He is, essentially a ' Victorian gentleman. ' In an age of relax- ed morals, he often surprised us when his Calvinist streak showed through. Years of naval service meant he had a broad outlook not often found in Scottish Presbyterians, but he could be genuinely shocked and deeply hurt by some of the actions of the students. Some of the Staff concert sketches left him embarrassed. It is again typical of him that his idea of a good school concert bore many of the marks of a camp- fire sing-song. The more esoteric productions of Gil Bunch (and which of his productions is not esoteric?) David just did not under- Continued next page

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as our boat and Shawnigan ' s were well ahead of anybody else, our coxswain made a steering error, and Shawnigan won by a whisker. I remember the time when we put fees up. How frequent- ly has that happened. On this occasion I had sent out a letter which I had not checked and the word per annum unfor- tunately read per anum . I received a reply from a doctor parent who said he could understand the reason for the fee increase, would certainly be very happy to pay it, but suggested that he would, as ever, pay through the nose rather than the other end . I remember the water bomber experience. I perhaps should add that I was one of two of the original naval pilots at Pat Bay. The other fellow left the Navy about the same time I did but kept on flying. He flew first with Fairey — Aviation that is, not the other kind. He then started his own water bombing organization at Pat Bay which still exists, although he, poor lad, has since been killed. In any event, his son came to Brentwood and, when he was here, the father asked me if I would like him to come across and give a demonstration of water bombing. I said that I was most enthusiastic about this and told him to come during an afternoon when I knew peo- ple would be casually engaged. He arrived as planned, land- ed on the water outside the school, picked up his load and took off. At this point I became most distressed because he was aiming his aircraft straight at a clump of trees north of the school which I happened to know was a favoured smoking area. If he dropped his load there we would have casualties. As the aircraft appraoched more closely I became more con- cerned when, to my utmost relief, he dropped his load just short of the trees. However, as he proceeded on his way over the trees, very loud and very low, there was still a good deal of spray coming out of the aircraft and, as he departed, half a dozen bedraggled little urchins emerged from the bushes with looks of horror on their faces. Good Lord, I could almost hear them say what steps is he prepared to take to stop smoking? Subsequently, a very sophisticated system of reconnaissance was employed to prevent interception by either staff or aircraft. There are many other amusing incidents, but I would like to leave them and recount the achievements of the students in the school during this period. In athletics we have won the British Columbia Rugby Championships on two occasions and been runners-up on another two. We have won the Cana- dian Heavy Eight s Rowing Championships twice and been runners-up twice. We have won the Heavy Four ' s once, the Novice Four ' s once, and we have placed in a number of other events. The Choir is regarded as one of the best in British Columbia, the Band has won the Festival consistently for the last four years, and our Theatre Programme is unmatched. The Art courses too are in fine condition but, most of all, in academics we have, I believe, a record which is unmatched. We have won many prizes in university symposia, 123 students have won government scholarships in the ex- aminations and two of our students, in the last five years, have won the Governor General ' s Silver Medal, a record un- matched by any school, public or private, in the province. However, important as all these may be, I believe that the prime lesson for every student in this school to learn is consideration for other people. This is a life which has to be lived in constant company and in association with other peo- ple twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I think the lessons learned from each other surpass anything in impor- tance and encourage friendships which will last forever. This is the whole point of a residential school. Now, at this time may I pause to say farewell to two of our staff who will be leaving at the end of the year. Our matron, Miss Ball, who has been with us for ten years, is now retiring, and I want to take this opportunity of wishing her every happiness. I hope she will come back and visit us and remain in contact with the school. The second leaver is an outstanding young man. In his four years here, not only has he demonstrated outstanding teaching qualifications and a dedication to school life which is quite amazing, but he has also brought with him a knowledge of the outdoors and the ability to sell it to children in a most unique fashion. He has established a course — I should really say a series of courses — which is tremendously popular and very valuable as an ex- perience in life. He feels that the time has come for him to move on. I just want to say to Mr. Common, thank you for your enormous contribution to the school. We shall miss you greatly. Good luck and keep in touch with us. Now I bid farewell to this wonderful group of students whom we have had with us this year. I have tried to say to them personally what I think of them and how grateful I am to them for the thoughts they have expressed to me. They are a special group as far as I am concerned and I would be most delighted if they would allow me to classify myself with this year s graduating class. There has been none better. From Geoff Hall and all the School Prefects to the youngest of the Grade Eight s, I am most privileged to have been associated with you. I have enjoyed my time with you enormously. May I wish you all the very very best of success and much happiness in your lives. I would like to thank the people who have made this possi- ble, the most magnificent staff in the world and the most supportive parent group we have ever had. I have merely been the voice for them and I would like now to extend my most sincere thanks. May I take advantage of the privileged position in which I find myself today to mention three names to whom I would like to extend special thanks. First, I would like to pay tribute to a governor, one who has been a governor longer than anyone else. In fact, when I was in the Navy 18 years ago, we sat on the Board of Selec- tion for candidates for Royal Roads. He expressed this enthusiasm for the old Brentwood to me and suggested I leave the service to start the school again. After an initial reaction of much laughter I began to think about this serious- ly and, ultimately, took two weeks leave to see a number of people he had suggested and find out how much support there was. The results proved fruitful, we founded a Board, and Dr. Young has been a member ever since, giving tremendous support and encouragement at all times but particularly in the initial lean years. The second is well known to you all. He is the best teacher of English I have ever known. He is the best producer of drama I have ever known. He has been, quite clearly, the most effective Assistant Headmaster I have ever known. He has been with us since the beginning and I am most grateful to him for his enormously valuable contribution to this school. Mr. Bunch is a man of sterling character and great energy. I could not, under any circumstances, have done without him over these last fifteen years. He is everything I am not. The school is indeed fortunate to have such a man on its staff. The third is somebody whom I have never mentioned publicly before. I do so now because of what she has done for the school. Before we started, she scrubbed toilets and dirty ovens. When we started, she acted as unpaid housekeeper. Since then she has been the greatest hostess I could ever have wished for. She has put up with hours which very few others in her position would have done and I just want to say how much the school owes to her. She is, of course, my wife. And so, to Mr. Ross, who is not only highly qualified to lead the school, but greatly experienced, I can but wish good luck. It is typical of this organization that it should appoint someone from within its own ranks and I am hugely delighted that Mr. Ross is the selection. He will have my complete support in everything he does from now on. I hope — I know he will have yours too. D. D. Mackenzie Headmaster