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

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HEADMASTER ' S REPORT I am honoured and delighted by this opportunity to welcome so large a group of parents, friends and students to our annual presentation of awards. It is a particular pleasure to warmly greet and introduce our very special guests. To my right is Mrs. Marjorie Crookston, a dear friend (and the mother of a Brentonian,) a lady who is degreed in a most unusual manner: she holds the rank of Life Master in the American Contract Bridge League. Mrs. Crookston has kindly agreed to present our major awards. She joins her son, Sir Michael Butler, Baronet, Osgoode Hall Law School (Honours), Q.C., a member of the Bar of British Columbia, a 1945 graduate of this school, and now an industrious figure on the Brentwood College Govern- ing Board. Earlier today, at the luncheon held to honour our seniors, Sir Michael delivered a most thought-provoking and, if I may say so, inspiring address to the graduating class. Brentwood, in having Mrs. Crookston and Sir Michael with us today, wishes to recognize the huge contribution made to this school by this wonderful family during the past 35 years. Mr. Bunch who, of course, needs no introduction, sits to my extreme right and, finally, may I introduce Mr. Hugh Stephen, the Chairman of your Board of Governors, whose commitment to the goals of Brentwood knows no bounds. This past week the worried looks on some faces, the happy countenances of others who felt that their exams had gone well, the haggard, heavily smoking Mr. Martin, who at 2:00 a.m. last Monday morning struggled to complete the first term grass hockey report — due last December - rather abruptly reminded me that the wheel of academic, artistic and athletic activity would soon reduce its speed as the year, which officially began 12 months ago, began to approach its close. What meanings, what values, what purposes, underlie the action of forces, the highly energized human effort that constitutes our school? To answer that question, let me first identify some of those forces, review what your sons and daughters have accomplished, and thereby tell this year ' s story. 6

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all the praise today. You are the ones that today seems really to be all about. I do not want to take anything away from you — it is your day. I got a few prizes on just such a day as this some thirty-five years ago. But then they had no one else to give them to as I was the only boy to pass senior matric in five years. Those prizes did not make me any better than all the others. They reflected what I had already done — not what I was going to do. So, Valedic- torians and the like, listen to me as I talk to the others. Tomorrow — that is if you survive tonight at the Village Green or wherever, even you Jim Baird with your champagne tastes — all of you, you are basically on your own. Brentwood has done what it can for you — and we thank you for what you have done for the school. I might say the school is a very different one from my day. The war years were bad ones — and there was little leadership, so little response from the students, com- pared with today. If you had removed classroom doors at that time, you would have probably left them all at the septic tank. I tell you this to show you that things have changed a lot. You have had a school that has given you a great deal of knowledge — practical as well as academic — and you are expected now to put that to use — to your own advantage and to the benefit of others. And your first and most important task now is making a decision for yourself, about your future. One more personal interjection from the past — the last one, I promise you. A while after I left school, I went to live with my father in England. After a few months, he got tired of my sitting around the house, drinking his gin. He did not mind me drinking it, he just resented my watering it down for him — so he let me know one evening that I had a choice of either working with his accountant or with his lawyer. He said that I could choose between them after a luncheon with each. The lawyer drank three gin and tonics, a bottle of wine and a couple of brandies with his lunch and talked about nothing but mountain climbing and winters in Switzerland — so here I am today, a lawyer, not an accountant. Thus, while I did not have the school life you had, I was not expected to make my own decisions either, the way you are. I do not know whether I envy you your freedom and your uncertainties. Because one thing is for sure. The world is not going to beat a path to your door. Nowadays nothing is going to happen to you if you just sit around dreaming great dreams, planning great plans and bemoaning the lack of money and help and opportunity. You are ahead right now: it is in your control to stay that way or to lose your edge very quickly. There will be lots of company in that quicksand of self-pity, despair and disarray. But most of that company did not have the background or the breaks you have had. By all means, you have got some time now, so do not hesitate to waste it, if you want — but waste it con- structively for yourself. Get out, see things, do things, experience that there is a whole other side of Canada and the world that you know very little about, a lot of which you have been lucky to miss. Go ahead, be a little selfish too if you want — this is not advice you would usually hear in an address like this because that is a tricky course to follow. However, I have faith that you will not let your selfishness hurt others — and that you will only be selfish long enough to solve your own uncertainties and then will be generous enough to help solve those of other people behind you. I guess that what I am trying to say to you all, is, whatever you do, participate. I think our part of the world at last is finally getting over those rather puritan stock criteria of what success really means. But therein lies a trap. Because while now you can do and be anything without too much criticism, this leaves it more up to each one of you than ever before to find your own place. So you have to take charge of your life. For goodness sake, take charge. And let ' s see you — each one of you — back here at Brentwood soon. Success or apparent failure. Let us participate with you as you with us in your continuing life. Not all the old Brentonians at the annual weekend are or should be jocks . Not all the governors of the school are or should be successful businessmen or parents. This school is moving with the times — that is probably its greatest strength. And we can go on learning from each other. So that ' s it, budding Beethovens, Einsteins, and Roth- childs. One of you may make it that far — but the rest of you, of us all, must be content with our smaller successes. It is a personal, a subjective world in which you will take part — just measure up to it, in your own light. And once you have, you will have the equivalent not of a one- bedroom house but of a fifty-bedroom palace at your disposal — and you might just even want to invite your parents over for the weekend sometime. June23, 1979 5

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Although I dearly hope that the education offered here is much more than what we do in the classroom, I want to deal, appropriately I believe, with academics first. A summary of university enrolment undertaken last July revealed that 70 of last year ' s 84 graduates planned to continue their formal education by applying for university or college places. Among that group, I should point out, were eleven provincial scholarship winners. In this competition, 20 scholarships were allotted to our local school district, which includes two major public and three independent schools. Our students, in taking eleven awards of twenty, dominated the competition and thoroughly deserve our congratulations. In addition, our government, in wishing to recognize scholarship, citizenship, leadership and athletics, gives a very small number of prestigious awards called the Nancy Green Scholarships. Faced with province wide competition, three Brentwood graduates, Kyle Marsh, Dale Ban- nerman and Tom Pankratz, were declared winners. This past week, fourteen of our present seniors wrote government examinations in pursuit of this year ' s provincial scholarships. I have a great admiration for the dedication shown by this group and its teachers. Our very best wishes for success in this provincial competition go to Michael Burian, Tab Cuthill, Brian Dillon, Christopher Foy, Catherine Hagen, Stephen Hayne, Peter Holmes, Sandra Kouritzin, Shelley Milner, David Nelles, Laurie Mook, Kelly Salloum, Brian Williams and David Williams. Within the academic section of this address I would be remiss if I did not refer to our Public Speaking Debating Club under the able leadership of Mr. MacLean. We finished a close second to Lester Pearson College in provincial competition, with Miss Shelley Milner and Miss Ruth Buchanan representing our school and our Debating Society. Furthermore, Miss Buchanan was judged the third best debater overall, was awarded a $300 scholarship, and was named to participate in the National Debating Seminar which this year was held in New Brunswick. Finally, I must mention Catherine Hagen and Lindsay Dutton, whose submissions to the University of Victoria Humanities and Science Symposium led to their selection as Presenters to the fine group of talented students from across this province who were chosen to participate. Although our subject prizes awarded later in this ceremony are intended to recognize academic excellence at all grade levels, I must point out that many industrious, if not talented students, ones who have either ranked near the top of their class, or have shown marked im- provement, will regrettably not be mentioned. Without naming the scores who deserve recognition, I want them to know that they, too, have our admiration for respond- ing to our academic expectations and, more importantly, to their own high personal standards. It is appropriate then, to say that we have set high academic standards; that our students, by and large, have responded well; and that in many, many cases, the degree of excellence achieved fully justifies the fine reputation for scholarship this school has achieved in Western Canada and, indeed, across this nation and in many other countries throughout the world. The foregoing reference to the international scene provides me with an opportunity to direct the attention of this report to the athletic side of the school. I am sure many of you know that last summer our lightweight and heavyweight rowing crews enjoyed a most successful tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The heavy eights won the Irish Junior Championship and reached the final at the Royal Henley Regatta in England, finishing second to an excellent crew from Eton. This past rowing season our Rowing Club, which has a membership of 96 students, virtually outclassed every other school in the Pacific Northwest that engages in this challenging sport. The heavy eight were once again provincial champions and represented the province in the national championships held in St. Catherine ' s, Ontario. Although we have won this championship on two previous occasions, this year we were disappointed as our crew rowed well in an ex- tremely competitive race and finished with a third-place bronze medal. I would like to offer my sincere thanks to our rowing coaches, Messrs. Carr and Queen, and to the Captain of the Rowing Club, Blair Horn, for their tremendously successful year. I also want to point out that 26 girls were enrolled in rowing this past year and the standard of these crews has increased considerably. Their coach, Mrs. Garvey, and the young ladies involved, are to be congratulated for the huge improvement that has taken place over the season. I cannot begin to give you a complete summary of our accomplishments in athletics, as we have at least 18 different sports. I must say a few words, however, about some of the more major areas of involvement. In Rugby, in a year in which we expected to be rebuilding, I must congratulate Brian Sharpe for giving such excellent leadership to the 1st XV which by the end of the season showed surprising strength both in terms of deter- mination to do well and in skill. For example, in the final game of the season we were beaten by a score of 3-0 in the last minute of play by the school which eventually went on to win the Independent Schools Championship. 7