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The Brentonian Brentwood College School Mill Bay British Columbia
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Brentwood ' s Quarter Century 1986 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the re-founding of Brentwood College on its present site at Mill Bay. As a tribute to those who have contributed to the life of the school, and, in particular, to honour the vision and indomitable spirit of the first headmaster of this era, David Mackenzie, and his late wife, Joyce, we have assembled a potpourri of memories from the years 1961-1976. VALETE 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 1 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 1950 ' s he had the idea of starting 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 little relation to the old, and, enthusiastic as has been their support, the school exists largely because of one man. Just as Brentwood College under David Mackenize was different from the old school, so, 1 feel, will it never be quite the same again. 1976 marks the end of an era, the ' Mackenzie Headmastership. ' Although the school was changed enormously in the last 15 years, it has always borne ' the Mackenzie 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 playing in the School band, of 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 present 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 WC. 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 frequency 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 bit of food. Staff vs. Boys Basketball, and then rehearsals until 11:00 p.m. for the Sutdent 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 excellence, but he also wanted participation. He was, of course, delighted when, after years of
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