Shawnigan Lake School - Yearbook (Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia Canada)

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Head Boy ' s Address in the Chapel Closing Day Quite frankly I do not know what to say. I cannot think of a more difficult task than trying to sum up five of the best years of one ' s life into a few short minutes. Today, I and the rest of the class of ' 76 are on the verge of graduation. For many of us it will be the termination of a five-year career at Shawnigan, and for others it means the end of four or three or perhaps just one year. Whatever the case, we have all been subject to the influence of what we have come to respect as a very fine school. Although some people might consider it a crime, at this stage a few of the graduating class will not have appreciated what Shawnigan has done for us, and probably will not for some time. Nevertheless, I think that each and every one of us feels indebted to the many people who have been responsible for our development, both with respect to mental and physical wellbeing and character. Personally I feel as though I owe thanks to everyone Photo by S.A.S. Lane who plays a part in Shawnigan Lake School. I would, however, like to extend my appreciation to a few in- dividuals in particular. I would like to thank Mr. Anderson, my Housemaster, for his fatherlike guidance for the past five years; Mr. Hyde- Lay whom I respect not only as a versatile sports coach, but simply as a man for whom the English language does not have enough words fit for describing; Mr. McClelland whose position I, as Head Boy, have come to respect very much; and Mr. Grey who, to put it bluntly, is the life of Shawnigan. But finally, I am most indebted to the man responsible for my attending Shawnigan in the first place — Mr. MacLachlan — to whom I am most grateful. I do not want to philosophize or sound as if I am attempting to dictate the facts of school life, but I would like to offer a few words of advice to the graduates and those who are returning next year. I would remind the graduates that as much as we would like to pretend otherwise, we are not yet grown up. As you have probably been told, and undoubtedly will be told time and time again in the future, we have merely finished another stage in our lives. As far as belonging to the Shawnigan Society, we will soon be transformed from students to Old Boys. I sincerely hope that you will continue to serve Shawnigan in that capacity, just as you have here in your careers as students. To those boys returning next year, I would like to remind them of their obligations to this school as students. Through six decades of trial and error, it is now up to you to strengthen the foundations on which Shawnigan stands. The statement that the school makes you is perhaps true, but the converse that You make the school is equally true. Remember that Shawnigan is a school designed for its students. Without , you it would be nothing more than a collection of buildings. I would like to quote a letter of application written by a boy going into Grade 8. In concluding his letter he states, I realize that it would be a privilege to attend Shawnigan Lake School, and I am willing to put forward my best effort for the School and for my own develop- ment. If each one of you could state likewise and, furthermore, live up to such a promise upon graduation, you will be able to look back and say that you had done your best for the school and surprisingly enough you would probably find that it had done its best for you. In closing, I would like to thank, on behalf of the Grad class, the school for making its opportunities available to us. I feel as if I have benefited from them and I feel assured that in one way or another the remainder of the class have also. I. Leitch 14

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been shown around the school on an activities afternoon, If a boy cannot find an activity here to make use of his talents, then he hasn ' t any. Outdoors is perhaps the one that has made the most headway with a much more comprehensive programme than ever before, involving rock climbing, snow shoeing, canoeing, skiing, overnight camping and two rigourous hikes to Marble Meadows in Strathcona Park, where incidentally the boys were able to make use of the hut constructed by our boys in 1970, and to Cape Scott on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. During the spring term, lectures were given on survival, first aid, natural history and firearms safety, and some 60 boys took part. These things do not just happen — they need leadership, and this has been provided by Messrs. Hobson and Zinkan and we are most grateful to them. The word consolidated applies particularly to the performance of the band this year. Their success last year, their first year, was indeed dramatic. Those with keen appreciation will, I think, confirm that there has been an equal amount of progress made this year in that the quality of the music is very much better. Our thanks to the man who has been the inspiration behind all this - Mr. Bean. We have come to expect a musical of a very high standard and also to assume that each production is going to be better than the last. It is very hard to keep on doing that, but there are many who would agree that we did it again this year with another superb performance of Oliver, but for the first time with an all-student cast made up of girls from Strathcona and our own boys. There were 108 in all and a further 45 working behind the scenes, including some staff. Great credit is due to Mr. Bean as musical director and, of course, and as always to the energetic and dynamic producer, Mr. Grey. Sometimes I am called upon to justify the time spent on these productions by the boys and it is considerable — by Housemasters who complain about the bedtimes not being observed; by teachers whose prep is not always finished on time; by the nurses, who on occasion feel that the boys are becoming overtired. They all have valid points and I try to contain them, because I know that they will all bask in reflected glory on the night, but that is not the main reason. The main reason is given, I think, by a comment by a former Head Boy, who was also Head Student, who enjoyed great success in the School, not in athletics, but in academics, public speaking, and debating. I asked him after he graduated what was the highlight of his career. A difficult question, but he did not have to hesitate for a moment — Playing the part of a policeman in ' Pirates ' — and when I asked him to elaborate he talked about achievement and satisfaction, not only for himself, but he saw these in other boys who had been turned off, but suddenly came to life. Perhaps the outstanding achievement of the year was the Diamond Jubilee, commemorated just two weeks ago. If you were not here you missed a wonderful day. There must have been close to 1,000 people here during the day. A most ambitious programme was organized, involving displays by various departments, games involving Old Boys, tea on the lawn and supper for close to 800 people in the evening — a mammoth catering undertaking, which was handled in stride by Norman Magee. And finally, in the evening, a spectacular son et lumiere show. I do not think I have ever been so proud of the school as I was on that day. I was impressed in particular by the hard work, expertise, detailed organization and the amount of research done by so many staff and boys and, on the d ay, virtually everyone was actively and enthusiastically involved. The mastermind behind the whole organization, and we are most grateful to him, was Dr. Mervyn Nitchell. Overall this has been a very good year, which is not to say that there have not been disappointments and failures. Inevitably, and sadly, there have been. It has been a year of many successes not only in academics and games and these social functions referred to. These are not the best examples — they are just the most obvious. The best examples are those boys who have changed the direction of their lives, who have taken positive steps and made some headway in the whole business of growing up. These are the real successes. These are the boys who have won our admiration but, much more important, who have gained self-respect. My thanks to all those who have contributed and pride of place must go to the academic staff, who work harder and give more than we have a right to expect . . . but especially to the school prefects for not only the work they have done but, more important, the atmosphere they have created. They have set the tone of the School. They play a vital part and this year we have been served by them very well. My thanks to you all. W.H.H. McClelland 13

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The Stag 1975-76 Editor S.M. Bryan Staff D. Hayes M.T.R. Prioleau M.P. Lane D.A. Rankine P.T. MacLachlan N.C. Ware R.W. Pearson Staff Advisor Mr. J.S. Findlay The production of an annual such as the STAG is not, by any means, an easy task and can only be accomplished with the co-operation of the whole school. It is unfortunate that this year this co-operation was not as evident on the part of the majority of the school as would have been liked. I do not place the blame entirely on those members of staff, or those boys whose lack of interest caused this publication to suffer. Basically, the fault lies in the system itself. At the moment, the STAG is not a school annual, it is an annual produced for the school by a small number of boys. Shawnigan spends a considerable amount of money on the STAG and at this time this money is not being properly utilised. If this annual is to be of any value at all, there must be a great deal of reconsideration of the present system. Both boys and masters must show some interest and enthusiasm if the project is to be successful. One of the attractions of a well produced annual is the nature and quality of the photography. The school boasts a fine photography club and there are a large number of boys in the school with cameras. Yet the bulk of the photography in this annual was produced by a small group of people and without the assistance of Mr. Lane, Mr. Gotthardt, Don Rankine and Andy James, this STAG would have been of a much lower quality. I feel that I must take this opportunity to air my views in the hope that the presentation of such opinions will aid in the alleviation of these problems in future years. It has seemed at several occasions this year that the staff of this annual and the school were acting at cross-purposes. My one word of advice to the school in regards to this annual is that it reconsiders its position. With the co-operation of the whole school, the STAG could truly achieve its purpose — to be the fitting record of one of the finest educational institutions in Canada. In conclusion, I would like to extend my gratitude to Mr. Ferguson and the Bursary staff, Mr. Winslow, Mr. Findlay, without whose guidance and enthusiasm none of this would have been possible, and finally and most of all to my staff, especially Neil Ware and Don Rankine. I leave behind the school and this annual in the hope that in the future the STAG may continue to develop towards its goal. S.M. Bryan 15