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

Page 11 text:

m:mmm ■■■■■: ■ ' . ' . :: ■■ I iffP Photo by S. Lane I have mentioned that my first impression suggests that Shawnigan is similar to the three independent schools in which I have taught in Britain. This is obviously an advantage to me, but no doubt that individual quality which all schools possess will become more apparent to me, especially in these next two weeks which I intend to spend living on the campus, becoming familiar with Shawnigan ' s distinctive ethos. Another advantage is that I recognize an instinctive warmheartedness between the Canadian and the Briton. To us in Britain the concept of the Commonwealth is still a very real one and its development in recent decades has been almost entirely admirable. Nations, large and small, have strengthened and matured into a full and independent existence, yet have retained a tenuous connection with Britain that means we speak each other ' s language, understand each other ' s culture, humour and aspirations, and treat each other as cousins rather than strangers. The warmth of your reception this evening would confirm this feeling and it is an admirable spirit on which to build the necessary harmony of a complex society like the school. I mentioned earlier that I should need much assistance in this new responsibility, and one vital area of this assistance must come from the Old Boys. You are the school ' s finished products - By their fruits ye shall know them - and by your success, and much more by your integrity, will people come to recognize the value of an education at Shawnigan. In Britain everyone is aware of the famous public schools as we call them, even if they have not had the remotest connection with one, but in Canada the independent schools are not a part of the nation ' s consciousness and here one has constantly to bring the merits of a particular school to the public attention. In this respect former pupils can contribute enormously, not only by being in themselves a living example of Shawnigan but, more practically, by making a definite effort to recommend the school to people who might be interested to send their sons to us and, furthermore, by keeping us informed at the school of any contacts you have made so that we may follow them up. In conclusion, I thank you most sincerely for the honour you have done me in making me your principal guest this evening. I am delighted to have been able to accept your invitation so that I can further my acquaintance with this important area of the school, and I am much looking forward to the remainder of this evening and to the fortnight that lies ahead. Darrell J. Farrant

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THE ADDRESS OF THE HEADMASTER ELECT TO THE OLD BOYS ' DINNER FRIDAY - MARCH 30th., 1978 I have had the pleasure of speaking at various dinners, but this is the first time that I have been invited at a distance of 6,000 miles. I arrived in Vancouver yesterday and so perhaps am still suffering to some extent from the effects of jet-lag, but am none the less delighted that this function fitted so exactly into my present schedule. I have particularly wanted to meet a large number of Old Boys during my visit and this is an ideal opportunity. My first visit to Canada was last August at the invitation of the Search Committee, and I would like to compliment the Board of Governors for the thorough and thoughtful way in which they prepared the candidates for the responsibility which one of them would be asked to assume. I think some detail of their approach would be of interest. The Deputy Chairman came to visit my wife and myself at our home in Edinburgh last July and spent the whole day in our company, having a chance to see us in our own environment, accompanied by our two children and surrounded by the colleagues and pupils with whom I was working. This gave Hugh Wilkinson a chance to see how similar to Shawnigan Merchiston is, and to know that my experience would be relevant to the new post, and this also enabled me to find out a great deal of information about Canadian education in general and Shaw- nigan in particular. Shawnigan was a school which I knew by reputation, especially for its sports tours in Great Britain with rugby and athletics teams as well as by its many distinguished appearances at the Royal Regatta at Henley. The next phase was an invitation to Shawnigan in August, and again a thoughtful and essential feature was that this was also extended to my wife. The decision to uproot all one ' s connections with a native country and settle in a new land is one of the biggest of one ' s life and I could never have made it without the advice and support of my wife. I was deeply honoured to be offered the appointment by the Search Committee and I well remember a vital and thoughtful afternoon in Vancouver when we jointly agreed that we should be delighted to accept. In taking the position at Shawnigan I am aware of how much I have to learn and how much assistance I shall need. Canada is a country that as yet I know little about but here again, as part of their thoughtful approach, the Governors arranged an extensive tour of the province for us last summer which enabled us to gain first-hand experience of some of the areas the boys come from and to meet a number of people closely connected with the work of the school. The hospitality of these kind people - Governors, parents, Old Boys and general well-wishers - was absolutely regal. We were de lighted with the warmth and sincerity of the Canadian personality and most heartened by the obvious surge of goodwill for the school. We had two spells in Vancouver and memorable visits to the Cariboo and the Okanagan, flying from Vancouver to Quesnel and then driving from there to Kelowna and so back to Vancouver, and thus in a short space of time we managed a remarkably full acquaintance with the province of B.C.

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In Memory Of KATHARINE GERTRUDE FLETCHER BRADEN 1916 - 1978 Former Student and Teacher of Strathcona Lodge School Friend of Shawnigan Lake School Sister of H.J. Lake, J. F. Lake R.L. Lake and L.C. Lake