1980 School Magazine

the malure person has come to a stage in life where he feels the impulse to be a self-sustaining person useful to family, friends and society as a whole. Therefore if you wish to make a spacious version of youl' lives you will keep learning. One sign that you have grown up and that you are no longer a child, is that you don't look upon study or learning as work. lf you decide that now you have left school that this is the end of your education rather than the end of the beginning of your education, then you will have placed a limit on your per- sonal development and you will effectively hold down the level of your attainment. This may appear to some a bit sententious and it could be assumed that I have espoused these sentiments simply because it ts expected on occasions such as these, but I assure you that what I have said is sincerely meant. I do believe that because of the education you have had, and the care that has been shown to you at your school, you do have the chance to make a great contribution to your society in the future, and by so doing you will live more fulfilled lives. You will need to be prepared however to put aside the specious, the tawdry, the vulgar and the cheap with which we are daily surrounded, you will need to recognize that a worship of materialism is not only destructive of yourselves but of the community as well, you will need to recognize double standards and avoid them, and understand that self-gratification is short-lived and pointless. lf on the other hand you can give attention to developing yourselves as responsible, charitable and caring human beings, then, and only then, will the years of education you have been advantaged to have at Girls' Grammar prove worthwhile. I wish you success in your endeavours.

to gain a tertiary education. You are healthier than any oth-er generation, more cared for, treated more gently, have more people concerned for you than ever, you are better housed and better Jed than any other generation in the world's history, you have more material posses- sions, more comfort, you will live longer, and the com- munity will look after you when you are ill or unemployed and when you are old. All this, I might point out, has been brought about by a generation which has been alleged to be uncaring, devoted to materialism, misguided and unsympathetic to the real problems of today's youth! Certainly much of what has been gained is materialist in nature, and certainly we have lost sight of many of the eternal truths that every human being has a right to dignity and an opportunity to reach self-fulfilment, but the gains are not all negative and you can do much towards putting things to right if you have the courage and readiness to accept the challenge" I nope then that you will try to develop a purpose which will give your mind unity of thought and action, and which wili help you to keep your sense of direction. Despite the view that has gained much currency in our community, the purpose of life is not merely to seek en- joyment - personal satisfaction must be combined with continuous self development and this can only be done by becoming involved in significant work and activtties that contribute to the welfare of the community to which you belong. lam sure lneed not remind an audience such as this that, despite the great garns that have been made towards equality, the role of women in this society still regrettably appears in many ways to be a subservient one. lf you are to achieve the equality to which of course you are entitled, you will, I believe, have to accept that you are able to, and indeed will be expected, to take the same sort of responsibility for the development of your society as might be expected of men. This means, I believe, that you will have to be aware of, and respond to, regrettable attempts to put you down, not by a too obvious display of a.rrogant independence, but by a demonstration of your own intrinsic worth as educated, mature, sensitive and responsible persons. Unfortunately you have a long way to go before you can hope to have the sort of acceptance to which you are entitled, but I know you can capture the dominant idea of your own worth in society by using the tools with which you have been provided - a good education and skills in applying that education, and because you have these advantages I believe you are more likely to be successful than any generation before you in achieving the rights to which you are entitled. To do this however requires that you can prove to yourselves and others that you are mature people. Mature ludgement of course is not a matter of age but the application of knowledge to situations. Maturity is the ability to react to life situations in ways that are more beneficial than the ways in which a child would act. lt in- volves an increase of self-understanding, self-control and self-direction. Delayed maturity is evidenced by those who remain habituated to being supported by parents, or the Govern- ment, or even a husband, when they should be shoulder- ing their own responsibilities. lnstead of leaning upon others to supply wants, soothe fears, and provide ref uge,