1988 School Magazine

encounter difficulties and unrcertainties in attempting to cope with a changing world. At B.C.G.S., access to expert counselling helps them avoid the perils of stagnating in the mud flats. As the river progresses to the sea past cornmercial wharves, and terminals for raw materials so the Senior Cirls approaching adult life are increasingly aware of Iooking beyond the narrow concept of "education for earning a living" to "education for living" - the Barry Jones model for "total education". As well as education for the outer Iife, covering commercial and professional concerns, you should Iook also to the "inner Iife", personal growth, the development of individual aptitudes and talents which in later Iife may well bring greater satisfaction than your career or profession. More time is spent in leisure than ever before: hence the increased importance of a broad education. You see around you role models of women who have acquired "total education". The river in a metropolis feels the effects of commercial pressure in the jostling for river front sites for office and apartment blocks. Similarly there is strong competition for academic results to qualify for tertiary ehtrance. you are fortunate in having families willing to give you the opportunity of a liberal education at B.G.G.S. The tradition of the school, moreover, is to help students to pursue any stream of further education available, using the appropriate academic and practical means. As you navigate the river of education, the main objective is to develop your own potential so that you can cope with the peaks and troughs which you will encounter in the sea of life. Similarly, working at different levels in National Councils, acquiiing knowledge about the needs of women in developing countries and striving to implement the motto, "do unto others as ye would they do unto you," will help you develop as an individual. As Merriman wrote "Every river has its individuality, its great silent interest... its influence over those who pass their lives within sight of its waters." Similarly, each of you has influenced, and been influenced by, others. Continue to develop your individual talents and do not be af raid to acquire new skills and disciplines. Education is continuous and vital, and its rewards are great. I shall not run on Iike Tennyson's "Brook" but conclude with the wish that those of you who are leaving will find many peaks of happiness and satisfaction, and few troughs of disappointment. To the rest, I wish smooth sailing or rapid jet propulsion, according to your particular approach as you continue your education. To the Principal, staff and girls, lextend hearty congratulations on the excellent results which have been achieved in 1987, and offer best wishes for a successful year in 1988. Mrs Y. Bain (This speech was abridged due to demands of space: Editor).

VAI.EDICTORV DINNER ADDRESS BV h/nRS AfNNA tsOOY n-.n-.B" (nee jO[",[GFI]N] HEAD GiRLo 1979 Members of the Board of Trustees, Mrs Hancock, parents, teachers and especially girls: Thank you for having me here tonight and inviting me to address you on what is, for the girls, a very special occasion. lt is special in an obvious way - it marks the beginning of the end of a most influential part of your lives. It is a time to share with old friends - friends whose paths may rapidly diverge from your own and with whom contact will become more diff icult without some effort on your part. It is a time to share with your parents, who have devoted a great deal of time and money over the last few years in order to see you grow to become the women you are ton ight. But what lwish to concentrate on is the significance of tonight as marking the beginning of the rest of your lives - an old cliche, I know, but nevertheless true. Your parents and teachers will recognise this aspect more easily than you can yourselves. They, like me, can probably recall some similar sort of experience, which, with hindsight, they can see as being the point at which they leapt into a bigger, and far less organised, world. We all probably take several such steps in life, but I would be surprised if tonight didn't turn out to bre one of such steps for you.

14