Valedictory Service 2022

This is the edited speech given to Leavers of 2022 by Headmaster, Dr Paul Hicks, at the Leavers’ Service at St Mark’s in Camberwell.

There is nothing like a good meal. My wife is a very good cook, and I am living evidence of that fact. Obviously, we all need to eat in order to live – we need the nourishment of food to fuel our bodies and give us the energy we need each day to function. There may be some people who view food only in this way – as necessary nourishment and that is all. But in our family at least we love good food, prepared lovingly, and we take great pleasure in a good home-cooked roast or a special restaurant meal.

We particularly like gathering as a family for a special family meal of celebration – for a birthday or anniversary – and I suspect we like it so much not just for the delicious food, but for the opportunity to gather together around a table and to joke and share stories and to be together around a meal. We are nourished not just by the food we are sharing, but by each other’s company as well. The ritual of the meal is as nourishing as the food itself.

Similarly, in our wider culture, many of our celebrations are built around food. Our dinner later this evening is a great example – we gather to celebrate the conclusion of your time at school, and we will do it with food and drink. The Bible is filled with stories which centre around food. There is the famous story of Jesus feeding the multitude with five loaves and two fishes. This is at the highlight of Jesus’ earthly career – the closest we would have today is a rock star or a really huge social media influencer. Matthew suggests that there were around 4,000 people there – a massive crowd at the time.

The details of this miracle are well-known. We are told that Jesus is concerned for the people in the crowd, and he asks his disciples to rustle up whatever food they have. They come back to him with the famous five loaves and two fish. He blessed their offering and told them to start handing the food around – take some and pass it on. And that is what they did, and instead of running out it seemed to multiply – and once it had been right around the whole crowd they gathered the leftovers – seven big baskets worth.

A pretty impressive trick; and Matthew tells us about it to demonstrate the divine nature of Jesus’ being. But what if this is a miracle of a completely different sort? What if this was in fact a pretty ordinary miracle? What if most people actually had some food on them, and what if the nature of this miracle is not that it involved magic, but that the people on the ground were inspired by Jesus’ generosity and care and that as the food came around, they contributed at least some of what they had to the common good. As the baskets got passed around, those who had nothing took their share, and those who had something contributed to the pile. It must have taken hours, but once they got to the end they discovered that they had more than they started with, and everyone was better off.

In some ways, such an interpretation of this miracle might make it seem more prosaic and less impressive – but I actually think it is more impressive. Rather than producing food out of nothing, like an amazing magic trick, Jesus inspires people to behave differently and to share what they had for the benefit of all. He provides more than simply physical nourishment – he provides spiritual nourishment which transforms people – and that is the miracle.

If we read the miracle in that way, it becomes accessible for all of us. We cannot produce something from nothing, but we can share what we have with those in our community who are less fortunate than us.

We know that we are privileged – as students, you are blessed that your parents were able to send you to a great school (even if I do say so myself), and that they believed that education was so important that they made sacrifices to send you to Camberwell Grammar. Whether you loved your time at school or not – and I hope you loved it – we know that just attending a school like ours dramatically increases your options in life. That privilege for you was not earned – it came about by an accident of birth. I know that you are aware of that, and I know that you do not take that privilege for granted.

We know too that there are many in our society who would love to have the chances you have. We all heard yesterday about the Karen people in Myanmar. We know that there is inequality in our education system, that some schools are better resourced than others, and some schools do a better job than others. There are many people who would love to receive a Camberwell Grammar education, but who simply cannot afford it. And you are the lucky ones, because you happened to be born into the family you were born into.

I am not suggesting that you should feel guilty about that. It is not your fault that you were born. Or that you were born into the families you were. It is not your fault that our economic resources are not equally distributed. I would be the last person to underestimate the very real sacrifices made by your parents or the very hard work they have done to give you the best start they can in life. That is a responsibility I carry every day.

But I can’t help thinking about the loaves and the fishes, and wondering what might happen if those of us with a bit more food in our pantry were willing to throw some of what we have into the baskets as they get passed around. I have many hopes for you – I want you to be happy, I want you to be great partners, I want you to find fulfilling roles in life, and as you have heard me tell you many many times, I want you to be good men, and by my definition of that term, being a good man, in your circumstances, includes being conscious of your privilege and trying to do something to help others who have not been as lucky as you.

But maybe there are things we can do to help those in our world who need help. I know you can do that and during your time here you have already done so with your fundraising activities and Interact clubs and causes that you take on. But I hope that you, conscious of your privilege, will always reach out to those who are less fortunate in our society and help to give them a leg up and will do what you can to use your privilege for good. Giving away everything you have is probably a bit extreme, but perhaps – when you have the opportunity to do so – you will think about helping others who are not as fortunate as you by giving them a hand.

And as a school which is urging you to think that way, we need to do something about that too. For some time now I and other leaders in the School have been speaking with our School Council about a project which would see us offer a number of means-tested scholarships to students who would not otherwise be able to attend the School. I cannot change the economic or political foundations upon which our society is based – except through education. We believe that education has the power to transform lives, and perhaps our version of sharing some bread and fish is being able to offer a Camberwell Grammar education to people who could simply not afford to come here without a hand up. We think that we can make a very real difference to people in that way, and we also think that our students and our community will be enriched if we can do that. We can tackle social and economic inequality through education, and all of us will be richer as a result.

And perhaps someday we will come to you and ask you to join us in that vision. Not today, but maybe someday. And I hope that if you do have the opportunity to help those in our community who need it, then you will remember the lessons you learnt at school and that you will grab that opportunity and make it count. I know that burden of making the world a better place is a heavy one, and I know that you can’t do it by yourself, but if you can contribute to the greater social good, then I think your education will have been successful and we will have succeeded in our goals.

As you approach your final examinations and the end of your school careers, remember the words of Jeremiah. The Lord has plans for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope, and a future in which you will be safe. Know that Camberwell Grammar will always be a safe place for you. We have watched you grow and mature over many years, and you have done many amazing things, and battled big battles. Now it is time for you to leave. Of all the things you learnt – and you have learnt many things academic, musical, dramatic, artistic, sporting, and in leadership – of all those things, it is my hope that the lessons you take with you include the importance and value of kindness, the necessity for you to be gentle, loving men, partners, and parents, and that you always remember the responsibility you have to contribute in positive ways to the world. Know that there will always be a place here for you at Camberwell Grammar School. You commence the next part of your life journey with great advantages – make the most of them and make us all proud.

Spectemur Agendo.