Editorial

From the Editors

The 2019 Mazenodian editorial opened with a reflection upon change, as we pondered the leadership restructure that had occurred in the College. How were we to know that far choppier waters than a change in Principalship were ahead of us in 2020? In the current times of facemasks, temperature checks, social distancing and curfews, 2019 seems like a utopian paradise. Margaret Atwood suggests in The Handmaid’s Tale, “we thought we had such problems. How were we to know that we were happy?” And yet, while 2020 has certainly felt like a dystopian nightmare at times, with the benefit of hindsight, we have also learnt to show great endurance and to “be grateful for the ordinary days … hindsight makes them quite magical” (Leigh Sales)

As a College, staff and students alike embraced the buzzwords of 2020 as these ‘unprecedented’ times, caused us to ‘pivot’ to new teaching methods. There were undoubtedly hardships for students with cancelled events, unruly hair, new technology and home learning routines to establish. It was equally difficult for staff as we adapted to remote learning, rewrote assessment schedules and had to remember to complete the roll before the infamous reminder email was sent. Students longed for an ‘in person’ catch up with their friends and staff longed for a corridor debrief with their colleagues. The Year 12 students battled the loss of the cafeteria and their privilege of the microwave and sandwich toaster, while the staffroom was devoid of the usual lunchtime activities: a Bay 13 quiz, shared treats from Paddy Lambert or Paulette Weegberg, birthday morning teas went uncelebrated and the couch was bereft of the usual Baby Boomer versus Gen Y debate. However, we all embraced the short commute to our desks, rewrote the assessment timeline for the seventh time, replaced the tie or high heels with our best activewear and adhered to the advice of Nemo to “keep on swimming”, with a new appreciation and gratitude for the ordinary, yet magical days.

On behalf of the Editorial team, I extend our thanks to the many people who have assisted in the 2020 publication. Our appreciation goes to Tony Rolfe and Merry De La Zilwa, who are always in the right place at the right time to capture the perfect photo. Congratulations to Roque Rosario, who drove the initiative of collating the Year 12 quotes and to Dylan Peiris who collated the student leadership reports. Barath Suresh continued the tradition of students designing the front cover, of which we are appreciative and we give thanks to all the students who contributed to writing a majority of the Mazenodian reports. Our Art students have again produced beautiful pieces and we thank the Art Faculty for their assistance with collation, layout and design. Finally, it would be remiss of us not to acknowledge the departure of Keely Kelly at the conclusion of 2019. Keely was the driving force behind the artistic graphics and elegant, modern design of the Mazenodian for the last 7 years.

In difficult times, Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s words certainly ring true, “often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune.” We hope that this publication is an accurate reflection of a difficult year, but one that has also brought valuable lessons and new appreciations. We eagerly farewell 2020, embrace the lessons learned and welcome the positivity that 2021 will bring.

Adrian De Fanti and Clare Caldwell Designed and produced by Lynne Hawksworth Printed by NEO