Letter from the Editor

CASSIE TWEMLOW | Editor

We’re often told never look back—you’re not going that way; it might distract you from the now. After all, if Cinderella had returned to retrieve her shoe she would not have become a princess.

And there is logic in these opinions. But sometimes, looking back, and taking stock what has happened and how it has affected our lives can teach us how to deal with the disasters and disruptions which seem to be more common and coming at us faster than ever before.

In the last 24 months we’ve seen COVID-19 cases exceed 500 million worldwide (and that’s probably a conservative estimate); the Russo–Ukraine conflict unfold; appalling acts of violence causing suffering and displacement in many parts of the world; extraordinary weather events impacting millions of people worldwide and locally;... and all these events have had consequences which affect every part of our lives. Our emotions are unbalanced, our finances appear insecure and there is a sense that the future is perilously uncertain. We are all longing for a period of stable and normal life.

We may never return to pre-2020 ‘normal’ but we have seen that kindness, camaraderie and generosity can help keep us balanced.

Our College community is working hard to offer security and a comforting routine to all within our influence. In this regard, this year we have welcomed a number of new staff and students to St Peters, we are progressing with our expansion works, and we encourage our pupils and staff to roam our lovely campus in safety and relatively carefree.

Ironbark, Open Day, P&F workshops, music events, and the like, have gone ahead with little, if any disruption from external impacts. Sport, on the other hand, suffered in Term 2 no thanks to floods and constant rain with fields and courts being continually washed out (or completely away). And with the rain comes humidity…and mould, which is an ongoing battle in itself!

For those in our own community who have been displaced in your own way—illness, weather, economy, spiritually—we are here to support you. One of the most impressive elements of our St Peters community is that people are always willing to reach out and help one another, as we can see in a number of articles in this edition of Plus Ultra. Service learning is our ethos and we want to share that with you and offer it to support you in your daily life.

Take care and look after yourselves and your neighbours.