Dean of Identity | Mr Charles Brauer

Our Terrace Stella Fellas

The following is a message from Ben Clark, Tom Dearlove, Tom Waldie and Alex Rice - our Year 11 Edmund Rice Advocacy students who are leading our College’s response to promoting Respectful Relationships.

Recently, seven Year 11s participated in a Social Justice Forum at Lourdes Hill, which focused on the issue of domestic violence.
One in three Australian women will experience some form of domestic violence in their lifetime, and for those who do, 9 in 10 will not report the incident. Violence against women and their children has a profound and long-term effect, on the victims physical and mental health and wellbeing, and has a flow on effect on their families and communities, and on society.
It is our innate human nature from when we are young to show respect for each other. Treating each other the way that we wish to be treated in not only a sign of who we are as a community, but more importantly who each of us are individually as men. Not all forms of abuse are physical. Emotional and psychological abuse are common and can cause as serious long term effects. What we say matters. Every word we use can either lift people up or bring people down.
Being aware of how we talk to each other every day in the yard and in the classroom, always speaking positively to and about each other, being respectful on the sporting field and to others outside the school grounds, not be a bystander when you hear people speaking disrespectfully, especially about women.
True Terrace Gentlemen always stand up for what is right – stepping up when we hear gender stereotypes being thrown around among friends and not making excuses like “Oh it’s just boys being boys” when we hear others speaking inappropriately about women.
At the end of the Social Justice Forum last week, the Terrace students had the opportunity to speak to Jason Demetriou, a member of the Broncos coaching team, who being a father, further highlighted the importance of being a gentleman and respecting women. He wisely used the quote; “Being male is a matter of birth, being a man is a matter of age, being a gentleman is a matter of choice”.
As a Terrace Family we stand together against all forms of abuse. We are committed to being men of honour and humility, treating everyone, both men and women, with respect and dignity.

This Friday at lunchtime we will be holding a special rugby Gorilla Gathering in line with our theme of Respectful Relationships. Each student at this gathering, including Gregory the Gorilla and others, will be wearing our special bow ties to show that we really are Stella Fellas – that we stand united as a community as true Terrace Gentlemen – that we know the importance of respecting each other, but especially women, and that we will not be bystanders; that we will speak up and be men of action when we are called to do so.

The Good News of Terrace – Our Year 5s exploring Positive Friendships and Models of Charity through the stories of Jesus and Edmund Rice.