Captain’s Corner | Vice Captain, Jack Kimmins

I have been staring, at a blank word document for the past 45 minutes, trying to write this. In this time, I’ve tried to distil almost one-third of my life so far, into one final Captain’s Corner. I have been attempting to encapsulate thousands of periods in the classroom, hundreds of Saturdays at Tennyson and admittedly, two communities in GT125, into a few hundred words.

After finally deciding that a 6000 word essay was an unreasonable length for the newsletter, I am now settled on two messages that I want to give to the Terrace Family before I leave. 'Thank you' and 'good luck'.

First, my message of thanks. There are so many people at this school that have had an impact on my time at Terrace, both student and staff, both present and past. It would be impossible to name them all, but there are a few that stand out. Thank you to Mr Covill, my Tutor, he is an example of the fine men who teach at Terrace. He consistently displayed what it meant to be a good man. Thank you to Michael Wellington, the College Captain of 2013, he provided me with a role model of a leader who always stayed true to himself. His strength of character and kindness are things that I look to embody every day. Thank you to Jenny Ryan, my mother, who has been there beside me every step of the way. She has played more of a hand than any other in my Terrace journey and in my journey towards becoming a man. Her fortitude and devotion to me have allowed me to lead as full a life as possible. Thank you to all those who have inspired, taught, nurtured and supported me, both when I realised it and, more importantly, when I didn’t. You have all contributed to a part of my life that I will remember fondly.

For the boys who are continuing their journey at Terrace, I would encourage you to heed this message. Think about all those who have helped you on your journey, acknowledge them and thank them, it will mean more to them than you could ever know.

Secondly, good luck. As I began to come to terms with the fact that I would be leaving, I started to look around me and wonder about the future of Terrace. The more I looked at the boys in the grades below me, the more I realised Terrace has great years to come. There are so many different talents in the younger students of this school, its future is surely bright. As I leave, I wish good luck to the boys who remain behind. To Jacob, Zach, Tom, Will and Tom, good luck for next year, I know you will do a brilliant job. To the Year 5s of 2018, good luck, I hope the start of your Terrace journey is filled with good times and great friendships. To the Seniors of 2075, good luck, I hope you uphold the values first forged 200 years prior and ensure that they continue for the next 200.

Now, I say goodbye, it has been a privilege and pleasure to be a custodian of this College in 2017. Whilst, the goodbye is bittersweet, I very much look forward to adding one more name to the 18 000 Terracians who have gone before us.