Captains’ Corner | Vice Captain, James Hurst

A quick disclaimer: a number of events have occurred this week, so this Captains' Corner might be quite long.

When I started writing this Captains' Corner, I was sitting inside sheltering from the rain on Friday afternoon. I was looking forward to my debate, and everything seemed to be blissful. Then I turned to my friend; he was staring at his phone with a look of horror on his face. The Christchurch terror attacks had just occurred. Over the next few hours, as more details emerged, my stomach sunk further than I thought it ever could. The brutality and callousness that was exhibited that day was haunting. 

Let us be clear, hate has no place at Terrace. I ask any person who sees any hint of hate like that in the Terrace community for them to call it out. To the victims of Christchurch, we are sorry.

In response to this, today students gathered in the Campbell Centre to show their support for harmony and respect, to make a small gesture and show our solidarity with those in Christchurch.

After Friday, it seemed any other activities were insignificant, yet Terrace carried on. The 1st XI Cricket unfortunately lost their game against top-ranked TSS.  The Volleyballers defeated Nudgee and the Senior A defeated TSS. However, possibly most exciting was the Head of the River.

It would be remiss of me if I did not mention the amazing work done by our rowers at Wyaralong. Notably, our 1st VIII came second and Terrace came second overall. For the Seniors, this marks the last time they will pick up an oar as a Terracian. It was an emotional time. In the hours after the conclusion of the event, an outpouring of Facebook posts, Snapchat stories and Instagram photos told me that this meant a lot to the shed. 

Despite Saturday’s successes, many of the rowers walked in on Monday downtrodden and sullen. I asked one of them, why? He told me that the last three months and Saturday were some of the best times of his life. He had built a home at Terrace, somewhere he belonged, somewhere he was accepted, and somewhere he enjoyed attending. And that was it; he walked off. He wasn’t sullen because he hadn’t done as well as he wanted, or because he was too tired from all the training. He was sad because it was over. For close to five years, the early mornings, the calluses and training had all been worth it, because it was for Terrace. Now, he has done his bit, and leaving is going to be all the more difficult. To all those rowers who concluded their rowing at Terrace, thank you for what you have done, the College is in a better place because of it.

For the rest of my Captains' Corner, I am going to be talking about next Friday’s Senior A debate against Churchie. This is the greatest opportunity for a premiership in any sport for years. If we win that debate, the Senior A will be premiers and I am calling for all students to attend and support.

The first time I saw a debate was in 2013. One of the Vice Captains that year was a man by the name of Henry Bretz and he was in the Senior A. I vividly remember him coming up to talk to me and asking if I would be coming out to support the Senior A against Grammar that Friday. Henry was not someone you said ‘no’ to. That Friday, I dutifully walked into the Campbell Centre to see row upon row of Terrace students packing the Campbell Centre. I was shocked, this was not an entertaining rugby match or a rowdy volleyball game, this was a debate. Yet that didn’t matter to the Terrace supporters; they turned up because they wanted to support their mates. We lost the debate that night but seeing the amount of Terrace support spawned a lifelong love of this school. I have experienced few Friday nights that are as good as that one.

So, I am going to call the Terrace Family to action. Instead of procrastinating on Fortnite or watching TV next Friday, I urge every student to come to the Campbell Centre at 7.15pm to attend this debate. I enjoyed it when I first went six years ago, so I am sure anyone who turns up will remember it for years to come. To parents who might be reading this, please encourage your sons to come out, it is an event not to be missed.