Captains’ Corner | Vice Captain, Oliver Casey-Ryan

If you are an avid reader of the Terrace News, you would be very familiar with our 2021 Senior motto - Answer the Call. Now, this motto, whether you are fond of it or not, can be spun in a variety of ways. For example, in last week’s Captains’ Corner, my fellow Vice Captain (Luke Ames) answered the call and wrote one of the best pieces I have ever read. Seriously, if you have time, give it a read, you will thank me.

Now, back to what I was saying. Each year’s motto is often the result of arduous, strenuous thinking, accompanied by countless hours spent trying to truly encapsulate what the cohort will be defined by in their respective years. What is known as the 'honeymoon period' happened to us as Captains. When it was announced that we were the team selected as your Captains, we got straight into planning, quite literally, everything. The topic of this year’s motto came up, and we thought it was a very big deal – and it is. It is something that the entire College looks to emulate in their behaviour, how they can add their chapter to the rich book of Terrace history.

I will say it was a topic of much contention. One Captain would put a motto forward, and it was either quickly shut down or drawn out, considered, examined, and then eventually shut down. These were the dire times. We were in disarray.  Everything seemed to fall into place in regard to planning – except this one puzzle piece. One evening, it came up over our group chat on messenger. In the heat of much online decision making banter and suggestions, I had been ignoring phone calls from my father – sorry Dad.

After five or so missed calls, I finally picked up, and before I could say anything, he said:

Ollie! What’s going on mate? Why haven’t you been answering my calls?

I would have loved, and I mean loved to have seen the look on his face when his exasperated barrage of questioning was met with a long pause by me, and then, not my best response I will admit:

Sorry Dad, gotta run.

And the rest was history. I put the motto Answer the Call forward to the group, and after a few days of refining, tailoring, and finding out how to best suit the direction of the year, we had settled on it. Since then, Gregory Terrace students have been Answering the Call to volunteer with Eddie’s Van, lend a hand on Open Day, and give it their all in the classroom and on the sporting field. I have been very happy so far this year to see how students have been stepping up to Answer the Call.  The message in the origins of our motto - Answer the Call to the unexpected - you never know when or where you might find inspiration for something great.

Have a great week.