Captains’ Corner | Vice Captains, Luke Ames & Oliver Casey-Ryan

Within the present day, we as humans tend to crave busy, bustling lifestyles. We tailor our lives to be ever so jam-packed with things like meetings, social media and everything in between. Sometimes at Terrace, it is true that life as a student is often hectic. Often, the importance of deadlines and school bells gets in the way of what really matters. But as we sit back and soak in the reality that our days at this great place are numbered, and the final sporting and cultural events have already passed over the horizon, we realise that our most significant takeaway from this place will not be the B+ in Chemistry, or how well we could play Cricket in Year 7. What we will miss most is that sense of belonging, a true connectedness and a sense of immense appreciation toward the Terrace Family that made this place our home.

When we first stepped inside the hallowed Rogers Street gates, it is fair to say that what made this place so special was the materialistic things; the academic medals, the sporting trophies, the opportunity to wear the red and black tie was what entranced the wide-eyed Terrace students walking into the College for the first time. Now, as we prepare to walk out the gates for our final time as Terrace students, our whole perspective on what it means to be a Terracian has changed. While at the start, the true grandeur of the halls was what appealed to us. We were just happy to be there, to be at a school where we were almost guaranteed good marks and spoonfed an array of other co-curricular and holistic experiences. Now, as we prepare to depart the College for the last time as students, looking back, it is fair to say that the most important thing about this place was who we chose to walk these halls with.

The last eight years have been the time of our lives, but it is an experience that we have found truly special due to the men around us who have answered the call. Answering the call to early morning Rowing sessions, getting lost together on the first day or the hilarious small talk at lunch. It has been a privilege to walk through the gates with the 240 men that will make up the 2021 Seniors, and it is a surreal feeling to think that we may do it for the final time in a couple of weeks. It has been a privilege to Answer the Call alongside them. To all other Terrace students, enjoy answering your Terrace call just as much as we have, and may the years that follow be filled with many red and black memories.