WUiSY COLLNCINTAR WfILDINO FM~ l
APfLAL DIIIRNEID AT XMBOURNE
ON1 22ND * EUMAUB, 1963
IRMA h hePrz Kinisar. the Ut ba. 1. G. fieae
Bir, and ladies and Gentlemen*
It is very seldom that me. enecunters a Chairman
who, is a Professor in Thoo. g in one of Its branches and who
pos mesgs ayour gay sense of humur, Be turn~ s to so, after
really loading me with undserved praise and then he says
* New, you are he" e as an old boy. I want you to " elax. fs
get up and make a speeah.' ( laughter)
Wll Sir, I don't proeto make a very long on*
becauset In the frat place I a whet you have been
say" Iveythi ou sail about rils'wt right. Most of
tg ousi about me were olrih. It was very
deeent of you to sympathise with people like myself for idering
vilaiomas and violent attacks from time to time. I want
to mkte qiteclear that this represents novirtue on my
part. I like them, ( Laughter) The great secret of politics
is to bae a somewhat low blood prelires CA aTtka It
and the result Is that when ;; me. yd vrsa tac n
boome V& y & Az~ yed my blood pressure, becomes normal, ( Laughter)
I find this a singular Odfantage.
Sirs, the great thin that always oases into m
mind en Gag of the" e oeaions is thisl that back In 47
ist af ter the war, at a tim beore Nenxtes and Hiolt and when
hew income tax was very, very high in Austvalia ( Laughter) I
remember saying to myself, ' w will these ret public ; os
survive?' It seemed to se a fair question toput to oneself...
High taxes inevitably ' Nw will these schools which are, bound
to becme moeand more -Iveaasv no" e and more justice Is
dene to teachers and no" e sads are made upon the ptets of
children how can they survival Will we fMn ourselves losing,
will we find ourselves practising that dreadful civic vie of
mifoiity for which we have suck a passion in Australia?'
1 late maiformity. We must have individuliem in our sabools,
in evrthn in our lives if we are to go on, and how are we
going thocontinue. And the great thing that has struck so
year after year, has been that in spite of all the diffiuties
every school I know of has gone on and an and has got biggeran
stronger-, year after year, with waiting lists with parents
nxious to accept the financial burdens in ; orr to get the
advantages for their children. of what awes on In these schOols.
This, I think, is a moderm revolution and I confess to you that
fifteen years ago I did not expect It for one mment, brat I an
delighted to have been wrong.
I remember when I was at Wesley, as obscure a child
as ever went through it5 we had A total poUlation. of about
250 a few fellw like 0ordon Hattam and LmS elleek, they
can correct no but I think I an right about 250, And I remember
that the then eadmstmr, to whom I " efor respectfuy as Dicky
Adeason, saying in that gwrmbling voice of his, not always 60.8
to mW~ rstand, except whe n it was saing something unpleasant,
( laugIrherm) embr h'm " Itrust the school will
never rise beyond 300. That's enough.' And now, what am I told
ths way and that way 960 And of aours. the pric, that you
tfyA developing a school within a limited area or pround
those enormous proportions is that you mast divido, you
must develop the junior school, you mast develop various astect
of the school you must move out and got nov its you u
ereet now buildings and Sir all this, as no doubt we will be
told toni ght, will repr~ esent a challenge in particular to every
old bay of Wesay. A groat chall1enge.
In fact, when I ease In here tonight and looked
around and my wife said to as OHave you ever had to speak at
as big a Dinner as this . in 144zo; or somewhere?' I said, ' Well,
I would doubt It. Maybe ones, I don't know, but I would doubt it. N
But I do may nov that the remarkable thing about this Dinner Is
that you have, 1,000 people he" e who all eawe along quite willingly,
no pressed men all volunteers -you didn't gam along to hear
so you cam ln to have it taken out of you. ( Laughter)
This I think is agnifiest Wb. ver Is the Chairman of the
Appeal financially, I say, " Look at them willing aid anxious."
I thnk tisVi a peat spectacle I can unestanid It in the
case of the Pres= 1era like Myselfg but as for the rest of
you ( Laughter4 It will remain a big mystery. A deep mstery.
Sir I an not ping to keep you, but I want to
say this* Iniid; Zity I referred to It a little wile ap
is of the essene of orideals of public schools and In
particular for our own school. This business of during to be
viseo this business of setting out to achieveo utter intelleal
Integrity and the development of haman character and the Individual
character, this is not just a form of wrds* This is *=* ething
that ean be achieved bF a preat school and lost Or a bad aw
and we & arev ery proud to say 1 k: bak am the record of our
sebsolo that It Sa ay, I us~ 1y that it has sent out
into the vorld in Matralia and a dj W many men vhs have
really achieved intelleetual Integpity, who have really folled
out the motto of the sehool, not in a priggish iny nothing
could be no" s boring; met In a pompous ways nothing could be
no" detestable, but in a simple straightforwrd, manly fashion,
And that is why Wesley is a great school and that really is
why 1,000 people have Oue be tonight to think about it, to
talk about It,, to be talked to about It and I an delighted to
have had the oppeatunty of being one of them. o
I woaqLar what Harold Stewart thought wa he was
sitting in his Reemaster's study ma the lieholas brothers
walked in. This mat be an experienoe that somes to few
boadma sters. Fanq two mo% simle splni people, owing in
and saying, ' Good morning. FWsmater my wetaeast?
And theni sayin " ejut a little trifling matter . we would
like to do someth a the geaftster pricaks up his ears
even Harold 0Stewrt, that wonderful man Who taught 100 threequarters
of what I know even Harold Stewa)' t must have thOUghkt
to himslf, ' Ah. wells perhaps YOU know We Might be able to
build a wing." 1 And out it games. This was a marvelloas thing.
And every old Wesley ellegiaxi was delighted to hear about it*
Bat if I my say so we have perhaps lived too long
am the menwry of it. They were to men we a" e numeered in our
thosns and if we Ow anything to this great schDol, as we
then perhps the tine has come to disob~ r g ame part of the debts
That's how I feel about it. I haven't = eue my emotions into
pem~, sillings and pemee, hwever,, but not doubt with you aid
I will, ( Laughter) in due course. Bat that's the real question
* What are we going to do about It?" and this is not just a matter
of raising money for future developmet, it is a continuing matter
of what I will Gall o" actical pride" in the school . that we handed
on* And, Sir, in that mood and with those words, I would
like everybody to rise anid drink the toast of the school.