Principal's Foreword

Each team needed to bag a deer, pig, rabbit, hare, possum, goat and a blue cod to complete the challenge. A tall order on any day of the week. The excitement was evident and similar to that seen at the opening of duck shooting. Teams headed inland to the valleys and peaks, and offshore to plan their strategy for the competition. At the conclusion of the weekend, Boarding Director Drew Campbell had the game professionally butchered. I am sure a hearty and eclectic meal will follow on the night of the boarders' Wild Food celebration at the end of the term. Congratulations to the many parents and supporters who provided a safe and meaningful opportunity for the boys to honour Toby's memory - he would have been in his element.

Michele Rodger, HOD Year 7 and 8, recently led a motivated group of junior students to the Tournament of Minds regional competition where they won the Arts Division of the Intermediate Section. We wish them well when they fly north to the Nationals in Wellington in pursuit of higher honours and congratulate them on their ability to think dynamically and strategically.

Tournament Week was highly successful with approximately 150 boys representing the college in events held all over New Zealand. Although curriculum programmes are disrupted, the opportunity to test ourselves nationally is a valuable one. Many wins and losses were experienced, and I am sure the boys are better for it. Now is the time to convert all of that energy and strategic thinking into classroom work and exam preparation so you might like to reiterate that at home.

The JMC Senior Theatresports team consisting of Stewart Ashton, Ben Porter, Martin Page, Tama Anthony-Whigham and Ezekiel Nielsen recently won the Otago Schools Theatresports Competition. Bravery, courage, wit, creativity and self-expression are all hallmarks of the team. We are sure they will do well when they represent the college at the South Island Championships in Christchurch this weekend. The Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Competition awards are already in our trophy cabinet.

We are hoping for a great day on Saturday for the annual College Fete. I look forward to seeing you there and want to thank you in advance, for your contribution to our major fundraiser of the year.  It is our community spirit which underpins the boys' successes and opportunities.

As parents, our job is to raise our children to be fully functional, independent adults. An enormous task. These days, boys bear an unprecedented amount of social scrutiny and intrusion into their lives and, understandably, parents hold concerns for the pressure they are under. We hope that while at McGlashan, boys learn to form trusting and successful relationships with people within our community. Isolation often leads to depression and anxiety, so let's continue to build a support network around our boys so that they learn to navigate within a safe environment. Allow them the freedom to make mistakes, learn from them, and gain the resilience needed to carry them into adulthood.

All the best for well-earned October break.