Striving for excellence

By Mr Brad Cooney, Deputy Principal, Head of Secondary School

Welcome to Term 3! The College has been a hive of activity over the past fortnight as highlighted in this and the previous edition of the Bulletin. Having proofread the Learning Summaries prior to the conclusion of Term 2, I am really impressed by the number of students whose co-curricular involvement and participation in our Service Learning program has been acknowledged and celebrated. Our students can be justifiably proud of their efforts over the course of Semester One in the Academic and Co-curricular fields. We can be particularly proud of our Year 12 students whose work in producing the Year 12 Revue for 2024 was of a very high calibre, a credit to the Year 12 students, Mr Brett Lamson, Head of Year 12 and Mr Nick Akhurst, Head of Co-curricular Drama, Dance and Technical Theatre. Many hours of work and rehearsals ensured the success of this year’s revue.

The student organisers of the 2024 Dirrum Dirrum Festival, that will be held on Saturday 17 August in the Mackinnon Senior School at Radford College, have chosen the theme for this year’s festival in response to a key component of the Uluru Statement from the Heart: “Makarrata is the culmination of our agenda: the coming together after a struggle. It captures our aspirations for a fair and truthful relationship with the people of Australia and a better future for our children based on justice and self-determination. We seek a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history.”

We are grateful to Councillors from the East Arnhem Regional Council who have given us permission to use the Yolngu Matha word Makarrata as our theme. In choosing this theme we acknowledge the unfinished work of implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart and its call for Truth, Treaty and Voice. We are also drawn to the word Makarrata due to its promise of hope and a way forward amid struggle in a range of personal and political contexts.

I encourage you to come along to the Dirrum Dirrum Festival and hear from a distinguished list of guest speakers on the theme of Makarrata. This festival is a student led initiative at Radford and I would like to acknowledge the organisation of our student committee and in particular pay tribute to Rev. Dr Katherine Rainger for her expert oversight of the festival.

In Secondary School staffing news, we welcome Mrs Jane Smith to the role of Assistant Principal – Student Engagement. Mrs Smith is a highly experienced leader in student well-being, with her most recent appointments in the Secondary School as Head of Student Support and Enrichment and Head of Transition. Jane is already well known by many of our students and families.

Mr Jason Golding has been appointed to the role of Acting Assistant Principal – Curriculum for Semester Two. Jason is well known to the Radford community as our Head of the English Department. On behalf of all members of the Radford community, I welcome Mrs Smith and Mr Golding to their new leadership roles and wish them every success as they continue to accompany our Secondary School students on their learning journey.

This term, let us strive for excellence in everything we do – from academics to co-curricular activities, from personal growth to community engagement. Let us work together as a team, supporting and uplifting one another along the way.

I encourage our students to set ambitious goals for this semester, challenge their limits and to never settle for anything less than their personal best.

As we begin this new semester, let us embrace change, welcome new opportunities, and continue to uphold the values of truth, compassion and wisdom that define our school community. Together, we can make this semester a memorable and successful one.