By Mrs Vicki Williams, Chair of the Board

Another busy end to the school year as we close out the celebrations of our 40^th anniversary as Radford College.

Following on from the opening of the Collegians Centre and the Boorer Family Cricket Centre earlier in the year, we wrapped up the ceremonial openings by honouring the Baker family’s contribution to Radford over many years with the opening of the Baker Family Sports Precinct on Thursday evening last week.

Two members of our UC Capitals Basketball team and Australian Opals – Jade Melbourne and Chantel Horvat – herself a Collegian – joined us to officially open the Precinct. It represents the culmination of vision and dedication from many, including Steve Baker, his late wife Rachel, Mariana Galinec, and the Baker family. This facility encompasses the multi-sports courts and the tennis courts and is a space that will inspire future generations of students, fostering both sporting excellence and community connection. It was great to see many current and former members of the Radford community in attendance to celebrate the Baker family’s contribution to our school.

At the beginning of the term, we also commemorated the contribution of our longest serving member of our teaching staff, Mr Boyd Gibson, with the naming of the newest addition to our rowing fleet. It was a beautiful ceremony at the rowing shed on Lake Burley Griffin and a wonderful recognition of Boyd’s commitment and time at the College.

Last week saw the Class of 2024 graduate at Llewellyn Hall. It is always an honour to attend this ceremony as it is such an important moment for the students, families, and staff. Everyone comes together and celebrates the cohort’s achievements and the resilience and hard work that have made them successful.

The ceremony was filled with speeches and memories that captured the spirit of the Class of 2024, none more so than by the year’s Valedictorian Will Pak Poy. An excerpt from his speech:

”They say home is where the heart is, and for the past fourteen years, my heart and my home has been here with all of you. Not just in the red-bricked buildings and classrooms, but in the many moments we’ve all shared together, and the memories that stem from them. For what makes a home isn’t the walls, or the roof. It’s all about what lives inside, and how it makes you feel. Class of 2024, thank you for building a home where each and every one of us can feel safe, supported, and embraced by our collective warmth, no matter what our differences are.”

I think that beautifully encapsulates the time our students spend at Radford and the community spirit which is very much part of our fabric.

In my final message to the community for 2024 I would like to acknowledge some Executive staff members that will farewell our College in early 2025. Maybe not seen by many of you outside of the College staff, our Chief Operating Officer, Mr David Perceval will leave us in early January after five years of committed service. The work he does for the College has been integral to its success over his tenure and I thank him on behalf of the Board for the many hours of work for the Board and its Committees, and ensuring our College operations run so seamlessly.

As I advised last week, the Interim Principal Mr Andy Gordon will be taking on the Foundation Principal role at the new Stromlo Forest Anglican College in January. We will miss Andy around our College and we are extremely grateful for what he has contributed to Radford over his five years. I look forward to seeing how he shapes the new school in the south and I know he will maintain a deep connection to Radford.

Thank you and go well David and Andy.

I look forward to welcoming our new Principal Mr Christopher Bradbury in January to Canberra and the Radford community. He has already visited several times since his announcement and met many staff, students and families – including at our annual Fete in November with his wife Bernadette and their two children. He commences before the students return to the College and there will be many opportunities to engage with him early in the New Year.

May I wish you all a safe and holy holiday period. Thank you all for choosing Radford and entrusting your child’s educational and spiritual journey with us. I hope to see many of you across the College events in 2025.