Dear members of the Mount Lilydale Mercy College community
There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat
— Brutus to Cassius: Act 4 Scene 3, Julius Caesar
Consider that a ship often needs high tide to either enter or leave a port. One cannot control the tides, so it is either a case of waiting for the tides or using them once the opportunity arises.
This metaphor also delivers the interplay between free will and fate. There are certain things that can be controlled and others that cannot. We must have the insight to recognise opportunity, seize it before the opportunity is lost.
“Man looks in the abyss and there is nothing staring back at him, at that moment man finds character and that is what keeps him out of the abyss.”
— Lou Mannheim (Hal Holbrooke) to Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), Wall Street (1987)
I wonder what Lou was actually saying to Bud. An abyss is a deep empty, bottomless space, a cavity or vast chasm. It is also anything profound or something unfathomable.
In this time of our lives are we looking into the abyss and is it time to find character? On the contrary, for our students this is a time of great opportunity. Just because something is hard that does not mean it should not be done. Perspective and outlook is everything.
We are now in Stage 4 restrictions with only very limited travel. We have resumed a full remote learning model. There is much we do not know. At MLMC we are continually asking questions like: ‘How will we organise the Night of Excellence, end of year exams, Graduation and dances and formals?’
And the answer is: “I simply do not know”. For a person who likes to control their environment, this is hard to accept, but accept it we must. Like the tides, there are many things we cannot control and must accept. But, like the tide, we must see this as a time of great opportunity and like the ship entering the harbour, use it to advantage.
For students, and particularly our senior students, this is a time of great opportunity and a time to achieve those same academic goals that were set at the start of the year or the end of last year. Now is not the time to worry about what might happen, but rather use the time and the gift that is being provided to them to use. In many ways distractions have been removed. You cannot visit family, you cannot go to parties, you cannot go shopping, you cannot do a lot of things.
Think about what you can do. You can enjoy family time. You can stay in contact with friends on social media and you can concentrate on your studies.
Now is the time for students to concentrate on the goals that were set. Now is the time to find that character that Lou told Bud about, and now is the time to seize the opportunity that Brutus spoke of to Cassius.
The whole College is here to support each and every student to be their best and give their best.
Annual Report to the College community
Each year about this time, the College is required to produce an Annual Report to the College community. This is done to meet compliance and registration protocols and so the format is fairly regulated, but at the same time it is a report of interest and worth reading. We no longer produce hard copies of this report but instead you will find it through this link https://www.mlmc.vic.edu.au/about-us/annual-report
Prayers
Many in our community are struggling at this time through loss of jobs, hard economic times or isolation. All are in our prayers, particularly those who grieve the loss of family. Let us pray for Valmai Elizabeth Spring, aged 88. Mother in law to Richard Wicks (staff member) and grandmother to Emily (Year 11), Sam (Year 9), Amy and Kate (Year 8). May Valmai rest in peace and join with our Father in Heaven.
God bless
Philip A Morison
Principal
