Captains' Corner | Charlie Gaspar, College Vice Captain
Last week, my fellow Captains and I made our final addresses to the College. Each of our speeches was unique to our character, reflecting who we are. Apologies to those who sat through my speech and have thus already heard what follows, but I would like to share these words with the College community:
I have wanted to study medicine and become a doctor for nearly my whole life, and a large part of this aspiration can be attributed to a love for learning new things instilled in me at Terrace. This year, more than ever, I have been shown the importance of growing and learning not only as a leader but also as a person. Whether it is Mr Cuddihy’s Barbeque Masterclass titled ‘If it’s Smoking, it’s Burning’ or a patron’s unbelievable story at the Eddie’s Van; everything you open your mind up to will leave some kind of impact and subsequently shape the thoughts, ideas and values that make you, you.
With that, I would like to share the story of a Year 6 student that I have connected with as a Vice Captain and the lesson he has taught me.
Louie Harris was first introduced to me by his Senior Buddy and my good friend, Alex Richards. At such a young age, he is already more intelligent than most of the top Year 12s – his mind moves at 100km/h, each day bringing a new string of ideas he has been working on. While I found it difficult to keep up with the complexity of our conversations, one thing stood out to me: his curiosity. Louie leaves no stone unturned and continuously pushes the limits of his mind, unsatisfied with what has been said until he can fully comprehend it.
At a school like Terrace, you will have lots of people telling you to do things: teachers feeding you lines for an essay or solutions to questions, parents directing you towards certain extracurricular activities, and even Vice Captains standing on stage and trying to share their parting wisdom. It is incredibly easy to follow the crowd and let these things direct you somewhere away from who you are.
I encourage you to challenge these directions, especially what I tell you now. That’s not to say, be dismissive and disrespectful, but apply your curiosities and think critically about what is being presented to you. Leave no stone unturned.
As I promised to keep it short, I will end it here after a few votes of thanks. Firstly, to the CLT, you have been amazing mentors throughout an amazing final year. Your guidance has been critical in the success of all that we have endeavoured, and I thank you for that. To my family in Reidy B, I’ve known some of you for a very short time and others since the day I started, but each year never fails to bring a new level of belonging unmatched by anywhere else in the school. In particular, thank you to Mrs Hart and Rio.
Finally, to the lads in white shirts, particularly those behind me and my close friends in the crowd, while we have our biggest task yet to come, we have already experienced a lifetime together. I wouldn’t want it with anyone else.
Terrace 2024
Carry the Crest.