Good evening fellow graduates of 2009, staff, students, parents, visitors and care givers, welcome to St Thomas' prize giving '09.

I remember nearly a whole year ago to the day when, I walked up this stage to be handed over the honorable role of being Head Boy of this fine catholic school. As I walked up the stairs I remember hearing a lady say "are they going to make him cut his hair?" and the answer to that was NO!! What is special and important about our school is the fact that it allows us to be individuals. Yes it does teach us to be proud of who we are, where we have come from and what we represent, but there's 6 billion people on this earth, we can't have all the same hair cut can we?!! J A wise man on this stage once said "it's not what is on the head that counts, it's what goes on underneath that is what is important" but now my time has finished here, and I am about to undergo a whole new journey within our world, but not forgetting the huge impact St Thomas' has, and always will have on my life.

St Thomas' is renowned for the way we achieve in all areas of the school life, and this year has been no exception. We have seen some significant triumphs for the school in all areas. Our football team qualified for nationals for the first time since 1993 beating teams such as St Beads, Christ College and Timaru Boys High to get there, the rowing squad won their1^st silver at the Maadi cup (National competition) racking up a bunch of gold's in their South Island Tournaments on their way, and our senior Volleyball team won the South Island competition, as well as being a Canterbury Division one Team for the first time in our schooling history. On the academic side of things we were robbed in Bishop Lyons being placed 4^th over all, but our Young Enterprise team has represented us extremely well, with being awarded one of the top awards, in Auckland tonight for their efforts. We are also seeing developments in all areas of the school, our housing system is getting more and more competitive, our H.I.P committee is actively involved around the school making sure our St Thomas men are eating healthy, our student council is hearing us out, in what we believe we need around the school, with great new seating for the school grounds etc. and lastly, but not least our Edmund Rice group is making some excellent development in the areas of justice.

Throughout my five years here at St Thomas' I have been put through the grueling processes of becoming a true St Thomas' Gentleman. We are a unique bunch and are in high demand from our opposite sex, they just haven't realized this yet as they are still figuring out what a real man is! We are not cocky and as "raw" as others, but yet are proud and humble of our achievements. We aren't as robust as the country boys you find in the midst of our heart land but yet still have our manly appearance with our ruggish good looks. We are not as posh and elegant as those from an upper class upbringing but yet understand the importance of communication in a relationship rather then what money can buy.

We are genuine, proud, well-mannered young Catholic men with a solid set of values and an awareness of our earth and the ones we share it with, as well as a cheeky side to boot! This is all the result of the valuable teachers who have taught us, the fellow boys who have grown alongside us, the management team who have guided us and the parents who never once doubted the young talented men we would become. 

Throughout my time here I have become wiser in the way I look at life and now appreciate so much more my education, material items and those that are close to me. We are living in a world, which is loosing its set of values and is instead growing with greed, becoming more and more selfish instead of selfless, and forgetting about those who cannot look after nor speak for themselves. We are seeing a steady growth in crime, racial discrimination and poverty, raising questions in our society. My eyes were opened, even more so, to this when I was part of the team, Marty Taylor and Cathy Harrison took to India in 2007/08.  If your son ever has the opportunity to do this trip, encourage them to grab it with both hands, as they will learn more about life than they ever will within our safe shores of N.Z

There are a lot of things I don't understand that is happening around me with racism and why each race finds it hard to like one another...why young ones turn to gangs to feel wanted and needed? And then they turn to crime to survive.... if your strong enough you wouldn't need a gang to hide behind.  I don't understand how we can get away with immoral things and don't expect to face up to consequences, or how we blame others for circumstances for what they have done.  We are in control of our own life and destiny and we need to face life front on. ............ We face every day with the challenge of making choices and decisions that can and, will affect ourselves as well as the people around us, be it, our enemies, friends, family or people we don't even know. The choices we make are the things that really mold us into what we become and only we can choose what path we take and what the next day will bring to us. What helps us in our development during our journeys in life is the people around us. We learn so much from people we value and place high on the podium in our eyes, be that of our friends, parents, teachers or personal hero's. We all have someone we admire as role models and hope to aspire to one day. What is special and significant about St Thomas' is that each student here is guided and taught a strong set of values that will forever remain with us during his life time. He is taught the importance of caring and appreciating the human race and the planet we walk on.

Restorative Justice goes hand in hand with St Thomas', its values and its outlook on justice in our world, showing the importance of knowing the whole situation before we make a rash judgment. In today's society we are easily misled by what the media tells us, and we make wrong decisions and opinions with only half the information gathered. It is important to not let our own stubbornness or arrogance block us from searching or accepting the truth, be there is one.

It is of the most, highest importance that justice is the winner in any given situation; this is why St Thomas' has its very own group dedicated to identifying issues that could and will affect this dimension of our school. Edmund rice is an elite group that is still in its development stages but is rapidly growing to become a significant part of our school image. It based on seeking social and environmental justice, not just within our school community but reaching to those in need. It has developed a new opportunity of allowing our boys to be exposed to some of the real hardships in life, with a trip to Brisbane at the end of November.

I came to this school knowing hardly any one in my year; I was shy, quiet and socialized only through my sports. But half way through my first rugby season I was dealt a knee injury that put me out for half a year, an event that although at the time was extremely annoying, turned out to be a crucial point in me making the most of the rest of what St Thomas' has to offer.

I now leave this school with a close to perfect knee, leadership skills that will guide me, a group of new brothers that will stand by me, the acquired skills to face this daunting world in front of us, values that will allow me to make the right decisions, an education that will get me through, the communication skills to deal with all sorts of situations and the memories that will never be forgotten.

I always said when I leave this chapter of my life; I will leave my infamous dreads behind.  Next year I intend to have a "gap year" and follow my passion for caring for the less fortunate, which involves heading to Africa or East Timor to volunteer 9 months of my time to work within the Edmond Rice Group. So, on the last day of school I intend to shave my head and raise coins for Africa, to go towards one of our fellow Edmund rice schools. This has been a regular fundraiser for the school for a few years now so with the help from you and other fellow students I hope that you will support this by donating any money  you have spare in your pocket on Friday. You even have the possibility of buying a dread for $10 each, a good price for something that has taken 3 and half years to grow and perfect.

I wish all my fellow brothers the very best of luck in their new exciting journeys ahead, be whatever path they have chosen to take. I look forward to seeing the impact they will have on this world and the promising futures they have ahead of them. I would also like to use this time to thank every one who has guided the fellow graduates on this stage and the effort they have put in behind the scenes to get us where we are today.

A St Thomas' son I am and shall remain

God bless and thank you.

Joshua Maclean

College Captain 2009