The Oxley Update - Term 3, Week 10

Key Dates for the Week Ahead

College News

From the Head of College - a Graduation Reflection

It’s an honour to welcome you all to Year 12 Graduation 2025. Welcome to Ms Carol Berry MP, the Member for Whitlam, Mrs Judy Hannan MP member for Wollondilly, our Chair of the Board of Governors, Mrs Jane Crowley, Board of Governors, staff and other distinguished guests.

To our parents, carers, grandparents, siblings, other family members and friends – congratulations and thank you.

And most importantly, to Year 12 - this is your day.

In a little while, you’ll walk up those steps toward me and we’ll shake hands - just like we have many times before. Next time we meet and shake hands again, you’ll be an Oxley alumnus. As we say, once an Oxleyan, always an Oxleyan. And as you move beyond these gates of Oxley that is an identity you will take with you everywhere you go. You will also carry with you other important things too, the people you met, the experiences you had and importantly the values you have learnt, that have been shaped by your Oxley journey.

A few of you began that journey in Kindergarten - you’re only the second cohort to do so. In a way, you represent Oxley’s growth as a College, which makes us tremendously proud. But whenever your Oxley journey began, we are equally as proud, and you have walked it your own way, with many people to support you along the way.

Together, you’ve sat under the Pin Oak tree and watched the seasons change. You’ve taken part in the wide-ranging learning that defines our college - so many opportunities in sport, drama, music, outdoor education, philosophy, academics and more. In all those places, you’ve become part of this community and helped shape it in return.

To me, one of the most moving ways that becomes visible - or should I say ‘audible’ - is when you sing the school song.

Don’t worry. I’m not like Mr Bevan and I am not going to sing it solo.

But I will say this: when you sing it at full volume, some with your arms around each other, it carries more than just melody. It carries meaning. It’s a symbol of connection, identity and Oxley’s deep roots.

I’d like to share something of the song itself. I asked Mr Bevan what he remembered, and he kindly reached out to Mr Peter Craig, one of Oxley’s founding staff members and Deputy for many years. As we know he is the namesake of this very place we gather today.

Mr Craig brought the song to Oxley from a school in Africa he worked at. The lyrics resonated with him. They were written for the 1969 film Goodbye, Mr Chips, based on a novel by American writer James Hilton. You might already know it - the story of a schoolteacher reflecting on his life and career - not grand or dramatic, but full of quiet, meaningful moments that show how a person can shape the lives of others.

To Mr Craig back in 1983, when they began singing it, that idea felt right for Oxley. It felt right when Mr Bevan started singing it back in 2001 when he arrived. And it feels right now - even in the age of TikTok, Instagram and songs written by AI and virtual musicians.

When we sing that song, it’s a reflection of what we hope to be - brave and strong and true - and a reminder of where we’ve come from. Oxleyans have sung those same lyrics for more than forty years. Sure, each time, the rendition is slightly different - because of the occasion and the room, but mostly because of the people in the room and the way they sing it.

From tomorrow, you’ll sing in new ways. You’ll join new choirs, workplaces, communities and teams. Some songs will be one-hit wonders - blasted out the car window for a summer and forgotten by the end of autumn. Some songs will get you through a hard winter. Many will instantly take you back to a time and place and stay with you always.

We hope one of those is the Oxley song. Year 12 have a look at those people around you now and when you think of Oxley think of those people, think of that song and be reminded that the gates of Oxley are always open (literally) and think of the people who helped you get to this day.

Thinking about who helped you get here, if you were to line up every one of those people - imagine your first teacher, right here next to me - the line would stretch out of the PCC, down the driveway, out through Burradoo and into the world.

You’d see a member of the maintenance team carefully blowing leaves so your path to the library is clear and calm. Someone in Student Services pointing your parents in the right direction on your first day (or where the clinic has moved too). The team in the canteen preparing your lunch, A teacher at the turning circle on a rainy morning helping you get out of the car or picking you up after an assessment didn’t go quite how you hoped. A senior student cheering as your Year 7 team takes to Governors Field. A peer helping you prep for a speech. All the members of the Board and the P&F, stepping out from behind the scenes. Your mentor and Head of House, reminding you to take a breath. A student or local you met on an international trip. Your junior School buddy.

It’s a long, long line. And it wouldn’t just be the people you remember well now. It would include the ones you’ll remember later - the quiet moments with people that somehow made a difference.

Of course, that long line would include the people sitting beside you and in this room today. Take a moment to have a look around Year 12 – we are all here for you.

As part of preparing for today’s ceremony and tonight’s celebration, I had the chance to speak with each one of you individually. The theme of those conversations turned out to be friendship. You spoke to me about the people you’ve grown alongside, who have met challenges with you.

I heard about the extraordinary opportunities you’ve enjoyed together, out in the wide world, performing under lights, leading assemblies and teams, meeting change-makers, shaping change through service.

Some of your experiences felt more ordinary, but I bet they influence the way you meet challenges in the future. Like finding the study techniques that work for you - which I know you’re really looking forward to next week at study camp.

In those extraordinary and in those everyday moments, you stood with your friends and fellows, and sometimes you sang about filling the world with love.

No-one knows who you’ll sing with in the future or which songs you’ll belt out raucously. But we know you’re ready. You’re more than ready.

As you step forward this morning on the next part of your journey and look to the sunshine, you already carry with you everything you need to continue to be brave, strong and true.

Congratulations, Year 12. It has been a privilege to be part of your Oxley story.

Thank you.

Whole School News

Senior School News

Senior School Update

Final Outback Information for Parents

Year 11 Parents are asked to carefully read the information below for final information relating to the Outback trip. This information can also be found on the Year 11 Oxley Connect page.

FINAL OUTBACK INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

Ngununggula Landscape Prize 2025

Senior School students are invited to enter the Ngununggula Landscape Prize for 2025. Please note that submissions must be on A3 paper, and should be handed in to Ms Aitkin by Saturday 25 October.

GERRIC Student Programs: January School Holidays

The GERRIC Student Programs for 2026 have just been announced! These programs run during school holidays and are designed for gifted students who want more challenge - and fun - beyond the classroom.

The Senior Program (Years 7-10) will run at UNSW Kensington from 20-22 January 2026; programs for Senior School students include the following, and more:

Studying Mathematics in Ancient Egyptian Scribe School

Designing for VR

Brain Hacks: Learning with Cognitive Neuroscience

How Machines Think (and Sometimes Fail): Inside the Brain of AI

The Laws of Thought: Logic, Philosophy, and Mathematics

Your child needs to meet the academic entry criteria, and general ticket sales open on 29th September. Further information can be found on the website here.

Senior Productions 2026

The cast lists have been posted today for Rosencrantz & Guildenstern and Lord of the Flies. The talent on display was high and students went the extra mile in preparing for the auditions, with many presenting polished, learned characterisations.

We encourage students who are disappointed or have missed out this time to continue to put themselves forward as opportunities to be a part of productions or extra-curricular drama competitions arise.

For students who have been offered a role, please families read the rehearsal schedules and contracts carefully before accepting their role.

If you have any questions, you can contact Phil Cunich for R&G and Katrine Pascoe for LOTF.

NSW Health School Holiday Catch -Up Vaccination Clinics

The South Western Sydney Local Health District is offering catch-up vaccination clinics during the upcoming school holidays. You’ll find all the details in the flyers below.

Please note: The College will also be holding a catch-up vaccination day on Monday, 10 November. The clinics during the holidays are simply an additional option for families who would prefer to have vaccinations done outside of school hours

The Oxley Update - Term 3, Week 10