I took some time away from my studies to travel when I was in my early 20s.
A bit like the modern ‘gap year,’ it was an attempt to learn about myself as a person by exploring my heritage. I travelled to Red Deer, the town in Canada where I was born. I saw the church in which I was baptised, the home that my parents built and the school where my father had taught mathematics. I also spent time in the Netherlands, the birthplace of my parents. I got to know the uncles, aunties and cousins who had not migrated to Tasmania and to experience the culture that my parents had left behind many years earlier.
As I travelled around both of these countries, I had a strong sense of my heritage. In visiting significant places and talking to people who had known me as a child or had grown up with my parents, I came to understand much of what makes me ‘tick’ as the person that I am today.
“By celebrating Heritage Day each year, we hope that all members of the Calvin community will come to understand more of what makes us ‘tick’ as the school that we are today. ”
Next week we will celebrate Heritage Day at Calvin Christian School. We will look at photos from the archives and hear stories from those who were part of the Calvin community long before I became part of it. By celebrating Heritage Day each year, we hope that all members of the Calvin community will come to understand more of what makes us ‘tick’ as the school that we are today.
In 2022, we celebrated the 60th anniversary of Calvin. As part of the celebratory events, I had the privilege of interviewing a number of the founding association members and early educators. It was an intensely rewarding experience for me - personally and professionally. The conversations gave me great insight into the vision that the founders held for Christian Education in the Kingborough area. The photos and stories provided me with a lasting impression of the dedication and hard work of the founding families over many decades.
I have been able to share many of these stories at events over the past few years, the most recent being at the induction of new teachers to the organisation in late January. After the presentation, a new Calvin teacher came to thank me for helping her to understand the school. While she had lived in the Kingborough area for a long time, she had not fully understood the reason the school was established, nor the significance of the Oliebollen Festival in raising much needed funds. By looking back to the heritage of the school, she had developed a better grasp of her role as a teacher at Calvin.
What a joy to be part of a community that values its history and remains faithful to the Christian heritage upon which it was established.
Bonny Moroni - Head of Secondary