The 150th Celebration of the Founding of Newington College
(Homily at Sesquicentenary Thanksgiving Service 16th July, 2013)

I wish that I could have been there -153 years or so ago, as the founders of our College first met to dream their dreams. I wish that I could have been there not to take in the scenery of early Sydney, nor marvel at their strange dress, and the handle-bar moustaches of those idealistic Wesleyans. I wish that I could have been there -153 years or so ago, to try and understand, to try a grasp the intent, the reason, the motivation, for starting this school, to capture the moment when the idea of Newington was sparked into life.

Records of the discussions are sketchy, but this we do know that their intention was not to protect their own; not to cosset good little Methodist boys in a rarefied religious hot house protected from the realities of life; the intention of our Founders was to open a school accessible for boys from different kinds of backgrounds, different countries, different religions – and to equip them to be good citizens of the emerging nation of Australia.

There is no question that this vision was fuelled by a Divine Imperative. The Founders of our school had no doubt that their inspiration was from God.

Micah 6, that young Kieran has just read to us today, may well have been a passage from our scriptures that they pondered. The prophet Micah asks the question, ‘what does God really want from us?’ The answer: ‘to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God’. This reading encapsulates all that our Methodist Founders intended for our school. This is our Divine Imperative. A raison d’être that drives the vision of this school, and has done so from the beginning, and must always be so. This Divine Imperative asserts that we are created for a purpose, and that purpose has to do with others, and has to do with being outwardly focused. A life of meaning and purpose inspired by the One who gave everything for others – to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.

Today is time to celebrate, yes – and it is a time to give thanks – but it also is an occasion to take stock of where we’ve been and where we are – and most importantly where we are heading. It is a time to reflect on whether we are being authentic to the vision of our Founders, or in Aristotelian terms, being ‘authentic to who we should be, how we were designed to be.’

Today we celebrate the incredible ethnic diversity of our school – it is one of the most important and non-negotiable dimensions of who we are (42 different cultural backgrounds); a characteristic that we are very proud of, and one that sets us apart from most of our brother GPS schools, and indeed the vast majority of independent schools throughout Australia.

Newington today is in a very strong position. Waiting lists at just about every year level; never before have we enjoyed the blessing of such wonderful facilities and grounds. Our 3 campuses are supported incredibly well by a highly professional and committed staff, led by inspirational leaders and governed by wise and dedicated councillors.

Like the prophet Micah, I would like to put a challenge before you, particularly the movers and shakers of Newington of today, and in the years to come.

Now is the time, now is the time to be bold and innovative, creating policies that will reflect our historic purpose and the wishes of our Founders: to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.

In wishing that Newington become a school open to all boys, the passion of our Founders, implied a school open to boys from families of all social groupings in society. We cannot wait for the politicians to give parents freedom to choose the school they wish for their children. Now is the time for us to continue in making it easier for families of limited means, including our Indigenous families, to have their sons at Newington. I know we have started this endeavour – we need now to forge ahead courageously and continue to make this a priority.

We must never abandon our Divine Imperative – this has been entrusted to us to preserve for perpetuity. The day that the Godward perspective, the Divine Imperative is lost in this place, is the day we become vulnerable to the fickleness and folly of human self-reliance and self-interest – and a dancing to the drum-beat of every vacuous educational fad and fashion. This I am sure will never be, this will never be! But today we do look to the Trustees (School Council) to ensure the Divine Imperative is realised in our classrooms, on our stage, on our playing fields and through our outreach to the local and global community.

Finally to our students … boys this is a great school – It’s here… it’s happening and it’s yours now! Grasp it; embrace it … do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God … get out there and change the world.

AMEN

Rev. David Williams
College Chaplain