Mr. Calum Matthews
Address on behalf of Dr. Tom Matthews at the 2010 Headmaster's Dinner
June 23, 2010

My name is Calum, and I am the eldest of the three Matthews children.

One of my father’s favourite sayings is that we are all ‘kooks,’ and that he, of course, is the biggest ‘kook’ of all.  Behind a thin veneer of rationalism he believes that we are all complex bundles of sometimes messy, inarticulate emotions.  That is why he has asked me to speak on his behalf this evening, as he is not very good at saying ‘Good Bye.’  He has loved all of his schools, including Hillfield Strathallan College, so deeply that he has never been able to put into words his thought and his emotions as part of the leave-taking process.

My father would like you to know that he has been incredibly honoured to have served you as Headmaster for the past seven years.  He has enjoyed his time at HSC and has greatly appreciated the opportunity to learn and to grow so much in a relatively short period of time.

He is grateful for the unwavering support of  his four Board Chairs, namely Mr. Peter Colangelo, Mr. Murray Weaver, Mr. Jeff Paikin and Dr. Jennifer Everson.  He has enjoyed working with the Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees, and he has greatly appreciated their encouragement and support.  He also celebrates both the Alumni Association and the Parents’ Association, as well all of the other volunteers who have done so much to support the College and its students. 

The College’s four Patrons, Mr. Michael DeGroote, Judge Colin Lazier  and Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Young  are deserving of special recognition.  Their role modelling is humbling, and their unfailing support of my father and the College has been truly inspirational.

Just as significantly, he would like to express his appreciation to the entire faculty and staff of HSC for their hard work and dedication.  They are the people who breathe life into the College’s Mission, Vision and Values on a daily basis.  Along with my mother, he is most grateful that Liam, Ceilidh and I have been able to benefit from an HSC education, and he would like to express his heartfelt thanks to every member of faculty and staff who touched our lives in a positive manner over the course of the past seven years.

My father also would like to express his appreciation to his Management Team colleagues, who in so many respects are the unsung heroes of the HSC community. Without their vision and leadership, the College would not have journeyed to so many new and varied frontiers since 2003.

Finally, my father would like me to leave you with three key passages that have functioned as his personal and professional touchstones for more than twenty years.

Robert Frost, the much loved American poet, emphasizes the importance of following your heart:

What is done is done for the love of it, or not really done at all.

Sinichi Suzuki, the Japanese educator, identifies the educator’s sacred task:

...reverence for children is reverence for life.

And Henry David Thoreau, the great nineteenth century Transcendentalist, urges all of us to live life to the fullest:

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life...

In conclusion, the Matthews family would like to thank you all for your individual kindnesses and support.  You have touched our family over the past seven years, and we inevitably are the richer for it.  It is a privilege to have been part of your story.  We will always be part of the HSC family.  Thank you, and good night.