A trip to the tip of Cape York is an experience to remember, at least, so I’ve been told. Combine unforgettable scenery with high adventure and you have a magnetic attraction for the hardy traveller or avid four-wheel driver. About halfway down the western side of the Cape and some 650 kilometres from Cairns, lies the First Nations Community of Pormpuraaw. This tiny town, with a population of 749 (according to the 2016 Census) and home to the Thaayorre and WIk-Mungkan peoples, looks out onto the blue, mostly gentle, waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria.
In reading recently, I found that the Thaayorre people have been the subject of a number of academic studies. These studies have been significant for the nature of the language they speak, Kuuk Thaayorre. Unlike English or German, Italian, Japanese or Chinese, in Kuuk Thaayorre there are no words for left and right, ahead, in front of, or behind. This language is anchored in the four cardinal directions, North, South, East, and West. If this is confusing, it’s because we are used to the language we speak, and language affects the way we think.
A speaker of Kuuk Thaayorre who is facing North will describe, not their left hand, but their western hand. And, if facing South, their left hand becomes their eastern hand. Something on the back of a person’s left shoulder, again depending on orientation, might be described as being on the north-eastern shoulder. Researchers have found that speakers of this language are always able to orient themselves on the compass, instinctively knowing North, South, East, and West. Who needs Google Maps!
I note this because, this week I have been impressed by the power of language. To affect hearts, to affect the way we think and to orient us in our world. This week, St Edmund’s, our place on the Hill, heard the voices of our prospective College and House Captains delivering leadership speeches to their Houses and their peers. These were heartfelt words that have a shared meaning, that affect the way we think, as we orient ourselves in our wider community.
In 2021 thirty-one Year 11 students put themselves forward as prospective House or College Captains. As representatives of their cohort, they underwent a rigorous process with speeches, interviews and finally assessment by their peers. These passionate young men spoke of The Touchstones - Liberating Education, Gospel Spirituality, Inclusive Community, Justice and Solidarity, of service, of living simply and making a difference, of the Eddies Team.
I am happy therefore, to announce the Student Leaders for 2022:
College Captains
Angus Chisholm
Daniel Mavunda
Larry Siala Jack Stewart
House Captains
Ambrose House
Cohan Patrick and Ethyn Vit
Callan House
Adam Hammant and Zac King
Elliott House
Jackson Midgley and Harry Sammut
Finn House
Stewart England and Isaac Frier
Ignatius House
Christopher Baker and Thomas Doyle
Morgan House
Sam Caprioli and Tyler Cuthbert-Hough
Rice House
Logan Davies and Xander Johnson
Treacy House
Zachary Ball and Noah Bertram
I congratulate these young men and look forward to working with all our Year 11 students as they prepare to take on the mantle of leadership and build on the legacy left to them, whilst our Year 12 students experience the diminishing days of their high school life.
Our language and our words can be powerful. Our language and our words, words like strong, kind and gentle, live simply and make a difference, the Eddies Team, will make sure that no matter where our young men find themselves in the future, they will be able to orient themselves, know who they are and find their place as Eddies Men.
