He urged the boys to work ceaselessly for educational advance ment, but to keep level-headed about it. He said: "Speech Days always bring back memories for me. When I was a boy,I remember knowing that I was comfortably top, and waited rather smugly for my Report to arrive. It arrived three days after I got home, and read, ^Birley,first out of 25. Bad, but the others were worse.^ is all that the Headmaster wrote, and it took me down a peg." He expounded on the qualities which matter — loyalty, courage, kind ness. Emphasising the importance of loyalty, he said that loyalties often clashed, but that it was possible to have different loyalties, which could nevertheless be reconciled. HEADMASTER'S REPORT Mr.Chairman, I regret that I have to begin my report on a note of sadness. I refer to the sudden death of Mr. Lawrence Polkinghorne, Vice-Chairman of the ®o^rd of Governors and one of the foundation pupils of Kearsney College, who died m Decemberafteran accident.His death will be very severely felt both in the Church and other circles and we at Kearsney miss him more than we can express. To his widow, Mrs. Polkinghorne,and to his children, all of whom attended either Epworth or Kearsney, we extend our very sincere sympathy. I refer also to the tragic death of Mr.Philip Hind in an air crash in March. As a fellow scholar at the Old Kearsney and a friend for nearly 40 years,I am conscious of a sense ot deep personal loss. This, however, is insignificant in comparison with the gap his passing has left on our Board, in our Church and in the community as a whole — a gap that only time can heal. A Memorial Service to Philip Hind, held in the College chapel on Sunday, March 14th, was attended by a large number of Old Boys and friends. To Mrs. Hind and her family we offer our sincerest sympathy. Iam pleased to report another year ofsteady progress at Kearsney.Although we are passing through a period of consolidation following several years ot spectacular development we must not be tempted to 'rest on our laurels',savour ing the fruits of past achievement. As our recent development prograrnnie has been confined mainly to buildings we are now faced with the greater challenge of putting these buildings to the best use for buildings thernselves, no matter how elegant, do not make a school — the soul of a school is composed ot a more delicate fabric which requires careful and painstaking nurture. DEVELOPMENT I have to report the conclusion of our major development programme with the completion of the Staff flats and classroom block. Thanks to the vision ot the Board,and particularly the assistance of Mr.Royce Kincaid,we now posses facilities that are second to none in this country and which compare favourably with most schools of this type overseas. 1 cannot express adequately in words our indebtedness to Mr. Kincaid for the invaluable service he has rendered Kearsney at this crucial stage of our history. I can but say a humble, yet most sincere'Thank you'. STAFF HOUSING Apart from accommodation in the main Houses, we now have ten houses and three flats for married teaching Staff. Most of these have been provided within the last three to four years. The most recent acquisition is a property on the Old Main Road, Botha's Hill, opposite the entrance to Kearsney College Road,for the Vice-Principal. Thefar-sighted policy ofthe Board in providing accommodation for married Staff has been more than justified. 57
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