From the Chair of Council

While making prophecies about emergency management, US presidential politics and climate change on his 1 October 2019 Disaster Zone program, presenter and commentator Eric Halderman declared that the ‘2019 Word of the Year’ was ‘unprecedented’.

How often have we heard that word used during 2020 and 2021? It has been a difficult time for everybody. Certainly Barker’s community has been affected and as vulnerable to the vagaries and uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic as anyone, whether that is economic impact, risk to health, curtailed personal freedoms or just plain disruption to School life and routine. Barker’s students from last year’s cohort and now from the Class of 2021 have been resilient in the face of interruptions to their HSC examinations preparation and to end of school rites of passage. Since the beginning of Term 3 this year and for some of last year, Barker students from Pre-K to Year 12 with their supportive families, have had to adapt to a new rhythm of School life and routine: Learning from Home. Thankfully a return to face-to-face learning has now come during Term 4. The change to School routine did bring other opportunities including the very successful Kurrajong Heights Day on 18 August 2021. This meant students, parents and staff members, indeed, the Barker community generally, could hear via an online program from leaders in their fields - writers, scientists, sports people, musicians, historians, creators, social enterprise thinkers and change agents. There was something for everyone. Dr Benjamin Zander in his inspiring presentation: ‘The Transformative Power of Classical Music’, said that leadership has to be outward looking and about taking people with you. During the lockdown period, Barker’s teachers have been outward looking. They have led the way with steady assistance from support staff, and have been guided by the experienced stewardship of Barker’s ninth Head, Mr Phillip Heath AM. The teachers have ensured the most important members of Barker’s community - its current students – despite the impositions of Public Health Orders, have continued their education journey and their Barker experiences with minimum disruption and so importantly, that each and every Barker learner is valued and cared for. Remote learning has provided parents and carers with a fine appreciation of, and a new found admiration for, Barker’s teaching staff and for the leadership of Mr Heath and his Executive team. The School Council also acknowledges the splendid work of the teachers and the Support Staff in carrying into effect the online learning program, in ensuring students can still have access to some co-curricular experiences and, where possible, seeing that wellbeing opportunities are afforded to the students. While I have no doubt that teaching is a tough job, it is a calling and an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children and young people. I suspect it is an honour for any Barker teacher to be approached by a current or former student saying thanks or just sharing their life since School. Teaching is caring work, and the outcomes brought by the efforts of Barker’s teachers have real significance for future generations. Students never forget how their teachers made them feel.

David Charles (75) Chair of Council

Believers and doubters alike have been asking this question for the last 18 months. As case numbers rose and restrictions set in, it was natural to wonder where God was in all of this? This question is not new and each generation through history has had cause to wonder the same thing. Here are a few reflections on this perennial question.

The starting point of the Bible is to establish that God is not a distant deity or blind force, but a personal Father who is with us. Psalm 145:18 declares, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” God is with us, in this mess yet at the same time remains above the mess, in charge of all that is happening and able to step in and put the situation right. As the Bible narrative unfolds, God takes the radical step of entering the mess. In the Christmas story the all-powerful Creator, took on the nature of a human. In his arrival, God sidestepped the usual fanfare reserved for Emperors or Kings, the only witnesses were Mary and Joseph and whatever animals may have been present. It means that everything we experience today, God himself has experienced too. What happened when the Creator took on the nature of a creature? John 1:11 sadly tells, “he came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” Jesus, God-on-earth, was not only rejected by the world, but suffered at the hands of the world. Although he never contributed to the brokenness, he felt the stings and cuts and bruises that this world dishes out. It’s in this moment when Jesus’ broken body hung on the rough wooden cross that the love of God for this world was displayed and a way out of the mess was established. Jesus not only succumbed to death, he defeated death. Through his resurrection humanity may look ahead now to when God will make all things new, wiping tears from red eyes and settling mourning hearts. There is no doubt we are all wearied by the events of the year. For many of us the pandemic is no longer ‘out there’ but it has come close and affected our lives in profound ways. So as we walk through this broken world may we remember that God promises to walk every step of our journey with us, even those parts of the journey that are filled with pain, sorrow and loss. But he does much more. Through Jesus, God has created hope beyond this world. Beyond the mess.

Rev Peter Tong Senior Chaplain