Fathers' Day Breakfast
Today (Friday September 2nd) Years 7 and 8 celebrated Father’s Day (a little early) by inviting their Fathers/Grandfathers/Uncles etc to a Father’s Day Barbecue Breakfast. The mouth watering aroma of bacon and eggs filled the air this morning as the staff prepared breakfast for approximately 300 hungry mouths.
It was a great way to start the day and it was a terrific opportunity to meet so many fathers. For a variety of reasons, the majority of fathers do not seem to get as involved in school life as mothers, so it was particularly pleasing to see so many here today.
In recent years there have been quite a few negative statements about men as a collective group. Comments such as “A crisis in masculinity”, “Dodging the responsibilities of Fatherhood”, “Dropping out of child-rearing” are probably familiar to us all. However, not everyone thinks this to be the case and at this time of year, letters begin to appear in newspapers, that express the positive side to people’s experiences. For example: 
“My dad was my guide for life, he was my protector and benefactor, he was my strong support when the winds of life knocked me around. He taught me to respect myself and to expect more of myself than I did of anyone else. He gave me a fatherly love as well as direction and discipline and he was a great example of consistency and commitment.”
“We had a wonderful father for he was always willing to listen to us and treat us with compassion, consideration and appreciation, even when it probably wasn’t easy to do so because of our behaviour. He was an unassuming person and always acted towards us in ways that reflected his own humanity, his strength and values as a person. We always felt loved and when we talk about him now, we feel inspired because he raised the three of us by himself after mum died.”
Ann Lander has this reminder to offer all dads if ever the doubted their importance to their children:
“When I was:
4 years old: My dad could do anything.
6 years old: My dad is smarter than your dad.
14 years old: Don’t pay any attention to my father. He is so old-fashioned.
30 years old: Maybe we should ask dad what he thinks. After all he’s had a lot of experience.
50 years old: I’d give anything if dad were here now so I could talk this over with him.”
The English have a proverb which states that, “one father is more than a hundred schoolmasters”. Anonymous has a contribution that might well be appropriate of fathers: “To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might just be the world”. However, there is one undeniable truth that is expressed so well through the words of a child: “My dad thinks he wears the trousers in our house but it’s always mum who tells him which pair to put on”.
Fatherhood is one of the great privileges in a man’s life for it enables him to be the first male in a child’s life; of course, this leads to the life-long responsibility of parenthood. Ian Grant in his book, “Fathers who dare WIN”, offers this insight:
“The greatest legacy a man can leave in the world is not so much a great business, but a ‘living’ investment in the future, through loving, stable employable and healthy children. Parents are the ultimate ‘people builders’. The fine expectations you have of your children, the skills you teach them, and the values you model for them will be the bricks and mortar of great future citizens.”
Phew! HAPPY FATHER’S DAY
“Today as we remember our own fathers, may we also remember our Heavenly Father, who is the source of all our blessings.
Give us the grace that we might be loving fathers, not only to our own children, but to all children.
Amen.”
Andrew Martin
Principal
