It was Monday evening and the big clash had just concluded with a thrilling finish with Melbourne just piping Collingwood at the post. The MCG was near capacity with many of the crowd sporting Blue Beanies, a tribute to Neale Daniher who has recently died after a long fight with Motor Neuron Disease (MND) from which he suffered for 13 years. During this difficult time, he defied the disease, which he called “the Beast” and worked tirelessly to raise money for research that hopefully would one day produce a cure. His legendary journey of passion, unselfishness and courage lead him to be named Australian of the year in 2025 and has cemented his place in Australian history.

I listened to many short stories about why people truly admired Neale, including one from the Governor General. The Honorable Ms. Sam Mostyn AC who in conversation agreed to tackle the ice bath setup as a fundraiser for the fight against MND. Willing celebrities would throw themselves down a slide into a pool of iced water, no mean feat in a Melbourne winter. The power of the Story! The stories weren’t long but had meaning and relevance.

Stories have been the tools of teachers I guess for thousands of years and a way in which teachers, including principals, connect with pupils. It doesn’t always have to be a video but will be effective if told well with a teacher using their voice. But they shouldn’t be too long as concentration seems to have reduced as a result of this digital age.

I have written previously about the importance of belonging in a school and this relates to both students and staff. As I write about the histories of our schools I am thrilled by the many examples of courage, determination, initiative, and belief that what was being done was truly worthwhile and would make a real difference. I believe these stories should not be lost but be told and retold so the school community really knows what has taken place and be proud of those that made it happen! I’m a firm believer in the notion that whatever drove the past will help to drive the future and will provide confidence to tackle the new and untried as so many other pioneers did. “Will it work? I believe it will.” None of our pioneers started their projects with a cast iron guarantee.

The founding father of St Philips was the man who followed John Flynn as head of the Australian Inland Mission. He was the Reverend Dr Fred McKay AC. He nursed the original building of St Philips from start to finish, camping on the grounds during building and organising several volunteer work parties who came up from south to complete the project and make it ready for students in January 1965. During my time at St Philips, I got to know Fred McKay well and absorbed many lessons from his wise thinking. One lesson in my early days was when Fred climbed with me up to the top of one of the hills on the property which overlooked the new Tennis/Basketball courts. I told Fred that to get this done we initially spent much more than our budget. We took the risk because we needed them and they would make a real difference. In the end, after completion, we had some generous donations and raised the funds. Fred smiled and commented, “You know Chris it is all about FAITH.” That was about 37 years ago, and his words have been one of my guiding lights.

It seems to me that most of our schools started with faith that the founders had. They truly believed that they could make it work. Developing new schools is a risky business and without faith that the vision of the new school will survive and prosper, the future of the school can be undermined.

I remember Christmas before the new St. Philips was to open in 1989. There had been 3 years of frantic preparation and by December 1988 we had a full staff and 145 students in years 7-9 enrolled. Optimism should have been the order of the day. However, as I lay on the beach at Philip Island on a brief family holiday, I had a huge wave of doubt flowing over me. Most of the staff were relocating from interstate; a big undertaking for an individual let alone a family. What if some of the new staff changed their minds at the last moment and we were short. With our super tight budget we had little room to move, and my deputy and I were already down to teach a healthy load. Furthermore, we all know Alice enrolments can be very unpredictable - financially we would have been in real trouble if we lost any students. Then Fred’s wise words took over and fortunately I started to motor on a more positive path.

The next challenge was Commonwealth funding, which is so important for NT independent schools. The College’s incorporation was unusual and complicated as it was through the Uniting Church. Initially the Commonwealth Government withheld our vital funding because they didn’t understand the nature of our incorporation. For some reason the local media got wind of the issue. Most Principals at some stage will have the joy of dealing with a controversy and the media. I took a call from the radio station or newspaper; I can’t remember which it was and the reporter was right on it.

Reporter: “Does this mean you are going to close?”

Me: “No”.

Reporter: “Surely this means you are going to close.”

Me: “Certainly Not.”

Reporter: “How can you keep going without funding?”

Me: “We can.” It was all very public.

Yep - rule: stick to the message. Avoid a lengthy conversation. The press can be very awkward!

The issue was sorted out after persistent discussions with the Commonwealth.

Rule: Don’t let any doubt creep in!

Doubt disappeared when we were off and running. To be truthful we were so unbelievably busy there wasn’t any room for doubt.

So many of our schools have had heaps of issues to navigate as they start. However, these gems of excitement only make you and the school more resilient.

So back to the title. Each school will have heaps of interesting stories that they can pull out of their history. I believe it is so important to tell these and they help to foster the uniqueness of each individual school.

Written by Chris Tudor

Principal Liaison and AISNT Historian