Thought For The Day – Monday 24^th June 2024

In our focus on the present and future, we never forget the past.

We have our own very precious and personal past, diverse and unique to each individual,  family, team and group.

We also have a collective and shared past, across community, country, planet and time.

As regards our shared school history,  legacy, past and roots, Sunday 23rd June marked the day on which our inspirational and transformative former Headteacher, Mr. Shaw, was born, a birthday he shared with computer scientist and mathematician Alan Turing.  Historian Mr. Shaw was greatly interested in Mr. Turing’s team of codebreakers at Bletchley Park, and enjoyed visiting the museum. The odds on the success of the codebreakers’  work were calculated as 158,962,555,217,826,360,000 to 1, an inspirational insight that was read at a very moving service of thanksgiving for Mr. Shaw’s life, held at Saint Michael’s Church five years ago today.

Nationally, Saturday 22nd June was National Windrush Day. For, on 22nd June 1948, women, children and men arrived from the Caribbean. They were dressed immaculately in their “Sunday Best” on “His Majesty’s Transport Empire Windrush”.

“The Windrush Generation”, and their descendants,  and other people who settled in the U.K. greatly helped the U.K. re-build after World War 2, and have massively enhanced society since.   Many then had served in World War 2 to defeat Nazi evil.    “The Windrush Generation” massively empowered, enlightened and enriched the U.K. with such great resilience, respect, responsibility and rigour.

“The National Windrush Monument”  at Waterloo Station was unveiled by William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales, two years ago. This enables generations to come to remember their, and our, debt to the past.

Deep roots make us who we are.

We play our part, giving our very best, to pay legacies back, and to pay legacies forward.