BY ALEX DADAMU
CHAIRMAN of the Selwyn Old Scholars Association (SOSA), Selwyn College Golden Jubilee Committee, Robert Luke Iroga said former Selwyn College students are so united in supporting your old school because they have this unseen spirit that is indescribable.
Mr. Iroga was speaking at the occasion to mark the start of the weeklong celebrations to mark Selwyn College’s 50th year of Golden Jubilee this year 2021.
“What keeps us united is the Selco spirit anchored in Unity-faith and obviously, the spirit of divisions is the glue I believe that holds us together. Whilst the word means Division, to us it means unity. It is where we found the spirit of togetherness, we found attachment in Tahula, Masi, Noabu, and Kirio,” Mr. Iroga said.
He said since March this year his team of divisional leaders from the school’s four divisions Masi, Kirio, Noabu, Tahula, and other chairpersons has worked tirelessly to coordinate and raise funds to support the school in its needed projects.
“It has been a very challenging period but the spirit of unity-faith powered by our desire to give back to our school, anchored on the theme for this year’s celebration: Celebrating the Past & Building Our Future, we never give up,” Mr. Iroga expressed.
He further pointed out that mobilizing generations of people is not easy but it is achievable.
“My special appeal to former students of our schools is that we must not forget to give back to our schools. Without these schools, most of us would not be where we are today. Secondary school is a critical bridge in life, it is important that we keep supporting these lifeline bridges,” the SOSA Chairman said.
In his official address to mark the occasion, His Excellency Sir David Vunagi, GCMG, KStj, Governor-General, expressed that it will be wrong to consider Jubilee celebrations like the one being celebrated as the time we only look back in history.
“They are also time, we look forward to the next fifty years. And so it’s really what we do this year, next year and in the subsequent years that will be the stories for the next fifty years of the school,” Sir David Vunagi said.
He added that Church schools are established not only to pass on intellectual knowledge to students. Church schools exist for a thorough and dynamic purpose.
“They exist to promote a holistic approach to education where the three aspects of a person are developed: spiritual, intellectual, and physical. These are the principles of True Religion, Sound learning and Useful Industry which Bishop George Augustus Selwyn advocated many years ago and had ever since been the pillars of education within the Anglican Church of Melanesia.”
