The 1945 School Magazine

We, the people of an ill-fated generation, had seen the foreboding clouds gather upon the distant horizon with awe; we had watched their steady growth and approach, and then the full fury of the bitter tempest of aggression was unleashed upon us. For five anxious years there has been no respite, and on many occasions the magnitude of the tumult has threatened to engulf us. However, with untold relief, we now see the skies clearing and the wrath of the monster seems spent. Against the clear blue horizon stand out the shining white letters: "Peace."

With complete confidence in the final outcome, the right thinking peoples of the world are directing their thoughts to schemes which may ensure future goodwill among all nations. Radical reforms in our ways of life are imperative if we are to avoid war within the next generation. It is also essential that the "new order," whatever form it may assume, should be instituted immediately after hostilities cease; otherwise it will be easy for us to slip back unconsciously into the old state of affairs, which has been attended by so much misery.

The task will be colossal. The plan will be upon a gigantic scale, such as has never before been conceived. The whole world will be fundamentally changed and each nation will have to accept the responsibility of executing its assigned duties. Diplomatic relationships will have to be modified so that no one nation can secretly carry out plans it knows to be inimical to the new ideals. However, the burden will rest upon the braced shoulders of capable men; men who have proved themselves champions of humanity; men who can be justly called great.

For us, the youth of the age, the task is one of remoulding the systems of education so that in the future, pupils can be well fitted for their place as citizens of the world. With our young imaginative brains, we see vital reforms towards this end. The cry is for more balanced and extensive education. It must be borne in mind that the skilled craftsman is as valuable as the learned doctor. Therefore the limited scope of subjects and the training of all boys in the same fashion must be changed. Individual instruction, though impracticable, would solve the problem satisfactorily, and certainly a psychological understanding of each pupil is essential. The vital importance of a comprehensive education cannot be over-stressed, as we can see that it was the notorious Nazi "Education for Death" which caused the present bloody conflict.

Victory does not necessarily mean Peace. A concrete plan must be ready for our gallant fighting men upon their return. To the Old Boys of this School whose wholehearted patriotism has fired us with pride, we owe a debt which can never be fully repaid. We can honour them for their magnificent bravery, display our deepest gratitude to them, but their rightful reward is the assurance of an everlasting peace.

(Also recorded in 1945: the launch of the OBA War Memorial Fund; among the year's exam successes was R. L. Doherty, the Dux and Roe Scholar.)

The 47th Annual General Meeting was chaired by the retiring President, Dr. C. M. Lilley, with the Head Master Mr. G. Carson-Cooling present. The meeting elected Mr. A. E. Webb as President for 1945–46 — an Old Boy whose term at the School dated back to 1889, with many years' experience managing a great institution. Responding, Mr. Webb said he regarded his election "as a very great honour, though quite unsought," and looked forward to assisting the good work of the Association.