PRINCIPAL
MR TOM BATTY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
EQUIPPING FOR THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF THE TIMES
The first time I went to see Brentford play was as a five year old . My dad bought me cola pips and told me that as a young lad he would cycle the 17 miles to the ground and leave his bike with the many others in the front yards of the terraced houses on New Road for a penny . I think we lost to Aldershot .
The first time I took the boys from my Eton boarding house to Griffin Park , Brentford were flying high in the third tier of English football . We were superb and beat Brighton 4-0 . In the bus on the way back , I told the boys it was always like this and that Brentford were my gift to them . The next time we went it was a midweek lower tier cup match . It was damp and cold and the game went to extra time in front of a sparse crowd of about 1200 . We lost .
As I type , having beaten Arsenal , West Ham and Wolves and drawn with Liverpool to make a stunning start to our first ever season in the Premier League , Brentford are starting a worrying slide with three defeats in a row . Things don ’ t always work out as we expect . Times of change and uncertainty do , however , remind of the constants in our lives , not least our desire to come together in celebration of each other ’ s talents and our need for participation in causes bigger than ourselves . They also bring to the fore the principles that underpin communities and stand the tests of adversity and time .
Such constants and values came together in uplifting manner with the return to Saturday cricket , tennis , table tennis , rowing and volleyball training beneath beautiful late October skies , and subsequent first school assembly since the long lockout .
For 170 years , generations of young men have left Scotch to serve and further the prosperity of their communities . Whilst the values have remained constant , their manifestation has been unique to each graduating Scotchie and to the changing times and prevailing circumstance . Often , the shift of sand has been so gradual to be barely noticeable . At other times , those reaching the end of their school years have been thrust into turbulence and conflict , and required to find the fortitude to meet the sternest of challenge . The walls of the Memorial Hall bear remembrance to those who made the ultimate sacrifice and our lasting gratitude for a freedom earned at such cost .
As I noted to the Year 12s at their Presentation Afternoon , choosing liberty and people , over fear , control and regulation , and service over personal gain , requires courage ; deep personal courage ; courage beyond ourselves ; courage beyond our families and beyond our generation ; courage to believe in the fortitude and imaginations of those yet to come . Such courage is precious and flows from our Christian faith and western democratic tradition .
4 Great Scot Issue 164 – December 2021