Twice each year, in autumn and spring, I circulate an Update newsletter for parents, caregivers and guardians to help keep them informed about life at the College. Thank you for reading this spring edition which I hope you will enjoy.
Last Friday evening, the College presented its 23rd annual concert to members of the Friend-Link organisation which provides social interaction activities for intellectually disabled people in Dunedin. The concert provides a wonderful community service opportunity for the College. In a lovely thank you note from the Friend-Link organiser, she wrote that "Everyone had such a wonderful time and so enjoyed ever bit of it. The concert itself was amazing - so much talent and a really great programme. And the hospitality, friendliness and acceptance the students showed at supper was heartwarming. You must feel very proud of the culture that exists at the College. St Margaret's College concert is such a highlight each year- I hope the students realise just how much it is enjoyed and appreciated."
This outreach to the local community is an excellent example of what a residential college is all about. It is NOT merely a place to sleep at or a hostel or a hall of residence or a boarding house. Rather, as a College, we place great emphasis on community living and developing the whole
person.
Certainly, the physical needs of our Members receive ample attention (for example, comfortable and warm rooms, good bathrooms, study and common spaces, nutritious food, pastoral care, etc) but we also offer many opportunities for Members to participate in a large variety of cultural, social and sport activities. And importantly, we also provide tutorials and mentors to support Members’ academic studies. This is all done in a friendly, caring and respectful community setting so that our Members can thrive in their studies, make wonderful friends, have healthy fun, and develop as individuals and contributing members of society.
As Hubert Ryburn* states, "The task of the university is to produce graduates; the task of the College is to produce citizens. This distinction may be a relative one but it is none the less real."
As you will note from the many articles included in this newsletter, the College has been a busy place this year. It has been very pleasing and satisfying to see many Members taking part in one or more of the events or activities, and also to observe how much they have grown and developed as individuals since they arrived at the College in February. They are well on the road to becoming citizens!
I trust that you will enjoy the articles included in this Spring edition of my newsletter.
Best wishes
Dr Charles Tustin
* Hubert Ryburn (1897 to 1988) was a notable New Zealand Presbyterian minister and university college master. In the 1959 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George. He was Chancellor of the University of Otago from 1955 to 1970.
