speech day 2006 @ sydney opera house

My final Speech Day at Abbotsleigh - after many years we are finally back in the Opera House instead of the Convention Centre!

It went from 10:30 to about 12:45 but we had to arrive early at 9:30 in order to get marked off and into our seats. It was rather nice to see everyone again and the most common question I heard all day was "so how are your holidays?" to which answers varied from "boring" to the other reeling off the long list of exciting things they'd been up to.

The speaker this year was Allana Corbin, who was in a flying accident, but though she was told by doctors she'd never walk again did persevere through her injuries and is now walking and flying once more. Her speech was very direct, honest, and mercifully short =P

The presentation of the prizes dragged on for ages as we all knew it would, but the most pleasant surprise was when I opened the envelope for my Honours prize, and instead of the usual $50 Dymocks book voucher, this year we received $70!!

But what I was looking forward to was the School Performance - the first time since Year 7 I haven't had to learn the song. This song is a traditional part of Speech Day, with the entire school from kindy to Year 11 singing it, accompanied by the full orchestra and conducted by our Head of Music.

This year the chosen song was "Now thank we all our God" words by Martin Rinkart, 1663

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers' arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, Whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

I filmed the whole thing, there's not much to see - but it sounds fantastic! Especially love the harmony in the second verse, and the descant in the third. (First verse is just the whole school singing in unison, so I didn't include it, otherwise the video file would be huge)