Sentiments from Luke Chapman (2018 Cultural Convenor)
A highlight from the latest Wyvern magazine…
What a year for King’s. When we look back on the past two semesters, there are so many moments to be proud of. We retained the ICC sport title for the 10th year in a row, once again took home the Francis & Kassulke Cup, partook in community events like the King’s in Pink Fun Run and Bush Care, hosted the inaugural King’s Away Boat Cruise and successfully christened our new bar: The King’s Keep. Personally, some of my fondest memories of the year are embedded in our cultural endeavours. Most notable of which were winning the One Act Play – with a King’s original script –, coming 2nd in Bandfest and Chess, and 4th in Choralfest – with the help of our wonderful Ronda Eastall. Whilst these are truly amazing achievements, there are a few things that I know will stay with us all long after the memories of the judges’ rankings fade (although the shock result of Dancefest might be hard to forget anytime soon).
In these cultural events I saw so many friendships forged through a common commitment to victory as well as inclusivity, to having a go as well as a laugh, and making each other as well as King’s so proud. This year I watched boys who have never sung before, never drawn before, never acted before, never danced before and never been half naked in front of hundreds of people before, represent the college with smiles on their faces and pride in their hearts. And it paid off – we’ve undoubtedly put the cultural competition back on the map at King’s, by showing everyone that expressing yourself through these types of events doesn’t have to be a ‘mock’ and can instead be one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do. I have the utmost confidence that this perception of, and our success in, the cultural competition will continue to improve exponentially in the next few years.
Beyond the cultural realm I also saw boys who have never played sport for King’s before, never met a whole new group of mates before, never supported a sport or cultural team before, never studied so hard before and never tried the ham steaks in the dining hall before, do just that. As a collective, we’ve clearly put in hours of rehearsals, hours of trainings, hours of study, hours of fundraising, all so that we can give just a little bit of ourselves to a college that has given us all so much. If these are not the marks of a great year, I don’t know what else is.
I’m sure I can speak for everyone here at King’s in saying that 2018 has been the best year of my life, and I’ll be forever grateful for every Kingsman for making it so. And as another year at King’s draws to a close, I think it’s safe to say that all the friendships, all the laughter, all the ups, all the downs and all the memories we’ve shared will echo throughout these halls for years to come, and in our hearts forever.
