The idea of the publication ‘Passing the Baton: messages from ‘old boys’…’ has received quite a bit of support as a ‘good idea’ but we now have to translate it into action.
I thought I’d start discussing a few strategies and ideas to get the process of writing going. I hope I don’t sound patronising – that is not the intention. I know that all you Goethalites know how to write, but it is important that we have a shared understanding of the nature and purpose of this anticipated publication.
Imagine you have before you a current boy from Goethals between the age group of ten and sixteen years. Pass him a baton – a story written on one, two or three pages (at the most). Introduce yourself (when did you attend GMS and a few other bits about you – maximum half a page) then put your lesson/message in a succinct few lines (we will always have a symbol of a hand passing a baton to another hand whenever we have a message – that will be a standard symbol)
and then write your story (it is your story, don’t describe someone else’s lesson or story – this is a very personal message) – this is the context of your message – this is the birthplace of your message, the experience that led to your message. The lesson or message need not be original, but the context or the story that you have is what makes it a ‘lived message’ – your message. For example, if you want to make your ‘Baton Message’: Family is the most important connection you can ever have – nurture it and respect it. Now, that would be considered by most as an ‘old message’ but that does not matter, it is the personal story you have to go with it that matters. Remember that boy sitting before you – you have to grab his attention, engage him and give him something that he will keep. A tall order at any time, especially with the current generation of young people. Oops… there I go, I am sounding like an old man… So, the three vital parts of a contribution will be, you introducing yourself, your message and the context or story of your message…The order of those three components may vary. If we agree on that form, we have a standard shape for each contribution and we can go ahead.
In the session we ran at the 2007 reunion at GMS, there were a lot of good ideas, one was from a Goethalite from the US (I think) – he must have been in his forties at the most, so, I’d call him ‘young’ – he had a great message and he put it strongly… He was a surgeon (I think) and his message was about not taking things for granted, about how tough the road ahead would be and how the young Goethalites needed to position themselves amidst strong opposition… he was passionate about his message. I hope he is reading this – I would love him to contribute to the book. As I said in a previous message, it would be unfortunate if we believe that the only experiences worth passing on are success stories - stories of the 'great old goats' who played in Olympic teams and excelled through peak performances. They are important and their successes should be celebrated. But we should acknowledge that everyone has something worth passing on - experiences/lessons/wisdom/faith/survival/healing/family …
This is a picture I took at the 'Passing the Baton' session at the '07 reunion...I haven’t had any offers so far. Please let’s get going. There’s no hurry, but we should make a start and then we can set targets. No one is going to be excluded. So, send me an email to let me know if you would like to contribute individually or in a small group – I will then ask you for a brief outline.
Remember, if there is limited support we may be able to put together a small pamphlet; if there is a lot of support and contributions, we could have a book (that’s what I am aiming for). I will let people know what’s going on in a regular report on this Blog. If I get a sufficient response to aim for a book, I will openly, in this Blog call for a team to be formed to be the ‘reference group’. There should be no ‘ownership’ of this project – all contributors will be acknowledged by name – if any money is made through sales (if that’s what we decide) the money should go to the appropriate Christian Brothers’ authority to sponsor ‘students in need’ to study at GMS.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Richard Johnson
Faculty of Arts & Education
Deakin University
221 Burwood Highway
Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia
Telephone: +613 92446438
Email: rjj@deakin.edu.au
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