Mr. Chairman, Honoured Guests, Parents, Teachers, Friends, Fellow Graduates:
It is my honour to present the valedictory address as the representative of the Graduating Class of 1960. The time has come when we must bid farewell to twelve happy years of school. Those years perhaps seemed infinitely long, but they were years which we shall never forget.
We were born during a time when a war was rampant and peace unknown. Some of us graduating lost loved ones in World War II, and began life with an unhappy future. But life must go on and tonight we are here as proof that it has done so.
When we entered this school in 1954, we were bewildered by the complexity of rooms, dismayed at the formidable number of teachers, and staggered by the amount of homework we had bestowed upon us each night, but we became increasingly pleased as each new, exciting phase of highschool revealed itself to us.
Certainly there were moments of dejection and depression, but with initiative and the devotion and encouragement of our parents and our teachers, these were replaced by hope and eagerness for the future.
Now that we have reached the climax of our public schooling, we must stop and question how we rose to this peak and why we are here. We are not here tonight because of the efforts of just a few people. We are here because a great many men and women have given unselfishly of their time, experience and knowledge. First, our parents provided us with the opportunity to receive and education, and with this opportunity gave us their loving support.
Once we had entered the school, much of the responsibility for our futures rested with the teachers and counsellors. They gave us wholeheartedly of their knowledge and experience, not only during school hours but also on their own time. We must not forget the community itself. Since earliest childhood, we have come under the influence of the men and women working in youth organizations, such as the Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, and Church Groups. Rrom their counselling, wisdom, and leadership we have profited immensely. We owe a deep debt of gratitude to our parents, our teachers, and the community, and to them may we say a very sincere thank you.
There still remains one question to be answered-why are we here? Some day each of us will know the answer to that question as it applies to him individually, but, for the present, we all have a common objective, a common goal. Although we were born in time of war, we have grown up and been educated in time of peace. Without education, neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained. Our purpose is to insure that the free world will never lose these precious gifts that have formed such a vital part of our democratic heritage.
Although tonight marks the beginning of a new adventure in our lives, we are not likely to forget the experiences and friendships of high school life, for these will form part of the basis for our futures and will be with us always.
Years ago a Chinese philosopher, Confucius, made a statement which I feel is very well suited to this occasion: "In all things success depends upon previous preparation; and without such preparation there is sure to be failure." At Kamloops High School we have received that preparation.
