The Last WordLeadershipPrefectsYear 13Assembly
Finlay Williamson, 27 July 2026
The Last Word
Good morning, boys. For those who don’t know me, my name is Finlay Williamson, and I am one of your Sport Prefects for 2026.
Today I want to talk to you about time. As we’ve all got plenty of it!
Plenty of time before exams.
Plenty of time before our final sports season.
Plenty of time before our final year of school.
But somehow, here we are.
The truth is, we all thought we had more time.
When we first walked through the archway, being in a blue blazer seemed a lifetime away. Looking at the senior students, we wondered how long it would take for us to get there.
As we continued to progress through school, we continued to think that there would always be another sports season, another camp at Mt Aspiring, and another lunchtime spent on Littlebourne.
Yet the years continued to fly past, a lot faster than any of us expected.
As we look back, it’s the moments that we cherish that will stick with us forever. These could be moments in the changing rooms, the laughs shared in class, or, most importantly, the friendships created in the present that will last a lifetime.
As Winnie the Pooh stated, “We didn't know we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.”
At the time, those moments felt normal. But now we realise they were the moments that made us appreciate the time that has passed.
Throughout the years, we thought we had more time to come to school, more time to wear the hoops, and more time to walk around the school, which has been all we’ve known for the past five years.
But maybe that’s what makes time so valuable.
If we truly understood time, we would have valued every moment differently.
Our time at school has taught us many lessons. Some lessons came from the classrooms. Others were shown through hard work, failure, and disappointment. We’ve learned that success doesn’t come without setbacks. We’ve all learned that our characters are built when we are in times of discomfort.
Most importantly, the biggest lesson we have learnt is: don’t waste opportunities in life because you thought you had more time.
Years from now, we won’t remember the test results from Mr Swan’s class or the results we had against Johnnies. However, we’ll remember the friendships, the stories, and the memories that we will continue to tell future generations about.
Don’t assume there’s always more time.
One day in the future, you will all look back and understand how significant these moments were in shaping you into the young men you are today.
No matter how long you have left at school, be grateful for the time we’ve spent with each other, cherish the memories you have together, and be excited for what’s ahead. The fact that time went so quickly shows just how good our time inside the archway actually was.
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” — Dr Seuss