Founders' Day
St Mark's Founders' Day, 25th April.
This year, the Founders' Day Service was held on Sunday 26th April and incorporated both St Mark's and Anzac Days. Held in the chapel, the Acting Dean of the Cathedral, the Rev'd Canon Bill Goodes preached and the College Choir, led by Ms Ayesha Richardson sang "Dona Nobis Pacem". The College Hymn, by Fellow of the College, the Most Rev'd TT Reed was also sung. Afterwards, morning tea was held and a toast to the Founders and Benefactors in Benedictine was drunk. The toast is drunk in Benedictine which has been served for the past forty-five years, from a decanter donated by Sir Henry Simpson Newland, a former Chairman of the Council. He bought the decanter in Canterbury while on a visit to Britain in September 1962 and had it blessed in the shadow of Canterbury Cathedral by Canon Julian Bickersteth. Bickersteth was a former Headmaster of St Peter's College and a Founder of the College who had served as a Chaplain in World War I, winning the Military Cross. It was one of Canon Bickersteth's last acts in connection with the College as he died in the following month. (Bickersteth had laid the Foundation stone of the Dining Hall at the College in 1960). The silver shields on the decanter record the date and the names of Sir Henry, Julian Bickersteth and Archie Grenfell Price. There is a story that Sir Henry went to a shop he had remembered from a visit in London in 1898 to get the shields inscribed to be told that the silversmith had left about fifty years ago.
And now, from the history books...
Despite the fact that there were plans to build a University College since the late 1850s, St Mark's sprang in some true sense from the First World War. Interestingly, it was suggested that the College be called Christ's or King's but it was named after St Mark, the Saint whose patronal festival 10 years before had seen the landing of the ANZACS at Gallipoli (25th April).
This founding of the College links with our motto "Spernit Virtus Humum" which was suggested by the first College tutor in Classics, Professor BP Wait. The motto is taken from the Roman Poet Horace from a passage in Ode II, Book III which is an ode in praise of youthful valour, Its context occurs after the famous line "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" - and Horace lived only a few years before St Mark himself. The English translation of the part that Ode II comes from is "virtue opening wide the gates of Heaven for those who have not deserved to die essays her course along forbidden paths and soaring aloft on fleeting pinion spurns the damp earth and vulgur crowd".
By taking a word from each line, we find the three we know, Spernit Virtus Humum, or "virtue spurns the damp earth". Their words have a broader meaning 'virtue' includes concepts such as true human worth, valour and integrity; 'spernit' means rejecting or pushing away from and 'humum' means earthy or baser thoughts and acts.
Former Masters, Rev'd McKenzie and the Hon. Dr John Bannon have prepared succinctly information about our Motto and John Bannon notes that in 1993, a long term resident of the College and Classics Professor, Robert Ussher turned the motto into a positive affirmation with his translation which is now generally used by the College today: 'excellence reaches for the stars'.
So it was natural to call the College after St Mark and to take a motto from a somewhat martial Ode in praise of the qualities of "Virtus" - and the Lion in the coat of arms - the Lion traditionally symbolising bravery, valour, strength, and royalty and the Lion with wings, the symbol of St Mark.
The coat of arms is among one of the many traditions that is important to the College and the original aims and objectives of the College still stand, the College exists to provide a supportive and stimulating environment in which each student may pursue optimum academic achievement and reaching for excellence. The primary aims of collegiate life are to help engender in College members a strong sense of the responsibilities and rights of individuals living in a community with others and to instil in them an equally strong sense of commitment to the common good of our community.
Today, the College encourages its members to participate in the cultural, spiritual, social and sporting events proudly wearing the College coat of arms and continues to value the contributions members make to the life of the College through that participation.
It's wonderful to see this new website up and running. What a great way to tell people about the history of St. Mark's College.