STURT REVIEW OUTCOME

 

Please click on an image to enlarge

Please click on image to enlarge

OPEN LETTER TO WWS GOVERNORS

Dear Mr Stubby and whoever this may concern,

Again, I am bound to remind you that if this communication can in any way be characterised as a missive from a rather angry old man that would be because it is. Moreover, I make no apologies for it being so. In the course of my life, I’ve come to know that, like Woody Allen, there is something out there watching us. All too often it is the government. Thus, one must be mindful of ‘the three truths’ … The Sun … The Moon … The Truth … and the fact that none of them have a secure place to hide. 

As you should already understand for whatever reason I regard myself as a member of the “Sturt Community” and I have been in communication with not only the Sturt Review Committee, and yourself based on that premise. However, this letter to “Sturt Community Members” came to me via a third party who knew all that. So, for whatever reason this letter is not actually addressed to me and as likely as not to the many others also who might well figure in the 340 and 70 souls referred to in your letter.

It is what it is, and the letter is what it is too. 

In fact, your letter is more conspicuous for what it doesn’t say than anything that it does. Moreover, what it does say comes with concerning undertones of Machiavellian manoeuvring. If anyone has spent any time engaged in the corporatisation of public institutions where ‘confidentiality’ is front and centre, sirens sound if accountability and transparency are not unambiguously evident.

It turns out serially and somewhat surreally that time in the hands of the malevolent is a dastardly tool. 

Clearly, your letter to your intended and select audience attempts to put fears to rest. However, far from doing so its language compounds many of the fears those among us have for ‘ideas’ that have seemingly gone astray for a purpose that defies credulity. 

What is at stake here are ideas, ideas that have burgeoned in time, ideas that are quintessentially at the core of cultural landscapes across cultural realities. 

Our aspirations become clearer when we are prompted to look deeply into just what we have invested in what. Looking outside ourselves, we might harbour dreams, however when we look inward, we engage with our realities. 

For the many ‘Sturt supporters’ locally, nationally, and internationally it has been an exasperating wait for news and here we are still on the drip feed and pain killers – and conceivably in palliative care. 

So, will anything of moment happen in 2025 that is the question hanging? While the construction and implementation of a refurbished entity dedicated to making, and making matter more, might well seem to be a possibility – is it really? 

Clearly, the devil is in the detail. It is an imperative that there is a devilish amount of detail to get sorted if there is any Machiavellian manoeuvring to be thwarted. 

Without question, the Sturt Review Committee did what was asked of them and in the most professional way possible. Moreover, they adhered to their brief with utmost integrity. Nonetheless, there is a question hanging … what was the brief’s unspoken, unwritten subtext? Everybody should know that the perfect joke is the one where the setup and punch line are identical. 

Shakespeare tells us that a fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool. 

The clear message coming to me, and others thus far comes as a question. “Is Sturt being set up to fail?” Thinking on it, we might well ask questions like, 

•   Where is the security of tenure to be found for a standalone independent entity? 

•   With what fiscal security can it rely upon? 

•   And just what inheritance is bankable and freely available to Sturt as a standalone independent entity?  

These and other questions are ever likely to be dodged and characterised as untenable, audacious, rude even, as the main game gets played out with the prospect of a stacked deck of cards ever present. Not to put too fine a point on it, the Sturt Community of Ownership and Interest is being invited to gamble in a TWOup game in a ring with a spinner who has Taswegian Pennies – coins with two heads – on his kip. 

There are those among us who question what has been reported as coming from the Extraordinary General Meeting of Winifred West Schools Ltd. (WWS Ltd) That meeting held great promise, and it is said to have delivered.  

Nonetheless, it now seems that was/is an illusion. For instance, did that meeting actually empower the WWS Governors to assert that Sturt would remain under the continued control and ownership of WWS Ltd. Apparently, some in attendance seem to think not. 

Likewise, it is concerning that this might be advocated away from the meeting especially when you assert that Frensham Schools is the WWS Ltd’s core business and additionally that Frensham Schools will continue to utilise Sturt as a facility. 

Some time ago I came to an understanding regarding 21st C cultural institutions. The need for them to have ‘a’ geography is debatable if they are to do with cultural production in contemporaneous context in an increasingly interconnected world. 

For instance, universities and musingplaces sometime in the mid 1980s cease to be ‘the keepers of knowledge’. It was the Nobel Laureate Prof. Brian Smidt who made that observation. Some assert that this function moved to the likes of Wikipedia but not so. Wikipedia has become a quintessential DATAstore and data is not knowledge – knowledge is to do with understanding. Similarly, musingplaces no longer have a teaching purpose albeit that they are places for learning. Quite simply it is not their purpose to teach anything. That is best done elsewhere. 

Whatever, there are gaps to be filled if 'making' is to continue to matter and contribute to our cultural realities in meaningful ways as cultural landscapes reconfigure themselves. 

If Sturt in its new reality is to do all you say and imply, just where is the entity's independence? True freedom is the capacity to act according to one's own true character, to be altogether oneself, to be self-aware and self-determined and not subject to any kind of outside coercion or pre-set agendas. 

To be plain, what I see before me is a Machiavellian mirage masquerading as utopia albeit that an Orwellian dystopia seems to hover just over the horizon on the ready and ever alert to manifest itself. .

Well might we be anxious if we imagine that we might have skin in the game. As Machiavelli tells us … It is a sign of intelligence to be aware of one’s own ignorance. 

We, that is those yet to be acknowledged as members of THE STURT COMMUNITY, await further information in order that we can invest whatever in the enterprise that has apparently been embarked upon. 

Yours sincerely, 

Ray Norman 

Sturt Alumni, Cultural Producer, 

Cultural Geographer & Researcher

https://www.sturtreview.com/Latest-News

Please click on image to enlarge

MY RESPONSE

To whoever,

 

For whatever reason I regard myself as a member of the “Sturt Community” and I have been in communication with not only the Sturt Review Committee and the Governors based on that premise. However, this letter came to me from a third party who knew all that. So, for whatever reason this letter is not actually addressed to me and as likely as not to the many others also who might well figure in the 340and 70 souls referred to in it. It is what it is, and the letter is what it is too.

 

Indeed, this letter is more conspicuous for what it doesn’t say than anything that it does. Moreover, what it does say comes with undertones of Machiavellian manoeuvring if you have spent any time engaged in the corporatisation of public institutions where ‘confidentiality’ is front and centre when and where transparent accountability might well be found in the hands of honest brokers. 

 

Clearly, this letter attempts to put fears to rest but far from doing so its language compounds many of the fears those among us have for ‘ideas’ that have seemingly gone astray.

 

Our aspirations become clear only when we can and when we are prompted to look deeply into just what we have invested in what. Looking outside ourselves, we might harbour dreams, however when we look inward, we engage with our realities.

 

For the many ‘Sturt supporters’ locally, nationally, and internationally it has been exasperating wait for news and here we are still on the drip feed and pain killers. So will anything of moment happen in 2025 that is the question?  While the construction and implementation of a refurbished entity dedicated to making, and making matter more, seems a possibility, the devil is in the detail. 

 

It is an imperative that there is a devilish amount of detail to get sorted if there is any Machiavellian manoeuvring to be thwarted.

 

The Sturt Review Committee did what was asked of them in the most professional way possible and they adhered to their brief with utmost integrity. Nonetheless, the question hanging … what was the brief’s unspoken, unwritten subtext?   Everybody should know that the perfect joke is the one where the setup and punch line are identical.

 

The clear message coming to me thus far comes as a question. “Is Sturt being set up to fail?”  Thinking on it, we might well ask! Like, where is the security of tenure to be found along with the fiscal security; and just what inheritance is bankable. These and other questions are ever likely to be dodged and characterized as untenable, rude even, as the main game gets played out with a stacked deck of cards quite probably.

 

Well might we be anxious if we imagine that we have skin in the game. As Machiavelli tells us … It is a sign of intelligence to be aware of one’s own ignorance.

 

Regards,

 

Ray

 

Ray Norman

Sturt Alumni, Cultural Producer, Cultural Geographer & Researcher

<zingHOUSEunlimited>

The lifestyle design enterprise and research network

PH: 03-6334 2176 … 0431 070 450

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“A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.” Thomas Paine

“The standard you walk past is the standard you accept” David Morrison

Postscript ... To another respondent

Albeit being at the end of my piece of string I have no problem at all with optimism just so long as it comes with a goodly dose of realism. 

 

Yes, yes there are some serious negotiations to be had and the news coming to me today suggest a yawning gap or two between what transpired at THE WWS COMPANY MEETING and the missive I got to get in the end. Be alert if not alarmed.

 

Whatever, be circumspect about the Machiavellian manoeuvring that needs to be thwarted. Yes, there is a pathway forward but be aware that TIME is the hammer that Machiavellians play/work with. Knowing what is in the toolbox and just what is at stake is all important.

 

I look forward to a chat soonish!?

LETTER OF INTEREST

EX- FRENSHAM STUDENT & COI MEMBER

TO QUOTE

MESSAGE TO WWS GOVERNORS

 

• ...... Mrs Clementine Allan
• ...... Ms Elizabeth Charles
• ...... Mr Stuart Fox –  Frensham Nominee
• ...... Mr Paul Hunter
• ...... Ms Kirsty McIvor – Sturt Nominee
• ...... Mr Richard Melki
• ...... Mr Edward Studdy – Chair
• ...... Mr David Wright – Gib Gate Nominee
• ...... Ms Jane Worner

Dear Mr Stubby and whoever it may concern,

As I’m prone to do these days, and that is to state at the outset that I expect that this correspondence will read with scant regard. Moreover, what I have to say will no doubt be characterised as the rant from an angry old man. I can confirm that such an assessment is right on the money and especially so given that it is in my current duty statement. .................... That said, I find the confirmation in the Southern Highlands Express that Frensham’s Governors (Formally WWS Ltd Govern) remains hell bent in being the corporate citizen from THEinferno. Galloping rough shod over the well-founded community concerns, sensibilities and sensitivities is hubristic and it must be seen as an exemplar extremely poor marketing. There is much more that I could (should?) say but I’ll leave that to your individual imaginations .................... Moreover, in the 21st C, and as for meeting community expectations, the depths that are being plumbed by you are astounding. It is said that a wise man said … “Never borrow the devil's pitchfork for he will surely use it against you.” .................... ‘The old girls’ et al currently calling out THEschool’s behaviours here, and persistently, and over time, it should be telling you all on the board something – quite simply, it’s their education speaking. Nonetheless, together you apparently have all decided to lend them a deaf ear to their rational call for a rethink. Yes, as one the few alive today who actually knew Winifred West, and I am with them even though I do not believe that I’ve met any of them. .................... I’ve said it before, I recall Winifred West espousing ‘making’ relative to place and here, with her making her environmental concerns loud and clear in this context. That is when she was speaking as an educator and the quintessential placemaker that she was. Her life partner Phyllis Clubbe, often said of Winifred that she was a nice person but when she was a “visionary with a mission” she was ever likely to be less nice. Having got to know them both it is possible to imagine Winifred storming into a governors meeting, dressing down all present on this and that and leaving all to ponder a few things as she returned to her gardening whatever the weather. .................... Together Winifred West and ‘Miss Clubbe’ (AKA ‘Clubby’) left an extraordinary legacy to a very large Community of Ownership and Interest (COI) not shareholders, not stakeholders but a COI who are asserting, as best they can, the right to speak out and speak up on your current propensity for nightmarish decision making. They acknowledge their obligations as well and there are poignant lessons embedded in that. In a marketing sense it makes good sense to pay close attention. However, as a ‘board’, and on the evidence, you are disinclined to acknowledge a COI in lieu of anything like shareholders to be accountable to. Given that, on the evidence, it is more comfortable to be unaccountably self-serving – status quoism writ large! As for the legacy you are apparently oblivious to, what you have to care for and about is significant. .................... As for this so-called development in the ‘The Lower Holt’ it bears all the hallmarks of a comfortable GETaway at the beach and home away from home at the boarding house. OMG it is a SUGARcoated BUSHexperience with hot and cold running water on tap and what is more, it is architecturally BOVINEdust, lowest common denominator, and sadly it is mediocre to boot. There was a day when the girls slept on open verandas and what’s proposed here is unambiguously banal and downright silly aside from being environmentally inappropriate and pedagogically stupefying. There was a day when serious players in placemaking were engaged – consider Clubbe Hall for a moment [1] – [2] – [3] against this [4] in the context of a contribution to the CULTURALlandscape. The question hanging here is how on earth didn’t this banal architectural lowest common denominator proposal ring any alarm bells? I’ll get to that, but for you now, I guess you might well muse upon that! Indeed, what might Winifred think! .................... From what’s on display, it is time for a radical rethink with some divergent thinkers and cultural realists present in the room. That is people with domain knowledge, designers and ‘makers’ with the capacity to think ‘divergently’ … outside the box & the status quo. I’ll repeat again Ronald Reagan’s translation of status quo … “Its’s quite simply Latin for the mess we are in”… and by golly Reagan wasn’t a great thinker but in this he was on the money. .................... So, along with your STURTdetermination as a ‘Board of Governors’ you are displaying your dystopic disability to not only see the dystopia but also show any ability/inclination to address the issue plus also to be cognisant/mindful of what is going on in THEworld in a REALworld context. Why is it that you are seen to be looking to plunder STURTresources in your hellish “pausing”? For what purpose? As much as you tell yourselves that STURT is a NONperforming COSTcentre. SELFreflection is a humbling process. Its purpose is essential to find out why you think, say, and do certain things...... AND then better yourself. .................... Some questions! Has anyone considered WWS doing a meaningful SWOTtest recently!!?? Has anyone been so bold as to suggest engaging with ‘WWS’ COI – schools plural ? Has the news of Chevalier’s 4 day week reached ‘the board’ in any meaningful way? Has anyone considered engaging with EDUCATIONIONALresearchers when thinking strategically? Indeed, is any time being given over to meaningful STRATEGICreview? Has any thought been given to WWS’s future prospects after the Federal Govt ultimately reviews SCHOOLS’funding? Has any thought at all been given as to how WWS might grow in a 21st context or survive even? Has any thought been given to the recent Cranbrook debacle? In the light of the board’s wayward PERFORMANCEindicators these are somewhat rhetorical questions. And there are more still! .................... I’m unaware of who it might have been who put forward the idea that wallowing on the smooth surface of their self-satisfaction, many of us are merely counting the shadows on the wall of their/our delusions. Moreover, while adding up the so, so many illusions and indulgences in the comfort of lies and the ignorance of unpleasant truths the SELFsatisfied retreat is the only safe way out … pull the shutters down and keep schtum. Whoever it was who said this, they had the capacity to describe SELFreflection as a noun/verb and lay the foundations for whatever comes next. Spend some time musing upon that please. .................... Arguably, WWS as the current insulated and isolated FRENSHAMschool entity has transmogrified into a TOPdown exemplar of a somewhat Machiavellian CORPORATEfiefdom masquerading as a worthy entity entitled to all kinds of ‘largess’ on the grounds of it history/ies. In truth it is but a very PALEshadow of what was once ‘marketable’ by word-of-mouth. How did this happen? Why did it happen? Going forward is it viable, marketable, or relevant socially, culturally, or educationally in a 21st C context? SEE https://whatmightwinifredwestthink.blogspot.com/p/operational-structures.html .................... Since I write from afar and that I’m ever likely to be characterised as an irrelevant angry old man sticking his bib where it is not wanted it is what it is. Nonetheless consigning this to the bottom of the bottom draw might not work– see this LINK for the record. Quite simply, transparency is increasingly a 21st C reality. .................... John Maxwell has said “Never open a can of worms unless you plan to go fishing.” Please know, I am ‘fishing’ and as a cultural producer, cultural geographer, and researcher WWS is a petri dish in my CULTURALlaboratory. Moreover, it is where the foundations of my professional life and research interests are laid down. .................... If you intend to respond to this, please refrain from patronising me as you have done before – it’s not a good look. If it is your default positioning is to pay no attention to what the critics say, so be it. Statues are never erected in honour of a critic. Anyway, if it is your inclination so to do, don’t waste any energy trying to change opinion. Just do your thing, and don’t care if the world likes it or not and let word-of-mouth and social media will do their thing and as likely as not, what needs to be done will be done. .................... What always resonates with me is the Buddha’s teaching on truth. There are just three things that cannot be hidden .. The Sun … The Moon … The truth. .................... Yours sincerely, Ray Norman Sturt Alumni, Cultural Producer, Cultural Geographer & Researcher Ray Norman The lifestyle design enterprise and research network .................... eMAIL: raynorman7250@gmail.com

MAY 1 SHE: COMMUNITY CONCERN

 

INDEED WHAT WOULD WINIFRED THINK ABOUT THIS

 

PLEASE CLICK ON

THE IMAGE TO

ENLARGE

For all those people who for decade upon decade who gained insights into Winifred West's vision and extraordinary achievements as an educator and PLACEmaker, this news is bewildering to say the least. To suggest that the governors she entrusted her vision to have lost sight of the values Winifred West espoused, on the evidence, is nothing short of astounding. 

To suggest that the plot has indeed been lost, one wonders if today's FRENSHAM Governors have the remotest idea about what it is that they have been entrusted with.

Sadly, it is what it has come to and it is what it is. Nevertheless, as Francis Bacon has been reported as arguing, we must not only observe nature in the raw, and then, sometimes we must twist 'the lion's tail'. That is, manipulate the world in order to learn its secrets – indeed reveal them to the world.

FOR THOSE WHO LOOK, THERE ARE MESSAGES HERE!

STURT HAS A VERY SIGNIFICANT

COMMUNITY OF OWNERSHIP

AND INTEREST

CLICK HERE

It is said that the vandalism of avarice or neglect, the ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten, as a people, the cost of a freedom. A community's 'engagement' cannot be bought because you have to build it and that takes time, sometimes a very long time.

 

THE ALARMS ARE RINGING!

Sturt Review

5 February 2024

Dear Sturt Community Members

I am writing to advise you of some changes to the Sturt adult course offering in 2024.

This week the Board of Governors decided to initiate a detailed review of the operations of Sturt. This review is an important and exciting step towards ensuring Sturt’s sustainability and viability.

Sturt, which was established over 80 years ago, is a treasured institution within the Frensham Schools community and an important part of the legacy left by Winifred West. Sturt has an exceptional reputation both nationally and internationally, and plays a valuable role for Frensham Schools students, arts and craft practitioners, and the Southern Highlands community.

Given its importance, the Board of Governors is committed to supporting Sturt to ensure it is part of the Frensham Schools’ offering well into the future. Sturt’s current operating model has seen it face some operational and financial challenges. In the context of these challenges, it is neither responsible nor feasible for Sturt’s present operating model to continue.

During the review period, teaching and extra-curricular activities for Frensham Schools students involving Sturt will continue as normal. The Certificate IV in Furniture Design and Manufacturing will also continue for 2024 and the renting of workshop spaces will continue where appropriate. However, during this period the rest of Sturt will operate as follows:

Café operations will pause from this Friday, 2 February 2024.

Shop operations will pause from 1 March 2024.

Term 1 adult classes for Ceramics, Weaving, Jewellery and Woodcraft will continue for those already enrolled, but adult classes will be paused from Term 2 2024.

Gallery exhibitions booked through to 30 June will continue, but gallery operations will be paused from July pending the outcome of the review.

The Winter School and Anagama Firing Workshop will pause for 2024.

We understand this will be disappointing news for many of you and apologise for any inconvenience caused. The outcome of the review will be communicated to all stakeholders once it is complete. If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact us at feedback@frensham.nsw.edu.au.

Yours sincerely,

Geoff Marsh

Head of Frensham & Head of Frensham Schools

WATCH THIS SPACE!

LET'S NOT FORGET THAT STURT

HAS A VERY LARGE COMMUNITY

OF OWNERSHIP AND INTEREST

Responsibility equals accountability equals ownership. And a sense of ownership is the most powerful weapon a team or organisation can have. More to the point, 'great ideas, big ideas' are beastly careless about who owns them or have shares in them. Legally 'ideas' are beyond ownership!