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!

 

 

MEMORIES & MUSINGS

 It seems that the memory of this extraordinary woman has faded in the 'cultural landscape' that is currently under threat. I refer to a part of it known to what seems to be a fading network as "The Holt" – one of her 'special places' . 

It appears to be looking at nothing short of 'desecration'.

For those who knew Winifred West and who had shared with her visions and imaginings for, and of, 'places', this place became invested with all manner of things. 

The 'Upper Holt' was no longer just a piece of bush just off Range Road, it was a place to do things, indeed imagine things. It was an extension of the 'Lower Holt' a place set aside for musing in a way. I had the privilege of knowing Winifred West and sharing time musing on this or that, often over a cup of tea as somewhat Gandhi like she spun wool – the Mahatma spun cotton. This 'place' would crop up quite often and in various contexts.

Douglas Adams was yet to tell us about 'DEEP THOUGHT' and 42 but somehow in one's reminiscing and musings these conversations with Winifred and DEEP THOUGHT in cyberspace somehow meld.

Winifred West was an extraordinary educationalist and independent thinker – much of which she did out loud. I recall so very clearly an early piece of her advice. It went, "you just cannot create miracles however you can create the circumstances within which they might happen."  For her, The Holt was one of those 'circumstances' where one could go and do things, imagine things, think things – and one imagines now, meditate. 

If you were a Frensham girl in her time you would know about, and be able to reminisce about, this somewhat unique activity – 'Holting'. The stories talk about raking leaves and twigs, bonfires and cooking treats on those fires – but there was more to it than that.

While I do not recall how Winifred West acquired this place, that was well before my time but I do recall stories about that piece of 'useless bush' coming up for sale and Winifred imagining it as anything but 'useless'. She of course snapped it up and to the bemusement of many, she simply left it to be for the most part. 

In her later years when 'brisk walks' were somewhat off the agenda she would take a very slow drive, as a passenger, through The Holt (Upper or Lower), at dog's walking pace, with 'Jolly' exercising somewhere slightly ahead, to round out the day. For others, it was a place to gather fallen branches for firewood. And Winifred herself would arrange for 'bush rock' to be collected for her gardening projects at Sturt. Whatever happened there 'touched the land lightly' long before the contemporary Australian architect  Glenn Murchutt coined the phrase.

It is of course impossible to imagine what Winifred would think and say now in a 21st C context about what might happen in 'The Holt'. Nonetheless, she has left some of us with a 'cultural sensibility' that might help contextualise our responses to various dilemmas in front of us and ahead of us yet – climate change pandemics etc. 

Indeed, 'glamping' in The Holt somehow seems antithetic to 'Holting'. And, the bureaucratic processes on steroids that seem to be redefining the 'placedness' there is so, so very concerning. That is so wherever it is invoked albeit that there are now newer environment concerns to take into account.

Given that increasingly we are discovering that we belong to place rather than them belonging to us, we need to look to our moral compasses and more carefully. 

Also, we need to ponder the question about whether 'places' define culture or is it culture that defines place? In this instance, perhaps something else in 'this place' needs consideration or perhaps consideration might be given to the plans being realised elsewhere. It's a question that hangs in the air – and it will linger for some time.

Winifred West was a person of her time, yet somehow in her imaginings of 'placedness' I believe that she would have readily understood, acknowledged and celebrated the Gundungurra people's preexisting sovereignty and placedness.

“This is the place of places and and it is here.” 

Gertrude Stein

Ray Norman