As we all know 2020 has been a rough year for almost everyone as people have missed out on great opportunities. For example, the cricket trip that was meant to go to India prior to the Corona virus outbreak.

We have also had a very stressful time during lockdown with people not knowing what the future holds for them which is a very scary concept. As men we are very good at bottling this stress and panic up inside and acting like everything is fine when in truth it may not be.

At OBHS, the sense of brotherhood is extremely strong. As we all know, brothers fight and like to make a joke of each other. But when things start to get rough as they are right now, we come together and look after one another which is what I'm asking from the OBs lads during this time. Having the common courtesy to just look out for one of your mates will go a very long way during this time. We have no idea what the person sitting either side of us might be going through. This spread of kindness could just make that person's outlook just that much more positive which is huge during these uneasy times.

As we have been going through a lot this year and with all the Year 13s about to leave school and go into a world that has a very unpredictable economy with many jobs not being as guaranteed as they have been in previous years, this will be difficult. However, I think this is also a great opportunity for all of us. It opens the door up to try new things that we may not have thought of doing. New things like following your passions.

This opportunity to go out and follow our dreams is something that can be intimidating. But something that if you put your mind to it and have the belief that you can succeed will be invigorating. As the saying goes, 'If you do something you love you'll never work a day in your life'. So that is my challenge for everyone sitting here today, to go out and chance that thing that inspires you. This will make you feel a lot better mentally and physically than doing some job just because it's available.

To finish up, I'd like to tell a story from Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey's father always wanted to be a comedian but was too scared he'd fail and not be able to provide for his family. So he took a 'safe' job as an accountant. However, when Jim was 12, his dad was let go from that 'safe' job and their family had to struggle from that day on to provide shelter, food and pretty much every necessity. So the quote I want to leave you guys with is 'You can fail at what you don't want, so you might as well take a chance on what you love' - Jim Carrey.