My fellow brothers, I stand before you today not as the Head Boy, not as your classmate, but your brother and a proud Bedean. Five years ago, our journeys began in the school gym when being welcomed by some pretty scary Year 13s on opening day. Since then, we’ve grown, learnt, built, cried and sacrificed together. I want to thank you boys first for supporting me throughout this year. We’ve gone through a lot of ups and downs. But I'm glad I could come to school knowing you guys were there for me. So, thank you.

We will live the life of Bede.
Through our motto and our creed.
Through our faith and works our test.
Bringing honor to the crest.
And we do our brothers proud.
Through our actions we speak loud.
And I'm proud to say that we’re the men of Bede.

A snippet of history. This song is a testament to our school. The words display our actions, emotions, goals, desires, and values. Today, I am going to break up this song in context and tell you all the undercovers of the men of Bede.

We will live the life of Bede. The same question that floats around year after year is, what makes a good Bedean? And, yes, I could say, kindness, being friendly, role model… all the stuff a typical nervous kid would say. But to me, being a Bedean means to be proud of the blazer you wear, to acknowledge the people who have helped get you to where you are now, and to be grateful for what St Bede’s has done for you. For me, being a Bedean is being yourself. The little things. Smiles, laughter, handball in the quad, the tuck shop overflowing with students, and the determination some of the boys show inside and outside of the classroom. These are ways I see Bedean mana. Our Patron, St Bede, was a man of determination in his writing and history, which flows back to living the life of Bede.

Through our motto and our creed. St Bede’s is a place where you are expected to give everything 100%. There is no such thing as failing at this college and it is something I've learnt over my time here. Failure to me is one of the best ways to learn. Not only are you getting something wrong, but you get the chance to grow and learn from it, so it's never done the same way again. No one expects you to be perfect, no one expects you to get excellent marks straight away, no one expects you to nail your first penalty goal. You need to fail in life. But when you do fail, you need to have the mindset of growth and that you're not going to make the same mistake. It is our creed, Fide et Opere, that helps us be the people we are, and it is our motto to never stop trying, no matter how many times we fall.

Through our faith and works our test. There was a huge sense of community and brotherhood from the older students when walking through the gates for the first time, and it was touching seeing the older ones treat us like little brothers. Faith to me is really important, and I've learnt that it's faith that builds this special community we have today. Through our faith, we build our relationships each day and I'm forever grateful that faith has brought me close to a lot of these boys. “Works”, what does that even mean? If you asked me a week ago, I wouldn't have been able to tell you. But with a bit of reflection, I've come to realise it’s representing your school through your actions. Whether that’s playing rugby, hockey, football, squash, table tennis, or in the classroom, receiving Excellence and Merit endorsements like you all in front of me today. Works is our actions and how we represent our school with them. I stand here today and congratulate all who are receiving awards. It is a huge privilege to witness so many of you representing your school and I can proudly say that you are representing your college through your faith and works.

Bringing honor to the crest. A word I stand and try to live by every day. Honour. Honour to my peers, to my brothers, to my school, to my family. Through my years at the college, I've been grateful to receive so many different opportunities and pathways. I’ve been fortunate enough to lead my team in a sport I deeply love and cherish, while also getting to fulfill the role of Head Boy at the college. I’ll never stop representing my school, even as an old boy I wish to honor and give back to a community who formed me into the man I am today. It is not so much about the crest that has been engraved on my chest, but the crest that has even engraved in my heart.

And we do our brothers proud. When accepting the big role of Head Boy, I knew I needed to make my school and brothers proud. But that wasn’t it. I wanted to make my people and family name proud, and there are a couple specific people I need to mention. Mum, I want to express my deepest gratitude for your unwavering support over the past year and throughout my entire five years at school. Your love and encouragement have been my rock, and I couldn't have done it without you. I feel incredibly fortunate to have you as my mother. To my dad, I want to express my gratitude for your constant encouragement and care throughout my entire five years. You’ve not only looked after me, but also given me the courage to be myself and work harder than anyone. Your unwavering support has been a driving force in my life, and I’m so grateful for your guidance and love. And Lauren, from your giggly and bright personality to your thoughtful and loving lunches you make me, I want to thank you for always watching out for me. I am truly blessed to have you. To my Grampian crew, my day ones. I love you guys with all my heart. And to anyone else who has been a big factor in my five years, I thank you and hope I made you all proud.

Through our actions we speak loud. Leaders who take action to support and empower their teams, who are resilient in the face of adversity, and who consistently work toward a vision, inspire and motivate their teams. Such leaders lead "loudly" through their actions, motivating others to follow suit. Our school is blessed with many leaders. Tonight, I will focus on three. Mr McMahon, a man who loves his Mackintosh lollies a bit too much. Mr McDowall, a man who is definitely under 5 foot 7 and is deeply invested in his horse racing. And Mrs Pitcathily. You can’t say anything bad about her, she’s a saint. Although these three all have their separate perks, they are the three who checked up on me, looked after me, helped me get to the end of the year in one piece, and were just there to talk to when I needed it. I have a lot of love for these three leaders of our school, and they represent the college through their actions.

And I’m proud to say that we’re the men of Bede. I am proud. To wear the blazer, to walk into school seeing students happy, to represent St Bede’s in the sport I love, to talk to my uncle and dad about their history at St Bede’s. I am proud of my last five years at this college. I have had highs and I also have had lows. But would I change anything if I could go back and rewrite my story again? No, no I wouldn't. I thank you all for helping, supporting, feeding and loving me over the past five years. Although this is the last chapter of my novel, I still have a library to fill.

We will live the life of Bede.
Through our motto and our creed.
Through our faith and works our test.
Bringing honor to the crest.
And we do our brothers proud.
Through our actions we speak loud.
And I'm proud to say that I am a man of Bede.

Fa'afetai Lava and thank you,

Christian Ioane