Years ago, I travelled to Japan and was taken aback by the presence of an ancient ideal that sought to capture the beauty of ordinary, everyday reality – from the careful presentation of food through to the considered creation of gardens, it was a singular aesthetic that ultimately spoke to the truth of things. And I loved it all – the perfectly imperfect ceramics, the subtle art of the Japanese tea – I breathed it all in and was at one with the world.

You can only imagine my shock and confusion then, as, wondering through one of the larger shopping malls in Tokyo in mid-December, I happened to look up into the giddy heights of the vaulted glass ceiling to see a giant Santa Claus (in full Christmas regalia), hanging from a cross. The moment was at once absurd and nonsensical but there was no doubting the disquiet that it provoked. What did this mean? I asked myself. How had things become so confused? When did we decide that Christmas and Easter should form a “collab”?! I searched for answers in the faces of the shoppers pulsing through the shopping centre but to my disappointment, no one else seemed to notice…

The French philosopher Baudrillard would have nodded sagely.  In a collection of essays written in 1983 he explores the nature of what we perceive to be reality. One of his better-known theories hypothesises that we live in a world where simulation in the forms of signs and signifiers, has replaced the real thing. This seductive “hyperreality,” where shopping malls, amusement parks and mass-produced images from social media, television shows and advertising dominate, is drained of authenticity and meaning.

With Easter fast upon us, (and with it, the symbols of rebirth and hope in the form of chocolate eggs), it is worth reflecting on the role schools play in providing our students with the road map needed to navigate reality, not as they wish it to be, but as it is.

And so as I reflect on a jampacked Term 1 here at School and with it, the commencement of another academic year and the need to rise to new challenges in new subjects with new teachers; games hard fought and won in summer sport and community netball; the carnival-like atmosphere of GSV Swimming Finals at MSAC; the triumph that was Head of School Girls and the St Catherine’s Regatta; early morning music rehearsals and late night Concerto Concerts; trips abroad and camps off campus, I trust that you will see each of these as I do – as beautifully distilled moments in time when our girls are given the chance to experience a reality rich in lessons that will last a lifetime.

The enduring image of Christ on the Cross is profound in its metaphoric simplicity and in its capacity to anchor us to reality and to hope.

And on a personal level, can I thank you all for welcoming me so warmly into this community. I look forward to continuing myriad of conversations with you, next term.

Happy Easter.