We are putting this edition of the Quad together in the chill of February up here in the hills. Barely a month has passed since the end of 2004, a year which was such an exceptional one for us in the Woodstock community, but already events in school and in the wider world have moved on to such an extent that the anniversary year is rapidly beginning to seem like a dream. Tragic events have affected our school and the region over the winter holidays, including the devastating tsunami that swept across Indonesia and the south of the sub-continent and, in Woodstock, the unexpected passing of our longest-serving staff member, Diana Biswas. The news is full both of new threats and renewed opportunities to solve old problems. At the start of a new semester, the school calendar is relentless; moving on through 'mock' exams, college applications and acceptances, planning for activities once the weather improves, preparing for new construction and new programmes. Life, and school life in particular, has a lively pace of its own that cannot be resisted and the new year begins the circle of events and activities all over again.

In fact, I prefer to think of life in school as an upward spiral, not a plain circle. Especially when things are going well, you come to the end of a year and realise that you are starting the new one in a better place, at a higher level than you were before. It has certainly been the case this year. In fact, as I have reflected on the events and achievements of the past year, it seems to me that here at Woodstock, and in terms of the involvement and support of the Woodstock family, we have reached a remarkable high 'plateau' on our metaphorical mountain-climbing journey of school improvement. I do not think that anything quite like '2004' has ever happened before in the history of the school. In the quieter, anticlimactic months since November, we have been struggling to reach an understanding of the significance of the outpouring of interest and support for the school from many hundreds of our former students, staff and parents around the world in our sesquicentennial year. Once we have done so, and paused for breath, we will renew the 'climb.'

Just for a short while, however, this reflective 'taking stock' is a pleasant activity, as is the opportunity to say 'thankyou'. On behalf of all of us at Woodstock - students, staff, employees, administration and the Board of Directors - I would like to say how much we have appreciated the many ways in which our alumni, their families and friends have demonstrated their care for Woodstock and for the work that we are trying to do today. This includes ex-staff members and families, including four past Principals and many others, who have also been a valued and appreciated part of this year. The numbers of visitors that came to the school during the year was encouraging. The enthusiastic participation in other events around the world has been inspiring. The response to the Woodstock 150 Campaign has been transforming. One obvious way in which the end of the anniversary year feels like such a high point is the palpable sense that the school looks and feels like a different place in many ways than it did six years ago, different but still recognizably 'Woodstock'.

My own feeling is that, with all that has happened in the preparation for and experience of our 150th anniversary, we have really come to understand and appreciate who we are, what makes us distinctive, and what we have to offer to the world in our modest but unique way. It has been so rewarding to say: "This is who we are" and to know that you share our pride; to say: "This is what we want to become", and to know, through your words and in actions, that you share our vision. I think that we begin 2005 with a real sense of looking outward from our mountain with a new confidence that we are doing something valuable and that our friends are behind us. The number of class submissions in this year's Quad is, I think, a good illustration of this growing sense of engagement between the school and its alumni and wider community. For me, 2004 was a remarkable year and I will not see its like again. It was a time of intense activity for all of us who were involved not only in our regular jobs but also in all the preparations for the 150th celebrations, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I am proud to be a part of this remarkable school and community and to have had the honour of leading Woodstock at this significant time in its history. We have ended our first 150 years well. Now we stand on a firm foundation from which we can look forward with optimism to the next fifty years. Thank you for your part in this achievement.