Eldergreen Community – The Eagles

• Community Coordinator
  To be announced early 2009
• 2009 Senior Community Captains
  Rebecca Andreasen and Christopher Bellamy
• 2009 Middle Community Captains
  Emily Simpson and Daniel Gutschmidt
• 2009 Junior Community Captains
  Tiffany Fowler and Rachael Whittington
• Colour – Green

  "Elder Green" farmhouse

• (Photo - City of Tea Tree Gully Library Local History Collection)

• Eldergreen - The Sensational ‘Have-A-Go’ Community

  History

  The name Eldergreen is derived from one of the five historic farms in the Tea Tree Gully area.  ‘Elder Green’ farmhouse was built in 1888 by George Chapman, a runaway sailor who had left his ship in Port Adelaide with one shilling and a pocket knife. He married Lavinia Dowton, having five children with her, then married her younger sister, Rebecca, after Lavinia’s untimely death, having a further seven children with Rebecca. They lived in a slab and daub cottage with two stone rooms nearby, both of which are still standing to this day. 37 acres of land was wisely used for farming hay for the horses, fruit tree orchards and vineyards. George also had a penchant for making mulberry and elderberry wine.

  Inspiration

  The Community system at Pedare commenced in 1991 and the Eldergreen Community chose the ‘Golden Eagle’ as its emblem.

  Using Isaiah 40:28-31 for inspiration:

  “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

  As such we seek to grow in our God-given interests and abilities in all areas, be they spiritual, scholastic, sporting or social.

  The Eagle

  An investigative study into the birth, growth, development and lifestyle patterns of this magnificent species of the animal kingdom, often known as the ‘Winged Warrior’ or the ‘King of the Sky’, reveals its all-encompassing qualities and characteristics:

  ‘…appreciative, secure, confident, bold, courageous, purposeful, visionary, versatile, flexible, teachable, patient, having a sense of humour, loving and faithful, protective, providing, rejuvenating, enduring, industrious, and altogether healthy.’

  In today’s society we need men, women and youngsters of vision, faith, courage, integrity, tenacity, dependability, power and love. Those who will:

 

• seize the day
• dare to be different
• dare to rise above the mediocrity of the crowd
• dare to soar to new heights
• dare to ‘go against the flow’ of life
• dare to make their life really count for something.

  We therefore encourage each Eldergreen member to rise to the heights God intended for them, refusing to take their best talents and gifts with them to the grave.

  To really live is rare. Most people are content to merely exist! Instead…LIVE!

  Life on wings is exciting,

  Life on wings means to come alive,

  Life on wings is to live one’s life as an adventure of faith.

  Come eagle FLY!

  Community Spirit

  The essence of ‘Living in Community’ is to respect not only God, our Creator, but also ourselves, as well as the uniqueness of each person within the community, each of whom has the privilege of contributing in their individuality to the corporate greater good of the whole ‘family’.

  It is interesting to note that:

  “The success of a team is far greater as a result of the sum of the individuals working together, than the success of the individuals simply put together”.

  What we in Eldergreen strive for is …’synergy’, which is ‘combined action, working together, or cooperation’. Or, put another way:

  “Activating the synergy of our blended components is ~ combining, contributing, compensating, completing, catalyzing, causing the combustion of corporate creativity and continuity while never competing, controlling, compromising, complaining or comparing, but always cooperating!”

  (Rob Rufus, Coastlands International Christian Centre, August 31 1997)

  Having a Go

  2007 saw Eldergreen Community members, ably led by Community Captains Jordan Dickie, Eddie Bastiani, Rebecca Chao and Joshua Horne, encouraged to ‘get involved’ in all aspects of co-curricular and extra-curricular College life.

  In first term, Eldergreen again competed in the annual Community Swimming and Athletics Carnivals. Although, this year, out swum and outrun by Greenwith, the majority of the Community entered into the spirit of friendly competition, contributing to very close and enjoyable events.

  Weekly chapels have provided the opportunity for staff and students to benefit from the valuable and wise input of visiting speakers from within the College as well as the wider community. Students have also participated in running chapels.

  Eldergreen elected to raise funds for ‘The 2H Project’, a global charity organisation who provide cataract removal operations for patients in underdeveloped nations.

  On Wednesday mornings, home groups met together on a rostered basis to learn skills for greater Community integration, getting to know other members of all year levels within the Community whilst undertaking a variety of Miss Slocombe’s fun quizzes and group creativity challenges.

  Staff and students studied the history of ‘Elder Green’ and had input into designing the new official Community ‘Standard’ which will have the motto encouraging all concerned to… “Strive, Care, Grow!”

  At other times, children involved themselves in dramatic events, choirs, bands, musical performances and tours, Mathematics and Science quizzes, Art exhibitions, Debating, Book Cup, and multifarious sporting endeavours, both between Communities as well as in representing the College against other schools.

  Whatever the endeavour, sometimes being stretched beyond comfort zones, each person has been offered the chance to discover hidden talents and innate creativity, has learnt how to relate better to others, and has learnt the essence of ‘living life to the full’ (John10:10).

  All in all, this willingness to ‘Get Involved’ led to the accumulation of sufficient points to ensure that Eldergreen has, yet again, been awarded the accolade of Community Cup Champions for the fourth year in a row.

  An individual’s growth, development and all round learning is clearly greater than simply striving for a high ‘Tertiary Entrance Rank’. There is much truth in the maxim… ‘What one gets out of life is directly proportional to what one puts into it’.

  It is, indeed, a truly rewarding experience to be in the…

  • Ever encouraging
  • Actively accepting
  • Generously Giving
  • Lifelong Learning
  • Enjoyably enthusiastic
  • Sensationally successful…..Community

  And so to the future…we say fond farewells to those eagles and eaglets departing the College for new skylines and mountain ranges, and welcome all who come to join the truly sensational ‘Have a Go’ Community in 2008. 

  May each member of the Eldergreen Community ‘Strive in every way to be Great… in Twenty-08’