The Principal's Report
This week the De La Salle community is grieving the tragic loss of our much-loved, long serving colleague and teacher, Ken Stokes. Ken died in a car accident on Sunday morning and as news started to circulate late that day, we were all in disbelief, hoping against hope there’d been some mistake. Upon confirmation that Ken had indeed gone, staff and students have to now come to terms with Ken’s death and support each other as best we can through the mourning process.
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Since beginning at De La Salle in 1998 as a young, fresh-faced teacher of Physical Education and Geography, Ken made an immediate impression. He was universally admired and acknowledged as a young man of tremendous humility, passionate about sport, health and physical education and a true gentleman.
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Over his 24 years at De La Salle, Ken changed little. He was unfailingly polite and friendly, always enjoyed a chat and joke, ever popular among staff and students. Ken quickly established a strong reputation as a reliable and collaborative teacher, quickly establishing positive relationships with students and most importantly, gaining their trust and respect through his everyday interactions.
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Ken was nominated for the 2022 ACC Service Award for De La Salle College and was due to receive this at an ACC ceremony on 19 May. Ken had a long history of coaching namely; hockey (Year 8 Premiership 2015), cricket, soccer, football (Year 10 Football Premierships 2001 and 2007), tennis, volleyball, cross country, table tennis and golf (Snr Championships 2015, 2017, 2019). Ken also organised and coached the De La Salle Snow Ski Team for many years.
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While Ken was a terrific teacher and spent many years supporting students’ wellbeing as a Homeroom Teacher and more recently a St Edwin’s House Mentor, it was through these years of coaching so many teams he was able to get to know and build long-lasting relationships with so very many students. They all appreciate Ken’s input and influence, remembering him fondly.
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It has been a challenging week for the College as we all struggle to come to terms with losing Ken. However, I have been buoyed by the visible support staff and students have been able to provide for each other. This is a sign of a strong and close community, coming together to deal with adversity and make sense of such a tragedy.
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We all deal with grief in different ways, but it is important to seek that opportunity to speak to a trusted friend or professional as we navigate our way through myriad through and emotions.
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Eternal rest grant unto Ken, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.
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May his soul and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
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