12 September 2025
Dear Parents,
Friday last week brought me the unique pleasure of judging the forts built by the children in their Inter-house fort building competition. How many headmasters get to do that?
The morning office schedule left no time to change from my formal clothes into something more suitable. Only my hastily removed Clifton tie found safe refuge in a trouser pocket. The eager young builders demanded that their creations be closely inspected, committing me to crawling through narrow entrances and climbing up onto grubby platforms, leaving my smart clothes much the worse for wear. I was relieved that Laura had decamped to Southbroom enabling me to avoid that trouble which comes with arriving home in smart clothes bearing mud and leaf stains.
Some of the platforms looked a little flimsy, but all were tested and none collapsed under the weight of the headmaster and a few children! What a wonderful opportunity to leave the paperwork of the office behind and, for a while, to be immersed in our childrens’ world of Top Woods.
Their forts were fantastic. They made creative use of the available natural materials and some even managed to make rope using Ivy and bark. The fort constructions were creative and well planned. Some included swings and rope ladders, while one even boasted a view over Springvale Dam and, of course, all had some well-considered mechanisms to exclude “Goat Man”.
The best Grade 5 and 6 fort was built by Trojans and the overall positions were as follows:
1st Barbarians
2nd Trojans
3rd Crusaders
