Latest News

What an honor it was to welcome back one of our very own for the Calrossy Year 12 Graduation! Calrossy Alumni, Class of 2015 and 2024 Olympian Alice Arnott delivered an incredibly motivating and heartfelt speech, sharing her journey from the classrooms of Calrossy to the global Olympic stage!

Alice reminded our Year 12s that with dedication, passion, and resilience, there are no limits to what they can achieve. She encouraged them to chase their dreams fearlessly and to believe in their ability to make an impact, just as she did.

Here is Alice's address to the Class of 2024.

Hello everyone, I'm Alice - Class of 2015 - and can I firstly just say, how honoured I am to be here, speaking to you all today. Particularly our Year 12 graduates. What a day it is for you. One that I hope one day, you will look back and be proud of, and one that I hope you'll remember for a long time. In fact, the last time I was in this hall was nine years ago for my Year 12 Farewell, which I'm in a little bit of denial about. When I say it out loud, it seems like a long time ago, but it's gone incredibly fast and it's hard not to wonder where all that time went.

In saying that though, it's comforting to come back here after all this time knowing that certain things remain the same. Looking around, I see a lot of familiar faces. Miss Bartlett, Mrs Klassen, Ian Scott, Mr Galleine, Mr Forsyth and everyone I've missed. All of you bring back a different set of memories that just make me smile. I was reminded after seeing Mr Forsyth that I used to take tennis balls to my geography class in year 12, and every time he would turn around to write on the whiteboard, I would throw a tennis ball at the board, and he would get so scared every single time. I wouldn't recommend it now though, now he's been around for a few more years he's probably a bit grumpier than he used to be. But he is easy to scare.

No, in all seriousness, it is so nice to see so many familiar faces in the crowd today. And not just exclusively teachers. Amazingly, there are still Bishtons at this school! I was lucky enough to be in the same year as the oldest Bishton, Grace, and who I am still great friends with today; and now, how cool is it that I get to be back here on the day that the youngest Bicton’s, Sam and Cate are leaving school and entering the big wide world. Sam, it was a bit touch and go there for a minute-we weren't quite sure if you'd make it, but I must say, Cate and Sam, your three big sisters and I are incredibly proud that you are both here today. And I am so grateful to be here, playing a small part in what is such a special day for you both.

And that goes for all of you graduating today. What an exciting time for you all. School isn't easy and I'm sure you've all dealt with plenty of your own individual battles in getting to this point. No doubt, there are a few anxieties in this room today. But being nervous or unsure about the future has no place here today. Today is a celebration of what you have achieved, and all the beautiful, hard and challenging moments that have shaped you into the people sitting here right now.

I feel like in the society that we live in, we get so caught up in what's next, and ticking off that next goal, that we never really take the time to just be proud of ourselves and what we have overcome to be where we are. I am in a similar position now. I've dreamt of playing hockey at the Olympics since I picked up a stick aged 4, however the first thing I did after my Olympics was over in Paris was think about the 2028 LA Olympics, telling myself I would come back with a medal. Immediately, my thoughts then turned to my preseason program and how making sure I am really fit and strong should mean that I won't get so many injuries next year.

I've had to catch myself in this mindset more times than I can count and tell myself to pump the breaks and just appreciate the fact that I had just accomplished my childhood dream. Regardless of the outcome, I just played at the Olympics and first, I needed to allow myself to be proud of that fact. And that was really hard to be honest. It sometimes feels a little bit cringy I think to tell yourself these things, however, personally, it has really helped me in the past couple of months to change the narrative in my head that had messages of disappointment, and not living up our own expectations; to feelings of joy, pride and success, regardless of whether we ended up with Gold around our necks.

So, I really want to encourage you to try, when you get a moment to yourself, giving yourself a big pat on the back and being proud of the fact that you have just leaped a massive hurdle that you never have to go back over. And when the HSC comes and goes, remind yourself of this sentiment, and know, that regardless of the outcome, you have overcome a serious challenge that will put you in a great position to overcome things in the future.

So, a bit about me, I grew up on a farm which is about 30 minutes outside of Willow Tree, so about an hour and 15 minutes from here. I grew up loving the outdoors, loving the country and all the space you have out here but missing the connection that you have with your friends you have when you live in a town or a city. So, I think that boarding school was always the obvious option for me and my siblings. However, in my family boarding school in Sydney was usually the only option, which my 3 siblings ended up doing. However, even as a 12 year old, I knew that wasn't the best option for me. So, after three years of convincing my mum and dad to send me to Calrossy, they finally caved, and I moved into the boarding house at the beginning of Year 9.

There were a few things that drew me to Calrossy from such a young age. Firstly, as I mentioned already, I loved the open space. Sydney has never been for me. Even after 5 years of living there I knew I could never live there permanently. Secondly, I was always such a sporty kid. Probably annoyingly so to be honest and always knew that I wanted to pursue sport outside of school. After being told that I wouldn't be able to do this at other schools I interviewed for, I had no doubt in my mind that Calrossy was the place for me. I was able to catch a bus to and from school every afternoon to make it to training, and every time I needed to go away for a tournament, my teachers would have work ready for me to take away (not that I ever really did it), but it was there, nevertheless.

I often wonder about what my life would be like now had I not tried to convince my parents to send me to Calrossy, and I think that honestly, I would be working in a 9-5 corporate job and heavily involved in some kind of run club or community sport. But I can guarantee that there is no way, I would be standing here today as an Australian hockey player and returning Olympian. So, when I think about Calrossy, I think about the sincere gratitude that I have, for the school that accepted who I was and supported me all the way. I was a girl with a dream, and this school and the people in it, inspired me and encouraged me to go after it, and I am grateful for that.

When I think back to my time at Calrossy, I'm also met with such happy memories. The boarding house is filled with them. One of my friends found a cat under one of the balconies near where PE used to be and we hid it in the boarding house for a week until she could take it home, and we would sneak in at recess and lunch to give it food and water and a bit of a run around. I'm not sure if any of you have met the Bicton’s cat but that is the cat I am talking about. Still alive, 13 years later. I was also given a guinea pig for my 16th birthday in the boarding house, which we managed to look after for a while before I finally worked up the courage to take it home, and miraculously, that thing lived for 10 years. Something about those boarding school pets, they seem to live much longer than they should.

I really do believe that a lot of what I learned or experienced within these grounds has shaped me into the person I am and prepared me for many of life's curveballs. Not necessarily Shakespeare or Pythagoras, but so many other little moments.

For example, many of you may have heard that the beds in the Olympic Village were made of cardboard, which is in fact true. And this was the cause of some complaint in the Village. While some athletes decided to stay in hotels outside the village, and others were getting back problems, I slept like a baby. And I attribute that entirely to my 4 years sleeping on those boarding school beds.

I have quite fond memories of this day as well actually. I remember being full of-excitement on my graduation day, which I know wasn't the case for a lot of my peers, just like I'm sure there are a few mixed emotions here today. But I remember being excited because I had just received a scholarship to train with the NSW Institute of Sport, which at the time, I felt was going to be the start of an exciting period of my life where I could really focus on my hockey.

I was filled with hope that my dream of playing for the Hockeyroos would become a reality in the next year or so. Which inevitably wasn't to be. In fact, it took me 8 years to get there. Over two years of battling though injuries and rehab, and six years of dealing with the harsh reality that I just wasn't good enough yet. This was really tough. During this time, I was still living in Sydney, paying a ridiculous amount per week in rent, trying to study full time so I could receive Centrelink payments whilst also trying to work and be the best athlete I could be. Which in all honesty, was never going to work. My hockey wasn't improving because of my constant state of stress and anxiety, and I also found myself in this negative mental state where my identity and my success as a hockey player became so intertwined that I couldn't see one without the other. So, every time a team came out and my name wasn't on that list, I felt this deep sense of failure and shame, that I was a failure, and that I wasn't good enough.

And so, I decided that it was time for a change. The fire to play for the Hockeyroos was still very much there, but I just needed to go about it a bit differently. So, I put it on hold for a while and made the scary decision to take myself out of contention for a Hockeyroos series against China and go and play a season of club hockey in The Netherlands instead.

And this was the best thing I had ever done. I hadn't really thought about it until I got there but from the time, I started training at the NSWIS, every game I had played since then, was critiqued and looked over by my NSW and Australian coaches. And for the first time in 6 years, I was able to play hockey without the fear of criticism or judgment on not only my ability as a hockey player but also as a person. I let go of the thought that people would be watching, and that they expected something of me. It was scary how fast I was able to become the hockey player I had always wanted to be, by simply letting go of mine, and other people's expectations. We lost pretty much every game and got relegated at the end of the season which wasn't always fun, but in a weird way, I think that this helped me to finally differentiate my worth from my achievements, as it made me realise that I could still have fun, although I was quote unquote “failing” and weirdly, I had gotten to the point where I didn't feel that strongly about playing for the Hockeyroos anymore. I didn't need it.

Esteemed psychiatrist and Holocaust Survivor Victor Frankl once said: 'Don't aim at success-the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one's dedication ... ' Now it could be a coincidence, but I prefer to believe in Victor Frankl. The moment I finally let go of my vice-like grip on all those things I wanted to achieve which I thought would make me happy, I got a call from the Hockeyroos coach asking me to come back early from Holland to make my debut for the Hockeyroos.:. I have been a part of the Hockeyroos team ever since. It really was terrifying to let go of my daily grind in Sydney and take the risk to go to Holland. However, I took the chance and not because I thought it was what was going to get me in the Hockeyroos, but because that was what I really wanted to do with my life in that moment. I really do believe that our intuitions will take us on the perfect journey. We need only the perspective to allow us to truly see them, and the bravery to allow them to lead us.

So, as you enter this next phase of schooling life, the HSC, I want to share with you two things I've learned from my journey 1) To never equate success (or lack of success) to your worth. Each day, I now make the point to remind myself of this, and that the success I have had over the last six months does not change who I am and that I do not need it to be worthy of happiness. Even on the day I became an Olympian, I reminded myself of this. Yes, I am proud of what I have achieved, but I am still Alice from Willow Tree who boarded at Calrossy. I guess it's ironic that my journey to becoming an Olympian has showed me so clearly that it's who you are that counts, not what you achieve. But it’s true, nevertheless.

And 2) Don't be afraid to go about things a little differently to get what you want, and don't shy away from working hard to get there. Life is tough but from what I know about Calrossy students is that we are tough as well. Hard work is in our DNA. Which is why I have confidence in saying that I know you are well equipped for what's out there. My year at Calrossy was filled with individuals who weren't scared of doing this, and now we have one who has just made her NRLW debut, we have vets, we have lawyers, we have people all over the world living out their dreams of travelling and working overseas, we have entrepreneurs, and we have mums and dads. Amazingly, we also have one girl who is currently on a nine-month solo horseback ride through NSW and QLD, raising money for the PanCare foundation.

We were all once sitting right where you are today, dreaming or panicking about what was next for us. But we all took a punt and chose a direction. Some changed a few times, but we've all ended up where we are meant to be. So, stay true to your dreams, and don't let fear be your obstacle.