It’s amazing where a love of reading and writing and a few good books can lead you.

Like many Australians, I have a strong regard for singer/songwriter Paul Kelly who has enjoyed a long and varied musical career dating back to the mid 1970s. He is still as popular as ever, and about to release his 29^th album at the age of 67 which is testimony to his quality and enduring appeal.

Kelly has been described as the modern day Australian poet laureate; such is the power of his lyrical artistry. Fundamentally, he is simply a great storyteller.

You will be familiar with many of his songs, perhaps without even being aware that they are Paul Kelly songs. “Before too long”, “When I first met your ma”, “How to make gravy” and his 1985 classic “From St Kilda to Kings Cross” have all become Australian anthems.

Paul Kelly attended Rostrevor College in Adelaide, where he achieved very strong academic results, and throughout his schooling, he was an avid reader. This is a habit which he has maintained throughout his adult life.

You can feel the influence of a life spent reading good books in the stories and lyrics which Kelly embraces in his songs.

The explicit teaching program implemented in 2017 at IGS is focussed on our boys developing very strong literacy and numeracy capacity from their very first days at our school.

Early years IGS Junior School parents continue to marvel at the progress their sons make as early learners in literacy, firstly mastering the alphabet, then sentences, and on to paragraphs and complete stories.

The excitement and confidence demonstrated by our boys as they realise that they are learning to read and write so quickly is a precious commodity and a superb investment for their continuing educational success. Success breeds success.

In a complicated and at times ambiguous world, it has never been more important for our boys that they have a very strong foundation in literacy and numeracy.

Strong reading and writing skills can lead you to some great places in life, demonstrating that Paul Kelly’s words ring true to this day - “From Little Things Big Things Grow”!


Richard Morrison
Headmaster