Tradition Time Travel

2010-02-05T08:26:00.005+13:00

“the future is only the past

entered into through another gate”

. . A.W.Pinero

Kia ora,

And welcome to Selwyn 2010 .

Some of you will be Selwynites for the first time, eager to embark on a new sea change and have a real life.

You may be quite surprised to learn that amid all the radical ideas and innovative shenanigans our inhabitants have up their sleeves, there is a very healthy respect for tradition. Maybe because old traditions sometimes give a person insight- or maybe a lift - when facing life’s challenges.

My generation rejected tradition. Let’s face it, we wagged a week or so of classes to get to Woodstock and Selma and back.

And then there were all the times drama students of mine performed The Lottery. The plot: every village family is in the draw for what person will be stoned to death. The religious rite is held in the town square to guarantee a favourable harvest. It builds to the moment when the young wife, Tessie, is stoned, the first thrown by her five yr old son.

Great story. . . a satire on blind adherence to past tradition.

So yeah. Here we are ready to biff the past…embrace the future.

Well, you might want to hang on to a bit of your old self. Cause here at Selwyn, you’re going to hear this word “tradition” many many times. You see, a lot of people around the quad have heaps of respect for some of the old academic, and spiritual and playing field traditions.

You’re going to meet some fantastic people. And maybe learn that some of the most innovative minds treasure some of the most orthodox and mystical beliefs.

Of course, some of the exies hanging about might remind themselves that two years running does not a revered tradition make. That kind of thinking is what brought the world economies to where they are today.

A bit ironic ! Those who can see farthest back into the past….they can tell you most about the future.

So bring on 2010 ! Hang on to your hats. Be prepared to make a last minute rush, not only to the formal hire but to the op shops. . .where the old things are.

Ciao for now,

Vance

Introducing Revd Vance Vidal (Chaplain)

2010-01-12T23:02:00.002+13:00

Vance is currently the Chaplain at Selwyn, having come to Dunedin from America via seventeen years in the Bay of Islands and seven years of parish ministry in Southland and Central. A chaplain once before, at the University of Arizona, Vance has also taught high school English and Drama for over twenty-five years in Arizona and Northland and has been involved as a director in many community and youth theatre groups. Now his time is divided between Selwyn and area churches and environmental groups and developing with his family a small block west of Mosgiel.

He often can be seen rushing about Dunedin in his red dented PT Cruiser with an ancient bearded collie hanging out the back window. Mysticism has made him a "contrarian" at heart. He loves skiing, tennis, working out the back on the tractor, and — while most people are partying at 3am — surfing Yahoo! Finance to catch the next dip in the market. Of his new role at Selwyn, Vance says, "It's sweet to be working again in a university community. I've really missed it!"

Blogs / The Chaplain

Tradition Time Travel

Introducing Revd Vance Vidal (Chaplain)