Graduation Speech

Academics, graduands, guests and Uni personnel
Thank you for all being here, for this our grand farewell
We’ve worked for years, within these walls, our goal a fine degree
And all that work has now paid off, as you can plainly see

At those bigger Uni’s, a student number is my I D
No personal attention, no one there to help just me
Here we know our lecturers, perhaps a bit to well
But it sure beats the alternative, of some large Uni hell

A varsity, as small as ours, comes with its good and bad
The student/teacher ratio is the best we’ll ever have
The problem with small classes though, is when you don’t arrive
It makes it kind of obvious, when the class is down to five

We lack, perhaps, the student life, depicted on the screen
No alpha, beta, gamma house, and no ice hockey team
Our societies, the few we have, certainly pack no punch
No Marxism in the morning, no dead poets after lunch

But the quality of teaching, you’ll hear no complaints from me
The work that goes on day and night, our potential they can see
We have been taught by lecturers, committed to the deed
Of making sure that each of us leaves here with all we need

Our library is extensive, our pool and gym supreme
We’ve all seen constant changes here, to help us reach our dream
We’ve seen our fees so hard at work, just witness our F block.
It’s been transformed to modern art and something less ad hoc

But there is more to Uni life, then lectures, exams and marks
The social aspects, we can’t forget, the fire and the sparks
Friendships we have formed that may last until we die
Things we’ve learnt about ourselves, that’s made us laugh and cry

We’ve all done things, this past few years, our parents should not know
We’ve taken risks, we’ve drunk too much, some have the scars to show
We’ve seen the world through others eyes, maybe wishing we were blind
We’ve learnt the world outside of school can oft be more unkind

You may have learnt to love someone, like you never thought you could
You’ve had to deal with more oddballs that you thought you ever should
For some the school to Uni change, meant moving up a gear
Some of us have struggled, but it’s a testament we’re here

But as we leave these hallowed halls, taking our next stride
Remember what they tried to teach us, on this coaster ride
Let’s show our new employers, the quality of our grade
The high caliber of graduate, that Ballarat has made

So lets all thank our lecturers for patience with no end
Thanks to all the library staff, did we drive you round the bend?
Thank you to the admin team, for the work that you have done
And thanks to all the other folk, who help this Uni run

Thank you to our families for their tireless support
Without all these unsung heroes, it may all be just for naught.
Thanks go to each other for making it so fun
And lastly, as you’ll all agree, thank God we’re finally done

        Bradford Tetlow 2007