News

Damir Trupinic writes...

In the last few weeks I have seen a few very good war movies. I’ve seen some older ones like Spielberg’s “Schindler’s list” and the TV series “Band of Brothers” and also an excellent foreign language movie “The Counterfeiters”.

Why are people still fascinated by that time, which took place 60 years ago, and why do they still want to hear all those war stories or watch them, replayed on a silver screen? Well, there are many reasons I guess. I was drawn to them by my own war experience, and some sort of fascination with peoples’ conduct during that time. I can easily put myself in their shoes and understand some of them.

My war experience was almost surreal, like a bad dream, with the only difference that the real situation was scarier and weirder than any fiction. It was like striping people naked, showing their raw, animalistic side in full light. It was the time when all masks were down and it was all about action for good or bad. The words become meaningless. People revealed themselves completely and sometimes the picture was not very nice. Good friends were suddenly not that good any more, neighbours turned into foes and even a local priest selfishly left his people. It was like some huge hand was pulling us all in one direction where everything was allowed and where all previous norms and beliefs were lost in this new reality.

This almost apocalyptic time taught me to really appreciate integrity and modesty in people and at the same time reminds me constantly that we really do not know each other until the hard times come. Sometimes the real heroes are the most unlikely characters.

People like Oscar Schindler who was a German industrialist, a Nazi party member and a war profiteer. During the Second World War he and his wife put their lives on the line to save 1,200 Jews from certain death. They risked their lives for people they did not even know. But why did they do it? Nobody knows. Apparently Oscar once said that he really did it because he couldn’t stand the culture of brutality. I like to believe that is true. No big words and no big mission statements. He was probably a man of character and integrity and for him that was simply the only option. His character is almost unreal but as I said before, life is stranger than fiction.

Or the main character from the movie “The Counterfeiters”, a Jewish forger Solomon Sorowitsch, who is the central figure in assisting the Nazi operation Bernhard, whose goal was to undermine the British and the American economy by overflowing it with forged money during the Second World War. Like Schindler, Sorowitsch is also a complex character who decides to put his fellow prisoners and prospect of the war before his personal interests and to sabotage the whole operation while the other “respected” Jews (bank managers, etc.) in the concentration camp did not even consider talking to him. For them he was probably just a crook. Instead they choose to cooperate with the authorities.

These characters are inspiring because they were unusual individuals who dared to challenge the mainstream in times when the majority of people just blindly followed it. Instead they followed their inner call and stayed true to themselves. What mattered was what they were made of inside not

outside. I think we at Carey shall cherish these qualities too.

A musical worship

Facilitated by Jonathan Robinson

After Dinner Mints @ lunch

John and Jeannette McClean: An architect by background and still involved for some church building projects, John has been the senior pastor at Eastview Baptist Church in East Auckland since 1994. Jeanette is involved with the International Students at Elim Christian College. Their son Tony was the teacher who died in the Mangatepopo tragedy.

WEDNESDAY 12th

Carey Prayer in the Chapel

12:40-1:00pm

Praying for the college, community, country and people. All welcome!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Art Week: 2-6 August

Yes it’s a little way off yet but not too early to start thinking about it. For the week itself we will be giving people the opportunity to display their own creations...painting, photography, sculpture, graphic design, you name it. You may like to create something particularly for this week so now is the time to get this underway!

DUTIES

For those with assigned duties, this is Week 8 (an even week!). If you are unable to carry out your duty for any reason please ensure you find a replacement to cover you. Thanks

CHANGES OF ENROLMENT PROCESS

Please note that any change of enrolment needs to go through the Academic Registrar (registrar@carey.ac.nz) NOT careyonline!

COFFEE!

Each Monday and Wednesday morning during the lecture break the Student Association will have the coffee machine up and running. $2/cup with all proceeds going back to the association to help them provide for the student community in the future.

CARD ACCESS DOORS

Please do NOT prop these doors open! These doors are on card access for security-related reasons. Should you not be able to get access through a door for some reason please let reception know immediately as it may be related to your card setup.

If access via the rear door to the main admin building is not possible, the main door via reception is open during normal working hours...please go that way.

If the doors are left open too long they start beeping which is very hard for the lecturers in offices close by.

HOT WATER URN

For those with evening classes, please can someone in each class double check that the hot water urn in the dining room is switched off (if for some reason it has been left on) when you have your break. The last thing we want is the urn boiling dry overnight. Thanks heaps.

CAREY VS LAIDLAW SOCCER GAME – RESULTS!

Thank you so much to all who were involved in organising, playing and supporting the soccer game against Laidlaw College. It was a hard fought game (a number of sore muscles and bruises?) with a score of 5-2 to Laidlaw. Myk Habets and Ryan Bond were our goal scorers.