Vale - Christopher Strong
Well done!
Christopher Stephen Strong AM
3 June 1932 to 6 August 2008
A great heart. A man of faith, commitment, courage and compassion.
His faith, first in God and then in the power of good to prevail if men and women of courage commit themselves to it.
A man of vision, energy and drive who was trusted and admired by his students, his colleagues, his friends, and even those who opposed his ideas.
And loved, not just by his family, though certainly by them, but by the many whose lives he touched. As headmaster of Launceston Church Grammar School for thirteen years, he inspired students to believe in their own capacity to be agents of change in a world which has so much unrealised potential, so much unmet need.He believed in young people and they repaid him with trust and commitment in their own lives as citizens, parents, community leaders.
Christopher acted out and taught Christ's message of giving love.
He loved the school chapel, seeing it as the heart of the school and paving the way for its completion as a building and the addition of new stained glass windows, the magnificent Easter window exuding joy and the excitement of life, and the series of Beatitude windows focused on God's love for the oppressed, and for the peacemakers.
He delighted in learning himself and made his school a place of delight for students. Passionately committed to issues of human rights and environmental responsibility, Christopher promoted the good both in school and, particularly after he retired, throughout the community. As longstanding president of World Education Forum Tasmania he encouraged other educators to work towards peace and justice in our society and our world.
And through it all ran the deep commitment to his family, his dearly loved Sara (Sally), his sons and his grandchildren. I remember his going off on challenging bushwalks with family.
His middle son, David, described how 'he was huge fun to be with... He swept us along in the great diverse adventures of his life.' It was a privilege to share in a little of this excitement.
Christopher was an inspiration. We will miss him. Let it be said of him, as he said so often to others, 'well done', and may we add, 'thou good and faithful servant'.
Bruce Fairfax