Before I thank you dear members of staff and students, Let me start by thanking God for his magnificent love and mercy that He showed us on Friday the 9th of November 2018 when we were officiating the 18th graduation ceremony in which 193 students were conferred with certificates and diplomas respectively. Sincerely on that evening after the graduation ceremony, I knelt down before the living God in gratitude for such a joyful day that we had. My daily prayers, days before the graduation to God were that He the creator and care of all that is, may extend his mercy to accord us a weather that would bring joy to the graduates and their families but also that together we would rejoice. He heard our prayers and in faith we faced the cool day.
May I take this opportunity to thank the Salesians for being there for the young and in a special way to Fr Oswald for leading us into deep theological and meaningful prayers. Those who listened and prayed with him would simply say that such prayers must be documented. Fr Oswald thank you for blessing the day. To all the other Salesians Fr Kim, Fr Vernon, Fr David Njolo, Fr Vincent Tembo, Fr Peter Nguyen, and Deacon Alexio Mesi, Clement and Andrew… It was very nice to be together as a family.
To the chair of the graduation coordinating committee Mr. Winston Mphonde, May I sincerely say thank you for your focus to help us move together for the common good as a family with one focal point. We may have differed for one reason or the other, but it needed to be so and we thank God that at least we found a way together. Therefore may I extend my felicitations to Mr. Fanuel Nyirenda, Miss Edina Chimpeni, and Madam Chifundo Ngoma, for making such a team that led us to the 18th graduation ceremony.
May I take this opportunity to thank different chairpersons of the different committees, Program, Mr Yanjanani Namitowa, Guest and protocol, Miss Maina Nyirenda, Publicity and Decoration Mr Bengs Kelescensio and Food and finance Mr. John Mshamboza. Please because of time I cannot mention all the names of those that were in the committees but receive my heartfelt thanks.
For the different other grouping that were so strategic, I want to say thank you for your services these include the good food, the Red cross, the protocol people and especially Mr Tepani and Mr Nyirenda for such a live eye to make sure that all is well. The guests were taken care of by Mr. Kananji and bravo for your being there.
To our soldier Mr. Makuru Henry, thank you for your dedication to prepare the graduates for such a well thought arrangement.
I want to thank the FAB section for the time sacrificed in making the graduation colourful, Madam Taweni in absentia, Madam Joyce Bowa, Madam Mphatso, Madam Chrissy Chiweza for the good work in making sure that the gowns were done and in good time. In this regard, let me whole heartedly extend my thanks to Annie Custom and Eliot for their dedication and skill that they demonstrated in the same. FAB students are well included in the time and duty that they demonstrated what they could. Further together with construction, for changing the deserted graduation venue into a fertile and speaking event by adding colour to it.
Mr. Isaac Banda and your Team for a garland exhibition that you did, I want to say thank you very much. Mr Robin Banda and Miss Mercy Ndalama, thank you very much for the tireless work helping us with the embroideries for our guests and the fineness that is usually added to the fabric… thanks a lot. Mr Tepani and EE team, it was nice and we still have many researches to perfect our exhibitions. To Mr Kananji and team, you thought inclusively this time that it was both brickwork and carpentry onto on monography and it was beautiful, it is important for the section to start designing already for the 19th graduation ceremony since by nature of your profession, it is very tough to see beyond wood and brick. REMEMBER THAT THE SECRET OF GETTING AHEAD IS GETTING STARTED.
For FAB, Thank you for your dedication and perhaps you had many other duties, your exhibition though very good was more class demonstration and less industrial lacking teacher supervision.
Community development, your eyes have now been opened, we forced you to dream, and so you did, and now that you know, remember that once taught, you have to act. Despite the shock, you did what you could, thank you Mr. Damson for leading the students.
ICT Mr Fanuel Nyirenda, Mr Lungu, Mr Yanjanani and Edina as I say thank for your reflection and creating a domain for sunbird tourism plc, and still as I say congratulations, I would like to challenge you to do more. REMEMBER THAT THE ABILITY TO CONVERT IDEAS TO THINGS IS THE SECRET OF OUTWARD SUCCESS. You are supposed to be a world of ideas because of the nature of your profession. I believe that there was no much time to concentrate but we need perfection in such matters. Mr. Olela Yusuf would love ICT students to come up with an app that would be competitive that would help different people to visit sunbird on their mobile. This competition will be open to the public and we wish that you sit down and give life to the course and create an app for sunbird.
To Mr. Mphonde and Team HCM, thank you for the well thought exhibition. At this time we saw a full five star hotel in play. You trickled us to laugh and joke but it was very good. Perhaps we may add to our lessons the spoon, folk and knife dimension. When two cutleries are set for a meal, which is supposed to be used first the one at the furthest left or the near left? Where is the waiter or waitress supposed to clear the table from: right side of a client or left side?
A ceremony without MC and well exposed DJ is a flopped gathering. Madam Mphatso, all by yourself, you made our day with good English and well pronounced announcements. We had no option but to have you alone to play the role given to you. We are proud of you and thank you very much. To our DJ My Popo Vibes,,, he is a Salesian, he is a gift to Don Bosco, he is a talented man… we thank him for such a mark that he always puts in the activities of the day.
To the ground workers, Mr Five Kwacha, Christopher and amayi… for the clean environment and making sure that all is in order. Thank you. To the students’ parliament, Mr. and Miss Don Bosco crew, thank you very much for the eyes to lead the guest of honour. To the hotel students and staff for the running up and down, making sure that the guests have enough food and professionally served… you are great.
The days before the graduation were very tough to make sure that the meaning of the graduation is reached. People had to suffer and work tirelessly. For this I want to thank most sincerely the vice Principal Mr. Precious Chilupysa for the focus to make sure that all the bits and bytes are in place. I HAVE A BELIEF THAT WHO AIMS AT EXCELLENCE WILL BE ABOVE MEDIOCRITY; WHO AIMS AT MEDIOCRITY WILL BE FAR SHORT OF IT. This was quality and important work and a true demonstration of honesty and duty… Precious Thanks a lot.
To Maina and Linda… I remember one evening when I found certificates spread from my office to the corridor and trying to sort them all, making sure that the transcripts are in order. I just said that this is understanding ones’ responsibility. Thank you dear ladies for your courage, dedication to duty and correctness to details.
Thank you to Mr Jamjam for driving our members of staff up and down… tirelessly, late and hungry.
To you the continuing students, Thank for behaving well hope you did, but I rather also over heard that you never wanted to give the seats to the parents. In Don Bosco we would like to respect people and especially those that are older. Please honour your father and mother and your will receive greater blessings… so therefore tie your laces and think better about those that would have loved to be respected since they were visitors. Take note that he who has never learnt to obey will never be a good commander. (Aristotle), if you want to be a good commander, learn to obey.
So therefore let me conclude by saying that there will be no graduation in 2019 but there will be general elections in Malawi and a republican president will be elected, Members of Parliament will be elected and ward councilors will equally be chosen. These events will be as planned and announced. As for the 19th graduation ceremony to take place, you have to work hard, and that working hard starts today/now otherwise it may be too late. MY DEAR STUDENTS LOOK UP AND NOT DOWN, LOOK FORWARD AND NOT BACK; LOOK OUT AND NOT IN; AND LEND A HAND AND ONLY WHEN YOU DO THIS, ARE WE GOING TO STAGE ANOTHER GARLAND 19TH GRADUATION CEREMONY. Start to work for it by putting yourselves to study and we the staff memebers will already start our preparations for the 19th graduation ceremony on Friday the 16th of November, 2018.
Thank you very much for listen… have a good day.