Rising like a Phoenix

If you have driven along Westgrove Drive in recent weeks you would have noticed the new sports centre rise like a phoenix from what was a field covered in wood chips. In mythology, a phoenix is a bird of great beauty fabled to live 500 or 600 years in the Arabian wilderness where it burns itself on a funeral pyre, and then to rise from its ashes in the freshness of youth and live through another cycle of years: often an emblem of immortality or of reborn idealism or hope. While my analogy of the phoenix might not quite fit, I like the imagery of a creature of great beauty rising up to be a symbol of youthful freshness, idealism and hope.

Because of the unique quality of the Phoenix rising out of ashes, the Phoenix has become a Christian symbol of the resurrection and the redemptive power of Christ and eternal life in heaven. Christian symbolism of the Phoenix has been used since the first century AD when Saint Clement used the legend of the Phoenix as an allegory of the Resurrection in his first letter to the Corinthians. The Phoenix became popular in early Christian art, literature and Christian symbolism, as a symbol of Christ, and further, represented the resurrection, immortality, and the life-after-death of Jesus Christ.

I think I might be getting a little carried away now. While the rising up of our new sport centre might not be quite as dramatic as the phoenix, the last two weeks have seen enormous progress. The builders, Sanpro Construction, have been sensational and have not missed a beat. With great planning and ingenuity they have ordered material well in advance to avoid any delays brought about by the Coronavirus pandemic.

At this time the construction is on schedule and the new sports centre should be available for the commencement of the 2021 school year.

A few of us were fortunate to take a walk inside this week and I thought I would share some great pictures of the interior space.