The Last Word
By Ben Couling | Posted: Monday March 23, 2026
My name is Ben Couling, and I have the privilege of being one of your 2026 Academic Prefects.
Before I say anything else, can everyone please raise their hand? Now, can you please raise it a bit higher? Okay… you can put them down. Take a moment and ask yourself: why didn’t you raise it all the way the first time?
It’s not because you couldn’t. It’s because we often hold back. We settle for what’s comfortable, for what feels good enough. But what if you gave 100% from the very start?
I want to tell you boys about someone named Jake Bailey. In 2015, Jake was the Head Monitor of Christchurch Boys’ High School, which is the equivalent of the Head Boy at our school. He was successful and respected—everything looked set up for him. Then, just days before he was meant to give his final speech of the year, his life changed completely. He was suddenly diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and ended up in hospital, very weak and in a wheelchair.
Most people would have understood if he had pulled out. Most people would have said, “I have cancer. I can’t.” But Jake didn’t.
Still recovering, still seriously ill, he showed up. He gave his speech anyway, not standing, but sitting in a wheelchair. He spoke to his peers about life, effort, and making every moment count. A speech he never thought would matter suddenly became the most important thing he’d ever say.
Think about that.
Life can change instantly. We don’t get a second chance. Every day, every opportunity, is a moment to give everything you’ve got.
We all have moments where we could give more, whether it’s studying harder, practising longer, showing kindness, or simply standing up for something that matters to us. But often, the only thing holding us back is ourselves, boys. So what if we decided to stop holding back? What if, from this moment, we committed to giving 100% in everything we do?
When you held your hand up earlier, boys, you didn’t raise it all the way. That’s like life. Sometimes we hold back, even when we know we can do more. But Jake’s story reminds us that waiting for the perfect moment isn’t always an option.
You can’t waste time worrying about what’s behind you, what might go wrong, or what others think.
Push yourself. Raise your hand all the way. Go all in. Give everything, every single time, not sometimes, not when it’s easy. Every day. In the classroom. On the field. In how you represent the hoops.
Every chance you get is a shot, a one-time opportunity. Jake didn’t wait until things were easy. He didn’t wait until he felt ready. He took the moment he had.
And if he could do that in one of the toughest situations imaginable, you can push yourself in your own life, in school, in sport, in whatever you care about and give 100%.
So next time, raise your hand high. Raise it like your future depends on it.
Because it does.
And in true OBHS tradition, I’ll end with a quote from Jake Bailey himself:
“None of us get out of life alive, so be gallant, be great, be gracious, and be grateful for the opportunities you have.”
Jake Bailey:
