The Dyball Family
Why did you choose DCSG back in 2014?
We had been in Singapore for about four years at this point and we were looking for a school that could take our daughters through their next phase of schooling, through to graduation. We were initially introduced to the College through friends and quickly made an appointment to hear more about the school. Being from Australia, we hadn’t necessarily heard of Dulwich before, so what sold it for us was our meeting with Nick Magnus – I imagine this is the same for many founding families. His passion for education, his boundless energy, his aspirations for the College as an institution, all backed up by the world-class facilities. It was easy to visualise ourselves and our daughters as part of the Dulwich community.
In what way has DCSG impacted your family over the years?
Dulwich has impacted us in so many different ways. Over the years we've built lifelong friendships, people we consider part of our family. We’ve laughed and cried, we’ve stood on the side of various courts and pitches in blistering sun and sweltering heat, we’ve worked our way through some tough times, and we really treasure the amazing relationships and close friendships we’ve built over the years as a result.
The College has also provided our daughters with a multitude of sporting opportunities - from gymnastics, to athletics, netball, football and touch rugby - and they have thrived under the skilled coaching offered by the Sports department team led by Kevin Shaw. Both our girls walk away with a passion for sport, the skills to compete and an abundance of experience both locally and internationally. We can really credit the school for lighting a fire under them that has resulted in some amazing opportunities including competing for Singapore.
Academically our girls have thrived too. It’s not only about the results they have achieved, but also about the capabilities they’ve developed as independent learners and the support they have received from the academic staff as needed. I’m confident that with the skills they’ve gained at Dulwich they’ll thrive at university or wherever that next step takes them.
What is your proudest moment at DCSG?
There are so many, mostly related to sport! One that stands out is the recent Pan Pacific All Schools Touch Rugby Championships. Both our girls competed in the U20 team for Dulwich College (Singapore), playing against a variety of teams from schools, polytechnics and universities across the region. What made us and them proud was not so much that they won, but how they competed and carried themselves. It was persistence in the face of some tough competition, it was never giving up even if they were behind, it was playing with integrity, no shortcuts or tricks, just straight up fair play.
If I had to sum it up, we’d say our proudest moment(s) are watching the way DCSG carries itself into every sporting competition – those values (Determined, Courageous, Skilful and Gracious) that are ingrained in the children are really lived values and they show through every time. One particularly memorable experience was travelling to London in 2018 for the Dulwich Olympiad. Not only was it an experience of a lifetime for our daughter, but we were also bursting with pride for the way the children represented the College as a whole.
What makes Dulwich special to you?
Every year when we arrive at school for the start of the new academic year, you feel like the school and the staff are wrapping their arms around the children to welcome them back. Dulwich has a "secret sauce", a sense of community that we hadn’t experienced until we arrived. I think the thing that makes Dulwich special is that this isn’t a one-off, or something done for show or just at the start of the year. It’s something you feel every time you set foot on campus and with everyone you interact with. That’s what makes Dulwich College (Singapore) special.
