Heartbeat

There is something precious about the season of life that university represents. These years are often full of energy and possibility, and Robert Menzies College (RMC) gives space for students to embrace that—to enjoy the strength in their bodies, the openness of their futures, and the gift of being with others who are also finding their way. It’s a community that doesn’t rush people past this stage of life, but honours it. There is laughter and room to grow. There is grace for mistakes and encouragement to try again. There is joy in the present, not just pressure to prepare for the future.

At the heart of RMC is a deep and sustaining sense of community. This is not just something we aim for—it’s something our residents regularly name as the defining feature of life here. Over and over, students speak of friendship, support, and the feeling of belonging. It’s the sense that people see you, care for you, and walk alongside you in both the daily rhythms and the harder moments of university life.

Many students arrive at RMC with practical needs: proximity to university, financial support through scholarships or jobs, a safe and respectful environment. But what they find often goes beyond what they expected. Shared meals become moments of connection. Study spaces turn into shared quiet. Conversations stretch late into the night in common rooms, and laughter rises from unexpected places. These small moments build something significant—a community where people are not just neighbours, but companions.

There is a character to RMC that’s hard to pin down and yet unmistakable. It’s found in the diversity of backgrounds, the steady care of staff, community dinners, the way people show up for each other. It’s shaped by our Christian foundation—not in the sense of exclusivity, but in the values we live by: hospitality, respect, compassion, joy. These aren’t just ideas we talk about; they’re practices we try to embody. They show up in how we listen, how we forgive, how we celebrate, and how we carry one another through difficult seasons.

For many, RMC becomes a place of growth—not just academically, but personally and spiritually. Some students take on leadership roles, giving back to the community that has shaped them.

Still, no community is perfect, and we continue to listen and learn. Some residents have asked for more support for international students, suggesting ways we might better help those adjusting to life in a new country. Others have highlighted the importance of pastoral responsiveness—wanting to know that when they bring concerns or struggles, they’ll be met with empathy. We’ve also heard the value of clear, accessible support when things get hard. These reflections don’t detract from the strength of our community—they deepen it.

College is, at its core, a place of relationship: between students and staff, across cultural and academic differences, and within a shared life shaped by care and commitment. We are not just a residence, but a community that seeks to live out something good together. And that, more than anything else, is what our students seem to cherish most.

And so a reflection:

You might come for the location,
a room near lectures,
a scholarship,
a quiet place to study.

But you stay
because someone remembers your name,
because laughter spills through the hallways,
because someone asks how you are—
and means it.

This is not just where we live.
It’s where we learn
to open our doors,
to listen slowly,
to make space for each other.

Joy lives here—
in shared meals,
late-night talks,
in the grace to start over.

We are not perfect,
but we are present.

This place—
we build it together.