Arguably, the most majestic of all the stags is the bronze statue that arrived on campus in 1992. It was reported to be a donation from “'an anonymous 'Old Boy'” (“Report Card Newsletter,” 1992), but the School obtained permission from Anton Lecky ’03 (Lake’s) to publicly name his father, John M. S. Lecky ’57 (Groves’) as the generous donor. 

 

The stag was cast in Philadelphia during the mid-1800s, but soon found its way to a chateau in France before eventually going to auction in London and then to Southampton. From there, it travelled by sea to Vancouver before arriving at its new home on the Shawnigan Lake School grounds. In this picture, we see Ray Hollings (bottom right), guiding the statue into place. This must have been one of Ray's more unique challenges in his 39 years as Head of Maintenance. And the process was repeated two more times. 

 

Initially, the stag stood on the west side of the driveway, nestled near the trees. Later, it was moved to the hill on the drive beside Kaye's House across from the tennis courts. Now, standing like a sentinel approximately 120 metres inside the main gates, it greets campus visitors. The plaque that sits at its base best expresses the intention of the statue: “It will watch over all who enter these grounds.”