SPECTEMUR Issue 3 - 2020
CONTENTS
From the Headmaster’s Desk...............................................1 #CGSFROMHOME ..............................................................2 Year 7 Sleep Study...............................................................4
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Murdoch Centre for Educational Research and Innovation......................................................5
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Parent Education Seminar....................................................6
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How to Support Your Child at Home....................................8
Keeping Connected During Lockdown .............................. 10 Cadets .............................................................................. 10
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Music ................................................................................ 11 Drama................................................................................ 15 Sport, Strength and Conditioning, and Physical Education...................................................... 17
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Community Connections.................................................... 19
From the Archives.............................................................. 21 News of Old Boys...............................................................22 OCGA Art Exhibition and Sale............................................25 OCGA Annual Cricket Friendly at Suma Park.....................26 Obituaries ..........................................................................28
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Old Boy Profile...................................................................27
Produced by Camberwell Grammar School 55 Mont Albert Road, Canterbury Victoria Australia 3126 P.O. Box 151, Balwyn VIC 3103 T: +61 3 9835 1777 www.cgs.vic.edu.au
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FROM THE HEADMASTER’S DESK
I was recently given a copy of a beautiful book by Charlie Mackesy: The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse. (Penguin, 2019). It consists of a series of drawings, reflections and observations about life, and it seems particularly pertinent in this time of Coronavirus. It is a lovely gift. What makes the book particularly beautiful is that it is driven by a vibrant belief in kindness, and a deep faith in the good within each of us. Mackesy recognises that life can be difficult, but argues that love gives us the comfort we need. His book led me to reflect on life in Melbourne during lockdown and what we have learned. Here are some of the lessons I have learned, as influenced by Mackesy: • Things happen in life that we don’t like, and they are often beyond our control, but it’s not personal. The Coronavirus is not deliberately causing havoc to make my life difficult. It just follows its nature and it has no concern about how that impacts on me. We need to resist feeling as if unwelcomed events are a personal affront. • We cannot always control what happens – but we can control our responses. I am normally someone who likes to plan things carefully and to be prepared for the week and term ahead. The events of this year have taught me that sometimes I just need to respond and pivot quickly to face new circumstances. I can get angry at the situation, or seek someone to blame, or I can get on with things and make the most of it. We have all found ourselves in unpredictable times, facing restrictions and limitations, but how we respond to these things is completely our choice.
To quote C harlie Mackesy; A" sking for help is not giving up,
it is refusing to give up."
• Time in lockdown is not lost – it is just spent differently to how we thought we would spend it. This time is not wasted – it presents us all with opportunities to do things we might otherwise never have done. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but we can live this day as fully as we can.
• Our teachers and support staff are people of great skill and resourcefulness. They have had to reinvent how they work this year and they have done it incredibly well. And they are still learning.
• Being together in lockdown is sometimes difficult – but it is also the most important thing. And we don’t need to always be amusing, saying clever, witty or profound things; sometimes just sitting together in silence is enough.
• Living through these times is something we will always share.
• Lots of things happen at School and at work which are not learning or working. These things are among the things I miss the most.
At the time of writing, we still have a long way to go. Lockdown in Melbourne will continue until case numbers become numerically insignificant. Until we have a safe vaccine, there is always the chance that cases within the community will surge again. Despair is not an option. We need to re-dedicate ourselves each day to living our best possible lives, no matter what comes. This edition of Spectemur is filled with students and staff doing just that. We can learn, we can work, we can love and support each other, and, when it is safe, we will return to School with an enhanced appreciation of each other and all the amazing things we can do when we are together.
• Technology can make things possible – but there is such a thing as too much technology. • To quote Charlie Mackesy: “Asking for help is not giving up – it is refusing to give up.” Asking for help takes courage, just as sometimes simply getting up in the morning and carrying on with the day is an act of great courage. • The resilience and persistence of young people in the face of challenge is extraordinary and must never be underestimated.
• Our community is strong, and we find ways to connect and support each other even when we are physically distant.
Just like the Spanish Inquisition, no one expected the Coronavirus, but here it is, and we have to learn to live with it, as we mourn those who have died fighting it.
Dr Paul Hicks Headmaster Spectemur | Issue 3 - 2020
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#CGSFROMHOME During isolation our students shared with us snippets of their time at home and how they are all keeping busy and connected.
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Spectemur | Issue 3 - 2020
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YEAR 7 SLEEP STUDY sleep quality and daily functioning for young people in particular. As many parents will observe, adolescence is linked with a change in the internal body clock, leading to later bed-time and wake time, this natural shift makes many teenagers prefer going to bed late at night, and to wake late in the morning. As school starts early, many teenagers do not get enough sleep during the school week. However, as the researchers point out, healthy sleep is very important to adolescents’ development as it is linked to physical and mental wellbeing and positive school outcomes. By contrast, a lack of sleep can have negative effects to daily functioning, affecting mood, emotion regulation, concentration and attention. Over time, poor sleep can lead to physical and mental problems, and poor educational and occupational outcomes. Therefore, learning about how to enable a good night’s sleep for this group is particularly important. With the help of data from our students and that of other participating schools, the researchers will investigate how the changes in sleep, body clock, and light may influence mood, and thinking over time, including changes in NAPLAN scores from Year 7 to Year 9.
This term, some of our Year 7 students took part in The Circadian Light in Adolescence, Sleep and School (CLASS) longitudinal study being conducted by researchers at Monash University. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationships between the circadian clock, sleep and light interactions in adolescent cognitive function and how they change over time. Teachers, health professionals and policymakers are increasingly recognising the importance of understanding and promoting healthy sleep during the adolescent years. In this study, the researchers are trying to better understand the relationship between
Our students took a survey, wore a watch, kept a sleep diary, undertook body clock testing, and took an academic test among other procedures (all conducted remotely due to COVID-19). Taking part in this important study was a great opportunity for our Year 7 students who learnt a lot about the scientific method and the importance of a good night’s sleep in the process. We are looking forward to finding out about the results of this study!
You can find out more about this study here
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If you are interested in getting involved, the study is looking for Year 7 students to participate in a new round starting in Term 4.
You can sign up for the study here
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The Circadian Light in Adolescence, Sleep and School (CLASS) Study is a longitudinal study funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC). This research study is conducted by researchers in the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health at Monash University, in collaboration with leading international experts. 4
MURDOCH CENTRE FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND INNOVATION Where to next? Schooling in a post COVID world As I write this we are in Level 4 Lockdown. The school is empty except for a couple of wifi-less teachers, and masked-up maintenance workers carrying out essential tasks. The classrooms that are normally humming, the grounds that are normally full of the happy noise of boys playing are all silent. Even the reception staff have admitted they miss the naughty boys who trigger the Roystead door to open and then run away (but don’t take that as license when school returns, chaps!). A school without people is a sad, depressing place. And yet the gardens are bursting into full bloom: trees are in bud, flowers are appearing and green shoots can be seen everywhere. We are surrounded by signs of hope and the promise of a brighter future, and even the rise in temperature warms the heart. For some day this criss will be at an end. How will we look back at this period in our lives? As a horror show that we don’t even want to think about, or as the moment when everything changed? The post-COVID education environment is far from certain. The crisis has caused major changes, but is not known what lasting effects these will have. Students have missed out on a face-to-face education, and some will have slipped behind where they would normally be; the next few years will be busy and hard, but I am confident that our students will be able to bounce back. This will mean hard work for teachers and students, but having experienced the absence of school, I think that all will be more appreciative of school when it returns. For many industries, COVID will be a line in their history: pre and post COVID. Without a doubt the biggest change will be in remote working. Businesses have found that employees can work from home, and might need to come into the office only occasionally – or possibly never, with regular Zoom meetings. This has caused many companies to wonder why they are paying high real estate prices for offices in city centres when they might not really need them. For these businesses, COVID will be the time they realised that their workforce could work from home, and that the overheads of office space could be eliminated – or passed on to the employee
to bear. The concentration of population in big cities that was the hallmark of the 20th century might start to retreat, with accompanying changes in the social structure of the country, reduced demand for infrastructure and environmental consequences. The shift to working from home has negatives, as humans miss out on the social interactions we gain from work, and the boundaries between work and private life start to disappear – but there is an economic gain that may well drive change. What about schools? Schools, like many industries, are at a crossroad. The airwaves have been awash with webinars on the future of schooling, with many academics keen to leverage the changes we have seen. In particular there is increased enthusiasm for online learning to become a normal part of student learning. However, I think that this issue is much more problematic than some would have us believe. Online learning has been around for many years, and is now embedded as a part of the educational scene in most tertiary settings. There, students are motivated and have the maturity and self-discipline to persevere – one would hope. Online learning is cheap in the long run. It is costly to set up, but once a course is established it can be run at low cost and scaled to many thousands of students at very little extra cost. Compare this to face-to-face teaching: lower set-up costs, but scaling is expensive: it is twice as expensive to teach 50 children as 25 (unless we go down the path of very large class sizes): overheads simply double. For most schools, it should be noted, the largest part of their expenditure is staff salaries. Online learning is thus a tempting option when the economics of learning is concerned. However, economics is not the only factor. Online learning has low success rates, whether measured in terms of student retention or attainment – and this is with university level students. MOOCS – Massive Open Online Courses – can measure enrolments in the tens or thousands, but only a tiny fraction actually successfully complete many courses. It seems that the human side of engagement is crucial to the enjoyment of learning – and this is needed for students to stick with a course.
It seems that the human
sicruci de ofalengagement is t o the enj o yment of learning.
One argument is that students at schools across the world have now had a taste of online learning, and this can be leveraged in the post-COVID world. But the reality is that they have not been studying true online courses, but rather their normal course delivered online. The distinction is that an online course is designed as such from the very beginning, and the best ones are shaped very differently to a normally delivered course; online course design is a specific skill, and one that very few teachers have been trained in. Parents report that their children are coping, but not thriving with learning online, and teachers dearly miss the interactions with students and colleagues. Thus there has been a widespread experience of what many people think is online learning, and that has not been a highly positive one. Rather than boost the future of online learning, I suspect a generation of parents, students and teachers has been put off online learning: it has not been what they want from learning, especially when compared with the traditional face-to-face classroom learning – which suddenly doesn’t seem so bad. My prediction is that there will be a new enthusiasm for schools, but with a revaluing of the things they offer us as humans that go beyond the technical elements of learning. There will be a change in perspective, with a better understanding that school is about so much more than feeding information into a student (which can be done more efficiently by an online course): that it is the daily interactions in the classroom, playground and sporting field, in the bush on cadets or a camp, the chats in the staff room, the trials, failures and mishaps, that do most to shape us and fulfil us as human beings. Dr John Tuckfield Director of the Murdoch Centre for Educational Research and Innovation
Spectemur | Issue 3 - 2020
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PARENT EDUCATION SEMINAR
Three big things parents can do to help with home-based learning By Andrew Fuller Dr Andrew Fuller is a regular guest speaker at Parent Education Seminars at the School. An expert on child and adolescent mental health, he talks here about how parents can best assist their children with home-based learning. These tips and skills are also very applicable to face-to-face learning. Co-ordinating two school projects, one involving glue and a major construction of the solar system while simultaneously reacquainting yourself with the delights of Year 10 trigonometry is living the dream isn’t it? At the same time you are wrestling with zoom, webex, teams, hangouts and a series of passwords and codes. Just to ramp up the pressure a tad more, you might have your own conference calls to make, not to mention arranging snacks, breaks and schedules. So it’s not whether your kids will survive this period of being more ‘close and personal’, the big question is how to get through with your sanity and dignity largely intact. Many kids have been living and loving the online lifestyle for some years now. They’ve put in the training and are mostly coping well. The people I am most worried about are parents.
What doesn’t
What works
THE BIG THREE
Let’s turn to the people who have been doing remote learning for years – computer game designers. What they know that works is:
Three key factors predict long-term success and results and they are interlinked: emotional regulation, motivation and academic self-efficacy.
• Visuals win every time.
These are all factors that parents can make powerful impacts on this year.
• Interaction equals interest. • Create a contribution – vote, poll, choose the best idea, make a judgement and explain your reasons. • 3 strikes and they are out – 3 consecutive failures and most kids give up. • Start with mastery and back-fill the details.
The first thing to point out is that you’ve been doing home-based learning with your kids ever since they were born.
• Increase the amount of individual requests.
Also you are not a teacher. Let me repeat that – you are NOT a teacher. Even if you possess teaching qualifications, in your own home you are NOT a teacher. Your kids need you to do your most important role of being a parent.
• Develop a sense of flow (fun challenges).
Let’s join a few dots. NAPLAN has been ditched for the year, assessments are few and far between and Year 12 exams aren’t happening anytime soon. This year is like nothing any of us can remember. The usual rule book has been thrown out. For parents who feel anxious about their child missing who’s knows how much school, I have one question for you. How much of your own schooling do 6
you really remember? If your answer is 60% or more you are doing better than most. Of the 13 years of school available to be completed about 5 years is wiped from the memory banks. I would be the first to say there is much more to school that just knowledge recalled. Even so, 5 years! Deep breaths. Relax.
• Make rewards random – emoji’s, sound effects, avatars, praise but the best type is utilising their expertise.
• Kids love to talk – let them (in bursts). • Kids love to be acknowledged – use learning strengths to do this. Using these ideas will increase your child’s engagement in remote learning.
This is really easy – long, endlessly repetitive lectures about complex topics that drone on and on are presented in really fine print that no one can be bothered reading – ever.
Ok, so what should parents do?
Emotional regulation is the ability to calm yourself down when you are upset and rev yourself up when you feel dejected. This helps you succeed in careers, in relationships and keeps you on track in the senior years of school. This is keeping kids emotional ‘ship’ steady. Calm, kind parenting.
Concepts such as arcs, trajectories, sports statistics, percentages, right angles and number sequences all become more meaningful when we relate them to something a child is already good at.
Motivation is a slippery commodity that is largely driven by passions and experiencing success. Unsurprisingly, we are more motivated in areas where we taste the sweet fruits of success and less so in areas we find dull and difficult. Little kids have an enormous motivation for learning and then often it lessens. Parents who have watched their interests and passions over years can use this time to rekindle motivation. Academic self-efficacy is the belief that students have that they can do well. Kids who feel they can be successful are more likely to succeed. Go figure!
How to do this – find their learning strengths Go to www.mylearningstrengths.com and complete the analysis. Begin by completing the analysis for yourself. You will be emailed a free letter outlining your top learning strengths and suggestions about how to use these to increase learning in other areas. Knowing your own learning strength profile will help you to see how to help your child towards success. Once you have an understanding of your own learning strengths, ask your child to complete the analysis and discuss the letter with them. For children younger than Year 4 you may need to do it with them. For very young children, you could complete it on their behalf and treat the results as a rough guide as they develop and mature. You can repeat the analysis as many times as you like but generally once every six months will be most useful. A full learning strengths report outlining a detailed pattern of learning strengths is available. This report provides detailed strategies to assist you and your child towards success. It includes a detailed analysis of: • • • • • • • •
Spatial reasoning Perceptual and motor skills Concentration and memory Planning and sequencing Thinking and logic People smarts Language and word smarts Number smarts
How does knowing learning strengths help me to help my child to learn? There are a number of ways this knowledge benefits your child: OVERCOMING A FEAR OF ‘FAILURE’ Success in life is not about being good at everything. Success is about discovering what you are good at, developing those strengths and applying them to other areas where possible. Some children believe that unless they are good at everything, they are not smart or successful. If this belief persists they lose motivation, fear making mistakes and avoid learning. A child whose parents knows how to help them discover their learning strengths and how to use them to build success in other areas is much more likely to remain confident and motivated. AWARENESS Knowing your own learning strengths and your child’s patterns assists you to consider similarities and differences between you both. Not every child shares the same strengths as their parent. Valuing strengths your child has, that you do not share, is a voyage of discovery for most parents. PLANNING ACTIVITIES Parents are powerful teachers of their children. By focusing on activities that your child already has learning strengths in, you are likely to get greater engagement and enjoyment. EXTENDING ACTIVITIES TO DEVELOP LEARNING Learning strengths starts with what is strong to improve what is not yet strong. For example, if your child has a learning strength in perceptual-motor areas (sport, dance, craft, construction) and you wanted to improve their strengths in number smarts, you might find ways to discuss how numbers play a role in those areas.
At home, a child who has concentration and memory learning strengths but is yet to develop planning and sequencing strengths may struggle to clean up their room. A parent could help them by using what they are already strong at (concentration and memory) by turning room cleaning into a memory game i.e. ‘what we need to do next?’ This will make learning a new sequence easier. SUCCESS CREATES SUCCESS The fastest way to help children become passionate about their learning is to have their early attempts and successes acknowledged. The Learning Strengths letter and full report are precisely designed to do this. INVOLVEMENT AT SCHOOL Completing the analysis and report empowers parents to take this knowledge to parent-teacher meetings and use it to proactively and collaboratively plan with teachers what strengths to build upon in the next term and also how to use those strengths to develop in other areas. Learning happens fastest when parents, teachers and students collaborate together. PURSUING PASSIONS There is a strong overlap between our learning strengths and what we are interested in. A child’s learning strengths may change as they mature but in the longterm, knowing about learning strengths helps young people choose the courses or careers that suit them and where they are most likely to experience success. Linking home-based learning to your child’s strengths gives you a far greater chance of developing their confidence and their motivation. Andrew’s book, “Unlocking Your Child’s Genius” (Bad Apple Press) provides an extensive approach to developing learning strengths in 2-18 year olds.
Stay in touch with Andrew on Facebook, on LinkedIn, through his website and on the My Learning Strengths website. Copyright Andrew Fuller 2020.
Spectemur | Issue 3 - 2020
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HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD AT HOME
There are currently many changes to our daily lives including off‑site learning. Camberwell Grammar’s Counsellors Elizabeth Grant and Francesca Thomson offer some tips for parents on how best to support their children succeed during these times. WHAT ARE SOME WAYS THAT YOU SUGGEST PARENTS HELP THEIR CHILDREN DO THEIR BEST WHILE LEARNING FROM HOME? Having a structured routine on school days. Having a visual timetable can be helpful to stay on track. Get up, eat breakfast, shower, get dressed and ready for the day. Factor in recess and lunch breaks and encourage students to go outside if this is possible. Allow your child to move around between lessons (even if that is a quick stretch or walk around the room). Ensure that your children have a comfortable place to work with all that they need and adequate light. Remember your child’s mental health and general wellbeing are the priority at this stage. For instance, acknowledge that some days will be more productive than others and if you are working from home and home-schooling, there will be some days when everything is not done. That is ok. Every day is an opportunity for a fresh start. If your child is struggling in any way, please let the teacher know so that adaptations can be made. Encourage your children to ask their teachers if they are unsure of anything. This can be done via email, Schoology or Zoom chat.
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HOW CAN PARENTS HELP THEIR CHILDREN MAINTAIN THEIR MENTAL WELLBEING DURING THESE TIMES? Adequate sleep, daily exercise, family time, participating in activities of interest and staying connected to others are all helpful.
Adequate Sleep The quantity of sleep can change based on age and stage of development: Children aged 3-5 years require 11-13 hours of sleep per night; children aged 6-12 years require 9-12 hours of sleep per night; children/teenagers aged 12-18 years require 8-10 hours each night; adults 7+ hours of regular sleep is recommended for optimal health and wellbeing. Establishing good sleep hygiene is also important, including: avoiding caffeine after 6.00pm; keep the lights dimmed, and avoid screens for at least 1 hour before bed; the ideal room temperature for sleep is around 18-22 degrees celsius. Allow your mind to wind-down by doing something relaxing like reading a book or listening to music; try and go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day; expose yourself to natural light where possible as soon as you wake up.
A Healthy Diet and Daily Exercise Try and stick to eating habits similar to the school timetable. Having food for recess and lunch prepared in a lunch box may help prevent grazing all day. Drink plenty of water. In addition to this, a mindful or enjoyable activity each day really helps. This may be kicking the football, table tennis, drawing, painting, cooking or spending some social time with peers.
Family Time Have open conversations, answer any questions that your children may have in language that they can understand. Quality family time and regular family meetings can be important to discuss short term plans. What will we do this week? What is working well? What is something we can improve? Reflect and validate the frustrations of remote-learning/ COVID-19 restrictions, but reinforce the reasons why it is important (to keep each other and the community safe).
General Wellbeing and Staying Connected Practice daily gratitude and have fun, look for small pleasures. Stay connected to family and friends. Helping others such as neighbours or grandparents - this may be by making them craft things, cooking for them, zoom/facetime or writing letters all help us stay connected.
OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES: At school you can obtain support from your child’s Class/Form Teacher, House Tutor, Head of House or one of the School Counsellors Elizabeth Grant or Francesca Thomson. https://kidshelpline.com.au https://www.beyondblue.org.au https://headspace.org.au
AND FINALLY, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS FOR PARENTS?
Special Interests and Hobbies Allow your children to explore some interests that can be done at home or online, such as cooking, gardening, art, making or creating something, learn an instrument/song. Prioritise time to get outside for some fresh air and sunlight. Look for opportunities to exhibit altruism or acts of kindness (e.g. what can you do for a neighbour?). And importantly, take a break from the news cycle!
Acknowledge that this is a tricky time but if we are all working together we will get through it. It is worth remembering that playing games or chatting online is how the students will socialise at the moment as they are unable to catch up face to face unless in VCE. It is the quality of these interactions that is important not the quantity. And finally, always ask for help if you need it and focus on positive things that are happening in your family.
https://au.reachout.com https://www.brave-online.com https://apps.apple.com/au/app/threegood-things-a-happiness-journal/ id1242079576 https://au.reachout.com/tools-andapps/reachout-breathe There are also Apps that can be helpful including Smiling Mind, Headspace, Check-in-Beyond Blue for older students who may be worried about their friends.
Spectemur | Issue 3 - 2020
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KEEPING CONNECTED DURING LOCKDOWN CADETS Despite the current situation, the Camberwell Grammar School Army Cadet Unit has ‘soldiered on’. It has continued training using the online platform Zoom, the same platform through which class lessons have been taught whilst students have been in lockdown. Fortunately, much of the classroom training has been able to be conducted, with PowerPoint presentation lessons being taught by Cadet Under Officers, Sergeants, and Corporals. Our cadet leadership team, in response to this changed situation, have used their initiative well in devising various learning activities, for example Kahoot quizzes. In addition, a number of Unit members have been participating in the online leadership courses. In the first week of the July holidays five members of the Unit were candidates on the Junior Leaders Course. At the time of writing this article, a group of CGS Cadets have been attending the Senior Leaders and the CUO/WOs courses that have been run on three consecutive Saturdays during Term 3. These courses have been staffed by a number of adult Cadet Staff, including MAJ (AAC) M A Neal, and CAPT (AAC) M E Daniel from our Unit. The Unit also acknowledges the significant contribution to the Junior Leaders’ Course by the Unit’s Senior CUO, Hugh McGlone (Year 12). He was largely responsible for devising, organising, and running this course, which is the first online leadership Army Cadet course taught in Australia. In doing so, he established a model for an efficient and effective online leadership course, that has subsequently been adopted in the running of the two additional courses. Adults across the Victorian Brigade involved in the course were extremely impressed with Hugh’s contribution. Mr Michael Daniel Captain
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Fortunately, much of the classroom training has been able to be conducted.
KEEPING CONNECTED DURING LOCKDOWN
MUSIC Friday Performance Class A staple on the Music Academy calender, the Friday Performance classes continued via Zoom to motivate Music Academy students to keep up regular practice.
Music Competitions
Woodwind Scales and Arpeggios Battle
The Music Academy held several competitions during lockdown to create motivation and fun for music students: The Scale and Arpeggio ‘Championship’ for Academy String players and the Scale and Arpeggio ‘Battle’ for Academy Woodwind players.
Woodwind players submitted their recordings of scales, studies and arpeggios. The finalists from each division made new recordings which were adjudicated by Wendy Clarke, Associate Principal Flautist of the MSO.
The Scale and Arpeggio Championship for Academy String players String players competed against each other live on Zoom. Their mission was to perform their scales as accurately and cleanly as possible. It was a brilliant spectacle with many students performing better on the day than expected. RESULTS: Winners of the Upper Strings Division Leo Qi (Year 6) and Steven Wang (Year 9) (performing their Galamian accelerated scales at a mind blowing 110 BPM) Winner of the Lower Strings Division Nicholas Branson (Year 7)
RESULTS: Winner of the Woodwind Scale Battle: Freddy Branson (Year 10) Highly Commended Rhys Campbell (Year 12) Wendy Clarke was impressed with Freddy and Rhys’ accuracy of pitch and evenness of tone, particularly in the higher registers. The Watson Report In a rare collaboration between the Sports and Music Academy, Mr Jamie Watson, Director of the Sports Academy, provided a humorous commentary on the results of both competitions, which can be viewed here:
Click here to view
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Highly Commended Daniel Feng (Year 7)
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Virtual Music Performances
In addition to the music classes and competitions, we have enjoyed a number of outstanding virtual musical performances from our music students this term. TOWARDS INFINITY PERFORMANCE A group of Year 11 and 12 students were rehearsing a piece called Towards Infinity during the final weeks of school before the second lockdown. Instead of letting this situation get to them, they put together a virtual performance of the piece – and we were very impressed! When the composer, Mr Paul Jarman, heard the recording this is what he had to say: “Thank you so much for your thought and care, leadership and passion for the music....I am just so inspired by you guys. …..COVID-19 has been very tough on many of us ….you remind me of how important it is to all have each other and I am so grateful. You guys are the future….”. YEAR 7 STUDENTS NICHOLAS AND DERRICK PERFORM VIVALDI Year 7 cellists Nicholas Branson and Derrick Kwon performed a Vivaldi movement with enviable precision and expression. It seems hard to believe that they are not in the same room as they play together.
It seems hard to
believe that they are not in the same room as they play together. MIDDLE SCHOOL CELLISTS PERFORM ELEANOR RIGBY Cellists from the Middle School Orchestra program performed Eleanor Rigby while in isolation. They also submitted short clips of daily activities which remind them of complex rhythms in music. The result was a wonderful virtual performance.
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KEEPING CONNECTED DURING LOCKDOWN
SENIOR CELLISTS PERFORM BACH’S AIR ON G STRING The cello section of the Senior School Orchestra performed Bach’s famous Air on G String. We also saw a lighthearted glimpse of pre-performance preparation and a guest appearance from last year’s Music Captain!
MAURO GIULIANI – VARIATIONS 3 AND 5 This is a charming piece by Italian Guitar virtuoso Mauro Giuliani (1781 - 1829). Charlie Campbell-Cowan (Year 9) and Matthew Treagus (Year 8) performed this work with Anne Walters’ beautiful photographs of fragrant spring flowers interwoven throughout the clip. Watch the performance by clicking on video (left).
MIDDLE SCHOOL STRING QUARTET Middle School musicians Hamish Westcott, William Kopke on violin, Joshua Morgan (Year 8), viola and cellist Derrick Kwon (Year 7) have created a recording of the Finale of David Stone’s Miniature String Quartet No.2. This project was part of the Elva Allan evening of chamber music which takes place in September every year. Thanks to Mr Campbell Phillips for the wonderful video which can be viewed here (left).
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SENIOR SCHOOL GUITAR ENSEMBLE The Senior School Guitar Ensemble worked hard during lockdown, tackling the 80s classic The Final Countdown by Europe. We thoroughly enjoyed their group performance, edited by guitar teacher Mr Jamie McGee.
In the absence of a normal concert, the Music Department would like to share some of the work that has been going on during Lockdown 2, Term 3. In ‘Notes from the Inside’, we’ve broken our large ensembles into smaller sections and have taken the opportunity to brush up on our technique and learn some different repertoire too. We also have more videos in the pipeline that we look forward to sharing with you next term. To view the concert, please follow this link:
Click here to access
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#cgsfromhome #CGSMusic
Monash University Day of Piano 2020 Music Captain Arman Cakmakcioglu (Year 12) performed part of his VCE program at the Monash University Day of Piano on Sunday 6 September. He participated in masterclasses, discussions and a Q&A with Aura Go, Tomoe Kawabata and Konstantin Shamray.
Music Academy Masterclass with Rachael Beesley One of the highlights of this term’s Music Academy events was Rachael Beesley’s Masterclass. The Music Academy was excited to welcome this world-renowned Baroque violinist on Friday 28 August. In this image, the celebrated Baroque violinist is holding different baroque bows to the class of violinists and violists. 14
She then discussed the composer’s intentions through the language of bowing patterns. Ms Beesley worked with Music Academy violinists on the nuances of Baroque style, providing a great learning opportunity for the students.
KEEPING CONNECTED DURING LOCKDOWN
DRAMA
I normally start planning a show a couple of years before we open, but seldom have I had such an extended and challenging rehearsal process as we have had for this show. Auditions for Urinetown (a very clever and funny ‘meta’ musical) happened in November 2019 and we cast some incredibly talented young performers, looking forward to another CGS CGSC partnership. Work commenced with a series of singing workshops, organised by Mr Bishop, and comprehensive design meetings where the creative titans Mrs Jennifer Bennie and Mr Mark Wager helped fully form my interpretation of the show. It was an auspicious start. Term 1 2020 launched our usual busy rehearsal schedule as we created and refined our show. Ms McDonald created some truly fantastic routines, and our guest choreographer Jack Migdalek brought the Fiddler on the Roof inspired number at the beginning of Act Two to energetic life. Mrs Bennie and her assistant Breanna Handfield made and adjusted costumes creating characterful individual and group looks. Our Production Coordinator and Assistant Director Ms Jess Doutch filmed rehearsals both on and off stage as has become traditional keeping footage for a cast memory documentary of the process, as well as keeping an archive for those who missed rehearsals and for checking choreography later in the process. Mr Mark and Thomas Bevans built, painted and textured the physical world of the play. Mr Bishop pulled the chorus and numbers together in his forensic, fun and energetic manner. Drama classes continued as normal and Ms Wood continued to
plan the Middle School Play and audition roles for The Great Gatsby. VCE Theatre Studies students were given their assessment plays and some workshops by the inspirational Emily Godard who shared her passion for the highly physical and satirical clowning theatre style of Bouffon. Year 11 developed an interpretation of Agamemnon set in an aged care facility, and Year 12 interpreted A Clockwork Orange with great physicality and dynamism relishing Burgess’ highly mannered language and confronting tale. Public performances of these pieces were heartbreakingly cancelled due to the first of the pandemic restrictions. Themes of state control and aged care resonate in retrospect. Worldwide lockdown arrived with the Senior School musical about two thirds developed needing a tantalising few weeks of work to complete.
The uncertainty of when public audiences might be allowed led us to move both the musical and the Middle School Play to later in the year, and the difficult decision was made to change the House Play Festival into a House Film Festival as Term 4 looked to be filling with rescheduled events. Drama classes went online into theory, the viewing of the many fantastic live captured streamed dramas from around the world, and to monologue and storytelling pursuits. We experimented with Zoom rehearsals for the musical but the cast found them initially unappealing and plans for a couch choir version of one
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of the numbers was shelved. Those that did attend seemed to enjoy themselves, but before we consolidated our virtual position we were back to school, back to face-to-face rehearsals (albeit with some distancing), the Middle School Play started rehearsals (with energetic Charleston workshops on Sundays from Tim McDowel) and we were full steam ahead. We wisely continued the video sequences after mid-year exams from the show but made special efforts to run some in full costume and make-up photographed as well by Ken Nakanishi (1996). Three rehearsals later new rules came into force and Years 6 to 10 returned to distance learning. The Middle School Play had to cancel the now forbidden Sunday dance rehearsals and Ms Wood took her rehearsals online. In the Senior School we continued to rehearse with boys and some girls. Into Term 3 we continued with Year 11 and 12 boys only now and girls joining us on Zoom. It continued to amaze me how dedicated everyone remained to the shows. As we continued through the term the Heads of Houses decided reluctantly to make House Films a voluntary project with no points being awarded for the Prefects’ Cup this year. Stage 4 sent us into a tailspin and the Middle School Play was rescheduled to the end of Term 1 2021 with its dedicated 2020 cast. It became abundantly clear that we were going to either limit our work on Urinetown to a documentary memory video shared with the cast with no performance at all, or seek unlikely streaming rights for a YouTube production. Unlikely because streaming had developed under COVID as live capture performance rather than montage, and the latter was all we had! Zoom rehearsals continued and Ms Jess Doutch put together a complicated overview of all previously filmed video footage with the plan to create a more comprehensive documentary of the show charting our journey from audition to cancellation! 16
Without much hope I wrote a letter to Music Theatre International explaining our position and pleading in the name of our talented and dedicated cast (especially the Year 12s) that we might be allowed to present the show in video montage online. To my grateful surprise after MTI (AU) approached the authors who approved the license for streaming for us and all other schools currently producing the show! We then went into overdrive collecting footage, capturing Zoom rehearsals, and getting the cast to record themselves in a couch choir manner to provide Ms Jess Doutch with what she needed to edit the complete show. Mr Feldt applied himself to post-production, Mr Bishop and Mr Campbell Phillips to mixing audio, and, when we found the orchestral tracks we had hired had totally different tempos to the rehearsal tracks we had used to record vocals, Mr Johnston (a veritable wizard of digital audio workspaces) edited practically every bar of the whole score for our use over many tens of hours. The Senior School Production opened on 9 September and could be viewed online across four separate evenings with our unfinished found and foraged footage film montage. I think the authors would approve. Next year’s shows will need to be COVID compatible, but ‘the show must go on’. Mr Andrew Stocker, Head of Drama
Urinetown Review I’d like to pass on my congratulations to the cast and crew of Urinetown. Speaking as both a former CGS student, and an active member of Melbourne’s theatrical community who has done this show previously myself (UMMTA, 2016), they all did a terrific job in scraping together a cohesive video of the show from the recordings of a few scenes, rehearsal choreography videos, and post-lockdown Zoom calls. While I do not feel it is appropriate for me to comment on the hilariously over-acted performance of my
brother as Lockstock (Rhys Denison, Year 12), I will congratulate all the other leads on some very strong performances. Harmonies from Bobby (William Lewis, Year 11) and Hope (Josie Parton) at the end of Follow Your Heart were amazing, and Cladwell (James Thorn, Year 12), Pennywise (Grace Edge) and Little Sally (Mia Suda) were excellent, creating characters that really lived. I’ll also give a massive congratulations to Hot Blades Harry (Thomas Ng, Year 12) for nailing the choreography as the one guy in the Snuff That Girl dance break. The potential for this show was clearly visible for all to see, and it’s such a shame that due to the virus outbreak and associated lockdowns, Urinetown was – like so many other productions this year – unable to go ahead on stage. Especially as for many of us in the theatrical community, school musicals were our first exposure to performing onstage, and that the payoff of seeing and hearing an audience enjoying the show you are performing is a big part of why we keep on showing up for weeks if not months of rehearsals. One of the hardest things to deal with in the early days of the lockdown must have been the fundamentally wrong feeling of putting so much hard work into a show only to have it all pushed back months just before it opens. That you pushed through to the end is a testament to the evident passion of performers, production crew, Music and Drama Departments and to the school. Thanks for entertaining us all in such difficult times. Brent Denison (class of 2012 and cast of CGS’ Lord of the Flies 2008, The Producers 2010, and Sweeney Todd 2012).
KEEPING CONNECTED DURING LOCKDOWN
SPORT, STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING, AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION Classes have been meeting regularly and teams getting together on Zoom to begin preparations for the upcoming Summer Season. The Firsts Cricket Squad is meeting twice weekly for group fitness and a coaching session. The Cricket Development Squad have begun meeting weekly to discuss and develop skills. While the Firsts Basketball and Tennis Squads will be meeting to introduce team and individual strategies.
PE lessons consist of workouts via Zoom. They mostly involve high intensity exercises; although, teachers have also included stretching and yoga sessions in order to develop multiple fitness components, such as muscular and core strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and balance. While still being delivered through a computer screen, it offers students the opportunity to be active and away from their desks.
The collage of photos is from ‘Watto’s Health World’. Mr Watson set challenges for students to create a variety of things, such as a healthy smoothie or a salad! Mr Lachlan Crawford Director of Sport
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ST R E NSTRENGTH GT H & AND CONDITIONING C O N D IT Remote I O N ITraining NG SINCE STARTING LOCKDOWN
304
HIGH PERFORMANCE ZOOM SESSIONS FOR 1ST SQUADS
3735
DIFFERENT STUDENTS THAT HAVE ATTENDED SESSIONS
41
TOTAL STAFF ZOOM FITNESS SESSIONS
80 NUMBER OF INSTRUCTIONAL TRAINING VIDEOS RECORDED
Strength and Conditioning classes via Zoom have been incorporating some fun ways to keep engaged including music by resident DJ Ruffles, Aerobics Wednesday, Sports Day and Beach Day themes.
150
TOTAL OPEN ZOOM FITNESS SESSIONS
38
TOTAL ATTENDANCE IN THESE SESSIONS
425
MAX NUMBER IN A SINGLE ZOOM SESSION
100
TOTAL CAMBERWELL GRAMMAR AQUATIC ZOOM FITNESS SESSIONS
35
ATHLETES MANAGED ON TRAINING PEAKS
NUMBERS AS OF THE END OF TERM 3
Mr Paul Sartori Strength and Conditioning Coordinator
Strava ‘Wellers’ Group: Click here for link
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Led by students Zac Kelly (Year 11) and Tom Bowers (Year 12), The Suburbs of CGS Challenge aims to motivate boys to be physically active outdoors by covering as many streets within their 5km radius as possible. Boys have the choice of a run, walk or cycle in their 1-hour limit.
Connor Le Page (Year 4) is walking the Inca Trail virtually. Each morning he gets on the treadmill, puts up the incline and walks 1.5km. Here’s some photos of his progress which he tracks on google maps and also postcards he gets along the way at landmarks.
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COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Keeping Students and Staff Safe During this Term we had a brief return to School. Our amazing staff helped keep our students safe while at school through temperature checks and regular COVID-19 testing available to students and staff. We were grateful that Prep students were able to celebrate their first 100 days at school in the classroom.
Our amazing staff helped keep our students safe while at school Staff Member Julian Visser in the News As well as appearing on Channel 9 News, staff member Julian Visser, was featured in a Herald Sun article Face to Face with Real Innovation in mid-July discussing his face-shield initiative. He discussed his idea to make face shields to protect frontline medical workers at Melbourne hospitals from COVID-19, using our school 3D printers. Mr Visser has now founded the Boye Medical Group which
was commissioned by the Government to produce 35,000 masks by the end of July. “It went from one shield to many thousands. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without the help of the school… It’s a great example of innovative design. For students, I hope this can be a real-world example of going from an idea to full production in a short period of time.”
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Casual Clothes Day A Casual Clothes Day was held on Monday 3 August with the $485 raised being donated to Julian Visser’s initiative, to provide free face shields to frontline medical workers.
Congratulations
Staff member Jess Stryker and partner Josie welcomed Henley Peyton MacCartney-Stryker into the world on Tuesday 11 August.
Staff members Jason and Liz Sayers welcomed Taylor James into the world on Tuesday 4 August, and little Jacob is very excited to have a baby brother.
CGS Auxiliary Christmas Puddings When the CGS Auxiliary began planning for 2020, we never imagined what the year would hold. With the new COVID restrictions in place, our usual activities have not been possible. As we could no longer gather to make our famous Christmas Puddings, the Auxiliary decided to outsource the pudding making in order to continue this 36 year old tradition. Many businesses in rural Victoria are facing hardships due to the double impact of fires and the pandemic. Our wonderful Auxiliary
Treasurer, Robyn McKern was able to source a business in beautiful Porepunkah (near Bright) who will make our puddings using the much loved CGS recipe. Alpine Valley Fine Foods will be making 500 puddings for the CGS community in their commercial kitchen and will be sourcing many ingredients locally. As with previous years, the now soldout puddings will be presented in the traditional Bendigo Pottery pudding bowls, allowing us to support another small business doing it tough.
I know many of our parents look forward to the wonderful pudding making experience. We hope you will continue to support us next year when we will be back chopping, stirring and mixing again. Ms Allison Guerrieri Auxiliary Convenor
We hope you will continue to support us next year when
we will be back chopping, stirring and mixing again. 20
FROM THE ARCHIVES
The 1916 Tennis team showing the blazer of that period.
The uniforms worn by the boys enrolled in the different parts of the School have changed considerably over the course of thirteen decades. At first, Grammarians were not required to wear any uniform at all, but to dress appropriately as ‘gentlemen’, the stated aim of the School being to produce an end product of “Australian gentlemen”. It was regretted in those early decades that these proto-gentlemen were often involved in skirmishes with less exalted students of state schools when proceeding homewards over the many open fields that bordered Camberwell and Canterbury at that time. Given the absence of a regulated uniform in the first decades of the School, there was a great degree of variety in the wardrobes of the students as the 1890 school portrait shows, but later the growing numbers of pupils were expected to wear the School’s colours (pale blue, dark blue and gold) on their caps (or hats). By the 1920s a school tie was introduced and jerseys, blazers, socks and stockings were available in school colours, but were not compulsory. The blazers, with a plain pocket emblazoned with the initials “C G S”, tended to be worn at the taking of sports photos for the official Magazine in the years that followed its foundation in May 1915. Suits were worn for other portraits and for everyday school wear, and were required to be either blue or grey. When the Graphic of Australia newspaper featured a portfolio of images of “The Boys of Camberwell Grammar” in its series “Melbourne Schools and Their Scholars” in January 1924, the fifteen images portrayed six class groups, sports teams and, of course, “The Principal and The Prefects” – many of the sports images featured boys wearing their school blazers, whilst elsewhere the dark suit was de rigueur with one exception when
A group of Camberwell Grammar ‘gentlemen’ in 1890 dressed in a variety of outfits.
Prefect Ingle Hall (the son of Headmaster Alfred Hall) was pictured standing directly behind his seated father, and wearing a suit of a lighter coloured fabric than normally adorned prefects. Young Ingle often seemed able to bend the rules and was accordingly unpopular amongst his peers, particularly amongst his fellow boarders. In these early years of the School, the ‘school cap’ was considered the one indispensable uniform item used to identify a scholar of Camberwell Grammar both at home and when travelling overseas – in late-1922, for example, the ‘School Cap’ was proudly worn and pictured at Pompeii. The Archives contain and conserve a number of these items, but I have recently received a donation from Mrs Bridget Jaboor of material sourced from Old Boy Paul Jaboor (1952), who enrolled at Camberwell Grammar in Term 2, 1944 as a five-year old resident of Balwyn. His school portrait showed him in his sparkling new uniform of grey suit, school tie and (the donated) iconic school cap. This donation is the best example of an early school cap contained in our Archives. Paul, an only child, later proceeded to Geelong Grammar as a boarder in 1946, having completed Form I at Camberwell. His father, George, was a noted publisher of Australiana through his firm of Georgian House Pty Ltd and Paul followed his father into book publishing, distribution and retailing for his entire working life. Paul’s two sons, Marcus (1989) and Jonathan (1997), both attended Camberwell Grammar. The Jaboor donation also included Paul’s Preparatory School Report Book for the year 1944. I have mentioned earlier that such reports are a valuable primary source for the history of the School and they make absorbing reading. Paul was
Paul Anthony Jaboor ready to enter the Prep School, February 1944.
one of twenty-two boys in his 1944 class and it was noted by Headmaster Tonkin that the boy possessed ‘good manners’. Arithmetic was his best subject (90% average) and he was pleasingly assessed in some other subjects that have since disappeared from the curriculum such as ‘Word Building’, ‘Handwork’ and ‘Mental’ (a subject apparently related to Arithmetic). Paul was commended as a ‘neat and conscientious worker’. Judging from his portrait, he was also a very neat dresser and it is unlikely that many of his peers were as well turned out in 1944 during that frugal period of wartime. Dr David Bird School Historian and Archivist Would you like to get in touch with our School Historian and Archivist David? Email archive@cgs.vic.edu.au Spectemur | Issue 3 - 2020
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NEWS OF OLD BOYS Sean Hamilton (Cadet Under Officer 2001) Sean attended the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra in 2002 and completed a double Arts degree majoring in History and Computer Science. He graduated with the rank of Pilot Officer in the Royal Australian Air Force in 2004 after which he commenced training to become an air force pilot. Sean completed his basic flying training at Tamworth and then moved to RAAF Base Pearce in Western Australia to train with the 2FTS Training School. Sean completed his 2FTS training at the end of 2006 and graduated and was subsequently promoted to the rank of Flying Officer. He was awarded three of the possible eight awards and was Dux
of his course. Sean has now been accepted to train as a fighter jet pilot with RAAF. He has just begun his training in FA-18 Sky Hawks at RAAF Pearce and in six months he will move to RAAF Williamtown to complete his fast jet training. From age 11 Sean always wanted to be a pilot. He firmly believes that his education at Camberwell Grammar School and his involvement in the CGS Army Cadet Unit set a solid basis from which he was able to realise his dream. Sean receiving his award as Dux of his 2FTS training course at the end of 2006.
Michael Aylward (1997) Michael Aylward, of Ocean Eight Vineyard & Winery on the Mornington Peninsula, business has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, as has all aspects of the hospitality industry.
This partnership is how they celebrated the re-opening of the Cellar Door on Queen’s Birthday. Through the things that bring us all together: great food and great wines.
As Michael’s wines are made for food, he’s a big believer in the hospitality industry working together. This is why Ocean Eight partnered with the team from Tonka and Coda, to bring their delicious take-home meals to the Mornington Peninsula.
Michael plans to run the partnership again when this current lockdown ends and they can re-open.
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Ocean Eight’s 2016 Grande Chardonnay was selected to go up against 7 of the best Chardonnays produced in Australia & NZ in recent years. Bob Campbell MW of The Real Review presented 8 Chardonnays from Australia & NZ – including the 2016 Grande – in a virtual tasting presented at therealreview.com. www.oceaneight.com.au
Recruitment Advice for Alumni We recently asked two Old Boy Recruiters to contribute some advice for people out of work due to COVID. SIMON CHAMBERS (1996) Founder and Managing Director Batch Executive Top 3 things to focus on in a challenging economic environment: 1. Make the most of relevant free online courses available during this time for those that need to expand their knowledge base and keep up to speed with changing technology trends in their chosen field.
NICK HINDHAUGH (1992) Founder and Managing Partner Six Degrees Executive 1. Be specific: Provide a specific, short overview of your experience if emailing or messaging on LinkedIn. DO’s: Hi my name is [NAME], I am a [ROLE] with [TOTAL YEARS] experience working across [INDUSTRIES] and have skills in [CORE CAPABILITIES or TECH SKILLS]. I am looking for [PERMANENT/ CONTRACT] roles as a [ROLE TYPE] and are available on a [NOTICE PERIOD]. Attached is my resume and I am free to talk at [TIME] on [DATE] if that works for you? Suggest a time 1-2 weeks ahead. DON’T’s: Hi my name is [NAME], I’ve recently been stood down and are looking for any work that might be available at the moment. Attached is my CV, I look forward to hearing from you.
3. Polish up your CV so it is ready to go when new opportunities arise and use this time to ensure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and marketable to your target audience.
2. Be patient: Recruiters are currently inundated with calls, emails and requests; not to mention their own personal and professional pressures working reduced or non-standard hours and trying to manage their way through the crisis. Allow time for recruiters to respond and send a polite follow up if you don’t hear back in a week or two. Sometimes it is not possible to get back to everyone due to large volumes, however we do our best to return everyone’s enquiries. 3. Sign up to job alerts: Most recruiters have platforms that allow you to create a job seeker profile and be updated by email with relevant roles. You can also upload your resume and apply for jobs directly from your job seeker profile on the recruiters website.
Wonnangatta
Matt Defina (2009) Matt Defina, Head of Programs at The Man Cave joined Beyond Blue CEO Georgie Harman on ABC’s AM program to talk about the impacts of COVID-19 on boys, men and schools, the increased demand for mental health support, and the need for investment into preventative, frontline services – not just during COVID, but also beyond.
Listen here
2. Reach out to new and existing networks in your industry – current / past colleagues, mentors, alumni networks and recruiters. More importantly, look left of field and out of your comfort zone – it can be a great time to make contacts in industries you had previously not considered.
Angus Cerini’s (1992) Wonnagatta will have will have its world premiere with the Sydney Theatre Company (STC). Starring stage legends Wayne Blair and Hugo Weaving the season starting on 21 September has sold out. Angus’ The Bleeding Tree was a sell-out hit of STC’s 2017 season.
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the aisle and then officiated the marriage (while another friend took the rest of the service). Despite the restrictions it was a joyful, uplifting and powerful service, with not a dry eye in the church.”
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Congratulations to Harrison McEwen (2018) on receiving his Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at last year’s ceremony at Town Hall. “I have become a well versed and all-rounded person in many aspects of my life and have learnt many new skills,” says Harrison.
“I married Louisa Whitworth on 25 July 2020 at St Mary’s, Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire, England in a socially distanced wedding with the maximum thirty people. Although we never could have imagined this scenario, especially with my family not being present, it was a special day. Louisa’s father, Prebendary Patrick Whitworth walked Louisa down
He has written or edited various nonfiction works, as well as the Raising Arcadia trilogy of young adult novels. His most recent book I, Huckleberry (2020), is another young adult mystery set in Oxford.
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Jamie Mulvaney (2007)
Lucas Karlson (2018) of the Lorne SLSC received the Westpac Youth Lifesaver of the Year award at the recent Life Saving Victoria 2020 Awards of Excellence. Lucas won for the delivery of frontline patrolling services including having captained the Lorne SLSC Pier to Pub Patrol and being co‑IRB captain this season. Lucas’ efforts developing and coordinating the club’s skills development program were also recognised with Life Saving Victoria’s inaugural Innovation Award presented to the program for showing innovation in lifesaving by recognising and meeting a need to train up younger members.
Congratulations to Simon Chesterman (1990) who has just released new book I, Huckleberry (2020). Simon was named Australian Rhodes Scholar in 1997 and went on to study International Law at Magdalen College, Oxford University. He completed his doctorate in 2000, writing on the subject of humanitarian intervention. Simon interned at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and worked for the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Yugoslavia before joining the International Peace Academy in 2000. In 2004 he moved to New York University and then the National University of Singapore in 2007, where he was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Law in 2012.
The rest of the Mulvaneys celebrated from home in Melbourne in style, exchanging video messages including Jamie’s parents Bruce and Marlene, and his brothers Tim (2004) and Matthew (2006) speaking to all those in person at the wedding in the UK.
Congratulations to Old Boy Andy Lee (1999) who has a new book out Do not Open this Book Ever! Published by Lake Press.
Australian photographer, Gallery of Achievement member and Old Boy Ashley Gilbertson (1995) documents a battered New York in this episode of ABC’s The Mix:
Listen here
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Josh Daicos (2016) has been named in the 2020 AFL Players’ Association 22under22 Team. Congrats on a great year Josh!
OCGA ART EXHIBITION AND SALE
Images (from left to right, top to bottom): Departing Da Luigi, Capri, Italy by Stuart Cantor; Trawler Moriss by Robert Davey; Greenland by Andrea Wootton; Smart?Phone 3 by Simon Swingler; Blue & Copper by David Treeby; Autumn Garden by Jo Reitze; Naked Raku by Kevin Boyd; Papier by Sue Buchanan; Portofino by Kate Venter; Minette by Ellen Mathers; The Wild West by Thelma Niarchos; Scallywags by Linda Treeby.
Sponsored by:
The 15th OCGA Art Exhibition and Sale went virtual for the first time in 2020. With most Old Camberwell Grammarians’ Association (OCGA) events cancelled, the Committee decided to reimagine the Art Exhibition so that the artistic talents of our community could still be celebrated. 21 talented artists made up of Old Boys, current and past staff, current and past parents and former Artists in Residence submitted their pieces. Ceramics,
photographs, paintings, sketches and 3D art were showcased. Proceeds from the sale of works were donated by the OCGA to the School through the Ron Wootton Memorial Fund. The fund was developed to provide financial assistance to allow the enrolment of boys in the senior years at the School who would otherwise be unable to attend. This year just over $2,000 was contributed to the Ron Wootton Fund.
Thank you to our generous sponsors for their support of this initiative – Deans Art, Chartwells, Eckersley’s Art and Craft, McCabe Architects and Vicki Hutchins Framers. Special thanks to Cindy Parker from the Community and Development Office and Jeff Wang from the ICT Department for creating the website and bringing the virtual OCGA Art Exhibition & Sale 2020 to life.
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OCGA ANNUAL CRICKET FRIENDLY AT SUMA PARK
The OCGA Cricket Friendly against the Suma Park Bellarinas was played on Sunday 15 March 2020. Beautiful weather greeted the players for our 25th annual cricket match at Suma Park on the Bellarine Peninsula. Due to the impending COVID-19 lockdown, two of our star players were forced to withdraw at the last minute. However, with the help of Anthony Webb’s son James Webb (Year 7) we were able to field a full side. The game was competitive but in the end the Bellarinas fell in by one run with one ball to spare. It was a great game of cricket, played in great spirit and no doubt some of our ageing players would have experienced some pain the next day. Our batting stars were Rohan Pike (1982), Anthony Webb (1992) and Richard Jones (1982). Anthony Webb had a great match and together with young James took four wickets between them. 26
T he game was competitive but in the end the Bellarinas
fell in by one run.
Yet again a wonderful lunch accompanied by the odd wine or two made for a great day of energy sapping enjoyment. Barrie Provan (1953) Host
OLD BOY PROFILE
Dale Fisher (1977) Dale Fisher (1977) is a Senior Consultant in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the National University Hospital, Singapore. During the 2019 - 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, Dale was part of the WHO delegation that visited China to investigate technical aspects of transmission, severity and intervention preventing spread of the emerging virus. The subsequent report outlined how the world could respond to the outbreak but warned that the world was not prepared “in capacity or mindset”. Dale is now well known to the media for accurate and incisive commentary regarding COVID-19 offered through television, radio, print and social media across the globe.
What did you enjoy most about your time at CGS? Really so much. Being acknowledged as a leader or influencer; Roystead, captain of sporting teams, go to person for many teachers, buddying new students. Teachers were great; fond memories of Mr Bence in Year 6. We would all get to school early and play handball with made up rules. Travelling was amazing; from home in Donvale it would be bus, train (to East Camberwell station) and then a bus. Coming home we would get five cents worth of mixed lollies! I can’t recall the name of the camp, but I can picture it with the flying fox into the dam.
What advice would you give to our Year 12 boys as they embark on life after CGS? It sounds corny but select a career path that you are good at and like. Your work is a huge percentage of your life. I also say to strive and collect those qualifications. Don’t run out of steam because you are 23 or 24. If you have to keep specialising or collecting achievements until you are
30, then do it because you will be so well positioned for the rest of your life. I also have had a habit of saying yes throughout my career and I am glad. Take risks but not silly ones…risks that are couched within a good decision as well.
What story will your colleagues tell about you at your 50 year CGS reunion? Actually I would rather listen to what others have been doing. If I am pushed it would be about the weirdness of public health people and infectious disease specialists becoming household names.
What do you enjoy most about your role now? Influencing is really a privilege and a responsibility. I enjoy the capacity to analyse and give rational advice as well as communicating it well. At least that’s my feedback.
What does the future hold for you both during and post the COVID-19 pandemic? Well I will stay involved at hospital/ national/international levels trying to turn the response into something a lot more sensible than it is now. After the outbreak the work will take on a new phase of reviews, lessons learnt and future readiness. The COVID work won’t slow for a long time.
Want to know more? Listen to recent interview with Dale on 3AW on the Victorian COVID-19 situation:
Listen here
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OBITUARIES It is with great sadness that we record the passing of the following members of the Camberwell Grammar School community since the last issue of Spectemur. CHRISTOPHER (CHRIS) BENCE 23 October 1942 - 29 August 2020
In 1953 a young Christopher Bence entered Grade 4 at Trinity Grammar School, and he was greeted by his teacher, a Mr. I. G. Mason.
Certificate of Ed, where he met his future wife Suellen. This initial qualification was later upgraded to a Dip. Teaching then a B.Ed. through part-time studies.
Ian recently recounted Chris’s athletics ability.
In 1966, Chris commenced teaching at Camberwell Grammar School where he was employed by Mr T. H. Timpson, Headmaster, starting a teaching stint which would last until 2002, when he retired from teaching but not from CGS.
“He was also a champion sprinter having broken 10secs. for the 100yds. Mind you, at CGS, we muttered something about it only being possible using ‘Trinity watches. Nevertheless, the AGS record for the Open 4 x 100yd relay was for many years held by the Trinity team which included, apart from Chris, Byron Williams, who ran in the 1962 Commonwealth Games; Gary Eddy, 1964/1970 Olympian, and a fourth fellow . . . Pildrie or some such name: Chris competed with the best.” Chris’s talents were not only displayed on the running track but also with voice. As a young man he was a member of the Holy Trinity Anglican Church choir in Kew. He was a founding member of Idlers Five, a pop group at its height in the ‘60s, when they were chosen to represent Australia in a world universities’ pop festival. They produced their number one hit, Melborn and Sideny in 1968, after which the group disbanded. On deciding to become a teacher Chris completed the two-year course at Mercer House, (Associated Teacher Training Institution), Malvern to obtain his 28
He quickly became a very popular teacher with students, particularly boys in his class 7B, their parents and members of staff at all levels of the school. For many years he acted as Middle School House Master of Robinson and coached soccer along with a strong interest in athletics. He was a regular starter for running events at House Athletics. Until recently he continued to attend the AGS athletics carnival with Phil Hutton and Ian Mason to assist with marshalling of competitors. In 1999 Chris was appointed Deputy Head of Middle School until his retirement in 2002. When I started at CGS in 1976, Chris introduced me to Bambara, the school camp. It was a weekend father and son camp for members of 7B. Following the end of the school day, on the Friday, it was off to the Balwyn supermarket to purchase supplies for the weekend, then drive to the camp, unpack the food, prepare the evening meal and wait for the fathers and their sons
to arrive. Chris did not stop all weekend preparing meals, supervising activities, including the father and son cross-country run making, sure all had a great experience. One thing I learnt from Chris that weekend was “Cook roast beef and vegetables, it’s so simple put it in the oven and forget about it. The fathers and boys love it and it is so easy to cook and serve.” After a highly active weekend, he was at work bright and early the next day full of life and smiles with many stories to tell. He was the same at Year 7 camps at Somers in February or Central Australian safaris during term holidays, making sure his 7B boys had a great time. Through his love of music Chris quickly became involved with the annual Middle School production. He wrote the lyrics and composed music for these, many which were based on J.R.R. Tolkiens book The Hobbit. In performances of Oliver he would take the part of Mr. Bumble with due sternness. In 1986 CGS celebrated its Centenary and the Middle School Play was written around the history of the school. Chris played the part of Mr T.H. Timpson the Headmaster who had initially employed him, another twist of connection for Chris. He was also a great supporter of the Music department and without having to be asked would volunteer for backstage duties at concerts.
The Common Room would light up when Chris entered it with his cheerful, positive attitude and willingness to support all. His involvement did not finish at the end of the school day but would continue to support and entertain staff during Après Cinq. He was well known for his catering capabilities particularly his famous Beef Nights, supported by Peter Renwick and others even after they retired from teaching. During the 1980’s Chris, Ron Wootton, Peter Hutchinson and others transformed the Roystead Common Room into a three hatted restaurant for department dinners, three courses being served to the appreciative guests. Fine crockery and cutlery were elegantly set on cloth covered tables with matching cloth napkins. Of course, beef was always served for the main course. Unfortunately, a fire in Roystead in the early 1990’s ended these nights for a time, but they were later revived in the new Common Room in Kingussie. Following his retirement from teaching in 2002 Chris acted as an invigilator for VCE exams at the school. He also was an active member of the CGS Past Staff Association, named The Fossils. In November 2008, John Stafford and Ian Mason decided to retire from the running of Past Staff activities. Chris was asked to takeover and he “invited” me to join him as coordinators. Chris also took over
from the Palaeontologist (IGM) as editor of Hello Again under the pseudonym of The Invigilator. Fortunately for us all Chris never left CGS after retiring. He regularly attended year group reunions, held at CGS and would remember each past student and their involvement in the school, both academically and extra-curricular. He would work the room talking to all who attended and was always warmly welcomed by all former students. He was a regular attendee at school plays and musical concerts, plus he attended Open Day each year to present the cup to the winner of the CR Bence Cup, a 75 yard handicap sprint named in his honour contested between current students and Old Boys. CGS was such an important part of his life. A former staff member recently commented about Chris; “He was the ideal staff member, respected by staff, students and parents, he gave so much of himself to the school”. We will miss him.
the classroom, and always determined to put the needs of the students and the School ahead of his own. His contribution to music, drama and the camping program are the stuff of legend. He set high standards for his students and would call them out if he felt they did not live up to those standards – he was also quick to praise them when they did. His Beef Nights filled the common room with the smell of garlic; his collegiality filled it with warmth and good humour. He was a regular attendee at Old Boys functions long after he retired from the classroom and he was always excited to meet up with ‘his boys’ and to hear ‘what they had been up to’. He was a loyal and generous colleague. Our thoughts are with Suellen (1976‑2000), Tim (1992) and Miles (1996) Spectemur Agendo. Compiled by Colin McMillan With assistance from Suellen Bence, Paulene Clarke, and Ian Mason.
Dr Hicks recently remembered Chris as very much a part of Camberwell Grammar School, and I suspect it became a big part of him. He was the classic servant leader, volunteering for an enormous range of activities beyond the scope of Spectemur | Issue 3 - 2020
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ARTHUR JAMES COLLINSON (1936) 06 August 1918 - 18 June 2020
In later years Arthur could be quoted as saying, “the move to Camberwell Grammar changed my life”. Arthur remained strongly associated with the school over the years: 1936 - 1940: He was appointed Honorary Treasurer of the Old Camberwell Grammarians Association; 1948 - 1982: Headmaster Henry Tonkin invited him to become a member of the newly formed Camberwell Grammar Masonic Lodge; 1950 - 1956: He was elected to the Camberwell Grammar School Council.
Arthur James Collinson was born at home in Canning Street, North Melbourne on the 6 August 1918. Following his sister’s birth, it was discovered their mother had contracted Tuberculosis. On doctor’s advice the family moved from the pollution of inner Melbourne to Riversdale Road, Camberwell, in June 1922. Unfortunately, his mother died that same year. His aunt moved into the home in Camberwell, where for the next 19 years she helped raise the family. Formal education for Arthur began at Camberwell State School where he stayed until completing his Merit Certificate. As a child Arthur loved sport. He enjoyed cricket, football and athletics, especially running. He followed his father’s love of football and Collingwood in particular. Arthur began secondary school at the newly established Box Hill High. During his third year at Box Hill High, his father in his wisdom, encouraged Arthur to sit a scholarship examination for entry to Camberwell Grammar School. Arthur hadn’t known of the school, which at that time was situated in Burke Road. Later in life as a Camberwell Grammarian Arthur was known as one of the ‘Burke Road Boys’. During his first year at Camberwell Grammar, in 1933, Arthur won the Mathematics Prize, and during the combined school sports meeting on the MCG he won the trophy for the most individual points scored, experiencing athletic success at last. The following year, (Leaving Certificate) he won the Form Prize as Dux of the Leaving Class, and a scholarship to study accountancy.
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His connection with the school remained until the end of his life, attending both the 50 Year and 60 Year Chapter Lunches each year. Being the oldest ‘Old Boy’ for several years, he held onto that knowledge like a badge of honour. Arthur studied accountancy by correspondence, finally qualifying as an accountant in December 1941. His final examination was sat at the Seymour Fire Station whilst training in the army. In 1936 at the age of 18, Arthur met Olive Webster. A few years later they announced their engagement on Armistice Day – 11 November 1939. When war came Arthur enlisted and was placed in the 4th Field Company Royal Australian Engineers 3rd Division. Full time duty began following the Pearl Harbor attack on 6 December 1941. Luckily he was able to get weekend leave and their wedding was held on 20 December 1941. The next year his athletic aspirations were dashed when refused leave by the army to compete in the Stawell Gift, for which he had qualified. He moved north with the army and spent the rest of the war in New Guinea. Arthur considered himself one of the lucky ones. He never failed to remember the mateship forged during the time of war that crossed all boundaries of culture and religion. Finally, he returned home from war on 22 December 1945 to see his son, Ian, for the first time who was 1 year 1 day old. The family moved into their first house in January 1946 and began making a home. As a returned soldier Arthur studied Cost Accountancy for two years at RMIT. St Theodores Anglican Church opened in July 1949, Arthur became the first Treasurer and it became their place of worship and the centre of their social life. Arthur and Olive discovered their son, Ian,
had been born with an intellectual disability and would not be able to attend a normal school. There were many heartaches and hardships as they sought to help their beautiful son. But their home was a happy place full of laughter, music, song and dance. Arthur and Olive were a team; the Yin and Yang that created balance. Vastly different individuals by nature they came together, complementing one another and creating a lovely family atmosphere. Olive was the creative extrovert and the perfect hostess to the professional man. Arthur was the calm peaceful presence, the provider, the planner. This was the family man people came to know. As an accountant, he wasn’t dull and boring as they are often made out to be. He was a social being who joined many different organisations and contributed to society wherever he could. When Ian was accepted to attend Alkira in 1958, Arthur believed his place was there to help support both Ian and the organisation. Arthur’s leadership as a member of the Board and Treasurer, was significant and crucial to ensure Alkira’s early years were successfully navigated to form the foundation of the success it currently enjoys. Arthur will be long remembered for his valuable financial insights and devotion to the cause of people with intellectual disabilities. Then there was another life to live upon retiring. Arthur answered an advertisement calling for assistance with the contract management of Tanderra, an Aged Care facility which was being redeveloped. He joined Legacy to assist widows with their claim for the widows pension. He also joined the RSL and local Probus Club. These activities were fitted in and around his family, as well as the two, sometimes three games of golf played weekly at Yarra Yarra Golf Club. Arthur always had time for family. In fact family came first. Many opportunities to further his career were disregarded in favour of the secure environment that had been established for Ian at Alkira. Arthur was a very supportive grandparent, attending sport matches to watch Jay Charlesworth (1994) play hockey at Camberwell Grammar, and drama presentations that Samantha was involved in at Camberwell Girls. Arthur outlived Olive and Ian and continued to live at home until the age of 96 when he moved to Uniting AgeWell Box Hill. It was there that Arthur celebrated his 100th birthday in 2018, surrounded by family and friends with whom he shared a wonderful life.
JOHN DENTON AM OBE (1948) 16 July 1929 - 13 August 2020
family discovered many of the waterways around Sydney and beyond. John was a major help to his wife Shirley who had developed a health issue making walking difficult, however she supported John is all his activities. All who knew John regarded him a true gentleman. John was inducted into the Camberwell Grammer School Gallery of Achievement in 2003. Ian Angus GWEN REDMAN 1918 - 5 August 2020, aged 102
John Grant Denton was born in Melbourne in April 1929 and passed away in Bateau Bay NSW in August 2020, He commenced at CGS in 1938 concluding with Matriculation in 1947. By this time he had been appointed a prefect, cadet lieutenant in the school cadets and became a significant sportsman particularly in athletics and cricket. Outside of school John was involved with the Crusader movement and was active in boys’ camps in Toolangi. On leaving school John was employed for a time in the HR Dept of Mobil Oil but responded to a higher calling when he joined the Church Missionary Society. His appointment with the CMS took him to East Africa where he spent some 10 years mainly in administration, John was made on Officer in the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1977. While in East Africa Shirley joined him and they were married in Dodoma. With concern for his growing family John returned to Australia where he was appointed Registrar of the Diocese of Sydney, and in 1978 became the first full time General Secretary of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia, a position he held until retirement in 1994. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2005 for service to the Anglican Church of Australia and also the international community through the programs of World Vision. John had a variety of interests chief among them were photography and carpentry. As a family man he took to sailing. Together the
Mother of Old Boys Keith Redman (1958) and Max Redman (1964, dec.) and grandmother of Old Boys David Redman (1984), Paul Redman‑Brown (1986), Michael Redman (1989) and Adam Kyriacou (1990). A passionate member of the Camberwell Grammar community who served on the Ladies Auxiliary and actively supported the music and sporting programs for over 50 years. Her fierce loyalty and love of education will be forever missed by all the family. ROBERT WALLACE (1969) 21 June 1951 - 21 July 2020 Details about the life and passing of former Croydon resident and Camberwell alum, Robert Wallace, who died at age 69 in Colorado Springs, Colorado in the United States. Robert Wallace was the king of sarcasm and self-deprecating humor, which makes a sentimental tribute feel out of character. Bob didn’t leave behind his footprint on earth; he left thousands of footprints. Raised in Croydon, outside Melbourne, Bob started running as a 12-year-old when his PE teacher at Camberwell Grammar School, Roy Whitehead, sent him out to run in the rain. He showed talent (this is where Bob would say, “or stupidity”) represented CGS in athletics and cross country. He continued to run with the Richmond Harriers, and then at age 18, received a track scholarship to Long Beach State in the United States. He eventually transferred to the University of Texas at El Paso (this is
where Bob would say, “Harvard on the border”) where he set two conference records in 1974, before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. In 1976, he placed second at the Australian Olympic trials marathon, which was his first marathon. He won the Australian Marathon Championship in 1977 and represented Australia in the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games. He ran 20 marathons in under 2:20, with several first place finishes to his credit, including the Dallas White Rock Marathon in 1980. In 1981 he clocked his fastest marathon time at Grandma’s in 2:13:14. The following year he ran Boston Marathon, and while Bob told everyone how slow he ran that day, he still had a top-ten finish, sunburn and all. The best part of his Boston Marathon story wasn’t in gutting it out to finish, but in hobbling back to his hotel and coming face-to-face with a cleaning lady, who asked, “How did you do?” With a grin on his face, Bob said, “I finished ninth!” To which she replied in all seriousness, “Better luck next year.” Bob never went back to run Boston, but he seized on his luck when he bought a struggling Dallas running store in 1995 and renamed it Run On! With his wife and business partner, Rebecca, the business grew to six stores and a race timing company before selling in 2012. He was regarded as a visionary in the retail running industry, setting an example for running stores all over the country. (Especially that time he took off running after thieves who fled the store with unpaid merchandise, shouting, “You’re never going to outrun me!”) His leadership style was one of authenticity, trust and empowerment. People were drawn to him because, in his sly way, he knew how to bring out the best in them. Between hundreds of marathon clients he coached and as the co-author of How to Train For Your Bucket List Marathon, he poured his soul into helping others leave their footprint too. Bob had a huge heart for the running community and was adept at helping people reach their goals. What Bob’s running clients came to understand is that his coaching went beyond achieving a personal record. Bob taught people how to believe in themselves the
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way he believed in them, so they could go on to set and accomplish other life goals. (This is where Bob would say, “Shut up and run.”) Despite being diagnosed with a brain tumor in February 2019 and the interminable treatment that followed, Bob continued to run, hike, bike and climb mountains near his home in Colorado Springs. Though his diagnosis influenced the way he embraced the rest of his life, which brought out a softer side to him. Bob was an avid gardener, cook, and yogi; loyal to his canine companions, Marley, Rocket and Bullet; and always perturbed by United States’ continued use of the imperial measurement system. Bob is preceded in death by parents, Neil and Yvonne. He is survived by sisters Jane (Peter) and Angela (Flo); brother, Jack; daughters Yvonne Winchester and LaRoux Wallace (Paul); and grandson, Jack. Bob leaves behind his best friend and wife, Rebecca (Salinas) Wallace, who is every bit a part of Bob’s story. If you want to know the kind of husband Bob was, he put toothpaste on her toothbrush every night. (This is where Bob would say, “She was my better half.”) Bob had a sharp sense of humor paired with a kind of sweet gruffness that made anyone around him stand a little straighter. PHILLIP MOYLE (1972) 13 October 1954 - 17 August 2020 Brother to Ian (1965) and Haydn (1968)
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