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CONTENTS
School-2
Green Pages........................................................................2 Values..................................................................................4 Meet Your Prefects...............................................................6 Murdoch Centre for Educational Research and Innovation...... 8 Introducing Indra..................................................................9 Aquatic Program................................................................ 10 How to Develop Your Learning Strengths........................... 12 Our Sports Centre, 2 Years On........................................... 14 Learning on the Stage........................................................ 16 Connect With Us................................................................ 17 News Around the School.................................................... 18 Making House Music History..............................................22
Community-24
Community Connections.................................................... 24 Sport..................................................................................26 Events................................................................................28
OCGA-32
From the Archives..............................................................32 News of Old Boys...............................................................33 Old Boy Profile...................................................................34 Obituaries...........................................................................37 Calendar 2019....................................................................38
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, F: +61 3 9836 0752, www.cgs.vic.edu.au
Editorial enquiries: pub@cgs.vic.edu.au View online versions here: www.cgs.vic.edu.au/news/spectemur Spectemur is printed on 100% recycled paper.
FROM THE HEADMASTER’S DESK I was privileged recently to attend our Junior School’s Leadership Assembly, where all of our Year 5 students were recognised as being Leaders of Norge. It was terrific to see the enthusiasm of these young leaders as they prepared to exert their influence over our school in the coming year. The vision of leadership in our school has always been one of service. Leadership should not be about telling people what to do; our leaders, rather, are encouraged to ask how they can help. We encourage them to aim at the stars, but remain grounded enough to get some practical things done. Leading needs to be learned through experience, and by watching good leaders lead. Unfortunately, it is not easy nowadays to point to leaders – and particularly to political leaders – who would be good role models for our students to follow. No matter what one’s political views might be, it is hard to escape the conclusion that many current incumbents in senior leadership roles are primarily interested
in promoting their own self-interest and personal needs above all else. It is all about them. They tend to use weasel language to avoid taking a position on any of the great and pressing issues of our time – climate change, growing social inequality, the rise of extremism, the corruption and greed which threaten the very foundations of democracy. It is hardly surprising that there is a growing cynicism about our leaders and their capacity to deal with these serious issues. Who can we point to to inspire our students? There are some who stand out, however, and who are more impressive for their apparent rarity. The recent terrible events in Christchurch have sent shockwaves of horror and disbelief around the world. It is hard to accept that such events can occur. But the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Arden, has been extraordinarily inspiring in the face of great horror. She has been strong and resolute, announcing immediate gun reforms and condemning violence and extremism,
and she has also been compassionate and human – wearing a hijab to offer her condolences and embracing the relatives of the victims and visiting nearby schools and speaking to students who lost friends. She is a politician who genuinely cares about her people, who is genuinely there to serve them, and who deeply cares about them and will do what needs to be done to protect them. She is the type of leader we need more of. I hope that our Year 5 leaders will never have to deal with such tragic and avoidable events in their lives. But I do hope that they learn from leaders like Jacinda Ardern. I hope that they will live lives of integrity and compassion, and that they will seize opportunities to serve their communities; more focussed on the needs of others than their own glory. Dr Paul Hicks Headmaster
Junior School Leadership Team Back Row: Mr Howard Kelly, Mr Michael Pettolino. Middle Row: Ms Michelle Ponert, Angus Egan, Joseph Ni, Hamish Mitchell, Maxwell Chao-Hong, William Kemp, Maximilian Coia, Harish R-Roshan. Front Row: Caleb Jack, Melvin Zhang, Lachlan Lee.
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GREEN PAGES Fun Facts The School pool makes its own chlorine from salt. To be more accurate, there is a machine out the back which does this for us, but it is a pretty incredible unit. Without going into jargon-heavy explanations, you might take a moment to breathe deeply next time you walk into the pool room. As you do, you will probably not notice chlorine in the air – because there will be none. What’s more, it is more effective in fighting waterborne nasties which quickly build up in pools and wet pipes and saves on both financial and environmental costs.
Tip Trip This term saw the inaugural Tip Trip for Year 10 Geography classes. Slated for future semesters, this involves Year 10 Geography students travelling to the MRL Cleanaway Landfill site at Ravenhall to see the second largest landfill site in Australia. The scope of the operation is difficult to convey in words – this is something that stretches beyond any number of MCGs – but to witness is to understand the impact of our personal choices. The MRL site is managed by world’s best practice – meaning everything from the leachate to methane is extracted from the landfill and reused. In fact, the site produces enough green energy (from burning methane) to power 1300 homes, and will continue to mine this source of energy for 30 years after a cell is filled and capped. Along with the Badger’s Creek Science trip, where the boys learn about water quality and sewerage disposal, this trip aims to expand Camberwell Grammar students’ understanding of our waste after it leaves our sight and the opportunities it represents by way of repurposing core components and byproducts.
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In March last year, we had 7,265 kilograms of landfill collected from our school. We also had 1,243 kilograms of recycling collected, and 378 kilograms of food waste collected in our oganics bins.
In March this year, we had 5,470 kilograms of landfill collected, meaning we produced 1,975 kilograms less of landfill rubbish. In March we also had 3,064 kilograms of recycling collected – 1,821 kilograms more than last year. We also had twice as much organic waste collected from our kitchens.
“Hear the satisfaction of feeling those old things fall from your hand�
bins will end up in landfill, but will instead be shopped to charity shops in Australia, overseas markets and even (as a last resort) converted into fuel that is used to generate power.
New Recycling Streams Last year was a big year for recycling at Camberwell Grammar, seeing the introduction of co-mingled recycling streams throughout the School, and mobile phone recycling in the Senior School Library (we have already filled one box, and are pushing to fill the second before the end of Term 2!). 2019 sees further additions in our efforts to divert waste from landfill with the installation of clothing and e-waste bins. We chose to run with SCR Group, a family owned operation which collects and distributes clothes around Australia and the world. They guarantee no clothes left in their
Bring your old clothes and sheets to the yellow bin at the lower level of the Highton Carpark and save them from the extremely slow process of decay they experience when left in landfill. You may well be shocked to see what actually goes into modern clothes, including the ubiquitous plastic in many forms and toxic dyes, all of which slowly leach pollutants as they break down. But you can avoid all this by bringing a bag of clothes to the yellow clothing bin at the Highton carpark. Meanwhile, you might be familiar with the e-drawer. Most homes have one: that place where all things Old and Digital go to rest. It is a place of things once precious that now serve to remind us of the passing of time and are hence shut away from
view. And it is a place that you can now easily reclaim! Bring your e-waste to the purple bin in the Highton Carpark and free your e-drawer! Hear the satisfaction of feeling those old things fall from your hand, knowing they will be broken down and mined for minerals (it is more productive, tonne for tonne, than mining ore). See a new space in your set of drawers open before you, a vista where once lay cluttered cords and old cameras and a betamax video recorder that was really, really cool in 1988. Most importantly, witness an opportunity to become part of a solution to our landfill crisis. By sending our things to a new phase in their manufactured existence we maximise the benefit gained from the energy spent on their creation, and minimise the long-term impact of their toxic components. Mr Will Hone Teacher in Charge SPECTEMUR | ISSUE 1 - 2019 3
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We are curious about and engage with the wider world, explore ideas and strive to be our best, individually and as members of a team. We are open‑minded and able to evaluate information critically.
“When you encounter something new, you give it your best shot.”
Middle School Student
We are self-aware and treat others with respect, kindness and compassion, acknowledging strength in diversity. We connect effectively and operate responsibly within the School and wider communities, and treat our environment with a view to a sustainable future.
“Draw a line and don’t cross it.”
Senior School Student
We value Throughout 2018 a group representing teaching staff across our three sections (Junior, Middle and Senior School) met regularly with the aim of producing a core set of values that all at CGS could adhere to. An initial list was produced and then circulated to all staff. Input was received and the values and their associated blurbs were refined. The next stage of the process was to seek advice from students across the School. Parent input was also received via a focus group. The quotes that appear with each value were written by a range of students who were simply asked to explain what each value meant to them. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and certainly not the only things that we value at CGS. Our five values do offer us a common language and set of guiding principles we seek to uphold, both at Camberwell Grammar and in the wider community. Mr Rob French Deputy Head and Head of Senior School
We are honest, trustworthy and sincere.
“Act morally even if nobody knows or notices.” Middle School Student
We show courage in standing up for ourselves and others, and face new challenges with confidence.
“Be brave. Tell the truth and accept the truth.”
Middle School Student
We approach life with a spirit of optimism and a sense of perspective. We develop strategies to deal with adversity, and celebrate our successes, large and small.
“We are grateful and cherish those around us.” Junior School Student
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MEET YOUR PREFECTS My position is to be a role model for the other students, as well as to unify the School Prefect team and to achieve the goals we set ourselves.
GET TO KNOW YOUR STUDENT LEADERSHIP TEAM
My job is to ensure the boys in light blue have enjoyable experiences in the various House activities, through encouragement, participation and leadership.
I hope to accomplish two things over the next year: working with the various charitable organisations within the School to help others in need, and also to broaden communications with the international community.
Students can connect with me through my cocurricular activities such as sport, cadets and mock UN debating.
I’m quite an approachable person! I often hang around the Summons locker area, or around the top of the amphitheatre.
Jack Amling School Captain
Spike Johnson Bridgland Captain
Andrew Zeng Vice-Captain
I believe that the most important part of our role is creating a community within the House that fosters and encourages both participation and camaraderie.
Max Ramm Clifford Captain
My role involves organising House events and competitions as well as trying to create a comfortable environment for students to enjoy school and raise concerns when needed.
I feel that it is integral to create a House where everyone is willing to try new things, whether this be debating, chess or drama.
I believe that the primary source of the School’s academic success is largely due to the community that has been created, and I want to continue to build on this over the year. That means encouraging participation in all facets of School life and culture and further strengthening the bonds between all members of our community.
The House environment is a perfect place to make some mates and be involved in some healthy competition, so I’m excited to encourage the boys to make the most of these great opportunities.
Throughout 2019 I look forward to working with the House Prefects and the other boys across Years 9-12 to further enhance the enjoyment students get out of House activities and school in general.
Students can contact me through Facebook or Schoology, or just coming up and having a chat with me any time. Lachlan Doig Macneil Captain
Lachlan Melville Derham Captain
I use my experiences from past years in the Senior School to enlighten and aid in making decisions for my colleagues, particularly those in the lower year levels. My ultimate goal is for everyone to leave school with no regrets.
I’m looking to create an environment that all members of the House feel comfortable in, ensuring an interesting yet fun year for all involved.
I am excited by the opportunity to lead a group of young men not only into House events, but also to teach values that can be applied outside our school community into life after secondary school.
I am excited about achieving a new look of Schofield House, with increased efforts on the events that require volunteering.
Niko Verrios Robinson Captain
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My role is about showing leadership through teamwork by including all members of Steven House, and highlighting their individual commitment, strengths and contributions.
Divjot Walia Schofield Captain
Students can connect with me if they see me in the schoolyard or near the Steven lockers on the third level of the Wheelton Centre. Also, they can Schoology message me whenever they like. Luke Tieri Steven Captain
My role is about working with everyone in my House across all year levels and making a better environment for the House.
I hope to act as a role model for all students in their sporting endeavours. I want to encourage school-wide participation in a diverse selection of sports and activities.
I am most excited about seeing the people in my House succeed in various House events.
I hope to continue to develop the sporting culture at Camberwell that breeds success and enjoyment. I would love to have greater interaction with students and the First sporting teams. I truly believe that a strong sporting culture has a direct correlation to your enjoyment and sense of pride at school.
Harley Beechey Summons Captain
At its core, my role is about encouraging everyone to experiment with, and explore music to their best potential. I am most excited to see the inclusion of boys from all age groups performing in one ensemble together. If any students want to contact me, feel free to approach me in the schoolyard, or shoot me a message on Schoology or Facebook. Sebastian Csutoros Captain of Music
Sam Garrard Captain of Games
My role is to ensure that all team members of a production, cast and crew, are treated fairly and that they all feel welcome in the theatre.
My primary role is to help organise and run the various publications produced by the School. I bridge the gap between students and staff to cover events around the school and assist in creating a permanent record of Camberwell’s best moments.
I’m responsible for promoting and organising speaking opportunities around the School.
I am really excited about working with a range of year levels, as I will be most likely working with the Middle School Production’s team.
I’m always thrilled to see students using the platform of ECHO to discover their talents in writing and humour, or to broadcast their creative work. I hope to see even more student involvement in the project, and in the larger publications that celebrate the achievements of our cohort and the School.
This year I’m hoping to continue to grow debating at the school and make it as enjoyable as possible for every boy involved, by ensuring the program continues to run smoothly and by publicising as many speaking opportunities as possible, as well as assisting in running the coaching program.
James Gunasegaram Publications
Aidan Chu Captain of Drama Oliver Papillo Public Speaking and Debating My role is involved with the charity and fundraising events the School runs to support the wider community as well as working with Rev Butler to help share Christian faith across CGS.
Cadets is a youth development program run by cadets, for cadets, and I plan activities and training at a student level, while also commanding the unit on parade and in the field.
My role aims to develop an increasingly interconnected school community.
I can’t wait to see the positive impact that our community has, (through charities), on the wide range of people that we try and help out. Also, I look forward to seeing boys strengthen their faith whilst getting to know them on a personal level. Ian Kaharudin Faith and Social Justice
I am excited to create a fun, hands on and engaging environment, where cadets can learn useful life skills, such as leading others or working in a team. I am also looking forward to establishing a greater presence within the school community.
I’m excited about the opportunities I will be involved in and the effect the numerous programs the school runs for the benefit of the younger students.
Thomas Graves Junior and Middle School Liaison
Cameron Martin Senior Cadet Under Officer (CUO)
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MURDOCH CENTRE FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND INNOVATION Just what is Learning, and how can we maximise it? For something so essential to a school, people often find it difficult to actually say what learning is. Even teaching textbooks and teacher training institutions sometimes find it hard to pin down: for example, UC Berkeley’s Centre for Teaching and Learning gives a definition of learning that describes how it is active, builds on prior knowledge, occurs in a complex social environment - all of which is undoubtedly true but never actually defines learning. However, it is worth spending some time reflecting on what learning actually means - because that is our core business as a school. Let’s start by moving away from a school environment. When we say that a person has learnt something, what do we mean? It’s revealing that when we say he’s learnt his lesson, it is so often followed by he won’t do that again: this indicates that learning is about a change in behaviour. If we dig deeper - why has that change of behaviour occurred - it has to be more than just experience. If we were truly logical creatures, we would make one mistake, learn from that experience, and never ever make that same mistake again; but we know this is not how real life works. Instead, we sometimes need to do something repeatedly - and get it wrong repeatedly before we learn.
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of 25 peaches, calculate an approximate 95% confidence interval for the mean mass of all peaches produced on this farm. Use an integer multiple of the standard deviation in your calculations. (2016 Specialist Maths Exam 1 - Question 2) This problem is already very difficult - but the student who spends all his mental working space trying to work out 2625 divided by 25 (to get the mean mass of a peach) will have little left over for the complex tasks of actually solving the problem - reaching what educational psychologists call cognitive overload, and what students call “I’m totally lost”. The implications of this for schools are profound. Simply put, there needs to be some things that a student can securely locate in their long term memory (and a long term memory shouldn’t be outsourced to Google). This can range from finite things, such as learning times tables, spelling lists or vocab words, to complex processes and approaches (such as how to approach the maths problem above).
Professor Robert Bjork from UCLA has further identified two aspects of our long term memory: storage strength and retrieval strength. Storage strength refers to how well a memory is embedded; retrieval strength is how easily we can recall that memory or memorised fact. I learnt German at school (a The education academic Dylan Wiliam has long time ago now); I only use it when travelling, championed a definition provided by Kirschner, and not always then, so I get to use it maybe Sweller, & Clark, (2016) that builds on these once every three or more years. But I find it ideas: learning is a change in a person’s long comes back quickly once I get warmed up: the term memory. As Sweller - professor at UNSW retrieval strength may be low but the storage and one of the world’s leading experts on strength is strong. Or think back to the last time memory - says, “novices need to use thinking you stayed in a hotel: at the time, you could skills. Experts use knowledge”. remember your room number, but by now that number is gone: it had high retrieval strength, Sweller distinguished between long term and short term memory. Long term memory but low storage strength. seems to be vast and enduring (but more on This distinction is important in schools. that later); short term memory, by contrast, Sometimes a student will study for a test and is limited in size and vanishes within a few remember the right answers, only to forget the days, if not sooner. His understanding is that material a few weeks later: he had high retrieval we have a set amount of ‘working space’ in strength, but the material had low storage our minds, and it is easy to overload this. The strength - it never went successfully into the solution is to shift as much as we can to our student’s long term memory. Wiliam calls this long term memory - this will have the effect of performance rather than learning. freeing up space for more complex thinking. So how to maximise storage strength? Let’s see this in practice. Suppose you have to Interestingly, one way is to avoid concentrated solve this problem: study. Professor Bjork found that when a student concentrates for an extended period A farmer grows peaches, which are sold of time on one thing, they might feel they have at a local market. The mass, in grams, of learned it, but much effort has been spent peaches produced on this farm is known to be normally distributed with a variance of putting it into their short term memory. By 16. A bag of 25 peaches is found to have a contrast, when a student studies something, total mass of 2625 g. Based on this sample such as a mathematical technique, then comes back to it a week later, he finds it hard
- and this difficulty is exactly what makes for good learning. Spaced practice, not a cram, is the key to good learning. There are other necessary ingredients to getting strong storage strength. The first is repetition through practice that is distributed over a period of time rather than concentrated on one cram. This repetition needs to have feedback and it needs to be targeted. When the material being repeated is complex - such as writing an essay - it is vitally important that students receive feedback on what they are doing: a student could write a thousand essays and only succeed in getting very good at writing bad essays if there has been no feedback and no honing of the skills. So the cycle needs to be practise - get feedback - adapt - repeat. The repetition also needs to be targeted. Despite what people might try to sell to you, there is no evidence for tricks or techniques that will improve your memory overall; it only works in very specific contexts. For example, if you do a lot of brain training computer programs, you will become better - at brain training computer programs. Put simply, if you want to get better at maths, do maths. The final ingredient is sleep. Sleep is where memories are laid down. When adolescents stay up too late, whether studying hard or watching a screen, and then get dragged out of bed a few hours later for school, they severely impair their ability to make memories (and have just negated any study they might have done). There is good evidence that adolescents need between 8 and 10 hours of sleep at night; this is important not just for mental and physical health, but for their ability to learn. Professor Sweller has argued that we have only a certain amount of brain power to work on a problem - what is known as cognitive load theory. The way to boost what we can do with that brain power is to increase the amount we store in our long term memory. This doesn’t mean that school becomes a boring set of facts to be memorised, but it does acknowledge that for students to do creative, powerful, complex learning, the deeper their underlying foundation of knowledge and learnt processes are, the more the student will be able to flourish. And that, surely, should be our real goal in learning. Dr John Tuckfield Director of the Murdoch Centre for Educational Research and Innovation A full set of references is available from the author.
INTRODUCING INDRA We are very pleased to welcome a new VID – Very Important Dog – to our community. Indra, a beautiful golden Labrador has joined us as our School dog and is an Ambassador for Guide Dogs Victoria. Indra will visit school every day, and her ‘base’ will be in Reception and our Health Centre. On a day-to-day basis students are welcome to visit her and take her for walks at recess and lunchtimes. After a hard day hitting the books, Indra will head home with Mr Dayan Ramalingam and his family. Guide Dogs Victoria provides vital support for Victorians with low vision or blindness, including the breeding, raising and training of amazing Guide Dogs. Importantly, it is a charity that shares our values of integrity and respect. We have no doubt that Indra will enrich the lives of our school community while also raising awareness of vision loss, accessibility and inclusion with us all. Please make sure to come and say ‘hi’ to Indra and welcome her to Camberwell Grammar.
“We have no doubt that Indra will enrich the lives of our school community.”
WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE? Learn more about GDV Canine Ambassadors here: guidedogsvictoria.com.au /about-gdv/canineambassadors/ SPECTEMUR | ISSUE 1 - 2019 9
AQUATIC PROGRAM An introduction to the program Our aquatic programs are all designed, managed, staffed in-house and cover three key areas: a. Curriculum Swimming (lessons as part of Physical Education) b. Co-Curricular Swimming (Our Junior/Middle/Senior School teams including AGSV) c. Extra-Curricular swimming (Our Camberwell Grammar Aquatic Learn to Swim, Squad and Club Programs) By writing all three areas from scratch we’ve had a unique opportunity to implement something really special. All areas of the program link seamlessly and our progressive levelling system has been designed to enable us to focus on instructing and getting the most from our swimmers. We have some really powerful and innovative systems in place that enable us to monitor our swimmers across all three areas of swimming. By managing all three areas, we not only ensure consistency of programming but also instruction. We can monitor and nurture each swimmer on their pathway through swimming ensuring we provide them with programming that suits both their level of ability and also their goals. 10
With this in mind, we can help resource a student that may need some extra help or alternatively assist with performance outcomes. We have swimmers who have been identified in PE classes that show some great potential and have been able to steer them into both our AGS/AGSV teams and our Swimming Club. The addition of our high-performance programs has enabled both students and members of the wider community to access professional coaches and support staff at a premier facility. With the convenience of being at our school, coupled with being a part of the school, we see our programs being an absolute asset to our swimmers. It is great to see the pool buzzing in the afternoon when we have our AGSV swimmers training while their younger siblings are completing a Learn to Swim Lesson and the Performance Squads are in full flight. It’s a great motivator for swimmers to look across the pool and know ‘I can do that too!’.
Day-to-day happenings in our pool This summer season we have really started to see the aquatic programs come into their own. It’s been great to see the pool facility being utilised more and seeing greater access to both students and the wider community! Mornings: We will see some really motivated athletes training for State and National competitions as part of Camberwell Grammar Aquatic. We will also see the AGSV teams or Junior School AGS Team training for their upcoming school meets. School hours: We will be facilitating Junior School or Middle School PE classes in the pool, as well as offering lunchtime swimming for Middle and Senior school students on Wednesdays. Afternoons: We see our Camberwell Grammar Aquatic Learn to Swim program utilising both pools as well as our squads and potentially our AGS and AGSV Squads too. We conduct staff training and upskilling here during these times too, so it is not uncommon to see some of our really passionate instructors learning on the job!
A strong team of staff, including Old Boys
Students reaching their potential
We have a fantastic team working across all areas of our aquatic programs. Two of our current staff members are Old Boys, Josh Holding (2016) and Chris Kerdemelidis (2017). We have some more Old Boys that will join the team shortly as well. Josh and Chris were great students and served the AGSV Swimming team well in their years here at CGS.
In our short time of operating there have been quite a few success stories. It’s been really rewarding to see things like our Junior School Curriculum classes with engaged and happy students through to members of our AGSV team achieving their goals of making our target squad qualifying times. But to give you a couple of specific examples that will stick with me forever:
Josh and Chris have a real passion for swimming and have been instrumental in giving back to the swimming community. Our Old Boys are an asset to our programs and have really helped link our programs together well. Both Josh and Chris have shown tremendous growth in their teaching and coaching and it has been a pleasure to see them progress in the aquatics industry to this point.
One of our younger CGS Students, Aiden (Prep), who has been in our program from when we commenced in July 2018 – started as a sweet, shy boy in our beginners’ class. He has developed an amazing rapport with our team and has progressed quickly from being quite timid in our program pool to now having the confidence and ability to swim freestyle and backstroke in the deep end of our big pool! Whilst his rate of improvement astounds me, it’s actually his confidence and love for swimming that really impresses me.
Aquatics can be a tough industry, and I’m really proud of the fact that we can provide career opportunities and pathways for those who wish to pursue it!
for some stroke correction tips in late 2018. Maddy, a very quiet, polite and disciplined swimmer showed some instant improvements with her stroke correction working with our Performance and Pathways Coach, Matt. They both worked really hard together and before long Maddy joined the club. From here I’ve been privileged to witness an unstoppable team unite in working together on achieving Maddy’s goals. I’ve seen Maddy develop the trust and rapport with Matt that has ultimately lead Maddy to now be less than half a second from her National Qualifying times. She now holds herself more confidently, has clear perspective and goals, and can see that she really can do it! Such amazing progress both in athleticism and personal development in a short time frame. These are some of the valuable life skills that our swimmers develop through our sport, and it’s something I love to see. Mr Nic Campbell Aquatics Manager
One final story for you is one of our Camberwell Grammar Aquatic Members. Maddy and her brother joined our program
WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE? Then visit the Aquatics page on our website or or email Nic on aquareception@cgs.vic.edu.au SPECTEMUR | ISSUE 1 - 2019 11
HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR LEARNING STRENGTHS Parent Education Seminar Series with Andrew Fuller
Adolescent Psychologist Andrew Fuller works with many schools and communities in Australia and internationally, specialising in the wellbeing of young people and their families. Andrew gives regular Parent Education Seminars. Here Andrew talks about ways to harness the power of the brain to help to develop your learning strengths.
The 300 trillion connections between your brain cells have an amazing amount of processing power. The way your brain processes information is as unique to you as your fingerprints. All of your life experiences, thoughts, memories, your ancestry and a considerable amount of your future is in the connections inside your head. The brain cells called neurons don’t just live in your head. You have about as many neurons in your stomach as a cat does in its head.
Figure 1: Each brain cell has a nucleus containing the cell’s genes, an axon that sends messages onwards and dendrites that receive signals from other brain cells. Neurons don’t touch each other but communicate across small gaps called synapses.
GOOD NEWS!: YOU’RE SMARTER There is evidence that people are getting smarter. This is partly due to all of the different types of stimulation your brain gets every day compared with your distant ancestors. Now add to that all of the things you use to increase your brain power- smart phones, YouTube clips, TED talks, books, computers – and you have an increase in human potential that has never been seen before.
WHAT YOU LOVE DOING
YOUR LEARNING STRENGTH
WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS
WHAT SOMEONE WILL PAY YOU TO DO IT
Figure 2 12
USING YOUR BRAIN TO HELP YOU BE MORE SUCCESSFUL Success involves working out what you enjoy and are good at and doing more of it. As well as working out what you are not so good at and doing less of it. Success involves finding the intersection between your learning strengths, what you love doing, what the world needs and what someone will pay you to do it. It all starts with knowing your learning strengths. This is based on how your brain functions (see figure 2). HACKS FOR SMARTER THINKING Neuroplasticity is your brain’s ability to change. When we practice in areas we aren’t developed in, we improve. Even just a few minutes practice a day for 30 days changes your brain. IDENTIFY YOUR LEARNING STRENGTHS By identifying your learning strengths you can capitalize on areas where you are strong and build these into powerful areas of expertise. Always remember, in life you don’t need to be good at everything.
BUILDING YOUR STRENGTHS
TURN ANXIETY INTO ACTION
Learning how to play to your strengths is a major advantage in life. For example, if you are someone who thinks well in pictures (spatial reasoning) you will do best when you write or draw things out. Using flow chats, maps, diagrams, post-it notes and cartoons will help you succeed.
Everyone gets anxious when something is difficult to learn. Anxiety is a message to your body to mobilize for action. Stress really becomes a big problem when we become immobilized by it and don’t do anything.
USING YOUR STRENGTHS TO DEVELOP ANOTHER AREA Let’s say you are someone who has learning strengths in spatial reasoning and also in perceptual/motor skills. Let’s also say for example, an area you are yet to develop in is number smarts. Learning to use your strength areas to build another requires cross fertilization of skills. In this example, you might outline number formulas as a series of pictures or movements or you might want to make calculations physical by stepping though a problem or pacing out the dimensions of an issue or imagining the mathematics problem as a series of pictures each needing to be solved.
Learning how to use your learning strength areas to increase your performance takes some planning but the outcomes are large. The reduction in performance disabling anxiety is substantial. DEVELOP YOUR OWN INDIVIDUAL LEARNING PLAN When students and parents know the learning strengths and areas yet to be developed they are better equipped to work with teachers to prioritise learning strategies over the next term or semester. DON’T BE A LEARNING ZOMBIE Just one hour less sleep a night can almost halve your smarts. Add to that a lot of sugar and you’ll zone out big time. Sure the sugar high will feel great but the sugar crash will have you feeling like one of the ‘walking dead’.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE? You can learn more about this topic and many other topics related to learning and wellbeing at www.andrewfuller.com.au SPECTEMUR | ISSUE 1 - 2019 13
OUR SPORTS CENTRE, 2 YEARS ON With Jess Stryker, Sport Centre Facilities and Operations Manager
An overview of the centre today and how it is used Let’s start at Level 1; the pool hall is a busy place. Camberwell Grammar Aquatic facilitates all school aquatic curriculum, AGSV Swim team training and competition, as well as the out of hours Learn to Swim and Squad Swimming programs. During Term 3 we host the AGSV water polo competition as well as various House carnivals throughout the year. Up to Level 2; the gym and Keith Anderson Oval are in constant demand. The Middle and Senior School students have curriculum classes in the gym space frequently; these sessions vary between boxing, circuit training, fitness testing and weight training. The strength and conditioning team in the gym also run high-performance sport specific sessions and facilitate lunchtime and after school gym access for students which has been hugely popular. The KAO plays host to AGSV sport training and competition, curriculum, trials and Old Boy Football and Cricket training.
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“Every day still seems to be different even two years on”
Level 3 is the main hub of the building and a whole variety of things can be happening here day-to-day. The All Souls Chapel plays host to our House and School Chapel services as well as providing a learning space for some of our organ students. There is a constant hum in the basketball courts with a whole variety of sports training, AGSV competition, PE classes and some pretty serious lunchtime 3-on-3 games taking place there. Functions and events utilising the Camberwell Room and associated spaces are a frequent occurrence; we host a broad variety of Staff Professional Development, Student Seminars, Parent Information nights, Presentation nights, meetings, dinners and social events within these spaces so it is in very high demand. Make it up to Level 4 and you will find our Table Tennis and Fencing space; this room has been incredibly popular for PE and AGSV sport. On a Saturday during the Summer season, this venue is the home of the AGSV table tennis competition.
Changes since it’s opening two years ago In the last two years the school community has come to really appreciate what this facility has to offer. Due to this, we have seen a huge increase in the usage of all spaces. The Learn to Swim and Squad Swimming programs have been running since July 2018 and give our students, their families and the local community access to the facility. The uptake has been wonderful and we love seeing students really enjoying and improving their swimming in a state of the art environment. The Strength and Conditioning program coming out of the gym is now hugely popular with the students and on any day, we may have up to 200 students (and a few staff!) using the gym facility for various activities. There has been a significant increase in events taking place in the Camberwell Room over the last two years and we have been able to relocate some of the smaller events from the PAC to provide a more intimate venue. As well as the general functions and events taking place in the Camberwell Room, it has also played host to taekwondo, speed cubing, choir rehearsals, drama classes, exams, immunisations and the occasional ‘pudding mixing’ day!
To make all this happen, we now have a Facilities and Operations team that work across various parts of the school to ensure everything from swimming lessons to musicals are delivered successfully.
An average day I think I am yet to have an average day in this role; every day still seems to be different even two years on. I spend much of my time making sure I am across everything that is happening within the spaces across the school and ensuring that planning is in place to deliver functions and event spaces to the highest possible standard. This involves frequent communication with the stakeholders of the events and then organisation around security, safety, set up and staffing (amongst other things!). I can also be found occasionally troubleshooting the projector screen or selling a pair of goggles! Other than the day to day operations of the facilities, I am constantly thinking about and planning for the future and how we can ensure that all members of our school community have access to such an amazing facility. It has been an incredible opportunity for me to be involved in the (rapid) growth and development of the facility so I am excited about what else is to come for the Sports Centre. Ms Jess Stryker Sport Centre Facilities and Operations Manager SPECTEMUR | ISSUE 1 - 2019 15
Learning on the Stage
12 Angry Men Ms Penny Wood’s Senior School Production of 12 Angry Men presented a theatrical pressure-cooker of a situation: a dozen jurors ‘trapped’ in a room and charged with the responsibility of determining the outcome of a trial. In Reginald Rose’s intricate play, the layers of the plot were revealed compellingly, like the peeling of an onion. Nicholas Sarlos-Welsh (Year 10), as the doubtful juror, led a committed ensemble which sustained its energy, focus and accents in this demanding drama. The simmering tension was slow to boil, but ultimately did explode to riveting effect. As for the staging, the decaying, skewed set (complete with overflowing rubbish bin!) designed by Old Boy Thomas Bevans (2010, currently studying an MA in Theatre Design at the VCA) perfectly evoked the 1950s and was suitably claustrophobic. The boys performed with intensity, facing two audiences of their peers and one evening performance for friends and family. 16
Mr Sam Gough
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SPECTEMUR | ISSUE 1 - 2019 17
NEWS AROUND THE SCHOOL with James Gunasegaram, Prefect for Publications Inspiring Australians Twelve Year 10 students attended The Order of Australia - Victoria Branch, Inspiring Australians Oration on Wednesday 27 February. We were fortunate to be one of only a few select schools invited to the event at Deakin Edge, Federation Square. The oration, delivered by Lord Mayor Sally Capp, was an emotive reflection on the inspirational people whom she has met during her time as Lord Mayor. In addition, Juanita Kelly-Mundine, a University of Melbourne student, and Order of Australia Association Foundation scholarship recipient, was interviewed about her study and future career plans. A morning tea followed, where we were able to meet and engage with a variety of dignitaries, including Ms Capp. Many thanks to Mr Paul Wheelton and his wife Angela for kindly inviting us to this most memorable event. Mrs Lynette Reiger Careers Counsellor
Big Data Challenge Day On 22 February I accompanied seven Year 11 Methods 3-4 students to Monash University to compete in mathematical challenges against other high achieving students from across the state. Students were placed in teams to consider what Melbourne might look like in 2050 through the lens of business analytics, actuarial science, applied mathematics and data science. Our students were separated into different teams and then pitted against each other, as each group sought to demonstrate superior problem solving skills. In the afternoon all were required to subject their work to the scrutiny of their peers and judges through formal presentations. Whilst a decision was being made about the winners, three Monash graduates talked about their jobs and how they continue to use mathematics in their everyday working lives. 18
The day concluded with the judges admitting it wasn’t easy choosing between the teams but alas all our boys went home without a coveted Monash hoodie, though they did get a Monash t-shirt. They also had a fun day out. Mrs Lynette Reiger Careers Counsellor
Year 8 Rock Climbing
Year 8 Diplomacy
Middle School Tech Club Lunchtime troubleshooting workshops are held to assist new students to maximise the benefits of technology at school.
The Year 8 Diplomacy Day, held in late March, was an opportunity for Middle School students to try their hand at international negotiation. Along with a number of peers from other schools, the students learned about the forms and distribution of power on the world stage. That knowledge was soon put to use in a scenario devised by members of the United Nations Youth Australia. Split into three interest groups with different roles in the situation presented, the students had to deal with a rapidly evolving flashpoint and overcome their difficulties through negotiation. Their aim of a peaceful settlement was difficult to reach, but eventually achieved. The boys gained valuable skills in speaking and negotiating that will serve them well in similar competitions at Senior School level such as the Gladwyn and Evatt Cups. James Gunasegaram Prefect for Publications SPECTEMUR | ISSUE 1 - 2019 19
Our Prefects in a game of netball against Strathcona.
“27 CGS students will visit them this coming school holidays” Chinese Exchange Program Last month, a group of Year 10 students from our sister school, Xi’an Tieyi High School in China, came to Camberwell and stayed for four weeks. Each of them was given a buddy and they attended classes and other activities with their buddies. They also gave presentations about their school life in China to many classes. Xi’an Tie Yi High school is one of the top 100 high schools in China and has had an established sister school relationship with CGS since 2016. We have already received a few groups of students from the school in the last three years. They performed in our Biennial School Concert last year. As part of the exchange program, a group of 27 CGS students visited them during the school holidays in April and stayed for one week at their school. Mr Wei Ha Head of Chinese
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Photography: Sav Shulman
Music Diplomas Five of our students recently received tertiary standard diplomas for music. This is an extraordinary achievement considering the students’ large academic workloads and their contribution to the musical life of CGS and beyond. The awarding of these diplomas highlights the strong impact of a musical education on academic success. Earlier this year, four of the five students were acknowledged at the Australian Music Examinations Board conferring of Diplomas ceremony held at the Melbourne Recital Centre. They received Associate and Licentiate Diplomas of Music. The ceremony was a particularly joyous occasion as Matthew Wu (Year 11) gave a beautiful performance of a Haydn Sonata movement. He was chosen to perform as he was one of the few pianists to receive their LMusA with distinction. Rhys Campbell (Year 11) is the first flautist to be awarded his AMusA at Camberwell Grammar.
Eugene Goh (Year 9) was awarded his ATCL Diploma with distinction on Harp. This diploma is awarded by Trinity College of Music in London. Candidates must perform a demanding recital and pass a rigorous theory exam. Eugene’s ATCL is the highest achievement of any Camberwell Grammar harpist to date.
Year 8 Indonesian Excursion
Matthew Wu (Year 11) LMusA with distinction – piano Arman Cakmakcioglu (Year 11) AMusA – piano Rhys Campbell (Year 11) AMusA – flute Eugene Goh (Year 9) ATCL –harp Edwin Gu (year 10) AMusA – violin Rachel Atkinson Head of Music Academy
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MAKING HOUSE MUSIC HISTORY 2019 saw the passing of the 53rd annual Senior School House Music competition. This event required all eight Houses to prepare three musical items; one instrumental, followed by two choral works. Of the repertoire sung, one of the pieces had to be performed in unison, the other in harmony. This year one of the requirements forced all involved to prepare a choral piece in a language other than English. This extremely challenging prerequisite saw the House leaders delve into the intricacies of pronunciation and diction, spending copious time refining the articulation of their respective choirs. A few of the pieces performed in this category included Con te Partiro, Vois Sur Ton Chemnin and O Fortuna. This year, Camberwell welcomed Dr Jonathan Welch as their adjudicator, most known for his co-developing of ‘Choir of Hard Knocks’. A passionate advocate of music and community and an expert in the workings of choral techniques, Dr Welch left detailed and insightful comments on all performances, clearly identifying aspects to improve for next years looming competition. We were extremely privileged to have a guest adjudicator of such expertise, and thank him yet again for his thoughtful and astute observations. However, the competition must emerge with only one winner. With that in mind, congratulations are extended to Steven House. This result made history, with Steven taking the shield home for the third time in a row, the most wins ever achieved in succession in the entirety of the competition. As the evening drew to a close, and despite the competitive spirit, the boys became unified in their heartfelt singing of the School and Sports song, as well as the ‘Anthem’ From Chess; a clear display of community and school spirit. Congratulations to all the boys for their effort and commitment, which resulted in a magnitude of stunning performances. This event truly was a display of integrity and optimism, leading to a night filled with energy and passion. Sebastian Csutoros Captain of Music
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“Congratulations are extended to Steven House for their successful victory”
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COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Recognising Commitment to our Community We were pleased to congratulate Rohan Hodges (Year 11) who was named Boroondara Council’s Young Citizen of the Year for 2019. Rohan was recognised for his leadership skills and a commitment to helping others, much of it demonstrated through his involvement in programs at our School. Rohan was also recognised for his involvement in the Lord Mayor’s ‘Youth in Philanthropy’ program, the Projec10 program and for achieving the rank of Sergeant in the Camberwell Grammar School Army Cadet Unit. Congratulations to Rohan – a worthy recipient. We would also like to congratulate past School Council and PA President, John Hudson,
‘Upstander’ Behaviour In Term 1, Year 8 students participated in a Courage to Care workshop. This workshop aims to promote ‘Upstander’ behaviour. The workshop included interactive displays as well as a presentation from a Holocaust Survivor. The volunteers from Courage to Care were most complimentary of our Year 8 cohort for the mature and respectful manner that they conducted themselves during the workshops.
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on his City of Boroondara Citizen of the Year award. John Hudson has volunteered his time and expertise to enrich the lives of others for many decades. A longtime Rotarian, John has worked on a wide range of community projects and has been a key figure involved in the organisation and coordination of the Boroondara Farmers Market. The majority of funds raised from this market are put back into local initiatives, including the Boroondara Cares Foundation’s Chances Scholarships program of which John has been a key support.
Red Cross Appeal Thank you to all students, families and the local residents who generously supported the Red Cross Appeal. Through the combined efforts of our Year 11 students, our boys were able to collect nearly $2000 over the weekend of the 2 and 3 March. A special thank you to the boys for their efforts.
Doing our bit for Bowel Cancer Research Friday 5 April was Casual Clothes Day at the School, raising money for bowel cancer research. Boys were encouraged to wear orange and contribute $5 to the cause. A total figure of $4,220 was raised.
A Fare Lot of Pasta! In Term 4, CGS Middle School took part in the FareShare Christmas Pasta Drive; collecting pasta for people in need. Sam Keenan and Aj Ananthapavan (Year 7)
offered to lead the initiative. In three weeks, the Middle School managed to collect 570 kg of pasta. This was a wonderful reminder of the kind spirit that exists in our community and such terrific leadership from boys only in Year 7; a sign of great things to come for our school.
Duke of Edinburgh Many of our students participate in The Duke of Edinburgh Awards each year. Well done to Philip Alex (Year 11) and Jordan Murphy (Year 10) who were presented with their Bronze Awards.
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SPORT
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EVENTS
JUNIOR SCHOOL WELCOME BACK THURSDAY 31 JANUARY
MIDDLE SCHOOL WELCOME BACK FRIDAY 1 FEBRUARY
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SENIOR SCHOOL WELCOME BACK FRIDAY 8 FEBRUARY
OCGA LAWN BOWLS DAY WEDNESDAY 13 FEBRUARY
OCGA AGM TUESDAY 5 MARCH
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YEAR 7
MOTHERS’ AND SONS’ BREAKFAST THURSDAY 14 MARCH
CAREERS NIGHT THURSDAY 14 MARCH
OCGA SUMA PARK CRICKET SUNDAY 17 MARCH
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FOUNDATION AGM MONDAY 18 MARCH
OCGA ANNUAL DINNER FRIDAY 29 MARCH
OCGA ACT REUNION TUESDAY 2 APRIL
OCGA
BATTLE OF THE DECADES TENNIS TOURNAMENT FRIDAY 22 MARCH
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FROM THE ARCHIVES The most recent adjacent property acquisition made by Camberwell Grammar School is 43 Walsh Street, Deepdene – “Dorset” house. This impressive house has an interesting history, having been constructed in 1927 by the well-known local builder J.A.E. Humphries, father of Old Boy Barry (1952), who also referred to his father as an ‘architect’ – Barry enrolled at CGS in 1941 when living in Christowel Street, Camberwell, in another of the constructions of Humphries père. It is unclear whether Mr Humphries designed “Dorset” for its owners George (a businessman) and Amy Chilvers, but if so, the quality of his work was outstanding. Camberwell Grammar, of course, was still located on Burke Road and did not become a near neighbour of “Dorset” until the move to Mont Albert Road in time for the beginning of the 1935 school year. From that time onwards, those peering over the eastern fence of “Dorset” would be able to see the new William Angliss Building. In the following decades, “Dorset” was inherited by George (known as ‘Leonard’) and Amy’s daughter, Patricia (Williams), where she lived until her death, having raised her two sons Anthony and Peter there. The School is currently renovating “Dorset” and will utilise the restored building as a gallery to house the generously donated art collection of Dr Josh Xipell (1949), a Patron of the CGS Foundation and past OCGA Committee member. This very extensive collection of Australian art from many periods will be acquired by the School in due course - it warrants separate housing and careful curating, which the acquisition of “Dorset” allows. “Dorset” will also house accommodation for any scholar-in-residence visiting the School. The property and its eventual contents will constitute outstanding assets for the school community. As CGS Archivist, I am naturally interested in the history of “Dorset” as well as its forthcoming prospects and, accordingly, would like to thank the Williams family for the attached 1930s photographs of the house as a happy family home - particular thanks are owed to Mrs Bernice Williams. Now, “Dorset” is entering a new period in its existence and these archived images will be of great use to the Grammarians of the future when they seek 32
knowledge about the origins of the School’s many structures. As a school community, we are obliged to preserve the memory of the earlier life of our acquired properties such as “Roystead”, “Highton”, “Norge” and “Kingussie” and archival collections of photographs of these buildings in their former condition are accordingly invaluable. In the final issue of Spectemur in 2018, I wrote about the 1921 “War Trophy” once possessed by the School., providing details about the acquisition of this First World War Krupp field gun. Since that time, further details about the gun have originated from the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company, whose guest I was at a recent luncheon, representing Camberwell Grammar as the School Historian. The Australian War Museum (predecessor of the Australian War Memorial) based in Melbourne, the federal capital until 1927, established a post-war Commonwealth Trophies Committee to distribute captured war materiel to municipalities and worthy community organisations. Victoria was initially allocated thirty-three pieces, a collection of 150mm, 77mm field guns, mortars and machine guns. Camberwell Headmaster Alfred Hall had applied successfully on behalf of ‘his’ school and accordingly formally received one of the six coveted field guns (constructed in Essen, Germany, in 1916 and shipped to Australia in 1919) as a war trophy in August 1921; its allocation was an indication of the high regard in which Camberwell Grammar was held – many local councils complained that they had received only smaller items and envied this upcoming school. The Camberwell gun was a 77mm Krupp Field Gun captured by the Victorian 6th Battalion, AIF, from the retreating Germans in France in the last months of the war in Herleville Wood, close to at the iconic village of Villers-Bretonneux (or what was left of it) on 23 August 1918. This attack, which cost the lives of 28 Diggers on that day alone, followed the ‘black day of the German Army’, 8 August, on which the enemy lost 173 guns and any remaining prospect of a victory over the Allies. As I mentioned in the earlier article, it is unfortunate that the School no longer possesses the gun in this period marking
a century since the Great War, but at least we have now established details about its origins. Nevertheless, the ultimate fate of the ‘War Trophy’ remains unknown, continuing to be one of the mysteries of the history of Camberwell Grammar. Dr David Bird Archivist
A Krupp 77mm field gun.
The newly occupied ‘Dorset’ house.
Sheep grazing on the new tennis court.
The Chilvers family – Leonard, Amy and the young Patricia.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET IN TOUCH? Email our School Historian and Archivist David archive@cgs.vic.edu.au
NEWS OF OLD BOYS Scott Cody (2006) married Patricia Nylander‑Svendsen at Havstein Kirke, Trondheim, Norway. Luke Teys (2006) was best man, Scott Newlan (2006) was master of ceremonies and Matthew Partridge (2006) was also a groomsman who sang ‘Everlong’ (Foo Fighters) at the ceremony. Twelve other friends and family from Australia came to celebrate the occasion in deep snow while temperatures reached 40 degrees back home. Scott and Patricia live in Trondheim with their three sons: Fenris (5) and twins Caspian and Aksel (1).
Nick Rimington (2002) married Elise on 21 April 2018, alongside groomsmen Matt Edgar (2002), Michael Evans (2002), Brett Cottrell (2002) and Leigh Gant (2002). A strong CGS Old Boys contingent helped celebrate the occasion, including father Jeff Rimington (1974), uncles Ian Rimington (1971), David Rimington (1974) and Graham Rimington (1977). Late grandfather Neil Rimington (1942) was there in spirit.
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OLD BOY PROFILE Writers/Directors: Living in LA and Working with Steven Spielberg! OUR DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, RYAN WHITEHEAD, INTERVIEWS LUCAS CRANDLES AND TIMOTHY NASH (2003) What have you been up to since leaving CGS? Lucas: I went straight from my final year of school in 2003 to the Australian Defence Force Academy as an Army Officer Cadet. Though I thoroughly enjoyed my time at ADFA, learned a tremendous amount and made friends for life, I realised at the end of my second year that my true calling was film and television. I voluntarily resigned and returned to Melbourne where I began studying a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne. It was there that I started spending time with Tim (we weren’t close in high school) and we soon became best friends. We made short films on shoestring budgets while we were studying. One film, Black Button, was shot on the stage in the CGS auditorium and received almost 2,000,000 views on the then nascent platform, YouTube. That was the beginning of both our working relationship and our fascination with online content as a means to reach new audiences around the world. We formed a production company shortly thereafter, writing and directing advertising and corporate content to fund our creative endeavours. Timothy: I went from Year 12 at CGS into a Law/ Engineering double degree at Melbourne Uni. It was a great course, but as I progressed further into my studies, it became clear that a career in law or engineering wasn’t something I really wanted to pursue. It was a difficult realisation to have in my early twenties, especially after more than five years of tertiary study, but the feeling wouldn’t go away. I knew I wouldn’t be happy unless I tried to make it in a field that really inspired me.
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“Know that your time at CGS has prepared you well for all the unpredictable, exciting challenges that await you in your career” Around the same time, Lucas, myself and fellow CGS Old Boy Hayden Grubb had been writing silly comedy sketches in our spare time. One of our projects, a very rudimentary, Family Guy-esque animated short called “Wentworth & Buxbury”, was selected for the 2008 New York Television Festival. We all flew to NY, had an amazing time at the festival meeting other creators and making contacts, and were even lucky enough to win the prize for “Best Writing”. The next year, we were selected for the Los Angeles Independent TV Festival, and had a similarly amazing experience, winning “Best Animation”. I started to think that this might actually be a valid career choice, and spent more and more time honing my skills in television writing and – so that we could produce our scripts – film making in general. Eventually, we got good enough to start making money in the video production field. We opened a small production company, making that our full-time jobs. I worked on Top Gear Australia and The Gruen Transfer as an editor for a while, as well as stints at the AFL and The Comedy Channel’s Open Slather. Through it all, though, the goal always remained creating our own comedy projects.
And how did the opportunity to work with Steven Spielberg come about? Lucas: It’s a long story, but the short version is after working in TV as editors and directors in Sydney and Melbourne, we decided we wanted to make our own TV comedy pilot called The Weatherman. We maxed out our credit cards and shot a great deal of it in and around CGS, with our high school friend Hayden’s father, renowned Australian actor Robert Grubb in the lead role. We couldn’t get anyone to so much as look at the pilot in Australia, so we sent it off to the New York Television Festival. It was nominated there for Best Comedy and got the attention of a crowdfunding platform that specialised in funding pilots for series through the audience directly. We launched The Weatherman on there, and raised US$80,000 for production of six new episodes, making the show the world›s first crowdfunded TV series. It was featured in TIME Magazine, Forbes and Wired, and soon caught the attention of former Fox President, Sandy Grushow. Sandy was responsible for turning Fox into a major network in the 90s, and personally oversaw the development of hit shows such as The Simpsons, The X Files and Beverly Hills 90210. Sandy believed The Weatherman would work well in the US market if adapted for it, and so became our show’s Executive Producer. He took it
to 20th Century Fox who bought it in the room, and then sold it to the Fox network. Wellesley Wild (writer of Ted, Family Guy) was appointed as showrunner. We met with him and got along wonderfully, and he then invited us to co-write the US pilot with him. We did so via Skype over a period of six months, and unfortunately just before it was set to go into production, Fox bought a show called Grandfathered with John Stamos that hit a similar demographic, and thus The Weatherman was dropped (a worthy lesson in Hollywood: nothing is ever assured!). But we were soon signed to the largest agency in the world, William Morris Endeavor, and remained close with Wellesley. We developed new projects until one day we got a call - Wellesley had been appointed to run the reboot of Steven Spielberg’s Animaniacs, a beloved cartoon from the golden era of 90s animation, and we were asked to put together a writing package. Amblin approved our hire, we were issued visas and on the next plane to Los Angeles! Timothy: Steven Spielberg was the driving force behind the ‘90s version of Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain. His production company (Amblin) was heavily involved alongside Warner Bros. WB and Amblin are the producers of this reboot, too, and the show bears his name (“Stephen Spielberg SPECTEMUR | ISSUE 1 - 2019 35
What advice would you give our Year 12 boys as they embark on life after CGS? Lucas: Don’t fall for the trap of believing your VCE score or university course will define your career. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve encountered who have gone down entirely different paths than those they first set out on after school (myself included). Be prepared to be adaptable, understand you aren’t defined by your final year in school. Know that your time at CGS has prepared you well for all the unpredictable, exciting challenges that await you in your career. And you might have more than one career, which is a wonderful thing. Timothy:
presents Animaniacs”). When we arrived, we kind of expected Steven to be attached in name only… he’s probably the most successful director of all time, so we weren’t expecting him to be intimately involved. As it turns out, he gives us notes on every script and outline we submit. And they’re fantastic notes. It’s kind of surreal getting feedback from a film legend. It’s a testament to his work ethic; he’s already achieved so much in his career, and yet he’s still intimately involved in every aspect of the show. There’s a reason he’s so successful. What did you enjoy most about your time at CGS? Lucas: I look back very fondly on my time at CGS. The friends I made there are still my closest friends today. I was heavily involved in cadets and adored my time at the CGSACU, where I had the honour of being the Senior Cadet Under Officer and the Cadet Adjutant for the state of Victoria. My time in the cadets, and at CGS in general, prepared me well for many of the challenges we face today. Sometimes in obscure ways - we just wrote a script for Animaniacs set in ancient Rome and our time with Mr Tuckfield and the Cambridge Latin Course proved invaluable! Others more directly; connections with like-minded individuals, preparation for the demands of a taxing, 36
highly-competitive industry and a broad, well-rounded and high-quality education. I particularly loved my time as Schofield House Captain, and can say earnestly that writing and directing our House play was a major inspiration for my change in careers to film and television! Timothy: CGS provided me with so many fond memories. The sheer breadth of experiences on offer was amazing. I was fortunate enough to travel to Canada for a ski trip, to tour England playing cricket, and to fly fish some of the best locations in the state as part of our Friday afternoon activities. I actually learned to fly fish under the tutelage of Mr Townsend on the Goulburn River back in about 2001; now it’s a passion of mine for which I’m sponsored by clothing/sports brand Patagonia. There were so many excellent teachers through my six years at CGS, but Mr Allen stands out as the biggest influence. His English and Literature classes (and encouragement therein) laid a great foundation for the career that I’ve ultimately pursued. He’ll probably be checking my grammar in these responses; so far so good, I think (hope). But most importantly, the lifelong friends that were made there. There’s the guy I’m working with currently, of course, but invariably, all my closest friends are CGS alums from the class of 2003.
I guess I’d say two things. Firstly, that it’s okay if you don’t know what you want to be yet. I’m 33 now, and if I’m being honest, I’m still not 100% sure where my life is going. At 18, I was completely clueless. I enrolled in Law/Engineering because I got the marks, and those are the sort of degrees that kids with good marks are “meant to do”. I never had a passion for either course. As a result, I’ve never used my studies in either of those fields professionally. I ended up pursuing a career in an industry for which I have no tertiary qualifications. I’m not advising anyone to skip out on uni; I’m just saying that it’s totally fine if you don’t know exactly where you’re headed yet. You’re going to make mistakes and take a few missteps. You’ll work it out. Everyone’s path is different. Eventually you’ll find yours. And secondly, that thing you’re passionate about – you have to do it. Get out there and get it done. After work/school/uni, on the weekends, whenever you can. Passion projects are what makes life worth living. And the upside is - you don’t know where it will take you. Hollywood seemed about a million miles away when I was writing stupid little sketches in my free time. But if you commit to getting it done, doors will open, paths will present themselves, and even the most seemingly impossible goals will become achievable.
OBITUARIES IAN HAMILTON MUNRO (1947)
LAWTON COOKE (PAST PARENT)
Passed 1 February 2019
15 November 1920 – 22 December 2018
Brother to Ross (1948), David (1953) and Malcolm (1956).
The CGS community was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of past parent, Lawton Cooke. We extend our deepest condolences and offer our prayers to wife Lyn, daughter Tina and son Tony (1987) for the loss of Lawton. Lawton was the Campaign Chairman of the 1981 appeal, the first full-scale fundraising campaign in the School’s history. It was the success of this appeal that led to the Junior School re-locating to the newly established Norge in 1984 and the setting up of the Foundation.
IAN DICK (1964) 2 May 1947 – 20 January 2019 PETER RAWLING (1973) 10 January 1956 – 27 February 2019 Beloved husband of Gen, adored father of Kate, Nikki, Josh and Amy, proud Pa of Grace. PETER DANFORS (1950) 12 June 1932 – 25 September 2018 ANDREW POTTS (1977) 25 October 1959 – 5 March 2019 Survived by wife Sue, and children Maggie, Doug, Lizzie, Kathy, Alex and Qisti.
As Lawton said in Spectemur in 1981 … “I dislike asking people for money and I have not previously accepted invitations to join fundraising campaigns. However, one is occasionally faced with a project which is so vital that one must subjugate natural hesitancy and accept the project wholeheartedly. The Appeal will cover the next four years concluding in 1985 on the eve of the School’s centenary. In many ways, this campaign, dedicated to meeting the challenges of today, the immediate future and our next hundred years, has brought with it an invaluable spirit of interest and unity. All sections of the school family are involved and this has engendered more than just money: it has evoked a new sense of involvement in a school proud of its past and confident of its future.” Rest in peace Lawton.
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CALENDAR 2019 MAY
AUGUST
NOVEMBER
5 Sunday – 50 Year Luncheon (pre 1969)
2 Friday – SA Network Function
14 Thursday – 5 Year Reunion (2014)
9-11 Thursday to Saturday – Hamlet (Senior School Production)
8 Thursday – Agendo Art Show Opening Night
20 Wednesday – 60+ Years Reunion (pre 1959)
10 Friday – 10 Year Reunion (2009)
12 Monday – Life Governors’ Dinner
22 Friday – 40 Year Reunion (1979)
16 Thursday – William Angliss Dinner
15-17 Thursday to Saturday – To Kill a Mockingbird (Middle School Production)
24 May – 20 Year Reunion (Class of 1999)
JUNE
22 Thursday – Monologue Showcase (Year 11&12 Drama)
OCGA COMMITTEE MEETINGS 7.00pm, Development Office, CGS.
7 June Friday – London Reunion
23 Friday– 30 Year Reunion (1989)
Tuesday 7 May
14 June Friday – New York Reunion
29 Thursday – QLD Network Function
Tuesday 6 August
20 Thursday – Roystead Society & Gallery of Achievement Dinner
30 Friday – NSW Network Function
Tuesday 8 October
30 Friday – Generations Photo
Tuesday 3 December (venue TBC)
26 Wednesday – Vocational Dinner
JULY
OCTOBER 12 Saturday – OPEN DAY
3 July – Singapore Reunion
15 Tuesday – CBD Networking Breakfast
19 Friday – 25 Year Reunion (1994)
20 Sunday – OCGA Lawn Bowls Day 23 Wednesday – Cufflink Presentation 26 Thursday – WA Network Function
This publications has been printed with Recycled Paper
