SPECTEMUR Issue 2 - 2020
CONTENTS
From the Headmaster’s Desk...............................................1 Parent Education Seminar....................................................2 #CGSFROMHOME ..............................................................4
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Murdoch Centre for Educational Research and Innovation......................................................6
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Green Pages........................................................................7
Lockdown Music Competitions............................................8 CGS 3D Printers used for COVID-19.....................................9 News Around the School.................................................... 15
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Community Connections.................................................... 11
From the Archives.............................................................. 18 News of Old Boys............................................................... 19 Old Boy Profile................................................................... 21
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Obituaries ..........................................................................22
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
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
John Lennon reminded us nearly 40 years ago that “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” This has certainly been an extraordinary year already, and unlike any we have experienced. It has certainly not played out like we planned. Most of the time we live out our lives barely giving a second thought to the routines, rituals and social patterns which make it possible. The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated to us all around the world just how fragile those routines – and indeed, our lives – are. At the time of writing, world cases of COVID-19 are over 10 million with more than 500,000 deaths, 128,000 of those in the United States. This has been a time of great inconvenience for most, and inconsolable tragedy for too many. We have all had to adapt to rapidly changing and unpredictable events. Much of what we had planned for the year has had to be abandoned, and we have had to learn new ways of doing things so that we can keep ourselves and loved ones safe. Teachers across the world have had to rethink their whole way of teaching, and adapt their lessons to suit an online environment. Students have had to be far more self-motivated and disciplined, as they have been forced to adapt to different ways of learning. Parents have juggled their own working
Ilessons hope ofthatthiswetime also and remember the continue to value the best of what we discovered from home routines with their children’s needs – and their children’s company – all day. We have all spent more time with our immediate family members, while being unable to visit extended family and friends. We have had to establish new routines and new ways of working. It has been difficult to plan, because the situation has been changing too rapidly to make plans, and we have had to be reactive and resilient. Everyone is feeling anxious, and there is much to be anxious about. In the age of social media, rumours have proliferated, and unsolicited advice is freely offered. Too often, rumours have become firm beliefs and even the recommendations of someone as impressive and experienced as Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the United States, are called into question by people with no medical background at all. In this age of relativism, we need to remember that not all opinions are equally valid, and that it is possible to be wrong, and being wrong can have consequences. The best chance we have to actually be right is to adopt a scientific mindset, which demands sound evidence for any conclusion. Simply being told something or reading something on social media does not make it true. The value of a rigorous education and the critical thinking it nurtures has never been more evident.
In the midst of all of this, we have seen great kindness and creativity and humour, not least among the members of our own community. In the face of fear, so many have reached out to those who are worse off than them. We have witnessed the healing power of a kind word. Social media has also seen the blossoming of much clever humour, much of it self-deprecating and generous in spirit. We have all learned new skills and discovered strengths within ourselves. We have also had to slow down and take stock. I have been so impressed by the resilience and tenacity of our students, teachers and parents who for the most part have simply got on with things in the best way that they can. And if one of us stumbled, others were quick to reach out and offer support. It has been wonderful to welcome back our students to school and to witness their joy in reconnecting and their delight in simply being together again, and being able to interact in person with their teachers. In times of challenge we learn what is important to us. As we step cautiously back into the world, and gradually increase the breadth and pace of our activities, I hope that we also remember the lessons of this time and continue to value the best of what we discovered. Dr Paul Hicks Headmaster
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PARENT EDUCATION SEMINAR
Developing a system that works for you also sets you up for being a self-reliant learner after you have left school. How students can use time at home to surge ahead academically By Andrew Fuller
Time away from school presents big challenges for senior students. Leading psychologist Andrew Fuller offers an action plan for students to not only survive, but thrive. These strategies can also apply equally to face-to-face learning. This is a chance to catch up not drop back The probability of changes to school routines to slow the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is a major challenge for senior school students. It is tempting to view this as an extended holiday with time for crashing out on the couch, watching squillions of episodes of Games of Thrones (again), spending endless hours messaging friends and consuming as many great snacks as you can get your hands on. Of course while all of this, your parents are most likely going crazy but you have the perfect excuse – you didn’t ask for the school year to be disrupted. Now I don’t wish to throw a dampener on your party plans but if you decide to veg out and do not work, you might regret it later. At the risk of being a major spoilsport, here are a few ideas to consider.
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The first part of the year has been busy with ideas and papers flying in all directions. Use this time firstly to get some order into your life. Make sure your notes are coded and in the correct folders.
Develop and keep to a system
Elaborate what you’ve already got
Goals are good but systems are better. Decide on your study program system for the next few weeks and stick to it. Consider when you learn and think best and don’t fritter those hours away.
Once you have got your stuff together and everything is the right place, you can start to plan to surge. List all of the topics that have already been covered this year. For each topic develop a concept map that links main related ideas and outlines their relationships.
If you don’t develop a system you are relying on waking up in the morning and saying to yourself, “Great, I can’t wait to get some study done today!” I don’t know you but I wouldn’t like to place a bet on that happening very often. Developing a system that works for you also sets you up for being a self-reliant learner after you have left school.
Developing a visual outline of a topic area deepens your understanding, improves your memory and improves your marks. That’s a win-win-win situation for you.
Why Venn Diagrams
Win hands down Take the key concepts from each topic covered so far this year and draw at least two overlapping circles describing how the two ideas are related. In the overlap area write some points about the similarities between the ideas. In the separate circles write some differences. For example:
Dogs Bark
Animals Pets
Cats Miaow
Sip water regularly. Not only does it hydrate your brain and body, it also lowers stress.
Universities usually conduct tutorials where ideas are discussed and considered with other students. Many schools will be offering online versions of these. Become involved in these discussions and be prepared to test out your thoughts and ideas. Being a listener to other people’s discussions is never as powerful as being involved. Learning is not a spectator sport.
Even if you are house-bound give yourself a good physical exercise regime a few times a week.
Test yourself
Build your learning strengths Analyse your learning strengths at www.mylearningstrengths.com
Click here to view
Conversations deepen ideas
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and use the information to build on what you are already good at. Obtain a copy of the full Learning Strengths report to learn how to use your strengths to develop in other areas. By using your brain correctly you can get better outcomes.
Extend your thinking Ask teachers to provide you with a list of forthcoming topics. Read related texts. Research future topics. Use google scholar to find related articles. If there are concepts that seem difficult to understand search for students explaining these ideas for the benefit of other students. Email or phone your teachers. They will have resources that can help you.
Plan to test yourself about your level of knowledge, once a week. Develop questions on cards with an answer or description on the other side. Shuffle cards and answer them out loud. Place those that you answer clearly, to the right of you and those that you don’t answer well or don’t know on your left side. Those that you can’t answer clearly require more learning. Over time, aim to get them all correct. Self-testing increases memory by 50%.
Decide not to turn into a learning zombie You’ve seen them – sleep deprived, screen obsessed, brains clouded by sugars, fats and carbs bouncing between energy drinks and exhaustion. Keep yourself learning and life ready by looking after yourself.
Keep in touch If you are isolated from your friends, it is easy to fantasize that they are having a wonderful time. Sometimes you can even start thinking they have forgotten about you. Even if you are not the most confident person, reach out to others. Invite them to have conversations with you. Share ideas or jokes.
This won’t last forever The world has had viruses in the past and will have some more in the future. We all need to be more careful to regularly wash our hands and keep our hygiene and health levels up. While I don’t want you to take unnecessary risks, the chances that you or someone in your family becomes seriously sick is very low. Andrew is a clinical psychologist specialising in the wellbeing of young people and their families. His new book, Your Best Life at Any Age (Bad Apple Press), is out now.
Click here to view
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Sleep is when your learning and memories are consolidated. It also boosts your immune system. Don’t miss out on this. Your brain uses at least 20% of your energy so give it good ‘fuels’ to run on. Eat a healthy breakfast to get yourself ready for learning.
Stay in touch with Andrew on Facebook, on LinkedIn, through his website and on the My Learning Strengths website. Copyright Andrew Fuller 2020.
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#CGSFROMHOME During isolation our students shared with us snippets of their time at home – lots of baking, pet-bonding and activities to keep them busy!
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MURDOCH CENTRE FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND INNOVATION Finding the Silver Linings in the Shutdown I’m going to come right out and say it: I think the school shutdown has been a great experience. Now, I’m not downplaying the enormous disruption this has caused to family life, the angst it has caused parents torn between work and caring for their children, the students who really struggled and the economic damage the country has suffered. I’m speaking purely from the admittedly rather limited educational research point of view, with the determination to get a silver lining out of the dark storm clouds that have hovered over the world since December – because I think there is a silver lining. The first thing the shutdown has shown is the power – and the limitations – of online learning. Online learning has been held out as ‘the next big thing’ in education for years now, and it has finally arrived – but not to universal acclaim by any means. The experience of parents and students has been mixed. Some have loved the experience of online learning, while others have hated it, or found it tedious. Some students have seized the opportunities, while others have found it hard to keep focused. The same thing has been found at the university level, where online courses have notoriously high drop out rates. We have now had a massive experiment in online learning across the world: why does it work in some cases, and not in others? I believe that understanding student motivation is crucial to understanding why online learning does, and doesn’t, work. One classic view of student motivation is Gardner’s: that students have two motivating factors: integral and instrumental (Gardner, a Canadian researcher, was looking at language learning, but I have found his findings have relevance for most subjects). In the integrative model, students view a subject as integral to who they are – they want it to be part of their identity; for example, a student might see himself as an artist – art is part of who he is: he has strong integrative motivation to make himself part of that artistic community by working hard at his art. In the instrumental model, a student sees the usefulness of a subject, which overrides whether that subject is intrinsically interesting or engaging. For example, a student’s view of his future might be as a successful international businessman, effortlessly moving between
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Melbourne, Shanghai and New York: he learns Chinese because that is essential to his future success. On a shorter timeline, a student might have a strong desire for an excellent ATAR score, and he understands that great results in Chemistry will be vital for this. But these models only cover the experience of only some students; some are not enormously passionate about a subject area, or do not have a clear idea of where they want to get to. For these students Hungarian researchers such as Dörnyei identified classroom factors as being the most important: whether a student enjoys the experience of being in the class, whether they like their teacher, and whether they feel they are making progress. Crucially these different motivations occur in different ages. Younger students are most strongly motivated by classroom factors (and even if they can state the instrumental value, often the real motivation is the classroom factors); instrumental motivation kicks in later, often not until VCE, and integrative motivation might not happen at all. When we look at online learning through this lens the experience starts to make more sense. The older students seemed to adapt to online learning much better (although there are always exceptions), and they are the ones for whom Gardner’s integrative and instrumental motivations are strongest. Online learning requires organisation, and without the motivating presence of the teacher, students need to provide their own motivation. For younger students, online learning provides very few of the rewards they need from classroom factors to motivate them, and they do not have the integrative or instrumental motivation to fall back on. For online learning to work, schools need to understand student motivation. Online learning works best when it can be linked to integrative motivation – feeding a passion a student has for a particular area – or instrumental motivation, where a student recognises that it is of strategic importance to him. For other students – arguably the majority – once the excitement and novelty has worn off they need the dynamism and personal connection of the classroom to keep them engaged and learning. This does not mean that there is no place in school level education for online learning, but that it has a very specific niche – and the shutdown has helped us identify this fact. The shutdown has also demonstrated something that teachers have always known: that teaching is actually really quite difficult.
I must admit to a sense of smugness as I heard numerous cries from frazzled parents who were exhausted helping their children with their lessons at home: try doing that all day long, with 25 students, not one or two. As parents know, the dynamics of keeping one or two children motivated and focused on their learning is a very tough challenge – they have been given a glimpse of the everyday life of the teacher. Of course, teachers are trained and professional in what they do, and this is just the point: teaching is, as the educational expert Dylan Wiliam has said, “too difficult a job to be able to master in one lifetime”. People sometimes ask me how I can teach the same subject year after year. Parents who have been helping their children with online learning now know the answer: that every hour, let alone every day, is unique; that what worked last time won’t necessarily work this time; that the material being taught might stay the same, but the student is infinitely variable, and this is what makes teaching such a challenging and such a rewarding profession at the same time. Above all, the shutdown has helped make clear what we really value in a school. One student wisely complained to the Headmaster that it was “school without any of the fun bits”. The learning still went on, and educational content was delivered, sometimes better than it was in the classroom (it’s hard to press pause and replay a classroom lesson!). But what was missing was the human element: the value of being able to pick up on all the non-verbal cues that a student gives off to indicate they are stuck, or confused, or enthralled; the little jokes and laughs that make the classroom fun; the feeling of being an individual who is cared for, not just another face in a square on a screen. We had online staff meetings, but I missed the unplanned interactions that make up a day, with all the “now that I see you” and “that reminds me” opportunities they bring, that often end up providing the real breakthroughs in what we do. As we move more into a technological age the power and necessity of the human side of what we do only becomes more important, not less – and the shutdown has helped make this crystal clear. So this has been a great experience – a learning experience – for us all; we just don’t want to repeat it any time soon! Dr John Tuckfield Director of the Murdoch Centre for Educational Research and Innovation
GREEN PAGES
Bees Honey bees are incredible little animals and have been close to people’s hearts for thousands of years. In fact, honey was found in an ancient Egyptian tomb and at over 3,000 years old, it was still yet to pass its used by date. Bees travel up to 1.5 km from their hive to collect pollen and in doing so pollinate more than 70% of the food we eat. They are amazing engineers and actually evaporate water out of the nectar with good, old fashioned elbow grease, beating their wings at 230 flaps per second (FPS) next to the open cells until the water content falls to 17%, after which the cell is capped with wax. Bees are also facing grave threats around the world from pesticides and urbanisation – but in our own small way, we are working to be a part of the solution. Camberwell Grammar recently took several thousand new inhabitants in the form of honey bees (Apis melifera) who now reside in their hive on a private balcony on the third floor of the Wheelton
Centre. This is an initiative set up by Towards2050, the school’s sustainability group and has been providing an amazing learning experience for our students in the upkeep, importance and general understanding of bees. Not to mention 10 kilograms of honey in our first harvest. Students and teachers alike can safely view them through a window while some of the Towards2050 students have been out in bee suits with a professional apiarist to make sure the bees are healthy and safe, as well as watching the apiarist collect the honey from the hive. Hopefully, these lessons might inspire some to even take the step of getting their own hive in years to come. The bees have been here for almost six months now and while they did not pay close attention to the lockdown, they can at least claim to have been productive as they made both honey and friends. The 24 jars of honey from our first harvest are being put towards a Sustainable Cooking Competition in Term 3, with weekly honey prizes! Keep your eyes on the
Sustainability page on DEEDS for more details, and for your chance to win. In the future we hope to integrate the beehive and bees into the curriculum for subjects such as science and commerce. We hope the bees will provide examples and information, in the same way our solar panels do (another Towards2050 initiative). In commerce we hope to set up an entrepreneur section of the course where we use the honey as the product and get the students to find ways to sell it as successfully as possible. Setting up the beehive has been an incredible experience for all involved. We have been greatly helped by Peter and Jane at ‘Backyard Honey’, to whom we are extremely grateful. Working with a professional apiarist has taken out the stress, and left us only with the sweet, sweet taste of that wonderful honey. We can’t wait for you to have a chance to try it. Mr Will Hone and Henry Shirrefs (Year 8)
Setting up the beehive has been an incredible experience for all involved Spectemur | Issue 2 - 2020
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LOCKDOWN MUSIC COMPETITIONS The 2020 Lockdown Competitions were created to motivate and inspire Music Academy students during the time of isolation. With AMEB Exams, Eisteddfods and Performances on hold, it gave the boys an opportunity to prepare technically challenging and enriching pieces which are sometimes overlooked. Each musician uploaded a video of their pieces. The violinists, violists and cellists prepared scales and studies, the wind players prepared Orchestral Excerpts and the pianists prepared Bach Inventions. The Academy was very fortunate to have a wonderful line-up of adjudicators including musicians from the Melbourne and Sydney Symphony Orchestras and pianist Ian Munro. All students received valuable feedback and found the arduous process of recording their pieces a rewarding challenge. Thank you to Jessica Doutsh for the brilliant posters and Paul Brincat for technical support.
Double Bass Excerpt Competition LOCKDOWNEDITION EDITIO LOCKDOWN
Upload a performance video of the three carefully selected excerpts from the Music Academy Schoology Page. Upload it to Google Drive, and send the link to Ms Atkinson by 22nd May.
ADJUDIC
PRESENTS
violin and viola technical competition Make a performance video of
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create a performance video of Popper or Duport Study.
the three Orchestral excerpts
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available on the Music Academy Schoology page. Upload it to Google Drive, and email the link to Ms Atkinson by May 21st. For more mo info, email Ms Atkinson (rta@cgs.vic.edu.au) or send a schoology message.
For more info, email or schoology message Ms Atkinson (rta@cg s.viC.edu .au)
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Make a performance video of a Study and Galamian Scale. Email the link to Ms Atkinson by May 20th. To have your study approved, email or schoology message Ms Atkinson (rta@cgs.vic.edu.au) the winner will receive feedback and a spectacular prize!
upload it to google drive, then Email the link to Ms Atkinson by May 20th.
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Contact Ms Atkinson (rta@cgs.vic.edu.au) for more information.
cgs music academy presents...
guest adjudicator OR GUEST ADJUDICAT Oboist alian
Damien Eckersley
Bassist of the Melbour neSymphony Orchestra
matthew tomkins
rachA el tobin
mso Principal Second Violinist
The Great Austr
DIANA DOHERTY of
t Assoc iate Princ ipal Cellis stra Melbo urne Symph ony Orche
st Principal Oboi hony the Sydney Symp
Double Bass
Cello
Violin/Viola
Oboe
1 PRIZE Sam Parmenter (Year 11)
1ST PRIZE Derrick Kwon (Year 7)
1ST PRIZE Steven Wang (Year 9)
1ST PRIZE Kieran Teoh (Year 11)
Judge: Damien Eckerslie, Acting Principal Bass MSO commented “Great full sound…resonant sound and beautiful articulation.”
Judge: Rachael Tobin, Associate Principal Cellist MSO commented “Excellent facility and control… a natural performer.”
Judge: Matthew Tomkins, Principal second violinist MSO commented “An excellent performance of a very difficult work.”
Judge: Diana Doherty, Principal oboist of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra admired Kieran’s refined tone.
HONOURABLE MENTION
HONOURABLE MENTION
ST
Ray He (Year 9) Nicholas Branson (Year 7)
Wilson Zhu (Year 11) Joshua Morgan (Year 8) and Leo Qi (Year 6)
TRUMPET \EXCERPT C O M P E T I T I O N Do you have what it takes? Check Schoology for your assigned excerpt, record a performance video , and upload it to Google Drive. Send a link to your video to Ms Atkinson by 21st May Ma . Feedback and a splen did award will be given to the winner.
The Inaugural
Competition ad Record and uplo e: to Google Driv 1. Bach 2-part
ice, your own cho 2. A piece of s under 6 minute
n to Ms Atkinso Send the link u.au) (rta@cgs.vic.ed by 22nd May
GUEST ADJUDICATOR
IAN MUNRO
GUEST ADJUDICATOR
ROSIE TURNER TRUMPETER OF THE MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
INTERNATIONAL CONCERT PIANIST AND COMPOSER
Flute
French Horn
Trumpet
Piano
1 PRIZE Freddy Branson (Year 10)
1 PRIZE Dennis Shaliga (Year 7)
1 PRIZE Daniel Watson (Year 11)
1ST PRIZE Arman Cakmakcioglu (Year 12)
Judge: Prue Davis, Principal flautist of the MSO described Freddy’s playing as “stunning.”
Judge: Nicolas Feury, Principal Horn of MSO commented “Great playing with a lot of flamboyance.”
Judge: Rosie Turner, trumpeter of the MSO commented that he played with great sensitivity.
Judge: Ian Munro, Concert Pianist said that Arman’s playing “stood out in every way.”
HONOURABLE MENTION Andrew Hare (Year 9)
HONOURABLE MENTION Joseph Pang (Year 11)
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HONOURABLE MENTION Nicholas Teoh (Year 7) 8
invention
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CGS 3D PRINTERS USED FOR COVID-19
Imade, showedandhershetheasked first ifshield I she could take it to show her colleagues who thought it was a great idea and asked if I could make more.
We are so proud of CGS staff member Julian Visser who discovered our school’s 3D printers are able to print face shields for doctors and nurses on the frontline. Julian has taken the printers home and has printed over 2,000 face shields – 700 made with the school’s printers and the rest sourced through community volunteers which was other schools, businesses and individuals through their ‘Protect our Frontline’ initiative, which is now discontinued since supply has begun to stabilise. The shields provided helped keep medical staff safe during a period
where it was very difficult to source most types of PPE. During this process Julian got invaluable feedback from medical workers about how the design could be improved. They went through several design iterations and have spent the last 5-6 weeks getting tools created for injection moulding in Dandenong to increase production to one shield every few seconds. They will be supplying the Victorian government medical stockpile with 35,000 units of the new face shield design over the coming weeks. This would have not been possible without the ability to rapidly prototype designs using the 3D printers to test that the design is viable as changing the design after creating injection moulding tools is a very expensive exercise.
1. How did you come across the idea to use CGS printers to print the shields? I follow a lot of technology communities and noticed there was a large movement growing in response to COVID-19 shortages globally of PPE for medical personnel. In particular the company that makes the school’s 3D printers Prusa was leading a global effort to use idle 3D printers to create face shields. They released a design as open source so anyone can download and print the shields free of charge. You can find out more information here.
Find more information here
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5. Do you know how many are needed in total for the teams you’re supplying to? I’ve made about 300 now, there is a large demand out there we have been asked if we can supply around 8,000 at the moment. We cannot do that alone so we have set up a network for schools, businesses and individuals with idle 3D printers that wish to help. 2. How long does it take to print a shield? When I started printing it took about four hours per shield. Now that I’ve made configuration changes to the printers the time is down to around 1 hour and 30 minutes per shield. There are designs out there that print faster however feedback from the hospitals we are working with was that they didn’t provide adequate protection. 3. What materials do you need to create them? There are three parts to the shield: • The frame which is 3D printed out of PLA • A clear piece of plastic to attach to the frame (A4 laminate) • An elastic strap to secure the shield to your head. At the moment we are supplying the 3D printed frames and the hospitals are supplying the rest.
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4. How did you make contact with the medical team that are now using the shields? Through a friend of mine Dr Ivy Fan who is a doctor at Western Health. I showed her the first shield I made, and she asked if she could take it to show her colleagues who thought it was a great idea and asked if I could make more.
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS #CGSFROMHOME Our school community connected in different ways in Term 2 due to working in isolation. Despite this, the school has demonstrated community spirit in remarkable ways. From staff members printing face masks and creating boot bags for frontline medical staff, to Junior School students participating in the community Rainbow Trails and window Bear Hunts. We have seen video messages of support from Senior School students and amazing online musical performances. We are so proud of the way our school community has come together during this time.
Community Rainbow Trail During the time of COVID-19 the rainbow has become a symbol of hope whilst practicing social distancing at home. All students in Junior School were asked to create a rainbow in whatever way they wished. Students sent in photos of the results and Junior School Art teacher, Ms Tsolakis, put together a video of our Junior School CGS Rainbow Trail which was shard with our school community.
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Community Bear Hunt In addition to the Rainbow Trail, our Junior School students got into the community spirit by placing bears in their windows as part of the ‘Bear Hunt’ that we have been witnessing on the streets of Melbourne. Many CGS families got involved to spread some joy to passers-by.
Our Junior School students gotplacing into bears the community spirit by in their windows Boot Bags and Scrubs for COVID The surgical team at Austin Hospital were very grateful for the boot bags our Costume Designer, Mrs Jennifer Bennie, created to help during these busy times with COVID-19. These were made by upcycling
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wraps that are used for wrapping clean, sterilised instruments. Mrs Bennie then began working hard to make scrubs as part of ‘Rona Scrubs’, a group making scrubs for healthcare heroes such as GPs.
You can find our more here
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Prefects Video Messages and Performance Studying at home in isolation is not always easy. Our Prefects put together this humorous video for other Camberwell Grammar School students. In this video they talked about the importance of checking in with your mates, staying fit (and taking your cat for walks!), taking the opportunity to learn a new skill or hobby, balancing academic work with relaxation, maintaining good hygiene and importantly emphasising that students can meet the challenges presented by staying optimistic.
Intalkedthisabout video thethey importance of checking in with your mates, staying fityourandcattaking for walks! Our Senior School students also put together this pretty spectacular vocal performance which was featured in a School Assembly video. The students performed ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran.
ANZAC Day 2020 Special Video Assembly Anzac Day was a little different this year because we could not gather together to pay tribute to those who served our country in the Australian Defence Forces. Instead, we paid tribute from home in a variety of ways. We watched a special Anzac Day Assembly put together by the school which you can view here:
Click here to view
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While at home, CGS student Joey Govenlock (Year 8) played ‘The Last Post’ on ANZAC Day morning for the neighbourhood and shared this video with us:
Click here to view
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Middle and Senior School Musical Performance Whilst in isolation, students and staff members missed the familiar sights and sounds of the school, such as falling Autumn leaves or music ensembles playing together. To remind us of this joy, string musicians from Middle and Senior School made home recordings of Ravel’s ‘Pavane pour une infante defunte’. They put together this video, accompanied by photos from around the school taken by Mrs Anne Walters.
Police Tribute On 24 April 2020 Camberwell Grammar School was lit up in blue in honour of the police officers who tragically lost their lives in Kew. This was one of the ways that our community remembered those lost.
Margaret Barry’s Bali Community Foundation COVID-19 has devastated workers in Bali’s tourism industry and their families, including former Camberwell Grammar student and luxury hotel worker, Eka Purnawan (2014 Old Boy, pictured with friends from his time at CGS). His family, which just welcomed his brother’s second child, are among thousands of Balinese whose livelihoods have been lost with no tourists to welcome. Fortunately, some friends Eka made during his three years of sponsored education at CGS donated care packages of foodstuffs and basic necessities to his family which, like
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thousands of others, needs support to survive this health and economic crisis. The CGS community can continue to assist by donating to Margaret Barry’s Bali Community Foundation, which is providing care packages to seriously disadvantaged families sponsored by the Bali Children Foundation.
Click here to contribute or find out more.
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NEWS AROUND THE SCHOOL Michael Daniel has made his 200th blood donation! Mr Daniel has been a blood donor for a number of years, donating plasma regularly. He began donating whole blood as a university student, his initial motivation being a life-saving blood transfusion his mother received after
being seriously injured in a car accident. A few years ago, Mr Daniel was recruited into the Anti-D donor program. As one of fewer than 200 Anti-D donors Australia wide, Mr Daniel’s plasma is used to save the lives of unborn babies.
Letters from Year 8 Year 8 students have written letters to Junior School students to help with the transition from ‘at home learning’ to ‘back to school learning’. The letters, written in a positive manner, will help the junior students understand that they are not alone, and also might facilitate cross‑age school relationships and activities.
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Music Academy Activities in Lockdown Performance at St Johns On 15 May, Joseph Pang (Year 11) and Arman Cakmakcioglu (Year 12) performed part of their VCE program in a live-streamed performance at St Johns Camberwell. They performed works by Bach, Scarlatti, Haydn, Mozart (arr Fazil Say), Debussy and Rachmaninov on a magnificent Mason and Hamlin piano. The pianists learnt a great deal from this experience, performing to an unseen and potentially extremely large audience.
Stefan Cassomenos Artist-in-Residence Celebrated pianist Stefan Cassomenos worked with Joseph and Arman in May and June, observing strict social distancing rules. During this time, the boys worked on phrasing, examined harmonic structure, articulation and dynamic range on their VCE repertoire. Having endured weeks of musical isolation, it was a thrill to hear Stefan play on our beautiful Steinway in the PAC. Both students enjoyed success at the Boroondara Eisteddfod. Joseph won the 16 years and under Piano section. Arman came third in the Open Piano section and was awarded an Honorary Mention in the 18 years and under Piano section.
Friday Afternoon Academy Zoom Performance Class Every Friday afternoon during Academy time, students gathered on Zoom and performed to each other. Feedback and encouragement was given by Ms Lisa Grosman, Mr Greg Roberts, Ms Esther Toh, Mr David Laughton and Ms Steph Dixon. This gave the boys an opportunity to feel the pressure of a live performance in a supportive environment. Some students who encountered internet connect issues, chose to upload a performance from earlier in the day. This provided valuable experience also as they were able to observe and comment on their own performance.
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Year 10 Visual Communication Design – Letter Art While studying from home, students in Year 10 Visual Communication Design were asked to create a ‘Letter Art’ illustration by generating and manipulating type and colour in Adobe Illustrator. The results were stunning! According to Teacher Mr Brian McManus, ‘Letter Art’ is a pictorial anagram, where the subject of the image is created from the letters that spell its name.
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FROM THE ARCHIVES One of the more common clichés used about archives are that “Archives are Forever”, yet this statement is simply true. It only takes a crisis such as the one that we are all experiencing at the moment to realise that some things will endure whatever may be happening in the present. The past always provides lessons for those prepared to contemplate what has come before and the health crisis of one hundred years ago is an interesting case study – Camberwell Grammar survived the influenza epidemic of 1919-20 by careful management and patience, delaying the commencement of Term One, 1919, by a month. The boarders had meanwhile taken their long holiday camp at Healesville, but some members were unable to attend as they were isolated because of the influenza – an early example of ‘social distancing’. Cricket matches were restricted to halfday periods to the annoyance of the boys and the First XVIII footballers were forced to compete impeded by the absence of four affected players. Even the Debating Society suffered from the absence of afflicted members. Back at Burke Road the classrooms were permeated by a ‘preventative odour’ issuing from an ‘aweinspiring device’. It is unrecorded how effective these unpopular devices were, but not surprisingly there was a death amongst Old Boys, as William Ethell (Captain of School 1913; Rhodes Ideal winner) died during the epidemic, being recalled as a popular scholar and a notable sportsman. He was twentyfive-years old. However, the 307 boys of the school were able to face 1920 with confidence, the influenza epidemic seeming relatively minor when compared to the recent crisis of the Great War. It is hoped that we too may also endure through this current pandemic in the manner of our ancestors. One of the most rewarding aspects of my role as the school Historian and Archivist is receiving messages from Old Boys scattered across the world and from other persons without direct experience of the school but who are nevertheless interested in the history of Camberwell Grammar. One such contact recently came from Queenslander Mr Matthew Bryant, a bibliophile 18
The poetical works of Lord Byron were a persistent subject for Presentation Volumes such as this one presented to John Stewart in 1902. The Archives has records of similar volumes presented to boys as late as the 1930s.
who came across and purchased a Camberwell Grammar presentation volume from a Brisbane bookshop. The book (pictured) was a first edition of the poetry of Lord Byron and it was presented by Principal [sic] Alfred Hall to J.P. Stewart, proxime accessit of Class V, Christmas 1902. Mr Bryant sought further information about the recipient of this fine leather-bound volume – I was able to tell him that John Peacock Stewart was born on 25 November 1886 and as a resident of Oak Street, Balwyn, he travelled to the Burke Road campus for the two school years of 1901-02. John had been a student of Camberwell College, the private school run by Camberwell Old Boy Walter Murdoch in the Fermanagh Road, Prospect Hill, premises formerly used by Hall’s school from 1891 until 1897. In 1901, Camberwell College was one of the smaller institutions absorbed by Camberwell Grammar, 21 of Murdoch’s students transferring to the St John’s church hall. Unfortunately, we have no further record of J.P. Stewart’s postschool life. Hopefully he survived both the Great War (in which he did not serve) and the Spanish influenza epidemic intact and was able to enjoy the invigorating poetry of Lord Byron at leisure with pleasant memories of his old school.
Rupert Barber’s skill at writing is evident from these two examples from 1911, as is the focus that the School of that period placed on English history.
I have mentioned in previous articles just how valuable Old Boy school reports are as primary sources when researching the history of the School. Julie Hill of Inverell, NSW, has recently donated material to the Archives relating to her grandfather Rupert Barber, who attended Camberwell Grammar on Burke Road, 1910-13. The material includes his school reports for those years where he was described by Headmaster Alfred Hall as ‘a good, careful student’ although ‘rather weak’ in Maths. Rupert studied Spelling and Dictation, Grammar, History, Geography, Arithmetic, French and Writing, which was his strongest subject. His Writing assessments were consistently described as ”Passed Well”, adding his name to the school’s ‘Honour List’, which the Principal preferred to restrict to boys who achieved overall rather than those who specialised in specific subjects. His meticulous writing (pictured) is of great interest in itself, but also due to the subject matter which reflected the great attention that was paid at that time to the history of the Old Country. Dr David Bird Archivist and School Historian Would you like to get in touch with our School Historian and Archivist David? Email archive@cgs.vic.edu.au
NEWS OF OLD BOYS The Melbourne Box When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Nicholas Searles (2007) found himself in a position where he lost a bit of work, but gained some extra time and perspective on just how lucky he was compared to others – particularly some of his favourite local businesses. Nicholas wanted to do something productive with his new-found spare time, and subsequently came up with The Melbourne Box: a gift box concept that gathers products from a range of different Melbourne-based businesses and delivers them to your doorstep. It helps support local business, provides handy products for isolating Melburnians, and filled the gap in Nicholas’ schedule! The Melbourne Box was launched in May and sold out in the first week! Nicholas had to quickly re-stock for the Mother’s Day rush and delivered over 100 boxes on the Mother’s Day weekend.
Tim Hare (2009) got married to Alex Ryan on 15 March 2020 at Lyrebird Falls. Hugh Banfield (2009) was best man, and Tim’s brother Pete (2006) gave a toast to the bride and groom.
Congratulations to Liam Petterson (2014) of University of Melbourne who won the 2019 Student Journalist of the Year award for ‘IBM Australia to roll out neurodiversity program, hiring people with autism to fill variety of IT roles’. JUDGES’ CITATION
Congratulations Jonathan Giokas (2008) married Eleni on 22 February 2020 at Aerial, South Wharf in Victoria There were lots of 2008 Old Boys in the bridal party including: Milan Amarsi, Christian Pitsounis and Louis Goutos.
Liam Petterson’s story showed excellent news instincts and initiative. While interning with ABC Radio Ballarat, Liam spotted the potential for a story in a job ad for IBM. The company was seeking up to ten candidates with autism for their neurodiversity program. Liam demonstrated strong research and reporting skills to craft a human story which attracted national attention.
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Congratulations Jonathan Henshaw (2013) for being shortlisted for B&T’s 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur award!
Jayde and Cyrus Aftasi (2003) were married at St Andrew’s Conservatory in Fitzroy on a beautifully sunny day that was Saturday 5 October 2019. In attendance were Old Boys David McCluskey (groomsman), Kelvin Hui, Sean Martin, Sunil Joseph
and Chris Senaratne (all 2003) and current student Dylan Davies (Year 8). We dearly missed the late Suzan Davies (Dylan’s mother and Cyrus’ sister), who loved being a part of the school community, teaching at Camberwell Grammar until her passing in April 2019.
Tackling Mount Kilimanjaro In October last year James Hogan, Ben Scott, Nick Barrington (all 2011) and myself were fortunate enough to collectively tackle the highest summit on the African continent: Mount Kilimanjaro. Looking back on it now, I think it is fair to say we were all probably a little overconfident going into the experience. The reality was that the combination of sub-zero temperatures, blistering winds and high altitude sickness pushed us all to our limits at some point.
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The journey involved a lot of very sketchy bus rides/taxis, enough banana curry and orange porridge to give Ben nightmares, some wicked high-altitudeinduced-hallucinations for myself and an immense amount of washing at the end of it all. We are all proud to say we reached the peak at 5,895m above sea level – Nick even managed to crack open a bottle of wine at the top. For our next challenge we’ve chatted about having
a go at climbing Mt. Elbrus in Russia so watch this space. Our advice for any current or former CGS student thinking about giving it a go is the same advice the porters give us on the side of the mountain: Hakuna Matata. A quick shout-out to my Mum for sending this information to the school and the three zany gentlemen that accompanied me. Matt Malin (2011)
OLD BOY PROFILE
Daniel Dick (2007) Tell us a little bit more about yourself and what you’ve been up to since leaving CGS? After finishing in 2007 I took off to the USA working at the YMCA of the Ozarks as ‘Director of Fun’ at the summer lodge that hosted families from around the Midwest and then spent a number of months travelling around the country. Once I returned I commenced a Bachelor of Arts at Monash University before transferring to a Business Degree at RMIT which I also didn’t finish, deciding Uni just wasn’t for me. I married my wife Alexandra in 2017, whom I met at a party when I was in Year 12. We’ve been together for nearly 13 years. We’ve lived in Hawthorn in an apartment we bought in 2015 for nearly five years and love it there. Besides owning cafes I’ve worked for ST. ALi Coffee Roasters for around five years in various capacities including Head Barista, Venue Manager, Barista Trainer and Sales. I’ve been given a lot of opportunities to represent the company and travel a bit working with cafe owners and managers helping improve their coffee and businesses. What did you enjoy most about your time at CGS? Not being an overly academic sort my biggest enjoyments at school were extracurricular. I was a Staff Sergeant in the Cadets, performed in a number of school plays and musicals but most of all loved playing footy, cricket and athletics. Footy being my favourite took us to Broome and Perth in my senior year which is a trip I’ll always remember and despite not necessarily gaining as much success
as we’d liked, led to me joining the under 19’s at the Old Boys whilst still in Year 12. Most important to me was the guys I met and maintain close friendships with to this day. You really never meet better friends than the ones from school. What advice would you give to our Year 12 boys as they embark on life after CGS? Take your time and consider the best option that matches your values. There are many different paths to consider but you don’t need to decide straight away. Be honest with yourself about what you want and what you enjoy. I loved working in cafes and making coffee and following my passion has opened up lots of doors for me. Friends I know have made multiple changes before finding the right one that suited them. Talk to people who’ve done the sort of things that you want to, you’ll be amazed how generous people are with their time and advice. What story will your colleagues tell about you at your CGS reunions? I’d come straight from a long lunch before our ten year and was a touch under the weather... probably seen as the bloke who enjoyed himself a little too much. Let’s talk about your experiences and how you got to the point of opening Nigel and running your own business? I’d always worked in restaurants but once I dropped out I wanted to try day time hospitality and got a job at a cafe making coffee in 2011 and have been in coffee ever since. I opened my first cafe Age of Sail in 2015 with two partners and sold my share about 18 months in.
Owning another cafe was always a goal for me but it wasn’t until my Grandfather Nigel Dick passed that I had the motivation to take another risk, he’d always been a big advocate of me embracing my entrepreneurial side and so I opened my humble coffee shop on Burke Road in March 2019 and named it in his honour. The opportunity itself came via one of my previous business partners who had identified the location and begun negotiating purchase of the business but withdrew and referred to me. I saw a lot of potential in the location and the owners of the business had really let it slip taking a prolonged holiday. Eventually I was patient enough that they gave up the lease without me having to purchase the business. We took it in December 2018. What do you enjoy most about running your own business? There is something extremely validating about having a concept in mind for a business, negotiating the conditions to make it viable, planning and executing your vision and then having literally hundreds of people a day walk through your door and spend their hard earned money on an experience you’ve cultivated. What does the future hold for you? I love being around people, chatting and making really delicious things, in particular coffee. It seems simple but being able to deliver on those values consistently really sets Nigel apart from our competition and encouraging my employees to share in that vision is a great way to spend your time. Seeing your business grow over time and becoming a part of the community that surrounds it is something that really satisfies me. Spectemur | Issue 2 - 2020
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OBITUARIES It is with great sadness that we record the deaths of members of the Camberwell Grammar School community. NICHOLAS JOHN EATON TAPLIN (1995) 3 March 1977 – 8 March 2020 Father Greg Taplin (1961 and Past Staff), brothers Andrew Taplin (1988) and Christopher Taplin (1991), nephew Logan Taplin (Year 10).
This is taken from the eulogy given by Andrew Taplin (1988) and Christopher Taplin (1991) at Nick’s celebration of life. Nick Taplin had a brilliant mind and was an all-rounder who excelled in what he did. He started school at Camberwell Grammar in 1982 and showed excellence in the arts; languages, both French and Indonesian, and Geography, and was commended for his involvement in the Orchestra which
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he led, and school Choir. In addition, he loved sport showing a particular interest and capability in triathlon, cross country, athletics, water polo and Aussie Rules, in several of which he represented the state. Looking back at a school reference from 1995 those writing it called out his greatest asset being to ‘enthuse and encourage’ others. Nick was up for anything, whether it be a last-minute trip to support a friend afar, or participating in a City to Surf, or a triathlon. Nick served as a lifesaver at Portsea in his senior years at school and afterwards and assisted at school camps at Kangaroobie. He became a staff member at Viewbank College to assist at school camps in Central Australia and Tasmania. He loved to cook and in the Taplin household was often in the kitchen taking charge over his mother, Liz, no easy feat, but he did it with kindness, fun and genuine care that he had for his mother, father and extended family. In his younger years Nick loved to spend time at the Barrier Landing on the Gippsland Lakes, enjoying in particular windsurfing, sailing and water-skiing. Nick studied Psycho-Physiology at Swinburne University and Business at Victoria University. Arising from his time at CGS was his love of fashion, graphic design and music which really shaped his life. Nick worked in fashion design for a number of
companies including Rip Curl and then struck out on his own, establishing his fashion company ‘John Eaton Designs’. His love of travel to places such as Thailand, Indonesia and USA were a significant factor in his life. His trips to Bali where he had the opportunity to use his Indonesian were often related to his fashion business. He had an infectious love of music and was a leading DJ in Melbourne, had done the hard yards with great commitment, and was a mentor, guide and friend to many in the music/DJ industry. An example of his concern for others occurred in Thailand when he was about to board an overnight train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, having stocked up on sandwiches and soft drink for the trip, he saw a disabled beggar and promptly gave him all his dinner. To have lost Nick is a shock, and his life was cut short, but we know that he lived it to the fullest and had just enjoyed a celebration of his 43rd birthday with friends only a week before his death. The messages on social media and the over 300 people at his funeral, just before the COVID-19 lockdown hit, is an indication of the people whose lives he touched. He will be sadly missed by family and friends. Greg Taplin (1961)
MICHAEL CHESHIRE (1963) 2 April 1945 – 28 March 2020
David (1978), his son James (1989), his nephew Sean (1997) and now his grandson Max, who is currently in Year 10. He was a very proud Camberwell Grammar Old Boy and very much enjoyed his ongoing connection to the school and Old Boy activities. Michael is survived by his wife of more than 50 years Joy, their children James and Elizabeth, and three grandchildren, Frankie, Wil and Max. ARTHUR JOHN COLLINSON (1936) 6 August 1918 – 18 June 2020
JOHN FREDERICK LAUCHLAN WRIGHT (LAUCHIE) (1945) 18 July 1927 – 10 April 2020 MALCOLM DOUGLAS GLEN MURRAY (1949) 15 November 1931 – 13 April 2020 ALBERT CLAYTON (1948) 20 December 1931 – 31 March 2020
Apology We sincerely apologise for the errors printed in the last issue of Spectemur, please see amendments following: MARGARET LEONARD [KERSHAW] Margaret Kershaw was teaching Grade 5 at CGS until she returned to England for a year in 1968 – when she returned to CGS in 1969 the records indicate that she was teaching (again) in the Junior School, which included Year 7. IAN JAMES HOPKINS OAM (1951) 3 June 1934 – 10 November 2019 GRAEME PATERSON (1958) 16 November 1940 – 30 January 2020. Father to Andrew (1986) and Robert (1988)
Michael was the first of eight Cheshire boys over three generations to have attended Camberwell Grammar. Those being Michael’s brothers Terry (1963), Frank (1974), John (1976) and
Pictured with his daughter June and grandson Jaymes Charlesworth (1994)
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