Foundation President’s Report

By J A (Sandy) Hutton (OGC 1973), Foundation President

Many of you would remember Fred Elliott (OGC 1941), a distinguished past College teacher who sadly passed away in September 2018. Fred and his late wife Margaret wished to remember the College in their wills and the Foundation was privileged to be the recipient of a bequest from Fred’s estate. This generous gift and many others from College community members go towards assisting students and will have a lasting impact on their education. Every bequest makes a difference to the quality of education and facilities we can offer our students.

The Geelong College Foundation was also generously supported in 2018 by many donors who gave during our Annual Giving campaign, raising almost $100,000 for scholarships and building projects. This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without the committed support of many in the College community and I would like to take this opportunity to thank those donors and our Foundation Members for their ongoing generosity. I encourage all members of the College community to consider making a gift to this year’s Annual Giving project, the refurbishment of the House rooms under Morrison Hall. For more information on how to give, you can go to the Foundation webpage: https://gnet.geelongcollege.vic.edu. au/donation/house

We are pleased to announce the recipient of The Morongo Award for 2019 is Pip Walpole. The award is presented to an outstanding Year 11 student entering Year 12 who has a family relationship with a past Morongo student. This award is made possible by the generous support and spirit of Morongo Old Collegians, who we continue to enjoy a close association with and include as part of our College community.

Foundation Members were treated to a lovely luncheon and a tour of the newly refurbished Morrison Hall and Cloisters classrooms by the College Co-Captains in March. The lunch was “flash mobbed” by the Pegasus Singers, who sang a fabulous rendition of ABBA’s Super Trooper as a surprise. This year’s Foundation Concert will be on Friday 2 August and is the most significant opportunity for our students to share their passion and musical talent. This year we will have new inclusions alongside old favourites as the concert receives a makeover. Dr Phillip Bohun, the new Director of Music, is working hard with students and staff to present a spectacle of music, lights, colour and movement, and we look forward to sharing this with you.

The Foundation’s Fyansford property has been re-leased for a three-year period for cropping activities, while maintaining access to the land for educational activities as was previously the case. Much of the poor internal fencing has been removed and cultivation will assist in weed control. We will continue to monitor progress on the City of Greater Geelong’s Northern and Western Geelong Growth Areas Framework Plan.

Each year the Foundation allocates funds to a project of the Principal’s choosing. Last year’s project was to upgrade the Mackie Oval path prior to Term 1 this year. The upgrade enhances the function and appearance of the area around Mackie Oval, linking the boarding houses to the central area of Senior School.

Foundation activities for the rest of this year include the Foundation Concert, annual tree planting day at Fyansford on 28 July, and the Community Golf Day in November. The board encourages current and past parents, Old Collegians and Friends of College to join us for at least one, if not all, of these Foundation community events.

Foundation Board members, top row, Cam Emerson, Sandy Hutton and Scott Chirnside; bottom row, Lauren Betts, Suzanne Mockridge, Richard Carr and Julie Cole. Absent: Andrew Cameron.

Foundation Members’ Luncheon

Thursday 21 March

1. College Co-Captain Oscar Illingworth led Foundation

Members on a tour of the Senior School 2. Nick, Michael, Kerry and Lauren Betts 3. Foundation Members visited upgraded Cloisters classrooms and saw a class in action 4. The Pegasus Singers, led by Director of Music

Dr Phillip Bohun, surprised guests at the Foundation

Lunch by performing an ABBA song 5. Lynne Dowling and Robert Ingpen

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Your generosity makes a difference.

In 2018 the College community generously donated over $96,000. We want to sincerely thank all our donors for joining with us in making the College one of the best in Victoria.

With these gifts we have restored four of the Cloisters classrooms creating modern learning spaces, established Pegasus General Excellence Scholarships for students who would otherwise be unable to attend the College, and we have made significant steps to raising the capital required to establish an Indigenous Scholarship in the name of former student and activist, Dr Bill Williams. The Mackie welcome upgrade, again funded by gifts from the 2018 campaign, will be complete over the next holidays, and we look forward to sharing with you, the changes to the foyer and duty office, which will make Mackie far more welcoming for residents and visitors alike.