FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Rebecca Cody, Principal, Geelong Grammar School

2020 was a year that none of us had anticipated. As our School navigated unprecedented obstacles, I was buoyed by the response of our community and their willingness to care, cooperate and so generously support each other.

As I have noted previously, humanity’s kindness is uplifting. Our annual Impact of Giving report is a powerful reminder of the positive difference we can all make to the lives of others. For 165 years, Geelong Grammar School (GGS) has sought to provide students with the knowledge, faith, and compassion to create purposeful and enterprising lives: lives that prioritise wellbeing and creativity; that seek truth and justice; lives that look beyond self. The sagacity of Luke’s Gospel is resonant: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required”.

Altruism is the compelling thread that is woven through the following pages and stories; the deep-seated desire to help others and lift them up beyond their imagination. It is what enables a young man from Shepparton in rural Victoria to enter the hallowed halls of Harvard Law School (having already majored in public policy and philosophy at Princeton University) to engage with the complex opportunities of an ever-evolving world. “Gratitude manifests in motivation,” according to Sam Parsons (P’14), whose grounded humility belies his aspirations to shape a better world. Altruism is at the heart of the munificent generosity of Janet Biddlecombe, whose name is synonymous with our School, from the avenue that intersects our Corio Campus to the eponymous Biddlecombe Society; she is the matriarch of GGS benefactors. This selfless concern to improve the lives of others reverberates through the kindness of Jeff Peck (Ge’42) and Silver Harris, whose modesty is eclipsed by the life-changing opportunities they enable. Their legacy will live on through future generations of GGS students.

We are so fortunate that our students today are supported in their access to exceptional learning opportunities through the ongoing generosity of our community — a community that believes in the transformational strength of education. The leadership and philanthropy of the Geelong Grammar Foundation and its members enables our learners to feel a genuine sense of belonging and a confidence to open their hearts and minds to the myriad opportunities available at GGS.

It is my privilege to thank each and every one of you for your generous and ongoing support of our School.

The support of our benefactors helped us to move through the challenges of 2020 and towards thriving. It was a difficult and challenging pathway, guided by our three Strategic Pillars (Adventure Education, Positive Education, Creative Education) and five Strategic Imperatives (Ethicality, Collaboration, Inclusivity, Progression and Substantiation). Both the Pillars and Imperatives provide rejuvenated clarity to our ethos and act as a focus for decision-making to prepare our School for further success.

We are blessed by the continued support of our Scholarship Programme. Currently, almost 25 per cent of students at our School receive some form of financial assistance. We anticipate that there will be an even greater need for scholarships and financial support in the months and years ahead. Scholarships are vital to the ongoing diversity of the School, providing life-changing opportunities for so many young people who otherwise could not afford a GGS education, especially those from remote, rural, regional, and Indigenous communities. This would not be possible without the Foundation’s support, led by Penny McBain’s acuity and ambition for the School. The function and spirit of the Geelong Grammar Foundation and its members continues to serve our community well.

The ongoing strength of our Biddlecombe Society provided another occasion for gratitude in 2020, with membership of our bequest society reaching 215 members, despite the inability to host events and to connect fully with our community. The Society exemplifies our community’s philanthropic leadership, which strengthens and sustains our provision of Exceptional Education. I am thankful for the enduring altruism of all those who have provided a bequest in their will to the Foundation to benefit the future of our School. T hroughout 2020 we renewed our steadfast commitment to encouraging young people to be deeply well and purposeful in their lives, with a focus on the care, health, safety and wellbeing of our community. We were strengthened by our belief in the capacity of our students to evolve and grow in the face of adversity. As ever, I am grateful for the Foundation’s generosity and expertise in supporting our students and the future of our School.

Yours purposefully and optimistically,

Rebecca Cody Principal