ISSUE 104 JUNE 2019
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ADVENTURE EDUCATION
OUR SCHOOL CAPTAINS
FOUNDATION
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POSITIVE EDUCATION
SPORT
THE MAILROOM
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CREATIVE EDUCATION
CLYDE PRIDE
22 YEAR 12 RESULTS
Cover Illustration Kat Chadwick Editor Brendan McAloon Design Claire Robson Chloe Flemming Photography Chloe Flemming Nick Fletcher Richard Kumnick (M’68) Peter Lemon (FB ‘64) Matthew Preuss Katie Rafferty (Spry, Ga’84) Drew Ryan Ann Tyers (Fairley, The Hermitage ‘68) Nic Walker (FB’95) Website www.ggs.vic.edu.au Email lightblue@ggs.vic.edu.au
The transition to a new Principal provides an opportunity for ‘fresh eyes’ to look at the School and bring new thinking to where it is heading and the strategy which underpins that future direction. Since starting in April last year, Rebecca has had the opportunity to immerse herself in the ways of GGS and hear from and talk to many students, parents, staff and alumni. She has been on a wide-ranging listening tour and provided opportunities for students and staff to share ideas and concerns through ‘wishing trees’ that were located at each campus. She has read extensively about the School’s history (although, to be fair, she did this before starting) and learned the background and rationale behind the key characteristics of the School. Rebecca also has her own clear ideas about education and the key elements required in ensuring how a school should be positioned for the future. Her challenge, and indeed any Principal’s, is in combining all these to develop a strategic plan which not only strengthens the School and positions it advantageously, but which resonates strongly with staff, students, parents and alumni. Last November, at Council’s annual Strategy Retreat at Timbertop, Rebecca shared with Council the Strategic Framework of her vision for GGS. It was clear to us that she had not only absorbed the underlying culture and philosophy of the School but was keen to build on the strategic initiatives the School had undertaken over its life. Council spent most of the day exploring her thinking and understanding the various critical elements which comprised her Strategic Framework. There was a strong endorsement from Council for Rebecca to build on her framework, which would then be (and consequently was) presented to all staff at the annual Staff Conference held at Corio at the beginning of the school year.
Most importantly, a good strategic plan needs to be easily communicated, understood and implemented. It must be an effective reference point for staff to be able to use on a day-to-day basis when making the ‘micro’ decisions they need to. It must be something the whole community can get behind and work together to implement. But most of all it needs to be something we aspire to: something which authentically inspires us to want to achieve because we believe in what it is trying to do. I am confident that Rebecca’s Strategic Framework does this. In our last edition I mentioned that we have split the role of Commercial Director into two new roles: Director Corporate Services and Director Finance and Operations. Bronwen Charleson commenced with us late last year as Director Corporate Services and is responsible for legal, compliance, risk and company secretarial functions. She joins us from Geelong law firm Coulter Roache, where she was a Partner and Principal Lawyer, having also served as a Director of several not for profit organisations, including Anam Cara House Geelong and Give Where You Live Foundation. Fiona Holmes commenced with us early this year as Director Finance and Operations and is responsible for all financial, commercial and operational functions. She joins us from Scots School in Albury, where she was tempted away from her early retirement from the Mars Corporation, where she worked in various finance and operations roles around the world. Splitting the Commercial Director role into two is a positive move which recognizes both the enormous growth in administrative requirements of running schools (especially one as complex as GGS) and the organisational flexibility and robustness we need. Please join me in welcoming Bronwen and Fiona and their families to our community.
This edition of Light Blue introduces the School’s Strategic Framework as developed by Rebecca through widespread engagement, consultation and collaboration. I believe you will be Jeremy Kirkwood (FB’79) both excited and reassured by the strategy as it clearly articulates Chairman of Council a future direction which builds upon our familiar strengths. It is not a strategy which turns the School upside down or seeks to shift its educational emphasis. Indeed, quite the reverse. It seeks to take the three educational initiatives which are clearly Geelong Grammar School DNA – Positive Education, Creative Education and Adventure Education – and thoroughly infuse them (to the extent that they aren’t already) through all campuses.
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STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK “The School should be, as we believe, an abiding influence in the life of Australia, but to be so it may have to change its form, while preserving its true spirit and tradition.” – Sir James Darling, Speech Day, 1951 From April until December 2018, exploration, research and curation became a way of being. Trekking the GGS terrain was a stimulating period, plentiful with fascinating exchanges with colleagues, students, families, survivors, Directors and OGGs. Driven by the pluck of inquiry, the wonder and opportunity of our School unfolded brilliantly. Such wonder and opportunity expressed diversely across our four campuses and anchored in three underpinnings: taking responsibility for our past, advancing our present and securing our future sustainability. The underpinnings were initially filtered through 9 Domains of Opportunity:
Culture
For 10 months, intensive listening and observing centred on these Domains. The resulting contemplations led to three focus questions about our current position as a school leading educational thought and practice. These questions can be expressed through the language of business outcomes, or through a more philosophical lens. Author, Theologian, Philosopher and Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, challenges humanity to answer three fundamental questions of knowledge, reality and existence: who am I? why am I here? how then shall I live? The relevance of these questions for individuals, organisations and communities, connects to what motivates decisions and behaviours: through defining our character and purpose we bring light to our focus and spirit. Term 1 began with the opportunity to share my reflections about these questions and propose an evolved articulation of our School’s ethos with staff. These reflections have emerged as a Strategic Framework to map a GGS for further successes, advancement and sustainability in the years ahead. Set collaboratively, this direction has the complete support of our governing body, and has been welcomed warmly by our community at various briefings in the last four months.
Learning and Teaching Staff Morale and Wellbeing Student Morale and Wellbeing Survivor Engagement Enrolments Community Connectedness Institute of Positive Education Creative Education
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The Strategic Framework has been designed to holistically and consistently live the promise of Exceptional Education. Our platform for achieving this was launched almost 165 years ago: Christus Nobis Factus Sapientia. The Latin translation of our motto and inspiration has been commonly understood at GGS as “Christ for us became wisdom”, “For us, Christ was made wisdom” or “The Word was made flesh”. With this belief as a founding principle of our School, it is similarly the basis of our evolved proposition (articulated through the Strategic Framework), respecting our true spirit and tradition: to honour our foundations, optimise the present and strengthen our future, we seek to enable wisdom. Ultimately, we enable wisdom so as to shape a better world.
With Exceptional Education as our overarching vision and Enabling Wisdom as our contemporary expression of the School’s founding influence, we have articulated three accompanying Strategic Pillars and five Strategic Imperatives to focus our decisions and leverage change for the betterment of our School community. The expression of wisdom at GGS, as well as each pillar and imperative, are all concepts worthy of articles of their own in upcoming publications of Light Blue. Until then, this edition serves to capture the essence of the ideas outlined as embedded experiences throughout our vibrant learning and living community.
Adventure Education is experiential learning through and with nature.
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Positive Education places wellbeing at the heart of our learning community.
Creative Education cultivates the skills of collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving and problem posing.
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Ethicality - Modelling ethical standards and practice Collaboration - Collaborating proactively and professionally to encourage, support and improve engagement Inclusivity - Encouraging and celebrating diversity and thinking that underpins justice, acceptance, trust and compassion Progression - Committing to a rigorous improvement agenda that prioritises contemporary practices Substantiation - Evidence-based decision-making to inform professional practice Offering rejuvenated clarity to our ethos, and acting as a focus and filter for decision-making, the Framework prepares us for further success in becoming a truly international influencer, serving and leading our School community and adding value to the educational landscape across the globe.
Much like the search for wisdom, the significance of shaping a better world may well be a global pursuit in perpetuity. The perspective we bring to this pursuit seems to shift at various stages of life. There can be moments though, irrespective of our age and development, which shake us all. These are true catastrophes: the times when in years to come we’ll all remember what we were doing when “it” happened; the tragic events that make us weep. On March 15, I was on a flight with wifi access and received the newsfeed of a massacre in New Zealand: a decision taken at a time and place when the victims’ commitment to love and peace was most abundant – at worship. This unprecedented atrocity in the land of Aotearoa may tempt us to linger with hopelessness. It may also stir a longing to extinguish hate or to imagine an uprising that our world is yet to experience: one where the anarchy is motivated by love; one where the insurgence is of compassion; a movement towards the unrelenting unity of moral courage. During my almost seven years in New Zealand, I learnt much from the people and the Maori culture. It is our son’s birthplace; it is home to so many friends; it is the landscape of our Kiwi family; and it is the earth of Anzac camaraderie. One of my learnings from living in New Zealand is communicated through the hope and wish of Kia Kaha: a Maori expression meaning, keep strong; stay strong. Heaven knows this is my wish for the people of Christchurch, and Sri Lanka. Recently I had the opportunity to share with our Corio learners that the strongest people I know give love to others, even those who’ve hurt them. The strongest people I know voice love, even when confronted with hate speak. The strongest people I know share the blessing of unity through love, even when division or extremism has been forced upon them.
Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa. Let us keep close together not far apart. Let us, as a school, state, and nation, find the strength to be closer together, not far apart; the strength to enable wisdom and shape a better world. Rebecca Cody Principal
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ADVENTURE EDUCATION
“There exists within everyone a grand passion, an outlandish thirst for adventure, a desire to live boldly and vividly through the journey of life.” – Dr Kurt Hahn CBE, educator Adventure Education is not a new idea for Geelong Grammar School. The language and definition – experiential learning through and with nature – are an evolution of an educational philosophy that dates back to John Bracebridge Wilson (Headmaster 1863-95). More obviously, Adventure Education builds on the lessons of the School’s transformational Timbertop programme, which helps our students develop confidence and competence in practical ways, promoting independence, self-reliance and resilience – the very essence of experiential learning. The School’s Strategic Framework aims to honour our foundations, optimise the present and strengthen our future. This ambition positions Adventure Education as one of the three strategic pillars that support our promise of Exceptional Education. Sir James Darling’s (Headmaster 1930-61) establishment of Timbertop in 1953 owed a lot to the educational thinking of Kurt Hahn, who founded Gordonstoun School in Scotland and the Outward Bound movement. However, when Darling unveiled the idea of a remote bush campus to the School community on Speech Day 1951, his reference point was closer to home: “I want something more than what we have already— something different but at the same time something which is in the true tradition of its foundation under Bracebridge Wilson and Cuthbertson, the tradition of the Saturday Parties, of Grub Lane and The Willows.”
Saturday Parties grew from Bracebridge Wilson’s love of nature (he was a marine biologist and Fellow of the Linnean Society of London) and his concern for the development of independence and comradeship. Every weekend the whole boarding house went out in “parties” of at least three members into the surrounding countryside (they could set out from 4am and had to be back by 9pm for supper). They went by boat (along the Barwon River), cart and on foot (or later by bicycle), making for regular camping places “to nest or fish or swim or just ramble about”. In the October 1866 Quarterly, a student wrote: “How good are these long bright days, when we shake off the routine of school life. We believe that it is to this companionship on the river and in the bush that we owe much of the loyalty which has so long been the distinguishing mark of the boys of this School.” The back cover of the 1929 Corian featured a map showing the location of favourite camping spots. Students roamed from the You Yangs to Torquay. A favourite breakfast place was The Willows, downstream of the Barwon River breakwater, while students often ventured towards Barwon Heads, to Grub Lane (now a wildlife sanctuary), where they gathered so regularly that some had planted vegetables. Timbertop was an evolution of Saturday Parties infused with Hahn’s “outlandish thirst for adventure” – a winter expedition across the Bogong High Plains, 6-Day Hike and Timbertop Marathon. In turn, the success of Timbertop leads us now to the development of Adventure Education – making learning an experience that moves beyond the classroom, through and with nature, and strives to bring a more active and involved way of developing skills and knowledge across all four of our campuses. In her James R. Darling Oration, our Principal, Rebecca Cody, spoke of the aspiration to engage a young person’s head (thinking), heart (feeling) and hands (doing). “Such experiences provide for skills to become part of more comprehensive capabilities,” Rebecca explained. “It is a rigorous pursuit, demanding skills to be taught and capabilities to emerge. It is a philosophy and practice that buoys human capacity and in doing so, builds a stronger, more adaptable nation.”
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UNIT ADVENTURE CHALLENGE Timbertop students had to run, crawl, climb and swim as well as overcome a range of uniquely Timbertop obstacles (carrying firewood!) to conquer the inaugural Unit Adventure Challenge at the end of Term 1. Students were tested on strength, agility, endurance, balance and speed. Inspired by previous Timbertop obstacle courses and the popular Spartan Race, Timbertop Health & Physical Education teacher Matthew Preuss was also channelling his favourite Kurt Hahn quote when he created the Adventure Challenge:
“There is more to us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives we will be unwilling to settle for less.”
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“I love that quote and I think the Unit Adventure Challenge encapsulated that philosophy,” Matthew said. “There were girls carrying heavy logs above their heads. They said they couldn’t do it, but they did, and they were so proud of themselves.” With a background in Outdoor Education, Matthew is excited that Adventure Education is one of the School’s three strategic pillars. “I think Outdoor Education can be undervalued because it doesn’t necessarily have measurable outcomes,” he explained. “From my experience, it plays a critical role in developing confidence, resilience and a sense of accomplishment. Adventure lights something in all of us as humans – there is an instinctive response to facing and overcoming challenges in the natural world.”
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LITTLE GREEN THUMBS Prep students from Bostock House enjoyed an excursion to Van Loon’s Nursery in Wallington on the Bellarine Peninsula, where they explored a world of plants; learning about soil, plant types, seed germination, and how plants make fruit and the foods we eat. “It gives them that opportunity to link what they are learning in the classroom with real life experiences,” Prep teacher, Joanne Kearney, said. “An excursion like this is hands-on, it’s fun and it’s engaging. It enhances what the children have learned with practical experience, which deepens their understanding. Today, we are applying our maths. Last week we were learning about wholes, halves and quarters, so today when we were planting we filled the containers half full.” Research has highlighted the importance of introducing children to nature, especially in the early years. “With excursions that involve nature, it helps the children become more aware of the natural world and the role of nature.” Joanne explained. “It’s tactile and sensory – they can see, they can touch and they can smell. Today, they’ve been learning about seeds and how they grow into plants and flowers and fruits and vegetables. I think it makes them become more caring for our environment and the world. It enriches them as little people.”
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“I liked the bus ride but planting was my favourite thing. I planted a lettuce. You can eat it when it grows.” – Henry Brockman
“I think my plant was parsley. I will eat it when it grows but it needs water. I like learning stuff. I liked the water lily pads. They had a fountain.” – Harry Borrack
“I loved it. It made me feel happy. I learnt how to plant things and that the seeds could grow in cotton wool. It was cool.” – Sam Boyt
“I planted a viola. There’s already some flowers pooping out and they are all different colours. Soil and water and sun is what plants need to grow – they are their food.” – Gabe Davies
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POSITIVE EDUCATION
“Our goal is to inspire the world to place wellbeing at the heart of education and therefore enable all individuals and communities to flourish.” – Justin Robinson, Director, Institute of Positive Education Last year, Geelong Grammar School celebrated a decade of Positive Education. From humble beginnings in 2008, Positive Education has contributed to the transformation of the lives of thousands of students, teachers and schools worldwide. This ground-breaking initiative continues to grow and spread its wings, both locally and abroad, developing a comprehensive Positive Education Enhanced Curriculum (PEEC) framework and establishing international hubs in the United Arab Emirates and Canada. Positive Education brings together the science of Positive Psychology with best practice teaching to encourage and support individuals, schools and communities to flourish. Positive Education focuses on specific skills that assist students to strengthen their relationships, build positive emotions, enhance personal resilience, promote mindfulness and encourage a healthy lifestyle. Through teaching these valuable life skills, Geelong Grammar School provides its students with an increased capacity to learn effectively, as well as offering them a strong foundation on which they can build a successful life.
Established in 2014, the School’s dedicated Institute of Positive Education has earned an international reputation for its wellbeing programmes – nurturing Positive Education at GGS and assisting the growth of Positive Education throughout Australia and the world. This has led to the establishment of an international hub in Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates, and Canada. The Institute’s Associate Director, David Bott, is leading the start-up of its international venture, supported by regional managers, Dr Ronald Lalonde and Tamara Lechner, based in Dubai and Canada respectively. Justin Robinson, Director of the School’s Institute of Positive Education, said the Institute was now running more than 120 comprehensive wellbeing courses around the globe each year. “Our services have grown due to the demand and I knew this was something we could always do,” Justin said. “Our goal is to inspire the world to place wellbeing at the heart of education and therefore enable all individuals and communities to flourish. These new developments take us one step closer to realising this dream.” →To learn more visit www.ggs.vic.edu.au/Institute
and subscribe to the Institute’s eNewsletter, which features articles, the latest research, training opportunities, ideas for implementing Positive Education at school and at home, recommended reading and much more.
The Positive Education Enhanced Curriculum (PEEC) framework draws on the collective experience and wisdom of our GGS teachers, as well as leading researchers and psychologists. Developed over 18 months, the PEEC framework features 280 explicit Positive Education lessons and associated resources. Robust, engaging and developmentally appropriate, PEEC is designed to support teachers in their efforts to enhance student wellbeing. Following classroom trials at GGS, the curriculum framework is now being trialled at Fortes Education in Dubai, Kellett International School in Hong Kong and Bacchus Marsh Primary School in Victoria, before being made more widely available in July.
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POSITIVE HEALTH Our Toorak Campus has hosted a series of cross-campus Positive Education Focus Days for students from Bostock House, Middle School and Toorak Campus. The theme for the Focus Days has been based on the Positive Health domain of the School’s Positive Education Model and included presentations from Deakin University’s Food and Mood Centre, which discussed the connection between nutrition and brain development, mood and mental health. Students had the opportunity to participate in a range of workshops that explored nutrition, healthy habits, mindfulness and the link between physical and psychological health, including a silent disco, clinics with Geelong AFLW footballers Erin Hoare and Nina Morrison (A’18), as well as cooking sessions in the Muir Family Nutrition Centre. Some students applied their new understandings of nutrition and wellbeing to create a collaborative artwork.
“The focus of the day was to have fun, to be happy, healthy and positive – to have a positive mindset. Erin from the Cats AFLW team taught us some footy skills that involved cooperating and working together. We have had AFL players come to our footy club before, but they have all been men, so it was nice to have a female teaching us footy skills.” – Olivia Christie
“Erin shared skills that helped us to work as a team. She also spoke about the connection between what you eat and game performance. My take away was that your mindset is connected to the way you react on field.” – Sophia Grodski
“The food and mood presentation was helpful because I learned the link that food has to your wellbeing. The researchers also spoke of what we should be eating, which I found interesting, and now I am more aware of how to treat my body.” – Maia Melzer
“I liked the mindfulness activities. The quiet helps to calm your mind. Pos Ed is really enjoyable, especially the ‘joy of movement’ activities we have been doing. Getting up and moving helps refresh your body and your mind.” – Jack Herczykowski “I had to answer as many maths questions as I could and then I did a ping pong challenge to increase my focus. After that, I had another go at maths and realised that I did much better after the ping pong activity.” – Jerry Hu
“I really enjoyed the cooking session. I got to cook vegie muffins. We talked about the healthiness of the muffins compared to other muffins – they had no sugar and were mainly vegetables and egg. I learned that eating well can improve your mental health and that mushrooms can improve your eyesight.” – Paige Stiles
“The silent disco was the best. Everyone was listening to different music. There were three different stations, so people were singing and dancing to different songs. It would’ve been so funny to film it. It was really fun and put me in a positive mood for the rest of the day.” – Aiden Papps
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GIVING FOR A BETTER WORLD A team of Year 8 and Year 10 students collaborated to publish the story of Syrian refugee Shoghig Araboghlian’s journey to Australia for the Giving for a Better World (GFBW) pilot project.
“Of especial importance is what young people learn about personal and social responsibility to care and the opportunities they have to develop and experience those responsibilities – towards self, others and their wider community.” – Dr Bill Hallam Mia D’Andrea (Yr11 Ga) and Winky Messner (Yr11 He) admitted that they were surprised and overwhelmed by Shoghig Araboghlian’s life-changing journey from the war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo to the Geelong suburb of Norlane, just a few kilometres from the School’s Corio Campus. Shoghig, who arrived in Australia via Lebanon in 2017, is the subject of a book compiled by Mia, Winky, Callum Hay (Yr9 G) and Clementine Ryan (Yr9 P) as part of the Giving for a Better World (GFBW) pilot project, which brought Year 10 and Year 8 students together to collaborate on a prosocial task in 2018. “I don’t think anyone can fully understand what refugees have been through,” Winky said. “But hearing it directly from someone who has been in that situation personally has definitely made me more aware of the issues and made me feel more empathetic towards them.” Giving for a Better World (GFBW) was a pilot project coordinated by the School, the Institute for Positive Education and Deakin University’s Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development (SEED), led by Research Fellow, Dr Bill Hallam. The project examined the association between prosocial behaviour and student wellbeing – that undertaking a voluntary task aimed at making the world a better place also enhanced social and emotional wellbeing. “An important finding was that students developed a more mature understanding that caring for others can be a difficult, challenging and yet rewarding undertaking,” Dr Hallam explained.
“The surprise is that such caring activities can be fulfilling and rewarding in themselves.”
Winky volunteered for the Giving for a Better World (GFBW) pilot project because she “just thought it was a really cool idea”. “There were so many things people could do to make a difference,” she said. “And there were so many creative ideas that could benefit the School community and the wider world.” The idea of creating a book to tell the story of a refugee evolved from Clementine’s initial interest in researching the topic of refugees. The group contacted local migrant support service, Diversitat, and made contact with Shoghig via Skype. “We were going to interview lots of refugees but we ended up focussing on Shoghig’s story,” Mia said.
“It was a bit frightening, particularly when she talked about the bombings. It was quite violent, what happened to her and her family, what she and her son had witnessed.” “It also wasn’t what I expected, how all of a sudden her life changed from being happy and peaceful to the complete opposite.” When the book was completed, the group presented it to Shoghig at a Giving for a Better World (GFBW) dinner in the SPACE. “When we saw the book printed, we felt a sense of accomplishment and that we’d done something good, especially when we gave a copy to Shoghig,” Mia said. “It was then that the book had a purpose – it was not just for us. We wanted people to read Shoghig’s story but we thought it was powerful to give her a copy so that she could share her story as well.” There were other, less obvious outcomes from the Giving for a Better World (GFBW) project. “It was a good way to connect with Year 8 students and a leadership opportunity,” Mia said. “It felt like we could be role models.” It was also an opportunity to demonstrate Positive Education in action. “I think Pos Ed helps you find your strengths,” Winky said. “This project was a perfect opportunity to use our different strengths and work together.”
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CREATIVE EDUCATION “Albert Einstein once said: ‘It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education’. Clearly he wasn’t talking about an education at Geelong Grammar. Curiosity, creativity and the courage to chance one’s arm are becoming a more central and vital part of the School’s curriculum and character.” – Ian Darling AO (P’79), filmmaker and philanthropist Creative Education has entered a new and exciting phase with the expansion of the School’s Creative Education team, inspired by the philanthropy, leadership and role modelling of Ian Darling AO (P’79). Since the appointment of Dr Tim Patston as the Coordinator of Creativity and Innovation in 2015, the School has been discovering and trialling new ideas in teaching and learning, including the implementation of the RISE (Result, Investigation, Student, Environment) Framework. The expansion of the Creative Education team and appointment of four key staff will enable the School to apply a research and development model to enhance and assess new ideas. It will also further support teachers and students in the classroom to move away from the silos of knowledge-based, exam-based, standardised learning to an education model that recognises the common skills which lie between subjects; building capacity in collaboration, problem solving and critical thinking Creative Education brings together the science of learning and the art of teaching; nurturing curiosity, imagination and the courage to take risks. Dr Prue Wales and Dr Ethel Samalca have expertise in translating educational and creative theory into practice. Their work will provide the School with the research and development needed to support an evidence-based approach to the science of learning. Dan Davies and Matt Limb are highly experienced educators who will be collaborating with teachers in the art of teaching, applying the RISE Framework with staff across all four campuses. This year also sees the introduction of the RISE Framework into student prep (homework) at our Corio and Timbertop campuses. Students will be developing their creative capacities in order to make prep as efficient and effective as possible.
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By supporting our teachers and students and through applying a research and development model, Creative Education will have a systemic impact upon the teaching and learning culture of Geelong Grammar School. With Creative Education currently implemented in 12 subjects, this year will see a significant expansion across each of our four campuses. Teachers will be introducing a broad suite of creative pedagogies, enhancing student engagement and providing richer learning experiences. Students will also be offered targeted and specific skills, such as collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, within existing curriculum. In parallel, new approaches to teaching and learning will be assessed for their impact upon student creativity and academic results. Creative Education teaches the skills and attitudes to be creative in any context. Ian Darling has propelled the expansion of the Creative Education team at Geelong Grammar School through his vision, generosity and role modelling of creativity in action. Ian was the Chair of the Fundraising Committee for the School of Performing Education and Creative Arts (the SPACE), which has acted as a catalyst for the development of creativity and innovation in all areas of the curriculum – in Physics and Business Studies as well as Music and Drama. At the same time, Ian pulled focus on the role of philanthropy and social impact in documentary filmmaking as Chair of Good Pitch Australia, Executive Director of Shark Island Productions and founder of the Documentary Australia Foundation, receiving the Leading Philanthropist Award at the 2017 Australian Philanthropy Awards. His “brave, innovative and wide-ranging pursuit of excellence” was recognised at the 2018 Australian Academy Cinema Television Arts (AACTA) Awards, where he received the prestigious Byron Kennedy Award, which celebrates outstanding creative enterprise within the screen industry (previous winners include Jane Campion, Rolfe de Heer, John Clarke, John Polson, Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin). Ian has added to his impressive list of screen credits by directing the upcoming documentary about AFL footballer and Indigenous leader Adam Goodes, The Final Quarter, which will premiere at the Sydney Film Festival in June.
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A WEEK TO IGNITE In the final week of Term 1, our Toorak Campus turned the conventional school structure on its head and trialled a “future-school prototype”. It was a wild, week-long ride. Timetables were discarded. Cross-aged classes were embraced. Students designed and directed learning; diving deep into areas of interest. Teachers found freedom and flexibility through experimentation. “There certainly was a buzz in the air,” Year 6 teacher Marissa Cohen said.
“The biggest difference I noticed was having the time to inquire into something deeply and not just at surface level. It was fabulous not having bells to worry about and to break when the students were ready to.” The process of developing an experimental “school of tomorrow” began last year, when a Think Tank of interested staff met regularly to re-imagine primary education. They researched creative and innovative approaches to teaching and learning, sought expert advice, and collaborated with colleagues, parents and students. “Over recent years, the concept of learning has evolved due to the scale of change in the world,” Head of Toorak Campus, Rachel George, explained. “At the same time, research investigating how people learn, how the mind and brain develop, how interests and mindsets form and how people differ in all these aspects has expanded tremendously. Schools and education systems around the world are having to reconsider their design and approach to teaching and learning.”
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The future-school prototype was finalised at a Staff Learning Day in Term 4. It was named ‘A week to IGNITE (iWeek)’ and scheduled for a whole-campus trial in the final week of Term 1. Inquiry workshops were driven and co-constructed by the students, with a focus on the United Nation’s Sustainable and Developmental Goals. Each morning began with a community dance session and workshop topics ranged from marine biology to robotics, from STEM excursions to RMIT to baking cookies in the Muir Family Nutrition Centre, from designing playgrounds to making music videos, from financial budgeting to composting. “Yesterday we took apart a piano and I loved it. It was so fascinating.” Year 6 student Olympia Sutherland said. Rachel George said that the flexibility and autonomy of iWeek had empowered students and teachers to be agile and spontaneous. “iWeek has challenged us to release control to the students and reflect deeply on our practices,” she said. “It has taught us to trust in our students’ capacity to think, collaborate, problem-solve, innovate and imagine. Our ability to nurture significant growth in our students’ skills, mindset, confidence and vocabulary has surprised and excited us. We have loved the multi-age groupings and found them easier than we had imagined. We have cherished the uninterrupted time. iWeek has facilitated authentic, rich and purposeful learning and provided us with a great sense of pride in our community.”
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THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL In Term 4 last year, our Year 10 cohort were challenged to investigate a real life problem and attempt to solve it without fear of failure and without direction from the teacher. One Science class per cycle was dedicated to this new STEM initiative and students were encouraged to select and research a problem they felt passionate about. My group’s project was to collaboratively research and come up with solutions to help reduce plastic. We set out to reduce the number of plastic containers distributed by take-away restaurants and from that the idea for ‘Take-a-Banae’ – a container made from banana leafs – was born. The project provided a great opportunity to advance our critical thinking around real life issues that we encounter every day. It was a great opportunity to improve our skills on teamwork, creativity and collaboration. I loved the opportunity to work so closely with a group. – Maya Pundij (Yr11 A) Our project investigated plastic roads as an alternative for our current road composition. This concept would incorporate the strong and slow to degrade aspects of common plastics, such as PETE (polyethylene terephthalate), as well as their light and compact physical nature. This would replace the petroleum based agent currently used to hold the sand and stone mixture that forms the basis of a typical road. This idea came from a combined concern regarding plastic pollution (particularly in oceans) and dealing with this through repurposing collected plastic. In the research phase, the creative ways that people came up with were insightful into the problem saving nature of humanity. It also showed the multitudes of different ways that people tackled the problem – demonstrating that there was not just one way, but many.
My partner and I focused on plastic in our oceans, offering solutions and lifestyle choices that can help allay the current fears and predictions regarding the loss of sealife relating to the drastic increases in plastic and pollution in our waterways. The issue is important to us because of how relevant it is to our world and generation and I hope that at least one person could walk away with the motivation to change something in their lives to benefit their environment. Our offering at the end of the project included a simple cornstarch plastic bag alternative, a short film made by Sammy Sutherland (He’18), a powerpoint on the factual issues and statistics, brochures and a poster on display in the SPACE. Hearing the Middle School students ask simply what they could do in the crisis meant a lot to me. They could see no other choice but action and I was very proud to see that. – Hannah Scott (Yr11 Fr)
Our project focused on app development, addressing the question of whether the current GGS app was effective and useful for the Corio community and current students. We collaborated and investigated what could be implemented into a new School app and the most popular suggestions, including a food menu and location services around campus, were included in the app developed using Ez Time. I enjoyed the freedom to create something of my own which would benefit people other than myself and the greater cause. – Ben Vilchanski (Yr11 M)
Critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration have been proven to enhance a working environment and these skills will benefit us in any career or paths we choose to follow in our lives. We had two terms of one class a fortnight to come together in our groups and work to our final goal which was then presented to over 200 staff and students and we were able to share each others’ creative ideas on how to change the world. – Steven Griffiths, IB Coordinator, Head of Design and Technology
– Aden Strong (Yr11 Cu) 18
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PERFORMING ARTS
The Senior School adaption of Jane Austen’s beloved novel – Sense and Sensibility – was performed across four nights in the Bracebridge Wilson Studio during Term 2. Two different, yet equally outstanding, casts performed to packed houses on alternating nights in what was Alice Krieger’s GGS directorial debut.
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“I certainly believe that the atmosphere created by the other Garnett Year 12s, although sometimes stressful, was an enthusiastic workplace and drove my desire to work as hard as everyone around me to stay up to speed,”
OUR JOINT DUX
Do Yeong Kim (A’18) Do Yeong Kim (A’18) achieved an IB score of 44 out of a possible 45 points, which converts to an ATAR of 99.85. Do Yeong achieved a maximum score of 7 in Chemistry, Design Technology, Geography, English Language & Literature, Mathematics and Spanish. From Point Cook, Do Yeong was House Music Captain in Allen and received half colours for Music. “I studied really hard in the exam period - and indeed across the two years (of IB) - and it’s just so nice to see everything pay off,” he said. Do Yeong is studying a double degree Biomedicine/Law at The University of Melbourne.
said Daisy Stewart (Ga’18), who achieved an IB score of 41, highlighting the strengths of the Garnett IB cohort. “We were always happy to share notes and spend time together assisting one another in the library or in the house to make the most of each other’s resources.” Alexandra felt that the supportive and collaborative nature of Garnett IB cohort contributed to the excellent results.
88.5%
“The general support that everyone showed for one another, which I think came from that common understanding of how the others were feeling, made a big difference,” she said. Do Yeong loved his three years in Allen and felt that the House environment was structured for academic success.
27.2% 18%
The graph opposite highlights the percentage of Geelong Grammar School students who achieved ATAR scores that placed them in the top %, 5%, 25% and 50% of students in Victoria
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GGS students
25%
10%
5.5% 5%
“As a house, we placed an emphasis on academics and everyone involved in Allen from Mr Hutley (Head of Allen) to Ms Danker (Acting Head in 2018) - helped foster that environment of academic success.”
59.9%
50%
For the first time in the School’s history, the Class of 2018 had four students as joint dux. Do Yeong Kim (A’18), Alexandra Louey (Ga’18), Bernice Ng (Ga’18) and Ally Routley (A’18) - two students from Allen, two from Garnett – each achieved an IB score of 44 out of 45, which converts to an ATAR score of 99.85. Nina Morrison (A’18), also from Allen, is the proxime accessit and the School’s top VCE performer, having attained an ATAR of 99.75. Each student spoke glowingly about their respective House environment and its importance in enabling them to thrive.
1%
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YEAR 12 RESULTS
State average
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OUR JOINT DUX
OUR JOINT DUX
OUR JOINT DUX
Alexandra Louey (Ga’18)
Bernice Ng (Ga’18)
Ally Routley (A’18)
Alexandra Louey (Ga’18) achieved an IB score of 44 out of a possible 45 points, which converts to an ATAR of 99.85. Alexandra achieved a maximum score of 7 in Chemistry, Geography, English Literature, Mathematics, Psychology and Spanish. From Melbourne, she played for the School’s 1st Tennis team, was a member of the Karen Homework Club and completed the Lorne 160 in 2017. It’s difficult for Alexandra to remember her life pre-Geelong Grammar School, having begun her education in the ELC at Bostock House at the age of three. “I’ll miss seeing the girls’ faces every day… being able to walk downstairs and hang out in a friend’s room,” she said. “Maybe I took it for granted at the time and I already miss it.” Alexandra is studying Science at The University of Melbourne.
Bernice Ng (Ga’18) achieved an IB score of 44 out of a possible 45 points, which converts to an ATAR of 99.85. Bernice achieved a maximum score of 7 in Biology, Economics, Japanese, English Literature, Mathematics and Psychology. From Hong Kong, Bernice attended GGS on a Lee Hysan Scholarship, following in the footsteps of fellow Lee Hysan Scholar and 2017 Dux, Nat Lam. Bernice was a member of the Corio Music Programme and performed in two GGS Ballet Concerts; A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2018) and Peter and the Wolf (2017). Bernice is studying European Social and Political Studies with a language at University College London.
Ally Routley (A’18) achieved an IB score of 44 out of a possible 45 points, which converts to an ATAR of 99.85. Ally achieved a maximum score of 7 in Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Japanese and English Literature. From Connewarre, Ally’s decision-making process in Year 10 around whether to select the IB or VCE followed a familiar thread for many 16 year olds; she was unsure of what she wanted to study beyond GGS, so the IB helped to keep her options open. “The IB allowed me to try a bit of everything, while also maintaining a language (Japanese),” she said. Ally is studying Biomedicine at The University of Melbourne.
PROXIME ACCESSIT
OUR TOP VCE STUDENTS
OUR TOP VCE STUDENTS
Nina Morrison (A’18)
William Zheng (Fr’18)
Eliza Radford (He’18)
Nina Morrison (A’18) was the School’s top VCE student in 2018, achieving an ATAR score of 99.75, which included excellent results in Biology (47), Chemistry (50), English (44), Mathematical Methods (42), Physical Education (46) and Specialist Maths (44). From Williamstown, Nina was School Captain in 2018, alongside Lachlan Dodds (M’18), and excelled on the sporting field as well as in the classroom. Nina represented the School in Athletics, Soccer and Tennis, and was drafted with the first pick in the 2018 AFLW draft by the Geelong Cats. Nina is studying Exercise and Sport Science at Deakin.
William Zheng (Fr’18) achieved an ATAR score of 98.1, which included a 45 in Mathematical Methods. From Point Cook, William received the Chinese Second Language Prize and F Stanley Sheppard and M Knappstein Prize for Mathematics in Year 12, and represented the School in Badminton, Soccer and Table Tennis. William is studying Biomedicine at The University of Melbourne.
Eliza Radford (He’18) achieved an ATAR score of 97.5, which included excellent results in Visual Communication Design (50), Psychology (43) and English (41). From Barwon Heads, Eliza began at the School in Highton in Year 7, progressing to Timbertop and on to The Hermitage for Senior School, of which she was a House Prefect in Year 12. Eliza will study Science at The University of Melbourne in 2020, having taken a gap year in 2019.
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SECTION 02 — OUR SCHOOL SECTION 03 — OUR SCHOOL
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We are delighted that Maddy Atkins (Yr12 Cl) and Bobby Jamieson (Yr12 M) will represent our School as School Captains in 2019. Light Blue spoke to Maddy and Bobby about the year ahead. How have you settled into the role of School Captain? Maddy: I have found the transition surprisingly comfortable. Everyone has been incredibly supportive and I have found that there is always someone who has an idea, or feedback, or is just there to lend an ear. That’s made a huge difference and made it a lot easier for me to enjoy the experience. Bobby: My family, friends, teachers and peers have all been incredibly supportive which gives you the confidence to do the job. Each time I speak at assembly I try hard to think of topics that will engage the students and I am enjoying that challenge. I have also really enjoyed meeting new people; students, parents and teachers. Maddy: I have loved the fact that I get to express ideas and messages to all the students and staff during assemblies. At the same time, it’s given me a lot of sleepless nights too, because you do feel kind of exposed when you stand up in front of your peers and share your innermost thoughts. Trying to summarise and decide on a topic that I think everyone will find interesting and enjoyable is really hard. You walk that line between wanting to be inspiring and informative while also just wanting to give a speech that is fun and enjoyable. I also tend to feel very nervous while sitting on stage waiting to talk but once I’m actually talking I usually start enjoying myself and really get into it. Students and teachers always come up afterwards to say “good job”, which is really nice and helps me feel happier about doing it all again.
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2019 SCHOOL CAPTAINS
What is it that you like most about GGS? Maddy: The thing I absolutely love about GGS is that it is a boarding school. I have always felt that this School has really enabled everyone, students and staff alike, to build relationships that you really don’t get at normal schools. I love having the chance to be able to be independent and look after myself, while also always having access to staff and my friends at pretty much any time of the day. GGS feels more like a big family than just a school. Even though there is a sizeable portion of students who don’t board, they are still more involved in the boarding programme than students at a regular day school and I really think that is something quite special.
What do you think makes the School unique? Maddy: I think Timbertop is an experience that never leaves you. Sometimes I think about it when I’m facing something quite challenging and it reminds me that we can always do more than we thought we could if we push ourselves. Bobby: Of course Timbertop, but I also think the house system makes it unique; how the houses are all run differently, all have a mix of students from all parts of the globe, and each have their own vibe. The boarding houses are a home-away-from-home and the students feel a deep loyalty towards their house. At House Music and House Swimming in Term 1, you could really feel the uniqueness of each house. “Community” consistently ranks as one of the School’s top word images in student and parent surveys. Why do you think there is such a strong sense of community at GGS? Maddy: I think that community would be the word that I would use to describe GGS. To the outside world, we exhibit all the characteristics of a small town and within that we actually do interact like a tight-knit community. Most obviously this would be because of boarding, but we have teachers and their young children on campus to be mindful of too. We walk people’s dogs for chores, eat meals with different people every day and have nicknames for nearly every teacher. Do you have any specific goals that you hope to achieve this year as School Captains? Bobby: We hope to encourage students to do their personal best and be supportive of those around them. If we can achieve this perhaps we can keep developing our positive and unique community and leave a healthy environment for years to come.
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SIX IN A ROW
2014
2015
2016
HEADS OF THE RIVER
On Saturday 23 March, our Girls’ 1st Rowing VIII secured the School’s sixth-consecutive Heads of the River title on Lake Nagambie. The victory ties the longest streak in our history, joining the Boys’ crews from 1885-90 and, more recently, the Girls’ crews from 1993-98 with six wins on the trot at the APS Regatta. The Boys’ 1st VIII finished fifth in a tight A final, with just 16 seconds separating the first and last crews across the line.
NATIONAL SELECTION
Our 2019 Captain of Boats, Olivia Moore (Yr12 Cl), has been selected to row for Australia at the Junior Rowing World Championships in Tokyo, Japan from 7 to 11 August 2019. Olivia will compete in the Women’s Coxed Four in what is an all-Victorian crew. Olivia follows in the footsteps of Hamish Wynn-Pope (Cu’18), Jane Perrignon (EM’17), Sasha Culley (Cl’16), Sarah Harte (A’16), Maddison Brown (EM’15), Kirstie Green (A’15) and Bridgette Hardy (Cl’15), all of whom have represented Australia at junior level while at the School.
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2017
2019
2018
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DRAFT STARS AFLW
2018 School Captain Nina Morrison (A’18)was drafted with Pick 1 by the Geelong Cats in last year’s AFLW Draft, becoming the first Geelong Grammar School student to be a part of the AFLW competition. “I was pretty nervous just to hear my name called out,” Nina said of draft night. “It was a huge honour to go number one and to come to the Cats, who I’ve supported my whole life, is pretty special.” While Nina hadn’t played football competitively before 2017, growing up with two brothers (Fergus (A’14) and Harry (A’16)) meant she had been involved in plenty of kick-to-kick in the backyard. Nina believes that her experience playing soccer and tennis, as well as her background in athletics, has helped her transition to playing Aussie Rules. “You can always bring things across from other sports, whether that’s game sense or general fitness,” Nina said. Nina’s AFLW career started with a bang, recording 22 disposals, eight tackles and six clearances, including what proved to be the winning point in the Cats’ opening round win against Collingwood. She received the Round 1 AFLW Rising Star nomination and was voted as the outstanding player on the field by the respective coaches in her first match. Nina suffered a season-ending knee injury just a few days later, undergoing surgery the next week and had to watch from the sidelines as the Cats inaugural campaign came to an end in the preliminary final against Adelaide Crows. Geelong coach, Paul Hood, said following the injury that
“Nina is a resilient young woman and will tackle her recovery from this injury as she does everything, with determination.” That determination was on display during 2018, as Nina juggled her responsibilities as School Captain with her VCE studies, school sport commitments (Soccer, Tennis and Athletics) and everything else that comes with being in Year 12, all while chasing her AFLW dream. “It was a pretty busy year,” Nina said following the draft. “But it’s been good to have that balance between school work and sporting commitments.” Nina had an incredible 2018 season on the field, collecting just about every major award in underage women’s footy and played in the Geelong Cats’ VFLW grand final loss to Hawthorn. Nina was named co-MVP of the Under 18 National Championships alongside Maddy Prespakis, who was taken with Pick 3 by Carlton and with whom Nina also shared the TAC Cup league best and fairest award.
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The number of Old Geelong Grammarians in the AFL swelled to nine in November when Jye Caldwell (P’18) was drafted by the GWS Giants with Pick 11 in the 2018 AFL Draft.
“I’m so glad I went (to GGS),” Jye said. “You just have to make the most of it and talk to the teachers and use everything as much as you can. So on the school side it was good, and the sport was so good down there.”
recruiting staff were elated that Jye was still available when they were on the clock. “He’s a super competitor and has the athleticism most midfielders don’t have,” Adrian Caruso, National Recruiting Manager for GWS, said.
Jye was acquired with the first of two first-round picks the Giants received from Essendon in exchange for trading away gun midfielder Dylan Shiel. There is an inherent pressure that comes with having that Jye had a frustrating year in 2018, suffering a tangible connection with a past player but couple of hamstring injuries as well as a calf the Giants and Jye haven’t shied away from strain and a blow to the kidney. The School’s that, to the point where Jye will wear #5 this 1st XVIII coach, Andy Allthorpe, points season; the number previously worn by Shiel. out that Jye didn’t let his own frustrations While a groin injury sidelined Jye for the affect his leadership. “He was always there first few rounds of the AFL season, Giants’ - training and game day - maintaining coach Leon Cameron was effusive in his a positive belief that anything could be praise of what he had seen from Jye in the achieved,” Andy said. In a way, it was a Boarding at Geelong Grammar School pre-season. “He is a competitive beast. He blessing in disguise for the Giants- they prepared Jye, and indeed a number of recent were interested in Jye and had met with him ploughed in and played like there was four draftees, for the prospect of having to pick points on the line,” Leon said following a during the year in the Sports Office at our up and move their lives interstate. In a profile Corio Campus, but if he had been healthy practice match in February. “He is going to with Emma Quayle for the GWS website, put some fear into a few of our boys when it throughout 2018 and played to his usual it was suggested that “being at Grammar standard, he would have been off the board comes to spots.” forced him to speak up, ask questions and by the time their first pick rolled around make sure he was getting by”. at 11. Even still, on draft night, the Giants’ Jye came to Geelong Grammar School in Year 10 on a Sports Scholarship from Maiden Gully - a suburb of Bendigo - and boarded in Perry House alongside fellow Giant, Brent Daniels (P’17). “It took me a couple of weeks at the start to grasp the vibe around the School,” Jye told AFL.com.au following the draft. “After a couple of weeks, it was just like (being back in) Bendigo.” Jye ultimately grasped the vibe of Geelong Grammar School and departed as a House Prefect and 1st Football captain.
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AFL
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THE BAUHAUS @ GGS
The School marked the centenary of the influential Bauhaus school of art and design with a series of events celebrating the legacy of Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack (Art Master 1942–1957), culminating in an exhibition at our Corio Campus from April 29-May 10. The GGS exhibition coincided with a Hirschfeld Mack exhibition at the Geelong Gallery (February 26-May 26) and a lecture by Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Professor Andrew McNamara, who visited the School as a Richard and Janet Southby Visiting Fellow on May 8. The School also created a Bauhaus Heritage Trail at Corio, with many of the items of significance typifying the Bauhaus principle of Gesamtkunstwerk (“total work of art”), where students collaborated to integrate different art forms, creating objects of beauty and function. The School’s events and activities were part of a worldwide celebration of the centenary of the Bauhaus, which was founded in the German city of Weimar in 1919 and probably had the greatest single influence on design in the 20th Century through its focus on economy of material and form, experimentation of ideas, and through the belief that society could be reformed and improved through the application of art. Geelong Grammar School has a direct connection to the Bauhaus movement through Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack, who studied at the Bauhaus school under notable artists and art theorists, including Johannes Itten, Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky, and was apprenticed to Lyonel Feininger in the print workshop. The rise of Nazism forced Hirschfeld Mack to emigrate to the UK in 1936, where he taught art at various institutions before being deported to Australia as an “enemy alien”.
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Hirschfeld Mack was rescued from an internment camp at Tatura in 1942 by Sir James Darling (Headmaster 1930-61). A visionary educator who developed students’ thinking skills through curiosity and creative engagement with learning, Hirschfeld Mack’s influence on GGS and on Australian art teaching was indelible. “He introduced boys to avant-garde painting techniques and encouraged wood-carving, weaving, musical instrument making, leatherwork and other crafts,” Weston Bate explained in Light Blue Down Under. “He triggered an outburst of fresh activity and in particular gave painting new life and constant renewal.” Under his leadership, students provided scenery, lighting and displays for plays and exhibitions, painted murals (like Ian Baillieu’s (P’56) underwater mural in the Main Quad), created sculptures (like Rix Wright’s (Cu’48) Study and Sport on the Art School gates) and wrought iron fences and gates. “He took us out on painting and drawing expeditions to the You Yangs,” David Corke (FB’47) recalled.
“Because of his abstract ideas he tended to tell us to simplify things and to keep it uncluttered… look for shapes and composition in objects rather than a lot of detail.”
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David Eyre (FB’52) said Hirschfeld Mack had a very clear view of art, design and architecture. “He was interested in all sorts of things – it wasn’t only abstract art,” David said. “He did woodcuts of the trees around the School and school buildings. I think he could teach everything to do with art because he was very knowledgeable and knew all sorts of techniques.” When Hirschfeld Mack retired from teaching in 1957, Darling described him as “an almost perfect man… a beautiful character and an original teacher”. “He was a good man,” David Eyres said.
“He was a principled man and was someone we respected without him seeking it or imposing it. He was a very modest man.” For more information about the Bauhaus @ GGS visit: www.ggs.vic.edu.au/bauhaus100
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↓ SECTION 02 — OUR SCHOOL THE CLYDE BELL
The infamous Clyde bell is ‘dinged’ 17 times each morning and evening for ‘wake up’ and evening roll call respectively. It was the fire bell from the terrace at Clyde School, Woodend, and was relocated to Clyde House, Corio, after amalgamation with GGS in 1976 (along with furniture, beds, blankets, curtains and Clyde School honour boards). The old Clyde School, built as a guesthouse in 1889-90, was a “rabbit warren” of small, crowded rooms and considered a fire hazard – a fire had broken out in 1924, spreading to the classrooms before the Woodend Fire Brigade arrived to save the day. From 1926 onwards, the bell was used for once-aterm fire drills.
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CLYDE PRIDE More than 200 guests braved sweltering 42-degree heat to celebrate the official reopening of Clyde House on Saturday 2 March following a major refurbishment and rebuild. The transformation of Clyde House adds another chapter to Clyde’s rich 110-year history; from Clyde School’s beginnings on Alma Road in East St Kilda to Braemar House at Woodend and the “tin shed” at Corio after amalgamation with GGS in 1976. OGG President, Margie Gillett (Cordner, Clyde’71), suggested “the stars aligned” for her to represent both the Old Geelong Grammarians and the multi-generational Clyde “sisterhood” at the official reopening alongside Chair of Council, Jeremy Kirkwood (FB’79), and Principal, Rebecca Cody – Margie’s sister Kammy Cordner Hunt (Cl’76) was in the first year of Clyde House at Corio, while her mother Anne Cordner (Baillieu, Clyde’43) opened the surviving wing of the boarding house in 1995. The renovation of Clyde House is the most recent in the School’s ongoing renewal of its Senior School boarding facilities – five Senior School boarding house have now been extensively refurbished since Elisabeth Murdoch House was opened in 2010.
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Like those boarding houses, the freshly renovated Clyde House provides single study/bed rooms for all Year 11 and 12 students, while Year 10 students are housed in dorms of four students, which are spread throughout the House to build stronger, inter-yearlevel relationships. Clyde House Captain, Meg Watkins (Yr12 Cl), highlighted the importance of blending the modern, minimalist design features with some of the classic elements of Clyde House. “What this renovation has managed to provide is not only a brand new space with an incredible tennis court, new rooms and common areas, but it has also managed to preserve a lot of what made Clyde, Clyde,” Meg said.
“This renovation will help Clyde, as a house, create stronger connections between the girls and provide so much more room for growth in all aspects of our day-to-day lives. On behalf of the Clyde girls, I would like to thank everyone who helped this idea become a reality. The current generation, and many generations to come, really appreciate your work.”
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FOUNDATION CHAIR
One of the things that means the most to me in my role as Chair of the Geelong Grammar Foundation is the opportunity to experience the enormous generosity of our School community. I am always inspired by the charitable spirit of our community and grateful for the support that the Foundation receives to enable life-changing opportunities for our students. A number of recent events have given me the chance to share my gratitude and say thank you to some of our generous benefactors.
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The inaugural Scholarship Recipient and Benefactor Morning Tea was held before the Leaver’s Service at last year’s Speech Day. The event connected benefactors of named scholarships with graduating Year 12 scholarship students, providing a unique opportunity for donors to meet students and their families and get a real sense of the impact of their giving. It was also a chance for our scholarships students to meet donors and form an understanding of the motivation of the people and institutions who had helped them receive the gift of a Geelong Grammar School education. I found it a profoundly moving experience to see donors and the beneficiaries of their gifts meet and talk to each other face-to-face. We hope the Scholarship Morning Tea will become a permanent part of Speech Day for all graduating scholarship students and their families who wish to participate. Scholarships are so central to the School and the purpose of the Foundation. We were absolutely delighted and gladdened that our 2018 Annual Giving programme elicited such a wonderful response and, in particular, that our community embraced the need for scholarships and contributed so generously and enthusiastically. We aspired to raise $250,000 in 250 days through Annual Giving, encouraging our community to: “Help us, to help others”. It was an ambitious target but our community responded by exceeding our aspirations, donating $300,000, including $232,206 to scholarships. It was heartening to see the significant increase in funds directed to the Michael Collins Persse, Annual Giving, Indigenous and Tommy Garnett scholarship funds. We were also enormously grateful for the establishment of the Handbury Scholarship through our 2018 Annual Giving programme.
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OPPOSITE: Dr Geoff Handbury AO (second from
TOP: The Geelong Grammar Foundation
left) joined the Chair of School Council, Jeremy Kirkwood (FB’79), Principal Rebecca Cody, Chair of the Foundation, Penny McBain, and Paddy Handbury (M’72) for lunch on Monday 26 November 2018 to honour and thank Geoff for his wonderful support of the School.
celebrated 10 Years of Positive Education and the Handbury Centre for Wellbeing on Wednesday 5 September 2018. Pictured, from left, are Paddy Handbury (M’72), Chair of the Foundation, Penny McBain, Chair of the Positive Education Advisory Committee, Andrew Cochrane, and Executive Director of the Foundation, Jo Nitz;
The Handbury family have been munificent supporters of the School for many years. The Foundation celebrated 10 Years of Positive Education and the Handbury Centre for Wellbeing in September. It feels like we have always had Positive Education at GGS, but it was a really brave step by both the School and the Foundation, which provided the initial $1.9 million of seed funding to develop Positive Education. The celebration of 10 Years of Positive Education and the Handbury Centre for Wellbeing was a very happy occasion and an opportunity to thank benefactors and supporters who have facilitated the progression of Positive Education, the establishment of the Institute of Positive Education and its research, curriculum development and outreach work with other schools. It has been very rewarding for all involved to see Positive Education fulfil its potential and make a positive difference to the wellbeing of students and staff, not just at our School, but at schools around Australia and around the world. The celebration of Positive Education was followed by a lunch for Dr Geoff Handbury AO in November, hosted by our Principal, Rebecca Cody, and her husband, Simon Herczykowski.
The development and growth of Positive Education was possible through the generous contributions of many people, but particularly through the ongoing support of the Handbury family, especially Geoff and his late wife Helen.
Chair of School Council, Jeremy Kirkwood (FB’79), Vice Principal, Charlie Scudamore, Principal, Rebecca Cody, Paddy Handbury (M’72) and Director of the Institute of Positive Education, Justin Robinson. ABOVE: The inaugural Scholarship Recipient and Benefactor morning tea was held in the Morris Room on Sunday 21 October 2018 prior to the Speech Day formalities at Corio Campus.
Geoff ensured the lunch was a very entertaining gathering, with a wonderful meal provided by Alliance head chef, John Clark. The lunch was an opportunity for members of our Foundation and School community to express their immense gratitude to Geoff and his family – the contribution of the Handbury family can never be over-estimated and our gratitude to them is constantly in our hearts. We are delighted to welcome Charlie Sutherland (P’86) as the new Chair of the Biddlecombe Society. Charlie has deep family connections to the School and he brings a great deal of passion and enthusiasm to his new role. Charlie hosted a Biddlecombe Society Luncheon at the Barwon Heads Golf Club in March, where he gave a wonderful speech about the purpose of our bequest society and the pivotal role it plays in securing the future of our School. We are thrilled to have Charlie at the helm. We thank David Henry (FB’70) very much for his time as interim Chair last year. The Biddlecombe Society is building on the legacy of our Honorary President, Michael Collins Persse, and our Chairman, Neil Robertson (FB’73), who both passed away last year. We recently appointed two joint Presidents, Mary Morton (Weatherly, Cl’85) and Bill Ranken (M’73), who are both members of the Biddlecombe Society and will support Charlie as ambassadors and advocates for the Society in our community. The Biddlecombe Society continues to grow and we are thrilled to see it flourishing. It is inspiring to experience the enormous and ongoing generosity of our School community. Thank you very much. Penny McBain Chair, Geelong Grammar Foundation
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A FORTUNATE RECIPIENT J
im Allen (P’61), who attended GGS from 1952-61, turned his passion for recreational fishing and angling into a successful chain of specialty tackle stores. After opening his first Compleat Angler store in Melbourne’s CBD in 1967, Jim built a chain of 10 retail stores and became a champion for recreational anglers, serving as President of both the Game Fishing Association of Victoria and Victorian Fly Fishers Association. Jim also worked closely with the Australian Trout Foundation to protect and improve fish habitat, particularly for his beloved Tasmanian wild brown trout. More recently, Jim has joined the Biddlecombe Society so “young Australians from all walks of life” have the opportunity to experience a Geelong Grammar School education. This is what he remembers of his… Glamorgan in the 1950s was a very different place from the Toorak Campus today. So is Corio and Timbertop. Much has changed and yet, in many ways, nothing has changed. I remember sleeping in an L-shaped dormitory on the old grey veranda upstairs at Glamorgan, the morning roll call, the threepence handed out to be deposited in the plate at St John’s Church on Sunday (and that every now and then it wasn’t), the trading of silk worms and marbles, lining up to receive injections (grateful my surname started with A thinking I was getting the needle whilst it was still sharp!), “tippity run” cricket and kicking footballs on the “old grounds” with Ivan Sutherland and Frank Covill, escaping to a nearby grandparent for a spoil of drop scones, the dusty gym and German gym master who made us climb ropes higher than any of us had climbed before. All of these memories come flashing back. Then on to Junior School at Corio, where Connewarre Housemaster, David ‘Frosty’ Colman, threatened us with the cane if we didn’t write home on Sunday or eat what was put in front of us. I remember being dragged out of bed to see a Russian sputnik sweeping past the stars overhead, cold showers before breakfast, sleeping on horsehair mattresses on windswept balconies, John Landy running around Main Oval to train for the 1956 Olympic Games, Rutter badges, Saturday Parties on bicycles, when Lara had only a few 36
buildings and a general store, and the “great push” down the You Yangs. On then to Senior School and Perry House, headed up by Vic Tunbridge, and learning the meaning of house spirit. Then Timbertop for the year in 1959, under the stewardship of Hugh ‘Basher’ Montgomery, with weekend hikes and cross country runs to Buller Road, collecting butterflies, moths and orchids. The freedom and risks – left completely to our own devices in the bush from Friday afternoon until 5pm Sunday – would be unthinkable today. Then back to Senior School to finish an education. We all belonged to a special place at the time and looking back now, possibly with rose-coloured glasses, the successful contributions to life in Australia were not marked by one’s success, sporting or scholastic, at Geelong Grammar School, but more likely by just being there. The unknown, unseen imprint had been made.
JRD’s mantra of “respect, relationships and responsibility”, were seen, even then, as more important than the Three Rs of reading, writing and arithmetic. There has of course been significant changes in half a century, but the strength of the School is still the same today.
The development of the Biddlecombe Society gives an opportunity for all those who spent their teenage years at Geelong Grammar School so long ago a chance to reflect on the personal impact that the School has had on them at a different time, in a different era. I don’t think it was just about education. It was much, much more. For many, our parents and grandparents made serious sacrifices for us to attend. We were the fortunate recipients. Much has changed and today many different scholarships exist for good reasons. Not just for sporting or scholastic ability, but to ensure that the School has an intake of young Australians from all walks of life and for them to grow with other students from around the world in an environment that still today, provides a very unique (and hopefully never seen as elitist) education.
→ The Biddlecombe Society recognises
those who have decided to provide a Bequest to the Geelong Grammar Foundation in their Will as an enduring way of supporting the future of the School. For further information please contact Garry Pierson, Associate Director, Advancement Office, on: +61 3 5273 9136 or GarryP@ggs.vic.edu.au LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL
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2018 ANNUAL GIVING It is with much appreciation and gratitude that we thank our community for helping us, to help others by supporting the 2018 Annual Giving programme.
ANNUAL GIVING
Annual Giving provides opportunities for students they would not otherwise be able to access; through scholarships and bursaries, support for libraries and refurbishment of Timbertop units. The Geelong Grammar Foundation had an aspiration to raise $250,000 in 250 days. It is because of our community that we were able to achieve this ambitious goal and more. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this success.
$50,000
INCREASE IN GIVING FROM 2017
NUMBER OF DONORS
284 77% 45 OF GIFTS DIRECTED TO SCHOLARSHIPS
NEW DONORS
22% $300,000 TOTAL
INCREASE IN SUPPORT FROM OGGS
Endowment Fund 2.1%
Yacht Club Rebuilding Project 2.1%
Other 1%
Hartley Mitchell Scholarship 3.5%
Handbury Scholarship 16.7%
JR Darling Memorial Scholarship 5.5%
SCHOLARSHIPS
Scholarships continue to play a vital role at Geelong Grammar School. With the support from our 2018 Annual Giving programme, more students will benefit from a Geelong Grammar School education, which they otherwise would not have the opportunity to do. There was a significant increase in the level of support for the Annual Giving and Michael Collins Persse scholarships in 2018. Currently, there are three students attending the School via the Annual Giving Scholarship (we are currently advertising for a new student to commence in 2020) and there are four students on the Michael Collins Persse Scholarship. A new scholarship, the Handbury Scholarship, was also established through the 2018 Annual Giving programme, while more than $38,000 was raised for Indigenous scholarships.
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51%
LARGEST GIFT
Tommy Garnett Scholarship 6.6% Library Fund 8.6%
Michael Collins Persse Scholarship 15.8%
Timbertop Unit Refurbishment 9.7% Indigenous Scholarship 12.9%
Annual Giving Scholarship 15.5%
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PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK
Founded as a private girls’ school in 1910 by Miss Isabel Henderson, Clyde School relocated from St Kilda to Braemar House at Woodend in 1919. Braemar had been built in 1889-90, designed by Italian-born architect Louis Boldini, and operated as a guesthouse and “resort-style sanatorium” – one of its investors was Melbourne physician, Dr Duncan Turner, who was a specialist in tuberculosis and advocated the health benefits of the cooler altitudes of Mount Macedon. Unfortunately, the economic depression of the 1890s meant the guesthouse struggled financially, and ownership was passed to William Knox (grandfather of David Knox (P’35), the eponym of the David William Robert Knox Equestrian Centre at Corio). With almost 200 students, including 70 boarders, Clyde was bursting at the seams in St Kilda, and Miss Henderson believed that “the country was a healthier environment for growing girls”. In 1918, she became the new owner of Braemar House and 172 acres of grounds, with a view to Hanging Rock, less than 8 kilometres away.
The Mail Room is a place for our wider school community to share news, notes and pictures of life beyond school. The Mail Room builds on the
Clyde girls were immediately fascinated with the Rock, particularly the “mystic lake” – the name given to the effect of the distinctive mountain top poking through low-lying clouds, inspiring “countless odes and sonnets”. The Camera Club made an excursion to the Rock in that very first year at Woodend: “a dray was hired, food packed in baskets, and the girls and mistresses set off in the early afternoon”. The annual picnic at Hanging Rock became one of Clyde School’s most treasured traditions – in later years, the girls walked the distance there and back, “which rather took the gloss off the outing”.
strong sense of community that we share and the foundation work of Michael Collins Persse, who was such an invaluable oracle of information and a vital touchpoint for so many students, staff and parents, both past and present. The Mail Room is a celebration of Michael’s legacy.
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Clyde Old Girl, Joan Lindsay (Weigall, Clyde 1911-14, Dux in 1913), wrote her famous novel, Picnic at Hanging Rock (Cheshire Publishing, 1967), about a group of female students at a girls’ boarding school who vanish at Hanging Rock while on a Valentine’s Day picnic in 1900. Lindsay said that her story was inspired by a dream she had, with the fictional Appleyard College based “to some extent” on Clyde School. For many, the similarities were striking. While Lindsay had graduated from Clyde before the relocation to Woodend, her cousins Elizabeth Donaldson (Weigall, Cl’19), Priscilla Hosgood (Weigall, Cl’20), Barbara Darvall (Weigall, Cl’29) and Celia Sklovsky (Weigall, Cl’31) all attended Clyde in those early years at Woodend.
The story was further embedded in Australian culture when it was adapted by film director Peter Weir in 1975 and became Australia’s first international hit film. American film critic Roger Ebert described it as “a film of haunting mystery and buried sexual hysteria” that “employs two of the hallmarks of modern Australian films: beautiful cinematography and stories about the chasm between settlers from Europe and the mysteries of their ancient new home”. More recently, the story was adapted for a 2018 TV drama series, which starred Game of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer and screened on Foxtel in Australia, BBC Two in the UK and Amazon in the USA.
Lindsay’s novel purposefully blurred the lines between fact and fiction, and the book has been the subject of much critical analysis about romanticism and feminism. In her journal article, ‘Fear and Loathing in the Australian Bush: Gothic Landscapes in Bush Studies and Picnic at Hanging Rock’, Macquarie University academic, Kathleen Steele, argued that another of the novel’s themes was the relationship between modern Australia and the displacement of its Indigenous population – that the disappearing characters reflected the Wurundjeri, Taungurong, and Dja Dja Wurrung, who gathered at the Rock for important ceremonies before European settlement.
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COMMUNITY NEWS 1941 James ( Jim) Waldo Lance AO CBE (Cu’41), who was born on 29 February 1926 and died on 20 February 2019, was a pioneering neurologist who founded the Department of Neurology in the newly established Medical School at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in 1960. He remained at UNSW throughout his academic career, starting as Senior Lecturer (196163), then Associate Professor (1964-74), before becoming Australia’s first Professor of Neurology in 1975. Born in Wollongong, Jim was educated at Tudor House prep school in Moss Vale before joining Junior School in 1939. He spent three years at Corio, becoming a Scout Patrol Leader, but was forced to leave at the end of Form IV as interstate travel became more difficult during the war, transferring to The King’s School in Parramatta in 1942. Although his maternal grandfather, James Douglas Stewart, founded the School of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney, Jim developed a strong desire to study Medicine. He completed his medical degree at the University of Sydney in 1950 and began his clinical work at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Having developed an interest in brain physiology through Professor Peter Bishop, who had started the Brain Research Unit at the University of Sydney, Jim took up a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) fellowship. He travelled to London in 1954 to train as a neurologist while working at Hammersmith Hospital before accepting a position as assistant house physician at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Queen Square. He returned to Australia, combining teaching at the University of Sydney with his role as superintendent at the Northcott Neurological Centre and assistant physician at Sydney Hospital. It was during this period that Jim began researching the migraine, analysing the case histories of 500 migraine patients and travelling to America to work with the “father of neurology” Dr Raymond Adams, who ran the Neurology Department of Harvard Medical School at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Their work together resulted in a paper on post-hypoxic myoclonus, now known as the Lance-Adams syndrome, while Jim’s pioneering migraine research was published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry ( JNNP). He returned to Australia to establish the UNSW Department of Neurology at the Prince Henry and Prince of Wales hospitals, where he was Chairman of the Department of Neurology (1961-92) and founding Director of the Institute of Neurological Sciences (1990-92). He focussed his research on the physiology of the migraine, which led to the discovery of sumatriptan, which remains the world’s most groundbreaking development in the treatment of
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migraine. Jim collaborated with Glaxo Laboratories in London and established the James Lance GSK Clinical Trials Unit at Prince of Wales Hospital. He authored and co-authored several important books, including Mechanism and Management of Headache (Butterworth-Heinemann, 1969, now in its 7th edition), A Physiological Approach to Clinical Neurology (Butterworth-Heinemann, 1970, now in its 3rd edition) and Migraine and Other Headaches (Scribner, 1986, now in its 2nd edition). He also wrote a children’s book, The Golden Trout (Thomas Nelson, 1977). Jim served as President of the Australian Association of Neurologists and helped establish the Brain Foundation for neurological disorders, brain disease and brain injuries, which awards the James Lance Award for headache research each year. He was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1977, Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) in 1991 and awarded the Centenary Medal of Federation in 2001. Jim Lance is survived by wife Judy, five children, Fiona, Sarah, Jenny, Robert and Sophie, 19 grandchildren and a great grandchild.
Cynthia Wagg (Sterling, Clyde’41), who was born on 3 May 1926 and died on 8 October 2018, was a member of the joint ArmyNavy Special Intelligence Bureau in Melbourne that decoded Japanese ciphers during World War II. Cynthia grew up in Toorak and attended Clyde School from 1937-41, winning Junior Best All-round Sport in 1938 and Senior Best All-round Sport in 1941. She was also Treasurer of the Music Club, Secretary of the Gardening Club, Camera Club Committee and Dramatic Secretary, appearing in the 1941 school play, She Stoops to Conquer. In her final year she was a Prefect and House Captain of Faireleight, Baseball Captain and Senior Doubles Tennis Champion. Cynthia’s sisters, Judith Reindl (Sterling, Clyde’46) and Pamela de Vreught (Sterling, Clyde’48), followed her at Clyde, where Pamela was School Captain in 1948, while her brother, Ian Sterling (M’44), attended GGS, where he was Senior Prefect and House Captain of Manifold. Cynthia studied Music at Melbourne University and served in the Australian Navy during WWII as part of the Special Intelligence Bureau, which made considerable progress decoding Japanese communications. United States Navy code-breakers, whom the Japanese had forced from the Philippines, arrived in Australia to join forces with the Special Intelligence Bureau, forming the Fleet Radio Unit in Melbourne. After the war, Cynthia married John Wagg, and they made their home in Toorak before moving to a cattle property at Riddells Creek in
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1949 Edmée Cudmore (Rushbrooke, The Hermitage’49) and her daughter Diana Hill’s publication Mr Guilfoyle’s Shakespearian Botany (Miegunyah Press, 2018), was launched at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne in September 2018. Mr Guilfoyle’s Shakespearian Botany is the first in a trilogy compiling the writings of William Robert Guilfoyle, curator and director of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne 18731909. Edmée, pictured above with granddaughter Catherine Hill (He'18) has long been a champion of Guilfoyle, whose unusual education and early experiences shaped his life’s work as a botanist, taxonomist and landscaper. Both Mr Guilfoyle’s Shakespearian Botany and Mr Guilfoyle’s Honeymoon (April 2019) – which comprises a series of 30 articles detailing his travels around the parks and gardens of Europe and Great Britain in 1890 – owe much to William’s studies of English and European history and literature. Mr Guilfoyle’s South Sea Islands Adventure (August 2019) will feature an account of William’s voyage on HMS Challenger to Tonga, Fiji and Vanuatu, which led to his election as a Fellow of the Linnean Society at the age of 27 and ultimately influenced the painterly vistas of Melbourne’s Botanic Gardens.
The beautifully illustrated Mr Guilfoyle’s Shakespearian Botany was launched by Professor Tim Entwisle, Director and CEO of the Royal Botanic Gardens, at Mueller Hall, Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens.
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the Macedon Ranges. They had four children, Elizabeth, Nicholas (M’71), Michael (M’74) and Roderick (M’83), and retired to Barwon Heads, where Cynthia was very active in community service, volunteering with a wide range of charities, including the Friends of the Geelong Botanic Gardens, Girl Guides Victoria, Meals on Wheels, Red Cross and Riding for the Disabled. Cynthia is survived by her children, eight grandchildren (including OGGs, Maddie Wagg (Cl’08) and Olivia Wagg (Cn’06)), and three great grandchildren.
Lyn Mulligan (Bleakley, The Hermitage’49) was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours for service to the community through a range of organisations. Ocean Grove’s Voice community newspaper reported that since growing up on a family farm near Horsham, the former HOGA President has had a passion for helping others. Lyn’s sister was a quadriplegic, which meant the whole family simply became accustomed to doing their fair share of helping. “It was a home where the whole family helped look after her,” Lyn told the Voice. “I grew up in a very caring family. I came from a Christian family, but they were always open minded.” Following a career as a surgery nurse at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Lyn moved to Ocean Grove and helped start the Ocean Grove Barwon Heads Hospice in the 1970s. The 87-year-old is now involved in various local charities in Ocean Grove and beyond, and is particularly passionate about the plight of refugees. The mother of four was a foundation committee member of the Dove Opportunity Shop and has given sustained service to Oxfam Ocean Grove, the Uniting Church, Rural Australians for Refugees, Bikes for Humanity, Bellarine Community Health and Girl Guides Victoria.
1950 Hector Walker (P’50), who was born on 11 January 1932 and died 25 April 2018, was a muchloved teacher at Brighton Grammar School for 37 years who also presented the popular Apres Midi concert programme on Melbourne classical radio station 3MBS for three decades. Born in Kyneton, Hector was educated at Mansfield Higher Elementary School before receiving a scholarship to attend GGS in 1945. He flourished at Corio, where he became a Sub Prefect, editor of The Corian, a member of the Literary Society, Lance sergeant in the Cadet Corps, represented the School in Hockey, finished fourth in the 100 yards and won the Argus Literature Prize. A keen musician, Hector played piano and double bass in several school concerts and was Secretary of the Musical Society. From GGS, he went to Trinity College at Melbourne University, where he sang in the choir, graduating in 1954 with a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma of Education. He taught briefly in the UK before joining Brighton Grammar in 1955, where he taught History (English and Egyptian), English, Latin and Drama, played the organ in Chapel and directed award-winning school plays. Brighton Grammar’s Senior Chaplain, Fr Tony Poole, described Hector as “the consummate teacher”, whilst past BGS students remembered a “kind, thoughtful and understanding teacher” who had
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an “infectious passion” for History and Music. He retired from BGS in 1991 and, having trained as a programmer/ presenter at 3MBS, his focus shifted to his weekly Apres Midi concert programme, which showcased his favourite composers, including Vaughan Williams (especially his Sea Symphony), Edward Elgar, William Sterndale Bennett, Charles Villiers Stanford and Ernest John Moeran, as well as Australian composers Percy Grainger, Edgar Bainton, William Lovelock and Alfred Francis Hill. “It was the music itself that was paramount to Hector, and those lucky enough to be mentored by him learnt quickly that presenting was not about them but how well they served the music,” 3MBS colleague Rod Watson explained. Hector also became a volunteer at Bayley House in Brighton, a support service for adults with intellectual difficulties, sharing his passion for music during Morning Melodies each Wednesday. He received the Helping Hand Silver Wreath Award for outstanding service in 2006 and an honorary life membership of Bayley House in 2009. Hector lived with his sister Margaret in the family home in Ormond with their beloved cats Esmeralda and Elvis for many years before moving into an aged care facility in Brighton in 2015.
1955
1957 Hamish Russell (Cu’57) received the 2018 Premier’s Award for Victorian Senior of the Year for his exceptional volunteer work in his local community of Lilydale and throughout the Yarra Valley. The retired agricultural scientist received the award from the Governor of Victoria, Linda Dessau AC, at a ceremony at Government House in October, recognising his extraordinary commitment to give back to the community. “I suspect that substantial credit should go to Dr Darling for his final exhortation to school leavers in 1957 that we had been given much and much would be expected of us,” Hamish said. For the past 24 years Hamish has given much to his community, serving as Chair of both the Board of Management at the Lilydale Community Hospital and the Yarra Ranges Health and Wellbeing Advisory Committee, leading the development of the Yarra Ranges Public Health and Wellbeing Plan. Hamish was a senior executive with the Victorian Health Department and has served on various boards and committees of local health services, including Cardinia Dementia Care, the Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network, Inspiro Community Health, Ranges Community Health and the Lilydale Super Clinic. He has also guided the amalgamation of nine magnificent gardens in the Dandenong Ranges under the umbrella of Parks Victoria as Chairman of the Dandenong Ranges Gardens Trust.
1967 Dr Chatrachai (Chat) Virapongse (P’67), who was born 30 October 1949 and died on 8 August 2018, had a long career as a specialist radiologist, becoming Jenny Gubbins (Young, The Hermitage ’55) was awarded a an Associate Professor of Neuro Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2018 Queen’s Computed Tomography at Birthday Honours for services to community health. Yale University and Professor Warrnambool’s The Standard reported that Jenny was the of Radiology at the University driving force behind the establishment of the Hamilton of Florida. Born in Bangkok, Thailand, Chat joined Bostock and District Aged Care Trust in 1992, which has raised House in 1960 and matriculated from Corio in 1967 with a about $1 million through fundraisers and philanthropic Prize for Latin and Second Class Honours in Mathematics trusts, as well as helping access millions in government and Physics. He enjoyed Football and was Captain of the funding. Jenny was President of the Trust from 1993-2016 undefeated Connewarre House team in Middle School in and said that she was proud of raising funds for The Grange 1964 and a member of the 1st XVIII in 1967. He completed Residential Care facility, which provides permanent and a degree in Medicine at Melbourne University in 1973, and respite accommodation for 50 residents and offers nursing then travelled to the United States to complete a residency in care to the frail, elderly and disabled in Hamilton. She said radiology at Saint Raphael Hospital in Connecticut. He joined there had been a nursing home in Hamilton, but when her Yale University before moving to Florida in 1985, where he was mother ended up in that facility it was in desperate need of appointed Professor of Radiology at the age of 39. Chat began an upgrade. It inspired Jenny to establish the Hamilton and working as a neruo-radiologist at one of America’s largest District Aged Care Trust and fundraise for a new aged-care medical clinics, the Watson Clinic in Lakeland, in 1989. He also home. Jenny and a group of friends formed the committee served as the Florida-based clinic’s radiology spokesperson and raised money through bridge games, luncheons, garden before retiring from medicine in 2014, giving Chat more days and bus trips. “In those days there weren’t a lot of time to indulge in his many interests, including poetry, fundraising things actually,” she explained. “Now it seems photography, cycling and music (guitar and piano). Having to be everyone is fundraising. It just all fell into place and we published more than 60 academic papers, Chat also began were lucky. I don’t know why I’m getting this (medal) because all of us worked hard.” A wing of The Grange Residential Care writing fiction, publishing his first novel, The Billion-Year Rose facility was named in Jenny’s honour in 2002 and she received (WaveCloud, 2017), which was the first volume of a planned science-fiction series (Song of the Martian) which explored the a Shire of Southern Grampians Community Recognition impacts of brain digitisation. Chat Virapongse is survived by Award in 2009. his wife Jirawun and three children, Avarin, Anunta and Arika.
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1969 50 YEAR TIMBERTOP REUNION
At the 1969 Timbertop Reunion were: 1
David Brownsworth (Ge’70), Simon Crane (Cu’71) and Stuart Tuck (P’71)
2 Anton Harding (P’71), Lou Hope (M’71) and Chris Leighton (Cu’71) 3 A Unit members return (left to right) Richard Graham (Cu’71), Ace Hardy (P’71), John Hawkes (FB’71), Sandy Hunter (M’71), Tim Moran (M’71) and Kearon Carr (Ge’71) 4 Nigel Austin (FB'71), Sandy Hunter (M'71), Rick Fleetwood (P'71) and Richard Graham (Cu'71) 5 L to R Rick Fleetwood (P’71), Sandy Hunter (M’71), Chris Leighton (Cu’71) and Fred Sewell (P’71) 6 Robert Clampett (P'71), Philip Martin (M'71), George Warner (P'71) and Lyn Warner 7
The 1969 Reunion group
8 Chris Commins (FB'71) and Fred Sewell (P'71) 9 Kearon Carr (Ge'71), Marcus von Moger (M'71), Andrew Hawker (M'71) and Ken Davis (Cu'71) 10 Anton Harding (P’71) and Philip Martin (M’71) 11 Philip Trinca (M’71), Kearon Carr (Ge’71), Lou Hope (M’71) and Ace Hardy (P’71)
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OGG PRESIDENT The Old Geelong Grammarians’ Association has rolled into 2019 buoyed by a bumper year of attendance at OGG and GGS community events in 2018. It was a year of transition, as we farewelled Stephen Meek and welcomed Rebecca Cody, the School’s twelfth Principal. It is fair to say that Rebecca’s arrival created a buzz of positive energy and OGGs took full advantage of opportunities to meet her at OGG branch gatherings and other events across Australia and overseas. There was also record attendance at OGG reunions in 2018, while the annual Tower Luncheon on Saturday 10 November attracted the largest crowd in its 19-year history. The Tower Luncheon is for people who left school (GGS, Clyde and The Hermitage) 50 or more years ago, and the collective gathering of wisdom, experience and longevity is palpable. The 2018 Tower Luncheon began with a service in the Chapel of All Saints, where readings were delivered by Anne Latreille (Dalrymple, Cl’63) and HOGA President Deidre Griffiths (He’68), the OGG Prayer was led by Andrew Patterson (P’68), and Bill Charles (Ge’37), his powerful voice undiminished at 98, led the Intercessions. Rebecca Cody received a warm reception to her first Tower Luncheon. It was also the first time for 1968 school leavers from GGS, Clyde School and The Hermitage, who were all well represented on the day. Nonagenarians Alan Officer (FB’44), David Barber (P’47), Christian Macdonald (Hamilton, He’43), Beatrice Hortin (Winterbottom, He’43) and Bill Charles (Ge’37) were duly recognised, while centenarian Margaret Ganly (Burn, He’31), who turned 103 on July 7, received an extra honourable mention. Margaret lives in Torquay and loves golf and ocean swimming. Her unique home, 'Scammell House', was constructed by her grandfather with timber salvaged from the shipwreck of the Joseph H. Scammell, which ran aground on a reef near Point Danger in 1891. Our guest speaker was Alexander Downer AC (Bw’64), who retired from 34 years of political and diplomatic life when he signed off as Australia’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom in April 2018, a position also held by his father Sir Alick Downer (Cu’27) from 1963-1972.
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Alexander worked as an economist for Westpac and as an Australian diplomat in Belgium and Luxembourg, before serving as an adviser to the then Liberal Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser (Gl’37). He entered politics as the Member for Mayo in 1984, and after a brief period as Opposition Leader in 1994, became Australia’s longest serving Minister for Foreign Affairs (1996-2007), playing a pivotal role in delivering independence in East Timor, Australia’s response to global terrorism and conflicts in the Middle East, as well as a wide range of international issues including human rights, the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, climate change and various natural disasters. Alexander resigned from Parliament in 2008 and was appointed Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Cyprus. Since stepping down as High Commissioner to the UK, he has served as the Executive Chairman of the International School of Government at King’s College, London.
Former sparring partner, Tony Walker (FB’64), joined Alexander at the microphone for a lively Q&A exchange worthy of the ABC show of the same name. After a long and storied career as a journalist, Tony is now a Vice Chancellor’s Fellow at La Trobe University, having been a foreign correspondent in China, the Middle East and America for the ABC, Fairfax and the Financial Times. We were very privileged to share the engagement of two of Australia’s finest political, analytical and enquiring minds at the Tower Luncheon. Outside in the sunshine, a parade of distinguished and vintage motor vehicles was returning to the School for afternoon tea under the Centenary Oak after a day of adventurous touring for the Annual OGG Motoring Event, organised by David Henry (FB’70), assisted by wife Belinda and son Will (FB’17).
Speech Day on Sunday 15 October was another significant moment of transition Alexander was able to provide a unique as the Class of 2018 were presented with perspective of world affairs in the 21st prizes and valedictory gifts. Rebecca Century and their impact on Australia, Cody’s sermon in Chapel reflected on from Brexit to Trump, Russian election the courage and resilience that young hacking and the rise of China. He people can build to enable confidence recalled arriving at Corio in 1963 and in their own identity and abilities. She what a very large place it seemed to be said that learning to find courage to a young schoolboy from Adelaide; can help in overcoming adversity, when a crystal set radio made by the developing wisdom from experience boys in Barwon House crackled through or in planning for the future. Guest the news of JFK’s assassination; and his speaker, neuroscientist Dr Elisa Hill 11-year-old self writing a letter to the (Cl’90), inspired with her own story of local Member for Corio and Minister persistence and optimism, highlighting for Immigration, Sir Hubert Opperman, the importance of opportunity and thus marking his first engagement in inclusivity. They were powerful public life. Alexander suggested that the messages for the Year 12 students about world today was an easier place to live to embark upon VCE and IB exams and than in the 1960s, with mass education their journey beyond school, as Old and a liberal market model delivering Geelong Grammarians. To the Class of prosperity, peace and empowerment 2018, your fellow OGGs wish you the to a greater proportion of the global very best for your future endeavours population and a decline in absolute and success. There is a lifetime of poverty. He also spoke about identity opportunities ahead to make the most politics and globalisation, social divisions of your connection with the worldwide and the erosion of people’s loyalty or OGG network. Remember to drop a line sense of belonging to a nation, a tribe or to the Alumni office when you move to a community. Timbuktu, update your contact details over the years and keep in touch with the GGS community. You will always find a warm welcome. Margie Gillett (Cordner, Cl’71) OGG President (2015-2019)
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TOWER LUNCHEON
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1 Tony Bryant, Jaki Bryant (Fenton, Clyde ’65), Hugh Beggs (M’55), Rebecca Cody and 6
David Hawker (M’67) 2 Ed White (Cu’58) 3 Richard Webster, Deryk Stephens (M’56), Nigel Porteous and Jenny Porteous (Irvine, The Hermitage '59) 4 Tony Walker (FB’64), Alexander Downer (Bw’64), Rebecca Cody and Peter Chomley (Ge’63) 5 Margie Gillett (Cordner, Clyde ’71) with Christian Macdonald (Hamilton, The Hermitage '43), Beatrice Hortin (Winterbottom, The Hermitage '43) and Prue Rees (Hortin, The Hermitage '67) 6 Rob Benson (Ge’68) and Giles Waterman (FB’68) 7 Alexander Downer (Bw’64) and David
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Hawker (M’67)
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OGG GATHERINGS
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HONG KONG COCKTAIL PARTY
1 Christine Olesnicky, President PPN Hong Kong Chapter, Jo Nitz,
A Cocktail Party was jointly hosted in Hong Kong by the Geelong Grammar Foundation and the Old Geelong Grammarians on Wednesday 31 October.
2 Edward Wilkinson, Rebecca Cody, Sarah Wilkinson, Georgia Manifold
Director of Advancement and Ka Kee Pyne and Nelson Ni 3 Paul Ng (FB’88), James Rein (Timbertop ‘83) and Desmond Ting (FB’87) 4 Zachary Lee (P’08) and Christopher Nowell (M’11) 5 Suzy Rayment and Roland Wu (P’93), President OGG HK Branch 6 Jacky Shi (FB’97), Jacky Wong (M’99), Philip Chin (Cu’96), Adrian Tsang (Cu’93) and Jeffry Ho (M’97)
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OGG TIMBERTOP MORNING Head of Timbertop Tom Hall spoke to over 160 OGGs about life at Timbertop in 2018 at the OGG Timbertop Morning on Saturday 22 September. (The 2019 OGG Timbertop Morning will be held on Saturday 21 September.) 1 David Wilson (M’65) with his daughter Amy Guest (Wilson, He’97) 2 Peter McCallum (P’60), Balcombe Griffiths (M’61), Jo Larritt (FB’61), Ross Weber (P’61) and Tony Campbell (M’60) were some of the 18 members of the 1958 Timbertop group who returned to Timbertop as part of their 60th reunion celebrations 3 John Rennie (P’60), Howard Charles (M’60), Anne Charles and David Palmer (P’59) were
4 Daniel Sanchez (Cu'11), Caroline Fieldus (EM’11), Jack Kincaid (P’11), Marnie Derham (EM’11) and Bec Stirk (EM’11) were some of the 45 members of the 2008 Timbertop group who came
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back to visit the campus. They had also arranged a meal in Mansfield that night. 5 Glen Liddell-Mola (P’64) with his son David Sinowai visited from Papua New Guinea 6 Lister Hannah (FB’61) and Jo Larritt (FB’61), part of the 1958 60th Reunion group at the Timbertop Open Morning 7 Tyler Dodd (Fr’15), Parsa Rahimi (Fr’15), Lucas Schlotzer De Lucio (A’15) and Daniel Song (FB’15) from the 2012 Timbertop group
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among the 1958 60th Reunion group
SA BRANCH GATHERING At the 2018 Adelaide Dinner were: 8 Diana Todd (Lewis, Clyde ’61), Margie Rymill (Cornell, Clyde ’61) and Mimi Forwood (Osborne, Clyde ’61) 9 Oscar McLachlan (M’17), Oscar McVann (FB’17), Ruth Vagnarelli (Hickinbotham, Cl’82), Sophie Roderick (He’17) and Winnie Packer (EM’16)
10 Ruth Vagnarelli (Hickinbotham, Cl’82) with outgoing OGG SA Branch President
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Bill Seppelt (M’64) and incoming President Brooke Yates (MacLachlan, Cl’86) 11 Alister Haigh (Cu’72), John Vagnarelli, Rebecca Cody and Penny Gale 12 Mark Roderick, Fergus McLachlan (Li’88) and Sophie Honner 12
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WA BRANCH GATHERING
OGG GATHERINGS
At the OGG WA Branch gathering in Perth in March were: 1. Ben Madin (FB'89) and James Gibney (P'08) 2. Past GGS staff members Mike Armstrong (P'72), Ian Giles and Romeo Charles with Ingrid Tolman (Buckingham, Li'72) 3. Past and current parents Louis Verheggen and Wayne Jones with Iain McGregor (M'84) and past staff member Rodney Steer 4. Principal, Rebecca Cody with OGG WA Branch President, Andrew McMillan (M'77) and his wife Sally McMillan 5. John Harper (FB'54), Peter Pratten (FB'57) and Rory Argyle (FB'54) 6. Maryellen Yencken, Anna McGregor, Anne Verheggen and Patricia Hawkey 7. Giles Waterman (FB'68), Katie Thorne and Martin Clydesdale (Fr'81) 8. Hugh Edwards (Cu'50), Don Bone (Ge'50) and Rory Argyle (FB'54)
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SINGAPORE RECEPTION At the Principal’s Reception in Singapore in April were: 1. Frances Abdul Haadii (Lo, Je'90) with her son, current Perry House Captain, Nik Azmi Mohamad Nor (Yr12 P) and Principal, Rebecca Cody 2. Thomas Griffiths (A'99), Jane Griffiths and Alasdair Crooke (Cu'92) 3. OGG Singapore Branch President, Randall Lee (P'93), Catherine Keenan (MapleBrown, Ga'94) and Yurika Kurakata (Ga'92) 4. Nicolette Yim (Cl'09) and current parent Karina Zambon 6
5. James Craik (A'81) and Tom Wenzel (P'82) 6. Bridget Phelps (Smith, A'84), Michelle Owen, Sommer Dunham and Chris Dunham
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OGG SPORT
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1 OGFC Women’s Senior team 2 Scott Dixon (A’13) in action against Fitzroy in Round 7 3 Boz Parsons (M'36) presented the Boz Parsons Cup to the winner of the OGG Golf Day Individual Par Handicap for Men, Peter Jackson (Ge'68) 4 The Tommy Garnett Cup for the Individual Par Handicap for Women was presented at the OGG Golf Day to Julie Morgan (The Hermitage, '69) by event organiser Jon Malpas (Fr’97) 5 The Clyde team at the Women’s Interschool Golf were Prue Plowman (Manifold, Clyde '63), Angela Alcock (Gardner, Clyde '65), Janet Coombes (Dalrymple, Clyde '67) and Julie Cole (Baird, Clyde '68) 6 The Hermitage team at the Women's Interschool Golf were Prue Webb (Spittle, The Hermitage '70), Libby Nicholson (Calvert, The Hermitage '68), Suzy Hurley ( Jones, The Hermitage '73) and Liz Morgan (Schofield, The Hermitage '60) 7 Event organisers Sam Bingley (M'94) and Sam Cole (OGC) with the winning trophy presented to the Old Geelong Grammarians at the OGG v OGC Golf Day 8 At the Women's Interschool Golf Challenge Cup, the Geelong Grammar team were Penelope D’Alton (McGregor, Cl'93), Zara Brookes (Morrison, Cl'82), Serena Mitchell (Mackinnon, Cl'83) and Chrissy Skinner (Condon, Je'76)
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OLD GEELONG FOOTBALL CLUB Old Geelong has experienced a mixed start to its first season in the second-tier Premier B division of the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) since the 1960s. Last season, the Oggers finished in third place in Premier C and sealed promotion with a one-point thriller against Williamtown CYMS in the preliminary final. This season, a 13-point win against Beaumaris in round one was followed by a 134-point loss to Old Scotch in round two and, more recently, a 27-point win in the grand final re-match with Fitzroy. But the biggest change at the club has been the very popular addition of women’s teams (Seniors and Reserves). “The girls have made a massive difference,” Senior men’s coach Nick Bourke said. “We now have 130 registered girls and on a Thursday they (men and women) all train together and we have a dinner afterwards and there can be 250 there. We have 21 brother-sisters.”
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OGG GOLF DAY 80 entrants (including a record 25 women) participated in the OGG Golf Day at Barwon Heads Golf Club on Friday 9 November 2018. Peter Jackson (Ge’68) edged Ben Apted (A’94) on countback to win the Boz Parsons Cup, and Julie Morgan (The Hermitage, '69) won the Tommy Garnett Cup. Thanks go to event organiser Jon Malpas (Fr’97) and also to Zara Brookes (Morrison, Cl’82) for encouraging so many women to come along. To participate in OGG Golf events please contact Katie Rafferty, Alumni Manager, on tel: +613 5273 9338 or email: oggs@ggs.vic.edu.au LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL
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WOMEN’S INTER SCHOOL GOLF CHALLENGE CUP
OGG V OLD GEELONG COLLEGIANS GOLF DAY
Teams representing Clyde, The Hermitage and GGS participated in the 90th Womens’ Inter School Golf Challenge Cup at Sorrento Golf Club on Monday 1 April 2019. While Korowa won the antique silver cup, The Hermitage (115) claimed bragging rights over Clyde (111) and GGS (106). Thanks go to Anna Tucker (Kimpton, Cl’71), Lib Nicholson (Calvert, He’68) and Sophie Holloway (Mann, Cl’83) who organised the teams for each school.
More than 60 Old Geelong Grammarians played in the OGG v OGC Golf Day at Barwon Heads Golf Club on Friday 8 March 2019. Some outstanding individual and pair results helped the Old Geelong Grammarians to an overall win for the seventh year in a row. Congratulations to all who participated and a huge thank you to Sam Bingley (M’94) and Sam Cole (OGC), who volunteer many hours of their time to organise and run this very successful event.
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AUSTRALIA DAY HONOURS AM Ian Chesterman (A’76) was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to sports administration, particularly with the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC). Ian became a member of the AOC Executive in 2001 and was elected Vice President in 2016. He has led the Australian Olympic Team to six Winter Olympics as Chef de Mission and has been appointed Chef de Mission for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Ian sits on the AOC’s Finance Commission and Audit and Risk Committee. He is a Director of the Australian Olympic Foundation (AOF) and the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia. Prior to joining the AOC, Ian founded Tasmanian-based communications and events company Sportcom in 1988, working with Targa Tasmania, AFL Tasmania and the Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge. He was media manager for the Commonwealth Games Federation at the 2006 Melbourne, 2010 Delhi and 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Based just outside Launceston, Ian also worked as the Director of Development and Community Relations at Scotch Oakburn College between 2014 and 2017, before his appointment as Chef de Mission for the Tokyo Olympics. Roger Massy-Greene (Cu’65) was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to the community through philanthropic initiatives. Roger is Executive Chair, co-founder and benefactor of the Eureka Benevolent Foundation, which is a family foundation that aims to overcome social disadvantage through a focus on early childhood, education and the developing world. He is a director of technology venture capital company OneVentures, private investment firm Eureka Capital Partners, and industrial land developers Illawarra Coke. Roger started his professional career as a mining engineer with Rio Tinto, co-founded Excel Coal and served as the Chair of Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy, having been appointed by the NSW government to oversee reform of the NSW electricity distribution sector in 2012. He has been a member of Philanthropy Australia since 2014, was a major benefactor to Sydney University’s Pave the Way fundraising project, and is a Non-Executive Director of The Hunger Project Australia. He is also a Director of The Global Hunger Project, held senior positions with the Salvation Army and its Red Shield Appeal from 2008-2017, and is President of Cranbrook School Council.
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Alexandra Sloan (Cl’76) was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to the community of Canberra and to the broadcast media as a radio presenter. Alex retired after 27 years as a broadcaster with ABC Radio in 2016 and was named Canberra Citizen of the Year in 2017. She had presented various programmes on ABC Radio Canberra, including Drive, Saturday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Mornings and, most recently, Afternoons. Alex started her radio career as a rural reporter with the ABC in Tasmania. She moved to the ABC in Sydney before postings in the United States, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong. She returned to Australia as a reporter-producer on ABC Radio National’s Breakfast programme before joining ABC Radio Canberra. Outside of broadcasting, Alex has also been a long-time supporter of a range of charities, including Hands Across Canberra and Project Independence, as well as taking on roles on the ACT Place Names Committee, the ACT Architecture Board and Endeavour House/The Australia Institute’s Writer In Residence programme. She is Regional Director of the Churchill Fellowship Selection Committee and was a member of the USA Fulbright Scholarship Judging Panel (2006-2011).
OAM Reverend Ronald Mark Browning (P’63) received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the community. Ron is the co-founder and President of the Australian Karen Foundation, which aims to empower the Karen people of Burma – whether living in refugee camps on the Thai Burma border or resettled in Australia. He wrote a book, The Apocalyptic Heart: The Book of Revelation in an unjust world (Morning Star, 2015), and has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Karen refugees and to develop the capacity of Karen young people in Australia. Ron was ordained as an Anglican Priest in 1975 and served as Vicar at Kensington (1979-1985) and West Coburg (1985-1989) before becoming Chaplain at Trinity College at Melbourne University (1989-1995). He was Vicar at Holy Trinity in Williamstown for a decade (19952005) and after a brief stint at St Thomas’s in Werribee, Ron co-founded the Australian Karen Foundation.
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Michael Whalley (M’69) received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the community through charitable organisations. Michael is the founding Chairman of The Foundation for Australia & New Zealand Arts (FANZA), which is a London-based arts charity that works to promote Australian and New Zealand writers, musicians and artists. A respected member of the Australian business community in the UK, Michael is a member, director and trustee of numerous business, trade and charitable groups, including the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Friends in the UK, the Menzies Foundation, Friends of the University of Melbourne Charitable Trust (UK) and West Green House Opera in Hampshire. He is Vice President of The BritainAustralia Society and a former Chairman of the Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Trust. A leading corporate lawyer and former London-based Managing Partner of Minter Elllison, Michael is a Director of GVH Aerospace and Nova Systems in the UK. ASM Catherine (Katy) Southern (Fr’04) received an Ambulance Service Medal (ASM) for distinguished service, particularly in the area of inclusivity. Katy has been a paramedic with Ambulance Victoria for more than 10 years. She was recognised as a pioneer and an exceptional role model for the LGBTIQ community, providing vital leadership for new LGBTIQ staff at Ambulance Victoria. Since 2013, Katy has led the coordination of Ambulance Victoria’s involvement in the annual Pride March, leading to the development of Ambulance Victoria’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategy in 2018. In collaboration with Victoria’s emergency services, Katy has ensured that staff from other organisations, including the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and State Emergency Service (SES), have the opportunity to participate in an increasing array of activities for LGBTIQ staff, friends and allies.
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Judy Vanrenen (He’69) received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the tourism and hospitality industry. Judy was the inaugural chair of the Southern Grampians Tourism Advisory Board in 2001 and a foundation member of the Grampians Tourism Board. From her family farm in Glenthompson, Judy founded boutique tour operator Botanica World Discoveries in partnership with Australian Pacific Touring (APT) in 2000, which is a botanically themed tourism business that takes travellers on garden tours around the world. Judy has written two books, Beyond the Garden Gate (APT, 2014) and Along the Garden Path (APT, 2017), about the history and influence of gardens. A former General Manager of Evergreen Tours, she was a voluntary business mentor, Board Member and President of the non-profit Small Business Mentoring Service, which was recognised in 2003 with a Centenary Medal for voluntary service improving the performance of small business in Victoria.
CALENDAR 2009 10 YEAR REUNION, MELBOURNE Saturday 3 August 2019 OGG WESTERN DISTRICT GATHERING, HAMILTON Monday 5 August 2019 1999 20 YEAR REUNION Saturday 24 August 2019 COGA FUN CUP GOLF, BARWON HEADS GOLF CLUB Friday 6 September 2019 HOGA AGM AND OLD GIRLS' DAY Saturday 7 September 2019 OGG RIVERINA AND NE VICTORIA BRANCH GATHERING Tuesday 17 September 2019 OGG TIMBERTOP MORNING Saturday 21 September 2019 1979 40TH TIMBERTOP REUNION Saturday 21 September 2019 1989 30 YEAR REUNION Saturday 19 October 2019 1979 40 YEAR REUNION Saturday 26 October 2019 OGG HONG KONG BRANCH FUNCTION Tuesday 29 October 2019 OGG THAILAND BRANCH FUNCTION, BANGKOK Thursday 31 October 2019 OGG MALAYSIA BRANCH FUNCTION, KUALA LUMPUR Saturday 2 November 2019 OGG GOLF DAY, BARWON HEADS Friday 8 November 2019 TOWER LUNCHEON Saturday 9 November 2019 OGG MOTORING EVENT, CORIO Sunday 10 November 2019 APS PAST STUDENTS GOLF DAY, WOODLANDS GOLF CLUB MORDIALLOC Friday 22 November 2019
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1 Nova Urquhart (Ince, The Hermitage '67) and Ann Tyers (Fairley, The Hermitage '68) at the HOGA Christmas Lunch 2 Barbara Phoenix (Smith, The Hermitage ’68) and Rosemary Dupleix (Campbell, The Hermitage ’46) 3 Robin Spry (Bell, The Hermitage ’62) and Midge Bell (The Hermitage ’67) at the 2018 HOGA Golf Day 3
4 Vicki Hambling (The Hermitage ’68) with Sharon Pocock (Hurley, The Hermitage ’67), who travelled from Canada to attend the 1968 HOGA 50 Year Reunion 5 Deb Cole ( Je’76) with her mother, Rab Cole (Smith, The Hermitage ’35), who recently celebrated her 100th birthday
CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON
HERMITAGE OLD GIRLS’ ASSOCIATION
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A large number of Hermitage Old Girls attended our Annual Christmas Luncheon, which was beautifully catered for by our own Susie Donald (The Hermitage’75). With many travelling from Melbourne, the Luncheon is always a wonderful opportunity to catch up with one another before Christmas. Again, we were entertained by students from Bostock House, led by their Music teacher, Lisa Peter-Rose, whose enthusiasm is reflected in the children’s animated participation in choir, solo performances and, this year, with the ringing of Melbourne Museum’s unique Federation Handbells. We always have great pleasure in presenting our cheque towards the Bostock House music programme.
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COGA FUN CUP GOLF
CLYDE OLD GIRLS’ ASSOCIATION 1. At the 2018 Tower Lunch were Anne Latreille (Dalrymple, Clyde ’63), Margie Gillett (Cordner, Clyde ’71), Frankie Beggs (Fairbairn, Clyde ’60), Jaki Bryant (Fenton, Clyde ’65) and Joan Mackenzie (Bloomfield, Clyde ’52) 2. Lesley Griffin (Vincent, Clyde ’60), Caroline Russell (Clyde ’73), Anna Tucker (Kimpton, Clyde ’71) and Prue Plowman (Manifold, Clyde ’63) made up the team Clyde at the Fun Cup Golf Day. 3. Anna Tucker (Kimpton, Clyde ’71), Prue Plowman (Manifold, Clyde ’63), Fi Chirnside (Macfarlan, Clyde ’54), Deb Middleton (Noall, Clyde ’71), Roo Rawlins (Hornabrook, Clyde ’59), Caroline Russell (Clyde ’73), Julie Cole (Baird, Clyde ’68), Deb Calvert (Moore, Clyde ’65), Jo
A smaller group than usual, thirty players in total, keenly turned up for the Fun Cup held at the picturesque but testing Sorrento Golf Club on 5 October 2018. It seems golfers are very busy people, with a variety of reasons such as travel, grandparent duties, work, gardening, bird-watching and some nursing injuries, making it impossible for some to play. Hopefully there will be more players able to come to Barwon Heads when next we meet on Friday 6 September 2019. Fortunately, the numbers across the three schools were equal which made for a keenly contested competition. It was a perfect morning, weather wise, as players headed off to their designated hole for the shotgun start. Clyde finished second on 125 points ahead of Toorak College on 121. St Catherine’s on 136 points were comprehensive winners. Lesley Griffin (Vincent, Clyde ’60), Caroline Russell (Clyde ’73), Prue Plowman (Manifold, Clyde ’63) and Anna Tucker (Kimpton, Clyde ’71) made up the team of four for Clyde. Many thanks for the wonderful support in coming along on the day.
Armytage (Barr Smith, Clyde ’69) and Janet Gordon (Affleck, Clyde ’64)
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1978 40 YEAR REUNION 1
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At the 1978 40 Year Reunion were: 1 Damian Purcell (Fr’78), Craig Simonson
6 Mark Howson (FB’78), Anson Cameron (M’78) and Will Wilson (P’78)
(FB’78) and Grant Ashkanasy (P’78) 2 Anson Cameron (M’78), Dominique Teague
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McFarlane (M’78) 4 Andrew Graham-Higgs (Fr’78) and Phil de Fégely (FB’78) 5 Ro Milburn ( Je’78), Tessa Ponder (Richards, Je’78), Caroline Heath (Wells, Je’78) and Libby
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(FB’78)
(Cameron, Cl’78) and Sam Legoe (M’78) 3 Linda Morgan (Frizzell, Fr’78) and Hamish
Rosemary Buckle (Harris, Fr’78), Caroline Daniell (England, Cl’78) and Andrew Rankin
(Cl’78), Andrew Sleigh (M’78), Petal Coldbeck 8
Asgari Stephens (Cu’78), Brian Mitchell (Cu’78) and Michelle Pizer (A’78)
9 Libby Chislett (Fazio, A’78), Kon Mantzaris (A’78) and Jenni Clarke (Pocock, Fr’78)
11 Nick Turnbull (P’77), Rod Holt (P’78) and Stephen Stanway (Cu’77) 12 Nanette Ashkanasy ( Jaques, Fr’78) and William Parkinson (Cu’78)
10 Sarah Guthrie (Kelly, Cl’78) and Liz McCarthy (Searle, A’78)
Chislett (Fazio, A’78)
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1978 40 YEAR TIMBERTOP REUNION 1
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At the 1978 Timbertop Reunion were: 1 Jenny Gunnersen (Cl’81), Rob Walton (FB’81), Clea Efstathiadis (Lewis, Cl’81) and Fiona Brockhoff ( Je’81) 2 Eve Lester (Fr’81), Nik Yeo (P’81) and Laura Dalrymple ( Je’81) 3
Looking down from the Chapel steps
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John Orchard (Timbertop ’78), Jane Van Assche (Austin, Je’81) and Will McKenzie (Fr’81)
5 Miff Shelton (Bowen, A’81), Lisa Hayes (Landy, Cl’81) and Kate Luckock (Cl’81) 6 Reunion organisers Andrew Burgess (FB’81), Georgie Crozier ( Je’81) and Tim Hegarty (A’81) 10
7 Murray Fantella (A’81) and Barry Allen (A’81) 8 Nik Yeo (P’81), Dean Margaritis (Fr’81) and Andrew Levy (M’81) 9 Stephen Mitchell (FB’81), Liza Hurley (Montague, Je’81) and Fiona Brockhoff ( Je’81) 10 Nic Kentish (Cu’81) and Alastair Ronald (Cu’81)
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1988 30 YEAR REUNION 10
At the 1988 30 Year Reunion were: 1 Susie Strauss (Colclough, Ga’88), Emma Rudge (Cuming, Ga’88) and Edwina Callus (Burgess, Ga’88) 2 Tom Robertson (Cu’88), Tom Roberts (Cu’88), Billy Comben (Fr’88) and Greg Ciach (Fr’87) 3 Justine McLaren (Cl’88), Nic Ranicar (M’88) and Georgina Turton (Brown, Cl’88) 4 John Miller (Timbertop ‘85) and Fabian Harding (P’88) 5 Justin Kirwan (Cu’88) and Sam Goldstraw (P’88) 6 Rob Lindblade (A’88) and Jane Riddoch (Eyre-Walker, Fr’88) 7
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8
Fleur Johns (Cl’88) and Iona Levinson (McGregor, Cl’88)
9 Julia Petrov (Hindhaugh, Cl’88), Serena Gleeson (Bromell, Je’88), Kate Les (Breadmore, Ga’88) and Vanessa Curlewis ( Je’88) 10 Amanda Leddin (Rathbone, Je’88), Bron
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Friday ( Je’88), Kate Luxmoore (Addison, A’88) and Lisa Napier (Sutherland, Cl’88) 11 Emma McCormack ( Je’88), Brad Buckley (Cu’88) and Felicity Stoetzel (Lehmann, Je’88). 12 Kate Les (Breadmore, Ga’88), Matt
Mark Muller (FB’88) and Tim Page-Walker
Plumbridge (FB’88) and Skye Brown
(Page, A’88)
(Wilson, Cl’88)
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At the 1998 20 Year Reunion were: 1
Anna Bufton (Wilson, He’98), Rebecca Faris
5 James Matthies (P’98), Sarah Grogan (Edgar, Cl’98) and Andy Hingeley (Campbell, He’98)
(Waldron, He’98), Rachel Bugg (Ga’98) and Manna McLeod (Steele, Ga’98)
6 Andrew Thorogood (FB’98), Craig Mottram (A’98) and Edwina Affleck (Cl’98)
2 Zoe Lang (He’98) and Ali McGregor (He’98) 3 Julia Cattanach (North, A’98), Sarah Grogan
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Axle Whitehead (Cu’98), James Crooke
(Edgar, Cl’98), Bob Barton (FB’98), Koo
(Cu’98), Tim Wall (Timbertop ’95) and Alex
Nicholson (McDonald, Cl’98), Em Froehlich
Curtain (Finlay, Cl’98)
(Henry, Cl’98) and Kate Matson (A’98) 4 Bob Barton (FB’98), Jeanie Luckock (Fr’96) and Jo Bell (Ranken, Cl’98)
8 Georgina Macneil (Cl’98), Tom McGrath (Fr’98) and Michael Love (Fr’98)
10 Sam Cox (P’98), Sam Correia (Fr’98) and Tom Stewart (Cu’98) 11 Sally Head (Cl’98), Sally Crooke (Cl’98), and Rob Handbury (M’98) 12 Steve Lansdell (Fr’98) and Kate Lucas (Ga’98) 13 Angus Landale (P’98), Lucinda Kimpton (Cl’98), George Shannon (Lee, Cl’98) and Jo Bell (Ranken, Cl’98)
9 Jon Morphett (FB’98), George Wilson (M’98) and Chris Mannering (P’98)
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SECTION 04 — MAIL ROOM
1998 20 YEAR REUNION
SECTION 04 — MAIL ROOM
1978
1973 Neil Roderick Goldsbrough Robertson (FB’73), who was born on 13 August 1955 and died 5 September 2018, was a passionate gardener, antiques collector and bookseller, as well as a generous member of the Geelong Grammar Foundation and an inspiring Chairman of the Biddlecombe Society. The elder son of Ian Robertson and Loris (née Yencken, Cl’42), Neil arrived at Corio in 1st Form in 1967, gravitating towards the Library, Chapel and Archives. He was a member of Library Advisory Committee, Archives Committee, Film Society, Coordinator of the School Press and Chapel Secretary. Neil also sang in the School Choir, was a member of the Choral and Operatic societies, and performed in various dramatic productions and House Plays. He was awarded the Francis Hope Lascelles Prize for Reading and the Wilkins Prize for History, graduating with As in English Literature and 18th century European History. After leaving GGS, Neil worked as a bookseller in Australia and England, including a period as the owner of Melbourne’s iconic Webber’s Booksellers, opened in 1931 by Margareta Webber to cater “elegantly to the exclusive end of the market”, which included stocking books on poetry, philosophy, cooking and gardening. A keen gardener, particularly at his family property of ‘Westport’ at New Gisborne, Neil became involved in Australia’s Open Garden Scheme in 1988 and was one of the chief architects of its national expansion, serving as its National Executive Officer for almost 20 years. Neil wrote a weekly gardening column for Melbourne’s Herald newspaper and co-authored The Open Garden: Australian Gardens and Their Gardeners (Allen & Unwin, 2000). Neil’s lifetime of collecting antiques and curios began when he was just 12 years old and he accumulated a vivid and varied collection, including vintage Royal Stafford porcelain, 18th century sterling silver brandy pots, sugar bowls and creamers, early 19th century tortoiseshell tea caddies, Victorian Gothic Revival clocks and an array of Australian artworks. It was referred to by Melbourne auction house Leonard Joel as “a gentleman’s collection”. Neil joined the Geelong Grammar Foundation Board in 2009 and was appointed Chairman of the Biddlecombe Society in 2014, raising awareness and membership of the School’s bequest society. Neil is survived by his brother Hugh (FB’77), sister-in-law Brigid (Gordon, Cl’77), and their children Hugh (FB’04), Catherine Cohen (Robertson, Cl’06) and Hannah (Cl’10).
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Will Alstergren (M’78) QC has been appointed to oversee the merger of the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court. Will was sworn in as the new Chief Justice of the Family Court in December having previously been appointed Chief Judge of the Federal Circuit Court in 2017. The former President of the Australian Bar Association is tasked with steering the most significant reform of the family law system in Australia in the past 40 years – the Family Court and Federal Circuit Court will be combined as part of sweeping changes to speed up the processes of settling family disputes. Will described his appointment as a “great honour” and admitted that it was “an enormous challenge” to merge the two courts. “Many people in the Australian community have called for significant change to the family law system,” he said. “It is imperative that the Court continues to ensure that separating families can navigate their way through an efficient system that is child-focused and encourages early resolution of disputes.” After leaving GGS, Will studied Law at Melbourne University and undertook articles in family law with Kenna Croxford & Co. From 1991 he practiced as a barrister in Melbourne and took silk in 2012. His main areas of practice have included commercial law, tax law, industrial law and family law. He has also conducted substantial inquiries for the Royal Australian Navy, was a member of the Bar Ethics Committee, the founder of the Bar’s Pro Bono Duty Barristers Committee and received the Distinguished Pro Bono Service award by the Victorian Chief Justice in 2008. He is a former Chairman of the Victorian Bar and President of the Australian Bar Association.
1984 Simon Falkiner (M’84) was one of six finalists for the 2018 Bob Hawke Landcare Award having previously received the 2017 Innovation in Agricultural Land Management Award. Simon’s 600-acre mixed-enterprise family farm at Freshwater Creek produces meat merinos, cereals and oilseed crops, while prioritising farming techniques that preserve the land’s biodiversity. “My main advice is to collect as much evidence about your farm system as you can and make decisions based on that evidence, rather than being locked in by tradition,” Simon told The Weekly Times. His focus on maintaining soil health and his integrated pest and grazing management has made him a leading advocate for best-practice Landcare.
LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL
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1984 Rosa Coy (Cl’84) and husband George Yiontis, founders and directors of Coy Yiontis Architects, won Best Bathroom at the 2018 Australian House and Garden Awards, while their Rockingham Townhouse project in Kew won Best Medium-Scale MultiResidential Development at the 2018 Boroondara Urban Design Awards. Rosa and George met while working in Paris more than 20 years ago and established Coy Yiontis Architects in Melbourne in 1996. The award-winning architectural practice has earned a reputation within the industry for its thoughtful and meticulous approach to high-end residential buildings. “The design process for us is basically problem solving,” Rosa explained. “It is rewarding when a design strategy falls into place as if it was meant to be.” The practice has had an increasingly higher profile since winning an Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) award for the renovation of their own home in 2015, which featured in various magazines and design websites. They have subsequently been recognised for the stunning extension of a Federation-style Melbourne home, a rigorously designed Barwon Heads holiday house and the luxury, three-level Rockingham townhouses in Kew.
mentor at Geelong Grammar School in 2007 and 2008 whilst working as Media, Communications and Campaigns Director for the ACTU, coordinating campaigns like ‘Your Rights at Work’, which opposed cuts to workers’ wages and conditions.
1995 Zoe Young (Ga’95) won Australia’s most prestigious portraiture prize for women, the 2018 Portia Geach Memorial Award, for her portrait of Australian director Bruce Beresford. The judging panel, which included Art Gallery of NSW trustee, Samantha Meers, Art Gallery of NSW Australian and Pacific Art curator, Natalie Wilson, and S.H. Ervin Gallery director, Jane Watters, said that Zoe’s portrait had given insight into the working life of the director. In a joint statement the judges said: “Zoe has painted this tonal work with expressive brushwork enlivening the picture and giving the impression of viewing an intimate moment with the sitter as he sits deep in contemplation.” A two-time Archibald Prize finalist, Zoe has previously been a finalist for the $30,000 Portia Geach Memorial Award, with two of her portraits listed as finalists in 2018 from the 365 entries. “I am thrilled and honoured to have received this important award which celebrates the work of women painters,” Zoe said. “The award gives me the support to progress my artistic practice and I look forward to creating my next body of work.” Sophia Hewson (A’02) was also a finalist for the 2018 Portia Geach Memorial Award with her self-portrait, ‘Untitled (birth plan)’.
1985 Giulia Baggio (Fr’85) was appointed Chief of Staff to the incoming Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne, Sally Capp, in 2018. Giulia boasts more than 25 years’ experience in journalism, public policy advocacy, government relations and strategic communications, including senior roles in government (as Senior Advisor to then Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and Senior Manager at WorkSafe Victoria) and with a variety of NGOs, including the Climate Institute and ACTU. Giulia spent 15 years as a senior broadcast journalist and presenter with ABC News and Current Affairs, presenting Stateline and the 7pm News, as well as spending time as a national political correspondent and industrial affairs reporter. More recently, Giulia has focused her work on translating complex policy issues into public campaigns for organisations like WorkSafe, Industry Super and The Climate Institute. These campaigns have required carefully executed political, media and community engagement to influence mainstream debate. Giulia was a Careers Day LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL
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SECTION 04 — MAIL ROOM
Since 2005, Simon has run his own research and innovation company, Falkiner Ag, as well as being stud manager for Bruce Wilson (Cu’66) at Murdeduke, Winchelsea. Simon has collaborated with LaTrobe University on livestock performance research and with Melbourne University on the logistics of subsoil manuring. His farm has hosted long-term trials, testing everything from soil acidification and biology, to pasture cover and cropping. He has also undertaken extensive riparian restoration along Thompsons Creek to protect remnant vegetation, and assisted in monitoring the threatened Yarra pygmy perch and growling grass frog.
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1999 Geoff Lemon (FB’99) won the 2019 Wisden Book of the Year and 2019 Cricket Society/ MCC Book of the Year awards for his on-the-ground account of the Australian cricket team’s 2018 cheating scandal in South Africa, Steve Smith’s Men (Hardie Grant, 2018). Geoff was in the UK in April to receive the awards; the latter presented in a packed Long Room at Lord’s. Cricket Society/MCC Chair of Judges, former The Independent literary editor Robert Winder, praised the book’s combination of immediacy and depth and its breathless but authoritative style, describing it as a “witty page turner that showed how a dramatic cricket scandal triggered a bout of national soul-searching in Australia”. Geoff spoke about writing the book over a three-month period of sixteen hour days after having gone to South Africa “in case something happens”. Geoff has covered cricket as a writer and broadcaster since 2010 for the ABC, BBC, Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, The Guardian, The Cricketer, The Saturday Paper and ESPNcricinfo, while also hosting cricket podcast The Final Word. Steve Smith’s Men has been described as a frank, fearless and often humorous account of the 2018 ball tampering scandal that “packs a punch”. “The emotional power of this book lingers long after the last page,” Wisden’s Tanya Aldred said. Outside of sport, Geoff is editor of long-running literary journal Going Down Swinging and has published an anthology of comedy writing, The Sturgeon General Presents (Momentum, 2013), and a collection of poetry, Sunblind (Picaro, 2003). He returned to GGS in February as a Richard and Janet Southby Visiting Fellow.
2005 Zander Ng (M’05) was crowned the winner of the inaugural edition of cooking reality TV show MasterChef Singapore in October 2018. Zander said that winning MasterChef was “a dream come true”, having been inspired to begin cooking by MasterChef Australia while studying at university. “This dream has been 10 years in the making and now I finally feel like I’ve received the validation to pursue my passion in the culinary world,” Zander said. The former IT manager was selected for an audition of the popular reality TV show from a pool of over 700 applicants and soon gained a reputation for creative fusion dishes – Zander’s father is Singaporean and his mother is Australian, while he credited his “nonna” for his love of Italian cuisine, which earned him the nickname Risotto Boy. “In the beginning, I was playing it safe and cooking dishes that I thought I should do as a MasterChef contestant. I realised that I should just cook dishes that I wanted to cook, and make food that I love and that I know other people will also love.” Zander won a $10,000 cash prize, secured a book publishing deal and completed a residency at The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore, cooking a pop-up menu of eight multicultural dishes. Follow Zander’s progress on Instagram @ZanderNg
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2011 Devon Smith (A’11) won the 2018 the Crichton Medal as Essendon Football Club’s best and fairest player following a tremendous first season with the Bombers. Devon finished 10 votes ahead of club captain Dyson Heppell, having joined Essendon after six seasons with the Greater Western Sydney Giants. Devon set a new AFL benchmark for total tackles (184) in a home and away season, while also averaging 22 possessions and close to one goal per game. “To win the Crichton Medal in his first year at the club is an enormous achievement and we are extremely proud of what Devon has accomplished this season,” Essendon coach John Worsfold said. “Devon really delivered on all aspects of the game and went over and above what we expected from him.” Devon joined GGS in Year 11 and won the School’s 1st XVIII Football best and fairest award in his first year at Corio and the Most Determined award in Year 12. An accomplished cricketer, Devon famously took 10 wickets in a match against St Kevin’s College in 2011.
2015 Jilly Roberts (Cl’15) won a silver medal at the 2018 World University Rowing Championships in Shanghai, China, in August. Jilly stroked the Lightweight Women’s Double Scull and won silver with Rosie Beasley (NSW). Jilly was a member of the School’s all-conquering 2015 1st Girls’ VIII, which won the APS Head of the River, Head of the Schoolgirls, Victorian Championship and two national titles (Schoolgirls’ VIII and Under 19 VIII) at the Australian Rowing Championships. She is studying a Bachelor of Commerce and Science at the Australian National University and rows for the ANU Boat Club. She won silver medals in the Under 21 Women’s Double and Under 23 Lightweight Women’s Quad at the 2018 Australian Championships. Jilly was recently selected to represent Australia at the 2019 Under 23 World Rowing Championships to be held in Florida in July. She will team with Lucy Theodore (Qld) in the Under 23 Lightweight Women’s Pair.
LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL
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2014 5 YEAR REUNION
2
1
5
3
4
8
6
7
9
10
11
12
13
14
At the 2014 5 Year Reunion were: 1
Ally Kirkwood (Cl'14), Will Griffiths (Cu'14), Hamish Baylis (M'14) and Caroline Roe (A'14)
2 Henry Eisner (Fr'14), Alex Eisner (Fr'14), Ben McCarney (M'14) and Nicholas Fu (Cu'14) 3 Timothy Sia (M'14), Annabel Rafferty (A'14) and Zoe Watson (Ga'12) 4 Lauren Meyers (Cl'14) and Jessie Sleigh (Cl'14) 5 Steph Fung (Fr'14), Timothy Sia (M'14), Catherine Qian (He'13) and Tony Chen (A'14) 6 Connor Forsyth (A'14) and Ariane Lim (Cl'14)
LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL
7
Jock Harkness (P'14), Paddy McCartin (Fr'14) and George HartleyWilson (FB'14)
8 Erin Strong (Ga'14), Cosima Carnegie (Cl'14) and Alexandra Kent (Cl'14) 9 Phoebe Chirnside (Ga'14), Giulia McMurdo (EM'14) and Sophie Batten (EM'14) 10 James Treweeke (P'14) and Hamish Purcell (P'14) 11 Edward Keach (M'14) and Georgina Voss (He'14) 12 Emma Szepe (Cl'14), Amy Graves (Cl'14) and Billie Hook (Ga'14) 13 Jordan LaManna (Hi'09), Jordie Webb (M'14) and Charles Swindon Macmillan (Cu'14) 14 Benjo Brown-Greaves (A'12), Morgan Fisher (Cu'14) and Sam Finckh (Cu'14)
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MARRIAGES Neil Baird-Watson (FB’75) married Izabela Andersen on 5 May 2018 Anita Balint (Ga’93) married Matthew Reid on 8 March 2019 Rachel Bartlett (Cl’09) married Todd Schulberg on 30 March 2019 Rachael Fraser (He’09) married Nick McBride (Cu’08) on 27 April 2019
Charlie Reed (P’06) married Sarah Dungie on 11 May 2019 Georgie Reed (He’08) married Rob Elder on 8 December 2018 Eleanor Turnbull (Cl’08) married Alec Pengilley on 13 October 2018 Angela Wang (Ga’06) married YoungJin Kim on 29 September 2018 Tom Wenzel (P’82) married Jessica Sharpe on 24 August 2017
BIRTHS Lauren and Will Ainsworth (Fr’99), a daughter, Harriet Margot Rose, on 11 October 2018 Karlee Baker (Ga’99) and Jake Badger, a daughter, Maisie Florence, on 18 March 2015 and a son, Alfred Alexander, on 6 January 2018 Edwina née Ingle (Ga’01) and Justin Chalk, a son, Harry Edward, on 4 October 2018 Rebecca née Robertson (A’01) and Tom Gregson, a son, Arthur George Knight, on 15 June 2018 Annabel Holt (He’04) and James Hopton, a son, Hugo Holt, on 15 November 2018 Melanie and Robert Ivory (P’99), a daughter, Sophia May, on 16 June 2018 Felicity née Robertson (A’04) and Ned Jeffery, a daughter, Jemima Florence, on 27 February 2019 Tracy Teo and Randall Lee (P’93), a daughter, Ava, on 9 September 2014 and a son, Alistair, on 27 February 2018 Fiona Mackintosh (Cl’99) and Wil Cope, a son, Frederick James, on 2 March 2016 Marina and Will Richardson (M’02), a son, Rupert James Philip on 30 October 2018 Tess Harris and Charles Turnbull (Cu’06), a daughter, Evelyn Jane, on 20 April 2018
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DEATHS
William Richard Clifford (Bill) Geary (1944-46) on 30 September 2017
John Anthony Dawson Piper (1941-48) on 19 May 2019
Margery Graham née Richardson (Clyde 1946-50) on 25 May 2018
William Russell Pollock (1957-63) on 24 February 2019
Scott John Alexander (1992-93) on 22 October 2018
Anne Hambling née Cole (Hermitage 1932-42) on 22 December 2018
Graham Ormsby Potter (1966-69) on 14 September 2018
Douglas Overend Atkins (1945-48) on 15 September 2018
John Clifford Harvey (1950-53) on 17 November 2016
Carol Jean Radford née Smith (Hermitage 1945-49) on 13 January 2019
David Alexander Herbert Austin (194751) on 1 June 2018
Beryl Hickman née Cook (Hermitage 1942-46; GGS Staff 1987) on 24 September 2018
Cynthia Eleanor Reed née Viney (Clyde 1942-44) on 6 February 2019
Suzanne Mary (Susan) Aird née Hammond (Clyde 1929-30) on 20 June 2018
Mollie Bailey née Officer (Clyde 193639) on 28 March 2018 Paul John Bell (1970-76) on 10 December 2014 Peter George McCarthy Brown (1957) on 30 November 2018 Adele Hildora Byrne née Coutts (Hermitage 1941-47) on 27 March 2019 Sarah Margaret Coats née Pizey (Clyde 1948-49) on 27 August 2018 John Alexander Miller Coles (1952-58) on 23 September 2017 Anthony Bruce Comben (1979-84) on 24 April 2019 Dr Peter Andrew Cotton (1974-76) on 24 November 2018 Peter John Cox (1973-76) on 21 September 2018 Sprent David Dabwido (1986-91) on 8 May 2019 Susan Elizabeth Davis née Dodds (Clyde 1955-58) on 14 September 2018 Charles Brian Dawes (1944-48) on 26 March 2019 Sheila Fraser Dennis née Currie (Clyde 1933-35) on 6 April 2019 George Ware Dixon (1936-41) on 12 December 2017 Joan Elizabeth Downes née Whitton (Clyde 1937-39) on 9 April 2018 Frederick Winton (Fred) Elliott (Staff 1956-62) on 10 September 2018 Margaret Alice Elliott née Darby (Staff 1957) on 25 April 1995 Olga Fierka (Staff 2006-18) on 27 December 2018 Helen Jacqueline Fox née Speirs (Hermitage 1958-61) on 17 February 2019
Tom Michael Jackson (1941-44) in January 2018
Mary Patricia Schrader née Saffin (Hermitage 1958-61) on 30 December 2016
Dr Bruce Eric Kent (1943-49) on 28 September 2018
Ernest Raymond Searle (1939-40) on 27 August 2016
Dr Patrick James Leighton Kesteven (1962-66) on 28 August 2017
Louis Victor Sheather (1960-69) on 21 September 2018
Prof James Waldo Lance AO CBE (1939-41) on 20 February 2019
Philip Geoffrey Stevens (1988-91) on 31 January 2019
Cyril Vane Lansell (1934-40) on 1 January 2019
James Ford ( Jim) Strachan (1936-42, Council 1977-78) on 24 January 2019
Richard William (Bill) Larritt (1947-51) on 25 December 2018
Mary Mabel Sutherland née Ramsay (Clyde 1943-48) on 14 September 2017
Tess Hadden Ley née Williams (198701) on 1 April 2019
Jeffrey Peter Tallis OAM (1943-50) on 4 November 2018
James Edgeworth Lillie (1979-84) on 30 January 2019
Dr Geoffrey Hamlet (Geoff) Taylor (1930-40) on 7 October 2017
Jacquelyn Anne Coverley Maling (Clyde 1958-63) on 4 December 2018
Clifford Gordon (Cliff) Tischler (194446) on 5 November 2018
Cara Lynette Mallett (Staff 1976-2000, 2009) on 15 November 2018
Chatrachai (Chat) Virapongse (1960-67) on 8 August 2018
Graham Edward Marshall (1950-52) on 27 November 2018
Cynthia Marguerite Wagg née Sterling (Clyde 1937-41) on 8 October 2018
Virginia Winifred (Bardie) Mercer née Grimwade (Clyde 1943-47) on 13 March 2019
Jean Ward née Luxton (Clyde 1943-45) on 25 December 2017
William George Dyer (Bill) Middleton (1941-44) on 2 July 2018 Peter Anderson Monger (1948-52) on 9 December 2018 Darryl Rodney Albert Morrison (Staff 1998-2012) on 1 September 2018 Deasy Gladys O’Connor (Clyde 193438) on 25 May 2018 Dr Harold Ian Douglas Peake (1948-54) on 15 October 2018 Elizabeth Louise (Lou) Petridis née Adam (Hermitage 1963-68) on 7 October 2018
Malcolm Vincent Ward (1944-45) on 2 October 2018 Jayne Elizabeth White (Hermitage 1961-64) on 13 July 2018 Peter Williams (1938-44) on 13 September 2018 John Graham Wood (1933-40) on 14 December 2018 Doris Winifred Woods née Whitford (Staff 1984-93) on 11 January 2019