Light Blue - Semester 2 2020

ISSUE 107 SEMESTER 2, 2020

or ss fe ro P Sandra Peake and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Farewelling

Charlie Scudamore IN TR OD UC IN G

the Hive and the future of digital learning at GGS

Was 2020 the year of hindsight? Would the perspective of events after they had occurred vastly changed and/or improved our response? The expression 20/20 hindsight implies that it is easy to see what should have been done after the situation has passed. Unfortunately, without a DeLorean time machine, it is not something we have the luxury to access in the moment. The expression itself references the Snellen eye chart, which assesses visual acuity by measuring how many feet away from the chart a person is standing in order to read it. Contrary to popular belief, 20/20 is not perfect vision – it is what the average person can read on the Snellen eye chart when they are standing 20 feet away.

Our understanding of events is greatly improved, potentially to the point of perfection, only upon reflection. The act of reflection is a vital tool for learning and an essential component of developing critical thinking skills. Our theme for this issue of Light Blue is ‘Towards Thriving’, which explores the transition from the fight or flight response of survival to our desire for innovation, openness to change and opportunity-seeking behaviour. A crisis of the magnitude of COVID-19 demands action – the hard-wired human response to avoid danger (to survive). It also demands new ways of learning, planning, thinking and doing (to thrive). According to American philosopher John Dewey: “We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.” We may not possess the ability for 20/20 hindsight, but we do have the experiences of 2020 to awaken new approaches to the complex opportunities of an ever-evolving world.

T O W

Brendan McAloon Director of Community Engagement

A R D Editor: Brendan McAloon Design: Chloe Flemming Claire Robson Photographers: Alan Barber Martin Beaver Stefani Driscoll Nick Fletcher Sam Roberts Drew Ryan Contributors: Sophie Church Cat Lamb Katie Rafferty (Spry, Ga’84) Nick Sculley Scott Vickers-Willis (A’89) Website: www.ggs.vic.edu.au Email: lightblue@ggs.vic.edu.au

S T H R I

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04

12

19

04 CHAIR OF COUNCIL

12 THE HIVE

19 RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN

06 PRINCIPAL'S PERSPECTIVE

14 ADVENTURES IN LEARNING

20 CHARLIE SCUDAMORE

10 TOWARDS THRIVING

16 TOORAK CAMPUS

24 SENIOR CHAPLAIN

17 BOSTOCK HOUSE 18 MIDDLE SCHOOL

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31

38

26 POSITIVE EDUCATION

31 VALEDICTORY DINNERS

38 FOUNDATION

27 YEAR 8 YOU YANGS

32 2021 SCHOOL CAPTAINS

42 MAIL ROOM

28 TIMBERTOP

34 HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

30 LORNE 160

35 ETON FIVES 36 SPORTING TALENT

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CHAIR

of COUNCIL

HARNESSING CHANGE The Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus, born 535 BC, is credited with the adage: “There is nothing permanent except change”. Now, more than 2,500 years later, it remains humankind’s guiding force.

For GGS, 2020 was a year of unexpected and unbridled change. The JanuaryFebruary bushfires that affected the Alpine region and, of special concern to us for the start of Term 1, the Mt Buller area were, as it transpired, somewhat of a mild introduction to what followed.

Term 1 finished with the escalation of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, triggering the School’s early closure in March: a major decision for the School to make and reached only after a detailed investigative process, and one based on the wellbeing of all – students, families, teachers and operational staff.

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The closure of the four GGS campuses and the concentrated switch to remote learning was to be admired. To witness all involved move into action so efficiently and quickly highlighted our staff as not only committed educators, but resolute doers. Students were able to continue to expand their learning and development despite the uncertainties that lay ahead. The rapid response wasn’t created overnight or by chance but through countless extra hours of work, a collaborative approach, creativity and a desire to make it happen. Those involved deserve to have a great sense of personal achievement with all that they accomplished – they must also have experienced that wonderful feeling that flows from delivering meaningful learning opportunities for young people.

By May, four weeks into the COVID-19 lockdown, the focus was on how to get the School up and running amid the

logistical difficulties faced by a large boarding school with students from every State and Territory of Australia, as well as 16 overseas countries. The path forward was guided by a set of decision-making principles that ensured a return to a safe environment for all – the health, wellbeing and safety of students and staff was paramount. The plans were detailed and exhaustive but allowed staff to be nimble in the ever-changing landscape.

These were unusual and testing times, yet our valued staff members, students and families proved to be highly adaptive and creative. They pushed through with good health and a positive outlook. Challenging times remained. Uncertainty and change were bywords, and a second wave of coronavirus emerged in Victoria in late June. By the end of August, I was able to write in a communique that the COVID-19 outbreak appeared to be easing, with the number of new cases recorded at its

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The School’s response to COVID-19 has been outstanding, demonstrating flexibility and relentless commitment.

We introduced compulsory masks and daily temperature checks before the Victorian government. We implemented testing and quarantine (‘internal group isolation’) to enable the safe return of students to campus. It was remarkable that Timbertop operated as normally as possible for 11 weeks of a reorganised Term 3. Similarly, the efforts to provide a COVID-free environment at Corio for nine weeks across Term 2 and Term 3 were a tremendous logistical and operational achievement in an ever-changing environment. Equally, the efforts to care for the almost 100 students that remained on campus at Corio at the end of Term 3 were outstanding, as was the efforts to get all students home safely, navigating interstate border restrictions and various State health department guidelines. At the same time, our Bostock and Toorak campuses continued to develop remote learning to engage more meaningfully with our youngest learners.

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We used all that we had learnt to coordinate a remarkably smooth start to Term 4 and provide our Year 12 students with the best possible experience of Valedictory Dinners, Leavers’ Celebration and exam preparation. Change rose again as the end to the school year coincided with reduced COVID-19 infections, treatments in hospital and related deaths in Victoria – a far cry from the preceding months. I am certain that the positive attitude towards often rapid change adopted by all members of our School community played their part.

We often feel anxious when events move out of our direct control. It’s a normal human response to feel some anxiety during periods of change or uncertainty.

It can make a huge difference to share these feeling and worries with others. Our community is highly connected. As we adapt to ‘COVID Normal’ and the aftereffects of the pandemic, I urge you to stay connected and to care for each other; as Positive Education has taught us, we can feel better when we help others.

and endorsed by the School Council. It houses substantive change for the good and its very essence is sustainable growth into the future.

The Strategic Framework shows that while change can be confronting and unsettling, it is inevitable and ought not to be viewed as a negative per se. When change arises, we must seek and align ourselves with its positive elements. I think the past year has deeply underpinned this approach taken by the entire GGS community. It was the late US President, John F. Kennedy, who proffered this view: “Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past and present are certain to miss the future.”

Paddy Handbury (M’72) Chair of Council

The one sure-fire inevitability is that there will be further changes ahead at GGS as we navigate our way beyond the pandemic. Change is already under way via the School’s Strategic Framework, developed by our Principal, Rebecca Cody,

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SECTION 01 — INTRODUCTION

lowest level since early July as infections, reported cases and, thankfully, deaths dissipated. The impact of the virus will, of course, persist and continue to force changes in the ways in which we live. GGS is not immune from this.

SECTION 01 — INTRODUCTION

Principal’s Perspective Towards Thriving

es iconic school with campus ONCE UPON A TIME at an d live ts den stu ng, elo Ge and in Mansfield, Toorak, Corio g yin pla ending classes, freely and purposefully. Att ing tales to make each tell and , nds games, making frie , these fort when they felt unsure other laugh or offer com il the unt er eth tog ly ous g joy young people were learnin es. gat ool s slinked past the sch day that an invisible viru t tha s viru ous far more danger It wasn’t influenza but a … rld wo ole wh the d infecte was wildly contagious and

EDUCATING MIND AND CHARACTER As Victoria emerges out of lockdown and the rate of new COVID infections continues to dissipate in this part of the world, it is perhaps apposite to take stock and reflect on the past year. In years to come, how are we going to talk about 2020? Will we describe it as confronting, frustrating or transformational? What will be the highlights and the challenges conquered? How will our version of the story be retold?

Storytelling has long been recognised by educationalists as critical to the development of literacy and creativity. Fairy tales, myths and legends offer children a way of seeing the world that they can engage with and understand. The stock characters, the coded violence, the repetition and the stylised moral conundrums all help to make complex ideas and symbols more accessible. The Russian psychologist, Lev Vygotsky, claimed that the imaginative images in stories provide an internal language of human emotions. It is this language that allows us to frame our own experiences, make sense of our culture and environment, and in turn be able to share our stories with others.

Storytelling is critical in the development of moral reasoning too.

Two and a half thousand years ago, Plato recognised this in his famous work, the Republic. For the ideal society to thrive, he wrote, its leaders must be upstanding citizens who are intellectually and morally strong. As such, the education of the young is of fundamental importance; something we cannot leave to chance.

This excerpt is from Book 1, in the form of a dialogue between the philosopher, Socrates, and his followers: Q: What kind of education shall we give them then?

We shall find it difficult to improve on the time-honoured distinction between the physical training we give to the body and the education we give to the mind and character.

A: True.

Q: And we shall begin by educating mind and character, shall we not?

A: Of course.

Q: In this education you would include stories, would you not?

A: Yes. 6

Stories to educate the mind and character; an irresistible ambition!

Recently, I spoke of a very old story with our Class of 2020. It is a Greek myth that has been shared across centuries about an evil King of Corinth, whose name was Sisyphus. You may well remember that this King was devious and provoked the ire of the Gods. In response, the Gods created a punishment, specific to him. Sisyphus was condemned to push an enormous boulder up a steep hill but just as he reached the summit, the enchanted rock rolled to the ground. Sisyphus’s labour was to start again, moving the boulder back up the mountain, struggling and heaving in the hot sun and, just when the end was in sight, the rock tumbled to the base. This situation repeats day after day, for ever. He never reaches the top. His toils are never over.

The myth can be interpreted as one of unceasing effort for no outcome. It is a story of futility, confusion and impossible tasks.

These themes may well have resonated strongly for some of us in 2020. So much uncertainty, so much toil and so much disruption, with little sense of what has been gained. It turned out to be a year that none of us had anticipated, and I know that many of our students have felt the disappointment of checked dreams.

Part of the joy of myths relates to how they may be interpreted.

To unlock other meanings in Sisyphus’s story, I am reminded of the words of the French philosopher and author, Albert Camus. He said that myths such as this one “are made for the imagination to breathe life into them”.

At first reading, Sisyphus’s punishment sounds like torment without purpose. If we take the time to breathe life into the myth, what else is written there? What about his tenacity in retracing his footsteps, his mental strength to not give way to hopelessness – his fortitude, day after day?

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Perhaps this story isn’t simply a parable of despair but rather an articulation of the human condition. All of us will have moments where we think there is no hope, and our projects or our dreams come tumbling down, like a boulder racing to the base of the mountain. Where our hearts are broken. Where gloom seems to cloud everything, and we fail to clock the blue sky overhead.

In the face of despondency though, sometimes it is enough just to keep going, one foot in front of the other. We redouble our efforts.

We choose to live in the present, acknowledge others, appreciate beauty, respect ourselves in the choices we make. In Camus’ essay on Sisyphus, he finished with this thought: “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a human’s heart.”

Our theme for this edition of Light Blue, ‘Towards Thriving’, reflects our choices as we “struggle”. In the climate of 2020, the theme gifts us a challenge; thriving means that we don’t just survive or endure; it compels a more full-hearted and freeing response. Such a response is referenced in another very different yet important tale of note. At the Year 12 Valedictory Dinners this year, I presented each of our final year students with a book – How to Make A Bird.

It is written and illustrated by two talented Australian creators, Meg McKinlay and Matt Ottley, and freshly released in October.

The metaphors of this picture book are profound. Just how do you make a bird? Well, first you have an idea, then you make a blueprint, then you work out what is needed and go off in search of feathers and bones. Then to make the bird fly you need intelligence, heart and imagination. This simple parable reminds us to breathe deeply and take our time with all that we create.

There is also a call to release to the open sky what it is that consumes our attention. This is a lesson that may well need revising throughout our lives.

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer.

It sings because it has a song.”

Not dissimilar to the relentless release of Sisyphus’s boulder, our outward and upward facing actions require courage to create as we breathe life into ideas and dreams, and then we need an equal dose of courage to let it all go, perhaps most pertinently upon encountering the unexpected. All of us had an idea what life would be like this year, our 165th anniversary. There is no doubt that COVID-19 interrupted this vision for each of us, in differing ways.

Just like the bird in the book, to adapt this year we’ve needed the proud arch of an eagle, the soft curve of a sparrow, feathers for movement and warmth, eyes for searching, a beak for building a nest, claws to grip and maybe most significantly, a sure and steady heart to survive all weathers.

In their support of helping to shape meaningful lives, I applaud all our staff for their tireless efforts, expertise and care throughout 2020. For his contribution to the meaning making at GGS for the past 31 years, I especially commend Vice Principal, Charlie Scudamore. With a tremendous energy for connecting positively with people and their stories, as well as an absolute aspiration for peace, decency, civility and love to be abundant, Charlie will be sorely missed yet forever interwoven into the stories of our School.

No doubt the myth of ‘Scuders’ will be retold for generations to come! It will centre on fervour, frivolity and a fierce belief in humanity.

Our young people of Geelong Grammar are always looking to us – educators, families, our operational team and OGGs – for clues on how to strengthen our humanity. This year has brought sharply into focus that we can choose to model the qualities of adaptability, collective responsibility, moral courage and compassion that will help each one of them thrive. It all depends on the stories we choose to tell ourselves.

How will our 2020 story of thriving minds and character be told in 165 years hence? ONCE UPON A TIME...

Rebecca Cody Principal

Even though great challenges are omnipresent, we can choose to thrive. As a coping strategy, the caged bird in Maya Angelou’s 1968 poem sings, despite its circumstances, as a signal of longing for freedom. Dr Angelou’s idea was that “a bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.”

This year, the songs we’ve sung and the stories we’ve told have influenced our own choices and the choices of those around us.

In terms of agility, the responses by the students and families of Geelong Grammar School have been exceptional. Together, as the festive season commences, we’re still processing grief, persevering through COVID Safe restrictions, finding joy, moving forward, only to face the base of our mountain time and time again. We’re never alone at the base and perhaps the challenges this year have helped us identify the boulders we choose to lift to create meaningful lives.

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Vygotsky, L. S. (2004). Imagination and Creativity in Childhood. Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, vol. 42, no. 1, January–February 2004, pp. 7–97.

2 Plato, Republic, Book 1 3 Graves, Robert. (1955) Greek Myths, Illustrated Ed. Penguin Books, London.

4 Camus, A. (1942), The Myth of Sisyphus, Penguin Classics, London 5 McKinlay, M, illus by Ottley, M, (2020). How to Make a Bird, Walker Books 1

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SECTION 01 — INTRODUCTION

Our Strategic Imperatives in Action uption of the At GGS, the uncertainty and disr us to critique d age our enc ic dem COVID-19 pan ortunities opp ate current practices and acceler Specifically, rk. ewo identified by our Strategic Fram eratives – Imp ic teg Stra our we have been guided by ity, Progression and Ethicality, Collaboration, Inclusiv Imperatives in Action Substantiation. Our Strategic ken in 2020 and captures the endeavours underta t steps. nex of pse provide a glim

INCLUSIVITY – Publication of an updated Reconciliation Action Plan (20202022) renewing our commitment to working towards creating a culturally responsive school – Registration for Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) subjects from 2021 to address learning needs and to provide relevant Senior School pathways for our diverse student cohort – Extension of web-based interactive Trail to Timbertop programme for students new to GGS to help build a better preparation and transition to Year 9 for incoming students – Ongoing engagement with international students unable to return to Australia due to COVID restrictions – Development of Professional Learning & Development (PLD) with a focus on equity of opportunities via platforms like LinkedIn Learning

ETHICALITY

PROGRESSION

– Review and realignment of Corio timetable to create structural equity for the student-teacher experience

– Development and launch of GGS Learning Management System (LMS), the Hive

– Transparent and consistent application of teaching conditions agreed to in the Teaching Staff Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA)

– Advancement of accreditation for the Primary Years Programme (PYP) of the International Baccalaureate (IB) at Bostock House (Prep-Year 4) and Corio (Years 5-6)

– Implementation of Residential Tenancy Agreements at Corio to ensure clear and consistent application of expectations for provision of staff residences to prioritise student safety and wellbeing

– Restructure of Middle School boarding to reflect our strategic target of a 50:50 gender balance, in line with our recent shift to a 50:50 gender balance in Year 9 at Timbertop, building on our strengths as a coeducational school

– Development of an Ethical Framework to guide and embed exceptional professional standards

– Implementation of REACH boarding management software across Corio Campus to meet Child Safe Standards

– Implementation of Community Code of Conduct to support positive and respectful relationships

– Introduction of Remote Learning Coaches and development of coaching culture

– Ongoing development of policies and procedures to prioritise ethical behaviours and transparency

– Successful transition to virtual/online events, from OGG Business Lunches to Year 12 Valedictory Dinners

COLLABORATION – Focus on cross-campus connectedness through initiatives like whole school Principal’s Staff Briefings, joint GGS Primary assemblies (Bostock House, Corio and Toorak), cross-campus Working Parties and Development & Response Teams (DARTs) – Cross-campus engagement to advance accreditation for the Primary Years Programme (PYP) of the International Baccalaureate (IB) at Bostock House (Prep-Year 4) and Corio (Years 5-6) – Cross-campus Teacher Training sessions for new GGS Learning Management System (LMS), the Hive – Development and distribution of Organisational Charts and Position Descriptions to provide clarity, accountability, and opportunity for collaboration across roles/teams (e.g. mapping shared responsibilities) – Creation of Scholarship Working Group with members from Advancement, Finance and Admissions to improve collaboration and information sharing, bringing a collective focus to scholarships to facilitate effective decision making

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– Implementation for contemporary processes for Community Engagement, Employee Engagement, Facilities, Finance and Information Services through over-arching frameworks (i.e. Programme Delta and Sustainability Strategy), with organisational Project Management Offices (PMOs) guiding all major change management (e.g. zero-based budgeting)

SUBSTANTIATION – Ongoing development of a data platform (Microsoft Power BI) to visualise student learning and assessment data – Expansion of benchmark testing and data-driven conversations to enhance learning and teaching – Focus on fact-based recommendations to Council and Executive Leadership Team (ELT) to enable evidence-based decision making and problem solving – Improvement of budget accountability and financial awareness though monthly reporting of financial and enrolment data – Introduction of quarterly dashboard of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

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15,227,125

Throughout the year, we were guided by numbers.

The numbers of new COVID-19 cases. The numbers of days required to be spent in ‘group isolation’. The daily numbers of temperature checking. Below is a quick snapshot of some of the numbers that mattered most at GGS in 2020.

58,637 meetings 681,812 participants

minutes spent in online Zoom meetings

227,594

14,670

51,337 leave submissions

Service Desk tickets logged

Timbertop students ran a combined total of

On November 23, Timbertop students complained about the rain on average 6 times each in a 12-hour period, which was 1,380 complaints in total

chickens in Omo’s chookhouse

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68 COVID-19 community updates

visits to the GGS SharePoint platform

110,000 completed Daily Health Questionnaires

144,000km

which is

12 laps around the coastline of Australia

87% of secondary students exercised for more than 30 minutes per day during remote learning

SECTION 01 — INTRODUCTION

2020 IN NUMBERS

from the Coulter Library at Toorak Campus 4,500 temperature checks at Bostock House

58 remote Chapel Services at Corio

7,216 teachers from around the world subscribed to the Positive Education Enriched Curriculum

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Institute of Positive Education public webinars 9

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TOWARDS

Thriving

Sandy Peake (Li’74) is a problem solver. Pragmatic, proactive, and with an almost obsessive attention to detail, Sandy is regarded as one of Australia’s pre-eminent intensive care specialists. “If there is a problem, we look for ways to fix it and we get on and deal with it,” she explained. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was a particularly significant problem for healthcare professionals. As the virus accelerated from “public health emergency” to “global pandemic”, Sandy was engaged by various expert groups to guide Australia’s healthcare response, including the Federal Government’s National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce. “From conversations with colleagues around the world, we knew there was the potential for the system to become overwhelmed. How do you allocate resources? How do you choose who has access to (hospital) beds?

It is not something that we ever really have to think about here in Australia. Trying to understand how you can ethically ensure that resources are allocated in the best possible way, to the benefit of society in general, is not a simple process. It’s even more difficult to do on the hop as you’re trying to deal with a pandemic.”

Having initially trained in anaesthetics, Sandy was drawn to the collaborative problem-solving of intensive care. “I love working in a team environment. I like the fact that intensive care combines a broad mix of skills and that you need to be practical. Some people may say that I am a little obsessive compulsive, but that’s actually a good thing in intensive care because it’s the little things that lead to positive outcomes – it suits my particular personality attributes.”

Across her 30-year career in intensive care, Sandy has been a trail blazer. “There are a lot of nurses but there are very few female intensive care doctors. It is increasing, but it is still only around 1015%. There are even fewer female directors of intensive care units in Australia.” Sandy is Director of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (TQEH) in Adelaide’s western suburbs. She is Professor of Critical Care Medicine at The University of Adelaide and Adjunct Professor, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, at Monash University. Sandy is also the first female Chair of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) Clinical Trials Groups, which was responsible for coordinating research to evaluate COVID-19 therapies.

From the frontline healthcare response to fostering future industries, pre-eminent Australian intensive care specialist, Professor Sandra Peake (Li’74), and South Australia’s first Chief Entrepreneur, Jim Whalley (P’83), found different paths towards thriving amidst the challenges and disruptions of COVID-19.

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Across town at Lot Fourteen, the ambitious redevelopment of the old Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) site on North Terrace, is South Australia’s first Chief Entrepreneur, Jim Whalley (P’83). Like Sandy, Jim is a problem solver. A former RAAF fighter pilot who co-founded an international defence and aerospace company, Jim was appointed SA’s Chief Entrepreneur in 2018, with a focus on “turning innovations into commercial outcomes”. Jim brings his experience of starting Nova Systems, which specialises in providing engineering and professional services to the defence and aerospace industries. Since its days as a start-up in the early 2000s, the company has grown to have almost 1,000 employees, with offices in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore and the United Kingdom. “I think to have a company that solves some of the really big problems, you need to have magnitude, you need to have scale, so you can marshal all those disparate technologies and expertise together to actually solve quite complex problems,” Jim explained.

The COVID-19 pandemic remains a complex problem for business, particularly start-ups. “We have not had a crisis like this since the Second World War or the Great Depression,” Jim said. “But chaos breeds innovation. I hope that the post-COVID world actually creates more opportunities

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for those really good start-ups to grow and thrive.” Jim has been buoyed by the appetite of venture capitalists to fund start-ups and support small companies despite the volatile environment. He has been particularly excited by the growth of the space sector in South Australia, which Jim cites as an example of COVID-19 fasttracking the trajectory “towards thriving” – the Australian Space Agency was established at Lot Fourteen in February, scientists recently retrieved a capsule from Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft containing the first sub-surface samples from an asteroid, which landed in South Australia's Woomera Prohibited Area in December, and a South Australian satellite company is part of a consortium planning a mission to the moon in 2023 that will use nanosatellites to search for water.

that is going to give not only lots of jobs and economic benefits to the State and to Australia but is also a real inspiration.

A viable space industry in Australia… that could be a driver for getting kids more involved in science and engineering.” It seems somewhat fitting that amidst the challenges, disruptions and darkness of the COVID-19 pandemic, that one of the brightest hopes for the future is quite literally found in the stars.

Jim has been vital in kick-starting the space race in South Australia. He successfully lobbied for the International Aeronautical Conference to be held in Adelaide in 2017, assisted Canadian space robotics company Lux Aerobot to establish an Adelaide office, and was involved in the South Australian "I hope that the post-COVID Government’s Space Sector Plan, which plans to grow the space sector to a $12 world actually creates more billion industry in the next 10 years. “It opportunities for those really good has been great to be involved with that start-ups to grow and thrive." and hopefully we are building an industry

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“There are lots of life-threatening diseases that we treat on a daily went and did it,” she said. “I think one of the most important things basis in intensive care, the difference with COVID was the potential that I have learnt is to partition my time. As a general principle, I to be overwhelmed with patients coming in at the same time,” try not to take work home. I make sure that my time off is actually Sandy explained. “My hospital has a great team environment and time off, so I don’t check emails and I don’t schedule meetings. we’ve worked together for many years, so it’s really like a family. My Even when I was incredibly busy in the first few months of this biggest concern was not that we wouldn’t be able to manage the year, I was working long hours, but I was doing that at work, so that patients, what I was most concerned about home was rest and family. I think that is one was the impact on my staff, of them potentially of the important things that you have to do to " getting COVID, because intensive care is have longevity, particularly in intensive care, From conversations higher risk for healthcare workers getting because you do work long hours and you are with colleagues infections, and also psychologically dealing on call two or three nights a week and you around the world, with patients who are dying with families not do work weekends, so you have to make sure we knew there was being able to visit.” that when you are off work you use that time the potential for to go to the gym, to catch up with friends, the system to become Amidst those “concerning” and “extremely and all of those important lifestyle things.” busy” first few months of 2020, developing overwhelmed systems and guidelines for COVID-19 whilst Sandy believes that finding balance is vital to " coordinating critical care research, Sandy thriving. “Work takes up a lot of people’s lives leaned into experience. “In the early days (as an intensive care and you’ve got to love the job that you do,” she said. “Intensive care doctor), I had two children under the age of two, I was completing is an incredibly rewarding profession and I love the job as much my PhD (in septicaemia) and I was working full-time, so that was now as when I started. For me, thriving is also enjoying time with certainly a challenging period. I look back and I wonder how the your family and your friends. They are simple things, but they are hell I did that and why I wanted to do that, but at the time, I just the things that make me happy.”

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The Hive Timbertop’s resident bard, Sandy Mackinnon, inspired the name for the School’s new digital campus. The Hive represents “industrious action by a myriad of workers coming together for a common good; communication by an intricate dance of messages; the production of wholesome honey and even candlewax to let shine forth the light of wisdom,” Sandy explained. Development of the School’s new digital environment began in Semester 2, building on the experience of remote learning. “This year has challenged both students and staff to learn so many new ways of leveraging digital technologies for learning and I am in awe at what our teachers and students achieved,” Head of E-Learning, Fiona Fitzgerald, said. “While our move towards the Hive would have happened regardless of remote learning, the skills and confidence gained during remote learning have empowered staff to move into this new digital environment much more quickly and to see the potential it has to improve practice.”

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The Hive is a Learning Management System (LMS), which is an online platform for learning resources and assessment tasks, where students can engage with teachers and other students, as well as submit work for feedback and/or assessment. It will build enduring resources to support the delivery of face-toface learning, utilising technology to centralise information and reduce email traffic. Subsequently, the initial implementation of the Hive has prioritised learning and teaching, with a focus in Term 4 on teacher training and online course development. “Staff did an amazing job in Term 4, at the end of an exhausting year, to learn the basics of the new system and build out the initial learning infrastructure,” Fiona said. “As Term 4 came to a close across our four campuses, staff had built nearly 400 courses and within those, the units for Term 1 – a simply incredible achievement which really exemplifies the digital competency that is now present within the teaching team after remote learning. It means that we will be ready for students to start using the Hive at the beginning of the year.”

Ultimately, the Hive will be more than an LMS. By Semester 2 next year, the Hive will begin to expand its functionality to also be a platform for communicating between parents, teachers and students about all aspects of school life. This will include tracking attendance, medical information, student academic reports, excursions, parent teacher interviews and pastoral care. Eventually, it will replace the School Portal, utilising technology to enrich communication and the learning experience for our community. “I am really excited by the opportunity to create a digital environment that, like our physical campuses, provides the best opportunities to support all aspects of school life,” Fiona explained. “More specifically, I am really excited to be working with Jared Cooney Horvath (Educational Neuroscientist at Melbourne University) to leverage the science of learning to drive our design of the digital learning resources and spaces.”

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Adventures in Learning “ Curiouser and curiouser!” cried Alice.

Just like Alice on her adventures in wonderland, children are innately curious creatures. They come pre-programmed with a desire to ask questions and find answers, and with a little guidance will follow trails and make discoveries that lead, naturally, to new lines of inquiry. These are the attributes of a lifelong learner, and it is this characteristic that is at the crux of the Primary Years Programme (PYP) of the International Baccalaureate (IB).

At Geelong Grammar School, the Toorak Campus has been following the PYP since the late 1990s (it was the first school in Victoria to introduce the programme, which has since been adopted by more than 30 schools across the State). In 2020, ELC to Year 4 at Bostock House and Years 5 and 6 at Corio began the process of implementing the programme – forming, together with Toorak, a community of learners now known as GGS Primary.

Nicola Rule, PYP Coordinator, was appointed from a similar position at Wesley College to oversee the rigorous IB accreditation process, a journey of at least two years. “There are almost 100 standards and practices that need to be evidenced before we can become authorised”, Nicola explained.

The IB has noble aims. Its programmes at all levels, from PYP to Diploma, have the overarching goal to “develop internationally minded people who, recognising their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world”. This guiding principle aligns beautifully

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with the School’s own purpose, to “shape a better world”.

Curiosity, the key tenet of an IB learner, is also one of the three identified characteristics of a GGS learner along with courage and compassion, both essential qualities for truly open-minded students.

The philosophy is clear, but how does it actually translate to the classroom? Within its curriculum framework, the PYP has three pillars and six themes, which respond to the IB learner profile that is common across all programmes of the IB. This profile describes 10 essential human capacities and responsibilities, aiming to develop holistic learners who are inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective. “The thinking routines in PYP are the same as Year 11 and 12 Diploma students are using”, explained Year 5 teacher, Ashleigh Elsum. “I had only worked in primary schools before coming to Corio, so it’s been brilliant for me to observe the transition process into Senior School and see the skills we teach in the PYP being applied by older students.”

The three pillars of the framework – the learner, learning and teaching, and the learning community – acknowledge students as agents of their own learning, and partners with teachers in the learning process. Significantly, the pillars emphasise the important role of communities in best supporting learners to pursue self-directed outcomes. GGS Primary comprises of and belongs to several learning communities – the global IB community, the Victorian PYP Network, local networks of PYP schools, and the learning communities at individual campuses. At Bostock

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House, three mini learning communities have also evolved: Early Learning (ELC and Prep), Years 1 and 2, and Years 3 and 4. These key partnerships have been established “for the wellbeing of all community members”, said Nicola. “They enable successful collaboration between teachers, students and peers that promote learning and engagement, and this is at the heart of the PYP.”

any proof that the Greek Gods were real?” Presentations took the form of movies, models (including a neat example of crop rotation systems using cress), websites, song and a science demonstration.

Year 6 student, Lana Karlusic, reflected that, “It gives you a chance to express yourself and share your interests, and this makes us a better community”.

Units of inquiry are developed collaboratively by GGS learning communities. Rather than acquiring knowledge within traditional subject boundaries, PYP learners instead authentically explore real-world problems across six transdisciplinary themes: Who we are, Where we are in place and time, How we express ourselves, How the world works, How we organise ourselves, and Sharing the planet. Inquiry investigations therefore become dynamic and open-ended, encouraging emergent ideas to take root, and new directions to be pursued. Teachers provide the scaffolding by asking questions like “What is your goal for this session?”, or “What is it that you are interested in finding out?”, or enabling prompts that deepen a student’s cognitive process, but the students themselves are encouraged to devise the inquiry questions.

Once accredited, the culmination of the PYP is the Year 6 exhibition, an opportunity for students to demonstrate their understanding and development of the key PYP elements within one of the six transdisciplinary themes. “They start with a passion, consider a problem that relates to it and then work out which theme it belongs to”, explained Nicola. Drawing on all the attributes of the IB learner profile, students spend several months preparing, planning and finally presenting their learning to an audience of their peers, supporters and families. The whole learning community, students and teachers together, experiences the thrill of active citizenship, an empowering gift for students as they prepare to enter secondary schooling.

Year 6 teacher, Julie Pearce, revealed that, “The students beg me to work on their inquiry projects! Because the inquiry is personal to them, they are so engaged with their research and then enjoy the freedom to devise creative ways to present their findings to their peers.” This year, her students’ inquiry questions included, “What started art being shown in galleries? Why is it harder for females to get into politics? How can we use agriculture better in the future? Who would we be if we had different parents? Is there

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As Alice herself excitedly observed when reflecting on the many changes she had experienced in wonderland, “Who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle!” Curiosity, and the ability to constantly examine and evaluate our place in the world, is essential for a purposeful and productive life. The PYP at GGS “enables wisdom”, as our motto directs, and nurtures the human qualities needed to shape a better world.

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THE LIFE AQUATIC with Year 2 Toorak This year’s Year 2 Production at Toorak Campus was one of deep inquiry and creativity. Year 2 students investigated the habitat of our natural world, focusing on our planet’s oceans, and communicating their research with considerable knowledge, accumulated through their classroom Unit of Inquiry. What resulted was a performance that was a blend of drama, art and music, which brought their learning vividly to life. Students explored the ocean’s interconnected ecosystem and examined the pollution that is impacting its future survival. They did so with passion and curiosity, where all students were provided with the opportunity to express the ocean’s beauty and power, but most significantly, how we are all connected and dependent on our marine environment.

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CONNECTING TO COUNTRY Year 1 and 2 at Bostock House celebrated a special learning experience in Term 4, with the collaborative PYP (Primary Years Programme) Unit of Inquiry on signs and symbols fusing powerfully with reflections of our local Indigenous heritage during NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) week. The central idea was that signs and symbols represent ideas and messages. Exploring that understanding was at the forefront of our young learners’ minds as they set off on our challenging six-kilometre Totem Trek walk, looking for signs and symbols in our local community, led by the School’s Indigenous Education Consultant, Sandra Brogden.

“It was the first time I had been a leader on a trek. I made a map of Newtown and the Barwon River at home and it worked – we didn’t get lost.” – Duncan Height (Yr2) Of particular interest were stops at the Yollinko Wetlands and Yollinko Park, just down the road from Bostock House on the banks of the Barwon River. They are locations of special significance for our local Indigenous people and sites of historical importance, explained and represented by signs and symbolic sculptures. The students were very grateful to Sandra for bringing the history to life and explaining all about the local Barrabool clan and their group totems, like bundjil the wedgetailed eagle, kunawarra the black swan, parrwang the magpie and waa the crow.

“I saw my totem, parwang the magpie, in my garden. He was in the trees. I thought he was protecting me.” – Charlie Rule (Yr1) Year 1 and 2 students brought their learning back to the classroom and over subsequent weeks reflected on the signs and symbols they had observed. They each researched and then adopted their own personal totem at a celebration ceremony with Sandra. They captured the essence of their totems through artworks and storytelling, such as magical collages and folktales. NAIDOC week brought its own extra layer of significant signs and symbols. Our Bostock House community heard once again from our good friend Raymond Walters, father of Zoe Walters (Yr12 Ga), who shared his emu totem artwork and talked about this year’s NAIDOC week theme, ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’, which recognises that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years.

“It was a lot of fun making my ankerre (emu) collage. We cut up magazines and tried to match the colours. We added some gold and silver magic and some Indigenous art to one part too.

It looks like it is coming to life.” – Matilda Abe (Yr2) “I was a bit scared to do my talk, but I had my totem, kuwark the kookaburra, with me to cheer me up and make me laugh. It went well. Can I tell you a joke to make you laugh like kuwark? What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t come back? A stick.”

– Fred Blair-Alexander (Yr2) After Indigenous treasure hunts through the City of Greater Geelong’s terrific NAIDOC week website, creatively combining Indigenous symbols to make new symbols, and studying symbols in dreamtime stories, art and song, the young learners concluded NAIDOC week by summarising their learning with a very special group Acknowledgment of Country.

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A NEW ERA The impact and complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic has required a readiness to adapt and change as we navigate operational and logistical challenges. Throughout 2020, we have been required to demonstrate an energy and agility to attend to current needs, as well as explore a myriad of possibilities to prioritise contemporary practices and secure our future sustainability. One area that the School has reviewed and engaged in broad consultation on is the structure of Middle School boarding. At the beginning of Term 4, we announced the decision to consolidate our boys’ boarding houses (Barrabool and Barwon) and move the location of our girls’ boarding house (Connewarre). Consequently, from the beginning of 2021 there will be one Middle School boys’ boarding house and one Middle School girls’ boarding house, with a new physical layout for each. This move reflects our strategic target of a 50:50 gender balance in Middle School boarding, in line with our recent shift to a 50:50 gender balance in Year 9 at Timbertop, building on our strengths as a coeducational school.

House Names The arrangement of Middle School houses has changed and adapted over time in order to provide the best possible care for our students. Barrabool, Barwon and Connewarre were originally three sections within Junior House, which was established in 1914, before they became boarding houses in 1934. There have been various name changes over the years and in 1984, Connewarre became a girls’ house.

During Term 4, the School engaged in extensive community consultation to rename the restructured Middle School boarding houses. The feedback consistently highlighted a strong desire to strengthen our connection to place, enhancing our links with local Indigenous culture whilst honouring the heritage of our Middle School boarding houses. Our community’s insights fed into further research and consultation with Wadawurrung elder, Corrina Eccles, our Indigenous Education Consultant, Sandra Brogden, and historian, Sophie Church, which illuminated educational opportunities for our Middle School learning community and reinforced our commitment to GGS’s updated Reconciliation Action Plan and respectful partnerships with the traditional custodians of the land.

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GIRLS’ BOARDING HOUSE

Kunuwarra (Connewarre) House Kunuwarra is the preferred spelling of the Wadawurrung people.

Kunuwarra is the black swan, which is a significant female symbol in the Wadawurrung creation story (kunuwarra was the wife of bundjil, the creator spirit of the Kulin nation). Wadawurrung women today dance and tell the story of kunuwarra in their ceremonies. Swans are also significant in western culture as a symbol of purity, grace and elegance, whilst black swans inhabit the Limeburners Bay lagoon and share our local environment at Corio.

BOYS’ BOARDING HOUSE

Parrwang (Barwon) House Parrwang is the preferred spelling of the Wadawurrung people.

Parrwang is the magpie, who in the Wadawurrung creation story lifted the blanket of darkness from the land to bring the first dawn (Victoria Opera will premiere Indigenous composer Deborah Cheetham’s opera, Parrwang Lifts the Sky, in 2021). Parrwang the magpie is a symbol of rejuvenation and life, and intellectual curiosity. Magpies are also a familiar presence around the Corio campus, and especially around the Middle School precinct.

BOARDING PRECINCT

Barro:aabil (Barrabool) Barro:aabil is the preferred spelling of the Wadawurrung people. It is their name for the Barrabool Hills on the western edge of Geelong and is translated to mean ‘the place of the rounded hills’. The Wadawurrung balug were the clan group known as the ‘Barrabool people’ that had a settlement at what is now called Yollinko Park in Geelong, at the confluence of Kardinia Creek and the Barwon River – in the early 1980s, middens and artefacts (axes, anvils, spear heads, blades, wooden and stone tools) were discovered on this site dating back over 5,000 years. The Wadawurrung balug were also the clan who adopted William Buckley in 1803, which is a significant symbol of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people walking together.

The theme for National Reconciliation Week in 2020 was ‘In This Together’, which reinforced that we all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories and cultures. As a School we embrace inclusivity and cultural diversity. Equally, as educators, we value the responsibility learning communities hold as we influence our belonging and becoming as a country. When we come together to build mutual respect and understanding, we shape a better world for all Australians.

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The updated RAP builds on the development of the School’s Indigenous Programme – from just one student in 2006, more than 80 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have studied or are still studying at GGS, with 29 students enrolled across the School in 2020. “The Indigenous Programme is really powerful because it’s not just about the education of Indigenous kids, it’s about the education of every single person in this School,” Vice Principal, Charlie Scudamore, explained. Charlie believes GGS has “become more inclusive, more accepting and more culturally aware” as result, whilst the Indigenous Programme has reaffirmed his belief in “the power of education” and “its potential to bring about positive change”.

A member of the Anmatyerre people of the Northern Territory, Zoe Walters (Yr12 Ga) joined GGS in Year 7 from Alice Springs, “with little idea of the School and what it would be like”. “When I arrived, I was overwhelmed by the size of the campus and the opportunities and experiences available,” Zoe said. “It didn’t take long to fit in – the community was very welcoming.”

Zoe was Drama Captain in 2020, was awarded the Juan José Garcia Prize for Drama and was recently offered a place at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to study a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting). “GGS has allowed me to do things that I never dreamt of doing back home and I am extremely grateful for this,” she said. “I have been given the opportunity to grow skills and attributes that will aid me in the future, like my confidence in performing and public speaking. I have grown to love the culture and support that allows you to thrive at GGS.” Reconciliation is “actively reaching out and connecting with others, making an effort to be a part of the bigger community and allowing others to feel the same way” according to Sunny Handy (Yr12 M). A member of the Latje Latje and Barkindji peoples of Northwest Victoria, Sunny joined GGS in Year 9 from Pental Island on the Murray River near Swan Hill and was School Captain in 2020. “Reconciliation at GGS is the act of respecting other cultures,” Sunny said. “Reconciliation is about moving past tolerance and onto acceptance. It’s not just living in the same space but living in unison and harmony. Reconciliation at GGS is about incorporating the thriving Indigenous community but is also about the international community which calls GGS home. These communities may be individual groups, yet they are part of the bigger GGS picture because our School values individuality and wishes to celebrate our differences.”

At its heart, reconciliation is about “recognising who we are and striving towards who we want to be,” according to Sarah Sutherland (Yr12 He).

From the inner Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn, Sarah joined GGS in Year 9, following in the footsteps of her sister, mother, uncles, aunties, cousins and grandfather, and was School Captain in 2020. “GGS is an extremely unique school,” Sarah explained. “We are a community, and, in all communities, reconciliation enhances our possibilities to grow and flourish. As a School, the values we live by and the manner in which we conduct ourselves will set an example for our community. Reconciliation requires the curiosity and courage to explore, acknowledge and actively work to overcome the division and inequality emerging from our past. Moreover, supporting reconciliation requires a community to maintain integrity and provide one another with respect, love and compassion.”

Learn more at www.ggs.vic.edu.au/reconciliation

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RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN

Our School published its second Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in 2020, celebrating the progress of our Indigenous programme and furthering our commitment to reconciliation. Principal, Rebecca Cody, said GGS’s purpose centres on the pursuit of shaping a better world; one which embraces inclusivity and diversity. “We want all our GGS learners, friends and families to feel a genuine sense of belonging and a confidence to open their hearts and minds to the myriad of opportunities and experiences available,” Rebecca said. “These opportunities and experiences are enriched by the voices, histories, achievements and stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”

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2020

LOVE our community

covid

The ‘Dreaming’, or the ‘Dreamtime’, is oral storytelling passed down by generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to explain the world and its creation; how life came to be and the beliefs underpinning those creation stories. One aspect that non-Indigenous Australians grapple with is that the Dreaming is not static or linear. It is the past, but it is also the present and the future. The Australian anthropologist William Stanner coined the term “everywhen” to explain a concept that moves across past, present and future. For me, 2020 had an “everywhen” quality that seemed to transcend the present; echoing the past whilst illuminating the future.

challenge

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COVID-19 was another incredibly complex challenge. Again, I think there were many positives in how our community responded, demonstrating a willingness to share and support one another during rapid change.

I joined the School in 1990 and 2020 will be The early end to Term 1 and the move to my final year at GGS. Across those 31 years, remote learning was not easy, but it showed I have never experienced a year quite like 2020. It was complex, tragic and challenging, the preparedness of our staff and students to knuckle down and get on with things. It yet hopeful. It demonstrated time and highlighted the resilience and grit of our again the strength of our community. I will community. Our students and staff had to always remember that morning in February be flexible and adaptable. It also underlined of Will Bowden’s (Yr12 Cu) death. It was the importance of collaboration – the such a devastating start to the year that collegiality that was demonstrated across continues to be deeply felt by members of the School was phenomenal. The willingness our community, including Will’s family and to go the extra yard was brilliant. As was the his close circle of friends. What I remember leadership displayed by staff, including our is how our community responded with Head of E-Learning, Fiona Fitzgerald, Vice love and compassion. It showed me again Principal (Global Learning and Innovation), that in times of adversity, the generosity Chris McNamara, and Creative Education of spirt, the willingness to commit, the true Collaborators, Dan Davies and Matt Limb, to passion and love for each other and our community shines through. Everything else is create something that was really first class. I think our families were incredibly impressed dropped by the wayside. I was in awe of the response, led by a phenomenal effort by the with our remote learning programme and I think COVID-19 emphasised the Executive and Leadership Team, supported commitment of our staff to the education

by Headspace and our Kennedy team of medical professionals, as well as staff, parents and wellbeing of our students. and students. The spirit that our students demonstrated at House Music in particular was a powerful moment. What Cuthbertson House did that afternoon was remarkable – to get up and perform the way that they did – as was the response and support from the entire Senior School student cohort. For me, again, it was representative of what our community is about.

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devastation

strength resilience collegiality

COM PA SSI O N

The COVID-19 pandemic and resultant health and hygiene restrictions had a huge impact on our School life. At Corio, we haven’t been able to come together as a community for gatherings like our wonderful Senior School and Middle School assemblies. But despite all the difficulties and travel restrictions, our students have gone to great lengths to be back on campus.

They want to be here. That tells us that we are doing a lot of things right. COVID-19 forced a lot of changes – rapid change was a necessity. It provided us with opportunities to progress some of the aspects of the Strategic Framework much quicker than we might have otherwise. I think our community wants change and as a School we’ve always explored ways to improve what we do, but I also think we must appreciate all that is working well. I look at the work of David Cooperrider and his model of Appreciative Inquiry; of focusing on strengths to create an atmosphere of possibility and excitement.

I think there is huge scope for how we can enhance how we engage and inspire young people to be passionate about learning, which will inevitably lead to better learning outcomes. I think there’s an incredible degree of excitement about what we have learnt in 2020 and where it could take us in the future.

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everywhen

One area of the School that I think is working well is our Indigenous Programme. This year we published an updated version of our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and I think the fact that across our campuses we recognise and celebrate Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week, that Indigenous culture is a part of the fabric of who we are, is a tremendous thing. High school graduation rates for Indigenous students across Australia have increased from less than 40 per cent to almost 70 per cent in the past two decades. This year, a record seven Indigenous Year 12 students will graduate from GGS.

When I reflect upon 2020, I think that one of the positives of COVID-19 was that it resulted in an increased level of respect right across Australia for what I tell people is “a most honourable profession” – teaching.

I have been a teacher all my life. I have loved my job. I have loved how the day-today interactions with young people have inspired, engaged, frustrated, amazed, confused, motivated and enriched my life. I think the power of education is that it is not static, that the true impact of teaching and learning is felt across the past, present and future. That is how I think of my time as a teacher and my time at GGS – as embracing the spirit, the soul and the essence of the “everywhen”.

Charlie Scudamore Vice Principal – Community & Culture

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Farewelling

e i l char 1990 – Charlie Scudamore arrived at Geelong Grammar School in 1990 like an aspirin in a glass of water, fizzing and bubbling with seemingly endless enthusiasm. Charlie was appointed Head of Geography. He coached Softball, girls’ Athletics (APS champions in 1993) and Soccer. He transferred his busking skills to student concerts and assemblies. In 1993, he helped establish Students Against the Violation of the Environment (SAVE) and coordinated the Charities Committee, running in the annual Lorne 160 relay.

1998 – Charlie’s teaching exchange

“His energy, enthusiasm and keen understanding of the students in his at Marlborough College was interrupted when he was appointed Head of Timbertop care means that he is respected and (from Term 3, 1998) by Lister Hannah liked by students, staff and parents”.

(Headmaster 1995-99). Charlie relished the – Stephen Meek (Principal 2004-17) “passion and commitment” of Timbertop and the campus flourished in his care, 2008 – Charlie played a vital role in culminating in 2003 with Timbertop’s 50the development and implementation year Jubilee Celebration and the opening of of Positive Education throughout the the Timbertop Music School.

School and beyond. Professor Martin Seligman and his team from the University “What I loved about it was the of Pennsylvania held a nine-day training relationships that you built with the course at Corio and GGS in 2008. The kids. You were running with them, explicit teaching of Positive Education “Charlie was an incredibly dynamic hiking with them, and seeing the Head of Geography. He was able to growth and this remarkable transition began in Years 7 and 10 in 2009 and the GGS Model of Positive Education was enthuse students and the interest in the space of that year.” introduced in 2010. Charlie was the keynote and performance in that subject – Charlie Scudamore speaker at that year’s Association of really increased. I think his ability Heads of Independent Schools of Australia to spread that infectious joy across 2004 – Charlie was appointed Head (AHISA) conference and he has presented a wide range of activities, from of Corio by Nick Sampson (Principal at countless conferences since, sharing academic work to sport, music and 2001-04). He coordinated the School’s the stage with the Dalai Lama, discussing service, was really important.”

Sesquicentenary Celebrations in 2005 and Positive Education with Finland’s Ministry the introduction of the Richard and Janet – Hartley Mitchell (Staff 1990-2011) of Education, leading workshops at the Southby Visiting Fellows Programme.

European Positive Psychology conference 1994 – Charlie was appointed Head of in France and advising UNESCO’s Happy Perry House by John Lewis (Headmaster Schools Framework. Positive Education 2006 – Charlie was appointed Vice 1980-94). became a worldwide movement in Principal by Stephen Meek (Principal education and Charlie was awarded the 2004-17), who proclaimed that GGS was “The House took on a good deal of the inaugural Positive Psychology Pioneer “fortunate to have him”. character of the person who ran it Award by Professor Seligman at the 2013 and was far richer as a result.”

Masters of Applied Positive Psychology – Sam Strong (P’94), 1994 House Captain (MAPP) summit at the University of Pennsylvania.

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“…THE SCHOOL ND THEY WERE A E R O M A D U C S A D NEEDE E.” LUCKY TO HAVE ON

“…FORTUNA

TE TO HAV E HIM.”

“He was the front man – Positive 2018 – Charlie welcomed his fifth Education wouldn’t have happened Principal at GGS, Rebecca Cody, and without him. Many of the the pair immediately became close developments of the School since the collaborators.

1990s have been carefully curated

by Charlie, driven by his imagination, “From afar, I had long known about Charlie’s reputation and leadership. creativity and passion. The School The legend of ‘Scuders’ intrigued needed a Scudamore and they were me. I soon observed first-hand this lucky to have one.” expressive, oftentimes eccentric, – John Hendry (Staff 1980-2015) gentle man and his profound desire for peace, decency, civility and love to 2010 - Charlie attended his first Yalari be abundant. It took us just minutes Conference in 2010 and was instrumental to connect over tea, literature and in driving the growth of the School’s Indigenous Programme over the next education, laughing, and even crying decade. together, as we began imagining GGS’s next progressions. Charlie’s 2013 – Charlie teamed with Ian Darling deep gratitude for our School and all (P’79) to fundraise for the School of it strives to be, as well as his kindness Performing Arts and Creative Education and energy, will be lasting legacies.

(SPACE), which provided state-of-theHis character is now interwoven into art facilities for drama, music and dance, GGS’s DNA.” whilst acting as a catalyst for the School’s development of Creative Education.

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–Rebecca Cody (Principal 2018-)

We warmly thank all long-serving staff who departed GGS in 2020. To read and watch our 2020 staff farewells please visit: www.ggs.vic.edu.au/home/news/staff-valetes

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ioi HOW ARE YOU? SURVIVING? Well, if you’re reading this you could say that you are pleased to have made it to the end of a bizarre year. Isn’t it strange how we are somehow tempted to think the end of the year means the end of all its troubles and that the New Year means we can start afresh? Although that’s not true, we do find ourselves in happier circumstances, adding to the illusion I just mentioned.

Perhaps you may be one of those who belong to this wonderful GGS community, finding yourself crawling to the end of the year. No doubt on Christmas Day, replete and nourished, we may raise a glass to toast our having survived. Beaten up a little, knocked about by the demands of spatial distancing and the need to learn new skills as well as the real possibility of contracting the virus, nevertheless we made it… we have survived.

Actually, let me suggest that we did more than just survive, let me suggest that we have thrived. We have found out things that are hard to discover in normal circumstances. .

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It’s in the fire that we have opportunity to find our mettle, or resolve, our determination and to learn our personal creative slalom skills through the various obstacles thrown our way.

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This can indeed be quite exhilarating. The BE GENEROUS type of exhilaration that Year 9 students discover in their Timbertop year; the triumph “The way to thrive is to help others thrive; of not just surviving adversity but thriving in the way to flourish is to help others flourish; the way to fulfill yourself is to spend the midst of it. yourself,” according to American theologian, Poet and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou, Cornelius Plantinga. Perhaps the last thing suggests that our “mission in life should not you want to do when you are in survival mode is to “spend yourself”. You are more be merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, likely to want to save yourself for fear of running out of energy, passion, focus, or some humour and some style.” It’s easy to simply the ability to carry on. However, say, but when you’re tired, stressed and overwhelmed, almost impossible to do. What strangely, it is in spending ourselves that we become replenished; the very opposite is it to thrive? Is it to put on a good front? of what we deem sensible to do. Of course, Is it to grin through gritted teeth? Let me there are times when we need to rest, suggest a few ways towards thriving. relax, smell the roses and times when we need to say no to some things. This is part BE HONEST and parcel of being honest, realistic and Saying positive things out loud sounds good generous as a package that is balanced and healthy. in theory but if you’re only just managing in survival mode, it’s inauthentic and deep down you’ll know this. An honest assessment is like confession; not necessarily in the religious sense (which is similar) but in the sense that it is good to openly confess deep feelings and if possible, to someone. That someone needs to be someone who will listen without comment. Someone, of course, you can trust. No one is perfect.

BE REALISTIC Challenging times tend to be magnified.

We often enlarge our circumstance with dramatic language. “This is the worst time ever!” “I’ll never get through this.” But what is the reality of the situation? Again, sharing our circumstance with someone who we know won’t join in with our catastrophising is going to help. Remember when we fell over as a child and scraped our knees?

Screaming loudly, so our whole world would hear? Our Mum or Dad would give us a comforting hug alongside a real assessment of the situation; namely, as much as it hurt, we had in fact just scraped our knees and a band aid was all that was needed alongside some hugs.

“We thrive not when we’ve done it all, but when we still have more to do,” according to art historian, Sarah Lewis. Yes, but only if we mix into this good thought the necessity of the rest that some call Sabbath. That’s being generous towards ourselves too.

A disciplined, scheduled rest on a day or at a time we choose. For play, for reflection, for physical ease, for leisure. It’s a God invention and a God practice for the purpose of thriving, rather than just surviving.

To end, some wisdom from anonymous street artist, Banksy… alongside prayers for a safe and joyful Christmas and a hopeful 2021.

”If you get tired, learn to rest, not quit.” – Banksy Blessings Chappy Rev Gordon Lingard Senior Chaplain

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A Resilient Response In September 2001, I was 18. I was almost done with my first year of university, had a couple of part-time jobs and was beginning to find my feet as an ‘emerging adult’.

When the attacks on the World Trade Centre happened, I couldn’t believe that the world was just going to keep on going – it honestly felt like the end of days. That my Dad was getting up and still going to work seemed bizarre to me – surely now was the time we all were meant to find bunkers underground and shelter from the inevitable oncoming disaster, just like they did in old movies? What my Dad knew, that I hadn’t yet really experienced (not on this global scale, anyway), was that bad things happen and life goes on, even if differently.

2020 has been unprecedented for our young people. In Australia, we endured devastating bushfires through JanuaryFebruary. At the very least, all of us smelt smoke. We were layered in it for days and days. Many communities lost property and people. The school year started in a haze of what felt like post-apocalyptic rebirth; shaking off the summer to get down to business. Yet, for young people in particular, the daily and weekly routine of school provides a foundational sense of normality and provides a purpose and rhythm to their lives – and ours.

The global COVID-19 pandemic shook this foundation. Social media and the TV news were full of images of empty supermarket shelves, businesses being shut down and, of course, the toilet paper mayhem. To protect the community, some schools like GGS elected to close and shift to online platforms prior to the Victorian State Government’s decision to close schools early for the Easter break. The resumption of ‘normal’ life was constantly disrupted as local COVID-19 outbreaks escalated and eased.

I think back to myself at 18, and the fear, nausea and uncertainty I felt at the awful, unprecedented event that happened on the other side of the world. I consider my anxiety, concerns, and questions about this global catastrophe that has undoubtedly affected us all. And my heart goes out to our young people. I have such empathy for them; the start of this decade has been unsettling, to say the least.

With that in mind, here are four researchsupported strategies that may help support you and the people in your life, whether younger or older.

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NOTICE WHAT’S GOOD It’s easy for us to join the outrage and panic, but our students and children swim in that same water. If we want them to be calm and optimistic, we need to role model this. We know humans are innately good, with a deep desire to help each other. We also understand the power of descriptive norms; if we describe our world as pro-social (helpful, kind, community-focused) then we inspire that behaviour. If we describe our world as anti-social (hoarding, greedy, selfish) then of course we inspire that behaviour. Researchers have written about how stories of selflessness and altruism promote similar responses in our communities and supports a sense of personal agency.

Action: create pro-social ripples •

Send a daily gratitude text, email or letter to someone.

•

Look for and celebrate the helpers in your world, such as the wonderful community groups which are springing up online.

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Ask young people to identify a way in which they could help their family. This might be as simple as maintaining good personal hygiene.

BE PRESENT Practise mindfulness, and schedule mindful breaks for your students or children. Resisting the urge to mentally time travel (ruminating “if only we…” or worrying “I should…”) – we are here and now, and the more time our mind spends with us the calmer we will feel. Just ten minutes of quiet, present-centred reflection can be enough to significantly reduce stress levels. Our body is always anchored in the present, which is why our mindfulness practices often start by focusing on our body or breath.

Action: be mindful •

Limit time spent scrolling through newsfeeds or consider a media-fast for 48 hours (don’t worry – you’ll hear about any significant events from others around you).

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Create routines for anyone spending long periods at home. Structure and stability cannot be underestimated in their capacity to support mental health.

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Investigate some of the great free practices which are available online, including a daily breathing practice from the Centre for Anxiety and Behavioural Change and a collection of Weathering the Storm mindfulness activities from Headspace.

ACKNOWLEDGE NEGATIVE EMOTIONS Feeling scared, uneasy, worried or anxious about the current state of the world is understandable. If we try to ignore these emotions, studies show we will only feel them more strongly.

Action: name the feeling or emotion •

Understand that the emotion may pass quickly or slowly, but it will eventually pass.

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Curiously examine the emotion. What is creating this?

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Consider: is there a way to ‘reframe’ the experience? Is there anything positive which can be drawn from the current situation?

GET OUTSIDE & BE ACTIVE It would be easy for us all to bunker down and lock ourselves away indoors. We know the importance of physical activity for both mental and physical health, and we also know how impactful being in nature is.

Action: create healthy habits •

Spend some time outside each day; reading a book, drawing something in nature, walking a dog, planting vegetables, taking photos, decorating a balcony…

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Move your body (there are many free YouTube classes and movement sessions already available online).

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Look into online educational resources for nature-based play and learning. UK-based educators We Be Kids has both free and paid activities, and Australian educators Wild Cherry Nature Connection offer online nature connection classes.

Cat Lamb Institute of Positive Education LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL

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Year 8 You Yangs Journey Our Year 8 students concluded Term 4 with an epic 14-kilometre trek around the distinctive granite peaks of the You Yangs (Wurdi Youang), followed by a day of reflection and collaborative activities in the SPACE that focused on the attitudes and skills required for Timbertop. “I’ve never run further than four kilometres, so it was a big step up,” Jordan Martyn (Yr8 Ot) confessed. “But at the end it was actually quite rewarding.”

It was also an opportunity to reflect on the challenges of 2020. “Remote learning was really hard and it’s been a huge relief to be back at school – we didn’t know how lucky we were.” A school excursion beyond the boundaries of Corio campus was also a novelty. “It was quite fun to run around outside of school and do some physical activity with friends,” Lizzie Morrison (Yr8 Ot) said. “We reflected on the year, the strengths we might need and the challenges we’ll face at Timbertop.” This included students identifying ‘heroes, hardships and highlights’ from 2020 and writing a letter to their Head of Unit at Timbertop.

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A STEEP & RUGGED PATHWAY I write this on Sunday 22 November 2020, just as the 6-Day Hike is rolling out. A much admired, respected and deeply missed former Timbertop student once wrote: “I used to love watching when Timbertop mobilised.” I think of his observation often when a morning/week/year like we have had is underway. In the last seven days, students and staff have run two regular half-marathons, one of them over Mt Buller. They have sat their final exams and prepped and departed on a 6-Day hike in the High Country; to say it has been busy is somewhat of an understatement. But that is what Timbertop does well. As a community, if it needs doing, we get it done. We head out today into a stormy couple of days with some rain, thunder and lightning forecast. Some long routes lie ahead, but we are also looking forward to some warmer weather and the opportunity to have a cool off in clear mountain streams at the back end of the hike, before returning and laying down the packs for the last time in 2020.

Old Geelong Grammarians will know that feeling of “Timbertop mobilising” well. There is an insistence about the pace, energy and excitement of the place that is impossible to ignore. It is not born out of one particular thing, nor staff driving a recklessness or “busy time” culture. It comes instead from a communal awareness that our time here is fleeting. There is much to do, much to be achieved and only so long in which to achieve it. Students and staff feel the weight of living up to their potential as much as they feel the weight of their pack-straps. As the year draws to a close, we ask staff and students “What is possible? What do you have left? What can you give?”

Seeing young people rise to these challenges in the face of selfdoubt is what has kept the wheels turning in this programme for over 60 years. This morning is no different. 300 people “mobilised” and within hours will be spread across thousands of acres of the Alpine National Park, revelling in what it means to be young, fit, capable and, this year more than ever, relishing in the freedom of movement and extended time in the outdoors.

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And hasn’t 2020 challenged this concept all over the world? We have been so incredibly fortunate to finish this year on such a high with this cohort. The headwinds we faced as a school, a state, a country and as humanity has left us yearning for what is so readily taken for granted: freedom of movement, relationships, connection, a sense of community, time in the outdoors, safety and security. I can only hope that as we tread gingerly on the shores of COVID Normal here in Victoria, we don’t forget those things for which we yearned. I am immensely proud of the Timbertop community. Every year for decades we have seen it form in February and dissolve in December. But this year, I am especially proud of what they have achieved. We are continuing to thrive because those things that Timbertop has always asked of us have really proven to be relevant: a mental tool kit of self-efficacy, resilience, determination and a healthy observance of challenge-seeking and delayed gratification.

This is what thriving looks like at Timbertop; it’s relatively simple to describe, but very difficult to do – working towards a goal by going through the difficult times, knowing that it will be worth all the hardship and effort. If anything, in a world that is coming to terms with lockdowns and foregoing those things we usually take for granted, we have all experienced a little of what it is like to be undertaking something that we imagine is too great for us to tackle, but still biting off more than we can chew, and chewing like blazes!

In six days’ time, as hike groups cool off in the King, Howqua or Delatite Rivers on a predicted 34-degree day with well over 150 kilometres of mountainous trail walked behind them, they will be the living embodiment of why the “steep and rugged pathway” is worth it.

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A Different Run for a Different Year The long, winding Great Ocean Road is an apt metaphor for the 2020 Lorne 160 journey. There were seemingly endless twists and turns throughout the cohort’s journey to simply begin their relay run from Corio to Lorne and back again. Some corners were difficult to navigate and they were never quite sure what was around the next bend, but when they were able to take a step back and observe what was happening around them, incredible things were on display.

18 kids from across Australia, crammed into buses and running through multiple towns around the Surf Coast and the Otways; an occurrence that, for much of this year, would have raised all sorts of COVID red flags. The Lorne 160 relay typically takes place on the last day of Term 3 so, when the majority of students returned home in Term 3 for the latest round of remote learning, the prospect of a traditional Lorne 160 taking place appeared increasingly unlikely.

“After returning to lockdown we were told that we would have to complete the run early in Term 4 and that the run would be conducted on campus to comply with DHHS protocols,” Lilli Cowan (Yr11 He) explained.

The expansive grounds at Corio Campus are picturesque in their own right, however the prospect of running 60-70 laps of the same course left a little to be desired. “We proposed holding off until the end of Term 4 in the hopes of being able to travel to Lorne and back, leaving us open to the possibility of another outbreak and the imposition of further restrictions which would have meant we were unable to complete any sort of run.

Luckily, after cases dropped and restrictions eased, we were able to complete the journey we had all pictured and hoped for.”

Fundraising and training tend to go hand-inhand throughout the preparation for the run, however one indirect benefit of this year’s elongated Lorne 160 was that Term 3 was focused on fundraising and Term 4 could be spent ensuring they would be at peak fitness on December 2. Fundraising, much like the run itself, needed to be reimagined in 2020 without the standard sausage sizzles, sushi sales or silent auctions. “We had weekly planning meetings over Zoom, which were a great way to just stay connected to friends other than in classes, as well as catch up with Ms Ulrick (Lorne 160 coordinator), who always had a smile on her face and was so enthusiastic,” Lilli said. The group decided on the Barwon Health Foundation as this year’s 30

charity and, rather than asking for cash donations at a time when many Australians were struggling, the team devised a plan to support local businesses while doing something kind to thank our frontline medical workers.

“We each researched and contacted a local business in the Geelong region and created a process where family, friends and students across both GGS and the wider community could access a webpage and contact a local business to purchase an item for donation, which was then packaged into hampers to be donated to local nurses,” Stephanie Cho (Yr11 EM) explained. “It was really great to be able to see the final hampers being sent off to the hardworking and deserving nurses at Barwon Health, knowing that we not only have sent our gratitude to them but we supported lots of local businesses in the process,” Lilli added.

The run itself, billed as ‘a different run for a different year’, was completed in near-perfect conditions on the final day of Term 4. This year’s relay wasn’t out to break any records; there was little desire to wait on Foreshore Road for an hour for their cue to enter the SPACE for the end-of-year assembly. “There was no minimum pace and we had runners with various capabilities in each leg of the run,” Mody Yim (Yr11 FB) said of their inclusive approach to the relay. “We each ran a lot more than the past years, with multiple members of the team doing at least 10 or 11 legs.”

the bus and all running down the Refinery Road back to school. It was quite surreal running along Foreshore Road together and realising what we had just achieved: running to Lorne and back as a team, and individually running anywhere between 25km and 55km each… a great achievement to finish off the year,” Lilli said.

In addition to the students completing the run in Victoria, one team member – William Irving (Yr11 FB) – was unable to return from London in time for the relay, taking the Lorne 160 international for the first time.

William completed 20km around Holland Park, London, while the rest of the cohort completed their relay before running 42km on his own on December 5, looping the same track 14 times; giving a glimpse of what it might have been like had the Lorne 160 been completed on campus at the start of Term 4. “As nice as London architecture is, going around in circles 14 times get frustrating!” William said.

“We love that groups such as yours have not let COVID stop you from supporting the community.” This was the message from Barwon Health following the completion of the Lorne 160, reinforcing the feelings of satisfaction felt by our students after their amazing efforts. “I feel very honoured for being a part of the Lorne 160 team, especially as we managed to keep this tradition going despite the challenges,” Mody said.

The run wasn’t without its challenges, particularly the first few legs after stopping in Lorne for ‘quite a large breakfast’. “Many people found these legs the hardest, both physically and mentally,” Lilli said. The urge to sleep was strong throughout but the team felt renewed as they re-entered Geelong, knowing they were on the home stretch. “After passing Bostock House and throwing lollies to some very happy students, we soon found ourselves out of LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL

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Valedictory Diunners

COVID-19 accelerated the progression of virtual/online events across the School. To navigate restrictions on gatherings, this year’s Year 12 Valedictory Dinners were held across five nights (October 15-19) in the SPACE, with two houses per night, staggered start times, alternating locations (Bracebridge Wilson Studio and Jeremy Kirkwood Foyer) and parents joining via Zoom. The Valedictory Dinners built on the success of the OGG Business Lunches hosted on Zoom and were followed by a live stream of this year’s Leavers’ Celebration Ceremony (Speech Day).

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2021 SCHOOL CAPTAINS We are delighted that George Chomley (Yr11 Fr) and Michaela Sorrenti (Yr11 EM) are representing our School as School Captains in 2021. Light Blue spoke to George and Michaela about the year ahead.

How have you settled into your new role as school captain?

George: Settling into the role of School Captain has been a very interesting experience; coming into the role I had no idea of what to expect, however the advice I’ve received has really helped me get a clearer idea of what the role of School Captain entails and a clearer idea of the type of School Captain I want to be. Good advice I’ve received from the past School Captains and from teachers is to ‘be yourself’ and to try to make an effort to rise to the role of School Captain while also staying true to yourself. I hope to be an approachable and kind leader, and one that people feel comfortable talking to. Michaela and I can’t wait for 2021 as there are great things to come and so much to look forward to.

Michaela: Since taking on the role I have felt very welcomed by all staff and students, which has made me very excited for the year to come. I think what has been surprising about the role is that George and I have quickly developed relationships with members of staff who we had either never met or never had important issues to discuss with. I have enjoyed learning about the importance of student input at GGS and the power that students hold to make a positive difference. Some of the best advice that has been reiterated to me by past School Captains and current teachers is to remain authentic as a leader and never change who I am.

Spread across four campuses and multiple locations, GGS is often referred to as a “journey”. What can you tell us about your journey at the School and if there has been a particularly memorable or significant stage of the journey?

Michaela: My journey at GGS has been incredibly memorable.

I joined the School in 2018 at Timbertop, where I was in J Unit.

Coming from Sydney, it was my first time moving schools and my first time boarding, which was such an exciting experience for me. I have spent the past two years in Elisabeth Murdoch House, which I have enjoyed tremendously. What I will always remember throughout my journey is how welcoming everyone has been and how much pride each person takes in our School. It has made me so thankful to not only attend GGS, but to have the unique experience that comes with being an interstate boarder. One of my favourite things about GGS has been the intense ambition that its students and staff carry to achieve great things, enabling them to seek every opportunity to extend their learning both in and out of the classroom and give back to the wider community. This is certainly what would resonate with many other students at the end of their Timbertop year, where the tests of strength and resilience extend your aspirations far beyond your known capabilities.

As a result, I have been so lucky to have been involved in such incredible experiences in my time at GGS, whether that be cooking meals in the rain with my hike group, skiing in the Dolomites or running the Lorne 160.

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What do you think makes the GGS experience so unique?

George: One unique aspect of GGS that I love is the way in which the School focuses on holistic education and the way this includes so many aspects of learning, not only academic learning. In my time at GGS I have loved being part of sports teams, clubs, bands, as well as many other groups and activities, all of which have shaped me, added to my education and made me who I am. Another thing that I believe also sets us apart from other schools and is my favourite part of GGS is its unique sense of community, which is experienced across all our campuses. I love the sense that you are part of a community and enjoy the connectedness felt by students and staff right across the School. It is so important as it builds everyone’s love for the School and allows for a sense of pride and, most importantly, a feeling of belonging. I have always especially loved this community feeling, from Middle School in Year 7, through Timbertop and now in Senior School.

Why do you think there is such a strong sense of community at GGS? Michaela: I think the strength in the GGS community occurs because of the diverse range of places that its students come from, contributing to the many intricate communities that exist within the School. This enables the many different friendships that students make with each other, whether that be friends from your class, House, sports team, or even the people on your flight home at the end of the Term. I love this because it means that it gives not only me but other students the comfort that there truly are friends wherever you go. The School’s notable heritage and preservation of tradition also invites the understanding that its students and staff carry a responsibility to make the most of their time at GGS and make a positive difference.

After such a challenging and disrupted year in 2020, have you discussed any specific goals that you are hoping to achieve as School Captains in 2021?

George: It would be great if the School could strive to start 2021 with a sense of excitement and with a passion to make up for what was lost due to COVID-19. However, that excitement does not simply happen and really requires drive from the students. Michaela and I would love to achieve this through our leadership – to make the start (of Term 1) and hopefully the rest of 2021, a year to remember for all the right reasons. We look forward to the good things and to the challenges as well. We can’t wait for 2021 to be the best year ever.

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HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL Our new Head of Middle School, Craig Durran, has served in various roles at GGS across the past 10 years. Craig has demonstrated leadership and expertise as a teacher of Mathematics and Positive Education. He has experience in boarding as Assistant Head of Perry House. More recently, Craig is well known to many of our Middle School families as the Head of Highton House. “His high standards, authenticity and innovation will no doubt set students and colleagues for further successes,” Principal, Rebecca Cody, said.

Light Blue arranged for a handful of Middle School students to ask Craig some questions about his new role.

Luke Taylor (Yr7): What do you enjoy most about working with the students in Middle School?

Craig: I think Middle School provides the foundation years for learning where you can learn so much through mistakes and new experiences. Compared to Senior School, which is really action-packed and results-driven, Middle School is more focused on exploring what your passions are. We are incredibly fortunate as a Middle School community to have the exposure that we have to the specialist teachers and facilities that are on this campus. It enables great outcomes.

We still have lots of fun and do lots of learning. It is a really positive environment.

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Isabella Cameron (Yr7): What are you most looking forward to when you are Head of Middle School?

Craig: I am looking forward to developing expectations for students to work towards being at their personal best. I want to create an environment where students are not just going through the motions. I believe that if every student is working at their personal best, they will be happier, relationships will be stronger, and it will continue to influence the positive culture in Middle School. I think far too often schools focus on results, where my aim is to get you guys wanting to learn and wanting the best outcomes for yourselves – not for parents, not for teachers, not for the School, but for yourselves. If we can all work towards that goal, we will be in a really positive place.

Ruby Barter (Yr7): What do you want to change in Middle School?

Craig: There will be change in Middle School for 2021, with the restructure of the boys’ boarding and girls’ boarding houses, but there is not a lot of big changes that I want to action straight away. The initial focus will be on refining what we do and small shifts in current practices with an emphasis on how you learn in the classroom. We’ll also look at some of our other programmes that are already established in Middle School, like the after-school sport programme and the Middle School music programme, and look at ways to refine them so that students like you, Ruby, really look forward to and want to go to sports training and want to go to music practice. I want to move that culture from ‘we have sport’ to ‘I can’t wait to go to sport’. If we can move the mindset of students, I think we will continue to build on that positive culture in Middle School.

Holly Kellock-Burns (Yr5): Why did you pick Geelong Grammar to work at?

Craig: Great question. In the first place, it was by chance. 11 years ago, I applied for a six-month teaching role at GGS and I loved the environment. I loved it so much that six months later when there was a full-time job advertised, I applied for it.

Initially, I was teaching Mathematics and working in a boys’ boarding house, Perry House. I had three years there, learning what boarding life was all about because I’d never worked in a boarding school before. I guess, in hindsight, it was a pretty daunting experience to work in a boarding house, but it was a great learning experience. It exposed me to all of the layers of a school like GGS and the programmes that it offers, with the connectedness and the relationships that are developed in that environment. That’s what drives me. I am a Mathematics teacher, but my strength is building relationships with students. Being at a school where you are with students all the time, that is where I want to be and that’s why I picked Geelong Grammar.

Rupert Roydhouse (Yr5): What do you like doing around our Corio campus?

Craig: The highlights of the Corio campus for me would be taking my family for a swim in the pool. That is high on their agenda. Watching my son try to jump off the highest diving board and not panic, that would be right up there. I like going for a run in the morning and seeing the sun rise as I run past the magpies that usually swoop me, seeing the sun reflect off the beautiful buildings, seeing the students awake and engaged – they are all great ways to start the day. Obviously, I love teaching here too.

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SPORTING TALENT Georgia Gall (Yr10 Ga) Georgia Gall (Yr10 Ga) made history when she signed with the Melbourne Stars WBBL squad in August, becoming the first Geelong Grammar School student – past or present – to be a part of the Women’s Big Bash League.

“It was quite surreal given I had been playing footy the week before at school and suddenly had to turn my mind to preparing for my biggest sporting challenge yet,” Georgia said of the moment she heard the news that she had earned a contract and would be heading into a Sydney hub for two months.

Georgia joined the School in Timbertop in 2019; a year which prepared her well for life in the hub and juggling her cricket responsibilities as well as her Year 10 studies. “We’ve got a bit of a study group going on with a few of the younger girls,” Georgia told the Shepparton News in early November. “It’s good to have an outlet... you can really get sucked into focusing on and thinking about cricket all day, every day.”

While Georgia was unable to break into a Stars team that topped the table at the end of the season before losing the grand final to the Sydney Thunder, the experience of living and training day-in, day-out with international stars, including Meg Lanning and Nat Sciver, was invaluable.

“It’s pretty intimidating walking around next to your idols every day,” Georgia said. “But being able to just go up and have a chat to someone like Meg Lanning is pretty cool!”

“Learning off some of the best players in the world will hopefully help me improve on my cricket skills.”

Georgia’s elite skills were identified at an early age and she has spent the past four years in Cricket Victoria’s development pathway programme. “My time in the programme started with my local club in Euroa when I was 11, then I progressed through various levels of underage regional selection through to representing Victoria at Under 15 and Under 18 level, before earning national selection for the Under 16 Cricket Australia XI.”

Angus O’Brien (Yr12 Fr) Barwon Heads golfing prodigy Angus O’Brien (Yr12 Fr) has earned a golf scholarship to attend Seton Hall in New Jersey next year. Angus chose Seton Hall due to the strength of their golf programme and their “unreal” indoor facilities.

“I saw it (going to college) as a win-win as I’d be able to play competitive golf against the best players and also get a degree at the same time,” Angus said.

Angus, who plays off a handicap of +2 to +3, travelled to the US in 2019 and established himself as a player to watch for college recruiters, winning the Johnny Miller Junior Classic at Silverado Resort in Napa Valley. “I got a few offers from other colleges but I thought Seton Hall was the best choice.”

Angus completed his Geelong Grammar School journey this year, having started at the School all the way back in ELC at Bostock House. His next journey, which will take him to a part of America which houses some of the world’s best (and most elite) golf courses, is not one that he could have predicted even a handful of years ago.

“I’ve lived at 13th Beach my whole life and never really took it (golf) up,” Angus told the Geelong Advertiser. “Darby Waldron (Yr12 Fr) was getting into it and we just go into it together and fell in love with it.” The pair represented the School in Year 8 in a tournament at Royal Melbourne and Angus’ love for the sport has snowballed ever since.

His coach, Matt Cleverdon, describes Angus as an untapped talent whose strength lies in his consistently excellent ball striking. “He could be anything over there. He’s got a great opportunity ahead of him,” Matt said.

Georgia made her debut with Essendon Maribyrnong Park Ladies Cricket Club in Women’s Premier Cricket in December and will look to improve her all-round game playing with and against adults for the first time.

Angus was due to travel to the US in July this year to contest the since-cancelled IMG Academy World Junior Championships and will spend this summer making up for lost time, contesting tournaments across Australia. In December, he finished runner-up in the Junior Country Regions Tournament, contested over three days at three different Ballarat golf courses.

“As a female cricketer it is really important to not just specialise in one aspect of the sport; you need to be good at batting, bowling and fielding, so I’ve really focused on trying to be an all-rounder,” Georgia said.

He leaves behind a sporting legacy of a different kind at Corio, winning the inaugural “O’Brien Cup” Table Tennis tournament in Fraser House during Term 3’s return to campus.

Georgia’s sporting talents aren’t limited to cricket, she is also a keen footballer who has previously played for the Murray Bushrangers.

“I really love AFL and I am really enjoying playing at GGS. Hopefully we can get a full season in next year and play some of the other schools.”

“I am keen to continue to play both sports into the future if I can.”

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Nick Stevens (Yr12 P) Ollie Lord (Yr12 M) The School had three students selected in the AFL Draft for the second consecutive year, with Tanner Bruhn (Yr12 Fr, Pick 12 to GWS), Nick Stevens (Yr12 P, Pick 47 to Geelong) and Ollie Lord (Yr12 M, Pick 49 to Port Adelaide) joining the ranks of Old Geelong Grammarians playing at the highest level. After a difficult year without any competitive football, draft night was filled with more uncertainty than usual. Teams have 3-4 years’ worth of notes and vision of a player by the time they reach their final year of underage footy, but would clubs be swayed by the form of those players based in South Australia or Western Australia where their seasons were largely uninterrupted?

Tanner, who missed the majority of the 2019 season with injury to go with the COVID-complicated 2020 season, didn’t have to wait too long before his name was called by the GWS Giants at pick 12. He becomes the fourth GGS student to be drafted by the Giants in their brief history.

“I’m really excited it has ended like this and I can’t wait to get to Sydney,” Tanner said. “My dream has been to play AFL ever since I was a young kid and, where that ended up, I am super happy.

I couldn’t have picked a better club than the Giants.” Tanner captained the School’s 1st Cricket and Football teams in 2020 and was awarded the S E Bailey Memorial Cup for Sportsmanship.

The draft was originally scheduled to run for three hours – 7.00pm to 10.00pm AEDT – but with an assortment of trades and bids on academy players, it was almost 11.00pm by the time Nick and Ollie heard their names called.

“It’s amazing. It’s so special. It’s the best feeling for sure,” Nick told The Courier after being drafted by the Cats. “I’ve always gone for Geelong so I could not be happier.”

Ollie, whose grandfather Alistair won a Brownlow Medal playing with Geelong, will have time to develop at Port Adelaide behind the likes of Charlie Dixon and Todd Marshall.

“I think I’m a player who will need a few years to develop but someone who has relatively strong hands and can mark the ball,” Ollie said of his playing style.

“I fly for my grabs and I feel like my ability to compete at ground level for someone of my height is one of my strengths – following up and making good decisions is something I pride myself on.”

While Nick and Tanner joined the School in Year 10, Ollie has been with us since joining Barwon House in Year 7. His game has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, to the point where he was named co-Captain of our 1st XVIII, alongside Tanner, in 2020.

“I was at Geelong (Grammar) for my whole schooling and I couldn’t speak better of all the people involved there,” Ollie told SEN SA about his time at the School.

“They were tremendous in helping me achieve my dreams with my footy and help me better myself as a person as well.”

Following this year’s draft and list changes, there will be 15 Old Geelong Grammarians playing football at the highest level in 2021: 14 in the AFL and one in the AFLW. LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL

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SECTION 02 — SCHOOL

Tanner Bruhn (Yr12 Fr)

↓ SECTION 03 — FOUNDATION

FOUNDATION CHAIR May I begin by thanking you for your wonderfully generous contributions to the work of the Foundation in 2020. We know that these are difficult and challenging times for everyone, and we are enormously grateful for the ongoing support of our community. This year, because of COVID restrictions, we were unfortunately unable to hold our annual Scholarship Recipient Leavers’ Day Celebration. In the past, this event has served as a uniquely intimate opportunity for our Year 12 scholarship recipients and their families to meet the donors of their scholarships and share their experiences. However, we were delighted to share very personal video messages from two of our Year 12 scholarship students, Eja Collins (Yr12 Ga) and Sunny Handy (Yr12 M), describing what receiving a scholarship and the impact of a GGS education has meant to each of them.

I found these videos deeply moving, and they only reinforced my passionate belief in the value of scholarships.

As we mark 165 years since Geelong Grammar School was founded, it is timely to reflect on the importance of scholarships, which are a vital ingredient in the lifeblood of our School, essential for ensuring its continued diversity and vibrancy. Even more importantly, they provide life-changing opportunities for children whose families could not otherwise afford a Geelong Grammar School education, and we are immeasurably proud of the contribution that the Foundation, through the generosity of its members, has made to the Scholarship Programme. Currently, the Foundation funds more than 50 scholarships annually, and we are deeply indebted to those members of our community, past and present, who have enabled us to do this.

We are excited, proud and grateful that we exceeded our initial target of $800,000 to establish the Australian Rural and Regional Scholarship (ARRS) and that our inaugural ARRS student will commence at the School in 2021. The Australian Rural & Regional Scholarship (ARRS) has now raised $1.2 million, including almost $200,000 from 26 donors in 2020. Both the Old Geelong Grammarians and the Foundation recognise that many students from our rural and regional areas need assistance to attend the School. Consequently, this scholarship will be available to families who reside in remote, rural and regional areas throughout Australia, and will also provide mentoring opportunities to assist students as they venture into life at GGS and beyond. Our overall goal for this scholarship is to 38

raise approximately $2 million for one full boarding scholarship or two scholarships at a 50% fee remission.

I would like to thank and acknowledge the leadership of Roderic O’Connor (P’74) and Fiona Ratcliffe (Je’77) in establishing this very important scholarship.

We have also been immensely buoyed by the strong support for scholarships currently in development, including the Jonathan K Breadmore Scholarship and the Boz Parsons Scholarship. We are also particularly delighted to announce the Richard James Chester Guest Memorial Scholarship, which was established by the Guest family in memory of Richard (FB’79), who left GGS just over 40 years ago, ready to take on the world.

Richard was clever, curious and engaged in everything that came his way. He graduated as Dux of the School and commenced a Law/Science degree at Melbourne University. Sadly, he was never able to complete the course, dying on 1 November 1983, before his enormous potential could be realised. The Guest family have established this scholarship to help a student to fulfill their potential and change their life with the all-round education Richard was privileged to have received at GGS. The scholarship will support a student who excels academically and is to be means-tested for a VCE Creativity in STEM Academic Scholarship commencing from Year 11 in 2022. I would like to thank and acknowledge the vision and generosity of the Guest family, particularly James Guest (M’55), in establishing this inspiring scholarship.

As we continue to struggle with the personal, national and global effects of COVID-19, it is clear that there is an even greater need for scholarships and endowments to ensure that a GGS education remains accessible to the greatest number of students possible. We can only do this with your ongoing support. We know that these are difficult and challenging times for everyone, but if you are in a position to help the School by supporting the Scholarships Programme now or in the future, in any capacity, it would be wonderful to hear from you.

Donations to scholarships are tax-deductible, can be made over multiple years, and are especially valued at a time when so many of our families are struggling.

If you would like to learn more about how you can support the School’s Scholarship Programme, I warmly encourage you to contact our Advancement Office on +61 3 5273 9349.

In the meantime, my best wishes for 2021, and stay safe.

Penny McBain Chair, Geelong Grammar Foundation

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Eja Collins (Yr12 Ga)

“Coming to live with other people from all over the world has been the most valuable

experience for me; meeting new people and really broadening my understanding of the world and

Sunny Handy (Yr12 M)

what I want to contribute to it.”

“I can’t really imagine who I would be, what I would be interested in or what I would be looking to do in my future if I wasn’t at Geelong Grammar because I just think

I would be a completely different person.”

“Having had the opportunity to come to Geelong Grammar and learn so much more about myself as well as the rest of the world, and the possibilities that have been afforded to me, it

makes me quite emotional because my education is something that I am just so grateful for.”

“This opportunity at Geelong Grammar has just completely changed my life.”

“You get a bit emotional talking about it.

I can’t put into words how grateful I am because when someone does that for you, it changes the way you look at how you can help people. My life is changed and

Watch our Year 12 Scholarship Stories: www.ggs.vic.edu.au/GGS-Giving/Established-Scholarships

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I really hope that I can carry on the legacy and the message that helping people changes lives.”

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An Heirloom of Unselfish Service On 25 March 2021, the School will celebrate the 60th anniversary of a momentous GGS sporting moment, when Michael Landale (P’61) captained the 1st XI to the 1961 APS Cricket Premiership.

The successful 1961 season culminated with an unforgettable final on the Main Oval at Corio; sent into bat on a rain affected wicket, GGS recovered from 4/36 to post 149 runs before dismissing Melbourne Grammar for 109. It was the School’s fourth APS Cricket Premiership and its first since 1916 (having also won in 1903 and 1906), breaking a 45-year drought. Jubilant players dedicated the win to their retiring Headmaster, James Darling (Headmaster 1930-61), with some reports saying ‘JRD’ was seen shedding a tear, cradling a glass of whisky.

Remarkably, in 1962 GGS won back-to-back APS premierships. Led by the captaincy of Michael Richardson (Cu’62), the School dismissed Carey Grammar for 145 in the final before amassing 272 runs to seal an emphatic victory. GGS Cricket was a dominant force, with the Under 16A and the 2nd XI teams finishing the 1962 season undefeated, but APS Cricket Premierships would prove elusive – Nick Sutherland (P’90), grandson of JRD, captained the 1st XI to a premiership in 1990, before Dylan Hodge (P’14) led the team to victory in 2014.

Playing a major role in the 1961 success was Vice-Captain, Michael ‘Footy’ Fraser (M’61), who captured 4/26 in the final with his swing bowling. Fraser and his teammate, John Molesworth (M’63), are reprising their team role as members of the Biddlecombe Society, which has become a vibrant and increasingly important part of the GGS community. The Biddlecombe Society honours and recognises those who have decided to provide a Bequest in their Will to the Geelong Grammar Foundation as an enduring way of supporting the future of the School.

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Michael has been a valued team player at GGS for many years. He played a vital role in establishing the Michael Landale Memorial Award in memory of his friend, which has been presented to the 1st XI captain every year since Landale’s death from cancer in 1996. Landale not only captained the 1st XI but was also Senior Prefect, regarded by JRD as “one of his finest School Captains” – he went on to a highly decorated career as a diplomat that included postings to Geneva, London and Singapore, before serving as Australia’s High Commissioner to Jamaica and Ambassador to Iran.

The Fraser family connection to GGS began when Michael’s father, H.D.L. (Doug) Fraser (Staff 1931-63) joined the Corio staff in the early 1930s. Born of Scottish parents in Kettering, Northamptonshire, Doug Fraser’s education was at Bedford School, where he became Head Prefect. He served in World War 1 as a gunner officer and travelled to Australia via Malaya, working as a schoolmaster in Western Australia and Queensland. Doug was interviewed by JRD at the Hotel Australia in Sydney and was one of the new Headmaster’s earliest appointments. He replaced Miss Robertson as the teacher of the bottom form in Junior School and served as Housemaster of Barrabool House from 1933-39. He returned to the UK to serve with his regiment in World War 2. He married Joan Richardson in Chester Old Cathedral in Cheshire, England, in 1941 and they returned to Australia in 1945 with two of their three children to recommence life at Corio and build a future.

For 16 years (1945-61), Doug Fraser was Housemaster of Barwon House as well as being Head of Junior School. “Jennings laid the Junior School foundations and Fraser turned the dream into a reality,” JRD said in his eulogy at Doug’s funeral.

“For me especially, it was good, for not only did I find the ideal Head of Junior School, but it was also the beginning of my most constant and longest friendship.”.

Doug’s wife Joan gave strong, caring support to her husband, to the parents of boys, as well as to staff and their families.

Joan’s kind hospitality was renowned. The informal invitation to “have a sherry before the evening meal” often extended into generous three course dinners.

Doug led a committed Junior School, which was highly regarded by the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS) of Australia and earned an international reputation. Melbourne University students made annual study visits to observe and learn. Doug was a foundation member of the Australian College of Education. He had a penchant for building. The indoor, basketball court-sized Junior School Gymnasium was erected in the 1950s by staff and students. In a burst of energy, Fraser inspired boys to work on building the Art Room to the east of the classroom block and nearby, a forge, set up for creating metal structures for the Lowe Pool, the Founders’ Gates and the Anthony Gilder (M’52) Memorial at the entrance to Barwon House.

Fraser promoted and rewarded unselfish service. He established the Rutter Badge (see GGS Treasures on pages 40-41) in memory of Flight Lieutenant Donald Rutter (M’39), killed in RAAF operations over Germany in 1945. The award recognised outstanding character and high achievement. Reunions of Junior School boys of the 40s and 50s recalled with pleasure the ‘Great Push’, an ingenious and adventurous annual fixture that paid tribute to the ‘Big Push’, the joint offensive to break the trenches during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Staff and students descended on the You Yangs in two teams – the invaders, who attempted to pass through two territories without forfeiting ‘tags’, and the defenders. This event became a prominent and iconic Term 3 feature for Junior School.

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↓ The Biddlecombe Society was established in 2002 under the umbrella of the GGS Foundation. It has become an important part of the School community, hosting regular events in Adelaide, Barwon Heads, Melbourne and Sydney. For further information about the Biddlecombe Society, please contact Garry Pierson, Associate Director, on +61 3 5273 9136.

SECTION 03 — FOUNDATION

Ian ‘Octa’ Wilson (P’51), who came to Corio as a 10-year-old in 1945, remembers the first ‘Great Push’ as “a challenge” and being immediately taken by Doug’s stature and bearing. “At age 12, I thought if there was another war, I would like to serve under Doug. And now, in my eighties, I still feel the same way. It was a privilege to know Doug.”

Fraser was worshipped by his students. His legend grew through achievement – a strong personality with infectious enthusiasm.

Parents had faith in entrusting their sons to his care as he had a special ability to develop skills and instil a sense of confidence in the young. “So many memories of Doug come to mind,” Octa said. “He was a tough, yet caring mentor. I visited him many times after leaving Corio and we became friends. He was always full of encouragement and a wise advisor.” On leaving school, Bill Handbury (M’60) noted in a letter to JRD that, “as a mentor at Corio, Doug Fraser had no peers. He was an experienced and trusted counsellor. He was a wonderful friend, guide and advisor to the young.”

Top right: Doug and Joan Fraser; Below: Michael Fraser (M’61), right, presents the annual Michael Landale Memorial Award to this year’s 1st XI Cricket captain, Tanner Bruhn (Yr12 Fr), with his parents Matthew and Narelle; Bottom: The 1961 APS 1st XI Cricket Premiers

In 1967, the new Junior House opened at Corio. In recognition of Doug Fraser’s long and distinguished service to GGS, it was named Fraser House. A portrait of Doug Fraser hangs in the Fraser House common room. “Fraser was a humanitarian and kindness was the one word you would choose to describe him,” Bill Handbury said. “He led by example – share and care for others. He was much loved.” Of the three Fraser children, Michael (M’61), Jane Sheahan (Fraser, He’63) and Roddy Fraser AM (M’67), it was Rod who followed his father’s footsteps into education – he was Head of The Scots School in Bathurst before serving as Principal of Ivanhoe Grammar School from 1996-2015.

In 1996, Michael reopened Fraser House after renovations (by then a Senior School day house). Contacted recently by the Chairman of the Biddlecombe Society, Charlie Sutherland (P’86), Michael said: “I am forever grateful that I was able to be educated at GGS. I thoroughly enjoyed participation in all aspects of school life.

Most important of all, it was the opportunity GGS gave me to make enduring friendships, which I valued at the time and which have only strengthened throughout my life. The Biddlecombe Society is an appropriate way to say thank you for the many opportunities GGS afforded me.”

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1945

Oliver Gray Guthrie (FB’45), who was born on 1 February 1928 and died on 21 September 2020, was a successful sheep breeder and grazier at the Guthrie family’s two properties, Rich Avon at Donald and Thermopylae, near Moyston. He joined GGS in 1936 when he was just eight years old, after “all attempts to educate me by correspondence school were a failure”, followed by his cousins Peter (FB’47) and David (FB’50), and brother Tim (FB’51). He represented the School in Athletics and was Vice President of The Pilgrims Society. After graduating in 1945, Oliver jackerooed at Uardry Merino Stud near Hay, where he met his wife Pam (née Matthews), from nearby Elginbah.

From 1949 to 1952, Oliver was assistant stud-master at his uncle Frank Guthrie’s Corriedale sheep stud at Coolangatta Homestead outside Geelong. During this time, he travelled to South America with stud rams, which were shown and sold in Argentina to great success. He returned to the family properties in western Victoria and embarked on an extensive improvement programme, establishing a large Corriedale stud and expanding cropping. He and Pam based themselves at Rich Avon, where they had three children, Tom, Chris and Georgina, and operated a successful Corriedale stud – Oliver’s grand finale was at the 2001 Australian Sheep Show, where his two-year-old ram, appropriately named Jubilee, scooped the pool, winning Senior Corriedale Ram, Senior Champion Corriedale Ram and Grand Champion Corriedale Sheep ribbons, as well as the Interbreed Champion Trophy. It had taken Oliver 50 years to win the Interbreed Champion Trophy, but he declared that “it was worth the wait”. Oliver served as President, Treasurer, Committeeman and Life Governor of the Australian Stud Sheep Breeders Association, President of the Australian Corriedale Association, and a delegate to the 1980 World Corriedale Conference in Chile. He judged at Corriedale sheep shows in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Mt Gambier, Hamilton, Campbelltown, Launceston and overseas, in Chile and the USA. In 1979, Oliver was involved in the foundation of the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF), which merged the Victorian Farmers Union (VFU), the Graziers Association of Victoria (GAV) and the United Dairyfarmers of Victoria (UDV). He served as a Shire Councillor on both the Ararat and Buloke Shire Councils, was an active member of the Lions Club for 28 years, a Trustee of the Rich Avon Cricket Club, and a member of the Rich Avon Fire Brigade for 60 years. Oliver and Pam retired to Ballarat. When his eldest son Tom visited Oliver at Nazareth House on his 92nd birthday and asked how the food was, he replied: “That’s the weak link – the food is not as good as Pam’s”. Oliver is survived by his wife Pam, children Tom, Chris and Georgina, seven grandchildren and seven great grandsons.

1952

The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG) bestowed Kenneth von Bibra AM (Cu’52) with its inaugural QVMAG Arts Foundation award for his service to what is the largest museum in Australia not located in a capital city; spanning two Launceston locations, QVMAG showcases art, history and natural sciences in Northern Tasmania. Described as a “living legend”, Kenneth is credited with pioneering so much in the way of contemporary art in Launceston. He was the

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inaugural Chair of QVMAG Arts Foundation, holding that position from 1985-2004. The medallion was designed by renowned Tasmanian artist, Michael McWilliams, and features three Tasmanian Nativehens (Tribonyx mortierii). Fittingly, Kenneth was involved in the protection of the flightless bird, which is one of 12 species of birds endemic to Tasmania. “Nativehens were on the vermin list and I got legislation passed to take one of our endemic birds off the list,” he explained. Kenneth received the award at a function held at Brickendon Estate in Longford and spoke of the impact of Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack (Art Master 1942-57) during his time at GGS. “He was a modernist and I learnt a lot of what he was trying to tell, and what the modern painters were trying to tell, and that gave me a basis which I have continued to live by for the rest of my life.”

1962

Nigel Murch (P’62), who was born on 27 June 1944 and died on 15 July 2020, was an exceptional cricketer who played in 10 first-class matches (nine for Victoria from 1966-70 and one for Northamptonshire in the UK in 1968) as an aggressive fast bowler and hard-hitting batsman.

Raised in Port Fairy, Nigel joined GGS in 1955, where his athletic ability soon shone – he was the 1957 Junior Tennis Champion and excelled at athletics, cricket, football and golf. He was a member of the 1st XIII Football team in 1961 and 1962, won the Open Shot Put at the 1962 School Sports and represented the School in Athletics, but it was as an “aggressive” and “venomous” fast bowler where he shone brightest. Nigel spearheaded the bowling attack for the 1961 and 1962 1st XI teams that won back-to-back APS premierships (the 1961 win breaking a 45-year drought).

In the 1961 season, he took 6/24 against Geelong College, 6/31 against Haileybury (including a hat-trick) and 6/58 against St Kevin’s. In 1962, he took 28 wickets at 9.7 and made 109 runs with an average of 21.8. He was duly awarded the Macartney Cup for Athletic Attainments. After leaving GGS, Nigel played in the Under-19s for Hawthorn in the VFL, but dislocated a knee, so concentrated on cricket. He joined Hawthorn East Melbourne in Victoria’s District Cricket (now Premier Cricket) competition, debuting in the 1st XI in the 1963/64 season before moving to St Kilda, where he played 159 1st XI matches between the 1965/66 and 1978/79 seasons, taking 376 wickets at an average of 19.2 (including 18 five-wicket hauls) with best figures of 7/18, as well as 38 catches and 2,703 runs at an average of 19.9. Nigel was runnerup in the Ryder Medal in 1974/75 and inducted into St Kilda’s Team of the Century in 2000. After leaving St Kilda, he went on to play in the Sub-District competition with Malvern for 11 seasons, from 1979/80 until 1989/90, notching up another 145 1st XI games and winning the Hatch Medal in 1980/81 and 1981/82, taking 478 wickets at 14.3 and making 2,769 runs at 21.5. Although he was club champion at St Kilda six times, Nigel only managed nine appearances for Victoria, stretched across four seasons – playing against NSW at the SCG, he was pulled aside in the changerooms by Sir Donald Bradman, who told him he had pace but needed to “think more about line and length, off stump and just outside off-stump”. His first-class career included 17 wickets, with a best performance of 3/49, and 215 runs, with a high score LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL

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1965

Former Australian High Commissioner/Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Jonathan Brown (Cu’65), learned a lot about walking at Timbertop in 1964. He walked a lot on Odysseus’s homeland too before borders were closed, and has published his findings in a new book, In search of Homeric Ithaca (Parrot Press, 2020). Odysseus was notoriously vague about where he lived. Ithaca was the place, he said, but his description of its whereabouts was a mixture of geography and poetry. Jonathan’s beautifully illustrated book takes a close look at the traditional view that it was Ithaki in the Ionian Sea, as well as exploring some of the other theories, drawing on ancient and modern scholarly texts, as well as wide research into historical, literary and archaeological sources. Jonathan also reflects on how Homer could have known the island that so closely matches the island of his poem. “Timbertop taught me some essential lessons for this search,” he said. “Be wary of maps. Have a sense of topography.

One winter weekend at Mitchell’s Hut on the Jamieson River, several hiking groups converged. At night it snowed. In the morning the landscape was magical. When we set off, all the paths were covered. We had to guess our route. We became lost around the Governors. We were cold, wet and exhausted. Some wanted to lie down in the snow and go to sleep. It was dangerous.

But we had to go on. We had only a sense of where the Howqua Valley was. We trudged down unknown spurs, and eventually stumbled into it, to Fred Fry’s hut, where the good horseman gave us mugs of hot tea.” Bush-bashing and going on despite the difficulties; these Timbertop lessons underpinned Jonathan’s explorations on the Greek island of Ithaki, where he found new locations for some of the events in the Odyssey. “I found a tiny landing cove for Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, on his return from Sparta that perfectly matches the words of the poem. The site had never been suggested before. I first spied it from the sea.

There was no path to it. The scrub was almost impenetrable. I needed all my bush-bashing skills and stamina to get to it. It was an exhausting scramble, but I went on, and I found it.” Jonathan, who studied Latin and Ancient History at the Australian National LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL

University (ANU) in Canberra, travelled to Cephalonia, Lefkada, Corfu, Sicily, Spain, and the Azores to explore other proposed localities for Ithaca. “Several years ago I re-visited a secret camping spot just off the road to the Howqua. It was a small level area enclosed by small cliffs with room for three tents and a campfire.

A wonderfully secluded spot for a short walk from school on a rainy weekend. Alas, it had become overgrown. A tree grew out of the old fireplace. Its location had been handed down by older sibling to younger. But the chain of memory had broken. So too had memory of the site of the palace of Odysseus become lost on Ithaki. However, I found it, in the only place that fully matches the words and action of the Odyssey. It had eluded generations of archaeologists and classical wanderers. It was a thrilling discovery.”

Jonathan has donated a copy of his book to Geelong Grammar School's Fisher Library.

1966

Internationally renowned environmental artist and ornithologist, Richard Weatherly OAM (M’66), exhibited illustrations and paintings from his newest book A Brush with Birds: Paintings and Stories from the Wild (Hardie Grant, 2020) at The Hive Gallery in Ocean Grove in November. Richard, who was guest speaker at the Tower Luncheon in 2016, is a wool grower, environmentalist and artist, world-renowned for his environmental paintings.

After reading History at Cambridge University, he held his first solo exhibitions in London. He travelled throughout Australia and Papua New Guinea, collaborating with CSIRO ornithologist Dr Richard Schodde on The Fairy-Wrens: A Monograph of the Maluridae (Lansdowne, 1982), which won the Whitley Medal in 1982, Australia’s highest award for zoological publishing. Richard and his wife Jenny took over the family property Connewarran in the early 1980s, where he juggled painting with merino sheep and developing revegetation technology that enhances the environment to increase productivity. Beyond his boundary, this grew into the Banksia Award winning Watershed 2000, a community project combining educational, social, business and environmental sectors for the restoration of 800,000 hectares of habitat as a 200-kilometre connection between the Otways and the Grampians.

This model has been adopted for urban design

by Habitat Melbourne Trust, initially for the Western Suburbs and the City of Melbourne. Richard has worked with various environmental groups. He was the founding President of Watershed 2000, the Future Environment Fund and the Wildlife Art Society of Australasia. He is also an Honorary Associate in Ornithology with the Museum of Victoria. He has guided groups of ornithologists through Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia, and spent months in Antarctica, working for the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, studying Adélie penguins. In 2015 he was awarded a Medal in the Order of Australia for contributions to the visual arts and to conservation.

Richard’s exquisite paintings have been exhibited in Europe, Africa, Canada, America, China and Japan.

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SECTION 04 — MAIL ROOM

of 64. “Murchy was a unique character, who was often volatile and sometimes politically incorrect,” Michael Fraser (M’61) explained.

“At times this led to fractured relationships with officialdom. He was a very competitive person by nature. Against this, he had respect for others and was a kind and caring man. He will be well remembered by those who knew him at GGS.” Nigel spent many years in management positions at Puma and returned to St Kilda as President of the club from 1992-2000. His son James followed him to the club, playing in a 1st XI premiership in 1991/92. Nigel was described as an “extremely colourful character” by Australian cricketer Shaun Graf, “one of the most competitive people I ever met – and a great bloke” by retired sports journalist Ron Reed, and “a larger-than-life character both on and off the field” by Malvern Cricket Club president David Priddle. “His commitment, passion and leadership was outstanding and set a standard for years to come,” Priddle told the Herald-Sun. Nigel’s daughter-in-law, Cathy Freeman, described him as “one in a billion”. “A loving husband, father, grandfather and father-in-law, but above all, a man you could talk to, learn from and laugh with,” she said. “Murchy will be remembered fondly as a devoted family man, a friend to many and as a man with a big heart and an unforgettable smile,” Michael Fraser said. Nigel’s first wife Susie died in 2002. He is survived by his daughter Georgia, son James, wife Michelle and sister Jen Sellars-Jones (Murch, He’53).

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1967

Hobart-born artist Fraser Fair (FB’67) was interviewed for auction house Leonard Joel in July. Fraser discussed his extraordinary friendship with Andy Warhol, reflecting on New York in the 1980s, Warhol’s practice and inspirations; offering a rare glimpse into the life of one of the most influential and interesting figures in contemporary art.

A contemporary artist of some renown in his own right, Fraser was commissioned in 1984 to paint a portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. As well as being the first Australian to do so, at age 35 he was also the youngest artist commissioned to paint a member of the Royal Family. His work is represented in the National Collection, Canberra, and in institutional and private collections throughout Australia and the United States.

1969

Amanda Elliott (Bayles, Clyde’69) was listed at the top of the Herald Sun’s Most Influential Victorian Women of the past 30 years, alongside scientists, business leaders, a High Court judge, a Prime Minister, Kath & Kim, and Dame Elisabeth Murdoch (Greene, Clyde’26). Appointed the first female chairman at the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) in 2017, the Herald Sun reported that Amanda “has had a far-reaching impact on Melbourne not just in terms of elite racing, but also the enormous flow on affect the sport has”. “I believe that as the first female Chairman of the Victoria Racing Club, I have brought a different vision and perspective to the organisation regarded as the most important racing jurisdiction in Australia,” Amanda told the Herald Sun. “Leading Australia's original major event – Melbourne Cup Week – gives one the responsibility of enormous exposure for Melbourne, both globally and Australia wide. This has the ability to influence inbound tourism and drive economic activity within our State to the tune of approximately $450 million last year.” Amanda oversaw the development and implementation of comprehensive COVID-safe planning for this year’s Melbourne Cup carnival. A passionate advocate for horse racing, Amanda told the Herald Sun that her position of influence comes with a responsibility to make a positive difference. “By its very nature, influence comes with a responsibility to make a difference to our society.” She is also mindful of being a woman in a traditional male leadership role (she is the VRC's first female Chairman in its 153-year history). “Providing an example which leads women to consider their own possibilities, indeed daring them to dream is enormously gratifying.”

1972

Sydney artist Simon Fieldhouse (Cu’72) displayed recent works at a solo exhibition at Australian Galleries in Paddington in November.

Simon, who works primarily in watercolour and pen, is known for his intricate and vibrant line drawings of iconic buildings, monuments and landscapes from around the world. The exhibition

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featured scenes from Sydney as well as Vienna, Barcelona, London and Paris. It also included a series of oil paintings.

“I am interested in depicting the collective things that we do as a society and also the wonderful architectural beauty that surrounds us in our everyday lives with whimsy and humour,” Simon explained.

1976

Professor Nikolai Petrovsky (Li’76) is leading the development of a COVID-19 vaccine at Flinders University in Adelaide. Nikolai is Director of Endocrinology at Flinders Medical Centre, Professor of Medicine at Flinders University and Research Director of Vaxine, which has developed a synthetic COVID-19 vaccine called COVAX-19 that is based on a protein produced in insect cells. It was the first Australian vaccine candidate to complete phase one human trials. The randomised trials were conducted at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in July and involved 40 healthy volunteers aged 18-65. “Our vaccine is one of the few candidates that’s been tested before in pandemic influenza and a number of other diseases and has positive data,” Nikolai told the ABC in December following the University of Queensland and biotech company CSL’s decision to cease clinical trials of its vaccine after trial participants returned false positive HIV test results.

COVAX–19 has been tested on animals but still needs to go to phase three trials – a step that Nikolai said would be taken early next year. “We’ve seen very robust protection against COVID-19 in both a ferret and monkey models, and this essentially needs to be confirmed in a phase three human clinical trial,” he said.

“Obviously, we’ve had very limited resources, so it’s taken a bit longer than we might’ve hoped, but we’ve got very promising data.” Nikolai is Vice President and Secretary General of the International Immunomics Society and the founder of Vaxine, a company funded by the US National Institutes of Health to develop novel vaccine technologies.

1978

Sarah Guthrie (Kelly, Cl’78) celebrated the re-opening of the cellar door café at her boutique Grampians Estate Winery in November. Sarah, husband Tom and daughter Pollyanna have expanded the café, which was named Cellar Door with Best Food in the Grampians in Gourmet Traveller WINE’s annual Cellar Door Awards in 2019. Grampians Estate also have a ‘5 red star’ rating from James Halliday (top 8% in Australia) and 54 trophies for their wines since 2002. Two vineyards make up the Grampians Estate holdings; the eight-acre Mafeking vineyard, first planted by Sarah and Tom in 1989, and the Great Western St Ethels vineyard featuring some 130-year-old shiraz vines.

The 2017 St Ethels Great Western Shiraz currently holds the Premier’s Trophy for Champion Wine of Victoria and their 2017 Rutherford Sparkling Shiraz is rated Best in Australia in the Halliday Wine Companion.

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1981

Laura Dalrymple (Je’81) and her partner Grant Hilliard run the Feather and Bone Providore in Marrickville, Sydney, which is one of Australia’s few whole-body butcheries. Their new book, The Ethical Omnivore: A practical guide and 60 nose-to-tail recipes for sustainable meat eating (Murdoch Books, 2020), was written “to answer the questions we’re asked every day in our butchery and it’s an unapologetic paean of praise for regenerative agriculture and the importance of community”. Feather and Bone source meat directly from local farms committed to sustainable soil, plant and animal health.

The use every part of the animal, from nose to tail. “We use every part of every animal and promote the idea of a balanced diet,” Laura explained. “We exclusively source whole, pastureraised animals directly from local farms, and we visit every farm so we can give you chapter and verse about where your meat comes from and how it lived and died.”

1982

James Sutherland (P’82) has been appointed chief executive of Golf Australia. James is one of Australia’s highest profile sporting administrators, having previously held the position of chief executive with Cricket Australia for 17 years. As golf looks to modernise and innovate, James’s experience with the introduction of Twenty20 cricket and the Big Bash League in particular appealed to GA chairman Andrew Newbold. “James has a resume that is long and distinguished and I’m delighted that golf will be able to tap into his vast knowledge and resources as we push into a new era,” Newbold said. James,

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Stand-up comedian Greg Fleet (A’79) featured in a short film directed by Ian Darling (P’79) for a documentary collaboration by the Shark Island Institute, Documentary Australia Foundation, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age about life for performing artists during COVID-19. The Comedian was one of eight short documentaries about actors, dancers, singers and comedians who have been among the hardest hit during the coronavirus pandemic, their work depending as it does upon a live audience. To view the film, visit www.theage.com.au/voxdocs

who attended the Biddlecombe Society’s Bellarine Peninsula Luncheon earlier this year, is excited to get started. “I’m really looking forward to helping unify, modernise and grow golf to be a sport that welcomes people of all backgrounds and grows to achieve its enormous potential.”

1984

As part of Timboon Fine Ice Cream’s 21st birthday celebrations, founder Tim Marwood (FB’84) launched three new flavours inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic – Karen from Briiiighton, a bitter orange marmalade flavour, Same Same but Sourdough, an oven-baked caramelised sourdough folded through vanilla, and The Tipsy, a Grampians Estate Shiraz and vanilla bean swirl, which Tim thought might be popular with parents who survived remote learning. The COVID-inspired flavours were only available for four weeks in October-November to bring a bit of fun to the birthday celebrations. Tim and his wife Caroline founded their icecreamery in 1999 to add value to the milk they produced on the family dairy farm in South West Victoria. They opened the Timboon Distillery in 2007 to ensure year-round sales and a shop front for all their products. This began the 12 Apostles Gourmet Trail, which now includes 11 food artisans. Tim and Caroline sold the distillery to current owner, Josh Walker, and Timboon Fine Ice Cream now operates from an ice creamery just across the creek.

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OGG PRESIDENT

I was privileged to attend the final Corio Campus assembly of 2020 on Wednesday 2 December – the final day of an extraordinary school year at GGS. It had been 43 years since I had been to a school assembly and they had changed a little bit. The venue and circumstances were certainly a little different, with students spatially distanced throughout the SPACE and all wearing masks, whilst the assembly was live streamed on the School website for parents. I was there to represent the Old Geelong Grammarians’ Association and present honorary life membership to four staff members. The OGG Association can appoint staff as honorary life members of the Association when they have given significant service to the School or the OGGs over a period of 20 years or more, or if they have significantly contributed to the School or the OGGs in some other outstanding way. It was my great pleasure to appoint Lind Hartskeerl, Kate Parsons, Ann Scudamore and Jodie Townsend as honorary life members of the OGG Association. Each has provided wonderful service to the School and on behalf of the OGG Association, I welcomed them warmly to the OGGs. The honorary life members are usually appointed at our AGM but 2020 has been an unusual year – this year’s AGM was held via Zoom and we were unable to host our usual schedule of reunions and events.

However, our OGG community stayed connected through technology. Our OGG Business Lunches were attended by more than 400 OGGs from every State and Territory of Australia as well as 17 overseas countries. Participants ranged in age from 1940s leavers to 2010s leavers. We have continued to refine our online mentoring programme via Mentorloop, with 278

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OGGs using the platform. All OGGs are invited to register their interest by filling in a few short details about themselves, their career, aspirations and interests. Mentors from a broad cross-section of jobs and careers are encouraged to register, along with OGGs interested in finding a career mentor. Despite the absence of reunions and events, engagement with the OGG Update e-newsletter was stronger than ever, with increased click throughs and unique page views. It was heartening to see our community remain connected through challenge and adversity.

It was also heartening to see the extraordinary effort of the School to navigate the restrictions imposed as a result of COVID-19, and to protect students and staff. I wrote a letter to the Principal, Rebecca Cody, on behalf of the OGG Committee and the broader OGG community to acknowledge the extraordinary hard work that Rebecca and her team has put in this year, in supporting our School, that means so much to so many Old Geelong Grammarians, and in supporting the current cohort of students.

I asked Rebecca to share our thanks with all members of GGS staff, so they were all aware of our appreciation for what they have done, and continue to do, in this disrupted and unsettling time.

We anticipate the disruptions of COVID-19 will continue for some time and we feel deeply for all those directly impacted by this incredibly contagious and dangerous virus. As an OGG community, we continue to look for ways to help support the wellbeing of fellow past students.

I encourage OGGs to reach out to old friends who may be vulnerable, particularly during these unusual and difficult times.

Supporting OGG wellbeing can be as simple as calling or messaging a former classmate who you are concerned may be experiencing hardship or anxiety and just letting them know that you are thinking of them. The OGG committee continues to develop OGG Connect; an initiative that encourages OGGs to support other OGGs adversely affected by natural disasters such as droughts, floods and fires. Under the banner of OGG Connect, we are hoping to create a ripple effect across our community by acknowledging and encouraging OGGs to reach out and connect with other OGGs in need.

One of the objectives of the OGG Association is to unite former students of GGS, the Hermitage and Clyde, and this is something we seem to do quite well.

OGGs attend reunions at higher rates that most other alumni associations; a fact that is more remarkable given the national and global spread of our community. Aside from year group reunions, other OGG events attract good numbers across all age groups, so that there is always a nice mix of generations at the golf day, the business lunch, the interstate and overseas branch functions and the motoring event.

We are keen to connect our community face-to-face again and have commenced scenario planning for 2021, ever mindful of the unpredictability of COVID and the impact on travel and gatherings. We do hope that decade reunions and other OGG gatherings can proceed in 2021, and that we can find ways to incorporate those reunions that were postponed in 2020. Until then, stay safe, and look after each other.

Ian Coltman (A’77) OGG President

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Boys in the Junior School, which existed until the Middle School was formed in 1962, were able to compete for two special awards. In 1917, Audley Raoul Lemprière, father of Geoffrey (Cu’20), William (Cu’22) and Peter (Cu’26), donated “a very handsome cup” to be awarded annually to the “best all-round boy” in the Junior School. Boys were awarded points, to a maximum of 60, based on their achievements in scholarship, leadership and athletics, with double weighting given to scholarship. AR Lemprière was a successful wool broker and sportsman who was twice champion of the Royal Melbourne Golf Club. In 1913, he won the amateur golf championship of Australia and was runner-up in the open competition.

To win the Lemprière Cup was considered a great honour, a feat achieved twice by only one boy, Donald Hemphill Rutter (M’39). Rutter enlisted in the RAAF to train as a fighter pilot in December 1941, just four days before his brother David (M’33), also a fighter pilot, went missing in action. Donald graduated first on the list with his commission in 1943 and took to the skies over Europe.

After surviving a serious head injury in a freak accident in 1944, he returned to duty and was shot down in March 1945 but returned again to active service. Just weeks later, in early April, he was declared missing, presumed dead, in air operations over Germany – the same fate as his brother and a terrible tragedy for his parents, who had also lost their daughter, June, when she was killed in a train accident in Melbourne. Their anguish continued until 1947, when the site of Donald’s crashed aircraft was located in Germany. His remains were recovered in 1949 and laid to rest in Hanover War Cemetery.

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Treasures From The Junior School To commemorate Donald’s memory, in 1948 the Rutter Badge was introduced in Junior School by the then Head of Junior School, Doug Fraser (Staff 1931-63), to recognise those boys who achieved a high standard in a range of pursuits. Points were awarded to students for their leadership and organisation skills, as well as for “music, craft work, initiative, endurance and any phase of the school life in which they can show ability, energy and determination” (Corian, December 1948). The award was made to boys who achieved the requisite number of points and demonstrated good character. Rutter’s heroism inspired the badge’s Latin motto viriliter agite — “act manfully” or, with more contemporary meaning, “act courageously”.

Rutter Donald Hemphill

Our School is home to a remarkable collection of artefacts and ephemera.

View our Treasures at www.ggs.vic.edu.au/165 and look out for new exhibits via our social media channels.

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1984

Sally Lynch (Wright, Ga’84) adapted brilliantly to the challenges of COVID-19. After a career as a chef, caterer, café owner and wholesale food manufacturer, Sally moved back to North East Victoria in 2016 to transform the Old Beechworth Gaol, catering for weddings and establishing the Big House Cooking School. COVID restrictions stopped weddings and cooking classes were moved to Zoom (pictured), so Sally kick-started Food Direct to support local chefs and provide ready-made meals to the local Wangaratta region. More recently, as COVID restrictions eased, she teamed with fellow local chef Tim Witherow to revive the dining room at the Whorouly Hotel, bringing their love of High Country produce to pub classics.

It has been an instant success and was listed as one of “five great country pubs in regional Victoria” by Australia’s leading restaurant review website, Good Food, which awards “hats” to Australian eateries at its annual Good Food Guide Awards.

1985

Giulia Baggio (Fr’85) has been appointed chief executive of Geelong business and community advocacy organisation, G21 (Geelong Region Alliance).

G21 is the formal alliance of government, business and community organisations across five local government municipalities – Colac Otway, Golden Plains, Greater Geelong, Queenscliff and Surf Coast – which co-ordinates research, consultation and planning for the region’s environment, land use, community and economy. “Giulia’s breadth of experience in the media, stakeholder engagement, advocacy and political advisory roles in both the private and public sectors make her eminently qualified for this role,” G21 Chair, Stephanie Asher, said. Most recently, Giulia was Chief of Staff to Melbourne Lord Mayor, Sally Capp. Before that, she spent 15 years with the ABC as a senior broadcast journalist and presenter in TV and radio, and was Media, Communications and Campaigns Director at the ACTU. Giulia has also worked as a political advisor and media, communication and engagement consultant with The Climate Institute, Industry Super Australia and Worksafe Victoria. “I am so excited to have the opportunity to work on behalf of Australia’s most beautiful and liveable region,” Giulia said. “The next decade will require careful planning to create good quality jobs and prosperity for our communities while also preserving the exquisite natural beauty of our coast, forests and plains. By working closely with our community, I am confident we can create the best of all worlds.”

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1988

Photographer Anita Beaney (Fr’88) held a solo exhibition of her work at Geelong’s Boom Gallery in August. Entitled Found Light, the exhibition was an observation of ambient light in the natural environment, with exposures recorded on medium format film at different times of the day to reflect variations in the quality and colour of light. The images were taken around the Great Ocean Road and aimed to capture the serenity of the location, inviting audiences to also look inward for a similar feeling of stillness.

“I am looking to find peace and inspiration by being in the natural environment, and hope to convey the calm I feel though my subject matter in my images,” Anita explained.

Anita works in portraiture, fashion and still life. Twice short-listed for the National Photographic Portrait Prize, Anita’s work seeks out the complexity of the human form and the simplicity of the natural one. Anita has a BA in Art History from the University of Melbourne and a BA in Commercial Photography from RMIT. On completion of her studies, she assisted then started her own business.

She has been working as a freelance commercial photographer whilst building a photographic arts practice.

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↓ Cambridge University Press will publish Zoë Laidlaw’s (Cl’90) third book on the history of British imperialism, colonialism and Indigenous/settler relations in 2021.

Zoë’s publications include Colonial Connections 1815-45: patronage, the information revolution and colonial government (Manchester UP, 2005) and, co-edited with Alan Lester, Indigenous Communities and Settler Colonialism: Land Holding, Loss and Survival in an Interconnected World (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015). Next year, Cambridge University Press will publish Protecting Humanity, a study of the intersections between Britain’s metropole, colonies and the wider world told through the life and work of Dr

Thomas Hodgkin. Zoë is a Fellow and past Honorary Secretary of the Royal Historical Society (UK), a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland and a Fellow of the Australian Historical Association. After returning from a long stint in the UK in 2018, Zoë took up the role of Professorial Fellow in Historical and Philosophical Studies at The University of Melbourne. Prior to this, Zoë had completed a Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford in 2001 before taking on roles of Lecturer in International History at the University of Sheffield (2001-2005) and Reader in British Imperial and Colonial History at the Royal Holloway, University of London (2005-2018). After attaining a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Mathematics/ Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in History at the University of Melbourne, Zoë received a Commonwealth Scholarship to do her PhD in Oxford. “I thought that the UK would be a good place to study Britain’s imperial history, not only because of the archives there, but also because of the

chance to work with people interested in both other parts of the Empire and Britain,” she explained. “It was a chance to see Australia’s history from a different perspective. It was a really exciting time in Australian history. When I started my undergraduate degree in 1991, the Mabo case was ongoing and its reverberations were considerable in historical studies as well as political life. It helped nonIndigenous Australians start to recognise how important Indigenous history was and how problematic existing interpretations of Australia’s colonial history were.” Zoë is a member of The University of Melbourne’s Indigenous Settler Relations Collaboration (ISRC) which is a multi-disciplinary research unit that works in partnership with a range of Indigenous and nonIndigenous organisations to explore relations between Indigenous and settler Australians.

1995

Emerging Australian painter Will Mackinnon (Timbertop ’92) was shortlisted for the 2020 Archibald Prize for a portrait of his partner, eyewear designer Sunshine Bertrand (He’95), and their newborn son, Lucky. The creative couple currently reside in Ibiza, Spain, having met while students at Glamorgan in 1987.

A year apart in age, Will was the best friend of Sunshine’s brother Andre (P’95) and lived a few streets away. “We had a lot of mutual friends and circled around each other in the art world,” Sunshine recalled. “I was living in London and came back one summer to visit family and friends and I guess we saw each other in a different light.

Will eventually settled in Europe with me. I’ve been here for 16 years. We share a love for creativity, culture, adventure and living in harmony with nature.” Will, who studied at Melbourne University, Chelsea School of Art and Design and the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), has built a reputation as one of Australia’s most exciting and innovative landscape painters. Having exhibited in Australia and Spain, he recently held his first solo show in the UK at Simon Lee Gallery in London. He has previously been a finalist in the Archibald Prize, Wynne Prize and Fleurieu Landscape Prize. His work is held by the Ian Potter Museum, Melbourne University, Parliament House Art Collection, State Library of Victoria, Artbank and Griffith University, as well as various private collections in Australia and overseas. Sunshine is an eyewear designer, consulting to luxury fashion houses, mainly in Paris.

She has worked with various Australian brands, including Lucy Folk, Bailey Nelson and Zimmerman, as well global fashion icons, Chloe, Givenchy and Kenzo. In a 2019 podcast with Black Neon Digital, Sunshine discussed how an education in fine art and a love of travel and collage led her into the world of fashion, firstly as a stylist, then trend forecaster and product developer, before heading up eyewear at Victoria Beckham’s eponymous brand for eight years.

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1990

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Stories From The Pandemic Our Past Parents’ Network (PPN) invited our wider parent community to write and tell them something of their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic for the PPN Newsletter.

This year has been endless pressure. I’ve just got off the phone to Leslie O’Brien, editor of the PPN Newsletter, and I’m crying because of the kindness of so many people, who are rallying to help us make sales, and with the reality of doing so much whilst home schooling kids. As we speak my kids, Prep and Grade 2, are crawling over the floor when they should be home schooling. Each week feels like you drop another ball to manage the mental strain it takes. I’m still in my pyjamas and my husband Ben has taken the day off work to try to completely tie down the vineyard before budburst. Spring is three weeks early.

– Sally Richardson (Cl’95), Willimee Wines, Lancefield

As a Registered Nurse working in Aged Care, this COVID-19 pandemic has made me realise how stoic our elderly residents are. With minimal complaints from those most at risk to the virus, they have just taken it in their stride and got on with their lives.

Even though we are wearing facemasks, they can find a positive, with comments like, “I can see your eyes smiling”. Most residents have seen tough times before and have lived through wartime and the Great Depression, so just staying home is what they have got on and done.

– Prue Evans, Hamilton; Angus Evans (M’10), Annabel Evans (He’12) and Georgie Evans (He’15)

I acquired a new puppy in the months before COVID. He was a challenging dog, a nightmare to train, and I felt I had made a terrible mistake. Then came the COVID lockdown and it was just him and me. Our relationship began to change, I became more patient, and he began to respond positively.

Now he is like a much-loved son, and I can see him darting across the playing fields of Corio. Of course, he would love Timbertop. I wonder which House he would go into.

In March there were reports out of China that a flu-type virus was out of control and spreading throughout the world. Here in Australia, we thought things like that happen elsewhere, so we flippantly ignored it until it literally landed on our doorstep. The month prior, I had lost my husband after nursing him for two years from asbestosis exposure, so to be honest I was caught up in my own grief. The government issued warnings that we would be going into lockdown within days, but we really had no idea what that would mean.

One thing was clear – the “elderly” would most likely be affected if we contracted this virus. At 76, I can remember the polio epidemic when all the swimming pools and picture theatres were closed for over 12 months. As a result, I never learned to swim.

– Helen Ross Capes, Perth; Harry Ross (Bb’80), Andrew Ross (Bb’81) and Julie-Anne Gibney (Ross, Cl’82)

When I visited the dentist a couple of weeks ago, he gave me an antibody test which showed that I had the longer-term antibodies for COVID-19 in my bloodstream, indicating that I had contracted the virus around February. At the time I was pretty sick and stayed in bed for four or five days thinking it was just a seasonal bug. I found that in addition to the fever and general lassitude, I had lost both my senses of taste and smell (before those losses were recognised as symptomatic of COVID-19), and generally felt pretty grotty. Apart from feeling tired for a few weeks (and still having bouts of tiredness now for no apparent reason) I seem to have recovered pretty well all things considered. I have also recovered my senses of taste and smell. The outcome assuredly could have been worse.

– David Hudson (Ge’68), London UK; Emily Hudson (Cl’08) and Sam Hudson (FB’11)

– Anonymous

The PPN provides past parents with a way of staying connected to the School and to each other. This year, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the PPN was unable to hold its annual Autumn and Spring functions. Our Past Parents’ Network have stayed in touch through the PPN Newsletter and Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/ggsppn

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1996

Malaysian-based sports management and media specialist, Ben Ibrahim (FB’96), has started his own online interview series, Sunday Learnings with Ben Ibrahim. The series features interviews with wellknown sporting identities about their careers, including Liverpool FC legend John Barnes, South African rugby physiotherapist Rene Naylor, World Cup winning Wallaby Toutai Kefu, Australian rowing coach Noel Donaldson and Australian Opals basketballer Bec Allen. Ben plans to expand the series to interview entertainment, political and corporate leaders. Ben has worked previously as a TV anchor and commentator for Fox Sports and as a business consultant for Asia-Pacific rugby competition, Global Rapid Rugby.

2000

Sally Schoeffler (Langford, Ga’00) is working as a data scientist in Silicon Valley for pioneering personal stylists, Stitch Fix. The personal styling service has thrived during COVID-19, topping $490 million in revenue for the October quarter and growing its customer base to nearly 3.8 million, up more than 10 per cent from a year ago. Customers fill out a survey online about their style preferences and a stylist selects five items to send to them based on the survey answers and any access the customer gives them to their social media platforms. The company uses data science and has combined personal stylists and machine learning (AI) for personalized recommendations.

After graduating from GGS, LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Sally completed a Bachelor of Physics (Hons) at Melbourne University and a PhD in Physics and Astrophysics. During her PhD studies, she developed a new method to measure the light reflected by extrasolar planets. She was interviewed as part of the Moon Special for ABC’s Catlyst programme in 2009, discussing her research and findings. After a stint with the Bureau of Meteorology assessing seasonal predictions of Australian rainfall, among other things, Sally moved to the US to become a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Colorado. She researched multi-decadal droughts in western North America using global climate models before being recruited by Silicon Valley as a data scientist.

Malaysian based media and communications professional, Ezra Zaid (FB’00), recently launched a podcast, The Ezra Said Project, which features unique stories and anecdotes of individuals navigating discovery and adversity. From analogue to digital, across the past decade Ezra has skipped from independent book publisher, creator of acclaimed online series, That Effing Show, TV documentary host and prime-time radio presenter/producer. As Head of Digital and New Media at BFM 89.9, he spearheaded the digital transformation of Malaysia’s premier business talk-radio station. His new podcast has featured former GGS Director of Student Welfare, John Hendry (Staff 1980-2015) – John was Head of Francis Brown whilst Ezra was House Captain. The pair have stayed in touch across the past two decades and the podcast discussed education, relationships and the power of kindness.

2002

After a stint as an emergency medicine registrar at University Hospital Geelong, Dr Brenton Systermans (A’02) has sailed south as an expedition medical practitioner for the Australian Antarctic Division. With an interest in working in remote environments, Brenton has worked in every state of Australia as well as New Zealand, Ireland, Nepal and China. He also has an ongoing role with the Australian Army Reserve and is a lecturer at the University of Tasmania in their Healthcare in Remote and Extreme Environment programme.

Brenton, a former OGG mentor for the OGG Careers Day held at GGS for Year 10 students, is also a keen mountaineer, skier, trail runner and cyclist. He has volunteered in the Khumbu Valley of Nepal with the Himalayan Rescue Association as well as at EverestER for the 2018 Mt Everest Climbing season. He was disappointed but philosophic when his return to EverestER for the 2020 climbing season was scuttled by the current COVID-19 pandemic. In an interview with healthcare recruitment service provider Blugibbon, Brenton revealed he is setting up a new service, Mountain Medicine Australia, to fill a void in treating Australians who develop medical conditions whilst travelling at high altitude.

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Zoe Young (Ga’95) was commissioned by the Art Gallery of NSW’s bi-monthly magazine, Look, to create a painting inspired by Henri Matisse’s pivotal oil painting, Luxe, Calme et Volupte. As the COVID-19 pandemic escalated and with Zoe’s children home schooling, the theme of Calme came with some irony.

“Throughout the days, I was torn between the novelty and intimacy of home schooling and my driven nature as a painter to capture and distil the beauty of it all,” she explained. “In the days of greatest anxiety, I found instant solace in the giggles in the hallway, the cubbies in the doorway, the endurance of play; its unbelievable lightness warming the most brittle of thoughts.” In the 1904 artwork, Matisse aimed for what he described as a “balance of purity and serenity, devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter”.

Similarly, Zoe hoped to bring joy and a sense of calm in these troubled times by capturing “that ambiguous place of nonsense, that infectious state of cheekiness, that illuminated wonderful world of playtime”. Earlier in 2020, Zoe was a finalist in the Darling Portrait Prize, a new annual prize for Australian portrait painters. Consequently, her portrait of Australian filmmaker Bruce Beresford was exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.

Below: Clyde girls dwarfed by the Mt Macedon eucalyptus forest as they explored their new territory in 1919 Left: Mount Macedon with Braemar House in the distance, William Short 1894 Below: Margie Gillet during the COGA AGM 2020 on Sunday 25 October, ably assisted by Crush the koala who came down from Mt Macedon especially to help

Left: Arial shot of the Clyde School circa 1920

COGA Adversity and change can develop strengths and skills you were never aware of, both as individuals and as communities. In order to thrive, we learn to make the most of new opportunities thrown our way. In 1919, Clyde School moved from St Kilda to Woodend.

Its new home was Braemar House, a former guesthouse with an ornate tower which rose above the treetops of Mount Macedon. The relocation of the school was a daunting project. The first day of school on the mountain was delayed for several weeks by the Spanish Influenza pandemic, which swept the world, killing millions, including around 15,000 Australians, and leaving few communities unscathed. The Clyde School Archives at GGS have part of a diary kept by Dr Vera Scantlebury Brown, who recorded the students’ arrival at Woodend on 10 March 1919. She described the slow and laborious ascent of the horse-drawn wagons up the narrow dirt road through the forest. There was a car following the cavalcade. Younger brothers from Geelong Grammar had come to see their sisters’ new school. There were “shrieks of delight and such a gabble” as the students explored their new territory.

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It took courage and foresight by Miss Isabel Henderson, Clyde’s founder and first Principal, to make the transition from city to country. Similar courage and wisdom were shown by School Councillors in 1976 when Clyde amalgamated with GGS and Clyde House was established at Corio.

The Clyde community has continued to thrive through the decades as generations of students are bonded by their years at school together, by strong family and rural connections, and by the communal values and education they have gained at GGS. As an alumni association, the Clyde Old Girls’ Association (COGA) has held fast to the friendships and unity fostered by our shared experiences. Despite the cancellation of reunions and events, the COVID-19 restrictions have encouraged us to tackle new ways to keep in contact.

On Sunday 25 October, the 2020 COGA AGM was held via Zoom for the first time.

We thank GGS for their assistance as more than 35 members from around Australia and overseas were able to connect online.

The Cluthan magazine was published in September with a 1920 cartoon from the Archives. The artist was a Clyde student, Molly Mackenzie (Finlay, Clyde ’22) who had made the transition from St Kilda to Woodend and was an adventurous photographer on the School’s picnics to Hanging Rock. Molly’s son, Sandy Mackenzie (FB’59), currently serves on the OGG Committee. He wrote to say Molly

was widowed during WW2 and was a great inspiration to him as she faced the challenges of raising and educating her children alone on their country property.

On the 165 Years page of the GGS website (www.ggs.vic.edu.au/165), art historian Sophie Church has written about a collection of creative lino-cut etchings done at Clyde School in the 1930s. One of the student artists was Lieselotte Eggink (Clyde ’40), who arrived at Clyde from Germany before the outbreak of WW2.

Lieselotte was born in the Dutch East Indies to a German father and Italian/ Austrian/Hungarian mother. Before attending Clyde, she was schooled at a strict convent boarding school in an old castle in Munich. She spoke six languages fluently and travelled unaccompanied to Australia, enough to earn her a mention in the national newspapers in 1938, where she chose Clyde as her preferred school.

After leaving Clyde, Lieselotte worked as a translator for the Royal Netherlands Army during WW2.

As post-COVID normality becomes a possibility, we look forward to gathering for reunions and events again. Meanwhile, COGA has become pretty good at zooming. And in 2019 we didn’t even know what that meant.

Margie Gillett (Cordner, Clyde ’71) COGA President LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL

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HOGA Unfortunately, The Hermitage Old Girls’ Association (HOGA) was unable to hold any scheduled functions during a very challenging year. A HOGA reunion in Adelaide is being planned for early 2021, as COVID restrictions allow. South Australian friends who live near Adelaide are encouraged to be on the lookout for information regarding this. Hopefully, more is known when the HOGA Newsletter goes to print and further details will be included. Many reunions are being planned for the Geelong region, but as the COVID situation remains fluid, we are awaiting confirmation of restrictions for gatherings as we finalise locations and dates. Again, we are hopeful this will also be finalised in time for inclusion in the HOGA Newsletter.

Similarly, if restrictions allow, we are optimistically planning our annual Autumn Luncheon to go ahead. As always, we will keep you posted.

This year has been like no other. The HOGA AGM was held via Zoom, which was a great success. 43 ladies attended, including two HOGA members from Queensland, Julia Ponder (The Hermitage ’65 and Clyde ’69) and Marcelle Pulman (Paas, The Hermitage ’65). Even though

the usual luncheon was not possible, everyone had a wonderful and happy catch up for about an hour after the meeting. The guest speaker was artist Angela Baldwin (The Hermitage ’75 and Fr’77). Angela lives in an off-grid home in the Otway Ranges; a beautiful place to get inspiration from the abundant nature that surrounds her. With a background in textiles, interior design and colour consulting, Angela returned to study Visual Arts (Textile Design) and learnt eco printing and botanical dyeing, which she uses to create silk scarves. “My artwork is about exploring the alchemy between colour, nature and textiles,” Angela explained.

2020 has been a reset for many, and The Hermitage Old Girls are thinking of doing a couple of different things in the future.

One is the idea of holding a craft market as we have so many very talented members who make amazing crafts, pottery and paintings, and who might like to share/sell to other members. Your feedback is sought on this venture, which is most likely to be held in the Barwon Heads Community Hall towards end of 2021. Please email hermitagegirls@gmail.com with your comments and feedback.

Our resident chef, Susie Donald (The Hermitage ’75), is willing to collate a recipe book but your input is needed. The idea is to send photos of your favourite childhood family recipes. All you need to do is photograph the recipe. As our Old Girls come from a diverse range of areas, both around Australia and the world, we thought it interesting to share our history through food. Please send the recipes to hermitagegirls@gmail.com or P.O. Box 591, Geelong, 3220.

Last but not least, as this has been an uneventful year in terms of events, any interesting snippets of news from as many as possible are requested for the HOGA Newsletter. The feedback from the newsletter is that people love to read what everyone has been up to.

Maybe this year you can share your experiences and thoughts on the way we have survived and thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please send your news to hermitagegirls@gmail.com or P.O. Box 591, Geelong, 3220.

‘Blue gum mist’ and ‘Native arrangement from my garden 2’ by HOGA AGM guest speaker, Angela Baldwin (The Hermitage ’75 and Fr’77) .

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2004

Rom Sangkavatana (P’04) was nominated for Tatler Thailand’s Future List 2020 of 100 people “with ideas, from all walks of life, doing great things for Thailand”.

Rom (known as Aim while at GGS) is the founder of Bangkok and London-based branding company Rom Design, whose clients include Vogue, Icon Siam, King Power, True Coffee, Gems Pavilion, GQ Magazine and One Nimman. Rom Design provides a myriad of design and branding services, encompassing brand identity, product development, strategy, market research, content creation, interior architecture and consultation. Rom instigated the Spotlight Design Exhibition in 2019, which led to a collaboration between Thai fashion designer Thakorn Wannawongis and street photographer Kanrapee Chokpaiboon. More recently, Rom was involved in a collaboration with Merge Collective to fuse art and technology through interactive lighting and sound design projected around an art sculpture called the Bangkok Meridian, which was launched at Bangkok Design Week 2020.

2008

After a stint as Principal Consultant for a cloud-based network and security solutions company in Melbourne, Warit Namchaisiri (M’08) has returned to Bangkok to join KPMG Thailand as Associate Director of KPMG’s Cyber Advisory practice from the beginning of 2021. After graduating from GGS, Warit completed a Bachelor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (Hons) at Melbourne University.

He has since worked across telecommunications, information technology and cyber security for ANZ, IAG, Afterpay Touch, Property Exchange Australia and the Bureau of Meteorology.

Warit will work with teams from across KPMG’s Management Consulting division to assist clients manage cyber risk while enhancing business objectives. “I’m delighted to become part of the leading consulting firm in my home country with such a world-renowned global network,” he said. “I aim to raise cyber security awareness in Thailand, bringing together the best talents and technology to protect organisations and our communities from the ever-growing cyber threats.”

2011

Caroline Fieldus (EM’11) has published an article on the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia (JERAA) website, The Junction, about Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD).

After completing a Bachelor of Biology/Biological Sciences at the University of Melbourne, Caroline began a role as Zookeeper and research assistant at Zoos Victoria. She is now also completing her master’s degree in Conservation Biology at Macquarie University. Her article on DFTD was based on recent modelling

by Swansea University and revealed that “when a Tasmanian

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devil is infected with DFTD, the number of transmissible tumours (i.e. tumours that can spread cancer between different individuals) increases as the infection goes on”. “So, an infected devil is more infectious a few months after contracting the disease than it was when it first started to develop symptoms,” Caroline explained. “This additional factor of time can have a major influence on the dynamics of disease spread and has, until now, been left out of predictive modelling.”

Lucy Gubbins (Cl’11) was recently featured in the Australian Financial Review article entitled ‘Welcome to the work-farmhome revolution’, which highlighted the move of young professionals back to rural and regional Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lucy is a Senior Consultant at KPMG in the Food and Agribusiness team who works across strategic investment, commercial deal advisory, supply chain and operations, and regional infrastructure. “My challenge to the corporate world is to unlock opportunities in regional Australia and allow employees the flexibility to choose where they live and how they want to work,” she said. “This time (during COVID) has proved that working a corporate job from regional Australia is definitely possible.” In May, the Regional Australia Institute launched the Regional Australia Council 2031 (RAC2031) to influence and guide large corporate organisations like KPMG to support the development, investment and prosperity of regional Australia.

2012

Emily Mannix (Fr’12) was vicecaptain of the Melbourne Vixens team that won its first Super Netball championship since 2014, claiming the title after a nail-biting 66-64 grand final victory over the West Coast Fever in October. Emily was one of four OGGs in the Vixens’ squad, alongside Tayla Honey (Ga’15), Allie Smith (A’17) and training partner Ruby Barkmeyer (Ga’18). Emily played the entire game at GK and was largely responsible for marking the league’s dominant scorer, Jhaniele Fowler. While it was an understandably tough match for Emily, she was able to combine with Vixens GD Jo Weston to complete a crucial rebound in the final two minutes which effectively secured the win for Melbourne. Allie entered the court for the final five minutes at WD while Tayla, in a match with very few substitutions, didn’t receive any court time in the final. Emily was elevated to the Vixens’ leadership group at the beginning of the Super Netball season. “I was like, ‘I know 2020 has been a bit of an odd year so far, but, are you serious?’. In all honesty, I was surprised, but it is a privilege to be voted in by the team, alongside (co-captains) Kate (Moloney) and Lizzy (Watson) who have been such great leaders of our team for many years now.”

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2015

Jam Sheahan (P’15) made his college football debut as a punter for the University of California football team, the California Golden Bears. Jam became the first OGG to play college football when he made his debut against the Washington Huskies on November 8. He played in all four games of the NCAA Division I season, which was shortened

by COVID-19, and averaged 39.9 yards from 23 punts. In the final game of the season against Oregon State, Jam had a punt blocked that he recovered at the 14-yard line, which led to the Bears’ game-winning touchdown – the team’s only win of the season. Jam’s long-term goal is to join fellow Australians Michael Dickson (Seattle) and Mitch Wishnowski (San Francisco) punting in the NFL. After graduating GGS, Jam spent a season with the Bendigo Pioneers and was recruited by Essendon’s VFL team, where he won the best first-year player award in 2018, before shifting his focus to securing a college scholarship as a punter. He worked with former VFL/AFL footballer Nathan Chapman and his punting and place-kicking academy, ProKick Australia. His time with ProKick helped Jam earn a three-year LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL

football scholarship to the University of California, Berkeley, where he will major in economics and business administration.

Berkeley has been a very popular destination for OGGs in recent years, with Maddison Brown (EM’15), Sarah Harte (A’16), Oliver Arter (Cu’17), Jane Perrignon (EM’17) and Fred Roper (M’17) all rowing for Cal.

2019

Caleb Serong’s (Cu’19) brilliant debut AFL season was recognised by both his peers and a panel of experts in a week of AFL award presentations in September, winning the AFL’s best first year player at the AFL Players Association Awards and the NAB AFL Rising Star Award. The Rising Star Award is the most coveted prize among young AFL players and Caleb joins an honour roll featuring multiple Brownlow medallists and premiership captains. Caleb made his debut for Fremantle in Round 4 and went on to play every game for the remainder of the season. He burst onto the scene in Round 8 against Geelong as he went head-to-head with Cats superstar Patrick Dangerfield, gathering 22 disposals on his way to securing the Round 8 AFL Rising Star nomination. Caleb ranked in the top-5 of several statistical categories among Rising Star nominees, including 1st for total clearances and 2nd for contested possessions, effective disposals and metres gained.

“It’s a great honour,” Caleb said. “I try to pride myself on being a really tough opponent to play against. Hopefully that’s what my opponents and teammates have taken away from the year, that I don’t give an inch.” Caleb was the School’s 1st XVIII captain in 2019 and won the Alan Gray Memorial Trophy in 2018 awarded to the 1st XVIII Best and Fairest. He told SEN radio that his time at GGS helped fast-track his development as a player and a person. “Now that I’m out of there and I’ve experienced it, it definitely helped me to get where I am now,” he said.

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Former law student, Elliott Watkins (Cu’12), has built a YouTube channel so successful that it has now become a lucrative full-time career. Featuring live gaming, tutorials and vlogs, Muselk (as Elliott is known online), became famous for playing Team Fortress 2 and Fortnite. He live-streamed commentary for other games and built up his Muselk channel, which now has over 9.3 million subscribers. Since beginning in 2015, Muselk has had over 3.4 billion views, with his clip ‘I got INFINITE Health in Fortnite!’ attracting more than a million views in just four days. In 2017, Elliott co-founded Click Management with his older sister, chartered accountant Grace Watkins (Ga’09). With a background in Commerce and Law, Grace worked previously as Strategy Director for Australia’s largest youth led campaign, Live Below the Line, and as a consultant with PwC Australia, working for some of Australia’s largest listed businesses in the entertainment and media industry. Click Management is a talent and brand management company for gaming and technology influencers which represents some of the country’s biggest gamers. Also working at Click Management is Richard Heath (A’12). Richard has a background in music management, representing some of the biggest artists in the Australian music scene, including Sticky Fingers and Boo Seeka. Richard’s love of video games started with Battlefield 2 and has grown. At Click Management he now develops valuable relationships with some of the world’s leading talent. Since the COVID-19 lockdown, viewing numbers have risen by between 30 and 60 per cent. The Click Management YouTube channel is filled with truth or dare challenges, amusing videos and live gameplays, all presented by Elliott and a team of gamers and video makers. Elliott has become one of the most influential figures in Australia’s gaming community and has worked closely with commercial partners, including HP, Samsung and EA (Electronic Arts), to develop strategy and execution of branded content collaborations. He has also worked as a presenter on Disney’s weekly TV show, Gamefest.

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STAFF NEWS A major illustrated biography of Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack (Art Master 1942-57) will be published in April 2021. Written

by Resi Schwarzbauer, with the support of Hirschfeld-Mack’s grandson, Chris Bell, this comprehensive work will reveal, for the first time, the full details of Hirschfeld-Mack’s extraordinary life and the circumstances of his departure from Germany and arrival in Australia. It includes three chapters on his experiences at Geelong Grammar School, incorporating the reminiscences of many OGGs who were fortunate enough to have been taught by HirschfeldMack. Further details, including a link for preordering your copy, will be provided in a future OGG Update.

OGGs who attended Timbertop in the 1950s will be interested in a new publication, the edited memoirs of former Timbertop teacher Paul McKeown (Staff 1955-58), father of Christopher (FB’70) and Penelope McKeown (Je’79) and grandfather of Phoebe Stewart (He’11). The book devotes a chapter to Timbertop, where he spent four years from 1955-58, having been appointed by James Darling based on his experience at the Outward-Bound Mountain School in the UK. He gives a fascinating insight into the early days of the campus and his role in establishing the outdoor education programme. Paul McKeown left Timbertop to become headmaster of Canberra Grammar School, where he remained for more than a quarter of a century, becoming revered among educators for his high principles and well-founded philosophies. He was also highly influential in the arts in Australia, serving as president of the Arts Council of Australia. Those who knew Paul will revel in his warm and insightful recollections; others will appreciate the wisdom and integrity of a man who helped to shape the educational landscape of Australia. A clear view to broad horizons: the memoirs of Paul McKeown, edited by Sophie Church, is available to purchase from www.historysmiths.com. au or Canberra Grammar School.

Proceeds from sales of the book will be directed to the Paul McKeown Scholarship Fund at Canberra Grammar School.

Debate has raged in the pages of the Geelong Advertiser regarding the naming of a laneway in Belmont after Antarctic explorer John Béchervaise (Staff 1957-72). The Geelong suburb already includes streets named after inspirational Antarctic explorers, including (Roald) Aumundsen, (Robert Falcon) Scott, (Robert) Peary and (Sir Ernest) Shackleton streets. Rev Allan Ansell, who has lived near the unnamed laneway for more than 20 years, wrote to the local newspaper suggesting the name John Béchervaise Lane,

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which sparked several replies and an opinion piece (which also suggested honouring the efforts of Bertram Armytage (GGS 1882-85), who was a member of Shackleton’s 1907 expedition).

Béchervaise joined the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) in the 1950s and served as field leader on Heard Island in 1953, leading an unsuccessful expedition to climb the 2,745-metre Mawson Peak, the highest peak on Australian territory. He also served as station leader at Mawson Station in 1955 and 1959. From there he led field trips up to 600 kilometres inland, exploring MacRobertson Land and the Prince Charles Mountains region.

He was awarded the Polar Medal, OAM and OBE for his work as an explorer, writer, photographer, artist, mountaineer and photographer. Béchervaise Island near Mawson Station was named in his honour in 2000. A final decision on the laneway’s name will be made by the City of Greater Geelong in 2021.

Former Corio staff member Robin McConchie (Staff 1979-81) has launched a podcast, Postcards from the Bush with Robin McConchie, which builds on her experience and love of the bush. Robin was Executive Producer of ABC Radio’s Country Hour in Queensland for 18 years before retiring at the end of 2018. She came to Corio at the beginning of Third Term in 1979, having spent the previous year travelling overseas. She taught Biology and Agricultural Science, coached hockey and tennis, and was the resident Tutor in Jennings House. She spent much of her spare time in the dark room and shared her love of photography with many students. Robin was enthusiastic in all she did, whether it was cleaning out the chickensheds, running a cross-country with the girls, or making popcorn with the fourth formers in her new kitchen. She left Corio to take up a teaching position at Tintern and later, in 1982, joined the ABC’s Rural Department. She was the ABC’s Chief Rural Political Correspondent in Canberra and was inducted intoof Ben thedigoQueensland " The "Bradman Rural Press Club’s Hall of Fame in 2011.

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Buloke Times,

An article by John Hendry (Staff 1980-2015) about sport as a reflection of culture was published in the Buloke Times in December.

John taught at Donald High School in the late 1960s and the newspaper referred to him as “the Bradman of Bendigo Country Week”, recalling his legendary achievements with Donald’s ANA Cricket Club, including scoring 305 not out to guide ANA to victory against St Arnaud in the 1973 Wimmera Mallee Cricket Association grand final.

Donald

n of Bendigo”

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Coundman of Bendigo ns with the “Bra and his multiple discussio the local cricket association this writer has had 2000, with Over the past week regarding cricket before dry, Hen John try Week”, is a reald area. vements, John time in the Don later this achie er and has (By Kevin Darcy)

another piece sports teach was ap- in , but suffice to say that spected sport many theses on John Hendry ld High week nized by written pointed to the Dona s, and he has been recog and ob- in schools.

1960 I wish to “all” playing peers batsman School in the late The article that the till rs is servers as the best records share with “Times” reade was in the area many since to in the area early/mid ’70s. one written by Johnnot sure if John was seen been kept. he was When he arrived, prin- have handy schools, but by a then ved the also by recei ” was John lly was “kidnapped n, and bein a roving it actua High School. ld cipal, Ossie Nelso he was footballer, being ed, “Age” “white line” Dona fore anyone realiz Cricket partnership with The Melbourne when Donald the story. John print to d signed by the ANA under Wayne Jones, wishe rhouse. y kept ed the request. was a N-CFL powe Club, a fact totall the high- reject writer asked John if current day Here are some of ssional wraps by the the This s” editor. profe the “Buloke “Buloke Time d. lights of John’s round: he would allow it, and he • John Hendry Strange times indee or indeed and sporting backg “Times to print for club, award s nly hop If any other • National sport agreed. club, This writer certai such of et. ls tive a crick n to representa Sports in Schoog John that readers enjoy John's lo st, club contributio for cricket. intere any a askin ed show • OAM My reason for — it is well worth lica Dean and tion in article is that cle president “Father” on hand, • OAM for educa for access to this in today’s comp at sports lover, at gener his hit squad were One other 2014. next 120% a District being find world for our ed ready to intervene. the Grand • 22 years playing , cap- especially at school, I I have also attach w to not et in Melbourne rep. was invited love does now of John Hendry to state his Crick all clubs except Carlton. that this ls today, photo They h Central Hotel exist in our schoo Paul Sheahan. after many, tained State game. club’s case, but a memory • One is quite sad. over the years ed which for work are had Colts today many beers, he • Captain of Vic well as being g Young people on impossisome- gether, as lapse of his missi end, con- 25-plus games. to peer pressure, inly mates. ld District open a ble, and in the • In 1973 Dona A.N.A. times bullying, and certa also Paul Sheahan was ANA Social John led a. Schools are tributed to the order bat would have grand final, ip against St. social medi State and local derful middle iersh Club. Mick Gatto by prem tied ria and Australi to a score being hand nment “red tape”, which for Victo him play in the own his been proud. ud, r’s Year Arna watched part- gover the “ John was this write ct some schools’ out. Last wicket Victorian side as teacher, and 305 not Mark does restri only sport.

12 economics not with 15 year old “Redders”, Bob ers, including nership not out) was worth activities, that the tom”, with other teach Potter and It is interesting Nelson, Irene Letts (18 s, being per, Jack Vic Peter Hobbs, Os Mar- 187 runs.

Paris Olympic Gamedumped Sheahan — a great and Disvan ld Maga , have Falla, Bob • Captained Dona — how did I go, nsible in igo held in 2024 ling, and in- side n? Far better tha garet Hall, was respo for all trict Association at Bend boxing and wrest Brow pass Week, scoring sev- troduced four “e”sports — New South Welshmen achieving a 100% believe me, Country skatemy c kept ries.

Refle their students, and vement. a have d eral centu • Sport as Geelong shoul guess. This is the way 14. that was a real achie • 35 years at board, I Culture — page .

Achievements nts Grammar, finishing this year. young people’s world veme sporting of the John’s cricket achie ssed Outside these be addre with ANA will

LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL right Agency. You

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A Well-Worn Path This is an A3 oil pastel I did at home in preparation for an oil on the same theme, for some reason never done, but still in the bank. Normally I would work from a hiking sketch, redo again to a different scale to establish features, then work on the theme in oil. I still do this but even though I love oils, I have in recent times concentrated on watercolours. I do remember the circumstances of this occasion. We were hiking in ever deteriorating conditions and needed to get to our campsite. I had moved up towards the front to encourage the leaders and keep the group together. The hiking staff member was front, back and centre. We had to often stop and regroup. The back markers would disappear in white out conditions.

The technique was walk behind someone tall to keep the snow etc. off your face and have some protection from the wind. Bunching up helped but the leader needed changing if the pace dropped off.

This was summer! I remember all of this because I tried to sketch them but ended up with a soggy book with just outlines of a couple of the lads. I would have normally worked on a sketch at the campsite but I came down with a roaring headache and was of no

LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL

use. During this hike I would sweat up and then feel that moisture freeze on my skin when I stopped. I do not think I drank enough water. All occurred I think in 1983 or ‘84 by the outfits. I had an external framed pack, as did many of the students, which was very uncomfortable, and you were always shuffling it about to relieve the stress on pressure points.

Clive Moffat (Staff 1981-2018) came from South Australia to Timbertop in 1981 to teach Mathematics and History, earning a reputation as a raconteur, cross-country skier and artist whilst also serving as Head of A, B, C, D, E, F, M and N Units (not in chronological order), as well as Deputy Head of Campus.

He moved to Corio in 1990, where he was appointed Head of Cuthbertson House, left briefly to teach at Williamstown High School (1993-96), before returning to Corio to teach Mathematics, as a tutor in Perry House and Head of Sailing. He returned to South Australia in 2003 but revisited Corio to cover John Seymour’s long service leave in 2006 before his most recent stint at GGS in 2017-2018.

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I

f there was an award for accumulating friends wherever you went and connecting with people, especially OGGs across generations, then Sam Smith (Cu’89) would be a stand-out recipient. Sam, who was born 19 December 1971 and died on 30 August 2020, was a brilliant friend and holds a central place in many hearts in the GGS community. Sam had an infectious enthusiasm, a raucous laugh, positive outlook and was a radiant force to be around. Sam embodied many of the best things about our community – he was determined, a risk taker, considerate, empathetic, hardworking, loving, resilient and a great friend.

Sam commenced his GGS journey in Year 8 in Barrabool House. He arrived with very strong connections to the GGS community through his mother Deborah’s family, with Sam’s great-grandfather Leslie Austin (GGS 1900-1908), grandfather Tom Austin (FB’41) and uncle Jo Austin (M’78) all attending GGS, whilst aunt Elise Murch (Austin, Clyde ’70) attended Clyde School. He was also well-connected through his father Gary’s (FB’59) family, with uncle Ian Smith (FB’57) and cousins Ed Smith (Cu’86) and James Smith (Cu’88) also at GGS. Sam was shortly followed by his brother Jonny (Cu’92) and sister Julia Menzies (Smith, He’96). Sam was very proud of his connections to the School, Geelong and the Western District, particularly Peterborough. He valued his school friendships highly. Throughout his life, Sam made the effort to build on these friendships, investing time and energy connecting and re-connecting. He was a constant presence, organising school reunions, attending annual events and friends’ special occasions, hiking in Tasmania with old mates; all of it done with gusto, enthusiasm and style. Since his death, many have reflected on moments, often from decades ago, that highlighted Sam’s capacity for connection and his ability to leave a lasting, positive impact on others. His loss has been felt deeply across our community.

Sam achieved across many facets of school life. He was a House Prefect, a member of the 2nd XVIII Football team, performed in Senior School plays, had a poem published in The Corian and was a member of the 1989 1st VIII Rowing crew that finished a length ahead of Xavier to win the 1989 Head of the River.

It was a highlight of Sam’s schooldays and in 2019 the crew gathered to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of their victory.

After graduating from GGS, Sam studied Commerce at Deakin University in Geelong and embarked on a long and impressive career in advertising and marketing, working for industry leading companies in Melbourne and Sydney, including News Corp, Nine MSN, Yahoo and Adobe. Sam was a people person and made connections effortlessly. In addition to his capacity for managing teams and leading organisations, what was most evident was Sam’s willingness and motivation to adapt to the changing advertising and media landscape, moving early into digital media and investing enormous effort in bringing others along with him. Sam was no dinosaur and was always moving ahead of the curve of change, leading teams into a new frontier.

Sam was loved by his peers and work colleagues and earned a global profile and industry-wide respect. He certainly helped drag some of his friends into the digital age as we tried to understand what he was actually doing.

raising money for the Ian Potter Children’s Wildplay Garden and restoration of other important structures within the park.

He volunteered with Opera Australia, using his marketing skills to assist the opera company attract a younger audience.

He was godfather to many of his friends’ children and took this role seriously – Sam had the midas touch with people of all ages, especially children. He sprinkled happiness wherever he went and left an impression of positivity. His lifelong love for gardens and gardening inspired Sam and Mark to purchase a farm in the southern highlands of New South Wales.

Through creativity, capability and hard work they transformed ‘Billeroy’ into a magical gathering place for their friends and family. Shortly after returning from a holiday with five OGG families in Sardinia in July 2019, Sam was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer. Like always, he rolled up his sleeves and approached the challenge head on, supported by Mark, his family and friends. Sam fought valiantly for many months, during which time he was able to return to Victoria and to his lifelong spiritual base of Peterborough to enjoy one last summer. With unwavering and loving care from Mark and his mother Deborah, supported by his family, Sam died at ‘Billeroy’ on 30 August 2020. Sam was a great friend who will be remembered for his beaming smile, love for life and the exuberant way he lived it.

Scott Vickers-Willis (A’89)

19 Sam Smith, First VIII

89

Sam met his husband Mark Timmins 17 years ago and together they built a fantastic life together in Sydney.

Sam served on the Centennial Parklands’ Events Committee,

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Deaths

Edwina Affleck (Cl'98) and Tim Clatworthy, a son, Charlie James, on 15 May 2020

William Louther Hunter (Bill) Armstrong (1937-42) on 20 November 2020

Adelaide and Henry Badgery (Cu'08), two sons, Theodore Rupert on 17 January 2019 and Roderick Malcolm on 20 September 2020 Sunday and Ben Batters (P'98), a daughter, Spindrift Mary Baillieu McKay, on 8 August 2019 Paris and Lex Batters (P'00), a son, Stirling Charles Hamilton Room, on 17 May 2020 Sunshine Bertrand (He'95) and William Mackinnon (Timbertop '92), a son, Lucky Jackson, on 25 July 2019 Beck Brugman (Ga'00) and Matt Crowther, a son, Lewis Theodore, on 05 October 2017, and a daughter, Lily Maeve, on 05 August 2020 Sally Codyre (A’11) and Sam Stephens, a son, Charles Gray, on 5 October 2020

Ernest Robert (Bob) Baenziger (1947-50) on 23 June 2020 Colin Broughton (Broughton) Bird (1965-71) on 24 November 2020 Bruce James Briers (1941-45) on 16 November 2020 Patricia Ann (Trish) Britten OAM (The Hermitage 1946-49) on 15 April 2020 Clive Hele (Roger) Brookes (1942-46) on 25 July 2020 Brian Guinness Clifford Brooks previously Prentis (1943-44) on 21 August 2018 Jeffrey James Browne (1989-92) on 18 November 2020 Jessica Elizabeth (Jess) Browne née Moffatt (Clyde 1940-43) on 14 June 2020 Susan Elizabeth (Sue) Bugeja née Holdenson (The Hermitage 1973-75; GGS 1976-78) on 29 August 2020

Pamela Margaret Ross née Kernot (The Hermitage 1945-58) on 11 May 2020 Peter Graham Patton Little (1961-63) on 27 September 2020 Thomas Stratford Newman (1953-56) on 5 May 2020 Elizabeth Anne Macdonald née Hallowes (Clyde 1942-47) on 02 October 2019 Askin Wanliss Morrison (1942-49) on 4 June 2020 Janet Cameron Oates née McCallum (The Hermitage 1949) on 9 May 2020 Seb Graeme Porter-Green (2014-19) on 10 August 2020 Hugh Chisholm Ross (1949-53) on 16 November 2020 Timothy Charles Knox Salisbury (1950-52) on 31 May 2020 Maxwell Herbert Charles (Max) Schultz (1946-50) on 23 April 2020 Samuel John Winton (Sam) Smith (1985-1989) on 30 August 2020 Susan Mary (Susie) Smith née Hodgson (The Hermitage 1962-75) on 15 November 2020

Sally Commins (Ga’04) and Ryan Millar, a daughter Eleanor Jean, on 13 September 2018, and a son, Hugh Arthur Lilburn, on 20 October 2020

Earle Colin Cameron (1946-49) on 4 November 2019

Sheena née Henderson (He’04) and Zac Dawson, a son, Thomas James, on 14 March 2020

Helen Joan Lamb Connell née Wettenhall (Clyde 1969-71) on 18 September 2020

Elizabeth (Betty) Stuckey née Garnsworthy (Clyde 1935-38) on 15 May 2020

James Henry John Digby (2000-01) on 21 October 2020

Roger Scott Tregaskis (1951-55) on 7 March 2020

Jonathan Robert Ballantyne (Jon) Digges (1948-62) on 24 July 2020

Bruce Stokes Wainwright (1952-52) on 14 June 2020

Graham Lucius Coe Falkiner (1946-54) on 17 October 2020

George Paterson Wilson (1939-44) on 15 March 2020

Valerie Winifred Findlay née Tipton (The Hermitage 1945-48) on 25 August 2020

Dorothea Henny (Henny) Zimmerman née Lindeboom (Clyde 1952-54) on 1 January 2020

Sasha Laws-King (Cl'06) and Scott Savage, a daughter, Eloise, on 4 February 2020 Courtney and Rosie McBain (Ga’06), a son, John Roc, on 26 November 2020 Pip Mendelson (Je'91) and Travis Reid, a son, Austin Mendelson-Reid, on 20 April 2020 Jessica Leong and Robert Metcalf (Fr’96), a son, Charles Theodore, on 9 March 2020 Catherine née Parkinson (Fr'00) and Michael Krause, a son, Charles Theodore, and a daughter, Anja Ruby, on 26 August 2020 Charity Shaw (He’95) and Warren Curnow, a daughter, Harper Ellis, on 17 December 2019

Paul John Warriner Carey (1946-49) on 6 October 2020

Robert Roland Scott (Roland) Good (1932-38) on 11 November 2018 Roger Clive Hallows (1944-49) on 6 September 2020 William John Hart (1942-45) on 4 May 2020 Denis Cyril Hauserman (1945-55) on 31 July 2020

Deanna née Stevens (A'96) and Chris Wong, a daughter, Zoe Isabelle on 14 July 2015

Elwin Charlotte Hermiston née Cameron (The Hermitage 1946-49) on 19 October 2019

Lauren and Beau Stewart (Cu’96), a son, James Stewart, on 3 April 2020

Helen Evelyn Howard née Rushbrooke (The Hermitage 1928-38) on 24 June 2020

Amelia née Tyers (He'02) and Charles Taylor, a son, William George, on 9 March 2020

David John Kent (1943-47) on 30 June 2020 Barbara Lorraine Lamont nee Learey (The Hermitage 1953-54) on 26 August 2020 Stewart Nigel Clifford Murch (1955-62) on 15 July 2020

Francis Edward Lascelles (Frank) Steuart (1931-41) on 20 June 2020

Marriages Henry Badgery (Cu'08) married Adelaide Myer on 7 April 2018 Trish Biddle (Timbertop '84) married Jason Hassett on 1 February 2020 Sasha Laws-King (Cl'06) married Scott Savage on 22 September 2018 James Matthies (P’98) married Thomas Leslie McGhie on 29 February 2020 Rosie McBain (Ga'06) married Courtney Smith on 1 December 2019 Charles Palmer (P'04) married Sophia Le Plastrier on 23 March 2020

Maxwell John (Max) Kent (1944-1949) on 14 June 2020

LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL

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SECTION 04 — MAIL ROOM

Births

↓ SECTION 04 — MAIL ROOM

2022 Scholarships NOW OPEN Our 2022 Scholarship Programme encompasses a range of opportunities across Academic, General Excellence, Music, Choral and VCE Creativity in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The latter is the inaugural Richard James Chester Guest Memorial Scholarship, which is to the value of 100% fee remission for a student entering Year 11 in 2022 of exceptional academic potential in Mathematics and Science, who could not otherwise attend the School without financial assistance. The Old Geelong Grammarians Scholarship (for families of alumni from GGS, The Hermitage or Clyde schools) is also an intrinsic part of the General Excellence programme Applications close on Friday 5 February.

Please share with your friends and family and encourage them to apply. www.ggs.vic.edu.au/School/Enrolments/Scholarships

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LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL