Light Blue - April 2010

Issue number 80 April 2010

The theme for this edition of Light Blue is “Beyond the classroom: opening the world, opening the mind”. It has been reflected in a variety of ways, through camps, excursions and expeditions, through international study tours, units of inquiry and language studies, which demonstrate the rich complexity of the School. However, arguably the greatest example of learning beyond the classroom is not an excursion or study tour, it is an entire campus. Timbertop was established in the foothills of the Victorian Alps in 1953 by the then Headmaster, Sir James Darling. Inspired by the philosophies of German educator Kurt Hahn, Darling believed the moral and physical development of adolescents could be best achieved “out of the usual school machine”. He later wrote that his idea “was based upon the belief that education must be closely concerned with the development of self-confidence, and that this comes from the learning of competence in practical ways, and from the growth of self-reliance and independence”.

At the recent 1955 Timbertop Reunion past students reminisced about their time at the School, reflecting upon the “awakening of self” that they experienced. “I mostly remember the teachers, what they taught us kids and how they taught us to achieve the most we were capable of,” Ron McCann (FB’56) recalled. “It was of great benefit learning that you could push yourself physically through barriers you didn’t know (you could) and mentally to make your own decisions, to discipline yourself, which becomes pretty essential in later life. It taught us how to grow up.” Former Governor of Victoria and Timbertop staff member, John Landy AC MBE, was the guest speaker at the reunion. “It gave me a great sense of what can be done in terms of education, getting people to see things in a different

light,” Mr Landy explained. “Lots of schools have had one week, one month, one term, but Timbertop is dramatically different. It is immensely successful, and yet nobody has been able to imitate it.”

55 years later and Timbertop remains a unique learning experience, providing Year 9 students a year of living together in a small, supportive and secure community where they are exposed to intellectual, physical and emotional challenges under demanding environmental conditions.

Current students were recently given a letter-writing exercise on a solo camp.

Consequently, the Head of Timbertop, Roger Herbert, received the following letter from an anonymous student. “Dear Mr Herbert,” it began. “As much as a bunch of slovenly students whinge and complain, please know that we love Timbertop. I don’t know what the others’ reasons are but I love Timbertop because of what it has taught me, how it has taught me, and because of how much I still have to learn here. There is a delightful paradox inherent in Timbertop’s nature; I love what it does but I don’t like the way it does it but if it was done any other way it wouldn’t do what I love. So, please, don’t let Timbertop sway from its core principles. Things like Sunday inspections and push-ups for swearing, they make this place great. Don’t change them.”

There are no plans to change Timbertop any time soon. In fact it was the one thing that the class of ‘55 remarked upon - how little the campus had changed in the past 55 years, right down to the slushie system.

Brendan McAloon Marketing & Communications Manager

Contents From the Editor

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From the Chairman

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From the Principal

4-5

Year 12 Results

6-7

From the Head of Positive Education

8-9

Bostock House

10

Toorak Campus

11

Middle School

12

Senior School

13

Timbertop

14

Student Teachers in Australia Scheme 15 House Music

16

Summer Sport

17

Diary of our Senior Chaplain

18

School Trip to Antarctica

19

Cambodia/OS Orientation

20

Beyond the Great Wall

21

From the Foundation Chairman

22

Fundraising

23

From the OGG President

24

OGG News

25

2000 10 Year Reunion

26

1955 Timbertop Reunion

27

OGG Gatherings

28-29

OGG Sport

30-31

HOGA

32

COGA

33

OGG In Focus

34

From the Curator Commemorating Charles Hawker

35-39 40

Front Cover: The Geelong Grammar School Antarctic Expedition in Antarctica. “We’d all been through something, something special, and something old. Antarctica is old. The chill there is old. The ice is old. When you find yourself immersed in the wild like this, with the centuries and millennia in every breath of biting air, it rubs off.” – Lachy Roberston (Yr11 P), back row, 4th from left 1. Philippa Rofe (J Unit) on the 3-day hike at Timbertop

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Jeremy Kirkwood Chairman of Council

1 One of the defining characteristics of our School is the extent of space we enjoy, particularly at our Corio and Timbertop campuses. There is approximately 550 hectares over these two campuses whilst both Bostock and Toorak campuses are well sized for their inner city locations. We owe our good fortune to the foresight of Principals and Governors of the School over 50 and 100 years ago when the concepts of Timbertop and Corio were conceived. Today we can understand how prescient they were to secure that increasingly rare asset of land and, with it, space. In an increasingly dense and intense urban world we are blessed with uncrowded campuses with much room to play.

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Having space allows us to create an environment in which the ‘kids can be kids’ with the support and security of staff living amongst them. Life can be both constructively insular and selectively outward looking without the risk of the ‘outside world’ tumbling in on our space. At Corio, the incidental exercise as the students move between their houses, classes, meals, sport and activities makes a significant contribution to their wellbeing. In their spare time there is room for all to find space for play or reflection.

From a strategic planning and governance perspective the extent of space provides both great opportunity and flexibility. We can undertake major building projects with minimal disruption to campus activities and indeed add new buildings (such as Elisabeth Murdoch House) without having to acquire land (at Corio and Timbertop). From my discussions with Chairs of other independent schools this is a much envied attribute we enjoy.

All these benefits come with a cost, however, and maintaining the School’s extensive land and buildings requires time and money.

Applying sustainability policies across the campuses requires significant investment in water management and tree replacement and planting. This also provides opportunities for our students to be involved in the process and therefore obtain practical, ‘real world’, exposure to this challenge.

3 At the end of February the School Council had its annual strategic planning meeting up at Timbertop. The Principal presented his plan for the next five years which includes a number of significant, exciting initiatives.

The Principal and his executive team are now working up the detail so that Council can prioritize and determine funding. We are enthusiastic about the direction the School is going and its strong position allows us to plan with confidence. I look forward to keeping you informed of the initiatives once they have been formally approved.

1. After outgrowing several Geelong locations the School moved to its current site on the edge of Corio Bay in 1914, creating the unique learning and living environment that exists today 2. The School’s Timbertop campus is set on almost 350 hectares of varied and beautiful Australian bush – students taking in the scenery during the Up Buller hike 3. Hugh Coltman (Yr6 Hi) and Tom Colley (Yr6 Hi) enjoying the outdoors during the Year 6 camp at Wollangarra on the banks of the McAlister River

Jeremy Kirkwood (FB’79) Chairman of Council

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Stephen Meek Principal

1 Geelong Grammar School has always been outward looking. I do not know if that is literally true, for I am not sure if in the 19th century the School was outward looking beyond Geelong, but it certainly became the case in the 20th century and has been a very strong hallmark of the School ever since. This edition of Light Blue makes it abundantly clear that this tradition is alive and well and is going from strength to strength. This is evidenced not only by the continuation of some of our former projects which have looked outside the School and the country, but also by a number of new, significant and exciting, undertakings which have taken place in the last few months.

It is equally true that the School has always looked beyond the classroom. It has expected to offer more to its students in terms of opportunities, service and co-curricular events and has expected the students to be involved in so much more than their academic work. This has always been, and remains, one of the great strengths of the School. Positive Education has thus flowed very naturally from all that has gone before.

Our new Head of Positive Education is Justin Robinson, who was previously Head of Allen House. Justin has brought great enthusiasm to his new position, for he has a passion for Positive Education (“He lives it!” as someone commented to me the other day) and he has inspired many staff and students by his example, his knowledge and his inclusiveness. The focus last year was on the development of explicit and implicit Positive Education programmes to use in the classroom. The focus this year is on incorporating Positive Education into our pastoral care and our co-curricular programmes. We are also working to ensure that our non-teaching staff are also trained in Positive Education – something which we have always been committed to doing. We have appointed Paige Williams to undertake this training as our Positive Education Project Manager. Paige is also looking at all of our policies and practices to see that they are in accordance with the principles of Positive Education.

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Being aware of the problems of other people and taking an interest in them, has long been a strong strain running through the School.

In the last edition of Light Blue Father Hugh Kempster, our Senior Chaplain, wrote about the School’s work with the Karen refuges.

In this edition he writes about his own pilgrimage to the Karen refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border. He has spoken to the students at Corio about the conditions which prevail in the camps and has opened all of our eyes to the suffering which so many people are enduring. Others have also been overseas to help where they can. Thus a group of our students and staff went to Cambodia for the second year in a row to build houses for the homeless and they write about their experiences on page 20. Certainly one member of the trip told me she found it life-changing. An OGG, Denzil Spague (M’58), has also been to Cambodia helping to build a school there and he writes about this project on page 34. These are inspiring actions.

Taylor Rettke has also been overseas helping other people. In his case he went to work with underprivileged students in schools in New York as a result of being awarded the Peter Anderton Award for 2008. Taylor was the tenth winner of this award which is given to the student who has made the strongest contribution to the life of the School in Years 9 and 10. The award enables the winners to travel overseas, to broaden their horizons and, in this case, to help other people in the process. It is a marvellous award, instituted in memory of Peter Anderton who died in 1998 and which has allowed some excellent students to undertake some unforgettable journeys. Each student has spoken in Senior School assembly about their experience and this, in turn, has inspired others to undertake similar journeys. I am very grateful to Michael Anderton for creating the Award and for taking such a personal interest in the journey which each winner has undertaken. It is a special award.

Travelling to countries is very good, but being able to converse with those who live there in the host language, expands the experience

and enables the visitor to have a deeper understanding of the country’s traditions and culture. We had students visiting Japan and China over the summer holidays in order to strengthen their language skills and these were very successful trips. The number of students studying Chinese has grown from a dozen students in 2003 (when it was just a Senior School option) to almost 140 in 2010.

We currently teach five different languages, so that in addition to Chinese and Japanese, we also teach French, German and Spanish.

A number of students went on exchanges to France and Germany during Term 4.

However, of all the overseas excursions which have taken place in the last few months, the Antarctica Expedition was the most remarkable. 13 students and two members of staff flew to South America last December and then sailed to Antarctica in two boats.

You can read about this incredible journey on page 19. It was an ambitious undertaking and the participants spent more than a year in preparation for their journey. Yet, as is so often the case when one travels, nothing really prepared them for the awesome feelings which they experienced in visiting this incredible continent. The sea voyage was an experience in itself as they traversed one of the roughest passages anywhere in the world.

It has been marvellous to hear the stories from their journey and to know that this was probably the first school expedition to sail to Antarctica. However, for me, as I have seen the pictures from their trip and listened to their accounts, the most powerful fact has been that it was a co-ed expedition – boys and girls working together and supporting each other, just as they do at Timbertop and throughout the School. It is a reminder, if it was needed, that it is the daily experiences of school life which give our students the confidence to challenge themselves and which prepare them for the opportunities which they meet beyond the School.

Stephen Meek Principal

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1. Jack Walker (Yr12 Cu) travelled to Cambodia to participate in house-building projects with the Tabitha Foundation 2. In a continuation of the School’s strengthening relationship with the Karen refugee community, this year has seen the launch of the Karen Homework Club at St Andrew’s Anglican Church in Corio. Alia Tun-Ismail (Yr 11 Ga) working on some maths 3. A joint project between St Andrew’s, the Karen Association, Geelong Grammar School, Kardinia International College and Anglicare Victoria, each Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday some 45 Karen students from Years 7 to 12 bring their homework to church after school

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4. Professor Felicia Huppert, Director of Cambridge University’s Wellbeing Institute, visited the School in February. L to R: Director of Student Welfare John Hendry, Principal Stephen Meek, Professor Felicia Huppert, Vice Principal/Head of Corio Charles Scudamore and Head of Positive Education Justin Robinson 5. Max Cameron (Yr 11 M) and friend at the Karen Homework Club 6. The triumphant Girls’ First VIII rowing crew enjoy the spoils of victory at the 134th APS Head of the River regatta at Nagambie with coach Ross Featherston

7. GGS Electrician, Ron Howes, is taking part in the 2010 Long Ride for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Ron and a close group of his friends will be riding their motorbikes from Melbourne to Darwin with GGS Maintenance Supervisor, Gordon Agnew, in the team support vehicle. L to R: Rev’d Hugh Kempster, Principal Stephen Meek, Director of Student Welfare John Hendry, Ron Howes and Finance and Administration Manager Steve Radojevic evoking the Easy Rider spirit during a casual clothes fundraiser

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Year 12 Results Congratulations to all our 2009 Year 12 students on achieving outstanding academic results in both the VCE and International Baccalaureate (IB). The School appreciates the significant contributions made by the 2009 cohort to the different aspects of school life. They contributed generously in areas as diverse as sport, theatre, debating, orchestra, choir and various other community service activities. They have developed their own talents whilst enriching the lives of those around them. As a cohort they enjoyed a wonderful camaraderie and they worked hard to support each other in times of celebration and in times of grief. It is important to recognise the students who have achieved very strong results whilst acknowledging the tremendous personal achievements of all students through their sustained efforts. As a non-selective school, Geelong Grammar School is proud of all students’ results and gauges success of every student with respect to their ability, effort and perseverance. Their achievements have enabled students to pursue their chosen field in tertiary study or the workplace.

Tertiary places are decided by the Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER), which is a percentile ranking of each student’s position determined by the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) in steps of 0.05 ranging from 0.00 to 99.95. More than 30% of GGS students achieved an ENTER score of 90 or better, placing them in the top 10% of the State.

In 2009 there were 159 VCE candidates and 48 IB candidates. For the VCE, 33 students were placed in the top 10% of the State. For the IB, 30 students were placed in the top 10% of the State.

The median ENTER for the combined VCE and IB cohort was 83.15, which means that the top half of Geelong Grammar School students were in the top 16.85% of the State.

Dux of the School Based on the results released by the IBO and VCAA, the position of Dux of the School for 2009 was shared by Claire Hamilton(Cl), Olivia Nicholson (A) and Daniel Tran (M), who all achieved IB scores of 44 out of a possible 45 points. This is converted to a notional ENTER score of 99.90.

Claire Hamilton The outstanding IB score capped a remarkable year for Claire, who was School Captain, a member of both the Girls’ First VIII Rowing crew and First Netball team, winner of the annual Coriobald Portrait Prize, and had artwork selected for the Victorian and Tasmanian IB World Schools’ Visual Arts Exhibition. Claire joined Geelong Grammar School’s Timbertop campus in 2006 from the tiny Riverina town of Marrar, outside Wagga Wagga. She said her time at the School was not focussed solely on academic success.

“Although this was undoubtedly a central theme of my time here, I gained a myriad of other strengths and resources,” she said.

Claire attained a perfect score of 7 in French, History, Chemistry, Mathematics and Visual Arts. She was accepted to study her chosen field of Engineering at Melbourne University.

Olivia Nicholson Olivia was a Day Boarder from Newtown in Geelong who joined Geelong Grammar School’s Corio Campus in Year 10. She was House Prefect of Allen House, Girls’ Open Swimming Champion, House Swimming Captain and House Hockey Captain. A member of the School’s Equestrian team which won the Victorian Interschool Series, Olivia also qualified for the State Pony Club

In the IB, each of the six academic subjects is graded on a 1 to 7 scale. 26 of the School’s IB Diploma students scored at least one perfect score of 7. These students achieved 63 scores of 7 between them.

Daniel is an Australian student who lives in the Kingdom of Bahrain. He joined Geelong Grammar School in 2007, was House Prefect of Manifold House and he has collected an impressive array of awards during his time at the School, including winning the Lions Youth of the Year State Public Speaking competition.

“Geelong Grammar has allowed me to mature and has challenged me in so many areas other than studies,” Daniel explained. “I have gained immensely from the boarding experience and I feel that boarding school has definitely prepared me for the future. The School has been a great experience for me and I’ve learnt and grown so much during my time here.” Daniel attained a perfect score of 7 in English, French, Economics, Chemistry and Biology. He was accepted to study Medicine/Surgery at the University of New South Wales.

The graph below highlights the percentage of Geelong Grammar School students who achieved ENTER scores that placed them in the top 1%, 5%, 10%, 25% and 50% of students in Victoria. The School’s median ENTER score was 83.15, which means that the top 50% of our students were in the top 16.85% of the State.

93.6

80 GGS

66.7

State

60

50

40

30.9

4.9 0

25

16.7

20

6

Daniel Tran

100

Percentage of students

In the VCE, each subject is measured by a study score between 0 and 50. One VCE student, Isabel Coburn (Ga), achieved a perfect score of 50 in Visual Communication and Design.

Eventing Championships. A talented musician, she was a member of McKie Strings and the Senior School Orchestra. “I’ve really enjoyed the House community and all of the co-curricular activities that the School has to offer,” Olivia said. “The Debating, Equestrian, Sport, Music... it really enriched my life at the School.” Olivia attained a perfect score of 7 in French, History, Chemistry, Mathematics and Music. She was accepted to study Medicine/ Surgery at Monash University.

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1 99+

95+

10 90+ ENTER Score

75+

50+

Other outstanding results In both the VCE and IB, many students achieved excellent results that reflected their dedication and commitment to academic work. The 2009 cohort demonstrated a diverse range of talents, resulting in a rich mix of individual achievements in all aspects of school life.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Proxime Accessit of the School was Catherine Baxendale, who scored 43 out of a possible 45 points, which is converted to a notional ENTER score of 99.80. Catherine joined Geelong Grammar School’s Timbertop campus in 2006 from the small town of Whitlands in Victoria’s King Valley. A House Prefect of Clyde House, Catherine was also the House Debating Captain and excelled in the humanities, winning prizes for Poetry and Literature. She attained a perfect score of 7 in English, History, Biology and Mathematical Studies. Catherine was accepted to study Philosophy at the Australian National University in Canberra.

The School’s top two VCE students, Elizabeth (Lizzie) Lockie and Sophie Weisenberger, both achieved an ENTER score of 99.55, placing them in the top 0.5% of the State.

Lizzie, from Barwon Heads on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula, joined Geelong Grammar School’s Middle School in Year 5. She was House Prefect of Garnett House, Debating Captain, and stroke in the Girls’ 2nd VIII Rowing crew. A gifted flautist, she was also a member of the Senior School Jazz Group, Senior School Band and Orchestra, and performed at the 14th annual Mothers’ Day Jazz Festival. Lizzie said she was thrilled to continue a family tradition of outstanding VCE results (her older sister Alex topped the School’s VCE results in 2005). She received a score of 48 in Further Mathematics, 48 in Chemistry, and 44 in English. “I think I wasn’t excited because it was just so much to take in,” she confessed. Lizzie was accepted to study Biomedicine at Melbourne University.

Sophie was a Day Boarder from Wandana Heights in Geelong who was House Prefect and Music Captain of Allen House. Sophie joined Geelong Grammar School’s Corio Campus in Year 7 and has excelled academically and musically during her time at the School. A talented

Australian Catholic University

Overseas

Swinburne University

The University of Melbourne

Interstate

Deakin University

Tertiary Offers

Other

RMIT University

Monash University

violinist she was a member of McKie Strings, the Senior School Orchestra and Choir. Her VCE results included a perfect score of 50 in Further Mathematics and 45 in Chemistry. “I worked really hard this year and I had great teachers,” she explained. “The School has been very good for me because they have accelerated my learning in certain subjects and organised specialist tutors when I needed them.” Sophie was accepted to study Mathematics at Oxford University.

Other outstanding achievers included Rohan Byrne, Henry O’Connell and Charlie Kong, who all achieved an IB score of 42 out of a possible 45 points, which converts to a notional ENTER score of 99.70.

Rohan Byrne was a Day Boarder (Fraser) from Altona. He joined the School’s Early Learning Centre as a four-year-old and made a considerable contribution to the life of Theatre at the School, playing lead roles in five Senior School productions. He was accepted to study Engineering at RMIT University.

Charlie Kong was a Day Boarder (Allen) from Highton in Geelong who excelled in Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics, and was a member of the Boys’ Second Badminton team. He was accepted to study Engineering/Law at Monash University.

Henry O’Connell joined the School from Singapore in Year 10, was Vice-Captain of Cuthbertson House, House Swimming Captain, and excelled in Economics, Mathematics and Chemistry. He was accepted to study Commerce at Melbourne University.

Excellent ENTER scores were also attained by Rafiq Saiful Aznir (Cuthbertson) of Malaysia, Georgiana Cameron (Clyde) of Toorak, Yen-Wei Chang (Francis Brown) of Malaysia, Myvawny Costelloe (Allen) of Geelong, Alexandra Gill (Clyde) of Castlecrag on Sydney’s North Shore, Timothy Jost (Fraser) of Highton, Gregory Romeo (Francis Brown) of Mount Macedon, and Elizabeth Taylor (Garnett) of Brighton.

Tertiary studies The School’s excellent results allowed most students the opportunity of continuing their education in the field and institution of their choice. More than 90% of students were offered first round places in tertiary institutions, with students undertaking further study in an incredibly diverse range of fields, including Advertising, Aerospace Engineering, Agriculture, Biomedicine, Commerce, Engineering, Environmental Education, Film and Television, Fine Art, Furniture Design, Journalism, Law, Marketing, Maritime and Logistics Management, Mathematics, Medicine, Media and Communications, Music, Nursing, Psychology, Public Relations, Science, Speech Pathology and Veterinary Science.

Of the students offered places in tertiary institutions, 27% of offers came from the University of Melbourne, 18% from RMIT and 13% from Monash University. A number of students elected to study at overseas institutions, including Oxford University, the University of British Columbia and the University of San Francisco, while interstate institutions included the Australian National University, Sydney University and the Australian Maritime College in Tasmania.

We are extremely proud of the excellent results achieved by our students in 2009.

Given the fact that Geelong Grammar School does not require students to sit an entrance examination, these wonderful academic results demonstrate the successful combination of effort and commitment from students and teachers, with encouragement and support from parents and guardians.

On behalf of the Geelong Grammar School community, I thank everyone involved for their efforts and I congratulate all of our Year 12 students on their achievements. These young people have well-developed friendships and skills and they have contributed much to the School. I hope that they continue to flourish in further studies and their future endeavours.

Debbie Clingeleffer-Woodford Director of Learning 7

Justin Robinson Head of Positive Education

Head 1 of

Positive Education Given the challenges life presents to us all, it makes inherent sense that we do all that we can to help our students and staff to flourish and discover what makes life worth living.

At GGS we are committed to teaching our students and staff skills and techniques that will enable them to lead a more fulfilling life.

I am excited to take on my new role as Head of Positive Education and look forward to providing regular updates on our programme through Light Blue. In each edition we will share with you recent highlights from the programme, future directions, and some information about a key concept within Positive Education. The overall goal of Positive Education at GGS is to help all individuals – students, teaching staff and non-teaching staff – to flourish. My personal objective is to enable Positive Education to flourish at GGS through harnessing the significant skills and enthusiasm of our teaching staff as well as understanding and embedding the wisdom of expert Positive Psychologists. Given that flourishing is central to our objectives, we have included this as the first of our Positive Education concepts.

Significant research continues to be carried out in the field of positive psychology across many countries as academic experts endeavour to discover what makes life worth living. We are very fortunate to have so many of these experts from Australia, New Zealand, the United States and United Kingdom generously give their time to visit the School and contribute in a most meaningful way to our programme. As research uncovers new findings, and new approaches and skills are developed, our programme develops too – and I hope that it will always be developing; it is a positive and rewarding aspect of Positive Education.

Flourishing The Oxford Dictionary defines flourishing as: ‘to grow vigorously; thrive, to prosper; to be in one’s prime; to be in good health’. It is a term that has been used as a descriptor of positive mental health for some time, but it is only recently that attention has turned to it as a scientific construct. Corey Keyes (2002) was among the first researchers to look at mental health on a continuum perspective 8

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from individuals who are ‘languishing’ to those with ‘moderate mental health’ and ‘flourishing’. Keyes (2005) identified three factors – emotional wellbeing; psychological wellbeing and social wellbeing – and 13 dimensions that define flourishing, including positive affect, positive relations with others and purpose in life.

Professor Felicia Huppert (2009) defined a flourishing individual as having three core ‘symptoms’: positive emotions; engagement/interest and meaning/purpose with any three additional features from confidence, optimism, resilience, vitality and self-determination. She states: “We need to develop an operational definition of well-being or ‘flourishing’ to be used in surveys to evaluate change or the success of policies.” There is good reason for schools to be developing their understanding of how to help students to flourish. In a study of 1234 adolescents, Keyes (2006) showed that flourishing students reported being less truant, more involved in and satisfied with the school, and more self-determined (i.e. adopted goals that were internally rather than externally influenced). Howell (2007) examined further the achievement-related correlates of flourishing, and found direct evidence that high levels of wellbeing (i.e. flourishing) predicted high levels of selfregulated learning, whereby learners “set goals for their learning and then attempt to monitor, regulate and control their cognition, motivation, and behaviour, guided and constrained by their goals and the contextual features in the environment” (Pintrich 2000).

There is still much to be discovered about how and why individuals flourish, and what the impact of flourishing is on their lives and achievements. However, this early research indicates that flourishing individuals are more able to discover and make the most of what makes life worth living. Our goal in the positive education department is to understand and measure ‘individuals flourishing at GGS’ and ‘GGS as a flourishing institution’. We look forward to sharing our learning journey with you.

Justin Robinson Head of Positive Education

1 3 Positive Education in Action Throughout Term 1, the Year 10 explicit Positive Education course focussed on the skills of team-building, savouring positive emotions and journal writing as well as a comprehensive introduction to the science of Positive Psychology. The Term 2 curriculum is dedicated to teaching resilience skills, emphasising to students that everyone needs resilience because, one thing is certain, life includes adversities. The concept that resilience is not a fixed character trait and that distinct skills can be taught to boost resilience underpins the nine lesson unit on Resilience. The key skills which students will exposed to include: The ABC model, Thinking traps, Detecting icebergs, Challenging beliefs, Putting it in perspective, Calming and Focusing and Real-time resilience. We are fortunate to have a team of 15 creative and dedicated Positive Education teachers who meet weekly to plan, design and review this exciting new curriculum.

On the final day of Term 1 representatives from each House in Middle School headed out into the local community to deliver Easter eggs. The collection of eggs took place in the weeks prior to the delivery day, and the overwhelming response from students and their families meant that several thousand eggs were collected! A team worked feverishly to sort the eggs into equal sized bags ready for delivery. We visited Scope in Norlane, Corio Primary School, North Shore Primary School, Corio West Primary School and the Salvation Army in Norlane. The students were warmly welcomed at each location and the experience added significant meaning and purpose to the MS students.

House Swimming was again a wonderful celebration of the strength and vibrancy of our student community. Notwithstanding the strong competition between Houses, there were a number of fine examples of Positive Education in action. The following extracts are from personal letters written to Bruce Waldron, Head of Perry House: “Many of us were very impressed with the good sportsmanship shown by Perry House at the Sports yesterday. They applauded good swimming from any House, but they also

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3 University of Michigan. He is the research director of the Values in Action (VIA) Project, which is arguably the most ambitious research project to date within Positive Psychology. Dr Park is Associate Professor of Psychology at University of Michigan, and a nationally certified school psychologist (NCSP). Her work in collaboration with Dr Peterson in studying character strengths and virtues is considered groundbreaking.

She took the lead in developing ways to assess character strengths for children and youth and for conducting cross-cultural investigations.

4 showed kindness and support of swimmers who were trying hard and doing their best.”

“I thought the men of Perry House were so supportive and generous in their encouragement and cheering. When one of our girls was a lap behind the field and you all stood up to applaud her, the other Houses followed your example. It was superb.”

Year 8 students had the opportunity to explore a variety of creative, physical and emotional challenges during the four-day Year 8 Mind, Body and Spirit Conference in March. Bike riding, meditation, mural art, power thinking and facemask body scrubs complemented the chance to learn about people living with disabilities through the Scope Young Ambassadors programme. A magnificent mural has recently been installed on the eastern wall of the Middle School building, comprising 108 squares of individual art created by Year 8 students during the annual Mind, Body, Spirit Conference in both 2009 and 2010. Under the creative leadership of Ms Trudy Burney, students selected images they felt best represented their interpretation of positive attitudes toward the mind, the body and the spirit.

Timbertop students and staff participated in a one and a half day Positive Education Conference during Term 1. The culmination of the conference was the Declaration of Optimism which has three charters written by the students aimed at fulfilling the pleasant, engaged and meaningful life pathways. The entire cohort of Timbertop students also 9

completed the VIA Character Strengths test and interestingly the Top 5 Character strengths for the year level are – capacity to love and be loved, humour and playfulness, curiosity and interest in the world, kindness and generosity and fairness, equity and justice.

All Year 10 students and Year 10 tutors recently attended a powerful and moving play titled Love Drunk, performed by the Phunktional Theatre Group Company. The play addresses a range of issues including drug and alcohol use and abuse, sexual assault, family violence and racism. The students engaged with the performance and then participated in discussion groups facilitated by their tutor.

Visiting Scholars It was wonderful to have ‘old friends’ Dr Chris Peterson and Dr Nansook Park visit us recently. Chris and Nansook had an extended stay with us in mid-2008 as part of the Positive Psychology Visiting Scholars programme, so they were very interested to see and hear about the developments that have taken place since. They were able to stay at Corio for five days, which provided plenty of opportunity for them to speak with staff informally, share their knowledge about the latest developments and trends in Positive Psychology and engage with students to hear their thoughts about Positive Psychology and Positive Education. Dr Peterson is Professor of Psychology and Organizational Studies and former Director of Clinical Training at the

We were grateful that Professor Felicia Huppert, Director of the Cambridge University’s Wellbeing Institute was able to visit the School in February. Felicia was a keynote speaker at the 2nd Australian Positive Psychology conference held at Monash University in February. During her visit, Felicia gave a presentation to staff members on her work in the areas of Wellbeing and Flourishing. She presented the findings of the UK Foresight’s Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project, which she was actively involved in. The project commissioned the development of the ‘five ways to wellbeing’, which were found to be: Connect, Be active, Take notice, Keep learning and Give. A Year 11 Positive Education Focus Day will be designed by a committee of staff and students and delivered later this term around these important themes.

1. Year 8 students participated in a four-day Mind, Body and Spirit conference in March. L to R: Ted Strapp, Jed Vocale, Will Griffiths and Jack Boyle 2. L to R: Lydia Mackinlay Campbell, Ethan Purcell, Alex Tyrwhitt, Lucy Nock, Joey George and Walter Lawrence completing a team-building activity called The Timetable during the Timbertop conference 3. Perry House students supporting, cheering and chanting during the Senior School House Swimming carnival 4. Students workshopping the three charters for the Declaration of Optimism during the Positive Education Conference in Term 1

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“I believe that individuals can make a difference in society. Since periods of change such as the present one come so rarely in human history, it is up to us to make the best use of our time to create a better world.”

Dalai Lama At Primary level, opening the world in a curriculum sense has traditionally meant the teaching of facts about other countries, their culture, family structures, education, native animals and other facets of life that children find interesting.

At Bostock House we have moved on from teaching about the wider world from a predominantly knowledge base; to one that encourages the children to develop a greater empathy for fellow inhabitants of what is now a global village.

It is our hope that our children will begin to develop a good moral compass through a better understanding of the beliefs, values and needs of other societies.

We seek to encourage discussions and exploration that will encourage our students to consider ideas like that posed by Robert F Kennedy in the 1968 Presidential Campaign.

Some men see things as they are and say, why? I dream of things that never were and say, why not?

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Through our study of our world we hope to develop the three C’s in our students.

Conscience, compassion and character. It is also our hope that our students will enjoy a more ‘meaningful life’ through service to something larger than themselves, than family, local community or their country, We want them to think of themselves as global citizens who can make a difference.

and those of others they may be able to use those strengths to help build a better world.

And by recognising and valuing positive institutions they will be able to help grow justice, democracy, civility, strong families and purpose.

We endeavour to help equip them with the foundation of an understanding of the wider world and its inhabitants that in the future will assist them in making ethical decisions and give them the courage to remain true to their convictions, even when they may be at odds with those around them.

Daryl Moorfoot Head of Bostock House

It is our hope that our students develop a genuine sense of empathy for their fellow global citizens, a sense of justice and incontestable belief in the sanctity of human life.

The notion of encouraging our children to become principled global citizens marries perfectly with the philosophy of Positive Education.

It is vital that our children are confident about 6 future of their world, their future and the that they are optimistic and full of hope. By being aware of their own character strengths

visit our website: www.ggs.vic.edu.au for the latest Bostock House News

“The best way to predict the future is to create it...” Peter F Drucker

1. Amethyst Leslie (Yr 3) and her horse Linc won the dressage division (Prep 1) of the Geelong Grammar Interschool Equestrian Challenge.

2. Year 4 students James Green, Luca LaCava and Connor Hubbard successfully completed the Weetbix Mini Triathalon at Eastern Beach in Geelong.

3. Harrison O’Brien (Yr 4) competing in the Years 3 and 4 Swimming Sports at the Handbury Centre for Wellbeing.

4. Year 3 and Year 1 buddies cleaning up Kardinia Park on Clean up Australia Day.

1 At the Toorak Campus, through the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme and Reggio Emilia philosophy, the community, children and adults alike study a curriculum that exists within the international market place. They undertake research, interact and learn on a global basis. They use resources that can immerse them within different cultural experiences, through the utilization and support of local facilities, together with real life and first hand experiences overseas. It is the combination of these experiences that enable real learning to take place, learning that creates a deeper understanding and respect for the diversity that exists around the world.

Recently our Year 4 students visited Chinatown and the CERES (Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies) Community Environment Park.

They have undertaken both Indonesian and Indian projects through their Unit of Inquiry, Global Perspectives. This exposure has given them an opportunity to “live” the day to day experiences of these people from afar, yet gain a valuable understanding of the impact this has on their lives.

As part of our LOTE (Languages Other Than English) Japanese curriculum students in Year 6 travel to Japan on a Study Tour. This is an exceptional experience for students of this age and it gives them a unique opportunity to discover the cultural implications of living in Japan. They are immersed into that lifestyle by living with a host family. They enjoy the experiences of attending a Japanese school and visiting important areas of the country.

This June our Year 6 students will spend 12 days in Japan, undertaking sightseeing, workshop activities and culture studies in Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto and Miyajima.

Students will be billeted with families from our Sister School in Shikokuchuo, spending four nights in their homes and attending school together at Kawanoe Primary School, where there are 720 students. Our students will be leading the Japanese students in some English lessons and games during their stay. On past Study Tours students have 11

2 highlighted the home stay and attending Japanese school as their best moments.

The Study Tour incorporates the Primary Years Programme Learner Profile and it enables students to expand their abilities while they are in Japan, returning to Australia with a greater insight into the Japanese way of life having increased their knowledge, strength and confidence as learners on a global stage.

In addition, our staff gain valuable professional development by undertaking courses about the impact of this curriculum and the different facets that influence its very composition. Whether it be through attending a course on Internationalism at a Conference in Adelaide or working with experts at Reggio Emilia in Italy, we are fortunate to have such energetic and enthusiastic individuals who derive so much pleasure from working alongside our children to enhance their learning opportunities and facilitate the process of embedding fundamental and important aspects of knowledge through rich and meaningful experiences.

The International Baccalaureate encourages everyone throughout the world to become active and caring lifelong learners who understand the diversity of others. In the 21st century we are all faced with the challenge of learning about an interconnected world where knowledge is constantly developing. Through the Primary Years Programme everyone is encouraged to be active participants in what is fast becoming a lifelong global journey of learning.

Garry Pierson Head of Toorak Campus First we went on a tour of Chinatown. Our guide told us that red is a lucky colour and eight is a lucky number. She showed us a house at the end of a T-intersection where all the bad spirits come down the lane and into their house. This is why they had a red door and some stone dragons to try to ward off the evil spirits. Four is an unlucky number because in Chinese it sounds like death.

We learnt that Chinese people are very superstitious. In the Chinese museum we saw

3 the dragon that parades down the street on Chinese New Year. It was huge and it takes thirty-six people to carry it. Its name is Lung.

Jaius Rhyon (Yr4 A) When we were walking down the street in Chinatown we saw a man making noodles, but he did it in a really cool way. He rolled the dough into a sausage shape, put flour on it and stretched it with his fingers. He did this five or six times until they were really thin and then tossed them into a big wire basket to fry in oil. Outside the Chinese Museum we put our hands in the dragon’s mouth to give us good luck.

James Muir (Yr4 A) At CERES we went to a little hut where we had to take our shoes off. Then we had to sit on a little carpet. First the Indian lady told us about the Indian gods. Then she said we were going to have an Indian wedding. I raised my hand to be the bride’s mother, but instead I was the BRIDE! The groom was Jock Mitchell! She gave us some interesting clothes to wear. I wore red and green silk and flowers. I’m not a big fan of jewellery but on that day I had to wear lots of it. She put red dots on our foreheads and the wedding began. We had to do some spiritual things. After the ceremony we all lined up to get a henna tattoo.

Alexandra Thoms (Yr4 B) 1. Activities at the CERES (Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies) Community Environment Park included immersing oneself in the life of an Indonesian village, where students had to “carry water in tins on our heads with a sarong rolled up underneath like a colourful donut,” according to Talisa McGregor (Yr4 M).

2. Students were also shown how to harvest rice at the CERES Community Environment Park 3. However, it wasn’t all work and no play. Year 4 students experienced in an Indian wedding ceremony at the Community Environment Park, with Alexandra Thoms (Yr4 B) playing the bride.

visit our website: www.ggs.vic.edu.au for the latest Toorak Campus News

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Middle School It is timely that this edition of Light Blue examines learning “beyond the classroom” as all Middle School students experienced their camp in Term 1. Each camp has a different focus, a different environment and is a different experience. To challenge our students with new experiences and to develop new skills is the central tenet in providing a well-rounded educational programme.

Amongst a range of activities our Year 5 students ventured to Queenscliff to experience snorkelling with seals, the Marine Discovery Centre, and coming to understand more about indigenous people. Our Year 6 students travelled to Wollangarra, where students headed out into the bush for overnight camping. Situated on the Macalister River, Wollangarra is a unique and simple place: it has no electricity, is accessed by flying fox and challenges students to understand a range of environmental issues. Year 7 travelled to Anglesea for an aquatics-based experience. Surfing, bodyboarding, kayaking, coastal walking, and rafting allowed students to experience this unique environment on our doorstep and the beauty of Victoria’s rugged west coast. Year 8 experienced something very special, The Year 8 Conference: Mind, Body, Spirit. This unique programme based itself on campus.

One clear focal point is the work students do with people with disabilities, travelling to Scope Industries to work side-by-side with adults on the shop floor. The key message, “see the person, not the disability”, is clearly articulated.

I hope you enjoy reading the reflections from a number of our students.

Tony Inkster Head of Middle School

We went to Queenscliff for our Year 5 camp.

The objectives of the camp were for us to make new friends and get to know everyone better. We learnt to snorkel together. This was a real highlight; especially snorkelling with the seals. The snorkelling also helps us to see and learn about the sea life and how we can care for it.

Jess Randall (Yr5 Hn) Year 6 journeyed to Wollangarra. Before leaving we created a Cape of Courage to represent our strengths and anchor us during the time away. Wollangarra has no electricity, but is still great fun. Our tent fell down in the middle of the night because the boys took all of the tent pegs out. A challenge I found very hard was the amount of hiking we did.

I managed this challenge because all of my friends were supporting me.

Paris Cooper (Yr6 Cn) I went to a magical place called Wollangarra; a place where students are exposed to wildlife to help conquer fears. After a long hike we set up camp. It became dark and I started to get a little scared. The next morning we went to the top of a mountain and saw the best view I have ever seen in my life. I realised another character strength of mine, gratitude, because of the experiences Wollangarra provided us and everyone who supported us.

Lucca Wirth (Yr6 Bw) Year 7 Camp this year was in Anglesea, situated in the bush. Lots of animals and insects are found around the campsite, including beautiful kangaroos feeding on grass. The objectives of the Anglesea Camp are to bond and make friends. This involved splitting into four mixed teams, and lots of cabin groups. Over the duration of the camp we all participated in fun recreational activities in our teams. Our activities included surfing, boogie boarding, mountain bike riding, ropes course and initiative games.

Each created a different memory and experience.

Grace Beaumont (Yr7 Cn)

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visit our website: www.ggs.vic.edu.au for the latest Middle School News

4 The Year 8 Conference was a new and different experience that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I found the camp a great way to make new friends as we were in different groups for different activities. All the activities on offer were definitely worthwhile. A real highlight was learning about people with disabilities.

Before this camp I had not really given much thought to people with disabilities. However, now I look at people with disabilities with a more positive perspective. Another highlight of the camp was the bike ride. I really enjoyed getting out of the school grounds and admiring the scenery surrounding Geelong Grammar. There’s always something to look forward to at Geelong Grammar School.

Imogen Arton-Powell (Yr8 Ot) 1. Year 5 students snorkelled with seals during their camp at Queenscliff 2. Year 6 students and staff gather at one of the stone huts in the High Country 3. Dylan Sanasy (Yr7 Bw) riding the waves at Anglesea 4. Louisa Christie (Yr8 Cn) working at Scope Industries whilst on the Year 8 Conference

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Senior School “Beyond the classroom: opening the world, opening the mind.” For me this provocative and stimulating sentence conjured up so many scenarios, so many possibilities. One initiative immediately came to mind that has, over the past 11 years, strongly reflected my interpretation of this sentence – the Peter Anderton Award. This award came into existence in 1999 in memory of Peter Anderton, who completed his Timbertop year in 1998 and was a member of Cuthbertson House. Born out of tragic circumstances, Michael Anderton decided the death of his son would be recognised with an award that reflected his life. “When Peter was at Timbertop he won the McEwan Award for outstanding contribution to the community during his year there,” Michael explained. “We were very proud of his achievement. When he died at the age of 17 in 1998 we wanted to mark his achievements in a very positive way and invest in the future of other young people.”

Consequently, since its inauguration in 1999 the Peter Anderton Award is awarded annually to a Year 10 student who has made the greatest contribution to the School during both Year 9 (Timbertop) and Year 10. The award allows the recipient to travel overseas and immerse themselves in another culture.

It is awarded to a student who has not frequently travelled overseas and will not have the opportunity to do so in the near future.

Award winners are granted $5,500 and the responsibility to select a destination/s, make their own travel arrangements, and undertake the journey before they reach Year 12. “Apart from asking for some community contribution and being mindful of safety, we take a back seat,” Michael Anderton said.

Upon their return, the students give a presentation during Senior School assembly and write an account of their travels for various publications, including the Anderton Book. Each year past recipients of the award gather for a special dinner to hear the latest adventure. “We hold a Christmas dinner each year and the highlight is always the presentation by the winner of the previous

journey, complete with photos,” Michael said.

“It has been very rewarding to see young people manage their first travel outside Australia and to hear about that moment when they realize mobiles don’t work, parents and friends are in another time zone, and they are truly ‘on their own’. It has opened their eyes to some of the things that go on in the wide world outside our lovely country.”

Recipients of the award have travelled far and wide. In recent years students have worked in orphanages in Cambodia, Vietnam and The Dominican Republic, worked on animal reserves in the Amazonian jungles of Peru, and assisted with underprivileged students in the city of New York. Their stories have enchanted, enthralled and engaged. All have learned so much about other cultures and the value of serving something bigger than oneself. Michael Anderton has been very proud of these students and they in turn have enormous respect for Michael. His sincerity, love of and genuine interest in the lives of these young people help them all to remain connected and be inspired by each other’s life journeys.

“At boarding school you can feel larger, more important or powerful than you actually are,” inaugural winner Chris Barton (M ’01) explained. “The passing of a loved one calls all your feelings into question, makes you feel small. So does travel. On one hand, perspective is found through our relationship with an individual, while on the other, travel builds perspective through a relationship with the rest of the world. Through the Peter Anderton Award, these ideas are intertwined.

We are reminded of how much he meant to his family, and how much travel meant to Peter himself. We are reminded of time and place, and that by combining generosity and curiosity we should take neither for granted.

And, perhaps most importantly, through his father Michael and the rest of his family we can see that these rules apply as much when you’re at home as when you are abroad. It’s been ten years since I travelled to France thanks to the Peter Anderton Award. Each year my experience grows. Not through a

sense of nostalgia but through recognizing the fact that a journey doesn’t end when you get home.”

Most recently, Taylor Rettke (Yr12 A) travelled to New York, where he spent time working in a KIPP (Knowledge is Power Programme) School with students from South Bronx, West Harlem and Washington Heights. “I left for New York City, by myself, knowing nobody,” Taylor said. “I spent some time helping out with the music programmes at a few schools around the city. The first school was KIPP Infinity Charter School – a school for students from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Although the music was great, I learned the most playing NFL with the first graders. I was on a team with Kyle, who was the most introverted and shy kid I had ever met. I took every opportunity I could to throw him the ball and seeing his face light up when he caught it was great. From the wonderful opportunity this award gave me, I learned that giving someone else the opportunity to do something they want to do, or be someone they want to be, whether it was the musicians at KIPP or Kyle on the football field, is the most rewarding experience I have ever had.”

I have been most fortunate to be the person responsible for selecting the recipients of the Peter Anderton Award. It has meant that I have got to know Michael and his family, as well the opportunity for me to keep in contact with a remarkable group of young people.

Through the tragic loss of a son, Michael Anderton has given the opportunity to many students to experience life beyond the classroom. Their world has been broadened, their minds opened.

Charlie Scudamore Head of Senior School 1. Friends and family of Peter Anderton enjoy an annual dinner with Anderton Award winners. Back row, L to R: Jonathan Chee (M’99), Georgie Reed (He’08), Jack McPherson (FB’07), Mark Wylie (FB ’99) and Michael Anderton. Front row, L to R: Rachel Baxendale (Cl’04), Jess Symons (He’03), Lauren Clifton (Fr’02) and Charlie Hooley (M’06) 2. Taylor Rettke (Yr12 A) with members of the KIPP School staff in New York

visit our website: www.ggs.vic.edu.au for the latest Senior School News

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Timbertop

As I sat at home over the recent Labour Day long weekend Exeat, I reflected on the events of 12 months ago and how quickly things can change. I am sure that the month of February last year is irrevocably and deeply etched into the memories of almost all Australians. In the foothills of our mountains, it was a month of only a few millimeters of rain, soaring temperatures and tremendous worry. This year, the month of March has seen unprecedented rainfalls with over 70 millimetres falling on our now sodden soils on the long weekend. A simple comparison is that from the beginning of last year until March 10, 2009, we received about 17 millimetres while this year to mid-March we Friday, is employed at Timbertop and continually have received about 300 millimetres. What an gives me up-to-date reports on the existing fire amazing difference! threat, along with Angus ‘Gus’ Syme who is an ex-Timbertop student living in our district.

Since those worrying times GGS has been In addition, the Boorolite CFA Fire Station on the “front foot”. A new safe-haven has Captain, Mark Calvert-Jones, is an ex-student been designed, planning permits have and current Timbertop parent. Many local CFA been granted and the facility is finally under volunteers are on-call around the clock and the construction. This new building will provide not Mount Buller Fire Tower, which looks directly only additional security in a fire prone season over Timbertop, is manned during the whole of but also incredible flexibility to our learning programme. This mostly underground structure the fire season by local, Chris Deutscher. Chris’s abilities as a fire spotter are legendary, with can be divided into three large classrooms stories being told of his ability to spot and call or can quickly be converted into a cinema, in smoke reports as far afield as Wangaratta, sufficiently big enough to accommodate the a straight line distance of 80 kilometres whole of the Timbertop community. It can also be used for stretching before and after our runs, from his tower. In the event of a fire the DSE (Department of Sustainability and Environment) Outdoor Education theory classes, concerts, and CFA have incident control centres located in drama performances, our Positive Education Mansfield.

Conference, or prep at night for Units. This will allow us to devise a timetable that will enable us to present lectures to large numbers of students and then have them divide into smaller breakout groups or conduct a lesson to a normal sized class. The options are many and varied which is very exciting.

Timbertop has not been placed on the State government’s registry of schools with a high fire risk. Our policies, procedures, preparedness and experience indicate a high degree of readiness and proven robustness that is comforting. We have significant and reliable community support which invariably gives added comfort and security against any impending threat. We have strong links with the CFA (Country Fire Authority) Regional Headquarters in Wangaratta, and one of the Mansfield CFA Deputy Group Officers, John 14 14

We have just completed the innovative twoday Positive Education Conference. During this period of time students examined their own Character Strengths and the strengths of other students in their Unit along with looking at the strengths of their Unit as a whole. In addition they explored the three pathways of life; Pleasant, Good and Meaningful. In the Pleasant Life individuals savour an experience like enjoying a piece of chocolate. This is an extremely enjoyable event but short lived and has no value except the experience itself. The Good Life is when students use their signature Character Strengths, hence, working with their dominant strength. By doing this students tend to be more in tune with the experience and they tend to savour similar experiences from the past and look forward to those in the future. The

visit our website: www.ggs.vic.edu.au for the latest Timbertop News

3 Meaningful Life involves the use of an individual signature Character Strengths in order to help others with no expectation of personal reward.

Each one of these pathways is valuable for a balanced life; however, it is important that we all spend some time living a Meaningful Life.

The Positive Education Conference resulted in the development of the Charter of Optimism.

This charter is then available to all students to sign if they wish. The Charter consisted of the following statements, one from each of the three pathways: The Pleasant Life We will respect and appreciate others’ differences, and savour the moments, memories, and emotions through humour, kindness, and generosity that we experience throughout the journey of Timbertop.

The Good Life We believe utilising our varied character strengths to achieve our goals will lead to a more positive future.

The Meaningful Life We will strive to use our character strengths to benefit the community which may encourage others to do the same with no expectation of reward.

Roger Herbert Head of Timbertop 1. Head of Postive Education, Justin Robinson, working with students during the Positive Education Conference 2. Boys celebrate reaching the summit during their Term 1 Up Buller Hike 3. Girls’ campsite in Lower Bald Hill paddock

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1 Helping Mestre Do ‘Kobe’ Studante Iha Skema Australia

in KokodaTeachers in Student

Australia Scheme At just seven years of age and shortly after the death of his father, José Viegas was presented an opportunity which required a difficult decision. To stay with his mother and family in the small Timor L′este fishing village of Vemasse and continue herding his father’s sheep and pigs, or to leave his family and live with his uncle so he could attend school and gain an education. José’s loving mother decided that for her son to prosper she must part with him so he could attend school in the distant town of Viqueque and urged him to take-up the opportunity. José excelled at all levels of school and then University, studying English and Education. In January this year José became the first Timor L′este teaching graduate to benefit from a newly formed scheme to provide Timorese student teachers with life experiences abroad. The scheme is called Mestre Do Studante Iha Skema Australia (or Student Teachers in Australia Scheme) and José is set to spend twelve months as a Timbertop Assistant with other young men and women from all over the world.

Internationalism is at the heart of how the scheme came about. President Ramos-Horta, the 1996 Nobel Peace Laureate who helped guide his country to independence, said that one aspect which limits Timorese teachers is an international perspective. The President believes that if Timorese teachers are to provide their students with a full modern education they must have insights into the world outside Timor L′este. In this way teachers can help prepare all Timor L′este for the wider world of which it is now a part.

While the young country now has two very good Teacher Training Institutes it remains one of the poorest nations on Earth. This means very few Timorese, including teachers, have the means to travel outside their island home. The scheme aims to provide Timorese teachers with these opportunities during their formative years. The President, who visited

Timbertop in July last year, believes that a quality outward-looking education is vital if democracy in Timor L′este, the newly created sovereign country (the newest on Earth), is to prosper.

Since arriving in Australia, José has marvelled at the educational opportunities offered to Australian and Geelong Grammar School students. Whilst he believes that the level of resources offered to students here will not be matched in Timor L′este in the immediate or even medium term future, he does believe that the core principles and philosophies of the Timbertop programme are equally applicable to Timorese children.

José has been fascinated to read and learn about German educator Kurt Hahn and his philosophies. Never having been beyond Timor’s shores before this visit to Australia, José has now experienced some of the diversity of the world’s peoples. This experience and Hahn’s philosophies will both be useful when he returns to a teaching post in Timor L′este in December.

There are, of course, equally important lessons for the non-Timorese members of the Timbertop community to learn from José.

The principles of Positive Psychology are now core to every nuance of Geelong Grammar School. Few people are better references to the profound power of resilience, optimism and forgiveness than the Timorese. During the brutal 24-year occupation of Timor L′este by the Indonesian military as many as 200,000 Timorese perished. An additional 40,000 were killed as part of the forward defence of Australia during World War II. Since the bloody and fiery events of 1999, when the Timorese voted overwhelmingly to become independent and up to 80% of all buildings were destroyed in the ensuing military withdrawal, the Timorese have toiled to become a free and democratic nation.

Although the decade since then has not

3 been free of violence and instability, the Timorese have used their immense sense of optimism to drive them into a stable, free and prosperous future. In order to do this, they have had to reconcile with their terrible past so as not to be shackled by it. José lost several family members during the horrors, had his house burnt to the ground twice and spent 18 months as a refugee. However, he calls the Indonesian students at Timbertop “maun” (brother). He notes that the elements of the Indonesian military responsible for brutalities in Timor inflicted the same brand of oppression upon many, many Indonesians.

Furthermore, he accepts that Timor L′este’s prospects of prosperity are truly entwined with those of the Indonesians.

José hopes to visit all of the Geelong Grammar School campuses and meet many people in the warm GGS community.

Mike Gregory Director of Learning, Timbertop 1. Timbertop Assistant José Viegas 2. José hails from the small fishing village of Vemasse on East Timor’s northern coastline 3. The statue of Cristo-Rei (Christ the King) outside the East Timorese capital of Dili

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House

Music

One of my favourite things about Term 1 is House Music – its frantic preparation and the final “big bang” performance appears to consume the whole of Senior School.

It has been said by many that this year’s competition was one of the best they had seen and I agree. Each House worked extremely hard to prepare three items (House Choir, Soloist/Duet and House Ensemble) and there was a consistently high standard across the board. Elisabeth Murdoch took out the House Choir prize with their rendition of Finale B, the Ensemble award was given to Perry who performed Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer, while Taylor Rettke and Catherine Duncan from Allen won the Solo/Duet section for their performance of Listen, originally recorded by Beyoncé Knowles for the film Dreamgirls. Hannah Robertson from Clyde was awarded Best Conductor and Mathilda Hill Smith from Elisabeth Murdoch received the Best Original Composition Cup for Supermodel. The Overall Winner was Fraser House, which presented an exciting and varied programme in all sections, including a guitar solo by Alexander Wallace, an Ensemble performance of Walk Idiot Walk by Swedish rock band The Hives, and a House Choir adaptation of Mercy by Welsh songstress Duffy. Overall it was a fantastic day and highly entertaining for all those who were in the audience. All students, especially House Music Captains, should be congratulated on their diligent preparation for this event.

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Jodie Townsend Director of Music 1. The winners of the House Choir prize – Elisabeth Murdoch 2. Carly Palmer (Yr12 He) performs Explosive by Bond as part of The Hermitage Ensemble 3. Alexander Wallace (Yr12 Fr) performs a guitar solo 4. Camille Nock (Yr11 EM) performs One Voice as part of the Elisabeth Murdoch Ensemble 5. House Music Captain Keita Matsumoto (Yr12 Cu) conducts the Cuthbertson Choir 6. Camilla More (Yr11 Cl) on the cello as part of the Clyde Ensemble

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Summer Sport The 2010 Summer Season has been quite memorable. There have been many outstanding individual and team performances, including the Girls’ First VIII rowing crew winning the APS Head of the River regatta for the fourth consecutive year. Under the guidance of coach Ross Featherston, the crew of Lucy Harkin (Yr11 Cl), Zoe Sleigh (Yr12 Cl), Hannah Robertson (Yr12 Cl), Phoebe Rothfield (Yr11 He), Georgina Farrell (Yr12 Cl), Liv Fish (Yr11 He), Alexandra Thompson (Yr12 Cl), Grace Morrison (Yr12 Cl) and Elizabeth Lingard (Yr12 Cl, cox) finished ahead of arch rival Geelong College by nearly a length in a time of 7 minutes 27 seconds for the 2,000 metre race, with Haileybury College third. In fact all of the Senior Girls’ crews won their divisions at the 134th APS Head of the River at Nagambie, with the Year 10 Girls’ crews winning four out of the seven divisions. The Head of the River also capped a most memorable season for Third Girls’ crew.

The crew of Sammy Wallace-Smith (Yr10 Fr), Marnie Derham (Yr11 EM), Libby Head (Yr11 Cl), Harriet Simpson (Yr11 He), Bella Cameron (Yr11 EM), Georgina Clement (Yr11 He), Olivia King (Yr11 Cl), Gemma Hutley (Yr11 Fr) and Sarah Ryan (Yr11 Ga), guided by coach Rob Kemp, won the State Championships, the Head of the School Girls and their division of the Head of the River. The Boys’ First VIII was one of 15 GGS crews that made the final of its division at Nagambie. Guided by new coach Jeff Watt, the boys finished in third place behind Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar.

The GGS Equestrian Team was thrilled to win the 2009 Victorian Interschool Series, which was contested by 256 schools over 15 rounds of competition. The Equestrian Team is currently in first place of the 2010 Victorian Interschool Series after competition rounds at GGS and Ivanhoe Grammar, with strong performances from Sophie Dewey (Yr6 Cn), Michelle Goy (Yr7 Ot), Charlotte Morrison (Yr10 Cl), Jacqui Brookes (Yr10 Cl), Camilla Champion de Crespigny (Yr10 Ga), Sally Codyre (Yr11 Cl), Annabelle Macgugan (Yr11 Cl), Liv Paterson (Yr11 EM), Millie Grimshaw (Yr11 Cl), Drew Collingwood-Smith (Yr11 Cl) and Fran Blount-Greene (Yr11 Ga).

The Boys’ First Table Tennis team had a brilliant season, winning six out of seven rounds of competition to finish in second place behind Haileybury College. Team captain Anthony Cheung (Yr12 P) and Pete Mulpruek (Yr12 M) were both selected to represent the APS. The Girls’ First Badminton team, which finished in third place with six wins, also had two members selected to represent the APS in captain Tarah Marney (Yr12 Fr) and Tanya Cheng (Yr11 Cl). Other APS representatives included Vinern Leow (Yr11 P) in Badminton and Miriam Ireland (Yr12 He) in Softball.

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Backing up their third place in 2009, the First XI Cricket team finished strongly with a win against eventual ladder leaders Xavier College to finish the season in fourth place, equal on points with third placed Caulfield Grammar.

There were two centuries in the season.

Angus Hawkes (Yr12 A) scored 102 in the 2nd XI and Meyrick Buchanan (Yr11 FB) scored a remarkable 196 for the First XI against Wesley College. Bowler Corey Ogle (Yr11 Cu) was selected represent both the Victorian Under 17 Cricket Team and the APS.

Sailing Captain (Boys): Tim Auret Captain (Girls): Nina Hanni

Eléanore de Vienne (Yr12 Cl) continues to shine in Athletics, finishing fourth in the 800m at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships.

Tennis Captain (Boys): James Eddington Captain (Girls): Arabella Kempton

All teams and individuals should be proud of their achievements. All sports have been ably led by their respective leadership groups and I would like to acknowledge the following students: Badminton Captain (Boys): Tommy Li Captain (Girls): Tarah Marney Cricket Captain: Rupert de Crespigny

Softball Captain: Miriam Ireland Swimming Captain (Boys): Rhys Dempsey Captain (Girls): Karen Chow Table Tennis Captain: Anthony Cheung

Paul La Cava Director of Sport 1. The Girls’ First VIII rowing crew on its way to victory in the APS Head of the River regatta at Nagambie 2. Michelle Goy (Yr7 Ot) competing in the second round of the Victorian Interschool Series at Ivanhoe Grammar 3. Corey Ogle (Yr11 Cu) was selected to visit the AIS in Canberra to train with Australia’s fast bowling coach Troy Cooley, which was followed by an eight-wicket haul against Haileybury in round five

Equestrian Captain: Beatrice Davies Captain: Alexandra Morgan Rowing Captain (Boys): Doug Cameron Captain (Girls): Alexandra Thompson

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Rev’d Dr Hugh Kempster Senior Chaplain

Diary of our

Senior Chaplain We did not think twice when asked to join a group of five on a Prayer and Justice Pilgrimage for ten days to the Karen refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border.

The pilgrimage was led by the Rev’d Ron Browning (P’63), CEO of the Australian Karen Foundation (AKF), who has been visiting and working in the camps for more than 13 years. There are ample reasons to go; like an opportunity to let go of material absorption for a time in order to find clarity and alignment with the bigger picture, maybe even to touch the sacred and offer up prayers for a broken world.

Our pilgrimage began on January 13 in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. Soon we had ditched most of our belongings at a hotel and were travelling around in the back of a ute along the Thai-Burma border, meeting up with leaders of various Karen organisations and aide groups. We talked with a former political prisoner, who had survived five years in the notorious Insein Prison near Rangoon, and now works for the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (www.aappb.org). Maung Maung, a Karen artist, blew us away with his deeply moving watercolours depicting the plight of his people (www.burmesepaintings. org). After several days we finally arrived at Mae La refugee camp, home to some 55,000 Karen refugees, and the largest of nine camps stretching along Western Thailand’s border with Burma. The first view of the camp is spectacular, thousands of bamboo houses with roofs made from leaves cram the lush, hilly landscape, with limestone cliffs rising steeply in the background. The camp itself is extremely overcrowded, with rarely any space to grow vegetables. Armed guards and a tall barbed wire fence that separates the residents from the rest of the world are a stark reminder that this is no holiday resort.

Over the past 25 years Karen men, women and children have been forced to flee their villages due to the violence in Burma. The Karen Human Rights Group (www.khrg.org) has been documenting the refugees’ stories for much of this time. The ongoing pattern is heart-wrenching; direct military attacks by the Burma army, forced military recruitment and labour, destruction of homes, villages, and food crops, and numerous other human 18 18

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2 rights abuses. In 1997 the Burma army even attacked Mae La camp itself. Despite the problems in the camp we saw children playing in the red dirt, adults finding ways to survive, people etching out pathways between conflict and possibility. The AKF-sponsored Anglican Learning and Computer Centre (ALCC) is one such pathway. Situated at the top of a steep winding footpath, lined by bamboo houses, ALCC stands as a sign of exodus and renewal.

Warm hand-shakes and smiles from the teachers and students make smiling back the only thing you want to do in the whole world.

The students welcomed us with a traditional Don Dance they had been working on for more than two years; it exuded Karen pride in their tradition and culture. ALCC is one of the very few post-Year 10 schools in the camp. The physical environment is simple but pleasant. The bamboo, dirt-floored building has two small classrooms and an assembly area for the 60 or so students. There are one or two computers, but little else in the way of technology. The tiny library is proudly displayed on bamboo shelving. The students study across a broad curriculum – English, science, maths, geography, world history, Karen, and Burmese. Enjoying afternoon tea with the dynamic Naw Joan, Principal of ALCC, we hear of the challenges she faces to provide even the basics of school life, like sufficient food and salaries for her teachers.

Our return from pilgrimage has been unsettling. The immense wealth and privilege that so many of us enjoy in Australia sits in such stark contrast alongside the plight of

our new friends in Mae La camp. But it is the enthusiasm and interest of both staff and students at Geelong Grammar School and beyond that provides a genuine sense of hope. The School has started to make links with Karen refugees in our local community, and we have a wonderful opportunity to really take up the Greenpeace idiom – think globally and act locally. This term has seen the launch of the Karen Homework Club at St Andrew’s Anglican Church in Corio. It is a joint project between St Andrew’s, the Karen Association, Geelong Grammar School, Kardinia International College, and Anglicare Victoria. Each Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday after school some 45 Karen students from Years 7 to 12 bring their homework to church.

They are greeted by roughly the same number of Grammar or Kardinia students, and all then assiduously work away at the maths, science, social studies or English for the next hour. There is genuine warmth and friendship in the interactions, and the engagement in learning, on both sides, is inspiring to witness.

“What is good ... but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8) Rev’d Dr Hugh Kempster and Dr Ree Boddé 1. The Australian Karen Foundation-sponsored Anglican Learning and Computer Centre (ALCC) is a dirt- floored building with two small classrooms and a tiny library, where the centre’s small collection of books are proudly displayed on bamboo shelving 2. Karen students at the Anglican Learning and Computer Centre perform a traditional Don Dance to welcome Rev’d Hugh and his wife Ree to the Mae La refugee camp.

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A School Trip to Antarctica Engaging with the Environment and the Community

The GGS Antarctic Expedition 2009 came to fruition last December after a year of planning and preparation. It was the ultimate opportunity for a group of students from Geelong Grammar School to move beyond the classroom and engage with an extreme environment in a manner never before experienced by school students from anywhere in the world. Thirteen students, Polar guide Eric Philips and two staff members, Justin Robinson and myself, Stephen Pearce, flew from Melbourne to Ushuaia at the southern tip of Argentina.

From there we sailed on two ocean-going yachts, Spirit of Sydney and Podorange, across the notorious Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula. The sailing leg of our journey was definitely the most physically and mentally challenging. We had to learn and put into practice new sailing skills, most of us dealt with sea sickness, and we became accustomed to living in very close quarters with others for 24 hours a day. We experienced 45-knot winds, eight metre swells, and freezing cold rain. The boats lurched up over waves before slamming down the other side. We spent hours at a time on deck in the weather during our turn to watch.

To raise ourselves from our seasick state in our beds, get warm clothing on, and climb up on deck was perhaps the biggest challenge of all.

This part of the journey felt very much like an extension of all that we had experienced and learned at Timbertop. We were put completely out of our comfort zones and really had to dig deep to stay in control. We needed to put our trust in our leaders – the yachts’ crews – follow their instructions and assist each other wherever we could. Working as a team was paramount. All of our GGS students demonstrated the fine calibre of their characters in this challenging situation – we were so impressed by and proud of their strength. Our crews were extremely knowledgeable, competent and patient with us.

Once we saw that first iceberg and eventually reached the Antarctic Peninsula, the stormy 19

seas quickly abated. At that point, the journey became less about surviving challenging circumstances and more about appreciating the amazingly pristine environment that we were privileged to experience. It was also about the amazing people we met, working and living in Antarctica. Our first stop was Port Lockroy, where we spotted Crabeater Seals basking on the ice and Gentoo Penguins waddling about and twittering to each other as if in a community meeting. The service component of our expedition involved painting the exterior of the nearby Damoy Hut, a refuge hut under the control of the United Kingdom Heritage Trust – HRH Princess Anne is the Patron of the Trust and our group received a wonderful letter of thanks from her for our work. We also had a chance to meet three American scientists during our stay here, who were conducting penguin rookery surveys in the Peninsula region.

We went on a three-day ski tour, where we traversed Wiencke Island and camped out on the ice overnight. Cross-country skiing on the ice, each of us carrying a sled behind us with gear for ourselves and the group was another physical challenge. We skied among the silent, dark rocky mountains, absolutely awestruck by the pristine, untouched environment. The only sound we could hear was the distant rumbling of falling ice. It never gets dark during the Antarctic summer months so we had 24-hour daylight. When we reached the top of the valley we set up camp, which involved building an igloo.

This experience gave us an insight into the conditions the early Antarctic explorers would have encountered. Despite the fact that we had all the modern technology such as GPS Navigation Units and Satellite phones, we really felt as if we were surviving the remote windswept wilds of Antarctica.

Now five days into our time on the Antarctic Peninsula, we next set sail down the Lemaire Channel to the Ukrainian Station, Vernadsky.

No sooner had we dropped anchor in a sheltered bay behind the Station, than we were lining up against the mighty Ukrainian Antarctic Soccer team to compete for the Antarctic World Cup. We were given a quick lesson in the skills and tactics needed to play soccer in the snow and then were duly

defeated 5-4. We were warmly welcomed by the Ukrainian scientists who gave us the run of their hot showers, kitchen stores and lounge area. We were treated to a number of lectures by scientists about Antarctic mammals and meteorological studies.

Spending several days with these very knowledgeable and generous men made us appreciate that surviving the harsh conditions in Antarctica relies on the small communities there working together and supporting one another one hundred percent. While staying at Vernadsky we did activities like sea kayaking, ice climbing, visiting Wordie House refuge hut, and cross-country skiing. On our last day we set foot on the Antarctic mainland, where we looked out upon the icy waters surrounding Antarctica from a memorial site for three British scientists who died in 1971. It reminded us that this beautiful and pristine wilderness requires the utmost respect and care. We were so fortunate to be under the experienced care and guidance of world-renowned polar explorer Eric Philips (a past Head of Outdoors at Timbertop) and supremely experienced yachtsmen and women. Both Spirit of Sydney and Podorange were ideally built for the journey to Antarctica – they were comfortable, warm and well equipped. Despite the environment being a harsh and unpredictable one, we were kept safe by these scaffolds. Thus, this first-of-its-kind school trip to Antarctica was an opportunity for Geelong Grammar School students to experience an amazing wilderness that they could otherwise only learn about in the classroom, while still upholding the values that underpin every experience that this school creates for its students – such as community, service and utilising one’s character strengths to perform outside of one’s comfort zone – being the best that you can be.

Stephen Pearce Head of Barrabool House 1. Sailing across the Drake Passage 2. Setting up camp for the night during the Wiencke Island ski tour 3. The soccer match at Vernadsky Station

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Cambodia

In January 2010, seven students and two staff went to Cambodia to take part in another house-building project under the auspices of the Tabitha Foundation. The group, and others, had been involved in raising the money throughout the previous year by sales of chocolates, and other items, notably noodles (with some 2,000 packets sold in Cuthbertson House alone). On our first day in the country we had a brief insight into Cambodian history when we visited Tuol Sleng and Ek Choeung, which had a great impact on all of us. Then we went to a village near Saang, south of Phnom Penh, where we worked on six houses, nailing down the floors and then the tin walls. During that time we also met with the local people and were able to see some aspects of village life. On our second day, there was a rain storm, and one of the more memorable incidents was us having to push our bus up a muddy hill.

Around Phnom Penh, we were able to learn more about the country’s politics with local MP Son Chhay showing us around the new parliament building. Senator Kong Korm invited us to his farm, and then arranged for us to go on a boat ride down the Mekong, followed by a lunch at Kien Svay. We also went to the United Nations Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) where some of the Khmer Rouge leaders are on trial.

One of the highlights of the visit was going to two orphanages. The first was the Sunrise Children’s Village, run by Geraldine Cox. It

was great to see the new developments there and the students were able to practice on the new tennis court with the local children. We also visited the orphanage of Son Soubert, a former politician, following up a kind invitation during the 2009 trip to Cambodia. There the local children welcomed us with a cultural show – we then had to perform ourselves, with a fairly good (but unrehearsed) Waltzing Matilda. After that we had dinner which the children had prepared for us. On another evening we went to a fundraising evening for the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Sanctuary where we managed to win the trivia quiz, with Justin Choo also winning the raffle and donating back the prize for the elephants at the sanctuary. We ended the trip by travelling to Siemreap, where we were able to see Angkor Wat and the nearby region, which allowed us to ride horses and elephants. On the last day we left Angkor riding down the Phnom Bakheng hill by elephant, a fitting way of ending the visit.

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Sam Rainsy and Prince Norodom Ranariddh who have both been supporters of our fundraising were both out of the country during this year’s visit, but they did send their best wishes and we thank them both for their continued encouragement. We must also thank Mr Meek, Mr Scudamore, and the many people who contributed to our fundraising through 2009.

Dr Justin Corfield Teacher of History and International Studies

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Overseas

Student Orientation

The Overseas Students’ Orientation Programme is designed to assist new students settle in quickly and to make the most of the many opportunities available at the School. This programme is compulsory for all non-Australian students and optional for Australian students who live overseas. During the time at the School’s Corio campus the students are introduced to living as a boarder at GGS. They are given the opportunity to live and work with current students and are also introduced to some features of the Geelong region, Australian culture, and more specifically, life at GGS. The programme enables students to meet fellow new students and, most importantly, gain confidence so that they feel more comfortable and adapt quickly to life as a boarder. The camp begins as a daunting challenge and always finishes with a group of happy young people looking forward to life ahead at GGS. Sally-Anne Ashton 20

3 “I feel confident about the year to come. I know there will be hardship but I feel that afterwards I will be glad I did every bit and didn’t miss anything out.” Olivia Thomson (Yr9 New Zealand) “My feelings are excitement and nervousness at the same time. I’m excited about going to Timbertop and meeting new friends, but I’m also nervous about going to a new community.” Napat Suputhipongse (Yr9 Thailand) “I hope that I will be able to make friends for life. Also, I want (and I bet my Dad does too) to become more responsible, organised and independent.” Rebecca Lim (Yr10 Malaysia)

“At first, the thought of making new friends scared me to death. Yet, here at the Overseas Orientation Programme, I have already become good friends with many people going into Year 9. I now know that this school is like a community, and making friends is the easiest thing to achieve.” Jojo Mahoney (Yr9 USA) 1. Robert Hasegawa (Yr12 FB) helping build houses for villagers south of Phnom Penh 2. Camilla Studd (Yr12 Ga) at the Sunrise Children’s Village orphanage 3. Lasting friendships were quickly formed during the Overseas Students’ Orientation Programme

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Beyond the Great Wall Over the past decade Geelong Grammar School has rapidly increased its engagement with China. Since Chinese language studies became a formal part of the School’s curriculum, the study of Chinese (Mandarin) has grown from less than a dozen students in 2003 to almost 158 in 2009. Cultural study tours have been conducted, sister school relationships have been formed, Chinese Consulate officials have visited and student interest has continued to grow. “It is great to see the development of the programme in the School,” Chinese Language Co-ordinator, Zai Qin Sun, said. “From time to time it has been a struggle but there has been a lot of support from the School, from students and parents, who increasingly have no background in Chinese. Without this demand and support, Chinese language studies would not have grown to what we have now.”

The School was among the first to embrace the new National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Programme (NALSSP), which was introduced last year to provide funding to support Asian language studies and to help give Australian students the language skills to engage with our Asian neighbours, particularly China, Indonesia, Japan and Korea. The Federal Government aims to double the number of Year 12 students exiting school with advanced abilities and fluency in one of these four Asian languages by 2020, suggesting “learning languages other than English, in particular Asian languages, is very important to Australia’s future security and prosperity”.

It is something Geelong Grammar School recognised a long time ago, yet Australia’s strengthening relationship with the fastestgrowing economy in the world may have surprised even the most optimistic – bilateral trade between Australia and China increased by 30% in 2009 and is predicted to top $100 billion in 2010. “China’s increased standing in the world has increased the interest from parents and students to find out more about this fascinating culture, its people and its language,” Director of Learning, Debbie Clingeleffer-Woodford, explained. “GGS has had strong ties with Japan dating back to the 1960s and it has been pleasing to see

the development of similar ties with Chinese tertiary institutions and schools. In addition, the local Chinese community has been very supportive as a number of these students have been Day students at the School and brought much richness into our community.”

Keen Chinese scholars, like Peter Treloggan (Yr11 P), enjoy the challenges of studying a foreign language and understand the potential of following in the footsteps of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd by becoming fluent in Mandarin.

“I find Chinese especially interesting, mainly because of its large differences from English,” Peter explained. “I am also interested in Chinese culture, and have really enjoyed travelling to China. Finally, as China becomes increasingly influential, I believe studying Chinese will be of great advantage in my career.” Studying Chinese has already become a proven pathway to academic success at GGS. “The performance of students studying Chinese has been strong,” Debbie ClingelefferWoodford said. “In the first cohort to take the International Baccalaureate (IB) in 2005, the Chinese results were outstanding with 86% of students achieving a 6 or a 7 (out of a possible score of 7) and this has encouraged future students to tackle Chinese in the IB. In 2009, 83% of the grades were either a 6 or a 7.”

Peter was among a group of students who travelled to China last September as part of the School’s second cultural study tour. He was also part of a group that spent three weeks at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) in January this year as part of an intensive NALSSP language and cultural programme.

“During the programme I was always encouraged, and in many cases required, to use only Mandarin,” he said. “Consequently my language ability, especially in regards to speaking and listening, rapidly improved within only three weeks.” Students were immersed in all aspects of Chinese culture, studying everything from Beijing Opera to traditional Chinese medicine. However, the practical assignments left the most lasting impressions.

“They planned countless activities and events for us; some that took us to many of the world’s great tourist attractions, others that drew upon our Chinese to allow us to reach

3 point B from point A and complete a series of tasks,” David Sun (Yr10 A) explained. “The activities we did often reflected the interesting culture-based lectures earlier in the day. All of these tasks greatly helped me to improve my knowledge of China, which is an important part of learning the language.”

Learning more about our neighbours is important to our future in an increasingly globalised world. China is an ancient civilization with a vastly different culture, history, religion, political system, and language from Australia – yet it is our largest trading partner. Cultural study tours are just one element of how the School helps our students engage with China. “It is an enormous firsthand experience,” Zai Qin Sun said. “It’s an immense challenge to step into life in Beijing, to merge into the environment, and get a sense of the culture and the place – it is a precious experience and one the students really appreciate.” The tours also allow students to spend time staying in the homes of their Chinese counterparts, experiencing how they study and live. “It makes our students realise how fortunate they are, to appreciate the education and life opportunities that they have, and to make the most of those opportunities.”

1. Students and staff outside the Laoshe Teahouse during the three-week National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Programme (NALSSP) language and cultural programme in January 2. Chinese Language Co-ordinator Zai Qin Sun (left) with students at the entrance of the Summer Palace at Chengde 3. The Great Wall of China

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Bill Ranken Chairman, Geelong Grammar Foundation

1 As some of you already know, our Executive Director and Director of Community Relations, Elizabeth Pont has resigned and is returning home to Sydney, where she has taken up a position at Cranbrook. We thanked Elizabeth and said farewell at the end of Term 1, and we will be recruiting her successor over coming months. In the meantime please direct any inquiries either to Jennifer Wraight, our Fundraising Manager, on 03 5273 9797, or Josephine Tito, Personal Assistant to the Director of Community Relations on 03 5273 9349.

Over the last year, the generosity of our extended GGS community has resulted in many wonderful contributions to help advance the School. Thank you to all those who have given their energy, enthusiasm or donations, and in some cases to those who have given all three! The staff and especially the Community Relations team lead by Elizabeth also have made this possible, and I would like to thank you all as well.

There have been many social events to help connect our community, with the Year 10 Dinner and the Timbertop Cocktail Party being highlights, and there have been some inspiring examples of generosity.

The Hartley Mitchell Scholarship campaign now has reached $170,492 since it was launched in Term 4 2009. We are well on the way to meeting our target of raising $250,000 so that a partial scholarship can be established immediately. Thank you to everyone who has supported Hartley’s vision.

Combined with Hartley’s generous bequest, your donations mean that a scholarship can be awarded to a young person of academic talent who otherwise may not have been able to attend GGS. We only need another $79,500 to achieve our target of $250,000.

Then we can award the first scholarship.

Please do consider making a donation to help us reach this target. You can donate online at http://www.ggs.vic.edu.au/Philanthropy or by calling Jennifer Wraight, our Fundraising Manager.

The D Unit campaign, which is part of our long term commitment to rebuild units and 22

2 set up Timbertop for the next 50 years, also has been very generously supported. We now have gifts and pledges totalling $420,000, with one donation of $250,000. Thank you to everyone who has supported this campaign. D Unit will be built when the new building rules are clear. As well as D Unit and the planned new Staff Quarters, and as some of you may know, we are well advanced with building a new fire bunker at Timbertop.

Bequests are now running at more than half of our total donations over recent years. This is wonderful. Thank you! Hartley Mitchell’s generous bequest to establish a scholarship is one inspiring example. There have been many others. If you have not already done so, could I please take the liberty of inviting you to consider whether a bequest is something you might like to do to help advance the School? If you do, then please let us know.

You will be eligible to join our bequest society, the Biddlecombe Society, if you wish. More information and a Bequest Brochure are available on the website, and Jennifer Wraight will welcome any enquiries. As some of you already know, it was my great pleasure in Term 4 last year to welcome Mr Neil Robertson (FB’72) as the new Chairman of the Biddlecombe Society. Neil recently retired as Chief Executive of the Australian Open Garden Scheme.

The Equestrian Centre Appeal Committee chaired by Mrs. Penny McBayne has been busy with feasibility research for the proposed new Indoor Equestrian Centre, and a number

of other projects also are, ‘in the wings’, as it were. I am also pleased to report that the value of the Endowment and Scholarship Funds has improved; in line with and some cases a bit better than the improvements in markets over the last year. I will provide more details at the Annual Meeting in May. We are now fairly fully invested in the stock market. We believe this will offer the best long term returns, albeit with the likelihood of some short term setbacks along the way; ‘three steps forward and one step back’, is the expected pattern. I would like to thank our Allocations and Investment Committee members; Mr Warwick Johnson, Mr John Sevior, Mr Peter Wetherall, and Mr Andrew Moore, and also our advisers, JANA, for their time and wisdom.

The tradition of philanthropy is alive and well at GGS. I have, and I know many others have taken great pleasure from their donations.

I hope that over time every member of our extended community will reflect on how we have benefitted from the generosity of previous generations, and then consider making your own contribution to help ensure that we leave the School in better condition than when we arrived. Thank you.

Bill Ranken (M’72) Chairman, Geelong Grammar Foundation 1. Jocelyn Nilsen (Cl’47), Pauline Rushbrooke (He’45) and Gail James (He’69) at the OGG Melbourne Cocktail Party in February 2. John Beresford, Prue Smith, Alex Seaman (Cu’83), Jim Peart (M’47) and Jan (Lady) Wise at the OGG Nagambie Cocktail Party held at the Mitchelton Winery in March

Fundraising Annual Giving Campaign Striving for something bigger than ourselves – our Annual Giving Campaign is an important component of the Geelong Grammar Foundation’s fundraising endeavours.

Annual Giving provides an opportunity for all members of our community to participate.

The campaign targets specific fundraising goals and assists all Geelong Grammar School students to flourish. Over the past 13 years our community has contributed over $1.6 million to Annual Giving. All money raised is spent in the year in which it is received and the appeal has assisted with our educational programmes, the refurbishment of a number of buildings, and in growing our Scholarship Fund. The 2009 Annual Giving Campaign was generously supported by our community, with two of our three goals not only achieved but exceeded. In 2010, the Annual Giving Campaign focuses on three specific projects – Scholarships, Library, Building and Grounds.

Scholarships - $150,000 The goal of the Geelong Grammar Foundation is to grow the Scholarship Fund by a further $100M over the next 15 years. With your help, our Scholarship Programme will provide opportunities for many more students who otherwise would not be able to attend the School – 23% of secondary students at the School in 2010 were awarded scholarships and other awards.

Library, Toorak Campus - $30,000 Our focus this year is on our Toorak Campus Library. In economic terms, the replacement value of a modest collection of 5,000 books starts at $100,000. Over the past eight years we have built the Toorak Library collection to over 70,000 books and associated learning resources. The investment in this collection has led to an acute shortage in shelving. It is our aim to improve shelving, re-carpet, and purchase new tables and chairs for our young students.

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Buildings and Grounds, War Memorial Cloisters - $100,000 Harold Desbrowe Annear was a leading Victorian architect of the Functionalist persuasion whose highly individual work at the turn of the century was influenced by the European Arts and Crafts movement and

by HH Richardson in America. Designed by Desbrowe Annear in 1922, the War Memorial Cloisters are very significant to the heritage of Geelong Grammar School and a fine example of architecture. The Cloisters are now in need of restoration and we are seeking the support of our community in gifting $100,000 towards the cost of restoration.

Please join us in building on the success of previous appeals and support the work of Geelong Grammar Foundation by participating in this year’s Annual Giving Campaign. The campaign extends from May to May, and your gift to Annual Giving is fully tax deductible.

Equestrian Centre The proposal to construct a new Indoor Equestrian Arena and surrounding infrastructure has provoked much excitement and discussion amongst members of the School Community. The proposed facility will provide our students with an all weather riding arena, allowing extended riding hours during winter and providing protection from extreme weather conditions. The new facility will also allow the School to host local and international equestrian events, providing opportunities for our students and those from surrounding schools and pony clubs to compete at a higher level.

with selected members of the Equestrian and wider School Community. Mr Lewis will present the outcomes of these interviews in a report to the Foundation Board. The Foundation Board and the Equestrian Committee will then review this report and decide on the way forward for this Campaign.

Meanwhile the Committee is exploring all other avenues of funding for this proposed facility.

Congratulations to our GGS Equestrian Champions. After coming so close in previous years, the team was ecstatic to have finally won the Victorian Interschool Series. If you would like to become involved, share ideas or donate to the Equestrian Centre Appeal please contact Jennifer Wraight, Fundraising Manager, on telephone: +61 3 5227 6297 or on email: jwraight@ggs.vic.edu.au

Timbertop D Unit We are in sight of our goal for our D Unit Timbertop Campaign, with over $420,000 raised towards the required $550,000 to rebuild the Unit. We must thank a number of our past parents whose sons have lived in D Unit during the past four years for this last surge of gifts. Their generosity is much appreciated and they can obviously see the positive outcomes of their sons’ experiences at Timbertop. If you would like to become involved, share ideas or donate to the D Unit Appeal please contact Jennifer Wraight, Fundraising Manager, on telephone: +61 3 5227 6297 or on email: jwraight@ggs.vic. edu.au

Prior to entering the quiet phase of fundraising for our Indoor Arena, the Foundation Board in conjunction with the Equestrian Committee, decided to conduct a Feasibility study. The Feasibility study was undertaken to ensure that we have the capacity within our community to raise the required funds. Late in Term 1, the School’s Fundraising Consultant Mr John Lewis (Marts & Lundy) carried out a number of interviews 23

Rob de Fégely (FB’74) President, Old Geelong Grammarians

1 This year is a particularly special year for the Old Geelong Grammarians as we celebrate our 110th anniversary. It also coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Clyde Old Girls Association, while our other major contributor to the foundation of co-education at Geelong Grammar, The Hermitage, celebrated their 100th anniversary last year. As Michael Collins Persse wrote in Light Blue No 51 in September 2000 during our centenary: “The Old Geelong Grammarians were formed at a Dinner in December 1900 to which the Head Master L H Lindon invited Old Boys.

Within a year there were 250 members and by 1907 over 500. The original objects of the Old Geelong Grammarians were to unite the Old Boys of the Church of England Grammar School, Geelong, and to promote the welfare of the School.”

Today the number of Old Geelong Grammarians has increased to nearly ten thousand living members living in more than 50 countries. Maintaining contact is not easy but we are working to improve our communication and networks and I am thankful for the many OGGs who take on a contact role overseas often without much recognition. Our most recent contact appointment is Rodela Demo (He’00) who is based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

The term Old Boys ceased in 1972 when the school embarked on co-education. We are now known as Old Geelong Grammarians or more simply the “OGG”. However, the aim of the OGG Association is still fundamentally the same as it was 110 years ago; to promote the welfare of the School and unite former students of Geelong Grammar School, The Hermitage and Clyde School. While the aim of the OGG is not to fundraise, it has undertaken some impressive projects, including contributing to the construction of Cuthbertson House, the War Memorial, the Timbertop Chapel, the Senior School Gym and in more recent times the refurbishment of the Hawker Library as the Collins Persse Archives as well as contributing to the Handbury Centre for Wellbeing. The Old Geelong Grammarians Association plan to celebrate this anniversary with a dinner later this year in Melbourne at Zinc Federation Square and the Committee is working 24

2 feverishly on a short written history of the Association.

The Council recently met at Timbertop which is a special place for so many OGGs. I cannot imagine any former student or staff member not feeling some emotion if they care to journey up the long driveway from the Buller Road. So much of the world has changed since its beginning in the 1950’s yet some things are indelibly etched into Timbertop life – the line-up outside the dining hall, the woodshed and the unit boilers, the layout area for packs prior to hiking, and probably many other things that a mere one-day visit does not reveal. Sadly I must report that we have lost two of our Chaplains from Timbertop. Bishop Ernest Kenneth Leslie, Chaplain from 1953 to 1958, died in March and was the father of former Master of Timbertop, Simon Leslie. In addition the Reverend Peter Thomson, former Chaplain and Master of Timbertop, passed away in February this year. Peter was initially Chaplain and Physical Education teacher at Timbertop in the early 1970’s and he had the fantastic ability to engage with 15-year-old boys in not only a spiritual and learning sense but he also developed a form of “Bush Basketball” that allowed boys of that age to let off much needed steam. He went on to become Master of Timbertop and managed it through the early years of co-education. Peter took passion and feeling into everything he did and he will be sadly missed by those who

3 were influenced by him. Our thoughts are with the Leslie and Thomson families.

Rob de Fégely (FB’74) Old Geelong Grammarian President 1. OGG Committee member David Henry (FB’69) with wife Belinda Henry and Foundation President Bill Ranken (M’72) at the OGG Melbourne Cocktail Party held at the Isabel McComas Hall at Toorak Campus 2. Joey Ho (Gl’03), Selina Lim (Gl’03), Edwina Affleck (Cl’98), Sally Head (Cl’98) and Pin Affleck (Cl’97) at the OGG Melbourne Cocktail Party held in February at the Toorak Campus.

3. Ron Sinha (A’71) and Chris Griffiths (Fr’91) at the OGG Melbourne Cocktail Party

2010 Reunions and OGG Events NSW OGG Branch Cocktail Party Wednesday 5 May, Point Piper OGG SA Branch Barbeque Sunday 16 May, Mt Pleasant OGG AGM Wednesday 26 May at 6pm, Corio Campus Hong Kong Cocktail Reception Friday 28 May, Island Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok Cocktail Reception Monday 31 May, Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur Cocktail Reception Thursday 3 June, Shangri-La Hotel Singapore Cocktail Reception Monday 7 June, Shangri-La Hotel UK Branch Dinner Thursday 24 June, London

OGG News Cam Rahles-Rahbula becomes a “bronzed Aussie” Cam Rahles-Rahbula (FB ‘02) was chosen to carry the Australian flag at the closing ceremony of the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver after the leg amputee won a pair of bronze medals in Alpine Skiing. “To be the flag bearer at the end of the Games means you’ve had a pretty good Games and to now be among the names who have carried the flag at the Paralympic closing ceremony is fantastic,” Cam said. Although the 26-year-old had won the World Slalom Championships in Korea in February 2009, Cam’s mother Elizabeth told Light Blue it was a “miracle” Rahles-Rahbula was even in Vancouver after battling a serious lower back injury. “He’s done a wonderful job just to get there,” Elizabeth said. The Australian Paralympic Committee’s Manager of Sport Science and Sports Medicine, Alison Campbell, said Cam “had been in a significant amount of pain and couldn’t perform to anywhere near his potential” in the lead-up to the Games. “He couldn’t ski at all and couldn’t sit in a car for longer than 15 or 20 minutes,” Alison said.

Cam’s partner and former Paralympian Emily Jansen, who covered the Games for the ABC, said watching from the sidelines had been stressful. “He’s been very focused, but for me, every time he comes down that hill all I can remember is how tough it’s been and how much he deserves it,” Emily said.

Despite the limited preparation, Cam was the only one of the nine Australian Alpine athletes to complete all five events on the Vancouver program – the Slalom, Giant Slalom, Downhill, Super-G and Super Combined. He medalled in two (Slalom and Super Combined) and finished no worse than sixth in the other three, finishing the Games as Australia’s most successful athlete. The highlight was Cam’s brilliant second run in the Super Combined, posting the fastest time and making up a 2.33-second time difference to jump from eighth to third and claim his second bronze medal. “This is probably more special,” he

JRD Oration Wednesday 4 August, Melbourne said afterwards. “The first one was fantastic to do, but to pull out that run and after the week we’ve had, we’ve really been up against it with the weather and the changing of the (alpine) schedule and the snow conditions. I was happy with the way I battled through it to be honest – and it was a battle.”

But Cam is no stranger to battles. Originally from Leslie Manor, a tiny rural community outside Camperdown, Cam joined Geelong Grammar School as a boarding student in 1996. In April that year he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, and lost his left leg two years later, aged just 14. He desperately wanted to continue his schooling at Timbertop and how he overcame the physical challenges presented by the demanding Outdoor Education Programme is the stuff of School legend – including completing multiple day hikes, cross-country runs and the infamous end-of-year 28-kilometre marathon ... all on crutches (during the year he wore out seven sets of crutches and 150 rubber stoppers).

It was also at Timbertop where he developed his passion for skiing during weekly winter sessions at nearby Mount Buller and was identified by the head of the Mount Buller Ski School, Andy Stringer, as an exceptional talent. At the end of the following year (2000), the then 17-year-old was invited to train in Canada with the Australian Paralympic squad.

He was offered an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship in 2001 and won a place on the Australian Paralympic ski team for Salt Lake City in 2002, where he finished ninth in the Downhill. At the 2004 World Championships he won both the Downhill and Super G, as well as finishing second in the Slalom.

Aside from his sporting achievements, Cam has also completed an honours degree in Physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne and in 2004 won both the Melbourne University Sportsman of the Year and Young Victorian of the Year awards.

Photo by James Calvert-Jones (Cu’85)

1980 30 Year Reunion Saturday 7 August, Melbourne Queensland OGG Branch Gathering Saturday 4 September, Brisbane ACT OGG Branch Gathering Saturday 21 August, Canberra 1970 Timbertop Reunion Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 September, Merrijig/Timbertop AIS USA Foundation Gala Dinner Saturday 2 October, New York 1957 Timbertop Reunion Saturday 9 October, RACV Club, Melbourne South Australian OGG Branch Gathering Saturday 16 October, Adelaide OGG President’s Dinner Thursday 21 October, Zinc Federation Square, Melbourne 1990 20 Year Reunion Saturday 6 November OGG Tower Luncheon (for 1960 and earlier leavers) Saturday 13 November, Corio Tasmanian OGG Branch Gathering Saturday 20 November

2011 Reunions and OGG Events 2001 10 Year Reunion 1991 20 Year Reunion 1981 30 Year Reunion 1971 Timbertop 40 Year Reunion 1958 Timbertop Year – 50 Year Reunion OGGAsia Reunion, Hong Kong For more information or to be part of the organising committee for any reunion, please contact Katie Rafferty, Alumni Manager on tel: +61 3 5273 9338 or email: katier@ggs.vic.edu.au 2015 Reunion 1965 Timbertop Reunion at Timbertop, weekend of 27-29 March 2015 (to be confirmed).

Please provide your current email addresses to Katie Rafferty (details above) for correspondence about this reunion.

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2000 10 Year

Reunion The 10 year reunion for the class of 2000 was held at The Fawkner Hotel in South Yarra, Melbourne, on Saturday 13 March. Over 90 OGGs from Corio, Timbertop and Glamorgan attended, some travelling considerable distances from elsewhere in Australia and overseas to be there.

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It was great to catch-up as a year group and to re-connect with old friends. Stories were exchanged and there were a lot of laughs as we reminisced about our time at Geelong Grammar. After the official event, the party continued at the OGG-friendly Arcadia.

Thanks to those who helped us get in contact with everyone and organise the evening, especially Katie Rafferty, and a big thank you to all who attended for making it such a fun and memorable night.

Portia Morgan (He’00)

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5 1. David Ward, Sebastian Swann, Portia Morgan and Crundy Staughton 2. Nicholas Harrison and Kirsty Thomson 3. Roger Spenceley, Lex Batters and Angus MacNee 4. Catherine O’Brien, Alice Redwood, Clare Bennetts and Sarah Armitage (Harvey) 5. Clare Bennetts and Hugh Whitehead 6. Libbis Compston, Kirsty Thomson, Lucy Alderson and David Ward

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1955 Timbertop Reunion

“Where are you now?” was the theme for the 1955 Timbertop reunion, held over the weekend of 26-28 March 2010. Twenty-nine old boys, some with partners, gathered to hear John Landy reminisce about his experiences with them as their teacher in 1955. It was regretted that their former teachers, Paul and Wilma McKeown, could not join them for the weekend. Some climbed to the top of Mt Timbertop and returned safely; some got lost on the way down and were late for dinner. Others explored the track to the Darling Huts which were built after they left. The supposed 2km walk was thought to be much longer – Michael Street suggesting “he was a Dutchman” if the walk to the huts was only two kilometres. The weather was perfect for the whole weekend which added enormously to the enjoyment of those who travelled to the reunion from as far afield as Perth, Mackay and New Zealand and throughout New South Wales and Victoria. Many who were unable to attend sent messages letting others know where they were and what they were doing. In the process of arranging the reunion there was success in finding another “lost” OGG. As a group we would like to express our thanks for the organisational work done by the Alumni Office at Corio, the staff at Timbertop and in particular, the commitment shown by Katie Rafferty.

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Peter Lancaster (FB’57) 1. The members of the 1955 Timbertop group who attended their reunion 2. Around eight people climbed Mt Timbertop during the reunion. Pictured at the summit are Tony Williams (FB’57), Ron McCann (FB’56), Tom Harris (FB’58) and Andrew Sprague (FB’57) 3. Bob McGeachy (Ge’58), David James (Cu’58), Conrad Gration (FB’57) and Ed White (Cu’58) at the reunion 4. John Landy (M’48) who taught at Timbertop in 1955 spoke at the reunion dinner. He is pictured (right) with Michael Street (FB’58) 5. Pictured prior to dinner were Tim Cooke (Cu’57), Bill Hasker (Cu’58) and Buster Morse (Cu’57)

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OGG Gatherings OGG South Australia Branch

River Regatta) Cocktail Party at Mitchelton Winery on Friday 19 March. On a balmy The OGGS SA branch held a drinks party to Autumn evening 50 guests from the Geelong introduce the new committee consisting of Bill Grammar community attended. Among them Seppelt (M’64), Ruth Vagnarelli (Hickinbotham many parents of the rowers such as the School Cl’82), Brooke Yates (MacLachlan Cl’86), Principal, Stephen Meek, and his wife Christine Simon Haigh (Cu’75), Peter Fisher (Cu’71), Jock (whose son Henry rowed in the first V111 MacLachlan (P’83) and Michael Hickinbotham crew), Toorak Campus head Garry Pierson and (P’80). Respects were also paid to the late John his wife Emma, and several OGG from the local ‘Tunny’ Tunbridge (M’56), a popular and long area. Everyone enjoyed the flowing Mitchelton serving committee member who died late last wine beside the tranquil Goulburn River. year. The event was well attended and attracted The event provided the perfect prelude to a all age groups from brand new OGG like Millie successful Head of The River regatta the next Haigh (Cl’10), Hunter Rogers (Cu’09) and Airlie day, where the Girls’ First Eight clinched the and Alex Hamilton (Ga’08), to school leavers prestigious title for the fourth year in a row. from 1943 like Tom Legoe (M’43). The longest Bo Bayles (Ryan, Cl’63) drive went to Jock MacLachlan (P’83), who came straight from the airport after trekking Photos of all OGG functions can be found by in Nepal. Fine Chinese cuisine and local SA logging into the GGS Community portal and wines helped attract a full house. The next visiting the OGG page on the Community SA event is a family picnic at former OGG SA Connections tab. president Hugh (P’52) and Fiona MacLachlan’s Upcoming OGG Branch Functions picturesque Glen Devon property at Mount Pleasant planned for Sunday 16 May at OGG NSW Branch Cocktail Party 11.30am (information will be sent out shortly).

Wednesday 5 May at the home of Ian (P’79) Ruth Vagnarelli (Hickinbotham, Cl’82) and Min Darling, 6.30pm-9.00pm

OGG Melbourne Cocktail Party The Old Geelong Grammarians held a cocktail party at the new Isabel McComas Hall at the Toorak Campus in February. 95 people attended, including many former Glamorgan students keen to see the transformation of the campus and they were suitably impressed to see the new buildings and oval. Many of the OGG Committee members attended as did OGG, Hermitage and Clyde School old girls from a wide range of year groups. Rob de Fégely (FB’74) spoke about the Old Geelong Grammarians and the Principal, Stephen Meek, also spoke about current happenings at the School. The Head of Toorak Campus Garry Pierson also attended with his wife Emma (Bayles, Cl’87).

Monday 7 June Information Session 3.00pm to 4.30pm Shangri-La Hotel, Pink Magnolia Room Cocktail Reception 6.30pm to 8.30pm Shangri-La Hotel, Pink Magnolia Room OGG UK Branch Dinner Thursday 24 June For further information contact David Hudson, UK Branch Secretary email: hudsonco@globalnet.co.uk OGG ACT Branch Function Saturday 21 August OGG Queensland Function Saturday 4 September OGG South Australia Dinner Saturday 16 October OGG President’s Dinner Thursday 21 October Zinc, Federation Square OGGASIA 2011

Invitations have been mailed but if you have not received an invitation and would like to attend, please contact Katie Rafferty in the OGG Office katier@ggs.vic.edu.au or tel: 03 5273 9338

Hong Kong Date to be advised

OGG SA Branch Picnic

Answer: Invitations are mailed or emailed to those who have a postal address recorded here at GGS in the state/country of that function. If your postal address is in Melbourne for example but you live in Hong Kong you will not receive invitations to Asia events. You can always book online to attend any event or contact Katie Rafferty in the OGG Office email: katier@ggs.vic.edu.au to request invitations to certain events.

Sunday 16 May at the property of Hugh and Fiona McLachlan, Mt Pleasant at 11.30am Principal’s South-East Asia Tour Hong Kong

Katie Rafferty (Spry, Ga’84)

Friday 28 May GGS Information Afternoon 5.00pm to 6.30pm Island Shangri-La ,Level 5 Tianshan and Lushan Rooms Cocktail Reception 7.30pm to 9.30pm Island Shangri-La, Level 5 Tianshan and Lushan Rooms

OGG Nagambie Cocktail Party

Kuala Lumpur

Vineyards skirting rippling ridges provided the perfect backdrop for the OGG APS Senior Regatta (formerly known as the Head of the

Thursday 3 June Cocktail Reception 7.00pm to 9.00pm ShangriLa Hotel KL, Kelantan Room (lower lobby)

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Singapore

Frequently Asked Question: Why don’t I receive invitations to the OGG Branch Functions in my area?

Katie Rafferty (Spry, Ga’84)

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Advance Notice

New York 7 Dinner 1. Brooke MacLachlan (Cl’86) and Peter Fisher (Cu’71) at the OGG SA Branch drinks 2. Edwina Affleck (Cl’98), Joanna Clarke (Cl’01), Sophie Affleck (Cl’02), Zoe Baker (He’02) and Jonathan Laycock (P’66) at the OGG Melbourne Cocktail Party 3. Rosie Garner, Bo Bayles (He’63) and Chrissy Beresford (Smith, Cl’85) at the OGG Nagambie Cocktail Party 4. Jock MacLachlan (P’83) with his mother Fiona MacLachlan at the OGG SA Branch drinks 5. Jane Gubbins and Peter Thompson (M’77) at the OGG Nagambie Cocktail Party 6. Penny Cumming (TJ’96), Will Cumming (Fr’97), Kathryn Plunkett, Rory Moore (P’98) and Anna Loughnan (Fr’98) at the OGG Melbourne Cocktail Party

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7. Peter Gray (P’85), Amanda Morgan (wife of William Morgan (P’85)), Penny Gray and Charlotte Duckett (Ga’85) at the OGG Melbourne Cocktail Party 8. Alex Hamilton (Ga’08) and Airlie Hamilton (Ga’08) at the OGG South Australia Branch drinks

As a member of the Australian Independent Schools (AIS) USA Foundation, Geelong Grammar School will be inviting members of the GGS Community to attend the Inaugural AIS USA Foundation Gala Dinner at 583 Park Avenue, New York on Saturday 2 October 2010.

Stephen Meek, Principal, and his wife Christine will be attending and look forward to seeing members of the GGS community at the event.

Invitations will be posted. To be included on the invitation list please contact Katie Rafferty in the OGG Office by email: katier@ ggs.vic.edu.au

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OGG Sport OGS Netball Club After a long off-season for the OGS Netball girls, they have recently returned to the court and look eager and fitter than ever.

The summer season of the Prahran Netball Competition began in early February and four weeks in, the ‘Oggettes’ are yet to be defeated. As an aside, the OGS have taken it upon themselves (with great assistance from Jimmy Legoe, Mark Avery and Gen Milesi) to create a social competition with sides of recent school leavers from Geelong Grammar School and other APS schools pitted against each other. This was a huge success in 2009 and will embark on its second season of existence in mid-April. Whilst the games are conducted in a very social manner, the intra-school rivalries ensure to retain the competitive aspect amongst the girls. 2010 promises to be another great year for the Netballers and we are always seeking new players that are keen to get involved. Please contact Annie Legoe (Cl’03) on 0438 809 689 or email: ALegoe@ords.com.au Annie Legoe (Cl’03)

Old Geelong Football Club Season 2010 is shaping up as an exciting one for the Old Geelong Football Club. Pre-season numbers are up on last year, with those on the track generally numbering between 45 and 65, including recent leavers from GGS such as Jack O’Shea (A’09), Johnny Luxton (P’09), Juzzy Lewis (Cu’09) and Michael Jordan (Cu’09). After a slow start to 2009, the Senior XVIII gradually adapted to the coaching style of new Coach Nick Mitchell (ex-Fitzroy), and won some crucial games mid season to avoid relegation and cement our position in C Section for the year ahead. The reserves finished one game outside the finals, and thanks go to Mark Leslie (M’99) who has done an excellent job playing coach for the last two years. Tom Lyons (M’02) had a fantastic season, winning his second senior best and fairest trophy in as many years; however the biggest highlight from 2009 was the success of the Under 19 side. Under the captaincy of Jack Merrin (Fr’07), the team lost just two games during the year, and withstood a 30 18

tough challenge from Therry Penola on grand final day to win the VAFA North (2) section premiership by 39 points. Dave Andrew, Nick O’Hare, Jack Merrin (all Fr’07) and John Forster (P’07) were all prominent on the day, while Rob Officer (M’08) won the goal-kicking award with 49 majors for the year. As always, new players are more than welcome, and more info and updates throughout the year can be found at www.oldgeelong.com.au.

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Alex Southey (M’01)

Old Geelong Cricket Club The 2009/2010 cricket season was the inaugural season for the Old Geelong Cricket Club. An offshoot from the Old Geelong Football Club, we had one team in the MCC Club XI competition. The season started well with a win versus Old Brighton but by round 4 we had lost three games on the trot and slumped to near the bottom of the ladder.

Just before Christmas we turned our season around and by the end of the home and away season finished 5th out of 13 teams.

Centuries from the Bayles brothers, Tim (FB’99, 101) and Ed (FB’01, 111), being two of the highlights of the season. The first elimination final OGCC made 215 (John Rees A’97, 62) which was far too much for Old Trinity, who we bowled out for 176 (Tim Bayles 4/31). This put us in the semi final with Old Scotch First XI. Old Geelong lost the toss and bowled on a hard flat wicket, but after 33 overs and with Old Scotch 4 for 118 it looked like we’d restrict them to a score below 160.

Unfortunately Mother Nature intervened and a once in a decade hail storm ended the game, which resulted in Old Scotch (who finished top of the ladder) progressing into the grand final. Despite our disappointment, fourth in our first season is an excellent result and we are already looking forward to improving on this next season. For further information contact Roly Imhoff (Cu’95), OGCC President: 0419 003 264 Roly Imhoff (Cu’95)

OGG V OGC Golf Day A near record field of 124 competitors of varying ages and abilities competed in this year’s Old Geelong Grammarians verses

The Old Geelong Collegians Golf Day at Barwon Heads Golf Club. The course was in magnificent condition and we were blessed with a superb day for a shotgun hit off at 7:45am. This being the 25th year of this event, the golf was followed by an outstanding lunch in the Links Room. The Old Geelong Grammarians were able to turn the tide on last year’s result and had a convincing win over The Old Geelong Collegians in the schools’ head to head competition and in the pairs: Charlie De Fégely (FB’72) and James Richardson (M’73) prevailed with an 11 up whilst Simon Reed (P’76) was the individual winner with 5 up on count back. The day was judged by all a great success and we look forward to the continued involvement of the young Old Geelong Grammarians with their Collegian friends.

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OGG Ski Club The OGG Ski Club was founded to provide a facility for members at Mount Buller. The recently renovated lodge is centrally located on Stirling Road in the village. It sleeps 18; consisting of seven rooms with two bunks and one with four bunks, a double kitchen, lounge, two bathrooms, ski room and drying room. It is open year round. And, while member have exclusive booking rights up to 31 March, the lodge can be booked by non-members and guests at a cost of $60 per person, per night mid-week and $80 on weekends. Membership is open to all OGG and to become a member of the OGG Ski Club the initial entrance fee is $2,500 with a yearly subscription of $250 and flat rate accommodation costs of $50 per person, per night. For more information about the OGG Ski Club, including membership and accommodation at the OGG Ski Lodge, please contact President Andrew Morphett (FB’73) on mobile: 0412 541 151 or email: amorph@bigpond.net.au or Secretary Hamish Patterson (FB’83) on mobile: 0438 828 885 or email: hp@itro.com.au.

Andrew Morphett (FB’73)

Frank Covill Club (FCC) It’s been a busy start to the year for the Frank Covill Club (FCC). With the WH Pincott Barwon

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Regatta traditionally marking the beginning of the GGS rowing calendar, members of the FCC felt a sense of duty (and honour) to enter crews in a regatta named after one of the GGS Boat Club’s forefathers. We entered two fours and an eight with our results demonstrating a degree of consistency in all races. The club is now hosting its Social Rowing Program in conjunction with its Introductory Rowing Program sessions down on the Barwon on the last Sunday of the month. Everyone is welcome. Participants range from proficient past rowers to curious parents who, having loyally supported their children throughout the season, are intrigued to sit in a boat and get a feel for what it’s like on the end of an oar. Interested? Contact club President James Drury on 0416136611 or 31

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email: jadrury@bigpond.net.au. Finally, the club would like to acknowledge a milestone in the life of Frank Covill the rower. March this year marked the 60th anniversary of Frank’s coxing of the 1950 Melbourne Grammar First Eight, alone a great effort, but when combined with achievements in the intervening years adds weight to the claim that good coxes make for great coaches (it should be noted that GGS won the Head of The River that year!). Congratulations Frank.

Peter Thompson (M’77) 1. Old Geelong’s two-time best and fairest winner Tom Lyons (M’02) marks strongly 2. Old Geelong’s Under 19 team celebrating the VAFA North (2) section premiership

3. Rick Fleetwood (P’71), Frank Herd (OGC), Chris Webster (OGC) and Murray Mountjoy (OGC) caught up for lunch at the OGG v OGC Golf Day at Barwon Heads Golf Club 4. Old Geelong Grammarian H.D. (Dennis) Smith (P’29) was the only OGG ever to play Test Cricket, playing one game for New Zealand against England in 1933, following a distinguished cricketing career at GGS. Sons Peter (pictured left) and Philip Smith recently travelled to Corio from New Zealand to donate Dennis’ NZ cricket blazer (which Philip is wearing) and caps to the GGS archives in memory of their late father.

5. James Richardson (M’73) and Charlie de Fégely (FB’72) won the pairs division of the OGG v OGC Golf Day. They are pictured with Simon Reed (P’76) (centre), who was the individual winner.

6. Frank Covill Club crew: bow David Levy (M’77), 2 Rob de Fégely (FB’74), 3 Antony Heath (M’77), stroke Rod Edwards (FB’75) and cox Pauline Rice 7. OGS Netball players 8. The OGG Ski Club lodge at Mount Buller

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1 HOGA Golf Day The HOGA Golf Day was held at the Barwon Heads Golf Club for the third successive year. The weather was beautiful, the meal was delicious, and if the noise level was any indication then a good time was had by all. 48 of the 86 old girls who attended played golf – the highlight of the day was a hole in one on the 17th by Jennifer Jackson. The individual Stableford competition was won by Diana Hone with 39 points on a count back from Judy Derham. Jennifer Jackson, Robin Spry & Diana Hone won the teams event and Susie Austin, Bev Callan, Sue Baulch and, of course, Jennifer Jackson, all had the “nearest the pins”. Well done girls. Many thanks to all who came and helped to make the day so much fun – please come again next year which will again be held at the Barwon Heads Golf Club on Monday 25 October, 2010. Enquiries to Lib Nicholson: mobile: 0419 398 067, tel: 03 5258 1297, email: libnicholson@bigpond.com

50 Year Reunion 28 Hermitage girls, more than half the graduating class of 1959, gathered at Point Lonsdale in November for the celebration of 50 years of surviving life beyond the school gates. As schoolgirls singing in assembly “May our song in far days waken mem’ries”, few of us would have imagined that in days so far in the future the memories would be so many and so vivid. Teachers, now seen rather differently in the light of our own adult lives, triumphs and disasters on the sports field, the inescapable stress of examinations, the perils and pleasures of school dances, the delicate negotiation of shifting alliances within the group from year to year – all of these topics and more were given a thorough airing in the spirit of generosity and companionship. As we revived anecdotes from the past and exchanged sagas from the years in between old friendships were renewed, new connections were forged and those who were unable to be present were honoured affectionately in memory. In particular we remembered our deceased friends Heather Ackland, Jenny Mulley (Kerr), Sue Mackinnon 32

2 and Joy Murray. This particular reunion as distinct from earlier ones was less about achievements and milestones and more about simply acknowledging with delight that despite the passage of time, we were still recognisably “ourselves”. Many thanks to the four organisers; Jenny Porteous (Irvine), Jan Phelan (Moreton), Robyn Webster (Wilkinson) and Jenny Mills. It was a great event, and we all look forward to the next one!

Carolyn Dowling (Spear)

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40 Year Reunion The 40 year reunion of the 1969 class was held at the Wool Exchange, with 40 Old Girls attending. It was a very happy occasion and the years melted away as the bonds of old were renewed. Photos and other memorabilia were shared, including a wonderful photo from the Geelong Advertiser of four of our swimmers. It was clear from the photos, that we all had changed, but surprisingly we had little trouble recognising one another.

Two Old Girls surprised us in items of school uniform, which had been carefully stowed away all these years. The lunch provided a wonderful chance to catch up and to renew past friendships. As we swapped stories and reminisced, the boarder/day girl divisions of school days disappeared. Letters and emails from those unable to attend were read aloud and shared. Our organisers were Judy Wilson (Morgan) and Sue Baulch (Bade), who did a great job getting us together and organising the venue and food. Our photographer was Judy Prasser (Vanrenen), who has circulated the photos to all. Our next reunion may be in five years; time will tell. Please help keep our class list accurate – let the Alumni Office know if your contact details change.

Jill Hambling 1. At the 50 Year Reunion were Jenny Porteous (Irvine, He’59) and Diane Pettigrew (Gell, He’59) 2. Jill Hambling (He’69), Sally Wilson (Heath, He’69), Sally Skermer (Calvert, He’69) and Sue Cauchi (McIntyre, He’69) attended the 40 Year Reunion at the Wool Exchange in Geelong 3. Fi Austin (Ritchie, He’72) and Sarah Tallent (Calvert, He’72) at the HOGA Golf Day

Diary Dates 2010 Thursday 6 May Autumn Luncheon Parkside Restaurant, Belmont.

Enquiries: Jenny Jordan (Gray, He’52) tel: +61 3 5244 0145 Saturday 4 September Old Girls’ Day Enquiries: Jenny Jordan (Gray, He’52) tel: +61 3 5244 0145 Monday 25 October Golf Day at Barwon Heads Enquiries: Lib Nicholson (Calvert, He’68) tel: +61 3 5258 1297, email: libnicholson@bigpond.com Monday 6 December Christmas Morning Coffee All Saints Hall, Noble Street, Newtown Bookings: Jenny Jordan (Gray, He’52) tel: +61 3 5244 0145

1 Clyde Golf Success The good news from Golf Representative Anna Tucker (Kimpton Cl’71) is that Clyde players won the Fun Cup Golf at Barwon Heads in October 2009 for the first time in eight years, finishing ahead of Toorak College and St Catherine’s. The Clyde team was again triumphant at the Commonwealth Golf Club, winning the highly competitive Inter-school Golf Challenge held on March 29. Congratulations to our players on two spectacular achievements. There will be a report and photos in The Cluthan 2010. If you wish to be involved in future golf days, please contact Anna Tucker on tel: (03) 9509 0952 or email: annatucker@owendavies.com.au

Clyde School Centenary 2010 Watch your postbox for invitations to this unique event which will be posted out in May. The Clyde School Centenary luncheon and 2010 AGM will be held at Nine Darling Street, South Yarra on Saturday 9 October and will cost $70 per head. The invitation will include a reply slip for booking and payment, a COGA address list to help year groups and friends contact each other, a list of Old Girls who have already offered to be table captains, and a timetable showing the program for the day (see also Diary Dates below). The COGA Committee is organising this spectacular gathering, which is a fabulous opportunity to reunite with old friends and celebrate 100 years since the establishment of Clyde School.

The invitation will provide all the information you need, but for any initial enquiries, please contact Annette Webb on tel: (03) 9827 3174 or email: annettewn@yahoo.com.au

COGA Mornington Peninsula Garden Tour 2010 A magnificent garden tour in the Mornington Peninsula region has been organised for 20 -22 October 2010. The tour is open to the COGA/GGS community, and proceeds will be donated to the GGS Scholarship Fund.

The three-day itinerary includes visits to Westerfield in Baxter, the Garden Vineyard in Moorooduc, Willawong in Balnarring, Villa

Lettisier in Flinders, Brickenden in Fingal, Bagnols or Lyncroft in Shoreham, Merrylands in Portsea, the Deagues’ in Sorrento, and the Leemings’ in Portsea. The tour will also visit Elgee Park sculpture garden and winery in Merricks North, and feature a tour and lunch at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Cranbourne.

There are 48 seats on the bus for this garden tour and they are filling fast. The cost is $470 per person (which includes accommodation for two nights at the RACV Club in Cape Schanck), and while reservations can be requested, bookings can only be confirmed upon receipt of full payment. For further details, enquiries and bookings, please contact Fern Henderson (Welsh) on: (03) 5989 2664.

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Annual Clyde Jumble Sale

Diary Dates 2009

It is our best and brightest fund-raiser! It is on Thursday 24 June, 9am-12noon at St Johns Church Hall, cnr Orrong and Toorak Roads, Toorak, and ALL helpers are very welcome.

Bundle up your bric-a-brac in baskets, barrels and boxes, bring your baubles, bangles, badges, brooches, books or Balenciaga to the bohemian bazaar that is our Jumble Sale! The Produce Stall is a bestseller – bring jars of jellies, jams or pickles, bake cakes, cookies or crumbles, pot some precious plants or pick some pretty posies. All proceeds to the Isabel Henderson Kindergarten in North Fitzroy to assist disadvantaged children. If you wish to deposit goods in advance, please ring Judy Allen on tel: (03) 9509 6443, 4A Lysterville Ave, Malvern. Goods can also be left inside the church hall back door until 8pm the day before. For enquiries please ring Co-ordinator Jane Loughnan (Weatherly, Cl’70) on tel: 0352 641628 or 0417 535 862.

Thursday 24 June

1. School leavers of 1959 enjoyed a very happy 50 Year Reunion at the home of Lesley Griffin (Vincent) on 18 October 2009 2. Clyde recently won the Inter School Golf challenge.

Anna Tucker (Kimpton) receives the cup from Jenny Carr, President of the All Schools committee 3. The winning golf team of four from Clyde School were L to R: Lesley Griffin (Vincent), Sandy Taylor (Dalrymple), Caroline Cornish (Reed) and Janet Combes (Dalrymple)

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Annual Clyde Jumble Sale 9am-12noon, St Johns Church Hall, cnr Orrong & Toorak Rds, Toorak. Enquiries to Co-ordinator Jane Loughnan (Weatherly) on tel: (03) 5264 1628 or 1417 535 862.

Saturday 9 October Clyde School Centenary Luncheon Nine Darling Street, South Yarra.

Program - 10am Doors open; 10.45am COGA AGM; 11.30am Pre-lunch Drinks; 12.40 Gong, Grace and Luncheon; 2pm Guest speakers; 3.20pm Songs and Farewell; 4pm Doors close. $70 per head. Invitations with reply slips for payment and COGA address list will be posted in May. Enquiries to Annette Webb on (03) 9827 3174 or Joan Mackenzie on 03 5267 2075.

Monday 18 October Fun Cup Golf Day at Peninsula Golf Club.

For enquiries contact Anna Tucker (Kimpton) on tel: (03) 9509 0952 or 0408 540 252 or email: annatucker@owendavies.com.au Wednesday 20 - Friday 22 October COGA Mornington Peninsula Garden Tour, with two nights at RACV Club resort, Cape Schanck. $470 per person, full payment required in advance to confirm booking. For enquiries and itinerary details, please contact Fern Henderson (Welsh) on tel: 03 5989 2664.

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OGG in Focus Life has taken many twists and turns for Denzil Sprague (M’58). A farmer from Victoria’s Western District who became a pilot before completing a law degree at Latrobe University, Denzil will celebrate the next phase of his remarkable journey when the Cambodian Minister of Education officially opens the primary school he has founded on the banks of the Mekong River on May 12.

When many people would be contemplating retirement, since he began building the school in January 2008 the former Birregurra farmer has embarked upon a “new life”. “It has given me a wonderful sense of meaning and usefulness to my life – indeed a new life,” he said. “My time as a pilot in the Victorian Air Ambulance, at the time, provided some meaning but here, in Cambodia, there are no bounds to that. There are many Australians doing wonderful things here on a humanitarian scale beyond the imagination of most back home. I find my new life in Cambodia so stimulating and challenging.

Retirement will never be on my agenda.”

Denzil’s life took a “dramatic change” when he was appointed CEO of the fledgling Mekong Airlines in 2002. Crewed by exAnsett Airline pilots, Mekong’s fleet of Boeing 737s serviced international routes between Phnom Penh, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. When the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) pandemic swept through South East Asia in early 2003, the airline’s burgeoning trade slumped and by June 2003 it was forced to close. However, rather than mark the end of Denzil’s engagement with this war-torn country in the Gulf of Thailand, it was merely another unexpected twist. “I returned to Australia for several months in order to sell my farm at Birregurra and returned to Cambodia for the Khmer New Year in April 2004,” he recounted.

“By the time of my return, I had decided to devote the rest of my life to living in Cambodia and helping, in some small way, the Khmer people and their country. I could see so much opportunity for doing that even though I had only lived in Cambodia for such a relatively short time.”

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Denzil’s initial foray into business in Cambodia was to buy a financially ailing brick factory at Pouk Ressey village, some 18 kilometres north of Phnom Penh on the banks of the Mekong River. The factory was owned by the family of Denzil’s driver at Mekong Airlines, who continues to act as Denzil’s interpreter and negotiator in his dealings with the local Khmer people. Denzil rebuilt the kilns (increasing productivity by 165%), rebuilt the staff quarters, built new septic toilets, and introduced medical care for staff and their families. Christmas donations from Denzil’s family in Australia allowed him to buy his workers clothes, their children school uniforms and bicycles so they could ride to school. “And so it was that my connection with the school began through the children of the brick factory workers,” he explained. The existing school at Pouk Ressey had been built shortly after the Pol Pot regime collapsed in the early 1980s. “The war time scrap timber still showed bullet and shrapnel damage,” Denzil said. Unsafe and beyond repair, a new school was desperately needed.

The local Buddhist Monks donated land for the project and in January 2008 Denzil Sprague, a farmer from Birregurra, began building a school. He built three buildings, each containing five classrooms, and when he had finished in June 2009 the Pichey Rangsey School could accommodate 750 students.

“To observe the delight and happiness which is so evident in the children as they come and go from their new school each day is a reward beyond measure for me,” he said.

While the school will be officially opened by the Cambodian Minister of Education on May 12, it will by no means be the end of Denzil’s involvement. “I plan to build a library, set up computer and English classes, and equip the buildings with lighting.” He is planning the construction of sports grounds, and is in the process of introducing health programmes for the students. “These children are from a poor village and, after comparing child growth development figures with staff at a medical clinic in Phnom Penh, I have observed that they are smaller in stature and body weight than their city counterparts.”

2 “Why do I do all this?” Denzil asked rhetorically. “The simple answer is because, at the moment, I can. I have engaged in an extraordinary and challenging new life in Cambodia. There are good business opportunities in a rapidly developing country where the government relies heavily upon foreign aid, expertise and support. There is substantial foreign investment in all areas.

I am able to participate in a small way and allocate some of my returns to the projects already discussed. I feel it most satisfying and fulfilling to give something back to these beautiful people who have suffered so much for so long and to whom a little assistance can make such a profound difference to their quality of life, even to a single person.”

Michael Collins Persse

John Tallis (Cu’28), who died in 1996, is the main human subject of Beleura, Mornington: a Theatre of the Past – a mirror reflecting earlier times … by Anthony Knight OAM (The Tallis Foundation, Beleura House & Garden, Mornington, 2009), with a foreword by Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC, DBE (Cl’26). He was the youngest of the three sons (all OGGs) of Sir George Tallis, a leading theatrical impresario who bought the mansion Beleura in 1916 as a seaside house for his growing family, and who with Lady Tallis developed gardens based on designs by Edna Walling and Harold Desbrowe-Annear (architect of the School’s War Memorial Cloisters): his biography, The Silent Showman: Sir George Tallis, the man behind the world’s largest entertainment organization of the 1920s (Wakefield Press, Adelaide, 1999), was written by a grandson, Michael Tallis (Cu’49), and the latter’s wife, Joan. John (usually known as Jack) took over Beleura in 1950 and installed a formal garden built around the bones of the old one. Since his death, in the words of Mary Ryllis Clark (author of Timbertop: Celebrating 50 Years) in The Age in 2005, “the garden has been reinvented on a grand Merchant-Ivory scale by Anthony Knight, who has brilliantly blended elements of the original gardens with newly planted landscapes, creating the sort of theatrical Italian effect John Tallis would have loved”. After living and studying music in London and Paris until, in Dame Elisabeth’s words, “his obsessive love of his own house took possession of him”, John devoted himself to Beleura and to musical composition (Monash University held a concert of his work in 1995). He remained a bachelor, but the name Tallis has been well represented at GGS over four generations in the families of his brothers, especially through John’s nephew Peter Tallis (Cu’50), who as President of The Old Geelong Grammarians in 1987 opened the refurbished Cuthbertson House, of which Peter’s grandson George Tallis (Cu Yr10) is now a member.

Boz Parsons DFC (M’36; Staff 1962-80; Senior Master 1979-80; Secretary of the OGGs 198188; Fellow of the OGGs) is the subject of Boz: Aviator, Farmer, Schoolmaster by Neville Clark MC (Staff 1973-78), to be launched at the School on 11 June – an entertaining biography of a distinguished OGG. A flyer accompanies this issue.

John Brockman OAM (Ge’38), who became director of music at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Geelong, on 1 March 1944, retired exactly 66 years later, having created what is probably a world record as organist and choirmaster of the same church (nearest, perhaps, is the composer Charles Marie Jean Albert Widor’s 64 years, 1873-1937, at SaintSulpice in Paris). But John’s contribution to music in Geelong has been marked not only by longevity but also by its superb quality. A pupil at GGS of the late Sir William McKie MVO (Director of Music 1934-38), he played the piano solo at the Opening of our Music School in August 1938 by the great conductor Dr (later Sir) Malcolm Sargent (who emitted a heartfelt “Bravo!” on the conclusion of John’s rendition of Frederic Chopin’s Berceuse).

John’s wife Pat has been integral to the later decades of his service. He and his six children performed together (for the first time) in August 1988 at the School’s celebration of 50 years of the Music School, which was the gift of Max Bell (OS1904), Alan Bell MC (OS1910), their mother Anne Carstairs Bell née Russell, and her sister Janet Biddlecombe, made largely as a result of the inspiration given to music at GGS by William McKie. Anne Cordner née Baillieu (Cl’43; Clyde School Council; GGS Council; GGF Board), who died in December, was much loved in our School community – and far beyond. She rendered invaluable service to GGS after the amalgamation of the three schools in 1976, doing so quite as much unconsciously by her charm and strength of character as by accepting formal roles in its governance and support. In so many ways she embodied the Clyde spirit – its combination of down-toearthness with loyalty to the values of past generations, and of warm-heartedness with dignity; its sense of being an extended family.

She was a great bringer of people together, and her cheerful presence enhanced many School occasions. She married Dr Ted Cordner – like his brothers, a legendary League footballer – and half their family of two daughters and four sons went to GGS: Kammy Cordner Hunt (Cl’76), Richard Cordner (M/L’80), and David Cordner (Cu’79). In addition, their other daughter, Margie Gillett (Cl’71), is the current President of the Clyde Old Girls’ Association and the mother of Emma Gillett (He’09).

H.E. (Tony) Peterson AO, CBE (FB’43), who died in October after 27 years of progressively debilitating multiple sclerosis, was a solicitor (partner from 1951-79 in Cannan and Peterson) and, in the words of his son Roy, “a frustrated grazier” although his eight concurrent directorships included chairing the Stanbroke Pastoral Company. Having, because of his father’s death and wishing to support his family, declined an invitation to be Senior Prefect in 1944, he went on in his native State (he was born in Longreach) to

lead a life of wide-ranging and influential service.

He was a Captain in the Army Reserve, President of the Queensland Law Society, President of the Council of Professions, Vice-President of the Taxation Institute of Australia, Chairman of the Anti-Cancer Council, and active in other charities as well. Yachting was a great love. In 1951 he married Meredith – sister of Alex Clarke (FB’40), another Queenslander who declined an invitation to return as Senior Prefect – and they had two sons and a daughter. With typical gallantry, Tony came from Brisbane in 1995 to attend, in a wheelchair, the memorial service at the School for his old headmaster, JRD. Alec Purves (M’47) was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2010 Australia Day Honours “for service to the aquaculture industry in Tasmania”.

James Fairfax (M’50), hitherto AO, was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the 2010 Australia Day Honours “for eminent service to the community through support and philanthropy for the visual arts, conservation organizations, and building programmes for medical research and educational facilities”.

Ian Hore-Lacy (P’58), who since 2001 has been Head of Public Communications for the World Nuclear Association, based in London, is the author of The World Nuclear University Primer: Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century (World Nuclear University Press, 2nd edition, 2010: in effect, the ninth edition of the work published in its first seven editions, 1978-2003, as Nuclear Electricity). His particular interests “range from the technical to the ethical and theological aspects of mineral resources and their use, especially nuclear power”.

Eda Ritchie née Beggs (Cl’59) was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2010 Australia Day Honours “for service to the community through a range of cultural, environmental, charitable, and health organizations”.

Chris Baxter OAM (FB’64), who died in February of leukemia after six years of life-threatening illnesses (endured with exemplary courage), was one of the outstanding rock-climbers of his generation in Victoria, pioneering some 1400 new climbs. In addition, as founder and editor until 2004 of the quarterly journals Wild (from 1981) and Rock (which began as an annual in 1982), he shared his love of the mountains and his passion for outdoor pursuits, particularly hiking and climbing. He came thus to have a profound influence which was recognized in a Spirit of Australia Award from Australian Geographic in 1988, the choice in 1993 of Wild Publications (led by him) for the Telecom and Victorian Government Small Business Award (for a business with less than six employees), and in 2002 his appearance in an Honours list as recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia “for service to environmental journalism through the promotion of wilderness activities and the protection of the environment”. Of the OAM Brian Walters wrote in Wild: “The award recognizes the inspiration Chris has given to thousands, particularly through Wild and Rock, 35

into which he has poured so much creativity.

(His) strong stand on the environment and his celebration of Australia’s wild places and those who go into them has been of great benefit to the wider Australian community.” We noted last year Chris’s book A Child at Heart, a result of his experience as a foster-parent with Sue, whom he married in 1983 and who was his close partner in all ways, including climbing.

Earlier, he wrote many guide-books for climbers.

The photograph here shows him at the completion of a particularly challenging early climb, undertaken with Chris Dewhirst in 1969, of the hitherto unscaled north wall of Mount Buffalo – 250 metres of almost ledgeless verticality on which, for two nights, they slept in hammocks suspended far above the gorge on pegs driven into the rock (they named the climb Ozymandias). Chris, who had spent ten somewhat restless years at GGS (Timbertop helped give him a focus), was the eldest of the four sons (all OGGs) of Raymond Baxter (1902-1993), a leading consultant in banking, industry, and education, and Diana née Armit (Cl’38), a good historian who had been dux of Clyde for two years and also its school captain.

In 2007 Chris visited in Myanmar the grave of her brother Bill Armit, who had died in 1943 as a prisoner-of-war while working on the infamous Burma Railway.

She continues to sell Aboriginal art, trading as Raintree Art.

which Joyce has applied herself earned her widespread respect.”

Wing Commander Philip Arms (FB’88) was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC) in the 2010 Australia Day Honours “for outstanding achievement as Deputy Director, Aircrew Sustainability Project”.

Richard Weigall (Staff 1955-93) was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2010 Australia Day Honours “for service to children and adults with disabilities, particularly through the development of special education programmes, techniques, and materials”. Dick has dedicated more than 40 years to teaching those with disabilities. A volunteer tutor and member of staff at Barwon Valley School, he has helped develop special programmes, techniques, and materials. He has written much to help those with language-learning problems, has been a volunteer since 1968 at People Experiencing Learning Difficulties, and contributes to The Australian Journal of Dyslexia and other Learning Disabilities, of which he is assistant editor. He and his wife, Jan (Matron Glamorgan 1960-61, Bostock House 1972-81), are the parents of Philip (Fr’79), Derek (Fr’81), and Mark (Fr/L’85).

Dr Timothy Hannah (FB’64) was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2010 Australia Day Honours “for service to medicine as a general practitioner in the Katherine region”.

James Duff (A’95) was ordained Deacon in St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, Melbourne, in February 2010.

Ralph Hood (FB’66), who died of cancer in February, had an outstanding career in the meat industry. Peter Austin wrote in an obituary in The Land (11 March): “When he left Meat and Livestock Australia in 2000, Ralph held the distinction of being the longestserving executive of that organization and its forerunners. In 27 years in the red-meat bureaucracy, he played key offshore roles in the development of Australia’s lamb, beef, and live sheep exports, before taking up a senior head-office position. More recently, he headed up the Canberra-based Animal Health Australia (AHA), a joint government/industry body responsible for funding and managing a range of local and offshore programmes.” Ralph’s overseas postings were mostly to London, New York, Bahrain, and Tokyo. He retired as chief executive of AHA in August 2008. Surviving him are his wife, Patricia, and their daughter, Penny Robertson, and sons, David and Daniel.

Chris Burchett (M’67) has returned to Victoria after 40 years’ absence to be CEO of the recently formed Grampians Tourism Board, based in Hall’s Gap.

Edwina Barber (Ga’88) has written and illustrated It’s about time! (Oryx Publishing, Melbourne, 2009), an enchanting little book – her first, with a series intended – to “teach children about life” (in this case about clocks).

She is herself the mother of Valentina and Maximillian.

James Neville-Smith (P’88) in 2004 became CEO of Neville Smith & Co, the timber company (Australia’s largest regrowth hardwood producer) founded in 1924 by his grandfather.

Its story, and that of the family, is told in Timber by the Truckload by Marcella Hunter (Falcon Nominees, Melbourne, 2009), to which James contributed the concluding “Afterword”. An important figure in the second half of that story is Jo Breadmore (FB’55; Chairman of Council 1990-97), whose wife, Anne, is a daughter of the founder.

Amy Baillieu (Gl’94) is Junior Editor of the Australian Book Review.

Boris Johnson (Assistant, Timbertop, 1983), Nick Lord (Fr’95) is a director of Maxwell Collins Mayor of London and Conservative MP for Real Estate in Geelong.

Henley-on-Thames, is the author of The Nic Walker (FB’95) takes photographs regularly Dream of Rome (Harper Collins, 2006) – his interpretation of how the Romans not only published in The Australian Financial Review. achieved their great Empire but also created James Hocking (FB’96) is with the investment the sort of cultural and political identity that is bank UBS in Sydney, after two years with it proving elusive in Europe today. He is a former in New York. The birth of his and Catherine’s editor of The Spectator and writes regularly in second son is recorded below.

The Daily Telegraph.

Alexandra Hocking (He’99) has been an Aide to the Governor of Victoria since 2008, “privileged to meet some of society’s extraordinary people, particularly during the tragedies of Black Saturday”.

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Janet Paisley, mother of Roger Paisley (P’82), mother-in-law of Angus Borthwick (Cu’77), and sister of the late Hugh Ballantyne (Staff 1961), was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2010 Australia Day Honours “for service to the community, particularly through the Geelong Regional Auxiliary for Chaplaincy and Christian Religious Education”.

Merinda Edwards (Ga’05) in 2009 graduated BA in Urban and Regional Planning, with Honours, from the University of South Australia, which has awarded her a two-year postgraduate Professor Alan Pearson, father of the late scholarship towards a Higher Degree by Andrew Pearson (A’88) and of Stephenie Research – that of Master of Planning.

Pearson (A’90), was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2010 Australia Joyce Stewart (Matron of Barwon House 1941-42) was awarded the Medal of the Order Day Honours “for service to nursing as an educator and leader in the development of of Australia (OAM) in the 2010 Australia Day evidence-based health care and clinical best Honours “for service to the community of practice”.

Queenscliff through the promotion of local

history and heritage”. Since the establishment of the Queenscliffe Historical Society in 1963, she has been active in the preservation of the Borough of Queenscliffe’s history. In the 1980s she was president of the committee of management of the Queenscliffe Historical Museum, which in 1998 was registered by Museums Australia, and whose February newsletter commented: “Joyce Stewart’s advice and hands-on work as a volunteer contributed Jane Lewis (Fr’84), Steve Beaton, and their son, substantially to this recognition of the Museum Jack (born in 2006), have moved from Darwin as a significant regional cultural institution to Waubra and are enjoying semi-rural life. in Victoria. The intelligence and vigour with Rod Ramsay (T’80) has been appointed Assistant Principal and Head of Senior School at Plenty Valley Christian School, where he has taught for many years and where his and Vanessa’s eldest child, Benjamin, is school captain this year. Albeit very belatedly, we record below with great pleasure the births of their four children.

Lorraine O’Donnell (Staff, 1970-74), who died in December, was an assistant to the late Bruce Wicking (Staff, 1950-52 and 1962-73) in the introduction at Glamorgan of the Open System of Education as he saw it in the early days of the Pottery. A little later she was part-time Matron of Jennings (now The Hermitage) House in its first two years, 1976 and 1977. Much loved by many in our community, she was also the mother and grandmother of OGGs.

A book of much potential interest to OGGs, published in 2010 by Rosenberg Publishing, is The Women behind the Roses – those after whom the great rosarian Alister Clark named 65 of his roses. Most of the eponymous ladies, each of whom is the subject of a chapter, have had GGS connections, and nearly all, like the roses called after them, are well illustrated. It is the fruit of 25 years’ dedicated research by the authors, Tilley and Andrew Govanstone, and it nicely complements Man of Roses: Alister Clark of Glenara and his family (Kangaroo Press, Sydney, 1990) by T. R. Garnett (Head Master

1961-73). A second printing is under way.

Hope, a son, Angus Leigh, on 10 March 2009

Births

Pip Ainsworth (Fr’94) and Warren Jankowski, a son, Henry Warren, on 25 January 2010

Rebecca and Jamie Adamson (Cu’85), two sons, Foster Thomas on 12 September 2002 and Myles James on 9 September 2004, and a daughter, Sari Maree Ines, on 29 May 2007 Nina née Thomas (Cl’93) and Jonathan Anderson, a son, Charles William Manning, on 12 February 2010 Penny née Lowenstern (Staff 2002-) and Ben Apted (A’94), a son, Henry Edington Benjamin, on 25 March 2010 Annika O’Connell and Nick Ashton (P’99), a son, Myles Joseph, on 24 November 2009 Jessie and Duncan Barber (FB’88), a daughter, Maggie Louise, in December 2009 Susannah née Scott (Ga’93) and Timothy Barber (FB’84), a son, Monte Fox Scott, on 19 September 2009 Peta née Sherwood (Cl’90) and Karl Bates, a son, Edward Mellors (Ned), on 16 October 2009 Prue and Sam Bingley (M’94), a daughter, Grace Olivia, on 21 November 2009 Emma née Smithwick (He’97) and Jarrad Bourke, a son, James Peter, on 28 August 2009 Pennie née Lord (Fr’94) and Damian Bradford, a daughter, Summer Kate Lord, on 1 September 2009 Rhiannon Dent (Fr’01) and Chris Buckley Foster, two daughters, Isabella Rose on 7 November 2006 and Madeleine Lily on 28 September 2009 Kathryn née O’Neill (A’93) and Paul Burns, a daughter, Ruby Rae, on 6 November 2009 Emma and Hamish Cameron (FB’94), a daughter, Clio Jane, on 2 March 2010 Susie née Adamson (Cl’90) and David Cohen, two sons, Ned Adamson on 4 September 2004 and Harry Adamson on 31 July 2006, and a daughter, Milla Adamson, on 5 November 2009

Fiona Champion de Crespigny (Ga’97) and Stephen Jones, a son, William Russell, on 22 January 2010

John Bedggood (Cu’92) married Ainsley Boyd on 11 April 2009

Eve née Hewson (Cl’93) and Andrew MacDougall, a son, Charles Andrew Campbell, on 30 November 2009

Sophie Bingley (He’97) married Andrew Whitlock on 2 January 2010

Sally and Angus MacGowan, a daughter, Lily Grace, on 12 December 2009 Rachel Schutze and Richard Marles (P’84), a daughter, Georgia Pearce, on 14 January 2010 Natalie née Oates (A’92) and Fergus McColl (A’90), twin daughters, Poppy and Zahra, on 11 January 2008 Kirsty and Lachlan McColl (A’95), a son, Andrew, on 7 October 2009 Annabelle née Finlay (Cl’96) and James McDonald, a son, Harry James McDonald, on 25 January 2010 Catherine née Stoney (Cl’97) and Johnny Messum, a son, Rory Charles John, on 10 March 2010

Joanna and Bill Pincott (Cu’91), a daughter, Sophie Joanna, on 1 March 2010 Prue née Plowman (Cl’95) and Sam Pincott (Cu’95), a daughter, Abigail Prudence, on 3 January 2010

Amelia and Edward (Woody) Roydhouse, (Fr’98), a son, Oscar Thomas, on 9 January 2010

Jo and James Espie (Cu’90), two daughters, Molly Grace on 1 August 2006 and Coco Imogen on 18 November 2008

Liz and Richard Ruth (Cu’89), a son, Hugo Mark, on 27 October 2009

Catherine and James Hocking (FB’96), a son, Michael Sebastian, on 12 November 2009 Kanella née Smithwick (Je’92) and Darren

Belinda Birrell (A’00) married Tom Hutchinson on 24 October 2009 Nicola Dunn (A’99) married Philip Dyer on 9 January 2010 Alexandra Finlay (Cl’98) married Christopher Curtain (Hi’91) on 24 October 2009 James Gilham (Cu’93) married Virginia O’Loughlin on 4 January 2008 Natalie Grunden (Ga’96) married Paul Chiesa on 17 March 2009 Sarah Harvey (A’00) married Joel Armitage on 6 March 2010 Kevin Kang (M’90) married May Lynn on 13 December 2009 Alison Love (Fr’96) married Bradley McQualter on 14 March 2009

Amanda and Harry Moore (FB’94), a son, Maxwell James Derham, on 14 December 2009 David Murton (M’79) married Aimée de Celles on 24 April 2009 Aimée and David Murton (M’79), a daughter, Hanna Lily, on 5 October 2009 Kathryn O’Neill (A’93) married Paul Burns on 12

Michelle née John (A’89) and Mario Ermacora, a daughter, Francesca Marion, on 10 December 2009

Sarah née McIntosh (Cl’97) and Marcus Freeman, a daughter, Camilla Xenia, on 19 September 2009

Janey and Tim Westbury (Fr’90), a daughter, Jemma, on 9 January 2010

Kim and Stephen Lyons (Fr’87), a daughter, Coco Eva, on 1 June 2009

Jessica Scurry (Ga’94) and Cameron Donovan, a son, Francis Miles, on 2 October 2009

Angela née Granata (A’97) and Joe Fiala, a son, Francesco, on 16 November 2009

Georgie née Bundred (Ga’88) and Ben Vile, a daughter, Willa Phoebe Macleod, on 8 January 2010

Lisa née O’Neill (A’96) and Andrew Keeling, a daughter, Isabella Faith, on 30 July 2007, and a Atalanta née Fitzwilliams Hyde (Ga’90) and David Woodward, a daughter, Olympia Mitta, on son, Rupert Alexander, on 2 December 2009 11 December 2009 Sally and Andrew Lord (M’86), a daughter, Jemima Henrietta, on 15 November 2009 Marriages

Vanessa and Roderick Ramsay (T’80), a son, Benjamin, on 2 August 1992, a daughter, Megan, on 17 June 1995, a son, Jonathan, on 21 December 1998, and a son, Mitchell, on 8 March 2001

Nicola (Staff 2008-) and Paul (Staff 2008-) Evison, a daughter, Amy Charlotte, on 8 January 2010

Thatima and Michael Vella (Bl’02), a son, Waan, on 9 April 2009

Rachel Greyson and Rob Scurry (Cu’97), a daughter, Amelia Rose, on 11 December 2009 Ange (Staff 2008-) and Andy Stephenson, a daughter, Summer Paige, on 14 January 2010 Kimba née Squire-Wilson (He’93) and Andrew Thomas, a daughter, Amber Raeburn, on 18 October 2009 Emily and Nicholas Treweeke (P’93), a son, Hamish, on 18 February 2010 Simone and Mick Vaccari (M’98), a daughter, Stella Lucy, on 14 December 2009

December 2009

Lisa O’Neill (A’96) married Andrew Keeling on 3 December 2005

Deaths Suzanne Andersson née Sanderson (Clyde 1954-57) on 13 January 2010 Eric Anthony Nugent Avery (1952-55 at Glamorgan) on 30 December 2008 William John Barrett (1937-43) on 10 December 2009 Christopher Raymond Baxter OAM (1955-64) on 28 February 2010 Malcolm Rowlinson Browne (1950-51) on 20 November 2009 Edward Ashley Bryans (1943-50) on 23 March 2010 Humphrey Moule Champion de Crespigny (1936-38; Chairman of Clyde School Council 1969-71) in December 2009 Susan Graansma née Joyce (Clyde 1949-57) on 1 February 2010 Eric Provins Hall (1940-48) on 14 December 2009 Ralph Lionel Hood (1958-66) on 12 February 2010 37

Margaret Morag Macdonald née Macleod (The Joyce (later a nurse and mother) and Douglas (who became a distinguished orthopaedic Hermitage to 1928) on 26 May 2009 surgeon). From 1915-19 his father was an army Lorraine Marshall O’Donnell (Matron of chaplain and largely away. Ken remembered Glamorgan 1970-74; of Jennnings House partraids by Zeppelin bombers and watching cavalry time 1976-77) on 29 December 2009 training.

Robert Bruce Pie (1939) on 7 November 2009 After the war Ernest had a parish in Gerald William Riggall (Bill) Patterson (1935- Bedfordshire. Ken cycled daily to school in Luton and started boarding at Bedford School, 41) on 10 January 2010 but when, in 1921, all three children became Diana Margaret Robinson née Quinton (The seriously ill – he with rheumatic fever – it was Hermitage to 1948) on 15 October 2009 decided to seek a healthier life in Australia. Ken was not to see England again until he returned Shirley Shennan née James (The Hermitage as a bishop for the Lambeth Conference in 1940-43) on 11 December 2009 1968.

John Bentinck Speed (1949-55) on 9 January His father took parishes in Victoria, and from 2010 1922-28 Ken boarded at Trinity Grammar Henry Alfred Stapleton (1941-49) on 11 School, Kew, where he won prizes in literature September 2008 and theology, debated, edited the magazine, rowed in the first crew, and became (like his Gordon Allan Williams (1933-36) on 25 brother three years later) both dux and school November 2009 vice-captain.

The Right Reverend Ernest Kenneth Leslie, O.B.E.

Ken Leslie (GGS Staff 195358), who died on 6 January 2010, aged 98, after 75 years’ service in the Anglican ministry including 51 as a bishop, was the pioneering Chaplain of Timbertop through its first six years and had a great influence on both those who were there at the time and the enduring character of that highly innovative branch of the School. It was fitting that, in his last week at Timbertop, the Chapel of St John the Baptist that he had helped plan and build was consecrated. Before that he had become a legendary figure in the Northern Territory, and after it he was for 22 years a dedicated and much-loved Bishop of Bathurst, one of Australia’s largest dioceses, covering as it does some two-thirds of the area of New South Wales. He was down-to-earth and practical, yet sensitive to the currents of his time. His pronouncements were firm, sometimes critical, but always courteous and fair. He possessed in abundance the qualities of humour and courage, both physical and moral.

Having won a free place at the University of Melbourne, he went with a scholarship to Trinity College for five years – three years of Arts (English, Latin, Greek, psychology, logic, and ethics) and two of Theology. He rowed in premiership College crews, and the purchase of a secondhand motor-bike initiated him in roadside repairs. Later he was to build a caravan and a boat, and carpentry joined literature as a lifelong hobby.

Ordained deacon in 1934, priest in 1935, he served a curacy at Merlynstone, in spare time exploring bush country with friends including lifelong ones Ken Sillcock (also from Trinity Grammar), who has survived him, and Rolf Baldwin (GGS Staff 1940-71), who died in 2006. In 1935 he met Isabel Wilson, known as Bel, a Sunday School teacher, who became his first and lasting love. A long separation ensued when he responded to a call from the Bishop of Carpentaria and went to the Northern Territory.

During ten years there he was rector in turn of all three parishes, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs (twice), and Darwin, where he experienced the Japanese bombing attacks and became an army chaplain. In 1941 he and Bel were married in Alice Springs. From Darwin, heavily pregnant, she was evacuated to Melbourne Disclaiming pretensions to a powerful intellect (though in fact highly intelligent), he yet boasted after the early bombing. a strong pair of legs. These were tested in 1971 Ken’s ingenuity was severely tested on a Ford when he came to be known as “the bishop V8 utility which constantly broke down on the who walked” – the title of a biography by his rough roads of the outback. Soap might be used son Simon (GGS Staff 1988-97; Master of to block holes in the sump. Engine temperature Timbertop 1988-94). Over seven wintry days, was once controlled by a rope lubricated with sometimes through snow, he strode the 200 raspberry jam in place of a broken fan-belt. kilometres from Dubbo to Bathurst, raising A true pastor, he made friends everywhere money to reduce the debt on his cathedral. and developed a deep understanding of the Joined along the way by thousands, he raised Aboriginal and other people of the Territory. $60,000, and as a result All Saints’ Cathedral, In April 1942 twin sons were born in Melbourne, begun in 1927 but languishing unfinished Michael (P’58) and David. David lived for only through periods of drought, was completed. seven weeks, but their father saw them both Its consecration was one of Ken’s proudest during a brief leave. In 1944 he was in New moments.

Guinea, where for some weeks he walked the Born on 14 May 1911 in England at Hitchin, Kokoda Track, ministering to signallers who near London, to an Australian priest, Ernest were stationed at intervals along it. Kathryn Thomas Leslie (1877-1965), and his English (He’58) was born in 1945, Simon in 1952. wife, Margaret Jane née Maggs (1879-1982), From 1947-52 Ken was Vice-Warden of St known as Jenny, who had met as missionaries John’s (theological) College at Morpeth in in India, he was their second child, between the Newcastle diocese, lecturing, running 38

the manual work, and by his simplicity and directness influencing many young men. Then came Timbertop, in which Rolf Baldwin had interested him, and where he immediately established a rapport with Hugh Montgomery (GGS Staff 1941-68), its first Master (195362). It would be difficult to imagine a pair better suited to their complementary roles in Timbertop’s pioneering years. The great A-framed wooden Chapel, given by Miss Margaret McWhae in memory of three generations of her family, remains as a striking testament to the determination of Ken and the Headmaster (1930-61) and chief founder of Timbertop, Dr (later Sir) James Darling, that a chapel should become the heart of its community.

Having accepted election as Bishop of Bathurst, he was consecrated to the episcopate in St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney, on 2 February 1959 and enthroned next day in his own unfinished cathedral. Preaching at Ken’s funeral there nearly 51 years later, Bishop Richard Appleby stressed the power of his work as a caring, loving, and courageous shepherd: one who travelled light, was devoid of pretension, knew his flock and was always available, coped well with a changing Church, and had a great sense of humour and fun. He was “never a bishop who was full of his own self-importance …. (but) delighted to describe himself as ‘the bishop and diocesan mail-man’.

He always checked before leaving Bathurst if there were books, candles, and the like that he could deliver on his travels” – constant travels around some 40 parishes, involving about 60,000 kilometres a year visiting bush townships and isolated homesteads. He would drive at high speed, often singing hymns such as “Nearer, my God, to Thee” (a favourite which nervous passengers found all too appropriate) or producing from memory a rich store of poetry, particularly from Shakespeare and the Romantics. Around Bathurst itself he rode a bicycle.

His concern was always for the unity of a diocese – and a church – that could all too easily slide into isolated, even warring, factions.

In the Anglican spectrum he stood midway, loyal to tradition, friendly to those either more catholic or more protestant than himself, a protagonist of ecumenical understanding. He professed “the fullness of Christ” as against those who “have so concentrated on one aspect of the truth that they have magnified it into the whole truth”. In 1972 he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of his leadership in church and community. In 1996 Charles Sturt University conferred on him an honorary doctorate of letters.

With Bel, also widely revered and loved, he retired to Green Point on the coast north of Newcastle. Outliving her (she and his sister and brother all died in 1994), he spent his last years – increasingly blind and deaf, but characteristically positive – in the Ilumba Gardens retirement village in Bathurst. He is survived by Michael and Annette Leslie, Kathryn and (The Reverend) Chris Simon, Simon and Joy Leslie, eight grandchildren including Sam Leslie (M’03), Jessica Leslie (Hi’97), and Eleanor Leslie (He Yr11), and ten great-grandchildren.

Edward James (Jim) Winchester Jim Winchester (P’47; Staff 1948; Bursar and Secretary to the Council 1972-88; part-time Administrator and Secretary of The Old Geelong Grammarians and the Geelong Grammar Foundation 198996) came to the School in 1941, evacuated immediately from Scotland, where he had been at a preparatory school, but in effect from Malaya where his parents lived. An outstanding athlete and ball-games player, he was Senior Prefect in 1947 and also Captain of Perry House, Captain of Cricket, Captain of Football, a Cadet Lieutenant, and a leading chorister. Most of the following year he devoted to helping with sport and physical education, after which he was mostly in Malaysia – which he represented in both Cricket and Rugby (in the latter as a State captain and later a referee) – pursuing a business and administrative career until his return to GGS in 1972 as Bursar and Secretary to the Council in succession to Peter Desborough, who had held those posts since 1954. Retiring from them in September 1988, Jim then served as Secretary of the OGGs and the Foundation until June 1996. His quiet efficiency ensured the smooth running of his successive areas of responsibility, and his loyalty and dedication to the School were absolute.

Born on 28 August 1928, he came from Scottish stock and was the elder son of Dr John Wishart Winchester, known as Jock, and his wife, Isabella Easson Methven née Edward, known as Belle, of Singapore and other parts of South-East Asia, later of Omagh, Northern Ireland, and brother of the late Robin Winchester (Co’51). In 1953, in the School Chapel, he married Margaret Rees, who was secretary to Doug Fraser MC (Staff 1931-63) as Master of Junior School. Margaret, who later assisted similarly in the Music School, has long herself, like Jim, been a much-loved member of our community. Together, in Malaysia, they were hosts to visiting GGS parties. They had three sons – Richard, Simon (FB/L’75), and Michael (P/L’78) – all of whom spoke movingly of their father at his funeral service in All Saints’, Newtown, where Jim had long been a member of the choir, singing tenor and later alto.

His other interests included fishing, flying, golf, and bridge. He died in Geelong, after a long illness with a rare form of Parkinson’s Disease, on 22 March 2010.

The Reverend Peter Ashley Thomson, A.M. Peter Thomson (GGS Staff 1959, 1969-72, 1974-83; Chaplain of Timbertop 196972, 1975-83; Master of Timbertop 1975-83), who died of emphysema on 16 January 2010, has been the subject of obituaries in many of the world’s newspapers because of his influence on the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a result of their going up to St John’s College, Oxford, at the same time in October 1972. Blair was then 19, and Peter, aged 36, although (in Oxford terms) an

undergraduate, became an important mentor.

In the words of Blair’s biographer Dr Anthony Seldon (the present Master of Wellington College in England), “Thomson gave Blair the confidence to be the person he was feeling his way towards becoming”. He had a similar influence on others, not least at GGS, and another of his Oxford contemporaries who has acknowledged Peter’s importance in the direction of his life is the former Premier of Western Australia Geoff Gallop. Together they represented a revival of the Christian socialism popular half a century earlier and associated particularly with Archbishop William Temple, an important mentor of Sir James Darling (Headmaster 1930-61), who first appointed Peter to the GGS Staff in 1959.

The Corian of September 1983 carried eloquent tributes to his influence at the School. Michael Merrylees (Cu’85; Staff 1995-99) wrote: “I can only speak from one year’s experience, like any other who has been a boy or girl at Timbertop, but in that time I saw him work (chop, split, and cart wood, for instance), hike, run, and play harder and with more enthusiasm than any of us. He preached, bellowed, laughed, taught, ranted and raved – all with such determination and power as I’ve never seen before. Bad manners, selfishness, and bullying he would never tolerate, and there were all too many times during the year when he made his feelings abundantly clear. But his praise was just as great, for anyone who deserved it. Not once did he leave the Chapel pulpit without leaving us stunned, ashamed, inspired, or overwhelmed.”

Born on 19 March 1936, he was the second of four children of a Melbourne estate agent, George Thomson, and his wife, Madelaine, of Brighton. Leaving Brighton Grammar School at 16, he was for a time rent-collector in his father’s business and then entered Ridley College to study Theology. Already a strong radical streak was evident when he spent some months on the GGS Staff in 1959, later in which year he was ordained deacon, with priestly ordination following in 1960. His first curacies were at the Melbourne Diocesan Centre (1959-61) and Sunshine (1961-62). At St Alban’s, North Melbourne, he brought jazz music into services and met Helen Sumpter, whom he married in 1961 and with whom he had five children: Damian (Cu/L’80), Serena (Je’80), Luke (Cu’82), Christian (Cu’82), and Quentin (Cu’84).

After Adelaide and work in residential university communities in Melbourne, Peter went to England in 1996 to help Tony Blair, who became Prime Minister the next year. As vicar of St Luke’s, West Holloway, and chaplain to the Bishop of Stepney, he developed the Community Action Network – and then returned to Melbourne in 2001 to be chaplain of the important Anglican welfare agency the Brotherhood of St Laurence. This ministry he continued part-time until ill-health led in 2008 to his retirement to his farm near Mansfield.

In 2005 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) “for service to the community through support of projects to assist and improve social justice and community development”.

In England from 1962-64, serving in the diocese of Ely, he was a curate at Fen Ditton and then vicar of Upwood with Great and Little Raveley. While vicar of a struggling suburban parish in Melbourne, St James, East Thornbury (1964-65), he taught maths at the local high school so that his clerical stipend could go back to the church; but this was not appreciated by the diocesan authorities, and for some years he worked as a real-estate agent in the family business.

In 1969 his life took a decisive turn when he began what transpired to be a first period, until August 1972, as Chaplain of Timbertop.

Another headmaster of GGS – this time Tommy Garnett (1961-73) – was persuaded

by Archbishop Frank Woods (President of Council 1957-77) and by Peter’s own charm and idealism that he and the School could work fruitfully together. This they did for the next nearly 15 years punctuated by Peter’s two-year absence at Oxford, to read the Honour School of Theology (relishing life there while missing his family dreadfully; at St John’s he had rooms regularly visited by the ghost of Prince Rupert of the Rhine), after which he had a term as a Chaplain back at Corio and, having deeply impressed a third headmaster, Charles Fisher (197478), returned to Timbertop not only as Chaplain but also as Master (now called Head) – remaining there until he left in May 1983 to be Master of St Mark’s College in the University of Adelaide, where he stayed (greatly loving Adelaide) until 1990.

On his election as leader of the Labour Party in 1994, Tony Blair said: “If you want to understand what I’m all about, you have to look at a guy called John Macmurray. It’s all there.” For his involvement in the application of essentially family virtues – mutual affection and respect between members – to social contexts, Peter Thomson might well have said something similar. Already deeply imbued with Macmurray’s thought, he called, during a visit to Scotland with Blair and Gallop in 1974, on the octogenarian Macmurray in Edinburgh, where their guru had been Professor of Moral Philosophy. A critic of the egocentric tendency of Cartesianism (preferring “I do, therefore I am” to the famous Cogito, ergo sum) and a counterpoint to the influence of F. A. Hayek and Milton Friedman in the 1980s – the Thatcher years – Macmurray’s influence has been theologically towards action rather than belief and politically towards cooperation between the individual and society (neither being predominant) in personal relationships. For his disciple Peter Thomson, friendship was always crucial.

Peter’s funeral, at which Geoff Gallop spoke, was appropriately held in the Chapel of St John the Baptist at Timbertop and conducted by the Reverend Jeff O’Hare (Cu’79; Chaplain 200306), whose life Peter had influenced and who had followed him not only on to the GGS staff but also as a chaplain of the Brotherhood of St Laurence.

39

Administration, Senior & Middle School 50 Biddlecombe Avenue Corio Victoria Australia 3214 Tel: +61 3 5273 9200 Fax: +61 3 5274 1695 Timbertop Campus Timbertop Private Bag Mansfield Victoria Australia 3722 Tel: +61 3 5733 6777 Fax: +61 3 5777 5772 Toorak Campus 14 Douglas Street Toorak Victoria Australia 3142 Tel: +61 3 9829 1444 Fax: +61 3 9826 2829 Bostock House Campus 139 Noble Street Newtown Victoria Australia 3220 Tel: +61 3 5221 7760 Fax: +61 3 5221 7602 Website: www.ggs.vic.edu.au Email: lightblue@ggs.vic.edu.au Editor: Brendan McAloon Photography: Darren Apps Sally Anne Ashton James Calvert-Jones Justin Corfield Mike Gregory Andrew Grevis-James Linda Hartskeerl Tony Inkster Rev’d Hugh Kempster Richard Kumnick Allison Pasznyk Stephen Pearce Stephen Solomonson Katie Rafferty Drew Ryan Zai Qin Sun Layout & Page Design: Kate Dewey Printing: Adams Print CRICOS No. 00143G

1 Commemorating

Charles Hawker

(This article, which was inadvertently truncated during production of our last issue, is now published in full with one correction.)

Charles Allan Seymour Hawker (G.G.S. 190513) was one of the School’s greatest Old Boys – and an irreparable loss to Australia when he was killed at the age of 44 in the crash of the Kyeema on Mount Dandenong on 25 October 1938, one of Australia’s worst air disasters. At GGS he is commemorated in the Hawker Library (which by a munificent bequest he endowed), at St Mark’s College in the University of Adelaide

by Hawker House, at the Waite Institute for Agricultural Science in Adelaide by a lecture theatre, at Burgmann College in the Australian National University by a room with wheel-chair access, by a Federal electorate, and – perhaps most importantly – by the Charles Hawker Scholarships that enable holders to have the benefit of college life while studying at an Australian university or agricultural college or at Cambridge.

Outstanding during the last years of the Old School in Geelong as scholar, athlete, prefect, and librarian, he went on to Trinity College, Cambridge, to read history. His time there was interrupted by the Great War in which he served as an officer in the Somerset Light Infantry, was severely wounded thrice, and lost his left eye in one of 14 operations and later, after being paralysed from the waist down, almost all of the use of his legs. After further operations and prolonged convalescence he returned to Cambridge in a wheelchair, crammed a year’s work into four months, and achieved the highest honours in the historical tripos of 1919.

Back in his native South Australia he ran his own property, Dillowie, became president of the Liberal Foundation, and in 1929 was elected to represent Wakefield in the House of Representatives. He became Minister for Markets and Repatriation in the Lyons government in January 1932 – a portfolio renamed Commerce three months later. In September that year he resigned from the government on an issue of conscience, and for the next six years, while continuing to serve his

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information printed in this edition of Light Blue. If an error has occurred, please accept our apologies and contact the Community Relations Office on tel: +61 3 5273 9349

electorate, studied the condition of the world (not least in Germany, Russia, and Japan, all of which he visited) and was prescient about what was to come. As early as 1935 there were suggestions that he should be prime minister – one who could command the respect of all political parties; but it was not to be.

Much has been written about him (Sir Keith Hancock called him “the best that an Australian can do or be”, a sentiment echoed by Sir James Darling), and his sister Lilias Needham wrote his biography. She also endowed the memorial scholarship, and in 2008 its trustees – his nephew, Charles Hawker (P’65), and Andrew Hawker (M’72) – organized a week-end to celebrate it. It is focussed on scholarship, patriotism, and the land, and the 2008 scholarships were presented during the celebration by the Hon David Hawker (M’67), MHR for Wannon, former Speaker, and a fourthgeneration Hawker in an Australian state or federal parliament since Charles’s grandfather George Charles Hawker first settled at Bungaree in 1841. Former scholars (who include OGGs) came from all over Australia for the celebration and to see the new scholars receive their awards. At a church service thanks were given for Charles Hawker’s noble life.

A second commemoration, organized by the Mount Dandenong Historical Society, was held on the 70th anniversary of the Kyeema crash, when the 18 people killed in it were remembered at a gathering near the site. It was attended, along with many others including me,

by Mary van Dissel née Hawker (Cl’60), her two sons and brother, Charles, and David Hawker, who spoke. Air Cadets of the Australian Air League held a commemorative ceremony, and the event concluded with a fly-over salute by an historic TAA DC3 aircraft. Thanks were given that the disaster led to a vast improvement in aviation safety, making Australian airways among the safest in the world.

Michael Collins Persse