Clan | Edition #137

UNITING THE SCOTCH COMMUNITY

Vision without action is a dream

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Clan is a periodic news pictorial for the Scotch College community.

Clan © Scotch College 2024

Editor: Geraldine Capogreco

Design: PaperScout

The Age of AI in education has arrived

School Captain

Lego League

Educating boys

What really matters is parental choice, not politically correct misplaced homogeneity

Dr. Alec O’Connell Headmaster

The current agenda focussing on Independent schools, in particular single gender boys’ schools, and why we shouldn’t have them is nothing new and has been played out in some mainstream press for many years.

Another revolving tiresome rhetoric is complaining about the funding of Independent and Catholic schools.

Political activists against Independent schools, such as the Save Our Schools movement (SOS), cannot leave the Independent school bashing alone. The SOS website highlights that they strive for a high-quality public education system that: ensures that all children receive the education necessary for a full adult life and to be active citizens; achieves social equity in education outcomes; and sustains a democratic and socially tolerant society. I agree with all these principles. My personal view is like the old saying, ‘when the tide rises all boats go with it’, and this applies to all schools. Society will be better for all schools, through funding and support, not through unnecessarily positioning one sector against another. This is where they miss the main game. The core issue is highlighted by Professor Pasi Sahlberg in stating that “equity and

excellence are inseparable. Governments must work out how to deliver this.”

The SOS principles can be achieved by not having cheap shots about the PISA performance of Independent schools such as on their current website. Sadly, what they fail to understand is that most families chose Independent schools for a lot more than results, and furthermore taxpayers have a right to choose whether to spend their discretionary tax-payer dollars on their child’s education.

Based on their latest data from 2022 / 2023, here are just a few of the basic facts about Independent Schools:

• There are 1216 Independent schools across Australia with an average enrolment of 590 students.

• The median average school fee of Independent schools is $5,537

• The source of funding for Independent schools is 52% from private sources and 48% from all government sources.

• Parents and local school communities contribute $8.9 billion to recurrent and capital operations.

• Governments save an estimated $5.7 billion in funding due to contributions of Independent schools families.

• Capital funding comes from 86% private sources, 8% State and Territory governments, 6% Australian Govt Grants Programme.

• 4% are single-gender boys, 6% singlegender girls, 90% co-educational.

• Enrolment growth of 3.8% of 716,848 students, 19,299 indigenous, 4,352 overseas, 15,204 boarding, 157,000 requiring support

• Independent schools employ about 19.6% of all teachers in Australia.

• 121,941 teaching and non-teachers work in Independent schools.

If anyone is interested in reading further about many of the myths peddled about Independent schools, they may wish to access information on the Independent Schools Australia (ISA) site at https://isa.edu. au/our-sector/about-independent-schools/ myth-busting/

Unfortunately, a lot of armchair critics not only struggle with Independent and/or single-gender schools, they also cannot accept the fact that Independent schooling is not only important and necessary for a strong educational landscape, but is in fact growing and flourishing in Australia.

It is tedious listening to the sad annual ongoing rhetoric of these critics when all they need to understand is that parental choice is what truly matters. They also need to come to grips with a very simple metric –no government, state or federal, could ever afford to fill the enrolment void that would be left if there was no government support for Independent schools; not to mention the impossible financial (Capital and Recurrent) burden governments would face to educate all children, and provide the facilities to cater for all students.

Having said this, I am a great supporter of state school education, some truly great teachers and leaders, have spent their career in state schools. Scotch is surrounded by terrific state primary and secondary schools. Many families choose to stay in their local high school for personal reasons that are just as valid and important, because it represents parental choice, a key metric for a healthy community.

Choice is important for many reasons:

• Diverse learning styles and unique learning preferences such as formal versus more flexible environments. Having a range of schools and structures allows a family to find a learning context which suits their needs.

• Tailored learning opportunities offered by different schools allow specific interests and talents to be catered for, whether they are mathematical, sporting, vocational, theatrical or other. Genuine choice allows families to tailor their child’s educational needs.

• A diversity of options supports inclusivity so that students from various backgrounds, academic abilities, and personal needs can be catered for.

• Choice provides the opportunity to address very specific individual needs such as learning support for any disabilities, or language barriers requiring individualised attention and a focus of resources to address those needs.

• Homogeneity of schooling options can lead to a non-competitive environment. Competition, even within a state education system promotes innovation, including a culture of continual curriculum improvement, as well as focussing on teaching methods to attract and retain students.

Having an option of the best fit type of school may result in greater parental empowerment, engagement, and ownership.

In essence, parental choice in education enforces a very simple fact; every student is unique and has the right to an educational environment that best meets their needs and aspirations.

Of course, one of the most vexed issues for several commentators in today’s climate is that of single-gender. Much is written and argued fervently about this topic. Here are some of the key discussion points:

• Academically, single-sex schools have a long-standing tradition, but research shows that academic outcomes are not significantly different between single-sex and co-ed schools. A student’s social class background has a more substantial impact on academic achievement than the type of school they attend. The everrecurring myth that single-sex education is better for girls and co-ed is better for boys is a convenient truth that gets rolled-out with very little empirical causal data.

• Advocates argue that single-sex schools can break down gender stereotypes such as girls in singlesex schools may feel less pressure to compete with boys in traditionally maledominated subjects like math and science and that boys in single-sex schools may find it easier to pursue traditionally ‘feminine’ interests such as music, or drama or poetry.

• Curriculum choice is also a matter for consideration. Co-educational schools often offer a broader range of subjects and extra-curricular activities. Some classes may not be feasible in single-sex schools due to limited student numbers. Co-ed schools may be seen to provide a learning context where students can interact with peers of both genders fostering a more inclusive and diverse learning environment.

In summary, while both single-gender and co-ed schools have their merits, the key lies in offering choice. One of the most rolled-out arguments against single-gender education is that life is co-ed so schools should be too. This is not only simplistic but does not account for the way single-gender schools address gender diversity and interaction via their programmes and other co-curricular pursuits.

Remember that single-sex schools vary widely in their educational philosophies, traditions, and focus. These examples showcase the diversity of options available to students seeking a specific type of learning environment. Consequently, what are some of the perceived advantages of single-sex schools?

• Level playing field for girls. In mixedgender classrooms, boys often dominate due to their numerical majority. Singlesex schools provide a more balanced environment, allowing girls to participate actively. Some research supports the fact that in single-gender schools some girls perform better in STEM subjects.

• Reduced distractions, especially during teenage years, is another common argument in support of single-gender. Eliminating possible relationship distractions allows students to focus more on learning.

• Tailored instruction could also prove to be a side benefit of single-gender schools. Boys and girls may learn differently, and single-sex schools can tailor teaching methods accordingly. Teachers can address gender-specific learning styles effectively. Furthermore, unknowingly a

student’s confidence and social skills may improve thus impacting on future relationship-based interactions.

While single-sex education has its advantages, like co-education and different sectorial options, it’s essential to offer a variety of educational choices to meet diverse student needs.

Growing up, I commenced my own education in a co-ed Catholic primary school in the UK in 1965. When I arrived in Western Australia in 1970, I begged my parents not to send me to the local Holy Family Catholic parish school which had three classrooms along a veranda with no playing fields and a lot of bitumen. As a result of my pleading, I spent three wonderful years at a state co-educational school, Como Primary, of which I have very fond memories. I later attended a singlegender senior school, St Norbert College, which became co-ed when I was in Year 11.

Finally, I sent my two children to coeducational Catholic primary and then secondary schools, based upon the logistical family convenience of having both at the same school.

So, where does all this lead to? Essentially, a balanced approach to societal educational offerings, including both co-education and single-sex schools, ensures that parents can find the best fit for their child’s unique learning journey.

Those who continue to denigrate singlegender, or Independent education should be seen for what they are; narrow minded, in some cases bigoted individuals who for some reason cannot accept that in a truly rich, vibrant, and progressive educational environment, there is still only one thing that truly matters – and that is parental choice.

Let’s hope the constant irrational bleating of these detractors will be seen for what it is, and not as an intellectual argument for why Independent or single-gender schools should not be supported.

Such emotional and biased rhetoric should never be afforded any serious credibility within the Australian educational landscape.

Students from Scotch and PLC support one another during the 50 Mile Walk

A Lasting Legacy –Vale Julie Dickinson

27 May 1936 – 17 May 2023

Dr.

Alec O’Connell Headmaster

As most of the community will be aware, in 2023, after a brave fight, we lost one of the truly great members of our Scotch community, Mrs Julie Dickson, wife of our fifth Headmaster Bill Dickinson. Mrs Dickinson’s legacy at Scotch is significant, and we are reminded of her and her family often, not least via the DC (Dickinson Centre), a seminal facility at our College that does so much to bring the community together, and through one of our major Year 11 scholarships.

Julie joined the Scotch community in 1972 and while she understood the role to support Mr Dickinson and help fulfil various social roles, she also established new expectations for a Headmaster’s wife. In her own right Julie was a very independent and successful professional. Her son Adam said in his eulogy, she stood alongside her husband and was responsible for making him a better Headmaster through her views and interests in the wider world. The days of the Headmaster’s wife only playing a supporting role were over.

Julie began her career as a Social Worker with the Mental Hygiene Department in Melbourne and at her time of passing she was still very active in community support work having had

a strong relationship with Curtin University and the Social Work programme. Another of Julie’s significant passions was for the Bhutanese community – their spirituality and their humility, qualities she demonstrated every day. Her involvement in the WA Art Gallery was also a catalyst for the College’s art acquisition policy and initiated the significant art collection now held by the College.

In recent years, Mrs Dickinson travelled to the Edinburgh Tattoo to see the Scotch Pipe Band perform and one of her final major roles, alongside two of her fellow Headmaster’s wives, Joan Syme and Janny O’Connell, was to officially open the upgrade and extension to the Gooch Pavilion on October 15, 2021.

Until her passing last year, we were fortunate to have Julie on the WR Dickinson scholarship panel, providing a deep and meaningful connection back to the years of Bill’s tenure. Julie stayed in contact with the Dickinson scholarship recipients after they left Scotch College, always interested in their progress.

Julie will forever remain in our minds and hearts, and we give thanks that we had her presence and for her legacy at Scotch.

Applications for this year’s WR Dickinson and PC Anderson Scholarships for current Year 11 students close on 24 May and the winners will be announced at the final Senior School assembly of Autumn Term.

Headmaster Dr. Alec O’Connell together with Julie Dickinson and 2022 recipients of the WR Dickinson and PC Anderson Scholarships Charles McCarthy and Lochie Elliott and OSC President Aaron McDonald.

Julie Dickinson and Headmaster Bill Dickinson enjoying Scottish dancing at the Highland Games.

Time to redraw your picture of God?

Revd Gary van Heerden Chaplain

Fewer Australians are identifying as Christians and more are claiming to have no religion. In the last three censuses (2011, 2016, 2021), Christians have decreased from 61% to 40% and Australians reporting no religion have risen from 22% to 40%.

Just as Christian belief was once passed down through the generations, the baby boomers’ rejection of organised religion has gained momentum among their Millennial children and Generation Z.

Being Chaplain at Scotch College at such a time is interesting, challenging and a privilege in equal measure! Some weeks when assemblies, Chapels and Kirk@scotch1 align, I share six reflections. In this increasingly secular context, where many have lost a sense of the sacred, I have had to reassess

what I believe about God, and this has involved a redrawing of my picture of God.

The picture we have of God has a direct impact on how we live. Over the ages, so many atrocities have been committed in the name of God. As Franciscan priest Richard Rohr asserts, ‘we become like the God we worship’. Raised in a conservative, Afrikaansspeaking church in South Africa, God was always a vengeful, angry being, who controls events from up there somewhere. While such a theistic understanding of God may have been helpful at the beginning of my journey of faith, it leaves too many glaring contradictions and unanswered questions to sustain a healthy spirituality. Most of us know, or at least have a sense, that God must be something different than an old man in the sky.

In trying to make sense of God, it is important to remember that theism, this view of a God out there somewhere, is a human construction. God, by definition, is always beyond definition! Any language we use in speaking about God is only metaphor – it points to what is beyond itself. No words or picture of God will ever be sufficient to contain the Great Mystery that is God.

For many people, the end of the theistic picture of God is the end of faith, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Letting go of this view of God has taken me a while, but it has been so liberating. One of the best

things in opening myself up to alternative views of God has been the freedom that this has brought. When God is no longer that old man in the sky, we start to encounter God in all sorts of unexpected ways, in unexpected places, and through people we least expect.

We can then start seeing God as the source of all life, and we worship this God by living; God as the source of all love, and we worship God by loving; God as the ground of our being, and we worship God by having courage to be all that we can be.

As we expand or redraw our picture of God, we embrace new understandings of God and open ourselves up to new experiences of God. What an adventure! May each of us get a sense of God in ourselves, in others, all around us.

1 Kirk@scotch is a 30-minute service, on the first and third Saturdays in term, from 5-5.30pm. Based on the format of services at the Taize Community in France, a team of Scotch boys and PLC girls lead the chants.

Kirk dates for the rest of the year: April 20th, May 4th and 18th, Aug 3rd, Sept 7th, October 19th, Nov 2nd, 16th and 30th. All are welcome.

Council Strong enrolments for 2025 and beyond

Mr Tim Wiese Chair of Council

Like many such bodies, the Scotch Council takes a recess over Christmas and New Year so members can enjoy a break and spend time with friends and family.

I hope you all had similar opportunity for a period of rest and refreshment. With the return of students, the College has again burst into life, and the Council members have resumed their duties in overseeing the governance of the College.

I’m pleased to welcome a new member to Council, Mr Ben Macnamara. He is a former Scotch student (OSC 1996), having attended as a boarding student with strong regional ties to the WA wheatbelt. Ben is a current Scotch parent, with a son in Year 7 and (hopefully) a future enrolment to come. Many will know Ben as CEO of CBH Group, having joined them in 2014 in a senior operations role, becoming COO in 2020. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and is a Chartered Accountant. Prior to working in agribusiness, Ben had 10 years as an associate director for professional services firm PwC, and then joined Gresham Advisory Partners, an independent advisory and funds management firm. I look forward to working with him.

Council has also renewed the terms of two members of Council in Mr Alan Murray and Mr Roy Kelley (OAM). While we need to refresh and renew Council periodically with new members as needs arise, I’m very pleased to be able to retain members of this calibre.

Alan is Deputy Chair of Council, and Chair of the Risk Committee. He recently retired from practicing law with King & Wood Mallesons where he specialised in corporate and resources work. Alan is a past parent and proud OSC, also representing Council on the OSC committee.

Council was privileged to have Roy Kelley join us following his retirement after a long career

as an educator, culminating in an 11 year term as Headmaster at Melbourne Grammar School. Roy’s contributions to Scotch are many, with his experience and perspective providing guidance and wisdom to any conversation.

Enrolments at Scotch are very strong, at or close to capacity in most year groups. Confirmed numbers are already high for 2025 and beyond. This is a great position for the College to be in, and is a strong indicator of how Scotch and its academic, pastoral and co-curricular programmes are perceived in the wider community. Council takes great care when setting fees to balance the desire to keep the impost on parents to a minimum, while maintaining our wide range of programmes for students, and retaining and rewarding our valuable staff. By necessity, we must strive to create and reserve a surplus of funds for current and future capital expenditure, as well as ensuring we continue to attract and retain quality staff through competitive salaries and conditions. Salaries is the College’s most significant expenditure item making up approximately 70% of our recurrent expenditure. It’s fair to say that at present enrolment levels, we would like to be producing a greater surplus than we are currently seeing. Higher expenses are putting pressure on many household and

business budgets at the moment and Scotch is no exception. We are actively looking for areas where we can achieve efficiencies.

As students and parents, you will not see any change to the quality of the programmes delivered, but by 2025, we expect real improvements to the bottom line.

Capital expenditure is to be modest, but impactful. The Junior School Landscaping project is on track to be finished at the end of Summer Term. It will improve physical links between the Junior and Middle Schools and contains some fantastic new outside learning and play spaces. We are currently embarked on a bottom up review of the Masterplan. While still to be finalised, it will have a strong focus on refurbishment of existing structures, with M-block to be first in line. This building is a historic one, for decades being the face of ‘the School on the Hill’. Works are expected to commence in 2025.

Lastly, I wish the Headmaster a fulfilling sabbatical, to be commenced in autumn term. Mr Brad Gill, Head of Middle School, is to assume the Headmaster’s role in Alec’s absence. It demonstrates great resilience in the strength of our leadership team to have staff willing and able to step into the Headmaster’s role. I thank Brad in advance and look forward to Alec’s return, refreshed and with some new learnings.

Foundation Foundation and Council: A close relationship for good management

Mr John Flecker Chair of Foundation

For example, we discuss:

• The College’s overall current financial position

• Enrollment numbers and trends

• New learning initiatives (such as Scotch Global)

• Overall masterplan and timing of potential capital works

I hope it gives Foundation Members and the whole College family comfort that the College is so professionally managed via Council, its Finance and Planning and other Committees and the College Executive. Also, that there is appropriate information exchange and alignment of values and intent between those bodies and Foundation albeit each have their own remits.

At the beginning of the year Foundation met with the College Council’s Finance & Planning Board. This is a relatively recent annual initiative and is a very valuable exchange.

Foundation is an independent body, operation under its own constitution. However, given its fundamental purpose is to support the College, it is important that Foundation is aware of opportunities and challenges facing

• Potential future opportunities and challenges

Similarly, it is helpful for Finance & Planning to be aware of what Foundation is doing:

• Current assets and how they are invested (approx. $47m at end of 2023)

• Current loan to the College for capital works (approx. $10m)

• Forecast expenditure directly to and in support of the College (approx. $500k in 2024)

In April it will be 40 years since the College purchased Moray, our Outdoor Education property at Dwellingup. Moray is a well utilised facility that many students and parents from the past 40 years have fond memories of. As you can see below, our annual appeal will focus on raising funds to revitalise aspects of this facility and I strongly encourage you to support this project.

As the year progresses, I will update readers on Foundation activities in future editions of Clan.

Respect the climb, march as one

David Walton Captain of School

It is hard to believe that the 2024 academic year is already halfway through.

Summer Term has been far from quiet with a range of different exciting opportunities and experiences. At the beginning of the year, I introduced the theme for 2024, as decided by the Year 12 leadership group: ‘Respect the climb, march as one.’ This theme was designed to encapsulate what it means to be a Scotch College student. The first part of the theme, ‘respect the climb,’ acknowledges that school life, like climbing a mountain, can be quite challenging. However, when we ‘march as one’ our strengths accumulate, and we take one more step on the path of progress.

I think the best embodiment of this theme thus far has come from our swim team who took home, for the second year in a row,

the prestigious Tregonning Cup, a feat not performed since 1949/50. Whilst we do have some extraordinary swimmers, challenging events such as the Inter-School Swimming Carnival cannot be won by just one person, it can only be achieved by a group working in unison, marching as one.

As a College, we have always sought to strengthen the bonds of unity amongst our House groups, particularly through the week-long Year 9 Rottnest Camp. However, this also allowed for a new addition to the Student Leadership Programme as the House Captains and I were fortunate enough to be able to go over to Rottnest for the day. We snorkelled, made creative beach art, learnt about Rottnest history, played beach games, and explored the Rottnest ecosystem within our own House groups. It was a terrific experience as we learnt more about the Year 9s and conversely, they got to learn more about us.

In addition to this, as part of our Student Leadership Programme, we reignited our leadership meetings with the Year 12 leaders at PLC. We brainstormed new ways for our schools to engage with one another as well as reflecting on existing events such as World’s Greatest Shave and the always, much-anticipated Scotch vs PLC netball game. These leadership meetings have been extremely helpful, and it is something

which we are looking to implement on a termly basis.

As a school, we also celebrated and paid special mention to the women in our lives at our International Women’s Day assemblies. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend both the Middle School and Senior School assembly. It was very nice to watch a video tribute of the Middle School boys acknowledging women who have inspired them in their lives, as well as listening to Hon Justice Larissa Strk talking about overcoming adversity and the role young men play in empowering women everywhere.

This term has flown past and I am eager for what the rest of the year has to offer.

International Women’s Day was celebrated at assemblies across the sub-schools

Rottnest gave House Captains a good opportunity to get to know the Year 9s

and Learning

A community of lifelong learners

Mr Richard Spence Director of Teaching and Learning

As part of the regular five year cycle of review, our International Baccalaureate primary years’ programme (PYP) which covers the Junior School curriculum, and the middle years programme (MYP) in our Middle School were recently evaluated by a team of international educators.

The review found that the learning environment and educational leadership in both sub-schools was outstanding, and that the teachers, parents and students interviewed as part of the process shared a commitment to a learning culture that nurtures enquiry, curiosity and places the student at the centre of the process.

As a relatively new member the Scotch family, the IB Evaluation process was hugely valuable in allowing me to discuss and reflect on our achievements over the past 5 years with the many stakeholders that make Scotch College the centre of excellence it is today.

Most notably however, when conducting class visits as part of the evaluation process, I was able to go into many classrooms and observe the outstanding work by classroom teachers that takes place day in day out at Scotch. In every classroom I visited, I saw established processes and procedures, clarity of purpose and intentionality in the range learning activities utilised, and a consistently nurturing and supportive environment in which every boy is known and valued.

It is clear that we are blessed with excellent classroom practitioners across our College, and part of my role as Director of Teaching and Learning is to provide opportunities to further develop our teachers’ skills.

The vital importance of the classroom teacher in promoting student learning is well established by decades of educational research. There is so much input a teacher has on a daily basis, from delivering curriculum content in a manner that caters to diverse learners, to breaking down complex concepts and providing appropriate feedback, and helping develop a wide range of transferrable skills. Moreover, teachers play crucial roles as mentors and role models for the students in their care.

Classroom teaching is highly complex and is never something that you can fully master; we are constantly refining and improving our practice. The challenge is to find time for this ongoing refinement of practice in such a busy place as Scotch College! This year we are prioritising peer observations as a means of promoting professional conversations and self-reflection.

Peer observations involve two or more teachers supporting each other’s professional growth by going into each other’s classrooms to look at a particular piece of practice that the observe would like some feedback on. The conversations before the observation, but especially afterwards, are seen by researchers such as Professor John Hattie as a particularly valuable tool in teacher professional development. Hattie states that what teachers think and believe is just as important as what teachers do, so the conversations where we listen to and learn from our peers are of significant value in our professional development.

As a potential focus for these observations staff have recently been presented with Barak Rosenshine’s ‘Principles of Instruction’. This piece of educational research is now used extensively worldwide as an accessible and intuitive bridge between educational research and the realities of the classroom. Rosenshine used the findings of cognitive science, key elements of educational research, and observations of the practices of master teachers to produce a set of principles that could help guide effective classroom teaching. These principles can be synthesized into four key areas:

• retrieval practice

• effective questioning

• the sequencing of new material into manageable chunks

• modelling (where students move from guided to independent practice).

Teachers could use these elements of pedagogy as the focus of the observation and the start of a conversation about the impact they are having on student learning.

Peer observations are not new at Scotch, but they remain an important way to continue to reflect on our practice and to grow collegial understanding and collective efficacy. We define ourselves at Scotch as a community of lifelong learners, committed to developing each and every member of our staff.

A central pillar of our strategic plan is excellence in teaching and learning. It is clear from the feedback from our International Baccalaureate evaluation that this excellence already exists, and with an embedded process of reflection and professional growth, we can maintain and develop our status as a school of choice for the very best classroom practitioners.

Year 8s Max Lonnie, Thomas Hopkins and Samuel Evans with Mr Brian Morison and Ms Sara Green storyboarding for the Inter Disciplinary Unit Project

The age of AI in education has arrived

Mr Sam Sterrett Head of Enrichment

With the public release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, global attention is now alert to the growing power of ‘artificial intelligence’. One might assume it to be an American invention, a testament to Silicon Valley’s explosive innovation. However, the true genesis of this revolutionary concept traces back to the British logician and mathematician, Alan Turing. Famous for his depiction in ‘The Imitation Game’. In his 1950, seminal paper, ‘Computing Machinery and Intelligence’, Turing dared to imagine a “thinking machine,” laying the groundwork for what we now know as artificial intelligence. As the years progressed, so did the ambition of AI pioneers. From Parry the Paranoid program, created in an attempt to better understand psychiatric illness to Eliza the Psychotherapist (70’s), these early experiments sought to mimic human cognition with varying degrees of success. Yet, by the 1980s, the field encountered formidable obstacles. As Hubert Dreyfus quite rightly pointed out, computer system based on traditional symbolic rules-based coding were simply unable to meet the

threshold for intuitive understanding inherent to human thought. Intuition underpins expertise, mastery and skill acquisition. Consider the grand chess master who intuitively makes moves in approximately 5-10 seconds. Or the expert driver who intuitively knows how to coordinate the brake, accelerator and steering wheel simultaneously…intuitively. No computer system at the time could come close to this and funding for AI research began to dry up.

However, the 1990s heralded a renaissance, marked by the convergence of neuroscience and computer science. Enter artificial neural networks, models inspired by the intricate web of neurons in the human brain. These networks, capable of learning from data, unlocked unprecedented possibilities, from ChatGPT powered robots to self-driving cars. Even mimicking behaviour akin to intuitive thinking.

Fast forward to 2024 and as we stand on the verge of a true technological revolution, the conversation has shifted. The ‘Singularity’ looms on the horizon and no longer a science fiction fantasy, a hypothetical event where machine intelligence surpasses our own. The great Australian AI philosopher David Chalmers and the godfather of AI, Geoffrey Hinton, both once envisioned this event as a distant dream but have now joined a chorus of AI expert researchers agreeing this may well be just around the corner.

AI and Education

The future implications of AI in education are clearly staggering. But what about the reality right now for a Scotch teacher? Well…we are at an early experimental phase.

In February, Scotch staff were treated to a lecture with Stirling and Rose AI expert Ty Haberland (OSC, 2016), who presented on the some of profound legal implications of AI for the future of the workforce.

Under the direction of Director of Teaching and Learning, Richard Spence, the College’s Enrichment Leadership Team decided to underpin our new experiments into AI integration with Rosenshine’s tried and tested Principles of Instruction. Developed by educational psychologist Barak Rosenshine, these globally recognised principles outline evidence-based strategies for effective teaching.

Let’s consider one principle: “Provide for practice and review.”

Traditionally, practice and review sessions rely on standardised exercises, offering limited engagement and feedback. However, with AI, these sessions can evolve into dynamic, adaptive experiences designed for far greater memory retention, not to mention, more fun for students!

So what does this look like in a Scotch classroom? Scan the QR code and take a look!

Stay tuned for the upcoming series of AI Teacher Hacks from the Enrichment Leadership Team.

As we embrace the dawn of this AI-enabled era of education at Scotch, it’s not all helpful hacks and time-saving techniques. In February, Scotch staff were treated to a lecture with Stirling and Rose AI expert Ty Haberland (OSC, 2016), who presented on some of the profound legal implications of AI for the future of the workforce. There are imminent threats we must take seriously and striking new EU laws may be a sign of things to come in Australia. The EU now imposes legally binding rules requiring tech companies to notify users when they are interacting with a chatbot or emotion recognition systems.

The birth of AI heralds not just a technological revolution but a reimagining of education itself. As a school with a globally outward looking approach and a long-standing tradition of progressive education, Scotch College is well placed to continue to provide our boys with a global standard of excellence, turbo charged by the best AI has to offer.

Scotch staff were treated to a lecture with Stirling and Rose AI expert Ty Haberland (OSC 2016)

Outdoor Learning and Adventure = Unique leadership opportunities

Dr. Duncan Picknoll

Head of Outdoor Learning and Adventure

In a rapidly changing world, young people are challenged with societal norms and consequently expectations set by themselves, their peers, family and school.

In addition, let us not forget the importance of developing strategies for student wellbeing and the declining connection of humans to the natural environment.

Participation in Outdoor Learning activities provides students with the opportunity to apply creative thinking to solve problems for themselves and others in the natural environment. Carefully sequenced programmes allow students unique space to learn critical life skills including social skills, resilience, and leadership. Quality support and feedback is essential to allow students to explore their leadership potential.

At Scotch College we are passionate and committed to providing these opportunities for all students. We create a learning environment to build confidence in our young people to allow them to discover and understand who they are, what they value and how these choices can contribute to their future lives.

Our Outdoor Learning and Adventure Programme includes essential elements of adventure to foster the understanding of risk and challenge designed to encourage learning through success and failure. Programmes allow for the students to develop and show innovation and creativity through skills, planning, implementation, art and storytelling. Service to the group, to Moray and to other environments where the learning takes place is vital as is the understanding of diversity and inclusion. We implement an array of activities to give our students the tools to develop skills in using quiet space and reflective processes in nature.

Our Programmes in Junior, Middle and Senior Schools have a foundation based upon experiential learning. A well-recognised model of experiential learning propounded by Joplin (1981) uses a five-stage model to highlight a strategy that combines elements of challenging activities and reflection. I strongly believe that feedback and support are the most critical components to student success. This model can also provide a framework for the introduction of leadership development in our young men.

Experimentation in Outdoor Learning Programmes is something that can be taken into everyday life and can positively influence active citizenship and foster students to be life-long learners in the community wherever their future may take them.

Our programmes offer unique opportunities that support and enhance other learning within the school environment. Students have many opportunities in sporting, arts, and co-curricular endeavours where leadership may be a focus. Fundamentally, not all students understand or know if they have the desire to lead nor find their potential leadership niche in mainstream

classes. Opportunities in Outdoor Learning Programmes offer students new prospects to explore potential leadership. For example, setting up a campsite, designing and leading a bushwalk or paddling journey, preparing, and leading the evening meal or facilitating a debrief or reflection activity can provide many students with a pathway to shine.

Outdoor Learning and Adventure at Scotch College creates opportunities for students to set personal and group goals, build technical competence, communication and decisionmaking skills, collaboration, environmental stewardship, safety and risk management, adaptability, innovation, wellbeing, resilience and for many, the chance to understand, experiment and build their leadership potential. These skills are highly desired attributes in the working environment. With carefully designed programmes allowing students to learn through experience and with strong support and feedback, they can develop these skills and leverage them to become more effective in their chosen future endeavours.

“The Outdoor Education Programme allows you to find out what type of leader you are by putting you in situations that are for the most part unknown. This challenges you to find different approaches especially when it comes to communicating with others. When on camps, we are usually out of our comfort zone and under a bit of strain so it’s important to know how to approach a conversation as everyone responds differently under stress. This is a lesson that I think has really elevated my leadership this year and which I have taken back to the Boarding House where there can be similar stress such as home sickness and fatigue.”

Oliver Wandell, Year 12

Educating boys academically, socially, and emotionally

Mrs Maria Hodges Head of Junior School

Much has been written about single-gender education.

We spoke to Maria Hodges, Head of Junior School on how learning is tailored at Scotch to ensure the boys are on the best possible learning journey.

What are the benefits of an all-boy education in Junior School?

Boys and girls have very different learning styles and preferences. An all-boys environment allows for teachers to utilise and target teaching methods that better suit boys’ learning styles, leading to improved academic, social and emotional outcomes.

Our teachers also love the energy and enthusiasm boys bring into the classroom, whereas, in co-educational environments boys can be viewed as disruptive or boisterous and those not trained in knowing how to reach and teach boys can find boys challenging in the classroom.

In your experience do boys learn differently from girls and how do you shape your curriculum to get the best from the boys academically, socially, and emotionally?

Boys and girls have significantly different learning styles and benefit in having an environment that caters specifically to this. Some general observations about the way boys learn include:

• Boys benefit from opportunities for movement and hands-on learning. Incorporating activities that allow them to physically engage with the material can be effective and help make the learning stick.

• Boys are motivated by competition and challenges which keeps them engaged and teaches them persistence and perseverance.

• Boys respond well to visual stimuli which can enhance their understanding of concepts.

• Boys benefit from clear, measurable goals and objectives which keep them focused and motivated.

To shape the curriculum to best support boys academically, socially, and emotionally, our teachers use the following strategies:

• Curriculum Differentiation which means, tailoring instruction to target exactly the point of need of each student. Teaching methods are then incorporated to accommodate different learning styles and paces, providing opportunities for both independent and collaborative learning as well as ensuring we provide extension and learning support for boys as required.

• Positive Reinforcement to foster a sense of accomplishment and motivation to succeed.

• Developing Character by incorporating activities and discussions that promote social and emotional learning, such as empathy, resilience, and communication

skills. This helps boys with a holistic approach to their learning.

• Engagement in our Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate which is a framework that allows us to use curriculum materials and topics that are relevant and interesting to our boys, keeping them engaged and invested in their learning. Once you have boys ‘hooked’ the learning explodes. When strong cross-curriculum links are made and the boys link the learning areas together, the ‘why’ of learning makes sense to them which further engages them.

• Supportive Environments create an inclusive classroom where boys feel comfortable expressing themselves and taking academic risks to challenge and extend their learning. They are free from the constant comparisons they often face with girls in the classroom.

“My son is sensitive and doesn’t like sport.” We often hear this from parents who may be concerned about an all-boy education. How would you put their minds at ease that there is space for every boy’s passion at Scotch and that selfexpression is accepted and celebrated?

Our all-boy education model is not about conforming to stereotypes but about providing a supportive and inclusive environment where boys can be themselves and pursue their interests without judgment. We believe that by embracing diversity in interests and talents, we can help each boy discover his unique strengths and potential, be this around an academic focus, sport, or the arts. To do this we embrace and celebrate the diverse interests and passions of all our students. Many of our boys are sensitive and we celebrate this and help them to discover what wonderful attributes they have as individuals.

Our younger students enjoy learning in our beautiful Bush School setting

Oliver Cocks , Samuel Sullivan, Teddy Jayasinghe and Hugo Bennett enjoying Aqua Fun Day

Ignite Award

In the Junior School we offer many opportunities for co-educational collaboration with local girls’ schools fostering opportunities for joint learning initiatives, collaborative projects, and extracurricular activities.

By working together our boys do not miss out on building friendships with girls and use these experiences to promote personal growth, foster friendships, and cultivate understandings, preparing them to become confident, and wellrounded global individuals.

Some flagship co-educational programmes include our Year 1 and 2 Beach and River School which is a fortnightly co-educational programme with PLC and our Year 4 and 5 Ignite Leadership with St Hilda’s.

Ignite Award with St Hilda’s

Through a variety of learning experiences such as a Pen Pal connection in Year 4 and the Ignite Award programme in Year 5, Scotch College and St Hilda’s have joined forces to promote a programme with a focus on personal character growth and the development of young minds.

An innovative relationship

Together, we have developed a unique collaboration which aims to instil leadership qualities in young students, equipping them with the tools they need to become confident, empathetic, and effective leaders in the future.

The boys and girls are encouraged to learn from one another’s diverse experiences and backgrounds enhancing their teamwork skills but also exposing them to new relationships. Together, they develop different ways of thinking and problem-solving and foster a bond forged on mutual respect, support, and care for one another.

Ignite Award. What is it?

The Ignite Award is a WA based, selfdevelopment programme for children between the ages of 9 and 13. Throughout the year, they engage in a series of workshops, activities, and projects designed to nurture various aspects of self-growth and leadership.

The structured curriculum is designed to challenge their perspectives, encouraging them to step out of their comfort zones, and empower them to take initiative across four areas:

• Physical activity

• Hobby

• Volunteering

• Adventure

awardswa.org.au/ignite-award

Community projects

A highlight of the Ignite Award is the communityfocused projects. These are developed and executed by the students with the aim of addressing real-world issues within their local communities. From organising events to initiating environmentally conscious campaigns, these projects allow students to apply their leadership skills in practical and impactful ways in the safe setting of their schools. This experience not only deepens their sense of social responsibility but also provides a platform for them to realise the positive change they can affect as young leaders.

“The Ignite Program is fun because you can get out of the house and do something that you love, like I have with fishing. We also do amazing activities with St Hilda’s, like a drawing lesson with James Foley.” Lachy Wood, Year 5

“How I feel about the Ignite Award is that there are all these opportunities to enjoy. We learned a short musical show with the St Hilda’s girls, and we also had James Foley drawing incursion. I also like choosing my own interests like cooking for my hobby.” Harry Di Latte, Year 5

Scotch and St Hilda’s Ignite Journey

Duke of Edinburgh Award

St Hilda’s and Scotch students learn together and from one another through the Ignite Award programme

Outstanding results for Scotch First Lego League teams

Mr Andrew Wells and Mr Brent Van Ingen Kal

The First Lego League Challenge is a worldwide robotics competition for students aged 9 to 16.

Participants engage in the intricate process of designing, constructing, and programming autonomous robots, utilising LEGO Spike kits to navigate thematic missions on a designated field. Beyond robotics, teams delve into research projects tackling real-world issues. This season’s theme, “Masterpiece,” revolved around the arts.

At Scotch, we proudly have two teams: Brick Builders and Leg Godt Humans.

Brick Builders ingeniously devised a tactile board aimed at enhancing the art experience for individuals with low or no vision. Their

design underwent multiple iterations, experimenting with various techniques from using paint to simulate braille dots to employing hot glue for tactile feedback. Ultimately, their solution incorporated laser-cut materials to enable users to “feel” the artwork, complemented by a braille board featuring over 900 1.5mm diameter ball bearings.

Incorporating feedback from VisAbility users, they meticulously ensured proper alignment and provided detailed artwork descriptions. Their efforts earned them recognition at the Young Entrepreneurs Showcase, garnering praise, notably from Minister for Innovation, Stephen Dawson.

Meanwhile, Leg Godt Humans engineered an acoustic panel geared towards preserving music enjoyment without inducing hearing issues such as tinnitus. Their exploration of materials, including wool, cotton, and denim, aimed at curbing textile waste in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Utilising raw sheep’s wool from boarding families, they crafted their own woollen felt, delighting in the process of layering and washing it! Through experimentation with various panel shapes, inspired by hexagons and standard quadrilaterals, and guidance from industry professionals, they refined their

prototype. Rigorous testing utilising PVC pipes and a decibel meter setup provided valuable insights into sound absorption.

Leg Godt Humans clinched the Robot Performance Award, and also earned the Robot Design Award for their exemplary programming and engineering practices. Meanwhile, Brick Builders secured the Champions Award – runner up, epitomising their dedication to Core Values, alongside excellence in Robot Performance, Robot Design, and the Innovation Project. These awards have now enabled the boys to further progress in the competition. Brick Builders will be going up against 50 international teams in the European Open Championships in Norway while Leg Godt Humans will be competing against the top teams from each state in America and 30+ international teams at the Sunshine Invitational in Florida, USA.

Looking ahead, our Senior School students are embarking on a new journey with First Robotics, the next level beyond First Lego League. Their objective? To construct a 50-kilogram robot for competition on an 8m by 16m playing field with the aim to participate in this year’s Western Australian Robotics Playoffs at Curtin University.

The Leg Godt Humans team celebrating their success

This year’s season of Lego League has taught me a lot. There have been ups and downs, fun times and stressful times. The competition taught me the values of teamwork and innovation and the part of the competition I definitely enjoyed the most was coding and designing attachments for the robot game board. The best part about being in this team was that everybody worked together and we used everybody’s strengths to try and be the best team we could be. For now, our goal is to try our best, represent our College and Australia in the Sunshine Invitational in Florida, USA.

Declan Chan, Leg Godt Humans

Being part of the First Lego League has been an amazing experience. Over the past year, we have experienced a variety of unique and wonderful opportunities which will assist us in coming years. Witnessing our innovation project evolve from a simple concept to a fully-fledged product showcased at VisAbility WA, the Young Entrepreneurs Showcase, Regional and National qualifiers and at the WA Museum Boola Bardip has been nothing short of amazing. Our favourite part of FLL has been the development of our ideas from our small concept to the many iterations to what we have today. Our team’s collective goal for the remainder of the season and beyond is to not only launch our innovation project into the world and establish a successful business around it but also to perform well in the upcoming competition at the European Open Championship in Norway.

Lachlan Gillett and Lincoln Percy, Brick Builders

Brick Builders Eric Deng (Year 7), Jacob Ferguson (Year 8), James Ackerman (Year 8), Lachlan Gillett (Year 8), Lincoln Percy (Year 8), Ahren Mahesh (Year7) with Minister for Innovation and the Digital Economy – Stephen Dawson MLC at the Young Entrepreneurs Showcase

Well done Team Brick Builders!

The Round Square experience

Mr Richard Foster Director of Co-Curricular

Round Square is a global network of approximately 250 schools in 50 countries committed to Authentic Character Education.

Strong engagement with undertaking Community Service (which aligns with one of Scotch College’s core values), travelling on exchanges and taking small delegations of students to Round Square regional and global conferences are central to some of the opportunities which being a global member school provide.

Currently, Scotch actively engages students with Community and Service initiatives and in

2023, we had 11 outgoing and 12 incoming International Student Exchanges. The exchanges were typically for four to six weeks with several up to eight weeks long. Countries included Switzerland, India, Jordan, the UK, the USA and Japan. Whilst on exchange, students are either accommodated with reciprocal homestay families or in boarding environments, which ensures immersion into the culture of the country that they travel to and the school community in which they are placed.

The aim, moving forward, is to provide some domestic exchange opportunities for Year 8s to other Round Square schools within Australia, as well as provide the opportunity for small delegations of students to engage in regional conferences and possibly Round Square International Service Projects.

The Round Square Organisation has six overarching I.D.E.A.L.S.:

International Understanding

Democracy

Environment

Adventure

Leadership

Service

At Scotch, student engagement in the many and varied leadership, co-curricular, outdoor education, service programmes and curricular opportunities ensures that Scotch students live a Round Square experience and engage in discussion and reflection of these ideals.

Given Perth’s global isolation, it is essential that we, as a College, continue to explore meaningful and authentic ways in which we can engage students in and with the global community.

Having just returned from a Round Square Forum with approximately 62 representatives from Australia, New Zealand and East Asia, it is heartening to learn more about the Round Square organisation and the broader potential opportunities that it can provide. As we move forwards, we will give further consideration to how we can adapt some of these initiatives to Scotch.

I am pleased to share with you that Scotch will host a Round Square Regional Conference in April 2025. This is likely to involve approximately 132 Year 8 students and 32 staff from the South East Asian and Australian Region, with likely representation of some other school delegations from further afield.

“Exchange really opened my eyes to the broader world outside Perth, and I would highly recommend going on exchange to anyone if they get the opportunity. It truly has been a once in a lifetime opportunity!”

Simon Pocock –Abbotsholme School, The UK

Simon Pocock enjoyed every moment of his exchange to Abbotsholme school in the UK

Max Clarke, Motoharu Sato (exchange student from Tamagawa Academy in Japan) and Oliver Headley. Max visited Tamagawa Academy after which, Scotch reciprocated by welcoming Motoharu on exchange.

Below are some testimonials from the boys who have had the opportunity to experience international exchanges in 2023. Reading these words, it is clear how Round Square has enriched the lives of these young men and broadened their appreciation of the global world we live in.

“I loved every minute of my time staying in Zurich with the Bader family. I enjoyed a new style of learning and not wearing a school uniform. I made some wonderful friends whom I am still in touch with regularly. Visiting the Swiss Alps and Rhine Falls, and watching an exciting national ice hockey game whilst exploring the city daily was an experience of a lifetime.

I returned home confident and excited after travelling solo across the world and immersing myself in a completely different environment. My family was lucky to meet up with the Baders during the July holidays. It felt like a wonderful Christmas family reunion. I look forward to staying in touch as I grow up and hope to see them again in the future.” Lewis Stepatschuk – The Inter-Community School, Switzerland

“One of the greatest experiences of my life. Amazing food, amazing people, amazing culture, amazing history. India is the polar opposite to Australia and you just have to experience it.”

Matthew Berglin –Daly College, Indore, India

Bo O’Neill with his mother at the conclusion of his exchange to The Kings Academy in Jordan

Matthew Berglin on exchange at Daly College in India

Lewis Stepatschuk on exchange at the Inter-Community School in Switzerland

“Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.”

General Omar Bradley

Humans live a contradiction: most of us crave constancy and stability and yet we live in an ever-changing world, a world in which we are also constantly changing, along with the technology that surrounds us. So, until we can come to understand the full implications of changing technology, I think we need to remind ourselves, and embed in young people, what it means to be human and how to live a good life. The irony is that so many of us are so busy, being distracted by technology that we do not pause to explore this critical question and how we should approach our “one wild and precious life”, as poet Mary Oliver put it.

I believe that young people need a certain level of stability in their lives; this varies from individual to individual of course, but having a web of strong, healthy, and supportive reallife, face-to-face connections enables them to feel a sense of psychological safety. This, in turn, enables them to take risks, to fail, and to grow, rather than shrink and disengage from the world, stay within a very small comfort zone, and achieve only stunted growth at best. This provision of psychological safety is the central aim of our pastoral care systems and our wellbeing programmes.

The great danger of our time, aside from AI and war and pandemics and climate change, is how busy we have convinced ourselves we need to be; that we must be doing something with every moment to be worth something as a human. This tendency towards busyness is exacerbated by technology and the other things; they create in us a sense of urgency. And yet, it is the opposite of this. It is silence and stillness, or slowing down that often provides the doorway to far deeper understandings of our world.

Slowness, stillness and Brain Reset

Mr James Hindle Director of Pastoral Care, Humanities Teacher

One of the blockbuster movies of last year was “Oppenheimer”, which dealt with another critical period in human evolution, when technology seemed to outstrip our humanity. In setting time aside to talk about our relationships, and resilience and respect, we enable young people to live more consciously and more ethically.

One critical element of our Wellbeing programmes is designed to give students experience at slowing down, being still and benefitting from silence. In Junior School, we run a Yoga programme with Paula Flugge and, in Senior School, we have expanded our Brain Reset sessions, so that students get to work with mindfulness expert Helen Heppingstone in Year 9 and 10 Wellbeing and Year 11 Cognitive Curriculum.

Brain Reset is a custom-designed physical and cognitive practice founded in neuroscience principals, employing techniques from the technology of Yoga, specifically Hatha Yoga and Yoga Nidra (which is a sleep state with awareness, known as the hypnogogic state). The sessions are set up so that they are completely accessible for everyone, providing an opportunity to experience a glimpse of the body, nervous system, and mind in a state of rest (quiet, still), something that is quite alien in our fast-paced world.

The benefits of Brain Reset are manifold: it supports the boys to get out of their busy minds for a moment, reconnect with their bodies, calm their nervous system for deep restorative rest and create some space between their thoughts. It also enhances working memory, attentional control, strengthens the ability to be aware of where attention may be, thereby strengthening the ‘muscle’ of bringing the mind back on task. It also aids in stress reduction and emotional regulation.

There is significant challenge for many boys and young men to slow down and be still, but investing our time and energy into such a practice helps us to function with greater purpose and effectiveness. As one of our regular attendees puts it:

“It is amazing and you feel great afterwards. It erases current thoughts, and puts you in a state of the present where there is nothing you are thinking about, you are just absorbed in a state of calm and peace… The main reason I do it now is to calm my mind from all the physical and academic strain I face on a daily basis, with a lot of early morning starts. It gives me a chance to stop, rest and reset for the second half of the week whilst decompressing from all of the events of the first half.”

The challenge of handball and other play

There can be few things more important in the mind of a young boy than getting out at recess or lunch time to play handball with a group of peers. There are so many benefits I have observed during playground duty in Junior School which I would never share with the boys, for fear of ruining their beloved activity.

Obviously, it is good for the development of hand-eye coordination. But there is also an entire social labyrinth to be negotiated and navigated: the group must agree on the rules and stick by them. Each player has to deal with disappointment, even unfairness, at times. They experience the fickleness of success and failure –sometimes you make it to ace, other times you are out first go. It teaches patience, having to wait for your turn. One group of boys has a Moon ball which they occasionally use: its claim to fame is that it provides uneven, unexpected bounce. And when play time is up, they are reminded that it is, after all is said and done, a game and they must shift their focus to the next task.

In a sense, handball is just one example of the importance of play for children. People refer to ‘unstructured’ play, but my sense is that unstructured play is actually play where young people themselves decide the structure, with minimal adult input or oversight. Mariana Brussoni has written a wonderful article about the benefits of risky play in particular, “Why Children Need Risk, Fear, and Excitement in Play” in After Babel, February 28, 2024.

Brussoni says, “We’ve prioritized safety over freedom, achievement over play, and screen time over outdoor time. The results are predictable: compromised mental and physical health, cognitive development, and emotional competence.” Ironically, she says, by driving young children around and organizing their lives, we’ve reduced the number of injuries and accidents in childhood but increased teens’ accidents and deaths due to unsafe activities and suicides. By letting them play, we enable them to discover life for themselves. As Brussoni also says, “Risky play provides children with low-cost opportunities to develop the physical and cognitive skills to master the challenges that they will face as they grow older.” Handball is really just 20 minutes of life training – but don’t tell them that.

Mr James Hindle Director of Pastoral Care

Peer Support: Building healthy relationships

Peer support offers a unique opportunity to foster and support healthy peer relationships within a school community. Positive implications for students’ wellbeing, autonomy, motivation, and sense of belonging through the development of high-quality friendships (Deci & Ryan, 2000) are ultimately the goals of this programme.

In Summer Term, our Year 8 student leaders have worked with Year 11 mentors to prepare and deliver our Peer Support programme in the Middle School. It has provided insight into what leadership as service can look like, as well as emphasising the importance of positive role modelling. The maturity and open-minded approach of these older students has provided strong student voices as well as friendly faces for the younger boys to emulate.

The Pastoral Care Group (PCG) time at the start of each day has been used to deliver hands-on and engaging games and reflections with our Year 6 and 7 cohorts, led by our enthusiastic group of Year 8 and 11 students. Leaving the classrooms behind and moving out into the beautiful summer weather, each session was informed by a focus on shared experiences in a non-confrontational and casual setting. It was fantastic to see peers within and across year levels sharing stories and enjoying each other’s company. Most importantly, this has led to the boys knowing more about their classmates and better understanding themselves and others.

The opportunity to strengthen and further explore these links is something that students are looking forward to in the coming year. Having visited all Year 6 and 7 PCGs during Summer Term, opportunities for Year 8s to engage with the programme and to build upon links between year levels and across sub-schools is an exciting prospect. I congratulate the students leading this initiative – its impact is invaluable!

Mr Justin Shaw, Student Leadership and Turas Programme Co-ordinator, Middle School

Year 11s Marc Ricciardello and Cruz Braddock working with Year 8 sudents

Junior School handball battles in action

The Year 9 Rottnest Camp

The Year 9 Rottnest Pastoral Care Camp took place in Week 5 of Summer Term. For our Year 9 students it is a seminal week in their journey to the summit of the hill.

The week represents a significant Rite of Passage for students at the College. During the four days, House groups are paired together and experience a range of activities that include Ecology, Snorkelling, History and Art. Relationships and bonds are developed and strengthened, and values and expectations are reinforced through teamwork and challenges where students are placed outside of their comfort zone. We learn what it means to be a Stuart House Stag, a Ferguson House Falcon or a Lion of Alexander and develop a strong identity to a community that will be there for life.

Students also spend time planning for the future and set out what they would like to achieve in their time at the College in a letter to their Year 12 self. In Year 9 Wellbeing lessons, the focus in the lead-up to the camp centres on developing a sense of belonging to their House group. The uniqueness of our experience-based curriculum is that it provides students with the opportunity to strengthen connections with their House peers and develop essential skills in the process.

These experiences are facilitated by and shared with their Head of House and it is events such as this camp, combined with the day-to-day contact, that creates strong connections between home and school. At the heart of pastoral care at Scotch is a commitment to ‘Knowing the Boy’. We strive to understand each young man’s context and each House Head gains a sense of who each student is through shared experiences. This is what enables the provision of individualised care and this, in turn, means that each student can get the most out of their time at the College.

Mr

Gareth Williams

Deputy Head of Senior School (Pastoral Care)

Fostering a compassionate and connected world

Service is an integral part of who we are and what we do at Scotch College. It moulds character, cultivates empathy, strengthens communities and addresses social injustices. Engaging in service allows our students to fulfill their purpose of loving and serving others.

One of the most significant impacts of service opportunities on student wellbeing is the sense of fulfillment and purpose it brings. In a society often fixated on personal achievement and success, engaging in service shifts the focus from oneself to the needs of others. This shift in perspective can be incredibly empowering, leading to a deeper sense of satisfaction and meaning in one’s life. Our Middle School students are invited to engage with serving others through various opportunities.

In addition to the large all-school service events, there are also numerous Middle School boys who volunteer with the Smith Family student2student programme, sharing a belief that every child deserves the opportunity to make the most of their education. The Smith Family’s programme matches an older student with a younger student to improve their reading confidence, with the boys giving up their personal time to assist other children.

Year 9 Student Eugene Cha spoke at our recent Middle School assembly about his experience of the student2student programme when he was in Year 8 and the impact helping those less fortunate can have. He explained that seeing the growth and improvement was rewarding and gave him a sense of satisfaction and achievement.

In the Middle School, we encourage all boys to embrace the numerous service activities available, as these not only enrich the lives of others but also nourish our own sense of purpose and wellbeing, fostering a more compassionate and connected world for all.

Ms Amanda Marocchi Deputy Head, Middle School (Pastoral Care)

Year 7 students Guy Solomons, Harry Jones and Lachlan Fox shaved their heads for World’s Greatest Shave, one of the major service initiatives at Scotch

Raising funds and awareness through action

Max Thorpe Vice-Captain of School – Service

Over the last semester there have been many Service activities with proactive support and participation from all three sub-schools.

In Spring Term, the College took part in the Remembrance Day Poppy Appeal, the Uniting WA Christmas Appeal and Boardies Day.

The Poppy Appeal saw Year 12 Stuart and Brisbane House students selling red poppies across the three sub-schools and the wider community to raise funds for RSL WA. Boys

wore their red poppy on Remembrance Day as a sign of solidarity to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

The Uniting WA Christmas Appeal was a roaring success, with all three sub-schools donating enormous amounts of nonperishable food to families in need over the Christmas period. A special shout out to Ross House in the Senior School who filled over two and a half boxes.

Last term the major service event for the Senior School was Boardies Day, which raised awareness and funds for Surf Life Saving WA and the amazing work they do throughout the summer months to keep WA beaches safe. At lunchtime those who weren’t in the line for a sausage sizzle were gathered around the pool to watch the annual bommie contest and the atmosphere was amazing.

With the bar set high, the entire school set out to give as much to Service as they could in Summer Term and World’s Greatest Shave provided a great opportunity to do this.

World’s Greatest Shave is run by the Leukaemia Foundation and raises funds

and awareness for blood cancer. Scotch has a long-standing connection with this event which has become one of the biggest on the school calendar. The Junior School boys coloured their hair with fluorescent hair spray, whilst the Middle and Senior School boys took to the clippers, buzzing their hair in Week 7. This year saw the Year 12 cohort take their shave to PLC for a combined shave and cut day. This provided an amazing opportunity for the two schools to come together and raise awareness for this cause. In total the school raised over $142,000, an extraordinary amount, which could fund over 906 days of research for a PhD student trying to fund a cure for leukaemia or over 1700 nights of accommodation in a big city for a regional family requiring treatment. The impact that our efforts will have on those battling leukaemia is astonishing and is something that everyone who participated should be extremely proud of.

Whilst it is important to reflect on what we have done well so far, the Service team and I are looking forward into the future and focusing on the service initiatives still to come.

The Uniting WA Christmas Appeal was a roaring success. From left to right: Year 12s Charlie Parker (Keys); Bill Eastman (Anderson); Max Thorpe (Stuart); Austin Prendiville (Cameron); George Rowe (Ross); Clement Hardie (Stuart); Rory Purser (Brisbane)

Jordan Bowling OSC 2018 joins the Scotch Year 10 Service Programme

Jordan is a distinguished 2018 OSC student, who suffered a life threatening injury in April 2022.

In 2018 Jordan featured in The Reporter 12 times, displaying his talents across many musical ensembles, drama, and literary fields.

Jordan’s father David approached Scotch College seeking interaction for Jordan’s conversational and musical rehabilitation. The Year 10 Service Programme was the perfect avenue.

A select group of musical students first started a card game afternoon with Jordan, and it was fabulous to see the friendly banter that developed between this like-minded group. The group progressed to a regular fun jam music session.

With Jordan’s physical strength improving, this year he joined the Friends of Lake Claremont group and is now enjoying time sharing conversation and games with the elderly at The Queenslea. Jordan is currently preparing to perform “Blackbird’ for the residents. It is a rewarding experience to see the Year 10 students interacting with Jordan and assisting with his recovery. He is an outstanding young man who has overcome great adversity.

On the Programme’s impact, Jordan’s father David commented: “The Year 10 Service Programme or rather the combined input from the boys, teachers and school has helped both Jordan and I cope mentally by doing something familiar and somewhat normal outside

the medical/therapy/caring world we have been living the last two years. It has also provided multiple speech, physical and musical goals and challenges for Jordan to aim for which has encouraged him to participate and keep trying.

According to the nurses in the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) ward in Fiona Stanley Hospital the biggest challenge concerning Jordan’s rehab journey and the difference between patient outcomes is losing hope and motivation. Maintaining this through the support of the School despite several ups and downs over the last two years has been crucial. The programme has given him a bit of stability while everyone and everything else in his life keeps changing.

Finally, all the boys we have met have been extremely welcoming and supportive which is a wonderful testament to them, the teachers and Scotch. Thank you!”

Jordan has now also been selected as an Ambassador for the Chevron City to Surf for Active run in 2024. We wish him the best of luck in this and in his recovery and are delighted to see the Year 10 Service Programme boys playing a small but important role in Jordan’s journey to recovery.

All Abilities Cricket is an inclusive programme for adults and children of all genders with varying disabilities and special needs.

It allows everyone to play cricket and have a good time with friends. Every week, a large number of Scotch boys helped improve their cricket skills, fostering healthy relationships, and making an enjoyable and entertaining time for everyone involved. Leaving All Abilities Cricket knowing that you made a positive impact on others filled me with a sense of pride. I encourage the younger boys to get involved as it’s a great way to spend your Friday afternoon helping out the community.

Marc Ricciardello, Year 11

Year 10s Jack Mayo, Christian Capogreco and Tom Ellison with Jack Bowling at the Queenslea

The All Abilities Team

The Queenslea Aged Care

Through our partnership with The Queenslea Aged Care facility, we have spent time to interact with the residents. When we walk through the doors everyone waves to their favourites and sits down to talk or play games with them. This simple interaction has a massive impact on the residents’ lives as many of them can be very lonely. Our interactions with games and puzzles, stimulate their brains and help improve their mental health. However, they aren’t the only ones who benefit. Personally, I have learned a lot about the world and have found it fascinating to talk with the residents about their careers and lives. As they grew up, they lived in a very different world than we do now, so they have different perspectives. Visiting The Queenslea has been a fantastic opportunity to interact with the elderly and make a positive difference in the community.

Oban Hopkins, Year 10

Make a Change for Kalumburu Remote Community School

For their Community Project, Year 8 boarders Benji Dempster-Park and Simeon Stoney collected over 5,000 containers for change which they then used to purchase sporting equipment for the Kalumburu Remote Community School. Sim and Benji are farming boys and wanted to do something to help a remote Indigenous school. This, coupled with a desire to do something positive for the environment, kicked-off their passion for this project. They liaised with the school to find out what the children needed and organised with local restaurants, a golf course and regional sport events back home to secure containers which would have otherwise been destined to landfill. The boys raised $500 and were able to buy much needed basketballs, footies and cricket equipment for the kids of Kalumburu Remote Community School.

Benji Dempster-Park and Simeon Stoney, Year 8

Soup Kitchen for Second Bite

Second Bite is an organisation that feeds millions of Australians by rescuing quality food instead of letting it go to waste. As a member of this school, I find myself very fortunate to have the privilege of having food every day without worrying about the possibility of having to go without. Unfortunately, in Australia in 2023 over 3.7 million households faced this problem, over 2.2 million in 2022, and in 2021, 1.2 million children went hungry. This trend shows that this is a rapidly increasing problem. Through our partnership with Second Bite, we give those less fortunate than ourselves a helping hand. Every Friday, we come into the food design room to cut up vegetables that Second Bite rescues to make into soup, which is then distributed to hungry families and individuals around Australia. Although our service may be indirect, it was great knowing that I was helping with this growing issue in Australia.

Tristan Chan, Year 10

East Kalgoorlie Primary School

The Middle School raised an incredible $2,000 with their annual Easter Egg Hamper raffle and free dress day. The funds will go towards supporting the students at Kalgoorlie Primary School to learn to read.

Together, we had a fun day but most importantly, we made an impact on the literacy journey of these students.

Benji and Sim with the manager of Samson’s Paddock who supported the boys

Keats Sullivan preparing meals for Soup Kitchen

Jane Alexander 1853 – 1936

Mother,

wife, founder, Woman of Action

Mr David Kyle Director of Admissions and Advancement

Last year’s Founders’ Day was a particularly special occasion, marked by the unveiling of a portrait of one of our founders, Mrs Jane Alexander.

The painting, titled ‘Jane Alexander 1853 –1956; Mother, wife, founder, Woman of Action’, was a gift of the Old Scotch Collegians who commissioned local artist, Melissa Clements and unveiled it at a special event, prior to the annual Founders’ Day Dinner.

Melissa graduated from UWA in 2022 and has already built an extraordinary exhibition history, including being a semi-finalist or

finalist for the prestigious Lester Prize in 2017 / 2019 / 2020 / 2021, a 2022 finalist in the Darling Prize at the National Portrait Gallery, and a finalist in Australia’s most prestigious prize in 2023, The Archibald. When the College sought to engage an artist to create such an important portrait, it was Melissa’s commissioning to paint Western Australia’s current Chief Justice, Peter Quinlan, that caught our eye. This spectacular piece which hangs in the Supreme Court contains significant symbolism, much like what we wanted from a painting of Jane Alexander.

During Melissa’s time working on the project, she painted in the foyer of Collegians’ House, and students and visitors watched her bring Jane Alexander to life in the room where the portrait now hangs. Whilst under development, the portrait also travelled to the 2023 College Art Exhibition, where her story was shared and warmly embraced by the boys and families who attended. Melissa’s speech at the Founders’ Day assembly was perfectly pitched to our Senior School students. Melissa said, “stories like Jane’s are absolutely timeless, because the attitude that drove her choice to donate the 500 pounds is a feeling as relevant now

as it was when she donated more than 125 years ago. It teaches us lessons that life’s decisions should be made with conviction and to do the right thing, no matter how difficult that might be.”

A significant reason for the success of this project was Melissa’s engagement with her subject and the Scotch community more widely. “I was drawn to Jane’s sense of courage, determination, bravery, faith, and love for her family. These are values and attitudes that transcend time.” Through art we can reconnect closely with the past and honour the stories that shape our communities. In this case, Melissa included books from our archives, including the College’s first prospectus, symbols of the Presbyterian Church and the College’s Cameron of Erracht tartan.

Accompanying the portrait, hanging above the fireplace in the foyer of Collegians’ House, are the first two paragraphs of our school’s history, published in 1996 by local historian and UWA Emiritus Professor, Jenny Gregory.

“Scotch College owes its foundation to a conversation at a dinner party in 1896. At that dinner party were the Hon. William Alexander,

Chair of Foundation John Flecker (OSC 1984), Chair of Council Tim Wiese (OSC 1988), artist Melissa Clement, Headmaster Dr Alec O’Connell, Michael Silbert (OSC 1979) and OSC President Aaron McDonald (OSC 2001) at the unveiling of the Jane Alexander portrait

Member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia, and his wife, Jane. The conversation turned to education, and they, as Presbyterians and the parents of a twelve year old boy, bemoaned the absence of a Presbyterian school for boys in Perth.

Mrs Jane Alexander was a most devout Presbyterian and, within the constraints that being a good wife and mother implied in the late nineteenth century, a woman of action … It was she who called on the Rev. David Ross (the minister representing the Presbyterian Church in Western Australia) the day after that dinner party. As he recalled later, ‘I can well remember the morning when Mrs Alexander came to me and offered £500 to commence Scotch College’. She announced its establishment publicly just before Christmas 1896.”

The portrait not only commemorates the generosity of the foundation gift of Mrs Jane Alexander, but recognises the driving force, energy, support, and action of all the women in the history of our school.

Vision without action is a dream and Jane Alexander was certainly a woman of action.

“Through art we can reconnect closely with the past and honour the stories that shape our communities.”

Clockwise: Former Head of Junior School Paul Aldred, John Rigg (OSC 1957), Headmaster Dr Alec O’Connell, David Broadfoot (OSC 1963) and Bruce Barblett (OSC 1950); Chair of Foundation John Flecker (OSC 1984) speaking; Simon (OSC 1984) and Donna Jackson; Headmaster Dr Alec O’Connell presenting Bruce Barblett (OSC 1950) with his personalised rug watched on by Sue Monger and John Inverarity (OSC 1961)

About our music soirées

Mr Scott Loveday Head of Performing Arts

Where would our world be without music? What sorts of organised and structured sounds would accompany the movements of our daily lives?

After a review of co-curricular music performances in 2018, we added a series of concerts to the Scotch Performing Arts calendar. Billed as soirées, these semi-formal concerts are an opportunity for the music staff to extend learning beyond the music tuition room.

Each season, we hold two soirées, one with a senior school focus and one with a junior and middle school focus. Our soirées are ninety-minute concerts which showcase a variety of ensemble and solo performances. These are educative concerts, designed specifically around the notion of providing public performance opportunities to students in order that they fully realise the final creation or

production of their musical works. Events like these give our students a reason to practice and refine their craft, whilst also providing an opportunity for direct instruction around the development of concert etiquette.

The inspiration factor cannot be ignored either. At our soirées, you won’t find the children hiding away backstage until their performance slot. They all sit in the audience, watching the other performances, being subliminally or overtly inspired and further encouraged to pursue their musical passions.

If you haven’t been to one of our seasonal soirées, we kindly extend the invitation to attend one of our next events:

Autumn soirée (senior school)

Tuesday 28th May, 5:30pm

Autumn soirée (junior & middle school)

Wednesday 29th May, 5:30pm

Winter soirée (junior & middle school)

Wednesday 14th August, 5:30pm

Winter soirée (senior school)

Wednesday 21st August, 5:30pm

Spring soirée (senior school)

Thursday 7th November, 5:30pm

Spring soirée (junior & middle school)

Wednesday 13th November, 5:30pm

Register your attendance online through calendar.scotch.wa.edu.au

Introducing our 2024 music scholars and fellows

Each year, through the generosity of the Scotch College Foundation, we are able to invest in the future of Scotch Music by offering music scholarships and fellowships to both prospective and current students.

Music scholarships and fellowships encourage and reward talented and skilled musicians for their hard work, dedication, and commitment to the pursuit of their musical craft. Our scholarships and fellowships aim to nurture excellence in music by providing recipients with access to high quality musical instruction, resources, and support systems as well as extra performances, masterclasses, workshops, and extension ensemble engagement.

Our music scholars and fellows have leadership and mentoring responsibilities among the wider music community. Not only do they need to consistently achieve high standards of musical performance, but they have an obligation to establish a culture of excellence in the way our community of musicians relates.

Our 2024 music scholars:

Seth Loveday: piano, percussion

Thomas Lovegrove: cello, voice

Tenney Yu: piano, clarinet

Maxime Tompkin: viola

Allan Tan: cello, drum set, piano

Lucas Huang: violin, piano

Our 2024 music fellows:

Year 12

Adrian Garbowski: baritone saxophone

Alec Prendiville: flute

Hugo Silbert: tenor saxophone

Year 11

Heath Arbuckle: flute, violin

Year 10

Benjamin Hofmann: trombone

Angus Oakeley: percussion

Year 9

Eugene Cha: percussion

Frederick Chaney: drum set (jazz)

Zachary Ng: violin

Oberon Smith: tuba, trombone

Year 8

Jayden Chan: violin

Remy Collison: French horn

Barsa Haydari-Manesh: trumpet

Charlie Mengler: viola

Year 7

Eric Deng: violin, piano

Rowan Sundaresan: voice

Oliver Byrne: drum set (jazz)

Jake Ognenis: baritone saxophone

Intersection

Intersection was once again a huge success for the Performing and Creative Arts students and staff.

An exciting evening of interdisciplinary artistry which showcased the artistic collaboration between Scotch College and Presbyterian Ladies’ College students across different Arts disciplines. Featuring multiple contemporary dance and drama performances, sonic installations, electronic music, light projections, Indie music performance, a live painting installation and a gaming station with computer games and soundtracks created by students. Intersection was a sensory feast brought to life by students from different disciplines who came together to create new and innovative works. This was an event not to be missed!

Clockwise: Luke Bourke; Wil Hamersley and Noah McCreery; Simon Pocock; Darcy Gifford; Max Thorpe; Oliver Langford, George Jerenic Shivesh Nandwana, Piers McNeil

Ms Sarah Combes

Curriculum LeaderThe Arts

The global pandemic shined a light on the true value of the Arts to our lives.

We all turned to the entertainment and creative activities to distract ourselves, not only as consumers but as participants in order to find social connection, perspective, and hope, in times of great uncertainty. Reflecting on this time, and looking forward to the future, it is evident that the Arts and cultural learning are now more important than ever for the health of local and global communities. This is true for young people especially, whose cultural engagement and identity is increasingly shaped by algorithms, and their once fertile imagination risks of being stifled by a visually driven monoculture. As young people are the future producers of culture, we need empathetic, creative, and critical thinkers who use the Arts as a safe space to explore issues and ideas, question values and share diverse, unifying stories.

One of the most rewarding aspects of being an arts teacher is to witness students discover their passion, practice their skill, and then build their own story, something new to share with the world. This year saw Old Scotch Collegian Finn Harold OSC 2023 and Nicholas Verryn OSC 2020 continue their

creative journey beyond school and achieve great success for their contribution to the arts.

As Drama Captain, Honors recipient, and cast in the leading role of Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island, it came as no surprise that Finn Harold would perform exceptionally in his ATAR Drama Practical Exam. Upon receiving one of the highest marks in the state for his Candidate’s Choice Monologue, Finn was then invited to audition for a coveted place in the 2023 Performing Arts Perspectives, an annual event which showcases the highest standard of student performance and provides benchmarks of excellence in the performing arts. After making it successfully through the audition stage, Finn was selected to be one of the eight students to perform on one of the grandest stages in the country, the Perth Concert Hall. It was a truly remarkable moment to behold, especially when looking back to six months ago when Finn’s original work began as a small spark of an idea which evolved through countless hours of development, practice, and more practice.

Shortly after the announcement of Finn’s success came the very exciting news that Nicholas Verryn’s short film ‘Verge Collection’ was awarded both the $10,000

West Australian Short Film Prize and the $5,000 People’s Choice Prize in a nationwide Short Film competition. This powerful documentary film paid tribute to the verge collection, taking a nostalgic look at uncovering the history and emotional stories attached to discarded items. The beautifully crafted work captured the hearts and imagination of thousands of viewers who cast their vote in support of the film. Nicholas’s passion and talent for filmmaking was fostered and developed through the Scotch College Media Programme. After completing the IB Diploma in Film, Nicholas went on to pursue further study of film at Notre Dame where he and a team of film makers created Verge Collection as part of the University’s Advanced Screen Production. He now runs his own film production business Envyus Media (@ envyusmedia).

While not all students who study an Arts subject will go on to be actors, filmmakers, musicians, visual artists or designers, they will be armed with a unique skill set of creativity, innovation and communication, that will prove vital for success no matter what their career pathway. And while it is our responsibility as educators to prepare students for the workforce, an education in the arts will achieve this and so much more.

DLGSC Director General Lanie Chopping presents the prize for the West Australian Short Film Category — won by Kyle Thistlethwaite, Nicholas Verryn, Nadine Barry and Taylor Finch, for ‘Verge Collection’. Photo by Daniel Wilkins/West Australian Newspapers

Finn Harold (centre in blue suit and tie) and Year 12 Drama ATAR students and Ms Sarah Combes at Perspectives

Summer Season. It’s a wrap!

Angus King Vice-Captain of School (Operations)

This year the boys were incredibly eager to start their training, and for the Year 12s to compete for one last time in their summer sports. The firsts teams got a head-start with a range of pre-season games before the formal fixtures started.

Basketball

Basketball had a large number of participants. The lower teams had some great games and a few laughs along the way. In the higher teams, the basketballers fought hard to make their mark on this season with some big wins in the first half of the season, but the boys couldn’t get over the line with some really strong opponents.

Our 1st V Basketball Team, finished fourth in the quest for the Blackwood Trophy. Hale proved too strong this season, winning ahead of Christ Church and Aquinas.

Cricket

Cricket also had some of the highest numbers in years. With five teams, it provided a fantastic atmosphere at training. Across the board, all of the teams were successful, losing only a handful of games.

Our 1st XI Cricket Team finished third in their quest for the Darlot Cup. The team had a strong Term Four season, finishing with four wins and two losses, and began Term One in great style winning their first matches. This left the team in a great spot. If they could win their final games against Hale, Aquinas and Wesley, they could take out the Darlot Cup. Unfortunately, Hale and Wesley proved too strong, and we were only able to achieve a draw against Aquinas. This meant that Wesley won the Darlot Cup, ahead of Hale and Scotch.

Rowing

The Head of the River was the culmination of the rowing season. Scotch crews performed strongly on the day, producing the best all round results for the College since 2015. Our performances were consistent throughout the day, with all 13 crews finishing between second and fifth in their respective events.

In the 1st VIII race, our crew executed a race plan that saw them up with the leaders at the halfway mark. The crew fought to the end, but Hale proved too strong on the day to take out one of the closest 1st VIII races in many years, ahead of Christ Church, Trinity, with Scotch a close fourth.

In the Hamer Cup, which is a measure of the strength of the whole Boat Shed, Scotch finished third behind Trinity and Christ Church. Having finished seventh in 2021 and 2022, and fifth in 2023, this was a huge step forward for our rowing programme.

Swimming

Our Swimming team produced an outstanding performance on PSA Inters night to win the Tregonning Trophy for the second year in a row. Our team got off to a strong start to lead by 50 points after the breaststroke events but fell one point behind Christ Church during the butterfly

events. As the relay events continued, Christ Church and Scotch went head-to-head, and the Scotch boys showed great discipline and effort to continually edge ahead on the points table. At the end of the final Year 12 relay, Scotch had established a 118-point lead, to win the swimming title back-to-back for the first time since 1950, a wonderful achievement for the College.

Tennis

In Tennis, the boys continued to play well, building on the success of past years. It was amazing to see so many younger players getting their opportunity in the firsts team, whether playing in singles or in doubles. Across all teams, there was some seriously hard-fought matches. Whilst the firsts team couldn’t win this year, there is some real talent that will set the tennis programme up well in years to come. The Scotch Tennis Team finished in fifth place.

Volleyball

In Volleyball the boys finished fifth with Aquinas winning the Brother Carrigg Shield. It was a tough season with some new faces starting in the firsts team. Although they weren’t the strongest team this year, the boys made huge improvements and found their rhythm in the later games. Across some of the lower teams, the boys had a great time developing their skills to hopefully work their way up to stronger teams going forward.

Water Polo

It was a 50/50 season for the Scotch Water Polo Team with six wins and six losses, placing them fourth behind Aquinas, Christ Church and Trinity. There were a number of tight results, and with a large group of Year 11s returning next year, hopes are high to try and push to contend for the Dickinson Shield in 2024/25.

While there were many great individual performances it is important to recognise that these wins can only occur with a complete team effort. Congratulations to all the boys for the great sportsmanship they showed during the season. While we all like success, at the heart of what we are trying to achieve through PSA sport is that all boys strive to improve in their chosen sport, and win, lose or draw, we always show commitment, respect, and humility in our sporting endeavours. This applies to our 1st team and all the way through the grades of each sport. Thank you also to the coaches and to all those involved in making this another fantastic Summer Season. It’s a wrap!

A fantastic performance at the Swimming Inters. From left to right: Ms Jessica Hales (Coach), Mr Nico Le Page (Coach), Mr Jesse Coughlan (Coach), Tex Cross (Captain), Mr Ryan Steenkamp (Head Coach), Mr Aleksandr Bell (Coach), Mr Daniel Boshart (Coach), Mr Ed Grant (Coach)

Service to the Community Award for Callum Kennedy (Year 8) Community

The Community Project is a significant student-directed collaborative inquiry held over an extended 6-month period and an exciting opportunity for Year 8 students to apply their learning to real-world issues. It provides an excellent opportunity for students to produce a truly personal and creative work of their choice and to develop an awareness of others’ needs and serve others in an area of their choice. It is the consolidation of the skills they have developed through approaches to learning and demonstrates service as action as a result of the project. Through project, students identify, plan, and execute a service-oriented initiative that addresses a community need emphasizing the development of skills such as research, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking.

The 2023 Community Project Award went to Callum Kennedy for his dedication to the citizen of Lancelin. Callum used his artistic talents to help introduce five protective behaviours through the Djinda Indigenous symbol which he painted across the school helping students understand these key messages. He also donated sporting equipment and reading material from the Scotch College Junior School Library and participated in the monster fete.

Callum also became an active member of the Save the Dunes campaign to stop mining of the iconic Lancelin Dunes. With well over 100 hours of service dedicated to the Lancelin community, he was presented with a Service to the Community Award by The Lions Club of Lancelin and Districts. A high accolade for a young man.

Congratulations on your remarkable achievements Callum. Can you tell us how you became involved with the Lancelin community?

I became involved with the Lancelin community because my family have had

a holiday house there that I have visited regularly for the past 8 years. Lancelin is a unique town, and its community means a lot to me. I wanted my project to be related to my personal life, so I chose Lancelin for my project.

These projects were obviously close to your heart. What inspired you? Sand mining is a huge threat to Lancelin since the whole town, including Lancelin Primary School, depends on tourism for its survival. Creating artwork is a big hobby of mine so I chose to paint murals for Lancelin Primary School, the central toilet block in town, and to protest against the mining of the Lancelin sand dunes. The classroom mural motivates the students to engage in the schools positive expected behaviours programme through the school’s starfish mascot, Djinda.

How did you manage the different initiatives you undertook? It must have taken a lot of coordination and good time management.

I organised my project very early, starting by donating sports balls to Lancelin Primary School during the October school holidays in Year 7. I had meetings with the school principal at the start of the summer school holidays and completed the school’s mural in February 2023. During first term of Year 8, I painted the Lancelin toilet block and decorated mugs with digital artwork of Djinda. I completed most of my project by the July school holidays after supporting the Save the Dunes campaign in a protest and donating old library books from Scotch College to Lancelin Primary School.

What obstacles did you have to overcome to get the job done?

I had a hard time finding the right paint colours and making all the copies of Djinda the right shape and size. Instead of buying tons of blue paint, I used paint samples from

Bunnings and I painted on some cardboard for practice. I then made three separate stencils out of cardboard and paper for the outline of the starfish shape, Djinda’s face and then the Indigenous symbols on the arms. I made these the right size and shape by measuring the panels of the classroom wall I chose to paint and I sketched where the paint would go with pencil before cutting out the final stencils. I also had to check the weather forecast to make sure it wasn’t going to rain during the painting process, but this wasn’t a problem since it never rained.

Is there a particular memory that will stay with you?

A couple of my best memories from the project were meeting Mrs Temby, Principal of Lancelin Primary School, for the first time, and standing on top of the Lancelin sand dunes with the community in the protest against the mining.

You have given a lot to the community. What do you think this experience has given you?

I have learnt to work with others in a community and protest for a good cause and how one problem can affect a whole community while bringing people together simultaneously.

What would you say to other students who are about to embark on their CP?

My advice: start the communication process early. Think about what skills you have that could assist the organisation you’re interested in. Complete as many service hours as you can during boarders’ long weekends and school holidays because they can go a long way in helping your organisation. Have group meetings weekly to write up the Community Project Journal as you complete sections. Don’t forget to take pictures and schedule meetings with your mentor to make sure you are on track.

Callum Kennedy and one of his Djinda artworks

Staff achievements

At Scotch we are fortunate to have staff members who are passionate, inspiring, creative and dedicated both inside and outside the classroom.

These are qualities which they bring to work with them every day and which enrich the fabric of the Scotch community. As a school, we are thrilled to be able to support wherever possible and proud to share their personal achievement and passions.

Ned Sorrell

Groundsman / ASTMA Graduate of the Year

In 2021 the College was extremely proud to announce that Ned Sorrell had been awarded the Australian Sports Turf Managers Association (ASTMA) Graduate of the Year Award after presenting to the ASTMA panel on the Gold Coast. As a result of ASTMA’s partnership with Toro, Ned received a lucrative education package which he was able to take advantage of earlier this year. He flew to Phoenix, USA for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America conference and then on to Toro’s major manufacturing and testing facility in Minneapolis giving him an appreciation of the size of the global industry and the scale at which the US market operates. Ned was pleased to say that, as we thought, Scotch’s playing fields are as good as any you will find around the world!

In recent months, Scotch’s fields have hosted WACA matches, the Irish and United Stated 7s Rugby sides, the Western Force, as well as various community teams across many sports. The College is so fortunate to have quality staff such as Ned and we thank Mark Watts and the entire grounds team for their work.

Linda Gauld

Technology Operator / Scottish Musician

“You don’t build a top school; you build top teachers and then top teachers build top schools.”

Dr. Alec O’Connell Headmaster

The Scotch College Pipe Band is an important part of our Scottish heritage, but recently, the Scotch community has also experienced another Scottish tradition of Ceilidh dancing at the 125th Cocktail party and the Scottish Banquet. We spoke with Linda Gauld, our Technology Operations Coordinator, who is the co-founder of Scottish Stramash Community Sessions and one of the fiddlers of the Gallus Ceilidh Band. “Scotland is famous for its traditional music and bothy ballads, with origins that can be traced back thousands of years. However, my fellow muso, Fiona Davidson and I noticed a gap in Perth when it came to traditional Scottish ‘session’ music being played, so we started a community group to share and teach the traditional tunes of Scotland. As Scottish Stramash members increased, we met likeminded musicians, resulting in the launch of the Gallus Ceilidh Band. Both projects share music and joy but in different formats. Gallus Ceilidh Band has seen us play in and around Western Australia and even fly to Singapore for a wedding. Scottish Stramash allows us to teach music to fellow Scots or Australians with roots in Scotland who are keen to learn more of the traditions of their ancestors.”

Lisa Evans

House Head, Anderson / Science Teacher / Ironwoman

Lisa qualified for the IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`I at the Busselton IM triathlon in December 2022 last year having tried unsuccessfully since 2003. Lisa is a teacher and a carer for her mum and her sister but she still found the time and energy to train for the gruelling 3.8km swim, 180.2km bike and 42.2km run. 16 hours, 35 minutes and 52 seconds later Lisa crossed the finish line. Amazing effort Lisa, we admire your strength and perseverance!

Sue Tredget

Modern Languages Teacher / Published Author

Sue recently published a new book “Days Like These: The Upside and Backside of Cancer” where she chronicles her battle with cancer at the peak of the pandemic. Written in real time and described as “a warm and witty account of a terrifying time that will lift you up when you least expect it”. This inspiring memoir is not to be missed! Paperback and Kindle versions are available to order on Amazon.

Ashleigh Civiello

Humanities Teacher / Award winning Highland Dancer

Most of us know Ash as the kind and caring Middle School teacher. What many don’t know is that she is also a highly accomplished Highland Dancer who has competed and performed on global stages from South Africa to Edinburgh. After a rigorous selection process, Ashleigh was recently selected as one of only two Australian Highland Dancers to join an international ensemble of 36 from Scotland, Canada, US and Australia at the Belgium International Tattoo where they performed to 9,000 people every night. Her next competition will be at the Washington Tattoo followed by the New York City Tartan Festival in an Australian-only team of 11 dancers (OzScot Australia). Directed by Cheryl Roach who has received an OAM for her contribution to the Highland Dance community worldwide, we wish Ash and her team the very best of luck in the upcoming competitions!

Nicola Eidne

Science Teacher / Artistic Swimmer

As we go to print, we hear through the grapevine that Nicola will be competing in the Artistic Swimming National Championships in Queensland in May. Best of luck Nicola and we hope to hear more about your efforts!

Revolutionising education: The innovative journey of Scotch Global

Mrs Cara Fugill Head of Scotch Global

In 2023, Scotch College embarked on a groundbreaking journey to reimagine education outside the bounds of a traditional school.

Having always been at the forefront of innovation, technology integration, and catering for the diverse needs of students through its excellent pastoral and academic programmes, the purpose of this project was to explore how a new model of learning might better cater for the unmet needs of families in the broader community.

Each school is made up of carefully interwoven decisions that work to educate our children; however, the structures of what we learn, how we learn, and where we learn are largely the same for all. But what happens when a child can’t access a traditional classroom? What other options does a family have? Research would indicate there are an increasing number of families who feel that the education system is failing them. These reasons are often complex and varied, so resolving them all within the one structure seems an impossible task.

Due to the ongoing commitment and generosity of our Old Scotch Collegians (OSC) community, the school received a generous seed donation to invest in the project. Taking the lessons learned during COVID, the rapid advancement of technology platforms developed during this time, and better understanding the unmet needs of some families, the model of learning for Scotch Global was conceptualised. The

co-educational school caters for students aged 12 to 25 through its three unique streams: Connect, Thrive, and Accelerate — each addressing an area of education that could benefit from a different approach.

Connect is our full school solution that will be built out to manage remote learners from Years 6 to 12 and will take education online. Thrive is our after-school co-curricular academic programme that offers students a deep dive into courses where there is a shared passion of an expert course facilitator and students. Lastly, our Accelerate programme addresses the challenges that young people face in finding relevant education on careers, workplace skills, and how to advance themselves into strong positions and fulfilling professions early on.

Connect Year 7 has now been in operation for the past two months, and already the new model is providing families with a high-quality option for education. Our remote learners are enjoying a combination of collaborative online classes that are connecting these students across the state and delivered in our purpose-built streaming studios. The collaborative classes occur daily between 8 to 11 a.m., allowing us to cover all areas of the Australian curriculum. A few highlights have been cooking with Mrs. McLeay, morning gatherings and assemblies with Mr. Valentine, and Humanities with Ms. Mfune. Classes are highly interactive and focus on building our students’ social and communication skills through the lens of the content they are learning.

The complementary component to this is the independent learning modules that have been carefully curated by our Scotch Global teachers to focus on building content knowledge and developing thinking skills. Using an inquiry approach, each module offers questions, model answers, and inbuilt support with the opportunity for the teachers to provide feedback and for the students to reflect on their progress. This has enhanced the rate at which students are acquiring new knowledge, giving teachers more

Using an inquiry approach, each module offers questions, model answers, and inbuilt support with the opportunity for the teachers to provide feedback and for the students to reflect on their progress.

time to show how this fits into a real-world application or has transferability into other aspects of learning.

Similarly, this model of learning is also in place for our Thrive community, who have over twelve courses on offer across STEM, Business, and the Social Sciences. Offered in difficulty levels 1 through 3, students can choose bespoke courses ranging from Philosophy and Ethics, Health and Medical Science, Mechatronics, and even Innovation and Entrepreneurship. While the courses are challenging and expect students to go beyond the curriculum, passionate Year 6 to 11 students who are keen and interested learners are developing incredible depth in their thinking.

Early indicators of success speak volumes about the impact of Scotch Global. From being selected as one of seven schools in the world authorised to deliver the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme wholly online to witnessing high levels of student engagement and satisfaction, Scotch Global has met the benchmark for educational excellence while offering a model that will provide for a new community of learners.

To learn more about our three streams please visit https://global.scotch.wa.edu.au

Some of our Year 7 Connect students Jane Forrester (Meekatharra), Jake Hobbs (Mukinbudin) and Jude Vance (Perth)

Scotch Business Directory

Now open to the wider school community

Supported by the Old Scotch Collegians, our Business Directory has proudly featured local, regional, national and global businesses founded by our alumni. We have expanded the directory to include the wider school community, and invite parents and those with significant connection to Scotch College to have their business included.

Submit your business or visit the directory at scotch.wa.edu.au/scotch-business-directory

We encourage our community to support locally owned businesses as much as possible. Check in to the directory before making your next purchase or booking a service, and you might just find some great deals too!

Jack “Ultra-Cyclist” Thompson

After reaching another herculean milestone of riding end-to-end the 1,067km Munda Biddi Trail and smashing out a new world record time, OSC Jack “UltraCyclist” Thompson is coming back to Perth on June 6th to share his inspirational journey in a prolific short film – Munda Biddi Dreaming

Tell us what Munda Biddi Dreaming represents, and what inspired you to embark upon this very unique challenge?

I’ve been fortunate enough to turn my passion of ‘riding a bike’ into a full-time job and now undertake extreme projects around the world where I look to break ultra distance world records. The recent Munda Biddi Dreaming project was extra special because I was able to do it on home soil in front of friends and family.

Growing up and all throughout my school life I suffered from (and continue to suffer from) depression. I made it my mission back in 2016 when I commenced my professional cycling journey, to use it not only for my own health and prosperity, but to also spark change in other people’s lives too. Each project I undertake has an ‘extreme cycling’ element, but also a ‘mental health’ element.

The Munda Biddi Dreaming project in collaboration with co-naming rights partner Oqea, saw me break the Munda Biddi ‘End to End’ record (1,067km in 2 days, 12 hours and 15 minutes) and then visit schools along the trail as I made my way north, presenting to roughly 5,000 children around the importance of having a dream. The record itself gave me a great media platform to share the more important messaging around depression and allowed me to connect with children and inspire them about the endless possibilities in life. The feedback we received from the community was incredible and so I’m excited to finally release the film to the public!

Riding for two days straight, through the night and unassisted must have been physically and mentally gruelling. How did you prepare for such a challenge?

While there are times of absolute bliss throughout any of these projects, the nature of these records is that they just hurt, both physically and mentally. I’m based in Spain, about an hour north of Barcelona and have a team of coaches, doctors and physical specialists around me that help me prepare for these events; it’s certainly not a ‘solo’ endeavour, despite actually ‘riding’ alone.

I spent four months preparing for this project. I’m on the bike 6 days a week as well as being in the gym twice a week. I’m at the doctor every two weeks just making sure my blood values are safe given the training load and stress on my body and then on calls a couple of times a week to help orchestrate the project itself. I love it all! The cycling, the gym, the non-bike work on the phone, it keeps me rounded as opposed to being a one-dimensional athlete.

Did you come up against any unexpected hurdles?

This project was way harder than I thought it would be, just because of the weather we experienced. I undertook the ride in November 2023, mid-way through an extreme heat wave. Temperatures were in excess of 38’C for the entirety of the ride and so finding enough water, keeping cool and hydrated and making sure I literally didn’t cook myself, were constant battles. Due to the nature of the project and the school visits we had scheduled for the following week, it wasn’t possible to reschedule!

Another challenge arose midway through the second night down towards Walpole. Because of the heat, I had fallen a little behind my schedule and as a result, the shops I’d earmarked as re-supply points were closed. This had me riding for hundreds of kilometres with only my emergency supplies. By the time the sun did finally rise, I was in a world of hurt and battling into 60km/hr head

winds. During the final 8 hours, I took two 10-minute power naps on the side of the road and this was enough to recharge my batteries and get me to the end ahead of record time.

What was your best memory of Munda Biddi Dreaming?

Without a doubt, the school activation component of the ride and presenting to the children around my own mental health battles and the toolbox I’ve built to overcome the dark times.

The cycling component is fun, I enjoy it and it keeps me sane, that’s my passion, but I feel as though my purpose is in helping others and the activations with children just re-affirms that. A highlight for me was also presenting to the boys at Scotch. I remember being in their position 20 odd years ago and can still remember the impact guest speakers had on my development into adulthood.

To stand on that same stage and chat with the boys about my life highs and lows, was very special.

Jett Patterson (Brisbane); Tom Wallwork (Stuart); Jack Thompson; Jonathon Smirk (Ferguson); Will Howie (Ross)

Photo by Zac Williams Photography

Oldest Scotch Collegian Project

Calling all members of the Old Scotch Collegians community! As we embark on a search for our oldest living member, we’re reaching out to those members aged 90 years and above.

Your connection to the College is invaluable, and we want to honour and celebrate your contributions to the OSC community.

We are actively seeking further information about the whereabouts of the individuals listed on the right. If you have any information, or if you have been in contact with them recently, we would love to hear from you.

Together, let’s ensure that no member of our community is forgotten. Please contact the Alumni Office at osc@scotch.wa.edu. au or phone 9383 6800, and we thank you in advance for your support.

Celebrating lives

Grant Miles 1937

Alan Chalmers 1944

W illiam (Bill) Frayne 1944

Malcolm Higham 1946

Ian Smith 1948

Brian Anderson 1949

Roger Payne 1949

Peter Raven 1948

Bob Anderson 1950

John D’Arcy 1950

Ridley Plaisted 1953

Alan Murray 1954

Warren Lowth 1954

Ronald David Black 1955

Brian Burnett 1955

Lewis (Lew) Blake 1956

Paul Graham 1956

Ross Sadler 1956

John James

McLachlan Stewart 1956

Peter Paramor 1958

Henry Findlay 1959

James (Jim) Roach 1959

Austin Robertson Jnr 1960

Vernon Smith 1960

OSC 1938

East, George Thomas

Edmonds, Charles William

Lunt, Jeffrey Kenneth

Weetman, Alan Russell

OSC 1939

Howse, Lionel Antony Gabriel

McKenzie, Alan Maxwell

Young, Arthur Claude

OSC 1940

Crofton, John Manning

Mettam, Harold Alfred

Rogers, David

Toner, Henry Kevin

OSC 1941

Hill, Beaufort Hamilton

Meston, Richard Harrington

Thompson, Alan Charles

OSC 1942

Langford, John

Lee, Ronald Hall

Manning, Donald Thomas

Mestom, Ian Harrington

Thomas, Martin Thomas Whittle, John Wilford

Wilson, Ian Hamilton

OSC 1943

Aberdeen, Ken Anderson, James Graham Brown, Raymond Wilson Couchman, William Kempthorn Forbes, David Stewart

Ham, William Sidney Adams

Hare, Reginald Jeffery, Ian Malcolm McKenzie, Robert Charles

OSC 1944

Charlton, Michael (John Michael)

McMillan, Don (Alexander Donald)

Rapson, Thomas Wright, Donald Scott

OSC 1945

Murphy, Terence John

Teasdale, Richard William

OSC 1946

Charman, John Brookdale

Smith, John Robert

Alexander

OSC 1947

Stanton, George Noel James

Richard Preston 1961

Ian W ittber 1961

David Young 1961

Ralph Moullin 1962

Lindsay Abercrombie 1964

Edgar Snell 1966

Richard Folvig 1968

Robert Maisey 1971

Neil McCreery 1971

John Pearce 1971

Robert Beckett 1972

Brendan Beeck 1972

Peter Toms 1972

Colin Hyland 1974

Kim Ridley 1974

Peter Stanley 1974

Bill W ilson 1975

Graeme Currie 1975

David Campbell 1976

Christopher McGrath 1982

Adam Watson 1988

Ben Walawski 1998

James Hamilton 1997

Sean Bonney 2023

21 June

31 July

9 Aug

18 Oct

29 Aug

11 Oct March Out

Fields

Day Dinner Dining Room Fri 25 Oct

Golf Day Cottesloe Golf Club Tue 12 Nov OSC Admissions Tour (enrolment tour for sons of Old Boys) Scotch College Fri 22 Nov Class of 2014 –10 Year Reunion Gooch Pavilion Thu 28 Nov St Andrew’s

Class of 2013 Ten Year Reunion

The Ten Year Reunion for the Class of 2013 was held on September 1 at the Gooch Pavilion, followed by continued festivities at The Claremont Hotel. It was a fantastic turnout, and we appreciated the considerable effort made by many

Class of 1983

Forty Year Reunion

members of the cohort to attend, some travelling from quite a distance. Thank you to our lead organiser, Jackson Clarke, for his involvement.

The 1983 leavers had a memorable night celebrating their Forty Year Reunion on September 8. The day began with marching and a campus tour in the morning and continued with a sundowner at the Gooch Pavilion later in the day. It was a delightful evening, providing the cohort with an opportunity to reconnect with old friends.

We extend our gratitude to all who attended, and a special thank you to David Devenish, Fraser Murray, Greg Muir, and Larry Milne for their dedicated efforts in helping to coordinate the evening on behalf of the Class of 1983.

1. Class of 2013

2. Dr. Alec O’Connell, Alex Baird and Bevan Bennell

3. Jack Dunkeld, Cameron Mitchell and Glenn Bradshaw

1. John Murdoch, Edwin Kirk, John Murray

2. Matt Giraudo, Peter Cheffins, Robert Barnetson

3. David Devenish, Mark Brayshaw, John Hannaford

Class of 2003 Twenty Year Reunion

What an incredible night it was! The Class of 2003 gathered for their Twenty Year Reunion at the Gooch Pavilion on November 3. It was a fantastic group of Old Boys who enjoyed an evening full of laughter and reminiscing. Thanks to Sven Klinken and Steve Holmes for their assistance in organising a fantastic reunion on behalf of their cohort.

Class of 1973 Fifty Year Reunion

The Class of 1973 marked their Fifty Year Reunion on September 23 with a laid-back evening sundowner at the Gooch Pavilion. As the years go by, our OSCs continue to relish the opportunity to reconnect with old schoolmates and reminisce about days gone by.

Our sincere thanks to everyone who joined us on the evening, and especially to Murray McGill, Leigh Robinson, Neil Warburton, Kim Gamble, and Geoff Anderson for their dedicated efforts in helping to organise this memorable event on behalf of the Class of 1973.

1. John Clark, Ross Glendinning, Kris Csillag, Brad Moffet, Tony Corr

2. Class of 1973

3. Neil Warburton, Robert Lee and Leigh Robinson

1. Class of 2003

2. 2003 Alexander House

3. Luke Crouch, Stuart Shields, Anthony Altemuhl

4. Benjamin Saxton, Nathan Slater and Paul Burman

5. Craig Simmonds, Luke Rowohlt, Chris Sim

Business Directory Event

The OSC hosted a Scotch Business Directory networking event in November at Besk Bar in West Leederville, with a theme of “Local Products Produce.” The event spotlighted individuals and organisations who are prioritising locally grown and sourced goods. Attendees enjoyed the opportunity to network with like-minded business leaders and heard insights from our panel of speakers:

Ben Braham (OSC 1996) Co-Owner and Director at Besk, Guy Lyons (OSC 2001) General Manager & Winemaker at Forest Hill Vineyard, and John Cordin (OSC 2000) General Manager at Fins Seafood.

To find out more about the Scotch Business Directory, follow this link www.scotch.wa.edu. au/scotch-business-directory

St Andrew’s Day Vale

On November 30, we hosted our annual St. Andrew’s Day Vale Service at the Scotch College Chapel, followed by a morning tea in the Memorial Hall Foyer. The Old Scotch Collegians see this an important day on our

calendar, where we welcome family members and friends of our recently deceased OSC community to come together and commemorate the loss of our loved ones.

1. Our panellists Guy Lyons, Richard Gardner, John Cordin, Ben Braham

2. Ben Martin, Andrew Moullin, Andrew Paterson

3. Ben Swan, John Cordin

Tartan Lawyers Breakfast

Our annual Tartan Lawyers Breakfast took place at the CBD office of Herbert Smith Freehills on February 20. Guests relished the hospitality and networking opportunities, along with engaging in a panel discussion and interactive Q&A session featuring Aaron McDonald (2001), Michael Denny (2008), and Jenny Thornton (1977). This has become a popular event for Old Scotch Collegians and PLC Old Collegians in the legal profession, as well as current students who are aspiring to a career in the profession.

The Class of 1963 celebrated their Sixty Year Reunion on March 8 with a luncheon in the Gooch Pavilion. The gentlemen relished the opportunity to catch up with friends of days gone by and amongst the many shared stories and memories, enjoyed hearing from past classmates in the former Treasurer of Australia, John Dawkins, and former Australian rules footballer, Mal Brown.

To end the day, guests were treated to a performance from the Year 10 Service Pipe Band.

We offer our sincere gratitude to all who joined us from near and far, and a special thank you to Terry Gale for his contribution to the organisation of this wonderful reunion on behalf of the Class of 1964.

1. Sashin Carlberg, Bram Ezekiel, George Di Prinzio

2. Alexander Ward-Noonan, Isobel Palmer, Andrew Lesslie, Jacob Mann and Fraser Cull

3. Tash Wenn, and Aaron McDonald (OSC 2001, OSC President)

1. Dr. Alec O’Connell and the Class of 1964

2. Richard Sounness, Chris Turner

3. Malcolm Brown, Ian Saggers and Terry Gale

What have they been up to?

Kelvin Crombie | 1974

In 2009, I left Israel after residing there for twenty-five years, primarily in Jerusalem. Three of my daughters had already moved to Perth for their studies, so I decided to relocate as well. Once back in Perth, I established Heritage Resources with a focus on researching and writing about topics related to Israel, the Jewish people, and the Middle East including Australia’s military role in the region.

My work entails considerable time overseas researching and speaking. My career highlights

Trenton Harris | 1974

I’m semi-retired after 40 years in the teaching profession and continue to work in my studio as a practicing artist with several painting exhibitions to date.

I married Michelle Brennan in 1991 and we live in the hills of Helena Valley. We have two sons aged 30 and 27 who live overseas and in Perth respectively.

Michael Levitt | 1974

I graduated from UWA as a doctor and went on to train in Australia and England as a General and Colorectal Surgeon. I’ve been a part-time hospital manager for over 25 years, and I even spent time as WA’s Chief Medical Officer. That sounds much more influential than it proved to be. I resigned after three years.

I am a Director St John of God Health Care and a Clinician Member of the Medical Board of WA. I remain in clinical practice but currently spend the majority of my week as a Medical Co-Director at

Bill Pearce | 1974

After leaving Scotch I travelled Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia surfing and exploring. Upon my return I married my wife Debbie at the Scotch Chapel in 1979. Our family has since grown to include three boys and four grandchildren.

My professional path began in the building industry, but in 1985 I transitioned to Bunnings. Over the course of thirty years, I climbed the ranks from Branch Manager to roles such as Northern Territory

Richard Tweedie | 1984

My work as a Machinery Engineer has allowed my wife Wendy and I to live and work in various locations, both overseas and in Australia, returning regularly to Perth to visit family and friends (and the beach!).

Currently based in Brisvegas, in 2020 I took up the guitar, and am rocking bowling clubs with our band The Basementalists. I’m also sharpening my

include book launches and presentations in both our national Parliament and the House of Lords. I delivered the historical presentation at Beersheba for the 100th anniversary of the charge of the Light Horse in 2017 and delivered the Balfour-Beersheba presentation in the Royal Albert Hall the same year.

I am presently researching the plight of the Jewish Christians during the Holocaust, and apart from work, I enjoy time with wife Lexie, my four daughters and nine grandchildren.

My other interests include film making, drama, music, podcasting, and the Fringe Festival.

I’m still a passionate Swan Districts supporter!

Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. In early 2023, I was honoured at my appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to medical administration and professional bodies.

I have been married to Carolyn for 42 years, have three adult children and three grandchildren. I continue to be an active volunteer inside the Perth Jewish Community. I have had a number of books published, both fiction and non-fiction. Australian fine art is my wicked pleasure.

Manager, WA/NT Area Manager, and eventually WA State Operations Manager, culminating as Business Development Manager for Northern Australia until my retirement in 2015.

Upon retiring, we settled permanently in our home in Busselton, and are enjoying the lifestyle which still includes surfing, fishing, Vets cricket and walking football with the Eagles southwest team.

school woodworking skills, learning to make my own acoustic guitar at a Luthier. I hope to make it back to Perth for our Forty Year reunion!

110th Anniversary of Peppermint Grove Boat Shed (1914 - 2024)

2024 marks 110 years since the Scotch College Boat Shed opened on Friday, 27 November 1914 at Freshwater Bay, Peppermint Grove.

The total cost for this to be built was 447 pounds. Since 1910, rowing crews trained in Freshwater Bay, and with the introduction of Eights into schools’ competitions in 1912, the need for a rowing shed was becoming more apparent. Thus, a bazaar was held to raise funds for the construction.

Eventually, the Council helped out, with the firm of Hobbs, Smith & Forbes commissioning to construct the shed. This new addition to the school was opened by then Governor of Western Australia, Sir Harry Barron, with a great deal of splendour.

Headmaster, P. C. Anderson addressed the attending audience, “I am a great believer in rowing as a sport for schoolboys. Friendships are formed on the water which are more lasting than any others”. Anderson also triumphed at the 1913 win by Scotch College in the Head of the River, stroked by Bill Hewby, stating this victory as ‘dirty and fast’.

In 1916, a Red Cross afternoon tea was set up at the Boat Shed, in aid of raising funds for the war effort.

The evolution of the Boat Shed’s use started out with the four in 1915. During the 1930s, there were an estimated 60 boys rowing from the Boat Shed, 110 in the 1970s, and as of 2014, 200 boys partaking in the water sport.

The original Federation vernacular style Boat Shed was made from mostly Jarrah wood, with main internal beams being Oregon. This was built up of a main boat room, measuring 66 by 20 ft, to house the one racing eight and two fours. Additionally, a large dressing room with showers, a lean-to for the ‘pleasure boat’ used for training, and 56 by 10 ft of staging were all implemented to the overall design.

1976 saw another boat bay added to the south side, thus doubling how much the Boat Shed stores. Significantly, it is one of only two Boat Sheds erected on the foreshore during the Roads Board era.

A display will be made for this anniversary in Memorial Hall to visit.

Middle: 1916 Boat Shed Red Cross Bottom: 1915 1st crew row shed

Boat Shed 2014

110th Anniversary of the First World War (1914 -

“I

join with my grateful people in sending you this memorial of a brave life given for others in the Great War.”

King George V

August 4th this year marks 110 years since World War I was declared, when hostilities between England and Germany began in 1914. Consequently, Australia as a dominion of the British Empire, was called upon to defend its motherland.

From Scotch College, the total number of enlistments in the First World War was 475, representing over 50% of all Old Boys. This figure was even higher than the other boys’ private schools in Perth at the time, with 389 from Christian Brothers College enlisting, 228 from Guildford Grammar, and 262 from Hale. Nearly a quarter of all Old Boys were commissioned at 104, 34 decorated for bravery, 66 wounded and 77 died.

Scotch students and mothers who stayed behind on the home front during the war partook in sewing, knitting, and fund-raising for the Red Cross. Boarders spent evenings rolling bandages. War poems were frequently composed by boys, reflecting the attitudes they had to the war.

Housed at Scotch College’s Memorial Hall is the military Hamilton Collection, particularly the composed works of Australia’s official war correspondent and historian for World War I, Charles E.W. Bean. His books detail the grave sacrifice of soldiers during the Great War and the overall effects on Australian society at the time.

2024)

Additionally, the first mention of Old Boys serving in the First World War is recorded in the December 1914 issue of the Reporter. It highlights those serving in the First Contingent, Second Contingent and Light Horse Infantry.

We also have a letter signed by King George V in c.1918-19, declaring his gratitude for all those who served and lost their lives during the First World War. The letter is not addressed to anyone in particular but would have been felt deeply by Old Scotch Boys and staff who served, as well as their families and the entire Scotch community. It states, “I join with my grateful people in sending you this memorial of a brave life given for others in the Great War.”

A display will be made about this anniversary in Memorial Hall.

King George V letter

Donations

SHELLEY BARKER ON BEHALF OF KEITH AUSTIN BARKER (OSC 1917)

Donated by Shelley Barker and the Barker family in honour of Keith Austin Barker (OSC 1917) memory.

This locket was awarded to Keith Austin Barker (OSC 1917) for bravery due to saving two young women from drowning at Keane’s Point Jetty, Peppermint Grove.

He was working on his father’s tennis court at the time of the incident, located at the corner of Forrest Street and the Esplanade. He heard shouting from the water and ran in to help, a distance of between 6 – 800 metres.

He received commendation from the Royal Humane Society and this gold locket from Mr W. Lean of the Palladium Theatre.

EDWINA RYAN ON BEHALF OF PETER HARDIE (OSC 1949)

The works of Austin H Platt, an Australian printmaker. He etched many Australian buildings, particularly schools after the

We are currently seeking more donations in our collection of:

Collegiate Etching and Fine Arts Studio began to sell etchings of schools. Specifically, he has etched Collegians’ House and another building of the school.

They belonged to Peter Hardie (OSC 1949) and were donated by his daughter, Edwina Ryan.

WAYNE RENALDS

The painting was based off a combination of a historical photograph of Jane from 1896, items from the College Archives, and furnishings from Collegians’ House.

The palettes belong to Miss Clements, used when she was painting Jane Alexander.

Melissa added a slight smile to Jane’s expression, reflecting her position as a welcoming guardian overlooking the school.

These photo boards feature Scotch College students from Year 1 to Year 12, and all staff from that year. The 1997 one marks the Centenary Year for the school.

Belonged to Wayne Renalds sons’, Michael (OSC 1998) and Chris (OSC 2004).

Donated by Wayne Renalds.

JANE ALEXANDER PORTRAIT AND PALETTES

Portrait of Mrs Jane Alexander, Founder of Scotch College. Painted by artist, Melissa Clements in oil on linen between July –October 2023.

• Sea scouts memorabilia

• Air scouts memorabilia

• Civil defence memorabilia

• Wool Classing

• First World War letters, documentation

• Boer War memorabilia (1899-1902)

• Afghan & Middle East War memorabilia

• Wedding photographs at Scotch College chapel

The fact she is the founder is embodied via the books from the school’s archives, additionally her reading the first prospectus. Other elements such as her faith and heritage have also been emphasised, through the iris flowers and brooch, representing the Scottish Presbyterian Church.

Her portrait was unveiled on Founders’ Day at Scotch College in Collegians’ House, 20 October 2023. This marked the school’s 127th anniversary.

Wish to see more from archives at Scotch? Please come by to visit our collection at Memorial Hall’s Heritage Centre by appointment.

Have any photos, documents, or memorabilia of your time at Scotch you would like to donate? Contact our archivist Kyle Shuttleworth at archives@scotch. wa.edu.au

The Scotch College geological collection

The Scotch College Geological collection has been built up over a century (since 1904) from a time when the school was only 7 years old.

It is a resource that no school could assemble quickly if it wished to run a course in Earth Science, and could not be purchased anywhere commercially. We spoke to Tony Marrion, Head of Science 1976 – 2002 about the importance of Scotch’s own geological museum and his role in preserving it.

Can you tell us a little about the collection and why it is so special?

The collection represents about 118 years of Earth Science education for past students of Scotch College. The alumni who studied matriculation Geology here are effectively the “owners” of the collection and for that reason I think it is important it becomes established as part of the school’s archives (but still housed in the Science Building). The collection has about 10,000 specimens and is the cumulative result of a century of field work in the South-West, the Goldfields and the Pilbara of W.A. Some specimens have been donated by Old Scotch Collegians who have collected them overseas.

Over the last 30 years growing, maintaining, and cataloguing the specimens has been a labour of love. Can you tell us about your passion for this collection and how you became its custodian?

Bill Dickinson asked me to teach Geology when he appointed me as a Chemistry teacher in 1973. I had some Geology in my degrees anyway so it suited me. My predecessor, Harold Broadbent, was about to retire and he mentored me for three years, and for his input into my teaching I will always remain immensely grateful. Many students who took this subject did so because they found Chemistry and Physics too hard, but this gave them an “integrated” science as an alternative. It was “integrated” in that it

taught them some Chemistry in the study of minerals, some Physics in the study of earth structure through earthquake detection, measurement and location, sonar exploration and remote sensing, and some Biology in studying the fossil record of flora and fauna through geological time. The enthusiasm and learning response shown by the boys fed my passion for using the collection to show them the amazing world in which they lived.

Gathering the specimens has been a collective effort by the students of Geology at Scotch throughout the decades. There must be memories of expeditions that have taken place in the past 30 years or of interesting finds.

Some of the most productive exercises involved constructing geological maps of areas of WA. It usually meant a week of camping and walking vast distances. In different years we mapped the nickel dome at Kambalda, the Cretaceous sediments of Gingin, the Jurassic sediments of Geraldton, the Permian sediments of the Irwin River Valley, the pre-Cambrian igneous structures in the Pilbara, the metamorphic rocks of Toodyay, the complex rocks of the KalgoorlieBoulder Goldfields, the igneous rocks of the Darling Scarp and Plateau, the recent sediments of the Perth Basin and the coastal limestone deposits of Point Peron. These expeditions resulted in a wealth of minerals, rocks and fossils which can now be enjoyed in the showcases on the second floor of the Science building. The first dinosaur bone found in WA was collected on a Scotch expedition to the Jurassic of Geraldton. It now resides in the WA Museum!

Whilst the collection is undeniably important to Scotch College, it must also be a valuable resource for Geologists across Western Australian and academic institutions?

Interest has been shown in the collection by the WA Museum and the UWA Geology Department. One year we were visited by a research geologist from India who had

been directed to us from UWA. He was studying the fossilized marine fauna on the east coast of India and wanted to compare it to the fossilized marine fauna on our west coast. Two hundred million years ago the two coastlines were together (in a theoretical ancient supercontinent, Gondwanaland). When separated by continental drift the fauna in the shallow sea between India and Western Australia would have been the same. As this is found to be the case, it supports our confidence in the theory of plate tectonics. In a small way our collection has contributed to confirming it.

How are you training the next generation of curators and what is your greatest hope for the future of the Collection?

I wish I had a future curator to pass the care of it on to, but at present there is no one. My greatest hope is that when I get it into top condition, preserved as a component of the school archives, a future staff member in Science, with the right background, might be interested in taking a curatorial role, or even running a school-based subject in it. If in future it returns as an academic university entrance subject, Scotch has all the resources necessary to address it.

Many old Scotch Collegians have been awakened to their future careers as geologists in the Science Department at Scotch. If you could reach out to them, what would you say?

I hope your memory of Geology studies is not just dust and heat, freezing mornings, ants, midges and rocky ground to sleep on, but also excitement at discovering and understanding what you could about the wonderful earth on which we live.

Were you one of Tony’s geologists and have photos or memories to share? Get in touch with OSC@ scotch.wa.edu.au or with our archivist kyle.shutterworth@scotch.com.edu.au

Permian Ice-Age Glacial Erratic (locally called White Horse), Irwin River, Perth Basin, 1975

Exhausted geology students on Iron-Ore Mountain, Tallering Peak, Mid-West WA

Mr Tony Marrion, Head of Science 1976 - 2002

The gift of an education

We extend our sincere thanks to the generous members of our Scotch community along with our Old Scotch Collegians, who have supported recent Annual Appeals for our Scholarship and Bursary programme.

Giving ensures the growth and development of our remarkable College. Your gift makes an incredible difference to students today and in the future. Thank you for your gift.