Charlie Bevan
School Captain Although this year did not go as expected and we missed out on events like the Inter House Cross Country and Athletics, it made us a lot more grateful for everything that we could do. We were very fortunate to be able to play out almost an entire Public Schools Association (PSA) Winter Sport season, especially since the chances of having one game were initially looking slim. The success of Scotch this year was undeniable, winning the Alcock Cup and Brother Redmond Cup, the Football and Rugby cups respectively, outright. Rugby made it through the season undefeated, while Football only lost one game. The Cross Country team also had a very successful season, placing second. It is a testament to the hard work that boys across all levels put in, and I am very proud of the way we all represented our school. None of this would have been possible without the organisation and planning of Mr Foster and Headmaster Dr O’Connell, and on behalf of all the boys I would like to express my appreciation. Additionally, I would like to thank all the coaches for their commitment to the school. Scotch’s investment in the Indigenous community was once again demonstrated during our NAIDOC Week. With the Indigenous flag proudly painted on the top oval and the traditional smoking ceremony, Friday Marching was a special event that combined our school’s heritage with Australia’s extensive Indigenous culture. At Assembly, we were fortunate enough to have Neville Collard give a Welcome to
Senior students preparing for Marching during Scotch’s NAIDOC Week, photograph: Pixel Poetry
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Country, and guest speaker Alicia Janz talk about her journey as an Indigenous woman playing sport at the top level. This year saw the production We Will Rock You, a Queen-inspired musical that showcased the enormous talent in the Scotch and PLC community. Everyone rose to the challenge to pull off some of Freddie Mercury’s songs, which is certainly not easy to do. Innumerable hours were put into planning and rehearsing for the performance, and I commend all the staff and students involved. Since the beginning of Autumn Term, we have been able to enjoy the new Mathematics and Commerce Building. It has quickly become one of the most popular areas of the school, housing the new lecture theatre, Year 12 common room and of course the best quality table tennis station. For reasons beyond explanation, table tennis has taken over the school, with boys spending every spare second to get in a rally. Just in Winter Term, we have already had two table tennis tournaments, and I am quite certain that they will not be the last. The new building has become the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) of table tennis venues at Scotch, so you can always expect there to be a crowd of people at any given moment. One of the hardest things to do as a teenage boy is to talk about your mental
health. During Chapel in Men’s Health Week, myself and three Year 11 students, Brenton Macauley, Josh Ledger and Terry Zhou, talked about our experiences with COVID-19 and the effect it had on us and our family. All three boys had to deal with adversity very differently, and the courage they had to open up to the school was fantastic, and demonstrated to everyone that there does not need to be stigma around these conversations. This term we also had R U OK? Week, which once again focused on encouraging discussions with your mates and checking in on them if you notice that they are acting differently. No one is ever going to be feeling one hundred per cent all the time, but if you know that your mates are there to support you it makes the world of difference. All in all, the past semester has been a very busy one, having to cram in events that we could not do in Autumn Term due to restrictions. There was never a dull moment, and personally, it has been one of the most enjoyable semesters thus far. As the schooling journey draws to a close for the Year 12s, I would like to thank everyone for their involvement in the school and their contribution in making this year one to remember.
