Clan is a periodic news pictorial for the Scotch College community.
Clan © Scotch College 2022 Editor: Geraldine Capogreco Design: PaperScout
Milestones can also elicit a sense of real passion, as evidenced in Jesse Jackson’s words about the election of Barrack Obama: “For me, Barack Obama’s election was a milestone of the most extraordinary kind. On the day he was elected I felt such hope in my heart. I thought we were seeing the beginning of a new era of equal opportunity across race and gender such as America had never known before.”
Today’s waymarks to benchmark our past, current, and future growth and success
While the word ‘waymark’ is not commonly used, the term ‘milestone’ is very much a familiar part of today’s vernacular.
Historically, waymarks were carved from stone or wood and positioned at the side of the road to show the distance to various places, especially to the nearest large town. These signposts provided hope for weary travellers in search of an end to their long day of trudging through the countryside. Typically, the stones were placed a mile apart. Each ‘mile stone’ was given a unique number, serving as a mile marker. Our modernday use of milestone was inspired by the Romans’ ancient practice of using waymarks. Today, most people are familiar with the word ‘milestone,’ but the term is used in a slightly different way. Today, it is far more commonly used to measure an important event in history, someone’s life or that of an organisation.
This year marks two significant milestones for Scotch College – our 125th year since our school was founded and the 75th year since we started our pipe band. Why then are milestones important to organisations such as ours, and why should we celebrate them?
Milestones build morale. Regardless of what is being celebrated. Organisational milestones such as our 125th year are emotional-based, and getting people to connect emotionally with our community is critical to celebrating our past and future success. Celebrating school, work, and personal milestones not only helps people acknowledge their successes, but it also provides opportunities to strengthen bonds with family, friends, and co-workers. Positive memories of past accomplishments help motivate people to pursue future goals.
Celebrating milestones, whether small or large in gravitas, is important and shouldn’t just be reserved for obvious celebrations such as birthdays, weddings, and graduations. Milestones come in all shapes
and sizes. They may include completing an important work project, doing well on a test, finishing a course of work, or any number of other accomplishments. In today’s rapidly moving world, we are consumed by the pace of change, jumping from task to task in rapid succession. In doing so, we run the risk of forgetting to take time to ‘smell the roses’, failing to live for the moment and take time to congratulate ourselves and celebrate our successes.
So much of our personal growth and effective habits depend on our interactions with others. In turn, celebrating such interactions leads to the development of ‘emotional banking’, a term coined by Stephen Covey. Recognising significant milestones also builds affective commitment, a construct developed by Meyer and Allen, and one which I investigated as part of my own doctoral programme. Affective commitment is a conceptual framework which acknowledges that emotional attachment to an organisation is an important essence of organisational commitment. Both constructs create an atmosphere of trust, buy-in, and in our case, alignment to what the College is trying to achieve.
The other reason to acknowledge milestones, is that they can break up the thought of achieving what may appear to be the unachievable. In the case of Scotch College, the first milestone was the very birth of our College. Jane Alexander was surely not consumed envisaging where the College would be in 2022. In 1897, she simply wanted a Presbyterian school where she could send her boys. I doubt she was worrying whether the College would still be here in 2022. The number of staff and level of resourcing we all enjoy today is the outcome of Jane Alexander achieving her first simple but seminal milestone.
Consciously celebrating and acknowledging milestones can also yield psychological benefits and provides structure. Rewarding individuals or organisations for their respective successes, no matter how small, gives something to look forward to.
Celebrations can also help people transition into new phases of life. Weddings are celebrated because they join two individuals into a married couple. Baby showers aren’t just about giving or gifts, they’re also about celebrating people who are about to transition into parenthood. Celebrating the end of a degree programme is also important
Clockwise from left to right: Celebrating a team win; Harry Evans receiving a Speakers Challenge award from Headmaster Dr Alec O’Connell; Year 5s Reggie McCarthy and Elijah Little holding the House Shield and celebrating Bruce House
because it helps students transition into a new phase of their life, regardless of whether that means pursuing advanced roles, such as managerial positions, or shifting fields entirely.
The organisational structure of Scotch, represented by three sub schools, Junior, Middle, and Senior, is designed to deliberately provide our boys with a journey that has built-in milestones, or rites of passage, as they graduate from one sub school to another.
Personal growth is important. Rewarding yourself for your achievements, whether that’s learning a new skill, finding a new job, or completing a class, can lead to your next step forward. Why? Because celebrating small goals can encourage you to achieve larger ones. For example, if you want to learn a new language, you need to acknowledge yourself for hitting daily or weekly studying targets. Daily celebrations can be as simple as indulging in your favourite food.
Celebrating milestones also helps reinforce positive behaviours and attitudes, both important when tackling a new task or
challenge. Whether you’re celebrating with co-workers because your team landed a big contract, or with classmates after finishing a tough semester, acknowledging milestones can help nudge you towards future successes.
In essence, milestones highlight a significant track record and can assist in planning for a successful future. Most milestones take time to achieve, that’s why they are worthy of celebration.
In our case it allows us to showcase our College’s track record. Still operating 125 years since commencing, gives us credibility and a very proud and strong statement about our longevity and associated security. When you have been around for 125 years and have over 16,500 graduates, and 1,463 current students from PK–12, it means we are continuing to grow and clearly doing something right. Most importantly, it provides on-going security, alluding to a bright future for our College.
All positive messages are worth acknowledging and celebrating. No doubt we have so many waymarks and milestones
ahead, many of which we cannot even imagine today, which will be met through the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of those to follow. While we may have achieved much in our 125 years, there will be many milestones to come. This thought is beautifully captured in words attributed to Bishop Oscar Romeo from A Step Along the Way
“We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realising that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.”
Our job is to continue planting and nurturing our seeds.
the dualism between ‘being religious’ when in chapel and ‘secular’ while engaging in all other pursuits. In Celtic spirituality there is no sacred/secular divide. Everything is infused with God’s Spirit. This leads to a robust, earthy rather than ‘other worldly’ spirituality.
2) Pilgrimage (peregrinatio) – the notion of taking the Gospel to new places for Christ.
Santiago in northern Spain. 200 000 pilgrims walk the 800km journey to the Cathedral in Santiago every year, where the relics of St James are buried. But as the Celts remind us, however, a true pilgrimage always involves an inner journey as well.
As we celebrate our 125th year of being Scotch College, it is worth tapping into our Celtic roots, as Celtic spirituality has much to offer today. A key feature of Celtic spirituality is the belief that God is present in everything, in everyone, always close at hand. In his book, The Celtic Way, Ian Bradley, talks of the three distinguishing features of Celtic Christianity, the three Ps – presence, pilgrimage and poetry.
Working from the premise of the Celtic belief in the immanence of God, one expects to encounter God in every activity and in every encounter. The Celtic notion of a ‘thin place’ (places where the veil between us and God is very thin, where people feel God’s presence) means that it is as possible to experience God’s presence during a chapel service as during a drama performance, a recital, on the sport field, in the classroom or with mates during recess. This presence undermines
The Celts were a restless and an adventurous bunch. The community of Iona was started when St Columba settled on Iona in 563, which soon became a centre of Celtic spirituality from which Christianity spread as far afield as Russia. Interestingly, the Celts distinguished between genuine pilgrimage and the escapist kind, to which they were prone as a race. Embarking on a pilgrimage but with no inner change of heart was dismissed as a waste of time.
The founding document of the Uniting Church speaks of the church’s existence as a journey, a movement, a process of ongoing exploration and change – on the way to a known goal: “that coming reconciliation and renewal which is the end in view for the whole creation” (Basis of Union, paragraph
3). Perhaps the idea of pilgrimage is one that we need to rediscover, as contemporary Christianity can be very static.
On my bucket list is to walk the most famous modern-day pilgrimage, the Compostela de
Celtic poems and prayers were an attempt to express the presence of God. God was always very close, present in every activity, in every word, in every breath. This closeness is reflected in prayers for all aspects of their lives – milking, shearing sheep, driving the cows, kindling the fire, journey prayers. As the men set out for their day’s work, leaving home to fish or farm, they would say or sing a short prayer.
Celtic prayers flowed out of the relentless demands of life itself, which highlights a profound truth: it is in the midst of the ordinary that God so often comes to meet with us. How to see God in our midst, rather than needing to escape to look for God?
In a society where religion seems to be on the periphery and where the language, symbols and practices of the church seem strange and inaccessible, an ongoing challenge for me as the chaplain is to find new words, images and metaphors to depict the Divine that boys can relate to.
As we celebrate the robust, earthy spirituality that our Celtic roots provide, I conclude with a prayer from the Iona Community Worship Book, said at every Thursday morning service in the Iona Abbey in Scotland:
“O Christ, you are within each of us. It is not just the interior of these walls: it is our own inner being you have renewed. We are your temple, not made with hands. We are your body. If every wall should crumble, and every church decay, we are your habitation. Nearer are you than breathing, closer than hands and feet. Ours are the eyes with which you, in the mystery, look out in compassion on the world. Yet we bless you for this place, for your directing of us, your redeeming of us, and your indwelling. Take us outside, Lord, outside holiness, out to where soldiers curse and nations clash at the crossroads of the world. So shall this building continue to be justified. We ask it for your own name’s sake. Amen.”
communities in which they have chosen to live both within Australia and around the globe. The OSCs are the connection that binds the College and will continue to do so in the future. They continue to make a tangible contribution to the College in so many ways which benefits the current students. It is truly a sense of belonging for life. On behalf of the Council, we salute our OSCs, the foundation of our history.
we are committed to striving to deliver and enhance a valuable educational experience for the boys. Every key decision of the Council is tested against – ‘Is this in the best interests of the boys?’
As you read this edition of Clan, the College is well into recognising and celebrating its 125th anniversary which will culminate in an all of Scotch community event on Saturday 3 December on campus.
I believe it is timely to devote a focus of this report to reflect on what it means for our institution to be part of the fabric of the Western Australian educational landscape on the same campus for such a long period of time.
OSCs collectively number over 16,500. The experience each OSC has had during their formative years whilst at the College has resulted in a broad contribution to the
The challenge for any institution, educational or otherwise, that has been in existence for this period of time is to continue to evolve and remain relevant to its purpose. I can assure you that the Council, Executive and staff are aligned on these objectives whilst always remaining true to our values and the traditions of the College. We, as a Council, are aware that we serve Scotch for a moment in time. We are proud custodians in the role we undertake however, the real leadership and work is undertaken by our Headmaster, Dr Alec O’Connell, and his staff who are on campus guiding the boys daily and developing and preparing them for life.
Whilst we remain proud of the history of Scotch College as well as where it is today,
As we approach the end of the year, we are looking forward to the completion and opening of the redevelopment of the iconic Boatshed. The Scotch community has certainly enjoyed the refurbished Gooch Pavilion which has been utilised for many different purposes during the course of the year be that for extracurricular activities, sports days, pipe band, parent, staff and student functions. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing but, it has proven to be most functional.
To my fellow Council members, thank you for your continued energy, connection, and availability to the College. This is even more impressive given all of you are leaders in your own field and have full commitments in your family and working lives.
To the Class of 2022, our Year 12s. All the very best, may you enjoy your last year at Scotch College and celebrate that with your family and friends.
Scotch Pipe Band performing at the refurbished Gooch Pavilion
Mr John Flecker Chair
Amongst all of that, one constant is the College’s aim to provide the best possible education and experience to its students, so they are equipped to take their place in the world after graduation, in whatever they do.
Foundation Scholarships and teacher development to supporting relevant capital works or special projects. All targeted to support current and, importantly, future students at the College.
Is volatility the new normal? Whether it be pandemic, climate change, politics, the economy, financial markets or the performance of the Eagles or Dockers, it seems there is a higher degree of volatility than we remember in decades past. Even the previously all conquering All Blacks are not immune!
Maybe we just have fonder memories of the past, or smooth out the peaks and troughs in our recollections? In any case, for the foreseeable future we will have to learn to deal with more volatility.
Another constant, is Foundation being the safe custodian of the funds under its management for the long term. In order to be this, Foundation is agile to adapt its investment strategies to suit the prevailing economic and investment landscape. We have a terrific cross section of skills and experience on the Board of Trustees of Foundation and are blessed with a high calibre Investment Committee and professional advisor to support us.
Foundation is also closely connected with the College and the Finance & Planning Committee of Council, so that we are aware of and best placed to support the needs of the College. That ranges from providing
One constant is the College’s aim to provide the best possible education and experience to its students, so they are equipped to take their place in the world after graduation, in whatever they do.
So anyone considering supporting the College now by way of philanthropic donation or in the future by way of bequest, can do so in the knowledge that those funds will be in the safe hands of Foundation to be well applied to support the College now and in the long term.
A lasting legacy for future generations
Bequests make an invaluable impact to our College and our students’ future.
All those who have made a Bequest to Scotch are welcomed into the Alexander Society.
Please contact Mel Colling, Advancement and Philanthropy if you have included the College in your will or are interested in doing so on +61 8 9383 6987 or philanthropy@scotch.wa.edu.au
To arrange a free will or receive advice on wording for an existing will contact Pragma Lawyers via +61 8 6188 3340 or hello@pragma.law
recognised as a learning disability requiring government funding and a National Advisory Council was founded.
“A boy, aged 10 years, was brought to me by his father on Jan. 8th, 1900, to see the reason of his great difficulty in learning to read. The boy had been at school for three years and had got on well with every subject except reading. He was apparently a bright, and in every respect, an intelligent boy… It was soon evident, however, on careful examination that the difficulty in learning to read was due to a deficiency of the visual memory for words.” (Hinshelwood)
In the early 1900s, around the time Scotch College opened its doors, the term Dyslexia was coined by a German ophthalmologist, Rudolf Berlin, who determined that the issues associated with reading were not related to any underlying eye condition, but instead, a deficiency in ‘seeing’ words. At the time, he referred to it as, Wortblindheit or ‘word-blindness’. UK physicians then began the long journey to understanding dyslexia and the impact it can have on a child’s education. However, it wasn’t until the 1970s, that important work was done on developing intervention programmes that promoted the explicit teaching of phonics and language learning at a young age to reduce the impact of dyslexia.
During this period there were many myths dispelled about dyslexia, which was considered a reading difficulty rather than a disability, and linked to lower intelligence. Unfortunately, this misinformation had a detrimental impact on generations of dyslexic learners who were perceived by many as incapable of learning.
In 2011, more than 100 years after its determination, the Australian Government put together a working party and published a paper entitled, ‘Helping people with dyslexia: a national action agenda.’ Among other things, the working party agreed on a common definition; dyslexia became
Today, all education syllabuses for preservice teachers include training on identifying dyslexic traits and differentiating teaching strategies to support participation for dyslexic students across the full range of abilities. Furthermore, a diagnosis of dyslexia should entitle a student or adult to use a computer or laptop with appropriate assistive technology programs installed, in class, in exams and in the workplace. Finally, additional working time should be given in timed examinations at school, TAFE and university.
At Scotch, we pride ourselves on providing an inclusive and equitable education and are passionate about removing learning barriers for all our students. This is, in its most basic form, about providing support and adjustments that can assist students with a learning disability overcome challenges in their learning environment. At a more complex level, it is about designing a curriculum and learning environment where the learning disability no longer matters because all students have options in how they learn and share their understanding.
In the past the level of reading skills, writing ability, organisation and rote learning required to be successful underpinned our education system. Nowadays teachers have flexibility and options to determine a student’s level of understanding using different assessment formats, assistive technology, and varied modes of delivery.
For example, it is just as valid to ascertain a student’s content knowledge through a presentation as it is for them to write about it or be tested in timed conditions. It is just as valid for a student to understand and analyse a novel by having it read to them through e-books, as it is by reading it themselves. It is just as valid for a student to discuss, select how they would like to demonstrate and share their understanding, as it is for them to rote learn a response and regurgitate it in writing. In fact, some would argue these skills are more relevant for a 21st century model of education.
It is common knowledge that numerous successful individuals such as Albert
Einstein, Richard Branson, Pablo Picasso and George Washington were or are dyslexic. The talents of people with dyslexia have more recently been recognised, with social media platforms such as LinkedIn adding ‘Dyslexic Thinking’ as a valuable skill. The wide range of creative and talented people in this group demonstrate that whilst dyslexia is a learning disability, it can have some significant upsides with the following abilities noticeably above average in dyslexic people.
• Visualising: Interacting with space, senses, physical ideas & new concepts. (75% are above average).
• Imagining: Creating an original piece of work or giving ideas a new spin (84% are above average).
• Communicating: Crafting & conveying clear & engaging messages. (71% are above average).
• Reasoning: Understanding patterns, evaluating possibilities & making decisions. (84% are above average).
• Exploring: being curious & exploring ideas in a constant & energetic way. (84% are above average).
At Scotch, we pride ourselves on providing an inclusive and equitable education and are passionate about removing learning barriers for all our students.
Whilst it would be fair to say that we have come a long way to helping students with dyslexia reach their potential, the model of exam-based education is still a barrier for these students. The International Baccalaureate is more generous than the state-based system where it offers between 25% and 50% additional working time depending on the severity of the disability, whereas the state-based system offers an additional 10 minutes for every hour of assessment regardless. Furthermore, Universities can now be accessed through a Certificate IV pathway with no examinations required at all. These changes are significant in making sure that people with a learning disability have an equal chance of fulfilling their career aspirations.
Mr James Hindle
These lectures were designed to get students to consider their own levels of resilience and encourage them to incorporate some of those elements into their daily lives. Resilience is something which can be strengthened with deliberate awareness and practice, and this was a message which ran through the series.
a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Resilience has become a buzzword and a cure-all; people bemoan its absence, particularly in the young. If only they had more of it, they say, as though you can find it lying around. And yet, that is precisely what you can do – you can develop a person’s capacity to be resilient, just as you can develop literacy or numeracy, you just have to provide opportunities to do it. If young people are going to make the most of the challenges they will undoubtedly face, at school and beyond, then resilience is an essential tool to do this, which is why it is one of the three pillars of our Wellbeing programme, along with Relationships and Respect.
During Autumn Term, and as part of the Year 11 Cognitive Curriculum course, we ran a series of lectures which explored some of the key elements of resilience.
We started by exploring the significance of having a purpose in life. This is a daunting thing to place before a 16-year-old, as it is either something they have not thought about or they have thought about it and struggled to come up with anything. We talked about finding the sweet spot between your passion (the things you are good at), your precision (what you’re good at) and the present needs of the world. We also discussed Stoicism and making the most of what you’ve got and where you are.
The second key was to focus on making good choices and controlling our response to stress. Here, we discussed Viktor Frankl, who survived the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz and who later developed his own school of psychological thought which focused on the importance of meaning in an individual’s life. In the harshest of environments, Frankl came to realise that “everything can be taken from
We raised awareness of the amount of selftalk each of us engages in each day, and how that is not always helpful. We looked at the idea of switching ‘have to’ for ‘get to’ and I introduced the Finnish concepts of Sisu (akin to grit and perseverance) and Periksiantamattomuus (unyieldingness). I then challenged the boys to learn how to spell these in a relatively short space of time – an exercise in controlled failure for most and an opportunity to move into the next of the keys to resilience: having a Plan B. This too stems from Stoicism; imagining what can go wrong and having contingency plans for this, or at least the flexibility to try something else if your current approach is not working.
Next, we spent time considering what we can give up in our lives. Decluttering, going without and going further, are simple ways to focus on what really matters and extend our tolerance of discomfort. I set the students a Resilience Challenge – things like having a cold shower – just to take us beyond our comfort zones.
We then discussed what we can do more of, particularly being kind. This is not only kindness to others, but kindness to ourselves. This is a choice we make. In particular, we looked at the importance of sleep and the power of mindfulness in enabling us to change our perspective. This was followed by a presentation on gratitude, designed to shift the focus so that we are more aware of what we have, rather than what is ‘missing’. The last session highlighted the power of creativity to help us deal with difficulty – learning something new or changing a routine can give us greater flexibility and a new range of strategies.
Resilience is a positive adaptation to a difficult situation. So, one way to develop it is to be exposed to minor challenges on a regular basis. This is the essence of this lecture series, of school and, indeed, life: having to use past experiences to cope with a familiar or completely novel set of circumstances. And having a good dose of periksiantamattomuus
opportunity to enjoy themselves in a year that will undoubtedly be remembered as stressful. A huge thanks to the Year 12 Parent Committee for organising such a fantastic event under extremely strenuous circumstances. It was truly a night enjoyed by all Year 12s.
The first semester of the 2022 academic year has been full of opportunities and new experiences.
The Summer Sport season saw some outstanding achievements for all teams across the PSA competition, with the Scotch spirit shining through with each first team tasting some success. I think the most impressive part of the Summer Sport season was the amazing sportsmanship shown by the Scotch boys who played within the spirit of the game, and upheld the mantle of sportsmanship. Congratulations to our First Tennis team who finished on top in the Corr Cup trophy standings winning the competition for a second year in a row. This was a testament to their hard work, dedication, endeavour and teamwork, with the team winning 10 rounds of the PSA season. A terrific season from the team.
The College opened the Staff Trophy with the annual Swimming Carnival at HBF stadium. It was another fantastic day at the pool with great competition between the 10 houses and fantastic achievements from individual swimmers. After a day full of races from the coveted Division 1 Open Relay to the Division 2 Noodle Race and strong passion and a heart-on-the-sleeve mentality, the results were announced. Congratulations to Cameron House on winning the 2022 InterHouse Swimming Carnival and breaking their historic Swimming Carnival drought. Thanks to the Sports Department for organising the event and all staff involved on the day. The Staff Trophy continued in Summer and Autumn Term with Junior Indoor Soccer, Senior Volleyball, Junior Debating, Senior Chess, Junior Chess and a plethora of other events.
Early in Summer Term the Year 12 boys had the privilege of attending the Year 12 Ball. Themed, Illuminate Under the Stars, the chapel oval was transformed into an incredible venue with tables under the stars, and great music creating a fantastic atmosphere. The Ball gave the boys the
The Arts were on full display this year with several Soireés taking place in the Middle School Quad in Summer Term. This Showcase of the Arts culminated in the College’s first Arts Day during the last week of Autumn Term. The day was a huge success with boys participating in activities and workshops, watching performances, enjoying the festival feel on the top oval at lunch and listening to the battle of the bands. This was all capped off with House Singing in the afternoon. Congratulations to Keys for winning with a fantastic rendition of Drive By by Train. Thanks to the Arts Department for all their hard work behind the scenes making our first Arts Day a success.
The Senior School Production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was truly the highlight of Autumn Term with the cast putting on 6 fantastic performances, in front of a sold-out Dickinson Centre every night. Congratulations to the entire cast and crew involved in such a great performance.
The Inter-House Cross Country made its return to the sporting calendar after a two-year hiatus, and it was fantastic to see a great turnout across each year group. In a challenging 3km race, each boy demonstrated perseverance to push through to the end and accumulate points for their House. Congratulations to Cameron House, a truly elite effort from all the boys.
The World’s Greatest Shave was another fantastic event that was held during Summer Term with a fantastic turn out across Junior, Middle and Senior Schools. With many boys in Middle and Senior School willing to shave off their luscious locks and Junior School students who had their hair coloured, we raised funds for the Leukaemia Foundation. Thanks to Mr Foster and Nelson Hegge (Vice-Captain of School – Service) for their work behind the scenes.
The Ball gave the boys the opportunity to enjoy themselves in a year that will undoubtedly be remembered as stressful.
As the curtain begins to draw on the Year 12’s journey at the college, each boy will remember and cherish the time they spent here, the relationships they forged, and the memories they created. There isn’t another group of boys with whom I would have wanted to share the journey, and it has been a pleasure to march alongside all of them.
On behalf of the Year 12 cohort, I would like to extend my immense gratitude to all the staff and parents involved in our Year 12 journey. No matter what, they were always there to support, assist and get the best out of us as young men. It is thanks to their guidance and support that we have been able to flourish at Scotch. I would also like to thank Dr O’Connell, Mr Gale, Mr Williams and Mr Burt for their continued support for myself and the other Year 12 leaders at Scotch.
I look forward to the rest of the journey for 2022.
It has contributed towards Scotch’s culture and the pride students have for their college.
The support from the House Service Representatives through all the large whole school events has been phenomenal. Having their support as well as seeing them organise their own house service events has been amazing.
This semester, we have been supporting our service partner, Uniting WA, in their Winter Appeal, specifically their sock drive. For this event students brought in clean socks which were collected throughout all 3 sub-schools and donated to homeless people within Perth to help them through the cold winter months.
For the second year, Scotch College took part in the Push Up Challenge with participants completing 3,139 push ups from the 1st to the 25th of June. This number represents the 3,139 people in Australia who committed suicide in 2020. The challenge was surrounded with information and statistics about mental health, and how to improve it. This also aligned with the Student Council’s Men’s Health Week and activities on the Chapel lawn.
Containers for change also ran through this semester, led by Vice-Captain of Shearer House, Harrison Pateman. We collected and recycled around 2,500 containers throughout the schools, earning $250 which was donated to the Special Air Service Regiment. Containers for Change has been extremely successful so far in its first year at the college and I hope this can continue to grow throughout the school.
The largest service event this semester was Fight MND day in support of Motor Neuron Disease research and treatment. Many students wore Fight MND beanies throughout Week 10 showing their support for this cause.
We also had two dunk tanks organised for the middle and senior school overseen by the house service representatives, with teachers and student leaders plunged into icy water by students throwing and hitting a target. There was also a sausage sizzle at the senior school event and the atmosphere around both tanks was amazing. It was great to see so many students getting involved in Service together and showing their support for this cause.
The House Service Representative and I are looking forward to a strong finish this year, leaving a legacy in this school which students can take into the futures they forge in maroon and gold.
This began with a reflection of our progress in the first term and a unanimous decision to change our approach in the latter half of the year. Men’s Health Week was a great opportunity to raise awareness surrounding speaking out as a male and addressing our feelings. A number of activities were on offer for the boys and were very well received . These encouraged supportive behaviour, and acknowledging the theme of ‘Creating and Promoting Healthy Environments’.
A 5-1 win to the Student Council against a team of teachers in an indoor soccer match showed that teachers can be vulnerable figures too, yet they are still here to support us along our Scotch journey. It was a fun match, and thanks to the staff who were involved.
A push-up challenge that included 3,139 push-ups, one for every suicide in 2020, was held on the top oval with over 100 participants. This was partnered with Chapel services that featured discussions surrounding anxiety and mental health among students, and the important role of our school Psychologists. All in all, it was an impactful week that was a great reminder of the importance of good mental health, particularly in the male demographic.
Chapel services featured discussions surrounding anxiety and mental health among students, and the important role of our school Psychologists
As we approach the end of the academic year the Student Council representatives had their last opportunity to make an impact.
So, with Book Week and R U OK? Week, the boys separated into two groups with the joint goal of organising activities that encouraged future involvement from the Year 9s to 11s and promote the importance of the two respectively.
Scotch is breaking down the stereotypes and stigmas around reading and the library and the boys are beginning to understand the benefits of literature and enjoying the opportunities in the library. RUOK Week followed a similar format to Men’s Health Week, although with a greater emphasis on talking about your situation. A Year 12 rendition of George Ezra’s ‘Anything For You (Tiger Lily)’ communicated that vulnerability is okay and that at Scotch we are a community that works together and helps each other. 2022 has been different, however the Student Council is proud of the changes it has made and how we have adapted to new roles. Hopefully, what we achieved in 2022 will become standard practice in years to come.
Middle and Senior School boys getting behind R U OK?
Kofi Raffan
Over the last term the Student Council has taken on a slightly different role, creating a greater focus on mental health and wellbeing.
I began my journey at Scotch College in Year 3. I was very nervous but excited about coming over from Swanbourne Primary School. I knew that many of my mates at Swanbourne would eventually be coming to Scotch. After hearing the great stories and experiences at Scotch that my brother Tony would talk about, I was eager to start. The opportunities and experiences that Scotch provides are like none other. The move from Swanbourne to Scotch College was made so easy not only for myself but also for my family. The welcoming nature of the Scotch community is something my family and I are so grateful for.
The Captain of School leads our students from Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12. What’s the best way to strengthen connections amongst our student body?
Building connections with boys throughout the whole school is a difficult task. However, as a leader, I believe the best way to build connections is to be a great role model to my peers and, most importantly, the younger boys. As School Captain, I want to inspire, motivate and be an encouraging influence on the younger boys at Scotch. The best way to stay connected with the younger years is by doing the small things, whether it be attending their sporting event, visiting their classroom, introducing myself to the boys in the Junior and Middle Schools, or perhaps encouraging them to come and watch the Senior boys play in PSA Sport, as I once did. As a Year 3 in the Junior School, I would have loved nothing more than for a Senior School boy to say hello. These little things leave a lasting impression and build connections throughout the whole school.
I began at Scotch as a not-so-nervous, overconfident Year 7, where I was greeted with a firm handshake and a g’day by my homeroom teacher, Mr Tresise. The first thing that struck me about Scotch was how welcoming and polite all the boys were. It doesn’t matter how well you know them; you can always count on a Scotch boy to make you feel at home.
Leadership can be learned in many ways. How have your school experiences shaped who you are as a leader?
During my time at Scotch, I have had the good fortune of immersing myself in all aspects of the school. The great thing about participating in many endeavours is that you can learn skillsets and leadership characteristics from all types of personalities. From Debating in Years 7, 8 and 10, I learned to be a better public speaker and talk in front of an audience. I also built on this by doing the Drama production this year. However, it was in the sporting sector playing footy where I learnt what it meant to be a part of a team. With the high level of talent at Scotch, it was hard to be the best player on the team, but learning how to play a role and be a part of a successful team helped me develop into a better leader. However, the most valuable lesson I learned through my school experiences was how to relate to all kinds of people and personalities. It is your job as a leader to build relationships with everyone in the school. By doing academics, Sport, Drama and other Co-Curricular activities, I learned how to connect with all types of people, and I think I became a better leader as a result.
I arrived at Scotch College in Year 7 and have been active within the Service community since Year 9 when I was introduced to the Duke of Edinburgh by my House Head, Mrs Lilford.
Service is a longstanding part of the Scotch experience. What service activity had the greatest impact on you, and what did you learn from it?
Although I have participated in a wide range of Service activities, the activity that impacted me the most was the Friday afternoons I spent with my friends at All Abilities Cricket. Engaging in community service is not just about completing your Duke of Edinburgh hours or pleasing a parent or teacher, but placing the needs of others before your own and having fun while doing so. All Abilities Cricket is the perfect place for this. By playing sports together, bonds quickly grew and we
all enjoyed spending our Friday afternoons together. All Abilities Cricket had the greatest impact on me because I could directly see the effects of my contribution. Seeing the smiles light up on the participants’ faces as we threw a cricket ball back and forth to their laughs as we put on a ‘masterclass’ made my day and was a great example of the impact service can have on a community. Knowing you have made someone’s week a little bit better is a great feeling. I recommend everyone to get down to Cresswell Park and experience it for themselves.
I came to Scotch in Year 7 as an excited new boarder from Kojonup. Going from a year group of 30 to 200 boys was a change I will not forget and the number of opportunities I have had along the way is countless compared to anything I could have imagined. This College on the hill truly has set me up for life and opened my eyes to a world outside the school walls.
Our younger boarders often look to Senior boarders for support in navigating homesickness. What piece of advice from your peers do you remember the most?
Being a boarder is a unique experience that doesn’t come without its challenges, homesickness being the main culprit. I remember when I was in Year 8 at the end of the school year and all I wanted to do was go home. It wasn’t until one of the older boys at the time came to me and said, mate, everyone gets homesick and the only way to deal with it is to get as busy as you can, keep your mind off home, and enjoy your time here a little more. He was not only right but helped spark a fire in me that looks for every opportunity to try something new at Scotch. Those words from the older boarder have stuck with me my whole schooling career and I hope it can continue for others in the future as well.
From left to right: Henry Feutrill, Callum Mitchell, Marco Ghiselli, Lochie Elliott
Hear from our 2023 student leaders on the experiences that have shaped them and their views on community and leadership.
It’s like a spinal cord that reaches its nerves into other disciplines to give them nutrients. We look at a topic from a different perspective with an unexpected or controversial lens. What we learn is not just important for a test but has ramifications for our society. By learning about other people and things, we make sense of who we are and become cognisant of the conditions that make us.
Often, weakly held beliefs structure our thinking, but we don’t assess them explicitly. It’s one thing to hold onto beliefs, but it’s another to evaluate and choose to hold onto them. The examined belief chosen by the young man is richer than the one he inherited and applied in a taken-for-granted matter.
I was born amidst a civil war in Afghanistan and fled to Pakistan. I saw rampant diseases and violence and learned how precious the institutions that order our society are. We’re fortunate to have democratic institutions that structure our actions to give us – at least most of us – a good chance at life.
My family moved to Australia, and I went from topping my classes to not knowing the language and failing. I was bullied, and it only took a few bullies to believe I was stupid. However, everything changed after September 11. I went from inferior to being seen as dangerous and my peers looked to me to seek vengeance.
I had this amazing teacher, Mr Bell. One day he said, ‘Do you want to come to the library? I want to teach you some history’. After six months, he said, ‘Akram, why don’t you teach these stories to kids in the history class?’. I started teaching them and discovered my value in helping others. I was no longer an outsider but somebody who could contribute. I was hooked on learning and went to university to study science, sociology and law. Later, I did my honours in law and sociology and a PhD in sociology. I started teaching at university because I didn’t have a concrete plan other than that I was going to learn and use my knowledge for good.
You were named Young Australian of the Year in 2013. What was that like?
I went to Government House mostly to stuff my pockets full of delicious pastries. I didn’t expect to win because nobody who has pockets full of pastries expects to be winning something. The award doesn’t come with power or position but instead a pool of goodwill in the community. I travelled across Australia to speak and campaign for polio eradication and we raised millions.
During that time, I spoke at Scotch. The teachers invited me to come back a few times and I began to sit in on Head of Enrichment Sam Sterrett’s classes. After a while, he invited me to collaborate with him.
What’s at the core of what you do at Scotch?
I take current academic debates, combine the heart of the arguments and bring it to the boys in clear terms without reducing their complexity. There’s no point in teaching philosophy if it’s not controversial. There’s a reason why those academics spent their lives fighting over it.
We never put boundaries around what we teach, but the complexity must be introduced step-by-step. Ideas are only confusing if you present them in compound form. When broken down and slowly rebuilt, we achieve the same results that a high-level university class can.
My students produce knowledge to persuade another human mind, not for a grade.
Consider the definition of the problem before acting. Many of our social, political and economic policies have been misdiagnosed because we don’t fully understand or critically examine them. For instance, with my students, we critique assumptions and build models that support the definition of the problem. If we don’t understand the problem, any solution we add will either do nothing or exacerbate the underlying problem.
I’m most proud of the emotional and social development I have witnessed. All the intellectual frameworks and discussions are just a gateway to personal growth. A young man with an incredibly sharp mind knows how much he can do with that mind, both good and bad, but he comes to a point where he no longer defines himself by his mind or needs to prove his cleverness.
When you’re told you’re clever all your life, you mistake that for the whole. My proudest moment is when they begin to see the whole of themselves and no longer identify with just one pot.
Akram
Scotch College celebrated NAIDOC with many colourful and educational activities organised by Indigenous Student Programme Coordinator, Micheal Spratt.
At the start of the week, boys from our Indigenous programme went down to the Junior School to teach students how to dance the kangaroo and emu. They talked about the land surrounding the College and what it was used for before Scotch was built. We ended the session by putting paint on the Junior students and explaining the meaning behind why we wear it.
Middle School celebrated NAIDOC Week by learning about the importance of art in Aboriginal culture. We asked the students to create rock art by using Indigenous symbols or coming up with a design which tells a story that is symbolic or meaningful to them. The students put a lot of effort into making their rock art which resulted in some great designs and stories.
Senior School students joined in the NAIDOC Week activities by completing a sand mural despite the inclement weather. We discussed the importance of celebrating NAIDOC Week and how we can further strengthen our relationships and benefit our society by learning about our First Nations people.
The Friday Assembly marked the end of our NAIDOC Week celebrations with elder Barry Winmar doing a smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country.
A special mention to Mr Hindle who ran the chapel service during the week. Mr Hindle spoke about some of our shared history and the importance of the Uluru Statement from the heart and the potential for change which this offers. He also spoke about the importance of listening to voices other than our own, particularly voices which have previously been left out or silenced, if we are ever to fully understand who we are and heal as a nation. Reconciliation is a process that should involve all Australians, and that process begins with a deeper understanding of our shared past and the cultures which have maintained this land for so many years.
Mr Hindle played some of the song,
‘From Little Things, Big Things Grow’, to emphasise that each of us has a part to play. The message is that any change, no matter how big or small, will help us build a better future together.
Clockwise left to right: Rock art; Senior School sand mural; Year 3 students Tom Blackburn, George Goodreid and Charlie Newall with their traditional face paint in honour of NAIDOC Week
When learning music and languages, our brain modifies its structural and functional organization i.e., its plasticity, opening and creating new neural pathways and strengthening the connectivity which helps our brains process information better and faster. It’s a bit like performing sit ups for the brain! It all adds to making the brain work better, more efficiently and improve our ability to solve problems.
Improved cognitive ability, enhanced memory, advanced problem-solving capacity, improved creativity – Is there a magic potion? Music and Language learning is your answer.
In Junior School, we teach Music and French every day. In addition to being fun and enjoyable, these disciplines also have the distinct, and proven ability to give our students the brain workout to enhance their cognitive skills.
Young children’s brains are often compared to sponges for how quickly they soak up information. This is actually a fact as brain development is at its peak at this early age. Children acquire knowledge rapidly making this the perfect time to expose them to as many different disciplines as possible.
In 2021, we introduced our Music and French Everyday Programme into our Early Learning Centre. It has proven hugely successful and enjoyable for our Pre-Kindy and Kindy students and, as anticipated, they are soaking it all up. This year, we have expanded our programme to include all our students from Pre-Kindergarten through to Year 2. From entering our programme at the age of 3, our children are immersed in languages and music, and they are reaping the rewards of what these subjects can add to their young lives.
So, what does our programme look like? Due to their young age, our lessons are shorter with sharper sessions which are interactive and fun. The repetition of having lessons every day helps to maintain and embed the content from the short-term into the long-term memory bank. This is a proven, far more recallable way to teach as opposed to having
long lessons only once per week. It helps students build on their knowledge each day and practise what they are learning. We use puppets, instruments, songs, and play to ensure there is maximum engagement and participation in the lesson. Lessons are taught in a positive and encouraging way where children participate as they feel comfortable and confident to do so. Through repetition, the children have the time to experiment and play with what they are learning. Voilà, there you have it, a daily dose of sit ups for the brain and a love for languages and music in development.
Repetition of lessons every day help to embed the content into the long-term memory bank.
Our programme also teaches our youngest students to love learning something new and equips them for the rapidly globalised world in which we live. It also positively impacts their social and emotional learning and wellbeing. With this, we ensure we develop the child as a whole, offering a wide breadth and depth to our teaching and learning. At Scotch, we don’t keep doing things in t he same way, but look for ways to innovate and improve so that our students are always the winners!
Chase Nerlich (Year 2) and Josie McClung (ELC) having fun with French
Learning occurs through play and play-based experiences. Children learn best when they are engaged and interested, have a sense of curiosity and experience things that are meaningful to them. In Pre-Kindergarten, we are surrounded by wonder, creativity, and discoveries. Each moment is an opportunity to learn and grow. It is no different when we think of literacy and mathematics. Our PreKindergarten environment is meaningful and rich in open-ended experiences. We embrace the literacy and mathematical concepts that everyday life offers us.
Mathematics and literacy are both tools for inquiry, communication and reasoning and the understanding of each informs the other (Henningsen, 2013). In Pre-Kindergarten, our learning is interwoven, every task from washing our hands to preparing recess becomes an opportunity to learn. The environment plays a crucial role in our teaching. Through play and open-ended experiences, we challenge and inspire
children. Pre-literacy occurs through assisting language acquisition and development, talking and conversation. It is our role to scaffold children’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm for learning with rich language supporting literacy and mathematical development. Each day, the children are exposed to books and stories. An early love of books and stories sets children onto a path of continued love of reading and success in literacy.
Daily learning occurs everywhere around us. The children experiment with gradients as they watch water roll down a hill, at the water table they manipulate objects to learn about volume and mass, the sand pit and block corner provide endless opportunities for them to problem solve, discuss, predict, measure, and count. Our weekly cooking sessions immerse children in rich language and reinforce mathematical concepts. We provide manipulatives and appropriate mathematical language to extend play as well as providing age-appropriate play-based instruction related to counting, one-to-one correspondence, measurement, hefting and number recognition.
Mark making is one of the key building blocks in developing early writing (Cowley, 2019). Children are supported to engage with a range of implements as they engage in mark making to develop their pre-writing skills. Daily rhymes and song build and support phonological awareness and teach both literacy and mathematical concepts.
It is our role to scaffold children’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm for learning with rich language supporting literacy and mathematical development.
As a Reggio Emilia inspired classroom, it is our role as teachers to join the children in their learning journey. In Reggio Emilia schools, each child is viewed as infinitely capable, creative, and intelligent.
Tracey O’Shea and Samantha Lock Pre-Kindergarten teachers
Left to right: Education Assistant Cathy Farrell with young avid readers Lily Fong, Arthur Grant, Raphael Della Vadova; Santiago Pace learning about volume and mass; Hawk Schwarz tackling number problems
For this unit of inquiry, we explored what makes a community, and communities in different countries.
The boys interviewed Ms Celia Hammond (former local MP) asking how they could make a positive change to their local community. Ms Hammond encouraged the boys to petition the local government about issues they felt were important, she explained what petitions are, what they achieve, and how they are done.
We began exploring our school community, the land it is on, and its history. This led to students showing a keen interest in Lake Claremont and its significant history.
Mr Micheal Spratt (Indigenous Student Programme Coordinator) spoke to the boys about Lake Claremont from a Whadjuk Noongar perspective. Lake Claremont was an important cultural and social landmark for the Whadjuk Noongar. For 60,000 years its name had been Galbamaanup, before being renamed Butlers Swamp in 1830, and then Lake Claremont in 1955. The boys were shocked and upset about this, imagining someone coming and giving them new names, or changing the name of our school. Mr Spratt also shared facts such as Lake Claremont being used as a camping and hunting ground, the roles of different Indigenous Australians, and how the lake was used as a landmark. We went for an excursion around the lake to take our wonderings further.
After our excursion, there was much debate about whether the name ‘Lake Claremont’ recognized the lake’s Indigenous history,
and many felt that a single name did not justly represent this history. Many of the boys started referring to it as Lake Claremont Galbamaanup. They explained that other people should also use this name, and that we could achieve this through a petition. If other areas of Perth, such as Fremantle/ Walyalup have dual names, why shouldn’t Lake Claremont? Some of the boys commented that “dual naming is making life fair and including everyone and means that all people will be happy” and “not giving the lake a dual name isn’t showing respect for its history”. The boys wrote their own petitions using learned facts, along with persuasive arguments, and collected signatures from family and friends who were in favour.
We liaised with the Mayor of Lake Claremont (Jock Barker) who was amazed by the boys’ learning, agreeing to come and give them a presentation about Government, and collect their petition. They are hoping to be successful in Lake Claremont being acknowledged as Lake Claremont Galbamaanup. This will respect its important Indigenous history, its cultural significance, and its role in connecting our communities, past, present, and future. Having a dual name will recognise both Indigenous and European history, their contributions to our community today and will be a small step towards reconciliation. This is an incredible initiative driven by the boys, and we are so proud of them for their learning and strong sense of justice.
This year we re-established our Junior School student leadership model to provide opportunities for all students in Year 5 to individually explore what it means to be a leader.
This redesigned programme has allowed students to develop their leadership skills through a variety of roles, ranging from hosting assemblies to engaging with younger peers as mentors.
Each student in Year 5 has the opportunity to complete their additional duties over a designated fortnight. The Year 5 leaders began the year by hosting assemblies, counting house points, rewarding positive student behaviour with the Junior School Odyssey, and engaging with younger students during their pastoral care time. This allowed them to engage in forums where younger students could raise concerns and older role models offered guidance. We observed the younger students develop a bond with their older role models and develop a beautiful friendliness in the playground.
Junior School teachers have been thoroughly impressed by the confidence and kindness that the Year 5 cohort has displayed through this process, showing true leadership qualities and communication skills.
To further support the development of leadership skills, the Year 5s have embarked on a new journey with Ignite Awards.
The programme is a WA-based selfdevelopment programme for young people which focuses on four main pillars: connecting with the community through volunteering, improving wellbeing through physical activity, taking part in an adventure, and developing self-esteem through learning new skills and hobbies.
With the support of our parent community, so far the Year 5s have learnt how to develop SMART goals, they have discovered their inner strengths, and moved beyond their comfort zone, all whilst making a difference in their local community. We have engaged in team-building activities that foster leadership skills and focus on the importance of strong leaders being able to listen.
This has encouraged students to develop their inner voice and willingness to speak up for others.
The Year 5 cohort is currently looking forward to further progressing their journey through collaborations with other schools. They will have an opportunity to develop teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills through a range of team activities at an upcoming event. Students will work in small groups to successfully apply their leadership skills.
We look forward to supporting our young leaders transition to the Middle School where they will be able to engage in the next levels of the Ignite Awards. Many students have commented how the refreshed Junior School leadership model has inspired them to continue on their path as future leaders.
Olivia Russo Year 5 Teacher
Year
and Jack Wylie
their Ignite Awards journey
Mr Brad Gill
The profile aims to develop learners (and leaders) who are:
• Inquirers
• Knowledgeable
• Thinkers
• Communicators
• Principled
• Open-minded
• Caring
• Risk-takers
• Balanced
Schools come in different shapes and sizes and with various resources, but there is one resource that every school has: its students.
Students need to be seen (and coached) as the assets that shape school culture and strengthen the connection between school and the wider community.
As adults in a school community, we often think of ourselves as the definitive architects of a school’s culture, but we misjudge the influence and effect students have on their own school community. There is something incredibly powerful in peer influence. Peers can quickly become role models and have the capacity to influence student values, attitudes and behaviours with an effectiveness school leaders can only dream of.
This year we introduced the role of House Leader to the Middle School with the intended purpose of understanding and recognising the importance of positive peer mentoring. Student leaders have an increased sense of responsibility to help others and to model leadership principles and values. Trust, autonomy, and relationships are enhanced through the development of leadership qualities.
The Middle School, in addition to the new House Leader roles, continues to provide all Year 8 students with the opportunity to experience a leadership role with House Senior positions. House Seniors are mentored by Mrs Giglia with a week-long Middle School leadership experience that culminates with students leading our community at our formal Middle School Assembly. The framework encompasses the International Baccalaureate’s Learner Profile which represents 10 attributes valued by IB World Schools. We believe these attributes, and others like them, can help individuals and groups become responsible members of local, national and global communities.
• Reflective
Students at Scotch College have the opportunity to experience leadership at the College through the following avenues:
• Formal and informal leadership positions.
• The challenges of academic achievement in assessment tasks.
• Opportunities to achieve success with friends and peers in the classroom, on sporting fields, and on the stage.
• Showing appreciation for beauty and culture in artistic enterprises.
• Striving to embody the values and faith for which we stand.
With support and encouragement, every young person has the potential to become a leader in some area of their life. The qualities, values and skills invested in them during their formative years can determine their life’s success and the future success of our society.
Student leadership is a process of social influence, which maximises the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal. It has nothing to do with seniority or position in the hierarchy of a community. Everyone has the ability to harness their leadership skills. However, many young people require guidance and space to exercise and hone their leadership skills. Learning a range of
skills and techniques from a young age can provide students with an excellent head start in life, allowing them to develop confidence and improve their overall mental wellbeing.
Self-confidence is necessary for leaders to take risks and accomplish their goals. It includes a sense of self-esteem and selfassurance and the belief that one can make a difference. Leadership involves influencing others and self-confidence allows leaders to feel assured their attempts to influence are appropriate and right. The Middle School experience allows all students the opportunity to develop their self-concept in an environment intentionally constructed to serve their age and stage of self-discovery.
Young people who find their own voice in supportive school environments are more likely to develop a confident voice, a capacity to act in the world, and a willingness to lead others. This is central to the Scotch College Middle School experience.
Student leadership means students take active roles in their school community and develop positive skills in the process. The goal of inspiring student leaders is to create a culture of ownership, collaboration and community in the classroom and beyond.
We are committed to continuing to develop our Leadership Programme, accepting that much of what I have shared is aspirational. By sharing this information with our larger community my intention is to overtly highlight the importance our teaching community places on developing empowered individuals, comfortable with who they are and aware of their areas of strength and growth. This will allow them to embrace Senior School with a growing set of skills to reach their potential.
The Community Project is an important part of the Year 8 MYP journey through the Middle School. Boys showcase the development of their approaches to learning by developing a personal and creative work over a six-month period.
The Year 8 boys have been working on completing the action component of the Community Project. It has been a rewarding experience for boys putting all their research and investigation knowledge into practice.
Here is what some of the boys have achieved so far:
Josh Thomas, Jack Mayo, George Gale have partnered with Maddington Primary School and their school Chaplain. The boys’ main goal was to supply healthy food snacks for the students; this involved raising funds to purchase ingredients, preparing and serving cheese toasties to the students in the school canteen. The boys also worked with Manna, an organisation that supplies food for the much-needed breakfast club, helping with food deliveries. They additionally assisted the Year 6 student councillors with a range of duties such as managing the house points system, monitoring the compost bins and sorting recycling giving them a chance to interact with the students on a personal level.
Also, the Scotch boys presented a Q and A with the Year 5 and 6 class. Overall, the Scotch students were immensely proud of their efforts and said,
“Doing something good for another person feels amazing, and we can’t wait for service opportunities in the future.”
Will Golsby and Matthew Lough have partnered with North Cottesloe SLSC and the broader community to encourage the reuse and recycling of nipper uniforms. The boys have also been involved in a range of productive activities from sorting old nippers’ uniforms, beach clean ups and engaging with Boomerang, an organisation that turns old uniforms into bags.
Taj Martin and Max Albrecht have launched a fantastic YouTube channel called Learn AFL as a part of their Community Project. The boys created eight short clips highlighting the key skills needed to learn Australian Rules Football. The boys have partnered with Heart Kids and are raising awareness and funds for the Heart Kids organisation. Check out the link to the clips at youtube.com/channel/ UCOzUZ4JLjwJlgWpNdMvCceg
Will Macknay has supported Ukrainian refugee children coming from their warridden country into Australia by donating art supplies and holding Art classes for them. Will was overwhelmed with the level of support
he received when he approached his local church for donations of old art supplies. It is great to see Will use his passion for Art as a steppingstone to help people in need.
The culmination of the Community Project will be held as a showcase on the 4th of November in the Middle School. Families and members of the Scotch community are warmly invited to attend.
Oban Hopkins (Year 8) is the first Scotch College student to be awarded the prestigious Ignite Award (Level 4). The Ignite Award is a unique programme of discovery for young people aged 9–13 years old. It provides a great opportunity to showcase skills in four main areas – Physical Activity, Hobby, Community and Adventure. Oban is an outstanding recipient of this award. The award forms the perfect steppingstone for the Duke of Edinburgh Award that boys embark on once turning 14 years of age. Congratulations Oban.
Sarah Blunt Service Leader – Middle School
Clockwise from left to right: Josh Thomson (Year 8), Jack Mayo (Year 8), George Gale (Year 8); Taj Martin (Year 8), Max Albrecht (Year 8); Will Gosby (Year 8), Matthew Lough (Year 8); Oban Hopkins (Year 8) and Brad Gill (Head of Middle School)
In Week 8 of Autumn term, around 60 students participated in the Scotch Middle School Philosothon, and I was happy to be one of them. During the day, we were arranged into groups of 8 for each session and considered 4 dilemmas, from a littering school-captain to whether or not you can befriend artificial intelligence. It was enjoyable to hear boys from different years, backgrounds, and world views share their thoughts on the topic at hand, and to work together to come to a conclusion, even if we did still hold different opinions at the end of the discussion. I think the fact that we did not all agree may have even been the beauty of the Philosothon, as it enriched our discussions and allowed people to enlighten each other with new knowledge. It was an amazing event and I’m grateful to have participated. Philosophy allows you to see the world through new perspectives and to think differently. It has opened my eyes to a broader world, for which I am thankful. Also, go Bruce House!
Gray El-Ansary
Year 7 and awarded Best Philosopher of the 2022 Middle School Interhouse Philosothon
I like Philosophy because I really think it’s right for me. I love the way you get to consider other viewpoints, and you can teach others about yours. I like it because there is no right or wrong, everyone just discusses what they feel and what they believe, and even though
you do get marked, everyone comes out of the discussion having learnt something new and explored something they hadn’t thought of. It’s like putting a bunch of minds together, and then seeing what this mega-mind can think up. You listen to each other, talk to each other, and there is no leader, so everyone is on the same level.
I liked the Philosothon because it’s something I’d never done before. It was a great way to meet new students who share common interests, who wish to learn something new about each other, and who aspire to deepen their knowledge and thinking skills. We also explored very interesting topics, and we built
upon everyone else’s ideas, which we had never considered before. At the end of the day, everyone came out of it happy, calm, and feeling like they had learnt a lot.
Clockwise from left to right: Philosothons at work; Oliver Montandon (Year 8), Charlie Balnaves (Year 8), Obi Rogers (Year 8), Gray El-Ansary (Year 7), Lorenzo De Felice (Year 7), Zachary Rumball (Year 7), Jake Pridmore (Year 7), Tenney Yu (Year 7). Bruce house holding the MS Interhouse Philosothon Trophy; Year 7 and 8 Philosothon participants
Throughout Years 6-8, our academic programme is delivered within the framework of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP).
This is a critical connection within the continuum of IB, and it provides a structure that is both challenging and engaging for students. Specifically, the MYP provides strong foundations, critical thinking skills, and a proficiency for solving complex problems, while encouraging diversity, curiosity and excellence. The MYP framework supports the overall aims of the IB programme.
“The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.”
Additionally, the MYP framework has a focus on the development of the four features that are central to all IB programmes.
• The IB Learner Profile
International-mindedness
• A broad, balanced, conceptual and connected curriculum
• Approaches to teaching and learning (ATL)
The IB Learner Profile places the student at the centre of their learning. Beyond the regular academic curriculum, they highlight 10 attributes that students will develop and grow as they move through their schooling. The attributes identify the importance of cognitive development as well as ensuring there is a focus on their social, emotional and physical well-being.
During a student’s journey in the Middle School, there is a range of opportunities to understand and develop the IB Learner Profile.
• Pastoral Care homerooms and Vertical House Groups
• Learning experiences in the classroom
• Assessments
• Middle School Clubs
• JPSSA and PSA Sport
Co-curricular activities
• Community Project in Year 8
• Outdoor Education experiences Students are recognised by their teachers for showing development of a Learner
Profile throughout the year at Middle School assemblies. Examples of these include:
• Being a balanced and knowledgeable learner and always completing set tasks to a high standard
• Settling into the Middle School in an open-minded and enthusiastic manner
• Demonstrating emotional, physical and academic balance in the school day
• Being an excellent inquirer in Individuals & Societies and creating an innovative and engaging virtual expedition showcasing ICT expertise
• Being a reflective learner by listening to feedback, taking it on and working hard to achieve fantastic learning outcomes
At the end of each year, we acknowledge the wonderful achievement of our Middle School students by showcasing the attributes at the final IB Learner Profile Awards Assembly.
Through the development of these learner profiles, we aim to nurture a love for learning as well as ensuring students learn to respect themselves, others and the world around them.
Lauren McCormack
Dean of Teaching and Learning –Middle School
The Year 11 Leadership programme is well established in the Senior School.
I want to take the opportunity to thank Mark Gale for the incredible manner in which he has led in this area of the school, before deciding to step aside at the end of the academic year to focus on his passions of teaching and coaching at Scotch.
One of the last major events that Mr Gale oversaw in this role was the Year 11 Leadership Day in Winter Term. This has been a more recent addition to our programme and is designed to continue the development of the variety of leadership skills the students have developed and refined throughout the year. The day was based around a series of theoretical and practical sessions with the focus being ‘Teamwork: Knowing Your Role and Playing Your Role’ and the students were privileged to have Justin Langer, Australian Cricket Hall of Fame Member, address them as the keynote speaker.
Justin shared some of the experiences from his life, as a young boy, as a teenager chasing his dream to play for Australia, as a young man who lived that dream and then later became coach of the Australian Cricket team. You may be aware that when Justin took over, Australian cricket was not in a great spot having just come through the ball tampering incident in South Africa and the fallout that followed. The team needed strong leadership and there was a focus on regaining respect.
The passion and drive that Justin possesses is evident and he shared his knowledge around the importance of goal setting, camaraderie, being truthful with yourself and others, facing fears, embracing each team member as an individual and having their back, and having the courage to lead. Being a WA boy and an old Aquinian, many of the experiences Justin shared from his youth resonated with our Year 11 students and the feedback around his presentation was fantastic. Equally impressive was Justin’s willingness to stay after his presentation and speak to a group of our cricketers and staff. It was a wonderful learning experience for us all and he shared many personal anecdotes and pearls of wisdom. There was something for everyone, even us older members of the audience.
The students also completed a session on Character Based Leadership with Jon Haines, an expert in this area. Over the past two decades Jon has been helping build leadership capability and driving the execution of high-performance behaviours within teams and groups. He was recently awarded a Churchill Fellowship, with the scholarship supporting an international study tour to better understand global best practice in adolescent and young adult character development and the subsequent relationship with leadership impact and cultural dynamics.
It is all well and good to talk about leadership and the importance of the different aspects, but the real learning comes from trying to put these skills into practice.
Our students were incredibly fortunate to hear from these highly experienced and dedicated individuals who are leaders on the global stage within their areas of expertise. The sessions were complemented by Scotch staff presenting on an array of leadership topics.
The students worked through a range of practical experiences, with this component proving paramount in providing an opportunity to put into place many of the ideas that had been shared and explored in the presentations. It is all well and good to talk about leadership and the importance of the different aspects, but the real learning comes from trying to put these skills into practice. The attitude of our Year 11 students towards this was exceptional and they embraced the challenges of the practical sessions with varying degrees of success. With all these tasks, it is about the manner in which the students approach them, how they work as a team, their understanding of their own role and the role of others, and how they respond when things don’t go to plan, that is important.
From the feedback we received, the students thoroughly enjoyed the day and the opportunities that were presented. It is now important that the learning that took place on the day also translates into action within the cohort as they move into Year 12 and become the leaders of the school.
As the perception of masculinity evolves into a healthier model, boys are continuously challenged to review how they view and speak about their own mental health.
The difficulties that many boys and men experience in managing their mental health start from an early age as society often places a heavy emphasis on boys needing to be emotionally strong and physically tough. Although this can be channelled and promoted in a healthy way, it can unintentionally signal to boys that talking or showing emotion is not masculine or ‘strong’. Society has further compounded this by labelling these as ‘female behaviours’. The unfortunate result is the belief that being strong and stoic, is what makes a resilient man.
Research shows that boys who move past this stigma and speak about their emotions develop healthy coping mechanisms, are less likely to experience significant mental health issues and engage in risk taking
behaviour and are more likely to have positive academic outcomes and a positive self-esteem.
Encouragingly, in the last five years, there has been a positive shift away from this perception of masculinity. More boys are accessing counselling, opening up to their friends and family and shifting away from the toxic view of masculinity.
Scotch College is a single gender, all-boys school. This allows the boys to progressively challenge unhealthy views of masculinity and take control of their own narrative and self-identity. The Year 11 cohort and Year 12 leaders focused on this shift during Men’s Health Week. During chapel the boys interviewed me as Lead Psychologist to discuss what it means to be a male psychologist, the stigma around talking about mental health and what it means to see a psychologist. This discussion allowed them to challenge stereotypical and unhealthy narratives, promoting the belief that it is acceptable for men to discuss emotions, thoughts and mental health with peers, friends, family and mental health professionals.
Although Men’s Health Week is only one week in the calendar, at Scotch College we constantly reiterate this message throughout the sub-schools in wellbeing and child safety programmes, class discussions and now within peer discussions.
Boys who move past this stigma and speak about their emotions develop healthy coping mechanisms.
As we continue to see a positive change in how masculinity is viewed, we all must play an active role in encouraging this change. I look forward to seeing the on-going, positive change in how the young men of Scotch College view themselves, their gender and their identity as they make their transition into adulthood.
Jon Marginis Lead Psychologist
Senior School students enjoying some healthy Inter-House competition
Scotch College offers a rich and varied Arts Co-Curricular Programme enjoyed by many students:
“The Arts have truly made a great impact on myself and the other Arts Captains. The Pipe Band has been a massive part of my life at Scotch, and I have enjoyed every minute of it.” Banjo Harold, School Captain.
“It is one of the best feelings to come out onto the stage and bow for the audience. Taking that bow for the very last time as a Year 12 was a roller coaster of emotions.” Winton Messina, Drama Captain.
“The creative process of bringing your ideas to life is an extremely validating one, and one that I think more boys should take part in at Scotch, because having a creative outlet is crucial for a young man’s development” Robbie McAullay, Vice-Captain of Creative Arts.
“Arts community at Scotch is so unique and welcoming – I’ve met so many new and amazing people along my journey over the years and created relationships that I know will transcend my school life.”
Music Captain, Emanuel Radicci
One of the major highlights of the Arts Co-Curricular events held in Autumn Term was the inaugural Senior School Arts Day which celebrates the diversity of student talent at Scotch. This annual event provides every Senior School boy from Years 9 to 12 with the opportunity to engage with a variety art forms in a stimulating and collaborative atmosphere.
Students presented creative and performance works, including music performances, theatre sports, film screenings and a visual art & design exhibition to earn points for their House. Throughout the morning session, everyone experienced something new by engaging in practitioner-led workshops including, stage combat, an urban art wall, graffiti artwork, circus skills challenges, African drumming, karaoke, and a silent disco.
At lunchtime students rocked out to the Battle of the Bands competition featuring a wide range of musical styles on the top oval while enjoying a hot lunch from the Food Trucks. The excitement continued with the highly anticipated annual Senior School House Singing Competition inspired by the theme of Geography which was won by Keys House with a rendition of Drive by Train.
The day was a huge success thanks to the Creative and Performing Arts Teachers, and the enthusiastic House spirit shown by the Scotch students as they applauded the performances and art works of their fellow peers. It was wonderful celebration of the Arts and great addition to the Senior School calendar.
Sarah Combes Curriculum Leader – The Arts
In Greek mythology, ‘Prometheus’ is associated with the term ‘forethinker’, a champion of humankind, stealing fire from the Gods and delivering it to mankind in the form of knowledge, technology and civilization.
The study of Philosophy has a rich history at the College with the first officially recorded programme beginning in 1977 called The Promethean Society. First organised by Ron Bavin, it provided a select group of Year 12 boys ‘another avenue for discussion of social and philosophical issues. Subjects ranged from Virgil to mental disease, from the geology of the North West to the merits of Seventh Day Adventism.’
Almost 50 years on and this ethos of deep, philosophical inquiry is still alive and well at Scotch with a much expanded, inclusive and ever growing ‘Promethean Community’ of young philosophers. Boys at Scotch can now be involved in any number of Philosophy related programmes that offer vertical integration and opportunities for student
• Junior and Middle School Philosophy Clubs
• Middle School Interhouse Philosothon
• Middle and Senior Ethics Olympiads
• Year 9 and 10 Philosophy elective courses
• Year 11 and 12 Theory of Knowledge (IB Diploma)
• Junior, Senior and Australians Philosothons
• Promethean Outreach
Over the last 6 years, Scholar in Residence, Akram Azimi, has played a central role in helping design the various programmes, developing engaging, inter-disciplinary programmes.
With the range of extensive offerings now in place at Scotch, coupled with some of the tech innovations associated with SCOT (Scotch College Online Teaching), the Promethean Community has now expanded beyond the school walls.
Online evening collaborations with PLC in the lead up to the 2022 Perth Philosothon, have seen students wrestle with complex questions like, “are artistic forgeries valuable?” and “is a hole something or
This ethos of deep, philosophical inquiry is still alive and well at Scotch with a much expanded, inclusive and ever growing ‘Promethean Community’.
Most recently, an exciting new ‘Promethean Outreach’ programme is underway involving freshly graduated Year 10 Philosophy students mentoring Year 5 and 6 Primary School students in the context of online philosophical communities of inquiry. A huge shout out to OSC, former Scotch teacher and Rapids Landing Primary School teacher, Jack Graziotti, for facilitating such an inspiring collaboration as we continue to grow the Promethean Community.
Sam Sterrett Head of Enrichment 1977 PrometheanConnect to Create, now into its third year at the College, is an initiative aimed at further strengthening our crosscampus connections and provide opportunities for both young and old students to collaborate around common areas of interest in the context of passion projects.
As part of the IB Diploma CAS Project (Creativity, Action, Service), Year 12 mentors planned, organised and delivered 5 projects over the course of a term to provide an additional layer of enrichment for a group of Year 4 Junior School students in creative writing, chess, the stock market, digital photography and art.
The programme consisted of 3 components; a project launch event, six student led one hour workshops and a final exhibition for Junior parents as a showcase of their sons’ learning. Exhibition products included live chess games, photo galleries, company case studies, literary readings and deconstructions and portraits.
Year 12 students quickly learnt how challenging teaching can be, reflecting on the need to re-calibrate and pitch their level of instruction appropriately, pacing the lesson and also managing behaviour and productive output.
“We underestimated just how good they were at learning chess already.”
(Year 12 Hugh Fellows-Smith, Chess)
“The most enjoyable part of the process was to help the boys work towards the final exhibition, a case study of companies the boys were interested in including Lamborghini and Apple.”
(Year 12 Michael Gao, Stock Market)
“We discovered that each boy has his own particular type of creativity.”
(Year 12 Pablo Munoz Morillo, Art)
Their flexibility and patience was evident and the younger students responded with enthusiasm and relish at the prospect of learning from ‘the big boys’ sharing their own reflections on the experience:
“I wrote a story about war and I learnt from the older kids how to use gustatory imagery and tactile imagery in my story.”
(Year 4 Seb Lucas, Creative Writing)
“I loved how they would teach us things they hadn’t fully learnt yet themselves…and they are really funny!”
(Year 4 Rowan Sundaresan, Stock Market)
A huge thank you to Junior School Enrichment Coordinator, Alison Webster, for organising so much of the programme and to Jane Roche, Sue Mitchell, Jeannette Weeda for providing guidance to the Year 12s and duty of care for each workshop.
Sam Sterrett
Head of Enrichment
Clockwise from left to right: Samuel Magtengaard (Year 5) & Pablo Munoz Morillo (Year 12); Grey Pearson-Griffiths (Year 5), Isaac Simpson (Year 5), Henry Elderfield (Year 5) Oliver Cropp-Chabbane (Year 12); Hugh Fellows-Smith (Year 12), Zhuo Chen (Year 5), Gianluca Mastrocinque (Year 12), Oscar Lawton (Year 5), Daniel Maginn (Year 5)
The opening line from O’Shaughnessey’s famous poem Ode spoken by Willy Wonka in the 1971 film of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory does not feature in the Broadway Musical adaptation. However, the rebellious spirit of this poem, dedicated to artists and dreamers, provided us with much inspiration when bringing Roald Dahl’s muchloved classic to the Dickinson Centre stage.
The power of dreams is celebrated through the characters of Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka, who both share a talent for making something out of nothing. Having been deprived of luxury and treats enjoyed by the other golden ticket winners, Charlie Bucket must rely on his imagination to entertain himself.
Imagination proved an essential ingredient when exploring the outrageous visions swirling around Willy Wonka’s head. With many larger-than-life characters for students to portray, this show was incredibly fun to rehearse and perform. While the complex musical score demanded many hours of rehearsal, the dedication shown by the cast throughout the process to strengthen their vocals and improve performance skills, ensured they met and exceeded expectations with outstanding results.
This was our third Senior School production staged during the pandemic, which meant having a constant rotation of students away. We were able to navigate these obstacles by rehearsing outside, working in small groups, wearing masks and double casting the lead roles.
“This production was double cast, which meant that there were two students for each lead role. This was quite special as it gave more people the opportunity to be a part of the show. It also allowed the two students with the same role to share their ideas with one another to support and excel together. A lot of great friendships were made because of this.” Hudson Grant (Year 12) Willy Wonka.
“To Scotch boys wanting to get involved and haven’t been a part of a musical before, I absolutely suggest trying out for any production/musical that comes your way. You will be taught great lessons, meet new people, and learn new skills at every rehearsal and show. The most important skills I developed through this experience, were my communication skills, and working as a team. A show can’t be done individually, and I was shown that every single person played an important part in creating the musical.” Archie Gilchrist (Year 10) Willy Wonka.
Sarah Combes Curriculum Leader of the Arts
“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams…” Arthur O’Shaughnessey.Double cast: Year 12 Hugh Fellows-Smith as Mr Salt; Year 10, Archie Gilchrist as Willy Wonka and Artin Taghavi Adviechi;
Good evening, all. As we’ve heard tonight’s debate concerned the rise of ‘wokism’, and whether this was in and of itself regrettable. After hearing from both sides of the floor, the topic has quite clearly been broken down into two main points of contention.
The first being the opportunity for exploitation. The affirmative team came out strongly to insist that wokism becomes a slippery slope whose effects were not governed by sensible logic. They tied this back to the explosion in violence which ensued following the death of George Floyd, by Black Lives Matter groups. They identified a lack of cogency in their motives, and suggested their activism was merely a façade to mask anti-social behaviour. The negative team argued back strongly, retorting within the context of the example, that police brutality represented a systemic social issue that without mass public protest likely would have continued to remain unimpeded within our society. They continued further in contending that social justice activism serves to address overreaching issues which impact broader society, that could not feasibly be achieved at an individualist level. However, it was the affirmative team’s rebuttal, that the way in which wokism attempts to tackle this matter, being more counterproductive and serving to alienate a broad cross-section of the community, that saw them given this point.
The second issue which underwrote the debate was whether wokism ensures accountability or hinders public discourse. The negative team argued down the bench that wokism has served a mechanism for accountability in ensuring appropriate social media use. They maintained that individuals have a responsibility for the statements they make and the behaviour they demonstrate, particularly within the online realm. They shed light on an American school teacher whose closeted racism was unmasked by fellow social media users, leading to her removal from a public school. They maintained this served as an appropriate characterisation of the benefits wokist agenda can have on society in ensuring accountability. The affirmative rebutted this assertion, claiming that wokism serves to stifle mature debate and conversation, resulting in a highly noisy minority imposing their will on the majority of the population. Ultimately, it was in this rebuttal that the affirmative demonstrated that a society free of wokism would ensure honest public discourse.
And so, for these reasons aforementioned, I’ve elected to award tonight’s debate to the affirmative team.
Left
Mr Jordan Owenell
empower boys to be agents of their own destiny. This is not a stage in the boys’ lives where they react well to direction that ends in the phrase “because I said so”! You can, however, couch advice in the phrase “trust me”, but that trust needs to be genuine, and it is built over time. Luckily in boarding, we have time on our side!
The years that boys attend boarding school, typically from 11 to 18 years are so important in forming their identity as an adult.
It is a critical phase in their lives and the level of trust that is invested by our parents towards our staff is incredible. It is a responsibility that we take very seriously in boarding. Raising young men during their adolescence requires a multi-faceted approach. Most importantly, it requires a calm and patient disposition and a positive outlook. It also requires a commitment to active listening, to pick up on cues and to
At Scotch we take our boarders through a number of wellbeing initiatives that are aimed at character and identity formation. Our Middle School boys and our Year 9s engage in weekly conversation circles in the boarding houses, led by our school psychologists, where they address a number of topics in a safe and supportive space and they are encouraged to speak up and to support one another. The boys discuss topics such as homesickness, bullying, how to be a good friend, and risk-taking behaviour such as vaping. They are presented with facts by experts, and they are encouraged to discuss the topics openly and respectfully. We have found that it is empowering for the boys and it brings them closer together. In Years 10 and 11 the boys go through a series of
workshops that we run in collaboration with an organisation called Tomorrow Man. Boys are led through topics on masculinity, both stereotypical ideas and emerging ideas, and then empowered to forge their own path forward. In Year 12 we focus on giving the boys life skills that can be helpful to them as they move beyond Scotch. We have run a workshop skills course this year teaching the boys basic carpentry and metal work skills. We have also engaged with a company called Student Edge who run online courses on topics such as finance management, leadership skills, aligning your purpose with your career, and the importance of EQ in the workplace. This term we are running a cooking course with the boys.
Our plan is to expose the boys to a wide range of ideas and experiences throughout their time in boarding that help them to be confident and true to themselves, to work hard, to be compassionate towards others and to expand their comfort zone by trying new things. We do this by working closely with parents and boys to build a trusting and respectful relationship.
It’s quite surreal coming to the end of my boarding journey.
Boarding has become such a big part of my life and I have loved my time here. At the end of holidays and long weekends I really look forward to getting back to the boarding house and seeing all my mates. I don’t think it can be overstated how close you become with some of the kids in the boarding house. They feel more like brothers than mates. Boarding has shaped me into the person I am today and has taught me a lot of valuable life skills. I’ve been so grateful to have the opportunity to lead the boarding community this year and I have really cherished the opportunity.
I would like to thank the whole boarding community on behalf of the boys for how everyone has dealt with such a unique year. Firstly, I would like to thank parents as COVID-19 has been unpredictable and it may have been challenging for some families to come and pick up their son if he became infected by the virus or a close contact. We all really appreciate the sacrifices the parents must make and without their dedication the boarding community may have been affected even more widely by COVID-19. I would also like to thank
the boys for the way they have approached this year. It hasn’t been a normal year and COVID-19 has thrown up a lot of challenges and made life in boarding very different. Even though restrictions can be frustrating it’s important we adhere to them as they are in the best interest of the community and keeping everyone safe.
Boarding has been an incredibly valuable experience for myself and my peers. The opportunity to come to Scotch and to help contribute to the culture of the School in its 125th year has been very rewarding.
Kalib Dempster-Park Captain of BoardingThe Winter Sport season was a very successful one for Scotch College. Teams across all codes and all ages played with great spirit and sportsmanship.
We were named the champion school in four sports: Golf, Soccer (tied with Aquinas), Football (three in a row) and Athletics (five in a row).
Thanks to all boys for their efforts during the winter season, all coaches and managers for their time and expertise, and to all parents and spectators who helped create great atmospheres for our teams to play in front of. In particular, thanks to all Year 12 boys for what they have contributed to Scotch Sport over the years.
The PSA Football season was one to remember. A new year and a new team of motivated football players all striving for excellence.
The season started off well with two early wins. This run was shortly halted by a competitive and eager Wesley side. It was a hard loss but eventually proved to be a motivator over the coming months. Having no time to dwell on the result, the boys knew they had to focus on upcoming games to keep the season alive.
Day by day, the cohesion and culture amongst the group grew, creating excellent team football. We approached the season one game at a time. Slowly but surely, Round 11 came knocking on the door, the awaited
rematch and top of the table clash between Scotch and Wesley. The result proved to be the decider in the future of retaining the Alcock Cup. We were mentally and physically prepared for the challenge and the belief in every single player motivated us to give it our all. We managed to take a commanding lead in the first quarter and from that point on, we never looked back, taking the victory to close out the round.
With only three games remaining in the PSA season and the finish line approaching, we put the foot firmly on the throttle and soared our way to 2022 Alcock Cup champions with convincing wins over Aquinas, Hale and Trinity to round out the season.
The team finished the season with an 11-1 record, and it was a testament to the hard
work and endeavour that every single player and coach displayed throughout the year. I couldn’t be prouder to share the glory with such amazing mates and coaches. It is truly a season and moment in our lives which we will cherish for years to come.
It was a day to remember, a spectacle which saw strong performances across all disciplines of track and field. From the time the boys arrived in the gym for the team photo you could tell the day was going to be special. We started off singing the school song followed by an inspirational speech by Mr Doney who talked about the guts of the team in previous years and how this year would be no easier.
Over the short four week season, the boys sacrificed hours and days of their spare time to venture down to the Gooch. With training starting back in the July school holidays for some and for the rest, shortly after the PSA Winter Sport season. The boys’ dedication played a crucial role in the success of the day.
The boys ran hard, jumped high, threw far and gave everything they had at this opportunity, leading Scotch College to its fifth consecutive Alcock Shield. This could not have happened without the efforts of
the coaching staff led by Mr Doney, Mr Gale and Mr Gault who put long hours in ensuring that the boys were physically ready for the day. The team achieved a feat which no Scotch team has had the greatness of
accomplishing: five years in a row. It didn’t come easy but the boys lived up to the expectations of the College and competed, giving only their best and leading to success.
The 2022 season of Badminton kicked off to a rocky start. With the major loss of four out of six Firsts players and our two minor coaches, from the mighty team that placed second in the 2021 season, our team was a patchwork of players. We faced the tough speed bumps of having our first game against the soon-to-be champions of 2022 Badminton Christ Church, the uncountable COVID-19 outs and some incredibly close games coming down to final doubles. However, through vigorous training we performed competitively for the first half of the season. As of the half-time break we had posted a respectable fourth place in the competition having lost our games against Wesley, Christ Church, and Hale.
The second half of the season and the quest for the Brother Kelly Cup started with a bye, allowing us to reflect on our performances and prepare for the next half of the season.
Our final match of the first half of the season finished in a heartbreaking 5-4 loss against
The efforts of the Cross Country team this year have been truly amazing. We have grown, getting better every race. We knew we wouldn’t be competitors for the Peter Moyes Cup this season as we had a depleted team due to our limited numbers. Although with the season going on, boys were able to build character and grunt, making our team stronger and taking wins in the home and away season to Guilford and sliding away with a win to Trinity in a close race. We came away with close losses to Wesley and Hale in which we came away with bonus points. We tried our best against quality teams of Aquinas College and Christ Church where our top runners were able to test themselves against the best in the PSA.
With the second half of the season surrounding All Schools races, boys were challenged by the intimidation of all six PSA schools competing against each other in one event, having nearly 200 athletes competing in each race. Placing in a range between fifth and seventh portrays the ups and downs which the Scotch team faced. On our best days we were able to compete with stronger teams and thrive, however, on the poorer days, we were not so lucky. Overall, the boys’ efforts all season have been outstanding and it has been an honour to observe their improvements individually as well as a whole team.
Hale so the boys were desperate to reassert themselves in the ladder. We bounced back with an 8-1 win over Guilford followed by a tight loss to Wesley. The boys continued to display their constituency with an 8-1 win against Aquinas and Trinity, however this was all in preparation for the next fixture against Hale. A win against Hale, would place us tie for third in the ladder. Unfortunately, Hale were determined to consolidate their position, and beat us 7-2, with a dominant performance.
Thank you to the assistant coaches Tim Imison and Milan Narula for their expertise and support throughout the season. Thanks to Head Coach Mr Ryan Foster for the excellent culture he builds at matches and trainings. The respect and humility displayed by each player is testament to the boys as individuals as well as the behaviour instilled by the coaches. We congratulate all boys who competed for all Badminton teams throughout this season and for competing with passion and heart.
2022 was another memorable season with all the Scotch Hockey teams performing well across the board.
The 1st XI squad began pre-season at the end of Summer Term, looking to blow out the
cobwebs. There was a strong showing of Year 10 boys as well as a few new faces in other years to help replace last year’s leavers.
Following a pre-season fixture against Shenton College, the team was set to face cross-town rivals, Christ Church. After scoring the first of the game, Christ Church proved
too strong 5-1. Following this however, we won our next three fixtures as we looked towards a fiery Thursday afternoon battle with favourites, Hale. After playing our best game of the season, the game ended in a 3-3 draw.
We finished Autumn Term in third place as we regrouped for an important Winter Term ahead. Ultimately, the 1st XI team finished third, ending the season on a high with a 9-0 win over Trinity.
Scotch Hockey is in safe hands with strong younger age groups, as well as many Scotch boys selected in state representative teams. A huge thank you to Mr Mellor, Trid Woodhouse and Max Freedman for coaching as well as Ms Webster-Blythe for managing and offering sound advice.
Highlights
The Firsts Soccer team had quite the season, winning the Lawe-Davies Cup. It wasn’t always plain sailing however. The boys started training early and an undefeated pre-season gave the side bounds of confidence in the first fixture drawing 1-1 against Christ Church.
Keen to bounce back, the team played Guilford where Aidan McKie secured 4 goals in a 6-4 thriller. Cruising past Wesley 4-1 the week after meant confidence was sky-high before facing a formidable Aquinas side. The boys fought an emphatic 1-0 victory thanks to a screamer from Kaleb Morrison and late heroics from goalkeeper Julius Kain. The first fixture for the season held off a strong Hale side with another 1-0 victory. The halfway mark of the season would be made up at Trinity. Fireworks went off, several questionable referee decisions and a red card to our coach saw the boys stranded, sharing the points in a 3-3 draw.
The boys started the year eager to improve from last year’s third place finish, and with the addition of new scrum coach Bill Davies, and regular appearance of OSC and now coach Connor O’Sullivan, the team was excited to kick off the season. The first game against Christ Church was competitive but concluded with a loss, perhaps due to the small number of First XV experience within the squad. This may have been an issue for the first game, but from then on, the hunger of the team grew, resulting in great wins against Guildford, Aquinas and Wesley to lead into the fixture against Hale which ended in an unfortunate loss. This was followed by a dominant win against Trinity the week after.
The second half of the season saw a well fought battle against a well drilled Christ
Moving forward, the team needed to secure a 2-0 win against Christ Church. The final game of the term against Guilford, saw a weakened Scotch side and a draw. Heartbreak before the holiday.
Bouncing back in Winter Term, the boys cruised through the biggest victory of the year, against Wesley. Round 12 was the re-match, the decider between Scotch and Aquinas. A large crowd amassed for this defining game with a final score of 0-0.
For the penultimate fixture at Hale, Scotch and Aquinas were equal at the top of the table. In the pouring rain, Hale struck first, putting the boys behind with just 15 minutes to go. Not long after Scotch levelled the scores with Kaleb dancing past the Hale defence, netting his 11th goal of the season, a goal to keep the trophy hopes alive with just two minutes on the clock.
Going into the final fixture against Trinity, Scotch were level with Aquinas. The confident side showed all their class, breezing through
The 2022 Inter-House Competition was a great success, with pristine conditions for both surfing and boogie boarding. Brisbane House won the competition with some great surfing from Sam Jackson.
The PSA Surfing came shortly after. Scotch performed well, but were unable to win the shield back from Christ Church who were the winners overall. Hale came second and Trinity placed third in a show of surprising strength.
We moved to the Surfing WA InterSchool Surfing Competition with a solid team. However, with massive swell and unprecedented winds, the competition was moved to Mullaloo Beach. 35 knot winds and hail (!) proved to be quite a struggle, with boys sheltering underneath their boards in the water. Many of our surfers made it to the semi-finals with an all-Scotch semi-final
Church which ended in a loss for Scotch. With multiple injuries plaguing the squad, Scotch v Guildford saw the majority of the starting team not playing, allowing younger boys to gain some minutes and experience a win. Top quality rugby followed in the first half of the Aquinas game, showcasing how clinical and precise they can be, with a 31-5 win. A tough, well fought game against Hale saw Scotch lose in tough conditions.
Finally, an excellent end to the season and a goodbye to the Year 12s as Scotch won against Trinity College, in their final game.
Although Scotch did not bring home the Brother Redmond Trophy, this season will be one to remember, with awesome memories, forever lasting friendships, fun rugby, and great learning experiences not only as rugby players but as young men.
a 4-0 result. Doing all we could, attention turned to the Aquinas game at Guilford, where a late goal meant Aquinas had also taken the three points and the trophy was shared.
This was a spectacular season, to finish undefeated in the league and take home the Cup for the first time in five years.
between the Year 11s Ryder & Ben and Joe Edwards and Joe Matthews the Year 12s. However, it was the young guns who came out on top and made it to the Senior Surfing final only to be beaten by a solid JTC side.
On the boogie board, surfer turned proboogie boarder Rusty Macintosh was the X-factor in the metro competition. Not holding back, despite the tragic weather front, he managed to pull off some insane manoeuvres including his first ‘el rollo’. His pair made it to the final, coming in third place. All in all, the other schools on the day had too much depth to put any of our teams through to the State finals; with Yanchep High School winning the day with a dominant junior boogie boarding performance. However, we have a lot of talent for next year and we should be able to bring home a Metro Title. A massive thanks to Mr Rugg who organised everything and the Sport department for letting Surfing go ahead.
Clockwise from left to right: Dr Alec O’Connell and inductee Rowan Jones; Don Langdon Snr and Don Langdon Jnr; Lachie Reid and Don Langsford.
On a day at Scotch where the Firsts teams were getting ready to head out onto the playing grounds and compete in the finals, Old Scotch Collegians were gathering to celebrate past successes in their sporting fields at our 125th Anniversary Hall of Champions lunch.
25 years ago, for the College’s centennial celebrations, 32 past Scotch students were inducted into what was the Sports Hall of Fame.
25 years on, in our 125th year, we inducted another 19 OSC into the group. We also took the opportunity to rename the group the Hall of Champions.
Overlooking the Playing Fields from the Dining Room, our new inductees and past recipients and their guests, Headmaster Dr
Alec O’Connell, Chair of Council Mark Paganin and OSC President Aaron McDonald, all enjoyed the presentation and interviews by the incomparable journalist and commentator and current Scotch parent, Lachy Reid. All inductees remembered Scotch as a great beginning to many of their careers and had fond memories of kicking balls on the fields, early morning rowing sessions and some tough rugby games.
Jamie Beadsworth (OSC 2002) – Water Polo
Stuart Bedford-Brown (OSC 1983) – Surfing
Michael Boyce (OSC 1997) – Hockey
James Clement (OSC 1993) – Football
David Dennis (OSC 1997) – Rowing
Neil Dennis (OSC 1999) – Rowing
Andy Fethers (OSC 1994) – Sailing
Mark Gale (OSC 1993) – Football
Mike Garnham (OSC 1975) – Cricket
Tom Gatti (OSC 2008) – Rowing
Jeremy Guard (OSC 1987) – Football
Rowan Jones (OSC 1996) – Football
Don Langsford (OSC 1976) – Football
Alistair Nicholson (OSC 1995) – Football
Jeremy Stevenson (OSC 1993) – Rowing
Art Turnbull (OSC 1951) – Rugby Union
Sutherlan Scudds (OSC 2007) – Fencing
Mark Seaby (OSC 2001) – Football
Tristram Woodhouse (OSC 1991 ) – Hockey
There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it many challenges and the need for our community to look for alternative and sometimes novel ways to stay connected.
It also highlighted the impact of social isolation, its effect on our health and the importance of human contact, feeling valued and belonging.
Maintaining strong connections within our community has always been a priority for Scotch Parents. Now, more than ever, we appreciate the support and flexibility of our community to connect in new ways. With the amazing support of 36 parent year representatives and an army of parent volunteers we have successfully coordinated over 140 events this year despite the restrictions. Congratulations to the Year 12
Ball Committee who achieved the impossible by moving an indoor event into an outdoor extravaganza within a couple of days due to last minute changes in COVID-19 regulations.
The evening was a resounding success and lived up to its theme ‘Illuminate… the darker the night, the brighter the stars’. Thanks also to the wonderful Year 11 Dance Committee, who, unperturbed by restrictions managed to coordinate online meetings from all areas of the globe to give our Year 11 boys the most sensational ‘disco funk’ themed night to remember.
This year we celebrated the first anniversary of the Scotch Parents Walking Group and Community Choir. Unsure of how we would survive the impact of the pandemic, the Walking Group provided the ideal outdoors activity whilst the community choir relocated rehearsals off campus to my house and
a local church hall. We are truly grateful to be back rehearsing at Scotch and for the ongoing support from our dedicated members. New members are encouraged to join at any time.
Scotch Parents are truly grateful for the ongoing support received from the annual voluntary parent subscriptions which are used to fund grant requests from staff, boys and support groups. Recent funding projects include:
• 25 Yamaha keyboards for a keyboard laboratory system for music education
• Black drapes for the Dickinson Centre
• Picnic tables for the Junior School playground area
• New classroom mats for each Junior School classroom
• Graduation gifts for students in Years 5, 8 and 12
Finally, I would like to thank the members of the Scotch Parents Committee Theodore Hasslacher (Vice President), Amanda Harris (Treasurer) and Rebecca Nerlich (Secretary), Mel Colling, the Special Grants Funding Committee, parent volunteers, staff and the entire Scotch community for their continued support, valuable contributions and friendship throughout 2022. If you are interested in being a part of Scotch Parents, please email scotch.parents@scotch.wa.edu.au Heather Cowan President, Scotch Parents
The topic of philanthropy is nothing new to schools, but one which is quite often confused with the role of the community’s old scholars’ association.
While there is undoubtedly a strong connection between the two, Philanthropy has a specific role in maintaining and growing our community support for the next 125 years.
The original definition of the word was “love of humanity.” Today, philanthropy means generosity in all its forms and is often defined as giving gifts of “time, talent and treasure” to help make life better for other people, and in our case, the past, current, and future students. You can practise philanthropy by making a monetary gift, such as a donation to a cause you believe in or through a significant in-kind donation. Choice of support is the core to any successful Philanthropy strategy.
Scotch College commenced thanks to a philanthropic act by the Alexander family in 1896 when they donated 500 pounds to help found a Presbyterian school for boys in Perth. Since this time our College has benefited on numerous occasions from the generosity of many members of our community.
In 2020, the College’s Foundation agreed to make a Philanthropic donation to the school to assist with the establishment of a Philanthropy Office. This began under the leadership of Kate Quinn (now head of Philanthropy at Perth Children’s Hospital) with Mel Colling as the Executive Officer.
In 2022, we are adding a Philanthropy Committee to oversee the College’s strategy and to connect the work of this committee through the College’s Foundation. The goal of Philanthropy at Scotch is to provide a channel through which members of our community can continue to support the College in areas
which may be of particular interest to them as potential donors.
Donations can be made via several pillars, including Buildings and Facilities, Scholarships (12 Scholarships), Annual Giving Programme (Building Fund, Scholarship Fund, Library Fund), Alexander Society (Bequests), John Maxwell Ferguson Fund and the Art Collection.
A successful Philanthropy Office is essential to ensure the future of our College and to ensure that we build upon the original 1896 act of Philanthropy which allows us to study and work at such a successful College 125 years later.
If you would like to hear more, please contact Mel Colling in the Office of Advancement and Philanthropy on 9383 6987 or philanthropy@scotch.wa.edu.au.
Dr Alec O’Connell HeadmasterLibby Golsby (nee MacKinnon) eldest daughter of Daniel MacKinnon (OSC 1956) and her sons William (OSC 2026) and Charlie (OSC 2029) Golsby donated three historical albums created by Daniel. The MacKinnon family heritage has a long lineage ancestrally to Scotch with Daniel being the first to enrol in 1950 as a boarder hailing from Pinnacles Station, Leonora. Daniel’s brother Charles (OSC 1962) father to Chris (OSC 2000), William (OSC 1997), Tim MacKinnon (OSC 1993) and John (OSC 1958) father to Alistair (OSC 1988), Ross (OSC 1992), Lachlan (OSC 1994) MacKinnon attended the College.
The albums contain images of wool production at Pinnacles sheep station, agricultural landscapes of the north eastern Goldfields and fellow boarding families from the 1950s including the Young’s and Johnston’s.
At eleven years of age Daniel would carpool to school with his brother and sister or Guildford boys. A nostalgic image depicts them taking the journey 24 hours door-todoor from Pinnacle station to Kalgoorlie and onward on sleeper train to Perth.
Libby states that Daniel’s school friends were a very ‘close bunch’ including Brian Leach (OSC 1955), Bob Pickering (OSC 1955), Jimmy Stewart (OSC 1956), Ainslie Waddell (OSC 1956), Bill Johnston (OSC 1955), Rob Johnston (OSC 1955), Don Langdon (OSC 1955) and Bob Bunning (OSC 1955).
The images give an intimate glimpse of what it was like to board at school including students at M-Block Building, Collegians House, attending the Scotch College Ball, visits to the city and Trinity Arcade and a lovely suite of senior school students taking part in agricultural classes at Muresk Northam wool classing and fencing their agricultural farming plots.
Ainslie Waddell (OSC 1955) a good friend fondly remembers “Daniel returning to Pinnacles Station in the July holidays, catching the overnight train with many station kids also making their way home for holidays and getting up to lots of mischief”. He recalls “it was on Pinnacles holiday visits he learnt to ride, drive, drink and smoke”.
In his final year Daniel had an old station Landrover housed at Scotch which was hugely popular and used by many of his mates. “Dan was well regarded gentleman liked by all and was considered a dedicated sportsman and an especially good cricketer” Ainslie Waddell, 2022.
From top: 1955
Clifton Taggart donated a significant range of memorabilia from his time as a boarder of the College. Clifton hailed from Wongan Hill, 120 miles north east of Perth, boarding from 1955 to 1959 along with his brother Doug (OSC 1958). Clifton captured various themes including cadets, excursions to Thomson’s Lake, Dormitory number six, construction of Memorial Hall, old gymnasium, quadrangle, interstate rugby games at Claremont Oval with Mr Mathis physical education teacher and vice-captain of the WA Rugby Team. Images of a 1957 Naval Helicopter displaying manoeuvres on the Top Oval and Master Harvey Barnett on his Vespa stand out from the collection.
Physical memorabilia include hand crafted wool classing scrapbook, several school reports and a text titled A School Arithmetic with Answers published by Hall and Stevens London.
Friendships captured throughout the suite of photographs taken on campus, include Gordon ‘Gus’ Angus (OSC 1958), Rodney Scott (OSC 1959), Michel Spring (OSC 1959), Murray Montgomery (OSC 1959), Erl Vincent (OSC 1959), Timothy Walker (OSC 1959), Ross Riches (OSC 1959), Russell Murray (OSC 1959), Robert Raffan (OSC 1959), Gordon Thomson (OSC 1959), Peter Drummond (OSC 1959), Rodney Scott (OSC 1959), Michael Spring (OSC 1959), Bruce Alford (OSC 1959), Glen Fowler (OSC 1959), Ian Graham (OSC 1959), Rex Noble (OSC 1959), Phillip Kerr (OSC 1960), Vernon Smith (OSC 1960), Peter Emmott (OSC 1960), Garry Clark (OSC 1960), Thomas Langley (OSC 1960), David Kiffin-Peterson (OSC 1960) and Garry Clark (OSC 1960).
David Beros (OSC 1981) donated a selection of images from 1978 including Brisbane House students in front of the bike racks pictured in retro 1970s streetwear attire.
Angus Jones (OSC 1981) donated images taken in the late 1970s near the Keys House boarding House: Memories of skateboarding during Cyclone Alby using dormitory sheets as a wind sail, tug of war Highland Games competitions, Alan Thompson (OSC 1980) and Alan Murray (OSC 1981) standing in school uniform in front of the demolished Brisbane House Master’s home. Alan Thompson (OSC 1980) sadly passed away in a truck accident during the school holidays
later that year.
Nola Wheatley donated photographs belonging to her father Ian Tamblyn Grieve (OSC 1932) including various late 1920s and early 1930s team sporting photographs for Athletics and Cricket, 1928 Swimming, 1929 Running and 1932 Football XVIII.
Silver trophies were added revealing Ian’s fine athleticism awarded for 1927 Scotch College Under 13 Champion Athlete, 1928 Sports, 1929 Athletics Under 15 Champion, 1931 Champion Athlete, 1931 Scotch College Sampson Prize Form 6B and 1935 YMCAAC 1st Long Jump Champion & 1st High Jump Champion.
Post school Ian continued to play football under WAFL at Claremont Football Club 1935–1941 totalling 123 games.
Leith and Wendy Pritchard donated a portrait of Alan Frank Pritchard (OSC 1927). Leith’s father, Alan, originated from Marradong and attended the College for two years from 1924. The original illustration depicts him as a young man post school.
Felicity and James Stephens (OSC 2024) donated an incredible collection belonging to their father and grandfather, ‘Bill’ William Francis Richardson (OSC 1947) and
grandfather and great-grandfather (Alexander) Rupert Richardson (OSC 1910) respectively.
Photographs include 1945 Scotch College Cadets, 1946 Rowing Crew Eight VIII second Winners, 1946 Cadet Officers and N.C.O.’s, 1947 Athletics Team, 1947 Prefects, 1947 Cadets Group photograph, 1947 Cadet Officers and N.C.O.’s, 1947 Cameron House, 1947 Prefects.
In addition, eight framed medallions awarded to Alexander were gifted, two bronze and six silver for placing first in the 1909 220-yard championship, 1909 Mile Championship, 1909 100 yards Championship, 1910 100 yards championship in 10 3/5 sec, 1910 14 mile championship and the 1910 800 yards championship recorded 2 min 11 1/5 seconds. Three engraved gold shields prized for the 1909 First Prize Gym prize, 1909 Cricket Bowling Average and 1910 Gym Prize.
Alexander was a magnificent athlete awarded a large silver trophy for winning 1909 Champion of School for Scotch College Sports along with the cotton athletics singlet he competed in featuring school crest and gold braid in near perfect condition.
Ms Pat Farrow and Ms Chris O’Brien donated twenty-one historical editions titled The Library of Useful Stories published by George Newnes Ltd London published from 1896 to 1903. Headmaster Peter Corsar Anderson’s daughter Mary gifted the books originating from his personal library.
First editions The Ancient History of The Egyptians, Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Macedonians and Grecians by Charles
Rollin was included published in 1739. The authentication date suggests the editions are likely to have travelled with him during immigration from Scotland to Australia. Illustrations, maps and engravings are included published by Longman and Company London.
Alex O’Connell donated photographs belonging to his great-grandfather William Augustus Goland. ‘Bill’ as he was known was a brilliant oarsmen and secretary of the WA Rowing Association from 1900 to 1905. He captained the West Australian Rowing Club from 1904 to 1910 and coached Scotch College to 17 Head of the River victories between 1901 and 1942.
A particularly early 1903 image christening and launching the Scotch College Race Four titled the ‘W.A. Goland’ was donated, along with youthful portraits of him as a young man and 1940s images with Headmaster Peter Corsar Anderson.
Clockwise from top left: 1928 Scotch College Swimming Team Nola Wheatley donation, 2022 photograph of donors James (OSC 2024) and Felicity Stephens at Collegians House, 1927–1932 Scotch College Cricket Team XI Nola Wheatley donation
Opposite (Clockwise from top left): 1888–1890 Young Bill Goland and 1903 June christening and launching of Scotch College race four boat the ‘W. A. Goland’ Alex O’Connell donation, 1928–1930 Scotch College Fourth Form at Shenton Road Charles Robinson (OSC 1955) donation, 1962 Stuart House Middle School Swimming Team (front) Jim Edwards (OSC 1966), Unknown, Greg Young (OSC 1964), Bruce Tatham (OSC 1966), Bill Dix (OSC 1965), Bruce Anderson (OSC 1964), Kerry Shanahan (OSC 1966), Brian McCreery (OSC 1964), David Bruse (OSC 1965), Ken Groves (OSC 1965), 1964 portrait of Patt Maney (OSC 1965) and 1964 Stuart House Boxing Troupe School Fete Clive Bradley (OSC 1965), Graeme Young (OSC 1966), Bob Scott (OSC 1964), Malcolm Brown (OSC 1964), Bill Scott (OSC 1964), Harold Manton (OSC 1967), ‘Mulga’ Jim Edwards (OSC 1966) Graham Young (OSC 1966) donation
John donated three football photographs made up of the 1961 First Football Team First XVIII, 1961 Football Team tour traveling to Launceston and the 1962 Football Team match at the Gooch Pavilion held at Memorial Grounds.
Margaret donated a Pipe Band Book titled ‘Scots Guards’ belonging to Colin Edward Hodgson (OSC 1955) who was Pipe major at the College from 1955 to 1956. A 1920s loose leaf stationary book belonging to Colin’s father ‘Jim’ James Hodgson (OSC 1928) was donated and links to previous donations belonging to Colin.
Charles donated a photograph belonging to his father Angus Hargreaves Robinson (OSC 1924). The image depicts a late 1920s image of Fourth Form featuring his uncle Thomas Hugh Robinson (OSC 1932). The photographic postcard features students in differing charcoal uniforms, some without ties on a summer’s day on Shenton Road lawn.
Phillip donated four original Reporter editions 1949 to 1953 belonging to Master Chester Bennett. Phillip recalls his year 10 history teacher at Prince Alfred College Adelaide “If things became tiresome in the double history lesson, we would ask Chester about his trips from Perth to Adelaide in his dark green English MG sports car which we loved very much. He would draw a map on the blackboard showing all the towns and the exact distances between them, as well as the speed he drove across the various sections of the trip. In those days the Eyre Highway was unsealed corrugated limestone, so it must have been quite a bone shaking journey!” Phillip Thomas, 2022.
Graeme donated his 1960s woollen felt school cap and spectacular photographs from his time at school including 1962 Cricket Team XI, 1963 captain of boarding Ross Banfield (OSC 1963), 1963 Stuart House Athletics Team, 1963 Stuart House Seniors and Prefects, 1963 Stuart House Swimming Team and 1964 Stuart House Boxing Troupe at playing at the school fete.
David donated images of the 1981 First VIII Rowing crew training on the Swan River at Freshwater Bay and East Fremantle. The crew is pictured enjoying a summer celebration at coach Adrian Monger’s home including shots with the crew’s parents.
Included in the donation is a newspaper clipping dated 9 April 1981 from the West Australian newspaper titled “Challenge to Aquinas” featuring the eight Marcus Dill-Macky (stroke) (OSC 1981), Andrew Johnston (7) (OSC 1982), Michael Wilson (6) (OSC 1981), David Barber (5) (OSC 1981), Cameron Edwards (4) (OSC 1981), Blair Venn (3) (OSC 1981), Steve Whalan (2) (OSC 1982), Tim Fisher (bow) (OSC 1982) and Andrew Raven (coxswain) (OSC 1982).
Sue donated a book awarded to her grandfather Walter Kingston Stott OSC (1915) in December 1915 for scripture studies in Form IV. The book titled The complete works of Robert Burns by Alexander Smith was published by Macmillan and Co Ltd New York.
John Wilson donated a one-of-a-kind moveable silver trophy won in a school boxing tournament. The beautiful flip trophy features an image of two boxers on one side and an engraving on the reverse ‘Scotch College 1952 Boxing E. J. Wilson’. The trophy is housed on a delicate bakelite stand and a note states “enclosed is a boxing trophy I won in a tournament in 1952 as a fifteen-yearold from the bush. In the old original gym on the lower side of the oval” John Wilson, 2021.
Debra donated three advertisements located in Western Mail publications. The 1938 and 1941 editorials respectively market Scotch College and PLC on one page. Scotch College’s 1941 advertisement states that “proper education of the young is the very foundation of the state” and “a school in which the building of character goes hand in hand with intellectual and physical development”. The editorial encourages the reader to send for a detailed prospectus.
John Gillett (OSC 1948) donated an enormous collection of memorabilia from his time at school and items belonging to his father Eric Gillet (OSC 1917).
A first edition book gifted to Gordon Gooch OSC1912 was donated Here My Son: An account of independent and other corporate boys’ schools of Australia by C. E. W. Bean. Gordon was John’s father in law and the book included a handwritten note dated October 1951 “from those at present belonging to this old school in appreciation of his long continued interest in its welfare and his very generous support. On behalf of the boys John Hill OSC1950 and staff George Campbell OSC1905 and Headmaster Maxwell Keys”. Lure of the North 2007 edition by F. W. Gunning was donated and highlights George Joseph Gooch’s life in the Gascoyne.
John was awarded multiple book prizes for General Proficiency from1943 and 1946 with editions The Valleys of the Assassins’, ‘English Short Stories of Today’, ’The History of Napoleon, Literary Essays’ and the H. B Stewart Prize for English awarded in 1947 for Form 6AI titled Van Loon’s Lives.
Early Thistle editions and 1946–1947 PSA Athletics Programme for competitions held at
the WACA including signatures. Newspaper clippings from the West Australian titled ‘Schools Succeeds at work and play’ and ‘Men Behind Scotch College’ 1957 were included.
Reporter editions ranging from 1922 to 1968 were donated along with 1939 Scotch College Annual Dinner invitation on Boat Race Night along with 1940 Invitation to the 44th Annual Distribution of prizes.
A hand printed programme for the 1948 production The Duke of Darkness including tickets for evening held at the Assembly Hall and 1950s appeal form proposing the P. C. Anderson memorial Chapel drive.
John’s 1942 signed school admission form and 1940 letter from Cam Hendry school secretary outlining Eric Gillett’s (OSC 1917) placement on council.
Early school images of Eric in the 1916 First Crew IV, 1916 First Football XVIII and 1917 Prefects photograph is featured as well as his 1916 Latin and English exercise books written in pen and ink.
Clockwise
From left to right: Jay Beeson, Guy Lyons, Aaron McDonald (all OSC 2001)
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 recently expanded the directory to include the wider school community, and now 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!
The Range Project is a Scotch College educational podcast that draws lessons from those who have expanded their range, gained their own inter-disciplinary understanding of the world and found their passion in the process.
In Episode 17, we welcome 2016 graduate Yarlalu Thomas (2020 Young West Australian of the Year, UWA Medical Student, Precision Public Health and Fellow in Rare Genetic Diseases). Yarlalu reflects on his time at Scotch, the opportunities and support he received as a student as well as the challenges of “walking in two worlds”. Yarlalu talks about his medical work in the Pilbara, his involvement in medical and translation research projects to help Indigenous communities and his hopes for the future.
Q: What are your fondest memories / challenging times at Scotch:
Learning-wise, I realised how far behind I was, needing extra tutoring after school. My parents reminded me that this was my opportunity to gain not only a good, but a world-class education, and I always kept that in the back of my mind.
My mum always told me, “it’s a marathon, it doesn’t matter if you stumble, keep your eyes up and you will get there. Persistence is key. It’s how you respond and bounce back”. We also had a good brotherhood of Indigenous boys to help each other through tough times. Another challenge was I didn’t have a mentor to look up to as a young Indigenous student wanting to go into medicine. Now there is an increased level of mentorship that supports kids and tells them they are not alone. So, I try and get back to Scotch. I do tutoring, mentorship with boys who have graduated, spend time in the boarding house.
Highlights: Introducing the inaugural Indigenous jumper for AFL and being the first PSA school to do this and starting events to celebrate NAIDOC Week together with other PSA schools. Scotch students were so supportive and the way they responded made me feel so happy. Also, Pipe Band!
Q: What inspired you to go into medicine?
Around Year 10, I realised I wasn’t going to become an AFL footballer! In my summer trip home, I noticed a prevalence of diseases in my family and community compared to my peers at school, such as Type 2 diabetes, renal disease, rheumatic fever. It was eye opening.
Q: What are you focusing on now in your placement in Broome?
One of my key interests is Indigenous health around Australia and in the Pilbara. I wanted to come to the Kimberley because of the research and protocols that are coming out in this area. There are also a lot of Indigenous doctors here who are being mentors to me and focusing on diseases which are typical of tropical areas such as rheumatic fevers.
My end goal in my lifetime is to see an Australia where there is no disparity in life expectancy between Indigenous and nonIndigenous people. 10 years difference in a developed country is ridiculous and to see the gap widening is concerning. Realistically, these are issues that aren’t solved in the short-term, it will take longer than that. But if I can start a movement where more people are educated and walking away from University or into employment that can better contribute to solving the issues that each community faces, I will always be interested in that. It stems from education, involvement and access for our people. It will take more than me to make this change in the Pilbara, it is not something I can do on my own.
Building up the capacity into that workforce is something that is vital, and it all starts with opportunity.
Watch the full interview at: youtu.be/UBwNlwJ_9bc and keep an eye out for more episodes of The Range Project.
Around eighty years ago two sets of parents in Perth, Western Australia, independently decided to send their eleven-year-old sons to Scotch College to complete their secondary school education.
Bob Leschen (OSC 1948) and Bill Walker (OSC 1949) met one another and became friends, sharing in the education and enthusiastic sports competitions at school.
Once their education was complete the two boys went their separate ways never thinking that they would meet again. Bob gained a law degree to be used in a commercial career embracing the oil industry and retailing, and for twenty years was Executive Director of the Australian Plastics Industry Association.
Bill went in an entirely different direction being an international ship’s broker.
Through my time at Scotch College, I set off into adult life with good friendships, supporters, and a feeling of comeraderie.
Graduating from Year 12 in 2002, I embarked on a Bachelor’s Degree in Design from Curtin University, which on completion, landed me my first corporate role. However, I soon realised I wanted to see the world and experience life outside of Perth. This thirst for life took me on a solo trip around Europe which somehow ended up in Canada’s ski fields. It was there that I made a friend who told me about the ‘yachting’ industry, which sparked a new fire in me. It sounded too good to be true; so after a season, I packed my bag and headed for Fort Lauderdale in Florida.
It happened that their careers drew them to Melbourne where each served the bulk of his working life. Both men enjoyed good health working into their seventies before moving into active retirement. But as is the way with life, they couldn’t enjoy good health forever.
In time, Bob chose to move into an aged care facility and after living there for five weeks, he was delighted to see his old school pal, Bill, enter the facility for a period of respite.
The two old friends spent many short-term times together with Bill, in particular, recalling the names of teachers and moments of their time at school during the Second World War.
But Bob noted an increasing degree of uncertainty in Bill’s behaviour such as failing to remember just where his room was located in the complex.
Two days went past when Bob noticed some increased activity around Bill’s bedroom at breakfast time. He was shocked to learn that Bill had passed away during the night. What a shame, but Bill’s and Bob’s destinies were set for them and that friendship came to an end. Perhaps best put by Bob’s son who, on learning of the developments, said, “But there you go, Dad. You were there for his beginning and the end. A rounding off as it were.”
What an altogether amazing coincidence.
After a few failed months of trying, I finally landed the job I had been dreaming of, which took me on an adventure that, to this day, I look back on as the best experience of my life. Boarding a billionaire’s private yacht, I circumnavigated the globe, clocking up over 50,000 nautical miles, and earned my Yachtmasters qualification in the South of France. I made so many memories in those five years. I met my wife, travelled, worked and laughed around the globe. During this time, we even hired a younger Scotch boy on the yacht, showing how the Scotch Camaraderie lives on.
After the yacht docked in Sydney and having been away for so long, I found home was calling me. It was then, that I focused on my future career, and returned to my passion for design. This was kicked off with freelancing
while looking for work back in Perth. With the help of my brother and close friends (both Scotch boys) I won a client or two... which gave me the confidence and vehicle to establish Four Stripes – my very own brand, creative and design agency.
In recognition of my love for the sea, the Four Stripes name is a nod to the captain’s fourstripe epaulette on the shoulder. I have finally become a captain.
Four Stripes has now been in business 10 years, and we’re still growing strong. I’ve built a dedicated team who collaborate with companies who believe in the power of quality outcomes.
Our studio is located in the business heart of Subiaco and attracts an eclectic mix of clients across many industries and geographies. It’s the sort of challenge we enjoy because it fuels our imagination engine and inspires us to conceptualise new ideas for tangible and positive change. We help organisations improve credibility across all aspects of their visual identity. Our agency’s approach to creativity is steeped in equal parts of strategy, design, and execution – a model I also found successful in yachting.
Whether launching a new business or reinventing an existing one, Four Stripes transforms the way leading brands present to the world.
Visit scotch.wa.edu.au/scotch-businessdirectory to see other OSC businesses and offers.
James Wood (OSC 2002)(OSC 2015)
Old Scotch Collegians were saddened to hear of the tragic passing of John Wilson in an accident on the family farm on 21 June 2022. John was a well-loved member of the Scotch community since he entered as a boarder for Year 8 in 2011 through to the end of his schooling in 2015. He enjoyed his time at Scotch and since returning to the farm he was a passionate farmer, sportsman and contributor to the Kulin and surrounding communities.
Our thoughts are with John’s family and all who knew him.
(OSC 2011)
Old Scotch Collegians extend their deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Tim Mead, who passed away suddenly and tragically in Brisbane, Queensland, on 10 July 2022. Tim attended Scotch from Year 1, in 2000 and graduated Year 12, in 2011. Tim was a student who gave so much of himself over his twelve years at Scotch, and in his final year he achieved extraordinary peaks. He did it with purpose, with thought and also with modesty.
Our thoughts are with Tim’s family and all who knew him.
Fred Keast
Woodhouse
William (Bill) Walker
Purser
(JM) Robinson
(Jock) Hughes
Beste
George White
Donald Nairn
Graham Devitt
Robert Ockerby
Terry Venables
Allan Hollins
John Avery
John Haselhurst
Peter Eckert
Michael Hind
Peter Gmeiner
Forsyth
Andrew Locke
Timothy Mead
Wilson
Rob attended Scotch College from 1952 to 1958 as a day student.
He loved his school life and excelled in his chosen sports. He played First XVIII Football in 1957 and 1958. In summer, he rowed and was in the 1st IV in 1957, and the 2nd VIII in 1958. He captained the Tennis team in both those years and competed in Athletics.
Clearly a leader of men, Rob became Captain of Cameron House in 1958. He was an Army Cadet from 1954-1957 and served on the Tuckshop Committee (1958) and the Library Society (1958).
Rob’s father, John, graduated in 1925, and the College has seen many members of the Ockerby family since, including Rob’s sons Doug (1988) and Peter (1992). Rob became and remained a proud OSC from the day he left school. For more than 50 years he was a self-appointed roving ambassador for the College.
He joined our OSC Committee in 1988 and served for 30 years until 2018. He was president in 1989 to 1991, and for his dedication to service he was awarded an
Honorary Life Membership of Old Scotch Collegians in 2018.
Rob was so genuine and proud of his school and of the wonderful mates that he made there and whose friendship endured throughout his life.
A successful businessman with a wellknown real estate practice, his list of achievements and service to various organisations is extensive, and whilst it is difficult to encapsulate everything, Rob made incredible contributions to REIWA, Australian Institute of Conveyancers, Dalkeith Tennis Club, Tennis Seniors WA, International Tennis Federation, Tennis Umpires Association, Westside Wolves (formerly Old Scotch Hockey Club), Matilda Bay Rotary Club and the Cottesloe Golf Club, to name a few!
Robert Ockerby made an incredible contribution to Scotch College and to all the associations he joined. Our appreciation of his efforts and energy is immense and he will be sorely missed. Our condolences go to his wonderful wife, Bev, and to the extended Ockerby family.
Calendar
21 October 2022
Founders’ Day Dinner
6pm | Dickinson Centre, Scotch College
us for our annual Founders’ Day
This year’s event will be one to remember as we also celebrate 125 years of Scotch College.
28 October 2022
Annual PSA Golf Day Cottesloe Golf Club
psaobgolf@gmail.com for information and registrations
28 October 2022
Fifty Year Reunion
| Gooch Pavilion
November 2022
Ten Year Reunion
to come
Nov 2022
St Andrew’s Day Vale
| Scotch College Chapel
3 December 2022
Anniversary Sundowner
| Chapel Oval
Competitors faced some incredibly light and variable conditions at this year’s College Cup. The OSC was able to field two boats to compete at Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club on 1 May, and both teams did a great job battling through the day and making the best of the conditions.
OSC Team 2 won the first two races and placed second in the third, which secured an 8-point victory over old rivals in CCGS.
Thank you to George Boulden (2015) for rallying the teams again this year, and hopefully, this is the start of a winning streak for the college!
One of our favourite events of the year is the annual Seniors Luncheon. On 27 May we welcomed 130 gentlemen who had all graduated from Scotch over 50 years ago! Student, Alex Pigneguy, piped for the opening of the event, and our guests were treated to a musical performance by Scotch
students, Archie and Hudson, who sang well-known songs from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In keeping with tradition Glen Longmire (1967) conducted the ‘Year Countdown’ with Ian Christie (1946) being our oldest OSC in attendance, having left school 76 years ago!
Clockwise from left to right:: Robert Hammersley (OSC 1963) and Gordon Thomson (OSC 1960); John Parkinson (OSC 1962), Peter Hector (OSC 1960), Kevin Somes (OSC 1960); Rodney Halcombe (OSC 1958), John McNaught (OSC 1956), Peter Bath (OSC 1958)
The Class of 1992 celebrated their thirty-year reunion at the Gooch Pavilion on 24 June. The evening sundowner was enjoyed by over 50 attendees from the year group many of whom did not want to leave at closing time! Many thanks to Ben Leishman for putting together such a great event.
The newest members of our alumni were welcomed back on a very wet and windy morning in July to collect their Reporter and reconnect with old classmates and teachers. We enjoyed seeing them again and hope that the boys remain connected to the OSC as they move forward in their lives.
From left to right: A group of OSC 2021 leavers at the Reporter collection breakfast; Will Hannaford, Will Gale, Nick Paganin
Clockwise from left to right: Group photo of 1992 OSC gentlemen; Ben Leishman and Thomas Atkinson; OSCs enjoying the evening, L-R Tui Tahana, David Young, Matthew Keys, Tom Atkinson, Paul Good
On Saturday 6 August 2022, we celebrated our Pipe Band’s 75th anniversary. It was a fabulous celebration with over 350 attendees at the Gooch Pavilion for a community sundowner, featuring a tattoo
item by the whole band, items by the Middle School, Senior School, A-Team band and solo performances. John Patterson and Norm de Grussa topped off the evening by cutting the spectacular drum-sized birthday cake.
The gentleman from the Class of 1982 came together to celebrate their 50-year reunion at the College on 12 August. Alec O’Connell (Headmaster and Patron), Alex Aberle-Leeming (OSC 2008, Committee Member) and Peter Owens (OSC 1982, Head Boy) welcomed the group whilst the pipes were played by young Josh (Class of 2023). Forgotten friends were reunited and memories of shared classes, teachers and adventures made for lots of laughter and a memorable evening.
Clockwise from left to right: Archives display by Yasmin McDonald; Scotch A Team Pipe Band; John Paterson (OSC 1950) and Norm de Grussa (OSC 1970) former Pipe Band Master cutting the beautiful cake made by Glenda Crawford
Clockwise from left to right: Craig Thompson, Gwilym Davies, David Evans, Peter Owens, Stuart Brown; Roger Cook, Peter Evans; Miles Hitchcock, Richard Marshall, Duncan Butterworth, Daniel Bateman
I completed my university years in the UK before returning to my home country, Brunei Darussalam, to start work. My first role was a management trainee position at an airline. I was posted to London, where I also met my wife. I enjoyed being in the travel industry but pursued an investmentrelated career and joined an investment bank This eventually led to a senior investment team role, managing a private equity fund. My wife and I
After school I returned to the family farm in York for five years before pursuing a career in aviation. I worked as an instructor and charter pilot and gained my airline transport license, theory. I drove trucks to earn money for further training, this led me to Brambles who sponsored further studies, and the rest is history. I have been involved with Heavy Equipment Hire for about 35 years. It has allowed me to travel, meet some extraordinary people and experience new cultures.
After leaving school, I followed my passion for Sport and completed a Certificate IV in Sports Management at TAFE. For six years I worked with the WA Football Commission as the Regional Development Manager for the Great Southern region based in Albany, just down the road from the family farm in Borden. I am now the Manager of Wellington & Reeves Real Estate in Albany.
I continue to be heavily involved in sport as Football Manager at Royals Football Club, Secretary of
moved to Singapore in 2012 and we have been here since, together with our three children. I remain in the investment industry.
My time at Scotch was wonderful – friends, teaching staff and many sporting activities. Special thanks to my fellow boarders who kindly invited me to spend the holidays with them in the countryside. The memories are priceless! Please look me up if you’re ever in Singapore.
After graduating as a physiotherapist and working around Australia, I settled back in Perth with my wife, Felicity, to be close to family while we raised two daughters. Our daughters attended MLC and are now in their 20s and studying at Uni. I own and manage several physio clinics. I enjoy being ‘my own boss’ and having flexibility with my time, but it can be stressful and demanding at times like any small business.
After graduating from Curtin University, I travelled to North America to gain work experience in California and Montreal. Upon returning to Perth in 1972 I moved to Bunbury to manage a regional Practice. In 1981 I relocated to Perth with my family to continue practising with the long-established firm Parry & Rosenthal Architects, becoming a director in 1985. I married Heather Finch in 2001 and retired from architecture in 2010.
In 1992 I met my wife, Susie (PLC 1986, Sister of OSC Jim Herzfeld). We travelled before welcoming George and Matilda into the world. George is an 2021 OSC, Tilly is at PLC in Year 11. We live in Swanbourne, not far from the old stomping ground, and I still row with a number of old boys. The stories get bigger, we think we are still 17, to the casual observer it’s clear our best work was done in the 80s.
Cricket Great Southern and have recently joined the Great Southern Grammar School Council as the Independent Chair of the Great Southern Griffins Sports Committee.
My wife Sarah and I married in 2017. We have two kids, Max (4) and Tilly (almost 2).
I look back on my time at Scotch College fondly. I always enjoy catching up with old school friends and am looking forward to attending our 20-year reunion in early September.
For recreation, I play golf and guitar – both very badly. I enjoy jogging and exercising which is lucky because it’s a constant struggle to keep in shape on a laissez faire diet and too much red wine.
I occasionally see fellow 1982 leavers Paul Ezekiel (who lives in New York), Michael Poidinger (who lives in Melbourne) and Tim Fisher (at golf). Living in Perth, I regularly meet other OSCs and it’s nice to have a shared connection.
I am currently involved with two charities assisting refugees in Kenya and South Sudan, as well as three impoverished villages in Uganda – a very satisfying experience!
With a lifelong interest in sailing, I recently discovered the pleasures of racing radio-controlled model yachts. This hobby is pursued by many old-’salties’, including some fellow Old Scotch Collegians. Look out for us at Lake Jackadder in Woodlands when you are there next!
