FOUNDATION
ABOVE : STAGE ONE OF THE LITHGOW CENTRE OPENED IN 1993 . RIGHT : STREET PARTY AT THE OPENING OF THE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE CENTRE IN 1995 .
current students to the concept of philanthropy and giving both back to the School , and forward to future generations of boys .
Capital works were also a feature of this period . In 1990 considerable refurbishment and expansion work was completed in the Junior School . The Senior School became something of a building site after demolition of the old ‘ J Block ’ ( the original Science Building ) began in September 1996 to make way for the Lithgow Centre . The first stage of this enormous undertaking was the building of the Library and Computer Centre , with the Fraser Smith Lecture Theatre and a number of teaching rooms ( the ‘ rear ’ section when one looks from the Main Oval ). These facilities were an enormous improvement on the old Carlisle Francis Longmore Library and Masters ’ Common Room .
The first stage of the Lithgow Centre was opened in 1993 , closely followed in 1994 by the brilliantly conceived Cardinal Pavilion , to house the expanding rowing program and the Boykett Room function centre looking out over the Yarra River .
While those buildings were being completed , work was under way on the Language and Culture Centre , to house the English and foreign language classrooms decanted from the Quad and J Block . The centre was opened in 1995 with a large street party to recognise the food , culture and music of the different languages taught at Scotch – though , in deference to the boys present , French and German wines were not served in public .
During this decade , the Foundation raised funds to bring a Foundation Fellow to the School every two years , starting in 1985 . These Fellows , experts in their own fields , and brought from around the world , spent a month working within the School and sharing their insights and expertise , helping Scotch to develop its curriculum and approach to boys ’ education in all areas .
The Ken Field Art Show was established during this growth period as well . The first show was held in 1989 , and the shows continued roughly every two years until 2012 , when they were replaced by the Foundation Australian Art Show . Beginning in 2014 , this show has been held biannually and raises funds for the Scotch College Indigenous Scholarship Program .
In addition to all these innovations and the expansive capital works program , a further 13 named scholarships were established during this decade , and numerous prizes as well .
With the housing of the Development Office at 1 Morrison Street , the foundations were well and truly laid for a period of expansion . With the expansion came a growing professionalism , with experience gained from carefully curated visits to leading schools in the USA . The atmosphere in the Development Office was never dull , and the doors were always open .
For the first time , there was a centre where Old Boys could drop in ( though some became a little wary of bumping into Peter Crook rather than Leigh McGregor , since Peter was never shy of talking about supporting the School ), and improved facilities and systems allowed for much better tracking and reporting of our philanthropic activities . As a result , the Foundation became more effective , and by the end of the decade it had raised more than $ 18 million .
Philanthropy is driven by passion and commitment . This was very much in evidence through the leadership of Peter Crook , who quickly became the guru of development in Australia , providing guidance and advice to the small development offices around the country which started to spring into being during the late 1980s and 1990s . It was also shown through the strong relationship with Leigh McGregor and OSCA , and the increasingly supportive group of Old Boys and friends of the School who demonstrated their belief in the future of Scotch through their great generosity .
DR ALAN WATKINSON – FORMER DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
52 Great Scot Issue 160 – September 2020