Great Scot 160 September 2020 | Page 81

AN UNEXPECTED DELUGE OF

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HISTORY

The most unexpected donations to the Archives are often the best
When Catriona Monahan contacted me on behalf of other descendants of Principal William Still Littlejohn regarding donating a large collection of Littlejohn archives , photographs and ephemera , it was unexpected , exciting , and very welcome .
Littlejohn was born at Turriff , Scotland , on 19 September 1859 , and was Principal of Scotch from 1904 until his death , at Scotch , on 7 October 1933 . All Principals have made their own contributions , but Littlejohn stands out as the one who gave Scotch so many of its current structures , visual identity , and traditions .
From a school built on solid foundations by his predecessor , Alexander Morrison , Littlejohn turned Scotch into a school that stood the test of time in a way many other then-sound schools in Melbourne would not . From an average attendance of 272 in 1904 , he turned it into one of the British Empire ’ s largest schools , with a peak attendance during his time of 1281 in 1930 .
Littlejohn added gold to the cardinal and blue , and introduced the first Scotch uniform , including personally designing the current blazer in 1932 . He introduced the Prefect and Probationer ( now School Officer ) system , The Scotch Collegian , the House system , many sports , clubs and societies , and oversaw the change of the motto , the introduction of the coat of arms , the Foundation Day Concert , the creation of the Old Scotch Collegians ’ Association , and the move from East Melbourne to Hawthorn .
On 9 June 2020 , Catriona visited Scotch to donate more than 80 separate items , including significant photographs , and scrapbooks with many articles never before seen in the Archives . For the first time , original photographs were supplied of Ross Robertson Littlejohn ( born 1 October 1921 , SC 1928-34 , died 19 March 1945 ) and Gordon Brefny Littlejohn ( born 15 July 1922 , SC 1928-40 , died 7 September 1942 ), Old Boy grandsons of Littlejohn , who both died in World War II . William Still Littlejohn ’ s birth certificate was donated , along with casual photographs of him at Scotch .
Other photographs being retained by the family were permitted to be scanned .
This truly remarkable collection is an invaluable addition to the Archives ’ collected knowledge and images of Littlejohn and his family , as well as of Scotch itself . Other Principals ’ descendants are encouraged to consider following the example of Catriona and her extended family .
1 . CATRIONA MONAHAN . 2 . SMITH ’ S WEEKLY ( NSW ) TRIBUTE OF 21 OCTOBER 1933 . 3 . W . S . LITTLEJOHN ’ S HANDWRITTEN BIRTH EXTRACT . 4 . WILLIAM EUAN IRONSIDE LITTLEJOHN ( THIRD FROM LEFT ) IN THE SUN , 7 MAY 1938 .
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