ABOVE , LEFT : THE COMPLETED JAMES FORBES ACADEMY , OPENED IN 2005 . ABOVE , RIGHT : PETER JOYCE (’ 56 )
in 1965 ) was demolished down to its frame , which was expanded to enable the Randall Building , named after Brain Randall OAM (’ 51 ), to be constructed on it .
Opened in 2000 , this building became the administration centre for the Senior School . The Principal ’ s office was housed upstairs ( with an enviable view over the Main Oval ), with the new boardroom ( commemorating the original Longmore Library through its name of the Longmore Room ) and the Admissions Office .
On the ground floor , the School finally had a formal reception area , and offices for the Bursar and Accounts – and perhaps just as important , for the Foundation and OSCA . This was a very deliberate strategy , as it placed the Development Office at the heart of all administration around Scotch , and was a strong demonstration of the increasingly important role that the Foundation and OSCA were to play in the School ’ s development .
Also making his presence felt was the inimitable Campbell McComas (’ 69 ), whose passion for the arts became the driving force behind the School ’ s most ambitious fundraising efforts to that time .
Understanding that both Music and Drama were such an integral part of Scotch life both as curricular subjects and extracurricular activities , yet with each area lacking really suitable facilities , the School began the process of building the best performing arts centre for any school in Australia . The original fundraising goal was to be $ 7 million , which would be raised between 1998 and 2000 .
The Foundation and OSCA were in full swing , and with the active encouragement and participation of Principal Gordon Donaldson and the Chairman of the School Council , Michael Robinson AO (’ 55 ), Peter Crook and his team from the Foundation board organised a
memorable fundraising dinner in the Lithgow Centre ’ s atrium and library .
The momentum was extraordinary , as was the sheer hard work undertaken by everyone involved . The fundraising goal was reached in cash and five-year pledges by the end of 2001 , and the campaign for the James Forbes Academy ( known typically as the JFA ) ended up raising more than $ 10 million .
The construction of the JFA was not without its challenges , the two main ones of which were the affection with which Mackie Hall ( opened in 1939 ) was held ; and some unforeseen geological issues encountered in ‘ the Hill ’ as excavations got under way . Although Mackie Hall was indeed demolished in 2002 , the main window which looked over the Main Oval was carefully preserved and then used in the JFA itself , looking up Fordholm Road to watch over the boys coming to School each day . So the affection for Mackie Hall was transferred to a variation of the ‘ keen but loving eye ’ which underpins so much at Scotch .
The geological issues were resolved , and in 2002 Stage One of the JFA was opened . This comprised the fully operational Music School , with eight large teaching areas , two rehearsal spaces , three classrooms and 25 individual practice rooms .
While the School was somewhat overwhelmed by the scale of what had just been achieved , it was undaunted , and after a brief respite , work commenced on Stage Two . This required a further two years of construction with , in particular , the creation of the Ian Roach Hall and the Geoffrey McComas Theatre . These two purposebuilt auditoriums were – and still are – the centrepieces of the JFA , and allow concerts and theatre productions
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