FOLLOWING THOSE SIMPLE ‘ Bs ’
I would like to extend my most sincere welcome to all the staff and boys here today , but especially to those beginning their Scotch journey in 2021 . I hope that each of you can find Scotch the rewarding and accepting environment that I have enjoyed over the past five years . It also gives me great pleasure to welcome back our School Captain for 2021 , Nik Tsourvakas ,
SCHOOL VICE CAPTAIN ALEX MEGGITT WITH
JUNIOR SCHOOL VICE CAPTAIN
HARVEY HAINTZ
School Vice Captain , Alex Meggitt , also addressed the School in Assembly early in Term 1 . Below is an edited version of Alex ’ s address .
whose decision to come back for Year 13 is emblematic of his passion for Scotch .
At a Prefects ’ meeting at the end of last year , the question was posed to us : what does it mean to be a Scotch Collegian in 2021 ? Over the summer , I have been reflecting on this question .
I think we need to acknowledge how extremely fortunate we all are to be members of the Scotch community . We are lucky to be in one of most prosperous countries in the world , attending one of its finest schools . For most of us , it is simply through the accident of birth that we find ourselves at Scotch . We have been given a great opportunity .
However , with that opportunity comes great responsibility – a responsibility to our families , to our community and to ourselves , to maximise the privilege granted to us . Luke 12:48 captures this idea : ‘ For unto whomsoever much is given , of him shall be much required ’. Or more simply , to whom much is given , much is expected .
There is no quintessential Scotch boy . We will all tread our own path , and at Scotch there are many different paths for us to follow . But whichever path we do tread , we have a responsibility to do our best , and make the most of the opportunity , while adhering to some universal values . These values are not new , and have held previous generations of Scotch Collegians in good stead .
In a 1910 issue of The Scotch Collegian , adapted from Philippians is a poem known as Bs Without Stings :
B truthful , B honest , B upright , B fair , B kind to a classmate or a friend ; B noble , B good , and B-have as you should , Then B sure you ’ ll B right to the end .
It is by following these simple ‘ Bs ’ that we can act as a force for good , recognising our opportunities and using them to the best of our ability to fulfil our belief in what it means to be Scotch Collegians .
Whether it be putting pen to paper in search of academic success , chasing leather in the field playing cricket , synchronising your talents to the beat of a conductor in a musical ensemble , kicking a goal in the shadow of Littlejohn Chapel in front of hundreds in the Cordner-Eggleston Cup , challenging and orating your ideas in public speaking and debating , or pursuing the ideal 2k time down at the Cardinal Pavilion , the opportunities that await us in 2021 are many . I urge you all to take advantage of all that Scotch has to offer this year .
ALEX MEGGITT – SCHOOL VICE CAPTAIN
www . scotch . vic . edu . au Great Scot 27