Great Scot 163_September 2021_ONLINE_21.09.21 | Page 21

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DARCY ( YEAR 7 ), TOM (’ 89 ), JAMES (’ 87 ), EWEN (’ 70 ) AND HUGH WILSON (’ 65 ). 4 . BILL MORGAN CAHILL (’ 17 ), ANGELA , ENIO (’ 77 ) AND BIANCA DI DONATO , ARCHIVIST PAUL MISHURA . 9 . GEOFF RAMSAY COLLECTION . 12 . MCGREGOR FAMILY MEMBERS – BACK ROW : GILES DEBELJAK MCGREGOR (’ 87 ), GILL MCGREGOR , KRISTINA WILSON-MCGREGOR .
needed for all Scotch Collegians to be able to see and connect with their heritage ’. Mark ’ s brother , Andrew (’ 69 ), had replied succinctly : ‘ I hope you ’ re feeling fit – you ’ ve only got 134 years of work ahead of you ’. Mr Tolson said Geoff ’ s archives work was the perfect mix – ‘ his love for the School and his love of history ’.
He described his father as what the older generation would call ‘ a gentleman ’. ‘ He was sincere , honest and dependable : valued qualities for a man who lived by the Scotch mantra “ for a goodly heritage , proud traditions and cherished memories ”’.
The final address was by Scotch Foundation President , Associate Professor Doug Lording AM (’ 64 ), who acknowledged the significant contributions of Andrew Cook (’ 72 ), Enio (’ 77 ) and Angela Di Donato , Geoff Donaldson AO (’ 31 ), the Ferraro family , Geoff Paton (’ 57 ) and Bill (‘ 63 ) and Dianne Sides to the project , as well as supporters of the project at all Scotch Foundation membership levels .
Professor Lording listed the spaces in OSCA House which have been named in recognition of the roles played for OSCA by Leigh
McGregor (’ 55 ), Frank Shew ( 1860-66 ), Keith Wilson (’ 27 ) and Frank Crawford (’ 25 ). Multigenerational families are an integral part of the Scotch community , he said , pointing out that between them these great Old Scotch Collegians had sent 10 sons , 12 grandsons and six great-grandsons to Scotch . ‘ The Cardinal Thread runs strongly in all these families ,’ he said .
‘ The whole building is a safe repository for our priceless memories ; it ’ s a great hub for visitors to appreciate the history of the School ; it ’ s an accessible meeting place for our Old Boys ; and it ’ s a working office for OSCA and our Archives … We are very grateful to those who have made this possible , and I thank all of those for their contributions to the Tolson Centre .’
Concluding the speeches , Tim Shearer paid tribute to the skill of architect Doug Pattenden , and the commitment of Property Manager Bill Sciarretta and Facilities Manager Elliot Green , Maintenance Manager , Greg McMahon , Curator Mick Smith and the Grounds Department , Jonathan and Richard Long ( both ’ 89 – Long Contracting ), Tom Beattie ( Beattie Vass Design ), Michael Farrugia , Melanie Whitling , Jayne Markey and Noone Imagewear ( Scotch Shop ), and David Johnson ( Scotch uniform concepts ), for their fine contributions to the Tolson Centre .
Guests then moved from the marquee out onto Morrison Street for the official opening ceremony , where the ribbon-cutting was performed by Alex Sloan , to applause from the guests gathered in the street . After OSCA Chaplain , Graham Bradbeer gave the benediction and blessing , guests – equipped with a tour map – were then invited to follow a prescribed tour route through the Tolson Centre , where Archives volunteers were stationed in each space in the centre to guide visitors and answer questions .
Tour completed , guests proceeded back into Morrison Street and the surrounding areas for refreshments .
The event was a great success , and a highly appropriate tribute to Scotch ’ s pioneering Archivist , thanks to the dedicated work of the Tolson Centre Opening and Naming Ceremony Committee – Tim Shearer (’ 85 – Chair ), Sandra Dick , Lachie Fairbairn , Julie-Anne Mayer , Greg McMahon , Paul Mishura , Scott Montgomery (’ 85 ) and Rebecca Mortimer .
DAVID ASHTON (’ 65 ) www . scotch . vic . edu . au Great Scot 19