come back to life , with the vast majority of New Yorkers now vaccinated ( us included ), outdoor dining here to stay , and a fresh sense of optimism in the air . We hope it continues as the Delta variant evolves and we move into fall .
We have enjoyed the warm summer and some domestic travel , and at the time of writing we were looking forward to getting among the crowd at the US Open tennis ( with our masks on , of course !). JAMES HILLIS (’ 03 ) – Boston , USA Boston was one of the first cities in the US to be hit by COVID-19 . The early months were full of many uncertainties as the world learned how the virus behaved . At the same time , I had never experienced such a sense of unity , camaraderie and purpose both at work and in the community at large .
The hospital where I work reached a peak of over 350 COVID-19 patients in April 2020 , including around half in ICUs . I was able to participate in the Moderna Phase 3 trial and received the first dose in August 2020 . Life here has returned to a ‘ new normal ’, albeit that there is ongoing uncertainty about when I will next get home to Melbourne . ALAN PILKINGTON (’ 59 ) – Seattle , Washington State , USA I live in Seattle , and I spent much of the pandemic in the northern Rocky Mountains , in Montana , enjoying some great fly fishing on fabled waters like Rock Creek and the Big Hole and Madison Rivers . Not a soul to be seen ! Just clean , COVID-free mountain air and plenty of willing trout . ANDREW INGRAM (’ 56 ) – Vienna , Austria Vienna has undergone several total lockdowns ; Austria has very effectively rolled out its vaccination program . SIMON SLEE (’ 88 ) – London , UK We have just been getting on with our lives . COVID is something that we have all accepted is around us and won ’ t go away . We have returned to our workplaces and public gatherings cautiously , but now with a sense of confidence and appreciation for the speed and success of a vaccination rollout that has saved lives and enabled us to get back to our normal everyday activities . Borders have started to open up , and with a few compulsory tests we had a summer break in Denmark with the extended family . TODD KIMPTON (’ 93 ) – Singapore Singapore has weathered the COVID-19 storm better than most places . No surprises that the government was prepared for the pandemic , given they were caught on the back foot in the SARS outbreak in 2003 .
We underwent a harsh eight-week ' circuit breaker ' lockdown in April / May 2020 , including full school closure . As most people live in apartments with tight conditions , working and schooling from home was challenging , but I ' m pleased to say we got through it in one piece .
Since May 2020 , we ' ve had limitations on our social mobility , with face mask wearing and location tracing imposed , and when flareups have occurred these limitations have been heightened , then reduced . As Singapore approaches 70 per cent fully vaccinated , the government has started to pepper the population with hope that we ' ll be back to normal soon . What shape this ' new normal ' takes is yet to be seen , but we ' re hoping it ' ll resemble the years before 2020 .
Despite the difficulties , six Old Boys got together in Singapore for a meal early this year : Andrew Starkey (' 93 ), Caspar Schlickum (' 90 ), Andrew Glass (' 90 ), Norman Leung (' 89 ), Todd Kimpton (’ 93 ), and Justin Dzau (' 99 ).
DAVID ASHTON (’ 65 )
ABOVE : NICK MALON (’ 07 ) IN NEW YORK CITY , USA . BELOW : ALAN PILKINGTON (’ 59 ) IN SEATTLE , USA . www . scotch . vic . edu . au Great Scot 75