FEATURES
2021 YEAR 12 TORCH CEREMONY
A 2091-DAY JOURNEY ENDS , EMOTIONALLY , IN A NEAR-EMPTY HALL
The 2021 Year 12 Torch Ceremony , so significant for all who participate in it , was again a closed event in Memorial Hall , attended only by the Year 12 boys and teaching staff , and live streamed to the rest of the boys at home . Year 12 boys passed the torch in a near-empty hall , and received their school gift and prizes from the Principal , at the end of what had been for some a 13-year Scotch journey .
This is an edited version of School Vice Captain Alex Meggitt ’ s address at the Torch Ceremony .
On Thursday 28 January 2016 – 2091 days ago – the Class of 2021 entered our Year 7 form rooms for the initial time on the Main Oval side of the Quadrangle . After a sleepless night and a wet , drizzly morning , most of us would for the first time meet our cohort . As our days at Scotch turned into weeks , then months , then years , we managed to form the friendships that we
have now , with other boys joining us to create the Year 12 that we recognise today .
From this first day with Mr Glover in the now non-existent Science Lecture Theatre discussing the need not to be sheep , to this current day where we will soon leave Scotch for the last time as students and for the first time as Old Boys , this journey has been an incredible one .
Obviously , the past two years have had their fair share of disappointments . Passing through an empty Memorial Hall is not the normal way for a year group to conclude their time together . For all the resilience that the Class of 2021 demonstrated , the impacts of the lockdowns were harsh . It was not the Scotch experience that we had come to love during our time on campus .
So , to the younger years watching today , I ’ m sorry that we cannot welcome you back when you return to face-to-face learning later this week and early next year , but I implore you to return Scotch to its usual self . Next year , half of all students will not know what an uninterrupted year looks like , so I urge senior boys to lead the way . Fill the Green Grandstand for cricket and the Cordner-Eggleston Cup , travel to the banks of Nagambie , bellow out Lord of the Dance in this Memorial Hall , and perform to the spectacular standard that Scotch music and drama is known for .
That being said , however , the Torch Ceremony is ultimately a celebration of the Class of 2021 ’ s time at Scotch ; a moment to reflect on the past six years before looking to the future . In doing so , I would like to thank all those who made this amazing ride possible . Notably , I would like to pass on a huge thank you to our teachers . Your commitment to push every boy to get the most out of himself was truly revealed in the past two years . As lockdowns endured and our cameras happened to turn off as we struggled , all of you continued to be there for us , day after day , eager to maintain
20 Great Scot Issue 164 – December 2021