EDITORIAL
DURGA KAMTE EDITOR GREAT SCOT
As I pen this final editorial for the year , the sunshine pours into my study , the garden is abuzz with twittery creatures and ablaze with colour . Ah , the joys of summer ! All the more welcome , as we come to the end of a year of COVIDimposed restrictions . Although lockdown lifted only a few weeks before the Year 12s were officially farewelled , it has been heartwarming to hear their laughter and banter echoing through the corridors from classrooms and playing fields .
The Class of 2021 has endured challenges , with almost two years of disrupted learning and limited opportunities to partake in sporting competitions , drama and musical performances , and a variety of other events that usually mark the School calendar .
Despite the disappointments , the boys have come through with admirable good humour and the ‘ can do ’ attitude so reflective of generations of Scotchies . In embodying the best of 170 years of Scotch spirit , this year group has left a legacy for future generations , upholding values the School holds dear : determination
to make the most of the opportunities they have been given ; resolve to achieve their academic potential ; and a steadfast commitment to fostering a positive and more inclusive school environment .
‘ Parting is such sweet sorrow ’ is possibly the most overused quote from the Bard , but there is truth in the words , as attested by the emotional , heartfelt speeches of School Captain and Vice Captain . As they await their results , and plan their future paths , we wish them success and every happiness .
As the School adapts to a more conventional ‘ normal ’ there is much to celebrate , as can be seen in these pages . At different year levels , boys have achieved success in chess , debating and music . While performances and exhibitions before a live audience were impossible , with characteristic brio , staff and boys moved online to share their efforts .
Pipes and Drums had opportunity to showcase their talent at Government House in recent weeks , and in this edition , Director of Sport Stuart Powell speaks of the joy he felt at the excitement and enthusiasm of the boys as they resumed practice after the lockdowns and then were able to compete as the summer sport programs began . In this issue , Stuart also notes individual sports achievements in football and water polo .
With endings are new beginnings , and we farewell and thank our Year 12 leavers , and we also farewell and thank retiring and departing staff , while we simultaneously look forward to welcoming new staff , new boys and new student leaders for 2022 . On the subject of beginnings , an Old Boy from the Class of 1947 speaks gratefully in this edition of the excellent start in life Scotch granted him . In gratitude for his Scotch education , facilitated by a government scholarship and aided by a school supplement , the Old Boy has made a substantial donation to the Scotch Foundation . A scholarship in his name will be established to enable a boy who would otherwise not be able to attend the School to enjoy a Scotch education .
The Old Scotch Collegians ’ Association is also looking to a new beginning in 2022 , as it re-establishes its COVID-interrupted program of reunions . Since OSCA ’ s earliest days more than a century ago , the association has organised countless functions which have enabled Old Boys to keep the flame of friendship burning long after schooldays are over . The calendar of OSCA events for 2022 is set , and hopes are high .
OSCA is also glad that the strength of its alumni continues to shine , with Old Boys coming up with their own ways of keeping connected , whether it ’ s a catch-up over coffee , a jog together along Gardiners Creek , or a lunch attended by more than 50 Old Boys from the Classes of 1963 and ’ 64 , which was the initiative of just one Old Boy from the Class of ’ 64 .
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BOUNCING BACK AFTER LOCKDOWNS Scotch ’ s musicians look optimistically to 2022
BOARDING PROJECT BEGINS Transforming Scotch ’ s boarding facilities
GETTING OSCA THINGS DONE Stronger connections in and beyond the OSCA community
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