OSCA
MR PHILIP WRIGHT (' 69 ) ACTING OSCA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
‘ NORMAL ’ TRANSMISSION RESUMES – WELL , ALMOST NORMAL
A full program of OSCA events is planned for 2022
This year commenced with the sad news that OSCA Executive Director , Scott Montgomery (’ 85 ), had suffered a major cardiac arrest when returning from holidays . It is thought that the cardiac arrest was caused by COVID . Quick work by Scott ’ s wife , Rowena , a passer-by and a defibrillator dispatched by the fire brigade allowed Scott to be airlifted to the Geelong Hospital ; he is now resting at home , but a date for his return to work is not known .
Fortunately , he has started a rehabilitation program and he continues to make progress . We trust Scott makes a full recovery , and look forward to seeing his smiling face at OSCA House very soon .
Two years of lockdowns created a significant backlog of reunions and resulted in the cancellation of other events , such as the 2020 and 2021 OSCA Annual Dinners . The OSCA team , comprising Caroline Taylor and Will Dixon (’ 19 ), has worked extremely hard to start the catch-up process of holding our reunions .
Thus far , OSCA has hosted a combined reunion for the Classes of 2015 , 2016 and 2017 on 28 January , a drinks event for the Class of 2021 on 15 February , a combined reunion for the Classes of 2010 , 2011 and 2012 on 25 February , and reunions for the Class of 1980 on 25 March and the Class of 1981 on 1 April .
Other recent initiatives include Sydney Branch drinks on 24 March , and additions to the series of podcasts and the OSCA club promotional videos . ( A report and photos appear in this section .)
Speaking of the Class of 2021 , we cannot forget its Valedictory Dinner hosted by OSCA in December , 2021 at the Caulfield Racecourse . ( A report and photos appear below .)
Another annual OSCA event , the 2021 Presidents ’ Dinner , was cancelled and the annual general meeting was once again forced online , in November 2021 . OSCA Councillors Pauline Westmore ( past staff ), Andrew Coates (‘ 85 ) and James Paterson (‘ 93 ) resigned from
the OSCA Council , and we thank them most sincerely for their voluntary time devoted to the Council and its committees . Mark Tolson (’ 73 ) and Nick Schiffer (‘ 88 ) were elected to the Council and we look forward to their contribution to the Council .
THE OSCA PODCAST
The OSCA podcast continues to be a successful project within OSCA ’ s digital strategy , reaching up to 400 unique listeners per episode . Late in 2021 , hosts Lachie Strathmore (‘ 15 ) and Scott Montgomery (‘ 85 ) spoke with Old Boy Charles Pruden (’ 15 ) about his experiences in politics .
On Friday 28 February the ninth episode was released , featuring Charlie Howcroft (’ 15 ) and Tom Sutherland (’ 16 ), who spoke about their experience setting up a small business .
In mid-2020 , Charlie and Tom , alongside their business partner , Freddie Young , set up their own business , Good One Creative , specialising in brand development , content production and creative communication . Charlie and Tom spoke with Lachie about the challenges of setting up a small business , from building a brand identity , finding an office space , managing finances and working with clients to build strong business relationships .
Both boys reflected on their pathway to small business ownership , discussing how , despite not having a clear vision of where they wanted to go following school , over time their collective experiences led them to the creation of Good One Creative .
You can listen to the podcast here : https :// open . spotify . com / show / 78WUHo5I7zcRX7mUQuQDlb
OSCA CLUB PROMOTIONAL VIDEOS OSCA continues to work with its 25 clubs and societies to encourage engagement and connection with
72 Great Scot Issue 165 – April 2022