be their own efforts , and the benignant blessing of our God . They can , I apprehend , do more for themselves than all the Rulers and Governors on earth are likely to do for them ; and unless they exert themselves for the promotion of their own interests , and the interests of their posterity , the doom of our adopted country is sealed . [ Unless public education is provided ] the cause of knowledge and the cause of freedom will be lost together .'
The challenges of the past few years have been acute both at home and abroad . While the causes of these challenges have been both natural and man-made , to me they have only magnified the importance of our mission at Scotch . That is , to provide ‘ . . . an education of a humane , scientific and general nature consistent with the teachings of Christianity ’ and ‘ to encourage each student to achieve the highest standard of which he is capable in all his activities and the full development of the personality and sense of responsibility of each student and respect for others , and capacity to work with them so as to promote the development of Christian ideals of citizenship , personal character and a spirit of reverence in the entire life and work of the College .’
Our aim is to '. . . deliver an education which , secure in the traditions of our past and our Christian belief , opens boys ’ minds to the rich diversity of the world in which they live and challenges them to question and
explore everything they find , with integrity , humour and compassion . And to do this in an exciting , intimate environment which nurtures self-expression and self-worth while promoting the uniqueness of each boy ’ s journey .’
The Scotch College Foundation , and the works of the Development Office , are all about facilitating the delivery of this mission and this aim . I see our works as the value-add component to what otherwise could be delivered by the School if it only relied on the current feepaying parents of the day . One only has to walk around the campus to see the show of philanthropic support on display , be it a new building or a boy on a means-tested scholarship .
As the Foundation approaches its fiftieth year in 2023 , I thank the 1868 members who have invested in Scotch to make it all it can be for every boy fortunate enough to attend it . I encourage you to join their ranks if you are yet to do so , as we look to support the delivery of a liberal education , where the rights of individuals are respected , we look to the inherent decency in each individual , and our boys are encouraged to be open-minded and free from preconception , conscious of their opinions and judgments , reflective of their actions and aware of their place in the world .
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