NEWS
‘ WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL I MAKE TO MY SCHOOL ?’
THESE ARE EXTRACTS FROM SPEECHES EARLY IN TERM 1 BY SCHOOL CAPTAIN , DION WHITFIELD , AND VICE CAPTAIN , TOMMY KLUCKOW .
The new year is always an exciting time , offering fresh hope and opportunities for new and returning students alike , and this year is no different . So I challenge you to honour the opportunity you have here at Scotch by giving your best effort in everything you are involved with , and to do so while supporting each other in your endeavours .
I particularly want to welcome our new boys to Scotch College . Scotch is more than just a school ; it is a community made up of people from all walks of life , but who share this school as its thread .
I know that in due course you will find your place within the Scotch Family , because of the plethora of opportunities this school will enrich you with , and where you will be able to pursue your passions and find like-minded individuals . I place my confidence in the older boys of the school to both lead and show you the way on this front .
During the holidays I was thinking of inspiration for this exact moment ! What would I say to the boys ? How would I address you today ? Naturally I consulted friends and family , but I also took Mr McLaren ’ s advice , when he said in his address last year that we should take time over the holidays to do something for ourselves , recharge the batteries , so to speak , and read , but read widely !
It was an Old Scotchie ’ s words that resonated with me , and I hope they will resonate with you in just some small way today . They come from Old Boy , Emeritus Professor Christopher Wallace-Crabbe AM , who graduated from Scotch in 1950 . He is recognised as one of Australia ’ s leading poets and is a widelypublished author and critic .
In a book of Wallace-Crabbe ’ s , which is a collection of poems entitled Whirling , there is a particular poem that caught my attention . It ’ s called ‘ A threshold for My Son ’. In it he says : ‘ Walk tall , dear son . Go straight ahead in joy [ and ] making the grassy landscape all your own ’.
For me , it is a Scotch education that allows us to pursue our passions , finding ‘ joy ’ and the freedom to reflect critically , while developing a strong sense of community engagement and global
responsibility in order to make our own ‘ grassy landscape ’.
It is a Scotch education that allows its pupils , you boys , to find your passions and importantly to be able to pursue them . Put simply , a Scotch education allows you to make the most of every opportunity to make the ‘ grassy landscape ’ all your own .
This is not something to take for granted . But rather I would say you must appreciate ‘ your Scotch ’ and reciprocate through words and actions that you appreciate what it means to attend Scotch College . This is no coincidence , and it comes from a strong culture established by those who came before us : as per the Vietnamese proverb : ‘ when eating fruit , remember , who planted the tree ’.
30 Great Scot Issue 168 – May 2023