DEVELOPMENT
MR TIM SHEARER (' 85 ) DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT , FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO A LEADING EDUCATIONAL FUNDRAISING ENTITY
FOUNDATION ’ S BEST YEARS STILL TO COME AS ENDOWED FUNDS BREAK THE $ 100M BARRIER
AN EARLY FOUNDATION FUNDRAISING
BROCHURE
Fifty years ago , the Principal of the day , Colin Healey OBE , with the encouragement of the School Council and a willing band of enthusiastic Old Boys , created the Scotch College Foundation . Inspired by the funding capabilities of many USA educational enterprises , and determined to find a better way than the spasmodic appeals the school had previously undertaken , the Scotch College Foundation was founded in 1973 .
I look at the Foundation as the school ’ s value add component . No doubt Scotch would be a solid school even if it had not received the philanthropic support that it has from its community to date , but unquestionably it would not be the school it is today , both physically and culturally .
While the buildings provided through the generosity of our community are there for all to see , less apparent are the scholarship opportunities provided to scores of fortunate but deserving boys . Simply put , the works of the Foundation allow Scotch to be all it can be for each boy fortunate enough to attend it .
From relatively humble beginnings , the Foundation has evolved into one of Australia ’ s leading educational fundraising entities . Early days were challenging , as the concept was new in Australian terms and Australian entities had previously relied on government funding , following the British model rather than the US , where individuals took responsibility for the wellbeing of their educational institutions .
In the 1980s , the Scotch Foundation gathered momentum . Exciting projects , such as the Glenn Centre and the refurbishment and expansion of the Junior School inspired philanthropic support under the leadership of Principal Gordon Donaldson AM and Director of Development Peter Crook .
The 1990s saw a significant building spurt , as the
Lithgow Centre , the Language and Culture Centre , the Randall Building and the Cardinal Pavilion sprang to life . The opening of the James Forbes Academy signalled the end of this spurt , coinciding with the retirements of Donaldson and Crook .
The early 2000s were relatively quiet for the Foundation , and there was a pause as the school recovered from significant cost overruns associated with the James Forbes Academy and leadership changes . The funding of the Gordon Donaldson Scholarship was a feature of this time .
After the quiet decade of the 2000s , the Foundation has burst back into life with a dynamic last decade . Achievements include the Sir Zelman Cowen Centre for Science , endowing the school ’ s Indigenous Scholarship Program , the Spencer Centre for Design and Technology , the Keon-Cohen Dining Hall , the Tolson Centre , the General Sir John Monash Scholarship and the Michael Robinson Boarding Scholarship .
The Foundation ’ s endowed funds have just broken the $ 100M barrier . One can only wonder how the founding fathers of the Foundation would react to the achievement of that milestone . I suspect it would be with great pride and an enthusiasm that the Foundation ’ s best years are still ahead of it .
Former staff member , Old Boy , Scotch College Foundation member and Scotch luminary Bruce Brown (’ 60 ) has been commissioned to compile the Foundation ’ s 50th anniversary history book – to be titled Where thy Towers Thou Proudly Rearest . The book will be launched at a celebratory anniversary cocktail party in the Senior School Quadrangle on Wednesday 30 November .
We are keen that this year ’ s celebratory events provide an opportunity for those who have been part of the journey to reflect and acknowledge collectively
64 Great Scot Issue 168 – May 2023