OSCA WHAT THEY ' RE DOING NOW – compiled by David Ashton (' 65 )
LEFT TO RIGHT : RODNEY TAFT (' 56 ), JOHN REHFISCH (' 67 ), RICHARD PUGSLEY (' 68 ), PHILIP BARTON (' 69 LEFT ) AND VIC NORTHWOOD
1950s
RODNEY TAFT (’ 57 ) fully retired from diagnostic radiology in 2020 . He and his wife Aviva live in Toorak , and were lucky enough to spend the second COVID lockdown at their apartment in Main Beach on the Gold Coast . They are both keen bridge players and still play occasional golf . Rodney keeps fit walking his spoodle , Mr Darcey , and playing lawn bowls . He recently joined the MCC Bowls Club and is planning to play with Old Scotch . He is a member of the Melbourne Probus Club .
Rodney is a keen amateur photographer and has developed a colourful collection of African , Arctic and Antarctic wildlife photos . Prior to COVID , Rodney and Aviva enjoyed overseas trips , especially ocean cruises . They are planning a cruise from Dubai to Singapore via India and the Maldives . Rodney has three lovely daughters – Tori , the eldest and identical twins , Marianne and Belinda – and two granddaughters . When the family members are all in Melbourne , they keep Rodney and Aviva busy with their visits , family dinners and get-togethers .
MICHAEL LAW (’ 57 ) and wife Patricia have moved back to Victoria after living at Noosa since retirement in 1998 . He told Great Scot : ‘ The stay at Sunshine Beach was prolonged due to the benefits of the best climate in Australia and the ease of club golf , but the push of advancing age , the death of son David ( Scotch 1974-85 ) and the pull of family in Melbourne prompted the move ’.
Michael found a new apartment built for seniors in Camberwell , halfway between
his two daughters and families . He recalls visiting his grandparents , who also lived in Riversdale Road in the 1950s . ‘ We are now walking streets where other relatives were born and lived , and we are not far from the Camberwell Sports Ground , now the home of OSFC , for whom six family members have played .
‘ We have adapted well to apartment living and the Melbourne climate . In my 12th year at Scotch I was awarded the Morrison House Captaincy but I ’ m now being outdone by my youngest grandson , who is School Captain of Xavier in 2023 .’
1960s
JOHN REHFISCH (’ 67 ) graduated in medicine and married Anne Stewart in 1973 , before completing orthopaedic training . John and Anne lived overseas in 1983 / 84 , during which John worked at the Bristol Royal Infirmary and later in a trauma Fellowship at Graz , Austria . Back in Australia , John operated a private and public surgical practice . He also spent periods as Head of Unit for the Orthopaedic Unit and as Chairman of the Staff Association at the Frankston Hospital . He has now retired from private practice , but still works in the public system . He and Anne live at Mount Eliza .
After two and a half million vertical feet of heli-skiing over many years ( reaching mountain tops via helicopter instead of a ski lift ), John says those days are probably over . ‘ But I still can dabble in resort skiing as well as some fishing in Westernport Bay and various spots in the far north of Australia ,’ John also told Great Scot
‘ The 2021 MFC premiership was quite a highlight , as we usually make it to the MCG for the football .’
RICHARD PUGSLEY (’ 68 ) is a retired architect , having enjoyed a varied career working on educational buildings in Australia as well as commercial , airport and prison projects in the UK . More recently he spent an enjoyable 15 years as a consultant to PwC in the UK , working as a project manager on facilities-related projects from new office fit-outs through to the nationwide implementation of signage for their rebranding .
Richard and his husband Patrick Persaud relocated to Melbourne in July 2021 , at the height of the pandemic . Previously based in London for more than 30 years , he and Patrick enjoyed numerous holidays in Italy , where they appreciated the varied scenery from the lakes in the north through to Sicily in the south , while staying in villas , hotels or apartments . They look forward to returning there one day , maybe visiting somewhere new – perhaps Puglia or Basilicata .
Richard enjoys the arts , including theatre , cinema , concerts and cabaret , as well as exploring galleries , stately homes and other historic sites . He and Patrick are active members of the Old Scotch Bushwalking Club .
PHILIP BARTON (‘ 69 ) fondly remembers senior Latin classes taught by a young Englishman , VIC NORTHWOOD . With only about nine students together for two years , teacher and pupils really got to know each other , Vic conveying his love of the subject , and the classes being enlivened by the antics of CAMPBELL
94 Great Scot Issue 168 – May 2023