JUNIOR SCHOOL
MR TOM SAVILL HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL
BILL MORGAN (' 34 ) CHATS
WITH CHANNEL 7 REPORTER ,
NICK McCALLUM (' 78 )
CHATGPT OR CHAT O . S . C ?
LOOKING BACK TO 1923 AND FORWARD TO 2123
On Monday 5 June , the Scotch community celebrated a remarkable anniversary . An Old Scotch Collegian ( O . S . C ). Rev . William ( Bill ) Morgan (' 34 ) was recognised for stepping back into school one hundred years after his first day on 5 June , 1923 . At the age of 107 years , Bill is Victoria ’ s oldest man , Scotch ’ s oldest Old Boy and one of our community ’ s living treasures .
Another O . S . C visited school that day to cover the occasion for Seven News , Nick McCallum (' 78 ). Nick interviewed Bill but also took time to speak with some
of the current boys . In one such conversation Nick asked the Junior School Captain , Aiden Richards , what his thoughts on Bill ’ s anniversary were . Aiden referenced the juxtaposition in his mind of thinking back one hundred years , considering the life Bill has led , and thinking ahead one hundred years and trying to understand what life may be like in 2123 .
When Bill started school , computers had been in existence , in one form or another , for around 100 years . Charles Babbage ’ s ‘ Difference Machine ’ was designed and built in 1822 . In 1965 , Moore ’ s Law was born , stating that the processing power of computer chips would double every two years . Between 1965 and 1975 , Gordon Moore suggested they would double every year . Since 1975 , Moore ’ s Law has largely been proven correct and this has been witnessed with the rapid evolution of the power of computers .
On 5 June 1923 it would have been hard for Bill to fathom the concept of a laptop computer , an iPhone , a smartwatch , satellite navigation or the development of artificial intelligence ( AI ). It must be said that even digital natives are struggling to get their head around the power of artificial intelligence .
16 Great Scot Issue 169 – September 2023