FOUNDATION
MR MIKE SIM (' 78 ) PRESIDENT OF THE SCOTCH COLLEGE FOUNDATION
MIKE SIM (’ 78 ) TAKES THE FOUNDATION ’ S REINS
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SCOTCH FOUNDATION ’ S 11TH PRESIDENT
Michael Kinsley Sim ( known to all as Mike ) was elected as the Scotch Foundation ’ s 11th President at the Foundation ’ s May Board meeting .
Mike attended Scotch from 1970 to 1979 , following others including his father Robert Kinsley Sim ( SC 1937-41 ) and brother Peter Kinsley Sim ( SC 1963-72 ); also his nephews , Andrew Kinsley Sim ( SC 1993-2001 ) and Cameron Kinsley Sim ( SC 1994-2003 ); and he was followed by his son , Stuart Kinsley Wieden Sim ( SC 2002-11 ). Mike ’ s grandson , Jack , is booked in for 2033 !
Mike ’ s father , Bob , coxed the winning Head of the River crew in 1941 , as did Mike in 1978 ( with the crew also becoming Australian Schoolboy Champions ) and Stuart , with wins in 2010 ( also Australian Schoolboy Champions ) and 2011 . Mike also represented Victoria in the King ’ s Cup and Australia at the World Rowing Championships . Stuart coxed the Australian men ’ s eight at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics .
A School Prefect in 1978 and 1979 , Mike was 1979 House Captain of Gilray , Editor of The Scotch Collegian , Captain of Boats and Captain of Hockey . He was also the Regimental Sergeant Major in 1978 and the Senior Cadet Under Officer in 1979 .
He joined the OSCA Council on 30 November 1990 and finished on 8 November 2004 . He was Treasurer from 1998 to 2002 and Vice President from 2000 to 2002 . Mike joined the Foundation Board in 2003 and continues to serve on it . He joined the School Council on 21 December 2001 and left on 6 January 2003 . He rejoined it on 1 November 2003 and continues to be its busiest Councillor , particularly in his role as Chair of the Property Committee .
In this interview , Mike answered questions posed by Scotch ’ s Head of Advancement and Foundation Executive Director , Tim Shearer (’ 85 ). Tim began by asking Mike , who has been deeply involved at Scotch for such a long time , as a student , in OSCA , the School Council and the Foundation , what it meant to him to be appointed as Foundation President .
I ’ m absolutely honoured that my peers thought they would like me to be the President . I ’ ve always performed all my work and commitment to Scotch without seeking any leadership positions , as I think that Scotch teaches you about service and giving , and that you don ’ t need anything in return . So I ’ ve just
been happy to serve the Cardinal Club , the Old Boys , the Foundation and the School Council , and to see all of those groups thrive .
To become President of the Foundation does take it to the next level , where instead of being a loyal lieutenant , I ’ m looking forward to formulating the way a few key issues are handled .
What do you think are the Foundation ’ s major achievements in its first 50 years ?
I think to get where the Foundation has in 50 years is quite astonishing . The achievements can be classified into three pillars , the first of which is the building side , where the Foundation has raised about 50 per cent of the cost of the school ’ s building projects since the James Forbes Academy .
We have been particularly busy with building projects over the past nine years , for which the Foundation has raised significant amounts of money . Raising $ 20 million for the Sir Zelman Cowen Centre for Science was an exceptional performance by the Foundation team , led by Tim Shearer . When we were planning the Centre for Science , we thought it would be brilliant if the Foundation could raise at least $ 10 million , so to raise $ 20 million was absolutely incredible and a testament to the Scotch Family , not to mention a record in Australia .
Then to back up straight away with raising funds for the Spencer Centre for Design and Technology , the Keon-Cohen Dining Hall , the House Home Rooms and the Tolson Centre , and to raise funds throughout a period of major stresses such as COVID , was a huge performance by the Foundation .
The second pillar is clearly scholarships . The amount of money which has come from our very special family to enable us to bring boys to the
72 Great Scot Issue 169 – September 2023