Great Scot April 2019 Great Scot_156_April_2019_Online | Page 69

2012 he has worked untiringly for OSSO. Geoffrey Charles Alan McCracken (’65) was at Scotch from 1954 to 1965, as a fourth generation McCracken family member at Scotch. He was elected to OSCA Council in 1986, and was OSCA President in 1997, serving on OSCA Council for 14 years Geoff has been a passionate Old Scotch Football Club player and committeeman since 1966. He played 133 games with OSFC, and was Treasurer of the club in 1971 and again from 1976 to 1983. He was awarded life membership of the OSFC in 1981, and later served as Vice President and VAFA delegate. After retiring from a senior auditing position at Coles Myer in 2007, Geoff became Secretary of the OSFC, a position he held for the next four years, before becoming Football Administration Manager in 2012. He finally stepped down from the OSFC committee in 2013. Together with Bruce Brown and John Bell, Geoff is currently working on a centenary history of the OSFC. Geoff served as convenor of OSCA’s Annual Giving program in 1992. He is a member and the former auditor of the Old Scotch Heritage Club and the Old Scotch Wine and Food Club, and is a former Treasurer of the OSCA Collegians. Geoff received an OSCA Merit Award in 2012 for his outstanding service to the Old Scotch Collegians’ Association. 2018 OSCA Merit Awards Lesley Rae Armstrong has helped countless Scotch Family members during her long association with the School. Coming to Scotch in 1969 to work in the Business Office, Lesley later became Secretary to the Heads of the Junior School, Graham Nowacki and Guy Mason. Later she was Executive Assistant to the Principal, first to Dr Gordon Donaldson, then to Acting Principal, Ian Savage, and finally to Tom Batty in his early days. She retired in 2008. On retirement, Lesley became Secretary of the newly-formed Old Scotch Past Staff Club, and devoted her energy to helping set up the club, which now has 140 members. She has enthusiastically and carefully maintained the records, communicated regularly with members, welcomed new members and organised events. Although she has stepped down as Secretary, Lesley continues to serve enthusiastically on the club’s committee. Colin Brooke Bates (’66) attended Scotch from 1961 to 1967. He was a founder of the Old Scotch Pipes and Drums, and has since been an active member, serving tirelessly as Band Secretary and helping to set up the club’s governance and structure, build membership and engage with Australian pipe band organisations. Colin came to the club after a long absence from piping, and was keen to re-establish his piping skills. He now takes his place at the band’s regular piping engagements. As Band Secretary, Colin has worked diligently, keeping records and minutes, and drafting the band’s incorporated associations rules, as well as maintaining formal links between the band and Pipe Bands Victoria. His dedication to the band’s success, and his unfailing attendance at practices, committee meetings and functions is exemplary. Susan Joan (Suzi) Cossar has been a member of the OSMaD team since the club’s first show, Les Misérables, in 2008, and she has been heavily involved in every show since that time. Suzi’s continuing involvement has mainly been with the costume and wardrobe team, but given the nature of a volunteer-run organisation, there are always other duties to perform to make sure the cast and crew and production teams are cared for in the way OSMaD likes to operate. Suzi has helped with cast costume measurements, provided sustenance to the cast and production teams, and, once the show is in performance mode, on any given night backstage she helps in the dressing rooms or in the wings, while someone makes a rapid 10 second change of costume. OSMaD is most grateful for Suzi’s 11 years of continuous help. James Ronald (Ron) Rule (’66) was at Scotch from 1958 to 1963. He has been the Secretary of the OSCA Adelaide branch for about 25 years, and has been very active in that role. He has served alongside the current branch President, Ross McOmish (’66), during Ross’s entire presidential term. Ron ihas been the driving force behind the Adelaide branch for a quarter of a century, and is a dedicated branch member. He attends to most of the branch’s operations very efficiently, and thoroughly enjoys his role. He is meticulous and always very well organised. In the early 1970s Ron did a tour of duty in Vietnam as a National Serviceman, and has since worked devotedly for the welfare of Vietnam veterans. Now retired, Ron enjoys bike riding, public speaking with Rostrum, and travelling overseas with his wife, Judith. www.scotch.vic.edu.au Great Scot 69