Editorial
DURGA KAMTE EDITOR, GREAT SCOT
As the Year 12s of the Class of 2017 leave the gates of Morrison Street, they carry with them memories of a school that represents enduring traditions dating back to the school’ s founding fathers, who sought to provide‘ an education of a humane, scientific and general nature consistent with the teachings of Christianity’. These traditions remain unchanged, and show themselves to be consistent with those of a forward-thinking, 21st Century school that( as articulated in the Scotch Vision statement)‘ opens boys’ minds to the rich diversity of the world in which they live’ by promoting‘ a sense of responsibility and respect for others.’
Musing on the theme of diversity and acceptance, I was struck by the relevance
of the paired comparative texts Year 12 boys have studied in English this year. Eastwood’ s biopic Invictus, based on the achievements of Nelson Mandela in bringing about reconciliation in South Africa, and David Malouf’ s Ransom, which reimagines Homer’ s Iliad, set in the final stages of the Trojan War, are both explorations of the ability of individuals to set aside personal prejudices – however difficult this may be – and accept the common humanity of those who hold differing perspectives. The elderly king of Troy, overwrought by the desecration of his son’ s corpse by the mighty warrior Achilles, nonetheless seeks common ground with him, not as a king but as a common man and father to achieve a temporary truce. Mandela’ s innate humility and his ability to forgive representatives of the oppressive apartheid regime, even accepting the value they placed on sport, were instrumental in uniting a‘ rainbow nation’.
As the pages of this edition represent visually, and in the words of many contributors, Scotch is a school that does not just pay lip service, but genuinely values and embraces diversity. Boys from the Class of 2017 are to be congratulated on their initiative in creating an Acceptance and Diversity Committee, their frank discussions with boys about the effects of ill-considered language, and their concern in ensuring each boy is valued. Acceptance of diversity goes well beyond race, religion and ideology, but equally embraces the broad range of passions and interests of our boys. Celebrated in these pages are artistic and musical talents, skills in debating and chemistry, interests in psychology and literature, and a strong passion for social justice.
The Scotch Foundation pages of this edition include the final report of the retiring Foundation President, Michael Robinson(‘ 55), in which he reflects warmly on the support provided so readily by the Scotch Family, which helped to fund the purchase of the Hawthorn site for Scotch more than 100 years ago, and has ensured that the school has continued to grow and develop ever since. Endorsing Michael’ s remarks, Director of Development, Tim Shearer, lists the four pillars through which the Scotch community can enable so much to happen at Scotch.
Incoming President of the Old Scotch Collegians’ Association, Andrew Crawford(‘ 89), sees one of the key objectives of his presidential year as improving and expanding OSCA’ s reach; in particular through the OSCAnet website and social media. Over the past year, four Old Boys – Hal Oxley(‘ 33), Sir Lenox Hewitt(‘ 33), Arthur Atkins(‘ 35) and Herbert Purton(‘ 35) – have joined our oldest known living Old Boy, 102-yearold Bill Morgan in the exclusive Old Scotch centenarians’ club. Bill Morgan’ s 102nd birthday was well celebrated at Scotch on 26 October, when nine of our 25 oldest known living Old Boys gathered for morning tea. On 15 October, 201 men and boys from three generations gathered at Scotch for a remarkable group photo, which appears in this edition.
41 62 70
Our A grade debating champions
Scotch team triumphs in a major debating competition
Scotch Family makes it happen Generous support for the school for more than a century
Three generations gather Boys, fathers, grandfathers gather for a unique photo opportunity
www. scotch. vic. edu. au Great Scot 3