Great Scot December 2019 Great Scot 158_December_ONLINE | Page 52

STAFF FAREWELLS
To have been taught by Barrie was to
have been nurtured in the gentlest, most
compassionate and most inspiring of ways,
and to reflect on just how many students were
privileged to experience this level of care from
him – over 33 illustrious years at Scotch – is
to appreciate both the wondrous reach of our
shared vocation and the tireless commitment
of a truly generous man.
This passion and care for the boys was
echoed, unconditionally, in Barrie’s leadership
of Team English. The door was always open,
and to find him with a moment to spare for
himself was a rare thing indeed. To Barrie,
the notion of a team meant everything; he
understood that a leader is only as good as
his least satisfied colleague, and he gave his
absolute all to the nurturing of each member of
staff’s professional aspirations and emotional
wellbeing. He was ‘invested’, in the true sense
of the phrase; every decision was made from
a place of real and deep empathy, and he
enjoyed, as a consequence, a level of equally
deep admiration.
Leaders like Barrie are indeed rare in
their genuine selflessness, and so it seems
only appropriate to turn a fragment of the
great Henry V’s St Crispin’s Day speech – a
personal favourite of BB’s – back on both of
these great leaders, in order to offer up some
sense of what Barrie’s generosity of spirit
meant to all who worked alongside him:
We would not die in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
We few, we happy few indeed.
Thank you, Barrie, for all that you have shared
with us, but especially for your friendship and
kindness.
MEG BEDDOE
Meg Beddoe was
an integral part
of developing the
Health Centre into
the model that exists
today. When Meg
was appointed in
May 2007, she had
to take care of 14 beds as well as act as a
housekeeper and do the laundry. Since then
she has held many nursing roles at Scotch.
She assisted in running the Boarders’ Clinic,
and she managed the health centre for a time,
displaying a little extra pizazz with her bubbly
character.
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Great Scot Issue 158 – December 2019
In more recent times, Meg could be found
attending to the Boarders’ Health Centre
and Junior School needs. The boys enjoyed
hearing of Meg’s many wildlife adventures
overseas, during which she cared for
chimpanzees, leopards and gorillas.
MARK COLLINS (DR)
Appointed in 1990 to
an English position,
Mark has, for almost
three decades,
introduced boys to
the joys of poetry,
literature and film.
Mark’s deep love of
English, together with his expansive and detailed
knowledge of literature, has been very much
in evidence as he has encouraged, challenged
and supported those boys under his care.
Mark’s significant contribution to English
spreads well beyond the classroom. As author
of texts, deliverer of Big Ideas Lectures on
‘Shakespeare and our politics’, presenter at
seminars, lectures and workshops across
Victoria, organiser of numerous theatre
production experiences for boys, Mark, who
is held in high esteem among colleagues and
peers, has demonstrated the qualities and
attributes that are associated with masters
of our craft.
Mark’s contribution to Scotch outside the
classroom has been significant and varied.
He has coached cricket, tennis and football,
accompanied trips to the Australian outback
and the Mediterranean, helped organise the
biennial Literature Festival, spent time as
Head of Monash House (three years), and
assisted with the Social Service program. All
of these tasks have been undertaken with an
eye for detail, and a desire to provide the best
possible experience for the boys.
For the past 24 years, Mark has been TIC
of The Scotch Collegian. Under his editorial
watch, this annual magazine has grown in
both size and standing, becoming a detailed
record of the School year and one of the most
respected school magazines in the country.
Mark’s eye for detail, his strong understanding
of design and layout, and his ability to choose
just the right image to capture all aspects
of Scotch life, have been much in evidence
during the creation of each edition.
In thanking Mark for all that he has
contributed to Scotch, and in wishing him well
for what lies ahead, perhaps it is apt to turn to
Mark’s most beloved dramatist. As Prospero
so aptly states as he gives up a life of magic to
return to the ‘real world’:
… graves at my command
Have waked their sleepers, oped, and let
’em forth
By my so potent art. But this rough magic
I here abjure …
ROB HORTIN
Rob Hortin joined the
Scotch staff at the
tender age of 24. He
is retiring, aged in his
60s. In the interval
he has married and
had three children,
including sons Victor
(‘12) and Rex (‘16) who passed through the
School and reflected great credit on him.
Teaching at Scotch is rewarding but also
exceptionally demanding, and in his 39 years
at Scotch Rob did a wonderful job.
One of his most significant roles was
coaching the 1st Basketball team, which he
did for 22 years. He also spent two stints
as the Teacher-in-Charge of Basketball. He
was Head of Bond House for 11 years. Rob
coached the Scotch 1st VIII for two years and
was involved in other aspects of rowing for
many more. He coached athletics too, notably
high jump for 15 years. He worked on the Hill,
in McMeckan House, for three years. He was
also involved in Cadets. Rob often went above
and beyond what was required in those tasks,
most notably in basketball, where for 25 years
he edited the basketball newsletter, Great
Shot, and took numerous basketball teams on
interstate and overseas tours.
As a teacher his experience has been
diverse, as he taught Physical Education,
History, Geography and especially English.
It is as an English teacher that most of his
colleagues and students know him and where
he probably made his greatest mark – and
not just in red pen. He loved the subject,
and thousands of students heard and will
remember his thoughtful and passionate
interpretations of such works as Hamlet,
Camus’ The Outsider, Catcher in the Rye,
A Man for All Seasons and Lord of the Flies.
Outside class, Rob often presented the
classic image of a laconic Australian, but many
can attest that in the classroom he came alive
and loved to talk, spicing his explanations with
genuine humour. Many of his former students