REMEMBRANCE DAY ASSEMBLY 2023
REMEMBERING OLD BOYS AND STAFF WHO DIED IN WORLD WARS I AND II
Despite possibly a sense of routine , in fact every Remembrance Day here at Scotch remains unique and very special , not only because of the gravitas and significance of the moment , but also because of our desire to share individual stories of those Scotch staff and students who sacrificed their lives in dire times of conflict .
On Friday 10 November , students , staff , Chair of Council Mr Alex Sloan (’ 71 ) and our special guest Mr Jim Murrell (' 64 ) - who served in Vietnam in the Royal Australian Infantry Corps and read the Ode to the Fallen - as well as his wife Wendy congregated in the Memorial Hall which , as Dr Scott Marsh reminded us , was purposely erected to commemorate those who gave the ultimate sacrifice during both World Wars and whose names figure along the building ’ s eastern and western walls .
Christopher Lim and Thomas Johnston ( both Year 11 ) narrated the fascinating life of Robert Alexander Little , whose name features on the list of World War I fallen , below the stained glass windows on the eastern wall . After attending Scotch College between 1907 and 1912 , along with his brother James , Alec , as he was more popularly known , was appointed to the Royal Flying Corps and subsequently to the Royal Naval Air Service .
Alec enjoyed an illustrious career with many exploits to his name , resulting in the French Government bestowing on him the Croix de Guerre and being awarded the Distinguished Service Order , which later also had a Bar added to it .
Unfortunately , Alec was killed in action at the age of 22 . However , his story continues to live on within the Scotch Family and beyond , as testified by this year ’ s Remembrance Day Assembly .
If you would like to read more about Robert Alexander Little ’ s life , please follow this link : www . scotch . vic . edu . au / ww1 / first / littleRA . htm
ABOVE , LEFT TO RIGHT : OSCA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SCOTT MONTGOMERY (’ 85 ), REMEMBRANCE DAY ASSEMBLY SPECIAL GUEST , MR JIM MURRELL (' 64 ) AND SCOTCH ’ S HEAD OF HISTORY , DR MARK JOHNSTON .
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