Great Scot May 2020 Great Scot 159_MAY 2020_ONLINE_V3 | Page 58

FOUNDATION
LEADERSHIP, INSPIRATION
AND VISION
The early years of the Scotch Foundation – 1973-1984
This is part one of a four-part history of the Scotch
College Foundation, written by former Director of
Development, Alan Watkinson. In this opening article,
Alan looks at the period from the establishment of the
Foundation in 1973, through to 1984. Three more articles
will appear in subsequent editions of Great Scot.
When the Scotch College Foundation was established
in 1973 it had a very clear purpose, one which still drives
it today. Broadly speaking, the Foundation was created
to try and anticipate and provide for the funding needs
of the School beyond what could be provided by school
fees and government support. This was both a broad
and a bold objective, and it positioned Scotch in the
forefront of educational institutions across Australia in
the field of educational philanthropy. In fact, that term –
‘educational philanthropy’ – had barely been heard of in
Australia, let alone understood and implemented.
Of course, Scotch has always been able to appeal
to its Old Boys and wider supporter network, and it was
successful in raising £5000 in the early years of the 20th
century to help purchase the 62 acres of grounds in
Hawthorn. This fundraising would be the equivalent of
between $500,000 and $1 million today!
More intentional and sustained fundraising started in
1962 under Principal Richard Selby Smith, by which time
the School had registered its Scotch College Building
Fund with the tax department (1959) to provide some
tax relief for donors. With the guidance of American
consultants, the Wells Organisation, and later Donald
L Chipp and Company, approximately £225,800 was
raised (worth around $7.5 million today). In 1965 a further
fundraising effort commenced, led by the National
Fund-Raising Council and chaired by Laurence (Laurie
– later Sir Laurence) Muir (’41), with an office in Mackie
Hall. Although £194,072 was raised, the Scotch Family
was exhausted by the effort and there came a lull in
such activity.
In 1973, and recovered from previous efforts, Laurie
Muir agreed with then-Principal, Colin Healey, that the
School should establish a Foundation. The proposal had
the strong support of OSCA (which had tried its own
fundraising activities in the decade between 1955 and
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Great Scot Issue 159 – May 2020
1965, but without huge success), and prominent Old
Boys Bib Stillwell (’45), Bruce Lithgow (’46) Brian Randall
(’51), Ken Holder (‘41) and Tom Hogg (‘43).
Run entirely by volunteers, the Foundation
embarked on a campaign to raise $1.1 million to fund
the construction of the Senior Science Centre (1976-
2016), with such success that, together with intended
bequests, they raised $1.38 million. The Foundation
which we know today, and which is a leader in the field
of school fundraising across Australia, had taken its first
meaningful strides.
The first full-time Foundation Development Officer,
Brigadier Dick Durance, was appointed in 1977, and was
accorded some part-time secretarial assistance. Peter
Crook, at that time Head of Chemistry, was appointed to
work part time with Dick Durance in 1979; and following
Durance’s retirement late in 1979, Crook became the
Foundation Development Officer, supported by a full-time
secretary. Along with his Foundation duties, Crook
continued to teach Senior Chemistry.
Several significant fundraising strategies were put in
place and developed during these years and through
to 1985; but not everything was focused on just raising
money. It was understood widely that if Scotch could
ensure that it raised as many friends as possible among its
Old Boys, parents and the wider community, then it would
have greater success in building its fundraising success.
One vital relationship was that between the
Foundation and OSCA, a relationship which has
developed and strengthened over the years. It was
through OSCA that the first trial of Annual Giving took
place, initially directed to just a few Old Boy year groups,
and then expanded in 1978 to cover 15 year groups. The
response was positive, and in 1979 all year groups from
1922-78 received a request in the program. Although it
has changed over the years, Annual Giving is still going
strong today. One of the early developments was the
introduction of the phonathon in 1981 and the inclusion
of Old Boy parents as a particular focus group, at first
including only Junior School parents, and later expanded
to Senior School parents.
In 1982, Peter Crook introduced Grandparents’
Days for grandparents of boys in Prep and Year 7. This
provided a wonderful opportunity for grandparents to
visit the School to see the boys at work and play, as well