Great Scot September 2018 Gt Scot_154_September_online | Page 2

One hundred years after he led the Australian Corps
to decisive victories in 1918, Sir John Monash’s old
school – which he always loved and respected for
the excellent education it gave him – has never forgotten
him. One of our 12 Houses is named after him, and we
have Monash Lodge and the Monash Gates, which many
Scotch boys pass through on every schoolday. The gates,
on Glenferrie Road, which were formally opened on 21
February 1936 (nearly five years after Monash’s death),
are a fitting tribute to the great man: they feature 10
attributes and their symbols, as a representation of
the many facets of Sir John’s life.
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Along with the inscription on the foundation stone
of Memorial Hall, laid by Sir John on 5 March 1920,
these are the physical reminders of Scotch’s greatest
son, not to mention the Monash Freeway, skirting
the School. But, more than that, Monash’s spirit
lives on strongly at Scotch. It was palpably present
in the special Assembly at Scotch on 10 August,
commemorating Monash’s great victories in France
and his knighting on the battlefield on 12 August
1918 by King George V. It was present when, later
that day – at the Principal’s suggestion – many of the
boys left the School via Monash Drive and the Monash
Gates, as a gesture honouring Monash; and when all
boys and staff received a copy of Monash’s memoir of
the Australian victories of 1918, personally signed by the
Principal. The spirit was present that day, and it lives on
strongly, inspiring the Scotch boys of today. Its presence will
undoubtedly linger as the future unfolds, continuing to inspire
the Scotch boys of generations yet to come.
FRONT COVER: SIR JOHN MONASH: PORTRAIT TAKEN DURING WORLD WAR I. BACK COVER: KING GEORGE V KNIGHTING
LIEUTENANT GENERAL SIR JOHN MONASH, 12 AUGUST 1918