Great Scot September 2019 Great Scot 157_September 2019_ONLINE | Page 87

Athletics
A most
successful
track and
field
season
The 2018/19 track and field season was
the best in recent history for Old Scotch
Athletics Club, with all of our teams (open,
under 20 and under 16) qualifying for the
final, and the under 20 team winning the
first premiership for the club in many years.
But our athletes have not been resting on
their laurels, with bases being built through
the traditional routes of cross country and
football, and also through the unconventional
such as powerlifting!
The Old Scotch cross country team
consists of male and female athletes from
their teens and early 20s, through to the
amazing Col Findlay (‘53) in his 80s. The
club encourages participation regardless
of standard. Regular athletes in their late
60s and early 70s are Nigel Watson (‘65),
Rob Wilson (‘67) and Jonathan Holmes, Phil
Barton and Peter Dodgshun from 1969.
Mark Purvis (‘75) gets better with age,
regularly winning the M60 at Athletics Victoria
cross country and track events. He has run
two sub-three hour marathons aged in his
60s. Rob Schwerkolt and David Leeton (‘85)
lead our M50s, Pete Simm (‘93) our Vice
President, Cross Country, leads our M40s
and Hamish Watson (‘03) our M30s. There
has been strong growth in participation by
female athletes across all age groups, led by
Heather Danks.
Our young brigade led by Harrison Carr
(‘16) has had great success this year. A
highlight was winning the teams event at the
Alex Jamieson event at Scotch in April for the
first time since 2002. The average age of the
team was 17. It consisted of Fred Leeton (Year
9 – aged 14), Jean-Philippe Soulie (Year 10 –
aged 16), Seb Brasington (Year 11 – aged 16),
James Lightfoot (‘17 – aged 19), Tom Bowers
(aged 16), Benjamin Beischer (Year 12 – aged
17) and Harrison Carr (‘16 – aged 20).
Our coaches, Gregor Evans (‘68)
and David Lightfoot, do a fantastic job in
coaching and encouraging each athlete.
Please contact the club if you wish to join.
It is an exciting time to be an Old Scotch
Athletics Club member, and we look forward
to opening the new track and field season
with another record-breaking showing at the
traditional Ewen Macdonald 800m Handicap
during Family Day this year
TOM RUSSELL (‘12) – PRESIDENT, OLD
SCOTCH ATHLETICS CLUB
Football
FIVE OLD BOYS TAKE THE FIELD FOR PORT
LEFT TO RIGHT: LACHIE WADDELL (‘13), MICHAEL WENN (‘14), DION JOHNSTONE (‘16),
MACK RIVETT (‘14) AND HARVEY HOOPER (‘15)
It has been great to see Old Scotch Collegians making their mark
at AFL level – and also in the VFL.
Old Boys are playing at several VFL clubs, but on one occasion
during the 2019 season no fewer than five Old Boys – Lachie Waddell
(‘13), Michael Wenn (‘14), Dion Johnstone (‘16), Mack Rivett (‘14) and
Harvey Hooper (‘15) – took the field for Port Melbourne in the round
nine clash against Collingwood. After trailing for most of the day, Port
Melbourne kicked nine goals in the final term to come home victors by
42 points.
Each of these five players has had his own journey through football,
but all are former Scotch 1st XVIII players, and all are also under 18
Oakleigh Chargers graduates. Dion Johnstone was drafted originally
to Melbourne and joined Port Melbourne this year; Mack Rivett was
Port Melbourne’s best and fairest winner in 2018; and he Lachie
Waddell and Harvey Hooper were members of the Port Melbourne
VFL premiership team in 2017.
SCOTT MONTGOMERY ('85)
www.scotch.vic.edu.au Great Scot
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