TOR Carey Communit y News
Volume 29 Issue 2 Spring 2019
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Carey Baptist Grammar School
ARTISTI
REATIVE
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Contents
Volume 29, Issue 2, Spring 2019 Publisher Carey Baptist Grammar School 349 Barkers Road, Kew Victoria 3101 Australia 03 9816 1222 Editor Kelly Southworth OCGA Katie Hunt Alumni and Community Manager ocga@carey.com.au Graphic Design Zeki Cibik Inquiries communityengagement@carey. com.au
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Features 4 Triple Premiership treat: A historic day in Carey sport 6
Cover Image Carey’s First Boys XVIII Football Team with the APS Premiership Cup. Photo by Kim Baumann. Story on page 4. Above right Carey’s Middle School Girls Gold Football Team after winning the unofficial 2019 Premiership at the end of an undefeated season. Printed on responsibly sourced paper.
From the Principal
Carey’s new Principal: on excellence in education
10 A collective effort toward a positive education
Our Community 34 Parent associations 36 Community groups 39 Historian’s column 40 From the Archive 42 Donations to the Archive 44 List of donors 46 Advancement
12 Three Carey Captains, three AFL draft prospects
OCGA
14 RESN: Bridging the achievement gap
47 From the OCGA 48 Where are they now?
16 Celebrating the value of literature
50 Club in focus: Old Carey Soccer
18 From Carey to medical school: three OCGs at St Vincent’s
52 Reunions and events
20 The two of us
55 Memorials
22 Humans of Carey
56 Calendar
School Sections 26 Junior School Donvale 28 Junior School Kew 30 Middle School 32 Senior School
54 Announcements
From the Principal
Gratitude Philip Grutzner Principal
The job of the Principal at any school is not easily captured in a descriptor. It is a position of enormous privilege to guide a community, from the ELC with its curious kindergarten children, to the Junior School students bursting with energy, the Middle School pupils moving through their early teen years and the Senior School young adults a mere step away from the world beyond school. From my 10 fulfilling years as Carey’s Principal, an event I often reflect on is the three-day whole-school conference in 2014. This was a moment where the School’s staff considered the foundation of wellbeing. It was during this conference that I, together with all staff, completed a character strength test. It came as no surprise to me that gratitude was my primary strength. As I write my final Torch article and take the opportunity to contemplate 10 years at Carey, I return to this concept of gratitude. American sociologist Dr Brene Brown asserts that ‘privilege without gratitude is entitlement’. Such a statement should be a truism, but this is a concept that needs constant reflection, particularly given our position at Carey. The reality is that Carey students are privileged, living in Australia with families who value and can afford the education offered at our great school. My common practice through the 10 years in my position has been to make sure I am mindfully grateful. When I took on the role as Principal, which required us to return to Melbourne 2 | Torch
from Adelaide, Yasmine and I felt grateful to find ourselves in a community that readily embraced our children. There were some who politely questioned the potential conflict that might exist for a Principal whose two daughters were to attend the same school. However, we never found this to be an issue and will remain forever thankful that we had the opportunity to be part of the Carey community. Over the course of seven years, Yasmine and I watched as our daughters Emily and Isabella flourished, finding lifelong friendships and becoming immersed in that unique sense of what it is to have lived a Carey education. I am appreciative that I too was welcomed as Principal, and on many occasions stepped into the shoes of the student when I had the opportunity to
‘I had the opportunity to immerse myself within this culture, and to further enhance it together with the community as the Carey story progressed.’
engage in our programs: I rode a bike on part of the journey from Corryong to Carey, I walked for a week along the Great Ocean Road track, I slept under the stars at Toonallook and I climbed the infamous Mt B with Year 9 students. Contact with students is the lifeblood of an educator; however, I am equally proud of the work completed with the support of the Board and the School Management Team to establish a clear strategic direction This included overseeing some major strategic projects such as the Centre for Learning and Innovation and the soon-to-be-completed Middle School redevelopment. Although not as widely known as the building development, there are myriad other activities taking place that are vital to the functioning of a thriving school, and to my role as Principal. Whether that be the Monday morning Donvale assemblies, meeting and
reading to each Prep class at the start of the year, lunches with Year 12 students, the amazing Year 3 Kitchen Garden program and the numerous concerts, musicals and APS sporting matches – these are integral to a cohesive school community. I am grateful for the collegial input and shared ownership of our united school direction. There are two moments that capture what Carey is to me, and will remain part of my personal narrative that I will hold close. One was the day Revd Gerry Riviere and I sat in tears in my office after awarding one of our Humanitarian Scholarships to a worthy recipient. The other was the day in November 2018 when I had the privilege to represent the collective Carey voice at the Senate Enquiry to support anti-discrimination legislation. It was a significant moment that affirmed who we are as a diverse and inclusive community and one that is not inward looking.
The Principal at any school is in a position of privilege, commissioned with many roles, including the important task of shaping culture. When we came to Carey as a family, we quickly understood the focus on service as part of the Carey DNA. I had the opportunity to immerse myself within this culture, and to further enhance it together with the community as the Carey story progressed. Nothing great can be achieved without great people. I feel incredibly honoured to have worked with our wonderful students, and I am appreciative for the sensational support from my School Management Team, teachers, professional support staff, parents, alumni and volunteers. Thank you. I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude to have led this great school – it has been an honour and an experience that has shaped who I am and who I will be going into the future.
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Feature
Triple premiership treat: A historic day in Carey sport Peter Robson Director of Positive Education and Wellbeing
Saturday 3 August 2019 was a day of premiership hopes. The Carey Sports Complex was rife with orange socks and laces, signifying the annual James Macready-Bryan Foundation fixture between Carey and Caulfield Grammar, raising awareness for young people with an acquired brain injury. The presence of orange was a cause for pause, but the Carey colours were being waved early in anticipation for the first of five potential premiership fixtures. Perhaps a foretaste of the day was the banner draped across the front of the Wilcox stand, displaying the words ‘The Fortress’ in menacing Carey black and blue. It stared ominously down at visitors, but it represented the formidable winning streak of Carey Soccer and provided a warm welcome for the premiership team of 2014 as they enthusiastically greeted Coach Koutroulis. On a bench next to the Wilcox pathway sat avid supporter Julie Raftopoulos with Boys Soccer Manager Revd Riviere, nervous despite knowing prayers had been done and dusted at the team’s Friday dinner. All of this provided the prologue to the opening fixture, the Girls Soccer. Although starting as underdogs, the girls quickly found the net. Suddenly the scoreboard showed 3–nil and the Girls First Soccer Premiership Cup had landed for Carey! Meanwhile the Girls First Netball Team remained in a tight wrestle in the Cramer Gym, and despite a gallant effort, came in second. Their tears of defeat were a reminder of how brutal sport can sometimes be.
The crowds continued to pour in as the Boys First Soccer Team shared a brief celebration with the Girls Team, knowing it was their turn next. Caulfield came into the game having kicked 11 goals in their past two fixtures, and the first five minutes threatened a close game. But this is Wilcox, The Fortress, and a premiership with a 4–nil scoreline was an apt result for a near-faultless season. Shortly after, news from Hawthorn came through that a 1–0 flying start for our Girls Hockey had ended in a 4–2 defeat and they, like the netballers, came in a brilliant second. The final battle of the day saw the Boys First Football Team take on the undefeated Caulfield Grammar football juggernaut for the APS Premiership. Former Head of the Carey Sports Complex, David (Rimo) Rimington, said it was the biggest school crowd he’d seen at Bulleen as numbers swelled into the thousands. This was evident at the end of each quarter as hundreds of student spectators re-enacted a scene from Braveheart, moving from one end to the other. The feeling was tribal. A 15-point lead to Caulfield soon evened up and by mid-last quarter we had a one-point lead that had the horde behind the Bulleen Road goals counting down the clock. A late flurry of Carey goals caused the ecstatic community to erupt in celebration – our first APS Football Premiership in 20 years! It was a day not readily scripted. To isolate one fixture, one gender or one
‘To isolate one fixture, one gender or one sport is not part of the fabric of Carey. It is an inclusivity experienced rather than taught.’ sport is not part of the fabric of Carey. It is an inclusivity experienced rather than taught. The exclamation point for this brilliant day was the moment when, after a 20-year wait for a second Football Premiership, Head of Sport, Paul Jepson, embraced his son who had just played for the winning team. And the full stop was in the Gadsden Pavilion as James Macready-Bryan sat with his mum, Robyn, soaking up the excitement. This special day is an annual reminder of the strength of our community and the good fortune to be able to play sport. For those who were a part of the ride, the full gamut of life’s emotions was felt that Saturday. Carey community – we love it. Torch | 5
Feature
Carey’s new Principal: on excellence in education Kelly Southworth Editor
In 2020, Carey will welcome its eighth Principal, Jonathan Walter. He spoke to Chair of the Board, Jane Simon, about the future of education and setting children up for success in the real world. Jane: Good morning, Jonathan. You started your teaching career at Carey in 1992 – what was it that drew you back? Jonathan: I think it’s the School’s commitment to holistic co-education that’s drawn me back to Carey. It’s the fact that we want to put an educational program in place that develops the whole child and puts them right at the heart of the experience, where we concern ourselves with their wellbeing and build safe, supportive environments for all students. It enables students to develop into the people they want to be through a range of different experiences and learning opportunities. Carey’s environment means we can support them to find who they are, and what their place is in the world. Jane: Throughout your teaching career, you have worked in several coeducational environments. What is it that appeals to you about co-education? Jonathan: To me, co-education is an obvious choice. We are in a world where boys and girls live and work together, and it seems quite artificial to segregate children and not give them the skills to collaborate, communicate and work effectively together. And we’re there to coach and guide them through those
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experiences. In turn, it helps students discover who they really are. Through co-education, children can find a way to connect with like-minded people and learn how to work in spaces where there is a sense of difference they can acknowledge in others. Providing a supportive environment which values diversity and individuality is really how we prepare students for the future. Jane: Thanks, Jonathan. You have worked at quite a broad range of schools, including a number of other APS schools. You’re coming to Carey from Woodleigh, which is quite a different environment. What is your transition going to look like?
‘Providing a supportive environment which values diversity and individuality is really how we prepare students for the future.’
‘I don’t believe we can be satisfied with just an ATAR alone any more; 15 years of education can’t be honoured by a single number. We really have to start telling a better story of what their contribution to the world could be.’
Jonathan: When I first arrived at Woodleigh, people in the community were concerned that I would try to turn Woodleigh into Caulfield Grammar. But that’s clearly not the case. Woodleigh is a different community, and it supports a different group of families than Caulfield did. And similarly, the Carey community is its own community. My energy in the first part of my tenure here will be around understanding the community, learning about the amazing programs that are already in place here and getting a sense of what the hopes and aspirations of our community are and where we’re headed next. Jane: That sounds great. The relationship between the academic side of schooling with the development of the whole person is a really interesting topic. How does your own philosophy address that balance? Jonathan: I think many schools often have a quite a narrow definition of what excellence looks like in a student, and we need to broaden that. There’s certainly a place in every student’s life to aspire to be the best they can be, so we should have high expectations of all our
students, but we shouldn’t limit what we define as the important areas to excel in. I think Carey’s Positive Learning Model is a fantastic framework for this. The students who are doers, makers or creators have every right to feel that their journey through school is equally as valued as those who excel academically, as all of these strengths are incredibly important for our society going forward. There needs to be a greater emphasis placed on making sure that every child can come out of school being able to identify their strengths, feeling positive about them, and feeling empowered to make a commitment to the world and have a positive impact. Jane: Education really is evolving. How do we assist students to become equipped with future skills in this uncertain world? Jonathan: We need young people who have the capacity to solve problems without roadmaps or instructions. So we need to bring a more creative and problem-solving mindset to their educational opportunities, which is less about learning how to follow rules and regurgitate information, and more
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about being able to connect with the real world. The world is changing, so we need to set up students with that capacity to relearn, reimagine, fail, bounce back, and then come up, through collaboration, with creative solutions for the future. In order to achieve this, there needs to be an important shift in education, to start valuing the outcome at the end of the school journey differently. I don’t believe we can be satisfied with just an ATAR alone any more; 15 years of education can’t be honoured by a single number. We really have to start telling a better story of what their contribution to the world could be. The academic side of education is still critical, but there is a broader set of skills which are going to keep them in a workplace and keep them evolving and being able to respond to the challenges in the future. We really do need to acknowledge that we have to get a lot better at collaboration and creative thinking. And we can teach that.
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Jane: Thanks, Jonathan. It’s a very exciting time for education ahead. And it’s an exciting time for Carey with the vision you have, building on the great work that’s already been achieved over the last decade. The strength of our community is definitely one of the defining features of Carey. How important do you think community is in determining the success of the school? Jonathan: I think schools play a really unique role in society in bringing families together. They are the linkage points for our community, more so today than ever before. I believe that the school is in a partnership with its families, and a good school will really respond to their needs. In my role, it’s important for me to sense what the needs and desires, hopes and dreams of our community are, and then translate that into an educational vision. The school and its community are inseparably linked. We need to work closely together, be in touch with families, and make sure that our educational offering is something
‘We really do need to acknowledge that we need to get a lot better at collaboration and creative thinking. And we can teach that.’
Feature
that continues to adapt and evolve, depending on where we’re at as a community. Jane: I couldn’t agree more, Jonathan. The Carey community really embraces the idea that we all have a role to play in the development and education of our students. Jonathan: And one of the great things about a community the size of Carey’s is the breadth of opportunities it provides. It’s more than the current students and staff and families, it’s the alumni and their families that we can then reach out to. For students, the community provides a great sense of belonging that comes from finding people who share your values and interests, and then being able to connect with them. We need to branch out, to extend the boundaries of our school. I think the days of learning occurring in school alone are gone. An extended community can develop educational experiences and pathways for students which are critical in preparing them for their futures. Jane: Wonderful. Do you have role models in your own life, people you admire?
‘In my role, it’s important for me to sense what the needs and desires, hopes and dreams of our community are, and then translate that into an educational vision. The school and its community are inseparably linked.’
Jonathan: I recently attended the Garma Festival in northeast Arnhem Land, and I met Merniwug Ganambarr, Co-Principal of the Yirrkala Homelands School in Arnhem Land. She’s worked against adversity, and pushed so diligently with grace and care to support the children at her school. At the heart of her success has been the ability to build relationships and to connect with people. At Yirrkala, they honour the past and the culture that exists in that community, and integrate the support for children to essentially live in two worlds. They have developed an educational model that enables the children to step into western culture, but not lose their 60,000-year history. I was just so inspired by the work that she’s done in incredibly difficult circumstances; her persistence, her determination to keep putting children first and the over-arching value that education is a
pathway to the future for them. She has inspired me further on my journey of understanding what’s important in education. Jane: Thanks, Jonathan. I’m interested, what do you do to unwind when you’re not being the principal of a school with all the responsibilities that involves? Jonathan: My renewal comes through connecting with the natural world and spending time with my family. Whenever I can, I escape to the bush or the ocean. I kayak on the Yarra River on a Sunday morning, and I surf as much as I can, but that’s usually only in the holidays. And my family are a great source of love and support for me. My oldest daughter, Ella, is a nurse in a perinatal ward, bringing children into the world, which is truly amazing. My second daughter, Claudia, is now in first year at the University of Melbourne doing Arts and she is a fiercely determined and independent young woman, and I’m sure she’s going to make a huge impact on the world. And my son, Digby, in Year 11 is a completely passionate dramatist, dancer and singer. It’s great to see him connecting with his passion, finding a creative energy within himself and sharing his talents with the world. I’m married to Claire, who is an educator as well. She’s an enormous support to me in my role as Principal. I’m fortunate to not only benefit from her love and support, but also her amazing educational brain. She really understands the best way to connect with students. Jane: We very much look forward to meeting your family, Jonathan. I’m sure the Carey community will enjoy engaging with them when you start here as Principal in 2020. Thank you very much for talking with me this morning and thank you for the enthusiasm you’re bringing to your role. Jonathan: Thank you Jane. It’s a delight to be back and I’m very much looking forward to my time here starting in January.
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Feature
A collective effort toward a positive education Peter Robson Director of Positive Education and Wellbeing
In recent years, we have developed a culture of learning at Carey which emphasises the importance of developing future skills for our students. As a whole-staff cohort, we particularly focus on the development of resilience, courage, knowledge, collaboration, connectedness, communication, curiosity, imagination and reflection. Together, these are what we refer to as Carey’s Attributes of a Positive Learner. There have been two occasions in Carey’s recent history where all teaching and professional support staff have had the opportunity to join together to learn about how we can develop a foundation of shared practice in creating this culture. The first of these was in April 2014 at Carey’s three-day wholestaff conference with psychologist Professor Lea Waters. In the immediate years after this conference, staff from all school sections worked on the establishment of a group of attributes, including the scope and sequence of the age and stage behaviours typical for each attribute. After some trial and error in determining the practical application, we consolidated Carey’s Attributes of a Positive Learner in 2017. The second opportunity for the 450 Carey staff to come together occurred in April this year as we spent three days looking at understanding and developing these personal attributes. It is not unique to Carey, or the education sector, to be concentrating 10 | Torch
Above: Carey’s Director of Positive Education and Wellbeing, Peter Robson, with Principal of Rooty Hill Secondary College, Christine Cawsey. on attribute development. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Economic Forum and PricewaterhouseCoopers are among those who have a specific emphasis on what we call attributes and others may call 21st century skills. Regardless of the terminology, there is an acknowledgment that continued growth in personal attributes throughout life is vital. This year’s staff conference in April, titled The Carey Collective, commenced with a range of keynotes designed to spark curiosity around Carey’s Attributes of a Positive Learner. The elective sessions offered to staff included 19-year-old conservationist Ruby Bourke looking at sustainability; UK educationalist Professor Bill Lucas
exploring work being done globally in measuring attribute growth; the Principal of Rooty Hill Secondary College, Christine Cawsey, challenging our staff to think about student agency; and Christie Whelan Browne, an actor at the centre of the #MeToo campaign, sharing her personal story of courage and resilience. A highlight of the conference was the panel of Old Carey Grammarians (OCGs), now in their 20s and 30s, reflecting on life beyond school. Staff could also tailor parts of their own conference experience through myriad workshops, including sessions run by OCG Daniel Jackson (2004) on resilience, Maria Leske from Mercer HR providing insight into building leadership, and the ABC’s Annabel Astbury’s exploration of digital education.
Above: Past student panel: (L–R) Anthea Tsaousis (2013), Jordan Barr (2011), Kristian Jaksch (2012), Judy Anderson (2007) and Adrian Maciburko (2005).
‘The Carey Collective was a further step helping to align what is valued at Carey with what is valued in the world beyond school.’
Given the breadth and depth of information, it was important to give staff a chance to breathe, reflect and share. This was created through the Homebase groups, each with around 18 staff. On each of the three days, staff shared their wisdom, insights and questions within these smaller groups, generating a curiosity to know more while forging close connections across school sections. After two days of input from outside presenters, the final day offered time for our own staff to courageously step up as vendors at our Carey Marketplace. Rather than selling anything at the Marketplace, 30 staff volunteers were invited to set up a stall in the Quad where they could explain to the rest of the roaming staff how they had applied the Carey Attributes to their students’ learning or in their own lives. Over many years, staff from all areas had been practising the theory, so this provided a time to showcase our own talent. We believed that Carey staff would readily
generate a vibrant marketplace, and we were not wrong. Following the Marketplace, the Carey Collective culminated with a whole-staff session run by the Director of Unstuck Learning, Chris Harte. The purpose of this final session was to lead staff to engage in conversations with each other around Carey’s Attributes of a Positive Learner. It was intended to familiarise staff with ways to best approach conversations with students about the Attributes. The end of the conference was the beginning of the dialogue we will cultivate with each other and our students. The Carey Collective was a further step helping to align what is valued at Carey with what is valued in the world beyond school.
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Feature
Three Carey Captains, three AFL draft prospects Kelly Southworth Editor
The Captains of the Boys First XVIII, Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson, and the Captain of the Girls First Football, Nicola Xenos, are all looking toward a career in AFL and AFLW respectively. So how has Carey footy helped them on that path? Nicola, Matt and Noah recently spoke to Torch about what they’ve learned along the way. How long have you been playing? Noah: Since Auskick. So when I was four or five years old. Nicola: I’ve been playing seven years. I started mainly with basketball and netball, but I dropped that and I’m now focussing on footy. Matt: I’ve also played tennis, basketball, athletics. I played in the First Tennis Team. Noah played in the First Volleyball Team and State Basketball. And we’ve both done Athletics since Year 7. It’s helped quite a bit with footy though, with spatial awareness, fitness and coordination. Noah and Matt, I’ve heard you’re pretty good friends too. When did you meet? Noah: We used to play against each other in basketball and football in primary school, and we’d talk at a few primary school cross country meets because we knew who we both were. We were kind of rivals, because we both had pretty good teams, but then we ended up coming to Carey in Year 7 together and started playing basketball and footy at school, and we’ve been best mates pretty much ever since. 12 | Torch
What have you liked about Carey footy? Matt: Playing with my best mates. And we’ll have a really good bond forever, with all those years of Saturday mornings out when the dew’s still on the grass. And now we’ve finished up with the premiership, so it’s pretty cool. Nicola: It’s also been good being Captain, because it’s not something I would normally put my hand up for. Stepping up really helped me both on and off the field. And it’s been good to be part of the start of girls footy. The talent in the team from a young age is crazy these days, so it’s only going to get better. The standard is lifting. And how does Carey footy compare to your other teams? Nicola: It’s pretty different, but very rewarding. You can definitely get a lot out of school footy.
‘School footy feels like it’s more centred around the team as a whole. The focus is on if we win or lose rather than individual performance. Because you have a real bond with these people on your team that you’ve known for six years. You can’t beat that.’
Noah: School footy feels like it’s more centred around the team as a whole. The focus is on if we win or lose rather than individual performance. Because you have a real bond with these people on your team that you’ve known for six years. You can’t beat that. Who has inspired you at Carey? Nicola: I always looked up to Katie Lynch because she got drafted last year. And I played on the team with her. So, she’s probably my role model.
there to help. But they got it done. We were so happy when we heard we won. Matt: Then after those two games, we played Brighton, and we were down by six goals with 30 minutes left. We ended up winning with a kick on the siren! We won the rest of the games until the final match against the undefeated Caulfield. We won, so we were joint APS Premiers – that was the best day of my life! How do you go balancing Year 12 with all of your sport commitments?
Matt: Vince Dattoli and Jack Joslin have been really good. Vinnie’s not too intense and he lets you have a good time as well. I couldn’t have asked for a better coach for school footy.
Nicola: It’s been quite stressful, especially the last month because the workload has picked up a bit. But it’s really important to find that balance between sport, school and social as well.
Noah: Yeah, they’re great. I’d also say past players, like Charlie Thompson, Tom Jepson, Ed Richards, they were awesome, we looked up to them.
Matt: And you have to get help from people as well, you can’t do it all on your own. I’ve had a lot of help from teachers outside of class just to get me through.
And how did this season go?
What is the most important thing you’ve learnt throughout school football?
Noah: It wasn’t like we knew the whole year we were going to win the APS Premiership. We were holding on because we lost in round three to Haileybury, which was devastating. Matt: It felt like the end of the world. Noah: We had to win every game for the rest of the year to get a chance at the premiership. And then Rowelly and I missed two games because we had to play State, and while you have trust in your teammates you just want to be
Matt: Probably the importance of connection. I think we do that really well with school footy. It’s one of the main reasons we ended up with the APS Premiership, especially when you have players across year levels and age groups. You have to connect. Nicola: I’d agree, making those relationships within the team and coming together. A lot of us didn’t know each other when we started, but once
we found that connection with one another, it was so much easier. It made it more enjoyable for everyone. Noah: I think enjoyment is a big one. Realising that there’s more to life than football – it’s not everything. What advice do you have for younger Carey footballers? Noah: Just enjoy it. It goes so quickly. Obviously, we aim to go professional and do it for a job, but for a lot of people Year 12 is probably the last year of junior footy you get. So just enjoy playing with your best mates. Nicola: I think the bottom line is enjoying it. And especially for girls footy because it’s so new. And obviously a lot of girls play for fun, but if you do want to take it seriously, whatever that might mean, you want to get something out of it. If you’re aiming to achieve something, go for that goal, and do what you can to achieve it. Is it daunting at all, going into professional football? Matt: Probably the most daunting thing of all is that you don’t know where you’re going to end up. You could be moving interstate. But apart from that, it’s pretty exciting. We might be playing footy for a living, which is what I’ve always want to do and what I love. Noah: It’s more exciting. It’s an opportunity. Torch | 13
Feature
RESN: Bridging the achievement gap Kelly Southworth Editor
In metropolitan Melbourne, our Year 12s have endless resources to help them through their VCE or IB studies. Students have access to revision lectures run by universities, tutors in every suburb covering all subjects, well-resourced libraries that are open late, even later during exam periods, and most students live pretty close to their school. Students from rural Australia tell a different story however. Even though all students in the VCE are competing against each other, the playing field isn’t entirely level for those outside of the major cities. This is why Old Carey Grammarian Jacob Wilkinson (2016) and his friends developed the Regional Education Support Network (RESN). Their organisation offers free online tutoring for students of the VCE in regional Victoria, with no more than a 24-hour turnaround for proofreading, answering questions and providing invaluable feedback. Jacob attended Carey from Year 7, and completed the IB in Years 11 and 12. He was very studious but also focussed a lot of energy on the co-curricular offerings. Jacob was involved in musicals, debating and played the trombone, which he thinks helped him to balance study and keep sane. ‘I think there was a really significant lesson in being involved in so many cocurricular activities, it definitely helped 14 | Torch
with time management and learning about my limits through challenging myself. It allowed me to engage with all different types of people, and I really valued that.’ Now at Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, Jacob still does his best to balance his life with his double degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, and Asian Studies. ‘It’s been so important to exercise and get as much sleep as I can. I go to the gym as well as alternate swimming and running every morning with a group of friends, because when you’ve started your morning like that, there’s very little that can throw you the rest of the day.’ The idea for RESN came after Jacob started at ANU. A lot of the people he met came from all around Australia, including regional and rural towns. A big difference he noticed when meeting people from outside the big cities was the lack of resources available to them during Year 12. ‘Some of my mates just didn’t have access to that kind of thing, and they were on their own for a lot of it. They had their teachers, but after hours they had to work everything out for themselves.’ Jacob and his friends called on their network of recent Year 12 graduates in Melbourne to see if they would be
interested in getting involved. The tutors committed to one hour of tutoring online a week, and RESN launched a pilot program with just under 100 students from Seymour College and Wodonga Senior Secondary College. They knew they were on the right track from the enthusiastic support and positive feedback from these schools. One of the principals in particular expressed to RESN that he felt this program could really change the outcomes for his students, offer them something to focus on outside of school
‘We want to provide students with the confidence to walk into their exams knowing they’ve been given the best chance to succeed. That’s what we’re really trying to achieve.’
hours, and help them secure tertiary education. This message really helped to motivate the team to keep going. RESN now has over 1000 students from 82 schools around regional and rural Victoria, assisted by a team of 105 volunteer tutors. ‘We have three main goals: first, if we can just help the students get a better ATAR, that’s great. Then, they might have a better chance of getting their first or second preferences for university. But also, we want to provide students with the confidence to walk into their exams knowing they’ve been given the best chance to succeed. That’s what we’re really trying to achieve.’ Jacob expressed that Carey’s culture of social justice really impacted him, and was part of what inspired him to start RESN in collaboration with his peers. Jacob was involved in Habitat for Humanity, a global organisation which aims to provide safe, affordable housing
for people in need around the world. This taught Jacob about giving back to the community and the importance of making a positive impact on the lives of others. When Jacob finishes university, he intends to work in international trade and relations between Australia and China, particularly in the regional areas of Australia. Having recently spent nine months in China, Jacob is fluent in Chinese and even takes part in a Chinese debating club in his spare time. ‘Doing the IB was a massive influence on my study, and doing Chinese allowed me to make much stronger connections with the international students in my year. It has all influenced my journey and where I want to go.’ Jacob’s advice to current Senior School students is to take every opportunity that presents itself, and don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and push yourself outside your comfort zone.
‘The reason I came to ANU was because one of my English teachers, who had spent a bit of time in Japan and did her undergraduate degree in England, encouraged us to think more broadly about our uni preferences. I think you create a much bigger network and it will help you develop resilience – don’t limit yourself. See challenges as opportunities.’ RESN are always looking for more volunteer tutors to join their team. It is a great opportunity for Year 12 graduates of either VCE or the IB who received 40 or over in any unit. The RESN team are all university students and thus are also enthusiastic about volunteer mentors who can assist them to make their organisation to be the best it can be. More information about volunteer opportunities and contact details are available at resntutoring.com.au
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Feature
Celebrating the value of literature Marg Moran Acting Head of Library
The Carey Celebrates Literature Festival, which takes place over the course of a week each year, has developed into a dynamic wholeschool program that includes a series of events and activities that engage students, teachers, parents and the wider School community. In 2011, just three writers came to Carey for our very first Literature Festival; this year we had 40 creators throughout the week to inspire us and help us share our own stories. This festival extends and reinforces the wonderful work Carey’s teachers, librarians and parents do every time they engage us and our students in story. Award-winning author Mark Brandi launched our ninth Literature Festival with a thoughtful presentation which left his audience thinking about the purpose of his writing, beyond the stories themselves. He writes about contemporary issues with the aim of shifting perceptions, to make the reader see the world differently, especially for marginalised people. During the Literature Festival, students were treated to a variety of Australian literary talent. Mark Brandi commented that ‘You would be hard pressed to find a more diverse and talented line-up in any festival around Australia.’ Classes guided by award-winning young-adult authors developed writing skills for staff and students alike; they left not only inspired, but equipped with specific techniques to improve their stories.
‘I liked how Davina Bell came and we read All the Ways to be Smart. We made a paper aeroplane and we drew what we are smart at. I drew a picture of me doing a bridge in yoga.’ – Ivy, Prep
‘The theatre workshop made me think about what my characters might be doing, feeling and thinking. It really made me aware of more dimensions to characters in my writing.’ – Jared, Year 8
‘Our Carey Celebrates Literature workshop was very creative because George Ivanoff’s imagination went wild and we got to watch him create a Choose Your Own Adventure book. I learnt that you don’t have to stick to easy ideas in your writing.’ – Ava, Year 4
‘In the process of creating a sculptural animal, I connected to its personality. It is a unique way of developing the characters of a story.’ – Alice, Year 9
‘Stories connect us to the rest of the world. Adults and adolescents alike marvel at the insights a writer can have and their ability to communicate so eloquently.’ Elective workshops encouraged students to explore storytelling through theatre, art, film, graphic novels, computer programs, poetry, songwriting, music, sport, humour and zines. Students gained insight into the creative process and how approaching stories in different ways deepens the connection to characters. Students spoke of these sessions as helping them to focus their ideas, add dimension to characters and become aware of different perspectives of the same scene. It also helped the students increase their confidence and commitment to their ideas, improve their time-management skills, and provided a way to express their creativity.
‘The songwriting workshop inspired me so much I went home and wrote more.’ – Kaitlin, Year 7 Students chose one of 13 elective workshops to explore ways to tell a story. A highlight for Middle School students was hearing from Shawn Andrews from Indigicate. Shawn spoke to us about Indigenous storytelling, and challenged us with ideas about Indigenous reconciliation. ‘Sometimes you have to know or do your ending first, so you know what journey the character goes on.’ – Will, Year 9 The impact of the festival is far-reaching and beyond measure. Students are still borrowing the books of our guests, and confronting the challenging themes many of these address. Stories connect us to the rest of the world. Adults and adolescents alike marvel at the insights a writer can have and their ability to communicate so eloquently. We learn and we empathise, and this helps us become better people. This celebration shines an light on the value of literature in our lives. Look out for news of next year’s program and get involved.
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Feature
From Carey to medical school: three OCGs at St Vincent’s Dr Justin Tse Old Carey Grammarian (1990) and current parent
People who work in the field of medicine often have interesting journeys with colleagues throughout university and their careers. The separate paths they take lead to intersections at different points in time, perhaps ending up working at the same hospital, on the same ward, or at the same university. Many Carey students study in the medical field after Year 12, but a significant intersection has joined three Old Carey Grammarians together at the University of Melbourne. In 2019, Caitlin Kennedy (2011) and Nicholas De Vincentis (2012) will graduate from the University as medical doctors (MDs). Serendipitously, both Caitlin and Nicholas have trained at St Vincent’s Hospital Clinical School under my leadership. As Clinical Dean and Associate Professor at St Vincent’s Hospital, I oversee the training of 200 medical students in the MD course. A key quality I have brought to my career in medical education was borne from my experiences at Carey, namely the importance of a studentcentred approach to learning and growth. Medical students are ambitious and high achievers, but at times they do need guidance, mentorship and an informal chat to check that all is okay. Having these personal relationships
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helps medical students to feel supported and know that the school and the academic team are approachable and empathetic to their learning. Both Nick and Caitlin have also taken their experiences at Carey and applied these to their medical training. For Nick, it is the ability to work at a high level to ensure he has the skills and knowledge to be a capable clinician but to combine his love of medicine with a life away from it. As Caitlin reflects on her time at Carey, the school’s emphasis on acquiring and applying the quality of ‘balance’ has helped her navigate the ups and downs
‘A key quality I have brought to my career in medical education was borne from my experiences at Carey, namely the importance of a student-centred approach to learning and growth.’
of medical school. She states, ‘Carey strongly emphasised involvement in activities outside of our studies, which has helped me to maintain a balanced life during my medical degree.’
in Year 12, which she attended with a great group of students and amazing staff, and like Nick, had wonderful memories of the Year 10 Kosciuszko to Kew road cycling camp.
Many of the early experiences afforded to us at Carey have laid a solid foundation for each of us to pursue careers in medicine. Nick fondly remembers Year 10 bike camp with his closest friends and playing for the First Football Team. As Nick recalls, ‘One highlight of my time at Carey was playing in the First XVIII Football Team of 2012. Our team was full of great players, with five going on to be drafted to AFL teams later in the year. At one stage during my first game, I looked at the players around me, and realised that in our backline, I was surrounded by my best mates. It really was pretty special.’
Some of my favourite memories at Carey also involve sport, namely playing for the First Soccer Team and scoring my first goal against St Kevin’s. Mr Fox’s chemistry classes were also often fun, and on a few occasions they did not go according to plan! The ceiling of the old chemistry laboratory indeed had a few war stories to tell.
Similarly, Caitlin remembers being part of the first Three Pillars Tour to Darwin
Both Nick and Caitlin will graduate at the end of this year, careers just starting as the practice of medicine evolves at a rapid pace. The three of us will continue to serve the community in providing patient-centred care, supported by the strong foundations laid during our time at Carey.
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Feature
The two of us: Gerry Riviere and Manny Koutroulis In this feature of Torch, we highlight some of the many dynamic duos in our community. Gerry and Manny have worked together for eight years with the Boys Soccer teams, and have created a legendary culture, transforming the sport into an opportunity for students to learn, grow and succeed in more than just premierships.
Gerry: I’ve had two stints at Carey. The first time was in the 90s, when I was in the Junior School. Then in 2011, I came to the Senior School. That’s when I first met Manny, during a school tour for the new staff. We started working together in soccer and futsal in 2012. Manny is a passionate person. He’s dedicated to his family, and he laughs often. He obviously loves soccer, but he also loves helping to develop character and life skills in young people. He’s really encouraging to them, you can see it in his addresses to them before and after matches. Sometimes I feel so inspired that I want to get out there and play too! I really admire the way Manny interacts with other people. He always looks for the best in people, he’s always positive and he’s able to inspire others to see the possibilities rather than the problems. He is a person of character, I trust him implicitly and I admire his integrity and ethical and moral framework. I see my role as team manager as a supporting role to Manny as the coach. He never makes it feel like that though – it feels like more of a partnership. He always listens to my suggestions, and there’s absolute openness between us. We’ve never had an issue. Manny is very easy to work with because we’re on the same page, we just want the best for the boys. Seeing them develop into decent young men is an absolute joy. It’s so rewarding to see the growth in character, maturity and commitment.
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Manny drives the team culture in the way he relates to the squad and the standards he sets. He leads by example, and it creates a strong team culture. No one thinks they’re better than anyone else; the team always comes first. So they all turn up on time and try their hardest because they don’t want to let their mates down. When we have a sports meeting, we try and make it fun and send the kids out with a laugh. We believe that if a group can laugh together, they’ll play better together. Over the years, Carey Soccer has experienced significant success. Success affirms culture, and culture provides the groundwork for success, so they feed off each other. We won the premiership this year and that was fantastic, but we’ve always been successful in other ways too. For the number of boys who play soccer in our school, we perform extremely well, regularly matching with the large boys schools. That’s helped to maintain and sharpen our culture. When Manny or I walk through the Quad, the soccer boys come up and shake our hands. There’s a strong bond, and it’s lovely to be part of an environment like that. This year has been particularly difficult for me, and the soccer and futsal boys have been absolutely outstanding in their support. It has been quite overwhelming to be the recipient of such goodwill, generosity and kindness. Their contribution to my life and my wellbeing is probably much more significant than they realise.
‘I really admire the way Manny interacts with other people. He always looks for the best in people, he’s always positive and he’s able to inspire others to see the possibilities rather than the problems.’
Manny: When I was at school, we didn’t have a soccer program. I always felt it left a gap in my life. I missed the chance to represent my school and be a leader in a sport that I was really good at. Now though, Carey’s soccer program has completely fulfilled that for me. I started at Carey as a sports coach in 2000. Part of what I’ve loved most about working here is the bond between the students, families and staff. I’ve enjoyed being part of that and making a positive impact on students. I met Gerry in 2011 through the soccer program. We instantly got along, there was an immediate connection. He is a dear friend of mine, more than a colleague. We talk openly about everything. Gerry has been there for the good times and some really tough periods in my life. I also feel spiritually connected to Gerry through my faith. He’s a great person to go to when you need support. He’ll always welcome you with great energy. There needs to be more people like Gerry in this world. Gerry and I have together encouraged a great culture in the soccer program.
It comes from strong values. Our players are respectful, inclusive and motivated; they value the shirt they wear and their roles as ambassadors for the school and leaders for the younger players. The First team in particular has such a great bond. There’s a sense of mutual
‘He’s a great person to go to when you need support. He’ll always welcome you with great energy. There needs to be more people like Gerry in this world.’ gratitude between the team and Gerry and me, and we’re always vocal about how much we appreciate them. Gerry and I work well together because we both just want the best for the boys. It’s about giving them the best experience, and we lead and facilitate the opportunities for them to learn. The premierships are wonderful, but the real result is the quality of the experience. Travelling with Gerry on the 2017 UK soccer trip was a bit funny! On the day
we landed we were all pretty tired, but we went on this wonderful bus tour. But Gerry fell asleep. He very quickly went to bed when we got to the hotel. By 5.30am, he’d had around 14 solid hours’ sleep, so he has this abundance of energy. He went around the floor we were staying on yelling ‘Come on boys, let’s go! Great day for soccer!’, knocking on all the doors. He thought we had the whole floor. And then this big English guy, about 6'4" came out in his underwear and was not very happy with Gerry. At that point Gerry lost his nerve and was looking for one of the students’ rooms to jump in and hide! Being with Gerry and the team is always great. From one generation to the next you encounter different personalities, different team dynamics and different types of friendships. It keeps me motivated. I feel encouraged because I see these kids come through, and I think, ‘These boys are going to go out into the world, and they’re going to make a difference’. I can see the world is a really good place, full of lovely young people. It really affirms my place here, and makes me feel positive about the future. Torch | 21
Humans of Carey
Emmanuella Niop Year 7 student
Like many other students that have started Year 7 this year, I have had lots of fun, met lots of new people and found that although we are all different, we all have heaps in common. When I first started, I found it difficult developing a routine and finding my way to all my classes, especially because this school is humongous! It is a huge difference to my primary school. But with practice and some help from the staff, I eventually found my way around. I love going to Carey and all the amazing facilities we have. I’m extremely grateful that I was given the opportunity to come to this school. It is amazing how quickly I’ve made friends, I love all my subjects and the teachers and other staff are very friendly and helpful. I was so nervous about the transition from Year 6 to Year 7 because it’s a new school, new people and an entirely new routine. I’ve had to wake up two hours earlier every morning, take a 40-minute train at 6.50am by myself, then walk an extra kilometre up a steep hill from the station to school and back down again at the end of the day. However, 22 | Torch
the transition has been much easier than I thought, mostly because Carey provided many resources and support that assisted with it. I am thankful for the support from both of my schools, and I’m proud to have accomplished something I previously predicted was going to be completely terrifying. Anyone who knows me knows that I am very sporty, and – as others tell me – being a sporty person comes with being very competitive! My favourite sports are cheerleading and athletics. I’ve persistently pushed myself in these sports and I now have a massive passion for both of them. Being active and having fun in sport is such a great way to build connections, make sure I’m organised and keep fit. Carey’s sports program has shown me that working together as a team is so important. At Carey I have been able to be involved in diving and athletics, which have both been fantastic. Another awesome activity we did this year was Toonallook. It was such a great camp and I made so many close friends. My favourite bit was our expedition as it
was a time for my group to connect with each other. It was a very cool experience as it was outside my comfort zone, and camping is something I don’t usually do. I’m excited to continue to meet new people during my next few years at Carey. Everyone is so friendly, and I’m a very social person. I’ve taken advantage of every opportunity to meet new people so far! My advice to new students to Carey would be to get involved in as much as you possibly can and take every opportunity. Carey is such a wonderful place, it provides so many activities and resources that support everyone’s passions and ensure you’re enjoying the things you’re doing. And friendships at Carey start so fast! Just make sure you have a smile on your face and you’ll make a huge number of friends. Everyone is extremely approachable and welcoming, and I can guarantee you’ll find a group of people who will encourage you and help you do your best during your time at Carey.
Humans of Carey
Cathy Scalzo Mother of Year 5 student Max, Year 7 student Lucy and Year 9 student Jack
While we were at university, my husband, Dino, and I both separately became friends with some former Carey students. We realised the reason we liked them so much was because we shared so many of Carey’s values, like the importance of social justice and developing the whole person. So, when we started looking into schools for our children, Carey seemed like a good option. The fact that Carey was co-educational also appealed, not least because it offered our children the chance to share their school experience with each another, something we now see playing out regularly around the dinner table. Our children, Max, Lucy and Jack, are now in Years 5, 7 and 9 at Carey. We are grateful that the School has been able to provide an enriching and supportive environment to all three of our children, even though their interests and personalities are quite different. I have been fortunate to have had a wide range of experiences in my professional life, from being a workplace and anti-discrimination lawyer in a large commercial law firm to a diplomat and policy officer in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. For the past 15 years however, I have worked with my brothers and parents managing a diverse group of enterprises in the food, property, investment and philanthropy sectors. Working with family can be challenging but also very rewarding.
To ensure it works, we spend lots of fun time together and give each other space by taking responsibility for different aspects of the business. It has always been important to me to have voluntary roles as well, so I am currently on the board or in sub-committees of various social enterprises. One of the enterprises is ygap, which supports local leaders solving local problems in some of the world’s toughest communities. It has also been fantastic to see increasing numbers of Carey parents and their children participate in the hands-on volunteering sessions run by another
social enterprise I am on the board of, Kids in Philanthropy. I am a member of the Impact Investment Ready Growth Grant panel, which makes grants to social purpose ventures looking to secure investment capital. I am a strong believer in the power of business and investment to create positive social and environmental outcomes. I feel positive that the kind of education our children are receiving at Carey ensures they will be at the forefront of business and social innovation, propelled by a strong sense of social justice, as they seek to craft a more inclusive and prosperous world. Torch | 23
Humans of Carey
Melvin Tan Year 2 teacher
Last year, I walked away from the final round of my job interview at Carey Junior School Kew with a strong sense of God’s call for me to be part of this school. Coming from Sydney, I had no real context for Carey; I could only rely on my first impressions. What I’ve experienced so far has truly exceeded my expectations. Carey is a beautiful, nurturing and inclusive school environment. I migrated from Singapore to Sydney when I was seven years old. My late father was a medical doctor and my mother was a secondary English and History teacher. My parents valued independent education and enrolled me at The King’s School from Year 4 to 12. After school, much to my mum’s dismay, I had no aspirations for academia. Instead, I wanted to be a Christian music singer/songwriter! Mum managed to convince me to give university a try, so I enrolled in the Bachelor of Education (Primary) at the University of Sydney. Because of my wonderful lecturers and tutors, I grew to love teaching. My first job was at All Saints’ College in Bathurst. That year, I also recorded my first CD. My life was basically teaching primary school during the week and singing in churches in Sydney and rural NSW on Sundays. After two years, I returned to Sydney, completed a Master of Education and commenced teaching at Macarthur Anglican School. After three years at Macarthur, I taught at The Scots’ College, in Bellevue Hill. 24 | Torch
My heart, however, always longed to return to my alma mater. In 2002, I returned to The King’s School, Preparatory School, where I taught for 16 years until my arrival at Carey this year. I had always thought that King’s would be my final ‘resting place’ but as the proverb goes, ‘Man proposes but God disposes’. In 2013, during my tenure at King’s, I graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from Macquarie University and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the College of Law. I took a year’s leave and worked as a solicitor. Being admitted to the Supreme Court of NSW in 2013 was a thrill and I think it was really healthy for me to experience working with all the ‘grown ups’ for a change. But after a year, I decided my heart was still in the classroom and resumed my position at King’s. This July marked my 40th year in Australia and my first in Melbourne. I’ve just released my ninth CD, Sail Into Tomorrow; I’m in my fourth year of my PhD candidature at the University of Sydney; and I recently joined the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus as a countertenor. I’m also building a house. It’s a lot of adjustment, challenge, opportunity and fun. I am most grateful to my Junior School colleagues for their support and friendship in this, my significant, milestone year. I couldn’t be happier to be at Carey Baptist Grammar School.
Humans of Carey
Jo Horsley Archivist
I am the eldest of four, two boys and two girls, and we grew up in the Chadstone area. It was probably a pretty typical Catholic upbringing for the 60s and 70s period. The only untypical thing was that for the first part of our childhood, we travelled up and down the east coast of Australia with St Leon’s Circus and Sorlies’ Revue, a travelling tent vaudeville show. I was in the pantomime as a ballerina, and it was just a normal part of life to us. It wasn’t uncommon for people we knew to have horses in their backyards, or even lions or tigers in cages. It was just normal. So when we did settle down, it was a bit of a shock. As kids, we adapted pretty easily, but my parents had a more difficult time. We come from five generations in show business. My mother’s family ran the Wirth’s Circus and my father’s was St Leon’s, but with the advent of television, it was hard to continue. My parents also wanted us to have a normal education, but I think they missed the travelling. Growing up in show business opened my mind from a young age. We were surrounded by people with different backgrounds, ethnicities, and experiences – but we never saw them as different.
I was always so curious about people and what I could learn from them, and I always wanted to learn more about the world and where the people I met had come from. It stirred in me a lifelong passion for travelling.
Anne retired about 18 months later, so on Alfred’s recommendation, Carey hired me as the new archivist. I worked with Alfred for nearly 10 years. He was so dedicated to the School, he was an impressive person, and I miss him a lot.
My first trip was in 1979. I went by myself and did a big loop around Europe. I proved to myself that I could be independent, and it was an opportunity to experience new things and learn about the world. I fell in love with Italy – what’s not to love – and since then I have travelled as much as I can.
At the time, other than a small display cabinet, we didn’t have much of a chance to exhibit the archives. But a few months after I started, we secured a space for a museum just off the Quad. We were so excited, and I was looking forward to using what I’d learnt from my museum studies. We had a lot of fun setting it up.
I came into archiving after I finished a Bachelor of Arts and wanted to find something that combined creativity with my love of history. I started a Master’s degree in museum studies, but there wasn’t a lot of work so I completed a post-grad qualification in Archives and Records Management. I loved working with historical records, and in 1998 I heard about the upcoming 75th anniversary of Carey. They had two archivists working on it: Anne and Alfred Mellor. By that time both of my sons were at Carey, so I called to see if I could help, and they were happy to take me on board. We became great friends and I loved working with them.
I’ve always loved both the autonomy I have been given as archivist, and the support the archives has at Carey. Included in the design of the Centre for Learning and Innovation was a purposebuilt archival storage room, and we have now set up the Mellor Museum in Urangeline. Both of these spaces are open to the Carey community for research or viewing. We are currently working towards documenting Carey’s history for our centenary in 2023. This year, I have loved working on the project with Helen Penrose, our historian, and I’m excited to see it all come to fruition. Torch | 25
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Junior School Donvale
Let’s play! Margaret Adams Deputy Head of Junior School Donvale
The value of play-based learning to support a robust educational curriculum has been the subject of a great deal of research in recent years. Earlier this year I was fortunate to attend the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People Conference and learn more about this. Child development and neuroscience expert Nathan Wallis explained that children will be more intelligent and more resilient if we provide the opportunities for them to be creative. Nathan explained how research shows that getting high academic grades in the early years does not necessarily lead to academic achievement in later life. According to neurological research, from the age of nine, you will see an improvement in academic results if a child has developed creativity in the years prior. Especially between the ages of two and eight, play enhances creativity and supports the duality of concrete and abstract thinking, in turn developing intelligence and the ability to solve problems. During these impressionable years, play can also help children to build their social and emotional skills. These are the qualities, Nathan said, that lead to success in life. Through play, children are encouraged to share, take turns and consider the needs of others around them. They learn to communicate, connect and collaborate, all the while
drawing on their imagination and curiosity and developing courage and resilience. According to the experts, this play-based learning needs to be child-led, not adultled. So, what is our role as teachers and parents, the primary influences on these
‘According to neurological research, from the age of nine, you will see an improvement in academic results if a child has developed creativity in the years prior.’ young children’s lives? The adult’s role is to scaffold and enable their play, and thereby extend their learning; they act as facilitators, watching for teachable moments, observing and jumping in when appropriate. Every child brings with them a deep curiosity and potential, and this innate curiosity drives their interest to understand the world and their place in it; we just need to observe and enable the right environment. Adults are the mentors and guides, listening to the child’s questions and stories, finding out what interests them and then providing opportunities to explore these interests further.
The Bush Kinder program allows students to discover the wonders of nature at the Flat, our ‘outdoor classroom’ on the Mullum Mullum Creek Trail; the Perceptual Motor Program for ELC and Prep children helps to build motor skills through movement; and Tech Tinkerers encourages students to explore technology and design. This is in addition to integrated classroom activities with our expert educators. Play-based learning has practical applications beyond the Junior School as well. In Middle and Senior School, anything that engages students to be curious and imaginative in a hands-on environment will greatly enhance their learning. We call this inquiry-based or project-based learning. So, when your child comes home and states that their favourite part of the day was play in class, you’ll know that they were enhancing their creativity, developing their cognitive capabilities and growing as intelligent individuals. The communication, collaboration, knowledge and curiosity that went into building that castle in the sandpit, or the Lego city they constructed in the classroom, or the bark hut they built on the Flat, or the maze they created at Tech Tinkerers, are all vehicles for developing their problem-solving skills and setting them up for success in life.
This philosophy plays out at Carey Donvale through a number of programs. Torch | 27
Junior School Kew
Mathematics is all around us Jodi Haines Acting Maths Co-ordinator, Junior School Kew
All too often, mathematics is seen in a world of its own. Mathematics is not just a subject, but an important factor in many everyday decisions. Mathematics can help us to shop sensibly, read maps, buy the correct car, cook a delicious meal, remodel a home within a budget, or tell the time. Mathematics is a way of thinking, a method of solving problems and explaining arguments. Mathematics provides us with opportunities to see relationships and ideas in numerical, graphical, symbolic, verbal and pictorial form. In reality, mathematical concepts can be found in our everyday lives. Mathematics is everywhere! Mathematics was certainly alive within Junior School Kew during our wholeschool Carey Celebrates Maths Week. Students and staff were involved in a number of experiences across the week to delight in this celebration of mathematics, which is in its second year in action. ‘Mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations, or algorithms: it is about understanding.’ – William Paul Thurston Monday saw students in Year 6 and 7 from both Kew and Donvale campuses came together for an action-packed morning of problem-solving. Their experiences involved thought-provoking activities incorporating collaboration, courage, communication and the sharing of mathematical knowledge. These activities encouraged students to use their skills to determine the answers to
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a range of problems in and out of the Middle School and its classrooms. The students then came together for lunch on Cluny Green before heading to their next activity where they worked through tasks such as anagrams, spot the difference and crosswords. The students were highly engaged and enjoyed the challenges presented to them. Thanks must go to Mr Quinn,
Mrs Partington, Ms Slaney and their teams for organising such a memorable experience for all. Wednesday and Thursday offered the remaining year levels an opportunity to be captivated by a live stage performance like no other. The Primary Maths Show was full of mathematical magic, mystery and mayhem. The show entertained and engaged students while
‘Mathematics is not just a subject, but an important factor in many everyday decisions ... Mathematics is a way of thinking, a method of solving problems and explaining arguments.’
igniting their interest in mathematics. The students were astounded by Archimedes, The Amazing Maths Entertainer who used the power of numbers to control the mind, predict the future and reveal secrets. As part of the performance, students met famous mathematicians from ancient Babylon and Greece; famous women of maths; experts in estimation, shape and space; as well as champions of chance and data. The Primary Maths Show was highly interactive and left the students wanting to know more about the mathematical principles that were highlighted throughout the presentation. ‘When the performer was juggling, it looked like he was juggling two balls but he was juggling more, he juggled three balls.’ – Finn, Prep ‘The maths puzzle was really hard to figure out and nobody could work out the answer.’ – Freya, Prep Junior School students were also set class challenges to estimate and measure the height of the school’s
flagpole, situated outside Metcalfe Hall. Each year level was given a set of formal and informal units of measurement. The Year 2 students’ informal unit of measurement was their classroom scissors. They went about viewing, predicting and finally calculating the height of the pole, which of course was a tricky task in itself, as a flagpole is not the easiest of objects to measure. One class from each year level was awarded a prize for the closest answer. The results of each class’s prediction and estimations of the height of the flagpole were as follows: Prep B: six Ms Skinners Year 1K: 10 Georges Year 2T: 153 pairs of scissors Year 3B: 9.5 metres Year 4D: 1227.7 centimetres Year 6B: 12,000 millimetres I would like to take this opportunity to thank all staff for their support and their enthusiasm throughout the week.
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Middle School
Learning from the land Michael Nelson Head of Middle School
In our world of fast-paced, high-tech culture, where does a sense of place and a connection to the land belong?
functioning and mood improvements occur, there are a few things we do know about why nature is good for our minds.
Although we are continually communicating with each other, it seems that for many people there is something missing. This constant connection does not always help us to communicate deeply, feel loved, be centred or bring us closer to the earth that sustains us. Learning from and in nature is incredibly important in today’s world and it is clear that building a meaningful relationship with the natural world is essential for our wellbeing. In fact, recent studies have illustrated the benefit and importance of spending time outdoors, for both young people and adults alike. Most studies agree that students who spend time outside are calmer, happier, more attentive and less anxious than students who spend too much time indoors or on devices. While it’s unclear how exactly the cognitive
Learning in the natural world builds confidence, promotes creativity and imagination, teaches responsibility, provides stimulation, encourages students to be active and allows for a new level of collaboration and connection. In the Middle School there are myriad experiences that encourage a connection with the land, from our rich Outdoor Education programs at Toonallook, Hattah and Wobonga, to the wonderful Year 7, 8 and 9 interdisciplinary program. They provide terrific opportunities for students to grow both as individuals and as a collective, learning from multiple experiences in nature and rural communities. Connection to the land is becoming more important now than ever, as is allowing students to be outside feeling the wind, sunshine and
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‘Learning from and in nature is incredibly important in today’s world and it is clear that building a meaningful relationship with the natural world is essential for our wellbeing.’
rain while getting to know special parts of the Australian landscape. Another example of how Carey students build a new insight into the concept of connecting to the land is our Robinson River experience. A group of students from Years 6 and 9 travel up to the Robinson River community in the Northern Territory to connect with a small remote school just south of the Gulf of Carpentaria. They spend a week in the school making friends, supporting learning, kicking the footy, reading books, sharing stories and culture, helping teachers, running an annual sports day, doing community service and most of all having fun. It is a very special week and in Term 3 each year we have the joy of hosting some Robinson River students in Melbourne for a week. The program has evolved over the years and each year it has its own joys, surprises and challenges – all the Carey students return to Melbourne with many stories, new perspectives, many unanswered questions, a passion for community, a sense of gratitude for what they have and a lot of red sand in their shoes.
Increasingly we know that the process of education is not simply about giving students chunks of information to be remembered later in a summative assessment situation – it is about enabling students to ‘learn how to learn’ and build a sense of wonder and curiosity. It is also about giving students opportunities to hear what others have learnt and experienced, then discuss, argue, and reflect to gain a greater understanding of how it applies to them. One of the powers of interdisciplinary learning is that life’s lessons are taught by examples in the everyday, often most powerfully by everyday people in the real world. They learn to understand other kids who live in different circumstances to them, and they take home new insights or feelings that will hopefully shape their perspectives. Students learn about many things in the Middle School and lessons of the land give insights which support these stories. Three things that seem to be really powerfully learnt in nature are empathy, compassion and perspective – as a culture we can be fixated on a
sense of entitlement and the rights of the individual over the collective. Interestingly though, the students who cope best as things become difficult are those who have the ability to look at issues from multiple angles (empathy), care for others (compassion) and who can process things and then let them go (perspective). In the end, we hope that our children will be healthy and happy, and that they’ll have a positive influence in the wider world. I struggle to think of one concept or subject that is impossible to teach using natural environment – science, biology, maths, language, art, geography, chemistry, astronomy, technology. All subjects can be successfully explored, studied, tested, examined and taught in nature. Nature takes all sorts of forms and at Carey we try to provide students with many ways in which they can be immersed in the natural world. The most important question of our time is how we can look after the environment and each other equally. The future belongs to a generation who figures out how to do this. Torch | 31
Senior School
A good education, a good life, a good society Natalie Charles Head of Senior School
Having a conversation with Helen Penrose, who is in the process of writing Carey’s history for our centenary in 2023, is to take a stroll through the hallowed halls of some of Australia’s most influential independent schools. She explains the special but at times vexed place schools occupy in the hearts and minds of neighbourhoods and nations, which she has learnt through her research into many schools. Indeed, it’s an intriguing experience to hear the historian speak first-hand of the myriad forces that help build schools such as ours and to learn of the enduring issues that have underpinned the educational offering in Australia for nearly two centuries. And all the perennials are present and accountable – from negotiating funding to attracting and retaining quality staff. But of course, schools are not immune to the sociopolitical and historical forces which surround and shape them either, as the biography of Gerard Cramer, Yours Sincerely, G. L. Cramer, makes clear. Recalling some particularly radical and socially turbulent years, it claims he began ‘to realise that he had become headmaster at perhaps the worst time possible. The decade 1965–1975 was a trying period for all those who had to do with schools. Freedoms had come too fast … [and] resulted in expediency and laxity.’ As a consequence, ‘It was, and would be, a bad time for headmasters.’ 32 | Torch
Likewise, according to Ms Penrose, the 1990s brought new challenges for independent schools, including the economic recession which caused a decline in enrolments. Among their responses, schools continued the pattern of corporatisation begun in the 1980s and, as competition grew, specialists in economics, finance and marketing were seen by school leaders as essential partners on the educational journey. Go back even further in time, and the impact on schools are not just national but global. I didn’t know, for instance, that the balance between providing academic outcomes with an education for life had its genesis in the postdepression era of the 1930s, only to grow in urgency after World War II as
people everywhere sought to educate for good citizenship in the aftermath of the horrors. This translated into calls from all over the world to abolish exams in the realisation that knowledge alone hadn’t been enough to save them from themselves. The historical context is everything for those of us in schools trying to prepare our charges for a post-truth world, characterised by the fourth digital revolution, widespread political disengagement, the dissolution of global bases and the rise of artificial intelligence. The 21st century clearly demands a broad and discrete set of employable skills, and our role is to balance what it means to live a good life against what it means for our students
‘Most important of all, however, is our duty to address the deep-seated existential need that all human beings have for transcendence by providing our students with meaning, purpose and belonging.’
to make a good living in a future that is increasingly volatile, uncertain, changing and ambiguous. This is eminently achievable when we honour our commitment to the whole child by focussing on their lifelong need for traditional knowledge acquisition, their future industry’s need for a range of responsive, transferable skills, and society’s need for the purposeful development of a set of innately human habits of mind so that they are better prepared to navigate the personal and professional complexities that await. Most important of all, however, is our duty to address the deep-seated existential need that all human beings have for transcendence by providing our students with meaning, purpose and belonging. This in turn brings hope – the single greatest protective mechanism for our young people after school when they are often at their most vulnerable. In an oration entitled ‘The Past, Present and Future of School Improvement and System Reform’, Professor David Hopkins rightly argues that the challenge of school improvement and
system reform has great ‘moral depth to it’ for it directly addresses ‘the learning needs of our students, the professional growth of teachers and enhances the role of the school as an agent of social change’. As he observes, ‘It is this approach that will eventually lead towards “every school a great school”’, which in turn shall produce a ‘good society’. He concludes his lecture by reflecting on Dr Amitai Etzioni’s ‘inspirational exhortation’ on the nature society, The Third Way to a Good Society, and it’s worth reproducing that here for you to read: ‘We aspire to a society that is not merely civil but is good. A good society is one in which people treat one another as ends in themselves and not merely instruments; as whole persons rather than as fragments; as members of a community … rather than only as employees, traders, consumers or even as fellow citizens. … The good society is an ideal. While we may never quite reach it, it guides our endeavours and we measure our progress by it.’
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Parent associations
Community spirit at Donvale With the countless priorities, pressing issues and challenges that modern day life brings, giving may seem like quite a challenge. At Carey Donvale, our community has truly embraced a culture of giving back to support our students’ education, growth and development. Our families are highly generous in supporting the Carey Donvale Parents Association’s (CDPA) many fundraising and community-building initiatives. The includes the Mothers and Fathers Day stalls and sausage sizzles, among the myriad other activities and events sponsored by the CDPA. A highlight this year was the first-ever Carey Donvale Welcome Fair at the start of Term 1.
costume alterations required for the Carey Donvale musical.
But we don’t stop there. Our parents volunteer to help with the Preps in PMP (Perceptual Motor Program), in the ELC, on school sports days and every second year with the mammoth task of sewing sequins, buttons, ribbons and any other
Without the support and commitment of the parents who graciously give up their time and donate items, the success of the activities undertaken by the CDPA and the School would not be assured. It is the giving nature of our community
at Carey Donvale that makes our school truly unique and one that everyone should be proud to be a part of. We are extremely grateful to all those who help make these events so magical and fun for everyone. The support is mutually rewarding for both the School and the volunteers making a difference.
Middle School’s friend-raisers With 260 students in Year 7 – including many who are new to Carey – the Middle School Parent Association (MSPA) works hard to create as many ‘friend-raising’ opportunities as possible. The Year 7 Disco is the biggest and arguably the most fun, so we were thrilled to have more than 200 students come along to enjoy this year’s event in May. Our Year 7 House parent representative volunteers ensured things ran smoothly despite the Middle School renovations and torrential rain on the night. Our resourceful and capable volunteers creatively served pizza on the steps of the De Young Performing Arts Centre and transformed the Memorial Great Hall into a disco complete with DJ and UV black lights! There were many 34 | Torch
happy (and glowing) smiles, thanks to all the parent volunteers who put in a lot of work to make this and the concurrent parent gathering a great success. Connecting with new people is a theme across the whole school at Carey. Whole-school events have been growing in popularity in recent years and MSPA parents have been heavily involved. This year’s Mother’s Dinner and Mothers Day Luncheon both sold out, as did the wonderful Carey Gala Ball, which was held in July at Crown. A huge amount of work goes on behind the scenes to make these events as inclusive and enjoyable as possible and we are grateful to all the parents who give their time to support our vibrant and social school community.
Parent associations
The JSPA celebrates literature The Junior School Parents Association (JSPA) was thrilled to support the Carey Celebrates Literature Festival in June, the annual whole-school celebration of literature in all its forms. The marquee event for Kew and Donvale Junior School families this year was an after-school session with renowned children’s author and artist Leigh Hobbs.
the anticipation was palpable. The children loved listening to Leigh’s stories, learning about his writing background and his humorous books. The highlight, for parents and children alike, was Leigh leading everyone step-by-step through drawing his characters.
The Junior School Kew Library team approached the JSPA about providing an afternoon activity for families prior to Leigh’s session to boost participation. The JSPA responded by offering a special afternoon tea, where children had the opportunity to pre-order cupcakes, jelly snakes and Pop Tops! There was an amazing energy after school with the children buzzing with excitement. The playground was full and surrounded by parents connecting
while their children played. As the large group of parents and children made their way to the Ian Woolf Auditorium,
It was a lovely afternoon for the Junior School community to further embrace Carey’s Literature Festival. When ordering afternoon tea, families were given the option to donate to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. The JSPA was very proud to pass onto the Library team over $580 in support of this cause. We would like to thank its committee members, the Library team and Ribbons and Bows Cakes. Following the overwhelming success of this event, the JSPA looks forward to celebrating the Literature Festival again in 2020.
Food, glorious food! The simple pleasure of food is what underscores the Year 12 Student Support Program. This annual series of events is run by Senior School Parents Association (SSPA) parent volunteers to support our hard-working students in their final year of school. This year’s calendar includes seven events with highlights being home-baked morning teas and a warming soup lunch. Unique to Carey and something that is highly valued as a Year 12 privilege, the Student Support Program helps punctuate what is a very busy and often stressful year, and provides a pick-me-up for our students when they need it most. Their smiles of delight and grateful thanks when they see a delicious spread awaiting them is an important sign of the success of this program.
However, many Year 12 parents jump at what is often their last opportunity to help. This year, a small army of volunteer parents and carers have happily cooked, baked, assembled and provided assistance on the day. Each year the program evolves. Our Year 12 SSPA volunteer co-ordinators, Alison Turnbull and Athena Katopodis, have made a special effort to ensure all dietary needs are catered for, including vegetarian, gluten free, fructose free and vegan. This has been gratefully welcomed by the students. The students definitely see this program as a rite of passage and look forward to each special treat with much anticipation. It is our hope that the program helps toward a smooth and positive year for our Year 12s!
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Community groups
Celebrating our choral community Karen Murray President of Friends of Carey Music Music is an innate human means of selfexpression, and singing as a group in a choir is a natural extension of this. The first time many students experience the joy of making music as a group is during kindergarten music lessons. To support this, Carey’s formal choral program runs at both junior campuses for Prep, Year 1 and 2 students, many of whom go onto the elective choirs in Years 4 to 6 under the guidance of Lesley Collins, Tania Schlemitz-Justin and Frederica Cunningham. The beauty of choral singing is its inclusiveness: throughout the school, at least 500 students sing in choirs of different sizes and levels every week. No lessons are required and students can join at any stage of their journey through Carey. A few choirs require an audition, but in every school section there is an ‘open
entry’ choir where students gather to share their love of singing. Carey’s choirs are a highlight of many school concerts, adding colour and complementing instrumental performances. As choral singing is such a unique whole-school activity, every year, all of our elective choirs are brought together to perform in a huge choral concert in July. This year the wonderful The Besen
Centre in Burwood provided the perfect environment to celebrate the over 300 singers, conductors and accompanists. The concert allowed younger students to be inspired by the strong pathway choral singing takes at Carey. The whole-school finale ‘In Paradisum’ featured students from every section of the school singing their hearts out. Congratulations to the wonderful conductors and accompanists who bring this music to life.
Who is Carey’s Heritage Committee? David Morgan (OCG 1961) Chair of the Carey Heritage Committee The Carey Heritage Committee (CHC) turns 21 this year, and I think it’s time we introduced ourselves. The CHC comprises Deanna Atkins, Scott Bramley, Andrew Clark, Philip Grutzner (ex-officio), Heather Hebbard, Joanne Horsley, Ian Hughes, Eric Joyce, David Kemp, Tony McCutcheon, David Morgan, Bruce Murray, Barbara Noisette, Ray Reed, David Rimington, Jane Simon (ex-officio), Bill Stronach, Chris Thomas and John Tranter. The committee was founded by Bill Pugh with encouragement from David Lord, Ross Millikan and Jeff Thomas as the Carey Centenary Historical Committee. Bill was prepared for the approaching centenary, although still 25 years away. 36 | Torch
His prescience was vindicated because about half the foundation scholars were still alive and their priceless insights were recorded for prosperity. The interviewing process in preparation for the centenary will conclude in September this year. It has provided a wealth of material for the school archives for the centenary historian, Helen Penrose, in particular. Many other significant projects have been undertaken over those 21 years: indexing of the Chronicles for easy reference; researching significant figures in the School’s history; charting the history of sections of the School; analysing early developments in education, social customs and
community expectations; investigating the connection with the Baptist Church; and recording some of the vast changes from over the last century, and how they have affected Carey’s operation. If you can add to the story with memorabilia, reminiscence or insight, please do not hesitate to contact us and be a part of Carey’s journey.
Community groups
A wonderful tour of Carey Donvale Kathy He President of the CLOSA Parents group
Over the past year, CLOSA (Carey Local and Overseas Student Association) has become more and more involved with the parents of Carey Donvale. In order to learn more about the campus, the CLOSA Parents group, in conjunction with Carey Donvale Parents Association, organised a Mullum Mullum Trail Walk and tour of the Donvale campus in early June. The Head of Carey Donvale, Steve Wilson, was delighted by the parents’ interest in the campus and its surrounding environment, and offered to give us a special guided tour himself. He really is an expert on Donvale! During the school tour, Steve explained the history of Donvale and showed us the campus. It was such an interesting tour! He knew the stories behind every single artwork, brick and corner of the School. It’s clear that he loves this School dearly and is tremendously proud of it. Carey Donvale is small and has a warm and welcoming environment. We particularly loved the DR Brown Library. It resembles a tree house, with a cosy interior where students can really engage with reading. That certainly impressed the parents.
The tour ended at the back of the School which connects to the Mullum Mullum trail, where we commenced our walk. Everyone was thrilled to experience Australia’s native bushland, listening to the chirps of numerous varieties of birds and the sound of water flowing through the creek. There’s nothing like connecting with nature for relaxation. We had a lovely brunch in a nearby café and headed back to the campus, where it was lunchtime for the students. It was wonderful to watch them play
down on the Flat, a big bush area which directly connects to the School. Donvale students are all taught how to interact with and care for native animals as part of their education. Everyone at Donvale is so fortunate to be surrounded by such a beautiful natural environment! This was a brilliant tour and walk, which we hope will become an annual event. It is a great opportunity for all parents to learn about Carey Donvale, and to enjoy and appreciate the environment our children are in.
Nominations are now open for the 2020 Carey Medal Community service is part of what makes Carey’s community special and strong. We want to recognise people who are making a positive impact on the world – small or large. If you know of anyone in the community who inspires you and others, who is helping people in a volunteer capacity, and who you think deserves the recognition of this prestigious award, please nominate them for 2020 Carey Medallist at careymedalsuggestions@carey.com.au or online at www.carey.com.au/carey-medal-nomination Anyone within the Carey community who is actively trying to make the world a better place is eligible to be nominated – current and past staff, parents and students.
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Community groups
Launching Carey’s Past Parents Hub Stuart Galbraith and Debbie Phyland Head of Advancement and President of the Carey Past Parents Hub
From the moment of enrolment, both parents and students become lifelong and valued members of the Carey community. In May this year, recent past parents were sent an e-survey seeking their interest in developing a network to strengthen existing friendships and develop new ones, share news, and generally keep in touch with the School community. We received a great response to the survey, with a large number of past parents interested in creating an informal group. Thank you to the focus group of past parents who returned the survey and helped establish the Carey Past Parents Hub, which was officially launched in August. The Hub builds on the informal relationships many parents have developed, in some cases over the course of more than 20 years. It has no membership fees, operating budget or fundraising purpose, with all events cost-neutral. It will initially focus on the inclusive and proactive engagement of past parents in the last 10 years since their child left Carey, but parents from earlier years will be welcome to participate in Hub events. Parents can opt out of membership at any time. The Hub has a range of objectives, including to: • arrange and facilitate opportunities for past parents to meet, build and continue relationships with each other • keep past parents informed about and connected with Carey, including invitations to key Hub and School activities and functions
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• arrange an annual reunion or get together for past parents, drawn from student peer years for the past 10 years • communicate on a Hub Facebook and Instagram page and school forums, as required • identify areas of interest for past parents, e.g. meeting the new Principal, touring new facilities • identify and promote opportunities to attend major school events, e.g. the opening of significant new facilities, sports events and the annual Senior School Musical • investigate the feasibility of forming a parent choir, offering speaker forums, golf days, art group and/or other interest groups. The first President of the incoming Past Parents Hub Committee is Debbie Phyland, mother to Joey (2018) and Tom (2013). Debbie is ably supported by a number of past parents, including Sofie Carfi (Vice-President), Lucinda Williams (Secretary), Maggie Bassily (SSPA representative), Greg Levin, Titilayo Adetunji, Karen Sims, Rosemary Kelly, Kim Hunter, Martin Rodenberg, and Shonaid Uccellini. We are delighted with the support we have already received from parents for this initiative and look forward to more opportunities for engagement with our fellow past parents in the near future! Please join us on our new Hub Facebook and Instagram communities (@careypastparentshub) to keep in touch with events and activities. If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to email us for further information at careypastparentshub@gmail.com
Historian’s column
James Bills, vice-principal (1923–28) and surrogate chaplain Helen Penrose Carey’s Centenary Historian
The appointment of Baptist teachers to Carey’s staff was once regarded as imperative to fulfil the School’s aims to provide a Christian education. It would also improve the likelihood of Baptist families choosing Carey, or so the publicity of the 1920s hoped. In 1922, the Baptist Union of Victoria invited James Bills, an evangelical Baptist from South Australia, to apply for the position as Carey Baptist Grammar School’s Second Master (Deputy Principal). At that time, as Headmaster of Gawler High School, James Bills was regarded by South Australian educators as an ‘exceptional’ teacher of ‘splendid moral character’. Well-known as the secretary of the Gawler Baptist Church, he also contributed to church life as a lay preacher, ardent supporter of home and foreign mission fields, and an effective worker with Baptist boys’ groups, such as bible study. Regarded by the South Australian Baptist Union as a Baptist of ‘high standing’, the Baptist Union of Victoria did not hesitate to offer James Bills an attractive salary to move to Melbourne. James Bills taught English, Mathematics and Scripture at Carey from 1923
Above: James Bills (centre) with the 1924 Carey Cricket Team. to 1928. An outstanding educator, his work as a spiritual leader both in classroom scripture lessons and all aspects of school life left a deep mark on Carey students because of his great personal Christian values. In this way he established the link between the position of vice-principal and a surrogate chaplaincy, long before the position of chaplain was created in 1942. In 1927, James Bills wrote of the supreme importance of religion in education. He approached this in his scripture lessons by teaching a knowledge of and
love for the Bible. Younger students studied the New Testament, and only senior students were allowed to tackle the Old Testament. ‘The world is in need of strong Christian men, men of sterling character’, he wrote, asserting that Carey, a boys school at the time, achieved this through education. James Bills certainly played a strong role in working towards this aim during his six years at Carey. When he left in 1928 to return to South Australia to be the Headmaster of King’s College, the Carey community showered him with gifts.
The Carey Centenary Survey As Carey approaches its centenary year in 2023, we have enlisted the help of Helen Penrose of HistorySmiths and the highly dedicated Carey Heritage Committee to research Carey’s rich history. This research will be published as a comprehensive celebratory book released in our centenary year. A survey is currently open to the broader Carey community as an opportunity for others to contribute with personal accounts of the School and we encourage you to share your stories or memorable impressions in our survey, which can be found on our website: www.carey.com.au/about/carey-archive All contributors will be acknowledged in an index in the book.
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Above: 1924 School Council. Back row: TH Chinner, Revd Dr FJ Wilkin, FI Richardson, W Holmes, Revd W Holdsworth. Front row: Revd W Cartwright, FP Morris (President, Baptist Union of Victoria), A Neville, Dr W Moore (President, School Council), Revd AS McDonald, JW Biggs. Absent: Revd JH Goble, Revd R Ings, Revd J Robertson, Revd ES Tuckwell, AJ Fullard, AM Spicer.
Above: Introduction and image from the commemorative photo album presented to Dr William Moore by the School Council.
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From the Archive
The legacy of Dr William ‘Jerry’ Moore Joanne Horsley Archivist
William Moore was a young man who made the most of his opportunities. He was intelligent, diligent and hard working. He attended Brisbane Grammar School and graduated with honours. In a fortuitous change of plans, he decided to study at the University of Melbourne rather than Sydney – a decision which had a profound impact on both his remarkable career and the future of Carey Baptist Grammar School. He set off for Melbourne knowing no one and equipped only with a letter of introduction to Pastor Poole, the Minister of Emerald Hill Baptist Church (now South Melbourne) and a lifelong nickname, ‘Jerry’, acquired at his school. Dr Moore graduated at the top of his year in 1883 and was awarded a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery with first class honours. In the following year he married Pastor Poole’s daughter Grace Emily, and resumed his studies. In 1885, aged 28, he was awarded the first ever Master of Surgery from the University of Melbourne. He was an avid reader of current medical literature in French, Italian and German. His aptitude, intelligence, diligence, and hard work were an asset to his career, but he was outspoken, a perfectionist, and not given to delegation. This, along with a certain amount of professional jealousy about his early success, meant that he was not popular among his peers.
Surgeons of the time took few hygienic precautions to prevent infection, but the methods adopted by Dr Moore involved the use of carbolic acid to sterilise surgical instruments and clean wounds. This was known as ‘Listerism’, named after Joseph Lister who had introduced the practice. Some of Dr Moore’s more senior colleagues regarded these practices as fads. However, the evidence
‘In a fortuitous change of plans, he decided to study at the University of Melbourne rather than Sydney – a decision which had a profound impact on both his remarkable career and the future of Carey Baptist Grammar School.’ was in the results, as the mortality rates in Dr Moore’s patients reduced from 80 per cent to 10 per cent. Among his grateful patients were returned soldiers of World War I who had suffered horrific injuries. For the pioneering work he did in restorative plastic surgery for the soldiers, he was awarded the rank of Honorary Colonel. Dr William Moore was a staunch Baptist and a leader in the Baptist Union of Victoria. Together with Revd Leonard Tranter he lobbied for the establishment
of a Baptist school. His determined support was confirmed in 1920 when he became the first donor to the Educational Foundation in the drive to purchase the Kew property ‘Urangeline’. The Baptist Union made the wise decision to appoint Dr Moore as the first President of the School Council – now known as Chair of the Board. In 1923, his wife, Mrs Grace Emily Moore, turned the symbolic key which formally opened the School. Dr William Moore is recognised and permanently acknowledged at Carey by the naming of Moore House, one of the first three Houses named and inaugurated in 1924. In 1925, Dr Moore laid the foundation stone of the first building extension, and was presented with a traditional silver trowel and beautiful photo album of students and buildings of Carey Baptist Grammar School. This was his last formal function as President, for at a subsequent meeting on that same day, he declared his resignation. Dr Moore’s death was announced in the following year, 1927. A note of appreciation in the School Council minutes states, ‘The Council of Carey Baptist Grammar hereby expresses its profound sorrow at its great loss in the death of Dr William Moore, and its sincere appreciation of all he was and all he did in connection with the establishment of the School.’
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Donations to the Archive April 2019 to August 2019
List of donors Mr Mick Boyes Miniature commemorative cricket bats from the Carey First XI Team 2008–09 season, signed with the names of the team members. Included in this team is the signature of the current Captain of the Australian Women’s National Cricket Team, Meg Lanning. The second bat bears the inscription: ‘TWTHS 1st year team 1969, to Mr Boyes, Good luck’ and signed on the back by team members. Mr John Beruldsen Documents related to the donor’s uncle, Flight Lieutenant Kenneth Beruldsen, who died when his plane was shot down on a mission flying over Norway in WWII. Mr Andrew Clark The Sentimental Bloke, Carey Strathcona production recorded at the Hawthorn Town Hall, 1967; digital recording. Mr Ray De Jersey Photographs loaned for scanning from Mr Ray De Jersey’s time at Carey, 1948–58 (pictured). Mr Kenneth Edmonds Carey Baptist Grammar School list of projects completed by architecture firm, Kenneth Edmonds & Associates Pty Ltd. Mrs Jenny Freestone The Boyfriend featuring Julie Andrews; 1966; vinyl recording. The Sentimental Bloke, Carey Strathcona production recorded at the Hawthorn Town Hall, 1967; vinyl recording.
Above: Daily Planet student publication, 1951. Donated by Mr Tony Osman.
Mr Bruce Murray Index of Carey Chronicles 1949–62.
Mr Duncan Palmer Old Carey Football Club draft history.
Mr Tony Osman Student publications: Form VIII Herald and Daily Planet (pictured), 1951.
Professor Jonathan Serpell Serpell Family of Victoria, Their Origins, The Serpells of Dunloe, Cornwall, The
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Trembaths of St Just Cornwall, The Bottomleys of Bradford Yorkshire, The Youngs of Auchinblae, Aberdeenshire, by Jonathan Serpell; book.
Donations to the Archive
Above: Miniature commemorative cricket bats from the Carey First XI Team 2008–09 season, signed with the names of the team members. Included in this team is the current Captain of the Australian Women’s National Cricket Team, Meg Lanning. The second bat is from the First Team of 1969, signed on the back by team members. Donated by Mr Mick Boyes. Mrs Anna Staples The Year We Grew, Year 12 1989; yearbook. Mr Bill Stronach Index of the Carey Chronicles 1991–2002; 2011–16.
Above: Ray De Jersey as a scout, circa 1950. Donated by Mr Ray De Jersey.
Mr John Tranter Minutes of the Egerton Street Baptist Church, Ontario, Canada; excerpts. Notes and research conducted by the donor. Newscutting from Temora NSW newspaper where Revd Tranter was the minister in 1907. Articles about Revd Tranter in the Baptist Recorder July 1994 and Revd Tranter’s death recorded in The Australian Baptist, Vol. 17, No. 29, July 16, 1929. Photocopy of birth certificate for Leonard Tranter. Supplementary notes on Revd Tranter in the Bendigonian 1914–18.
Ms Lyn Wade Carey memorabilia belonging to the donor’s late brother, Phillip Wade. Carey flag. Carey News 1982–85. Community Report 2008–09. Onward Carey fundraising brochure. Carey Swimming Pool brochure 1990. Carey News incorporating Old Carey 1986–93. Old Carey 1977–85. Carey Old Grammarians Magazine 1975–77. Torch 1994–96. Carey Roll of Honour: Gavan Burn. School cap badge #934.
Do you have any special Carey items that you would like to donate? If so, please contact our Archivist, Joanne Horsley on 03 9816 1331.
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Thank you to our donors We would like to acknowledge the generous financial support of the following members of the Carey community – Old Carey Grammarians, current and past parents, staff and friends – who donated throughout the 2018/2019 financial year. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all members of the Carey community who give so generously of their time and energy in many ways to support Carey’s students. We thrive together.
Adetunji, Titilayo & Philip
Chen, Yvonne & Li, Brendan
Gu, Li
Amoddio, Dimitra & Paul
Chung, Cynthia (1987) & Chan, Mark
Guillon, Leanne & Pierre
Andrew, Mark (1963)
Clark, Andrew (1968) & Wright, Di
Guo, Yanling & Li, Yuxiang
Angus, Neil (1943) & Ena
Corlett, Russell (1960) & Annetta
Haramantas, Kyri & Drossos
Antippa, Peter (1983) & Alexia
Dannock, David & Debbie
Hatzimoisis, Georgina & James
Anton, Klaus (1984)
Dawson, Di & Shepard, Gary
He, Kathy & Hu, Jianheng
Antoniou, Steve
de Kretser, Serena & Hogg, Andrew
Heard, Gary & Evelyn
Badger, Ann
Dimpfel, Lee & Arne
Hearne, Peter (1954)
Belicovski, Rob
Dober, Greg (1989) & Gillespie, Nicole
Hiam, Robbie (1976) & Kinnear, Anna
Bergelin, Anthony (1993) & Nicola
Dobson, Alan (1964) & Christine
Hiou, Zoe & Emanuel
Beroukas, Soula & Dimitrios
Doery, Sam (2014)
Hodge, Harold (1937)
Beswick, Ali & Walsh, Jerome
Doig, Stephen (1972) & Venables, Susan
Holman, David (1983) & Melissa
Black, Connie & Trevor
Donald, Pam
Hore, Pamela
Boffa, Christabel & Michael
Down, Nathan (2009)
Hou, Maggie & Wei, Xianping
Boon, Hooi Cheng & Zhang, Bei Hua
Duffield, Wendy & Jeremy
Hu, Ella & Zhang, Qiming
Bowen Group
Duncan, Garran (1988) & Priscilla
Hu, Yunshan & Gu, Min
Bradshaw, Jo & Derek (1988)
Edwards, Jane & Wilson, James
Hunt, Katie
Brandon, Julianne & Warrillow, Stephen
Endersby, Ian (1958)
Hunt, Nicola & Martin
Brown, Megan & Nottle, Murray
Evans, Damien
Information Services Group, Inc.
Burn, Adrian (1971)
Evans, James (1977) & Judy-Lee
Irving, Amanda & Andrew
Cai, Huishuang & Su, Fanghua
Favaloro, Jane (1994) & Scott (1994)
Jepson, Paul & Susannah
Carter Family Foundation
Feng, Ling & Xing, Fen
Jia, Hong & Lee, Edward
Chen, Cindy & Wang, Robert
Finch, Max (1960) & Lolita
Jiang, Ivy & Jack
Chen, Grace & Yang, John
Galbraith, Stuart
Jiang, Weilan & Du, Huawei
Chen, Helen & Michael
Gay, Phipps (1958) & Kathy
Jones, David (1954)
Chen, Jenny
Georgiou, Tina & Con
Jones, Jacquie
Chen, Sally & Hu, Victor
Gilchrist, Danielle & Nguyen, Bao
Jones, Sue & Mack
Chen, Xuejze & Yang, Bing
Gill, Michelle & Paul
Joyce, Eric (1967) & Margaret
Chen, Ying Chun & Wang, Xiaobo
Gregory, Christian & Fitzpatrick, Anna
Kelly, Fiona & Cowley, Michael
Chen, Yuhua & Zhu, Weidong
Grutzner, Philip & Layher, Yasmine
Kemp, David (1968) & Ruth
44 | Torch
Thank you to our donors
Kennedy, Liz & Arthur, Gareth
Parker, David OAM (1959)
Thomas, Jeffrey (1964) & Pauline
Kuruparan, Shamini & Somasundram, Kuru
Parkinson, Deb
Tran, Nicole & Nguyen, Phuong
Parry, Brynley (1980) & Clare
Tranter, Len (1956) & Colwyn
Kyriakos, Maria & Arthur
Pattison, Ian (1968) & Pip
Tschilar, Melissa & Andy
Lai, Yonnie & Hung, Gary
Pearson, Amanda
Tselios, Dorothy
Lam, Shirley (1994) & Howard
Peng, Ashley & Zhao, Andy
Tsiakas, Irene & George
Lansfield, Lisa & Ryan
Pratt, Simon (1994) & Emily
Tucker, Sally & Mark
Lefevre-Gilford, Isabelle & Gilford, Simon (1981)
Qian, Jie
Uppal, Harshita & Narankar
Qiao, Kelly & Li, Kevin
Velez Rodriguez, Karin & Carlos
Rankin, Arabella (2024)
Velez Rodriguez, Thalia (2018)
Reed, Ray (1949) & Judy
Verrios, Georgina & Dennis
Reid, Julie & Hansen, Justin
Wan, Zihong & Jin, Qinghao
Riviere, Gerry & Ingrid
Wang, Cindy & Liu, Kent
Roberts, Andrew (1960) & Janet
Wang, Ling & Huang, Rizhao
Robson, Peter & Carolyn
Wang, Ying & Zhang, Hai
Rush, Penny (1993) & Michael
Westerman, Ron (1949)
Russell, Libby & Peter
Williams, Peter (1985) & Lucinda
Saldukas, Astrid
Wilson, Steve
Sammut, Josie & John
Wong, Adrian (1991) & Lu, Annie
Sanders, Melanie & McLean, Shaun
Wong, Meron & Chiew
Sandland, Murray (1955)
Woolf, Ian (1971) & Julie
Sanusi, Michael (2018)
Wraith, Tamara & Richard
Scherer-Cowen, Jutta
Wu, Rita & Zhou, Ben
Serpell, Jonathan (1973) & Terrill, Patricia
Xia, Jing & Wang, Bo
Shen, Senny & Wang, Frank
Xie, Jessica & Zhou, Johnson
Shnier, Adrien (1981)
Xiong, Ally & Tin, Terence
Simon, Jane & Cox, Peter (1975)
Xu, Xiuling & Lian, Xiaozheng
Simpson, Andrew (1987) & Jane
Xue, Sherry & Lou, Patrick
Simpson, Chris (1989) & Jodie
Yang, Alice
Smith, Russell (1972)
Yang, Ying & Lun, Xu Feng
Spitzer, Neil (1976)
Yap, Kelvin (1992) & Lam, Que
Spreadborough, Huw (2018)
Yu, Ada & Li, Lee
Stefan, Silvio
Zhang, Lun & Yan, Xun
Sun, Jingjing & Wang, Zhaoqi
Zhang, Ning & Yu, John
Sutton, David (1953)
Zhang, Wendy & Liu, Wei
Tang, May
Zheng, Yiqi & Tang, Xinyi
Taylor, Margaret & Brian
Zhou, Lin & Bin
Tesarsch, John (1985) & Joseph, Dinusha
Zhou, Miya & Li, Justin
The Opalgate Foundation
Zou, Anna & Ding, Byron
Thevathasan, James (1982)
Anonymous (26)
Leung, Yvonne & Wu, Gary Li, Melinda & Phuah, Brendon Li, Tongtong & Tan, Xinjie Liebelt, Graeme & Pip Lightfoot, Jessica & Merrigan, Simon Lingofone (Australia) Pty Ltd Liu, Louis (1996) & Liu Yao, Joyce Liu, Xiao & Li, Tony Locke, John (1965) & Shirley Lu, Anita & Lau, Sam Lu, Lucy Luo, Anny & Zhao, Hong Wu Lyu, Cindy & Chen, Yuewen Macdougall, Alice & Richard Macnab, Heide & Wilkinson, Peter Manning, Doug (1950) & Val Maroulis, John Massey, Jane & Garry Miao, Yanfen & Cai, Qiwu Moon, Jane & Neale, Kevin Morgan, David OAM (1961) & Cotter, Rosemary Murphy, Lisa & Declan Murray, Bruce (1960) & Liz Myers, Jacqueline & John Neilson, Andrew (1987) & Caroline Nelson, Sally & Michael Ni, Hua & Han, Ming Ni, Sherry & Huang, Henry Nie, Sophie & He, Kevin O’Bryan, Norman AM SC & Noy, Sue Old Carey Grammarians Association Oppy, Andrew (1994) & Holley Panorama Coaches
Thianesysavanh, Felizes & Maytry Thomas, Darren
Deceased
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Advancement
Carey’s generous community heart Stuart Galbraith Head of Advancement
Social justice, inclusivity and celebrating diversity are an integral part of the Carey story. Over many years, Carey families and alumni have steadfastly maintained their commitment to our Carey story through volunteering and philanthropy – and we thank you. We believe in the power of education to change lives and the ability of our students to make the world a better place, and there is no better demonstration of how we can make a difference at home than through our Carey Community Scholarship program. With the support of many families and alumni, we have made a Carey education a reality for students like Moosay from Myanmar and Kyizom from Tibet. We interviewed them before the end of 2018 and are pleased to share some of their remarkable stories below. Moosay: I moved to Australia as a refugee from Myanmar in 2006. It was challenging for me as I didn’t understand English, and sometimes I felt like an outcast. There weren’t many other families like mine, with an understanding of our culture, language and recent history of civil war and persecution. In Year 9, my family met School Chaplain Revd Gerry Riviere who helped with my placement and transition to Carey. The best parts of Carey have been the people I’ve met and the accepting, helpful and friendly environment. I have also been grateful for and embraced the many opportunities provided by Carey.
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I’m now studying Science and Global Studies at Monash University, to provide a good foundation for me to go back to Myanmar and help my people. Kyizom: My family is Tibetan but fled the Chinese annexation to India. I was born in a refugee camp there. When my youngest sister was born, she had a lymphatic malformation and the local hospitals couldn’t treat her. We were very fortunate to have met Moira Kelly who arranged medical treatment in Australia and settled us in schools. Together with Ahmed Kelly, a refugee with a disability attending Carey at the time, Moira helped to secure me a scholarship to study here. The friendships I made at Carey helped me build my confidence inside and outside the classroom. I felt empowered to take advantage of opportunities I would not have had the exposure to or ability to participate in otherwise. I am also grateful for all my teachers, who have been strongly supportive of me.
Kyizom is now studying a Bachelor of Science and would like to later specialise in Nursing ‘to complement my experience working with Aunty Moira and with children with a disability’. Thank you again to those who have contributed to Carey’s scholarship program to provide opportunities for children from refugee or other disadvantaged backgrounds. Every gift has the potential to change a student’s life. You can also choose to support engaging learning spaces for new and emerging technologies that are vital for our students. For more information, contact Head of Advancement, Stuart Galbraith, at advancement@carey.com.au or + 61 3 9816 1522. You can also make a gift directly on our website and find out more about our scholarship recipients at carey.com.au/community-giving-carey
From the OCGA
Giving OCGs a flying start Katie Hunt Alumni and Community Manager
The Old Carey Grammarians Association (OCGA) prides itself on connecting OCGs no matter where they are in life or in the world. We constantly strive to find new ways for our members stay in touch and benefit from being part of the Carey community. Through the OCGA, we meet a diverse community of professionals. Many OCGs proudly share their career journeys, and are often very enthusiastic about the value of networking and mentoring. To facilitate professional networking within the Carey community, we recently trialled a series of Young Alumni Career Networking Luncheons. With a focus on the fields of commerce and health, our young alumni had the chance to hear first-hand how a number of other more experienced OCGs navigated their career paths. The intimate, roundtable style meeting encouraged open discussion and provided a wonderful platform to establish professional connections. After the event, one young OCG commented that the luncheon was ‘really insightful, friendly and provided strong advice’, and others expressed that they were impressed by the variety of speakers and their wealth of knowledge. The OCGs at the event created valuable connections, and due to the glowing feedback we received, we will ensure we hold more of these events in 2020. In keeping with our goals to forge and maintain Carey connections, the OCGA have partnered with Swinburne University of Technology to design an
innovative university transition and mentoring program: Old Carey@ Swinburne. The first of its kind in Australia, this project will see Year 12 leavers who are transitioning to Swinburne connect with fellow alumni who are further along in their studies. The idea for the project came from conversations with Year 12 parents and students who, despite being excited to start a new adventure at university, expressed concern about moving from the protective and familiar Carey environment. By facilitating a Carey community at Swinburne, OCGs can share common bonds and find connections to support them in their first year of studies. For those who are familiar with university life, mentoring a fellow OCG can assist them to develop their interpersonal and leadership skills.
All OCGs studying at Swinburne will also have the opportunity to connect with graduates of both Carey and Swinburne who have gone on to become successful in fields such as aviation, engineering, media and design. Having access to these networks will prove invaluable when entering the professional world beyond university. The launch of Old Carey@Swinburne was held in August. It was a great opportunity to engage current OCG/ Swinburne students, OCG/Swinburne alumni, and Carey and Swinburne staff to assist Year 12 leavers heading to Swinburne in 2020. The project affirms our commitment to ensuring our young alumni benefit from all that being a member of the Carey and Swinburne communities has to offer.
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Where are they now?
Andreas Katsiroubas (2011) I graduated from Carey in 2011 where I was House Captain of Dunshea. One of my favourite parts of school was the Performing Arts. I loved taking part in the musicals, plays and other music productions throughout my time at Carey. As well as being a performer, I was involved in hockey from Year 7. I thoroughly enjoyed getting out on the field two or three times a week to build up my skills, which led to having the opportunity to play in the First Boys Hockey Team in Year 12. My passion for the performing arts has always remained strong. I have performed with the Old Carey Performing Arts Club (OCPAC) since 2012 and been on the OCPAC Committee since 2015. In 2018, I became the President of OCPAC and I am very
excited about the direction, possibilities and passion that surround the club. There are many projects in the pipeline and there is an incredible range of talent among our members. After graduating, I studied a Bachelor of Commerce at Swinburne University of Technology, majoring in marketing and public relations. While I was at university, I was both a hockey coach at Carey and worked for Lululemon. This experience is how I developed my love of health and wellness. I am now a corporate warrior, working in marketing. I was recently with Mars Australia, but I have just embarked on a new adventure with Swisse Wellness. I’m excited to be able to channel my passion for health into my work. It has been eight years since I graduated from Carey, but it feels as though I never
left. The inclusion that Carey provides to OCGs fosters a strong connection to the place and I love being a part of such an awesome community.
Tim Lenders (2005) I started at Carey in Year 7. Something that has stood out to me about my time there was Carey’s efforts to open our eyes to the world around us and challenge us to care about changing it for the better.
interspersing office work with time in the classroom, and the chance to go back to Wabonga on a Year 9 camp. I left Carey in 2011 to pursue a career closer to my studies. I moved to Canberra where I met my partner, Anna, and worked in press and political roles at the Embassy of Israel during a reasonably tumultuous time. In 2015 we moved back to Melbourne, and I joined the public service. I am now a Senior Policy Advisor at the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
So many aspects of my experience – including civics and politics classes, Human Rights Week, St John Ambulance volunteering and many assembly speeches – played an individually interesting but cumulatively considerable role in shaping me as a young adult. I returned to Carey as a staff member in 2008 while I was studying at Monash. This was first in the eLearning team working on classroom trials of iPads, before I moved to the ICT Department. Carey was a kind employer – my managers supported me as both a university student and as an adult in the 48 | Torch
early stages of my career. I particularly remember the eLearning team’s genuine interest in harnessing technology to transform classrooms and engage with students, rather than adopting new stuff merely for the sake of it. I enjoyed
My love for the outdoors that was nurtured at Carey continues today. I’m still an avid bushwalker and cyclist and I volunteer with Bush Search and Rescue. I occasionally go snow camping and caving, and I look forward to the day I can take my niece and nephew, Lucy and Charlie, on their own outdoor adventures.
Where are they now?
Tue Nguyen (2002) I came to Carey in 2001 as an international student from Vietnam. I chose to repeat Year 11 in Australia because I wanted to experience all the subjects and activities I did not have in my home country. I was particularly curious about subjects such as Philosophy and Psychology, as well as the co-curricular bands and musicals. Little did I know, this eclectic mix at Carey was the seed of my future life. I will never forget the Pippin Senior School Musical of 2002, where I was fortunate to be a cast member. Even now, I am still touched by Pippin’s realisation that, ‘I’m not a river or a giant bird that soars to the sea. And if I’m never tied to anything, I’ll never be free.’ To a free-spirited, aspirational international student far from home,
that was one of the most valuable lessons I learnt at Carey. After school, I studied and became a software engineer. My youthful dreams and philosophical contemplation gave way to the daily concerns of bills and deadlines. However, the flexible mindset and self-confidence I developed from my Carey days continued to guide me in my search for happiness. That search came full circle in 2015 – the year I came back to Carey. I am currently a Maths and Computing teacher at Carey’s Middle and Senior School. Some of my teachers are still here, some have passed. Some old buildings still stand and some new ones have appeared, bearing the names of those I once knew. I realise that like Pippin, I am indeed blessed to have
embarked on a long journey, just to realise in the end, ‘It always was here. It never was there.’ I am tied to this place because it sets me free.
Natalie Gray (1979) Carey opened my eyes to a bigger world. I met all sorts of new people from different backgrounds, I was introduced to a wide curricular offering and co-curricular programs, and received invaluable guidance from the Carey Careers Advisor at the time, Ivan Poole. I went on to study Town Planning at the University of Melbourne. During my summer breaks in 1981 and 1982, I was the Chief Examination Supervisor for VCE at Carey. I really enjoyed being able to contribute to the school that had done so much for me. This experience enabled me to gain an understanding of Carey’s focus on developing students and assisting them in managing stressful times. For example, I remember one student who had two four-hour exams on one day. I was incredibly impressed with his resilience and determination and the support offered by Carey staff. My impression of the examinee is
attending plays, sports events and fetes; contributions to the Archives and archival projects; and sharing my experience as an Inaugural Girl at the 2019 Founders Day event. As a town planner, my speciality is developing non-government education facilities. I was even able to help Carey’s Property Committee, in particular advising on the last development of the building on the corner of Wrixon Street and Barkers Road. We extended the rock wall and put in windows to the street to show that Carey is an integrated part of the Kew community.
consistent with many OCGs I have since met. At Carey, no student is left behind, and they are each supported to become confident people with exciting futures. I have also been able to give back to Carey in the form of mentoring and attendance at careers nights;
I am based in South Yarra where from my desk I can overlook the Botanic Gardens to the mountains surrounding the Melbourne basin, including Fawkner Park and Port Philip Bay. Nature is so important to me, and I have travelled extensively, preferring places with few people and wide landscapes, such as the poles and deserts. Torch | 49
50 | Torch Photo: Sports in Focus
OCGA Club in focus
Boroondara Carey Eagles Football Club Umberto Mecchi Board Member of Boroondara Carey Eagles and current Carey parent
After three consecutive State League Championship wins, the Boroondara Carey Eagles Football Club will be promoted to State League Division 1 in 2020. They clinched the competition title in emphatic style with a 7–1 win over North Caulfield, finishing the season with a total of 52 points. It seems like only yesterday when Boroondara Carey Eagles Football Club’s Senior Mens Team won the coveted State League Division 4 title in 2017. This led to their promotion to the State League Division 3 in 2018, where they once again won the league title, resulting in a further promotion to State League Division 2 in 2019. This level and speed of success is extremely rare in the Victorian Soccer Leagues. We often hear the old adage that success of this nature is ‘a real team effort’. The success of Boroondara Carey Eagles has been underpinned by a range of individuals that are an intrinsic part of the broader Carey community. Leading the charge is Manny Koutroulis, Staff Member in Charge of Soccer at Carey, who has coached the Senior Men throughout this period of remarkable success. Manny brings a wealth of experience to Carey soccer, having coached at the highest levels within Carey and the broader Victorian soccer community for over 20 years. Manny’s leadership and focus places a heavy emphasis on the development of talent pathways for Carey soccer – so much so that it has inspired and attracted many past Carey students who were
previously coached by him to join to the Club, contributing to its recent success. On-field success is not possible without quality off-field support. This has been led by Club President, former Old Carey Coach and player Chris Constantine (2004), who has maintained the right culture and resources to foster the success of the Boroondara Carey Eagles.
‘We often hear the old adage that success of this nature is “a real team effort”. The success of Boroondara Carey Eagles has been underpinned by a range of individuals that are an intrinsic part of the broader Carey community.’ Chris has assembled a quality team, including Richard Stanner (2002), former Old Carey Captain who has been Program Manager for the past five years. He works tirelessly to ensure that players, officials and spectators have a seamless match day experience. Beyond the operations, both Chris and Richard are exceptional leaders and compassionate mentors for many OCGs coming through the program. While soccer participation and development is a core focus for the Club, we are also proud of Carey’s contribution and connection to broader communities within the Boroondara catchment. The Boroondara Carey Eagles came from the merger of the Old
Carey Soccer Club and the Boroondara Eagles Football Club several years ago. In addition to delivering scale, success and stability, the merger has provided a range of professional development and mentoring platforms for Carey senior players. As a result, we have been able to appoint many OCGs as junior coaches. This has fostered some very strong and rewarding coach–player connections, helping young players to develop both technically and emotionally. Some noteworthy leaders who will leave a lasting and positive influence as players and junior coaches include a number of 2018 alumni: Liam Croucher, Paddy McCleland, David Cazzubo, Nathan Demetriou and Jono Etiene. In addition to their on-field contribution, they have all left an indelible mark on the junior players as coaches and mentors. Another example of the impact of the Year 12 leavers is Marcus Carfi (2016), who scored some crucial goals that contributed to the Club’s progression from State 4 in 2017 to where we find ourselves today. This is extremely exciting and brings a level of prestige to Carey in Victorian soccer. We are sure it will attract talented and skilled Carey players who would have otherwise joined rival clubs! There is an air of optimism surrounding the future of the Club driven by the talent in the 2019 Year 12 cohort. We look forward to our continued success in the 2020 State League Division 1 and creating more great memories. Go Eagles! Torch | 51
Reunions and events
Past Staff Reunion
L–R: Sally Moodie, Betty Yeo, Anne Glynn.
L–R: Bernadette Luker, David Dannock, Ruth Edmonds, Llona Noble, Dot Ecclestone.
L–R: Peter Silverwood, David Rimington, Mike Boyes, John Glasson.
L–R: Lee Taylor, Berine Hammet, Jan Sparks, Janine De Pavia, Judy Battle.
Anzac Day
L–R: Graham Riches, Phipps Gay.
L–R: Margaret Joyce, Judy Huges, Barbara Noisette.
Class of 1989 30-Year Reunion
L–R: Glen Bennett, Leah Boulton, Anna (Davis) Staples, Aaron Cross.
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L–R: Julie (McLean) Bertalli, Sam Chong, Lisa Patroni.
Tiffany Cherry.
Reunions and events
Class of 2009 10-Year Reunion
L–R: Josephine Foxcroft, Roseanne Tiziani, Anna Carrig, Steph Tan.
L–R: Phoebe Wolff, James Young, James Evans.
L–R: Gabrielle Dupe, Katie Burgess, Asher Jones.
L–R: Tim Newton, Cameron Friend.
L–R: Alana Barnes, Sarah Tonkin, India Klein, Victoria Sdralis.
L–R: Dr Carolyn O’Brien, Kate Cowlishaw, Dr Lisa Murphy, Cassandra Trumble.
L–R: Daniel Trumble (joint alumni).
L–R: Trevor Black (Carey Career Advisor), Andrew Smith (Vicepresident Students Swinburne), Marihiam Kaloudis (joint alumni).
Class of 2014 5-Year Reunion
Young Alumni Career Networking Luncheons
Old Carey@ Swinburne
If you would like to see more reunion photos from throughout the year, visit the OCGA Facebook page: facebook.com/oldcarey
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Announcements
Cleo Latham Neitz
Max Dennis Michael Crozier
Heidi Ann Foley
15 July 2018. A daughter for Kelly Latham (1998) and David Neitz, and a sister for Edie.
18 January 2019. A son for Ryan Crozier (2000) and Melinda Button (past staff), and a brother for Jack.
30 January 2019. A daughter for Peta (Farnik, 2004) and Aidan Foley.
Rex Wayne Mario Roylance
Xavier Leigh Cacic
Pamella McDill
14 March 2019. A son for Marcele De Sanctis (2001) and Nathan Roylance.
21 March 2019. A son for Natasha (Nicholas, 2006) and Ivan Cacic.
16 April 2019. A daughter for Tina (Conitsiotis, 2005) and Alistair McDill.
Mia Grace Cerny
Tycho James Di Pietro
Florence James
30 April 2019. A daughter for Kylie Burton (2001) and Peter Cerny.
14 May 2019. A son for Robert (2000) and Sadrina Di Pietro, and a brother for Rocco.
24 May 2019. A daughter for Jessica (Cooke, 2002) and Joshua James.
Are you expecting a future Carey Grammarian?
Darius Briers 18 June 2019. A son for Mark Briers (2006) and Jamila Savoy-Soubotian.
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Paprika Pui Ka Au-Yeung 16 July 2019. A daughter for Simon AuYeung (Ashkar, 1993) and Shane Flynn.
Carey receives a high volume of applications for enrolment. We encourage you to apply for your child as early as possible after birth. For more information about enrolment, and to apply online, go to www.carey.com.au.
Memorials
Janet Dixon (1947–2019) Jan Dixon was a highly-valued member of Junior School Kew for 23 years. Beginning her Carey story in 1991, Jan made an indelible impact on each of the students in her care. She was known for her contagious laugh, sharp wit and unconditional honesty with staff, students and parents.
This generosity of spirit also extended to student teachers, who she always took under her wing and showed the tools of the trade as best she could. She was a willing mentor to new staff and was keen to share her ideas and strong pedagogical knowledge whenever necessary within her teams.
Jan taught many year levels, and also served as Head of Taylor, Burnet and Barton Houses during her time at the School. She was a founding teacher of the Junior School as we know it today, and was President of the Junior School Staff Association. She was passionate about her job, generous with her time and provided friendly and professional leadership for other staff.
Jan was an enthusiastic supporter of the Year 3 Kitchen Garden program, now in its ninth year at Carey. Equipped with a love for both cooking and gardening, Jan was able to instil this passion in her students, and ensured they took as much from the program as possible. The Carey community is endlessly grateful for her contributions to our school.
In memory We extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the following people: Rodney George Roberts (1956) on 25 October 2018
Richard Graeme Hornidge (1954) on 8 May 2019
Antony David Charles Blazey (1960) on 10 June 2019
Ian Cameron Lewis (1985) on 3 January 2019
David Nance (past staff) on 17 May 2019
Mack Anthony Atkins (1950) on 25 June 2019
Robert Vanselow (1964) on 18 February 2019
Ronald Felton Westerman (1949, past staff) on 24 May 2019
Janet Dixon (past staff) on 16 July 2019
Christina Margaret Mowle (past staff) on 27 March 2019 Bruce Raymond Hensell (1955) on 4 April 2019 David Howard Jenkin, AM (1954) on 23 April 2019 Bruce David McConchie (1963) on 27 April 2019
Peter Leslie Woodhouse (1962) on 25 May 2019 Alexander Louis ‘Gordon’ Monsbourgh (1956) on 3 June 2019
Geoffrey Arthur Forster (1942) on 22 July 2019 Peter Hoban (1948) on 10 September 2019
Stuart Bell (1967) on 5 June 2019
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OCGA Calendar 2019–2020 10 Nov
Community Memorial Service
15 Nov
1969 50-Year Reunion
22 Nov
APS Golf Day
27 Nov
OCGA Council Meeting
3 Dec
OCGA Christmas Celebration
12 Feb
Founders Day Lunch
6 Mar
International Womens Day Breakfast
13 Mar
1980 40-Year Reunion
20 Mar
Mornington Peninsula Luncheon
29 Mar
APS Lawn Bowls
30 Mar
OCGA Golf Day
23 Apr
1959 to 1961 60-Year Reunion
29 Apr
Anzac Day Lunch
1 May
1990 30-Year Reunion
15 May
2010 10-Year Reunion
10 July
Young Alumni Career Networking Session
24 July
Young Alumni Career Networking Session
Please note: For unforeseeable reasons, event dates may be subject to change. Please refer to the OCGA website at ocga.com.au for the most up-to-date details relating to a particular scheduled event.
School Sections Senior School senior.school@carey.com.au
Principal Philip Grutzner principal@carey.com.au
Middle School middle@carey.com.au
Community Engagement communityengagement@carey.com.au
Junior School Kew jskew@carey.com.au
Archives archives@carey.com.au
Junior School Donvale donvale@carey.com.au
Advancement advancement@carey.com.au
Carey Sports Complex bulleen@carey.com.au
Admissions admissions@carey.com.au
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Carey Kew ELC, Junior, Middle and Senior Schools 349 Barkers Road Kew Victoria 3101 Australia Telephone: +61 3 9816 1222
Carey Donvale ELC and Junior School 9 Era Court Donvale Victoria 3111 Australia Telephone: +61 3 8877 8500
Connect with Carey Website:
carey.com.au
Intranet:
careylink.com.au
Facebook: @CareyBaptist Instagram: @CareyGrammar
Connect with the OCGA Website:
ocga.com.au
Email:
ocga@carey.com.au
Facebook: @OldCarey
Academic and General Excellence
SCHOLARSHIPS AT CAREY For entry into Year 7, Year 10 and Year 11 2021 Registrations open Wednesday 6 November 2019
Apply now:
carey.com.au