↓ SECTION 05 — ALUMNI
OGG PRESIDENT
One of the key challenges for the OGG community is to make a positive difference. Often the day-to-day pressures cause us to focus inwards, on our immediate environment and on the things that need to be done today. Many years ago when I was first learning the skills for a marketing and sales role, the instructor told me that the best skill I should learn was to be quiet, to listen to the people around me. This trait allows you to be aware of the needs and desires of the group you are with and to be more involved. By focussing on the positive, getting to ‘yes’ becomes a much easier task. When we were researching our history of the OGG Association, Light Blue Generations, there were instances where this approach was clearly displayed. The discussions leading up to the decision to move to the Corio site was a good example.
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If that decision had not been made at that specific time and if the School community had not given it their full support, then the drain on the workforce caused by World War 1 would have delayed, even prevented, the completion of the Corio buildings. Today, GGS is the largest boarding school in Australia and thus the OGG community is spread around the world. Listening to our members and being aware of cultural differences will positively influence how the OGG community progresses. Listening to the eulogies of two OGG friends who passed away recently reminded me of their strong positive outlooks despite health problems and how that positive outlook had strengthened their family and friends. The gatherings also showed how strong the ties that we make during our GGS school days are with us forever.
A couple of years ago, I ran into one of my year group who I hadn’t seen since our school days. When asked if he had seen any of our group, he told me that he’d been very lonely as a boarder and did not remember those times kindly. During our conversation, I reminisced about some fun times at Timbertop and Corio and about mutual friends – he remembered some other events that I’d forgotten. Since then he has reconnected and become more involved. How many of our school friends may be in a similar situation when we could reconnect and make a positive difference for them. Peter Chomley (Ge’63) President, Old Geelong Grammarians
Amy Hardwick (Ga’00) and Genevieve Milesi (Ga’02).
LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL