ISSUE 97 MAY 2016
I imagine that I am not the first to find this quote by Aristotle: “Those who educate children well are more to be honoured than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.” Geelong Grammar School has a clear focus on providing an exceptional education and our teachers commit themselves to providing all that’s needed to ensure that our students will leave us equipped for the art of living well. In this edition of Light Blue you will find news of people you know well – and you will meet new members of staff who are taking up the task of leading and encouraging others in their work. The relationship between staff and students is critical as we work to open up exceptional futures for them. It is not an automatic process. The art of living well stems from the many lessons and life experiences that flow from meaningful interactions with teachers who inspire respect and future vision. At Geelong Grammar School, we have many such people and I hope we will support and encourage them as they seek to reflect the highest standards in all they do. Whether you agree with Aristotle or not, all parents, teachers and other staff at the School play a vital role in who our students become. I hope you will be inspired by old friends and new members of our community as you read your way through this edition of Light Blue. Enjoy. Tony Bretherton Director of Community Relations Editor Brendan McAloon Design Chloe Flemming Photography Bob Bickerton Mike Dugdale (FB’71) Nigel Hallett Antonia Hempel Jan Koch (Campbell, He’68) Richard Kumnick (M’68) Sam Legoe (M’78) Peter Lemon (FB’64) Katie Rafferty (Spry, Ga’84) Drew Ryan Stephen Solomonson Ann Tyers (Fairley, He’68) Adam Trafford Website www.ggs.vic.edu.au Email lightblue@ggs.vic.edu.au CRICOS 00143G
↓ SECTION 01 — INTRODUCTION
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CHAIRMAN OF COUNCIL
18 2016
8
FROM OUR PRINCIPAL
20 BOSTOCK
10 YEAR
12 RESULTS
12 TASHA’S
BIG ADVENTURE
14 STAFF CONFERENCE 16 TEACHING
EXCELLENCE
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SCHOOL CAPTAINS HOUSE
21 HEAD
OF TOORAK CAMPUS
22 HEAD
OF MIDDLE SCHOOL
24 TIMBERTOP
26 DIRECTOR
OF STUDENT WELLBEING
27 RED
CROSS CALLING
28 CREATIVE
PARTNERSHIPS
33 FOUNDATION 38 THE
MAIL ROOM
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↓ SECTION 01 — INTRODUCTION
CHAIRMAN OF COUNCIL My recollections of my time at GGS are a mixture of different memories; of friends, staff, events, classes and sport, as well as feelings and (funnily enough) smells and sounds – the seemingly endless time mucking around in the House with friends; the annual House Music competition; playing Eton Fives with my maths teacher (who happened to be a former Test cricketer); trying to calm nerves before opening night of the Senior School Play; the last class before Year 12 exams; the smell of cut grass and sound of sprinklers whishing away and spurring the start of Aths season; and, of course, driving past Werribee and hoping the wind would be favourable for when I arrived at Corio. These are some of the things that readily come to mind. But the most powerful memories of all are of the times spent with the staff with whom I struck up friendships.
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Many things have changed at GGS since I was there and will rightly continue to. However, a key element of the Geelong Grammar School experience has not changed – the unique relationship between staff and students. It is not just that staff and students live together and interact in several facets of daily life (class, sport, activities, House), but the way in which that interaction occurs. Although there has to be an element of the formal teacher-student relationship, I believe the great majority of interaction is best described as respectfully casual. There is a sense of, “we’re in this together so let’s work together”. This atmosphere is, of course, as a direct result of being primarily a boarding school, but it could not continue to exist without an incredibly devoted and selfless staff who commit themselves to being so much more than teachers. This goes to the culture of the School; the DNA if you want, that gets transferred from generation to generation of staff and students. It has resulted in a school that is inclusive, understanding and tolerant. So often I hear people say that they can pick a recent Old Geelong Grammarian through the way he or she interacts with others – an ease of conversation and respectful behavior are the usual indicators. That is not to say we are perfect or that all our students demonstrate this or benefit from this culture, but the vast majority do.
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Our staff are so thoroughly involved in all aspects of student life that it does take a special type of teacher to be prepared to work with us. And it is not just the staff that make this commitment, but their families as well. A student could easily be taught, coached and tutored by the same staff member in a day that ends with him or her babysitting the staff member’s young children while the staff member and partner have a rare night out.
It is a truism to say that a school is only as good as its teachers. Often though, that saying is trotted out to justify a school’s facilities not being up to scratch. Our belief at Council is that it is our responsibility to ensure the School has the best facilities possible to complement the quality of the staff, demonstrate our commitment to them and continue to attract the best possible staff into the future. It is a virtuous circle that must be maintained.
What greater endorsement can there be for a school than to have former staff members provide significant philanthropic support for future students to attend GGS through scholarships? A number have done so, either through direct gifts or bequests. Not only have these former staff given of themselves in being such dedicated teachers, they are now giving from their limited financial means to assist others benefit from their professional descendants.
I have deliberately not identified any particular staff member in this article because to do so would be unfair to all those I didn’t mention. All OGGs and current students have their own thoughts on which staff members mean something special to them. I suspect that the sum of them would almost cover all staff at the School through time. Although it is the individual relationships that make each student’s time at the School a special one, it is the sum of those individual relationships that make the School an exceptional one.
As a student, I really enjoyed my interaction with a number of staff. As a parent, I am extremely grateful for the dedication and expertise of the staff who have been responsible for my children’s education. And as Chair of Council, I am in awe of the passion and total commitment that our staff make to ensure Geelong Grammar School is an exceptional school.
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Jeremy Kirkwood (FB’79) Chairman of Council
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FROM OUR PRINCIPAL When I was a student at my boarding school (clearly some time ago now), I never remember thinking about the quality of the teaching staff as a totality – or the significance that overall standard had for the effectiveness of the school and the achievements of its students. There was always discussion with my friends about the relative teaching standard of various staff – the hope that you would be taught by Mr X rather than Mr Y (there were relatively few women staff at the school at that time, a major difference from today), but no real analysis about the overall quality of the staff. For us as students, the staff were a fixture, like the chapel or the boarding houses, and you simply had to study and work with what you were given. As the Principal of a school, the quality of the staff is one of the paramount issues to which you give detailed thought – right up there with the overall wellbeing of the students at the school, because the former has such an influence in helping achieve the latter. We are blessed in having some wonderful staff and I am very pleased that we are focusing upon them for this issue of Light Blue, with its theme being, again from our Purpose document, “our exceptional staff bring character and richness to the life of the school”. I have written before that the key ingredient which a school needs to have, if it is to be a great school, is exceptional staff, who are not only talented and passionate about their work, but are also willing to go the extra mile for their students. We are indeed fortunate to have so many staff who come into this category. That we have such a talented staff was a thought which kept coming back to me at this year’s annual Staff Conference, which was held at the end of the summer holidays for all teaching staff. In most years, we have a guest speaker or two to lead the conference, but this year we had a refresher course on Positive Education led by the staff of the Institute of Positive Education. Justin Robinson, David Bott and Georgie Cameron, who led the sessions, are remarkable presenters, keeping the audience stimulated, alert and energized. They were supported by staff from each campus and again and again, I marvelled at the quality of the staff presentations – teaching at its best, being delivered to a very discerning audience. I was also struck by the way that all of the staff shared, helped and contributed in each of the break-out sessions, making it learning for the staff, by the staff. One other feature of the conference was individual staff delivering a short masterclass to us all about something about which they are passionate – for example, we had Jodie Townsend performing on the piano and Peter Bajer talking about the research he undertook for his PhD on Scottish migration to Poland and Lithuania in the 16th century. It was fascinating. We can all learn from each other, but it is also about deepening our understanding of what each staff member brings to the whole. I do believe that unlike my unaware schoolboy of many years ago, the current staff would have a very strong knowledge of just how good their colleagues are and what a difference they make to the School.
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The conference was also the first chance most of the staff had to meet three new staff who have been appointed to key positions within the School. Rachel George is the new Head of the Toorak Campus, Michelle Phillips is the new Head of the Middle School and Amanda Scott is the new Director of Student Wellbeing. One term on, they are already making significant impacts in their respective roles. They will be joined at the start of Term 3 by Tom Hall, who returns to Timbertop to take over as the new Head of Campus from Roger Herbert, who has been appointed Principal of St Philip’s College in Alice Springs. Timely renewal in key areas is what all schools need and we are fortunate to have been able to make such strong appointments. Appointing, retaining and developing staff are the key elements to having a great staff. We have introduced two new approaches in the last 12 months to ensure that our staff are the best they can be. Our Performance and Development Programme (PDP) provides all teaching staff with extensive professional development opportunities. The programme is explained in more detail on page 15, but one interesting aspect is that students from Years 5-12 complete an anonymous questionnaire on their teachers as part of the 360-degree review process. The students are much more involved than when I was at school. The other initiative has been our Graduate Recruitment Programme, where senior staff visited Melbourne, Sydney and Monash universities to seek out new Masters of Teaching graduates. This means seeking out new talent rather than just waiting for it to seek us. Again, you can read about the process on page 14, but it is a further indication of how seriously we take getting the right staff for the School. One final point on staff. I have focused on the teaching staff thus far, but we employ just as many staff who are not teachers and who fulfil incredibly important roles within the School and do so with an equal amout of professionalism, dedication and skill. Many of them have worked at the School for over 20 years, many will be here for 30 years and I know that at least one will eventually have worked here for 40 years, having started straight out of school. That is a commitment and level of contribution which is without measure. These staff also bring a richness to the life of the School and to the experience of the students. We are very blessed with the staff who work at the School. The academic results of the 2015 Year 12 students were extremely good, in that their accumulated results led to a median Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) score of 86.15, which was the third highest ATAR in the last 20 years. Such results do not happen by chance and I do congratulate a hard-working cohort on their achievements and I thank the staff for all their work with these students over a number of years. The number of students within the School continues to be very strong, especially the boarding numbers. 2015 and 2016 have seen a larger number of boarders in the School than in any other consecutive years and these numbers continue to be testimony to the strong demand there is for places at the School. As is the case every year, we have students from every State and Territory of Australia, making us one of the few schools in the country which can claim to be a national school. We also have international students from over 20 countries. Another noticeable feature this year is the very strong flow-through of students from Timbertop to Year 10, so that the current Year 10 is the largest Year 10 cohort that there has ever been at the School. All of this reflects the great confidence that there is in the School.
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Lastly, this edition of Light Blue highlights some fine individual achievements by our students. There is an interview with our new School Captains, Eliza Chomley (Yr12 Fr) and Lewis Nicolson (Yr12 Fr), on pages 16-17, while on page 28 there is a record of the remarkable athletic achievements of Lauren Ryan (Yr12 Cl), who has been chosen to represent Australia at the IAAF Under 20 World Championships in Poland in July. Middle School student Michael Parks (Yr8 Hi) is also to be congratulated for being chosen to represent Australia in his age group at the O’Pen Bic World Sailing Championships in France in July. The 1st Girls’ VIII have also had another excellent year, winning the Head of the Schoolgirls and the Head of the River. It is wonderful to see students aspiring to be the best in different areas. All of this is only possible as a result of a united community working together for the benefit of the students in our care. We do have an exceptional staff who bring character and richness to the life of the School and I am very fortunate to be a member of such a community. Stephen Meek Principal
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YEAR 12 RESULTS
Our 2015 Year 12 results were exceptional. Our median ATAR score of 86.15 is the third highest median ATAR of the past 20 years. 82 students (38.7%) achieved an ATAR score of 90 or above (top 10%), while 42 students (19.8%) achieved an ATAR score of 95 or above (top 5%), which is outstanding for an open entry school dedicated to providing an all-round education. The Dux of the School was Georgia Webber (A’15), who achieved an IB score of 43 out of a possible 45 points, which converts to an ATAR of 99.75. Georgia was one of 15 IB students who achieved an IB score of 40 or above (ATAR 98.30 or above). “We are extremely proud of the excellent results achieved by our students in 2015,” Principal, Stephen Meek, said. “These results build upon the increasingly strong academic performance of the past decade. The successful combination of effort and commitment from students and teachers, with encouragement and support from parents and guardians, has led to these wonderful results. On behalf of the Geelong Grammar School community, I thank everyone involved for their efforts, congratulate all our 2015 Year 12 students on their achievements and wish them continued success in their further studies and future endeavours.”
In 2015, there were 157 VCE candidates and 57 IB candidates. When combined, the School’s median ATAR was 86.15, which means that the top 50% of our students were in the top 13.85% of the State. There were three perfect VCE study scores of 50 recorded in Business Management (2) and Economics. 32 of our 57 IB students achieved at least one maximum study score of 7, achieving a total of 64 scores of 7 between them. OUR DUX Georgia Webber (A’15) achieved a maximum score of 7 in Biology, Geography, Mathematics and Theatre Arts. She was House Captain of Allen House, a member of the School Choir and starred in the Senior School production of Shakespeare’s comedy Much Ado About Nothing, winning the Juan José Garcia Prize for Drama. Georgia joined the School as a day boarder in Year 11 after relocating from Williamstown to Barwon Heads. “Day Boarding really is the best of both worlds,” Georgia said. “I really appreciated having the family support when I got home (each night) and on weekends. Then I had all the support from my friends, teachers and tutors in the House. That made a huge difference in keeping me motivated and having that extra access to academic support. Also, with the co-curricular activities and sport and all the other opportunities that you have, I honestly wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I did without Geelong Grammar School.”
Our 2015 Year 12 students achieved outstanding academic success, with 82 students (38.7%) achieving an ATAR score of 90 or above (top 10%). 10
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• 100% pass rate • 64 maximum IB study scores of 7 • Median ATAR of 86.15 • 3 perfect VCE study • 82 students achieved an scores of 50 ATAR score of 90 or above PROXIME ACCESSERUNT
OTHER OUTSTANDING RESULTS
The Proxime Accesserunt were Katie Clingeleffer-Woodford (Fr’15), Bella Dixon (Ga’15), Felix Farley (Cu’15) and Harry von Bibra (Cu’15), who all achieved an IB score of 42 out of a possible 45 points, which converts to an ATAR of 99.45. Katie achieved a maximum score of 7 in Literature, Mathematics and Music. From Corio in Geelong, she was also House Captain of Fraser House, a member of the School Choir, Senior Jazz Ensemble, 2nd Netball team and 3rd Girls’ VIII Rowing crew. Bella achieved a maximum score of 7 in Biology, Chemistry, Geography and Spanish. From Kew in Melbourne’s inner east, she represented the School in Equestrian, Debating, Rowing and Swimming. Felix achieved a maximum score of 7 in Biology, Economics, History and Spanish. From Bondi Beach in Sydney, he was also Captain of Debating and achieved the Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award. Harry achieved a maximum score of 7 in Geography, History, Mathematics and Physics. From Ross in Tasmania, he was House Captain of Cuthbertson House, was cast in the Senior School production of Much Ado About Nothing, represented the School in Swimming and was a member of the 1st Hockey team.
A number of other students achieved an ATAR score of 98 or above (top 2%), including Madelaine Bourke-Thomas (A’15) from Ivanhoe, Claudia Chandra (Ga’15) from Jakarta, Tasha Heyer Turner (Ga’15) from Cape York, Nicolas Holberton (P’15) from Weering, Daniel Hong (P’15) from West Melbourne, Mariana Mohammed Azlan (Ga’15) from Kuala Lumpur, Freya Moore (EM’15) from Hong Kong, Harry Osti (P’15) from Walkerville, Lucas Schlotzer De Lucio (A’15) from Newtown, Catriona Smith (Ga’15) from Carnegie, Sam Telford (FB’15) from Strathmore, Jemima Vicars (He’15) from Point Piper and Nancy Wang (Fr’15) from Point Cook.
91.5%
67.5%
TOP VCE STUDENTS
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38.7% 19.8%
State average
50%
25%
10%
5%
2.8% 1%
Rachel Waters (Fr’15) was the School’s top VCE student in 2015, achieving an ATAR score of 99.05, including a perfect VCE study score of 50 in Economics. Rachel also achieved excellent results in History (49), Psychology (46), Further Mathematics (43) and Legal Studies (42). From Lara near Geelong, she represented Victoria at the Australian All School Athletics Championships in the 800 and 1,500 metres. Emily Webb Ware (He’15) achieved an ATAR score of 98.95, which included excellent results in Agriculture and Horticulture (49), Biology (48) and Geography (46). From Yea in north-east Victoria, she was Captain of Cross Country and Sailing, and also represented the School in Athletics and Debating. Pippi Callan (Yr12 Fr) and Sarah Lindsay (He’15) both achieved perfect VCE study scores of 50 in Business Management. Daniel Song (FB’15) achieved an ATAR of 98.35, including excellent scores in Further Mathematics (46), Physics (41) and English as an Additional Language (41). From Blackburn in Melbourne’s east, Daniel was a member of the Science & Medical Society and 2nd Boys’ Hockey team.
GGS students
The graph above highlights the percentage of Geelong Grammar School students who achieved ATAR scores that placed them in the top 1%, 5%, 25% and 50% of students in Victoria
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Tasha Turner (Ga’15) grew up with the ocean on her doorstep. She’s one of the few people who can say that they actually lived on the Great Barrier Reef. Tasha’s family home is on the idyllic and isolated Haggerstone Island, 400 miles north of Cairns, Queensland, and when the time came for her to leave her “Robinson Crusoe-style paradise” to study at Geelong Grammar School, she admits it was a “daunting” prospect.
Tasha has been accepted into Lincoln College, Oxford University, to study Law (Jurisprudence). The three-year degree will see her walking the cobblestoned streets of one of the world’s most esteemed universities, and she is, naturally, “over the moon” about it. “I think I am most looking forward to the atmosphere, the experience and the interesting people I will meet there. I think it will be a time of my life I will never forget.”
Leaving behind her days of snorkelling, fishing and “freedom in its utmost”, Tasha entered a world of timetables and queues, not to mention dorms full of chattering girls. Despite the dramatic shift, she clearly thrived during her time at the School. Tasha completed the International Baccalaureate (IB) and achieved an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) of 98.30, proving herself ready for her next challenge: Oxford.
However, it wasn’t until Tasha received her acceptance letter from Oxford that she felt like it was a real possibility. “Honestly, I had never even thought about it until about halfway through Year 12. I knew it was one of the top universities in the world, but I just hadn’t even considered applying. I am so glad that I went for it now. Nothing is impossible.” At Geelong Grammar School, Tasha felt that she received the support and motivation to aim high. “I think I have been very lucky with what I experienced in my last years at Geelong Grammar School. I learned to be resilient, organised, but above all, myself. On top of that, the extra help and support from your peers and teachers is just above and beyond,” she said. “You would walk into a classroom and knew that everyone there really wanted to be there and wanted to do well. It was incredibly inspiring and motivated me to do much better than I ever set out to do.” Tasha’s Timbertop year was also instrumental in equipping her with resilience for the future. Although being in the wilderness felt a lot like home, it was a struggle. She believes facing the challenges of Timbertop made her a stronger person. It was also where she cultivated a passion for music which has blossomed into the release of her first single, See Through My Eyes, which was featured on Triple J Unearthed in March. Rebekah Currer
TASHA'S BIG ADVENTURE 12
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5% 6% 6% Students also received offers to attend some of the world’s most prestigious international institutions, including Oxford University, King’s College London, the flagship Berkeley campus of the University of California and the University of Texas. Felix Farley (Cu’15) is planning to study Political Science and International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), which is ranked second in the QS World University Rankings for social sciences and social policy. “I’m attracted to the idea of studying overseas because there is so much going on in Europe that I want to experience firsthand, or at least observe in closer proximity,” Felix said. “London appeared to me as the effective capital of Europe and LSE as the city’s academic leader, so that’s why I ultimately made the decision to go there. I’m also looking forward to the diversity of the student body, which is composed of over 150 different nationalities.”
7%
Students will undertake further study in a wide variety of subjects, from Games Design at RMIT to Veterinary Science at Charles Sturt University. As expected, the most popular courses were Science, Arts and Commerce, with Agriculture/ Agribusiness, Business, Engineering, Environments and Law also popular. We are very proud of all students in the class of 2015 and wish them well in their future pursuits.
Tertiary Destinations (Victoria)
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9%
24% 43%
University of Melbourne
RMIT University
Monash University
Deakin University
Swinburne University
La Trobe University
Other
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More than 93% of our class of 2015 have committed to further study, including students who have deferred their university placements. Of those students electing to study at tertiary institutions, the vast majority (71%) are enrolled in Victoria, with 25% studying interstate (up from 15% in 2015) and 4% overseas. Of the students choosing to undertake further study at Victorian universities, 43% enrolled at The University of Melbourne, 24% will study at RMIT University and 9% chose Monash University. Students studying interstate enrolled in an incredibly diverse range of institutions across five different states of Australia, from Curtin 4% University in Perth to James Cook University in Townsville in northeast Queensland. The most Tertiary Destinations 25% popular interstate institution Victoria was the Australian National Interstate 71% University (ANU) in Overseas Canberra, with 20 students (up from nine students in 2015).
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STAFF CONFERENCE Our teaching staff started the school year with a three-day Positive Education-themed Staff Conference at Corio. Since the inception of Positive Education at the School in 2008, the School has endeavoured to embed the tenets of Positive Psychology throughout all aspects of school life. The 2016 Staff Conference provided an opportunity for teaching staff to rediscover familiar elements and explore new topics of Positive Education. The conference focused on nurturing staff wellbeing, which has demonstrable impact on student engagement and enhances the learning environment. “At its core, the Staff Conference is about developing relationships,” Vice Principal, Charlie Scudamore, explained. “The intention was to share the considerable knowledge many teachers from each campus have accumulated over the years (in Positive Education) and, through workshops, stories, activities, artefact sharing and keynotes, explore extensions of some of the key topics we have become familiar with. Everything that we do is Pos Ed in a way. The expertise that we have and what we can learn from each other is fantastic.”
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Principal, Stephen Meek, said that he came away from the staffled Conference with an overwhelming sense of gratitude and pride. “The sense of joy from being a part of this School is very strong, as is the desire to improve,” Stephen said. “What we do as a school is try things, we innovate, because we want to do it better. Great schools get even better because they have vision and are prepared to take risks. The energy that the staff bring is what makes it possible.” The Conference had a “festival” feel, with lawn games, pedalpowered smoothies, photo sharing and a wide range of activities, including Stand Up Paddle (SUP) boarding, floristry, barefoot bowls, yoga and badminton. The overall theme was “Exploring Our Values”, which encompassed a wide range of Positive Education topics, including Character Strengths, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Positive Teaching Practices and inquiry-based workshops about the Purpose of Education. The conference also examined the research being conducted by the Institute of Positive Education.
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THE GRADUATES Alice Bowman has been “blown away” by her first term as a teacher at Geelong Grammar School. “I have been so impressed by the energy and vibrancy of the students and the incredible dedication and work ethic of the staff here,” Alice said. The University of Sydney graduate joined the School through its pioneering Graduate Recruitment Programme, which employed its first two Master of Teaching graduates in 2016. The unique programme offers two full-time, two-year fixed term teaching positions to the best graduate applicants from Master of Teaching (Secondary Education) courses at Sydney, Melbourne and Monash universities. GGS is the first and only school in Australia to establish a Graduate Recruitment Programme, inspired by the success of similar graduate and internship programmes at large corporations like Google, Deloitte, Microsoft, BHP and Westpac. “Many in the corporate world have been doing this for years and I don’t see why it should be any different for us,” Head of Corio, Dean Dell’Oro, explained. “I think it lifts the profile of the profession – that there is a school out there like ours proactively looking to employ the very best graduate teachers.” However, few schools have the resources or flexibility to implement a Graduate Recruitment Programme, which targets post-graduate students before they complete their master’s degree and before a specific vacancy exists. “The reason we can is because we offer more than teaching,” Dean explained. “With pastoral and co-curricular loads, we have the flexibility to focus on choosing the best rather than filling a vacancy in a specific
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faculty.” The programme was actively promoted to Master of Teaching students from Term 1 last year through posters, flyers, videos and formal presentations. The School conducted 20 first-round interviews at each of the three universities, followed by a further five second-round interviews at Corio, before employing Alice (English and Geography, Years 7-10) and Rob Currer (Mathematics, Years 8-11), both from The University of Sydney. After surviving a whirlwind Term 1, both Alice and Rob reflected on the “amazing” support provided by the School community. “It is such a busy place here at GGS but people have really taken the time to welcome me and make me feel at home,” Rob said. Dean suggested that the School’s support structures were a critical strength of the programme, which provides dedicated mentoring and tailored professional learning. “That was the thing that attracted graduates more than anything – that over the course of two years, they would have a high level of professional support and a plan mapped out for them to cover a diverse range of activities and experiences.” Another strength, was the partnership with key universities. “It was our desire to forge stronger links with universities for the purposes of not only recruitment, but also to provide future opportunities for our students and keep abreast of the latest thinking in educational research.” The feedback from university partners, graduates, staff and students has been so positive that the School has started the process of recruiting two more graduates for 2017. “I believe this programme will further place Geelong Grammar School as a preferred employer in the education sector,” Dean said. “This can only mean good things for our students, as I believe the quality of staff combined with the opportunities available at this School results in outstanding learning outcomes for our students.”
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TEACHING EXCELLENCE After 30 years at the chalk face, Kay Long thinks that she still has a lot to learn. The experienced maths teacher believes that learning is an ongoing and endless process. She thinks that everyone should aspire to be a lifelong learner and that a growth mindset is particularly important for educators. “We expect it of our students, so we should be modelling that behaviour as teachers,” Kay said. “The desire to learn, to keep improving, is a reflection of the School’s philosophy, with an emphasis on providing the best learning outcomes for all of our students.” In 2015, Geelong Grammar School introduced a Performance and Development Programme (PDP) to provide a process and framework to support teaching staff to continue their learning journey and achieve excellence in professional practice. Goal setting, 360-degree reviews (incorporating classroom observations, video feedback and student surveys), personal reflection, colleague collaboration and review meetings underpin this new approach to professional learning and development. After trialling a pilot programme in 2014, the PDP builds upon the nationally consistent framework for teacher performance and development formulated by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), incorporating elements of Positive Education and extending the programme to Cocurricular Activities and Pastoral Care at Corio. Kay has seen the impact of the PDP first-hand. The longserving staff member and former Head of Connewarre House was appointed Head of Professional Learning and Planning at Corio in 2013. “The PDP has shifted the focus from evaluation to growth,” she explained. “It is rigorous and it does require
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consistent effort, but it is really about making us all better teachers.” In particular, Kay highlighted the success of classroom observations by colleagues (walkthroughs), which encouraged “smart borrowing”, where teachers observe, share and analyse different aspects of their craft. “There is so much expertise at this School and it is amazing what you can learn from observing other teachers,” Kay said. “The doors have opened. There are a lot more conversations about teaching and learning. It can also provide opportunities to observe students that you teach in different environments, which helps with tailoring individual learning strategies.” At the heart of the PDP is the desire to create a strong culture that supports professional learning. “It is the School saying we care about you and your professional development, we support it and we believe that this (the PDP) is the best vehicle to achieve it,” Kay said. Students play a vital role in improving teacher performance by completing surveys as part of the 360-degree review, which includes feedback on the learning environment, use of technology and knowledge of subject. “It has made our learning visible in the classroom, so that the students see and know what we are doing, which I think is important.” She said that the PDP also positions the School at the “cutting edge” of professional learning, making it an education destination for teachers as well as students. “The School has always been a stepping stone for senior positions. The aim is that people will now want to come and work here because they know that they will be supported professionally, they will grow and become better teachers.”
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Eliza Chomley (Yr12 Fr) and Lewis Nicolson (Yr12 Fr) have been friends since joining Geelong Grammar School in 2011 as nervous Year 7 students, excited and overwhelmed by the “huge” Corio campus. From Middle School music concerts to Timbertop hikes, Eliza and Lewis were reunited in Fraser House in Year 10 and they will share their final year at GGS as our 2016 School Captains. How are you settling into your new role as School Captain? Eliza: At first I was quite nervous, especially the prospect of having to write and deliver a speech to the Senior School assembly every few weeks. However, the enormous support and encouragement from teachers and peers throughout Term 1 has helped both of us settle into the role well. Giving speeches has become much less daunting and the ability to practice this skill is something that I am now very grateful for. I have also been pleasantly surprised at how much influence the School Prefects can have on setting the culture and tone in our Houses and the School. Lewis: The official parts of the job like speech writing and meetings do take brain space. I’m definitely learning on the job; to think about issues from all sorts of angles, to say things I mean, to be inclusive and to set and get through an agenda. The leadership group this year is actually a great mix of forthright, decent characters that are also fun to work with, so I think we will do good things for the School. On the lighter side, there are always jibes from friends about being the “skipper” and there’s the odd reasonable request to pull my socks up to set a good example – more literally than metaphorically I think, but I can’t be sure. What do you think makes the School unique? Eliza: I think that it is the strength of the GGS community, and the friendships made within it, that makes the School unique. The secluded nature of our Corio and Timbertop campuses, coupled with the sheer amount of time we spend interacting with each other, mean it’s inevitable that we build strong relationships. An example of this is the House Music competition in Term 1. As each House got up to perform, their pride and unity was obvious, resulting in some incredible performances. Although a very competitive competition, the supportive applause that each House received from the rest of the School was indicative of the inclusive community we strive to be.
Is there a particular aspect of the School and/or school life that you feel strongly about? Lewis: GGS gives you a lot of opportunities to develop who you are and who you want to be. I think it’s important we don't let that pass us by. It's a pretty special feature of this place and it’s a shame if we don’t fully recognize it until we’ve left. Eliza: A fundamental aspect of our School, and something I think we excel at, is giving to those less fortunate. There are many student run charities and projects supporting people in need in our local community and overseas, with casual clothes days and bake sales being a regular occurrence. Last year I took part in the annual Lorne 160, where a group of Year 11 students spend a term raising funds for a local charity of their choice, culminating in a 160-kilometre relay run to Lorne and back. We managed to raise over $60,000 for Ladder Geelong, which was extremely gratifying for everyone in the Lorne 160 team and everyone in the School community who played a part in this success. We are so lucky to lead the privileged lives we do, so I think giving back is a necessary and important aspect of our School. It is quite unusual to have School Captains from the same house. What was your reaction when it was announced? Lewis: I loved the controversy this caused. It really was hot gossip! Questions like “is that even allowed?” and “how can two day kids be the captains?” made me chuckle. And I guess in some ways it is a bit odd, but I do love the fact that Eliza and I are in the same House and know each other so well, because we can communicate very freely. I’d like to think we make a good duo!
Lewis: I think that the mix of co-educational, boarding and day students, creates a pretty relaxed vibe around the community. I think the co-ed system in particular keeps our egos and selfinterests in line, which is definitely a good thing! I also love how interconnected the students and teachers are – the teachers here are very willing to give you a hand and their enthusiasm often rubs off onto us.
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THE FOCUSED MIND
The focused mind is the most powerful instrument in the universe according to American neuro-anatomist Jill Bolte Taylor. Teaching our children how to be mindful, to appreciate quiet and find inner awareness through mindful meditation is an important element of our whole-school approach to Positive Education. Mindful meditation consultant Janet Etty-Leal designs lessons that help children at our junior campuses to develop and maintain healthy, happy minds – to find moments of sustained focus, silence and stillness. “Never before have children faced so many distractions; there are so many challenges in terms of them developing an ability to focus and think deeply,” Janet explained. “Lessons are designed to cultivate inner skills for students to effectively meet outer demands and connect to ways to thrive. The skills of mindful meditation support children to grow alert, resourceful minds – minds that can skilfully focus on every aspect of life to enhance their abilities and talents.” Term 1 lessons at Bostock House focused on teaching children about being in the present, sharing American poet John Beecher’s famous quote that “strength is a matter of a made-up mind”. Janet explained that to make up our mind, it is vital to know where our mind is at any point in time. “Often the mind is not well-behaved,” she said. “Using a large awareness dial, students reflected on all the places a mind can go. Often, it is not present. A favourite place for the mind to escape is the future, where it can imagine all kinds of fun or fear-filled possibilities, or to connect to the past, where all kinds of pleasurable or painful memories can take over our focus. The dial provides a visual prompt for students to pause and remember where they are placing their attention.”
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Meet Rachel George Head of Toorak Campus
The best part of Rachel George’s day happens before the school bell. Each morning, the new Head of Toorak Campus stands beside the flagpole near the Jackson Street entrance welcoming “all the happy children and parents” as they arrive for school. “They greet me with a really big smile and some of them come running up to say ‘Good morning Mrs George’ and shake my hand. It is just a great way to start the day and really reminds me of why I chose this career – it is about the kids and seeing their joy to come to school and learn. That gets me out of bed every morning.” Rachel was Deputy Head of Junior Schools (Teaching and Learning) at Caulfield Grammar School for three years, where she oversaw the introduction of the Primary Years Programme (PYP) of the International Baccalaureate (IB). “Inquirybased learning and the PYP is fundamentally aligned with my beliefs about education,” Rachel said. “My strong belief is that student advocacy and putting the student first is at the centre of learning. I want to empower our students; to give them choice, to give them a voice and to encourage them to be active participants in the learning process. With that comes responsibility and accountability and ownership. I think that is really important. It is about having high expectations of our children and asking them to drive their learning by building a curriculum where they question and wonder and get excited about learning and therefore are more engaged.” LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Toorak Campus was the first school in Victoria to introduce the PYP, which is an inquiry-based curriculum framework that combines intellectual rigour and high academic standards with creativity and curiosity. Rachel believes the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) plays a vital role in not only developing standards and practices, but also plugging Toorak Campus into the latest education research, technologies and learning strategies. “The IBO isn’t just a governing body, it’s a partnership,” she said. “We’re part of an organization that thinks big and filters that down to us.” She also believes there is a strong link between the PYP and Positive Education. “Pos Ed and the PYP speak the same language and they complement each other. One of my major challenges is to integrate them and show how they connect and work together.” From age six, Rachel always knew she wanted to be a teacher. “I love teaching, so I try to spend as much time as possible with the kids and in the classroom. That’s not always easy in this role but I have every child’s birthday recorded in my calendar, so I make sure I visit their class and wish them happy birthday. To nurture strong, authentic, personal relationships with the 320 students here and their families is really important to me. I want children to know that they can come and talk to me. I want them to be excited to come and share what they did on the weekend or what they have learnt in class.”
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Meet Michelle Phillips Head of Middle School
I am a passionate educator with a special interest in personalised, inquiry-driven curriculum. I began my teaching career in South Africa, where I taught in private and public, boys-only and coeducational schools. My interest in inquiry learning was sparked while teaching in New Zealand. This stems from a belief that students learn if they are interested in and connected to the topic and content they are being taught. After teaching in New Zealand, I moved to Singapore, where I taught in international schools. It was here that I was introduced to the International Baccalaureate (IB) and, more specifically, the Primary Years Programme (PYP). The values of the IB resonated with me. I saw students who were not only motivated to learn, but intrinsically able to demonstrate cultural understanding and respect as they were required to get along with each other in very small spaces. As an IB educator, I have had the opportunity of working with teachers all over the Asia Pacific to help them develop an understanding of curriculum and philosophies of learning. Most recently, I have lectured at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at The University of Melbourne. I moved with my family to Melbourne in 2007, accepting a job at Firbank Grammar, where I was Head of Junior School at the Brighton Campus; a girls-only campus from Early Learning to Year 6. I continued my IB journey at Firbank, taking the School through IB authorisation and evaluation.
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Through my research and working with teachers, using theories of learning and best practice, I have formed a personal philosophy of education. My core belief is that all we do in a school should focus around purpose for our students. This encompasses teaching, learning and assessing. Teachers should use testing to establish not only where a student is at but, more importantly, where they need to go next. Planning for learning has become somewhat of a science as we move away from a one size fits all model of learning. Student engagement and voice are also important to me. I believe that students who have a say in their learning and can take responsibility for it are more engaged. I also believe that students don’t learn in the blocks or subjects that we set for them. Therefore, any connection we can make between content, skills and understandings and the world around them is more relevant and makes more sense to our learners. I already know that my key values in education are aligned to the Middle School philosophy and I look forward to working with the students and teachers to further explore how best to continue to improve the teaching and learning at Geelong Grammar School. Michelle Phillips Head of Middle School
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MUSIC MONDAY Music is a vital part of every child’s education. There are thousands of studies suggesting that playing an instrument develops physical and mental facility, promotes brain development, enhances listening and impacts academic achievement in a very positive way. Aside from these aspects, it is both challenging and rewarding, frustrating and affirming, and celebrates the individual’s contribution to the greater whole. Perhaps these contrasts are part of the ‘muse’ that is inherent in music. The Middle School Music Programme, perhaps uniquely in Australia, involves all Middle School students in ensemble music making on a weekly basis. Monday afternoons are an exciting time at GGS – music can be heard everywhere. The students are coached by 30 musical experts across 12 ensembles, including bands, orchestras, guitar ensembles and percussion groups.
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Our students have gained many musical and personal skills from their participation in the programme. Aspects such as instrument technique, musical literacy, aural skills and rehearsal etiquette have been important; commitment, teamwork, punctuality and respect for others have also been developed. Many students have participated with enthusiasm and have found this experience enriching, challenging and inspiring! For some students, the opportunity to play an instrument in a music group will be one of the most important experiences of their time at Geelong Grammar School and will continue to be a part of their lives for years to come. The programme has started many musical journeys – who knows where some of these journeys may lead? Dr Kevin Cameron Coordinator of Middle School Curriculum and Instrumental Music
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UP TIMBERTOP
On Thursday, we went on our very first real hike up Mt Timbertop. We made our breakfast (with powdered milk), pulled down our tents, marked our maps and packed our packs. We had everything we needed to survive in the bush – both in our packs and in our knowledge. We set off at about 7.45am after a 5.30am start. We had made a plan and so we set off on our way knowing exactly where we were meant to go – or so we thought. As we headed off we started talking about how excited we were, not paying much attention to the maps. I was the leader and I knew where we were meant to be going but it wasn’t until we reached a gate that wasn’t on our map that we realised we weren’t actually on the path we had planned to go on. We found where we were on the map and saw that even though we weren’t on the original path we were still going to end up in the same place, so we continued. There were about four other groups that had taken the wrong path just like us and we all decided to continue. About an hour later when we reached the intersection where our original path and our current path crossed, we decided to stop for a break. It was only then that the sessionals (the outdoor education staff that supervise us on hikes) told us we would need to go back down the path that we were meant to take because we had to check in with the staff there. This meant another hour of hiking. Surprisingly, there was no negativity from our group and we actually spent the whole trip to the checkpoint laughing and running. We thought we were the lucky ones since the four other groups that had taken the wrong path had kept on going up the mountain and would have to come all the way back to the checkpoint. It was only after we finally came back to the intersection that we were told that we hadn’t actually needed to go back. This news was annoying but we had so much positivity in our group it was creepy, so we just started singing some Taylor Swift and started up the mountain, again.
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The mountain was steep, hard and exhausting but definitely not impossible. Still, the whole way our group kept laughing – one of the teachers had told us that smiling makes you feel less tired so we decided that we would smile the whole way up. When we got to the top the views were incredible, as well as the ability to now stop and sit, but what was most exciting was the feeling of accomplishment that took over all of us. We were greeted with massive hugs from the rest of our Unit as they had arrived at the summit 20 minutes before us. Together, as a Unit, we all sat down and prepared our lunch from the hike food we had been carrying around for the past few days and let me tell you, it had never tasted as good as it did in that moment. It will be the memory of our Unit sitting together, laughing and puffing, at the top of that massive mountain that we climbed, looking out over the view of the land we will walk all around during the year to come, that I will never forget. If every hike is going to be as good as our first I cannot wait to see what the rest of my year will be like. Maddy Atkins (Yr9 J Unit)
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Meet Amanda Scott Director of Student Wellbeing
Our new Director of Student Wellbeing, Amanda Scott, was recently asked where her passion for teaching came from. “I didn’t know I was going to become a teacher,” Amanda confessed. “I thought I was going to be an actress. I have a theory that those teachers who really, really know how to set a classroom on fire are often just frustrated actors.” However, Amanda knew she had found her perfect stage when she stood in front of a classroom for the very first time. “You manage your class from day one, you’re responsible for these little people and are expected to get on with it,” she said. Graduating from Oxford University in 1991 with a degree in Theology, Amanda commenced her post-graduate teaching rounds in the Oxfordshire state school system. “After 16 weeks of teaching rounds I thought to myself, ‘I think I can do better than this’.” She promptly applied for an Australian passport and arrived in Melbourne with only her backpack. She stayed with family friends at Emu Creek, near Bendigo, and got a job teaching English at Wesley College, often commuting between Melbourne and her “home base” in Bendigo. “It was a fairly schizophrenic existence, living in St Kilda, working in Glen Waverley, and trying to be this grown up person when I was only 22.” In 1996, at just 25 years of age, Amanda was appointed Head of Girls’ Boarding at Girton Grammar School in Bendigo.
The role had its challenges, but there was no acting required for Amanda to embrace the ebb and flow of the boarding house. Amanda’s father was a diplomat for the British Foreign Office and family life was peripatetic. When she was 11, her father was posted to Pakistan and Amanda was enrolled in an all-girls boarding school in Winchester. Unlike today, the only communication was via letter. There was no email or Skype. “I would write my letter Sunday evenings, which would then have to go through the diplomatic bag and mostly make air mail by Thursday. As there were only two flights a week to Islamabad then, it worked out to be a minimum of a three-week turnaround for mail,” she said. “There was no question of ever phoning anyone. I never got any phone calls at school. Occasionally, I would go and stay with my elderly grandparents, who were loving but not very demonstratively affectionate. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Amanda has arrived at Corio impressed by the impact of Positive Education, co-education and the focus on kindness, forgiveness and reparation in relationship management. “I have come into a school where the whole ethos fits with how I like to teach kids,” she explained. “Geelong Grammar School take pastoral care very seriously. Behaviour management is done through conversation and communication, which is how I try to operate.” Kendyl Hopley
*This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on the beStella website
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Service is a pillar of life at Geelong Grammar School. From the Lorne 160 - which raised more than $61,000 for Ladder Geelong in 2015 - to the various house charities and the CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) element of the IB Diploma, service is at the heart of much of what we do. On a handful of Sundays in Term 1, students in Years 10-12 spend the afternoon doorknocking for charity. One such charity supported is the Red Cross; namely the Red Cross Calling campaign. Red Cross Calling raises much-needed funds for disaster relief in Australia. The prospect of knocking on a stranger’s door to ask them for a donation can be daunting and Charity captain Izzy Hope (Yr12 Cl) believes instilling confidence in the students prior to the doorknock was a necessary aspect of the planning process. “We had to plan around two weeks in advance so that all Charity captains could create zones for the students in their House, to make sure we were able to reach as many houses as possible without there being any overlaps,” Izzy explained. “We also had to plan out bus routes and get everyone prepared and confident before they set out on a doorknocking adventure.”
“Ordinarily they are required to go to Chapel, but we consider the doorknock to be Chapel worship in action,” senior chaplain Eleanor O’Donnell said. GGS has supported the Red Cross in various forms for almost 80 years and has participated in the Red Cross Calling campaign for many years since its inception in 1969. GGS students have raised almost $193,000 in the 18 years since records have been kept, with an average of around $11,000 raised each year. Each Senior School House at the School has its own Charity captains and they meet regularly as a group to organise events and brainstorm fundraising ideas (among other things). Having joined GGS in Year 11, Izzy brings a new set of eyes to the School’s fundraising efforts and believes she can introduce new and innovative ideas while remaining true to those that have come before her. “In the Kurt Hahn philosophy, which inspired Timbertop, he believes service plays a crucial role in education. We live in a world full of people and we have to learn to work together and help one another in order for everything to work efficiently. “I think that it is important we show passion towards service and really strengthen its importance in society. I believe I have some innovative ideas to offer GGS in terms of fundraising and other charitable organisations we could create links with and so this year, in the upcoming term, I hope to implement some of these thoughts.”
Senior School students typically attend chapel every Sunday. The days spent doorknocking could be classed as a chapel excursion.
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WORSHIP IN ACTION
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CREATIVE PARTNERSHIPS When Geelong Grammar School invited Professor Martin Seligman to Corio in 2008, he brought with him a relatively new but established field, called Positive Psychology. Over time, initially in collaboration with Professor Seligman and his team from the University of Pennsylvania, but increasingly under its own steam, the School transformed the science of Positive Psychology into the practice of Positive Education. Creativity is one of the 24 character strengths identified by Seligman and Dr Chris Peterson in their landmark publication, Character Strengths and Virtues, regarded as the “backbone of Positive Psychology”. It is also the least researched. Our journey through creativity and innovation, leading to Creative Education, is therefore a journey into the unknown. With no consensus from the world of creativity, which resides primarily in the fields of business, psychology, the arts and engineering, and with little work done in the field of education, there is no clear path to follow. However, with any new journey, it is possible to seek advice from guides who can give some ideas of which paths to explore. A large part of my work as Coordinator of Creativity and Innovation last year was not only to read widely across the fields of creativity and innovation, but to also look for guides. It was essential that these guides had a genuine interest in education and a willingness to collaborate, in addition to expertise in creativity and innovation. I would like to introduce you to our experts in the field, who will be not only guiding our journey, but making discoveries along the way. They will also be our friends and colleagues as we work together to develop the field of Creative Education. It is always good to have experts who know the local landscape. The Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE) at The University of Melbourne has an international reputation for excellence and innovation in education. Associate Professor in Mathematics Education, Wee Tiong Seah, is the Leader of the Mathematics Education Group. Wee Tiong has been very active in mathematics education research in Australia and Asia. He is also member of the Federal Government’s Expert Advisory and Research Group, providing advice in matters relating to the teaching and learning of mathematics and numeracy in schools. One of his key areas of interest is in how students value particular subjects. It is difficult for a student to be creative in a subject that has no value to them. This will be part of the research we are conducting at Geelong Grammar School. Associate Professor Neryl Jeanneret is the Head of Music Education at the MGSE. She has a passionate interest in new and creative pedagogies in the arts, which, despite being “creative industries” often have conservative teaching practices. She has published widely on creativity in arts education, including with the NSW Department of Education and UNESCO. She was a co-creator of the survey on teacher attitudes toward creativity which Geelong Grammar School has now had completed by over 2,000 teachers across the globe.
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Associate Professor of Engineering Innovation at the University of South Australia, David Cropley, is an internationally recognised expert on creativity and innovation. His teaching interests focus on systems engineering and related concepts, and his research examines a range of aspects of creativity and innovation, both in the field of engineering and more broadly, including education. David has appeared on Redesign My Brain (ABC TV), looking at cognitive flexibility and problem solving, and Life at 9 (ABC TV), discussing various aspects of creativity. His books include Creativity in Engineering, Fostering Creativity, The Ethics of Creativity, The Psychology of Innovation in Organisations and Creativity and Crime. David has been conducting workshops in schools in South Australia on creativity in education. He has also worked very closely with Professor James Kaufman, our international Creative Education Adviser. Professor Cropley will be a Southby Visiting Fellow in Term 2. Professor James Kaufman is our international Creative Education Adviser. He is the world’s most published author in the field of the psychology of creativity, and more recently creativity in education. He has authored and co-authored twenty-five books in the field of creativity. Those most relevant to education include Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom, Teaching Creatively and Teaching Creativity, The Neuroscience of Creativity and The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity. James is passionate about the concept of Creative Education and the possibilities at Geelong Grammar School. Our four experts have been working with us to develop the research being undertaken this year with students and staff across all four campuses of Geelong Grammar School. They will be assisting with the development of the teaching modules for staff, which will be online in Term 4 of 2016. We are incredibly fortunate to have such passionate and caring professionals collaborating with us on the next stage of our journey. Dr Tim Patston Coordinator of Creativity and Innovation
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MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE An innovative research partnership between our Institute of Positive Education and the Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development (SEED) at Deakin University is investigating how service to society can foster more fulfilling forms of wellbeing. The project will develop and evaluate a new curriculum module designed around student participation in community action. “Numerous studies indicate volunteering and acts of social contribution are mutually beneficial to the giver and the receiver,” Deakin University’s Chair in Health Psychology, Professor John Toumbourou, explained. “Acts of caring for others and the community seem to develop leadership, resilience, meaning and purpose and promote a stronger sense of identity in those who socially contribute. Wellbeing in this model is identified with caring beyond self-interest not only for self, but for others and the wider community.” The ‘Making the World a Better Place’ project will explore a social model of wellbeing associated with voluntary behaviour intended to benefit another or society as a whole. Beginning in Term 2, 25 volunteer Year 10 students will be paired with 25 volunteer Year 8 students to develop projects that aim to “make the world a better place”. The hypothesis is that evoking and developing caring behaviours in students can foster character development and enhance social, emotional, academic and moral wellbeing. The Year 10 students will mentor and support their partner throughout the process, thus practising “mentoring leadership”. The younger students will have the opportunity to
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practice “social leadership” through their altruistic and caregiving actions. A new measure of “eudaimonic” wellbeing (which focuses on meaning and self-realization) will be used to evaluate positive changes in the students. The students will also have the opportunity to showcase their projects at a special event at the end of Term 3. The two-year project has been generously supported by a grant from the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR). The FRRR has a strategic focus on building social capital in Australian regional communities. FRRR chief executive, Natalie Eagleton, believes that we can’t start soon enough in encouraging children to be creative, active participants in community life. If this year’s pilot is successful, the project will be extended in scope in 2017 and the benefits made available to other interested schools. The research will be co-ordinated by the Institute of Positive Education and led by Dr Bill Hallam at Deakin University. Dr Hallam’s previous research has indicated that adolescents who participate in activities meant to benefit others demonstrate greater emotional competence in young adulthood, which reduces the risk of developing adult anxiety and depression. The project reinforces the School’s pioneering research and development of Positive Education, while also reflecting its timehonoured tradition of service to society as a firm foundation for “the good life”.
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BACK TO BACK The GGS Girls’ 1st VIII claimed consecutive Head of the Schoolgirls titles for the first time since the School won an unprecedented eight consecutive titles between 1994 and 2001. At home on the Barwon, on Sunday 6 March, the crew finished five seconds clear of Loreto College (Toorak) to claim the title they wanted most in 2016. “We could not compete at the nationals this year because it clashes with our Head of the River, so this was our aim and, to be honest, it is about the toughest race (in Australia) to win,” cocoach Rob England said post-race. Co-coach Debbie Clingeleffer Woodford felt that this year’s win was made all the more satisfying by the adversity they had to overcome in the lead-up to the event. “We had some illnesses and injuries but they’re a wonderful group of girls who work together and we were able to bring up a few girls from our reserves,” she explained. The 2016 1st VIII embodies the old saying- “it’s not where you start but where you finish”. The crew featured two members
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from last year’s 1st VIII - Sasha Culley (Yr12 Cl) and Sarah Harte (Yr12 A) - three members from the 2nd VIII - Alice Chirnside (Yr12 Cl), Emma Shippen (Yr12 EM) and Sophie Sutton (Yr12 EM) – three rowers from various Year 10 crews - Serena Brookes (Yr11 Cl), Jane Perrignon (Yr11 EM) and Zoe Treweeke (Yr11 He) - plus Georgie Gubbins (Yr12 He), who was the cox for the Boys’ 3rd VIII in 2015. Of the current Year 11 crew members, Jane was in the Year 10 ‘E’ crew while Zoe was in 10 ‘C’ last year. Following in the footsteps of the all-conquering 2015 Girls’ 1st VIII – who won the Head of the Schoolgirls, Heads of the River and national titles - was always going to be tough, but Sasha believes that this year’s crew was able to establish their own identity from the outset. “Sarah and I both attempted to face this season with a fresh mindset, realizing that it brought a new crew dynamic and different challenges.” “We maintained that although last year’s success may have instilled confidence and determination within the nine of us, in the end, only this year’s work would get us over the line first.” The 2015-16 season concluded for GGS at the Heads of the River regatta, held at Lake Nagambie on Saturday 19 March. While the Boys’ 1st VIII recorded a DNF in the Division 1 final, the girls won their third consecutive title in comfortable fashion. In addition the Girls’ 3rd VIII and Year 10 ‘A’ IV each won their final; the latter being all the more impressive given the fact it was their first season on the water.
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CHASING LAUREN RYAN A talented middle-distance runner, Lauren Ryan (Yr12 Cl) will need to add juggling to her repertoire as she prepares to compete at two separate international competitions in 2016, all while completing her Year 12 studies. Eastern Europe will become Lauren’s second home in the coming months as she travels to Budapest (Hungary) for the World Schools Championships of Cross-Country (April 21-26) and Bydgoszcz (Poland) for the IAAF Under 20 World Championships (July 19-24). Lauren qualified for the Cross-Country event through an 11th place finish at the Australian Cross Country Championships, which followed victories at both the Victorian All Schools Championships and APS Cross-Country final. The event will provide Lauren with valuable experience of competing on the world stage. “While the World Championships in July is my priority (for 2016), the Cross-Country Championships will be a learning experience for bigger and better things in the future.” The Under 20 World Championships fall in this category and Lauren will carry a dual threat into the event, earning a place on the Australian team in both the 1500m and 3000m events. She qualified for the 3000 metres after running at 28-second personal best at her first competitive start over the distance in almost 12 months. While this came as a surprise to some, Lauren’s coach Bruce Scriven always felt that she would get better the further the race went.
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“While the 1500 metres was the focus during the track season, we always knew she was pretty good over 3000 metres and maybe even further,” Bruce said. Lauren had to qualify for the 1500 metre event the hard way, running the required qualifying time at a meet just two weeks before Nationals. From there, she completed the other prerequisite for qualification by finishing in the top two in the Under 20 1500m final at the Australian Junior Track and Field Championships. Following in the footsteps of former training partner Sam Reiser (FB'14), who competed at the 2014 Under 20 World Championships in Oregon, Bruce believes that Lauren’s selfbelief has carried her a long way in pursuit of qualification. “For a long time Lauren believed she would qualify for the World Championships even when others had doubts.” Lauren’s best performances have tended to come against highquality fields; when often she is racing the clock, as much as the competition. When asked if he expects the pressure of a World Championship-calibre field to bring out the best in Lauren, Bruce was cautiously optimistic. “It’s a real test of character to see whether you measure up to that level of competition, but she tends to lift for the big occasions.”
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PARKS AND REC
For Michael it’s the adrenaline rush felt every time he hits the water that appeals about the Bic class. “There is a freedom and an awesome sense of victory over the elements that comes with sailing in this boat.” The brilliant results attained on the water keep him coming back, too.
People can spend their entire lives searching for their true passion. Twotime Olympian Krystal Weir believes her star pupil, Michael Parks (Yr8 Hi), is one of those rare athletes to have found his. In the sporting world there are examples of talented athletes who clearly don’t love what they do. Conversely you need only venture to your local park on a Saturday afternoon to see dozens of athletes with a burning passion for the game, minus the talent required to make a living off it. As Krystal rightly points out; it’s a rare combination. “His enthusiasm and dedication to enhancing his skills is astounding- he is one of the most coachable young sailors I have ever worked with.” Krystal said. Michael began sailing at the age of seven, moving up in class before starting in the O’pen Bic class in 2015. In that time, across various classes and age groups, Michael has won nine state titles and competed in regattas in the UK, France, Spain and the USA, among other locations. The O’pen Bic class derives its name from the manufacturer - BIC Sport - who pride themselves on creating boats that are environmentally-friendly while also providing an exciting format for young competitors. According to Krystal, it provides a self-motivated sailor with a vehicle to develop their skills on the water without having to rely on others. “Sailing a boat single-handedly gives you tremendous grounding for future sailing.” Krystal explained. “It is also a feeder class for Olympic sailing.”
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Michael was put through an arduous training period with Krystal and the Victorian O’pen Bic team in the winter of 2015 to prepare for a hectic schedule involving state championships, the World O’pen Bic Championships and a World Cup of Sailing meet in Melbourne. Fastforward six months and Michael stands with back-to-back Victorian titles, a silver medal from the World Cup of Sailing, a sixth-place finish at the World O’pen Bic Championships and a drive to reach greater heights in 2016. “I have been left with a vigour and drive to take this further,” Michael said. “It is very exciting to be in a position where I can represent Geelong Grammar School and Australia at this level in an awesome and exciting sport.” Next on Michael’s jet-setting agenda? A trip to France in July for the 2016 O’pen Bic World Championships. “I’m hoping to improve on my sixth place finish (in 2015). I have a huge training and conditioning challenge ahead and will need to be at my very best to take on the Europeans on their home waters.”
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The School’s sailing enthusiasts have begun dreaming of a new clubhouse. Buoyed by designs from Peter Elliott Architecture and Urban Design (the firm responsible for designing the SPACE), they have been imagining the waters of Corio Bay gently lapping against a concrete apron extending from a new, single-storey building with storage for four safety boats and twenty rigged pacer sail boats, complete with a motorised stacking system. The proposed clubhouse will include a student briefing area, with seating and audio visual facilities, modern change room facilities for both male and female sailors, as well as an additional upper level with external balcony and communications pod. The new clubhouse will be a big boost for our Sailing programme, significantly enhancing the existing facilities. Above all, it will enable boats to remain with masts up throughout the season, reducing the time it takes students to get on and off the water. The new clubhouse will also become an important part of the School’s Wellbeing Precinct, which includes the Handbury Centre for Wellbeing, Norman Bender Hockey and Tennis Centre and other related recreational areas.
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Past parent John Calvert-Jones AM was announced as Patron of the Sailing Clubhouse Fundraising Committee at the John Brazier Club presentation dinner in March. John has been a long-time supporter of sailing in Australia and has been heavily involved in the Australian Sailing Team – awarded an Order of Merit from the Australian Olympic Committee for his role in the team’s success at the London 2012 Olympics, where Australia topped the sailing medal table with three gold and one silver medal. The building will cost $1.7 million. The School has committed $200,000 towards the project. An anonymous lead gift and subsequent major gift have already been received, leaving $1.3 million to raise from our community. During 2016, the fundraising committee will be seeking gifts for the project and is looking forward to speaking with families who have a special interest in sailing. For further information about how you can support our Sailing Clubhouse project please contact Kathy Hines on 0418 732 236 or email khines@ggs.vic.edu.au.
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SECTION 03 — FOUNDATION
SAILING INTO THE FUTURE
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INSPIRING EXCEPTIONAL FUTURES
It is terrific to see funding for the Toorak Wellbeing Centre coming to hand and realise that we are now very close to having secured $4 million towards the cost of this exciting project. It will be the first Wellbeing Centre on a junior school campus in Australia. I believe it is vital that we provide our children with the skills to journey successfully through a fastchanging world and to help them as they seek to avoid eating disorders, lack of fitness and depression that unfortunately are increasingly prevalent within society.
the School for its next 100 years. At the same time, our bequest numbers have doubled. Exceptional people don’t just happen; they emerge from environments where an exceptional education is provided and from families committed to providing care and vision in equal measure. Life does not just unfold – we nurture our children and young adults and support their journey as best we can. Many of you include support for our School as part of that adventure. Thank you very much for your support and enthusiasm.
Thank you to all those who have made commitments and gifts to help our children navigate life successfully with the help of Positive Education, which is now firmly embedded in our School. The new Toorak Wellbeing Centre will provide additional resources and inspiration for this important work at Toorak. I commend the project to you as worthy of your support.
Of course there is more to do. Scholarships and bequests are two strategic priorities. The new Sailing Facility now joins the Toorak Wellbeing Centre, Positive Education and Visiting Fellows as programmes within our campaign. The Geelong Grammar Foundation is working to support and resource our fine School. Please join us in making a meaningful investment in our students, staff, society and in the future of our world.
This is the fifth and concluding year of our five-year Exceptional Futures comprehensive fundraising campaign and already $27.25 million has been committed and given to help prepare
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Bill Ranken (M’72) Chairman, Geelong Grammar Foundation
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Our philosophy at the Toorak Campus specifically promotes the teaching and learning of wellbeing, underpinned by our Positive Education Model. Our inventive learning programmes proactively facilitate positive health, purpose, relationships, emotions, engagement and accomplishment and support all students to flourish. At Toorak Campus, we learn Positive Education, live it, teach it and embed it in all that we do. A deeper understanding of healthy living, an awareness of self, mindfulness techniques, positive relationships and a zest for mental and physical activity generates a desire in our students to pursue a happy, meaningful life. When young people experience positive physical and emotional health they are more likely to achieve better educational outcomes and cope well with the challenges life throws their way. We know the early years of a child’s education are crucially important and have a profound impact on their wellbeing through the rest of their lives. Exposure to healthy choices at primary education age provides a solid platform to launch behaviours and mindsets that will help our children flourish and lead active, happy and successful lives. In designing the Wellbeing Centre, we have been mindful of recent Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and
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OUR WELLBEING Department of Health statistics. 26% of children aged 5-17 years are overweight or obese. Almost one in seven (14%) of 4-17 year olds were diagnosed with mental illness in the past 12 months. 2.8% of children and adolescents suffer from depression and 7% suffer with anxiety. Our Toorak Wellbeing Centre will have a life-long impact on the wellbeing of our young girls and boys. It will truly nurture our children for exceptional futures. A Wellbeing Centre for Toorak Campus will enhance our Positive Education programme and help students contribute to their world with enthusiasm and conviction. Rachel George Head of Toorak Campus
↓ SECTION 04 —THE MAIL ROOM
Welcome to The Mail Room, a place for our wider School community to share news, notes and pictures of life beyond school. The Mail Room builds on the strong sense of community that we share and the foundation work of our Curator, Michael Collins Persse, who remains our invaluable oracle of information and the source of much of the content within. As a thriving boarding school, our mail rooms at Corio and Timbertop are central to the life of the School and the flow of information, from parent to student and beyond. Long may this continue.
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AN UNCOMMON HISTORY In a well-ordered corner of the Fisher Library’s storage “vault”, amongst the gilt-edged artworks, countless artefacts and dusty books, Jackie Mackinnon (Kelly, Cl’69) and Sue Schudmak (Sproat, Cl’64) are putting the finishing touches to the Clyde School Archives. More than a decade since the COGA History Book Committee was formed, placing a renewed focus on the importance of the Archives, there is a sense that this exceptional resource is nearly complete and is receiving more public enquiries than ever before. “We feel we’ve left an excellent repository of information and memorabilia that has been catalogued for the wider community to access, as this is not just a record of Clyde but of education in this era,” Sue says. “We are continuing on with Old Girls’ days, reunions and updating the register of post-school careers, but the history of the School is a finite thing, simply because it closed in 1975, so we have 65 years (1910-1975) of information to collate and catalogue.” Part social history, part memorabilia collection, part database, the Archives contain everything from student registration forms and photograph albums to engraved sports cups and profiles of the School’s six headmistresses. There is a complete set of the Clyde School/Old Girls’ Association journal, The Cluthan, dating back to 1914. There is all the research material gathered for Miss Olga Hay’s The Chronicles of Clyde (1966) and Melanie Guile’s more recent Clyde School: An Uncommon History (2006), including Old Girls’ questionnaires from 1991 and 2005. There are student diaries, silk house flags, and a first edition of Joan Lindsay (Weigall, Cl’14)’s celebrated Picnic at Hanging Rock (1967), as well as ‘Off Honours’ log books. “I’m in there for sure,” Jackie confesses.
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Jackie inherited the Archives from Betty Clarke (Spiers, Cl’38) in 1985 and it followed her through several house moves before finally finding a permanent home in the Fisher Library at Corio in 1999 (with furniture and memorabilia also on display in Clyde House and the Hawker Library). Jackie says the Archives are Betty’s legacy. In fact they are a remarkable testament to a considerable number of Clyde Old Girls over the years who have given their invaluable time and effort and who, according to Melanie Guile, “refused to let the school die and kept its memory green”. “Clyde School had a magic that wove a spell around the hearts of those who lived and worked there,” Melanie wrote. “And now their determination has ensured that the ‘lost world’ of Clyde emerges from the mist again like a latter-day Brigadoon.”
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1934
Bruce Matear AM (Cu’34), who became a leading Melbourne hotelier, was born on 18 October 1917 and died on 10 August 2015. He was the elder son of Doris née Delaney and Fred Matear, who in 1927 acquired the Australia Hotel in Collins Street after building a family business from a factory in Richmond to a company controlling restaurants, cake shops, and the Green Mill dance hall on the site of the present Arts Centre. After four other schools, starting with Glamorgan (where he boarded at the age of five), he was at GGS from 1929 until, in August 1934, he broke an arm and his father decided to withdraw him. Sidney Myer offered him a job, but died before Bruce could take it up. After other jobs he joined the family company, but from 1938 until November 1944 he was involved in military service, at first in the CMF and from 1942 in the RAAF, though thwarted in his ambition to join an aircrew because he was asthmatic. Several postings ended with his running the Mess at Amberley in Brisbane, feeding 2,000 people. Discharged with the rank of flight lieutenant, he returned to Melbourne and full-time work at the Australia. Typically generous, he gave his deferred RAAF pay to help GGS in its acquisition of Glamorgan. From 1946 he ran a new family enterprise by the Yarra in Alexandra Avenue, where the Dorchester became a fashionable spot for lunches and evening functions until, after 50 years of Matear control, the Melbourne City Council, having altered roads and made access difficult, decided not to renew the licence. In 1955 Bruce married Judith Spry, with whom he had four children, Sara, Anna, Rick, and Kate. The Australia, which had been grandly refurbished in the late 1920s under the direction of Walter Burley Griffin, the designer of Canberra, became one of Australia’s most famous hotels. It underwent further development a decade later, with a shopping arcade stretching underneath from Collins to Little Collins Street. Bruce was chairman of the Australia Centre from 1966 until the eventual sale of the Australia in 1988. Among other public service, he was deputy chairman of the Victorian Government Travel Authority and for more than 30 years a board member of Australia’s national tourist organisation. In 1989 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for services to the tourism industry. A much-loved man, happy in his family life and warmly hospitable in Melbourne and at Sorrento, he is survived by Judy, their four children, and nine grandchildren, including James Avery (FB’05) and Emily Avery (Gl’04), children of Anna. Bruce’s brother, Ian (P’44), died in 1977.
1938
Jean Lester MBE (Cl’38), who was born on 30 November 1920 and died on 5 February 2016, survived her three brothers – Dr John Lester (P’38), who died in 1999, Tim (P’40), who lost his life on active service with the RAAF in 1943, and Bill (P’43; GGS Staff 1952-85), who died in 2012 – and was loved by many friends and relations, particularly Bill’s family, who took great care of her in her later years. The only daughter of Hugh Lester and Marjorie née Ritchie, she spent the first eight years of her life in China, where Hugh worked, and later in Victoria at Dueran, a property near Mansfield and her mother’s family home of Delatite. After four years at Clyde she sailed to England in 1939, intending to study at Oxford, but the war truncated that course and she joined the Women’s Land Army, measuring and managing forests – work for which she and her comrades received belated formal recognition in 2008 from the Prime Minister Gordon Brown. She was home in Australia before her mother died late in 1945, but returned to England the following year with her father. A brief visit to Australia in 1953 included hitch-hiking from Alice Springs to Darwin. She came back for her cousin Geoffrey Ritchie’s wedding in 1957, when she was recommended to the wife of the Governor-General as an ideal private secretary – a post she continued to fill for Lady Slim’s successors: Lady Dunrossil, Lady De L’Isle, Lady Casey, and Dame Alexandra Hasluck; becoming a vital member of each Vice-Regal Household. Later she worked for Bettina Gorton, wife of the Prime Minister, John (P’30), and for the ANU Vice-Chancellor Sir Leonard Huxley. Jean came to love Canberra, retiring there until, in her 80s, it proved wise to be near Bill. At a service of thanksgiving for her life, in an address from which much of this information comes, her nephew Richard Lester (P’79) spoke of his “vision of her (in Canberra) purposefully walking in Red Hill with her dogs (Cairn Terriers), Maisie and Laura (who had their own holiday home at Government House), uncomplainingly wearing out six titanium hips and a dozen pairs of Dunlop KT26s”. In her final years she was well cared for at Sheridan Hall in Brighton. Her keen intelligence and combination of affectionate bluntness with genteel propriety, and her ability to make others laugh, meant that friendship with her was still a delight. Knowing as they did that hearing is often the last sense to go, Bill’s family would read to her from his memoir of their childhood, the enchanting book Do 30, Dad!
1939
Digby Charles Johns (P’39), who was born on 15 February 1923 and served with distinction during the Second World War, died on Tuesday 25 August 2015 at the age of 92. He initially served in 21 Light Horse Militia before joining the RAAF on 6 December 1941 to become a fighter pilot in 453 Squadron, flying Spitfires. Following the war, Digby joined the RAN, where he served until 1970, achieving the rank of Captain. He was regarded as one of the outstanding founding members of the RAN Fleet Air Arm (FAA), to which he brought skills honed over the skies of Europe as a fighter pilot. He was married to Pauline and father of Christopher, Dawson and Anne.
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PAST PARENTS’ NETWORK Since its official launch at a gala cocktail party in 2012, the School’s Past Parents’ Network (PPN) has gone from strength to strength. The PPN has grown into a vibrant network of past parents attending a dynamic array of functions each year, both in Australia and overseas, with many becoming enthusiastic supporters and regular attendees. The Network was established to enable all past Geelong Grammar School parents to maintain links, share news, occasionally meet face-to-face for a function, and generally keep in touch with the wider School community. “The Network was established with the very specific purpose of providing a vehicle for parents to keep in touch with one another and with the School after their children had left,” PPN Co-Chair Markela Sargent-Peck said. “It was also to ensure that we capture that collective knowledge and experience for the benefit of the broader GGS family. It’s not too unusual to find people who have been parents at the School for almost a quarter of a century, from the day their eldest started at pre-Prep to the day their youngest left Corio, and undoubtedly for many this connection will continue with grandchildren as they join the School.”
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The PPN most recently hosted an Autumn Cocktail Party at the South Yarra home of Sarah and Ted Watts, parents of Dan (FB’10). In November, the Network hosted an afternoon tea at the Corio residence of the School’s Principal, Stephen Meek and wife Christine, parents of Henry (A’10). In September, the Hong Kong chapter of the PPN met in the offices of Carl Lu, located in the heart of Hong Kong’s International Finance Centre with spectacular views across Victoria Harbour to Kowloon. Carl and wife Frances are parents of Caitlin Lu (O Unit’08).
2 1. Chris Koren (M’70), Debbie Haines, Simon Kemp (Cu’70), Charlie Scudamore and Cathie Kemp 2. Lyn and Rob Backwell (M’81), Shadda and Andrew Abercrombie 3. Suzy Rayment, Ping Chow, Markela Sargent-Peck and Rita Wu 4. 2015 Past Parents’ Network Cocktail Party in Hong Kong
Previous events have been held at the Toorak home of Drew and Shadda Abercrombie, parents of James (Fr’08) and Bayles (P’11); the Mt Macedon property ‘Bolobek’ of Hugh (FB’77) and Brigid Robertson (Gordon, Cl’77), parents of Hugh (FB’04), Catherine Cohen (Robertson, Cl’06) and Hannah (Cl’10); the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club; the Armidale jewellery store of Mandy Catanach (Je’80) and husband Nigel Fish, parents of Liv Fish (He’11); and the East Melbourne home of Anne and Mark Robertson, parents of Will (P’03), Ollie (P’08), and Lachy (P’11). For more information about the Past Parents’ Network please contact PPN Co-Chairs, Markela Sargent-Peck (0408 397 311 or email: markela@tpg.com.au) and Cathie Kemp (0413 626 666 or email: chk3033@tpg.com.au)
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1942
John Darling (P’42), who was born on 7 December 1923 and died on 19 August 2015, gave notable service in several fields after his ten years and a term at GGS, where he was a School Prefect and won Cricket colours. He left school in May 1942 to join the RAAF and became a fighter pilot in the famed 456 Squadron, flying Mosquitoes over Europe in the later stages of the Second World War, rising to the rank of Flight Lieutenant and mentioned in dispatches. He went on to a succession of roles through his long life: merchant banker (a founder of Schroder Darling) and mentor to others who rose to prominence in the banking industry; chairman (1969-87) of British Petroleum Australia; a long-serving member of the Council of the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales; an international agri-business pioneer; one of the visionaries in the Australian film industry (he chaired the Australian Film Development Corporation from 1970-75); a member of the Council of the ANU (1967-75) and the Advisory Board of CSIRO (1969-75); and founder in 1982 of The Lord’s Taverners Australia, promoting cricket among young and disadvantaged people (his uncle Joe Darling had captained Australia). At GGS he is gratefully remembered for his leadership of two big School Development Appeals in the 1960s. His father, Harold Darling (brother of Leonard, whose son Gordon died twelve days after John), was chairman of BHP from 1922-49. Among John’s survivors in four generations are his third wife, Sally née Bragg; the children of his first wife, John (P’70), Mark (FB’71), Juliet, and Camilla; their mother, Elizabeth (Susie), sister of the late John Yencken (M’43) and Professor David Yencken (Co’43); and his second wife, Angela née Dale. Among John’s many interests were farming, golf (with a handicap of five), and skiing.
1943
Tom Legoe DSM (M’43), who was born on 20 August 1925 and died on 21 April 2015, belonged to two South Australian families well represented in the pastoral industry and at GGS. The eldest son of Richard Glen Legoe and his wife, Mollie, sister of Sir Tom Barr Smith (M’22), he was followed at Corio by his brothers, Christopher AO, QC (M’46) and Mark (M’53). In turn, Tom and his wife, Patricia née Nott, sent their sons, Robert (M’67), Tony (M’69), and Sam (M’78), to the School; and six grandchildren have followed. As Tony said at a memorial service, his father was one who “put others before himself ”. At Corio, he was a School Prefect, won a prize for General Knowledge, and was awarded Colours for Rowing, Football, and Athletics (winning the mile race at the Combined Sports and breaking the School record for the cross-country). In 1944, he enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy and joined HMAS Australia, where Alastair Mackenzie (Cu’41) was the ship’s radar officer. In the battle of Lingayan Gulf, Tom’s job was to sight the lethal Japanese aerial attacks and
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direct the fire of the gun crews against them. In May 1945, not yet 20 but now an Able Seaman (and lightweight boxing champion in his ship’s crew of 848), he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal “for gallantry in the face of the enemy and for setting an example of wholehearted devotion to duty”. While studying Agricultural Science, he was Adelaide University’s half-mile champion, in 1947 breaking its mile record, and in the Australian Championships in Perth running the half-mile in 1 minute 59.8 seconds (he was still running when he carried the Olympic torch through Penola in 2000). In 1949 he married, and with Patricia moved to the property Ballogie, near Lucindale. He was much involved in community life and played for the Lucindale Football Club, becoming its president. He was Akela to the local cubs, district commissioner of scouts, and active for the local school, RSL, Legacy, CFS, and the Anglican Church. He presided over many OGG events in the east of South Australia, and everybody who attended was the happier for his presence.
1948
Ruth de Fégely OAM (Beggs, He’48), who was born on 27 January 1931 and died on 23 January 2016, was a daughter of Elsie née Shaw and Arthur Beggs CBE (P’25), a noted pastoralist and chairman of the Council of Marcus Oldham Farm Management College. She was followed by a brother and sister, Robert Beggs AM (FB’53) and the late Rosie Broadbent (Beggs, He’55). After early childhood at the family properties Niawanda and then Buln Gherin, near Beaufort, she was a leading girl at The Hermitage. In 1953 she married Richard de Fégely (FB’47) and went to live at his family property, Quamby, near Ararat. Together they had three sons – Charles (FB’72), Robert (FB’74), and Philip (FB’78) – and a life of largely shared but also individual community service. Dick, who died in 2012, was the Liberal member for Ballarat in the Victorian Legislative Council from 19851999. In his tribute at a service of thanksgiving for Ruth’s life, Philip said that his mother did every conceivable job for the Liberal Party – “doorknocking, fundraising, handing out ‘how to vote’ cards, policy assembly, pre-selection panel, admin council, women’s section, women’s council Chair, country vice-president – just to name some!” She became a life governor of the Ararat Hospital, was a board member of what is now known as Children and Family Services for Ballarat and district, supplied Meals on Wheels, helped found McGregor House in Ararat for people with disabilities, and was a life member of the Ararat Ark Toy Library for children with special needs. She and Dick retired to Point Lonsdale, and Cottage by the Sea joined her special interests. A 50-year service award in 2015 from the Red Cross was preceded by a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2007, “for service to politics through the Liberal Party and to the community of Ararat”. Much loved by family and friends, Ruth is survived by her sons and daughtersin-law, ten grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Her bold approach to life reflected that of a maternal ancestor, Mary Reibey, one of Sydney’s remarkable early citizens (depicted on Australia’s $20 note). As Philip said in his eulogy, when Ruth put her mind to something “she was formidable… (and) threw herself into the cause, no matter how large the challenge, with bold enthusiasm, good grace, and a wonderful sense of humour”.
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↓ Janet McCulloch OAM (Low Cl’51) was named Ballarat Senior of the Year in September 2015, following her Ballarat Senior Volunteer Award and her Ballarat Arts Foundation annual Denis Bateman Award. Janet is president of the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery Women’s Association and a committee member of the Ballarat Theatre Organ Society. An active volunteer with Uniting Care, she arrived in Ballarat as a police officer in 1966 and helped found the local branch of the Children’s Protection Society.
1952
Anne Kantor (Murdoch, Cl’52), of Kew, Victoria, was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2016 Australia Day Honours “for distinguished service to the community through philanthropic support for a range of environmental, social welfare, arts and educational organisations, and to psychotherapy”.
1957
Dr Peter Frederick George Pratten (FB’57), of Mosman Park, Western Australia, was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2016 Australia Day Honours “for significant service to medicine, particularly in the field of radiology as a practitioner, to education, and to professional bodies”. Janet Charlotte Thomson (He’57), of Malvern East, Victoria, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2016 Australia Day Honours “for service to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, through a range of roles”.
1959
Arthur Penderill Charles (M’59), who was a chief executive of the merchant bank Schroders Australia and member (1975-82) of the GGS Council, is the author of a series of children’s books about ‘Poucher and Big Guy’, which started publication in 2009 with the adventures of a kangaroo and a man. Three volumes of Poucher and Big Guy’s Little Book of Big Ideas, containing Chinese and English proverbs, have been published, illustrated by Kate Anderson, wife of Alan (Bill) Anderson (M’59).
1961
Christina Hindhaugh OAM (Beggs, Cl’61), widely known as Petee, who was born in 1944 and died on 31 July 2015, was the youngest child of Sandford Beggs (P’24) and Helen née Seeck, following Tamie Fraser AO (Beggs, He’53), Hugh Beggs AM (M’55), and Eda Ritchie AM (Beggs, Cl’59). Petee was captain in 1961 of Clyde School, for which she spoke – sometimes in verse – on some of its principal commemorative occasions. In 1985, nearly a decade after the amalgamation of her school with GGS and The Hermitage, she assured a large audience that, despite all fears to the contrary,
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the rare and endangered Australian bird, “Clyda Old Girla Robusta, otherwise known as the Red-Faced Blue-Tailed Woodend Warbler”, was in fact “alive and well – and in no immediate danger of extinction”. Melanie Guile, in her 2006 book Clyde School 1910-1975: An Uncommon History, wrote that Christina “became a respected author, playwright and public speaker”. Her works include four books, two plays, and a documentary film, The First Eleven, about the Aboriginal cricket team which toured England in 1868. In 1998, she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study commercial herb growing and established a successful rosemary enterprise. She and her husband, Christopher Hindhaugh (Cu’59), brought up their children at his family property, Englefield, near Hamilton: Julia Petrov (Cl’88; GGS Staff, Timbertop, 1994-96), Eda Williamson (Cl’91), and James (Cu’93) – all of whom survive her with their spouses and seven grandchildren. She and Chris moved for what proved her last years, in which she fought gallantly against cancer, to Buninyong, but returned often to Englefield, now run by James. Petee was at the heart of an enormous world of family and friends, united by love and admiration for her integrity and achievements, her humour, her honesty, and her courageous spirit.
1966
Ian McLean MacKinnon (M’66), of Launceston, Tasmania, was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2016 Australia Day Honours “for significant service to primary industry, particularly to crop research and policy development, and to agricultural advisory committees”. It is very sad to have to record his death – in a farm accident – a few weeks later.
1967
Richard Congreve (FB’67), who was born on 11 November 1950, passed away peacefully at home on 17 November 2015, having been diagnosed with cancer in April of that year. Richard was born in Deniliquin to Sonia (Landale, Cl’36) and Walter Richard Congreve. He grew up on the family property, Chippenham Park, with his brother Simon (P’63) and sister Serena, and returned to rural life after finishing school to jackaroo at Oolambeyan, Pooginook and Raby Stations. Richard’s engineering mind led him to a varied career; from designing and building CaraBoats (trailer houseboats) in Deniliquin and houseboats in Tocumwal to installing pumps for the cotton industry and working in research and development with the CSIRO in Moree. He worked on various commercial and residential projects throughout his life, his proudest being at the Zammit Senior Centre at The Peninsula School as Project Manager, which was a fitting conclusion to his diverse career. Richard was a community-minded man and was president of the Rotary Club of Moree-on-Gwydir, a member of the Gwydir SES, and warden at St James the Less Anglican Church in Mount Eliza. Richard attended the 50-year Timbertop Reunion in March 2015 with his wife, Robbie, which he enjoyed immensely, having also attended the 40-year Timbertop Reunion 10 years earlier. He and Robbie renewed their wedding vows on their 23rd anniversary on 1 August 2015. He is survived by Robbie and their children: Cle, Bronte and Darcy.
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1951
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1967
Jamie Grant (M’67) has written a poetic tribute to his mother Noel Grant, ‘Légion d’Honneur’, published in the April 2016 edition of Quadrant. Noel was an officer in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and “the first woman among the Allied forces who came to liberate Paris at the end of the Second World War”. In 2015, she was the sole woman among the Australians honoured by the French Government as Chevaliers of the Legion for heroic service to the Resistance. The widow of Elliot (Joe) Grant DFC (M’34; GGS Council 1963-65, 1967-77), she is also the mother of Jane, Patrick (M’70), Sandy (M’72), and Kirstie (Je’77). A fresh collection of Jamie’s work, Glass on the Chimney and Other Poems (Hardie Grant), was published in 2014.
1969
Jackie Mackinnon (Kelly, Cl’69) won first prize in the Formed Work category of the 2016 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show Sculpture Exhibition for her sculpture ‘Feeling Infinite’.
1975
Mark Harman Thompson (M’75), of Canberra, was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2016 Australia Day Honours “for significant service to science as a satellite communications engineer through programme management and design”. Justin Holt MBE (Bostock’75) has retired from the Royal Marines after 30 years of active service, most recently as the Deputy Commander of a Special Operations Task Force to counter the spread of Islamic State in Syria. Justin has held a variety of command and staff positions with the Royal Marines (the amphibious troops of the Royal Navy, acknowledged as one of the world's élite commando forces), the majority of whom have been in the Middle East. His first deployment was in the Persian Gulf in 1988, then in northern Iraq with the Kurds in 1991, followed by two years in Northern Ireland, two tours in Oman, the second as a springboard into Afghanistan after 9/11, for the first of two deployments; from there he also led the British contingent of the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Aside from these command positions he has been engaged in the policy field of the Ministry of Defence in the International Policy Plans section.
1976
Ros Adams (Ritchie, Cl’76) of Ros Ritchie Wines presented a range of her award-winning wines at the Melbourne Cricket Club’s 10th Women in Wine function in the MCG’s Long Room in February. Ros established Ros Ritchie Wines in 2008 after 25 years as the winemaker at her family’s Delatite Winery, which is now owned by her brother David Ritchie (P’80). A member of the Geelong Grammar Foundation Board since 2004, Ros is renowned for her cool climate wines, particularly her riesling, gewürztraminer and pinot gris, which have won numerous awards both in Australia and overseas. Most recently, her 2014 riesling won a bronze medal at the 2015 Royal Melbourne Wine Awards.
1974
Jim Darby (A‘74), the author of Light Blue Generations: A History of The Old Geelong Grammarians (Third Millennium, 2014), divides his working time between Fairfax Media, where he is a production editor for Traveller, and a studio at Mount Macedon where he writes about snowsports, lifestyle and history. He is the author of two mountain resort histories (Thredbo and Mt Buller) and is working on a second volume for Mt Buller, covering the families with three or more generations involved in the mountain. Jim is also a CFA volunteer at Mount Macedon, where he is currently the brigade captain. Light Blue Generations, a painstakingly researched publication illustrated by previously unpublished photographs, weaves the history of the OGGs with that of the School, tracing the development of the School and the role of the OGG Association within that development. Copies can be purchased through the Geelong Grammar School shop on 03 5273 9329 or email: uniformshop@ggs.vic.edu.au RRP $49.00 plus postage.
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40 YEAR TIMBERTOP REUNION In 1975 and 1976, Timbertop transitioned from Year 10 to Year 9, and the first units for girls were opened: J and K Units. To enable the transition, three year groups attended Timbertop for two terms each of what was then a three-term school year. On April 9, the group who attended Timbertop in Year 9 in Term 3, 1975, and Year 10 in Term 1, 1976, returned to Timbertop for their 40th reunion. In Term 3, 1975, the first girls attended Timbertop from The Hermitage and in Term 1, 1976, they were joined by girls from Clyde School. 17 of those 28 girls returned for the reunion.
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The strong bond of friendships formed at Timbertop was abundantly clear and there were many highlights from the reunion, including the ascent of Mt Timbertop by 38 of the group, including the inspiring George Chirnside (M’78) on crutches, as he had done it while at Timbertop. Many thanks go to the reunion organisers; Jane Kelynack (Cl’78), Phil de Fégely (FB’78), Will Wilson (P’78) and especially Andrew Sleigh (M’78), whose determination ensured the reunion was exclusively for this group, not a combination of all who attended Timbertop in 1976.
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1. Sue Plowman (Parker, Je’78), Brad McCusker (FB’78), Sara McMillan (Je’78), Lindy Elliott (Je’78), Jane Brockhouse (Cl’78) and Sarah Guthrie (Kelly, Cl’78) 2. Andrew Sleigh (M’78) and George Chirnside (M’78) 3. The girls in front of J and K units 4. Angus Reid (Cu’76) and Jane Kelynack (Cl’78) 5. Tim Sullivan (FB’77), Scott McFadden (Timbertop ’75) and Sam Legoe (M’78) 6. Hedge Thompson (Cl’78) and James Langley (Fr’78) 7. Climbing Mt Timbertop
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1982
Julian Twigg (FB/L’82) added to his already considerable reputation as a painter of marine and maritime scenes in Port Phillip with an exhibition, Painting the Bay, at Melbourne’s Australian Galleries in Collingwood from 23 February-13 March 2016. After 10 months capturing St Kilda streetscapes from the turret of The George Hotel for an exhibition at the St Kilda Town Hall in July-August 2015, Julian revisited favourite vantage points, under the lighthouse at the St Kilda marina and looking out from the boatshed at Sorrento. He returned to Corio as part of the Artist-in-Residence (AIR) programme in 2012.
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30 YEAR REUNION
1 1. Roz Yunghanns (Morrison, Cl’85), Penny Larritt (Backwell, Cl’85), Natalie Fisher (Je’85) and Angie Spry (Ga’85) 2. Cath Rose (McVey, A’85), George Brierley (Falkiner, Je’85) and Kirby Roper (Foreman, Cl’85) 3. Knox Paton (M’85), Andrew Hayne (P’85) and John Ranicar (M’85) 4. Jamie Adamson (Cu’85), John Eisner (Cu’85) and Will Lester (P’85) 5. Sue Oliver (Ga’85), Zan Goodrich (Utz, Ga’85) and Mary Morton (Weatherly, Cl’85) 6. Cam Stewart (FB’85), Peter Riddell (FB’85) and Peter Gray (P’85) 7. Tim Blackett (P’85), Simone Worts (Ga’85), Liz Plunkett (Oliver, Cl’85), Stuart McCullough (A’85) and Simon Plunkett 8. Dan Ritchie (Cu’85), Chrissy Beresford (Smith, Cl’85) and Jamie Welsh (P’85)
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A huge number of the 1985 year group attended their 30 year reunion on 14th November last year in Melbourne. Over 100 people travelled from around the world and all across Australia to be there, with many House groups meeting for lunch before the reunion. John McCoy (M’85) travelled from the UK and Fong Thong (Ga’85) came from Malaysia. Others had travelled great distances within Australia to attend; Catrina Collins (Ga’85) from the Northern Territory, George Brierley (Falkiner, Je’85) and Michael Laird (A’84) from WA. Ingrid Gill (Worts, Fr’84), Kim McKewan (Fra’85), John Wordsworth (Cu’85) and Simone Worts (Ga’85) all came from Queensland, John Ranicar (M’85) came from Tasmania and twelve of the group had come from NSW. A huge effort and a wonderful reunion! LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL
↓ Emma O'Brien (Je’85) and the music therapy programme she established at the Royal Melbourne Hospital 18 years ago was featured on ABC’s Compass in November last year. Emma has been instrumental in transforming the lives of long-term patients who participate in her innovative therapy programme at the hospital, which involves songwriting as well as playing/listening to music. Compass explored Emma’s approach to her work through the experiences of three of her clients and along the way discovered the origin of the passion that drives her. “If someone’s suffering from pain – and pain is such a complicated issue, it’s not just physical, it can be emotional and spiritual – music can help them deal with that side of the pain,” Emma explained. “Music can open up amazing doors for people.”
2007
Sunday Emerson Gullifer (He’07)’s awardwinning short film MEAT screened as part of the 25th annual Flickerfest international short film competition at Bondi Beach in January. The film premiered at the Canberra Short Film Festival in April 2015 and screened at the UK’s Aesthetica Short Film Festival in York, before being selected from more than 2,300 entries to screen at Flickerfest. MEAT was also nominated for an Australian Directors’ Guild Award (Best Direction in a Student Film) in 2015 and won the People’s Choice Award at the 14th biennial UTS Golden Eye Awards, where it was also nominated for Best Drama and Best Direction.
1989
Sarah Harden (Vickers-Willis, A’89) was recently promoted to president of the USA online media company Otter Media, which is a video-focused joint venture between The Chernin Group and AT&T. Sarah, who joined Otter following its formation in 2014, had previously held the role of executive vice-president (strategy and investments).
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Sarah said she was proud to have helped to build Otter Media (which generated more than $200 million in revenue in 2015) from the ground up. “Helping build and develop Otter Media since its inception has been an extremely rewarding experience and has laid a solid foundation for me to manage the venture in its next stage of growth,” Sarah said. Otter Media owns Crunchyroll, which is a niche digital subscription service that offers Japanese anime and Asian content, and is the majority shareholder of digital studio and YouTube partner Fullscreen, which launched its own subscription service in April 2016. President of The Chernin Group, Jesse Jacobs, said that Sarah was the perfect person to grow the company. “She has been a wonderful and effective partner and I look forward to continuing our work to further develop and grow all of Otter’s businesses.” Prior to the formation of Otter Media, Sarah worked in partnerships and investment for News Corp and was senior vicepresident of business development for Fox Networks Group.
1998
Alison McGregor (He’98) has graduated, dux of her 2015 class of 90, from the Executive Master of Business Studies course in the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University in The Netherlands. During her time there she not only worked for the Shell Corporation in a senior role at The Hague but also gave birth to Gaia, daughter to her and her husband, Mario Mortera, on 9 September 2014. Ali was dux of GGS in 1998.
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The film evolved from a monologue Sunday wrote at the Australian Theatre for Young People’s National Studio under the mentorship of playwright Declan Greene back in 2013. It was adapted for film with the support of Metro Screen and Screen NSW in 2014. The monologue was also published by Currency Press for The Voices Project: The Encore Edition (2015), appearing alongside other works developed over the last five years at the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP). In 2016, Sunday is undertaking a Master of Film & Television (Narrative) at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) School of Film and Television in Melbourne. She already holds a Bachelor of Arts (Performance Studies & American Studies) degree from the University of Sydney and a Master of Media Arts and Production (Filmmaking) degree from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). As a writer, Sunday was a finalist in The Age Melbourne Writers Festival ‘Write to the Limit’ competition, won the Australasian Publishing Group’s national poetry competition, was awarded the University of Sydney’s Henry Lawson Prize for Prose and the Adrian Consett Stephen Memorial Prize, and won Best Screenplay at the Lucky Film Festival for her short film Bridge Views. She also writes a blog (Miles from Elsewhere) on her website www.sundayfilms.com.au
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OGG PRESIDENT Every year there are anniversaries to celebrate. Besides the 40th anniversary of the Geelong Grammar Foundation, 2016 marks 40 years since GGS amalgamated with Clyde School and The Hermitage, thus sealing its future as Australia’s most significant co-educational boarding school. Girls had been trickling into Corio classrooms since 1970, but 1976 saw girls attend Timbertop for the first time and the establishment of two girls’ boarding houses: Clyde House and Jennings House (which in 1993 was renamed The Hermitage House). Two further girls’ boarding houses were established, Garnett House in 1982 and Elisabeth Murdoch House in 2009, with co-education now an integral element of the School’s culture.
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As GGS girls left school and became alumni in the 1970s, past students were no longer referred to as Old Boys; instead they became Old Geelong Grammarians. Although welcomed as part of the GGS community, it wasn’t until 1996 that all past students of Clyde School and The Hermitage were accepted as honorary members of the OGG Association. In 2016, we commemorate 20 years since nearly 7,000 names, comprising the full enrolment lists of Clyde School (2,066) and of The Hermitage (4,840), were added to the alumni database, thus becoming part of OGG history and the successful transition to co-education at GGS. You can read more about OGG history in the colourful and wellresearched book, Light Blue Generations: A History of The Old Geelong Grammarians (Third Millennium Publishing, 2014), written by Jim Darby (A'74), which is available for purchase on the School website or at the GGS Uniform Shop.
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Grossi Florentino on Bourke Street was booked to capacity for the OGG Business Lunch on Thursday 3 March. The oldworld charm of oil paintings, murals, and wood panelling was a fitting backdrop for nearly 80 OGGs and friends, spanning several decades in age, who gathered to sip, sup, and enjoy a lively address from successful media entrepreneur and social media expert Amanda Gome, CEO of Notable Media, Adjunct Professor of Business at RMIT University and former Head of Digital & Social Media at ANZ. Amanda deftly answered a range of questions from diners expressing scepticism or excitement about the transformational opportunities available in digital communication. The lunch was organised by OGG committee member Nina Anderson (Thomas, Cl’93), ably assisted by Katie Rafferty (Spry, Ga’84), Alumni Manager. Nina is an experienced communications adviser who has developed the OGG Association's current social media strategy, helping to educate some self-confessed dinosaurs. As the business lunch progressed, Katie sent an image and caption to the OGG Twitter account – a perfect example of the OGGs’ instant social media capabilities.
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1. Fritz Voser, Denis Robertson (M’54) and Robert Peake (P’76) 2. Ben Apted (A’94), Kate Reid (Cl’92) and Nina Anderson (Thomas, Cl’93) 3. George Newman, Lily Ge (Fr’10), Juliet Cook (Robinson Cl’82) and Phillip Heath (A’74) 4. Charlie Levine (P’91), Nick Brown (FB’98) 5. Charlie Weeden, Peter McIntosh (Glamorgan ’05) and Tom Hermsen (P’14) 6. Thorry Gunnersen (FB’58) 7. Mel Capri (Seymour, A’01) and Rebecca Robertson (A’01) 8. Richard Mackinnon (M’71) and Davina Hanson (Clyde ’62) 9. Christine and David Lester (FB’58) 10. Guest speaker, Amanda Gome, Sarah Morgan (Cl’87), Jonathan Shier (FB’65) and Emma Harvey (A’78) 11. Dominic Sheehan (M’06) and Paul Archibald (FB’89) 12. Amanda Gome, Nina Anderson (Thomas, Cl’93) and Margie Gillett (Cordner, Clyde ’71)
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At the OGG AGM on Tuesday 26 April several long-serving GGS staff members will be inducted as honorary members of the OGG Association in recognition of their contribution to the School, either as academic staff or in providing essential services. We will also congratulate the 2015 Dux of School, Georgia Webber (A’15), on her outstanding academic achievements and congratulate OGGs recognised in the 2016 Australia Day Honours list, including Anne Kantor AO (Murdoch, Cl’52), Janet Thomson OAM (Henderson, He’57), the late Ian MacKinnon AM (M’66), Mark Thompson AM (M’75), Peter Pratten AM (FB’57), and Honorary OGG, former GGS Music Teacher the late John Shute OAM. The OGG Association has been deeply affected by the revelations of the Royal Commission. Following an open invitation from the Principal to the wider GGS community, several OGGs have nominated for the recently formed Recognition Committee. Chaired by David Moore, an experienced consultant in restorative justice and reconciliation in abuse cases, the Recognition Committee will strive to address and represent the concerns of those who suffered abuse at GGS. The School executive team, including GGS employees and volunteer office-holders, will work alongside the Committee, considering its recommendations for an appropriate memorial. However elusive and complex that may be, it is a vital process towards redressing the effects of a brutal reality. Margie Gillett (Cordner, Cl’71) OGG President
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20 YEAR REUNION The 1995 year group held their 20 year reunion in Melbourne on Saturday 28 November 2015. Guests travelled from across the world and around Australia to be there. Mark Abraham (Fr’95) travelled from Sweden, Katish Green (Arlidge-Hung, Ga’95) from Hong Kong, Bill Patterson (P’95) and Campbell Roydhouse (Fr’95) came from Singapore, Nick Probert (CU’95) and Penny Wincer (Ga’95) from the UK and Rebecca Ryan (Ga’95) travelled from Germany. Within Australia, others travelled great distances; Andrew Cliff (Cu’95) came from WA, Simon Ostojic (FB’95) from NT and Jane Adamson (Luxton, Cl’95), Ruth Allen (Reark, Ga’95), Alexandra Ryan (Muir, Ga’95) and Jeremy Vary (P’95) all came from Queensland. It was a fantastic effort to get there and a wonderful reunion of the year group.
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3 1. Tiffany Start (Stringer, A’95), Sally Baines (Lansdell, Fr’95) and Honor Rahles-Rahbula (Woodhouse, Cl’95) 2. Anthony Nicholson (M’95) and Caroline Pascoe (Fyfe, Ga’95) 3. Penny Paton (Troedel, Cl’95), Caroline Pascoe (Fyfe, Ga’95), Nick Probert (Cu’95) and Edward Sawers (M’95) 4. Sally Richardson (Cl’95), Charles Bird (Cu’95) and Penny Wincer (Ga’95) 5. Back: Jeremy Vary (P’95) and Sam Lucas (Cu’95), Middle: Nick Lord (Fr’95), Meg McTaggart (Ga’95) and Daniel Timms (A’95), Front: Kirsten Anderson Llewellyn (Llewellyn, He’95), Charity Shaw (He’95) and Christian McKinlay (FB’95) 6. Rebecca Ryan (Ga’95), Angus MacLennan (M’95), Nicolas Walker (FB’95) and Katish Green (Arlidge-Hung, Ga’95) 7. Mark Abraham (Fr’95), May Ann Choo (Fr’95), Lizzie Munro (Fr’94) and Cass Andison (Madin, Cl’95) 8. David Baines (Fr’95), Michael Pollard (Timbertop ’92), Ruth Allen (Reark, Ga’95) and André Bertrand (P’95)
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Florence King (Matron, Manifold House, 1959-75), who died at 96 on 24 June 2015, has a secure place not only in a succession of great House Matrons at GGS, but also in the affections of many in our School community, particularly the boys and staff of Manifold during her long service spanning the reigns as Housemaster of Raynor Dart (Staff 1934-61) and Boz Parsons DFC (M’36; Staff 1962-80; OGG Fellow). As Boz wrote when she retired from Manifold: “At times nothing can take the place of a sympathetic woman, one who is completely selfless and who has a very real concern for the individual; and Florence King is such a woman.” From Brim, near Warracknabeal, she nursed in England and New Zealand as well as Australia, and went on from GGS to be matron of the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s small hospital at Lara, and then to work at the Queenscliff Nursing Home. Later she involved herself in a host of organisations in the Borough of Queenscliff, including the Queenscliff/Point Lonsdale Cancer After-Care group, Red Cross, Community Aid Abroad, CWA, Queenscliff Historical Society, and St James’ Anglican Church. She also delivered Mealson-Wheels, worked for Cottage by the Sea, and visited people who were sick or otherwise in need. She was a good and generous cook (as her Manifold boys could attest from the suppers she provided). To her own surprise but nobody else’s, she became the Borough’s Citizen of the Year on Australia Day in 1999. Boz described the role of a House Matron as “difficult to define but one which… involves the total welfare of the members of the House”. Known as ‘Kingie’, Florence was deeply grateful for the desk which past and present members and parents of Manifold gave her in 1975 – a token of an affection and gratitude also defying definition. John Alfred Shute OAM (GGS Staff, Glamorgan, 1969-89 and 1993), who was born on 18 October 1929 and died on 16 August 2015, was posthumously awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2016 Australia Day Honours “for service to the blind and those with low vision”. After his service at Glamorgan, where he taught music and was for a time senior master, he was a Braille Music teacher for more than 20 years and a Braille transcriber who prepared music for the annual National Braille Music Camp. His children with his wife, June, who survives him, are David (GGS Staff, Glamorgan, 1979-81), Timothy, Christopher, Anthony, and Sallyanne. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
in 1980 to focus on Mittagundi full-time. Situated on a 400-acre property near the old gold-mining town of Glen Valley, on the Upper Mitta Mitta River, north of Omeo, Ian started Mittagundi from scratch, with no government funding, but with an enthusiastic and willing bunch of helpers, a number of them Old Geelong Grammarians. Today, Mittagundi provides programmes for more than 500 young people each year to explore Victoria’s high country. They spend time bush-walking, camping, abseiling from nearby cliffs, rafting the Mitta Mitta River, and helping to run a pioneerstyle farm – all without electricity. Ian has been involved with the Harrietville Historical Society for many years and has published several books of local history, including Hairy-chested History: Colourful Characters of Hotham and Harrietville, From Drovers to Daisypickers: Colourful Characters of the Bogongs, and Weatherbeaten Wisdom: Colourful Characters of the Victorian High Country. The proceeds of his book Something Small: The story of Mittagundi were used to purchase the remote block of land upon which Wollangarra, Mittagundi's sister organisation, now sits in Gippsland. Roderick West AM (GGS Staff, Timbertop, 1966), who died at 81 on 25 January 2016, went from Timbertop, where he taught mainly Latin (and a little Greek, particularly to Prince Charles), to be senior classics master and a housemaster at The King’s School, Parramatta. From 1975-96 he was headmaster of Trinity Grammar School in Sydney, becoming famous for his knowledge of individual pupils and his influence on many (more than 50 boys whom he had taught became ministers of religion, including 44 Anglicans; he was a member of Sydney’s Anglican Synod, described in an obituary as “Evangelical in terms of doctrine but favouring a breadth of vision”). In his time, Trinity was rarely out of the top ten schools in New South Wales for HSC results. He took as much interest in humble sporting teams as in top ones. From his staff, 31 went on to lead other schools. On his retirement he led, for the Howard government, a review of Australia’s tertiary education system. In 1997, he delivered the inaugural Sir James Darling Memorial Oration, “A Bright Particular Star”, first in a still-continuing series that commemorates GGS’s great headmaster of 1930-61, who had died in 1995. Rod was at all stages ably supported by his wife, Janet, herself a linguist, historian, and poet, whose books include a biography of William Grant Broughton, founder of The King’s School, first Bishop of Australia (183647) and, on the division of that huge Diocese into four (including Melbourne), first Bishop of Sydney (1847-52), and an ancestor of several Geelong Grammarians. The Wests’ four children and ten grandchildren survive him.
Former Timbertop Hike Master (1975-1980) and founder of Mittagundi, Ian ‘Choco’ Stapleton, was named Alpine Shire Citizen of the Year and Local Achiever of the Year for Bright and District on Australia Day. In the early days of outdoor education in the 1960s and ’70s, Ian led all sorts of school groups on hiking trips, working with Outward Bound before spending six years as the first full-time Hike Master at Timbertop, where he was known as ‘Choco’ for his love of Choc Wedge ice creams. Ian founded Mittagundi Outdoor Education Centre in 1978 and left Timbertop LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL
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STAFF NEWS
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COGA NEWS COGA AGM and Old Girls’ Day
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Janet McCulloch OAM (Low, Cl’51), pictured left (see page 39), will be guest speaker at the COGA AGM and Old Girls’ Day luncheon to be held at the South Melbourne Community Centre on Sunday 16 October. Invitations will be posted out with COGA’s annual magazine, The Cluthan, in early September. Annual Clyde Jumble Sale
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The Clyde Jumble Sale will be held on Thursday 23 June, 9.00am12 noon, at the Toorak Uniting Church Hall, 603 Toorak Road, Toorak. GGS community helpers, sorters and donations are welcome on the day, before sale doors open at 10.30am. Please donate good quality household goods, fashion clothing and accessories, linen, toys, books and soft furnishings. There is also a produce stall for home-grown plants, fruit, vegetables and baked goods. For nearly 70 years, COGA has donated proceeds to the Isabel Henderson Kindergarten in North Fitzroy (named after the founder of Clyde School) to assist underprivileged children and local families in need. Unsold goods will be collected at 12 noon on the day by the Diabetes Australia charity truck for selling in their local opportunity shops. For all enquiries concerning the Jumble Sale, please contact co-ordinator Jane Loughnan (Weatherly Cl’70) on 0417 535 862 or email: ejloughnan@gmail.com
HOGA NEWS Christmas Luncheon
A large number of Hermitage Old Girls gathered for the annual Christmas Luncheon, with some travelling from Melbourne, which was wonderful to see. The Bostock House Choir and String Ensemble once again played before lunch, with children as young as Grade 1 playing the violin and cello under the direction and encouragement of Lisa Peters-Roose. The students’ enjoyment in participating in the choir and playing solo pieces was obvious and it was a great pleasure for HOGA to present the Head of Bostock House, Daryl Moorfoot, with a cheque for the Bostock House music programme.
1 At the Christmas Luncheon were 1. Janette Bennett (Anderson, He’47), Nancy Cole (He’47) 2. Lorraine Gready (Reynolds, He’58), Elizabeth Ollquist (Page, He’60), Claerwen Ellis (Jones, He’60), Ruth Thompson (Timms, He’60) 3. Val Anderson (McQualter, He’47), Valerie McDowell (Bendle, He’44) 4. Beverley Morwood (Backwell, He’68) and Mary Wenzel (Newman, He’51)
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OGG SPORT Old Geelong Cricket Club The 2015/16 season was a successful season for both teams. The 1st XI had a difficult start with key personnel unavailable at various times but fought back to finish 5th. Jack Wood won the batting with 409 runs @ 58.43 and a highest score of 107. James Ratcliffe won the bowling with 18 wickets at 18.74 and a best bowling of 4 for 60. The 2nd XI had its best season to date making the semi-finals and finishing 3rd. Rohan McCarthy won the batting with 261 runs @ 26.10 and a highest score of 51. Roly Imhoff (Cu’95) won the bowling with 18 wickets @ 9.72 and a best bowling of 5/14. Julian Landy (Cu’95) had an incredible year behind the stumps letting only 26 byes through for the whole season, taking five catches and one stumping which saw him win the President’s Award, while David Hooper (FB’95) won the David Oman Award for best clubman. Pictured: Julian Landy (Cu’95) vs Old Trinity in the Semi Final of 2015/16
OGG Ski Lodge Memberships are now open to join the Old Geelong Grammarians’ Ski Club for the 2016 snow season, with all joining fees temporarily waived. The OGG Ski Lodge at Mt Buller is centrally located on Stirling Road in the village, sleeps 18, and is open all year round to members. The club had a very good season in 2015, with OGGs, students and current parents gathering at the lodge during the season. Anyone interested in membership or accommodation for 2016 should contact the President, Nicholas Heath (Cu'82) on 0418 109 292 or email: prez@oggslodge.com.au
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Women’s Interschool Golf Day Congratulations to the Geelong Grammar School team of Katryna Economou (Je’76), Suzanne Jackson (Gillett, FB’74), Camilla Graves (Baillieu, Cl’80) and Chrissy Skinner (Condon, Je’76), who won the 87th Women’s Interschool Golf Challenge Cup at The Metropolitan Golf Course on Monday 11 April. GGS finished ahead of teams of past students from 30 member schools in the 18-hole stableford event. A huge thank you to the coordinator for Geelong Grammar School, Sophie Holloway (Mann, Cl’83) who organises the team each year. The OGGs are involved with four Golf Days, the OGG v Old Geelong Collegians Golf Day, the OGG Golf Day, the Women’s Interschool Golf Day and the APS Golf Day. For all of these events we are looking for more women OGG Golfers to play. If you would like to join the OGG Golf list and receive invitations to play in the various OGG Golf Days, please email Katie Rafferty (Spry, Ga’84) at oggs@ggs.vic.edu.au or telephone 03 5273 9338. LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL
2 1. OGG Ski Lodge at Mt Buller 2. Katryna Economou (Je’76), Suzanne Jackson (Gillett, FB’74), Camilla Graves (Baillieu, Cl’80) and Chrissy Skinner (Condon, Je’76)
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COMMUNITY NEWS Gordon Darling AC, CMG (Council 1964-69), who was born on 4 March 1921 and died on 31 August 2015, was a director of BHP (1953-86) and other companies, chairman (1967-82) of Rheem Australia, and one of Australia’s munificent art patrons. With his second wife, Marilyn Darling AC, he founded the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, having from 1982-86 been Chairman of the National Gallery of Australia at a time of major endowment. Unlike his brother, David (P’43; Council 1970-74), he was not at GGS as a boy – being at the time in England, where their father, Leonard Darling, represented the family milling company in the 1920s and 1930s, and where Gordon went to Stowe, a new school with a strong emphasis on the arts, before war service (latterly as a major) in the AIF – but he became one of the School’s great supporters and was particularly influential on the Council in the regearing of GGS to modern business methods in the late 1960s. His children by his first wife, Margaret AM, who was a sister of Bruce Anderson (FB’43), all survive him: Michael (FB’63), father of Miranda Tobias (Je’91); James AM (FB’64); Sarah (Cl’67), mother of Melissa Kutcher (Cl’97) and the late James Crawford (Cu’98); and Clare Cannon, mother of William Cannon (Gl’03), Grace Cannon (Gl’02), Gretel Cannon (Gl’02), and Elspeth Cannon (Gl’10). The Gordon Darling Foundation, established in 1991, perpetuates its eponym’s great generosity to the visual arts in Australia. Dr Barry Rex Catchlove, of Como, New South Wales, father of the late Nicholas (FB’89) and of Penelope (Je’91), was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2016 Australia Day Honours “for significant service to medical administration, particularly health care systems, to international business cooperation, and to education”. Annette McGeachy, of Belmont, Victoria, wife of Robert (Ge’58) and mother of Hilary (A’97) and Richard (A’99), was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2016 Australia Day Honours “for service to conservation and the environment, particularly to botanic gardens”.
Malcolm James Milne, of Myrtleford, father of Olivia (He’95), James (FB’96), and the late Serena (He’97), was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2016 Australia Day Honours “for service to snow skiing”. Allan James Myers AO, QC, of Melbourne, father of Clare (T’91), Cecilia (T’94), and John (T’97), was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the 2016 Australia Day Honours “for eminent service to the community through philanthropic leadership in support of major visual arts, higher education, medical research, and not-for-profit organisations, to the law, and to professional learning programmes”. Maria Josephine Myers AO, of Melbourne, mother of Clare (T’91), Cecilia (T’94), and John (T’97), was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the 2016 Australia Day Honours “for eminent service to the community through philanthropic leadership in support of major visual and performing arts, cultural education, and not-for-profit organisations, and to the advancement of the understanding of Indigenous rock art”. Joan Helen Treweeke, of Angledool, New South Wales, wife of Rory (P’60) and mother of Michael (P’81), Anne-Marie (Je’85), Fiona (Je’90), Nicholas (P’93), and Andrew (P’02), was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2016 Australia Day Honours “for service to rural and remote communities in New South Wales”. Dr John William Vorrath, of Drysdale, Victoria, father of William (A’85) and Charles (A’86), was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2016 Australia Day Honours “for significant service to medicine as an otolaryngologist, and through the invention and development of specialist surgical instruments”.
Pictured: Gordon and Marilyn Darling
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LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL
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CALENDAR
2012
The Hermitage School 1956 Reunion, Barwon Heads Monday 16 May 2016
Caz Edwards (He’09) recently won the A Grade Club Championship at Barwon Heads Golf Club for the second year in a row. Emily Mannix (Fr’12) is a member of the Melbourne Vixens squad for the 2016 trans-Tasman ANZ Netball Championship season after signing a new two-year contract. The 21-year-old was a rookie signing for the Vixens in 2015 and Melbourne coach Simone McKinnis has identified the 186cm defender as a star of the future. “Emily is more your true circle defender and has some great height,” McKinnis said. “She needed a fair bit of work (in the gym), working on building up that strength and the body, and she has just been getting better and better.” Emily was one of 13 emerging players chosen to participate in the 2015 Netball Centre of Excellence Residential Program at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) last July. She was then named as vicecaptain of the Centre of Excellence team, which played a series of warm-up matches against Scotland and Wales in the lead-up to last August’s Netball World Cup in Sydney. Emily was a member of the 1st Girls’ Netball team that won Geelong Grammar School’s first APS Premiership in 2012. She played locally for Bell Park and Leopold in the Geelong Football Netball League (GFNL) before joining City West Falcons in the Victorian Netball League (VNL) and Victorian Flames in the Australian Netball League (ANL). She was a member of the Victorian 21/U Netball team in 2014 and was consequently selected in the Australian 21/U Netball squad for a tour of New Zealand.
2013
Jock Landale (M’13) is in his second year at Saint Mary’s College in California and his contribution to the SMC Gaels basketball team increased significantly this season. During his freshman year (2014-15), Jock averaged five minutes of play per game (MPG), 2.1 points per game (PPG) and 0.9 rebounds per game (RPG). Having recently finished his sophomore season, he was able to break through to average 14.8 MPG, 8 PPG and 4.1 RPG for a Saint Mary’s team that finished the regular season with a record of 27 wins and five losses. St Mary’s lost the final of the West Coast Conference tournament to rivals Gonzaga but with the majority of the squad returning next season, much will be expected of the Gaels in 2016-17.
2014
Sam Reiser (FB’14) is in his first year at Pennsylvania State University in the USA and has become a member of the dominant Penn State 4x400m relay team, which recently finished first at a Pepsi Invitational event in Oregon. As a freshman, Sam is often competing in individual 400m events against athletes who are two or three years his senior. But the outdoor season has only just begun at Penn State and Sam will be hopeful of improving his season’s best time of 48.22 seconds in the coming months.
LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL
OGG UK Branch London Dinner Thursday 23 June 2016 COGA Annual Jumble Sale, Uniting Church Hall, Toorak Rd Thursday 23 June 2016 Term 2 and 3 1976 Group Timbertop 40th Reunion Saturday 9 July 2016 OGG Queensland Branch Cocktail Party, Brisbane Friday 26 August 2016 HOGA AGM and Old Girls' Day, GGS Corio Saturday 3 September 2016 1966 50th Timbertop Reunion Saturday 17 September 2016 1976 40 Year Reunion Friday 30 September 2016 COGA Fun Cup, Sorrento Golf Club Friday 7 October 2016 2006 10 Year Reunion, Melbourne Saturday 15 October 2016 COGA AGM & Old Girls' Day Lunch Sunday 16 October 2016 COGA Garden Tour - Mornington Peninsula Tuesday 18-Thursday 20 October 2016 1986 30 Year Reunion, Melbourne Saturday 22 October 2016 1966 50th Corio Reunion Saturday 5 November 2016 Tower Luncheon Saturday 5 November 2016 OGG Motoring Event Saturday 5 November 2016 OGG SA Branch Dinner, Adelaide Friday 25 November 2016 HOGA Christmas Lunch, Newtown Monday 5 December 2016 For enquiries about any of the above events please contact Katie Rafferty, Alumni Manager on tel: 03 5273 9338 or email: oggs@ggs.vic.edu.au
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SECTION 04 — THE MAIL ROOM
2009
↓ SECTION 04 —THE MAIL ROOM
BIRTHS
Sarah née Harvey (A’00) and Joel Armitage, two sons, Beau Kenneth Harvey on 20 August 2011 and Hugh Iver on 26 February 2015 Sara and Will Bowman (P’95), a son, Lachlan Douglas, on 1 November 2015 Georgia Gutjahr and Hugh Cameron (Cu’98), a son, Hamish Christian, on 27 January 2016 Katherine (Kate) née Russell (He'01) and Trent Carter (FB'99), a son, Henry James Robert, on 19 August 2015 Edwina née Ingle (Ga'01) and Justin Chalk, a daughter, Annabelle Rose Mathilde, on 14 September 2015 Skye née Weatherly (Cl’95) and Robert Davies, a daughter, Poppy Camilla, on 7 March 2012 and a son, Oliver James, on 18 July 2015 Sheena née Henderson (He'04) and Zac Dawson, a daughter, Scarlett Rose, on 2 December 2015 Laurie and Simon Deans (Cu’94), a son, Cooper, on 29 November 2015 Caroline née Ranicar (T’89) and Ferruccio Ferrara, a son, Pietro Jeremy Francesco, on 22 January 2015 Melissa née Harvey (A’02) and Charles Gardiner (M’00), a son, Jonathan Bruce, on 29 September 2014 Isabella née Earl (Ga’94) and William Gartrell, a daughter, Florence Chloe Daisy, on 24 June 2014 Fiona née Bayles (Cl’91) and Peter Gowers, a son, Angus, on 22 October 2015 Andrea Burke (Ga'01) and Monty Hanger, a son, Benjamin William Hardie, on 23 July 2015 Jane Darling (A’95) and Michiel Kalkman (Highton ’85), a son, Samuel James Darling, on 1 October 2015 Katherine née Spottiswood (He'05) and Jason Laws-King (M'06), a daughter, Olivia Grace, on 30 December 2015
Joanna née Manifold (He’01) and Jonathan Morris, a daughter, Grace Charlotte, on 19 February 2016
Robert Delamere (Bob) Brent (Glamorgan 1928, Corio 1936-37) on 13 June 2009
Danielle Rossetti and James Parkinson (Fr’95), a son, Archie Shore, on 14 December 2015
Robin Francis Martin Brown (1943-54) on 4 February 2016
Alice and Christopher Povey (P’94), a son, Edoardo, on 5 November 2009 and a daughter, Gabriella, on 24 May 2012 Jane and James Povey (P’93), a daughter, Harriet, on 10 August 2011 and a son, William, on 10 October 2014 Bridie and David Premraj (A’00), a daughter, Imogen Darcy, on 13 July 2011 and a son, Jude Ranil, on 7 November 2013 Amelia Doolan and Edward (Woody) Roydhouse (Fr’98), a son, Charlie Alexander, on 24 September 2015 Chrissie and Trent Roydhouse (Fr’95), a son, Henry Randolph, on 13 June 2014 Giorgina and Tom Stewart (Cu'98), a daughter, Sophie Luisa, on 18 November 2014 Celia née Affleck (Cl’95) and John Tucker, a son, James Sidney, on 15 October 2014 Sophie née Bingley (He’97) and Andrew Whitlock, a daughter, Annabel Josephine, on 29 March 2016 Rachel and George Wilson (M’98), a daughter, Evelyn Marguerite Amber, on 19 September 2015
DEATHS
Alastair Fife Angas (1946-48) on 22 January 2016 Colin Fife Angas (1933-39) on 6 March 2016 Steven James Baker (1982-86) on 16 March 2016 Peter Francis Michael Beggs (1946-51) on 30 November 2015 Patrick Andrew Melbourne Bell (1925-33) on 17 November 2015
Megan and Charles Mackinnon (P’97), a son, Peter Ronald Terry, on 28 July 2015
Alan Alexander Blythe (1945-49) on 8 September 2015
Alice née England (A’01) and Modise Modise, a daughter, Olivia Thato, on 31 October 2015
John Boocock (1930-31) on 10 December 2001
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Beryl Joan Buchanan née Cameron (Hermitage 1921-32) on 8 February 2005 Eric Selwyn (Bob) Bucknall (1933-34) on 1 August 2002 John Neil Burles (1969) on 8 October 2015 (The Venerable) David Houlden Chambers (1936-42) on 21 March 2016 John Leslie Chomley (1935-39) on 7 July 2004 Rebecca Louise Clifford née Mestitz (Hermitage 1971-74, GGS 1975-76) in March 2013 Wanless Richard Congreve (1964-67) on 17 November 2015 Rodney Ernest Cook (1948-52) on 9 January 2016 James Douglas Craig (1941-42) on 19 November 2015 (The Reverend) James (Jim) Harvard Cranswick (1933-40) on 25 November 2015 Patricia Alice Crawford née Steuart (Clyde 1938) on 17 November 2015 Alfred Edmund Daking (1926-31) on 18 April 2009 (Dr) Elizabeth Rae Davies née Cochrane (Hermitage 1928-36) on 30 November 2015 Ruth Ricardo de Fégely née Beggs OAM (Hermitage 1944-48) on 23 January 2016 Elorita (Ellie) di Cristoforo (GGS Receptionist, 2011-15) on 15 December 2015 Nancy Mary Maie Downing née Baird (Hermitage 1935-36) on 28 November 2015 Donald Francis Dyson (1936-40) on 13 August 2013 Stuart William Hastings Fairbairn (1931-39) on 24 December 2014 Sallie Sinclair (Lady) Ferrall née Thyne, Barnett as widow (Clyde 1947-48) on 10 September 2015 LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL
↓ Ian McLean MacKinnon AM (1961-66) on 11 March 2016
Jonathan Herbert Spiers Sinclair (1951-58) on 4 March 2016
Kenneth James Fulton (1941-44) in February 2014
Mariana Mathers née Mackinnon (Hermitage 1947-50) on 17 August 2015
Benedict Furigi (1991-93) on 9 November 2015
Janet Spencer Mayor née Nall (Hermitage 1934-46) on 14 March 2016
Priscilla Ann Hebden Steele née Hosgood (Clyde 1944-48) on 4 November 2015
Roger Brian Geddes (1952-62) on 25 February 2016
Prudence McFarlane née Ross Fenner (Clyde 1947-48) on 12 February 2014
William John Gittins (1949-53) on 2 December 2015
Roderick Reginald McKenzie (1937-40) on 19 August 2007
(Major) James Strachey (Jasper) Goodwin (1941-46) on 29 December 2015
Peter Charles James Mirams (1955-61) on 31 January 2016
John Eddington Gordon (1930-37) on 7 October 2012
Anna Louise Mitchell (2001-02) on 19 February 2014
Jessie Selina Gray née Cumming (Clyde 1935-39) on 6 January 2016
Norma Elizabeth Moorhouse née Hayes (Hermitage 1938) on 15 October 2015
Keith John Gray (1944-45) on 27 December 2015 Rosalie Joan (Denise) Grieve (Clyde 1945-48) on 25 September 2015 Peter James Hall (1942-46) on 30 May 2014 Morris Keith Hedstrom (1929-31) on 16 January 1986 Malcolm Grant Hill (1939-42) on 26 September 1998 Christopher John Howell (1956-59) in January 2016 Angela De Lucio Huerta (Staff 2010-16) on 16 February 2016 Barnard Walter (Barney) Jewell (1951-56) on 24 November 2015 (Captain) Digby Charles Johns (1935-39) on 25 August 2015 Frank Gerald Kellaway (Glamorgan 1927-28; 1934-40) on 13 July 2012 David John Sampson Kirkhope (1949-56) on 1 March 2016 Ian Craig Laird (1941-54) on 6 February 2016 (Dr) Bruce Ladell Lawrence (1958-63) on 26 March 2016 Jean Marjorie Lester MBE (Clyde, 1935-38) on 5 February 2016 Susan Elizabeth Spalding Mackey née Laurie (wife of David Mackey [Cu’52; GGS Resident Medical Officer 1964-93]) on 25 December 2015
LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Philip Crosbie Morrison (Staff, Timbertop, 1988) on 14 October 2015 Violet Cynthia Nolan née Reed (Hermitage 1920-26) on 24 November 1976 Mary Noldin née Powell, formerly Tully and (Lady) Kingsford Smith (Hermitage 1925-27) on 20 May 1997 Adora Frances Barclay Payne (Hermitage 1943-48) on 15 January 2016 Ian George Peacock (1934-40) on 31 October 2006 Margaret Anne Peel née Grigg (Hermitage 1946-48) on 31 January 2016 Ian Arthur Pulling (1943-47) on 13 May 2015 Ann Purnell née Schlesinger (Hermitage 1943-47) on 19 January 2016 Ronald Frederick Raggatt (1928-31) on 28 July 2011 Geoffrey Ritchie (1938-46) on 24 January 2016 Conway William Hugh Seymour (1944-52) on 17 December 2015 Richard Gordon Shaw (1928-40) on 2 March 2014 William Ernest (Bill) Shiells (1944-48) on 14 July 2015
SECTION 04 — THE MAIL ROOM
Joan Elaine Fulton née McIlwain (Hermitage 1946-48) on 6 February 2016
Prudence Margaret Tallboys (Clyde 1967-68) on 11 October 2015 Sydney Robert Thomson (1933-40) on 6 August 2008 Elizabeth Marion Turnbull (Clyde 1943-47) on 8 January 2014 Roderick Ian West AM (Staff, Timbertop, 1966) on 25 January 2016 Elizabeth Selwyn (Betty) Whitcombe née Dallimore (Hermitage 1933-36) on 15 September 2015 Donella June White née Cameron (Hermitage 1926-35) in 2010 Edward Essex Mounsteven Wright (1941-47) on 6 November 2015 Peter Bray Wright (1945-48) on 24 September 2015 Alister Horton Wurfel (1946-50) on 22 July 2014 Daniel Robert Zayler (Glamorgan 1989-97) on 9 February 2016
MARRIAGES James Lenard Charles Abbott (M’95) married Jennifer Grace Pooley on 21 November 2015
Celia Affleck (Cl’95) married John Keith Tucker on 28 February 2009 Justin Corfield (Staff 1993-2014) married Nadezhda (Nadin) Govorukhina on 25 February 2016 Andrew Harvey (A’97) married Laura Canté on 10 September 2015 David Premraj (A’00) married Bridie Keating on 20 December 2008 Catherine Robertson (Cl'06) married Ashley Cohen on 2 April 2016 Heather Young (Ga’05) married James Crawley (P’05) on 10 October 2015
John Alfred Shute OAM (Staff, Glamorgan, 1969-1989, 1993) on 16 August 2015
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www.ggs.vic.edu.au