↓ 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,
LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL
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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SECTION 04 — THE MAIL ROOM
1951