community; our indefatigable Old Geelong Grammarians. Every member of the Geelong Grammar community contributes to the wellbeing and advancement of our School.
Elizabeth Pont Director of Community Relations
Welcome to our first 2009 edition of Light Blue. As you read through the following pages you will discover the outstanding talents and inspiring initiatives of our students, teachers, OGGs and our wider School community. It has been a frenetic start to the year with a true assortment of positive events as well as tragic circumstances. Earlier in the year, Victoria faced the worst bushfires in the history of Australia and the Geelong Grammar School community grieved the tragic death of one of our Year 12 students, Will Paterson. At the same time, within a couple of weeks of our Year 9 students arriving at Timbertop, they were evacuated as a precautionary measure to the Corio campus. Within days of returning to Timbertop a second evacuation occurred with the students arriving at the Corio Campus at 2.00am in the morning to be greeted with cool gusty winds and the task of pitching a tent.
The Geelong Grammar community is not isolated from stressful moments – however, through the introduction of Positive Education our students and staff are gaining the necessary skills to successfully adapt to change and stress in healthy and constructive ways – a dynamic process involving an interaction between both risk and protective processes that act to modify the effects of an adverse life occurrence. The role of educationalists is to ensure that students feel a sense of success whether it be in academics, sport, arts, music or the building of relationships, while also providing support from, and connections to external resources. Our Positive Education Programme assists in delivering these outcomes. In this edition, you will read of the outstanding results of our Year 12 2008 VCE and IB students; the courage and ingenuity of our Year 11 students who ventured off to Cambodia to assist with the building of two houses in an underprivileged area. Resilience was at the forefront of our girls’ Rowing Teams who had a brilliant season victorious at the Head of the School Girls’ Regatta and the Head of the River Regatta at Nagambie. There are problems and sadness facing the world – economic, environmental, social and more, but there are always people surrounding us who do something special, who have success and who are willing to help. I hope you enjoy reading this edition of Light Blue. Elizabeth Pont Director of Community Relations
Contents From the Editor
2
From the Chairman
3
From the Principal
4-5
VCE and IB Results
6-7
Class of 2008
8
Middle School
9
Timbertop
10
Expeditiion to Antarctica
11
Music Concert Series
11
Bostock House
12
Toorak Campus
13
Senior Chaplain
14
Habitat for Humanity
15
Timbertop D Unit Campaign
16
Equestrian Centre/Annual Giving
17
Positive Education
18-20
HMAS Newcastle Visit
20
Elisabeth Murdoch House
21
From the Foundation Chairman
22
From the OGG President
23
Reunions
24
Golf Day/Football and Netball News
25
OGG Travel ‘Spirit of Adventure’
26
Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack
27
2009 House Music
28 28
During these arduous times I have gained a great depth of admiration for the School community in their altruism, their strength, respect for each other and their resilience and optimism.
Front Cover: The Girls’ First VIII Crew won both The Head of the School Girls Regatta and the Head of the River Regatta at Nagambie and were runners up at the Australian National Championships in the School Girl Division one event.
OGG Events
HOGA
34
As you read through this edition of Light Blue you will discover some wonderful stories about resilience from our youngest students at Bostock and Toorak, through to our longest standing members of the Geelong Grammar
L to R: Edwina Kolomanski (Yr12 Ga), Isabel Coburn (Yr12 Ga), Alex Thompson (Yr11 Cl), Daisy Gubbins (Yr12 He), Claire Hamilton (Yr12 Cl), Rosie Wilson (Yr12 He), Charlotte Sutherland (Yr12 Cl), Sophie Sutherland (Yr12 Cl) and Annie Blunden (Yr12 He). Photograph by Richard Kumnick (M’68).
COGA
35
OGG Link
36
From the Curator
30-33
This is the first win by the Girls’ 1st VIII at the Head of the Schoolgirl’s Regatta for eight years with great performances by our Year 10 crews, who have only been rowing for seven weeks. The results highlighting the depth of talent in girls rowing at Geelong Grammar School. In other results:
GGS rowers claim victory! Over 5000 spectators watched as Geelong Grammar School took out the feature event of the 25th Annual Head of the Schoolgirls’ Regatta. 2
The Girl’s 1st VIII fought off the determined efforts of St Catherine’s, MLC and Wesley College to win the event by a metre. The rowing team also had success with the third VIII Girls’ winning the A Final by two lengths from MLC, Geelong College and Wesley College.
• The Year 10 D IV came second to MLC. • The Year 10 C IV came second to Carey Baptist Grammar School. • The Year 10 B IV came second to Carey Baptist Grammar School.