Farewell David Morrison

David Morrison began his teaching career at Lauriston in 1988 and at the end of 2022 he retired as our Head of Arts. David leaves a significant legacy in that we have a flourishing and well-respected Visual Arts Faculty and a reputation for supporting excellence in our Visual Arts, Visual Communication and Design, and Media students.

David has been the editor of 23 editions of The Lauristonian This is an important archival document for our School and each year David, with the wonderful support of student editors, endeavours to provide an overview of the many opportunities available to our students, along with capturing their own voices and their creative works. It has been a pleasure for me to offer my support to David as he undertakes this massive job each year, and I know how much he enjoys capturing the year which begins with the front cover design.

In his role as Head of Faculty and teacher, David has played an integral role in developing the VCE and IB Diploma Visual Arts curriculums and participating in Theory of Knowledge camps each year. David is well known for his professional expertise in the IB Diploma Visual Arts course, as an Extended Essay marker and workshop presenter. His work in various organisations in forwarding the professional learning of VCE Visual Arts teachers has also been prominent. Whenever we have appointed a new teacher in the Visual Arts Faculty over the years, applicants inevitably speak with us about David and his enviable reputation within the community of Visual Arts teachers. David is very much a lifelong learner, and along with his participation in various professional organisations, he was also the recipient of the Sun Bursary which enabled him to travel to China.

As a teacher, David is proud each year when he is able to showcase the work of our students in the VCE and IB Arts Exhibition. His sense of satisfaction continues when our Lauriston students receive such excellent Year 12 results in Visual Arts, Visual Communication and Design, and Media. These results speak to the commitment of David and all teachers in the Faculty and the inspiration which is offered to our students to challenge themselves to explore and research and do more in their work that they may have thought was possible. The dedication and professionalism of the Visual Arts Faculty staff is something which David acknowledges at all times and he has done a wonderful job of encouraging a strong sense of colleagueship and desire to continue to learn as professionals.

David’s biannual school trips to Italy and the Venice Biennale have always been a highlight for our students. Having had the pleasure of travelling with David, staff and students to Italy, I was somewhat in awe of his art history knowledge and often found myself running to catch up with him as we made our way through winding streets looking for accommodation, restaurants or out of the way sights.

David has very much been part of the Lauriston Arts’ Association Arts Festivals, our own recitals and drama performances and attendance at every School Formal, Valedictory and Graduation Dinner as official photographer. His co-curricular involvement has seen David undertake the responsibility of looking after our Diving Team for many years and he had the pleasure of diving himself at the opening of our Lauriston Swimming Pool which was opened by Dawn Fraser.

Over the years we have been fortunate to have a number of Artists in Residence work with our students and staff. One of the most memorable for David is the mural of the Nine Muses by Pamela Irving as David was able to contribute some of his grandmother’s ceramics to be embedded in parts of the mural. From my own perspective, the mural will continue to be a memory of David’s time at Lauriston and the contribution he made.

From David’s initial suggestion in the 1990s, we have an Acquisition Program which has been championed by our Lauriston Arts’ Association, and resulting from this we have a collection of works from students who studied one of our Visual Arts courses in VCE or IB.

The Lauriston community has been part of David’s professional and personal life for more than 30 years and he has been an important part of our community. He has been able to share with me a significant part of the narrative of our School and this has enabled me to better understand who we are and what makes Lauriston unique. His advocacy for the Arts has been significant and Lauriston is very much a School where we encourage our girls to explore their interests and have a well-rounded education. The Arts Precinct in our School is alive with teachers and young people challenging their thinking and their skills to produce work that is meaningful for them.

We would all like to say thank you, David, for your contribution to the education of our students and advocating for the Arts as an important life skill.

Susan Just Principal