Experiencing Melbourne then and now

Thindika Amarasekara In a constantly changing world, the Old Melburnians Society is a community that is inclusive and supportive of each other.

Our history and traditions are part of the stability we offer. The Society has grown and evolved with the times and continues to be a source of friendship and support for Old Melburnians, young and old.

I am proud to say that, in 2022, over 1,200 Old Melburnians participated in our various initiatives and programs, including the Career Masterclass, the Business Breakfast, the Dick Cotton Fellowship, the Virtual Careers Nights, the OM Journeys Speaker Series and the various reunions and dinners. We have more than 1,000 Old Melburnians involved in 15 different Old Melburnians sport, drama and activity clubs and close to 2,700 members registered on OM Link – an all-time high.

We continue to look for ways to better engage all parts of our community, regardless of age or gender. In 2022 we held a special Old Melburnians function to celebrate the 1,000 women who have attended Grimwade House. The function was a huge success and I’m delighted to share some photos in this edition of Grammar News. We are also proud that we continue to strike a chord with our younger Old Melburnians having had 50 Old Melburnians who finished school in 2020 and 2021 attend this year’s Annual Dinner – which is the highest attendance of recent School leavers in recent memory. There is always more we can do. The aim of the Old Melburnians Council – which is the governing body of the Society – is to help create a vibrant, diverse and thriving community that positively impacts our society.

However, in order to achieve this, the Council needs to be clear about its role and purpose. This year the Council has spent some time considering questions such as ‘What does it mean to be an Old Melburnian?’ and ‘How can we ensure that all our members feel included and represented?’

Our ambition is to develop a clear statement of purpose which will guide what we do. This statement of purpose needs to reflect that we are a community of young and old; we look to the past with pride, but we also boldly embrace the future; we want to bring our members together, but we are much more than just dinners and drinks; we want our members to learn and grow; we recognise that each of us has a lot to offer and together we can make a powerful and positive contribution to society.

We look forward to sharing the results of our work with you, and in the meantime, if you have a desire to be involved with the Old Melburnians, I encourage you to reach out to our team. We would love to hear from you. For more information or to become involved, please contact Kirsty Hooper, Head of Alumni and Community Relations at kahooper@mgs.vic.edu.au or phone +61 3 9865 7681. Finally, I am pleased to advise that we have recently welcomed Penny Apted (OM 1994) as our newest Council member. We thank Bill Cowan AO (OM 1962) and The Honourable Will Alstergren AO (OM 1980) for their dedicated, generous and highly valued service on the Council as they step down at the end of 2022.

Thindika Amarasekara (OM 1991) President of the Old Melburnians Council

Meet our newest Council member

About Penny Apted (OM 1994)

Penny attended Grimwade House from 1982 – 1988. She is a primary educator experienced in strategic planning, curriculum design and pastoral care programs in schools. Penny’s son and daughter currently attend Grimwade House.

Our years at high school are some of the most pivotal in our journey of personal development. I remain grateful for my time at Melbourne Grammar School – a place that nourished my academic interests, but also enriched my connection to sport, charity, community, the arts, and the outdoors.

That legacy remains with me six years later and I am reminded of it often, even now – living on the other side of the world in Paris – in the importance I attach to a varied life lived with purpose.

This is the ethic that inspired me to apply for the Old Melburnians Dick Cotton Fellowship in 2021, an annual grant offered by the Old Melburnians Council to young OMs who want to pursue an important community project or volunteer work.

I have been enthusiastic about mental wellbeing since I first encountered debilitating anxiety following my mother’s diagnosis with brain cancer in 2014. The context of the COVID-19 pandemic spurred me to contemplate how I could best channel my personal struggle into some meaningful benefit for others.

Supported by the faith and generosity of the OMs Council in a Dick Cotton Fellowship, I was able to enter Lifeline Australia’s 12-month training program and become a volunteer telephone crisis support worker.

One year later, I couldn’t be more grateful to Anton Leschen and the Old Melburnians Council for the trust they placed in me and my mission. Lifeline takes a call every 30 seconds from a person around Australia experiencing crisis – I think this a testament to the shared and growing challenge that is mental wellbeing in our community. I was attracted to Lifeline because I believe that loneliness and disconnection are our two great nemeses as they relate to mental wellbeing. Human connection is astonishingly centring and regenerative. Sadly, many people do not have access to the same support networks that many of us share, and this is the crucial gap that Lifeline seeks to fill. It is a small effort for maximal impact.

Although I am currently pursuing a masters degree abroad, I will be able to readily resume my work at Lifeline once I return to Australia. My work at Lifeline has been perhaps the most meaningful and transformative experience of my life. I have learnt skills that make me a better person to myself, my friends, my family, and my community. I have had the tremendous privilege of supporting people at moments of incredible vulnerability and help them take steps towards wellbeing.

While people tend to ask about the challenging or confronting aspects of the work, many of my Lifeline colleagues will tell you about the powerful sense of hope, connection, and commonality that you gain. The human condition is shared between us all – it is truly remarkable what we can achieve when we realise this truth and be kinder, gentler, and more understanding with each other.

Tom Akhurst (OM 2016) 2021 Dick Cotton Fellowship recipient

Applications for the Old Melburnians Dick Cotton Fellowship open mid-year. Further information is available at: mgs.vic.edu.au

1. From left: Michael Dowling AM (OM 1961) and Headmaster, Philip Grutzner (OM 1981), Annual Bluestone Lunch 2. From left: Maxine Wright, Sandy Clark

AO (OM 1961), Michael Wright KC AM (OM 1960), Edwin Kennon (OM 1961),

Annual Bluestone Lunch 3. Return to Grimwade House

Cocktail Party 4. Old Melburnian 2002 20 Year Reunion 5. From left: Lizzie Sullivan (OM 2003) and

Stephanie Freeman (OM 2003), Return to Grimwade House Cocktail Party 6. Old Melburnian 2002 20 Year Reunion 7. Thindika Amarasekar (OM 1991),

Annual Bluestone Lunch 8. Old Melburnian 1971 50 Year Reunion

Below is a list of dates that have been confirmed for 2023. More information about other events including Branch Events, Business Breakfast, and Careers Masterclass will be available on the Melbourne Grammar website as soon as details are confirmed.

Friday 27 October

Royal South Yarra Lawn Tennis Club Thursday 23 November

OM 1953 – 70 Year Reunion Thursday 30 March

OM 1963 – 60 Year Reunion Thursday 23 March

OM 1973 – 50 Year Reunion Thursday 4 May

OM 1983 – 40 Year Reunion Thursday 9 March

OM 1993 – 30 Year Reunion Friday 31 March

OM 2003 – 20 Year Reunion Friday 24 March

OM 2013 – 10 Year Reunion Friday 17 March

OM 2018 – 5 Year Reunion Friday 3 March

All Reunions will be held at Melbourne Grammar School, South Yarra Campus

Edwin Flack Park Friday 12 May