SCOTS PGC PSA Newsletter | November Edition

November | 2022 Edition

Compiled by Katie Coleman | SCOTS PGC College Past Student Officer

Welcome SCOTS PGC Collegians!

The College community has hosted lots of great events over the last few months, providing past students with the opportunity to revisit, reconnect and reminisce.

It was wonderful to be able to host the annual PSA Reunion weekend once again after not being able to do so since 2019. It was a great weekend, with a jampacked schedule of events that covered all corners of the campus.

The Sunday Chapel service brought past and current students back together once more, for a time to give thanks to the College and be proud of what it means to be a student of SCOTS PGC. It also provided the opportunity to unveil the special commemorative stone that sits proudly in our historical precinct to remember the evacuation of the College during WWII. Thank you to everyone who returned to the College for the weekend and to the members of our Executive Committee that helped make it happen - in particular, Carly Goddard (President) and Roxana Paterson (Secretary).

Just a quick Reminder the 2022 Annual General meeting will be held at 5:30 pm on 29 November via Zoom. Please RSVP if you would like to attend or nominate as a PSA Director to Roxana Paterson (deputy@grace.uq.edu.au) by Friday 27 November 2022.

It is encouraged that you attend the online meeting as this is your opportunity to hear about what is going on with the PSA and have your say.

Class of 2012

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Meet Foundation Chairman Greg Finlay Meet PSA Director Rohan Davidson Annual General Meeting Notice Updates from Past Students and what they’re up to Event photo galleries

Meet the College Foundation Chairman GREG FINLAY | Class of 1985 Greg has spent most of his career in Agribusiness with his brothers Dougal (1983-87), John (1987-91) and Angus (1992-95). Greg’s father Bruce (1949-54) is also a proud Old Boy and is now retired and living on the family farm.

The Finlay family has had a long and proud association with the College dating back to 1944.

Greg’s Uncle, Scott Finlay was the Chairman of the College Council and Greg’s grandfather, and brothers funded the commencement of the SCOTS PGC Pipes and Drums in the late 1940s.

Since becoming a Director of the Foundation, Greg has been amazed by the work and progress that has been made by the College Council and Staff. The College, in a few short years, has been managed from 320 students to almost 500 students. The College is now debt free. and academic results are at record levels in our history. The sporting and cocurricular opportunities are robust and the envy of many in the education sphere.

Greg has been instrumental in driving our Foundation along with Foundation Manager Sarah Henry (1993-1997). The College has a big task at hand with School House and De Conlay House, which are the essence of the heritage of the College, needing to be renovated, particularly to meet modern building codes. Briggs Oval fencing has been devastated by flood. The College needs a middle school upgrade to support the growth and The Foundation is here to assist with connecting the college community and fundraising to support these projects.

Greg states ‘’The value of conversation cannot be understated. There is power in education.

There is power in communication and relationships.’’

May 2022 floods saw Briggs Oval caught in the deep, and our iconic picket fence has pulled up stumps and declared it’s time to retire.

We ask you to whack a few 6s our way and help us achieve the required run rate to ensure a new innings is played.

We want to continue our proud tradition of educating future leaders and for that, we need your support in these areas:

+ BUILDING FUND

+ SCHOLARSHIP FUND

A gift to the building fund will help the College to realise its master plan and provide an exceptional environment for students, staff and our wider community to learn, connect and grow.

The aim of the fund is to generate a sustainable income stream that allows the school to, each year, award needs-based scholarships to ensure talented and deserving boys and girls can either attend or remain at our school.

One-off gift $250

Recurring gift

I would like to give: By cheque (payable to SCOTS PGC College Foundation) Send to: SCOTS PGC 60 Oxenham St WARWICK QLD 4370

I would like to make a gift of $

By EFT to SCOTS PGC College Foundation BSB: 084-004 | Account: 39 630 6881

$500 $1000 Other $

monthly

Please debit my credit card

annually

MASTERCARD VISA

Giving Destinations Building Fund

Save the wicket...

Buy a picket

Scholarship Fund Per Year: I wish for my donation to remain anonymous.

Please do not include my details in publications.

Expiry Date

/

CVV number (required)

Name Signature

Bequests Please send me information about making a bequest to SCOTS PGC College

Meet one of the PSA Directors ROHAN DAVIDSON CLASS OF 2009

Rohan Davidson graduated from the Scots PGC College in 2009. Rohan was raised on an Australian Stock Horse stud in Glen Innes, NSW, and attended the college as a boarding student. He has many fond memories of his days and nights in DeConlay and School House.

Since graduating, Rohan went on to study a Bachelor of Business and a Master of Business and Innovation at USQ. Rohan joined the PSA in an effort to give back to the school, as he was fortunate to receive a scholarship which enabled him to attend the school for grades 11 and 12. His goals within the PSA are to improve digitisation of operations and communications with past students and ensure financial sustainability.

Today Rohan works as the Group Digital Manager for Constantinou Group of Companies, an international investment holding firm that owns and operates businesses in construction, hospitality, fast food and construction materials. He enjoys golf and creative writing and is very keen to continue his work in advancing the interests of the Scots PGC College and its alumni.

Annual General Meeting Notice The Past Students Association Annual General meeting for 2022 will be held at 5:30pm on 29 November via Zoom Meetings. This platform will enable particpants to take part, regardless of their physical location.

If you’d like to attend or nominate for a PSA Director role, please RSVP to Roxanal Paterson by Friday 27 November 2022 by emailing deputy@grace.uq.edu.au The PSA welcomes all members to attend the online meeting as this is your opportunity to hear about what is going on with the PSA and have your say.

We hope you can join us! We’re looking forward to planning our 2023 events and welcome your assistance in building our network.

? w o n k u o y d i D

When we leave the green gates we often wonder what our old classmates are doing and how they’re getting on. Our student profile section ‘Did you know?’ provides short snippets of SCOTS PGC graduates and what they’re up to.

GEORGIA TAYLOR | CLASS of 2012 Georgia Taylor is a Commercial Litigation and Thoroughbred Racing lawyer, accomplished dressage horse rider, and passionate civil courtroom advocate.

Georgia holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from Bond University. She is a qualified Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland and in the High Court of Australia.

Georgia has represented clients at all levels of Queensland and New South Wales Courts and has assisted in matters before the Federal Court of Australia.

She liaises with clients, instructs counsel, appears in Court, and meticulously manages commercial litigation files. She excels in strategic litigation, mediation, and other out-of-court settlements to achieve a commercially successful outcome for her clients.

Prior to joining Attwood Marshall Lawyers, Georgia was a commercial litigation law clerk and a paralegal at firms on the Gold Coast. She worked in Queensland and New South Wales Supreme, and District Courts in matters including debt recovery, joint venture and partnership disputes, insolvency, bankruptcy, corporate structuring, and franchise disputes.

Georgia represents horse owners in thoroughbred racing law matters and equine disputes. Her passion outside of work is horse riding in her chosen discipline of dressage. Georgia was President of Bond University Equestrian Club and is an accomplished dressage competitor with state and national competition experience. She has owned her own horses since the age of 6, is an active participant of the local horse communities, and is a committee member of the Equestrian Gold Coast Club.

AMELIA COWLEY | CLASS of 2014 Amelia is an occupational therapist working in Mount Isa. Amelia says the best part about working with North West HHS is the strong sense of collaboration within the team, which results in a more cohesive approach to patient care.

"People have an awareness of the peaks and challenges associated with working in more rural locations, and are always willing to help wherever they can," she said.

"The most rewarding thing is being in a position to help people engage in the things they need and want to do in their everyday life.

"I love being able to witness the progress clients make towards their goals and see their relief and pride once they achieve them to increase their overall quality of life." Amelia said she didn’t know much about OT before choosing to study it, but the values of the profession resonated with her own and she’s never looked back!

JACK DEAR | CLASS of 2008 Graduating in 2008, Jack Dear was a boarding student who looks back fondly at his time at SCOTS PGC. While at school, Jack was involved in the Equestrian team and thoroughly enjoyed representing the College at Eventing competitions. While he got a bit of stick from his mates due to the tight-fitting equestrian attire and elegant jackets, it was always in jest; he made lifelong friends who still like to have a joke with him today.

Mr Greg Wacker, Mr and Mrs Bailey, Mrs Berry and Mrs Roslyn Hart were the boarding house staff during Jack’s years at SCOTS PGC. The qualities Jack gained from his time at the College have served him well in his career and life.

After graduating, Jack enlisted as a Cavalryman in the Royal Australian Armoured Corp alongside two of his closest mates, Josh Williams and Jonathan South. Josh became a combat engineer, and Jonathan a heavily armoured tank crewman. In 2013, Jack deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan and was responsible for providing cavalry support to the Australian mentoring forces.

Later in 2014, as Australia’s operational commitment to Afghanistan was reducing, Jack was discharged from the Army; seeking a return to Kabul, Jack started on a long path, travelling between Vancouver, Cape Town, and London, training as a medic along the way. In 2016, Jack was given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to return to Afghanistan as a Security Officer with the Australian Embassy in Kabul. The fastpaced life at the Embassy kept him there for four rewarding years until, in 2020, Jack left to continue his medical pursuits as a paramedic. The timing was perfect. As COVID19 spread throughout China (and not long later, the rest of the world), and as Afghanistan’s stability rapidly deteriorated, the country fell to the Taliban in just a few months.

2021 was a challenging year for many, including Jack. With the health services fiercely battling the spread of COVID19, Jack saw lockdowns, isolation, and endlessly changing levels of personal protective gear enter the ambulance sphere.

Jack is now based in Canberra with his partner Mary, an Australian Navy officer. This year, after seeing the horrifying events in Ukraine, Jack and Mary were compelled to help. After what initially started as sending off medical care packages, Jack soon discovered a way to provide more hands-on assistance. Signing up with PARACREW, Jack made his way to Ukraine on 20 September to man a mobile health clinic, providing primary healthcare to the civilian population. He’s received tremendous support from family, friends and his employers at the ACT Ambulance service. Jack and his team will be based in Poland for the next six weeks, doing everything they can to make an impact on war torn Ukraine.

Support and follow Jack’s story here: https://www. facebook.com/jack.rainy https://www.gofundme.com/f/paracrew-mobile-healthclinic

PSA Reunion Weekend

Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 October 2022 was a weekend of revisiting, reconnecting and reminiscing for our past students over the weekend for our annual reunion event for SCOTS PGC College Alumni.

Our schedule of events covered all corners of the campus and provided an opportunity for our past students to wander through their old boarding houses and reflect on their time here. After touring the Locke and Oxenham Street campuses, our Pipes and Drums Band entertained our returning visitors before they headed off for an afternoon at the Warwick Races or an evening back in the Assembly Hall for a dinner with their classmates.

Our Sunday Chapel service brought past and current students back together once more, for a time to give thanks to the College and be proud of what it means to be a student of SCOTS PGC. Afterwards, we unveiled a special commemorative stone that sits proudly in our historical precinct to remember the evacuation of the College during WWII. The stone was originally in place at Kingswood Homestead, (where junior boys were relocated to during the war) and was moved to the College for prosperity following the sale of the Kingswood Homestead.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend which allowed friends to gather, tell tales and remember the good old days. We look forward to doing it all again next year! 😊

Class of 1962 |60 Years On...

Please get in touch with Past Student Administrator - Katie Coleman (07 4666 9887 | kate.coleman@scotspgc.com.au) to share any updates on life events and special achievements since leaving the College.