Scotch College

Out in the grounds and behind the scenes: Scotch's unsung heroes

Anyone entering the Scotch College campus cannot fail to be impressed by the beauty of the grounds. A beautiful scene of well-presented buildings and colourful flower beds pleases the eye. There are sweeping vistas over well-manicured ovals. Stately native and exotic trees sway in the breeze and provide shade in summer and shelter in winter. It’s a picture-perfect presentation.

It’s also a scene we can easily take for granted. Scotch has always had beautiful grounds and impressive buildings, and that’s how we expect it to look at all times. We probably don’t give a second thought to how it stays that way.

Bill Sciarretta, Property Manager

Dedicated team

But the beauty of the grounds and the maintenance of the Scotch campus don’t just happen by accident. Working behind the scenes is a team of very dedicated people who create and maintain the attractive school environment that we all love, and ensure the campus is safe and clean, and that everything is in good working order.

Under the supervision of property manager Bill Sciarretta, the Scotch College Property group consists of two teams – grounds staff, led by curator Michael Smith, and maintenance, led by maintenance supervisor Greg McMahon.

The two teams have quite separate roles to play, but interact on a range of activities. ‘We often work together on projects and at events such as Family Day and the Foundation Day Concert; for example, removing the seats from the Memorial Hall or setting up the upper gym for exams,’ Bill told Great Scot.

Team spirit

The team spirit came to the fore last year when Gavin Hall, the groundsman responsible for the Main Oval, suffered a heart attack while on the job. Michael Smith and other team members promptly administered cardio-pulmonary resuscitation until ambulance officers arrived. Happily, Gavin, a 25-year Scotch veteran, is now fit and well and back at work.

Another recent project involving both teams was the renewal of the chapel’s underground electrical cables. Maintenance dug the trench and laid the cables to power up the new light poles, and grounds staff reinstated the ground surface, lined the path with bluestone edging and planted out the garden beds. ‘If we make a mess, as was unavoidable in this case, we work together to make sure it’s tidied up,’ said Greg McMahon.

Certainly it’s a big task for 12 grounds staff to look after a 26-hectare (65-acre) site, but our staff have the experience and qualifications to handle it all. ‘We strive to employ the most competent staff we can find, in both the grounds and maintenance areas,’ Bill told Great Scot. ‘If we have a vacancy, we try to employ top people such as apprentices of the year.’

‘The result is that I’ve got a terrific group here, with great team spirit, loyalty to Scotch College and dedication to the work ethic and the job in hand. If Scotch is in need, we’re ready, willing and able to provide whatever assistance is necessary.’

Grounds

Grounds staff

Rear: Mick Smith (Curator), Andy Powell (Groundsman), Tim Pilgrim (Groundsman), Dallas Lyons (Groundsman and 2IC), Ross Foster (Groundsman), Gavin Hall (Groundsman), Liz Pettenon (head gardener)

Front: Kelly Daley (gardener), David Kingsley (gardener), Craig MeMamiel (gardener), David Brennan (Groundsman) (not pictured: George Garriglio – Groundsman)

Four staff are fully qualified in turf management and two more have horticultural qualifications, with a third currently undertaking horticultural studies. All regularly attend training courses and seminars, and some participate in exchange programs. Ross Foster, the groundsman responsible for the Meares Oval, recently worked at the legendary All England Lawn Tennis Club (Wimbledon) and his photo appeared in the club’s 2004 tournament commemorative book.

Recent major projects have included the design and construction of the new cricket practice wicket area on the south-east side of the Main Oval.

Creativity and dedication come to the fore in areas such as planting and landscaping, preparing high-quality cricket pitches, and ensuring ovals are in top condition for a variety of sports.

Five grounds and maintenance staff are involved in School sport, which provides a valuable opportunity for interaction with Scotch boys. Michael Smith is an assistant coach and fitness coach of the 1st XVIII, Dallas Lyons is assistant coach of the 1st XI and Dave TeBoekhorst also coaches cricket. Greg McMahon is an assistant swimming coach and Colin White an assistant hockey coach. In addition, Michael Smith is an assistant coach of the Old Scotch Football Club.

Maintenance

Maintenance staff

Rear: Laurie Browell (Property Officer), Greg McMahon (Supervisor), David Bennett (Caretaker and Security), Emma Siddles (Grounds and Maintenance Administration), Colin Daniels (Plumber), Rob Treloar (General Hand)

Front: Dave TeBoekhorst (Carpenter), Gokhan Aksut (General Hand), Colin White (Electrician and Assistant Supervisor – 2IC)

The number one task for Greg McMahon’s eight-person maintenance team is to keep Scotch College operational and in good working order. It may sound simple, but there’s an unending set of tasks to be tackled.

‘We receive between 70 and 90 maintenance requests per week that need to be attended to,’ Bill said. ‘To help us manage our available resources and set priorities to complete these tasks in an acceptable time frame, we have a computerised maintenance management system, and a very competent maintenance administrator, Emma Siddles, to administer these requests. Emma records all requests, prioritises the work and assigns daily work orders to the most appropriate maintenance person for attention,’ he said.

A major recent undertaking was to locate and map all of Scotch’s underground services. These include water mains, fire services, stormwater drains, sewer pipes, gas mains, electrical, telecommunication and data cables and irrigation lines.

‘This had never previously been done so comprehensively,’ Bill said. ‘In the past, if we needed to excavate somewhere in the School grounds, we could never be quite sure what we would find. Now we can excavate with confidence.’

Another recent project was to clean Scotch’s maze of stormwater drains. ‘The contractor we engaged collected an incredible 22 tonnes of silt from the drains,’ Bill said.

Among the real characters in the maintenance team is general hand Rob Treloar, whose claim to fame is that in the ’70s he was a drummer with various rock bands such as Paul Kelly, Blackfeather and Little Heroes, the last of which had a one-hit wonder called ‘One Perfect Day’. Rob now drums up lots of maintenance tasks around the School.

Another well-known face is property officer Laurie Browell, who worked as a volunteer VIP driver during the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, meeting many interesting people as he travelled between Games venues.

‘Property management is a year-round task. When the boys returned to School in late January the School grounds were pristine – flowers blooming, grass cut, pitches rolled, painting completed, classrooms cleaned and set up ready for teaching,’ Bill said. ‘Everything was properly maintained and the School was ready for business.’

‘That’s because the grounds and maintenance teams were on the job through most of the school holidays making sure everything would be 100 per cent for the start of the school year.’

‘We are ready, willing and able to help Scotch and Scotch people in whatever way we can,’ Bill told Great Scot. “I can say with confidence that there’s nothing we can’t do for Scotch.’

David Ashton