Scotch College

Striving for versatility

‘Every single Scotch Collegian should strive to be as versatile as possible

Being multi-talented is one of the most important attributes you can have. Time and time again you hear about a great sportsman, or a brilliant academic. But how often do you hear about a great sportsman who is also a brilliant academic? Every single Scotch Collegian should strive to be as versatile as possible. One man to idolise for his versatility is the late George Logie-Smith.

I attended George Logie-Smith’s memorial service late last term. After hearing of his amazing achievements I felt compelled to share his story. Logie-Smith was the Director of Music at Scotch College for 20 years. During that period, the teaching of instrumental music grew to the point where up to 70 per cent of the boys were learning instruments. Before his arrival, around 10 per cent of the boys were involved in music, which means Logie-Smith increased the musical involvement at Scotch College by an amazing 600 per cent. He is well known as the pioneer of music at Scotch College.

Being so successful as the Director of Music at Scotch College is enough to make the man brilliant. But it was his versatility that made him a legend. As a young boy, in addition to his musical ability, he showed great talent as a sportsman in cricket, football and hockey teams. Plus, during his time at Scotch he coached the 1st XVIII football side and, in 1968, led the side to a premiership. Logie-Smith appeared to be good at everything he tried. Every Scotch Collegian should take a leaf out of his book, and try something new.

On Thursday 19 July, the entire school made the shape of ‘07’ on the main oval. This was done in order to show the community that Scotch College supports the fight against global poverty. Also, in the lead-up to the event, awareness of the extreme poverty around the world was raised significantly.

For a number of years, Scotch has battled with recycling. Many actions were taken, but nothing seemed to work. The School even went to the extent of hiring local super hero Captain Planet. But even he couldn’t solve the problem and eventually he resigned. This year, Scotch has taken a huge step in the right direction to improving recycling. If you walk around the school yard, you will notice that some new red bins have been installed. These bins, if used properly, will solve the recycling problem. The attitude towards rubbish and recycling is constantly improving. In the last week of term 2, I watched a Year 7 boy by the name of Lachie Hocking walk out of his way to pick up some rubbish. If we can all have this attitude, I have no doubt that we can make this new system work.

The foundation of the School and the families of the Scotch Community are both equally important. So, it is understandable that we are gearing up to celebrate both in the second half of the year. We have the spectacular Foundation Day Concert on 5 September and the popular Family Day on 13 October. It is going to be a huge and exciting second half of the year, and I am looking forward to every moment. GS