Scotch College

What they're doing now...

After 22 years in the UK, Michael Smith ('70) has recently returned to become Principal of Alphington Grammar School, which was established in 1989 and now has 670 students. He taught at Scotch for three years in the '70s, and had been head of Rydon Community School in Surrey since 1995. Mike, Chris and their two young children (Joshua and Isabella) are living in Park Orchards. Chris is teaching part-time at Tintern.

Richard Jordan wrote recently -

'I applaud the current efforts of teaching staff to provide chess tuition from Australian Grandmaster Daryl Johansen.

However, I believe it is important to note the distinguished achievements of Old Boys Stephen Solomon ('81-82) and Bill Jordon ('74).

Stephen is currently an International Master and is representing Australia in the Chess Olympiad underway in Russia. Stephen won the Australian Junior Championship as a student at Scotch and played such strong inter-school chess that other schools rearranged their teams to offer only token resistance. Stephen has won numerous tournaments in Australia and most recently came equal first with Grandmaster Ian Rogers in the 1998 Australian Open and ahead of Grandmaster Daryl Johansen.

Stephen is a likely contender to become Scotch's first Chess Grandmaster.

Bill is currently a National Master and Australian Correspondence Chess Champion. Bill won the Australian Junior Championship as a student at Scotch and also represented Australia at the World Junior Championship. Bill has also represented Australia in International Chess Tournaments in China, America and Malaysia. Bill most recently came seventh in the 1998 Australian Open.

Rory Stewart ('94) - went off to the Channel Islands in April of last year, as he had always wanted to have a season playing cricket in the UK.

He played with St Saviour's Club in Guernsey, had a great season, was picked to represent Guernsey and to top it all, was awarded the honour of being best Youth Player of the year.

In October, he moved on to Londonderry, Northern Ireland, where he had been offered a six month cadetship in a company, going from department to department to gain some work and business experience. He is very happy there, despite the weather, and is enjoying involvement and playing with the local rugby club. He is looking forward to catching up with Mark Hinshelwood, Tim Pritchard and other ex schoolmates, as they travel in Europe.

Gordon Powell ('29) was requested by his dying father-in-law, Archibald Gilchrist, to complete a biography of John Dunmore Lang, the first Presbyterian minister on the mainland of Australia. It was Lang who brought to Australia James Forbes, the founder of Scotch. Lang became a politician and as such was responsible for the Separation of Victoria and Queensland from N.S.W. Dunmore Lang College within Macquarie University, Sydney, commemorates him.

The book has now been completed and was published in April by the Rev. Dr Rowland Ward. Although the title is "John Dunmore Lang, Australia's Pioneer Republican" both sides of the Republican debate are presented. National celebrations are planned for the bicentenary of Lang's birth in August this year.

When David and Nan Jordon purchased 'Caupaul' via Casterton in 1954, William Swan Edgar's winning 1891 oar hung over the fireplace. Scotch Boatman and Olympic oarsman Bob Lachal collected it from the donors, late in January this year.

Dr Andrew Griffiths ('82) was recently advised by the Examination Committee and the Council of the Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, that he had been awarded the F J Browne Medal for the first MRACOG Oral Examination in 1998. The award was based on his outstanding results in the Oral Examination in Melbourne in March 1998.

Australia Day Honours

David Tudehope ('61) received the Order of Australia in the General Division, "for service to medicine, particularly in the field of Neo-natal paediatics, and to the Multidisciplinary Growth and Development Clinic."

He has been working in the Mater Mothers' Hospital in South Brisbane for the past 22 years.

Walter Vasley ('37) received an OAM for "service to veterans through the 2/1st Australian Announced Brigade Reconnaissance Squadron Association." He is currently the President and has been the chief organiser for over 50 years of reunions and family social activities.

Dr Peter Macneil ('47) was also awarded an OAM "for service to rural medicine and to community health." He has been living and practising in Wagga Wagga for many years.

In 1993, Doug Callister ('48) assembled a group of old 1st Hawthorn Scouts - Peter Allard ('55), John Findlay ('55), Peter Fishley ('52), Peter Hall ('55), Doug Johnson ('55), Bob Moran ('54) and a couple of other friends for a 21-day trek in the Annapurna region of Nepal. While there, they made contact with the Paudwar Lower Secondary School. Well away from any trekking route, the school has only the most basic facilities for its 250 students.

Just six weeks after their return Doug Callister died. The rest of the party have since sent annual donations to the school in his memory. This year Peter Hall and his wife Ronda with several friends including Gwen Waller, wife of the late Campbell ('48), visited the school. Since then they have been collecting books to establish a school library. Companies in the publishing industry have been generous with donations of picture story books and low level world history, geography and science books. Old Boys who might have books to contribute, or help in other ways (e.g. with transport to Nepal) contact Peter. Peter has now more or less retired from his management consulting career (the latter 12 years with Rob Logie-Smith, Ian Godwin at PA Consulting Group), and is now finding himself busier than ever growing chestnuts and looking to how these might be processed for markets.