Scotch College

Obituaries

Christopher ALGER ('33)
Douglas BENTON ('38)
Andrew CAMPBELL ('89)
Edward CODE ('33)
Clive CROCKER ('48)
Dennis ELLIOTT ('48)
Robert FLOCKART ('43)
Robert GRAHAM ('41)
Ian S. HAMILTON ('28)
Donald HENDERSON ('29)
Stuart JACKMAN ('24)
Bruce MacKINLAY CBE ('20)
John McCRACKEN ('23)
Richard NIGHTINGALL ('40)
Peter PUDDICOMBE ('50)
Stuart PULLAR ('27)
John SHINGLER ('48)
Eldon SIMMONS ('42)
Ian STAHLE ('35)
Hartley SWANN ('28)
Neil TURNLEY ('29)
Arch WHITE ('32)

Harrie Scott Simmons died in May this year, aged eighty. The hundreds that gathered at the memorial service for his life and ministry were no surprise to anyone who had spent time with him. One seldom meets a great human being; those of us who knew Harrie were fortunate indeed.

Harrie attended Scotch in the '30s where he became a Christian. Later, he was ordained, and after some time in ministry in Melbourne, served in India in schools and hospitals with the Dohnavur Fellowship, founded by the legendary Amy Carmichael. These were pivotal years for him, the goal of his earlier preparations and a rich source of reflective experience when he returned, due to ill health, in 1962.

Back here he worked at Malvern Grammar, the Institute of Archaeology, Ridley College and in retirement in the Scotch Senior School Library, sorting out our material on ancient Egypt. Throughout these years, however, evenings were often spent with those who sought his help and advice.

He had wide interests - music (especially Bach), drama, poetry, drawing and Egyptology and his wonderful sense of humour was never far away.

Nonetheless, his single minded commitment to people overshadowed all of these, often expressed in prayer for many hours each week.

His understanding of human nature and its frailties was profound, as was his study of the Bible. These, together with his ability to listen, were keys to his extraordinary ministry.

His greatness, and I use the word unashamedly, lay not in his delightful personal attributes, but in the profound work of God in his own life. This overflowed in the lives of hundreds whom he led to faith in Christ, or encouraged in their walk of faith, or supported in other ways.

It is no bad thing to be reminded of the source of all true greatness.

Arch White ('32) came to Scotch from Perth when his family moved to Melbourne. He soon came under the notice of Dr Littlejohn for doing his part in Athletics, Football and other games. He later graduated from Melbourne University with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree. His business abilities were soon recognised as he successively was appointed Assistant to the Managing Director of Peters Ice Cream, Production Manager of Johnson and Johnson and Managing Director of St Regis - ACI. He was always highly supportive of the Old Boys and was the Founding President of the Sydney Branch, running the first Old Boys' Dinner in that city.

Donald Henderson ('29) writer, editor and art connoisseur, was born at Leongatha on 19 October 1910, the youngest of seven children. He went first to the local state school and then the Leongatha High School. In 1924 he entered Leward House, Scotch College, as a boarder. His literary ability was already apparent and in 1927 he edited the Scotch Collegian. On leaving school he commenced an Arts Course at Melbourne University before being tempted by an offer of work on the Calcutta Times in the late 1920s. In 1932 he was working as a journalist in London for Harold Macmillan, then in the Macmillans' family publishing house.

At the outbreak of war he enlisted in the RAMC and always vividly remembered working in ambulances during the blitz of Coventry. He was then sent to the Gold Coast of Africa where he picked up malaria and black water fever and was invalided back to Britain before returning to Australia to serve in the RAAF. His service career ended in 1945 after malaria again caught up with him in the Northern Territory.

Demobilized, he completed his Arts course while working for the Department of Immigration.

By the late 1950s, Donald was back in London and thereafter he was employed as an editor by Hilger and Watts, makers of microscopes and other precision instruments, and later by Edward Arnold, the distinguished London publishers.

Once during the 1960s, while on one of his numerous trips home, he worked for the Institute of Public Affairs and had a stint as a freelance editor with Melbourne University Press where his editorial skills were admired.

About 1973, he joined the British Standards Institute where his skills as a technical editor were quickly recognized. He remained with BSI (latterly working as a freelance editor) until his retirement in 1982.

Largely self-taught, he had a deep knowledge of both the fine and decorative arts and was an habitue of London's street markets, antique shops, galleries and great public collections.

Donald Henderson was an intensely independent and private person, determined never to be a burden to anyone. Sophisticated, yet unassuming, he had a remarkable capacity for friendship with people of all ages and across a very broad social spectrum.

Sir Bruce William MacKinlay CBE (1920) Bruce spent 1920 at Scotch College finishing his schooling at Scotch College (WA). He served during WW2 as a Lieutenant in AASC. After the war he became branch manager of J Gadsden Pty Ltd first in Queensland and then in WA becoming a Director in 1954. Later he became a director of Whittakers. For thirty years or more he sat on or chaired many Government, Semi-Government and Industry Boards and serving on the Scotch College (WA) Council 1954-74, being its Chairman from 1969-74. Finally he presided over the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Bruce, in a true Scotch College tradition, gave a lifetime of service to his community.

Ronald Yule Hastings 1916-1999

Educated at New Gisborne in the property 'Elderslie' by his governess Miss Wood, Ronald Yule Hastings moved on to Scotch College, where the school accommodated his interest in horticulture by creating a subject in the curriculum, which was taught at Burnley Horticultural College on Friday afternoons. His five years of Scotch saw him involved in shooting (he was runner-up in the King's Cup), rowing with the 2nd Eight, and active in many other activities in the school.

After leaving Scotch, Ron went on to take a Diploma of Agriculture at Dookie College. In 1938 he bought 'Overdale' at Korobeit. The following year he married Betty Onians, his childhood sweetheart.

During WWII, he was an active member of the Army Reserves. Perhaps Ron is best known locally for his long involvement with the Greendale Rural Fire Brigade. He held many positions within the brigade working his way from 3rd Lieutenant to Captain, a position he held for fifteen years.

As an apiarist Ron was at the cutting edge of research and made a contribution to that industry by breeding and supplying purebred queen-bees to large commercial apiaries.

Ron built up a formidable reputation as an aviculturalist, joining the Avicultural Society of Australia in 1958; he served as a committee member for twenty-seven years and was made a life member of the Society in 1979. His research into worm infestation in aviary birds and his post mortem work in this area in the 1960s was pioneering work of immense value to both private aviculture and the veterinary profession.

A Life Member of the Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens - where he was an advisor on Australian parrots - designing and supervising the construction of the fifty-five parrot breeding aviaries built there in 1966/67. He wrote many articles which were published both in Australia and internationally.

Harold McCracken OBE (1923)

Harold's early schooling was at Scotch College (WA) before moving to Scotch College (Vic) for five years, representing the school at athletics in his final year, which was his first year at the Hawthorn campus. He studied Law at the University of Melbourne serving his articles with Westley and Dale and moving to Corr and Corr for five years before setting up his own practice McCracken & McCracken. Throughout his professional life, and indeed in his family, he had a reputation as a very caring man and he spent a lifetime giving service to others in his practice, his family and to the Christian faith to which he was wholly committed.

He was in his youth a member of the Melbourne University Evangelical Union and for more than two decades from its inception in 1930 he was President of the Crusader Movement.

From his marriage in 1941 both he and his wife Beth joined the Hawthorn Presbyterian Church. Harold's commitment to his faith involved him for decades in Missionary work: in Borneo and with the Melbourne City Mission; in the Bible Institute and the Bible Society, He was a man who in his faith gave fully of himself to others : to family and equally to strangers - a truly Christian man.

John Raff Trengove ('40) was born in Melbourne in February 1923. He died on 19 July 1999, after battling against multiple myeloma in his later years.

John went to Scotch in 1935 and represented the school in the swimming team and matriculated in 1940. He joined the RAAF and was trained as a Wireless Air Gunner. In Britain he was assigned to RAF No. 77 Bomber Squadron and was the only Australian in the crew.

He served with bravery and distinction and was awarded the DFC. During his time in the RAF he met and later married a Scottish WAF Intelligence officer on New Years Day 1945.

After the war he went to Melbourne University and completed a science degree in metallurgy. He moved the family to Wollongong to take up a position with ER and S Company. After four years the family returned to Melbourne where John worked with two other companies, Extruded Metals and National Radiators.

He maintained his links with Scotch as a life member of OSCA. He joined The Old Collegians' Tennis Club and played in the competitions. He was a member of the Old Scotch Collegians' Lodge, of which he became Master.

John spent many years as a member of Apex and in later years formed Probus, and The University of the Third Age. He kept his life full of interest to the end.

He is survived by his three daughters Elizabeth, Catherine and Annabel and their families. Grandson Andrew Sutherland ('92) and Tom Sutherland ('95).