Scotch College

Ray tops the ton

On the 11th August Dr Gordon Donaldson invited Old Boy Mr Ray Durston to Morning Assembly to recognise his 100th birthday.

School Captain, Tim Downing gave the boys a summary of Ray's life.

'Born on his parents' dairy farm at Poowong in Gippsland, Ray attended Scotch from 1913 - 1917.

The school was still at East Melbourne in Landsdowne St, although 60 prep boys had been housed in the Glen House on the hill at Hawthorn from 1916. Dr Littlejohn was Principal, and a generation of Old Boys went off to the battlefields of Europe to serve during World War 1.

At the end of 1917 at the age of 18, Ray Durston enlisted in the army and served with the 14th Battalion at the AIF headquarters in London. The trip to London on board the HMAS Barambah was eventful: 800 of the 1000 troops on board caught a virulent strain of influenza that killed 27. The ship arrived in London on 12th November 1918, the day after the armistice was signed to officially end World War I.

During World War II, Ray worked for the Ministry of Munitions and was the Controller of Machine Tools.

In his final year at Scotch, Ray had won a scholarship to Ormond College, and between the wars he graduated with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from the University of Melbourne. After graduation he had a successful career with the Victorian Railways, worked as an engineer in the private sector, and held a number of company directorships.

Mr Durston has always been heavily involved in sport, and is a member of Victoria and Southern Golf Clubs. At Beaumauris Bowls Club, he still plays.

In community life Mr Durston is a Life Governor of the Freemason's Hospital, and the Sandringham Hospital. He was a member of the school council at Firbank Girls School for 27 years.

He married his wife Isobel in 1932 and they enjoyed 67 years of married life, with their 3 daughters, numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren'.

In closing the assembly Dr Donaldson said, 'we do not have a school song which recognises an old boy 82 years on after leaving school. The best we can do is to sing about 40 years on, so to conclude the assembly we will all stand and sing 'Forty Years On' as a tribute to Mr Ray Durston'.

There was a hardly a dry eye in the Memorial Hall.

Keith is 90 years young

During the 19th Century, two McKinley brothers left their home in Northern Ireland to seek fame and fortune overseas.

One went to America and his son became the President of the USA; the other came to Australia where his daughter Mary married George Wilson and they founded the McKinley Wilson family.

Mary's grandson Keith, who celebrates his 90th birthday this month attended Scotch 1921-1926 and went on to a long life of service to Scotch and the Community at large. After his schooldays he studied accounting and qualified as a Chartered Accountant and became a member of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries. This led him to work as accountant, secretary and director in various companies including directorships in Channel 9 and Huttons Hams - both 1956-1960.

The work for which he is best known is his contribution to the Old Scotch Collegians' Association. As Honorary Secretary 1936-1940 and 1945-1954 he was responsible for initiating many activities such as monthly luncheons which continue to this day and the founding of the county branches. He was President of OSCA. 1962-1963 and served on the School Council 1953-71. Last year his service to Scotch was recognised by his election as an Honorary Life Member of OSCA.

In the sporting field he participated in Football, Athletics, Tennis, Squash and Lawn Bowls. Joining the Malvern Bowls Club in 1959, he was President twice, Treasurer for fifteen years and Champion of the Green on several occasions. As a Councillor of the RVBA for fourteen years, he became Chairman of the Umpires Board for seven years and was responsible for the training of Umpires and Markers for the 1980 World Bowls Championships. As an Old Scotch Collegian, he was the foundation secretary of the Old Scotch Bowls Club and its second president after Bosh Bowden. His community work includes service on the Councils of PLC and Ormond College. Honorary Treasurer of St Andrews Hospital for about twenty-five years.

Keith and his wife Marjorie were married in the Littlejohn Chapel four weeks after it was opened, in 1936. They have one daughter and four sons all of whom attended Scotch. Three grandsons have all featured on the schools roll.

Oxley Jones