Scotch College

September Luncheon

Tim Syrota ('86) was guest speaker at the September luncheon in the Cardinal Pavilion. An old boy from the class of 1986, Tim had a distinguished career at Scotch, with top scores in Science Mathematics, English and Literature. In fact, he only narrowly missed out on being Dux of the School!

Since then, Tim has led a fascinating and varied life, having studied law and, at one time, acting in the USA. He is now a freelance writer, photographer and video producer.

He has had two successful photographic exhibitions and has written a powerful photo-journalist account of his time in Burma.

In his address, Tim gave a moving account of his time on the Thai-Burmese border, illustrating some of the horrors and disadvantages faced by local communities.

He explained his work in Dr Cynthia's clinic in the border area, and talked extensively about the need for understanding the extraordinary situation in Burma.

His commitment and compassion were clear and provoked a number of searching questions from the attendees. There is clearly much that can be done to help the Burmese both overseas and in Melbourne, and Tim's engagement with this community was one of the highlights of his talk.

Currently Tim is Vice-President of the International Society for Human Rights and is editing its regular magazine, Charter.

He is clearly an accomplished and persuasive speaker, and a fine example of the involvement that Scotch Collegians achieve within the greater community.

As well as having Tim as Guest Speaker, this occasion coincided with the 60 Year reunion celebration. There were 70 old Collegians who attended, and it was wonderful to have so many sprightly and interested Old Boys attending the luncheon.

Alan Watkinson
Director of Development