Scotch College

Renovated McMeckan House benefits Scotch boarders

McMeckan House boarders are taking full advantage of their enhanced living, study and leisure facilities, with refurbishment work now completed.

The renovation is part of a project designed to upgrade the boarding school. Work on another of the houses, School House, is expected to be completed later this year.

Rooms have been fitted out with attractive, modern furnishings and Year 12 boys have individual university-style rooms with private study facilities.

There is increased Internet and e-mail access, with younger boys using the latest personal computers, and Year 11 and Year 12 boys having their own laptops.

Year 11 boys, like James Nunn from Noorat (near Warrnambool) and Matt Ljujic from Bairnsdale, are enjoying their shared study facilities, and appreciate the new recreational facilities in McMeckan House.

Both boys are studying maths and sciences, and each is taking a Year 12 subject. James' subject is Mathematics Methods, and Matt's is History of Revolutions.

'It's great having a desk in our own room, rather than going to the prep room',

James said. Matt agreed. 'You can choose your own study time, rather than having to conform to prep times.'

Matt said the boys really appreciated the renovations. 'As well as enjoying the new facilities ourselves, we realise we have a responsibility to set a good example to the younger boys on using them properly,' he said.

James is learning the bagpipes with the Pipes and Drums, and uses McMeckan's new music practice room to hone his skills. 'Other boarders used to ask me to take my pipes and practice down on one of the ovals,' he jokes, 'but now I have a soundproof practice room, so I can practice all I like.'

He is also a keen footballer, swimmer and water polo player, and is a leader in the school's adventure and hiking programmes.

Matt appreciates sharing a room with another Year 11 boy. 'We can get on with our study, and discuss aspects of school work without interrupting anyone else,' he said. Matt plays tennis and hockey, participates in the outdoor leadership programme, and is a member of the school's debating team.

Leisure needs are also well catered for.

A reading room has leather armchairs, and there's a recreation room with Nintendo, a CD/tape player, and a table tennis and billiards table.

A television room has access to a cable TV sports channel, and two boarders run a canteen. There's also a backyard sports practice area, not to mention the school's six sports fields and eighteen tennis courts nearby.

Built in the 1920s and '30s, the boarding school is now undergoing the biggest refurbishment project in its history, ensuring that Scotch's boarding facilities continue to be of the very highest standard.