Scotch College

School Captain's Column June 2003

School Captain's Column

The School by no means slowed down from its swift pace set early in Term 1, and the concluding couple of weeks saw Scotch post some impressive results on the sporting arena. Both the First VIII rowing crew and the Swimming & Diving team unfortunately fell short of the ultimate prizes, being runners-up in their respective competitions.However, Scotch triumphed in one of the most prestigious APS competitions.

The Scotch First XI Cricket team led by Patrick McKenna broke a six-season drought and reclaimed the APS Cricket Premiership, regaining the top position during their bye in the final round as they watched the competition play into their hands, with Xavier dropping the points in their final match against St Kevin's. The Silverware is back in the trophy cabinet and as far as the cricketers are concerned, their names will be remembered in letters of gold.

Just as the wheels were set in motion during Term 1, onlookers and students have been able to watch them turning round during Term 2. It was a time for Scotch to flex its diverse muscles across its many aspects of schooling life, as Term 2 quickly became a term of firsts.

Scotch showcased its musical talent at their first major musical event of 2003, the annual May Concert held in the Robert Blackwood Hall, at Monash University. Thirteen musical groups performed in total, displaying the differing types and styles of performance achieved across all year levels at the Scotch Music School. The standard of the concert was so high it almost single handedly justified the construction of the James Forbes Academy - obviously the boys are making full use of the facilities. With the second half of the building well on its way, we can only speculate on how good these boys and their drama counterparts can get.

The Scotch Cadet Corp hit the road to reach its bivouac camping destination at Victoria's Wombat State Forest. The cadets of Year 9 were thrown out into the bush for a couple of nights, many enjoying their first camping experience ever. The cadets were faced with many tough challenges: navigation exercises, three kilometre hikes through the bush, cooking their own dinner, and having no reception for their mobile phones. It was time for the cadets to rise to the challenge and tough it out in the bush without life's little luxuries, whilst senior cadets were there to light their way. The experiences and skills acquired will not only be long remembered, but also relived during Main Camp at the conclusion of this term.

I discovered that these types of experiences are never to be forgotten at the Annual Old Boys' Dinner, where Old Boys from all generations reminisced about their own days at Scotch. From cadets to teachers, sport to music, to remembering the venues all their mates used to venture out to; all were talked about with a glint in their eyes, a sense of pride and achievement shining through, and a longing to be back there. So too will today's students look back on their experiences in this way, but for now, it's time to enjoy these experiences themselves.

Michael Starke
School Captain