Scotch College

Vietnam Reflection Day momentum builds

The Scotch College Vietnam Reflection Day programmed for Friday November 7 this year promises to be a very special day for all the students at the School as well as those Old Boys of the School who contributed to the Vietnam War effort.

A working party of Academic staff and Old Boys have been working together to bring this project to life for over a year. Current teacher Pat Holdaway was the inspiration for the project as she painstakingly tracked down all Old Scotch Collegians who contributed to the Vietnam War effort. Initially expecting to track down just a few Old Boys, her committed sleuthing ended up netting over 50 Old Boys with Vietnam War experience. It is important to note that we are recognising those Old Boys with military service as well as those who were part of the National Service, the medical teams and the media.

Five of the Year 9 Vietnam Reflection Day project leaders L to R: Tian Tu, Duncan Lee, Harry Hookey, Ashish Sharma and Sam Kirkwood.

The School's history staff have welcomed the initiative and are driving the project to ensure maximum student involvement. Ten year 9 students have been identified to be the 'project leaders' and will be visiting the Shrine, the San Remo Vietnam War display as well as a two day excursion to Canberra on the 28th and 29th of August. There they will visit the Vietnam Memorial and the War Memorial, as well as touring Parliament House. They will also be visiting our Vietnam War Old Boys based in the nation's capital and interviewing them, asking them questions about their experiences and memories. Other Old Boys based in Melbourne will also be interviewed by the boys. This video will then be presented to all the Old Boys (twenty-two at this stage) who have agreed to come to the School on the Vietnam Reflection Day.

The Vietnam Reflection Day will include a very special Memorial Hall Assembly, where General Peter Gration will address the boys and assist in the unveiling of a plaque recognising the service of Old Scotch Collegians who participated in the War. From there, the Old Boys will visit the library and inspect the Vietnam War display, assist in the Year 9 learning workshops, watch the video prepared by the boys and will then be guests at the Old Scotch November luncheon, where General Peter Gration will be our special guest speaker. The luncheon will be followed by a tour of the School and the archives section for those who have the energy!

If you were involved in the Vietnam War and have yet to be contacted by the School (and you would like to be included in this project) please contact Tim Shearer in the Development Office on 03 9810 4302.

Tim Shearer