Scotch College

What they're doing now ...

Some recent correspondents to the Editor for "What They Are Doing Now" may be dismayed to see their offering severely pruned. This editing is only for publication. We are very interested in having on record in the archives mini-biographies of all our Old Boys.

Robin Miller (pictured above) spent three years in the Junior School ('74-'76) and recently visited Australia for the first time since leaving Scotch. Robin now runs his own law firm in Bandon, Oregon. He recently wrote to us about his brother Alexander who also attended the Junior School during those years:

My brother Alex Miller, a Scotch Old Boy, had recently composed a symphony setting the words of Martin Luther King's "Let Freedom Ring" to music. Former President Clinton narrated with the Arkansas Symphony this past Tuesday, and previous narrators included James Earl Jones (aka Darth Vader from the Star Wars movie) and Danny Glover (from the Lethal Weapon movies).

While checking the news coverage, I noticed that Melbourne's own The Age gave advance notice of the performance on February 13, the day before we arrived in Australia, and I note further that we spent much time over in Scotch's new music building.

Interesting coincidences in life. Here's The Age's reporting from February 13:

Clinton to debut with orchestra Little Rock, Arkansas

Former US president Bill Clinton will debut with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra on the March 25 program Let Freedom Ring, a celebration of the American spirit that pays tribute to the seven Columbia astronauts.

Clinton will narrate Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait, which includes excerpts from speeches by Abraham Lincoln, and will narrate Let Freedom Ring, Alexander Miller's symphonic setting of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr's I Have a Dream speech.

The orchestra will perform Gustav Holst's Jupiter, the fourth movement of Holst's seven-movement suite The Planets, to honour the astronauts who died when the space shuttle Columbia broke apart before landing on February 1.

The one-night-only performance will benefit the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and the William J Clinton Presidential Foundation.

John Kolm ('76) is co-owner of Team Results, a very successful Melbourne-based company specialising in team and leadership development. He has recently authored a book for Penguin entitled Crocodile Charlie and the Holy Grail, a lighthearted story about the adventures of a plumber named Charlie Kingmore who travels Australia in search of the Holy Grail of personal success at work and in life. More at www.crocodilecharlie.com

John Kohn

We recently heard from former Junior School Headmaster Don Wirth ('77-'85) who is running the archives at Caulfield Grammar. Don is currently Chairman of Council of Rossbourne School in Hawthorn and teaches part-time at Fairfield in the education centre.

Darvill Malcolm ('51) arrived at Scotch in August 1950 from Johannesburg, a total stranger to Australia. However, the short time spent at Scotch greatly influenced his life. During his School life, he was the CSM for 'F' Company under the command of "Buster" Berry. "When we were on parade, we were practically in the creek"! For some reason, the 1951 Cadet camp was held at the School, and Darvill became the first and most likely the last "DON R", as he putted all over the grounds on his unlicensed 1938 Acme 125cc, two stroke motor bike he bought for 10 pounds, which he earned as a builder's labourer during the Xmas holidays. He was in the School's Rugby team, the 4th Eight, and in some sort of way, was in the Morrison XV111.

Darvill Malcolm with his wife Marie and grandson James

In December, he was carted off to Sydney and spent most of his time in real estate, made life-long friends, such as Winston Sellars-Jones and John Bunton among others. He married Marie Daly in 1963 and had 5 daughters. He also has 5 grandsons, the eldest, James, is to commence at Scotch College in 2006.

He is self-employed in commercial real estate and takes part in Scottish functions. He is a member of the 30th Battalion and the N.S.W. Scottish Regimental Association (1952 National Service).

Bernard Tonkin cica 1929

Bertram Tonkin ('29) tells us that he and his wife Margery (née Frazer) have been married for 65 years.

Bertram has had a lifetime of sport starting with cricket and football at school. After leaving school, tennis became a passion, playing at top state and interstate levels for twenty years, winning state doubles championships in 1931 and 1932 and the hard court title with Vic Beament ('23) in 1932. He took up Badminton too, winning state doubles titles before and after his War service and the Australian mixed doubles final in 1950.

Bertram coached Linton and Wilson cup teams from 1954 to 1968. His charges would have included Neville Nette('54).

Bertram has slowed down a bit these days playing bowls with five clubs including Old Scotch. You can't keep a good ball sports player down.

Margery and Bertram Tonkin

Peter Nicholls ('55) was noticed recently in a prime time program about Science Fiction on SBS. They chose their mark well as Peter is a world authority on this subject and has co-authored the definitive encyclopædia on it.

James D. Burns ('14) featured in the March Great Scot. It may be 78 years since he died at Gallipoli, but it is not only at Scotch that he is remembered. He featured in a special Anzac display at the Australian Embassy in Malta recently.

Rex Ting ('95) writes: I am in Shanghai, China. I have been here for the past 6 months studying Chinese and starting a franchise bakery business. My parents were born in Shanghai and I can understand the dialect so it's been easy settling in. It's a beautfiul and exciting city with great prospects and I plan to live here for the next 2-4 years.

After Scotch, I went to Monash (Computer Science) for 1 year; worked at Crown for 1 year as Personal Assistant to Adviser to the Chairman; got my Bachelor of Commerce degree from Bond University; and started an internet company in Singapore, 2000, and which is still currently surviving!

Since 2000, I have been in Singapore running an internet company which provides remote viewing of children at childcare centres to their parents at the office. Business was slow at the start but once we got acceptance and the government funded and promoted our company, it became a hit. We have about 80 childcare centres in Singapore using our service. If you have time, take a look at www.childcarecam.com.sg

I still keep in touch with many Scotch friends and my best buddies are still Troy Roberts and David Philalay, your former students too. They are in Indonesia and Thailand respectively. I also make it a duty to read the Great Scot.

News from New York that Charlie Robinson ('86) has been elected as a partner of the international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. The firm has offices in London, New York, Washington and a further 25 across Europe and Asia. Charlie, who is qualified to practise law in Australia, New York and England, has been in New York since 1996, other than an 18 month period in London a few years ago. He attended the Old Scotch dinner in New York last year and looks forward to doing so again in 2004.

We have recently heard from Swinburne University of Technology that Andrew Clark has been recognised for achieving academic excellence by winning the Wilson HTM Prize for best student in the subject Foundations of International Business.

Cameron Stewart ('92) is now based in Malmo, Sweden, and works for Sony Ericsson Global Mobile Phone at its headquarters in nearby Lund. Following three years in Project Management and extensive travel throughout Asia he is now a senior manager with Sony Ericsson in the Entertainment Marketing division. When time allows he is coaching and playing Australian Rules Football and is always on the lookout for new Swedish based recruits!

Andrew Sutherland ('85) commenced working for Visyboard in 1988 and relocated to Perth in 1996. He now works for Office Solutions, which is an outsourced IT business with a national client base. He is married to Sally and has two boys, Nicholas and William.

Matthew Tracy ('85) is now General Manager of his father's business Jeff Tracy BMW and Toyota, based in Shepparton. He is engaged to Helen Search and will be married in October.

James Ross registers another Old Boy into OSCAnet

James Ross ('98) is currently studying a Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning as well as working in the Development Office contacting Old Boys to ensure they are registered on OSCAnet. To avoid a phone call from James please register on-line now!! www.oscanet.com.au

Queen's Birthday Honours

A quick trawl look through the Queen's Birthday Honours yielded four Scotch connections.

Ron Radford ('66) AM, for service to administration of the Arts, particularly as Director of the South Australian Gallery.

Bruce Morey ('52) OAM, for service to the community, particularly through the Sandybeach centre.

Dr John McEwen ('57) PSM, for outstanding public service related to drug safety.

Mrs Lyndsay Cattermole AM, mother of Hugh ('93) and James ('95) for service to I.T. and the community.

The Scotch Family congratulates the four Honour recipients. If you know of any other recipients of recent awards with Scotch connections that we have missed, please let us know so that we may include them in our next Great Scot.