Scotch College

What they're doing now

1930s

Clif Geer (’38) has just celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary with Joy. They were married in the School chapel on 4 October 1944 by the Reverend Steven Yarnold. Clif was at Scotch from 1936–1937 and played in the 1st Football team. He also was an athlete, a swimmer and a diver. Clif had two brothers who went to Scotch. After School he joined the Bank of New South Wales and worked there for 43 years. Clif served in the Second World War. Clif played football for the Old Scotch Football Club from 1946 to 1952 and was coach of the club in 1952. The Geers built a home in Balwyn where they lived for 50 years and have spent the last 10 years at the Donvale Retirement Village. They have two daughters who are married and live in Brisbane and Blairgowerie with their own children.

1950s

John Reid (’55) has recently exhibited his drawings and paintings at the Daley Art Gallery, Trinity Grammar School in Kew. ‘Side Glances from a Magic Carpet’ is an exhibition of works on southern Spain, Morocco, Venice and Turkey. Two interlocking themes draw these places together: Islamic culture is deeply engrained is southern Spain, Morocco and Turkey while Byzantine culture underpins Turkey and Venice. John’s greatest challenge has been to break from 45 years of architectural discipline in visualising and explaining realities, to portray the inherent character and pattern of subjects as two-dimensional decoration. Each subject requires a different technique in order to interpret a diverse array of visual images. Works therefore employ pencil, charcoal, ink, oil pastel, watercolour, gouache and acrylic.

Don Moyes (’50) has (finally!) retired from cricket in March 2004 BUT will join the Crusaders tour to Gallipoli, Denmark and the United Kingdom in June 2005.

1960s

Doug Lording (’64) is married to Liz and has four children, the oldest keeping medicine in the family. He works at Cabrini Hospital as Medical Director and has a consultant practice in Endocrinology, which is part of a new-wave specialty of Andrology (men’s health). He is Medical Director MS Society and on the board of Andrology Australia and a Director of the Melbourne Andrology Centre. In a nutshell ‘Research interest in sexual function, golf and Essendon Football Club are important!’

After leaving Scotch, Rob Carmichael (’64) went to university and then taught in secondary schools and TAFE. At Swinburne he got involved in curriculum development and finally Quality. After 26 years at Swinburne Rob ‘retired’ in 2001 and was then appointed Audit Director at the Australian Universities Quality Agency. He is married to Anne (nee Ross) with two kids, Sandy (Scotch Class of ’99) and Ria (MLC Class of ’02). He still rides his motorbike, runs marathons, sings in a choir and hikes.

Tony Kenna (’65) studied law and opened his own practice in 1971. He is still a lawyer today practising under Kenna Teasdale Lawyers. Tony has been a member of the Council of the Law Institute of Victoria and a number of statutory boards and legal committees. His main interest is his family and he relaxes by playing golf and going to his holiday home near Yarrawonga.

David Temple (’64) left Scotch and attended Monash University where he completed an Economics Degree. He had stints with BP Australia and National Australia Bank. David has been Bursar at Melbourne Grammar since 1980 and external involvements have included Royal Melbourne Golf Club, National Theatre Board and Stroke Foundation Committee.

1970s

Geoff Brooke (’73) continues to break new ground in the venture capital industry. His management company, GBS Venture Partners, controls $150m in specialist biotech investment funds with investments in more than 20 companies in Australia and the United States. Geoff is married to Robyn, daughter of Bob Arnold (’44), has three children and the eldest, William, is in Year 5 at Scotch Junior School. After obtaining a medical degree at Melbourne University with various other old boys including Stuart Esnouf (’72), Geoff completed an MBA at IMEDE in Switzerland, moved to Washington DC in the United States and established a biotech venture capital company with Johnson & Johnson. He returned to Melbourne in late 1996 after joining investment bank, Rothschild Australia, and founded a specialist biotechnology funds management business. In 2002, he and business partner Brigitte Smith undertook an MBO of the management company which they renamed GBS Venture Partners. GBS specialises in providing funding and management assistance to innovative human and animal biotech start up companies. His most recent portfolio company to list on the ASX is Sunshine Heart, Inc. It is developing and commercialising a heart-assist device called the C-Pulse, designed specifically for treatment of patients with moderate to severe heart failure. Sunshine Heart is Chaired by Malcolm McComas (’72) an investment banker and company director. Malcolm is brother of Campbell McComas (’69) and uncle of Alistair McComas (’00), who lives in Sydney with wife Judy and three daughters. They are regular visitors to Melbourne to see eldest daughter Sophie, a Year 11 student at Geelong Grammar and a resident of Hermitage House where Head of House is Helen Seymour, partner of Tom Healey (’69). Malcolm completed Law and Economics degrees at Monash, did articles and practised law with Andrew Fairley (’67) and has spent the last 20 years as an investment banker working variously in Melbourne, Sydney and London. Before joining Grant Samuel in 1999, he was Managing Director and Head of Investment Banking with Solomon Smith Barney (now Citigroup) and its predecessor County NatWest for 10 years. He specialises in equity capital markets, mergers and acquisitions and developing growth companies. Malcolm is looking forward to the opening of the James Forbes Academy and the Geoffrey McComas Theatre, a passion of his brother Campbell and father Geoffrey for many years.

1980s

Russell Howcroft (’83) is the Head of the Advertising Federation of Australia.

Vaughan Grant (’84) is a Warrant Officer Class Two and the Band Sergeant Major of the Australian Army Band based in Perth and also in the Australian Army Pipes and Drums Perth. Vaughns’ wife, Kathleen, is the Director of Music at Corpus Christi and their daughters, Danielle and Natasha, have been cursed with the same desire to play music.

The Australian newspaper dated 11 November 2004 reported that Tony Briggs (’85) was one year old when his mother, Laurel Robinson, was invited to sing for the troops in Vietnam. For a young Aboriginal woman in search of adventure, the opportunity was too good to pass up. She left her son with family in Melbourne for three weeks while she took up the offer.

It was not until about five years ago that Briggs – now 37 and an accomplished actor who has appeared in highly regarded productions such as Australian Rules, Stolen and Yanagai! Yanagai! – learned of his mother’s remarkable experience. Intrigued, he pressed her for details and an exciting story of glamour and danger emerged. Robinson was spotted singing Motown hits with three of her sisters at a St Kilda nightclub in the mid-1960s. The quartet, named the Sapphires, was asked to join a group of entertainers about to tour Vietnam. One of the sisters was getting married and they declined – but a year later, Laurel and her sister Lois were asked again and said yes. The elegant pair, in their glamorous evening gowns and hopelessly high heels, were unprepared for what they would find.

By night they entertained the troops with their Supremes-style act. By day they dealt with intense humidity, language barriers, racism and occasional gunfire. They returned to Australia exhausted, yet ultimately inspired by their experience, Brigg’s mother told him. He was amazed by her story and started writing. The result is The Sapphires, a play loosely based on his mother’s story, which opens in Melbourne on Wednesday. The Sapphires is however, a mostly warm and humorous exploration of sisterhood in the swinging sixties. It has some terrific tunes. “This is my way of celebrating the courage and ability to survive,” Briggs says. A member of the Dhulanyagen clan of the Yorta Yorta nation, Briggs says his art is not a form of activism. “I never consciously wrote this story as a political comment at all” he says. “My wish with The Sapphires is to be seen as somebody who is creating a work that people want to see, that makes them laugh, cry and enjoy themselves.”

The Sapphires is at The Playhouse, Melbourne, from next Wednesday until 18 December, then at Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney from 9 January until 20 February, 2005.

To Richard Sellars-Jones (’86) and his wife Alicia, a son, Thomas Richard, 5 October 2004.

David Manderson (’88) and wife Jo had a daughter, Hannah Rose, born 10 October 2004 and are moving to Auckland in November where David is New Zealand Logistics Manager for Pac Brands.

To Stephen Rutter (’89) and his wife Emma a baby son, Benjamin Robert, born 17 April 2004.

Hamish Pritchard (’89) married to Juliet Flood on 29 Aug 2004 at St Catherine's, Littleton, Winchester, UK

Russel Howcroft (’83) was the founder and CEO of Arnold Australia (Advertising). He has recently been appointed Chairman of the advertising industry body AFA (Advertising Federation of Australia). He also is Chairman of the RMIT Advisory Committee for Advertising and a regular media commentator on all things relating to advertising. Russell is married to Kate Burke and has three children – Claudia, Charlie and Louis.

1990s

David Littlejohn (’91) is engaged to Anna Louise Spooner.

Stuart Manderson (’91) and wife Rachel had a son, Edward Lindsay, born 7 April 2004. They now live in Bendigo where Stuart is teaching French at Girton Grammar after working in England, France, Russia and Bosnia for a couple of years.

The 14 October edition of BRW reported that Leigh Jasper (’91) and Robert Phillpot (’91) and their business Aconex are ranked fourth in the Top 100 fastest growing small and medium-size enterprises in Australia. The business develops document management software for the construction industry.

Nick Armstrong (’94) has announced his engagement to Rebecca Round. Nick will be returning to Melbourne from Sydney where he will commence a position as a Retail Executive with Iams.

Cameron Macqueen (’94) has announced his engagement to Laura Mazzitelli. They are getting married in Fiji in June 2005.

Angus Mackellar (’96) graduated from Sydney University with B.Comm (Hons) and LLB (Hons) and is working for Treasury in Canberra. Tom Mackellar is completing the final year of his Business Degree at UTS while on a cadetship with Price Waterhouse Coopers in the Sydney office. Angus left Scotch in Year 8 and Tom left Scotch in Year 4. Both boys completed their studies at Shore in Sydney.

We recently welcomed Mayur Krishnaswamy (’97) and his parents back to School for an inspection of the new James Forbes Academy and the refurbished Memorial Hall. Mayur was equal Dux of the School in 1997 and received the A. Mus. A for clarinet in 1996. After studying medicine at Melbourne University he is currently working at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney in the transplant, surgery and emergency departments. He wishes to pursue a career in surgery after returning from overseas travel in 2005.

Josh Humphreys (’98) married Aileen Teh on 1 May 2004.