Scotch College

RowersÕ Clean Sweep at NagambiePresident’s Column

Congratulations to all Scotch crews and their coaches for the victories in all divisions at the Head of the River.

The 1st crew, consisting of Lachlan McKenzie (stroke), William Lockwood, Michael Steele, Robert Njoku, Jayson Speck, Oliver Baxter, Nicholas Cathie, Will Emmett, Benjamin Bailey (cox) and coached by Jeff Watt have led this remarkable achievement. As Captain of Boats, Michael Steele has provided outstanding leadership to all the crews.

It is important to recognise the outstanding job that Geoff Bell, Cathy Emmett and all the Cardinal Club have done this season.

In particular I would like to thank Susie Lockwood and all those parents who provided breakfast to the boys in the morning.

Congratulations also to the Scotch Badminton Team for winning their third consecutive Premiership. Co-Captains Simon Teo and Tim Young; Teacher-in-Charge Ron Anderson and Coach, Danny Tan have enjoyed a wonderful season being undefeated at the conclusion of the competition.

Scotch provides our young men with a multitude of leadership opportunities. Two recent experiences highlighted this.

I was amongst a group of parents who were involved in running school tours on Scholarship Day. We were assisted by the Ambassador group of boys whose task was to prevent us from becoming lost. We were most impressed by their skills of engagement, sense of humour and rapport with the prospective parents. The boys’ pride in their school environment and in the school community were apparent.

The other example came from a recent visit by a boy and his family to my workplace to talk about work experience opportunities. This young man was a pleasure to have as a visitor.

He organised the visit to the workplace. He then demonstrated an understanding of the profession that indicated he had researched his subject thoroughly.

He asked thoughtful questions and left a strong impression on those he met. The young man had a vision of where he wants to be and he displayed the commitment required to achieve this.

The range of leadership opportunities at Scotch is immense, providing our sons with the chance to practise these skills on a daily basis.

Some of these skills are self-confidence, self-control, achievement, initiative, optimism, empathy, inspiration, influence, conflict management, encouraging others, adaptability, service, team work and collaboration.

Stephen Grover
President, Scotch Parents’ Association