Scotch College

Michael Robinson

After 11 years of outstanding leadership of the Scotch College Council and 20 years in all as a Council member, Michael Robinson (’55) is retiring as Chairman, and from the Council itself. In January, Michael will be succeeded by current Vice-Chairman, David Crawford (’61).

Great Scot spoke to Michael, beginning by asking him if his ‘retirement’ would allow him more time for other activities, and if so, how he planned to use this ‘extra’ time:

Michael Robinson: I’ve really been progressively retiring since 1999. At the end of that year I retired as Chairman of the Bionic Ear Institute, Epworth Hospital and the Institute of Public Affairs, so being Chairman of the School Council is actually one of my last major leadership positions.

Although I retired as a partner in Allens Arthur Robinson at the end of 2003 when I turned 65, I am still engaged as a consultant and attend the office every day, although I play golf on Thursday mornings with a group which includes Old Scotch boys Hugh Millar (’48), Robin Syme (’51) and Ian Philpott (’48).

It’s fair to say that although all the other positions in charitable organisations were obviously important and I enjoyed my involvement with them, Scotch is different: it has always been a passion. My family started here in 1879, it’s part of me – or I’m part of it. And I won’t be giving Scotch away: I’ll be down here all the time, watching!

GS: How have your senior positions in other organisations helped you in your role as Chairman of the School Council?

MR: If you’re chairman of any organisation you learn things about dealing with people. I was Chairman of the Bionic Ear Institute and the Institute of Public Affairs, as well as being Senior Partner (effectively Chairman) of Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks before I became Chairman of the Scotch Council, so I could draw on that experience when I took on the Scotch role.

As chairman, the most important thing is to give every member of your boards or councils the opportunity to express their views and have them considered, without allowing the discussion to become rambling and unproductive. You must keep focus on a coherent discussion, and you may need to construct an outcome everyone can live with.

No matter what the issue was, although I may sometimes have disagreed strongly with some councillors during meetings, my relationship with all of them has always been excellent, and remains that way.

With any board or committee it’s important to have continual refreshment without losing a sense of continuity, and that is what we have achieved. I believe we have always been blessed with a good Council, and I’m satisfied that I’m leaving it as the strongest it’s ever been. I see that as a duty of an outgoing chairman.

GS: What has been the biggest challenge facing the Council during your time as a member, and what do you consider to be its major achievement?

MR: The biggest and most stressful challenge was undoubtedly the dispute with the Presbyterian Church over School Council membership, which led to litigation in the Supreme Court. The outcome was of immense importance to Scotch College and justified the strong stand taken by the School Council.

It is particularly pleasing that both the Church and the School now have moved on and left past differences behind, and for that I give great credit to all Councillors, and in particular the Rev John Wilson, a former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria, for his wisdom and conciliation.

In the Council and the School there is a culture in which we continually strive to get better. I call it a ‘restless desire for improvement’. Certainly there should be joy and satisfaction as we reflect on past achievements, but that should be seen as a catalyst for even further improvement. We must have the vision to look at what is best for Scotch into the next century and beyond – not just for the next 10 or 20 years. Among many examples are the James Forbes Academy and our long-term project to continue buying properties to the north of Morrison Street.

GS: Can you tell us a little about the working relationship you have had with the Principal, Dr Gordon Donaldson?

I was fortunate to inherit a most satisfactory relationship between the Principal and the Chairman. My two predecessors, Bruce Lithgow and Sir James Balderstone, had trained him well! Dr Donaldson is a great leader and we have worked together in a spirit of friendship, trust and confidence. We continually discussed the progress of the School and how we could make it better. I was always kept well informed of all relevant issues.

We have had many happy times together, none more so than the stunning Head of the River win in 2004. The immediate aftermath was an amazing sight, with a great army of Scotch supporters wading into Lake Nagambie to celebrate the victory with the crew. Dr Donaldson and I each claim to have restrained the other from joining in!

GS: You mentioned the James Forbes Academy (JFA), which opened in 2005 and was obviously a major landmark in Scotch’s history. What impact do you believe the Academy has had so far on music and drama at Scotch?

MR: As I said at the opening of the JFA, the School Council’s initiative to build it was the boldest individual decision Scotch had taken since the move from East Melbourne to Hawthorn early in the twentieth century.

I said then that that the JFA is a statement in the strongest possible terms of the importance of a wide range of educational experiences for Scotch boys, and of the key role of the performing arts in those experiences.

I have always believed that providing boys with the best physical facilities will encourage maximum participation, and the JFA is doing exactly that. As well, it is helping us to attract and retain the very best performing arts teaching staff, and that is also critically important.

GS: What are your thoughts on government funding for private schools? Does it have a long-term future?

MR: Government funding on a per capita grants basis should be seen as a subsidy to parents to help offset school fees, not as a benefit to the schools. If other schools follow the Scotch example and pass on the benefit to parents, I believe government funding will survive without challenge. However, if schools use the grants for other purposes – for example to finance building projects or scholarships – then government funding could well be under threat again.

GS: You have often stated how valuable your Scotch education has been to you. Do you believe a Scotch education is as valuable to a 21st century man as it was to his counterparts in the 19th and 20th centuries?

MR: At the funeral of the great Scotch master Frank ‘Faf’ Fleming in 1963, the then Chaplain, Rev. Alec Fraser, said Faf didn’t teach English or History – he taught boys.

In my own case, the lessons I learned weren’t so much in the classroom; they were more as a direct result of the Scotch teachers and the examples of their devotion to duty and their professionalism as teachers. Most of us didn’t realise this at the time we were at Scotch, but when we think back, we really learned from the many teachers who were prepared to go the extra mile to help boys with their studies outside normal school hours. And of course they coached us in sport after hours and at weekends, led us at cadet camps, and took us on excursions.

It was that sort of example – the totality of a Scotch education – which has inspired so many Old Scotch boys to do that bit extra which makes such a difference.

GS: Where to for Scotch now? What major challenges and opportunities do you see on the horizon?

MR: We need to continue to strive to be the best in everything we do, to continue to be strong academically, to have vision and to have a vigorous and broad co-curricular program where we aspire to provide encouragement and enrichment of experience for every boy in the School.

These are timeless aspirations. Think of the many great schools which have survived and prospered for centuries. They have been in a continual state of adjustment, to tackle challenges as they arise. Our aspirations should be the same – to challenge our boys to achieve at the highest level, while instilling appropriate values and principles, so that they may have fulfilling lives and become good citizens of the world.

David Ashton