Scotch College

Farewell dinner a fitting tribute to a great Scotch Principal

A wonderful farewell dinner at Crown Palladium on 22 November, full of laughter, great fellowship, music and some tears, paid fitting tribute to retiring Principal, Dr Gordon Donaldson.

The night was the Scotch Family’s opportunity to thank Gordon and Joyce Donaldson, and their family, for the wonderful contribution they have made to Scotch College over the past 25 years.

The night began with a fanfare, and then the School Chaplain, the Very Rev Graham Bradbeer delivered a moving grace:

‘At these spectacularly set tables, replete with the burning symbol of your presence, and in anticipation of a lovely meal together, we direct our thoughts to what you, O God, have given to Scotch College through the dedicated service of Gordon Donaldson, whom we seek to honour tonight.

‘As Principal of this beloved School, as well as in the wider educational sector, he has applied himself with zeal and vision to relentless, complex, and at times, grievous responsibilities, in the pursuit of the very best in education, especially for boys.

‘In the innumerable relationships that flow from his pre-eminent position in the School community, he has provided unequivocal Christian leadership; emanating from his lifelong commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.

‘We are delighted that through all these years and unremitting responsibilities, Gordon has known the joy of family life and the steadfast love and support of Joyce, and that in their marriage they have understood this work to be your call upon their lives. It has been their service dedicated to you.

‘With that dedication before us tonight, grant O Lord God, that we might each bring to you, as Dr William Littlejohn said:

“The strength of our bodies, the powers of our minds and the affections of our hearts, all we are and all we have, to be yours alone. Be pleased to accept our offering and keep us by your mighty power faithful and true to life’s end, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Amen.”’

The Chairman of the Scotch College Council, David Crawford, provided the official welcome, and then former School Council Chairman, Bruce Lithgow spoke of how Scotch College happened on Gordon Donaldson – and how Gordon Donaldson happened on Scotch College. Here is some of that address:

‘I have been asked to say something about how we came to appoint a very young man from Ireland – just 37 years of age – as the eighth Principal of Scotch.

‘The position was advertised worldwide. Over 100 applications were received, and we soon produced a shortlist of about 20, which a little later was reduced to 10 of particular interest.

‘I had planned to visit the United Kingdom, and offered to make preliminary contact with two candidates there. My first visit in the UK was to the Channel Islands to interview the headmaster of an independent school there … I was sure he was a serious candidate and I planned to follow up his references.

‘Arrangements were then made to visit Gordon Donaldson in Belfast. We were met at the airport by Gordon, although there was a little confusion in this regard. Gordon had taken the precaution of looking up a photograph of the Council so he could identify me, but unfortunately the names were transposed and he was looking for someone in the form of Dr Barry Orme.

‘I was also a little confused, as I was looking for a potential headmaster, but all I could find was a young man who looked more like the captain of the school than a senior member of staff. It was rather confusing for a few moments …

‘Our journey into the city was quite interesting although a little alarming. We noticed many soldiers holding machine guns at the ready. When we reached our hotel, there was a barbed wire fence erected around it some 30 metres from the main building with an entrance where you left your luggage to be x-rayed ... It was indeed a warm welcome to Belfast.

‘In the afternoon, I visited Wallace High School where Gordon Donaldson was one of three vice-principals … We talked about his educational philosophy, and of course I asked some of the questions which the more intelligent members of the selection committee had drafted in Melbourne. Gordon answered these without difficulty.

‘His references were very strong, and referred to his outstanding ability as head of science, as a physics teacher, his work with curriculum development, religious instruction, pastoral care and concern for the individual.

‘My rather cryptic notes written the following day record my first impressions of Gordon Donaldson:

“Talented, with high academic qualifications; has made a conscious decision to become a teacher rather than an academic physicist; young enough to start a new life in Australia; has a clear vision of a headmaster’s role; can enunciate his educational philosophy clearly; writes well; his bearing is impressive in a quiet and modest way; he has strong Christian beliefs.”

‘As I wrote these notes I wondered whether perhaps this man was the answer to our prayers. Certainly there was something very impressive about him.

‘I thought the Council would not wish to invite two families to Australia so I decided to see if it would be possible to videotape further interviews with each in London … I asked both men to fly in for follow-up interviews. These were recorded on film, and were shown on my return to Australia to the selection committee and to the Council. It was agreed that we should ask the Donaldsons to visit Australia for interviews.

‘On 8 July 1982 Gordon and Joyce arrived, and Ron Bond showed Gordon around the School, where he met some of the senior masters. He also had morning tea with Sir Archibald Glenn, a former Chairman of Council and Mr Colin Healey, a former Headmaster – both exceptional leaders who had retained a strong ongoing interest in the School.

‘Dinner parties were arranged with various Council members so that a good cross-section could meet the Donaldsons in an informal way. We had other meetings with the selection committee, and later a formal and quite lengthy meeting with the School Council. The latter body voted unanimously to appoint Gordon as Principal, and I was able to hand him a letter on 13 July before he left, confirming this decision.

‘Looking back now after 25 years, what do we see? Gordon’s lifestyle sets a fine example, and has impacted in a very meaningful way on boys, parents, staff, his peer group and others with whom he has made contact.

‘He is a strong disciplinarian and yet compassionate, he has a charming humility but provides confident and strong leadership, and like his Irish forebears he retains a delightful accent, a strong sense of humour and an eloquence that seems to be born in the Irish …

‘Gordon and Joyce have given their total commitment to Scotch – 25 years of wonderful service. We had high expectations, but they have exceeded these in all respects.

‘I have been privileged to know quite well five of the eight Headmasters at Scotch, and I can say Gordon ranks with the best. He is one of the finest men I have met.

‘Joyce has also been very influential and totally supportive – a perfect hostess, a wonderful wife and friend.

‘Later in the night, David Crawford will present to Gordon a copy of a film of the most important 26 minutes of his career. It was of course taken at Heathrow Airport and hidden away in the School Archives for 25 years. I am sure it will be of interest to his family.

‘I thank them both personally for the contribution they have made and for their friendship, and I wish them many happy years in retirement.’

The Cardinals then performed some musical numbers, and Paul Sheahan, headmaster of Melbourne Grammar, addressed the audience on behalf of the other APS schools, many of whose principals were at the dinner.

MC Bryan Dawe presented a taste of his wonderful character Sir Murray Rivers, and after the main course former School Captain, Ed Tudor (’04) delivered the following tribute:

‘Scotch College is a place of many great legends. Standing before you this evening, I recall one legend that passed between boys who were charged with the responsibility of making a speech in the Memorial Hall, with its pews groaning under the weight of young men crammed shoulder-to-shoulder, keen for some mid-morning comic relief.

‘Finding an appropriate balance between comedy and crassness was sometimes a difficult task, and legend has it that if a speechmaker started to veer down a less than desirable pathway, Dr Donaldson would, ever so subtly, cross his legs. In turn, the signal would carry like an electrical pulse across the front row of the stage, and before long, all of the staff – and many of the boys – in the Memorial Hall would be aware that despite the cries of laughter from some boys, it had been decided that the content of the speech was no longer appropriate.

‘With this in mind, I hope that Dr Donaldson’s feet remain firmly planted to the ground for the next few minutes.

‘Dr Donaldson was, perhaps inevitably, the subject of numerous legends at Scotch. Most boys knew of his former brilliance on the rugby field, and his academic interests were also well known. I remember that on the morning of 12 September 2001, the School community was shocked by the events that had taken place in the United States the night before.

‘Much at that stage was still unknown. However, there was a general consensus among the student population that no matter what happened, we would be safe at Scotch so long as Dr Donaldson could still remember the finer details of nuclear physics.

‘Another Scotch legend which I believe holds some truth, was that the Littlejohn Memorial Chapel was built on the Hill in the hope that boys would look up to the Lord, both figuratively and literally. Upon first hearing this as a particularly short Year 10 boy, I could not help but wonder if the School Council of 1983 employed the same reasoning when they appointed the undeniably tall Dr Donaldson.

‘However, the greatest Scotch College legend is that of the Scotch Spirit … For us, his [Dr Donaldson’s] role was one of ensuring the wellbeing of the Scotch Spirit … While I dare say that the Spirit itself is impossible to define, it rests upon ideals that define Scotch Collegians.

‘Over 70 years ago, in the editorial to the 1934 Collegian, the cardinal, gold and blue of the Scotch blazer were linked to far more subtle ideals that underpinned, then and now, the Scotch Spirit. Cardinal symbolised the purity and richness of a life led under high ideals; gold, passion, and desire to perform at one’s best; and blue, fidelity, truth and humility.

‘Over the last 25 years, Dr Donaldson has acted as a guardian for these ideals. Mirroring his fabled leg-crossing, his adherence to the ideals of the Scotch Spirit has been subtle, but deep-seated and omnipresent.

‘However Dr Donaldson has been much more than a mere caretaker of the Scotch Spirit. He has ensured that the Spirit has been ready to adapt to the changes that have occurred in our world over the last 25 years. The word “vision” resonates louder than any other when I think of my time at School. It is with vision and energy that Dr Donaldson has grown the idealistic foundations of Scotch.

‘When he arrived at Scotch, he equipped the School with computers to meet the approaching information revolution; during my time at School, he commissioned the James Forbes Academy, which cemented the importance of the performing arts in the development of young men; and today Dr Donaldson promotes the growth of scientific literacy among Scotch Collegians, so that we may combat the environmental challenges facing us in the new century.

‘It is with great pride that I think of myself as a “Donaldson Boy”, and I must say, I find it beyond comprehension that Dr Donaldson’s service to Scotch College spans three years more than my own lifetime. On a personal level, as the son of a school headmaster, I greatly appreciate the commitment and sacrifices made by Dr Donaldson, Mrs Donaldson and their family.

‘In his annual report in the year 2000, Dr Donaldson wrote that “education is, in essence, a matter of preparation for the future”. Under Dr Donaldson’s leadership and guidance, the Scotch Spirit, and therefore the students of Scotch College, have been prepared for the future, equipped with a stoic adherence to ideals, and the vision to improve and react to the changing world around us. In this way, Dr Donaldson’s legacy, and dare I say legend, will continue for many years to come.’

A brilliant piano performance by year 10 student Max Foster, and a hilarious act by stand-up comedian (and Old Brighton Grammarian) Charlie Pickering, followed by more songs from the Cardinals, were the precursor to Dr Donaldson’s farewell speech.

He spoke of the early daunting challenges, the importance of placing the educational needs of the boys before anything else, and the support that he had received from all members of the Scotch Family.

Dr Donaldson thanked his family, and in particular made a heartfelt expression of gratitude to his wife, Joyce, who has been beside him all the way, and has played an invaluable and unsung supporting role for 25 years.

The night concluded with a presentation to the Donaldsons from the Chairman of the Council – a rare out-of-print copy of the Bradshaw Collection, written by Grahame Walsh. This book depicts the early rock art of the inhabitants of the Kimberley region in north-west Australia dating back some 3,700 years. The Flynn brothers of Kyneton, who have spent many years taking photographs of the Bradshaw Art in Western Australia, were commissioned to recreate one of the rock artworks in silver. GS