Scotch College

Australia Day Honours 2008

The Scotch Family congratulates the Old Scotch Collegians and members of the Scotch Family who received Australia Day honours in 2008.

Words: David Ashton

Old Scotch Collegians and members of the Scotch Family who received Australia Day honours in 2008

• Lindsay Fox AC
• Arthur Owen Dixon AM
• Alphonsus D’Souza AM
• Donald William Ingram OAM
• The Very Reverend Edward Ross Pearsons OAM
• Dr Oliver John Raymond OAM
• Peter John Savage (’77) (awarded the Australia Police Medal)

Australia Day awards are made to people who have served their profession, their community or their country with distinction – and without the thought that one day they might receive this kind of recognition for their efforts. From the list (above) of worthy award recipients, we have selected three examples of exemplary service.

Lindsay Fox AC

The founder of the Linfox Group, Lindsay Fox, left school at the age of 16 and bought his first truck when he was 19. Today, Linfox is one of the world’s largest supply chain services groups with operations in 11 countries.

Lindsay has extensive involvement in Australian and international circles, and apart from his business interests is well recognised and active in sport and charity work. He was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1992 for his contribution to transport and the community, and he received a Centenary Medal for services to the transport industry in 2001. In 2008 he has been awarded Australia’s highest honour, a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).

From September 1992 to December 1993, Lindsay and the then secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Bill Kelty, introduced a national campaign called ‘Work for Australia’. This campaign encouraged companies and local communities to generate jobs for the unemployed, with the aid of government subsidies and programs. More than 60,000 jobs were pledged through their efforts, and Lindsay and Bill were awarded ‘Victorians of the Year’ by The Sunday Age.

Lindsay and his wife, Paula, have six children: Lisa, Peter (’80), Katrina, Andrew (’82), Michael (’85 - deceased) and David (’88), and 12 grandchildren.

Don Ingram

Don has a solid Scotch background. His grandfather, W F ‘Bumpy’ Ingram, was a loved and respected member of the Scotch staff for 43 years, including many years as Vice-Principal. Don’s father, Bill, and Uncle Bob were Old Boys, and Don was at Scotch from 1949 to 1951. He was Captain of the Junior School in 1950. Don transferred to Mentone Grammar in 1951, and later was a teacher there for 40 years. At Mentone, he became a housemaster, then Head of Commerce, before being appointed Headmaster of the Junior School, a position he held for 22 years. The Middle School building at Mentone Grammar is named in Don’s honour. When he retired, Don was made a life member of the Junior School Heads’ Association of Australia.

Don is a Rotarian and a lifelong member of the Mentone Uniting Church. He loves sport: he is a life member of the Old Mentonians’ Cricket Club and plays golf at Woodlands, and formerly played football for Carlton in the thirds and seconds.

Oliver Raymond

The many wide-ranging community activities underlying Oliver’s award have been in music, theatre and Scouting. Since 1995, he has been president of Art Song Canberra, one of Australia’s leading organisations devoted to the regular performance and wide appreciation of classical art song. He is a longstanding member and past president of the Oriana Chorale, one of Canberra’s leading chamber choirs. He was choirmaster at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Manuka, from 1994 to 2005 and director of music from 2000 to 2005. A past president of Canberra Repertory Society, he has been a member of the judging panel of the Canberra Area Theatre Awards since its inauguration in 1995. In Scouting, Oliver has been a district commissioner, assistant area commissioner and a branch commissioner.

Oliver says the foundations of his abiding interest in and love of music were laid by Scotch and his parents. ‘I entered Scotch at age eight and experienced class and choral singing under the late Peter Chapman. I sang in choirs throughout my Scotch career and have continued to do so ever since, in university and community choirs. This in turn led to involvement in theatre through music hall singing. Similarly, my adult activities in Scouting in the ACT can be said to have sprung from my membership as a Cub, Scout, Senior Scout and Rover in Scotch’s 1st Hawthorn Scout Group.’ GS