Scotch College

1940s

Colin Davey (’44), is a former chairman of the council at St Leonard’s College, and during his term a second campus was built and opened at Patterson River. This year at a 20th birthday celebration, the main entrance at the Patterson River campus was named the ‘Dr Colin Davey Driveway’. Colin, who taught at Scotch in 1948 and again in 1951–52, later became head of physical education at Deakin University.

A brilliant sportsman, Colin played football for Collingwood (and also for Old Scotch), tennis and squash for the University of Melbourne, A grade athletics for Old Scotch and cricket for the University of Western Australia. He was also sport psychologist for Collingwood in 1990, the year the club won its first premiership for 32 years. He is a life member of the AFL.

Another former Scotch teacher was also honoured at Patterson River for his service to St Leonard’s. Dick Cornish, who left Scotch to go to Haileybury College Junior School as Headmaster, eventually became principal of St Leonard’s in 1971, which he turned into a coeducational school. In 1987 he opened the school’s Patterson River campus, which on his resignation was named the ‘Richard Cornish Campus’.

After ministering in New Zealand and Canada, and over 30 years as a minister in what became the Presbyterian Church in America, Robert Donaldson (Dux, Prefect ’46) now ministers in an independent Presbyterian Church in Adelaide. Robert has preached the Gospel and taught the word of God in the USA in sites ranging from Los Angeles to Denver and Chicago. Since turning 70 he has focused on writing 132 of the 143 volumes in his Biblical Christian Apologetics set, ‘In Praise of Christ Jesus’. With the help of his son, Matthew, all these chapters have now been published on the web (http://webwitness.org.au).

In 2006, Colin McDonald (’46) was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Colin was a brave and productive opening batsman for Australia in 47 Tests, scoring 3,106 runs at an average of just under 40, including five centuries.

1950s

Pyramid Salt managing director John Ross (’51) has been awarded the Victorian Engineering Excellence Award for Environment and Sustainability. His company, located at Pyramid Hill near Kerang in northern Victoria, is playing a big part in schemes benefiting the environment, by preventing 22,000 tonnes of saline groundwater from reaching the Murray River waterways each year.

After a remarkable 50 years’ service to Scotch College, Perth, Alasdair Courtney (’54) has retired. Reporting Alasdair’s retirement, the Scotch (Perth) magazine Clan said ‘his 50 years of service is unlikely ever to be equalled’, and that the ‘breadth of his contribution’ made his service to the school unique. Joining the WA Scotch staff in 1958, Alasdair taught English, maths, social studies and Latin (‘his greatest love’), as well as becoming senior resident master in the School’s boarding house. He led Scotch’s cadet corps from 1961 to 1980, and was patron of the pipe band. In 1980, Alasdair was appointed college archivist, and performed admirably in this role until his retirement at the end of 2007.

Longstanding athletics record holder Tony Olsson (’57) was a most interested spectator last October, as Scotch athletes prepared for the APS athletics championships at Olympic Park. Tony was Captain of Athletics in 1956 and 1957, Captain of Football in 1957 and a member of the 1st VIII crew in both 1956 and 1957. His Scotch College record of 3 minutes 58.2 seconds for the 1500 metres was set in 1957 and still stands. Tony won triple colours in 1957, and is undoubtedly one of Scotch’s finest all-round athletes.

Inductees into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2007 included Bob Cowper (’58) and the late Ray Steele (’35). Bob, an elegant left-handed batsman and useful off-spin bowler, played 27 Tests for Australia and made 2,061 runs at an average of just under 47, including five centuries. In 1966, Bob made 307 against England, still the highest Test score at the ‘G’.

Ray Steele was a long-serving cricket administrator who was treasurer of the Australian Cricket Board from 1969 to 1985 and a board member from 1967 to 1985. He managed Australian cricket teams on many overseas tours, and was four times the Australian delegate to the International Cricket Council, and president of the Victorian Cricket Association. Ray was also an excellent footballer, playing VFL football for Richmond from 1940 to 1943.

1960s

Professor Robert Wallis (’64) recently retired from Deakin University after working for 35 years in higher education. His last position was Pro Vice-Chancellor (Rural and Regional). Rob was also head of the School of Ecology and Environment for seven years at Deakin. He has held numerous positions in scientific societies and community organisations. Rob continues to live in Warrnambool, and is now a member of a number of boards, as well as being involved in local community environment organisations and in local basketball administration.

Gordon Glenn (’65) researched and produced a program on Radio National, highlighting the career of the late Campbell McComas (’69), who died in 2005. Gordon accessed Campbell’s tapes, recording his brilliant pranks, and assembled the program together with recordings of interviews with the celebrated hoaxer himself. The program can be downloaded at www.abc.net.au/rn.

1970s

David Ham (’77) has lived in Queensland since 1986. Since 2003 he has been with the Queensland Government’s Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, and currently is the Manager - R&D Program Development, focusing on research investment policy and commercialisation of the agency’s science capacity. After leaving Scotch, David graduated in Agricultural Science at the University of Melbourne, and then began as a research officer with ICI Australia Ltd (now Orica) in Griffith, NSW. Over the next 20 years he worked in various R&D and marketing positions in ICI’s agricultural chemical businesses located in Melbourne, Toowoomba and Brisbane. David has been married to Lesley for more than 20 years, and they have two girls, Kaitlyn (19) and Michele (18). He lives in the inner Brisbane suburb of Ascot. 

[Photo of David Ham appears in the 30-year reunion booklet for 1977.]

On 30 January, Ross Hooley (’78) received the 2008 distinguished citizen award from the Arc of Massachusetts (USA) for his outstanding contributions over 21 years to the lives of many individuals with developmental disabilities and their families in Massachusetts. The Arc is America’s largest grass-roots organisation dedicated to people with cognitive and developmental disabilities.

Ross arrived in Massachusetts in 1986, on a ‘brief’ stopover during a round-the-world trip. Since then he has worked continuously for an organisation committed to supporting people with disabilities, and their families, to be fully included in all aspects of community life. Ross is the director of a project supporting students with disabilities aged 16 to 21 years, as they move from school to adulthood and a life in the community. Ross lives in New Bedford with his wife, Heather, daughter Abigail and stepdaughter Madyson.

1980s

Alastair Hill (’81) is a pilot with a major overseas airline, while his brother Simon (’84) trains polo ponies and runs a breeding program for an overseas polo establishment.

Ed Allen (’85) has joined Australian Internet protocol communications products and services provider IntraPower. Ed was formerly managing director of IP Services Xchange, a Melbourne-based virtual network operator, providing managed private networks to medium-sized enterprises. Ed has taken on a leadership role in IntraPower’s Victorian operations. Prior to his time at IP Services Xchange, Ed was national sales director with Connect Internet Solutions, the Australian Internet arm of Telecom New Zealand and AAPT, managing a 100-person, nationwide sales team.

Richard (’85) and Alicia Sellars-Jones welcomed a daughter, Tessa Juliet, born on 27 December.

Simon Walliss (’86) is involved in the family business, Travelrite International. He has put together the Scotch Military History Tour to Gallipoli and the Western Front in June 2008, which is going well. He has also established his own publishing company, and his first book is the autobiography of the explorer and mountaineer Heinrich Harrer (well known for the movie Seven Years in Tibet where the role of Heinrich is played by Brad Pitt). Simon’s book is entitled Beyond Seven Years in Tibet, Simon married Tess Kirby in 2006 and on 27 January welcomed a son, Oscar Alexander, to the family. 

Stuart Gibbs (’88) and his wife, Sue, are the parents of a son, Benjamin Robert Bryan, born on 21 February, a brother for Harrison.

1990s

Jonathan Ruddle (’92) and his wife, Lara, have welcomed their first child, Lucy Ivy, born on 29 October 2007. Jonathan, Lara and Lucy have moved to London, where Jonathan (an ophthalmologist) has accepted a fellowship at Moorfields Eye Hospital for 12 months. They are living at Goodenough College in central London.

Angus Douglas (’92) and his wife, Vanessa, are the parents of a son, Rory Gordon, born on 15 January. Angus, Vanessa and Rory live in south-east Tasmania.

Adam Nettleton (’93) and his wife, Kate, welcomed a daughter, Emma Grace, born on 19 February.

Former Old Scotch footballer James Paterson (’93) has been named in the centre for the US Australian Football League’s ‘team of the decade’. James played for the New York Magpies in the early 2000s, and later coached the team. He said: ‘It’s a pretty amazing feeling being named in a team which includes guys I used to watch on the TV while growing up, such as John Ironmonger [Fitzroy and Sydney] and Cameron O’Brien [Collingwood and Brisbane].’

Alex Littlejohn (’94) and Katja have welcomed a daughter, Ava Jolijn, born on 4 April.

Cameron Macqueen (’94) is part-owner of a group of companies called the Elite Car Care Group. The business is multi-faceted, and includes arranging used-car warranties for about 250 car dealerships (totalling 10,000 cars in 2007), and also arranging warranties for motorbikes, small trucks and some whitegoods. The group has a separate business specialising in vehicle protection systems.

Anthony Teasdale (’94) and Amelia Teasdale are the proud parents of a son, Hamish Andrew John, born on 20 March.

Jon Gatacre (’96) appeared on the TV show ‘Find a Farmer a Wife’ last year. John’s family has worked the land in and around Deniliquin in southern NSW since the 1950s. Jon was a boarder at Scotch.

Chi-Yang Mak (’96) is working as a pilot, based in Darwin and flying to the Tiwi Islands and to other NT destinations. Chi-Yang hopes to further his aviation career by joining an international carrier.

Russell McRae (’96) has been living in London for the past five years, and is Head of Photography at Datagraphy. Last year he took out British citizenship, and has recently spent two weeks in Namibia. He is planning to return to Melbourne in June, for a few days, to attend the wedding of his sister Heather.

Theodore Panagacos (’96) has been awarded the United States Army Commander’s Award for Civilian Service. Theodore was deployed to Iraq with the Department of Defence in 2007 to serve alongside Coalition Forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Part of Theodore’s role was to lead a team of 20 Australian and American analysts, and report on political, military and energy infrastructure developments taking place during that time. Theodore’s work contributed to the highly publicised report presented by the multinational forces commander, General David Petraeus, to the President of the United States, the US Secretary of Defence and US Congress last September. Theodore has since returned to Melbourne to work in private industry.

Michael Rowell (’96) is a firefighter in ‘A’ platoon at Springvale fire station.

2000s

Chris Lynch (’01) was Victorian and Australian Apprentice (building) of the year 2007. Chris’s brother is in Year 12 at Scotch.

Kris Wheat (’01) came equal fifth in the Victorian Golf Association state amateur championships, played last December. Kris was member of a premiership Lonsdale Golf Club pennant team in 2006, and has been a member of the Commonwealth Golf Club pennant team for two years; he has so far been undefeated in match play in 2007 and 2008. Kris is in the final year of commerce at Deakin University.  

Andy Doyle (’02) (above left) has been named Victorian Lifesaver of the Year. He takes over from Scott Yeomans (‘02), the 2007 winner.

Nick Demiris (’01) (above right) is a board member of Life Saving Victoria, the successor body of Surf Life Saving Victoria and the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia, Victorian branch. Nick’s portfolio responsibilities include lifesaving operations, training and assessment.

Angus Tyers (’05) won the under 23 lightweight single sculls race at the National Rowing Championships, held at Penrith NSW.

Nicholas Chong (’02) graduated from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, in May 2007, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in music, with highest honours.  He was also admitted to Phi Beta Kappa, the most prestigious national academic honours society for undergraduates in the United States.  Nicholas is currently studying for a Master of Music degree as a scholarship student in orchestral conducting at the College Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. In April he made his professional debut as a conductor with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra in Michigan.

A report in Melbourne Weekly Magazine described Lin Jiang (’03) as ‘the finest horn player of his generation’. Lin has recently recorded with the West Australian and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, and performed as a soloist with the Australian Youth Orchestra at the Myer Music Bowl and the Melbourne Town Hall in February.

Asked by the magazine if he had always wanted to play the horn, and what he would be doing if he wasn’t playing, Lin responded: ‘Obviously not always, and like most musicians it’s a love/hate relationship with my instrument, but I have never thought about quitting. I guess if I wasn’t a musician I would want to be a pilot. I have always had an obsession with flying and the rush that comes with it.’