Scotch College

“Give him a hug!”

Words: Matt Pierri

It’s not often that the School Captain tells a student to hug the Acting Principal on stage, in the middle of a whole school assembly. Likewise, it’s not often that retired AFL legend James Hird comes to Scotch to have a kick with the boys at lunch time. The last few weeks of Term 2, however, were not your typical weeks at school, with a major fundraising event being held to support the worthy cause of Spinal Research.

A week-long AFL footy kicking competition kicked off on a fine but windy Tuesday 17th June. The boys were faced with a variety of goal-kicking options, with one lucky goal kicker from each year level going into the final to compete against the legendary James Hird himself.

The competition kicked off with the Year 11s and 12s and throughout the week things only got better. With Wednesday came the Year 9s and 10s and the Year 7s and 8s finished things off strong on the Thursday.

It was extremely inspiring to watch all the boys who participated throughout the week and were willing to support such a worthwhile cause. By the end of the week we had raised just over $1,110. A fantastic achievement by everyone!

To the envy of the rest of the school, the 6 lucky finalists were:

Alex Brkic (Year 7), Harry Hackett (Year 8), Conor O’Beirne (Year 9), Mitch Bradley (Year 10), Sam Stott (Year 11) and Jack Furey (Year 12).

Tuesday was the day everyone had been waiting for. For the organisers it was a day filled with anticipation, excitement and a little fear. To the quiet yet understanding disapproval of many teachers, periods 3 and 4 classes were ‘sacrificed for the greater good’ by some dedicated prefects and members of the Class of 2008 committee, who were set the daunting task of cooking what has been described as the “biggest barbeque ever seen at Scotch”. With roughly 700 sausages, over 100 mini pizzas, 720 cans of soft drink and enough bread to feed the whole school (and as it turned out the three boarding houses and the teachers as well), this was certainly a school barbeque for the history books. It must also be mentioned that all the food was kindly donated by various generous donors in the community.

The show began with the shrill ringing of the lunch bell, and the competition was quickly underway. After a short warm-up, James Hird began to show why he has been one of the greatest AFL players in the modern era. In an excitingly close finish, Hirdy did not disappoint, winning the competition with a beautiful snap from the Green Grandstand. Out of the students, it was the extra experience and superior skills of Jack Furey which eventually led him to victory over the other boys.

I would like to kindly thank all the staff, the Scotch Teachers’ Common Room Association, and the Old Scotch Collegians’ Association for their extremely generous donation.

Later in the year an extremely rare and personally signed piece of James Hird memorabilia was auctioned off as well. Whilst in the music school, Jude Hallum’s Percussion department held their own fundraising efforts, all of which added further to our growing total.

To provide a little background about the cause of this fundraiser: Step Ahead Australia (previously the Spinal Cord Society of Australia) is a national non-for-profit organisation searching for a cure for Spinal Cord Injuries. As many of you may know, I suffered a neck injury last year whilst playing AFL for the school. After extensive rehab and treatment, I am well on my way to a full recovery, something I am determined to achieve in the face of contrary medical predictions. Nevertheless, this is a cause which I am very passionate about, and to the credit of the entire school, one that the Scotch community has supported with just as much enthusiasm and passion.

The combined efforts of the current students, past collegians and staff have resulted in an amazing total of $8,503, an effort that everyone who contributed should be extremely proud of.

I must also acknowledge the generosity of the many supporting businesses in the community which donated prizes and the food for the barbeque. Without them, this whole fundraiser would certainly not have been possible. Special thanks must go to: O & R Cardamone Friendly Grocer and Marisa’s Kitchen in Station St, Fairfield, Baker’s Delight in Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Safeway Supermarket in Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn and Village Roadshow Limited

I’d also like to sincerely thank James Hird for kindly offering his time to help out. Without his help, this entire fundraiser would not have been possible and his presence alone provided many admiring footballers of all ages with the memories of a lifetime.

Special mentions must also go to the efforts of Hugh McKenzie, Joe McKenna and Lachie Cohen who, along with School Captain Daniel Wolfe, Head of Year 12 Ms Keiron Jones and Mr Mark Williams (Head of Social Services), have spent many hours out of their busy schedules helping to organise this event.

Finally, my sincerest thanks go out to all the members of the Scotch community, in particular the students, who contributed so admirably to this cause. Congratulations on an amazing effort!

Thank you.