Scotch College

Monthly luncheons entertain

October 2000

Mr. Laurie Cox, from among his many interests, chose his involvement with Transurban City Link Ltd as the theme of his address to the October Luncheon at the Australian Club.

Tracing the formation of the Company from 1996, and the development of the largest private road system in the world, provided an insight to the immensity of the project.

Melbourne having been established along the Yarra, has meant that the two sides of the river have never had great lines of communication. This new link with the consequent improvement of traffic flow has changed the demography of Melbourne in a very defining way.

The success of the Etag scheme has attracted worldwide interest, with great potential for even greater developments within the tolling procedure. International promotion of our system is seen as an extension of the achievements of the successful Transurban tolling scheme.

Five hundred and fifty thousand Etags have now been issued for our single set of toll roads, which has made it an easier proposition than in Sydney, which has five separate toll road systems.

With the rapid changes in technology it is likely that there will many other developments, with perhaps a single registration smart card serving for parking, petrol, insurance and tolling. In answering several questions, Laurie completed a very informative and enjoyable address and Luncheon.

November 2000

It was a humorous and enthusiastic address which Dr Jill Spargo presented at the Cardinal Pavilion for the November Fathers and Daughters luncheon. From her position both as parent of Scotch boys and as a member of the School Council, she posed the question 'are parents getting their money's worth'?

Her Scotch involvement has been considerable and her understanding of the management of the School has been vastly expanded, as she has served on the School Council's Property Committee.

She pointed out that the building programme and maintenance demands are ongoing and greatly add to the continuing need for initiatives to promote support from all of the Scotch community.

Scotch provides great benefits and experiences for all boys, with the opportunity of both sporting and educational tours, which are undertaken, in addition to the detailed assistance of a dedicated staff within and outside school hours.

The School is very good at 'boy management', in accepting the challenge to help all, in this modern era. The handling and understanding of contemporary issues raised among the boys as 'peer pressure', is well developed within the school environment.

The Scotch Family Association has both fulfilled the role of fund-raising and

friend-raising and it has been her pleasure to have been involved with it. It was a forthright and humorous tale from a passionate Scotch admirer.

December 2000

The RACV Club hosted the Annual School Leavers OSCA Luncheon when we were joined by almost sixty boys of the Class of 2000 who heard Bronze Medallist from the Olympic Games, Dean Pullar tell of his experiences.

He told of his early adventures after leaving Scotch and joining the Australian Institute of Sport and travelling to the Commonwealth Games and the World Games. He recalls his great disappointment at missing selection for the Atlanta Olympics. The team spirit of those who were selected, really inspired him to review his objectives and strive for greater effort and dedication to his sport.

A bronze medal at the World Championship in 1998 encouraged him to continue to train even harder for selection in the Sydney Games. It was surprising to learn the amount of time their dry land training exercises took in their preparation.

It wasn't until the thrill of being involved at the impressive Opening Ceremony that it really struck home that he had made the team. The camaraderie and the atmosphere in the Olympic Village in Sydney was all embracing. However the pressure and tension of the final dives for the medal were enormous, with the whole Stadium cheering them on for an Australian Medal. A feeling which he will never forget.

In humorous answers to pertinent questions he spoke of the excitement of the Closing Ceremony and the parties that followed. Discreetly he expressed his delight at meeting many prominent celebrities at these closing functions.