Wilsons take the baton from Stanleys - Scotch College

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Wilsons take the baton from Stanleys

The challenge went out from the Stanley family in the December 2011 issue of Great Scot – could any other Scotch family beat their record of having had four weddings across three generations in the Littlejohn Memorial Chapel?

The Wilson family took up the challenge, pointing out that no fewer than eight members of their family, also spread across three generations, have celebrated their nuptials in the Chapel.

It all began on 6 November 1936, four weeks after the official opening of the Littlejohn Memorial Chapel, and pre-dating the first Stanley wedding by about five years, when Keith Wilson (’27) married Marjorie McLean (photograph 1). On 25 April 1944, Marjorie’s brother Lachlan McLean (’32) married Cath Davies. Then Keith’s younger brother Geoffrey (‘Mac’) Wilson (’28), married Elizabeth (Betty) Bradford in the Chapel on 2 May 1946 (photo 2).

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On to the next generation. This generation produced four Chapel weddings – those of Keith’s sons, Ian (’59) who married Margaret Morris on 4 February 1967, Ewen (’71), who married Karen Le Rossignol on 17 December 1976 (photo 3), Hugh (’66), who married Noelene Kelly on 15 December 1979 (photo 4), and Mac’s son Robert (’67) who married Alison Clarke in the Chapel on 2 October 1972.

The sole representative – so far – of the third generation of Wilsons to be married in the Chapel is Tom (’89), son of Ian (’59) and grandson of Keith, who married Nicole Seiffert there on 6 March 1999 (photo 5).

Hugh Wilson told Great Scot: ‘Depending how wide the definition of “family” is, there are five Chapel weddings on Keith’s side (Keith, Ian, Hugh, Ewen and Tom), two on his younger brother’s side (Mac and Robert), plus brother-in-law Lachlan, making eight in total,’ he said. ‘Im sure there are other families who can find similar numbers in their wider families.’

Three Wilsons – Keith, Mac and Robert – have all been OSCA Presidents, and Ewen was Captain of the School in 1971.

And a final word from the Stanleys: 'Congratulations to the Wilsons!'