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Vale Robert James (Bob) Grant (’53) (staff 1960–1986)

A fond farewell to a great all-rounder.

WORDS: DICK BRIGGS Photography: Family

Bob Grant died after a long illness on 25 June. Bob came to Scotch from Geelong College in 1950 and soon showed what a great sportsman he was, participating in rowing, swimming, football, cross country and athletics. Bob was awarded triple colours in both 1952 and 1953 in rowing, football and athletics, at a time when only cricket, rowing, football and athletics were counted. He was Captain of Boats in 1953, Captain of Athletics in 1952–53, and vice captain of football in 1953. With all this achievement and leadership it is not surprising that he was a Prefect in 1952 and 1953. As if to warm up for the athletics season, he won the School open cross-country in 1952 and was second in 1953. In the Cadets, Bob was a member of the winning Inter-school Quarter Guard and later a Cadet Lieutenant.

While at Scotch, Bob also competed for the Old Boys in athletics, He won the Victorian under 18 javelin championship in 1952 and set the record. He did better in 1953, when he won the Victorian and Australian under 19 javelin titles and set records in each. Bob competed for the Victoria open team from 1953 to 1959 in javelin, and for variety won the state decathlon championships in 1956 and 1957. Sadly, injury kept Bob out of the 1954 and 1958 Commonwealth Games, but he did represent Australia in the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. Bob did National Service in the RAAF in 1954 and obtained a private pilot’s licence.

After two years’ studying by night and working by day in The Sun newspaper accounts office, he decided it was not for him and during 1958 and 1959 he completed a Diploma of Physical Education at the University of Melbourne, and started teaching at Scotch College in1960. Bob spent all of 1963 overseas, passing through 63 countries. He returned to Scotch in 1964 as Head of Physical Education. He was a Senior Boarding Housemaster for five years, the coach of many sports and a Company Commander in the Cadets. He had 17 years in the Cadets, and among other things designed and built the assault course. He was involved in the Scotch in the Alps activities, and was the master in charge for a decade. In the late 1960s he took over running sport at Scotch from the redoubtable ‘Ginner’ Davidson, and he introduced a further 11 sports to the school program.

Bob became increasingly involved in the administration of inter-school sport. This was formally recognised with his appointment as APS Assistant Secretary in 1972. He took over APS sport when ‘Ginner’ retired in 1973, and was formally appointed secretary in 1978. During this time he was a member of, liaised with, and was consulted by, too many sports and related associations to mention here. Bob continued to run APS sport for two more years after he moved to Geelong College to become Director of Development in 1987.

Bob retired in 1993, but he was never still. He joined Rotary and was appointed a Paul Harris Fellow. He was always either travelling or organising something. He had been a founding member of Athletics International in 1959 and continued taking senior roles till recently. Bob and his wife, Judy, were both volunteers at and throughout the Sydney Olympics and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

Bob spent as much time as possible with his wife, Judy, and his children Lisa, Amanda and James. During long-service leave in 1980 he leased a farmhouse in Poowong which led to the purchase of a hobby farm in Kongwak, and when the family moved to Geelong, a more substantial farm at Moriac. The family moved to Ocean Grove in 1999. Bob was President of the Geelong Rowing Club for eight years in the ’90s.

One new activity he added to his list was to revive the Clan Grant Society of Australia and New Zealand. With impeccable timing he handed over this activity late last year.Bob was always a gentleman. He was one of the givers in life, never a taker; he was embarrassed by praise, yet gave it to others; he was very compassionate, yet strong in every sense. Bob will be missed by all who knew him.

Former staff member John Miles adds: The late great Scotch Principal, Richard Selby Smith, in his decade as Headmaster, say 1953–1964 made some brilliant appointments of talented young men with wide ranging academic skills, and with outstanding sporting, coaching and leadership abilities. Some of these fine people, all of them great friends and colleagues of mine, with apologies to others, were Don MacMillan (Olympian, Rowing); Dave Boykett (Olympian, Rowing); Mick Eggleston (Football); Bruce Moore (Champion, Sprinter); Ian Ling (Hockey); John Glasscock (Rugby) and dare I say it, John Miles (Cricket), and the most important of all, Rugged Robert Grant (Olympian, Athletics, Rowing, Sports Master), and all round great guy. Incidentally, all of these fine young men had highly developed social skills, which occasionally jeopardised relationships with their long suffering partners! We also all had colourful nicknames, some of them unprintable in a prestigious journal such as Great Scot!

Looking back, Bob Grant was Dick Selby Smith’s best appointment in the sporting sphere and Scotch enjoyed great sporting success in the Selby’s era and beyond thanks largely to the talent and leadership of these young men and others. Bob was the best sportsman, in the widest sense of the word, the best coach, the best leader, the best team man, the best administrator and yet the most modest and unselfish of our group. He was a loyal friend and team man, quietly in the background, and with a great sense of humour. But, when firm and strong leadership was required, coupled with honesty and integrity, Bob would step up to the plat, so to speak, and assert real leadership without fear or favour and without offence to anybody, boy or staff member, and with strong respect for the basic Scotch College principles which we all understand.

In summary, Rugged Robert Grant was a wonderful and versatile asset to the outstanding sporting history of Scotch and he was fortunate that his beautiful and charming wife Judy gave him such great and loving support. Farewell Robert Grant – you played a fine innings! GS

Updated: Monday 24 June 2013