Robert Seymour Reid Trophy comes home
MR PAUL MISHURA SCHOOL ARCHIVIST
Robert Seymour Reid was born on 9 June 1873 at the Oriental Bank, Beechworth, and attended Scotch from 1888 to 1890 while living at the National Bank, Bridge Road, Richmond. These addresses indicate that his father worked in banking.
Although Robert did not make his mark on any of the few available sports at Scotch in the 19th century, on 18 November 1892 he made his way to the MCG for Scotch’s annual sports meeting (now known as Family Day). The events included the Old Collegians’ Races for 100, 440 and 300 yards.
Robert came second in the 100 yards race (won in 10.4 seconds), won the 440 in 56 seconds, and won the 300 in an unrecorded time. Points were awarded for places, and with 13 points Robert won the Old Collegians’ Cup over Thomas Ernest Green (1872-1937) on 7.5 points and James William Styles (1865-1931) on three points.
The Old Collegians’ Cup had been run since 1868. Robert was presented with a magnificent trophy. In time it was engraved around the edge of its lid with the words Scotch College Sports 1892 Old Collegians’ Cup. Won by R.S. Reid.
On 21 October 2015 Old Boy John Wisely (SC 1956-65) contacted Scotch to advise that he had found the trophy in a Roseville junk shop near his house in Sydney. Negotiations commenced, and in December 2015 the trophy was collected by Elizabeth Lane, mother of Richard Paton (SC 1988-99) and brought to the Archives, where Elizabeth is a volunteer. Not only did she collect the trophy, she also donated it to Scotch, for which the Archives is very grateful.
Elizabeth also arranged for the trophy to be cleaned. This revealed markings that showed it was made by the Wurtemberg Metalware Factory in Germany. The trophy is adorned with cherubs in a variety of hunting scenes with dogs, spears, a gun, and a hunting horn being sounded. Around the base are many hares: no doubt the intended quarry. It is an extraordinary looking trophy that is quite unlike anything else in Archives’ collection.
What became of Robert Seymour Reid? He married in a shotgun wedding to Clara Winifred Heller in Queensland on 28 October 1909, and their daughter, Mary Reid, was born in Queensland 16 days later. Robert, though, never saw his daughter, as he died at Stanthorpe, Queensland, on 29 October 1909 – the day after his wedding. The circumstances of his death are not known, but, with a child on the way and dying the day after his wedding he may have wanted to do the ‘right thing’ before his imminent death from an illness.
The combination of the keen eyes and generosity of the Scotch Family ensured his place in Scotch history is remembered through his trophy.
