26 November 2018

Community and Service

Good Samaritan Bin

The College now has its own Good Samaritan bin in position and ready to receive good second-hand clothing. It is located in the Dining Hall car park, adjacent to the entry road to Junior and Middle schools, opposite the rugby field. You can't miss the flower bin' painted by our Year 2's! Good Samaritan Industries will welcome any support you can provide through your donations.

Disabled Surfing

The Disabled Surfing event on Saturday February 15 was another great example of community support for the disadvantaged of Perth. At least 200 volunteers turned up to assist around 70 disabled participants. While there was little surf at Leighton Beach on the day, the teams worked hard to enable the participants to enjoy the water and beach environment.

It is always difficult for Scotch boys to support a DSA event on a Saturday morning with PSA sport fixtures. Consequently, we had few current boys able to assist. However, it was gratifying to see six past students register at the beach to take part as volunteers. We always hope that our OSC's will continue their involvement with service once they leave school. Scotch was well represented by these fine individuals.

Year 10 Service Programme

The first afternoon of activities in the Year 10 service programme occurred in Week 2 of term with boys taking part in activities both on and off campus. The group that went to Tranby Day Centre in East Perth was given a talk by two clients, both homeless and recovering heroin addicts. The presentation was a powerful example of the impact of a service-learning programme. Another group of boys will be working with 'The Little Sisters of The Poor' in Glendalough and on their first visit learnt about the importance of accompaniment for the elderly as they approach their final days. These boys will be working to record personal histories, teach Wii games and eventually establish a kitchen garden to enable fresh herbs to be easily added to meals. A small group of boys worked in the recreation area of the ParaQuad Centre in Shenton Park and a group on campus learnt about the role of the Red Cross.

These and other activities, including rolling Street Swags, working at the Therapeutic Riding Centre, assisting The Friends of Lake Claremont rehabilitate the Lake environment, all highlight the relevance of the cornerstones of the Scotch College Service Model: INSPIRE; CONNECT; SUSTAIN and NURTURE.

Pancake Day

Once again senior boys from Scotch will be cooking and selling pancakes in West Perth in aid of UnitedCare West social services. This will take place on March 4 in the forecourt of the Ross Memorial Church at the corner of Colin and Hay Streets. Parents with business contacts in the West Perth area might like to order pancakes for morning tea! If you can assist by placing an order or by helping out with managing the event on the day, please contact Bill Cordner. wjcordner@scotch.wa.edu.au.

Matipwili (Tanzania)

The classroom furniture from the old Middle School reached Dar es Salaam late last year and has now been distributed to a number of government schools, including Matipwili Secondary School. The cost of the road transport from Dar es Salaam to Matipwili was covered by donations from the Scotch community. Thanks must go to the Honorary Consul to Tanzania, Mr Didier Murcia AM and his Australia Tanzania Association staff for facilitating this transfer of resources to some very needy schools in Dar es Salaam and Matipwili village.

There are a number of events coming up in March in support of our work in Tanzania:

  • On 20 March, Scotch College is hosting a function to launch the Matipwili Trade Training Centre. This will feature a performance by a fabulous Tanzanian choir and a presentation of a short video and photographs to tell the story of our connection with Matipwili and the design of the facility. The function will be held in the Dickinson Centre commencing at 6.30pm. Entry will be $10 cash with all proceeds going to the material needed for the construction. All are welcome to attend.