In the week prior to the recent school break, I travelled as part of the supervising staff accompanying the 163 Year 9 boys on the Canberra Tour. While stories of great sacrifice from Australian service men and women remain with me well after the visit to the Australian War Memorial, to name just one highlight, so too does the manner in which our boys conducted themselves throughout the tour. Staff at different venues frequently commented on the behaviour and courtesy shown by so many boys. Comments of this nature do not come as a surprise, rather the comments reminded us of the calibre of so many of our young men. It is with this most recent Year 9 tour fresh in my mind that I opened an email from a member of the public on the first day of term that further reinforced what it is to be a Scotch boy. I have included an extract below.
Over the past months I have travelled daily on the train from Subiaco to Fremantle and this morning was not the first time that a younger member of the school (probably Middle School) has offered me his seat on the train or at the station. On yet another occasion a Scotch boy moved quickly to pick up something I had dropped and hand it to me. Thank you to the young Stuart House boy this morning for bringing a smile to my face and thanks to the school for encouraging such courtesy.
Year 12 students have just commenced their last term of timetabled classes at Scotch College. For many the coming months will mark the end of many years at Scotch and will be filled with mixed feelings. While the next nine weeks will be a period of intense effort and focus in the lead up to final Year 12 examinations, I encourage all Year 12 boys to also savour this time and strike a balance between the achievement of longer-term goals and the enjoyment of every moment.
We commence the term on a deeply sad note with the passing of a young Year 7 Scotch boy, Mo Maslin and his younger sister, Evie and brother, Otis and their grandfather, Nick Norris, an Old Scotch Collegian. The family and members of the community touched by this loss remain firmly in our thoughts and prayers.
Dr Rob McEwan
Head of Senior School
