On Wednesday 13 November 2024, OSCA welcomed members of the Scotch Family to the 2024 President’s Dinner held in the Boykett Room at Scotch. The evening began with the Association’s Annual General Meeting, followed by dinner and the presentation of the Honorary Life Membership award for 2024, and Merit Awards were presented to club stalwarts.
AGM -Election of Councillors
The President noted that pursuant to Item 38 of OSCA’s constitution, Messrs P Lam, A Macrae, N Schiffer and M Tolson ceased to hold office at the conclusion of the meeting and each offered himself for re-election. As each of the four nominees were eligible for election, and the number of nominations equaled the number of vacancies, Messrs. Lam, Macrae, Schiffer and Tolson were duly elected.
A second vacancy on the Council has arisen since the Notice of Meeting and associated papers were distributed to members and follows Luke Stanistreet’s resignation on 11 November 2024. Luke’s resignation creates a casual vacancy on the Council which will be attended to by the Council accordingly.
President’s Dinner
The dinner has a lasting tradition of honouring members of the Scotch Family with the presentation of Honorary Life Membership and OSCA Merit Awards.
This year, John Jeffreys (’69) was awarded OSCA Honorary Life Membership in recognition of his exceptional and significant service to OSCA and the Scotch Family.
John attended Scotch from 1966 to 1970. He played in the 1969 1st XI and was vice-captain of the 1970 1st XI, in which he shared the Dr Bryan Prize for fielding. John was captain of the 1970 2nd XVIII and was also a member of the premiership 1970 1st XVIII. He was 1969 Monash House Prefect and its 1970 Captain, as well as a 1970 School Prefect. John was a Cadet and a member of the Chess Club.
John’s service to OSCA began soon after he left school when, in 1972, he and Campbell McComas established of the Young Old Boys as a new affiliated society. He had earlier joined the Old Scotch Football Club where he played in all the senior XVIII’s. He joined the committee, served as the club’s Treasurer in 1972 and 1973, and coached the Juniors in 1976.
In 1973 John commenced his lengthy involvement as a member of OSCA Council. He served for the decade 1973-82 and the eight years 2003-2010. John served as OSCA President in 2008, and again at short notice in 2009. It was a particularly critical time for OSCA with the arrival in mid-2008 of a new Principal. Remarkably, he commences a third stint from 2025 – having already made a recent impact through chairing OSCA’s Clubs and Societies Committee.
For several years John convened OSCA’s flagship event, the Annual Dinner. The dinner in those days was run entirely by volunteers, and everything happened by paper and snail mail. Attendances typically numbered 800-900 – and then, in 2001, John’s commitment and dedication contributed to OSCA’s largest Annual Dinner ever.
In 2010 OSCA appointed John as a founding director of the Board of the Victorian Scottish Heritage Cultural Foundation (VSHCF). He performed that role until he moved interstate, and then he rejoined in 2018. He became (and remains) the Treasurer, and in early 2024 OSCA appointed him as VSHCF Chairman.
John has contributed an enviable list of iconic innovations. In 2006 he initiated OSCA’s President’s Dinner and in 2017 the OSCA Presidents’ Luncheon which he still convenes today. In 2014 as part of a small group he founded the OSCA Collegians Club, of which he became (and remains) the club’s first Secretary. In 2020 he led a project to design the OSCA/Scotch tartan and manufacture it into kilts.
Congratulations John on being awarded OSCA Honorary Life Membership.
Congratulations to the four members of the Scotch Family who were awarded with OSCA Merit Awards for outstanding commitment to OSCA Clubs:
Ian Kerr (’60) | Old Scotch Heritage Club
Ian attended Scotch from 1957 to 1961. His main interest was Scouts, through which he became a Queen’s Scout. He also captained two junior football teams.
In 1998 Ian joined the staff of Scotch as the Executive Officer of the Celebration 150 Committee for Scotch’s sesquicentenary, which concluded with the end of the commemorations in 2001. He was tasked with maintaining records of its activities and finances, handling correspondence, keep minutes, take responsibility for achieving its milestones and presenting reports on the Committee’ activities.
From 2007 Ian began to volunteer in Archives, which he continues to serve in 2024. In his role as a founding member and later Secretary of the Old Scotch Heritage Club he helped Archives get vastly improved and enlarged facilities for the preservation and display of Scotch’s treasured history.
Ian’s sons Darren and Rohan (1989 School Captain), his uncle Donald, nephews Andrew and Simon Miles and several more distant relations have attended Scotch.
Tom Morris | Old Scotch Bushwalking Club
Tom Morris was a member of the Old Scotch Bushwalking Club’s committee from March 2015 to March 2023. During this period, he served as Weekend Walks Organiser for the club.
The Weekend Walks Organiser takes on one of the most important committee roles in the club. Arguably, the success or failure of the club is largely in the hands of the Weekend Walks Organiser. The role involves planning the weekend walks up to a year ahead, appointing leaders for walks, and making sure a first aid kit is carried during walks. Tom performed this role admirably, contributing materially to the success of the club.
In his working life, Tom was the owner of a successful small business. He brought his shrewd organisational skills to his specific club role as Weekend Walks Organiser, and was a valuable contributor to discussions on all club issues during committee meetings.
Graham Reid (’66) | Old Scotch Pipes & Drums Club
Graham was one of the foundation members of Old Scotch Pipes and Drums (OSPD) when it was established in 2009. As a part of the band’s establishment, Graham not only contributed as a highly skilled piper, but also assumed the position of Treasurer, a role he still performs fourteen (14) years later. Graham’s role as Treasurer has incorporated being a member of the band Committee, which has included his active participation in the day-to-day operational aspects of the band, as well as contributing to the strategic thinking and planning for the band’s future goals and objectives.
As a piper, Graham is an active member of the competition band, participating in local and interstate competitions at Grade 4A level. Graham’s dedication to improving his own piping prowess has echoed the bands significantly improved standard of musical performance, which has seen OSPD progress from a social band to winning the Victorian Championships and becoming a regular placegetter in our grade. Graham is also an active participant when the band performs in support of charitable organisations and community events around the state as well as a variety of OSCA and Scotch College functions. He will be a familiar face to many who attend the annual OSCA Annual Dinner, piping in guests and leading the Haggis party!
As an individual, Graham is dedicated, highly reliable, punctual and always willing to bring his energy and discretionary effort to his roles in the band. This is aside from his outstanding people skills and lovely sense of humour – which contributes to the strong culture and values of OSPD. His genuine care for people and positivity is also seen both within the band and behind the scenes particularly where band members have been struggling with their health. To this end, he is a highly valued and respected member of the OSPD family.
Hugh Wilson (’65) | Old Scotch Past Staff Club
Hugh Wilson’s life has been woven into the fabric of Scotch College. Hugh attended Scotch from 1960 to 1966. He was a 1965 Probationer, a 1966 Lawson-MacFarland House Prefect and a 1966 School Prefect. Hugh was a member of the 1965 and 1966 Cross- Country teams and the Athletics team.
Hugh joined the staff in 1986 and served as the School Accountant and Finance Manager of the school until his retirement in 2014. During this time he also assisted the School Council, the Scotch
Foundation and many groups within the Scotch Family. Since his retirement Hugh has continued as a coordinator within the Scotch Foundation and provided support to a number of OSCA clubs including the Wine and Food Society and the Heritage Club.
For the past eight years Hugh has been the Secretary of the Old Scotch Past Staff Club. Those involved with OSCA would know that the work required to run a club falls largely to the pivotal role played by the secretary. Hugh’s work and enthusiasm have been central to the club maintaining its purpose of keeping former colleagues in touch with one another and maintaining their contact with the School. The success of Hugh’s work and commitment is evident in the growth of club membership from 137 to over 200 during his ongoing tenure as secretary.
Hugh married at Scotch. His father Keith, brothers Bruce, Ian and Ewen, son Mark, uncle Geoff, grandfather James, nephews Tom and James and great nephews Clancy, Blake and Darcy all attended Scotch. His great-great uncle, Henry McKinley, attended Scotch from 1866 to 1868.
