Ad Astra September 1978

News-Sheet of the Geelong College Community RD 5TRR No. 40 SEPTEMBER 1978 THE CHANGING SCENARIO In a stage production the set designer is able to change the mood of the play by subtle variations from scene to scene with out disturbing the main set. And so it appears the same principle • operates in the educational scene. The adaption of many sections of the College to a wide variety of uses is quite a remarkable story and the purpose of this article is to indicate another significant change for which plans and esti mates were approved by the College Council at its meeting on August 17, 1978. In 1921 a suite of buildings was erected on the Aphrasia Street frontage, to be known as the Preparatory School; since 1960 it has been the 'Old Prep' and the 'Maths Centre' and other titles may be remembered. Lately it has been used by home econ Cut·owoy perspective drawing of the House of omics, craft, sculpture and mu sic but the Guilds section of the new building , to be situoted plans provide for a substantial change, as on the western side of the existing courtyard. indicated in the plan below. Th e eXisting 'buildings will be modified place the present prem ises of that name engineering, etc. It will provide, also, for to al low for the relocation of the art, will be erected to the west of th e existing expanded facilities for the music depart graphic communications and woodwork de buildings, taking in the old change room ! ment, a small aUditorium, two ensemble partments in premises that will be more toi let area, the tennis court and the rear rooms and many practice rooms. This new suited to the special requirements - work of the residence at 79 Aphrasia Street: building is to be completed in readiness will commence shortly so that the changes the residence will be modified also. for the opening of the academic year, 1980. may take place in time for the opening of the academic year, 1979. This new building wi ll provide facilities So mu ch for the basic practical com for all the activities of a creative nature ments. • Subsequently, a new building, to be currently undertaken in the House of Guilds known as the House of Gui lds and to re - The planning of this Creative Activities - pottery, craft, photography, WOOdwork, Centre has been the result of careful and extensive consideration of many aspects by a Council Committee which included members of staff. New concepts emerged from the meet Ings of the Committee and the following recommendations were accepted readily by the Council in February, 1978 to enable the detailed pl anning to proceed: (of neces sity these notes have been abridged). 1. Objectives: to design, construct and maintain a Centre that will foster greater creative understanding and activity within the Sc hool and the communily outside the. School; to develop a Centre that is environ mentally. suitable to ,Promote creativity and intuitive expression . to provide . opportunity for performing visual and craft arts to operate alongside each other .. promote deeper awareness in general sc hool studies and com Ground floor plan of 'he proposed tota l com plex. 1 "_Yl"'IAI.O.'':: munity life of the values of creative Diagonal lines indicate the planned new construction. Portion of the new building w ill have a split. level and intuitive expression. mezzan ine noor. - continued overleaf The A, T, Tait and Staff Memorial Endowment Fund PRINCIPAL'S STUDY LEAVE Mr. Gebhardt will be on leave from Sep During 1970 the College Council es Th e Fund will provide a continuing tember 1, 1978, to June 30, 1979, during tablished The Geelong College Endowment memorial to those who have served the which time he will be undertaking a Cer Fund , the object of which was to provide College over the years in a remarkably tificate of Advanced Study course at the a permanent capital fund to be used by varied range of activities. Harvard University Graduate School of the College Council, at its discretion, for Those interested in obtaining more Education. the general purposes of th e College. detailed information about the Fun d are The course is described as a 'mid The funds used to establi sh the En invited to contact the Bursar, Mr. R. B. career program of specialisation for a dowment comprised a bequest of $10,000 Jamieson, at the College office, 'ph one small number of educational practitioners', from the late Alan T. Tait, an Old Collegian 052/2 21 088. and it is an honour to be selected from and a well-loved and well-remembered the large number of applicants. member of staff who was Vice-Principal Mr. Gebhardt will visit schools, attend from 1939 to 1957, together with a simi lar educational seminars, and participate in amount from revenue. Some smaller BEQUEST: MRS. L. M. DOIG the annual conference of the National amounts have been added si nce so that Members of the College commun ity Association of Independent Schools. the 'corpus' of the Fund now stands at support the operations of the College in The granting of study leave at this $23,000. This has since been further in a wide variety of ways - some obvious, stage of Mr. Gebhardt's career at the Col creased, as will be noted fro m the content some expected , so me in response to par lege fulfils an undertaking given by the of the accompanying article, under the ticular needs, some 'out of the blue', and College Council when he was appointed. heading: Bequest - Mrs. L. M. Doig. some out of concern for what the College He has not studied abroad for some time The College Council, mindful of the means and has meant to the whole com and the College will gain more from his fine contribution made to the College and munity. release for this purpose now than by de its community by Alan Tait, recently de The Council was pleased to receive laying it until some future time. cided that specific recognition of that con advice recently of a bequest fro m the During the period of leave, Mr. D. P. tribution should be made and it was estate of the late Mrs. L. M. DOig, whose Happell will be Acting Principal. unanimously agreed that the name of the husband , the late Dr. K. McK. Doig, and fund should be changed to 'Th e A. T. Tait sons Dr. R. K. Doig and Dr. W. G. Doig, and Staff Me mori al Endowment Fund '. The attended the College. COUNCIL Council hopes that this decision will en • courage others within the College com Th e bequest comprises cash and mar CONFERENCE WEEKEND munity to recognise, by donations to th e ketable securities with a total valu e ex ceedin g $26,000. The follOWing article, prepared by the chairman Fund, the contributions of other well of the College Council, Mr. D. G. Neilson, has been remembered staff. The bequest was unconditional so the publjshed in its entirety in the Principal's newsletter to parents of Senior School students and in the Preparatory Council decided th at it should be credited School newsletter. to the A. T. Tait and Staff Memorial En It is of such important dimension, however, thot it dowment Fund. merits inclusion in 'Ad Astra' which is distributed to more thon five· thousand members of the College com· Th e corpus of that Fund will then stand munity, all of whom should hove the opportunity to at $49,000 ; which will provide in excess note the degree of inlerest of members of the College THE CHANGING SCENARIO of $4 ,500 annually for use as the College Council in promoting fhe welfore of the College. (continued from front poge) Council shall determine from year to year. For some years the Council has devoted a day for long-term planning. This year, 2. That community participation be a fun it was decided to hold a weekend con damental part of the Centre's operation. ference, so that matters of importance A STUDY OF could be discussed in depth and without During the past 18 months there has th e usual constraints of time. been a steadily developing relationship THE COllEGE CURRICULUM Three members were unable to attend between the College and the Community, because of personal commitments; all through the College Concert Series, the Members of th e College staff co-oper others took part, together with Mr. Geb ated with a Deakin University course team College Lectures, Hi story of Art Lectures, hardt, Mr. Happel l, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Mac Residencies, the use of the new Gallery, of the School of Education to assist them millan and Mr. Jamieson. Two members and the development of th is new Centre to produce a study of curriculum develop ment. of the Wes ley College Council also atten with the opportunities it wil l present for ded, and gave an independent point of the sharing between school and community The study, titled 'Portrait of The Gee view. Another dimension was added by the . in music and performing workshops, art long College: Continuity and Change in an participating of the wives of Council mem and craft instruction and co-operative cre In dependent School', is related to an off bers and staff attending. ative ventures which encourage either ex campus course, Curriculum Design and Papers were presented on: pressive freedom or a vocati onal goal. Development II , to be offered as an off - The role of the CounCil, Much more cou ld be written but space campus course for teachers in the second is limited - the following is taken from semester, 1979.

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