Ad Astra No.134 June 2018
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Ad Astra The Geelong College Community Magazine Issue No 134 June 2018 From the Editor It is very exciting to announce We look forward to opening the new Campbell House - that The Geelong College Junior School campus in about two years. is about to embark on With Geelong’s ongoing population growth and an important phase of its transformation, we’re seeing very strong demand for places history and the first part of and waitlists for 2019, 2020 and 2021. If you plan to send its Master Plan – the Junior children or grandchildren to College, we advise to enrol School Redevelopment. them at least three years before their start year to avoid Our Ad Astra front cover disappointment. shows the first “turning of the sod”, a ceremony to In March, the College held a Loud Fence Installation mark the beginning of this Ceremony in the Chapel as part of our outreach and redevelopment. Construction support for survivors of historical harm. Speeches from this will commence shortly with the building of a wonderful new service can be read on the following pages. This was a assembly hall, “Wayaperree” (Wathaurong for “meet”). significant event for the College. Recognising the reality of our past is an essential step towards creating a better future for all students. On behalf of the OGC community, I’d like to express my Our Purpose deep gratitude to David Waterhouse (OGC 1980) who The Geelong College aims to provide an has retired after five years as OGCA President. He has inspiring education where all students can dedicated so much time to ensuring ongoing alumni learn how to learn, flourish, be innovative and engagement and lifelong connections to College with aspire to futures that harness their many skills an active reunion program, OGCA scholarships, the and abilities. establishment of a mentoring platform, and continued support of the Albert Bell and Old Geelong sporting clubs. We aim for our students to be respectful and to I greatly look forward to working with our new OGCA confidently develop their academic, emotional, President, Thane Joske (OGC 1990). physical, social and spiritual potential. Our Old Collegian website now has 1462 members – help The Geelong College seeks to provide learning us reach 1500 members by the end of June by registering experiences that shape personal development on www.geelongcollegeconnect.com in ways that prepare students to contribute to society. I hope you enjoy this edition of Ad Astra. College Values Integrity with compassion Mike Howell Community with diversity Director of Advancement and Community Relations Aspiration with humility Respect with grace Endeavour with courage geelongcollege.vic.edu.au Contributors Photography Fiona Mackay Mike Howell Nicole Roache Thane Joske facebook.com/GeelongCollege Jennifer Chiu Coral Turner Trevor Cooke Con Lannan Anne-Louise Photography O’Donoghue Richard Kumnick Twitter @geelongcollege Sam McIntosh Chelsea Matheson Adrian Camm Photo Play Marita Seaton Peter Lemon Instagram @geelong_college Joyce Taylor Julie Bickett Geelong College Christie Barrett staff and archives CRICOS 00142G Debbie Filling 2 Ad Astra Issue No 134 Contents 4 2 From the Editor 4 Loud Fence Installation Ceremony 11 TripleR: The Sexualisation of Teenagers; A Snapshot of our Students 12 From the College Co-Captains 14 CLRI: Rethinking Teacher Research 16 Not Everything that Counts can be Counted 18 Nepal: No Ordinary School Camp 19 Careers in Health 18 20 Learning to Learn 22 Welcome to our New Middle School Leader of Learning 23 Unpacking the Maker Movement 24 Creating Cultures of Thinking 26 From Italy with Inspiration 28 Chaplain’s Corner: The Message of Joy 29 Careers of the Future 30 Designer’s Double Delight 31 Staff Departures 32 Boarding Life 34 School Activities 24 36 Foundation President’s Report 38 Annual Campaign Donor List 39 Mockridge Immortalised; Purnell’s Legacy 40 Still Growing! The Geelong College Heritage Guide 32 42 OGCA President’s Report 43 The Making of a Mentor 44 Albert Bell Club News 46 Dr Bill Williams Tjungurrayi Scholarships 47 OGC News 48 Picture This: Fiona’s Fine Arts Career 50 Old Geelong Sport 52 Farewells 58 OGCA Events 59 Community Events 60 Parent Events 62 Annual Campaign 64 School and Community Events Calendar 43 The Cover Prep student Lucy Miller and her grandfather, Geelong College Council member Gerald Miller, had the honour of turning the first sod at Campbell House to mark the beginning of the Junior School Redevelopment. 52 3 Ad Astra Issue No 134 Loud Fence Installation Ceremony On Saturday 3 March, The Geelong College held a service in the College Chapel to acknowledge the harm that students of the past experienced while attending the College. Current and past families and students, survivors and staff attended the Loud Fence Installation Ceremony and heard from speakers representing the past, the present and the future. The College’s Loud Fence was instigated by senior students in 2016. Ribbons tied to the fence at the corner of Talbot and Aphrasia streets served as a symbol of support to survivors of harm. The ribbons were later transformed into a more permanent installation to be displayed in the College Chapel. The installation symbolises not only our support to the survivors, but also our commitment to ensuring the safety of all current and future students of the College. Below are three of the speeches from the event. The Past Dr Hugh Seward AM (OGC 1966), Chair of Council A dozen years ago, on joining the School Council, I was confronted by a starkly different experience of school life, at Thank you for coming today and sharing this service odds with my experience. Over the subsequent 10 years, I to acknowledge the harm that students of the past learnt the distressing reality that my safe world was not the experienced from abuse while attending The Geelong experience of some other students of my era, or for some College. Particularly, I would like to thank the brave survivors decades before or after. There was a sordid, disturbing, and of abuse who have chosen to join us today. shameful side to a small number of those teachers we had At the age of five, I first crossed the threshold of this school trusted so explicitly. to join the Prep grade and began my 14 years as a student They had abused the trust placed in them by their at The Geelong College. I was blessed to enjoy my life as students, families and the school, to seek out the young a schoolboy in what was then a “boys-only school”. I felt and innocent boys or girls for their own perverse sexual nurtured, secure and was able to embrace this world of satisfaction. Whatever the stories, and there have been a education under the tutelage of fine teachers who I both number, ranging from grooming, to inappropriate touching, admired and liked. I was innocent, and like most of my molestation and some shocking abuse. All had the potential schoolmates, naïve to any other state of being. to cause long and lasting harm, and often did. 4 Ad Astra Issue No 134 Occasionally an alarm would be raised, but such was the When the first complaint to the school of historic abuse role of a teacher, and a school in that time, that often the arose in the 90s, our response was influenced by a victim’s complaints were dismissed or underplayed, and legalistic approach – support was offered, counselling paid the significance of this evil crime and its potential for long- for – but the school’s reputation was protected through term harm was grossly underestimated or misunderstood. I secrecy provisions. This was not what that survivor needed suspect it was considered more a moral failing than a crime to assist him to recover, in at least some measure, from the causing harm. The frequency of such abuse experiences in trauma he suffered. many schools and institutions is not an excuse for any of us. In the mid-2000s when James Wishart approached us, we We now know better. were certainly more empathetic and genuinely concerned for his welfare, but we missed the opportunity to take a I have had the opportunity to meet and talk to some national lead in reaching out to our community, as he asked of the survivors of sexual abuse in this school. It has us to do, to call for survivors to come forward. He knew been particularly personal for me as almost all I knew as the powerful and supportive message that such a request schoolboys at around my time at school. could send to survivors. We were not brave enough to do They have shared their stories and described the way this, uncertain how our community and the wider world in which these traumas derailed their lives. They are would respond. It took us another 10 years to do it and of distressing stories, and even as an experienced medical course it was always the right thing to do and should have practitioner, they disturbed me greatly. I had the opportunity been done when James suggested it. We are most grateful to express my regret that this happened and to apologise for James’ courageous guidance through this period of on behalf of the school, and to explore what support the understanding and adjustment, and I acknowledge how school could offer them. But I don’t think I can ever say painful he has found this distressing process. sorry enough for the trauma they have suffered. And sadly When we confronted our first Victorian prosecution of a for at least one who is no longer with us, we have no further former non-teaching staff member three years ago, we opportunity to express our deepest regret.