Newsletter, Term 1, Week 6, Friday 11 March 2022

We had a wonderful celebration of International Women’s Day at the School on Tuesday with four time Winter Olympian and Scots alumna Britt Cox returning to the school to share her journey.

She was an inspirational speaker and addressed our school community with warmth and passion. She shared her “three circles” method of managing everything in her life:

What we have no control over
What we can control, and
What we can influence

But her take-home message to our community of girls, but also to our boys, was to be prepared to step outside your comfort zone; shun the pressure to conform if you are confident on the path you are walking.

She recounted an incident that occurred when she was at Scots training for her first Winter Olympics in 2010, when she was 15 and in Year 10. She was doing her plyometrics training by hopping and jumping up the grassy slope near the boarding house while a group of cricketers were training in the nets. The cricketers laughed at her rather unusual method of training and she recalls being totally mortified and embarrassed. She wanted to crawl into a hole out of their sight.

But she didn’t.

When asked later how she looked back on that incident, she was forthright and said: “I’m an Olympian and where are they now?”

But it illustrated her message that you need to have the fortitude to stand out from the crowd to achieve your dreams and goals.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme, Break the Bias, is a reminder that we are all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day.

It’s a global day of celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

We are moving to a very exciting time in history where the world now "expects" diversity, equity and inclusion. The world notices its absence and celebrates its presence.

Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead and action is needed to level the playing field, without losing sight of what is important for promoting and celebrating our boys and young men.

Scots is conscious of the role it plays in taking this sort of action. We have moved to ensure that everything at school available to boys is also available to girls.

We have implemented a STEM program for women that has increased participation in STEM subjects, we have supported and developed our girls to participate with great success in a women’s AFL program and we have made a serious commitment to involving more girls in our robotics programs.

We must be mindful that the pendulum does not swing too far one way, and we now have a core group of our leadership team looking at areas where we can promote growth - academically, emotionally and physically - for boys as well as girls.

The expectation is that a Scots education will meet the needs of girls and be responsive to the needs of boys - and be individualised enough that it won’t be just a one-size-fits-all solution to cater to both genders.

It is hard to believe that we have already arrived at the end of Week 6. Please check in with your child regarding their assessments. Many of them will have already completed some formative tasks and teacher comments for these can be found on Scotty.

Yesterday we enjoyed a Year 7 versus Year 8 Twenty 20 Cricket Game on Gillespie Oval during lunch and into the afternoon. It was wonderful to see some healthy competitiveness as well as great fellowship. What is even better is that because of interest, we have to develop a draw and then will be a number of games coming up.

Our Duke of Ed students ventured out on their first trip last weekend. Despite the harsh weather conditions, they reported having had a wonderful time. Thank you to Mr David Edwards and Ms Sue Mitchell for their ongoing leadership of this program.

I know many of you braved the wet weather conditions at The Scots Equestrian Interschools held on the weekend as well. Congratulations to all competitors and a huge thank you to Rowena Newcomen for all of her organisation of what was a brilliant and much-anticipated event.

On Tuesday, I was excited to host our our International Women’s Day celebration with alumna Britt Cox being our guest speaker. She shared some wonderful insights that students and staff can apply to their everyday lives. This was followed by a presentation to one of our Year 7 students, Sienna McFarlane, for her work last year with the Share The Dignity Campaign. It was wonderful to see so many parents join us on site, something I don’t think we will ever take for granted again.

Mr Lucy has been busy with auditions for the Senior School Production ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’. This is going to be a highly entertaining show and I wish all students auditioning all the very best and can’t wait to see the final show.

Over the past two weeks you will have received permission forms for you child/ren to attend camp. We ask that you please complete all of the required forms as soon as possible. Much planning has gone into all of the activities for the final week of term and I look forward to hearing everyone’s stories upon their return.

Finally, I am sure no one needs reminding that our School Fair is on next Saturday. Thank you so much for the many generous donations to our stalls. It looks like being a fun-filled day with many stalls and much activity. I look forward to seeing you all there!

Student action recognised by our community

I could not have been more proud of our Junior School students this week, having made such an important contribution to our community. Two key events highlighted how a focus on student-centred learning can benefit not only our students, but the community as well:

Albury City Council Nurture Exhibition - This intimate exhibition celebrates the experience of women on the land as parents through creative responses from local artists and makers. The artworks and installations explore how each woman has cultivated a village, a tribe, to support them and how this has empowered them to feel included rather than alone. Our Year 3 students were fortunate enough to contribute to this exhibition, through the initiative of Miss Bruce and Mrs Laycock, linking their learning of significant women in their lives to art.

This exhibition coincides with International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day and will be open to the public in the Library Museum until June.

International Women’s Day Award - In their final year of primary school, all PYP students around the globe complete their Exhibition, a student-led inquiry that encourages them to display their knowledge and skills in an area they are passionate about. Encouraging student action is a key component of this task.

In 2021, Year 6 student and Chapel Captain Sienna McFarlane undertook an ambitious project to support local women and families who had been impacted by family violence. Through her inquiry, she connected with local support group ‘Share the Dignity’ and coordinated a donation drive for essential goods for families in need. The result was trailer loads of donations, all of which Sienna and her friends sorted and packaged for distribution prior to Christmas.

This week, Sienna was recognised for her efforts at the International Women’s Day Breakfast by receiving the Scots IWD Recognition Award. Congratulations, Sienna, we could not be any more proud of your initiative and action!

Life @ Scots - ANZAC Day

The Scots School Albury has had a long-standing connection with Australia’s armed forces. Some of our former students served in the First World War with the 2nd/23rd Battalion and to this day, their legacy can be seen around the walls of the school.

This year, we are looking forward to paying our respects at the ANZAC Day march down Dean St on Monday 25 April, a tradition that has unfortunately been lost of the last two years due to COVID. This is a compulsory event for our staff and students, a time when we stand as one to honour those who have and continue to serve our nation. All students are required to wear their winter school uniform and parade behind our magnificent pipe band on the day. Please look out for further information via the school app in coming weeks.

Ride to School Day - Friday 1 April - Save the Date!

National Ride to School Day is a time when we encourage our students to take a different form of transport to school, be active and learn about road safety. Due to the official day clashing with the Albury Cup, we have decided to run our event on Friday 1 April. Families will be encouraged to meet at the basketball courts on the corner of Hovell and David St in South Albury before school, then ride to school via the freeway bike track. Further information and registration will be provided closer to the date.

Scots has partnered with Saludos, Pfeiffer Wines, Essence of Harrogate and Bridge Road Brewers to offer Fair goers drinks and paella in our al-fresco licenced Alumni Hospitality area.

What could be more enjoyable than sitting at one of our tables on the beautiful grassed area, under an umbrella and enjoying a drink with your paella while the kids are happily entertained by carnival rides and fun activities?

We welcome all parents and alumni to join us in the Alumni Hospitality Tent, serving alcohol from 4pm until close at 7pm.

Bridge Road Brewers: The Bridge Road story began in the year 2000 when young Beechworth native Ben Kraus, packed his bags for Europe to learn more about the world and the art of making wine. Along the way, he got distracted on the ski slopes of Austria, met his wife Maria and ended up working at a traditional microbrewery in Innsbruck. Winemaking quickly took a back seat. In 2005, the couple opened the first iteration of the brewery but it quickly outgrew its original location and in 2006, the doors opened at the current home in Beechworth. Now you’ll find Bridge Road beer gracing taps, fridges, and eskies from Bermagui to Bangkok - any place that sells great beer, including the Alumni Hospitality Tent at the Scots Fair!

Essence of Harrogate: Melanie and Anthony Baker love the connections made over a Gin and Tonic. They believe it’s the little things that create connections, bring about laughter and memories with those we love. They brought the premium Gin label Slingsby to the border less than a year ago, after discovering it while travelling in 2019. They wanted to connect the local area with the Yorkshire community where the label has its roots and we are proud to partner with them to bring their Slingsby Gins for Fair goers in our hospitality tent. Based in Wodonga, Essence of Harrogate also offers its premium Slingsby Gins through its online shop and order forms will be available at the Fair.

Pfeiffer Wine: A love of wine as a hobby turned into a passionate career for Rutherglen wine-maker Chris Pfeiffer (OAM) who worked alongside wine industry buffs before venturing into his own wine making business thirty-six years ago when with his wife Robyn purchased the “Old Distillery” winery in Rutherglen. Drawn to an agricultural degree after leaving high school, Chris discovered an interest in wine where he then chose to specialise in viticulture with further studies in winemaking while working at Lindeman Wines where he became the chief fortified winemaker. In 2000, the couple's younger daughter, Jen Pfeiffer, come home to the winery to join her Dad as a winemaker. Jen now makes the wine and runs the day to day vineyard and winery operations.

Saludos: A wonderful mother and daughter duo serving tapas and paella in central Albury! The pair has spent many years researching recipes and travelling through Spain so they can bring authentic Spanish cuisine to the region. Spanish food so often is a few fresh ingredients put together in interesting and delicious ways. Jan has worked at Arzak, a three Michelin Star restaurant in San Sebastian and Loni has recently finished a chef apprenticeship. They both love cooking and being a part of the Albury community and are excited to partner with us for the Scots Fair Alumni Hospitality Tent!

For one night only, ANU astrophysicists Dr Brad Tucker and Peter Swanton will visit The Scots School Albury for an engaging evening of astronomy. They will cover topics from space exploration to Indigenous interpretations of the night sky. After the presentations, Brad and Peter will then take the audience star-gazing. Come and take a look at objects such as Orion’s Nebula, Alpha Centuri and 47 Tuc!

Space exploration is happening at a rapid pace. Missions, projects, and events that are now happening were not even on the radar a few years ago. From private space travel and Hollywood movies, to building satellites to detect fires and searching for life in the Solar System, Brad will talk about what is happening in space. There are huge changes occurring with wide-ranging implications in law, policy, international relations, economics, and even the way we live. We’ll see what role Australia is playing and what it means for us over the next decade.

Peter will talk about the ways in which the Gamilaraay/Yuwaalaraay people used astronomy. From the stories that they told and the ways in which these stories were used to pass important information from one generation to the next. Also, how they used these stories to form a calendar to make informed decisions on what was happening here on the land at different times of the year.

Brad Tucker is an Astrophysicist/Cosmologist at the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mt. Stromlo Observatory and the National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, at the Australian National University.

Brad received Bachelor’s degrees in Physics, Philosophy, and Theology from the University of Notre Dame and a PhD in Astrophysics and Cosmology from Mt. Stromlo Observatory at the ANU. He’s leading programs using the NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope and TESS to understand why and how stars blow up. He’s also building a network of ultraviolet telescopes in the upper atmosphere, a search to find Planet 9, as well as issues surrounding the mining of asteroids.

Brad frequently gives talks to school groups and the public about Astronomy and has regular segments on various radio and TV stations. He has also developed a series of Astronomy coins with the Royal Australian Mint, consulted on science fiction movies, and has been featured in TV specials. He is currently in the process of writing his first popular book.

Peter Swanton is an astrophysics graduate from ANU and Gamilaraay/Yuwaalaraay man from Mackay, Qld. He has been working closely with Dr. Brad Tucker and Prof. Brian Schmidt (ANU) at looking into Dark Sky Parks for their cultural and scientific significance. Peter is also actively involved in Aboriginal astronomy outreach at local schools in Canberra and surrounding regions.

Stargazing with Brad and Peter will take place after the event on The Scots School Albury, Wilson oval. Feel free to bring your own telescope to stargaze.

Brad and Peter’s visit is supported by the Scientists Taking Astronomy to Regional Schools program and proudly hosted by The Scots School Albury.

For enquiries, please contact bmurphy@scotsalbury.nsw.edu.au

Or if you are attending, please fill out this form for each guest: https://forms.gle/tcWTDe7u4LVNPV8t7

Limit strictly of 80 people, above form will be blocked once limit is reached.
Doors open @ 6.15pm
Date: Thursday 24 March 2022
Location: John Edwards Theatre (JET), next to the Library

The Feathers
by Stephen Orr

Walking along Dean Street, Albury (Dean Street, 1939, graphite on paper), I stop outside a brew house, ignore the drinkers (still Drysdale’s drinkers), watch a few feathers caught in a pavement tornado, think it strange, then move on. This fascination with detail, like Drysdale, everything becoming finer and less obvious as you get older, learn to see between the cracks, higher in the trees – three Albury locals, one old bloke, another, his son, perhaps, busy on his phone. A Colonial-era bank baking in the sun beside a vacant lot, a trolley left uncollected; the 1928 red-brick ex-Tax Office (they’ve moved to better digs, of course); the STOP signs under the stop lights (just in case); the impossibility of making a right turn, anywhere. Details. Late summer sun through plane tree canopies; old Albury with its wide streets, lovingly-kept Federation villas and Santa Ana medians, an epidemic of dogs (as finely clipped as the lawns). Sleepy evenings, like some sort of Australian Savannah, Georgia, the crickets in the creek, the possums in the roof, the long shadows and even longer conversations over fences, a mid-century idyl to which long-time resident Russell Drysdale keep returning.

Since arriving in Albury to teach at Scots, I’ve been searching for Drysdale everywhere. My obsession, of course. Having based my 2018 novel Incredible Floridas upon his life, his art, a sort of deep-mown song of praise (mowers, all weekend, wherever you go) to the artist who is to me, the most Australian, the most maybe-what-we-are, or at least, were, and isn’t that good, anyway? All because I started seeing Drysdale as a simple man, stripped of artifice and horsehair brush, standing alone in one of his ochre landscapes, waiting, listening, his early years defined by privilege (Queensland sugar money, ‘Boxthorn Park’), a suggestion (as he lay in hospital, sketching) that he had a knack for capturing form, the years of struggle, the painted-over canvases, the successes, the man whose prints hung in every dentist office and living room in Australia (I can still remember), before the tragedies (his son, Tim, and wife, dying early), the feting, the awards, his death in 1981, then time, and its vagaries.

But all that aside.

Stranger, still, for me, to work out I was living five minutes’ walk from his wife’s family home (‘Banff’), and a few streets further, Mercy Hospital, high on a hill overlooking town. It was here ‘Tas’ would walk (when the hospital was farmland) along Cowper and Poole Streets – along a path through a paddock (according to Drysdale’s daughter, Lynne) with a bull that was a cow – to an old barn where he produced some of his earliest works as he shot the breeze with Donald Friend. Strange. I never planned to follow in Drysdale’s footsteps, rattle the same rafters, drink at Brady’s Railway Hotel or the Star (did he drink here?), the places where he saw (unstretched) cockies coming into town for supplies, or to take their family to the movies (Going to the Pictures, 1941, oil on canvas). Or, most famously, draw soldiers waiting at Albury Railway Station. But life has a way of connecting you to the people and places you once dreamed or read (or wrote) about, whose paintings you admired, songs you sang. As I walk, of a night, along Kiewa Street, as Drysdale did, the old oaks or elms or whatever they are, Albury High, a regional Versailles glowing in a hazy dusk, proclaiming its pride in the nearby bank-manager (as they were) suburbs. His footsteps. His thoughts, perhaps.

Often the real thing’s nowhere near as good as the imagined, but here in Albury, it comes close. A furious little city, its people protective of something special. But perhaps too insular for an artist as world-minded as Drysdale back then, and now. Tas and his family tried their luck in Europe, but then came the war, and a premature return to Australia, and Albury. And it wasn’t long after that Drysdale (rejected from the army three times because of a detached retina) started noticing the build-up of troops around town. He’d been told, stick to the painting, that’s what you’re best at. So in 1942 he started sketching, then painting, troops waiting for trains in the 1881 palace-of-rail at the end of Smollett Street. According to Bruce Pennay: ‘Drysdale humanises the war by placing the soldiers mustered at the railway station within the bleak impersonal surrounds of the huge building.’ 1942. Eighty years ago. But as I walk around town there’s no sense of those times, of Drysdale, of Australian history in the making. But maybe I’m missing it?

Figures in landscape persist, and that’s what Drysdale was on about. ‘Nobody seemed to be interested in the marvellous old towns and the clap-board buildings and the kind of life that people led … they’re pretty monumental some of those people; they were the people I’d known and I was terribly impressed with their stoicism in the times of adversity.’ Cricketers and listening boys and The Station Yard (1943, oil on canvas); flowers for Lynne and the 1944 drought sketched for the Sydney Morning Herald; Sofala, Ow Dan, and soldiers, plenty of soldiers (and pubs). As this mirror to ourselves, to our pot bellies and frocks and Sunday shoes, frosts over. So maybe we need to rediscover the old artists, and writers. But how, when we’re lost in American Dreams? How? When Drysdale and White and dozens of others are apparently old-fashioned, lacking diversity, and relevance. But I don’t see it this way. Tas and his mates are still alive. That’s why I felt the need to write a novel about them. To keep it going. The same streets, the same kids, the same dreams, the same sicknesses and deaths and suicides and babies and fears tossed around our heads during the long, hot, humid nights. The same few feathers in the same little whirlwind.