To all in our wonderful alumni community, welcome to the first edition of The Scotsonian - our alumni e-newsletter.

The Scotsonian is a name synonymous with information about the school and its history, so we have continued this great tradition but added a contemporary twist by providing it solely online.

The Scotsonian will be sent via email to all alumni and we ask that you pass it on to other alumni if you know they haven't received it. Chances are that means we don't have their email address, so also encourage them to update their details on our website: Update your details here . Through this organic networking tree, we hope to restore our database to its former glory because we know we have lost touch with you in recent times. 

Our alumni community is a valuable part of our history; the very fabric that makes Scots unique in our area. And we want to celebrate you - and with you - as we continue to grow our fine school.

Scots is on track to start 2022 with around 600 students. We have endured two very COVID-19-interrupted years but instead of faltering, we have shown remarkable resilience and flourished as a result.

 Scots won the 2021 Australian Education Awards Best Co-curricular Program this month, we were named the No.1 academic school on the Border by Better Education earlier in the year and took out the 2019 Snowsports awards.

Our students have thrived amid the pandemic-hit school year. We transitioned to Scots@Home seamlessly and maintained excellent connections between our teachers and students despite the virtual environment. We were always pleased to return to the School campus, though. After each lockdown, it was one of the most rewarding sights to see students greet each other in the school grounds and witness a genuine happiness to be among their friends again. 

Sadly, we had to postpone our alumni reunion weekend we had planned for November, but we trust there will be strong interest to get those back up and running in 2022. Contact Rowena Newcomen at rnewcomen@scotsalbury.nsw.edu.au for assistance with venue bookings, online payments and intra-class communication.

We welcome alumni back to school for a number of functions throughout the year and will extend invites through this newsletter as time goes by. The first occasion will be the Scots Country Fair celebrating 50 years of Scots in the Albury community on 19 March. Put the date in your diary. We'd love to see you there.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

Mark Geraets
Principal

The Scots School Albury is a Gold Winner of the Best Co-Curricular Program, awarded at the 2021 Australian Education Awards in December.

It also was an Excellence Award winner (finalist) in the Regional School of the Year category.

A nationwide call for nominations was conducted from February to March 2021 using The Educator’s print and online channels. Any individual or school operating in the Australian K-12 education industry was eligible to submit a nomination, either on their own behalf or for another individual or school.

Scots was recognised after a rigourous six-stage process: nomination, research and selection of excellence awardees, confirmation of excellence awardees, excellence awardee submission, judging and finally, the awards ceremony. Nominations focussed on achievements and results from the previous 12 months.

An extensive co-curricular program has been synonymous with the school since the beginning and despite catering to a student population of just over 500, our current day co-curricular program rivals that of bigger metropolitan schools. Apart from sports association fees, all activities are included in students’ tuition fees.

The program has grown in breadth and depth and is now considered, alongside academic rigour, as Scots’ distinctive point of difference. 

In 2020, the co-curricular program was challenged like never before but the School quickly realised it could not falter. It was such a big part of what the School stood for, that it had to keep going. The School implemented an online challenge and co-curricular became the glue that kept its community strong amid the pandemic: it kept families connected and students found comfort in normal activities. 

In all, 859 activities were submitted by 30% of the student population.  Nearly 900 different individuals visited the website and there were more than 2300 views, indicating a high level of involvement from siblings and parents. 

So, our students didn’t miss a beat; in 2020 our pipe band was internationally recognised, we showcased four musicals, our athletes completed high-level skills sessions and the astronomy group accessed images from telescopes in five countries. No other school could possibly do so much for so few.

The Overland Track is Australia's premier alpine walk. But when the weather turns foul, visibility is limited and all around you, helicopters are rescuing hikers from the treacherous conditions you want, Scots teacher and Duke of Edinburgh Award leader, David Edwards in your corner.

A recent group of Scots hikers impressed Cradle Mountain Park angers when they safely completed the Overland Track amid appalling conditions last year. The snow and rain had been incessant; and rangers had been rescuing lost, wet and cold hikers for days.

But the Scots group was, as always, prepared for all conditions and were challenged but unconcerned by all the fuss.

“I’ve hiked that track many times and as a group, decisions were made to ensure everyone was safe and navigation was correct,” David said. “I think the kids felt like they were in good hands. The rain was relentless and when it wasn’t raining it was snowing but they were in good spirits, up for the challenge and had the appropriate gear. We were fine.”

The Duke of Edinburgh International Award is a youth development program, empowering all young Australians to explore their full potential and find their purpose, passion and place in the world. It has been running under David’s leadership at Scots for 16 years.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award was founded in 1956 and is about individual challenge, variety of activity, duration, support and teamwork and recognition in four categories: Voluntary Service, Skill, Physical Recreation and Adventurous Journey. Scots supports all four aspects and David is ably assisted by other Scots staff, primarily Ms Sue Mitchell, to provide a rounded experience. Challenges differ for each individual, but they should require persistence and determination to overcome – traits which are viewed favourably by employers later in life.

La Trobe University Vice Chancellor, Professor John Dewar is a big fan of the Award program and said students who completed the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award arrived at university with a head start on their peers.

“We can be confident that these students are not only the type of people we want as part of the La Trobe community, but they will be strong candidates for future employers,” he said.

David mentors the Scots students through the three levels of the award – bronze, silver and gold - by monitoring, discussing, encouraging and motivating them to reach their goals. 

He plans about six expeditions a year. He’s trekked the Overland Track five times, been to Annapurna base camp in Nepal with school groups, and regularly hikes the Alpine National Park, Feathertop, Bogong and Jagungal Wilderness tracks in Kosciuszko National Park with students attempting bronze, silver and gold levels. The majority of the trips are over a weekend; an introduction to the Adventurous Journey component of the DoE award. And some of them are much more arduous. The Overland Track is 65km of hiking over six days. Almost half of the track is above 1000 metres in elevation on exposed plateaus in a remote area. 2022 will see an extended adventure on the Jatbula Trail in the Northern Territory. Thorough preparation and good gear is always essential. 

David runs briefing sessions for each trip; students plan equipment, understand the route, pack and carry their own food and water and make most of the decisions on the ground. They build up from weekend adventures in all kinds of weather to longer, more arduous treks that require months of planning and meticulous preparation.

David’s passion for the outdoors makes him the ideal leader of the DoE program. He gives up his weekends and school holidays to take students on expeditions, allowing countless students over the years to complete the Adventurous Journey component of the award.

But in truth, David loves it. He rarely hikes alone and enjoys the total experience of hiking in remote and rugged wilderness areas: the challenge, the solitude and the physical benefits. But what really drives his passion for the Duke of Edinburgh is witnessing students accomplish what they never thought they could.

“We are taking young adults on an adventure,” he said. “The overarching aspect is that these kids are capable of so much more than we ever give them credit for. And to see them when they experience hard-earned success, well that’s enough for anyone.”

In 2021 and despite COVID restrictions and lockdowns, 4 expeditions were undertaken to assist participants achieve award success.

Those who complete their Gold Award join an elite group of young adults who receive their Gold Award Certificates from the Vice-Regal Patron of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – Australia (NSW Division), The Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC, at Government House.

David couldn’t be prouder of all that step up to the challenge!

Colin James is one of The Scots School Albury Pipe Band’s staunchest supporters.

Sixty-four years after Colin left Scots and his position as Drum Major, he still fosters new talent through an annual trophy awarded in his name to a promising Junior School band member; and financial support for the betterment of the whole band.

Colin was at Albury Grammar in Robertson House from 1945 until 1957. He joined the band as a side drummer and when, in 1955, the school decided to change the band to become a pipe band, he was appointed Drum Major. In those days, the band was very small, with only four pipers, a bass drummer and percussion players. 

After he left school, Colin lived in Albury working as an industrial chemist for North Eastern Dairy Coop until 1969. Then he moved to Perth where he rose to Manager Beverage Operations at dairy products supplier Peters and Brownes Group. He remains in Perth to this day and his last remaining link to the school is through the Pipe Band.

“I have been very fortunate to be able to assist the band over a number of years now in a financial way,” Colin explained. “I have been very mindful of cost pressures on the school finances and where able to assist the band, I have been very pleased to do so.”

He believes the pipe band is the school’s biggest flag waver in the community and he is proud of the band’s role in promoting the school’s co-curricular attributes to complement Scots strong academic reputation.

“I personally believe the school pipe band, particularly under the leadership of Scott Nicolson, is the school’s greatest means of recognition within the community. The recognition comes from playing at world events, overseas championships, regional and local participation. 

“Pipe music stirs the soul and people see Scots at its best.”

He named the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2017 as his proudest moment as a Pipe Band supporter. He admits to having tears in his eyes when he travelled with them to Edinburgh and watched them perform in front of millions from his very privileged box seat organised by band coordinator Scott Nicolson.

“Undoubtedly that was a highlight.” Colin said. “Many tears were shed just seeing them on the world stage - and the age of some of them - was just so fantastic. I still replay the CD on many occasions.”

Pipe Band Coordinator Scott Nicolson said Colin was the band’s No.1 fan.

“Colin’s financial support over the years has been substantial,” Scott said. “He enabled us to purchase a complete set of new sporrans and, among other generous donations, he significantly contributed to the completely new  No.1 uniform we wore at the Tattoo in 2017.

“But his support goes much deeper. He is our biggest fan and travelled to Scotland and New Zealand to watch us. He wears the Scots pipe band merchandise and even wore the No.2 uniform at the Tattoo. It’s great for our kids to see his absolute devotion to the band and for them to realise they can be involved with the Pipe Band well after they leave Scots.”

Colin shied away from claiming he would leave a lasting legacy at Scots.

“My legacy to the pipe band is continuing to assist financially wherever I can but the real legacy is that which will be left by Scott Nicolson and Tom Mewett. It is their efforts that have taken the band to where it is today and will be in the future. You need leaders who are teachers, mentors, friends and confidantes. Those two epitomise all of those requirements.”

Sellars Santa Run gifts generously donated by our community were handed over to the Nurse Unit Manager on the Paediatric ward of the Albury Base Hospital, Samantha Peet, by Scots Head of Senior School Kelly McKay recently. Samantha is an alumna from the Class of 1991 and was thrilled to collect the gifts which will be given to children spending Christmas on the ward this year.

The Scots School Albury offers the Robin and Janice Pleydell Scholarship to assist a regional student to attend the School for senior studies. The scholarship is open to an incoming student entering Year 10 who also resides in a regional area, and wishes to attend Scots either as a boarding or day student; would be unable to attend Scots without the financial assistance provided by the Scholarship; will gain from and engage with the School’s diverse range of programs and has potential to go on from their Scots education to further study.

“It was a long term objective of ours to assist a young rural person to attend a private school who would not otherwise have been able to afford the fees,” said Mr Pleydell, who boarded at Albury Grammar School during the 1940s.

“We had nothing specific in mind until we attended an Albury Grammar (predecessor to Scots Albury) reunion in 2010. We decided it would be good to fund a scholarship during our lifetime.”

Previous recipients of the Pleydell Scholarship: 

2011-2013 Harrison Clifton
2014-2017 Flynn Bowker
2017-2018 Ruby Devere
2019-2022 Mitchell Russell

Mitchell Russell
Robin and Janice Pleydell Scholarship recipient
2019-2022.

School captain Mitch Russell is still in awe that a total stranger could bestow on him such a life-changing honour as the Robin and Janice Pleydell Scholarship.

The 2019-2021 recipient of the scholarship is humbled by the kindness of the Pleydells and has vowed to donate to a scholarship of his own in years to come - such has been the impact the scholarship has had on his life.

“It feels amazing to be the recipient of this scholarship,” Mitch says. “Getting a “normal” scholarship would be an achievement, but with the Pleydell Scholarship there is that added knowledge that there are two people out there who are supporting me, and I must live up to that. They have never met me and, suddenly, they are literally changing my life!”

So, top of Mitch’s bucket list of things to do when COVID-19 concerns diminish is to meet his generous benefactors, who are elderly and unable to travel to Albury from their Melbourne home.

“I keep in touch mainly over email. I send a couple of emails a term with updates on what I’m doing - everything from my academic life, to what’s happening with my family and life in the boardo. I video call occasionally. I was meant to meet them in person but just before that happened we went into lockdown.”

Mansfield-based Tom and Kylie Russell knew that Scots was the boarding school for their eldest son, but with three other children, they just couldn’t see how they could make it work financially. They didn’t know about the Pleydell Scholarship initially but hoped Mitch might have the academic aptitude to warrant some sort of scholarship.

He sat the general scholarship exam in March 2019 and they all crossed their fingers. 

The Pleydell Scholarship was not due to become available until the 2020 school year but when Mitch aced the exam, Scots was keen for him to start immediately. The Pleyells agreed to bring forward the scholarship by six months and Mitch started at the school in Term 3 of 2019. 

“I had known I wanted to move away from Mansfield for a while,” Mitch explained. “I’d been doing pretty well at school but I just never seemed to fit. So I knew I needed to move but I didn’t want to move to the big city schools. I wanted a regional environment; but somewhere with academic rigour and a wide range of opportunities.”

Of course he misses his parents and his siblings, Quinn, who is in Year 9 at Mansfield High School; Harper, in Year 7 and Banjo, who is in Grade 5. But he is completely at home in the Scots environment.

“I love boarding,” Mitch said. “As soon as I started here I felt like I belonged.”

Mitch’s mother Kylie goes so far as to say that the Pleydell Scholarship saved him.

“I don’t mean it saved him from anything serious,” Kylie explained. “But it allowed him to find “his people” and to be the person he really is: a good person who is gentle, kind and a high achiever. Someone with a really good moral compass. 

“At Scots he is allowed to shine. He is allowed to be all of those things without criticism or judgement. After just six months at Scots he won Dux of his year and when he came out of the presentations his friends were slapping him on the back and congratulating him. It was lovely to see.”

Scots’ and the Pleydells’ faith in Mitch has been well placed. He is a Straight A student in Mathematics Extension 1 and 2, Chemistry, Physics, Japanese and English advanced. He was elected school captain for the Class of 2022 and is a role model for boarding and day students alike.

And, he is one of the nicest people you could meet.

Amy had a rough introduction to the work force! She was fresh out of Swinburne University with a degree in media and communication and a major in marketing, but she couldn’t get a job in her field; not even an interview.

It was a harsh reality she hadn’t expected. So, she did a bunch of temporary roles: worked in retail, at a radio station and eventually got her first “proper” job through her Swinburne network.

Some friends had a start-up applicant tracking software company called Page Up which, at the time, employed 17 people who worked out of a converted apartment. Amy’s office was in the kitchen and she worked in customer service.

“No-one in recruiting starts out with the aim of getting into recruiting, they sort of fall into it,” Amy said. “But that’s where I learned about recruiting. I worked with BHP, Coles and Myer - most of the big Australian companies were using Page Up.”

From there she moved to another start-up; an organisation which had the sole job of recruiting for the ABC Learning centres. It was a big learning curve for Amy.

“When ABC went into administration, so did we. All the people I had hired, I had to make redundant. Being able to start something and then sunset something was really useful learning - as difficult as it was.”

Eventually she moved to Hudson Recruitment, which took her from Melbourne to Sydney to Shanghai where she later joined LinkedIn.

“LinkedIn was more about working at a company that had redefined the way recruiting was done - and the opportunity to work with really smart people. Who you work with and what they can teach you is as important as your pay and title,” Amy said. “When I joined, there were about 6000 people working there, now it's almost 20,000. It was very structured growth though. I missed the really early, crazy times and I found it to be a workplace that was open, honest and constructive; where you were encouraged to take intelligent risks. They had strong missions and values - the importance of how you get something done was as important as what you were doing.”

Then along came COVID-19 and Amy wanted to come home. 

An Australian-based role came up in the global division of Canva and pretty soon, Amy was back on Australian soil.

“Canva is the most valuable private software company in the world. Their mantra is to be the most valuable company and do the most good. They donate 30% to charity so they put their money where their mouth is.”

So what does a global recruiter look for in staff?

“Adaptability, resilience and being curious are core skills. We call them soft skills. Probably 90 per cent of today’s graduates will be working in some sort of tech role. We are using tech every day. But tech skills will have such a short shelf life as we move forward. For example, if you are a software engineer, you are going to need to be constantly updating your skills. The soft skills are harder to train.” 

“For Generation A, their careers are likely to involve many jobs. Increasingly, they will have a career and are likely to have a side hustle as well. They have experienced the global financial crisis, the pandemic, they are probably used to working solo and like the quiet time of the virtual environment and are much more comfortable with it. It's not going to feel like a big shift to them, they're already doing it. So many jobs involve working in teams, perhaps hybrid teams and across countries. Teamwork and collaboration are very hard to teach adults but the kids are naturals.”

In a year, Amy expects to be conducting her global role from her new home in Albury - something she never would have thought possible back in 1998 when she graduated.

I would like to start by acknowledging the Wiradjuri People, the traditional owners of this land and pay my respect to Elders both past, present and future.

Principal Geraets, Students, Staff, Parents, members of the Scots School community. It’s good to be back!

I haven’t been on this stage since Speech Day 1998. I remember that being a pretty warm day, the Chapel Hall definitely didn’t have air-conditioning back then! When I finished school, I thought I had it all mapped out. I was moving to Melbourne, when I finished uni I was going to get a job marketing somewhere in the city and wear Portmans suits to work each day! Trust me at the time, a Portman’s Suit was the height of “making it”! Sometimes life has other plans for you and it led me into a career in Recruitment.

Hands up if you know what a recruiter does? I had never heard of a job called a recruiter when I was at school. What I know now is recruiters help people get jobs - and luckily for me getting a job in recruiting has taken me all over the world. When I was at school I never dreamed of living in China, Singapore or America.

Looking back, moving to China was the best thing I ever did. Every day I experienced something new and saw something unexpected. Even the day I arrived at Shanghai airport was unexpected. As I walked through arrivals, I was met with hundreds of people screaming, cameras flashing and signs waving. I thought to myself, what a welcoming committee? Then I looked behind me to see a famous K-Pop boy band and realised actually what all the excitement was about! I think I accidently photo-bombed many photos!

Moving overseas pushed me out of my comfort zone and as a result has made me a better person and professional; and I guess now a global citizen. I love that at Scots, this school has the aspiration for students to contribute meaningfully to the world as a global citizen.

Throughout my career I’ve learnt to be adaptable and resilient and they are two of the most in-demand soft skills in the professional world. Soft skills are what we learn through life experience and I believe the future of work lies in soft skills. The most in-demand soft skills in 2021 include problem solving, creativity, innovation, collaboration and communication. When I look back on my time at Scots, I was starting to develop these skills at school. Being involved in drama productions taught me creativity and communication. Playing sports and working with classmates on projects taught collaboration. 

Now when I'm hiring people onto my team, I ask them for examples of where they have achieved something through teamwork. I also look for people who are curious and I know curiosity is a core value here at Scots.

The jobs most of you end up doing don’t even exist today and I think that’s so exciting! For example, the job of a “drone operator” didn’t exist a few years ago and now if you search on LinkedIn, it shows 43,000 job ads for “drone operator”! The people I enjoy working with the most are folks who dream big, get stuff done and know how to have fun. Everyone always thinks it’s important to climb the corporate ladder, but most likely your career isn’t going to be one straight line - it might even look more like a squiggly line and that’s ok! Think of it as a career rock climbing wall rather than a ladder you have to climb and I would encourage you all to stay curious about the career possibilities ahead of you. Because they are all ahead of you! 

Thanks for having me back Scots, I’m certainly very grateful for all the experiences I had here. 

Everything Jeremy Holt does in his new role as Scots Director of Boarding will be underpinned by more than 18 years’ experience in residential colleges and supported by the knowledge he’s acquired from his research into boarding schools across the globe.

He has been Head of Boarding at an international school in China for four years, director of Boarding at Assumption College and led boarding at Rockhampton Grammar School and St Gregory’s College in Campbelltown. 

And yet, Jeremy never consciously decided to make a career in boarding.

“I started in 2002 when I moved from South Africa to St Gregory’s and they needed someone as Head of House. I discovered I had an easy rapport with young people in that environment and though I wasn’t looking for a career in boarding at the time, I found it was a good fit for me,” Jeremy said.

Eighteen years later, Jeremy not only still loves the boarding environment, but he has almost finished a Masters in Residential Education through the University of Buckingham in the UK.

His research has put him in touch with Heads of Boarding across the world. He’s conducted many interviews with boarding students, leaders and administrators from every continent and he has delivered a paper titled Beyond Positive Education: In Search of Inspiration. 

All that writing might seem daunting to most: but not to Jeremy. In fact, it’s his favourite pastime along with swimming and rugby; and he is now making the final edits to his first fiction novel inspired by a true historical event. 

A scheduled passenger flight was shot down by the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) on 3 September 1978, during the Rhodesian Bush War. Of the 52 passengers and four crew, 38 died in the crash. Insurgents rounded up the 10 survivors they could find and massacred them. By sheer good fortune and luck, eight passengers survived.

In his novel, Jeremy winds his story around this true event. He has his youngest son Sean to thank for the plotline and the encouragement of his family has been unswerving - both for his writing and his passion for boarding. 

All four of his children have been involved in some way with Boarding Schools and education. His eldest daughter Frances, who has three children, is an educator herself, Veronica is now a barrister in Melbourne, Dominic has just finished an engineering degree and Sean is a Year 11 student at Wallan Secondary College. They have all lived in the boarding environment and the three older ones have worked in boarding, supervising or tutoring. 

Jeremy’s wife, Anne, is the Assistant Head of Theatre at Kilmore Hospital and the couple will juggle their full-time roles with the commute between the two regions as they both pursue their passions. But as they have for the past 18 years, Jeremy’s family will be very much a part of his boarding community. Expect to see all of them at various stages once regional lockdown restrictions are completely eased.

Jeremy has already come to appreciate the strong culture of care fostered by Neale Poole, Elsa Kilgour and Tom Mewett; and he hopes to build on the momentum of that positivity.

The Scots Country Fair on Saturday 19 March will be a celebration of 50 years of Scots in Albury. Not only will the Fair celebrate Scots' place in Albury history, but it will celebrate all that the Albury region offers. One of the ways we intend to celebrate our wonderful region is through its amazing food and wines in our Country Fair Alumni Hospitality Tent.

We did try to hold our fair in October 2021, but we could not be certain that COVID-19 restrictions wouldn’t impact our event so, to avoid disappointment for everyone, we have made the decision to postpone and prepare instead for a bigger and better event in March.

You can expect more amusement rides, more food vendors, more activities for children of all ages, more attractions for families and more stall holders. With more time to prepare, we can ensure we create the good old-fashioned Scots Country Fair that we have all come to know and love. 

The Alumni Hospitality Tent will be a destination open to all adults featuring beverages from our exclusive wine, gin and whisky suppliers and food from our fine food partner in a picturesque alfresco setting among the grand old trees around the Quad. There will be a memorabilia display and an opportunity to purchase Scots commemorative merchandise. 

We are encouraging alumni year levels to think about scheduling a reunion on the same weekend so you can catch up with all your old friends. 

If your year level would like to hold a reunion, we can help with the leg-work of booking restaurants and setting up a booking link to take payments. Please be in touch with Rowena Newcomen at rnewcomen@scotsalbury.nsw.edu.au for more information.

It was wonderful to welcome back on campus all our lovely Scots families to enjoy an uplifting evening of carols and festive cheer. Even the rain, which sent us scampering into Chapel Hall half way through, could not dampen our enthusiasm.

There was such a festive atmosphere as everyone enjoyed the balmy summer evening on the oval. Our students entertained us with all our favourite Christmas Carols and we enjoyed the fantastically decorated stage - complemented by a giant inflatable Christmas tree, oversized Christmas baubles, tinsel and fairy lights. To cap off a wonderful evening, Santa paid us a visit and we were treated to a fireworks display to end all displays. Thank you to everyone who attended to create such a warm, inclusive and festive atmosphere.

Thank you to O'Brien Transport for providing the truck to use as our stage; to Amazing Christmas for loaning us the giant inflatable tree and donating the other decorations and to the Scots Foundation for the spectacular display of fireworks.

Students in the Class of 1972 are celebrating a very special anniversary next year – 50 years!

And it coincides with our celebrations to commemorate 50 years of Scots in the Albury community after the amalgamation of Woodstock Presbyterian Girls’ School and Albury Grammar School.

The school will mark 50 Years of Scots with festivities throughout the year, including our Country Fair, a gala dinner and alumni reunions. But we are missing email addresses for some of our alumni and need to update our database. If you know any of the people below, please forward this newsletter to them and ask them to register their email address with us at Update your details here.

Reaching out to:

Noelle Oke is excited to see 10 years of hard work come to fruition in her new book Faith and Learning: the First 125 Years, which chronicles the history of The Scots School Albury from its humble beginnings in 1866.

The 300-plus pages of photographs, reproductions of memorabilia and narrative based on hundreds of hours of interviews have been collated into this wonderful encyclopedia of familiar and new stories about school life and culture. For instance, did you know it was normal for boarders in times past to have cold morning showers and sleep on a verandah protected from the elements only by a canvas blind. Or that the ‘Woodstock’ building was once a munitions factory owned by the Commonwealth during the Second World War to make fuses for heavy artillery, before being acquired by Gadsden’s who then made ration tins for the troops. So much amazing information, it will surely take you down memory lane!

To purchase a copy head to https://www.trybooking.com/BOENW

Births

GILTRAP, Chloe (Class of 2012) and Tim Kilgour welcomed Hamish Joe Kilgour on 14 May, 2021. 

GILTRAP, Sam (Class of 2008) and Kayla Saggers welcomed Henry Giltrap on 3 June, 2021.

Marriages

ENDRESZ, Jenny (Class of 2010) married Jacob Krautz at Ponderosa on 13 March 2021 in front of a large gathering of friends and family following a small COVID-19 wedding in July 2020, attended by only a few family members. Jenny's dress was designed by Essence, her hair was by Kate Sefton-Young, her make-up was done by Lisa Stevenson Beauty Therapist and Make-up Artist, flowers by Little Miss Moss and catering by Pinchos. Photography was by Kelsey Jayne Photography. The couple was unable to honeymoon due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. 

Deaths

AUSTIN, Derek William (Bill) (02/11/1947 – 22/08/2021) (Class of 1965) Bill attended Albury Grammar School as a boarder 1958 – 1965. Bill was the Drum Major for the Pipe Band in 1965, School Prefect, Captain of the first XI Cricket Team and avid tennis player. Brother of John Austin (Class of 1966). Kate advised the school of his sudden passing at age 73.

BERICK, Dr John Maxwell (01/04/1950 – 08 /09/2021) (Class of 1967) John attended Albury Grammar School 1960–1967 and was School Captain in 1967. Trevor Kohlhagen (Class of 1968) remembers that John was a day student from Table Top and came to school each day on the motor train which had its own mini station at the school in those days.  He became a boarder from late Year 11. John went on after leaving Albury Grammar to train as a doctor and spent most of his life as a GP in Batemans Bay on the south coast of NSW.  He enjoyed mountain hiking and diving.  He was also one of the movers to support the establishment of a rural clinical school by the ANU in Batemans Bay, to train young medical students in a rural setting, hoping to increase the number of graduates who may consider rural practice. John is survived by his wife Helen and sons Scott, Andrew and David.

CAMERON, Bruce Thomas Archibald (23/12/1936 – 18/06/2021) (Class of 1954) Bruce attended Albury Grammar School as a boarder 1950–1954. Bruce passed away peacefully at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital, late of The Haven and formerly of 'Burnside', Collingullie. Loved only child of Reginald and Clare Cameron (both dec'd). In keeping with Bruce's wishes, a private service was held on Thursday 24 June 2021 at the Wagga Wagga Lawn Cemetery. A highly respected Murray Grey breeder – will be sadly missed by many. At Rest.

POOLE, Wilfred Arthur, (20.12.1930 - 31.12.2020) (Class of 1948) Wilfred attended Albury Grammar School 1942-1948, he was Vice Captain Cadets and a House Captain. Son of the late Wes and Beryl Poole formerly of View Bank Balldale. Dearly loved brother of Joy, brother-in-law of Vaughan Poole and Ken Mills (dec). Loved uncle of Heather and Colin, Neale and Joanne and Geoff and Julie and families. Forever loved God's faithful servant now at rest.

WALKER, Margaret Dawn (Nee Rodham) (02/11/2021) (Class of 1961) Margaret attended Woodstock Girl’s School and served on The Scots School Albury School Board for many years. Margaret attended many Rosehill/Woodstock and Albury Grammar School Luncheons and enjoyed attending many functions at the School, providing support. Dearly loved wife of Luxton (dec 2017) Loving mother and mother-in-law to Sarah (Class of 1987) and Jim; Dougall (Class of 1989) and Mardi; and David (Class of 1997) and Alex. Loving 'Jaja' of Gryff and Jack; Cameron and Neva; Ralph, Harry, and Bonnie. Devoted daughter of the late Jack and Peg Rodham. Adored sister of Pamela (Class of 1958), John (Class of 1964), Elizabeth (class of 1968) and Stephen.

WINTER, Leo Norman, (06/02/1937 - 21/07/2021) (Class of 1954) Leo attended Albury Grammar School 1945 – 1951. Passed away suddenly. Loving husband of Joy for 60 wonderful years. Adored father of Darren, Dianne, Allan and father in law of Glenda, Phil and Tammy. Much loved Poppy to Axel, Zac, Elisa, Jess, Hayley and Dylan. Step poppy to Katie, Ryan and new family. In our hearts forever.

Tributes

Following our recent mail out to connect with Alumni we have been notified of the following past students who have passed in the preceding years. 

HACKETT, Owen John, (10/09/1932 – 19/06/2019) (Class of 1950) Owen attended Albury Grammar School 1944 – 1948. Passed away peacefully at St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. Loved husband of Betty. Loved father and father-in-law to Peter and Nancy, Barry, Colin, Timothy, Gwenda, and Glenn. Loved grandfather to Brayyd, Wayyln, Rhyys, Talia, Bryyn, Jack, Zita, and Diana.

HARRIS John Harold (21/02/1938 -15/07/2016) (Class of 1955). John attended Albury Grammar School 1949- 1954. John passed away on Friday July 15, 2016, at Glenview Nursing Home Rutherglen aged 78 years. He was the dearly loved husband of Rhonda and much-loved father and father-in-law of Ashley and Louise, Louise and Mark Aitken and Richard and Kim. Poppy to Molly, Adrienne, Rick, Gemma, Courtney, Megan, Simone, Olivia, Braiden and Koby. Gone but not forgotten. 

LEWIS (Dickson) Shirley (Class of 1949). Shirley attended Woodstock from 1943 – 1947. Shirley passed away peacefully after a short illness on Thursday, March 14 2019 at Yamaroo Aged Care Hostel, Yackandandah. Aged 87 years. Dearly loved wife of Kevin (dec.). Much loved mother and mother-in-law of Vicki and Neale Barker, Peter (dec.). Cherished Nana to Kate and Ray.