Scotch College Speech Day

7 December 2007

Principal Mr Tim Oughton, guest speaker Abby Edwards, Moderator, members of the official party, members of Council, teachers, guests, parents and students. 

Welcome to the 2007 Scotch College Speech Day.  I am pleased to present the Chairman’s report for this year. 

The year commenced with a new Principal and a new Council, both the end result of a thorough and exhaustive process by the previous Council to identify and appoint a Principal of considerable experience, profile and calibre on the one hand, while also downsizing a previously large Council of 23 to a sleeker more dynamic group of 11.  That the two processes occurred concurrently was essential.   It was recognised that the new College Principal needed to have more frequent access to the Board and to be able to more quickly identify, debate and implement new initiatives and act on new opportunities.  

Equally, the Board needed more time and more detail to evaluate and respond to management reports and requests, making sure that decisions were well considered, on budget and in the best long term interests of the College and its students.  

Consequently, this year has been busy.  Busy for Council who now meet monthly and even busier for Tim Oughton whose responsibilities and time demands must often seem endless: more of Tim’s contribution later.  

Firstly, I would like to thank the new Council for their enthusiasm, commitment and well measured contribution to the College this year.  They have formed a very functional group that undertake and fulfil their Governance roles well, while individually offering a diverse range of support and experience to Tim Oughton and his school management team.   Harnessing and managing a well meaning exuberance to assist management is always a challenge for voluntary boards in not for profit organisations such as schools and I think that the Council this year has got that balance right.  With diversity and enthusiasm comes healthy disagreement and I am pleased to report that many important issues confronting the College have met with intense scrutiny from Councillors, often resulting in a compromise or modification before obtaining final Council approval and a better outcome for the school.  

In thanking Council again I would like to acknowledge each Councillor individually.  Jo Deuter who is also Deputy Chair of Council, Phil Paterson Chair of Finance Subcommittee, Anne Young Chair of Development, Rick Harper Chair of Education, Michael Harrington Chair of Infrastructure, Phil Camens Chair of the Investment Committee and Councillors Todd Roberts, Judy Ferguson and Chris Codling.   

Rev Phil Carr as Uniting Church delegate on Council has completed his term of office this year and I thank him for his guidance and assistance over the last three years.   We welcome his successor Mr Keith Maynard.    Finally I wish to acknowledge and thank Trevor Johnson for the huge amount of work that he has put into all of the reporting and administrative aspects of Council this year.   He has provided detail and diligence and I thank him for that.

Council is currently active in the following inter‐related areas: 

•Infrastructure
•Enrolments
•Financial performance of the College
•Facilitation of the Principal’s educational vision for students.   

I only intend to talk about infrastructure. 

Scotch occupies a large and scenic campus with buildings of mixed age and condition.  Approximately 12% of the school tuition fee is allocated to maintenance and refurbishment of these buildings and facilities.   However, even when the annual budget generates small surpluses through prudent financial management, there is not enough left over to fund major capital works for the College. 

In a campus of this age and size, it is inevitable that new or replacement buildings will always be part of any Council’s ongoing brief and responsibility to the College and its students.   The brief will always be to plan, fund and build appropriate facilities in keeping with the College’s educational vision.

Ten years ago, the Council and community of the day voluntary raised nearly four million dollars to complete four capital work projects for the College.    The largest of these was the Webb Science Centre.   Most of the Year 12’s here today would only have ever known science to be taught in these labs.  Your science experience, perhaps even your results, all enhanced because of this wonderful facility, paid for by voluntary donations.    

Today, Council and the Principal are working on a new list of major projects which will require a similar commitment and generosity from our community.  A new boarding facility is the major part of this project and on completion it will allow the junior school campus to expands its classrooms and students numbers and be a completely self contained school.   The campaign will be known as Future Scotch. 

It is true that some money for this project was set aside following the sale of six blocks off the ag‐farm nearly five years ago but a change in the site, nature and size of the proposed facility along with increased building costs in that period means that the envisage project will now need to be strongly supported by voluntary donations in order to achieve the best outcome for the College and the building.  

Boarding has a long history at and is an integral part of the ethos at Scotch.  This was reconfirmed at a recent College strategic planning meeting.  All in our community are enriched by having boarders at Scotch and I ask all in our community to support this campaign as it unfolds next year.   It is not just about boarding, it is a blueprint for achieving optimum student numbers throughout the college from local, regional and international sources.   Optimum student numbers will in turn then drive and deliver success across all areas of student endeavour in the College.  

The Scotch community giving, what they can when asked, has been the source of funding for nearly every building on this campus.   It is a tradition worth emulating and supporting. 

Tim Oughton has been very busy this year and his family just as busy trying to keep up with him.   It is enough of a challenge to leave a familiar home environment and come to a new school and new country while leaving part of your family behind.  

The Oughton family has done all of this and more this year and I thank them for all that they have done and achieved.   I do not have to tell many here how well the Oughton’s have embraced and engaged the Scotch community. Tim, on many occasions with Heather accompanying him, has travelled to or spoken at nearly every Scotch regional dinner or field day in South Australia this year. He has visited a number of these events throughout Australia; he has visited Darwin on at least two occasions for field days or interviews and earlier in the year travelled to Southern China in order to establish Scotch as part of a Chinese School Australian Network.  Tim has also renewed contacts with Principals in New Zealand and Scotland which have the potential to lead to exciting educational opportunities for staff and students in the future. 

He has established a renewed confidence and interest in Scotch College and the end result of all of his travel and effort is reflected in the increasing enrolments that we have seen this year and into 2008.  

On the domestic front, Tim set and accomplished some significant changes in the school structure and timetable.  These have a strong educational focus and imperative and the benefits of these changes will emerge in the 2008 year.  Council acknowledges all staff for the understanding and preparedness to work with Tim in order to achieve a commercially viable framework on which educational initiatives and excellence can be built. 

The stage is set for some exciting times at Scotch. 

Last year I acknowledged and thanked Cheryl Bauer at the completion of her term as Acting Principal of the College.   This year, it is with mixed feeling that I can report Cheryl’s resignation from the College to take up a new role as Principal of St Johns Grammar at Belair.   Council wishes Cheryl every success in her new role and extends our best wishes to Rod and their family. 

Cheryl joins three other Scotch members of staff who in recent years have gone onto Principal appointments in other independent schools.    

Finally, I would like to thank and acknowledge you, the parents, who continue to entrust Scotch College with the education of your children.   It is a significant trust that comes with a major financial investment on your part and one which Council accepts most seriously in all of its decisions and responsibilities.   

I wish all of you safe and enjoyable holidays.