Patron-in-Chief: Mr John McIntosh
Welcome to this most unusual of Annual General Meetings. Let us hope that it is truly a unique one, and that the School Community recovers quickly. There will be those among us for whom it has been a most distressing time. My thoughts are with you, and my best wishes go to you all as I hand over the reins to your new P-i-C, Daryl Brooks. Daryl is singularly well qualified to manage our current programs, and to explore new avenues of opportunity. He has one of the best Old Boy networks in the country to draw upon.
I have been blessed to have had the support of an extremely able and enthusiastic Executive Committee. Thank you, gentlemen. You have achieved a great deal over the last three years. I have enjoyed working with you all. Thanks also to John Dodd and Alan Munday for their continued contribution to the School Council.
My thanks to the Principal and to Assistant Principal, Pelissa Tsilimidos for their support of, and contribution to, our programs. And a special thank you to Luke Savage who, with the support of retiring Committee member Robin Tuckerman, has rebuilt a neglected School archive into an important asset available to us all. Many of you will have memorabilia which could add value to the archive. You can now be confident that donations will be immediately assessed, catalogued and kept safely.
Our Mentoring and Junior Leadership Programs have gone from strength to strength but will probably have to remain in recess for the rest of the year. It is a pity to have lost a year but that is life now. The volunteers in both programs, drawn from the broader Old Boy community, have much in common. We will build on this next year. These Mentors and Group Leaders are playing an increasing role in the operation of the GM&B. We encourage their input and hope to take it to a new level through our association with Volunteering Victoria. Together with V.V. we aim to explore the notions of “Living Philanthropy” and “Lifetime Engagement”. These are important concepts for a vibrant, active Old Boy organisation as we re-define our path into the next decade.
Our involvement with Mac.Rob through the Junior Leadership Program grows steadily as we all see the benefits to both the current students and to the Alumni of each school. Joining forces with the Palladians has been an important and rewarding step forward.
A source of great frustration to the GM&B over many years has been the uncertainty of our Public Liability Insurance. We have now confirmed our coverage by the Dept. of Education policy when the School or School Council endorse the programs we are running (which they have) provided we nominate the participants and ensure their compliance with WWC legislation. These discussions have brought us closer to the School Council, and we look forward to assisting them and to receiving their input into our programs.
The (now Past) President of the School Council, Angeline Yeoh has attended our functions and has highlighted how little is known about us by the student body and most of the teachers. This adds to our challenge of promoting to and communicating with the broader School Community. We need to embrace platforms which many of us are not familiar with – an ongoing challenge.
As the GM&B moves forward as a “Deliverer of Programs” and not just an “Incubator of ideas”, we will strive to assess our many skills, and make them readily available to the School Community.
We look forward to your participation.