Patron-in-Chief: Mr John McIntosh
Welcome to the Melbourne High School, Green Maroon and Black Patrons’ Club 2018 Annual General Meeting and Dinner.
A special welcome to our Principal, Mr Jeremy Ludowyke, who always finds the time to address us at the AGM, at our Forums and at other special events. It is his vision of the future for Melbourne High that guides us as we seek to use the talents of the Old Boy Community to provide programs and advice which further that vision.
Welcome also to our new members. We look forward to their contribution over the coming years.
Over the past year, we have sought to refine and improve the programs we deliver. Despite the demands of a busy General Practice, Dr Ajai Verma has continued to develop our successful Mentoring Scheme. The program assists a broad spectrum of boys, with the “best and brightest” now knocking on our door. The mentors do a remarkable job, and for some, the relationship with their mentee continues for many years. Not surprisingly, we learn a lot from the boys as well.
David Saul, together with his team of Group Leaders, continues to make a great contribution to his Junior Leadership Program. I see it as a program which will become embedded in the School curriculum as Jeremy’s vision for MHS 2030 develops. We are fortunate to have David as Deputy P-i-C. Thank you for taking over the reins in my absences.
Similarly, Innovation and Entrepreneurship need to find a place in the curriculum of the future. Keith Elsner has continued to explore areas where we can encourage and enthuse those students with the bright ideas. It is a difficult task given the constraints of the current curriculum, but it is a vital component of MHS 2030.
For many years we have all struggled to preserve, catalogue and display the School’s expanding Heritage Collection. Like those before him, Robin Tuckerman has worked hard to remedy a deteriorating situation. We have been extraordinarily fortunate to have Luke Savage whose expertise and sheer hard work have born results way beyond our expectations. The collection is in safe hands but there is still much to do.
Peter Stathopoulos, despite having one or two other things on his plate, is digitising many of the records which would ultimately have been lost to us. I thank Peter for his contribution to the Executive Committee.
Scott Green continues to run the Finance arm of GM&B but his main contribution has been a total revamp of the website. We are fully aware that unless we maintain great communication with our members, momentum will be lost.
We are fortunate to have Colin Axup, Principal of Suzanne Cory High School, on our Committee. We benefit greatly from his input.
Thank you to John Wertheimer for his role at the Foundation. You will now be aware that the School is to launch a $27 million academy situated in a property acquired by the Foundation adjacent to the School on Chapel St. This is a ground-breaking initiative for a Victorian State School.
My thanks to John Dodd, Alan Munday and Jim Russell for their contribution to the subcommittees of the School Council.
The GM&B could not run in its present form without the input from Executive Officer, Colin Green. Colin’s deep knowledge of the School, and his ability to organise our events is unsurpassed.
We appreciate Simon Bowen’s Secretarial role in preparing agendas and minutes. Any faster,
and we would have the minutes before the end of the meeting.
Forums
Our September 2017 Forum was led by GM&B co-founder Steve Pilmore. It dealt with how best the GM&B can contribute to the needs of the School.
The recent May Forum was a highlight of this year’s calendar. Innes Willox, Chief Executive of Australian Industry Group, was Guest Speaker. He discussed the skills which will be required by University graduates as they enter the professional workforce in 10-20 years’ time.
We were also fortunate to have Kylie Burton, Project Manager, Accenture address us. She discussed the particular skill set Accenture will be looking for in its future graduate intake. The group discussion which followed was illuminating. Simon Bowen recorded the event. He can be contacted for a copy.
Our theme for tonight – The MHS 2030 Strategic Plan Along with the rest of the School Community, the GM&B can make a significant contribution to the formulation of this plan, and its execution. The curriculum faces great change if we are to successfully prepare the boys for a 2030 world. I can do no better than to quote from the Principal’s recent message in OURS, the School newsletter.
Several reports “have been very critical of the failure of both Secondary and Tertiary Education to develop the skills and capabilities graduates will increasingly need for successful professional and personal lives in an increasingly globalised and automated economy. (One of the reports) identifies a range of general skills and capabilities all graduates will need to adapt to the changing needs of the job market and economy over the next decade. These include the capacity to work well in teams, to communicate and collaborate with others, to demonstrate
creative problem solving, innovation and entrepreneurialism. Especially important will be generic transferable skills and capabilities (because) specialised skills and specific content knowledge will have a very limited shelf life.
It is salutary to contrast this vital skill set to the nature of the VCE. Collaboration and group work is entirely missing from and is in fact prohibited under the VCE assessment regime. VCE exams focus almost entirely on specific content knowledge and subject specific skills and there is no room or recognition of innovation and creativity.
In short, we have a secondary and tertiary education system and a tertiary entrance system in Australia that is antiquated and failing to prepare students for the work and personal realities they will face in life.”
Houston! We have a problem!!