Scotch College

Turning boys into men

Left to right: Doug Galbraith (dean of boarding), Chris Braithwaite (head of Arthur Robinson House), Sam a’Beckett (head of School House) and Tony Glover (head of McMeckan House).

Imagine a job where you are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week – a job where you live, sleep and eat in your workplace, and where much of the responsibility for the welfare, morale, education and upbringing of 170 boys falls on your shoulders.

Sounds daunting? For Scotch’s dean of boarding and his three heads of boarding, this is what they face each day of their working lives – not to mention nights and weekends as well. But they don’t find it daunting at all. Certainly they find it challenging, but they say they love their jobs and the role of preparing young men for happy and successful adult lives.

Apart from one year in New Zealand, dean of boarding Doug Galbraith has been on ‘The Hill’, as the boarding precinct is known, since 1980. He was head of School House for 11 years, and has been dean for the past seven years. Doug said: ‘We’re all responsible for everything to do with Hill life, including the boys’ education and welfare, liaising with their parents, dealing with staff and policy issues and planning future directions.

‘Most importantly, we play a key role in the boys’ upbringing while they’re boarders at Scotch – in a sense we are surrogate parents, with all that entails.’

When Great Scot recently spoke to Sam a’Beckett, Chris Braithwaite and Tony Glover – respectively the heads of School, Arthur Robinson and McMeckan Houses – we couldn’t help but be impressed with the enthusiasm, dedication and vision all of them bring to their demanding jobs.

Between them, Sam, Chris and Tony have more than 50 years’ teaching and 30 years’ Scotch boarding house experience, so they’re ready, willing and able to handle almost any situation that can develop on the Hill. ‘Recently we had to rush a couple of boys off to hospital in the middle of the night – one for an appendectomy and another to cope with an insulin deficiency, but that’s just part of our job,’ said Chris.

All are family men. ‘During an interview, a parent saw photos of my children on my wall and said “Thank goodness”,’ said Tony. ‘She was obviously glad I had a family, and was used to the challenges of parenthood.’

They are all-rounders. Sam teaches English and English Language, Chris is a physics, maths and science teacher and Tony teaches science and geography. They participate fully in extracurricular activities: Sam is an officer in the cadet unit and coaches cricket and football; Chris runs the boarders’ transition camp, supervises social services and coaches volleyball, and Tony is the commanding officer of the cadets and coaches football and tennis.

Sam says the role of the boarding houses is not just to provide a place for the boys to stay. ‘Being here is a life-changing experience for them, and I feel privileged to be part of it, and to see them benefiting from it.’

‘We need to be ready for anything,’ said Tony. ‘We have to comfort homesick boys, support them in times of bereavement, encourage them to excel in their studies and sport, advise them on life and study issues, and just be there whenever we’re needed, as they would expect a parent to be.’

Chris said the housemaster’s role involved a partnership with parents. ‘We keep in close contact with parents, and they are very supportive and understanding,’ he said. ‘It’s really a partnership between the parents and us, and we value the parents’ role and their support.’

For our heads of boarding, the fruits of their labour are everywhere to be seen – young adults well prepared to take on life’s challenges and to benefit from its opportunities.

David Ashton

Hugh Randall Syme memorabilia donated to Scotch

Old Melburnian Peter Macdougall recently delivered the Hugh Randall Syme medals and citations to Scotch. The collection will hang in the Lithgow Centre where current boys will be able to read about Hugh’s amazing bravery during World War II. A scholarship has been named in his honour and to date $78,000 has been raised. To contribute to the scholarship please contact Astrida Cooper on 9810 4304