Scotch College

Teacher, Coach, Mentor and Friend

When Don Macmillan came to Scotch in 1959, the school acquired an invaluable "package" - school teacher, boarding house master, sports coach and leader of a range of extracurricular activities in places as diverse as the Australian Alps and the seaside at Cowes.

Don had been an Olympic athlete in 1952 and 1956 and an outstanding oarsman, and he quickly made his presence felt as a coach, with five consecutive 2nd VIII victories in the Head of the River, and many athletics successes. Starting as coach of the 1st VIII in 1965, he coached four Head of the River winning crews, and his crews were rarely out of the finals.

A successful teacher and an excellent boarding house master, Don served in all three boarding houses at various times. He initiated Scotch in the Alps, was a major in the cadets, and games master at Scotch at Cowes, among many "outside school hours" activities to which he devoted his energy and inspiration. Don retired in 1987.

Don speaks here with David Ashton about aspects of his Scotch career and some of his other influences and interests.

Great Scot: What were the major changes you observed in teaching methods during your 29 years at Scotch, and how did Scotch students benefit from the changes?

Don Macmillan: When I came to Scotch from Geelong College in 1959, one of the major differences I observed was in one aspect of the teacher-pupil relationship. Geelong College had external examinations at all public exam levels - Intermediate, Leaving and Matriculation (years 10, 11 and 12). The boys saw the teacher as an ally against the common enemy - the outside examiner.

At Scotch, an "A" class school, exams below Matriculation were set by the school, and were based on a syllabus devised by the school staff, who also set and marked the exams. The question boys constantly asked was: "Is this in the exam, sir?" The teacher was teacher, judge and executioner, so to speak.

Boys having learning difficulties received great help from Mrs Beale and Mrs Rae Brown. In my latter years, the Special Education department was greatly expanded under the guidance of Miss Miriam Whitehand, so boys with learning problems had a better chance of receiving help. Staff had always been caring, but later the structure was greatly expanded to deliver help to more boys than before.

I enjoyed teaching: being with young people and helping them to learn to think. I also enjoyed teaching geography with Michael Achurch and Alec Lyne - two excellent geography teachers.

GS: At Scotch, you emphasised an "organised" approach to study and school sport. What did this mean, and how did you help boys achieve these goals?

DM: I always emphasised that sport must come second to school work, although it was possible to do both well if one organised one's time. The discipline needed to do this effectively was a very valuable lesson for later in life.

GS: You were a housemaster in all the boarding houses during your career at Scotch. What were some of the changes during your 25-year association with the Hill?

DM: I saw a gradual improvement in the Hill's facilities, including new prep rooms, better sixth form accommodation, a new dining hall - and improved food!

Activities to interest and stimulate the boarders were also introduced, such as the lodge at Mansfield (constructed by the boys), sailing on Albert Park Lake, the boarders' workshop, regular socials, the Boarders' Revue, and even a boarders' bus. These activities were largely the initiative of Gordon Owen, and Stan Brown and I fully supported them. As well, staff conducted tutorials to help boys on a regular, formal basis.

GS: Turning to sports coaching, the famous athletics coach Percy Cerutty was one of your early mentors. As an athletics coach yourself, did you employ any of Percy's methods?

DM: Percy was a great motivator with a simple message - "go out and run hard!" My father, a champion middle distance runner, was also an inspiration to me. He believed in allowing athletes to run naturally, using their own style, rhythm and technique - as long as the style wasn't energy-wasting or the stride too long.

As the school athletics season was only six weeks long, we adopted interval training methods, using a stopwatch to teach pace judgment - and we worked very hard.

GS: Among many extracurricular activities in which you were involved, you were the founder of Scotch in the Alps (SCALPS), a major in the cadet unit, and the games officer at Scotch at Cowes. What role did these extracurricular activities play in the development of Scotch boys?

DM: SCALPS was open to years 11 and 12 boys, but its primary aim was to bring sixth form scouts, cadets and social service boys together, for a final end of year challenge and adventure.

The boys made all the arrangements - choosing routes, and organising the food, transport, and first aid equipment that was needed. The staff's job was to keep track of finance (Wilbur Courtis did this beautifully), check the safety of the venture, and organise leaders of the groups. Young, experienced Melbourne University bushwalkers, or old boys, were glad to come. Staff re-rationed groups, and walked as "sweepers", if necessary.

Scotch at Cowes, especially in the early days, was a marvellous example of Scotch boys helping those less fortunate than themselves. The boys' attitude to the tasks we took on - such as planting trees and working at the Cowes hospital - was excellent. Doing camp chores well was also good training. The senior boys on the committee contributed enormously to running the camps.

GS: You had great success as coach of the 1st VIII, including four Head of the River wins. What were some of the secrets of your success as a rowing coach at Scotch?

DM: The great Geelong Grammar rowing coach, W H Pincott, once said: "The most important thing in rowing is the cattle in the boat", so I always made sure I had good cattle! I'd experiment unmercifully, with the prime object of making the boat go as fast as possible. The 1st and 2nd VIIIs would row together, to put maximum pressure on the 1st crew.

David Boykett and Vic Nash helped me to pick the most effective oarsmen. Like the crews, we were also a team working to win.

In coaching, I used the "four Ts": Timing, Technique, Training and Teamwork. In all my years of coaching, I never had a Scotch crew which did not dedicate itself 100 per cent plus. The "cattle" were wonderful - but we also had to contend with "other cattle" in other boats, and to have luck on our side.

GS: You supported your first wife, Geva, while she battled cancer for many years, at the same time helping to bring up your own four children. How did all of that affect your teaching, boarding house and coaching commitments at Scotch?

DM: Geva was a wonderful person who actually supported me in everything I did, even when she was very sick. She lived life to the full, in spite of the battle she had to go through. At one point she was given nine months to live, but actually lived another 14 years, so you can see what a courageous person she was.

I'm very lucky to have found a wonderful second wife, Meg, who had a family tradition of teaching and boarding house life, and has also supported me fully in all my activities.

GS: You retired as a Scotch master in 1987 after 29 years. What came next?

DM: Retirement was a strange thing in a way. I came back to the boarding house after a visit to the country one day, and I suddenly had the feeling that it was time for a change.

After I retired from Scotch, I spent two years at the Peninsula School, filling in for staff going on long service leave. As we lived nearby at Red Hill, this was ideal.

In 1990, at the invitation of my old friend Michael Aikman, Principal of Haileybury College, I became that school's first rowing master. Haileybury had joined the APS rowing competition, and trained on the course at Carrum. I did this for three years, with a light teaching load and a term off each year. (I had a term off at both Peninsula and Haileybury.)

During these terms off, Meg and I travelled to Queensland three times to teach children on isolated cattle stations out of Longreach, as part of the Volunteers for Isolated Students' Education (VISE) program.

We have since become most interested in environmental matters, and we're members of the Southern Peninsula Indigenous Flora and Fauna Association, and a number of other environmental groups. We have almost completely revegetated our seven-acre property at Red Hill with indigenous flora. This has been one of the most exciting and satisfying things I have ever done.

David Ashton