Bong's Last Words

From the 1971 STHS Journal, Volume 54, page 8.

Mr and Mrs Bong (left) at an STHS Old Boys' Do.

A Message from the retiring Principal:

First of all, I am a Libran and the Insignia of the Libran is the laboratory scales. It was perhaps inevitable that, having developed a liking for Science during my secondary school years, this should have been my choice as a University course.

In later life, on becoming a bowler, I chose scales (or the Balance) as the identification for my bowls, and have always found some of my philosophy in this sign of Libra.

If one can keep a balanced outlook on life - not tipping the scales too much one way or the other - one can maintain a workable credo for living. By cultivating an ability to set the practical against the intangibles, the emotional against the factual, a well-rounded personality should result. 

Extremism has never benefited mankind in the last resort, as history shows, so use your educational opportunities to avoid this pitfall. Pascal said, "Man is but a reed, the weakest in nature, but a thinking reed".

So start your thinking early in life, whilst effort and study are easier so that your powers of judgment can give you confidence for maturity. You will all need to set your sights high for what you want in life, but if you work hard, you should attain your goals.

To the Sixth Form I wish every success in their Public Examinations, and to all students, best wishes for your future lives.

It was rumoured that Bong became senile during his latter years. It's touching here to see him attempting be 'with it' and join the Age of Aquarius by revealing that he is a Libran. The 'well-rounded personality' he achieved merely made our Headmaster an irrelevance to us; no more than a figurehead. His interest in the talents and development of any individual student appears to have been nil. I have heard no laudatory anecdote of Mr Brown from any STHS lad, though it's possible that we knew him later in his career when his energy had run out.

We knew Bong as a mere speechifier, a handshaker and hander-out-of-prizes, an unveiler of plaques, an absurd and pompous figure in mortarboard and gown on our auditorium stage, rarely seen in any setting so humdrum as the quadrangle or our classrooms. He never chatted with any chance-met group of boys; he stayed distant, as a leader must needs be to retain authority, but Bong did not awe us; he was not disliked, but he was not much respected either; Bong was mildly mocked, but not hated; none felt strongly enough about this 'well-balanced' man to have much opinion of him either way. His influence as a leader appeared to be negligible, and this cannot have been the result of a wise and planned delegation to his subordinates. It is alleged that H. B. Brown did not even know the names of many of his staff, let alone his students, and did not care to learn them. We all recall Bong, at the retirement of Mr Twigg the Manual Arts teacher, referring to him as 'Mr Quigg'.

Yet H. B. Brown was the founding Principal of STHS after it moved to Bexley, and at that time he would surely have been busy with much spadework; in his own way and time, an educational innovator.

As for the 'extremism' Bong here condemns, he may merely be referring to the photos appearing in this 1971 journal; the length of the boys' hair alone would have caused some of our older staff seizures. It's a pity Bong cited Blaise Pascal, who was hardly a model of the 'balanced' life, abandoning science for a mystical religious obsession. Perhaps Bong drew that quote about the 'thinking reed' from the Readers' Digest, or the newsletter of his bowling club. It would be quite in keeping with the middle-brow habits of those times.

The Class of 1984

This just in from another STHS lad of a later vintage:

Hi Stephen,

I enjoyed looking at the STHS Class of 1969 website, so thanks for that. I was in the class of 1984, so 15 years after you guys (which is not so very long I guess).

I've put together a web site for our year: http://sths84.gotdns.com, although it could do with some updating – especially since our 30th reunion is next year.

I was wondering if you'd consider each of us putting a link to the others' web site on our own site? I was thinking that we might be able to get a chain of "Class of ...." sites going for any interested visitors. Or perhaps each of us can have a dedicated "Class of ...." page if we can find other similar sites?

Cheers,

Andrew.

Vale David Coe

David Coe: obit 25 January 2013. School Captain, Class of 1972

Rise and fall of an empire

by Michael Easson (also an STHS old-boy)

David Coe had a multitude of interests, activities and lives as entrepreneur, investor, investment banker, business strategist, family man, art collector, sports lover. He co-founded, led and lost one of Australia's most significant investment outfits, Allco.

During the global financial crisis, a fortune was over-leveraged and exposed, and the business failed. But Coe had huge energy, indefatigable fight and the imagination to think carefully about rebuilding reputation and success. He was an entrepreneur who slowly built an empire, whose death suddenly revealed hundreds of tributes in print and privately spoken, from those he helped, guided, nurtured, counselled and argued. ''Coey'' was energy, fun, audacity - a life lived and loved with creative purpose.

David Raymond Coe was born on November 12, 1954, son of Ray and Gwen Coe. From Peakhurst primary school he went on to Sydney Technical High School, Bexley, where he excelled academically and on the sports field as a cricketer and rugby player (he reached the under-19s side for St George), as well as in debating. He was a natural leader, school captain and dux, and was popular.

Some early enthusiasms stood out. Coe and his friend Lewis Patrick urged caution about the possible election of Gough Whitlam but, even as a lifelong Liberal, Coe respected everyone who gave a part of their lives to public service. He was a fair man; he believed the Hawke-Keating burst of economic reform was an opportunity for Australia to excel.

Coe went to the University of Sydney and completed a combined arts (honours) and law degree. In 1976 he married Michelle Jones, whom he had first dated in senior school.

Coe loved the German language and wanted to master it. He won a scholarship for a masters degree at the University of Bonn, where he wrote his thesis on the poet Paul Celan, who was born in Romania to a German-speaking Jewish family. Conquering that topic required a thorough understanding of the warp of the Holocaust experience and the elliptical, challenging ideas threaded through each Celan poem. Bonn was no holiday sojourn. The task set, Coe had to grasp the fundamentals of language, the insights of culture and then form a view. Such discipline informed most of the things he did.

Returning to Australia in the late 1970s, Coe worked with Stephen Jaques lawyers (now King & Wood Mallesons), where he concentrated on international finance and leasing. Talks with a client John Kinghorn led to the formation of Allco Finance.

Through Macquarie Bank, Babcock & Brown and Allco, Australia built three world-scale businesses in aircraft, rail rolling stock and ship leasing, leveraging cross border tax and leasing quirks that made sense to investors and the owners. Coe excelled in working through complicated documents as well as the necessary explaining and persuading.

From this specialised beginning, Coe and his team extended to structured finance, corporate finance and funds management. This eventually turned into a $5 billion empire.

In the 1990s, with inflation falling, debt becoming plentiful and financial engineering cleverer, Coe became more adventurous. His business ventures grew. He served as the managing director and executive chairman of the Allco Finance Group, and as the chairman of the Issues & Images Group and Sports & Entertainment. He also became a non-executive director of Rams Mortgage Corporation and a member of the advisory board at Global Aviation Asset Management.

He also became a founding director and co-owner of Sports & Entertainment, which produced hit musicals such as Annie and ran the V8 Supercars motor racing series. For a time, Coe served as a director of the Queensland Treasury Corporation as well.

Coe's tilt with mates at Qantas in 2007 looked uncharacteristically risky from the start. With hubris came mistakes. Worse was to come. Allco failed. But no one for a minute thought that it was the end - or that it deserved to be the end.

The last five years were hard and, in business defeats, sometimes embarrassing. The famous Coe discipline in getting it absolutely right had weakened. Errors were made - sometimes carelessly with other people's money. Billions were lost. He had to learn and rebuild.

In recent years, from London, Coe got his charm back.

His charitable efforts were well known. He served as the chairman of the Museum of Contemporary Art from 2001 to 2008 and joined the boards of the Sydney Children's Hospital Foundation and the National Gallery of Australia Foundation. He donated millions of dollars and gently cajoled friends to do what they could for worthy causes.

Coe was a larrikin and connoisseur. Looking at his life, it is clear that no other Australian business leader combined the breadth, depth and seriousness of his interests in the arts, sports management, literature, and in music, with his flair and discipline in deal making, networking and commercial thinking.

He was shy and reluctant about showing off. Those who were interested had to quiz him to discover what he knew about his passions.

After a visit as they exchanged roles as chairman of the MCA, John Kaldor, whose own extensive collection is mostly now in the Art Gallery of NSW, described Coe's private modern art collection, which was stocked with paintings by Gerhard Richter, Brett Whiteley, Henry Moore and Mark Rothko, as the most extraordinary and valuable in Australia. Collectors are mostly passionate and idiosyncratic; the best have thoughtful opinions and insights about why artists' works deserve to be remembered and celebrated. Coe could open up in exactly that way.

As a networker, Coe actively sought other people's opinions and was curious about their new ventures, developments in technology, and potential business applications. He is fondly regarded in many walks of life as a man who brandished his intellect to prod others to do well.

Coe, who died of a heart attack during a skiing holiday in America this week, is survived by Michelle and their sons Christopher, Robert and Matthew.

A memorial service will be held at noon on Tuesday, February 5 in the New Hall, Sydney Grammar.

Michael Easson

Story: Click here.

David Coe left a lively account of his Form's excursion to Hill End in 1969, published in the STHS Journal of that year on pages 82-83. Click here to download a copy of the Journal in pdf format.

The School Captain's Message

Mark 'Johno' Johnston, who has an extensive collection of STHS Journals, has sent this extract from the 1969 issue.  John Page's message was right on the money... but does it apply today?

Vale Peter Newbold

Not the best way to start the year, with news of the death of another Techo lad. This was recently received from Trevor White:

I very sadly advise that Peter Newbold  died in a motor bike accident near Grafton on Saturday 29th December, 2012

Peter has a photo of his new Ducati bike on his Facebook page.

Peter was recently elected President of The Coffs Harbour Chamber of Commerce.

A funeral date has nor yet been set as there will be a Coroners inquest into the accident.

Click here to read the story in the local paper.

Click here to read about Peter Newbold's funeral service.

Click here to read a recent article about Peter Newbold.

Peter Newbold with Rick Hill and Trevor White
STHS Reunion 1999

Turfed Out

The disused STHS Jubilee Swimming pool, photographed in 2006

In early 2011, our swimming pool at STHS was drained, backfilled and turfed over. Despite its desuetude and its demise we lads remain brimming with memories of it. We invite you to contribute your aquatic recollections, in the Comments box below.

STHS Journal for 1966 (Volume XLIX pp 14-15) contains the following report of the official opening, which appears to have been lifted, uncredited, from a newspaper article; surely none of us needed to be told where the school was located?

OPENING OF JUBILEE SWIMMING POOL
 

Lady Cutler, wife of the Governor, described Sydney Technical High School's swimming pool as "an imaginative way to celebrate the jubilee of a great school". 

Lady Cutler opened the $34,000 pool in the school grounds at Bexley on 30th April before hundreds of people. She unveiled a commemorative plaque on the lawn surrounding the pool. The inscription on the plaque reads as follows:

Lady Cutler, wife of the Governor of New South Wales, opened the Jubilee Swimming Pool on 30th April, 1966. 

This project was achieved through the efforts of the parent organizations, students and Old Boys of Sydney Technical High School. 

H. B. Brown, B.A., B.Sc., Principal.

Lady Cutler said Sydney Technical High School had a fine record of community service since its establishment at Paddington in 1911. 

"It was considered an educational adventure to build a High School to concentrate on technical education with subjects like engineering in the curriculum," she said. 

Lady Cutler traced the history of the school. "Some people may have been doubtful about the success of transferring the old-established school to Bexley from Paddington," Lady Cutler said. 

"It is evident the school has continued its tradition of community service especially in its intention of allowing the pool to be used by neighbouring schools and community groups." 

She complimented members of the school staff and pool-building fund committee on raising the finance without the aid of the Education Department. "You achieved your goal by your own efforts," she said. "It will be a fine and lasting memento of your first 50 years. May it give you many years of healthy relaxation and competitive achievement. " 

The High School, in Forest Road, Bexley, is in Hurstville State Electorate and in Rockdale Municipality. Mr. T. F. Mead, M.L.A., (Hurstville), welcomed Lady Cutler to the school. The Mayor of Rockdale (Ald. R. T. Gosling) welcomed her to the municipality. Miss Betty McKell, daughter of the former Governor-General, Sir William McKell, accompanied Lady Cutler. Mrs. Mead and Mrs. Gosling accompanied their husbands. They and other official guests were welcomed to the school by the principal, Mr. H. Brown, and Mrs. Brown. 
Mr. Mead said: "The financing of the pool is a credit to the members of the Parents and Citizens' Association, and others who formed the Jubilee Swimming Committee. They raised the target of $34,000 in less than four years without any aid from the Education Department. It was the result of splendid teamwork by all the school organisations, the students and the Old Boys. The pool will be not only a very valuable school project but also a worthwhile contribution to the community." 
Spectators huddled into their overcoats as John Konrads (Captain of the school in 1959) plunged into the water to swim the length of the pool. Diving champions gave an exhibition under the guidance of their coach, Mr. J. Barnett, a former Olympian. The pool opening and swimming and diving exhibitions were highlights of the school's annual fete. 

 -oooOOOooo-

Remember when... Jon Page swam some incredible distance at the school pool? Seemed like he was in the pool for hours. (Jon Page recalls: "In fact I swam for 13 days covering 764 km just missing the world record by 1 km because someone emptied the pool (Jon Konrads? )."

Google Maps reveals that pool is gone:

View Larger Map

Condescensions of the Season

Unquestioning obedience to the above is expected, without exception.

By the way, if you're looking for some amusing holiday STHS-type reading, sample the Talk page from the Wikipedia article about STHS - click here.  Here's a sample:

FACILITIES
As much as Wikipedia appreciates your despair at your unsuccessful swimming pool, this information is unnecessary. The swimming pool is gone, therefore no longer part of the facilities. Similarly, a 'quadrangle' is kind of a standard in every school and is thus not counted as a facility either.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

• Prefect and Executive positions are mentioned later in the article - and besides, they are not extra-curricular
• School intranet team is gone - you cannot postpone the deletion of material until the material's truth comes back. If it comes back, you can put it on here
• All schools have a peer support program
• "*Writers in Residence - A ten week course, held annually, in which a professional writer helps to hone students' writing skills, temporarily cancelled due to lack of participants." - self-explanatory
• everyone has the ANU maths day

SPORTS
no need to divide up into season, time of week, time of day etc.
PREFECTS
removed when the prefects have tea and inner etc. - self explanatory
SRC
every school has an SRC so please do not detail the voting process or the number of students etc.
--Welcome to the dark side. (talk) 01:56, 26 July 2009 (UTC)

I Think you'll find buddy there is still a pool, which is in the school grounds and it is not gone and therefore it is a facilities. Ill leave it at that actually :) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.188.180.107 (talk) 09:45, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

From the previous information on the article, it was implied that there was no swimming pool. However, if you want to edit the article to include this information, you may - on one condition. Cite a source. I'll leave it at that.--Welcome to the dark side. (talk) 14:43, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

The school pool was actually recently filled and covered with turf. It's finally gone after falling into disuse for several years. It should also be worth noting that the school's Centenary is this year. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Rubik's Maniac (talk • contribs) 14:19, 24 April 2011 (UTC)

REFLECTIONS OF A FIRST FORMER – 1967

REFLECTIONS OF A FIRST FORMER – 1967 - Mark Johnston

There is a strong possibility that many or all of the following anecdotes and reminiscences may be up to 100 % accurate and could have happened exactly as I think I recall them, at least they contain no deliberate falsehoods, as George Costanza once said “Its not a lie if you believe it”. 

 I had been to the school a year or two earlier to attend the annual fete, an event which fell by the wayside to be replaced by non-compulsory fees a couple of years later; I seem to recall Mike Walsh and Little Pattie being there and was impressed by the school I would probably be attending. On that occasion I only saw Sydney Tech from the front car-park.

Well I remember entering those hallowed halls for the first time in 1967. It was not very long before I was suffering from acute Little-fish Big-pond syndrome, a malaise which would last for the best part of a year. I was perhaps more fortunate than some in that there were nineteen of my former cohorts from South Hurstville Primary and I also had an older brother in fourth form. Nevertheless, it would be some time before I felt comfortable.

Hurstville South Public School 1966
Teacher: John Dickman

Insets from 4A - 1964 Stephen Page and Peter Siers (with tie) – went to  Opportunity Class

Back row: Glen Dolan, unknown, John Chapman, Mark Johnston, Ross Bradstock, Greg Cooke, Terry Gibbs, Stephen Candy, Keith Davies.
2nd row: Barry Smith? Ralph Woods, David Addams, Wayne Price, Bruce Ledden, Ian McKenzie, Graham Crew, Philip Redman, Anthony Stewart.
3rd row: Peter Shortus, Jim Funston, Stephen Singleton, Leigh Thomson, Michael Whelan, David Woodall, Ian Bennie? John Keith, Roland Dixon, Stephen Pritchard.
Front row: Paul Wright, Peter Styman? Geoff Yates, Richard Goldsworthy, Stephen Hall, Michael Anderson, David Nelson.

The names in maroon went on to Sydney Tech.

One of the first obstacles to overcome was the sheer size of the place, in primary each class had one classroom and one teacher but now we had to negotiate not only a labyrinth of large buildings but also our way around half a dozen different teacher personalities, not to mention the hazing by second formers. 

On Brothers

Of course there were many siblings at Tech, however there were almost twenty of us in first form who had brothers in fourth form, surely some sort of record one would think. 

I remember Alan Crew (Normie) played the drums, except for the dark hair he could have been his brother, Graham’s twin. There was Bob and Richard Goldsworthy who lived down near the red bus depot in Whitfield Pde, Hurstville Grove over the road from Greg Thomson, Thomo to his mates, and Leigh.

Jonathan Page
Check my machine.

Everyone remembers Jonathon Page, the guy who built a Van de Graaff Generator out of old beer bottles and then won an essay award by accusing contemporary science of being the scourge of society run by an amorphous mass of bibliophilic, white-lab-coated beaker boilers. His brother Stephen was in our year and also at South Hurstville until he went to the O.C. 

I recall Stephen (Gumby) Gard, firstly as a mate of my brother’s and later as a brother of one of my mates, an accomplished musician who was written up in Go-Set magazine as one of Australia’s best guitarists, also some recollection of Paramount shirt ads, but was it Canned Heat or Donovan? * Gard adds: I got a Go-Set mention, yes, but no ranking as a guitarist. This is how myths are made!

Preston (Pep) Dunn was taken from us way too soon, I remember at the time feeling very awkward around his brother Rob, not knowing what to say. (that may have been a year or two later).

Victor Nossar was another old boy of South Hurstville and while neither of his brothers was in my year (George was a year ahead and Igor was a year behind) I still recall each of them. Victor was one of the “Quiz Kids”, a radio and then TV show from the Sixties in which viewers would send in questions for the young panel. I think Jon Page may have been of that ilk?? Does anyone remember?

A couple of others who didn’t have brothers at Tech that I know of but I remember as two of my brother’s best mates; Bruce “Beaky” Lees was a lead singer but one thing I remember him for was down at Quarry Park one day when he place kicked a goal from half way on the sideline wearing desert boots. Robbie Taylor was the original long-hair of Sydney Tech paving the way for the rest of us. I thought he looked like Brian Jones from the Rolling Stones.

Now, I don’t know where this is coming from, maybe I’m making it up on the spot or maybe I’m releasing a repressed memory, whatever, here it is. Chris Johnston and Robbie Taylor are struggling across the quadrangle under the tremendous weight of their Globites, heavy lead weights similar to those used as a counterbalance for the large sash windows of the main block are ensconced within. Obviously they have just found them somewhere and are attempting to return them to their rightful place when their progress is arrested by one A. Cooke (he of the large eyes).

 “What is in those cases, boys”?
 “Well sir, we have a double science class today and we had to bring both of our Messels texts on the same day”
 “All right, carry on”

(Forgotten about your Harry Messel HSC Science text book? Hardcover, blue, thick as a house-brick, weighed about six stone? Why do you have one arm longer than the other?)

There were many others I knew to lesser degrees but it was somehow comforting to know or at least to think that your friend’s brothers or your brother’s friends would stick up for you, in retrospect this thinking was, of course, totally delusional as most of them probably couldn’t pick me out of a line-up from the proverbial bar of soap. 

On Teachers 

Mr O'Connell

My 3rd class teacher was Miss Kerr, she was very kind. My 4th class teacher was Mr. O’Connell who was born sometime in the 19th century (literally), he was firm but fair and a real grandfather figure.

In 5th and 6th class I had Mr. John Dickman who was possibly the best teacher I have ever had. It was like being taught by a much older big brother or young uncle, not that he would let you get away with anything, he wouldn’t. 

I didn’t appreciate it at the time but I think he instilled in us a love of learning, he encouraged debate (I remember one on the Vietnam War or Indo-Chinese conflict as it was known in 1965), he allowed us to listen to the A.B.C. radio current affairs programmes, I recall one class where we were all members of parliament, all very progressive for the times. And a great sense of humour.

And then First form 1967 English, Ray Hadrill, doesn’t get much scarier than that.  The following dialogue may have actually happened, only one of the names has been changed to protect the guilty. 

Hadrill:   I can hear you talking, Mr Johnston, could you please keep quiet?
Johnston:  Sorry sir, yes sir.
About five minutes pass.
Hadrill: Mr. Johnston, didn’t I tell you to shut-up?
Johnston: No sir, you asked me to keep quiet.

Mr. Hadrill’s neck begins to turn a pale crimson

Hadrill: Well now I’m telling you to shut-up.
Johnston: Sorry sir.

Another lapse of five minutes.

Hadrill: JOHNSTON, if you don’t desist immediately you’ll be spending the rest of this lesson outside my staff room, and believe me, it's hellish cold out in that corridor.
Johnston (innocently): Sir, if it's hellish wouldn’t it be hot?

Mr. Hadrill’s neck and face have now apoplected a curious shade of beetroot and cobalt.
Hadrill: GET OUT.

(I know, I know, 'apoplected' isn’t a word, but it should be! 

Maths, Ralph Satchell, stop picking on me.

Maybe its just normal, healthy paranoia but, I swear he is always singling me out, I used to be good at arithmetic, last year I got 99/100 for written arithmetic and 100/100 for mental arithmetic, doesn’t he know that, is he not aware of how fortunate he is to have me in his class, what is his problem? 

Science, Mr. A. Cooke (frog?), I want to go home. Those eyes, those eyes, will they never blink? I’m trying to learn the periodic table here, isn’t that what you want me to do? Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Beryllium, don’t look up, don’t look up, Boron, Carbon, don’t look up, Nitrogen, Oxygen, don’t look, too late, you looked up, he’s staring at you with those enormous eyes, no, wait, he’s staring at everyone at the same time, how can he do that? Who is he, the Mona Lisa? Where was I? Hydrogen, Helium, don’t look up - no wonder I never got to Fluorine.

Language, Fin Cook and Mrs Bechard, help, I’m suffocating, enough said.

And then, the one and only saving grace in my first year, Mr. Reg Byrne (see my comments on post by Paul Feldman, July 2010).

On Music

It has been said that music soothes the savage breast, unfortunately in 1967 music was something that would widen the generation gap, especially between teachers and students, an unusual anomaly considering some of the teachers were only a handful of years older than us.

Mr Gormley
Pipe, beard, corduroys - what more do you want?
The Yardbirds. Okay.

In 1967 I was listening to The Beatles and The Stones, Eric Burden and the Animals, The Yardbirds, The Troggs, Manfred Mann, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Them, Cat Stephens, The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Donovan, Peter, Paul and Mary, Jimi Hendrix, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Otis Redding, Vanilla Fudge, Joan Baez, The Kinks, The Band, Procol Harem, The Hollies, Arlo Guthrie, Judy Collins, Cream and the 5th Dimension, also Australians like The Masters Apprentices, The Easybeats, The Loved Ones, The Purple Hearts, Ray Brown (who lived in Hurstville) and the Whispers and Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs to name just a couple.

The only thing I can recall of Mr. Gormley’s music class was being made to sit silently and listen to a recording by the London Philharmonic Orchestra of Beethoven’s 5th and trying to identify each instrument being played. Where’s the fun in that if you don’t like classical music? Nowadays I am still listening to a lot of the music I enjoyed in the 60s as well as much more modern stuff and also a lot of “old” blues and gospel (1940s and 50s) like Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Billie Holliday, and the Blind Boys of Alabama; ironically I also love to sit quietly with my eyes closed and listen to a good classical recording. 

On Reflection

Something which has occurred to me only recently; the average teacher has an above average intelligence, the entry level to be a student of Sydney Tech was to be of above average intelligence, therefore, by definition, the average student was smarter than the average teacher. Q.E.D. 

Cool, unless you are now a teacher! Is it any wonder that we knew how to press their buttons? How could any teacher hope to compete with an intellect like a Jonathon Page, I doubt there were more than a handful (of teachers) who could comprehend what the “Captain’s Message”of 1969 was all about.

Of course he wasn’t alone, each year produced its fair share of professors, doctors, lawyers, scientists and C.E.Os.

On the whole 1967 was daunting but exciting and I am looking forward to 1968 when I will be able to pick on some first formers.

Lost Lads

Lads,

The e-mail contact/update exercise we conducted in November 2012 yielded the following results:

These e-mail addresses bounced:

Fred Renneberg
Barry Stedman
Joe Mascinskas
Ken Struthers
Greg Starkey
Peter Wynne
Mark Smith
Tom Jones
Ian Battishall
Stephen Edge
Victor Nossar
Malcolm McDonald
Peter Clements

As of 10 December 2012, these e-mail addresses have not replied:

Bruce Ferguson
Chris Warren
David Mercer
David Stewart
Denis Burns
Eugen Molodysky
Gary Sykes
Geoff Kerr
Graeme Murphy
Harry Bodisco
Howard Reus
Ian Brown
Ian Sharman
Jim Kerr
Malcolm Cato
Martin Yeomans
Peter Carpenter
Philip Larkin
Richard Wilson
Roger Jones
Ross Dixon
Steve Kelly (Qld)
Warwick Fogden

E-Mail Addresses - a Thought.

Now that so many of us are inching towards retirement, and several lads have even passed that milestone, it might be time to think about getting ourselves a free web-mail address, e.g. gmail, hotmail, yahoo. 

Why? IMNSHO...

• Webmail is accessible 24/7, from any computer, anywhere. No matter how many times you change employment, or move your place of residence, your web-based e-mail address will remain the same. You don't even need your own Internet connection to access webmail, you can use a free computer at the local library. So we can keep in touch with you, and you with us, no matter where you roam.
• Your work e-mail address will lapse with your 'separation', as is the term. But your webmail address will not change. 
• You might change providers, from BigPond to Optus to Internode to (etc. etc.), but your webmail address will not alter.
• Another advantage of webmail: if your account starts to become spam-afflicted, you can simply open up a new one, at no charge, circularize everyone on your mailing list, including of course the STHS 1969 Reunion, and continue a life of serenity at your new (spam-free) webmail address. Changing providers involves cash outlay.
• You can set a webmail address to instantly forward your mail to your BigPond or Optus or Internode (etc. etc.) e-mail address, if you wish.

Please, as Mitsubishi used to say, consider.

Vale Alan Owen

1969 lad Alan Owen has not been in the best of health for some time. 

Alan's family set up a blog, The Festival of Alans, to report on Alan's doings and his progress. The news posted there was usually cheerful and positive.

Nonetheless, and almost inevitably, this sad news came today, November 27, 2012:


We are sorry to say we have some upsetting news.
Alan passed away peacefully on Sunday morning at 5.30am in his home.
We will post more information when we can and will have the details of the funeral for you as soon as they have been decided.
Much love

Ruby and Michele

Dear friends, Here are the funeral arrangements for Alan: 

To both celebrate the life of Alan and to bid him a splendid farewell, an outdoor service overlooking the ocean will be held in the grounds of Wombarra/Scarborough Cemetery at 10.30 am on Friday 30th November. Wombarra Cemetery is located on Lawrence Hargrave Drive Wombarra (closest cross street is Denmark Street). For those who have been to Alan's house, it is a 10 minute drive north of his home.

After the funeral Ruby and Michele would love Alan's family and friends to join them back at home (33 George St Thirroul).

What to bring

The weather forecast is for hot weather building up to storms at the end of the day. Please bring an umbrella or hat to protect yourself from heat and/or rain and a water bottle.

It would be great if those who are able to do so bring folding chairs, a plate or two of finger food and something to drink back to the house. We will share all of the food and provide ice for the drinks and paper plates for the food.

Parking

There is parking in the cemetery for about 50 cars or so. If parking in the cemetery, please make sure you park on the verge to leave lots of room for the hearse.

We want to have enough room to make a guard of honour for when Alan leaves on his last journey.

There is parking in Reef Avenue (immediately north of the cemetery), at Wombarra rock pool (below the cemetery), in Denmark Street (the side street opposite the cemetery) and limited parking on Lawrence Hargrave Drive. Can we please request that those who are fit and able leave the close parking for family and those not so fit.

Directions from Sydney

Head toward Wollongong on the freeway and take the left exit to Helensburgh and Stanwell Park. Come down the coast road (Lawrence Hargrave Drive) over the Seacliff Bridge. Wombarra Cemetery is at the southern end of Wombarra immediately past Reef Avenue on the left.

Directions from Wollongong

Turn into Lawrence Hargrave Drive from Bulli Pass. Wombarra Cemetery is a on the right a few hundred metres past Coledale Hospital.

Here is the link to more information about the cemetery -

http://memorialgardens.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/scarborough.htm

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What is it that dies with friends?

To visit The Festival of Alans, click here.