Old Scholars
50+ Summer Luncheon
On Sunday 25 February 100 old scholars gathered at The Farrall Centre to celebrate 50+ years since leaving Friends’. Lasting friendships were celebrated, lost connections renewed, and new friends made as memories were shared and tall stories told. An impressive rendition of Alma Mater was performed in good voice by all and it was deeply heartening to see the archival video footage of Bill Oats speaking about the School on its 75th anniversary.
At Friends’ we believe our aims can best be achieved with the active support of all members of our School community. Given the collective goodwill demonstrated at this event, our future is in good hands. As one old scholar said,
“The School invested in me a sense of community, a feeling that others mattered.”
A visit from Andrew Koolhof
Old Scholar Andrew Koolhof (2007) recently visited our Clemes students as the guest speaker for our Clemes Awards afternoon.
Andrew left The Friends' School in 2007 wanting to spend some time travelling the world, visiting Europe, India and other amazing places. He ended up spending some time as a research assistant in Svalbard, a small cluster of islands in the Arctic Circle, an unexpected opportunity that Andrew remembers fondly.
On returning from his travels, Andrew completed his degree in Engineering with UTAS, then going on to work with the Snowy Mountains Hydro Scheme in South-East Australia for three years. Andrew then decided that he wanted to do something more than work with numbers at a desk, so he went to work with Engineers without Borders, an organisation that works to create social change through engineering. Andrew worked with Engineers Without Borders in Cambodia on a project called Sanitation for Challenging Environments, which was working on providing safe and effective sanitation for communities throughout Cambodia who lived in unconventional areas where traditional sanitation was not an option. Andrew now lives in Tasmania with his partner and works for Hydro Tasmania.
During his talk, Andrew discussed the importance of "taking a dive" into opportunities that come along and that often, some of the greatest experiences come from unexpected places. He also discussed how Engineering is far more than just sitting at a desk looking at numbers and that through engineering he has been able to create real social change and had some exciting adventures.
We thank Andrew for taking the time to visit the School.
If you would like to read more about Engineers Without Borders, you can visit their website.
Reunions
Our 20, 30 and 40 Years Out reunions are fast approaching! The 1998, 1988 and 1978 leavers will soon be receiving their official invites so if you need to update your details with us, please visit our website.
Reunion for 1978 Leavers (40 Years)
Friday 8 June
Reunion for 1998 & 1988 Leavers (20 & 30 Years)
Saturday 9 June
Northern Tasmania Old Scholars’ Reunion
Friday 27 July
Reunion for 2017 Leavers (One Year)
Thursday 13 December
Reunion for 2013 Leavers (Five Years)
Friday 14 December
Reunion for 2008 Leavers (Ten Years)
Saturday 15 December