From the Principal 

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Last week, Rosie Merrin was unanimously elected Chair of The Hamilton and Alexandra College’s Board at its Annual General Meeting. Rosie is the first female Chair to hold this title in the school’s 150-year history. Rosie began her professional life working as a political advisor. She subsequently spent ten years living in New South Wales where she and her husband David established their agricultural business. They currently run a mixed farming business at Penshurst and a large-scale conservation venture in northern NSW. Rosie has a keen interest in the arts, particularly in the areas of music and children’s literature. Rosie’s three children, William, Sophie and Rupert, attend the College.  Rosie succeeds Dr Alasdair Sutherland. Alasdair has led as Chair since 2018 and been a tower of strength and wisdom over the past five years, noting he calmly and assuredly guided the College through a one in a hundred-year global pandemic. Bill Hamill replaces Bianca Scaife as Deputy Chair and I also acknowledge Bianca’s fine work Bianca in this role, and I am pleased that she will remain on the Board. 

Last weekend, we commemorated the school’s 150th birthday in style.  The ‘Defy the Odds’ book launch, the ‘Million Stories’ exhibition, the Musical Showcase, the hockey reunion exhibition match, the Gala Ball and the Community Golf Day were all incredible, memorable events that brought a myriad of different stakeholders together all in the name of our College. 

Events like these are underpinned through the support and generosity of local business and many made a substantial contribution. I thank our bronze and friends’ sponsors who made the weekend possible, and I would especially like to recognise our Silver Sponsors – Cogger Gurry Chartered Accounts, Finchetts, 61 Design, The Hamilton Spectator and Grand Events Hire and Styling for their significant contribution. I would also like to pay homage to our three Gold Sponsors – Dunkeld and District Community Bank represented at the Gala Ball by Chairman, Craig Oliver; ACE Radio represented by General Manager, Stephen Jones; and Nigretta Corriedales represented by Jen and Tim Hutton.  Their generosity ensured an incredible extravaganza on Saturday night the likes for which Hamilton had not seen in many years.  I would also like to thank the many volunteers that helped in a number of ways over the weekend, the College spirit certainly shone through. My compliments to Sesquicentennial Committee Chair, Alana Brown and her committee Jen Hutton, Neil MacLean, Kristen Waldron, Benjamin Hiscock, Bonita Silva, Helen Reiher, Stephen Nelson, Ashlyn Hiscock, Bernadette Milich and Jason Bourke; and finally, to my incredible staff team who made all our dreams come to reality.  Bravo!

Dr Andrew Hirst

Principal