Scotch College Philanthropy Impact Report 2021

Ode to Autumn
“Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”
John Keats captured the essence of autumn
in his wonderful ode from 1816. We don’t often
think of autumn as an exciting or beautiful time,
unless you live in Vermont. We tend to prefer
other times of the year. The most famous of
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is La Primavera, which
celebrates spring. We all know Shakespeare’s
wonderful statement: “Shall I compare thee to a
summer’s day?”.
However, we don’t get too excited by autumn,
and we certainly don’t get excited by winter.
Winter is seen as a time hibernation, of cold
frosty mornings with little to cheer the soul in
those short dark days, particularly in the
northern hemisphere.
We are excited by the autumn of the DARE: The
Centenary Campaign, that began back in 2016.
Year 2021 was a hive of summer activity bringing
us to a period of mellow fruitfulness. Autumn is a
time of harvest and celebration of the wonderful
resources we receive from nature. In the same
way we are celebrating the extraordinary gifts
that we have received from our community. It is
a moment to recall all that the Scotch community
means to us as the gifts are gathered in.
And there will be one great moment of
celebration on the Giving Day this year. We hope
that signals the moment of harvest and provides
an opportunity for rejoicing in the generosity of
all around us.
Not only is this a time of thankfulness to you
our community, but it is also equally a time of
triumph for us as a team. My job as the Principal
is to ensure the Philanthropy Team and all who
have worked with them, celebrate their success,
and know that their extraordinary efforts have
brought great results.
Our targets of the DARE: The Centenary Campaign
amidst all our other philanthropic aspirations,
were optimistic. The team has worked long
hours and used intelligent investment to get to
where we are today. It has been a time of intense
activity, and 2021 has seen some great results
with various Appeals.
I am delighted therefore with the content
of this report. The case for support for the
Wellbeing and Sports Centre, has resulted in high
participation from our entire community. As you
would now be aware the Wellbeing and Sports
Centre, will now be known as ‘Purruna, Spencer
Newton Centre’, a name agreed on by the Council
with community consultation. As Scotch, we are
focused on more than raising funds to support
a particular program. We have a larger goal – to
embed a culture of philanthropy to support our
bold ambitions today and into the future. To
this end we are working on how we measure the
sustainability of the culture of philanthropy, and
how we can continuously build on the success of
the last 5 years to deepen the habit of giving.
I commend this report to you all. It shows that
when we gather around a clear set of beliefs and
convictions, a college and an institution can do
remarkable things. Long may Scotch nurture and
grow those convictions about the profound and
enduring benefit education brings to the lives
of young people, and through them, the world
they move into. If we all begin our new plans with
those convictions in mind, our summers will be
long, and the harvests will be rich.
This year we have our last community fundraising
effort, ‘DARE Today’, a Giving Day at Scotch that
will encompass the celebration of giving and will
be a fun and inclusive day for the entire school
and community. I encourage your involvement in
this celebration on Thursday 11 August.
Dr John H. Newton
Principal
3