Inter-House Athletics 2009

And so the trend continues with Keys House taking home the Inter House Athletics trophy on Saturday.

Clear winners, Keys House boys impressed with a athleticism, support of their team mates and sportsmanship through the 2 day event. Particular highlights included significant wins in 1500m and 3000m by senior boys, not to mention the clean sweep in all divisions for the 100m sprint by the Year 11's.

Impressive to say the least. The younger years were not to be outdone by their elders with some gut busting running by the boys such as Douglas Foulkes - Taylor and others ensures that the future looks promising indeed.

Pleasingly the house spirit did not reside solely in the sporting arena with good team work when all boys combined to produce their best marching result for the term - 2nd place.

The really positive atmosphere witnessed by all during the day was capped off afterwards with an informal parent get together on the steps of Keys House, well catered for by the Dining Hall staff.

Onwards and upwards Keys.

The Neon Lights at the Dance

On Saturday 14 August the Boarders from Scotch got dressed up to take their dates to the Year 11 Dance.

The theme for the night was Neon and the venue was appropriately, and expertly, decorated.

Some were more forthright and willing to be photographed with their lady companions, others preferring to play it cool and harder to find.

Supervising staff and parents were pleased with the behaviour of everyone. By all accounts a good night was had by all.

Year 11 Boarders 'Go'-Karting

Last Sunday 02 August a group of 22 Year 11 Boarders accompanied Mr Lawrence Feldgate and Mr Chris Menage for an afternoon of noise, fuel and burning rubber that would make any rev head blush.

The Cockburn track looked slick on arrival, clearly ready to see what this group of intrepid young men could dish up. The boys were split into 3 teams of 8, with the two staff vying it out for honours in the middle team.

Well, by the look of the "doubled up with laughter" spectators on the side line, it was pretty obvious that there was a large variety of talent. Messrs Mathwin, Godfrey, Harris and McClurg stood out as the proverbial speed demons. Messrs Biglin, Walton and almost made time tick backwards with their cautions approach, and Messrs Riley Brown and J Webster will surely struggle to pass their L plates next year given the talents they dished up (or failed to).

Slowest and most pedestrian like prize however had to go to Mr Fedlgate who despite cries of trickery failed to impress us with his elusive 'Zim' talents yet again! Much fun was had by all. We will return!

Keys House "Steps Up" for MS

A group of Scotch College boarders recently climbed 53 flights of stairs at Central Park in a bid to raise money for multiple sclerosis (MS) as part of the Enerflex "Step up for MS" challenge. The initiative helped raised a net profit of $130,000 for people living with MS.

Early morning Sunday 7 June 2009, very early morning, the sun broke through the mist and fog that hung like a blanket over the Scotch ovals in front of the Boarding House. It was yet another beautiful, pristine, rain free autumn day in Perth. This Sunday morning was a slightly different one however. Twenty five Scotch College Keys House Boarders were busy preparing for a unique physical challenge. Some boys were so keen, they didn't listen to the updated plan and got up at the original 5:45am time which had subsequently been changed. With the departure time set for 7:20 they had plenty of time to consider what lay ahead!

And so it was that last Sunday a very enthusiastic group of 25 students from Years 8 - 12 partook in the "Step up for MS" challenge in the city. The challenge consists of 53 flights or 1096 stairs up.....vertically....with very little air to breath. The boys did remarkably well, if only for their enthusiasm and good cheer. Plenty of banter ensured that the stakes would be high, with all doing their best to beat their mates. Tactics were discussed, psychological ploys initiated to try to get that little advantage. Some attempted to bound up three stairs at a time (not for long!), others went at a more sedentary but consistent pace of one step by one step, while yet others used their arms to haul themselves up the stairwell as fast as they could.

Whatever strategy they used, all boys completed the climb to the top. The finishing line greeted our young participants to not only a stunning view of the entire Perth landscape from ahigh early in the morning, but the equally welcoming smile of Mrs Menage who was volunteering at the top. That at least ensured the boys couldn't explicitly express just how painful the climb could be.....at least for some older participants. Keys House was very well represented by our boys, particularly considering these statistics:

• Tim Lefroy (Year 12) came 2nd in his category and 20th overall with an admirable time of 8:03
• Tom McClurg raised the most funds as a junior entrant with a very respectable $590 donated by all the good folk in Dongara (and to his pleasant surprise walking away with a Wii package valued at close to $500 as a prize!). To the envy of his peers, the CEO of MS WA, Mr Marcus Ashcroft, presented Tom with his prize at Assembly on Friday 12 June.
• The following boys combined well to fill a number of positions in the top 100 runners: Jack Sinclair (Yr 9 - 9:02 ), Courtney Junk (Yr 11 - 9:03), Cameron Brooks (Yr 11 - 9:34), Hamish Lamond (Yr 9 - 9:42), Michael Park (Yr 12 - 9:44), Henry Foulkes Taylor (Yr 10 - 9:44), Peter Folkes Slater (Yr 9 - 9:53) and Spencer Brooks (Yr 8 - 9:54).

A hearty congratulations to all Keys boys for having the 'get up and go' to be involved in "Step up for MS". It was a very worthwhile experience and one which enabled the MS Society of WA to raise over $130,000 (and still counting) for an important cause. More information about the day and MS can be found on the website: http://www.stepupforms.org.au/

View more photos here.

Year 11 Father Son Weekend

Twenty fathers and sons from the Year 11 cohort enjoyed an enjoyable overnight retreat at Moray on Sunday 26 April.

The aim of the retreat was to take time to catch up informally and enjoy each other's company without the distractions often associated with our busy lives . Pleasingly all who attended visibly enjoyed doing exactly that, particularly the time afforded to engage with each other. Fittingly Lachie's dad, Tim Higham, joined the group to partake in the stories and time together. Without doubt Tim's bravery in the face of such adversity added a particularly special element to the retreat.

The day commenced with a bus ride from Scotch Boarding. During the trip fathers were encouraged to sit together and share with each other one thing they were proud of their sons. Sons were encouraged to do vice versa. Upon arrival everyone drew a name from a hat and by the end of the retreat had to give a positive feedback to that person. Dangerous ground here for our tough country outback boys! A retreat mascot, an elusive fellow by the name of Wally, also made an appearance. Everyone had to add characteristics to Wally and sacrifice an item from their belongings that would enable Wally to survive the night, given that he had foolishly forgotten to bring anything with him. Some interesting items appeared from the strangest of places.

Activities during the afternoon involved the boys dragging their fathers for a walk down to the river or around the grounds. Seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree because a number of them returned with scratches and bruising which was proof of their difficulty in following common sense and 'staying to the tracks'! An aggressive tug of war competition followed, which did little to dampen some of the testosterone which was by this time on show. Mention must be made of Team C's exploits in gallantry trying to pull on a rope which the opposing team, without missing a beat, had tied around a post. Jarrah is tougher than you lads! Some more refined and dignified Bocce followed. Dinner time consisted of the boys carrying out their dads' requests in the form of pizza menu orders. Fathers were left to clear away the World War 3 scenario that ensued as a result of the boys' cooking prowess. If we didn't know any better it even seemed like the guys enjoyed cleaning up with six of them seen happily chatting away around the sink for a lot longer than the time required to wash those dishes. Thankfully the "Dads Army" had their revenge the next morning when the roles were reversed and the boys had to do the dishes. Amazingly they weren't quite as enthused as their dads about this chore. A highly competitive quiz night that was set to fire fizzled regrettably, after the domination of the B team. They had spirited in a highly knowledgeable member who shall remain nameless for austeriy's sake! There was a lot of disgruntled campers about the difficult nature of the questions, much to the amusement of the quiz master. A good tradesman never blames his tools fellas.

The next morning a quick feed and debrief allowed us to reflect on the aim of the retreat, with the words of the Desiderata read out. This time also gave Tim Higham an opportunity to express to the boys a little about his recent experiences and how they can contribute to the family's ongoing journey. Several other fathers voiced the opinion that this type of activity should be repeated.

The following pictures are testament to what was an enjoyable event well worth repeating. My thanks to all boys and Dads for making the effort to attend. View more photos here.

By Mr Chris Menage

Purple Army storms Cross Country course

Keys House again won the Inter-House Cross Country event this year, showing that our Boarders have what it takes in the running stakes. In very hot conditions, this year's runners put in a top effort and the Year 12 record was broken for the School. Our very own Tim Lefroy capped off a stellar athletic career at Scotch, smashing the School record of 17:49.13 by almost 13 seconds with a time of 17:36.40. With strong participation vital, the big numbers in Boarding meant that Keys were clear winners at almost 1100 points ahead of Ross House in second place.

View more photos here.

Boarders Triathlon

Sunday 22 March saw two teams of Boarding students comprising Matt Green, Michael Park, Mats James in one and Tim Lefroy and Peter Young in another face up against a team of 'veterans' in Mr Frusher, Mr Cordner and Mr Menage in the 20th Annual Skilled Triathlon in Fremantle.

Boys braved a very early and chilly start to leave the Boarding house in the dark at 6:15 (give or take a few minutes for those who slept in and forgot helmets!) to join 1100 other competitors on the Freo Esplanade. Conditions were perfect, though cold, and the 250 metre swim ensured we were all awake in no time. A 10km cycle followed the swim, with boys endeavouring to do their absolute best despite some very dubious bikes, before they equaled the ledger a bit more in the 3 km run.

Pleasingly the old wolves showed he young bucks that modesty and a bit of humility does wonders for actual performance with the teachers taking out 6th place over all, very comfortably ahead of the boys! However, analysis of individual times indicates that perhaps the boys do have something to crow about after all......a most disconcerting reality for those who were brave enough to put more than pride on the line. This was a wonderful event which everyone engaged with good cheer, and other boys are encouraged to participate in future when such activities are offered.

View more photos here.

Year 11 Social

The Year 11 boys hosted 160 students from seven other boarding schools outdoors in the Junior School quad on Saturday 14 March. The theme for the evening was "Summer Dayze" with a groovy invite well prepared by Kam Bin Sallah.

The décor reflected just that with comfy lounge couches spread across the area, candle lanterns under the trees and bamboo flames adorning the entry. The music was well prepared by Tom Godfrey and with the assistance of Sam Clements the boys boogied the night away with some very impressed young ladies.

Thanks go to a number of other boys, particularly in Stuart Walton and Jackson Brown for their tireless help in setting up and packing down. Pizzas and soft drink were available all night for the kids thanks to the efforts of Mrs Lorna Bunney. Mrs Freitag also beavered away to ensure we returned the quad in as good condition as it was found. All in all it was a hugely successful evening with everybody behaving well and smiles seen all round. Definitely to be repeated!

View more photos here.

From 30 fresh-faced Year 8s in 2005

To ten End-to-Enders in 2008

Bibbulmun Track - End to Enders

It was way back in 2005. Some 30 fresh faced, eager (and not so eager!) Year 8 students set out from Kalamunda for their first section of the Bibb Track on what would be a physical and mental challenge. Some four years later just then of this initial group completed the last leg of this 960 km journey as Year 12s this year.

And so it was that from Sunday 22 February - Saturday 28 February, the following ten Keys House students completed their final expedition on the Track: Hamish Campbell, Geoffrey Dwyer, Thomas Dymond, William Gardner, Matt Green, James Higham, Marcus Hunt, Mats James, Thomas Lamond, Mitchell Lang and Curtis Liebeck. Unfortunately due to injury Thanant Chaiyakul and Tom Dymond were unable to complete the section but will do so in their own time during the year.

The final section of the Bibb Tack from Peaceful Bay to Albany offers some of the most spectacular scenery in Australia. The boys were treated to some exceptional swimming at Greens Pool, Cosy Corner and Mutton Bird Island, dolphins surfing waves at Boat Harbour, Kangaroos mating in the brush, spectacular sunsets and obviously the picturesque, isolated but pristine beaches of West Cape Howe.

Contrary to previous years where boys had to endure sleep outdoors under hootchies, as Year 12s they are entitled to the deluxe treatment by finally being permitted into the Huts. This pushed the boundaries of up close and personal when it came to snoring, cleanliness and eating habits after eight days together but not a terse word could be heard and certainly conversations were hardly scarce with these boys with all manner of topics and opinions explored. The culmination of this memorable trip was a spirited rendition of the School song by Year 10 Scotch Piper Michael Dwyer who escorted the boys the final 100 metres into the Southern Terminus to the awaiting smiles of the boys' parents. After eight long days on the track it was hard to decipher who was happier at having completed, the boys or Mr Menage and Mr Frusher who accompanied their grueling pace over the sand dunes and far away!

Safe to say that these young men learnt a lot about each other, their physical and mental limits, organization, teamwork, perseverance and of course the beautiful environment of WA over these past years. Life-long lessons well learnt.

View more photos here.