School Council membership

We are also utterly dedicated to providing the Headmaster and this School with all the affordable resources possible to provide our students, and future generations, with the best education possible.

Of the thirteen members of the present School Council, five are current parents, six are past parents and five are Old Melburnians. To assist in overseeing the governance of the School, there are also nine Committees reporting into the School Council: Admissions; Building & Grounds; Finance, Planning and Audit; The Melbourne Grammar School Foundation; Investment Management; Marketing and Communications; Nominating; Risk Management and (Staff) Superannuation Policy. Many busy and talented people give up a lot of their valuable time to serve on those Committees.

In November last year, at a delightful retirement dinner in his honour in the Morrow Room, we thanked Ross Adler AC for his outstanding contributions to the School Council over many years. Ross joined the Melbourne Grammar School Foundation in May 2001. He was its President from 2002 to 2008. He joined the School Council in May 2005 and became Deputy Chair in May 2010. As the new Chair of Council, I particularly appreciated Ross’s wise and incisive counsel, across a wide variety of matters. He joined the Finance & Planning Committee, as its Chairman, in June 2008 and he joined the Nominating Committee in November 2008. His loyalty to the School and his commitment to act always in the School’s best interests never, ever faltered, and for that we remain very, very grateful.

I am delighted to report that Council member, Lloyd Thomas, has agreed to succeed Ross as the new Vice-Chairman of Council, for a two-year term. As most of you will know, Lloyd is also the current President of The Foundation, as well as a member of the Nominating Committee. I am also delighted that Council Member Mary Clark has agreed to fill the vacancy on the Nominating Committee. Mary is also the current Chair of the Marketing and Communications Committee.

And, we warmly welcomed Geoff Cohen (OM 1982) to his first Council meeting in February. Geoff has succeeded Ross Adler as Chairman of the Finance, Planning and Audit Committee. Geoff has extensive experience in the finance industry, both as a corporate adviser and as a senior banking executive. He and his wife, Tracey, have a daughter and two sons, one an OM and the other a current student. When those rare opportunities present themselves, Geoff is also a keen golfer.

The School Council is looking forward to another busy and stimulating year. The following will provide you with a taste of some of the issues with which we shall be dealing. Foremost among our Governance responsibilities will be the monitoring of compliance with Ministerial Order 870 relating to Child Safe Standards. The Headmaster has written to the School Community on this matter and drawn attention to the Child Safe Policies on the School website. We shall also be monitoring very carefully all developments relating to the Melbourne Metropolitan Railways Authority project. Anyone passing the School will have seen the pleasing progress as the Geoff Handbury Science and Technology Hub begins to rise excitingly from the ground. And, Council member, Beryl Gregory, has attended planning meetings for the centenary of the first classes at Grimwade House, which will take place in 2018.

Michael Bartlett Chairman of Council