In a constantly changing world, the Old Melburnians Society is a community that is inclusive and supportive of each other.
Our history and traditions are part of the stability we offer. The Society has grown and evolved with the times and continues to be a source of friendship and support for Old Melburnians, young and old.
I am proud to say that, in 2022, over 1,200 Old Melburnians participated in our various initiatives and programs, including the Career Masterclass, the Business Breakfast, the Dick Cotton Fellowship, the Virtual Careers Nights, the OM Journeys Speaker Series and the various reunions and dinners. We have more than 1,000 Old Melburnians involved in 15 different Old Melburnians sport, drama and activity clubs and close to 2,700 members registered on OM Link – an all-time high.
We continue to look for ways to better engage all parts of our community, regardless of age or gender. In 2022 we held a special Old Melburnians function to celebrate the 1,000 women who have attended Grimwade House. The function was a huge success and I’m delighted to share some photos in this edition of Grammar News. We are also proud that we continue to strike a chord with our younger Old Melburnians having had 50 Old Melburnians who finished school in 2020 and 2021 attend this year’s Annual Dinner – which is the highest attendance of recent School leavers in recent memory.
There is always more we can do. The aim of the Old Melburnians Council – which is the governing body of the Society – is to help create a vibrant, diverse and thriving community that positively impacts our society.
However, in order to achieve this, the Council needs to be clear about its role and purpose. This year the Council has spent some time considering questions such as ‘What does it mean to be an Old Melburnian?’ and ‘How can we ensure that all our members feel included and represented?’
Our ambition is to develop a clear statement of purpose which will guide what we do. This statement of purpose needs to reflect that we are a community of young and old; we look to the past with pride, but we also boldly embrace the future; we want to bring our members together, but we are much more than just dinners and drinks; we want our members to learn and grow; we recognise that each of us has a lot to offer and together we can make a powerful and positive contribution to society.
We look forward to sharing the results of our work with you, and in the meantime, if you have a desire to be involved with the Old Melburnians, I encourage you to reach out to our team. We would love to hear from you. For more information or to become involved, please contact Kirsty Hooper, Head of Alumni and Community Relations at [email protected] or phone +61 3 9865 7681.
Finally, I am pleased to advise that we have recently welcomed Penny Apted (OM 1994) as our newest Council member. Penny attended Grimwade House from 1982 – 1988. She is a primary educator experienced in strategic planning, curriculum design and pastoral care programs in schools. Penny’s son and daughter currently attend Grimwade House.
We thank Bill Cowan AO (OM 1962) and The Honourable Will Alstergren AO (OM 1980) for their dedicated, generous and highly valued service on the Council as they step down at the end of 2022.
Thindika Amarasekara (OM 1991)
President of the Old Melburnians Council
