The Roar - Issue 27 Term 3 2026

Adrian Lamrock – Rebuilding

Adrian Lamrock was appointed as Principal of The Scots School at the beginning of 1998. He is the only head of the school to hold the title of Principal and not Headmaster. He had a strong Presbyterian background. His great uncle Leslie Lamrock was the first, and for one term the only enrolment in the Cooerwull Academy in 1884. Before coming to Scots, Adrian had taught at Kinross-Wolaroi in Orange and been Headmaster of St Paul’s Grammar School in Western Sydney. He had also been Director of Crusaders, appointing former Scots student Peter Crawford to its staff.

Adrian’s time at Scots was not without challenges. A recurrent theme in the Speech Day reports of Chairman of the Board Col Langford was the school’s debt level, how it was being paid down, and the steps taken to manage the school’s finances. Rural enrolments were affected by the Millennium Drought, a long dry spell that lasted from 2001 until early 2010. Careful management of the school’s finances was essential. The school undertook a major change to its pastoral care program. In the late 1990s, Scots had acquired an unfortunate reputation for bullying, and Adrian began to address this very early in his time.

His predecessor, Andrew Thornley, had made a difficult decision to make Cadets voluntary. Adrian was the one who had to carry out that decision. Support from parents at the time for compulsory Cadets was widely divided between strong supporters and equally strong opponents, to the extent that some parents were not enrolling their children at Scots. Surveys and reports to and from the Principal in the archives show this.

The school had been co-educational for only one term when Adrian took over, so there was still much work to do to provide facilities for the girls and re-organise the school for them. Initially it was proposed to phase in co-education, but the demand by parents to send their daughters to the school resulted in the proportion of girls growing quite rapidly. Galloway House was converted to a girls’ boarding house.

In the Prep School, a Pre-Prep class was added, with Scots accommodating students aged 4 to 18. By 2002, the enrolment position was so strong that the School could afford, for the first time in more than a decade, to construct a new building, and Dougan House or The Day House, was the result. By the end of 2003, enrolments had reached 350, a figure that was back in the range of numbers during John Hunter’s time.

Adrian’s involvement in the Bathurst community was notable. He was a member of the congregation of the Bathurst Presbyterian Church. He is still able to fill a church with the sound of an organ, or play a piano. Mrs Kerrie Lamrock was also involved in the community and the school. She ran the clothing shop during her time at Scots, a skill she brought from St Paul’s. A former student of St Paul’s Grammar recalled that he was among the first intake of students at that school, and Mrs Lamrock conducted his uniform fit-out in the lounge room of the Headmaster’s residence, which was the temporary clothing shop! Kerrie was frequently called upon to cater for mid-term morning teas and end-of-term celebrations.

Adrian Lamrock was forced to resign at the end of 2004 due to health issues. It is a pleasure to report that he recovered successfully. He visited the school in 2006 for the 60th anniversary dinner. He was also Guest of Honour in 2011 for the opening of the Lamrock Performing Arts Centre, which presents an opportunity here to record his legacy in promoting the Performing Arts at Scots. In 2012, Adrian was appointed to the School Board. He was the Speech Day Guest of Honour that year. In 2013, he succeeded Col Langford as Chairman of the School Board. In this capacity, in 2017 he received a phone call one afternoon to tell him that the Presbyterian Church had purchased All Saints’ College. Adrian visited Scots All Saints in 2021, this time as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in NSW.

Adrian continues to maintain contact with Scots All Saints College. Many people who worked with him (not just at Scots) report receiving a phone call from Adrian on their birthdays or other personal occasions. This article was sent to him for previewing. These days, Adrian describes himself as “a professional grandfather”. His three daughters all attended Scots and have had very successful careers in medicine, education and healthcare.

Mr Andrew Maher
Archives

Photo 1: The new Headmaster with the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in NSW and the new Headmaster at the Beginning of Year service in 1998.

Photo 2: Adrian Lamrock with a group of students in a photograph taken for the cover of the 1999 edition of “The Lion”.

Photo 3: The only Principal of The Scots School to ever go under the dunking machine at the Highland Gathering 1999. The School Captain agreed to submit to the same treatment (and did) if Adrian got dunked.

Photo 4: A reception for the Mandurama parents.

Photo 5: Adrian Lamrock was quite adept at keyboard instruments, playing the organ at Bathurst Presbyterian Church and the piano at school functions.

Photo 6: When Adrian was Director of the Crusaders organisation, he appointed Scots Old Boy Peter Crawford to the staff. Peter was to later take over Adrian’s old position and still holds it.

Photo 7: This time, as Chairman of the Board of the Scots School, Adrian Lamrock addresses Speech Day.