About four years ago, the College was delighted to be contacted by Peter Lough, who in 1946 was Scots School student No. 21. Unfortunately, Peter was withdrawn from the school during 1947. He required surgery, and nearly 80 years ago, that entailed a far longer recovery period than is possible with modern medical techniques.
Despite his brief period at Scots, his family reported that Peter reminisced often about his two years there and how much he had enjoyed his time at the school. His father donated the boxing gloves that were used at Scots when pugilism was part of the culture of boys’ schools.
In 2021, Peter saw a photo of the foundation students of 1946, including him, on The Scots School Old Boys and Girls Facebook page, which rekindled his memories of his time there. His daughter got in touch with the archives staff, and after more than 70 years, there was great delight from the school community, especially the “Karralee Boys”, to have some news of Peter. He was invited to attend the Old Boys’ reunions but was prevented by increasing frailty. However, he, Mrs Lough, and Mr Maher had a chat on the phone one morning, and his daughter kept us informed about him.
Peter had quite a few memories of the school. He was allowed to wear his Homebush High School blazer, and is wearing it in a photo taken of him. Peter was a resident of “The Kennel” (now Ives House) when John Bulkeley was the Housemaster. The boys would hide sweets under their pillows to eat during the night. Out of school hours, the boys amused themselves by wandering around the paddocks that have since become the Senior School Campus. Peter later became a mechanical engineer, studied for a Master’s Degree in Education and taught Engineering for the Department of TAFE.
Sadly, the latest news from Peter’s family is that he passed away recently. The Head of College has been in touch with his family to express our condolences. It was a pleasure and a privilege to have been in contact with Peter, who was a vital link to the early days of Scots.
Mr Andrew Maher
Archives
