The Scots College
Dave Gardner

During the third term I was given the privilege to represent Hilton and South Africa by going on exchange to The Scots College in Sydney Australia. Saying goodbye to my family and friends and hopping onto the plane, I had no idea what was awaiting me down under. As I sat in the huge 747 a million thoughts were running in my head and I could not wait until I touched down in Sydney. Being it my first trip overseas I was all the more excited.

I arrived at Sydney International extremely jet-lagged and the weather was just as miserable. While I was there I was lucky enough to have a very good family friend who immigrated to Australia six years ago. The night I arrived was the night of what was probably the worst Springbok performance of all time (49 – 0!), so I wasn’t too happy with my first few hours in Oz! After the weekend, and a lot of adjusting, I finally made my way to Scots on the Monday and there began a journey of a lifetime.

Being completely alone in a foreign country, at a new school, in a new dorm can be rather daunting but as soon as all the boys started arriving from the buses I found myself in a completely friendly environment where boys were willing to get to know me but also to remind me of the past weekends rugby score! After being introduced to my new dorm mates I instantly felt like they had welcomed me into their family and already I knew that I was going to make lifelong friendships. I was then introduced to the rest of the house by my housemaster and by a man called Mr. Cranfield who is in charge of their exchange program. Things then went on as usual; I say this because the boarding house setup was very similar to Hilton except that the house I was in (Fairfax) was originally a mansion on top of the hill that Scots then transformed into a boarding house! Being able to become a part of many unique and exciting cultures and backgrounds was something I enjoyed the most. I have even found myself talking like an Australian at times, terms such as “G’day”, “mate”, “no worries”, “fairdinkum”, “good on ya” and many other sayings that my friends aren’t to happy about!

Scots is very different to Hilton but also shares a lot of similarities. The major difference is that the actual school is right in the middle of the city! Places such as Bondi Beach and Double Bay are just down the road from the school and are easily accessible due to the unbelievable public transport or just by walking. There are 900 boys at the school of which 600 are day boys and the other 300 are boarders. This causes quite a disturbance around the school and not all the guys and teachers know each other as well as we do here. The actual campus is very small when compared to Hilton and only holds 2 fields. When going to rugby practice I would have to catch a bus to a place called Centennial Park, we would also play our home games there if we were not playing on the Main Oval. The classroom setup was very similar to what we have here at Hilton and we also followed a very similar timetable. However at Scots I had a much wider range of subjects to choose from and did exciting subjects such as Photography and Digital Media, Sports Science, Physical Health and Education, Australian History, Commerce as well as the usual subjects. In Sports Science I was lucky enough to take part in something we don’t do too often here at Hilton and that was to go surfing at Bondi Beach every Monday and Wednesday for 2 hours. The outcome of this excursion was to study and learn about the technology of surfing. Bondi was also the main attraction on weekends and even weekdays if you had nothing on. While I was there I was lucky enough to make lifelong friends with some day boys who were more than happy to take me out every weekend.

“Footie” or rugby season was definitely unforgettable. Although the passion is not as high as Hilton’s, the boys, myself included, managed to end the season off with a bang. The war cries are completely different and are very entertaining. The thing that I loved most was that because of the schools Scottish heritage it is a tradition to sing O Flower of Scotland. The first weekend I was there we played our main rivals St. Joseph’s or Joeys; they are renowned for producing many old and new upcoming Wallabies. The spirit was pumping that day but unfortunately Scots could not match up to its biggest rivals. However it was simply awesome and it was as if I was still sitting on the banks of Gilfillan screaming for the White, the only difference was that while we were singing the bagpipes would be blowing along with us! The school has its very own Pipes & Drums band called The Black Watch that is recognized around Australia and even internationally. Another major school event is The GPS Athletics day. This is when all the major schools in and around Sydney go to Homebush (where the Olympics were held) and participate in a day filled with laughter, plenty of war cries, screaming, crying and a lot of fun.

While I was in Sydney I was lucky enough to do a bit of travelling and sight seeing, as well as having my mom over for the last 10 days. I was also lucky enough to be there while the Tri – Nations were on. So of course being a loyal Bok supporter I got dressed up for the occasion and went with a couple of mates to Telstra Stadium to watch the “footie”. Unfortunately we lost by 2 points but it was still an unforgettable experience. It was quite strange to see no biltong or boerie rolls for sale and the crowd is much more subdued when compared to our local crowds. I also watched the NRL (National Rugby League) which is very popular in Australia, New Zealand and England. I was also lucky enough to play some League myself as well as the local AFL or “Aussie Rules” as everyone else knows it. There was never a dull moment in Sydney or at Scots and there was always something to do, this was due to the amount of freedom the boarders have as well as the excellent public transport. During the last week I was allowed to tour Sydney with my mom and I did such things like, visit the Blue mountains (which is practically their Drakenesburg), conquer the Sydney Harbour “BridgeClimb”, visit the Opera House, cruise around the harbour on a twin jet engine boat, take a trip all the way to the top of Centre Point Tower and see the wonderful city of Sydney from a different perspective, catch a ferry over to Manly Beach and much much more.

I can not explain my exchange in any sum of words and I can not explain how grateful I am. Being able to come to a school like Hilton College is the best thing anyone could ever ask for, and now being able to go on exchange has made me see how lucky I am to be at this incredible institution. I can only urge the younger guys to get involved and go for it. So many doors are now open, opportunities lie waiting, new ideas and goals are exposed. It truly is a life-changing experience and I can only hope now to contribute the things I have learnt. The friends I made will be lifelong and the memories will last forever. It was a lesson in life and an unforgettable journey. Thank you.

Dave Gardner