1990 Annual Report

A:JDliJJRm~ JBlY.TI-IDE CYJlAmlVART OF TI-IOB BCQJAP'JD', (Q)JF_ 'rRU~.'"lt'BE§ DR JMI lC

Mrs Goss, honoured guests and members of ~he school commurrity; may I thank you all for coming along this afternoon to this most important occasion in fue lives of that most import~mfsection of our community ,- our srudents. · · i · : : ' · : ,, ··, It has been my practice to use Speech Day to present tO you a very brief report of the Board's work over the past year. Much of thai work bas been. taken up with the final stages of getting into an educationally satisfying shape for the future, a new building - the Communications Centre, and an old bl!ilding - the Boarding House. Completion of these projects will enable enrolments to increase from around 860 to 1000, and will free some existing accommodation which can ithei1 be converted so that it too more suitably meets with the more complex demands of a developing curriculum and its accompanying technology. The end of January 1991 should see the restoration and modernisation of the Boarding House finished, and about that time too, the start to lhe .Communications Centre. The material removed from the site for the Centre will be used in the reshaping of the Victoria Park Oval, a task we are undertaking with the Boys' Grammar School next door, so lhat it will better serve our joint needs. During the Christmas recess, the tennis courts we lose will be replaced thro~resurfacing the softball area. To all who have given of their time and thought to get these projects this far,' the Board is extremely grateful, and in this respect, to none more than Mrs Hancock and her senior staff, our Architect, Mr Blair Wilson, and our Restoration and Building Appeal Committee. Two major continuing concerns ot the Board are adherence to the Budget provisions it laid down for the year, and after careful analysis of income and expendi ture as against expectations and p redictions, the creation of a Budget for next year. This is where we ·draw on the skills of the Finance Committee, under the chairmanShip of the Treasurer, Mr Richard Bemays, with the expert assistance of our Secretary and Bursar, Mr John .Pietzn~r. Even a canny Scot can add little, if anything, to their joint expertise. I attend _their meetings and I do try. Fees for this coming year will increase by 8%, a much reduced figure compared with the increase I announced last year at this time. ·Their Six Year Development Plan for capital expenditure is based on a worst scenario in which. access to the charitable dollar falters with the worsening economic climate. Appropriate allowances have been made for salary increases for teachers, for the training allowance, and for building up a reserve which will enable us and our successors, when the time comes, to meet such things as Long Service Leave entitlement, perhaps additional superannuation payments, and the repair and maintenance requirements of the older parts of our accommodation and equipment without, we hope, drastic increases in fees. I report with some regret that three members of the existing Board are either not seeking re-election (Mrs Yvonne Bain and Miss Margaret Mittelheuser) or not seeking to be re-nominated by the Minister of Education (Professor Margaret Bullock). Mrs Bain, who cannot unfortunately be here this afternoon, has given 24 years service to the Board, Miss Mittelheuser, 4 years and Professor Bullock some 14 years~ As Chairman, I have~ greatly valued the contributions these three have. made

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