Celebrating our Scottish Roots

Casey White

From haggis dinners to pipers leading Ormond’s teams onto the field, the College has been celebrating its Scottish roots – honouring the spirit of the Scottish Enlightenment that shaped its founding values while creating new traditions for today’s community.

Wednesday 15 December 2021 • 5 minute read

Many of the values and principles on which our College was founded were drawn from the Scottish Enlightenment. This year we have celebrated this Scottish heritage with pipes, drums and even haggis!Ormond’s Scottish roots run deep. The College was founded by the Presbyterian Church, which in Australia was a mainly Scottish institution, and many of our founders were also Scots. So too was Ormond’s second Master, David Kennedy Picken, who was noted for giving complex sermons that intertwined mathematics and Presbyterian theology.In 2022, a renewed focus on this Scottish heritage saw the emergence of pipers at College events. This group performed at a recent Highland-themed dinner complete with haggis, flags, tartan tablecloths, and the formidable Ode to the Haggis, delivered in Scottish Gaelic! The College archives even contain a donated set of bagpipes.The College’s Scottish Heritage has also been on display at some sporting finals this year, with College pipers leading a procession of Ormondians onto the field. This created a dramatic impression recently at the intercollegiate women’s soccer final when the team emerged from the dark and mist accompanied by the heavy drone and chant of the pipes. With one hundred students in black, red and gold marching to Princes Park to watch Ormond play Trinity, it’s no wonder this was one of the most intense soccer finals in years. The team played exceptionally to emerge victorious.As well as renewing our focus on our Scottish heritage, the establishment of the Pipes and Drums is helping grow the musical capacity and capability of the College which we look forward to building upon in future.

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