Scots 160 years • Interview with Bill Schultz
As we celebrate 160 years of Scots and our founding schools, we honour the people whose leadership, service and character have shaped our community over generations.
Scots Principal Mark Hemphill had the honour of chatting recently with Bill Schultz — past Deputy Principal, long-standing staff member, mentor, coach and a man whose contribution to Scots has spanned decades.
Mark: Bill, can you take us back to the beginning — what first brought you to Scots, and what do you remember about your early days here?
Bill: After teaching in Wangaratta for a few years, I had been running a motel and restaurant for about four years, but I decided to get back into teaching. I saw a teaching role advertised at Scots for a Science, Maths and PE teacher and Alan Jones was the Principal at the time and Len Harvey was the Deputy. When I came in for the interview, I had just had an operation to fix an old football injury and I wasn’t moving too well for someone who was supposed to be interviewing for PE. Anyway, I must have done something right because they offered me the job - I think they liked that I could coach football. I don’t remember a lot of questions about maths and science. I joined the School in 1977 and the PE part of the job ended up becoming Sports Master.
Mark: So coaching football was something you did from the beginning — how did sport shape your early connection with students and the School?
Bill: Yes, I coached football from the start and being Sports Master I was across all sports and at that time, every teacher got involved in coaching sport or being part of things like the production. The weekends were dedicated to sport. In football, Scots had a big rivalry with St Pats for a long time and through coaching, it gave me a great opportunity to get to know some of the parents, which helped me build friendships in those early years settling into Albury. I remember having a social time with people like Max and Lynn Luff and Barry and Marg Wills. I had the job of being “the starter” at the swimming carnival for many years and regardless of whether all the kids were there ready to race, the first race always started on time when that starting gun went off! I also got involved in helping to build the junior football league more broadly in the region and was a selector and coach for the Ovens & Murray School Boys for a long time, with some of the boys I selected and coached going onto play AFL, like John Longmire.
Leadership and Relationships
Mark: You worked closely with Alistair Todd for many years. How would you describe that partnership?
Bill: Well I never, ever called him Alistair would you believe - I called him Mr Todd when speaking to him and would refer to him as “The Boss” in conversations. I remember eventually his wife Joy had to tell me to call her Joy, not Mrs Todd! Alistair was Principal for 20 years and for many of those years I was Senior Master and then Deputy. I like to think there was a lot of mutual respect between us. One time when I was recovering from a knee operation, I remember Alistair came around and mowed my lawns for me! We played squash every weekday at 6.30am for close to 20 years and unfortunately for him, he didn’t win too many games. I like to think our relationship was an effective leadership model for teachers, students and parents; we both used to come out into the yard every recess and lunch to interact with students. Alistair had a phenomenal ability to remember every student’s name in the junior and senior school - I never had that gift of memory, even back then!
School Life and Traditions
Mark: The Scots-St Pat’s football rivalry was legendary. What are some of your favourite memories from those matches and that era of school sport?
Bill: Virtually every year for many years, either Scots or St Pats won the Under 17s grand final. St Pats had the benefit of more feeder schools in the area, whereas for Scots, obviously all our players were from the school so we did pretty well to be so competitive when you think of the size of the school. There was one grand final in the early 80s that I'd rather forget, we were winning well the whole game until the last quarter, where St Pats came from behind and won! We commiserated long into the night with some of the parents after that game.
Mark: There’s a famous story about the staff ‘Can Can’ performance in the 1980s — can you share what happened that night?
Bill: It was a Joy Todd initiative, which kicked off around 1979 to create a “Revue” for staff, parents and board members to get involved in, as a way of socially having some fun. In the 1980 revue, I was to lead a chorus of “Can Can” dancers onto the stage, which included Max Luff, Paul Wallace and others. At the dress rehearsal, I counted us in and went on stage, but the others never came out and I was left counting and dancing on my own much to the amusement of everyone! I remember Paul Wallace had a lot of trouble getting into his pantyhose which was part of the costume, so maybe that’s why he wasn’t keen to get on stage!
Mark: You were instrumental in establishing the annual Sports Dinner, which brought some remarkable guests to Scots — people like Rex Hartwig, Max Walker, Raelene Boyle, John Landy and Andrew Hoy – do any particular guest speakers or moments from those evenings still stand out to you?
Bill: Max Walker was probably my most memorable speaker. I remember us all heading over to Joy and Alistair’s house (which was on school grounds at that time) for tea and coffee afterwards and Max regailing us with more stories. As Sports Master, I created the dinner as a way of recognising sporting achievements across all sports, for both the boys and the girls. Previously, most of the recognition had gone to the boys and, in particular, for football. For example, many students at the school were great tennis players, which Peter McMahon and later Lois Donaldson were heavily involved in and Scots was also always good in hockey, which Alistair Todd coached for a period and later Chris Beath was heavily involved in. Getting all those speakers was a way to inspire the students and we were fortunate at times to get back some past students like Andrew Hoy.
Growth & Milestones
Mark: You witnessed major developments at the School, including projects like the Chapel Hall. What did those milestones represent for the community at the time?
Bill: Student numbers were growing and we needed a dedicated multi-use space for chapel, productions and assemblies. We outgrew the old assembly hall which I think is now where the temporary library is and we were having to hold productions at the Albury Entertainment Centre. I think the build represented investment back into the school and also reflected important parts of the school’s culture. To build the chapel hall required a lot of effort from a lot of people and donations from the community and many fundraising activities. I sold my “famous” hot sauce at the school fete, but I don’t think that helped to contribute much money to the build!
Mark: School productions have long been part of Scots’ identity. Why do you think they became such an important part of community life?
Bill: The productions are really the legacy of Joy Todd. Paul Tasker, who taught music at the school for many years, and his wife Barbara were also integral in creating the quality of production that still exists today. Joy used to lead “sewing circles” with parents to help make costumes and Doug and Vicki Evans who both taught at the school for many years, used to design and build fantastic sets.
Early days, it was difficult to get the boys to participate, so I suggested “strongly” to the boys playing football, that if they wanted to get a game, they needed to be involved in the production. To lead by example, I was even in one production of Oliver in the early '80s, to encourage more students to get involved. It’s incredible to think these productions helped plant the early seeds of professional acting careers for former students like Travis McMahon and Alexander England. Being a boarding school, getting the boarders involved meant that a lot of people from farming communities would attend, creating pride in the school regionally. Over time, the reputation of the productions meant that they also attracted people from outside the community and having a chapel hall big enough to seat hundreds of people, meant that the broader community could attend. For many years, the Production and Fete were on the same weekend, which became a real landmark weekend in the community for many years.
Students & Impact
Mark: Over three decades, you worked with thousands of students. Are there particular moments with students that still stand out to you today?
Bill: Seeing the pipe band perform with John Farnham and then later at the Tattoo in Edinburgh live, are some highlights. I remember going to a production of Les Misérables with my daughter Amy in Singapore and seeing former student Chris Durling in it, who was phenomenal. He had had the same role in the Scots production of Les Mis. The school has helped produce many world class skiers over the years like Britt Cox and Jane Sexton and also Diane Ley, who went to the Paralympics for swimming. There have been students who have gone on to play in the AFL or start their own business or take over a family farm - anytime you see students excel at what they enjoy doing, stands out.
Life After Retirement and Ongoing Service
Mark: After retiring, you continued to give so much back through alumni work, tours, and coaching. Why was staying connected so important to you?
Bill: The School was a major part of my life for 30 years and it was important to me to give back, stay connected and help alumni stay connected with the school, too. A school that’s been around for 160 years needs community to be engaged with it and to stay connected for it to keep going.
Recognition & Legacy
Mark: The School Captain’s Award now bears your name. What does that recognition mean to you personally?
Bill: I am honoured and have always felt that the school provides lots of opportunities for all students to develop leadership skills from an early age, which they take with them well into life.
Mark: When you reflect on your time here, of what are you most proud?
Bill: I’d like to think it was my relationships with students over the years. It’s nice when former students stop you and want to have a chat, even though I’m not good at remembering names nowadays! Sometimes when I run into these former students they mention how I was a mentor to them and that it changed their direction in life. I’m happy to have helped with that. One of the reasons I was involved with football was that it helped open up conversations with the students and with their parents.
Mark: What do you hope students and staff remember most about your contribution to Scots?
It’s been a long time since I've been at the school, so I wouldn’t expect students and staff to know me now - but from my time at the school, I'd like to think I was a good colleague to staff, was fair to students and trusted by parents.
Looking Forward
Mark: As we celebrate 160 years, what do you believe has been the key to Scots’ enduring strength as a community?
Bill: There are very few schools like Scots in Australia. With the legacy of Albury Grammar and Woodstock and being a co-ed school with a pre-school, junior and senior school plus a boarding house, Scots is very unique and to still be operating and growing - it's incredible. Plus, when you think about the grounds and the facilities the school has in the centre of town, there really are few other schools like it.
Mark: And what advice would you offer today’s students and leaders as they write the next chapter?
Bill: When I left school and moved to Melbourne for University, I remember my old man telling me “say yes to everything”. So my advice would be to make the most of every opportunity, prioritise spending time with people in-person rather than online and stay connected with the school - it’s a great community that I feel fortunate to have had something to do with through the years.
