OLD SCOTCH ASSIST REBUILDING EFFORT

The Old Scotch Football Club and Scotch College students have raised more than $75,000 for Victorian bushfire relief through several fundraising initiatives.
Last Sunday the club’s social team, the Cardinals, played a match against Kinglake Football Club at Kinglake. The Old Scotch Under 19s played a curtain-raiser against the Kinglake Reserves, and the Scotch College Junior School played the Middle inglake rimary School at half-time of the senior game.
The Old Scotch Cardinals team members and officials raised more than $25,000 before the match, and further funds were raised through a barbecue at the Kinglake ground, by selling drinks and through a raffle. The Cardinals handed Kinglake Football Club a cheque for $15,000, to be distributed to the community to it help re-establish itself after the black Saturday bushfires, the worst in Victoria’s history. 
Boys from the Scotch College Class of 2009 were also present at Kinglake where the Scotch College Principal Tom Batty was present to hand a cheque for $7,000 to Jeanette Cook, the Principal of the Middle Kinglake Primary School, to help with rebuilding the school which was totally destroyed in the bushfires. The Year 12 boys raised the $7,000 through fundraising initiatives at Scotch, and a further $37,000 will be distributed to other affected areas in due course.
The Kinglake Football Club President Cameron Caine said he was overwhelmed by the day. “This day has brought the entire community back together for the first time in six weeks. Instead of people talking about the fires, they are talking about who is playing well and who we are playing next week. It is the first sense of normality that we have had.” Middle KinglakePrimary School Principal Jeanette Smith was also grateful for the support. “It has been a really trying time but the students have been terrific. We are looking forward to getting routine and structure back into the kids lives.”
The Scotch College Principal, Tom Batty was joined by the Vice Principal Ian Savage, Head of the Scotch Junior School, Mr Guy Mason, at the matches at Kinglake, along with the President of the Old Scotch Football Club, Mr Tim Shearer and parents and boys from Scotch.  
In another initiative, the Old Scotch Football Club has raised more than $7,000 to help the family of one of its players whose house was lost in the bushfires.