The Members of Foundation

In 1982, Miri and Moshe with their two young children, Yaniv and Eido, emigrated from Israel.

One of the most important considerations in making this life-changing decision was to ensure their children would grow up in a community that supported Israel, respected their Jewish heritage and provided a quality education. For this transition they believed Mount Scopus College was the obvious school of choice for their children and this provided a sense of comfort as their new journey began.

Fast forward over thirty years and now Miri and Moshe have two grandchildren, Eli and Noah, at Mount Scopus. Like the generation before, selecting Mount Scopus was an obvious choice for their parents who share the same common values and principles of their parents and so many others.

Miri and Moshe and their family strongly believe in supporting Scopus so that it may continue to provide a remarkable educational, cultural and community experience – not only for the next generation of their own family, but for other families in less fortunate situations. This has become an important priority for their family.

They say “supporting the Foundation is the ideal way of making quality education a reality in the long term for many generations to come”.

We warmly thank them for appreciating the value of Scopus for our community. We welcome them to the level of Founder and look forward to dedicating the Miri and Moshe Meydan Family Plaza in honour of their generosity.

The Pomeroy /Mount Scopus connection is now over 55 years old, beginning when Dug Pomeroy was enrolled in 1961 to graduate in 1969.

The connection was reinforced with Dug and Jill Pomeroy’s children, Lisa OC ‘95 and Mark OC’ 98, attending the school. Mark, with Clare, now continues the tradition with the third generation of Pomeroys - Zac is in upper kinder and Toby will start in 2018.

It may appear that tradition is the motivating force behind the long association with the school, however it is much more than that.

They believe that the College provides a broad and excellent education with solid social values as well as an overall grounding in Jewish heritage. As a family they have most willingly supported and been involved with the Foundation from its inception, knowing that annually the Foundation responsibly provides assistance to children who otherwise could not afford to receive a Scopus education and funds numerous building programs that the School undertakes in order to keep up with the latest standards in educational facilities.

Dug believes the Foundation, in many ways, is the ‘Fountain of Youth’ for the school and says their family is proud to be associated with it.

We thank the Pomeroy Family for their longstanding and ongoing commitment and celebrate their support at Founder level and as recipients of the Yvonne and Leon Fink Memorial Award for Commitment to Jewish Education.

Bonnie and Adrian Blashki

Adrian OC’70 and Bonnie enjoy looking both backwards and forwards at their Scopus connections.

Adrian’s parents, the late Eugenia and Arnold Blashki MBE, came from long established Australian Jewish families. They were very much involved in the earlier days of Scopus with Eugenia, especially, being a powerful force. They quickly became Foundation members at its inception with Eugenia’s great love for music influencing the direction of their gifts to the development of music and performing arts programs. She honoured her own parents, Sima and Jacob Taft, by dedicating a music studio and was always involved and interested in the College’s progress in this area.

Adrian and Bonnie have continued supporting the Foundation, as part of the Eugenia Blashki Family, and have honoured Eugenia in turn by dedicating a music classroom.

Their three children Courtney, Devon and Erin are also proud Scopus graduates and the family have recently celebrated Devon’s marriage to Rachael, who was a fellow student in his year at school. They say they have a lot to thank Scopus for!

We thank them for their ongoing support and interest and for being such great Scopus ambassadors. We honour them as Benefactors and look forward to their further generational involvement.

Rosie Davis OC ‘69 is thrilled that her three children, Victoria-Lea, Jamie and Bradley together with their partners Tal, Robyn and Nicole, have also chosen Scopus for her grandchildren’s education. Of her seven grandchildren, four are current students with another three to commence over the next few years.

Rosie’s late parents, Jack and Judy Sperling, both Holocaust survivors, instilled in Rosie not only the importance of a Jewish education but also the value of being in a Jewish environment. They truly believed it created a stronger Jewish identity, instilling ‘Yiddishkeit’ and providing the feelings of comfort and confidence.

Rosie recalls that Scopus provided, for both her and her children, a high level of educational programs and critical values combined with longlasting friendships and a powerful sense of community.

These days, Rosie is noticing with great pleasure how her grandchildren are taught and says “it warms my heart to see how they embrace and love all things Jewish. Surely this feeling, underpinned by knowledge, will guarantee them making good choices and perpetuating our traditions. In the world of today, I believe it is vitally important they have a sense of belonging and know who they are. Scopus is giving them that.”

We thank and welcome the Rosie Davis Family for their ongoing support and welcome them this year to the level of Fellow.

Suzanne and Kevin migrated from Johannesburg in 1989

When their twins, Jarred and Daniel, and later Adam were born, they immediately enrolled them at GBH. Coming from traditional Jewish homes, a Jewish education for their children was of upmost importance. Being new immigrants, things were not easy financially and sacrifices were made to ensure their children received a Jewish education.

When their children commenced at Scopus it immediately dawned upon them how fortunate their children were and they felt that they had a duty to “give back”. Kevin joined a College Council sub-committee and Suzanne also served on the Parents’ Association. Kevin went on to become a trusted College Treasurer, serving on the College Executive. Suzanne teaches part time at GBH.

Continuing the philosophy of a duty to contribute, Kevin, a partner in GMK Partners, arranged for the firm to become Foundation supporters and also to act in pro bona capacities for the College. Kevin and Suzanne have also since contributed to the Foundation personally.

Kevin and Suzanne say they eternally grateful for the wonderful Jewish and secular education, values inculcated, friendships formed and the whole Scopus experience that Jarred, Daniel and Adam have enjoyed.

We are grateful for their valuable support and involvement.

Shirley and Theo have enjoyed a long association with the school, though they regret being born too early to have been pupils at Scopus.

When their four children were Scopus students they were involved on several parents’ committees and sponsored the Ball. They committed to the Foundation right at the beginning in 1987. In honour of their continuous support, classrooms have been dedicated in memory of Shirley’s grandparents, Charles and Fay Brooks, and also for parents Max and Jean Brooks and Phillip and Charlotte Sweet.

They have had the pleasure of seeing six grandchildren graduate and start successful careers, contributing to the Jewish and wider communities.

Shirley and Theo say that now their greatest joy is seeing great - grandchildren Oliver and Ava at Scopus - their real bonus. Being able to experience Grandparents’ Day this year brought them very special happiness. They continue “we have only had naches and joy from the school and from our family.”

Shirley and Theo, thank you for honouring the College with your longstanding and enthusiastic support.

Caroline, OC’77, (nee Sweet) and Alan firmly believe that not all people come into the world with the same skills and abilities, let alone opportunities. They also believe that education is a foundation stone of Jewish values. That is why they have sent their children to Scopus and encouraged them in turn, to send their children to the College.

Alan says “the Scopus experience offers outstanding secular learning combined with a traditional Jewish education that provides children with the opportunity to make choices and make decisions based upon sound values. These choices are broad today; and they not only lead to the traditional academic motifs of medicine, law and commerce, but now extend to technology, arts and a range of commerce, sciences and other options that encourage children to pursue courses that interest them and align with their talents. Scopus provides this platform in a caring and nurturing environment.”

They understand that sacrifices for parents are great, but say the rewards are overwhelming. “Our family has enjoyed great satisfaction over decades at the school and we hope and expect that our grandchildren will benefit and enjoy the experiences Scopus offers and contribute towards the improvement of our community, country and world in which we live”.

Thank you Caroline and Alan for sustaining your beliefs and your support.