Promising young leader and recent Scotch College graduate, Dion Whitfield, reflects on his time boarding on the Hill and his inspiring journey from ‘the new guy’ who joined the school in Year 11, to exemplary student mentor and future law student.
Scotch College School Captain, Dion Whitfield, has a clear and determined view on leadership. “Leadership is for the betterment of others not the enrichment of the leader. It is all about service,” he says.
Dion walks the talk and is a shining example of how powerful words and actions can be when delivered with authenticity and purpose.
“In my case it is service to my school, to each boy who wears the Scotch uniform, to my boarding brothers who share my home and life here, to the many groups and individuals who have trusted me to do this role, and to my family and mentors who continue to support me.”
Dion came to Scotch through the Evonne Goolagong Foundation. The foundation uses tennis as a vehicle to attract Indigenous girls and boys in order to promote and help provide high quality education. The foundation has a connection with Scotch College and it recommended Dion for one of its educational scholarships.
In 2021, Dion entered Scotch College as a Year 11 boarding student, quietly aspiring toward, yet never imagining he could actually obtain, the role he eventually assumed as School Captain.
Scotch has a unique leadership process where 28 Year 12 prefects are invited to apply for the position of School Captain for a Year 13. This enables the appointed School Captain, on a reduced academic workload, to have bountiful opportunity to influence the lives of the nearly 1900 boys who attend the college and the Scotch community at large.
“I love the diversity of the interactions that my position allows. My role is to know the students at this school and while time consuming, I love getting to know them for who they are and hearing their stories,” says Dion.
“I attend various Year level camps and speak regularly to the student body. I work with the Old Scotch Collegians’ Association to promote our alumni, and with the Scotch Foundation to ensure the educational experience and vision Scotch offers is both understood and supported,” he explains.
“I also meet with our Principal, Dr Scott Marsh, weekly. The school is entering a new chapter in its history with his appointment as the 10th Principal of the school, and I sometimes feel like Dr Marsh and I have the opportunity to write the first few lines of this chapter together.”
Dion’s family resides in Armidale NSW, and he is one of six children, with five sisters. He never really experienced homesickness when he came to Scotch, as COVID had isolated him from his family for two years. His parents and sisters were living in Western Australia throughout the COVID lockdown period, and therefore, they were unable to visit Dion during that time.
“While it was hard, it actually was helpful in my adjustment to boarding,” says Dion. “I didn’t know anyone when I first came to Scotch, so it was important for me to get involved and meet others when I was starting out. I made myself go out and mingle and use the amazing facilities rather than hibernate in my room. Scotch staff were so warm and welcoming as well. Rachel, our House Manager, became like a second mum to me.”
Dion has now become a mentor to the students who are still adjusting to life in a communal environment away from home.
Reuben Wilton, from Holbrook in NSW, was one of those students who found the advice and guidance of Dion and his older housemates vital to his happy transition to living away from home.
“If I am having a bad day there are always mates that I can have a chat with, kick a footy, or have a game of tennis. Life is good because I am at Scotch,” says Reuben.
Dean of Boarding, Mr Tim Byrnes, emphasises that leadership goes hand in hand with being a boarder.
“As a senior boarder it is incumbent upon you to be accessible and approachable for the younger boys in their house,” says Mr Byrnes.
Dion sums up life as a Scotch boarder: “The Hill at Scotch College is an open, inclusive and accepting community that brings people from different backgrounds, geography and circumstances together to make the Scotch experience the best it can be.”
“Joining the Hill, I didn’t think too much about the people I would meet while here, but those relationships are something that I appreciate more now when I reflect on my time at the College. I have made life-long friends and connections that I will value always,” Dion concludes.
Dion completed his VCE and has been accepted into Melbourne University on a Melbourne University Chancellor’s Scholarship next year to study Arts/Law.
To learn more about Scotch College, visit: www.scotch.vic.edu.au
