OLD KNOX GRAMMARIANSOKGA Most Improved AwardsAbove: Year 12 recipients of the Most Improved Award included Nicholas Lamberton, Stuart Neal, MartinAllen, Matthew Galbraith and Edward Shaw; they are pictured with Edward Bangs OKG05 (left)and Robert Tulloch OKG75Below: Summer sport Most Improved Award recipientsSenior <strong>Knox</strong>oniansThe Senior <strong>Knox</strong>onians held a most successfulluncheon on 16 March 2011 at the <strong>School</strong>.The guest speaker was Mark Hemphill, Headof the <strong>Knox</strong> Preparatory <strong>School</strong>, who sharedwith us some of his past experiences and hisaspirations for the future developments ineducation at the Prep <strong>School</strong>.Mark emphasised the excellent facilitiesalready existing at the <strong>Knox</strong> Preparatory<strong>School</strong> and how they were endeavouring tofurther improve them and to assist in thedevelopment of young people with a wellroundededucation with the objective ofimparting the ideals of faith, wisdom, integrityand compassion into young people.A vote of thanks was proposed by MarsdenHordern OKG39 who had commenced hisschooling at <strong>Knox</strong> in 1929 in the then newlyacquired Ewan House.Edric Chaffer OKG50President, Senior <strong>Knox</strong>oniansThe Thistle / June 2011 | 28
From the Opera House to the WorldMathisha Panagoda OKG04 attended <strong>Knox</strong>from Years 7-12 on a Jubilee Music Scholarship.Since leaving <strong>Knox</strong> Mathisha has completeda Bachelor of Music (Honours) at the SydneyConservatorium of Music and is in the finalyear of a Juris Doctor degree in Law at SydneyUniversity. During his time at <strong>Knox</strong> he was amember of the <strong>Knox</strong> Symphony Orchestra,KAYO and Symphonic Wind Ensembletravelling on two international tours under thedirection of Brian Buggy.Mathisha began playing the cello aged four andhas been playing in orchestras from a youngage including the Sydney Youth Orchestra andSBS Television and Radio Youth Orchestrafor five years, touring Europe and Asia withthem. After graduating from <strong>Knox</strong>, Mathishaperformed for six years with the AustralianYouth Orchestra with whom he participatedon two world tours. Having spent much timeoverseas, Mathisha was one of four Australiansto perform at the Pacific Music Festival inJapan and was selected as the only Australianmember of the newly formed AldeburghStrings, a small chamber orchestra basedin Suffolk, UK, comprised of 24 musiciansselected from around the world.Mathisha held a Symphony Australia NationalFellowship in 2010 and since 2007 has workedwith the Queensland, Melbourne, Adelaide andTasmanian Symphony Orchestras as well asthe Sydney Sinfonia.During his time at The Con, Mathisha wasawarded numerous scholarships and awardsincluding the BBM Ltd Scholarship to undertakestudies in London and an arts grant from theUniversity of Sydney Union which he used toestablish his own orchestra, Sydney Camerata.From almost 3000 applicants around the world,Mathisha was selected as a winner in the 2011YouTube Symphony Orchestra. In doing so heuploaded an audition video onto YouTube, passedthe first round judged by an international panelof leading orchestral musicians from the LondonSymphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic andSydney Symphony. The second round was thenopen for public vote with winners announcedin early January. The orchestra is comprised of101 musicians representing 30 countries andMathisha is one of four Australians and the onlymusician selected from Sydney. Qantas flew theorchestra to Sydney to meet, rehearse and giveperformances culminating in a Grand FinaleConcert at the Sydney Opera House on20 March 2011 under the direction of renownedAmerican conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. Thisconcert was streamed live around the world onYouTube to an estimated audience of around 25million people. You can follow Mathisha’s journeywith the YouTube Symphony on the orchestra’swebsite and his YouTube Channel.From <strong>Knox</strong> to OxfordIt is a very audacious thing to even applyfor a Rhodes Scholarship and, in truth, Inever thought that my application would besuccessful. That it was, has led me to reflectupon the truly excellent education I receivedfrom my teachers at <strong>Knox</strong> and the AustralianNational University. This success belongs asmuch to them, as it does to me.At <strong>Knox</strong> I was taught to think for myself,which is probably the greatest gift anyschool can impart to its students. Also,through the patience of the sports masters,and particularly Mr Stringer’s rather sterntutelage during what was then called ‘SeniorWeights and Training,’ I managed to makeenough of my meagre athletic gifts to becomea passable and enthusiastic endurance runnerand triathlete at University.My undergraduate studies at ANU were inpolitical science, focusing upon AustralianIndigenous affairs. This focus was motivated bythe experience of regularly visiting the remotecommunity of Doomadgee, in the Gulf ofCarpentaria. For this incredible opportunity,I remain immensely grateful to my generousfriends in Doomadgee.At ANU I was lucky to encounter a numberof inspiring academic mentors, includingDr William Sanders OKG74. The summerscholarship I spent under Will’s supervision,at ANU’s Centre for Aboriginal EconomicPolicy Research, was critical in my decisionto write my Honours thesis on Indigenouspublic policy. Only later, when Will washelping me with scholarship applications, didwe realise that we had both attended <strong>Knox</strong>.After Honours, I was encouraged to pursueoverseas study as an opportunity to gainfresh and international perspectives on theissues I had studied in Australia. The RhodesScholarship has given me this opportunity.I am very excited to be going to Oxfordin October to study an MPhil (Politics) inComparative Government. I am also humbledand deeply honoured to join the communityof Rhodes Scholars.Michael Jones OKG04The Thistle / June 2011 | 29
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