John Wilmot Roberts - A Personal Appreciation by John Lang, Founding Chairman, SCECGS Redlands Ltd.

John Wilmot Roberts - R.A.N.V.R,

Trustee -- SCEGGS REDLANDS LIMITED

I was born on September 8, 1 918, in Mosman, N.S.W, married Margaret Mackenzie on April 3rd, 1948, and we had three Daughters, Margaret, Jennifer, and Penelope. Interestingly my wife Margaret was a past student of SCEGGS Darlinghurst, and our three Daughters were all past students of SCEGGS Redlands. I commenced my civilian Vocation in March 1935 with the Bank of N.S.W. (later known as the Westpac Bank) at age 16, and in February 26,1982 I retired after 47 years of service with the Bank. I served in a number of branches, and prior to my retirement, my H O assignment was as” Manager of Administration - of the Investment Division.

My qualifications were firstly as an Associate (A.A.S.A.) with the Australian Society of Accountants, and secondly as an Associate (A.I.C.S.) of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries. In my community life I spent a lot of time with the SCEGGS/ SCECGS Redlands School at Cremorne, as well as with the Vasey Housing Association of NSW. In particular with the School, I was involved with two factors – firstly because I shared a “Partnership of Trust” between Parents, Teachers, and the Children, and secondly – together with Mrs Isobel Humphrey (Redlands Head Mistress) as a P & F associate, and as a founding Director of the Vasey Housing Association – (A defence related Association similar to the War Widows Guild).

In the time at Redlands I served as the President and Secretary of the Parents and Committee, Company Secretary, Treasurer, and finally a TRUSTEE of the school. Of interest in the community I also served as President of the Mosman Historical Society.

I served in two segments of the services. I was initially with the 1918 Group or Army Service and Army Home Defence, as a “Universal Trainee”, active in the R.A.E. In 1941 I volunteered for the Royal Australian Navy but was deferred until March 1942, after which I served in the recruit programme and then transferred to the R.A.N.V.R. as a Sub Lieutenant rising to a First Lieutenant on H.M.A.S. YANDRA followed by H.M.A.S. BUNBURY escorting convoys in the ASIAN PACIFIC SEGMENT. I was transferred to Mine Sweeping duties in the New Guinea Waters north of Australia., and finally down to Bass strait, area of Australia.

In my role at Redlands I was extremely involved in unlocking the Dilemma (the insolvency), firstly with John Lang then the President of the P & C, and later then with Bruce Adams as we pursued the several road blocks of the Diocese subsidiary of SCEGGS COUNCIL, who apparently performing major Community Developments without permission of the Diocese becoming insolvent, apparently not having funds to place the SCEGGS Council back into solvency, or not wanting to : and then working with John Lang and Rodney Moore (of the P D Accounting Group) to develop possible solutions. We took out accounting steps that might help the Diocese, and the final choice chosen was the need of the Parent Group to purchase the school, which seemed suitable to the Parents, and appeared satisfactory to the Diocese Representatives.

Finally in 1975, with the parents offering to Purchase under a deferred payment settlement it was agreed that a new Parent company could and would purchase the school, and so the Legal parties were asked to negotiate the process, have it settled, and in place, prior to the end of the year, in order that the school would commence at the start of the new year in 1976. As it happened, these matters were finalised in the latter part of 1975, and the Redlands Parents were asked to take over the school, at the start of Term 4, in that year. Nobody could have been more pleased than myself, to see this achievement had occurred, and that Redlands was now secured, and I now looked forward to assisting the Redlands school in the future.

In Memoriam: John W Roberts.

Written with affection by John H A Lang OAM, J.P. KStJ, 6 June 2020.

Added to Biographies of the three Trustees who secured SCEGGS Redlands 1973 onwards. June 2020.