New inductees to the Gallery of Achievement
The Trinity Grammar School, Kew Gallery of Achievement was established to acknowledge the achievements of our Old Trinity Grammarians in their individual pursuits after finishing their schooling.
It is a special honour to be inducted into the Gallery of Achievement and a celebration from the school of the success of our past students.
The Gallery of Achievement recognises the accomplishments of individuals, provides role models for current and future students of Trinity and their families, fosters a sense of continuity and connection within the Trinity community, and builds respect for difference and achievement.
Our Gallery of Achievement includes members from the fields of academia, business, law, the arts, defence services, sport and medicine, amongst others.
The Gallery hangs in the corridors of the Peter Crawley Centre for the Arts in Charles Street, Kew, and provides a wonderful opportunity for our students and visitors to the school to celebrate the achievements of the members.
Congratulations to the following members of the Old Trinity Grammarian community who on 4 October were inducted into the Trinity Grammar School Gallery of Achievement.
Dr David Alexander (OTG 1960) 
ART HISTORIAN
Tell us about your experiences as a Trinity student and how they have shaped who you are today.
Trinity was formative and I would not be the man I am today if I had not been there as a boy.
During your life and career, what have been your proudest moments?
I don’t really like the word “pride” and think more in terms of moments that have made me happy, pleased and satisfied. These came with seeing my children grow into moral, happy, hard-working and productive individuals. Satisfaction also came with finishing a book, a painting or completing a drystone wall.
Who are the people that inspire you?
Inspired is a thought provoker. I don’t know about being inspired but there have been lots of people in my life who were inspirational in the wider sense of the word.
These are people who have nothing in common in profession, ethnicity, religion or political stance except that they radiated a strong moral force. They include an old friend recently deceased Jackie Charles who struggled through terrible adversity to become a prominent Aboriginal elder. The politician Jim Cairns who had an acute sense of social justice, but who stumbled, and at the end sat in the cold selling his book outside a local market. The late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, a truly humble man who strove for understanding and justice between people of different religions. Finally, a wonderful man Saul Same, a family friend, kind, gentle and firm and who was once presented by Bob Hawke to Queen Elizabeth as “the most honourable man in Australia”. Formative influence at school was Miss Owen who taught Divinity and turned my sense of wonder about the World into something mysteriously intangible. I must add to the top of the list my parents and especially my best friend and wife Dorothy.
What does it mean to you to be inducted into the Gallery of Achievement?
I was surprised and pleased to have been nominated to the Gallery of Achievement. It is an honour.
Professor Russell Gruen (OTG 1985) 
SURGEON & HEALTH LEADER
Dean, College of Health and Medicine
The Australian National University
Tell us about your experiences as a Trinity student and how they have shaped who you are today.
I really feel I flourished at Trinity, throwing myself into academic work, particularly extracurricular science activities, as well as sport, music and outdoor education. I wasn’t good at them all, and I enjoyed being part of the teams, however I set ambitious personal goals and had more than my share of successes. Importantly, I learnt to take risks, step off the straight and narrow and explore things that interested me, and discovered that it probably wouldn’t usually be career-limiting to do so.
Emboldened, it shaped subsequent choices I’ve made, resulting in a rich multicolored tapestry of a life with many unusual steps: for example, being interested as a student in the ‘messier’ sciences of public health and advocacy when more of my colleagues chose to be in the lab; interrupting my surgery training at St Vincent’s to go live in a remote Aboriginal community; and resigning at the peak of my career as a trauma surgeon in Melbourne to be part of building a new medical school and setting up an institute for health technologies in Singapore.
At Trinity I formed strong enduring friendships that, 37 years later, still nourish me. And while I have the broader staff group to thank for equipping me with knowledge and skills, giving me opportunities to succeed and celebrating my successes, there were a few key staff who didn’t just believe in my potential but also took action to ensure it could be fully realised, who didn’t just celebrate my successes but who was there for me when I faced what seemed like insurmountable personal challenges on the way, and who embodied the combination of knowledge, critical thinking, empathy, generosity, and community-mindedness that is so rare in any one individual but which is desperately needed if humanity is to survive and thrive.
During your life and career, what have been your proudest moments?
This is a difficult question. Pride is not a prominent emotion for me. I think it comes with focusing a lot on the present moment and the future, and often having moved into the next thing.
But highlights have been being school captain in 1985, getting married to Theresa, and seeing our sons grow into capable, responsible young men.
What motivates you?
My three core values – being the best I can be, being authentic, and being loving – and a strong sense of responsibility to have a positive influence on the world.
Who are the people that inspire you?
Those at my table! – my parents, Sir Gustav Nossal, Prof Bruce Barraclough, Prof Michael Kidd, Rick and Liz Tudor, Barbara Ring. Also while at TGS many of my friends, Chris Howell, Rob Rigato, Martin Harris, Gaston Cote.
In the world: Barak Obama, JFK, Nelson Mandela, Thich Nhat Han,
Health: the late Prof Ian O’Rourke (my PhD supervisor), the late Paul Farmer (Harvard Global Health).
My current boss: Prof Brian Schmidt, Nobel Laureate and Vice-Chancellor of ANU
Tell us about your connection to Trinity and the OTG community. What sort of impact has it had on your life?
I am still closely connected to a dozen blokes from school who I trust as my closest friends and confidants. We catch up several times a year, have a daily-active WhatsApp group, I play music with them, have employed them and worked for them, consulted with them, and I trust them with my life, my kids, my deepest concerns and fears. It’s hard to describe them as anything other than an extension of myself, the loss of any of whom would be loss of a part of me.
What does it mean to you to be inducted into the Trinity Gallery of Achievement?
Being in the education business, I share the hopes and dreams of educators and all those committed to developing people, helping them to flourish and reach their full potential, and through them the advancement of knowledge “as social memory, a connection with the past, and social hope, an investment in the future.” (Louis Menand)
Recognition of such merit by my alma mater, that guided me through my formative years, feels to me more than a recognition of achievement, as most awards are – it feels like recognition of fulfilment of the hopes and dreams that the school community had for me four decades ago. That is far more meaningful. Thank you.
David Mackay (OTG 2006) 
AFL FOOTBALLER
Played 248 games for Adelaide Football Club
During your life and career, what have been your proudest moments?
There are so many moments throughout my life and professional career that have made me very proud. Nothing makes me prouder than my family. In a sporting sense, upon retirement I was most proud of the fact that I knew I had committed myself to being the best I could be, and the great resilience and deep sense of gratitude I developed along the way.
What motivates you?
I am driven to have a positive impact on others in whatever endeavour I am pursuing. Driven also to be a trustworthy, reliable and a team-first focused person.
Who are the people that inspire you?
My family inspire me every day. As a footballer, I always looked to my peers and coaches for inspiration; to keep striving to be better and to deliver on what the team needed from me on game day. Since finishing my playing career, I have transitioned into coaching and I love seeing the development and achievements of the players I work with. To see that you can make a positive impact on others’ journey provides me with constant inspiration.
Tell us about your connection to Trinity and the OTG community. What sort of impact has it had on your life?
I will always feel a part of the Trinity community which I’m incredibly grateful for. My time at Trinity provided me with so many opportunities to learn, grow and thrive in an environment that was supportive and inclusive. The lessons and experiences provided me with a wholistic education that has shaped the person I am now and the values I wish to instil in my own kids. Through Trinity, I have met so many wonderful people who’ve had a profound impact on my life and continue to do so in both a personal and professional sense.
What does it mean to you to be inducted into the Trinity Gallery of Achievement?
It is incredibly special for myself and my family. My parents made great sacrifices to provide me with the opportunity to go to Trinity Grammar and for this I’ll be forever grateful. To be inducted alongside such esteemed company is truly an honour. Thank you to the School and the School Council for the nomination.
Dr Patrick Maclean (OTG 2013) 
SCHOLAR
2020 Rhodes Scholar
Tell us about your experiences as a Trinity student and how they have shaped who you are today.
I had a fantastic eight years at Trinity and feel lucky to have had such a positive time at school. Many teachers at Trinity, including Simon Le Plastrier, John Cavanagh, Genevieve Dillon, Brad Rundle, Rick Tudor and many others, nurtured my interests and challenged me to think beyond them to the wider world. The goal of any school like Trinity should be to foster excellence without entitlement or elitism, and I try my best to live up to that in my work.
During your life and career, what have been your proudest moments?
I was proud to be a junior doctor on the COVID-19 unit during the first major outbreak in Victoria in 2020. At that time there was incomparable pressure on the health system to find new ways to look after our patients and their families. There were certainly some missteps along the way, but I was very proud to have played a small part in the hospital team during that early period.
What motivates you?
I’m motivated by curiosity and a desire to fit together ideas from different fields. I’m very happy to now be doing a PhD in Oxford, where I’m learning to combine structured scientific thinking with my clinical training.
Who are the people that inspire you?
I’m an able-bodied, healthy person from a loving family, and most of what I’ve achieved is substantially a result of that lucky start. I am always inspired by seeing people who haven’t had the same luck fulfilling their aspirations and ambitions. In Melbourne I’m inspired by Rick and Liz Tudor’s MITS program, which is trying to repair some of the harm done to Indigenous people by opening up the resources available at places like Trinity.
Tell us about your connection to Trinity and the OTG community. What sort of impact has it had on your life?
My main involvement since leaving school has been through the Trinity kayaking program. I had a great time doing the Murray River marathon each year at school, where I and my family made friends for life. Since moving to the UK in 2020 I haven’t been formally involved with the OTG community, but when I’m home I always love getting back in a kayak on the Yarra and catching up with old friends.
What does it mean to you to be inducted into the Trinity Gallery of Achievement?
It’s a great honour to be inducted – I feel like my career is still just beginning and I’m a long way from paying back the investments others have made in me. I’m sorry not to be in Melbourne for the ceremony, but I look forward to coming back to Trinity when I’m next in town.
Peter Rowsthorn (OTG 1980) 
ACTOR AND COMEDIAN
Australian Film and Television
Tell us about your experiences as a Trinity student and how they have shaped who you are today.
I wasn’t a particularly academic kid. That said, Trinity definitely was a part of developing my self-belief, which is something that you need to survive in “Showbiz”. Whether that was through sport, the emerging drama program which started to take shape in the late 70s, friendships made and the many great teachers and educators. Very early on had set my sights on performing arts. I was a little hesitant to admit it, so I told everyone I was going to teach (acting wasn’t a “real job”). I ended up getting a B.Ed in Drama but never taught.
During your life and career, what have been your proudest moments?
I’ve been blessed to do something I truly love for my whole career. 40 years of employment in my game is not easy. What makes me proudest is that I created a beautiful work-life balance where my family were not sacrificed for career or monetary gain.
What motivates you?
I’m driven by family and staying in the game.
What does it mean to you to be inducted into the Gallery of Achievement?
I’m totally shocked and truly honoured to have been inducted. As I said my memories of Trinity are fond. I rang Andrew Craig, 1980 School Captain, and told him, and I think he’s still laughing.
Justice Andrew Tinney (OTG 1976) 
JUDGE
Supreme Court of Victoria
During your life and career, what have been your proudest moments?
The birth of my two daughters, and seeing them grow into such wonderful young women, has been a continual source of pride to me. Being appointed as a Crown Prosecutor in 2006 on the same day as my brother Michael was also appointed, in circumstances where our father was also a Crown Prosecutor, was a proud occasion. Being appointed as Senior Counsel in 2009 and then as a judge of the Supreme Court in 2018 were proud moments in my professional career. I was welcomed at a ceremonial occasion in the Supreme Court attended by both of my parents and my three brothers. I was very pleased that my parents lived to see the occasion. On a different note, after so many years of abject failure, I was very proud of the achievements of the Melbourne Football Club in 2021. I never thought I would see them win a Premiership!
What motivates you?
I am motivated by being fortunate enough to have been able to do a series of jobs, first as a private barrister, then as a Crown Prosecutor, and now as a judge, which I have genuinely loved. In each job, I have been very motivated by the realisation that what I am doing is important and can make a difference to people. I have therefore been motivated to do those jobs as well as I have been able. As for my life outside work, I just like to have fun, and am motivated by that.
Who are the people who inspire you?
My parents, my children, and my wife.
Tell us about your connection to Trinity and the OTG community. What sort of impact has it had on your life?
I have remained in contact with a number of my old school friends, many of them from my time in the Junior School at Trinity. I have played sport and have had social connections with a number of these old friends. I have also in more recent years had an interest in the Old Trinity Football Club as a result of two of my nephews playing for the club. I have always followed news of the school with interest, and have enjoyed reading about the exploits of Old Boys in athletics and other fields. Now, I am playing with a bowls team made up of Old Trinity Grammarians. I am seeing these people now, in some cases many years after I last saw them, as we are all at or nearing the end of our working lives. The ongoing connection with the school has been an important part of my life.
What does it mean to be inducted into the Trinity Gallery of Achievement?
Whilst I do not necessarily see myself as having achieved anything too special compared with many of those who have received this honour, and whilst I feel that all I actually did was do my various jobs as well as I could, and to a reasonable level, this is a proud event for me. It is a great honour to be inducted into the Gallery. One of the quirks of the Gallery is that very few Old Boys have become judges. I do not know why this is, but I am very pleased to be one of them, along with my brother Mike, my old friend David Beach, and his brother Jonathan.