Tintern Grammar Alumni (TGA)

A TGA Update: Making Progress

During such a challenging time for the entire Tintern Grammar community – it’s been heartening to see students, staff, families and indeed – alumni, rise to the occasion with optimism and innovation.  Never has the statement “tis by deeds” rung truer, and the TGA Committee wishes to acknowledge all those in the community who have been impacted by the pandemic in a variety of ways as we all play our part to get things back on track.

Particularly, a special acknowledgment to our alumni who are on the frontline of this response, using their expertise to help give care to those who need it, or developing tools and mechanisms to overcome the obstacles and challenges the pandemic puts in front of us – we’re very proud of you all.

And that includes teachers, administrators and providers of care to our students, too.

For the TGA Committee – the pandemic may have scuttled some of our early plans to formally launch the Tintern Grammar Alumni in collaboration with you all, however – our work establishing TGA continues.  Since we last spoke, we have formalised our Mission and Vision statements, important foundational components of any new association.

Vision Statement:

We believe in a Tintern Grammar Alumni where deeds speak louder than words – a community that is forward-thinking, inclusive, diverse and connected. We want Tintern Grammar Alumni to be a movement of people where each member is valued and supported to pursue their passions, ambition and interests, empowering us all to give back and help others do the same.

Mission Statement:

Gratitude and pride underpin all that we, the Tintern Grammar Alumni, hope to achieve. Tintern Grammar Alumni is committed to facilitating opportunities and nurturing a sense of belonging. Through our events and communications, we will create inclusive spaces which connect like-minded people; helping them explore ideas, themselves, and the world around them. By building on our strong foundations and values, our mission is to shine a spotlight on what is important to you, so that we may continue to grow and learn together.

So, what do you think? The ownership of TGA is not designated to one person – but to all Tintern Grammar alumni, so we’d like to hear your feedback on the above.  You can email us at alumni@tintern.vic.edu.au and I’ll be sure to respond.  We’re taking feedback until the end Monday 24th of August, and look forward to hearing from you.

So what’s next for TGA?

Well, right now – we’re finalising our foundational strategy, which in light of the pandemic, has evolved and changed. I’m pleased to let you all know that a draft was presented to Brad Fry and other  members of Tintern Grammar recently to ensure we maintain good dialogue with the school and we look forward to consulting our friends at TOGA and SOBA, too.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be launching our presence on Facebook and a new webpage and we’ll be doing so with a very special campaign to launch TGA with you all.

This will be followed by a launch event (online) with a number of other projects in the pipeline to round out the year – projects to both engage and support our existing student cohort, as well as a diverse range of alumni.

In all of this, is you, our alumni.  We’re always looking for more alumni to join our cohort in official and unofficial capacities. And we’re always open to feedback and ideas – a diverse representation of ideas, people and projects is at the heart of the association we’re building.  If you’d like to reach out to discuss this more, email me at alumni@tintern.vic.edu.au

Stay safe and stay well.

Alan White,
President, Tintern Grammar Alumni

P.S – Did you see Tintern’s recent ‘Every Gift Counts’ campaign – to support the Bursary Fund to directly help current families who are experiencing financial hardship paying school fees?  A part of the TGA we wish to create is one which as alumni, gives back to its community. That’s why we’re please to let you all know that the TGA committee members recently pooled together some donations of their own, to donate $250 to the Fund, in solidarity with the Tintern community.