Andrew Scott

Born in Leith, Scotland in 1851, Andrew Scott arrived in the colony of South Australia at a young age and was educated at St. Peter’s College.  He taught there for a year, then taught for five years at Prince Alfred College.  Having obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Melbourne University, Scott was appointed Assistant Master of the Training College in Grote Street in June 1880.  He stayed in this role for 8.5 years before returning to Prince Alfred College to teach for three years.  In 1892, Scott entered the Education Department as Instructor of Pupil Teachers[1]. 

When Lewis George Madley resigned as Principal of the Training College in 1897 to take the role of Police Commissioner, Andrew Scott was placed in charge of the Training College (in addition to his work for the Education Department).  During his tenure as Principal from 1897-1907, Scott lectured in classical languages such as Latin and Greek.  He defended himself from critics who questioned the practical utility of these languages, arguing that an understanding of English was greatly increased by studying the original sources from which many English words are derived.[2]

Andrew Scott believed that teachers should be both cultured and well-learned, valuing students who engaged in honest hard work and strove for high ideals.  “The aim of a University Training College, it seems to me,” he wrote in 1906 “is not to turn out mere teachers by asking what subjects they have to teach, and then steering a straight course for these alone.  The true aim should be to develop true men and women of keen intelligence, real independence, genuine enthusiasm, culture and refinement, who may be able not only to teach the younger generation so much of elementary school work, but also to profoundly affect their lives and characters.”[3]  Scott himself was such a hard worker that he suffered a nervous breakdown in 1902 and took a leave of absence to recover in England.  He was a close friend of John Anderson Hartley who was appointed to the Central Board of Education in colonial South Australia in 1871, and was a founder of the University of Adelaide (later serving as vice-chancellor in 1893-1896).[4]

Outside of work Andrew Scott was an enthusiastic amateur photographer and a prominent member of the South Australian Photographic Society.  His specialty was copying and preparing lantern slides for lectures and educational purposes.[5]  In 1874, Scott was one of South Australia’s best cricketers and was part of the local team that met the English Eleven.  Scott earned notoriety for bowling W. G. Grace with his second delivery to the famous batsman[6].  He was also a capable musician and played organ at the Kent Town Methodist Church. 

Mr Scott suddenly passed away on 8 October 1907.  Reportedly in otherwise good health, he was “seized with an affectation of the heart”.[7]  Scott’s wife had died nine years prior.  He was survived by one son, Douglas Scott.  A tribute to Andrew Scott was made in the Education Gazette by one of his colleagues and former students: "Whatever success I have attained as a teacher I attribute more to the personal influence of Mr. Scott than to any other agency. He was a living inspiration, and it was he that taught me what a teacher should be, giving me insight into the child mind. The work of this good man will endure long after generations of teachers have passed away.”[8]

The Andrew Scott Prize for Latin is named in his honour, acknowledging Scott’s dedication to the teaching of Latin throughout his career.[9]  The original sum of £105 was subscribed and endowed to the University of Adelaide, providing for an annual prize to be awarded to the student achieving the highest mark in Latin.[10]

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