By Crikey reporter, Jane Nethercote

Scotch College, Victoria’s oldest and some would say most
prestigious school, has suffered a major embarrassment after a physical
education teacher was forced to resign after making a racist (and sexist)
remark in the presence of an indigenous student.

Physical education teacher Simon Hood was explaining mnemonics to a
class of Year 11 students and suggested they have a go at thinking
up a memory aid for BBRWW. The students all offered suggestions, but when it came to his turn, Hood shocked the class
with his own off-the-cuff example: “Black b*stards rape willing women.”


Present in the group was Nathan Djerrkura (pictured, on left), a promising
footballer featured on the front page of the sport section of TheAgethis
week, and part of the school’s indigenous scholarship program.
Crikey understands he was upset by the reference, and word of the
incident quickly spread among parents and students. Hood agreed to
deliver what was, by all reports, a heartfelt apology to the class, but
was forced to resign when it became clear his position at the
school was untenable.

The school’s principal, Dr Gordon Donaldson, sent a letter to senior
school parents explaining the school’s response to the incident. But
when Crikey rang he would say only: “This is an internal issue for the
school. As such, no comment will be made.”

A Scotch insider says the teacher, who’d worked for close to a decade
at
Scotch, was “devastated” – by both his own remarks, which he regretted
as soon
as he’d
made them, and the school’s
decision to push him out the door. According to the insider, some at the
school feel the incident was swept under the carpet and could have been
handled in a more constructive, awareness raising, manner. Crikey was
unable to reach Hood for comment.

A Scotch parent who received the letter from Dr Donaldson said: “I’m
pleased with the way the incident was handled. The teacher’s behaviour
was unforgivable and I think Dr Donaldson has showed the whole school
community that racism and sexism won’t be tolerated.”

This incident couldn’t have come at a worse time for Scotch College, alma mater for Jeff Kennett, Peter Hollingsworth and a host of others. Today, it’s gearing up to play arch rival (and the city’s other establishment boys’ school) Melbourne Grammar in their annual
AFL match to commemorate the birth of footy in 1858.

This week, the 154-year-old school won some positive publicity for its indigenous scholarship program when
Cyril “Junior” Rioli
and Nathan Djerrkura were featured in The Age sport section. In the article,
principal Dr Donaldson recalled with fondness the time a Darwin team
played Scotch’s first 18. “These really talented, very
black boys
playing our firsts, and
the strange thing was that the school was supporting the visitors! The
thing that united the two cultures that were so far apart was
footy.”

The incident comes after prominent Melbourne-based AFL commentator Rex
Hunt was forced to apologise for describing an indigenous Collingwood
footballer, Leon Davis, as being “as black as a dog.” Mr Hunt
also claimed the comment was a slip up and he hadn’t meant any offence.