Gordon McLean

“The spirit of Yarra did something – it touched my soul.”

When Gordon McLean joined Yarra, he remembers rigorous school uniform rules.

The school cap had to be worn whenever students were outside the classroom and Gordon remembers having to wear the school shorts even on chilly winter days.

“I remember the school cap becoming quite ragged over time and the more ragged it was, the cooler you were!” he says.

“Socks had to be pulled up high and then headmaster, John Pascoe, chastised you if you walked around with your hands in your pockets. I’ve never walked with my hands in my pockets – that always stuck in my mind.”

Gordon joined Yarra as a 10-year-old in Grade 6 and was instantly impressed by the school’s sense of community and warmth.

“The school was small then – it is unrecognisable today – but the experiences I had at Yarra meant a lot to me. I remember the first reverend at the school taught some subjects and I went on a confirmation camp.”

“I wasn’t very good academically but my family played music and at lunchtime I’d play piano and friends and I formed a band and played at a Speech Night one year in front of hundreds of people.”

Gordon didn’t start university immediately after leaving Yarra. Interested in exploring spirituality, he spent some time in India and then took on a series of jobs, including working as a roadie for a band and travelling around Australia.

After surviving a serious road accident, Gordon felt a strong vocational calling and discovered Sukyo Mahikari – a non-denominational spiritual organisation based in Japan and focused on peace and prosperity for all.
His involvement saw Gordon move to Japan and live there for four years.

“That experience enriched my life and has given me direction. Many times, we try and solve a lot of problems of humankind – health, politics and religion – downstream without looking at the actual cause.

“We have a headache and take a painkiller, but what causes that pain is still there. The painkiller simply disguises the symptoms. I think practising gratitude, humility and acceptance are very powerful and if you embrace these, you will have a positive and productive life,” says Gordon.

Gordon continues also to be inspired by the school motto that he still quickly recalls.

“I never forgot the motto because we had to repeat it every day but it connected with me and encouraged me to imagine lifting up my eyes to nobler inspirations.”