Sadly, many of our Old Sydneians have passed away in recent times, and the School sends condolences to friends and family. Here below are some prominent Old Boys whose obituaries could not be included for the 2022 Sydneian edition.
Ian Barry Mackay (OS 1950-1951) died on 4 December 2022
Ian grew up around Haberfield and went to Sydney Grammar School, excelling in cricket and rugby. After school, he attended Duntroon from 1952-1955 and his army career lasted twenty-six years. Selected as one of 17 founding members and an original Platoon Commander of the Australian SAS in 1957, he was stationed in Perth.
Ian played rugby for the army, and he also played for Randwick First Grade as fullback for a number of seasons. He was picked for the Wallabies on the 1957 tour but had to withdraw as hepatitis had struck him down. He was offered to trial for the Wallabies for the 1958 tour to New Zealand but was not released from SAS duties.
After marrying in 1961, he was posted in Malaya as an instructor at the British Jungle Warfare School in Jahore and undertook various covert tours to Vietnam on behalf of the British prior to the war. In 1967 Ian was involved in Operation Bribie, a major conflict against the North Vietcong with heavy casualties on both sides. Subsequently he wrote a book, Phantoms of Bribie, about his experiences in Vietnam and afterwards.
Ian moved to Canberra where he took command of 7RAR Battalion. In 1973 he was appointed Military Assistant to the Chief of General Staff and in 1978 he left the army as a Full Colonel. Ian then worked as Managing Director of the Wormald Security Group before moving to Sydney in 1979 and finishing at Honeywell.
After retiring, he loved listening to music, talking about politics and exercising. He would attend Grammar events and was enthused by the spirit of the School. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Robin, his two children, Kristiane and Hamish (OS 1989), and five grandchildren.
David Zalmon Baffsky AO (OS 1958) died on 4 December 2022
David grew up in Bondi and Watsons Bay, his parents being immigrants from Ukraine and Poland. He was educated at Sydney Grammar School (1954-1958), the first of three generations of boys, with son Daniel and grandsons Bo, Arky and Ziggy also attending. As a youngster, David participated in rugby, gymnastics, tennis, squash, drama, music and chess.
After College Street, he obtained a law degree at the University of Sydney and became the founding partner of Simons and Baffsky, a Sydney legal firm specialising in commercial and fiscal law. From the 1990s, he was an entrepreneur across a diversity of sectors, including property development, agriculture, aviation and most notably in the Australian and Asia Pacific hotel industry, as the inaugural Executive Chairman of Accor Asia Pacific.
David made a meaningful contribution to his community and his country. He was known for his generosity, particularly as a mentor, and he was deeply committed to creating opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. David understood the importance of philanthropy, supporting many causes, including medical research and Jewish welfare. He also dedicated himself to assisting the arts, music and sport.
In 2001, he was made an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia and in 2003 he received the Centenary Medal. The following year he was recognised as the Asia Pacific Hotelier of the Year and in 2012 he was awarded the Chevalier in the Order of National Légion d’Honneur of France.
David will be remembered as a dedicated family man and is survived by his wife Helen, two children and five grandchildren.
Maxwell Scott Raine (OS 1949) died on 22 February 2023
Max was born in 1931 and attended Sydney Grammar School from 1945-1949. Max rowed and played rugby and was Cadet Lieutenant in his final year. In 1950 aged 18, he joined the family business Raine & Horne as the third generation of his family, initially as a messenger boy, switchboard operator and rent collector, rising to become Chairman in 1973 until his 2011 retirement.
Max was an influential advocate and innovator in the real estate industry, pioneering the growth of suburban real estate offices in the 1960s starting at Double Bay, introducing franchising in the 1970s, and launching into commercial real estate in the 1980s. Under his guidance, Raine & Horne became a leading brand across Australia and then internationally by the early 1990s. Today over 3,500 people globally are part of the Raine & Horne Group, which sold $10 billion worth of real estate and managed over 120,000 properties worldwide in 2022 alone.
Max is survived by his wife Susan, children Rebecca, Julia, Georgina, and Angus (the current Executive Chairman of Raine & Horne Group), 14 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Other prominent Old Sydneians who have passed away recently:
Tony Adams (OS 1941)
Gary Baxter (OS 1952)
Anthony Cox (OS 1953)
Malcom George Smeal (OS 1954-5)
Robert Withycombe (OS 1955-6)
Warren Hurt (OS 1956)
John Brennan Keats OAM (OS 1956-57)
Tom Gregory (OS 1965)
Geoffrey Pike (OS 1968)
