Lex Gow, class of 84: Tenacity and belief
From borderline high school drop-out to corporate high-flyer, Lex Gow’s transformation is a story of faith and tenacity. Today he is an executive director at Macquarie Bank, running a desk specialising in currencies and interest rates. But in Year 10 he was on the verge of an inglorious exit from Trinity after finishing 129th out of 133 students in the School Certificate. Two things changed Lex Gow’s life around.
The first was the intervention of an economics Trinity teacher, Ian Moore, who spotted in him the kernel of something that deserved a second chance. The second was a chance meeting with an old boyhood friend who had left school early to become a mechanic.
“He said to me, ‘Lex, whatever you do, do your study. You don’t want to become what I’ve become. I’m under the sump plug in the middle of winter, I’ve ripped the skin off my fingers, I’ve got oil coming down, it’s horrendous. Try your best. You don’t want to be where I am’.”
The young Lex did not to be told twice; the episode changed him overnight, and he started applying himself. He completed the HSC with marks that gained him entry into commerce / law at UNSW, and he never looked back. Of the 14 students in Mr. Moore’s economics class of ’84, he was one of 10 to achieve 95 or more, excelling with 147 / 150 in 3 unit economics.
One of the biggest advantages for him about Trinity was its location-driven demographics.
“For me it was a melting pot. You’ll get people from the west, east, north and south. I was fortunate enough to meet people from all over and be influenced by people from different socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds. It all goes into your makeup later on and how you come out as a person.”
