Illuminare Edition #3 2023

Edition #3, 2023

College SONG

Let us sing out, let it ring out, llluminare Hand in hand now we will stand now

Et Ardere

As our light burning bright turns our courage to flame United our hearts will remain. United our hearts will remain.

Aquinas has joined us as one Our dreams and our hearts are but young The years stretch before us with promise unsung And we face them together as one.

Let us sing out, let it ring out, llluminare Hand in hand now we will stand now

Et Ardere

As our light burning bright turns our courage to flame United our hearts will remain. United our hearts will remain.

As we grow and we pass through the years And we learn from the joys and the tears From people we've loved and from challenges met Oh, may we never forget.

Let us sing out, let it ring out, llluminare Hand in hand now we will stand now

Et Ardere

As our light burning bright turns our courage to flame United our hearts will remain. United our hearts will remain.

As we follow the Lord's leading way Standing strong as the years fall away The light of His glory will make us all one The new day has only begun.

Let us sing out, let it ring out, llluminare Hand in hand now we will stand now

Et Ardere

As our light burning bright turns our courage to flame United our hearts will remain. United our hearts will remain.

College SONG

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

Aquinas College acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live, work and travel upon and pay our respects to the Elders, both past and present. We recognise, acknowledge and respect the history, culture, diversity and value of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

F rom the PRINCIPAL

I write having recently returned from enrichment leave and a pilgrimage to the Holy Land organised by the Principals Association of Victoria. A pilgrimage is different to other forms of travel in both intention and form, but with the same amazing experiences and companionship that creates lasting memories.The real privilege of being a pilgrim is time - time to contemplate and think more deeply about the messages that one has heard countless times since childhood. As a Christian pilgrim you hear familiar words, but you do so differently as you can also see the landscape, smell (the pleasant and unpleasant) odours and stand solidly on the same ground as the first Christians. It is an immersive and unforgettable experience, made all the more visceral when coupled with a severe bout of food poisoning!

We visited the Church of the Beatitudes which sits on beautiful grounds above the picturesque Sea of Galilee and is a popular destination for pilgrims to the Holy Land. You will likely be familiar with the Beatitudes, which are found in both the gospels of Matthew and Luke, as Jesus addresses the crowd. Those gathered probably expected to hear proclamations of law, as handed down to the People of Israel by Moses after he received the commandments. Yet, instead we hear insights into Jesus’ humanity and his care for the marginalised, downtrodden and unrepresented in society as he described the groups he considered “blessed”. This would not have been easy listening to many as Jesus described a society tipped on its head in which the “last will be first”. Christians would say that Jesus is describing a recipe for a happy and fulfilling life and some scholars describe this Sermon on the Mount as the “gospel within the gospel”.

Of those that Jesus deemed blessed, it is his reference to the “meek” that I have often found perplexing. Today, when we hear this word, it is usually in reference to someone who is overly submissive or compliant and easily imposed upon by others. Some would hear “meek” and equate it with “weak”. I put this to our Franciscan spiritual guide who, as those knowledgeable in Scripture often do, referred me back to the Greek from which the gospel was translated and the original word praeis. This term related to powerful animals, such as the horses used by armies, who were trained to remain steady when under attack. It became a reference used to describe the most noble soldiers themselves who, knowing that they had the resources, skill and power, also had the self-discipline and restraint to keep their sword in its scabbard unless absolutely necessary. With this insight, it makes sense that Jesus wanted those who exercise power to do so for the benefit of others, rather than themselves, especially amidst geopolitical turmoil under occupation. Of course, the tension in this region remains even today, but there would be examples of abuse of power closer to home that I am confident will come to your mind also.

A focus in this edition of Illuminare is our recent Years of Service Dinner where our College Advisory Council acknowledged and thanked a number of long serving staff members. These people play an important role in sharing the stories that become the tradition upon which successful school cultures are built. While we display the “Spirit of Aquinas” proudly around the College, our values are often shared more through deeds and words and the kindness we show each other. We are also including some “where are they now” updates on members of our alumni and it is always a joy to see examples of our alumni flourishing and making a difference in the lives of others. Thanks especially to those who are coordinating reunion events to help maintain connections - I trust that the memories are fond ones.

Many will be aware by now that my tenure at Aquinas College comes to an end this year. I will speak more about my privilege of leading this amazing school over the last decade in the next edition and, hopefully, introduce my successor.

Darren Atkinson Principal

Spirit of AQUINAS

JOURNEYS

Journey is a term that has become more than simply changing location. It is about life experiences, emotions, courage and faith. Sometimes it can seem overused or judged as blas'e when the term is connected to a particular event or reality TV. Then again - who are we to judge - we did not experience such events from their perspective.

There are many famous journeys that people choose to take. One such journey is the Camino de Santiago which is a major Christian pilgrimage walked or cycled by thousands. There are different routes for the Camino however all end at the same place - the tomb of St James. For people taking this journey there are many joys, beauty and kinship discovered and there are many challenges such as early mornings, blisters, weather, finding shelter and in the case of a friend currently walking the Camino, a broken wrist after a fall. But in the words of Frank Sinatra “That’s Life”.

Every one of our Alumni are on life journeys; for some, you have gained experience and knowledge across the years, while for others your journey is just beginning. We know that there will always be good and bad times - however, in our lives, knowing there is support from people like our Aquinas community and the unconditional love of God can give us strength.

Jesus did not have an easy life journey as an adult, especially in his final days. When he tells his disciples that he has to leave them so that he can prepare a place for them, they are confused, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” His reply, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus encourages us to follow him, to not stand back and take the easy option but to challenge ourselves to be the best we can be, to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, look after the sick. In preparing for this edition I have read many LinkedIn posts of alumni - seeing your journeys, seeing you speak up for Indigenous Australians, donating blood, growing a moustache for charity and so much more. Aquinas College students are following their hearts -

So…. where are you now?

Tania Grace Assistant Principal - Mission

As we follow the Lord’s leading way Standing strong as the years fall away The light of His glory will make us all one The new day has only begun.

“ “

Dancing Up a

STORM

LEE SERLE | GRADUATE 1999

Lee Serle is a choreographer and performer creating dances for the stage, site-specific, interactive and participatory performance, Installations, and intimate solo dances.

Commissioned to create new works for the Lyon Opera Ballet, Sydney Dance Company, Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, Lucy Guerin Inc., Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), Dancenorth, and the Victorian College of the Arts, his work has been showcased to an International audience in USA, France, Lebanon, Colombia and Australia.

Lee is a Rolex Arts Fellow (2010), Australia Council for the Arts, Creative Australia Fellow (2012), an artist in residence at ACCA, (2014) and at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASSMoCA, 2017). He has been a nominee for several Greenroom and Australian Dance Awards both as a performer, and for his choreographic work.

As a sought after performer Lee has collaborated with Trisha Brown Dance Company, Tere O’Connor, Lucy Guerin, Chunky Move (Gideon Obarzanek), Shelley Lasica, Antony Hamilton, Stephanie Lake, Byron Perry, and Colombian visual artist Mateo López.

Lee has also choreographed and movement directed for Kanye West’s ‘Wolves’ music video & Balmain fashion campaign, Equinox ‘Commitment Campaign’, Vera Wang, King Kong Magazine, BONDS, and Fox television series ‘Empire’.

Image: Time Portrait (2022) by Lee Serle –

photo by

by Gregory Lorenzutti

Image: Dean Francis

Image: Igor Sapina

Image: Reed Hutchinson

Image: Ben McKeown

Where are you NOW?

Illuminare is about connecting our Aquinas Family. Together, students and staff, both old and new, make up the Aquinas community no matter what we are doing or where in the world we are living. As the College song reminds us, “United our hearts will remain”.

So, like any family, we want to hear how other members are doing; both the “joys and the tears”.

As Editors, it can be difficult to hear from people or chase down alumni whose contact details have changed since moving on from Aquinas. So we went onto Linked In and started searching for people who said they studied at Aquinas College Ringwood, and asked if they were happy for us to use their information from LinkedIn in our magazine. The results have been fantastic. Here are some of the responses from Alumni.

Alexande r Norrish

Alexander completed a double degree with a BA in Film/Cinema/Video studies and a BA in Law at Monash University. He then completed a Grad Dip in Legal Practice which included the Advanced Advocacy Program. Over the years, Alexander worked as an Indigenous tutor at Aquinas and has also freelanced as a Graphic designer. He has also volunteered at various legal groups/ organisations, helping others. Since finishing his university studies, Alexander has worked his way up from a research assistant at Monash Law - to a soliciter assisting the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants - to now being an associate at Senet. In the words of his current employers, "Senet is proud to announce the promotion of Alexander Norrish to Associate. Alex’s promotion is in recognition that his capabilities, including the quality of his legal analysis and his commitment to excellent client service far exceed his years of experience. He is a dynamic lawyer with the ability to work across different sectors of the gambling industry and has quickly become a trusted contact for a number of clients. He is an excellent contributor to the team which is reflected in consistently positive feedback."

H ummel

Initially Alisha completed one year of a Bachelor in Business at Latrobe University before transferring to Deakin to complete a double Bachelor degrees in Criminology and also in Information & Technology.

Alisha is an Associate Director - Cyber Security specialist in KPMG’s Management Consulting Practice based in Melbourne, Australia. Her role involves assisting clients in their journey to effectively safeguard against cyber-crime. KPMG Australia recognised Alisha as one of the women in technology who are cracking the code towards innovation for a gender equal future. Last International Womens Day, she participated in a panel discussing the progress and future direction of the technology sector. Alisha was also nominiated for the Women in Security Awards 2022 for the category “The one to watch in IT Security”.

Alisha

Ben Ryan

In his final year at Aquinas, Ben was the College captain and also received the PnF Student of the Year Award. He then went to Monash University, studying a Bachelor of Commerce and is now a Chartered Accountant. Ben has experience in commercial real estate debt, investment analysis, financial modelling and portfolio/fund management.

Last month Ben left Max Cap Group as their Senior Portfolio Analyst - Investment & Portfolio Management and joined Cushman & Wakefield who appointed him as an Associate - Capital Advisory, based in the Melbourne office. In the words of his new employer, “With a strong background in the financial services and investment sector, Ben brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the firm’s growing Capital Advisory team.”

BenTo mlinson

As a Licenced Master Electrician, Ben is the director of TFE Services Electrical and Air-conditioning. “TFE Services leverage the skills and experience of our team to provide comprehensive, efficient, and cost-effective solutions to commercial and residential clients throughout Melbourne. I am passionate about fostering team cohesion and culture to ensure the delivery of high-quality services.”

Caitlin Benson

Over the years, Caitlin has completed studies in social work at Monash, International and Community Development at Deakin and has had an intensive study abroad on Empowering women in the 21st century in Portugal. Her passion for social justice has had her engage in various social justice and women’s advocacy agencies.

Currently, Caitlin is a case manager in the Pathways to Independence Program at Wombat Housing Support Services. This program provides support and case management to young people in the Inner West making the transition from statutory care to independent living.

Clara completed Year 12 at Aquinas in 2015, studying French, Maths, Literature, Accounting and Geography. In 2018 she graduated from RMIT University, having studied Fashion Design and Technology. She has worked in design for Australian Defence Apparal, MIMCO, Kmart and is currently the Product Developer with Natio.

Clara Braun

Daniel Papak

Daniel started work with Pricemark Pty Ltd over a decade ago as a warehouse picker. His deep interest in business development and strategy, coupled with his determination to always do his best to inject creativity and refinement, has helped him progress through the company.

Daniel is now a Director at Pricemark.

Eva C larke

Eva started working for Serco after graduating from Aquinas and progressed from Customer Service to Learning and Development Manager in 18 months. She then moved on in 2020 to Xero as an Education Specialist. Today she is a Learning and Organisational Development Specialist at Moose Toys, with a knack for fostering growth and performance. Her passion lies in designing and implementing learning solutions that bridge the gap between potential and success. “From needs analysis to facilitation, I’m all about creating a culture of continuous improvement.”

Glen C areedy

Glen is an experienced Executive Manager and Director with success in the health/wellness and business services industries. Glen completed a MBA with a specific focus on leadership. He is currently a Manager/Facilitator/Administrator for Murray PHN in Bendigo and is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

John W h itehead

Since leaving Aquinas, John has studied Business, Human Resources and Marketing at Swinburne University. He is now working as the Executive Recruiter - Supply Chain/ Procurement/Operations/Director - Victoria. As Director – Victoria

“I lead the consulting group with specialist teams covering Supply Chain & Procurement, Engineering and Operations, Sales Marketing & Retail, Digital NFP & Education with 40+ exceptional consultants.

Having successfully worked with a number of high profile clients including Australia Post, Simplot, Orora, Grill’d, L’Oreal, Saputo, Ixom & Cleanaway I actively recruit at the GM, Director level across Supply Chain, Procurement and Operations.”

Kathryn Steel

Kathryn enrolled at Deakin University immediately after graduating from Aquinas. “Starting this degree allowed me to discover the issues surrounding 21st Century teaching and the lack of technology in the classrooms which is why 2 subjects short of finishing this degree I joined the JB Solutions for Education Team to help better teachers to better prepare students for the future workforce!” She is now an experienced account manager with over a decade of knowledge and experience within the education industry both from a sales perspective and as an educator. She is passionate about technology and support the digital curriculum, she strives to assist customers in learning and understanding how working with leading edge technology, coding and gaming will assist in future development.

Kathryn has also completed a Cert IV in Business Admin and is currently studying Criminology and Criminal Justice at Griffith University.

Marco Lee

Today, Marco is Front Office Manager / Assistant Building Manager for the Veriu GroupVeriu Hotels & Suites and Punthill Apartment Hotels. Initially Marco completed Cert III and IV in Patissierie before moving on to a Diploma and then a Bachelor Degree in Hospitality Management at Box Hill Institute. Last year Marco completed a Master of International Hotel Management, Hospitality at the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School.

Matthew Prouse

“I started my career as an apprentice electrician working across all fields. As time progressed I became more specialised and realised my passion lies in the slightly more technical industry of building automation controls. I transitioned from an Electrician in May 2017 to a full time Service Engineer.”

Matthew now works as a Service Account Manager at Controltech Building Technologies in Kensington.

1988 - 1991 | Bachelor of Arts at Melb Uni

Pauline B ellofior e

1991 - 1992 | Graduate Diploma of Education (secondary) at Australian Catholic Uni 1993 - 2008 | Worked as a teacher at Nazareth College - Held various leadership positions (Head of LOTE, Year 11 Coordinator) 2009 - 2022 | Worked as a teacher at Marcellin College - House Coordinator 2023 | Current day - Commenced at Santa Maria College Head of 11/12 Campus.

“I have completed further postgraduate study - Master of Educational Leadership at Australian Catholic University. My work philosophy and the one by which I lead, is grounded by Gospel values, through action and service. It is founded on the belief that all of us possess inherent worth through God and we are called to develop positive relationships with each other and thus become closer to God. As a leader, I value authenticity, professionalism and collaboration, with students and parents, teams and committees and the wider College community. I believe that central to a student’s pastoral care is the concern for their dignity and that an inclusive approach to well-being is necessary to support all facets of a student’s life. As a teacher and a member of the school’s pastoral care team, my goal is to ensure all activities enhance the learning experience and educational outcomes for students and staff.”

Phillip Wang

Phillip took his love of Design and Visual communications and completed Bachelor degrees at Swinburne University of Technology and Deakin University. Currently he is a Procedure Writer at Little Sports Heroes - an organisation he has been associated with since 2018.

Phillip has also freelanced in both photography and Visual design. In his words: “I am a Melbourne-based designer specialising in branding design, UI design and graphic design with medium to small businesses, I also have a passion for taking pretty pictures.

My design practice is not only focused on the visuals, it’s progressive and human-centred, bringing value and identity to my clients. My design studio is intentionally small, working deeply with a few clients at a time. I combine a deep level of empathy, patience and love to my designs, working with the client for the audience, creating lasting, meaningful connections between brands and their people.”

Sylvia completed Year 11 in 1982 and entered an apprenticeship in Graphic Design and studied at the Melbourne College of Printing and Graphic Arts. Later, in 2008 she completed a Cert IV in finance and has since worked in bookkeeping for various companies. In 2013, Sylvia created Noy Business and Bookkeeping and is a sole trader.

Timothy was College Captain in 2015 and went on to undertake a Bachelor Degree in Accounting and Information Systems at Swinburne university, Timothy is now a technical professional with over 5 years of data analytics experience managing and contributing to a diverse range of data solutions across many industries. He specialises in building automation assets for organisations, streamlining business processes from major ERP data acquisition to dashboard/report delivery. Currently, he is a Data & Insights Analyst for JB HiFi.

After studying Engineering at RMIT, Timothy completed further studies in Languages including Spanish, French and Mandarin. Some studies he completed as part of a student abroad program in Mexico and also a student exchange program in Montreal, Canada.

Currently Timothy works as the Test & Trials Manager at BAE Systems Motivated engineering professional with a demonstrated history of working in the defence industry as an Electrical Design Engineer, Field Production Engineer and Test & Commissioning Engineer, as well as across country sites in Melbourne, Cairns and Perth. He is passionate about Defence, Energy, Technology and Sustainability Solutions, coupled by an eagerness for learning and being challenged.

Where are you NOW?

Aquinas and your alumni would love to know.

It is always nice to hear how our friends are going and what they are doing, especially if you have lost contact. We would be thrilled to hear from you and include you in our magazine. Maybe you are still friends with alumni who do not have access to Illuminare. Please share our magazine and spread the word. It would be great to hear from them too.

You can contact us via: illuminare@aquinas.vic.edu.au or join our LinkedIn

Class of 2003REUNION

The 2003 reunion kicked off with an afternoon tour of the school guided by a familiar face for many of our year level Mr Michael Box. It was great to see the developments at the school especially towards different offerings for a diverse range of students, such as industry based learning and music/art spaces.

After the tour many people went on to enjoy the many dining opportunities in Ringwood and Eastland, reconvening at the Coach and Horses function space for a night of catching up and dancing to 90/00’s tunes!

I would highly encourage anyone who has a reunion coming up in the next few years to reach out to old friends and organise a night. You never know who you’re going to bump into and connect with many years later.

Heath Pawley School Captain 2003

Reunion NOTICES

Aquinas College Class Of 1980 Yr 12 1980

A gathering of Year 12 1980 and those who shared the classroom with them.

Saturday 14 October, 2023 Mitcham Football Club 7.00pm until midnight

AQUINAS COLLEGE CLASS OF 1980 REUNION

A gathering of Year 12 1980 and those who shared the classroom with them.

Saturday 14 October 2023

Mitcham Football Club 7.00pm until midnight

Register your interest to make sure you are included in all correspondence by sending your name and contact details to: aquinas1980@mail.com and follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Aquinas80/

Aquinas College Class Of 1983 40 Year Reunion

Its Time! Its 40 years since we were 18 and just about to leave Aquinas to spread our wings in the world, so a celebration seems in order...

Saturday 25 November, 2023 Manhattan Hotel - Elliotts Bar 6:30pm until 11:30pm

Click below for more information and to book your tickets:

CLICK HERE

Graduate year of 1993! 30 Year Reunion

Former students who went to Aquinas College Ringwood for the following years of attendance, Year 7 (1988), Year 8 (1989), Year 9 (1990), Year 10 (1991), Year 11 (1992)and Year 12 (1993)...

Friday 13 October, 2023 Dorset Gardens Hotel 6:00pm

Click below for more information:

CLICK HERE

Aquinas SchoolMUSICAL

Remember when you participated in the Aquinas School Musical? What was it? What role did you play?

This year’s musical was Seussical and below is a snippet from the Director’s report.

“Seussical, a whimsical world where imagination knows no bounds! In the fantastical realm of Dr Seuss, we encounter quirky and unique characters, each with their own hopes, dreams and fears. The theme that spoke most deeply to us as educators, is that in recognising and respecting the contribution every individual has to make – no matter how big or how small; no matter how much the same or how different they are – we can make our community more compassionate and inclusive.

Seuss’s message of imagination is equally relevant. In our increasingly fast paced and technologically driven world, we must not forget the value of daydreaming, of letting our minds wander to uncharted territories. It is through imagination that we can unlock new ideas, innovate and find solutions to the challenges we face. Daydreaming is a key part of the creative process, and then we can take steps to give shape and form to “What if..””

Paola Unger Director

Aquinas Old Collegians FOOTBALL CLUB

2023 SEASON IN REVIEW

On field in 2023 the Aquinas Old Collegians Football Club was headlined by our Women’s Senior team who enjoyed a barnstorming finish to the year, winning 11 games in a row and ultimately finishing the year with a Preliminary Final loss to eventual premiers Monash Blues.

Led by super coach Jacob Kogelman the women managed to beat every team in the VAFA Premier B section and played some sensational football on their way to their highest finish in club history.

The VAFA Women’s competition is an exceptionally high standard of football, with dozens of players drafted directly from the VAFA to the AFLW over the past 6 years.

Our Women’s Reserves had a great year of development and learning as they overcame a slow start to finish 5th on the ladder.

The wonderful thing about having a senior and reserve team means that the program caters for all football abilities from VFLW all the way to players who have never picked up a football.

Our Men’s program had a year of growth with several players making their senior debut throughout the year.

Whilst the results didn’t go our way the ability to get senior football experience into many of our young stars holds us in good stead for 2024 and beyond.

Led by experienced coach Craig ‘Ox’ Glennie, our young team showed great signs of development as the season progressed and we can’t wait to see what Ox and the boys can achieve together in the coming years.

Importantly we are striving to recommence our Under 19 program after a year off in 2023.

All boys born later than January 1 2004 are eligible for the team and are encouraged to get in touch with our Recruiting Manager Steve McGrath.

Playing football with a large group of school mates is a special experience that Aquinas OCFC is in a unique position to offer.

All prospective players for any of our Men’s, Women’s or Under 19 are encouraged to get in touch with the club via our social media accounts or via secretary@aquinas.com.au

Go Bloods!

Old Boys FAREWELL

VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION

After an incredible 115 years of combined service to our football club Lou Belli, Dave Whitehead and Harry Spiess have called it a day.

The 2023 season was their last year of service to the Aquinas Old Collegians Football Club and on Saturday 26 August after the Round 18 match against Whitefriars all 3 men were given the send off they deserved with a guard of honour from hundreds of current and past players and supporters.

Lou joined the club in 1982 and filled various roles over the years, becoming a life member in 1994. He has volunteered in the canteen now for over 30 years and has proudly called himself the “club major sponsor” every year due to the incredible financial contribution that the canteen makes to our club each year.

Dave joined Aquinas in 1991 when his son Glen started playing for the Bloods. He was a dependable goal umpire

for the senior team for decades before an ankle injury saw him join his great mate Lou in the canteen where he has been serving ever since. Dave was made a life member in 2014.

Harry was at Aquinas’ first ever game in 1981 and has rarely missed a game since. Filling various roles for his first decade at the club he has been a dedicated and reliable time keeper for the seniors for the past 30+ years and received life membership in 2005.

Clubs like Aquinas are special because nobody is paid to be here, we are all a part of it because we love contributing to something meaningful with our mates.

Lou, Dave and Harry have made an incredible contribution to our club over many many years and we cannot ever truly thank them enough for the work they have done to help our young men and women enjoy their football.

Years of SERVICE

Every 5 years, Aquinas College holds a dinner acknowledging the long service of staff who have been a member of the college for 10 or more years. Maybe you will recognise one or more of them in the photos. The alumni guest speaker was current staff member Michael Box. Below are two excerpts from his speech.

“Aquinas was a regional school. It was a new model of Catholic education where the parishes rather than an order owned the school. The boys school and the girls school had separate buildings and separate administrations. As a school we were neither one thing or the other, all other Catholic schools nearby were single sex and most high and tech schools (with a few exceptions that still exist) were fully coeducational. We weren’t really either. To the outside world we were a curiosity, on the same site yet separate. As a result the talk in the secular community was wildly exaggerated and I was regularly asked strange questions about the school.

“Are the two schools really divided?”

“Is there a barbed wire fence between the boys and the girls schools?”

“Are there searchlights and towers?”

Security guards, towers and guard dogs were not true, but there were some strange features. The address of the boys school was Thomas St, the girls school, Ford Street and there was a road, most of which is still there, that went all the way around the boys school and connected both streets and was a favourite venue for Form Six last day burnouts, especially in the 70s when it was still gravel.

There was a de facto demilitarised zone, the library, which is now the Arts building, built in the mid 70s with its hippyish laminated beams and straw bale ceilings (that are still intact but hidden by more proper ceiling tiles). There you might catch a glimpse of the girls, but it would be unlikely you would talk!

The division between the schools was defined by the continuation of Ford St which physically separated the boys school from the girls school and psychologically separated

the boys from the girls. Crossing this road was like all great irrevocable journeys, once you crossed there was no way back. Persephone crossing the Styx, Caesar crossing the Rubicon, Washington crossing the Hudson, Darren crossing the Monash.”

“One of the things we need to be able to do in our community is to say goodbye. Our whole student community changes every six years. Every person in this room has said goodbye to at least 3000 students in the school and many they knew more closely in their class, or who they supported or who were at their office door. In a big community like ours we say goodbye often and in a range of ways. We farewell students from our class and our school annually. Staff who become part of our lives leave for other opportunities or because their lives change. People retire. Most sadly, some of our friends and some of our students die and we must continue. An event like tonight rightfully celebrates those who have served Aquinas for more than a decade but it also gives us a chance to think of those who we have said goodbye to, some of them people who were here last time but not tonight. We are strong at being able to remember and get on with it at the same time, acknowledging and continuing.”

35 + YEARS

Michael Box

30+ YEARS

Anne Stebbing, Bernie Brummell, Cath Santagada, Caryl Budd, Judy Zuccon

25+ YEARS

Jo Hope, Jenny Di Bartolomeo, Maryanne Leavey, Peter Jones, Dave Owen

20+ YEARS

Jenny McLean, Sharon Hill, Eva Stewart, Brett Donohue, Meredith Greenwood, Heather Neil, Pina Perinetti, Melissa Campbell

15+ YEARS

Natalie Serong, Natalie Zuccon, Nathalie Walshe, Phil Box, Sara Love, Suzanne Fernandes, Rachel Crawley, Sandi van der Niet, Steve McGrath, Scott Buchanan, Trish Thompson, Nadine Callaghan, Dan Brodrick, Adrian Perri, Brett Shelton, Lynda Schulz, Kelly Breazeale, Dennis Sartory, Enrique Aragones, Harwinder Tyndall, John Barber, Michael O’Halloran, Dani Lorkin, Maddy Kalla

10+ YEARS

Malkith Kour, Maree Warren, Megan Lemieszek, Dave Folley, Mary - Jo Chard, Carolyn Gibb, Sarah Aluthge, Nada Whittle, Michelle Sutton, Sean Miller, Paola Unger, Pam Ryan, Liz Grierson, Luanne Wykes, Rhiannon Ward, Scott Watkins, Spiros Xenos, Sharon Daley, Sudi Malone, Luke Russ, Elisa Bettiol, Brad Hewitson, Andrew Russell, Dave Tynan, Carolyn D’Monte, Lisa Burleigh, Alisha Ward, Lee Baguley, Dianna Haines, Thanh Nguyen, Gloria Coverdale, Jennifer Paterson, Karen Woods, Kristel Robertson, Emma McCann, Alicia Feeney, Alyce Cudmore

Life at AQUINAS

Life at AQUINAS

Life at AQUINAS

Aquinas SAM Project UPDATE

Since announcing the new Sport and Multifunctional project at Aquinas, we have started to see work happening at ground level. Any sign that the space was tennis courts is gone and offsite manufacturing of the structure has also begun. Our website has a SAM project page that is updated each month with progress reports and photos.

We have included our most recent update here for further information please go to the website.

Here is what has been happening this past month:

This is what to expect in the coming months:

SERVICES ROUGH IN STORM WATER

FINAL TRIM

FORM, REINFORCE & POUR FOOTINGS

FORM, REINFORCE & POUR SLAB ON GROUND

CONTINUATION OF PRODUCT MANUFACTURING OFFSITE

In Memoriam

In this edition of Illuminare, we say farewell to a past Alumni student Matthew Hurley. His Year 12 Year was 1988.

Matt passed away on Monday 7th August 2023.

SHARE YOUR NEWS!

We would love to hear from our Aquinas College Alumni. Share your news about births, engagements, marriages, in memoriam or outstanding achievements to feature in upcoming editions of Illuminare. If you have any historical information for our archives, email your news, photos and information with your contact details to: illuminare@aquinas.vic.edu.au

Receive future editions of Illuminare straight to your inbox. Update or register your details at www.aquinas.vic.edu.au/alumni