GALLERY OF ACHIEVEMENT INDUCTEES 2025
Mr Joshua Lachlan DAICOS (2016)
Mr Hugh de KRETSER (1991)
Josh has established himself as a prominent and highly impactful player for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Josh was drafted by the Magpies under the father-son rule in 2016 with pick #57. He made his senior debut in 2017 and has since become a vital component of Collingwood’s dynamic midfield and defensive unit.
Known for his exceptional ball-winning ability, precise foot skills, and tireless run, Josh initially excelled as a classy outside midfielder on the wing. More recently, he has showcased his versatility by seamlessly transitioning to a halfback role, where his elite disposal out of defensive 50 has been a significant asset.
The 2023 season marked a true turning point in Josh’s career, as he played a pivotal role in Collingwood’s memorable premiership triumph. His outstanding individual performance throughout the year was recognised with the prestigious Copeland Trophy, awarded to the club’s Best and Fairest player, and his maiden All-Australian selection. He continued to demonstrate his consistency and highlevel performance in 2024, placing third in the Copeland Trophy.
Beyond team success, Josh has also accumulated several notable individual accolades. In 2020, he famously won the AFL Goal of the Year award for a spectacular goal from the boundary line. That same year, he was named in the prestigious 22Under22 team, highlighting his status as one of the league’s most promising young talents.
Hugh studied law and arts at the University of Melbourne before joining the law firm Mallesons Stephen Jaques. He undertook a pro bono secondment at the Brimbank Community Legal Centre in Melbourne’s outer west and later became the centre’s manager.
He then led the peak body for Victoria’s community legal centres, while also being appointed a Commissioner of the Victorian Law Reform Commission and a Director of the Victorian Sentencing Advisory Council.
Hugh worked for close to a decade as the Executive Director of the Human Rights Law Centre before becoming the CEO of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, the first formal truth-telling process into historical and ongoing injustices experienced by First Nations people in Victoria. He commenced a five-year term as President of the Australian Human Rights Commission in 2024.
Hugh has held a range of not-forprofit board, governance, and advisory positions, including roles with Flourish Australia, the International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations, Knowmore Legal Service, the University of Melbourne Law School, and the National Association of Community Legal Centres.
James McCann was awarded the Public Service Medal in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours “For outstanding public service in leading and managing Victoria’s Youth Justice Centres and driving their recovery and redevelopment”.
James started his career in the Victorian Public Service in 1999, as a frontline youth justice worker supervising and supporting children and young people in custody on sentence or remand via the Children’s Court.
He has held various executive roles within Victoria’s Youth Justice system with responsibility for custodial operations, policy design, service development and system reform. This includes seven years as the Director of the Parkville Youth Justice Precinct and five years as the Executive Director of Youth Justice Custodial Services.
James led the implementation of several key reforms that have improved conditions, training and career pathways for custodial staff, and provided young people with access to specialist mental health services, education and transition pathways that have supported them to successfully reintegrate back into the community.
He established trusted working relationships with regulatory agencies and stakeholders, including the Victorian Ombudsman, Commission for Children and Young people, Youth Parole Board and the Community and Public Sector Union, to ensure young people and staff who live and work in Victoria’s Youth Justice Centres are treated with dignity and respect and their rights are upheld.
James completed a Bachelor of Arts (Youth Affairs) at RMIT and an Executive Master of Public Administration at Melbourne University and the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG).
Mr James William McCANN PSM (1990)
Assoc Professor Walter (Bruce) STEELE AM (1949)
Bruce Steele graduated as co-Dux of Camberwell Grammar School in 1949 and then pursued higher education at the University of Melbourne and Durham University in the United Kingdom in 1960.
Returning to Australia, Bruce was appointed Associate Professor of English in 1962, a position he held until his retirement in 1996. Following his retirement, he continued his academic involvement as an Honorary Research Associate in 1997 and as an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Monash University from 2000 to the present. Bruce’s scholarly work has significantly influenced the field of literary studies in Australia.
Beyond his academic achievements, Bruce has made substantial contributions to the music community. He served as Director of Music and organist at St Andrew’s Church from 1954 to 1957. Bruce was a board member of the Melbourne International Festival of Organ and Harpsichord from 1983 to 2000.
In 1984, Bruce established the St Aidan’s Music Society at St Aidan’s Uniting Church in North Balwyn, where he continues to serve as Director of Music and organist. He was the founding editor of Organ Australia from 2005 to 2009 and has been instrumental in organising, hosting, and performing in the annual organ concert series at Melbourne Town Hall from 1986 to 1994.
In recognition of his exceptional service to scholarship and the arts, Bruce was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2003 Queen’s Birthday Honours. He was inducted as an Honorary Fellow into the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 2004 and became a Patron of the Australian National Library in 2015. Additionally, he co-founded and directed the Monash Henry Handel Richardson Project from 1996 to 2005, Australia’s largest singleauthor research project.
The Gallery of Achievement
The Camberwell Grammar School Gallery of Achievement was established to acknowledge and celebrate the success of generations of Old Camberwell Grammarians.
It is an ongoing, evolving project, which aims to inspire current and future students to pursue excellence in a wide range of careers, community service and sport.
A detailed biography of each past student inducted will be included in a Gallery of Achievement Perpetual File, to be held in the Camberwell Grammar School Community and Development Office.
Some of these biographies have been edited for space. Full biographies are available at www.ocga.org.au.
