2021 Winter Griffin

Winter 2021

FEATURING PAST STUDENT AND ROAD SAFETY CAMERA COMMISSIONER FOR VICTORIA, STEPHEN LEANE (CLASS OF 1979)

SERVING COMMUNITY

CREDITS All correspondence and editorial content please address to: Development and Marketing Office Salesian College Chadstone 10 Bosco Street Chadstone, VIC 3148 publicrelations@salesian.vic.edu.au Editorial Team: Nikita Rodrigues Suzie McErvale

Photographic Contributions: Jake Nowakowski Ken Nakanishi David Lewis James D. Morgan Simon Doratt Ria Khambete Irene Apostolopoulos Stephen Sellwood Suzie McErvale Luis Mascaro Scott Toniazzo Paul Clohesy Stephen Leane

Proofreader: Dr Mavis Ford La Trobe University

ON THE COVER

Front Cover: Jake Nowakowski

Featuring past student and Road Safety Camera Commissioner for Victoria, Stephen Leane (Class of 1979)

Graphic Design and Printing: DMC Group Editorial Contributions: Neil Carter Fr Greg Chambers sdb Steven Tran Jordan Dam Suzie McErvale Nikita Rodrigues Luis Mascaro Paul Clohesy Scott Toniazzo

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SHARE A STORY

We seek out past and present students who inspire and encourage us to strengthen our Salesian community.

Whether they have impacted thousands of people or just those nearby, what unites them are their foundations and values. If you have a story to share, or know someone who does, we want to hear from you.

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Email publicrelations@salesian.vic.edu.au

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Photograph: David Lewis

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CONTENTS Page 4

From the Acting Principal Page 6

From the Rector Page 7

From the College Captain Page 8

2020 VCE Results Page 9

2020 College Dux Page 10

IN THIS ISSUE As we continue to adjust to changes in our environment in response to COVID-19, we notice the areas that matter, that give us meaning and authentic connection. In this Serving Community Edition of the Griffin, we examine what it means to give back, and how and why this is an important area of development for past and present students.

In his first Acting Principal address, Neil Carter shares the broad range of intune initiatives that student leaders are actively developing for the benefit of their peers and College: environmental programs, cross marking systems for VCE subjects and student led campaigns focussed on reinforcing important behavioural student standards.

As a community, we congratulate the Class of 2020 on the completion of their VCE and VCAL studies, and acknowledge the dedication, commitment and support that staff and families provided to ensure that students reached their potential during the unprecedented 2020 academic year.

Future Focused Teaching

Recognising standout individuals, we hear from 2020 Dux Jordan Dam, who

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in the state. In his interview with Neil Carter, Jordan shares how he remained

2021 World’s Greatest Shave Page 12

Where Are They Now: Luis Mascaro (Class of 2015) Page 13

Where Are They Now: Paul Clohesy (Class of 1988) and Scott Toniazzo (Class of 2004)

achieved an ATAR of 99.7, putting him in the top 0.3% of all Year 12 students focussed in the face of COVD-19, and acknowledges the key people in his life who provided him with support and guidance.

Looking to those in our alumni community who have made extraordinary societal contributions, we hear from Road Safety Camera Commissioner and Class of 1979 past student Stephen Leane APM, who is committed to keeping Victoria safe. With 40 years’ experience in Victoria Police across a range of previous senior command roles, Stephen understands what it takes to develop and drive national change and Federal laws, working with a broad range of people who influence how Australians live their everyday lives.

Relaxed in delivery and pointed in his message, Stephen’s unique ability to relate to others is skilfully developed. He credits his Salesian journey as helping him to make sense of who he was as a young man and, more

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importantly, who he had the potential to become. “Reflecting now, it was the

Keeping Community Safe

things I experienced when I was younger that made sense when I was older.”

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Suzie McErvale Head of Development and Marketing

2021 Hall of Fame Page 23

Community Announcements

CONNECT WITH US

Reunions Update ‘All Mixed Up’ – A Memoir by Jason Om (Class of 1998)

FACEBOOK.COM/SALESIANCOLLEGE @SALESIANCHAD WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/SALESIANCOLLEGE-CHADSTONE SALESIANCOLLEGECHADSTONE 3

FROM THE ACTING PRINCIPAL Neil Carter Acting Principal

One of the wonderful opportunities that has been afforded to me by the opportunity to take on the role of Acting Principal at Salesian College is that the position has given me a renewed appreciation for the richness and the breadth of the Chaddy community.

The most touching manifestation of this facet of College life is when I am able to bear witness to those who serve our community.

One instance which springs immediately to mind is the World’s Greatest Shave fundraiser, which took place in Term One.

Animated by a committed group of Years 10-12 Applied Learning students and staff, this small party galvanised our entire community to raise in excess of $19,000.00 to help combat leukaemia.

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“

The most touching manifestation of this facet of College life is when I am able to bear witness to those who serve our community”.

It was wonderful to see these boys plan events, grow in their commitment to the cause and advertise and carry out activities. I am sure the boys learnt a lot in the course of executing these tasks. I believe, however, that these young Applied Learning students taught the rest of us a lesson about the nature of service. Touchingly and courageously, on the day of the actual ‘shave’, two female members of staff, Mrs Sarah Roberts and Ms Samantha Carey, had their hair shaved in our Hall in front of hundreds of students and staff. Courage comes in various forms.

After World War Two, to punish and excoriate, French patriots shaved the heads of women they believed had collaborated with the Nazis. In stark contrast, Sarah and Samantha exuded goodwill and good humour as their tresses tumbled to the floor.

As a consequence of having been on leave for the second half of 2019 and then teaching part-time last year, I had fallen out of touch with our student leaders over the past eighteen

months. Mr Brennan introduced the Student Congress construct during his Principalship in order to give boys a forum where they have an opportunity to work together to discuss issues of concern and to develop and implement projects of their choosing. Mr Brennan’s idea has really matured in recent years.

In 2021, under the leadership of College Captain, Steven Tran, and Vice-Captains, Keelan Corcoran and Robbie Miller, the Student Congress has sponsored a range of initiatives, which include an environmental program, a call to introduce a cross-marking system for VCE subjects, the introduction of a Movie Club, the installation of additional bike racks and a campaign focusing on the damage caused by discriminatory language. There are a number of other actions which the boys have animated.

In each instance, our student leaders have sacrificed their lunchtimes and study periods to make their school a better place for their peers.

Under the leadership of Mr Peter Knight, our Facilities Team has completed a

FIRST XI ACC CRICKET PREMIERSHIP 1971 Bosco Rejuvenation Project series of works over the last six months to reinstate the Bosco Plaza precinct as a key focal point and a gathering and reflective space within the Bosco Campus grounds. The genesis of the garden works was an endeavour to recreate, in some elemental form, a connection between the current space and that of Don Bosco’s first Oratory in Turin. All will recall that Don Bosco’s first Oratory in Turin was established at the Pinardi shed and adjacent fields.

The Pinardi shed was subsequently transformed into the Pinardi Chapel, where Don Bosco and his boys would gather, pray and reflect. “All round were gardens, pastures and fields…the strip of ground round the house as a playground for the boys…” reflects Don Bosco on his first Oratory at Pinardi’s shed in his ‘Memoirs of the Oratory’.

The close connection between the current location of our Chapel and the rejuvenated garden spaces has been designed to draw a connection back to the first Oratory in Turin. The wooden seating was constructed by our 2019 Design and Technology students. Additional minor works will

be undertaken over the next two years to further shape the garden space and improve the aesthetic of the Bosco Plaza, including upgrading the seating and improving the foliage. In doing so, our intention is, as an act of dynamic fidelity, to link the manner in which we are serving our community in our present setting to the inspirational example of our founder, Don Bosco.

In this edition of the Griffin, we hear from Class of 1979 past student and Road Safety Camera Commissioner for Victoria, Stephen Leane. In his career as Assistant Commissioner, Stephen worked to help the young out of trouble and back into school, vocational training or work. We are proud of Stephen’s legacy of service in our community, and commitment to keeping Don Bosco’s vision alive.

First XII Cricket

2021 marks the 50th anniversary of Salesian College Chadstone’s First XI ACC Cricket Premiership in 1971. This was the first ACC Premiership won by a Salesian sporting team since joining the ACC in 1966.

In the 1971 Yearbook, past student Brian Ford acknowledges, “The Grand Final will never be forgotten by all who were able to see it…The bowling was tight, fielding brilliant and the catching superb.”

Past student Michael Cerra (Class of 1971) reflects, “In winning the trophy, we defeated St Bede’s, Christian Brothers’ College (CBC), De La Salle and Parade College in the Grand Final. This triumph was not only a David and Goliath moment, but also a breakthrough achievement in the College’s sporting history. I was fortunate to be a member of the team.”

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FROM THE RECTOR Fr Greg Chambers sdb Rector My fellow Don Bosco Past Pupils, Warm greetings to you all from Salesian College, Chadstone, in its 64th year!

Back in 1963, Gerry Marsden and his local Liverpool band called ‘Gerry and the Pacemakers’ adapted a tune from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical, ‘Carousel’, and watched it quickly climb the charts until it reached Number One in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and many other countries in the world. Almost immediately it became the main anthem of the Liverpool and Celtic football clubs, and in recent Coronavirus times it also became the inspiration for thousands of medical staff, first responders and those in quarantine.

The name of the song is, of course, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, and its words are simple and direct: ‘When you walk through a storm Hold your head up high And don’t be afraid of the dark.

At the end of a storm There’s a golden sky And the sweet silver song of a lark.

Walk on through the wind Walk on through the rain Though your dreams be tossed and blown.

Walk on, walk on With hope in your heart And you’ll never walk alone.’

Many people have tried to explain the secret of this song’s amazing success and longevity: catchy tune, memorable lyrics, classic Mersey beat, Gerry’s unforgettable voice, emotional uplift.

But personally, I believe that ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ has endured so successfully because of the perennial values that it espouses.

Here I speak of values like courage and fearlessness; perseverance, tenacity and single-mindedness; commitment and dedication; faith, hope and trust in God. But above all, this song reminds us that we will ‘never walk alone’ if we place togetherness, teamwork and mutual support at the forefront of our actions, and a spirit of community and service at the centre of our lives.

In fact, community service has always 6

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Past student staff members: Simon Greely, Mary Menz, Dane Rogers, Declan Crowe, Styron Augustus and Fr Greg Chambers

been a hallmark of Salesian College since its foundational year of 1957, whether that service was directed to the members of the school community or to those in the wider community itself.

Writing in the special booklet commemorating Salesian College’s 50th Anniversary in 2007, former Rector Fr Ted Cooper attempted to describe what it was that made the College ‘tick’ during its first fifty years. Here are the five major characteristics that he was able to pinpoint: •

An active living faith

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Dedicated, approachable, friendly teachers

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Sharing and teamwork among the boys

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Caring and support for the wider community

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Community spirit among parents and past pupils.

It is clearly no accident that the aspect of community spirit loomed so large at Salesian College during its first half century of existence. This is so because that same spirit was inherited from St John Bosco himself, and enthusiastically handed on by those pioneer priests, brothers and lay people who staffed Salesian College in its early years.

However, it is most important that we also realise that ‘the beat’ of community service still ‘goes on’ today at Chadstone, and that the priority given to community participation and support is as strong as ever. This is well summed up in this message from the school’s Faith and Mission department: ‘At Salesian College, through the example of Don Bosco, a significant aim is for each boy to understand, appreciate and work

Past student staff members: Rob Chrzanowski, Dylan Chow and Paul Azar

towards a world that respects the dignity of all human beings.’

Finally, it is also significant to note that a record number of thirteen former students are currently members of staff at Salesian College. As such, they too walk in the footsteps of so many Salesians, lay staff, students, parents, friends and supporters who have given of themselves for ‘Chaddy’ in ever-loving service and selfless community spirit during the last six decades.

Their names and graduating years are as follows: Greg Chambers 1967 Mary Menz 1976 Tim Cox 1984 Simon Greely 1989 Rob Chrzanowski 2001 Dane Rogers 2008 Paul Azar 2009 Declan Crowe 2011 Dylan Chow 2013 Daniel Wood 2013 Styron Augustus 2013 Johnathon Stevens 2014 Gerald Mini Farfan 2015 May they and their fellow past students ‘never walk alone.’

FROM THE COLLEGE CAPTAIN Steven Tran 2021 College Captain

College Captain Steven Tran shares strategies to help support our students in adjusting to life back at school in a COVID-19 normal.

How can students regain their focus after remote learning?

One way that I ‘regained’ my focus was by ensuring that I didn’t lose it during the online learning period, meaning that I did not necessarily need to regain focus, rather just maintain it through the transition back into face-to-face learning.

If we begin to feel restless or unmotivated, it is imperative that we are able to recognise our limits and take time off to refresh.

What lessons can we adopt from remote learning?

Despite the adversities that the remote learning period presented, the opportunity away from school allowed me to be more productive. I had the time to really organise my tasks and ensure that each was fulfilled efficiently and to a high standard.

In this sense, I was able to adopt a mentality that ensured that I was always planning ahead and thinking of future

assessments and tasks, since this level of organisation becomes so key in the senior years. One way that I achieved this was by utilising the lesson plans and learning intentions on SIMON and on OneNote. In essence, this allowed me to work at my own pace to ensure that I not only completed all the set tasks and understood them, but also saved myself a sufficient amount of time for the revision of key topics and areas of study. Being in my final year of school, I can safely say now that learning ahead and staying on top of revision is your greatest asset.

How do you manage your time after school in balancing assessments, relaxation and other commitments?

Within the past year, I’ve begun to realise that it is okay to have an ‘off day’, whether this means not doing any work at all, doing a little work or feeling as though you are just not quite ‘on-task’ for the day. I allow myself one day off a week, when I will do a little study. Forward planning and being flexible is something that is so crucial to success, as it ensures that I am working

harder and accomplishing more on the days that I do work. Planning ahead is a key skill I developed during my remote learning experience.

Although this may not work for everyone, I’ve found that after school naps work very well for me. I am a lot more productive in the evening, so a small 30 minute to 1 hour nap allows me to recharge for my evening of study.

Who motivates and inspires you to be the best you can be?

My parents and family are the key motivators in my life, as well as the many friends that I hold dear. I am continually fuelled by the knowledge that they are all proud of me, no matter what the results I obtain, though the thought of all the effort that they have invested within me throughout the years pushes me to work harder, to make them proud.

Above all, it is ultimately my own sense of self-motivation that drives my work ethic to ensure that I am able to achieve everything that I aspire to. At the end of a term or an academic year I take immense pride in being able to reflect upon my achievements. I ensure that I celebrate them, but that I am also rejuvenated for the next chapter.

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2020 VCE RESULTS We congratulate the Class of 2020 on the completion of their VCE and VCAL studies, and acknowledge the dedication, commitment and support that staff and families provided to ensure that students reached their potential during the unprecedented 2020 academic year.

2020 College Captain Robert Amendola (centre) and Vice Captains Adam Stone (left) and Jacob Curry (right) EDUCATING GREAT MEN The College acknowledges College Captain Robert Amendola (ATAR of 88.05) and Vice-Captains Jacob Curry (88.05) and Adam Stone (82.4), who excelled far beyond their formal student leadership roles in 2020. Robert, Jacob and Adam balanced their academic responsibilities while remaining committed to supporting the student cohort through remote learning.

Highlights 2020 Dux: Jordan Dam achieved an ATAR of 99.7 ATAR exceeding 90: 7.4% ATAR exceeding 80: 29.7% ATAR exceeding 70: 47.9% Median Score:30 40+ study Score: 4% VCE Completion rate: 99% VCAL Completion: 99% Awarded the VCE Baccalaureate: 3

CLASS OF 2020 HIGH ACHIEVERS (ATAR of 90 or above) Absent on day of photo: Thiago Sawan and Kevin Pham

Name

ATAR

University Destination

Jordan Dam

99.7

Bachelor of Science/Doctorate by coursework of Optometry at the University of Melbourne

Keith Menezes

97.65

Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Information Technology at Monash University

Thiago Sawan

97.55

Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne

Arjun Sajan

97

Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Computer Science/Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Computer Science in Data Science at Monash University

Shevin Fernando 94.45

Bachelor of Biomedical Science at Monash University

Liam James

94.45

Commerce at the University of Melbourne

Connor Hodinj

94.1

Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics at La Trobe University

Luca Airo-Farulla 92.8

Bachelor Degree (Honours) in Applied Science (Construction Management) at RMIT University

Kevin Pham

92.25

Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours) at Monash University

Minh Thai Doan

91.8

Engineering (Honours) - Masters Accelerated Pathway at Monash University

Sankaran Pillay

90.65

Bachelor Degree (Honours) in Engineering (Biomedical Engineering) at RMIT University

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2020 COLLEGE DUX Jordan Dam 2020 Dux Jordan Dam with Acting Principal, Mr Neil Carter On behalf of our community, I congratulate our 2020 Dux, Jordan Dam. Jordan achieved an ATAR of 99.7, putting him in the top 0.3% of all Year 12 students in the state. Achieving a study score of 49 in both Chemistry and Mathematical Methods, 46 in Physics and Specialist Mathematics and 40 in English, Jordan is set to study Biomedicine at The University of Melbourne.

I spoke to Jordan about how he remained focused in the face of COVID-19, and the key people in his life who provided him with support and guidance. I also had the opportunity to hear Jordan share his plans for the future.

Neil Carter Acting Principal Jordan, your steady commitment to learning and your ability to focus have been outstanding. Explain how you managed this during what was a very challenging year.

Although Year 12 was definitely challenging, especially in maintaining continuous commitment, I chose the VCE subjects that I knew I would enjoy most and would allow me to put my best effort into learning. As I liked the subjects I chose, it was easier for me to be committed, focused and motivated to learn. This made studying less of a matter of endurance and pressure, but instead a process that was relaxing and enjoyable, despite the challenges of the year.

What modern learning strategies proved to be the most useful across your secondary schooling?

It was crucial for me to always be prepared each day, so I did not end up spending too much time and effort on studying without a general goal in mind.

I found that creating checklists for myself every day enabled me to efficiently learn throughout my secondary schooling.

Utilising a checklist aided in maintaining self-motivation, especially in a year where my motivation to study was drastically impacted by the lockdowns.

With exceptional results come a broad range of options. How will these options help you arrive at your overall future goal?

challenges of remote learning, I was able to improve how I structured my day and scheduled my study periods.

How did your teachers help to guide you and keep you focused during Year 12?

During the lockdowns when we underwent online learning, I understood the importance of engaging with my teachers and classes. I knew that whenever I was faced with uncertainty, my teachers were always willing to go out of their way to provide support for me. They ensured that every student remained on track and that no one was left behind.

What have your Salesian relationships taught you?

I understand that my future goals are ambitious, and that even having the broad range of course options available because of a high ATAR will not guarantee anything. It is more about maintaining a consistent work ethic and always finding ways to improve that will enable me to achieve my future goals.

Through the relationships I formed at Salesian, I learnt the importance of camaraderie and staying committed to my friendships. I know that I will always have a support network and people I can always depend on.

What were your biggest learnings during the challenges of 2020?

Take breaks, get ahead in your learning and work together with your peers, not against them.

I learnt to manage my time better, especially with remote learning taking up the majority of my final school year. Without being at school, my daily schedule was disrupted, and it was important for me to find a balance between studying and taking breaks, without overexerting myself or procrastinating too much. Despite the

What three points of advice for students do you have to share?

On behalf of Salesian College Chadstone, I congratulate Jordan on the commitment and perseverance he demonstrated over the course of his time at Salesian College Chadstone and during 2020. We look forward to hearing about all his future accomplishments.

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FUTURE FOCUSED TEACHING Nikita Rodrigues Publications and Communications Officer How do secondary schools prepare students for an increasingly competitive workforce?

The World Economic Forum’s 2020 Future of Jobs Report identified the top 15 workforce skills for 2025. Analytical thinking, technology design and programming, creativity and complex problem-solving were among the top ten skills identified as critical.

Here at Salesian College Chadstone, our Learning Matrix curriculum pedagogy is brought to life through Project Based Learning (PBL). The PBL education model promotes self-directed learning, and demonstrates to students the relevance of what they are learning in class to their future careers. PBL addresses the age-old student question of “When will I need to know this?”

With remote learning currently in our rear-view mirror, our students and staff have embraced on-site learning and the opportunity to collaborate on projects together.

Technology Design and Programming

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TECHNOLOGY DESIGN AND PROGRAMMING Our Year 9 Robotics students recently programmed robots to complete an obstacle course in under 40 minutes.

Students gained points for completing each section of the course, and lost points if they could not overcome obstacles.

CREATIVITY Our ‘Lego Tournament’ Makerspace Initiative provided our students with an opportunity to develop their creativity and problem-solving skills, within the RUA Resource Centre.

COMPLEX PROBLEM-SOLVING Our Year 10 Science students investigated the factors affecting reaction rate in an effort to propose solutions to a COVID-19 supermarket ‘panic-buying’ problem.

ANALYTICAL THINKING Working in teams, our Year 7 Literacy and Life students analysed a range of

Creativity

Analytical thinking

artefacts to determine the identity of the owner. Students used their teamwork, inquiry and critical thinking skills to develop written pieces that were based on their analysis of evidence.

“In Literacy and Life we became mini historians. In our first benchmark assessment we were given a bag with five items in it. We had to make a hypothesis about the person who put these items in the bag. It was really enjoyable and fun working as a team trying to crack the code. This was definitely the highlight of the week for me and I’m sure for all the Year 7s as well.” – Jack Ellis, 7B Reference: World Economic Forum (2020) The Future of Jobs Report.

Complex Problem Solving

2021 WORLD’S GREATEST SHAVE Nikita Rodrigues Publications and Communications Officer

“We are proud of raising $19,062.74, as this is the most Salesian College has ever raised in a World’s Greatest Shave event...”

Our annual World’s Greatest Shave Fundraiser is a Salesian College Chadstone social justice tradition.

With 47 Australians learning every day that they have blood cancer, the impact of this Leukaemia Foundation fundraiser is significant. Money raised contributes to providing support to those struggling through a blood cancer diagnosis, and supports research scientists in their search for blood cancer treatments.

This year our VCAL students were inspired to break Salesian fundraising records, setting an initial target of raising $8,000. Team VCAL smashed this target, raising over $19,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation.

“We are proud of raising $19,062.74, as this is the most Salesian College has ever raised in a World’s Greatest Shave event since beginning this fundraising tradition in 2016. We are grateful to the participants who raised so much money,” acknowledge VCAL students Sal Di

Rienzo II and Marcus Santaera.

“This was the first project we have conducted by ourselves. We are proud of the way our class worked as a team to put together the event for the rest of the school to experience. This fundraiser taught us to demonstrate Salesian’s values through a great fundraising cause.”

Team VCAL ran a fundraising BBQ, staff car wash and lolly sale, and encouraged our community to sponsor our students and staff shaving their heads on Friday 26 March.

Mrs Sarah Roberts shaved her head as a tribute to her father, who lost his battle with leukaemia in July 2020.

did not exist then. Because of the research that has been done, he was able to live for four years after his initial diagnosis.”

VCAL student Roey Shrestha shaved his head in honour of his uncle, who passed away from acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

“When it came to honouring my uncle, there was no doubt in my mind that I would participate in the World’s Greatest Shave. While I was inspired by my uncle, I also participated in honour of all the other families who are suffering through the same pain my family did. I hope that we have put a smile on their faces, and that they know they have our support,” reflects Roey.

“I am shaving my head to recognise the Leukaemia Foundation for the support they provided my family,” reflects Sarah.

“The Leukaemia Foundation’s research is vital. If my Dad had been diagnosed four years earlier, he would have passed away in six months. The treatments he received 11

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? show curiosity in their own expertise and lived experience.

What goals are you working towards this year?

Luis Mascaro (Class of 2015)

Luis is a PhD Candidate (Clinical Psychology) in the Sleep and Circadian Rhythms Research Program at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, and Teaching Associate at Monash University. He recently had his firstauthored paper published in the Journal of Biological Rhythms.

What sparked your interest in sleep research?

During my undergraduate degree, I had the opportunity to intern on a clinical trial investigating partner-assisted therapies for insomnia. For me, this experience highlighted the many practical and clinical implications that sleep research can provide. By diving into the literature, gaining hands-on experience with clinical populations and working with data, I gained a strong appreciation for the value in driving evidence-based practice for sleep clinicians. Sleep is a natural process we all can relate to, and better sleep is linked to improvements in physical and mental health. This further spurred my passion for promoting healthy sleep practices for all.

As a PhD candidate, your university journey is still in progress. Is life-long learning something that you value?

Yes. I do believe that, no matter what degree or job one attains, we will always have the opportunity to learn and grow from experiences along the way and the people around us. I appreciate and am humbled by the fact that I am always learning, and that each person I interact with is an opportunity for me to

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Having recently commenced the Clinical PhD, my course this year provides coursework units that aim to build on my skills and knowledge so that next year I can begin placement as a provisional psychologist under supervision. My goal is to immerse myself in this learning so that next year I am well positioned to start seeing clients. Additionally, as part of my PhD research, I am assisting in the collection and analysis of sleep, circadian rhythm, wellbeing, and performance data in athletes. Using this data, this year I hope to write and submit two papers for publication that will form part of my PhD thesis.

What advice do you have for our students, soon to enter university?

Get involved, explore your passions, challenge yourself, take risks, and enjoy yourself. The university lifestyle and teaching structure present the autonomy to carve out your unique journey. Seek out opportunities and make the most of those presented to you. You may experience several highs and lows along the way, but it is only from these that we learn and grow as a person.

Your family has a long legacy at Salesian, with two of your brothers also graduating from Chaddy. How have Salesian values impacted your life today?

“Inspire, Educate, Become Great Men”.

Undoubtedly, Salesian values have inspired my sense of responsibility to myself and those around me. Built on these values, my focus today is on using my continuing education to channel this knowledge in positive ways for the community. This is exemplified by my study and career choices in psychology, where I aim to use my experience and expertise to help and inspire those around me, just like my many teachers and mentors have done before me. Reflecting on my Salesian experience, today I still aim to lead by example, exhibit compassion and enjoy all that I do.

Scott Toniazzo (Class of 2004)

Osteopath and Owner of The Osteo Collective, Malvern East What has been most rewarding about your career?

That I get to help people every day. It makes coming to work not really feel like work at all. Since starting my own business and seeing it grow, and having other allied health professionals around me helping more people, it just gets better. I have also been lucky enough to work in a range of roles through my time as an osteopath. This has exposed me to a range of people who are at different stages of their lives, including children, parents, pregnant women, the elderly and sports people. It has been rewarding to see all of these people benefit from treatment.

Reflecting on the challenges of COVID-19, what have been your most significant learnings?

2020 was such a tough year for so many people. Taking a step back and looking at that time now, I feel fortunate that I had people whom I could count on and open up to about how I was feeling, especially in those first few months. Being a small business owner was tough. I think that knowing I could rely on my Mum, siblings, wife and friends during a time like that really solidified for me what is important.

I know not everyone is so lucky. But I am so appreciative of what I have.

We are lucky to live in Australia, having access to economic support and highquality health care. Seeing how COVID-19 is affecting people around the world in huge numbers, we have managed so well. We are in such a fortunate position.

I hope we can really help those countries which are truly suffering.

“The key thing that my schooling taught me, that influences me every day, is the Salesian way of being present among the students.”

– Paul Clohesy, Principal Trinity College

I’ve spoken to a few friends who also have young children, and the one thing we have all taken out of lockdown is the fact that we were able to spend so much more time with our families. I hope that as time goes on we will feel the stress of that time less, and appreciate the love and support of our families and the special extra time that we got to be together more.

Looking back on your time at Salesian, what are your standout memories?

I think that the opportunities I had as a student really stand out. There were many chances to be involved in sport, music and community engagement that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was also fortunate enough to be involved in Student Leadership, and I believe this experience really assisted me to develop the leadership skills that have helped shape the person who I am today. I was lucky to have such amazing mates at Salesian. Some are still my closest friends today.

What advice do you have for our students, who may be interested in pursuing a career as an Osteopath?

If you are looking for a career that allows you to interact with people faceto-face and help them through their injury or concern, osteopathy should be on your list. The best place for general information regarding courses is Osteopathy Australia, who can also point you to the right people to speak to at universities. Osteopathy has been one of Australia’s fastest growing healthcare professions in the last few years. If you’re interested in osteopathy, or any healthcare profession, I highly recommend contacting a few professionals to ask them about what their day-to-day work life is like, to really understand if that profession is right for you.

Paul Clohesy (Class of 1988)

Principal, Trinity College, Colac What inspired you to pursue a career in education?

I really only decided to go into teaching halfway through my degree. I had attended a lot of Don Bosco camps as a leader, and I enjoyed working with kids. I felt I was suited to teaching, and wanted a job that had a lot of variety in it. Throughout my life I had come across many inspirational teachers who were really great people, and this also helped me in my decision.

Looking back on the challenges of COVID-19, what can students learn from this experience?

The challenges of COVID-19 have taught students a lot. Students needed to become more independent learners and develop their ICT skills. The importance of being resilient became very clear. I also think that the value of relationships and connection became much clearer to us all. Many students also became more appreciative of the opportunities and experiences that school provides them.

What is most rewarding about your career as Principal at Trinity College?

I didn’t go into teaching with the goal of becoming a Principal. I was very fortunate to be given some leadership opportunities along my teaching journey, and I enjoyed each of them.

Having been appointed as Principal of two schools now, I feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity to work with others to lead a school community.

Being given the opportunity to have a positive impact on staff, students and

families is something I am very grateful for each day.

It was great to see you at our 2021 Hall of Fame. What was your experience of the evening?

Returning to Chaddy for the Hall of Fame Dinner was a wonderful experience. It was fantastic to see the way the school buildings have been improved and developed. More important, however, was catching up with former teachers, colleagues and students. Neil Carter was the Deputy Principal during most of my time as a teacher. He taught me so much, so it was great to catch up with him on the night. The speeches given by all the award recipients were incredible, and the current students who were present were remarkable young men.

Returning to a place where I spent six years as a student and nine years as a teacher definitely had the feeling of returning home to somewhere that has been a big and enjoyable part of my life.

How does your Salesian education have an impact on your life today?

I will always remember my Salesian College education. I was given many opportunities at school, and I have many wonderful memories. The key thing that my schooling taught me, that influences me every day, is the Salesian way of being present among the students. The Salesian way of doing things definitely made you feel like you were part of a big family. This has certainly influenced me throughout my career.

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ALUMNUS Feature Story

KEEPING COMMUNITY SAFE Road Safety Camera Commissioner and Class of 1979 past student Stephen Leane APM is committed to keeping Victoria safe in 2021.

With 40 years’ experience in Victoria Police across a range of previous senior command roles, Stephen understands what it takes to develop and drive national change and Federal laws, working with a broad range of people who influence how Australians live their everyday lives.

But it’s the synergy between integrity, strategy, authentic leadership and connection to community that keeps Stephen balanced, personally and professionally. Relaxed in delivery and pointed in his message, Stephen’s unique ability to relate to others is skilfully developed. He credits his Salesian journey as helping him to make sense of who he was as a young man and, more importantly, who he had the potential to become. “Reflecting now, it was the things I experienced when I was younger that made sense when I was older.”

Suzie McErvale Head of Development and Marketing

It’s wonderful to re-connect with you, Stephen since the recent Hall of Fame; thank you for your time.

Throughout your time in the police force you completed a Law Degree with Honours, a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (admitted to practice), a Masters of Education and attended international executive programs.

Where did your commitment to learning come from and why has it been important to you throughout your life?

I think education, for me, was a slow burn. I was always interested in how things worked. At school, if I really liked a subject I did well, and if I didn’t, I probably tuned out. As a result of that I probably wandered through Year 12. But I’m not alone in that. I think lots of people do that, and then come back later on.

When I joined the police force there was a lot to learn. I spent probably ten years

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learning that profession. I did detective training and a range of other courses, including a prosecutor’s course. In my early thirties I was prosecuting in the Magistrates Court, up against lawyers. There were quite a few police prosecutors who’d started doing a law degree, so I thought, “I wonder if I could do it?” I applied and sat an exam at Monash Uni as a mature entrant, and was lucky enough to get in. That started my law journey.

quickly, after starting study, that led to other career paths in the police force.

When you’re in the mode of exploration, other things pop up that you think you might do, and you’ve got the confidence that you can do them. I’m sixty next year, and I don’t think I’m going to stop learning. I’ve recently been accredited as an executive coach following a distance learning course I completed during lockdown. It focussed largely on psychology and leadership topics.

With those formal degrees, I did ten years of part-time study in a row. At the end of those ten years I had to lie down on the lounge room floor for a while. I don’t think I could read a novel for the next six months [laughs].

What does good judgement and quality leadership look like to you?

In answer to your question, it’s about understanding how things fit together from a policing background.

Understanding how the law actually works was really interesting. Pretty

There was a big focus on leadership at Salesian when I was there. Conversations about leaders and identifying leaders.

It continues now in schools, and presumably Salesian.

In policing, leadership is really critical.

They talk about it from the day you walk in the door. And a lot of it is about

Photograph: Jake Nowakowski

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an interesting experience to be exposed to really clever people, as long as you don’t get overawed by them.

I wasn’t the best at Law School, but I did OK. I’m not the best lawyer there is going around because I haven’t practised, so there’s plenty of things I’ve got to learn, but I still enjoy the fact that I know those things and can engage in conversations about them.

Throughout your career you have significantly contributed at all ranks in both the operational and corporate areas. What have your most rewarding career moments looked like?

FRONT ROW: Bernard Barden, Mark Hender (Capt.), Mr Brosnan (Coach), Steven Leane, Tim Frencken. SECOND ROW: Kelvin Callaghan, Paul Petrulis, Tony Brown, Scott Wetzlar, Bob Curtis, Greg Hughan (Manager). THIRD ROW: John Menara, David Lewino, Brad Hunt.

ABSENT: Tony Alizzi, David Hawkins, Steven Hawkins, Peter Campion, Andrew Bell, Terry Flynn, Bernard Roach, Brandt Callaghan, Maurice Montori

community leadership. That visible presence police in uniform have. And being prepared for it. When something happens, [people] can look to the person in uniform and expect them to be able to do something. Whether it’s a car crash or you’re trapped in a lift in uniform and it stops moving, people often look at you and say, “Can you resolve this problem?”

So that problem solving, it can be at a range of levels.

For me, the most important thing I’ve reflected on is the concept of ‘authentic leadership’. That’s where I’ve settled around leadership.

People will understand if you’re faking it.

There are a lot of views around whether you can learn leadership. Whether it’s innate or learned. A lot of leadership is innate. You grow up with it. But everybody can improve their leadership.

The critical factor in leadership is that you have to really believe that what you’re doing is important. If you believe that, and you’re able to articulate what the future vision might look like, or what the future state might look like— whether it’s short term to resolve a crisis that’s happened or a big change— then people will follow as long as they understand you are authentic, and you mean it, and you’re consistent.

That leans strongly towards integrity, doesn’t it?

Yeah, it’s about integrity of self. It’s about being really clear about who you are, what you’re good at, and what you’re not.

As I say, you can’t fake it and say, “I don’t know anything about this, but I’ll pretend, then people will follow me and I’ll see if I can get away with it.” Leadership includes being clear about what you don’t know, 16

GRIFFIN Winter 2021

and knowing there’s someone around you, or with you, or whom you can find, who will help you do what you need to get things done.

What part of your Salesian experience helped you make sense of who you were and, importantly, who you had the potential to become?

There’s some unfair pressure that we put on people at school. I don’t think you make sense of it when you’re a teenager.

I think you’re still absorbing stuff. And even at my age I’m still absorbing and learning. I think you’re never sure exactly of who you are or what you can do, until you get out there and start doing it. You learn what you’re good at, and what you’re not.

There are two spaces in my police career that I really got the most out of, personally. The first one was community engagement. Around 1984, when I was in my early twenties, I worked at Oakleigh Police Station for about two years (which is the area where we grew up). It was almost like a country town. A lot of people knew me. Even if they didn’t know me, they knew one of my brothers or my sisters, or I looked like a Leane, or one they’d heard about. I could walk into any situation and somebody would probably know me. That made life easier as a police officer.

I remember walking into the brawls at pubs, and one of my cousins was standing off to one side, and things like that. It made it safer in a way. But I was also able to engage with people, really get involved, and get to know people, because everywhere you went started with a conversation which became normal - about yourself, and not about some stranger in a uniform.

Career guidance counsellors can give a lot of advice, but young people now will probably have six different occupations in their perhaps forty years or more of work.

Then there was my role as the Assistant Commissioner in North West Metro Region. While there’s a massive amount of management, and you’re at arms length to a lot of stuff, I really enjoyed going to local community meetings, council meetings and events. I didn’t have to do a lot at the MCG on Grand Final day or for the Boxing Day Test, but I got to go. Moomba Parades and all the good things you can do I had access to.

I really enjoyed that. And helping people with what was important to them in the way they lived their lives.

Regarding limiting beliefs, and confidence around what you can do, and what you can’t do, I was blessed with a broad frame of what might be possible. It wasn’t over-confidence, it was just knowing that things would be really difficult. Like going into Law School at Monash. Wow, oh gosh! [Laughs].

Having to sit in a room full of students who I’m smarter than for about a week, who have learnt everything I learnt by my mid-thirties, and they’re eighteen. It’s

And the other part was the corporate time. Being a mature aged student gave me access to national policy development, legislation development all sorts of really interesting things. From response of governments to September 11, how we change the law to address terrorism, to trafficking. All sorts of different things that as a kid at Salesian there was no way I could forecast I’d be sitting in a room meeting Prime Ministers and Premiers, and have them actually

For me, it was about diversity, about getting involved in lots of different things in school. And it was the same with policing. I was in policing for forty years, but I tried lots of different things. You find your niche, or your niches, and you work in those spaces and enjoy them. I’m still on that journey now.

listen to what I have to say and reflect on it. I have been extremely lucky to have had such a wonderful experience.

That’s quite amazing exposure.

Yeah, it is. And being someone who likes to understand how things fit together, and how people tick, it’s been really good to get exposed to all sorts of people who really influence how we live our lives in Australia.

It sounds like a large part of serving community is about working with community, particularly when it comes to implementing change from both a strategic and operational perspective.

Yes, the police are engaged in those sorts of forums. There are lots of newspaper headings about how we’ll change the law to do this and we’ll do that, but the police often bring a dose of reality about what and how it’s actually going to look like.

In 2017 you were the overall Police Commander and State Controller for Emergency Services who responded to the Bourke Street attack. What reflections and learnings come out of tragedies like this?

The lessons for me in that were—and they apply to other senior executives— you’ve got to trust your systems, even though they probably won’t be perfect. You’ve got to trust that’s the best you know at the time. You’ve got to trust you’ll follow them. You’ve got to trust the capability of your people, that they’ll do their best, and they’ll apply themselves. And you’ve also got to trust the judgement of your senior leaders, and let them do their job without interfering too much with what happens.

If you’re a Board Director of a company that makes widgets, it’s about not pushing the manager of the factory. If you trust them to run what they do, they can do it. Or if you’re part of a network of schools, it’s about letting the Principal run the school. Or the board, let the Principal run the school. Those lessons apply in that situation too, as they do anywhere else.

From a unit point of view, it is the goodwill that exists within our community.

It was a terrible thing that happened that day. People who were nurses who were on days off, people who knew first aid people rushed forward to help others.

And after that, the sharing of grief, and the impact on the state, particularly Melbourne. It was probably five to seven days it went on for. It was really intense.

I remember a couple of days later, when

flowers gathered outside the GPO in Melbourne, and a few other places.

There were literally thousands of people who, even though they weren’t there, didn’t know anybody, were basically walking around, pre-COVID, wanting to give police officers and others a hug for what they did.

There are a lot of contested spaces in our communities at the moment.

Social media means that anybody gets a platform, and they get supported. But deeper community connection in where we live in Victoria and in Melbourne is much stronger than a lot of us give credit for.

Collectively, how do we cultivate a stronger sense of social justice in our communities?

I think the strength of it is in the capacity of local to influence national.

Another way to put it, it’s not top down, it’s bottom up. It’s the strength of community organisations, whether they’re St Vincent de Paul, the Salvos, or the local football or netball team. It’s the strength of the people involved in those community organisations. I would suggest they’ve got the dominant voice around what community engagement and community respect is.

Reflecting for a second on social media.

Social Media allows people to scream loudly about anything they choose.

Just because you can hear somebody screaming loudly doesn’t mean it’s a view shared by everybody. It’s just a platform that allows them to do that. Don’t get distracted too much. Listen to the screaming, reflect on it, if there’s merit in what’s being said. But the response doesn’t have to be a scream back, or an immediate change in everything we do.

It might be a nuanced piece, or it might be an understanding that people in Australia might need to understand the context in which things are done.

for youth crime for Victoria Police. A lot of that focussed on the suburbs where the kids had grown up and the area I was responsible for—the Western suburbs and Northern suburbs and into the city.

I remember our talk about Moomba being a wonderful experience, but we had a not very wonderful experience one Moomba. Not a lot happened, but it wasn’t a Moomba experience families wanted to see, nor should they have seen. Sometimes you can use your influence to soften things and shift the narrative around to what’s important.

From a policing point of view, it would have been easier to say that we’re just going to arrest everybody, take them to court and that’ll be it. And that’s all police are ever asked to do, so that would have been easy. But that wouldn’t have solved it in the long term.

A lot of these kids were escalating their behaviours really quickly. They were jumping from never being in trouble with police to all of a sudden doing home invasions and stealing cars. We had to really unpick what was happening. It was a bit of a social phenomenon around what was happening.

We started to talk to lots of different people about it. I was influenced by research, teachers and, like I said, the not-for-profits, the Salvos and others trying to actively work with these groups.

Where I got to was that it was really simple for young people. I didn’t reflect on the Don Bosco experience at the time, but as you ask the question, and as I reflect now, it probably was the things I experienced when I was younger that made sense when I was older.

For young people, life’s really simple in relation to helping them get through it.

We know (research has proved) that if you can get kids through the adolescent phase to their early twenties, they’re

There appears to be a strong synergy between Don Bosco’s mission and your time as Assistant Commissioner for North West Region, getting young people out of trouble, back to school, vocation and/or work. What strategies work when connecting people back into the community?

I suppose where I started was with migrant youths. They called it a crisis, but I don’t like to use that word. I think if you call it a crisis, then it becomes hysteria. All of a sudden, it becomes emotional. If it’s a crisis you need to get the fire brigade or someone to come and hose it down, or police to come and arrest everybody and throw them in jail.

At the time I volunteered for the portfolio

Stephen and Helen Leane

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most unlikely to be career criminals.

There’s this window you really have to help them through.

Young people have to have these things happening in their lives: They have to be in school. Or they have to be in some sort of training; A TAFE course or whatever vocational course they can get into. And they have to have a job. Any combination of those two. So, part-time work and training, or education.

Underneath that, they have to have some sort of community engagement with somebody other than just their mates. We touched on it before, on how you might influence students at Salesian today. It might not be the rugby team, but it might be a hip-hop dance crew, or it might be a rap crew, music, or dance. They have to have something that they’re involved in that’s bigger than themselves, bigger than just their mates.

And the other thing about young people is that they have to have somebody in their life whom they don’t want to disappoint. We all do. They need to modify their behaviour on the basis that they will know that [person] might hear about it, and that person would be mortified if they did. So, it’s about finding who that significant person is in these [kids’] lives, who’s making a difference.

We’re trying to influence community to say, “Yes it’s a terrible thing” and “we’re doing this, we’re holding them to account, we’re arresting them, it’s a terrible thing.” Take my word for it, I stood up and did lots of media conferences. In the background I had a large portion of my police working really hard at being in the right place at the right time, making sure they arrested these young kids, making sure they protected the community. But then I had another large portion of police, on a good day, talking to these kids, growing their leadership, working with their families and getting human services and education involved in helping to solve the macro problems

that these kids have.

I’ll reflect now on Don Bosco, and what I can remember. If you think about it, it’s the same thing. He was dealing with young people who’d lost their way, and didn’t have a significant person in their lives to disappoint. He created activities for them to do, engaged them, to get them through this adolescent space and made them important contributors to society, while making sense of it. Perhaps Don Bosco had that right recipe… he might have had the formula early.

Connection and belonging. We’re tribal and we’re social. We learnt that out of COVID. Mental health awareness of emergency services personnel has increased in recent years. How do you balance your exposure to tragedy and crisis with keeping mentally fit?

That awareness is probably more recent, because we still have room to grow. And I think Military is the same.

Why is that?

My Dad was a soldier in the Second World War, and for that generation there was a wonderful thing called stoicism that kept them alive. Basically, you just soldier on.

I think the reality is that they didn’t really.

Anybody who went through war, as we reflect on ANZAC Day, is affected by it.

It’s about how to cope.

I think from forty years of policing there’s no doubt that I’m a different person because of what I’ve experienced. There are probably certain quirks about me, where I get ‘aware’ when I’m in a room, that other people wouldn’t even notice.

You can’t undo that. The word you use is “balance”. Balance is really critical. I was lucky enough to be good at sports.

I just kept playing and engaged in sport. Playing team sport also gave me access to broader community outside my policing job. A lot of them want to talk to me about police, but I usually

cut that off and talk about other stuff.

So that’s that balance thing. Study helped, because it makes your mind go somewhere else. I’ve renovated houses and I’ve never been a tradesperson. I got a Readers Digest book on home renovation. I’d spend a day trying to understand how to fix a door, or put a door in or do something. That takes your mind to another place. Taking your mind elsewhere gives you that rest. And then social life, family, having people you can trust to talk to, is really important.

Police and emergency services, as you saw on ANZAC Day, have a desire to have a quiet conversation with people who lived through it, in the absence of others. That can be seen as negative because it becomes exclusive, but it’s a real positive. It’s a safe environment because there’s a whole lot of things you don’t have to say. Everybody in that small group knows it. So that support is really important. You don’t have to describe the ins and outs of what a car crash looks like, or anything else.

You can just say it and move on. You don’t have to describe the inner, harsh reality. Whereas, people in the general community are really interested in what the trauma actually looks like, and what it is.

Emergency Services people; that’s not what they want to talk about.

That’s understandable, because it’s reliving the trauma. Are we doing enough to support people on the frontline?

I don’t think we’re there yet. I think the awareness is coming, so that’s really good. We don’t know how to stop the repeat, or give somebody a break from it yet.

Is that because we don’t have enough people on the ground though?

It might not be that. I think it might be more around not giving them opportunities to do something else for a very short time, two to three months, and then come back. In Policing and Emergency Services there’s no reserve bench where you can go and sit for a while or have a game off. I’m using a sporting analogy; there’s no off season.

Surely that concept has potential to develop?

Tributes flow for victims of the fatal 2017 Bourke Street attack Photograph: James D. Morgan

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Yeah, well I think Emergency Services are trying to understand how they can do that. Hold their really talented people so they don’t lose them, but also work out how they can give them proper breaks from the frontline. Support them so they get a break and then come back on. That’s really hard. And there’s a lot of people who are significantly affected.

2021 Hall of Fame inductee Stephen Leane and Master of Ceremonies, Simon O’Donnell

The Royal Commission they’ve just announced into PTSD and the effect of mental illness in the military will teach us a lot about what the issues are. When I was in Victoria Police there was a significant mental health review around trying to understand what the issues are. I think the platform is there.

I think in the next while there’ll still be a lot of unpicking around what are the critical issues and what you can do.

Hopefully, within the next decade it’ll be well understood. What it does to people and how to limit the damage to people so that they can live healthy lives and continue to contribute.

In December 2019 your term began as Victorian Road Safety Commissioner.

How do you meet the needs of community in 2021?

My job’s a lot simpler than my last one was. Not as broad. I’m really there just to ensure that road safety cameras, and how they apply to the community, are used fairly. It’s that sense of fairness. I look at accuracy and a whole range of issues, but the bottom line is—if we can’t have community confidence in how we use speed cameras and other devices to reduce trauma on the roads, then people won’t comply. If people won’t comply, then we have more people who die and are seriously injured on the road.

My job’s good because it’s around the broader mission of my life’s career— keeping people safe. I’m here on behalf of the community, rather than enforcement. For me it’s that thing about fairness and making sure people are treated properly, but at the same time, it’s a necessary evil. If I can do it, and make sure the system’s fair,

then I’m happy to do it.

I’d imagine a large portion of this role is related to cultural change and shifting community?

I’m practised in talking to community— part of the reason the government was keen that I did it—and that is part of that shift. Let’s look at mobile phones. We all love our mobile phones. But I think that, as a community, it’s dawned on us that we can’t actually use them and drive at the same time. You know that cameras to detect people using their mobile phones over the next couple of years will come in. Already there seems to be overwhelming support for it from the community to make it happen.

But people are still not sold on the idea of slowing down and reducing their speeds.

And we’ll continue to take the community along and get them used to the idea, and understand the impact of driving 100k in a 60k zone and what happens if they hit somebody. Or why speed limits are reduced in shopping centres and outside schools. It’s because, particularly with schools, they’re a precious commodity in our community. If you hit someone at 40k they’re more likely to survive. But if you hit them at 60k you’re more likely to kill them.

That sounds really simple, when I say it that way, but it’s hard to have that conversation in the broad community because people still haven’t made that cultural shift. A lot of people haven’t made the cultural shift from “But I need to be somewhere, why can’t they just watch where they walk?” And the answer is—and we continue the conversation— you can control your car, but what

happens if that person can’t control where they walk? How would you feel?

How far are we away from mobile phone cameras?

Within two years, I think, we’ll see them.

They’re in NSW already, Queensland is ready to go. Victoria for the first time in a long time, in decades, is probably a little bit behind.

As long as they’re fair and accurate, and they’re reasonably applied, for me, they’ll be OK. They actually do work to reduce road trauma; we have the evidence. It’s like global warming, people now accept that it’s real, and they accept the evidence that if you use your mobile phone, you’ve got your eyes down and you’re likely to crash. So I think the evidence is now accepted. Not for the whole community, but for a significant enough majority that we can get moving on it.

What does hope look like to you?

I think that without hope in the community we’re going to struggle to see what the future looks like. But I think, if I can be simple, that hope is really around what a future state looks like. What does a future ‘me’ look like? What does my future relationship look like? What does my future health look like? I think hope is a positive in community. It doesn’t have to mean a negative, it doesn’t mean an absence of something, it just means, as an individual, that you’re still actively living your life and enjoying what is also here and now, but what can be in the future.

Stephen, thank you for your time and for playing such a pivotal role in keeping our community safe.

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2021 HALL OF FAME With record numbers in attendance, the 2021 ‘Community’ Hall of Fame explored how personal and community connections enrich our lives, and make us better people.

As a College we congratulated our 2021 Young Achiever, former Acting CEO of the Reach Foundation, Sasha Lawrence, and Hall of Fame inductees: Road Safety Camera Commissioner for Victoria, Stephen Leane, Advisor to the Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the US, Chris Becker, Parish Priest of Sacred Heart in St Kilda and St Columba’s in Elwood, Fr John Petrulis and Director and Joint Founder of Elite Sporting Tours, Terry Lucas. We acknowledge Chris Becker’s original Economics teacher, John Bermingham for accepting Chris’s award on the night.

Former AFL footballer, cricketer and nationally recognised commentator Simon O’Donnell was the Master of Ceremonies, connecting each inductee’s story to their time at the College.

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2021 Young Achiever

2021 Hall of Fame Inductee

SASHA LAWRENCE (CLASS OF 2007)

STEPHEN LEANE (CLASS OF 1979)

Community Service

Law Enforcement

Sasha Lawrence is Associate Director (Deals – Value Creation, People in Deals) at PwC Australia. Sasha was the youngest CEO to have been appointed at the Reach Foundation, where he facilitated self-development workshops for over 30,000 young Australians. At just 20 years of age, Sasha was instrumental in establishing the Reach Foundation’s base in NSW.

Former Assistant Commissioner at Victoria Police, now Road Safety Camera Commissioner for Victoria, Stephen Leane APM (Australian Police Medal) had 40 years’ experience in Victoria Police in a range of senior command roles.

From 2016-2018, Sasha was a Manager at PwC, delivering quality assurance, tax and advisory services and working on international projects in Madrid, Shanghai and Toronto. Sasha represented Australia on PwC’s Global Millennial Representative Forum.

During his College years from 2002 to 2007, Sasha was a member of the Student Representative Council, a University of Melbourne Kwong Lee Dow Scholar and College Vice-Captain.

After graduating from Salesian, Sasha travelled to Mali in West Africa with The Mali Initiative, an organisation established to empower the people of Mali. At The Mali Initiative, Sasha volunteered to build schools, health care centres and a women’s micro finance program. He held various board positions and hosted fundraising corporate breakfasts and immersion experiences.

From 2017-2018, Sasha volunteered with Gift Box Organic, a social enterprise that focuses on providing homeless women with access to organic sanitary products.

Sasha completed a trek through Central Australia’s Larapinta Trail in support of indigenous youth, and was a finalist in Project Future’s Stella Fella Awards, recognised for his work in the community to champion women’s rights.

During his career he has been responsible for the portfolios of Ethical Standards Command, the Commander of the North West Metro Region, and Road Policing Assistant Commissioner.

Appointed as Deputy President of the Police Registration and Services Board and Board member of the Emergency Services Communication Authority, Stephen serves the community in a range of significant board roles.

As Assistant Commissioner for Melbourne and the Northern and Western suburbs, Stephen was responsible for policing demonstrations, large sporting events, terrorism incidents and delivering police services to over two million people a day, with over 3,500 staff.

In January 2017, Stephen took responsibility for resolving the Bourke Street tragedy as overall Police Commander and State Controller for Emergency Services.

Stephen holds a Law Degree (Honours) from Monash University, a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from ANU and a Masters of Education from Monash University. He was awarded the Australia Police Medal (APM) for his service at the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

On his education at Salesian from 19741979, Stephen reflects, “The social justice thinking that permeates Salesian had the greatest impact on me. That probably influenced both my joining the police, but also the roles in police that I found most satisfying.”

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2021 HALL OF FAME

2021 Hall of Fame Inductee

2021 Hall of Fame Inductee

2021 Hall of Fame Inductee

TERRY LUCAS (CLASS OF 1984)

FR JOHN JOSEPH PETRULIS (CLASS OF 1975)

CHRIS BECKER (CLASS OF 1988)

Business

Religious Life

Economics

As Director and Joint Founder of Elite Sporting Tours, Terry Lucas specialises in tours of major worldwide sporting events, including the US Masters in Augusta, Georgia, USA.

As Parish Priest of Sacred Heart in St Kilda and St Columba’s in Elwood since 2007, Fr John Petrulis leads a network of parishioners who work to welcome those suffering homelessness into the fabric of church life.

As Advisor to the Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the US, Chris works to represent the views of Australia, Asia and the Pacific in the policy making process of the IMF.

Terry is also currently doing Corporate Advisory work with a number of businesses on a growth path. He cofounded the Elite Augusta Property Fund in 2014, and the Elmer Investment Fund in 2019.

As Director of Baby Bunting from 20082010, Terry was instrumental in raising capital prior to Baby Bunting’s launch on the ASX. In his career at Price Waterhouse Coopers from 1988 to 1996, Terry was offered partnership at the age of 28.

In 1998 Terry founded Australian Residential Care, a provider of quality aged care services to over 700 Victorians and employer of over 1,000 staff.

An active member of his community, Terry is President of the Beaumaris Football Club as well as coach of their Under 12 team.

Terry has helped to raise over $100,000 for Kids with Cancer with the Ponting Foundation.

During his time at Salesian from 19791984, Terry was Year 12 Class Captain, Football Captain and Sports Captain, a leader at Don Bosco camps and the recipient of the Senior XVIII Best and Fairest Award.

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GRIFFIN Winter 2021

A member of the Sacred Heart Mission Board, Fr John and volunteer parishioners dedicate their time to serving meals to the homeless. Fr John says it is this connection between parish and mission that is essential.

An Archdiocese of Melbourne ordained priest of over thirty years, Fr John has ministered in a variety of parishes, including St John the Baptist in Ferntree Gully, St John’s in Heidelberg and St Joseph’s and St Bernadette’s in Boronia.

At St Bernadette’s in Boronia, Fr John formed a justice group in support of the people of Timor Leste.

Fr John undertook primary school teacher training at Aquinas College in Ballarat from 1976-1977, a pastoral placement with the Diocesan Youth Apostolate in the mid 1980s and a Bachelor of Theology with Chicago’s Institute of Spiritual Leadership in 1993.

Fr John values his work with the L’arche communities, an international federation of faith communities that aim to support those living with intellectual disabilities.

Reflecting on his time at Salesian from 1970-1975, Fr John values Salesian’s “inclusive welcome to students and families, regardless of their financial or social status. There was always that sense that wherever you came from, this was your school.”

As Head of Liquidity Forecasting and Portfolio Analysis at the Reserve Bank from 2012-2020, Chris provided highquality analysis and policy advice on the management of the RBA’s $150 billion balance, financial system liquidity and government debt issues.

With over 20 years’ experience in central banking, Chris has held a number of roles in the RBA’s Economic Analysis, Financial Stability and International Departments.

Chris has worked with the South East Asian Central Bank’s Research and Training Centre, and has completed field work for the Pacific Islands in collaboration with the World Bank, Pacific Financial Technical Assistance Centre and a number of regional aid agencies.

During his time at Salesian from 19831988, Chris was Class Captain and participated in track and field and volleyball in EIS Sport.

After graduating from Salesian, Chris completed both a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) and Master’s Degree in Economics at Monash University.

Chris volunteers his time at Salesian, sharing his knowledge of RBA monetary policy with our Year 12 Economics students in 2019.

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS 1.

Teachers Kim and Rhea Beurs welcomed a baby girl, Anya to their family on 1 April.

2.

Teacher Samantha Carey married Nicholas Hernandez on 24 April in Rochford, Victoria.

3.

Teacher Tristan O’Brien married Romina Martiniello on 17 April at St

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John the Baptist Catholic Church in Clifton Hill.

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4.

Teacher Tara Cheah and her husband Luke welcomed their

second child, Zoe Kate on 8 March.

5.

Publications and Communications staff member Nikita Rodrigues and her partner Jarred Madsen were

engaged on Saturday 15 May.

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REUNIONS UPDATE

‘ALL MIXED UP’

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Reunions were affected in 2020. Join us this year as we combine 2020 and 2021 graduating year reunions.

A Memoir by Jason Om (Class of 1998)

Is your graduating year celebrating: 5 years – Class of 2015 and 2016?

10 years – Class of 2010 and 2011?

20 years – Class of 2000 and 2001?

40 years – Class of 1980 and 1981?

Join us on Saturday 13 November 2021 at our Past Pupil’s Reunion Day. Book via trybooking.com/BNACQ or contact us via pastpupils@salesian.vic.edu.au for more information.

Join us at our Class of 2020 Reunion on Thursday 4 November 2021. Book via trybooking.com/BNAWU

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Journalist Jason Om (Class of 1998) recently signed a book deal with ABC Books for his powerful memoir, ‘All Mixed Up’.

‘All Mixed Up’ is a tale powerfully told, capturing Jason’s CambodianMalaysian cultural experience with Jason’s trademark warmth and honesty.

On the inspiration for his memoir, Jason said, “It’s about the power of family and sticking together despite your differences, but also the laughout-loud experiences of growing up in a multi-racial, multi-faith family in suburbia.”

Jason’s book will be released in April 2022.

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10 Bosco Street Chadstone Victoria Australia 3148 T +61 3 9807 2644 ABN 74 645 109 208 www.salesian.vic.edu.au