Ad Alta

It was a Year 11 International Studies class that really sparked an interest that would shape the majority of my time after leaving SJC. As we attempted the VCE we learned about the ending of the Cold War and the dismantling of Soviet Union – the outcomes of all these things were uncertain. Aside from planning holidays, I hadn’t paid any attention to the signifi cance of countries closer to home and what this meant for Australia’s prosperity and security.

Ms Cameron’s assignment on Indonesia proved central to the blending of my interests in economics, politics, international relations and religious ideology. I remember the conversation and the debate was interesting. But perhaps, more profound was the recognition that there weren’t simple answers to these questions – and they certainly weren’t contained in a single school of thought. The pursuit, or even competition for infl uence, was important - both means and ends mattered. I wish now I’d taken more language, but Ms Healy made it clear French wasn’t for me. At the time, both of us could not have predicted that I would get the opportunity to live and work overseas, spending the last decade in or around the few remaining communist or transition states. Advising government of Australia’s policies in relation to Afghanistan and North Korea and long-term postings to Papua New Guinea, Lao PDR and Mongolia has given me the chance to combine the variety of my interests. I fi nd myself drawn to the differences, rather than any similarities to Australia.

It is humbling to engage with members of many communities who have had to fi ght (literally and fi guratively) for their survival and their beliefs. Courage takes on many forms, and it makes you question your own. This was true in Bougainville and Kabul, but also for those who achieved democracy here in Mongolia, peacefully, in the early 90s. It is inspiring to work with people who shaped their country’s destiny. Joeys helped me develop a desire and also the ability to understand different perspectives. But other memories of SJC life still stand out.

Firstly, a sense of community: After completing the VCE, I spent some years mixing study and working at St Augustine’s education. Working with other old collegians (as teachers and youth workers) was formative. I learned about the tools of advocacy. I watched how people effectively advocated for the rights of children and their education. I was inspired by people who stood up for others. It certainly helped me realise (then and now) the relative signifi cance of the opportunities afforded to me. Also the value of maintaining a connection to people and places. After completing a Bachelor of Commerce/B.A, I stumbled into Canberra working in fi nance related roles and experienced my fi rst overseas posting to Nauru. Later, I spent some time at the Department of Defence and Australia’s Aid Agency (then AusAID) before joining the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. That sense of community through all these experiences has been important for helping me explain Australia to international partners, and for maintaining personal connections to Geelong - no matter how far I am from home.

Secondly, being bold and making a difference: One memory sticks with me of Ms Lee managing to renovate a former library and convert it to a theatre, I think, before anyone realised. She produced a terrible

version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (our fault not hers). Notwithstanding her clear passion for theatre and our incompetence, she generated an environment that allowed us to test the limits of our own creativity, speak confi dently in public and communicate an idea to an audience. She was bold and we grew from that experience. Although some never entertained again. I’ll be forever grateful to Keith Miller (and many other teachers and parents in other activities) who dedicated hours to coaching many of us as we rowed up and down the Barwon River and at Torquay. He shared his passion for surf lifesaving and supported our participation. Alongside our rural fi re fi ghters, this is another example of the type of volunteerism and service to others that defi nes Australians, our way of life and holds us in high regard overseas (unpaid advertisement: https://www.avi.org.au/). Being bold and driving a passion makes a difference.

I’m very fortunate to be able to share these experiences with a very sympathetic family (Kate and three children). As a consequence of my work, our children miss an enduring connection to a school and a community which I sometimes regret. I wonder what they will make of their membership of a transient international community as they consider their future. I have another two years to serve as Australia’s Ambassador to Mongolia. The winters here are brutal (down to -40c) but the summers are magic. The region is very dynamic and Mongolia’s economy (largely supported by mining) is of similar composition to our own. I’ve benefi ted signifi cantly from the foundation and friendships with many colleagues and teachers that have supported or challenged me in in different ways. I’m not sure whether it’s even possible to repay these – but I guess that’s not the point. So if anyone is passing through Ulaanbaatar I can promise to offer some of Mongolia’s fi nest fermented mare’s milk or the best of its aged mutton. There are signifi cant opportunities for quality Australian food and beverage if any old collegians are exploring new markets in North Asia. Let me know.

I was asked whether I had any words of wisdom to share. I have none. I don’t think any advice is needed if we are willing to listen respectfully to others’ views and then defend and advocate strongly for our own. Surely that matters as much in diplomacy today as it does at SJC. Dave Vosen commenced at St Joseph’s in Grade 6, completing VCE in 1993. He possesses a Masters of Public Policy (ANU), graduate qualifi cations in fi nance and a Bachelor of Commerce/B.A. He is currently serving as Australia’s Ambassador to Mongolia.

Years 11 and 12 SJC and SHC Global Politics Students were treated to an insightful and thought provoking Q&A session with Dave on his visit to Geelong in 2019.

Thanks to Old Collegian Angelo Natoli, students at our Westcourt Campus now have a brand new life-saving device. Angelo’s generous donation has enabled the College to purchase a defi brillator, which will be located in the new Westcourt Gymnasium. Angelo is pictured handing over his gift to Deputy Principal, Mark Kennedy.

The light goes red and you talk. Simple really. And I’d done it a million times. It was just tougher than it’d been before, as the clock ticked over 6.31pm, Monday 25th September, 2000. The News had just fi nished and the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games telecast was resuming. After a last minute reshuffl e of the Seven commentary team, I found myself in the hot seat – hosting the Olympic telecast on the most watched night in the history of Australian television – the evening of Cathy Freeman’s iconic 400 metres run. The sense of occasion was enormous. The build-up to this moment stretched back 4 years to the Atlanta Olympics where Cathy fi nished with a silver medal and hugged her mum after that race, whispering, “Are you disappointed Mum?” Of course she wasn’t, and she certainly wouldn’t be four years later. The next Olympic Games in Sydney had come around and Cathy was ready. Cameras had followed her all day. The attention was enormous and inescapable. That race still gives me goose bumps. I remember every moment of it. Afterwards the national celebration brought all of us closer together. And luckily for me, the night went smoothly on air, with almost 8-million viewers, and it still remains the most watched event in Australian TV history. I’ve had a lucky ride with Seven. My interview for the job back in 1995 was in the car park of the Seven Melbourne’s Dorcas Street headquarters. Sport Producer, Bill Cannon, gave me a job and I walked into the building and pulled up a desk next to giants of the industry - Bruce McAvaney, Sandy Roberts, Jim Wilson, and Peter Landy. It was daunting, but I was in heaven. Within weeks of landing at Seven, the network announced it had locked in the rights to broadcast the summer and winter Olympic Games from Atlanta 1996 right through to Beijing 2008. It was amazing to board the fl ight to Atlanta with over 300 colleagues for the lead-up Games to Sydney 2000. Tokyo 2020 (in 2021!) will be my 11th Olympic Games. Can’t believe that, and I never take it for granted. My work has put me at the greatest moments in sport, here and overseas. I have sat down to chat with every star of world sport. Roger Federer and Lewis Hamilton are at the top of my list of recent favourites. But it’s still better playing sport than talking about it. As a kid, my Dad taught us to water ski on the Barwon River. It was the thing we all did as a family and we all loved it. Looking back, it was the family time spent together that made it so memorable. Being out on the water has always been my passion – an escape. I know every part of the Barwon and it’s a great river that will always be special to my family for all the good times we shared. Many times I could have given skiing away, but now I’m so glad I stuck at it. It gave me incredible adventures around the world. I was fortunate to win ten Australian Championships, be runner up at the Singapore International Masters and set a record in the USA. That led me to be able to coach in the USA and Japan, and later show off my sport in various ski shows around the world. It’s nice to stick at something, and get it done. That sense of achievement is euphoric, and the bonus is you gain a new skill. My sport helped my get through my Engineering degree. I never found the four-and-a-half years at university easy going, and I had to keep telling myself, “I’m going to fi nish this.” Getting through and putting that degree under my belt remains one of my favourite achievements. It also gave me a backstop, something to fall back on if my future ventures didn’t go the way I hoped. I really enjoyed working as an engineer. I started out rolling steel at BHP Westernport, then spent time with Andersen Consulting, before settling at Honeywell, initially as a project engineer, then a sales and senior sales engineer.

I worked on projects like the security and surveillance system at Crown Casino, the fi re detection system at Collins Towers, and the communication network for the Melbourne Stock Exchange. All the while, I’d been keeping up my love of sport by reporting on it on radio. I got a foot in the door at 3GL Geelong in 1988, during my last year of university at Swinburne. I’d read sport with the news each morning, before driving to Melbourne to uni for the day and then back each night. They were long days, but being busy was becoming addictive. 3GL was bought out by the Hoyts Media group who owned the Triple M stations, and that opened doors in Melbourne. I moved to Triple M Melbourne (a lot closer to uni!) to work alongside Eddie McGuire, and Eddie eventually got me started at Channel 10 Melbourne, where I spent a year before joining Seven. Christmas is a good time to stop and think about where you are, and where you’re going. In 2010, I stopped, looked around and decided I could do more to help others. I had a long discussion with my wonderful wife, Rach, who has always been my greatest sounding board, and we both liked the look of a cancer charity called Tour de Cure. With the support of the Sunrise team, we came up with a plan for me to ride along on their 10-day, 1,500km journey from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast, and do my daily sport reports along the way. I almost died doing it, but we got to the fi nish and raised a record amount of just over $1.5 million. Last year marked my 10th Tour de Cure ride, and we rode from Sydney to Geelong over the Snowy Mountains. The rides are always hugely challenging. I still hurt for the full 10 days and every day think about tossing it in. But how could anyone give up when people are dealing with cancer, and relying on us for funds? So here’s why I push on. Since those early years, Tour de Cure has raised $60 million for cancer research, support and prevention. We’ve funded almost 400 projects by Australian researchers. That’s led to 30 major breakthroughs in cancer research and treatment. Bottom line is, Tour de Cure has saved a lot of lives, and will save a lot more. I am so proud to be part of the team, and so proud of their work. Getting our kids, Ava (Yr 10) and Dan (Yr 7), exposed to charitable work and the importance of giving your time and effort to help others has been a priceless upside. At a recent Tour de Cure ride, Ava came along as a volunteer and it was one of my greatest memories seeing her at the stops and out along the road working to help the event. Last Father’s Day I was given the honour of Australian Father of the Year, for my work with Tour de Cure and other charities, and for getting the family involved. You should never stop challenging yourself, learning, and chasing your dreams. I’d always regretted not serving in our military, so at the start of last year I passed the selection tests and joined the Army Reserve. I work a couple of days a week as a Captain in Public Affairs at Forces Command, the group responsible for 20,000 soldiers and making sure they are always ready for the roles the nation wants them to perform. It’s been a great experience. I’ve met some incredible people who are devoted to serving Australia, and I’ve learned a ton, with 28 new qualifi cations! Some of the best early advice I had from my Dad was to grab every opportunity life throws at you, and hold on tight. It was great advice, it’s certainly made life interesting, and I look back at my fi rst half century with satisfaction and with a few things ticked off my dream list. Even better, I head into the next era with more enthusiasm than ever, and with more ambitions to chase! Mark Berett a

Barry McFarlane (SJOC 1965) Barry was awarded an OAM in the Australia Day Awards for his 47 years of commitment to St Joseph’s Cricket Club. During this time, Barry has served as president, coach, games record holder, supporter, administrator and treasurer. He has even had the St Joseph’s Cricket club rooms named in his honour! Barry continues to work tirelessly for the club and its community, as he spends 25 hours each week curating turf wickets and cutting grass on its ovals.

Levi Irving (SJOC 2019) & Charles Windt (SJOC 2018) Levi and Charles, along with former VCAL students, have been spotted volunteering with BlazeAid. The boys have taken a week off work to rebuild farm fences on fi re affected properties in and around Lexton, Victoria.

“We have met so many great people. Yesterday we were working alongside a French fi refi ghter who was volunteering on his day off. There are people here from Italy, Belgium, Germany, everywhere. It’s awesome.” Levi Irving “The hardest part has been seeing the animals caught in the fences that were unable to escape the fi re. The most rewarding thing is being part of a group who are helping a community rebuild. To hear the locals’ stories fi rst hand is powerful and not something I will ever forget.” Charles Windt

Michael Nolan (SJOC 1957) Michael was awarded a Westfi eld Geelong ‘Local Heroes’ in 2019 for his tireless volunteer work with the Lazarus Community Centre. The centre provides a safe and welcoming environment for the most vulnerable and needy people in our region. Those that are socially isolated or living rough come together to share a daily meal, shower, clean their clothes and watch TV or play pool. “Our clients come from many complex life situations. A few words of encouragement and support can work minor miracles” he says.

Sam Walsh (SJOC 2018) Nine months after arriving at Carlton Football Club as a No. 1 draft pick, Sam Walsh was crowned the AFL’s Rising Star with 54 votes. Walsh broke the record for most disposals in a season for a fi rst-year player. He played all 22 games for the Blues, averaging 25 disposals, fi ve marks and three inside-50s. Walsh is just the fourth No. 1 draft pick to win the Rising Star award, following in the footsteps of Andrew McGrath (2017), Brett Deledio (2005) and Nick Riewoldt (2002).

Oliver Bennett (SJOC 2019) Oliver has been selected to play for Australia in the under 19 NFL (Gridiron) World Championships in Ohio USA this coming June. Although this trip may now be postponed to a later date, we wish Oliver all the best!

Sharing the stories of our Past Students Do you know a past student’s story we can share? This magazine is for all of our past students, and as such, we would love to feature more stories from our Alumni. Some of your classmates may be too humble to put up their hand, we have found that some of our most inspiring and interesting stories come from friends and family members mentioning “hey, did you hear about.....” We are proud to share the everyday stories of our “Joey’s Boys”. If you think you can help us or would like to include a story of your own, please get in contact with us at any time throughout the year.