TOBA

It was another wonderful year in 2016 for the Trinity College & CBC Perth Old Boys’ Association (TOBA).

Mr Peter Torre ('89) President Trinity College & CBC Perth Old Boys' Association

We continue to assess our annual calendar of events in an attempt to try and provide additional ways for our Old Boys to remain connected and to facilitate a conduit between them and their Alma Mater. The desire to achieve this is often met with difficulty in trying to find a vacant slot in the TOBA calendar!

The full suite of milestone reunions throughout the year, along with ad-hoc gatherings for other year groups including an interstate reunion in Melbourne, were all well attended.

The 50-year reunion held in September is always a special occasion as we welcomed a new batch of Old Boys into the Golden Heritage Club. We like to bring along some of the old-school memorabilia to remind the Old Boys of their school days. It only takes a quick glance to spark off a few stories of their days at school and within minutes the men interact as if they only left the school yard the day before. It’s truly wonderful to experience. At a Junior School assembly during the year, I presented some of the same memorabilia to the boys along with a rowing oar from the 1931 Head of the River (albeit in the original school colours of red and black). The boys were quick to advise me that these are Aquinas colours, and when prompted, could also state the reasons why the colours changed, the move out to Manning to establish Aquinas and the eventual move down to the current site. In displaying a large scale image of CBC Perth, I pointed out to the boys that the fence that surrounds Trinity, the ‘Heritage Fence’, is an exact replica of the fence that surrounded CBC Perth in The Terrace. The importance for the Junior School boys, and indeed all TC boys, to know the history of this great College cannot be underemphasised. It aids in building the wonderful culture and sense of belonging to something very special, to be part of a heritage dating back to 1894. Similarly, the Old Boys from the Terrace are proud of the legacy they leave and to know that the spirit of the College endures in TC.

I’m very pleased to report that TOBA’s marque event, the Sportsmen’s Lunch, was another sensational afternoon. All attendees (nearly 300 of them!) were in good spirits and certainly in fine form. Guests were thoroughly entertained by guest speaker, the 'Lambassador', Slammin’ Sam Kekovich. Needless to say, Sam lived up to his reputation for his off-field antics which have always been controversial. His politically incorrect statements and satirical rants were received by all in the humorous manner in which they were delivered. Sam delivered a warm-up act for sponsors of the event in a river room prior to lunch which essentially was just Sam being himself—a very funny man indeed.

Funds raised on the day go towards providing TOBA bursaries and it was so very heart-warming to see the continued generosity shown by our Old Boys who were willing to contribute, even in tough economic times, to ensure others less fortunate are able to receive the benefit of a Trinity College education. During my address at the lunch I reminded all Old Boys that it’s up to us to carry on and live in accordance with the mantra under which all Trinity College students are educated, that is to be Men for Others. Being an Old Boy of CBC Terrace and Trinity

Andrew Young, Rosa West, Daniel Carter with James Biaggioni (front) Rhys Grant ('04) and Peter Torre ('89) at the TC Rowathon

Winter Sports Day TC Spirit Award Gabriel Tana ('91) and Bryan Breheny ('04)

College is not just about catching up with your class mates for a beer, talking about the glory days on the sporting field, but to set the example for our sons and daughters, to be contributors amongst the community, to live by the Christian values bestowed upon us by the Christian Brothers and teachers of the Terrace and Trinity and to always be of service to others.

The winter and summer sports days continue to be a success. Old Boys love to relive their youth by playing the senior teams across all codes. The trend of TOBA taking out the overall points at the winter sports day and the current students winning back victory at the summer sports day has been broken with TOBA winning both events in 2016. A strong recruitment driver of some of our ‘younger’ Old Boys has paid off!

We welcomed our newest Old Boys, the 2016 graduating class, at the TOBA Graduation Breakfast in October. Special thanks to our guest speaker, Mr Glen Bartlett ('81), who flew over from Melbourne to impart his words of wisdom and advice to these fine young men.

Old Boys can remain up-to-date with all TOBA reunions and events by logging onto the TOBA website at www.toba.net.au. The website is regularly updated with news, events and photos and is a great way to stay in touch. TOBA also actively participates in social media including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram.

The assistance of the College is fundamental to our ability to achieve our objectives. We are indebted to the Headmaster, Mr Ivan Banks and his staff for their support across all TOBA aspects throughout the year. We would also like to thank the Head of Junior School, Mr Martin Tucker (’87) for allowing us to present to the boys and providing an opportunity to have some fun whilst doing so.

I would again like to thank the many individuals who have assisted TOBA throughout the year. This extends to year group representatives, volunteers at our events, students and teachers of the College, parents, ground staff and anyone who has contributed in some way. Your attendance at the TOBA Sundowner is our way of thanking you for this assistance.

I would personally like to thank the TOBA Executive for their dedication and contribution to the Association. Some of the members have been contributors to TOBA for over ten years. We thank Miss Karyn Pickering for her assistance provided to TOBA Executive Officer, Ms Diane Millar and all other TC administration staff who have been of assistance to the TOBA office.

In particular, the effort of our Executive Officer, Ms Diane Millar, always requires special recognition and the Association is very grateful for her presence and efforts. Di has a genuine interest in driving TOBA to maintain the success that it has achieved. Anything ‘TOBA’ is managed and has had her input. On behalf of the Executive Committee and membership base, I sincerely thank her.

The TOBA Executive Committee will approach 2017 with its two main objectives in mind: to foster and inculcate within the Association’s members, the true spirit of Alma Mater (or as we say – ‘Keeping the Spirit Alive’) and secondly to assist in any way possible the advancement of Trinity College. We look forward to 2017 and being a part of the wonderful TC community.

Peter Torre (’89)

President Trinity College & CBC Perth Old Boys’ Association

Colreavy family end of an era

Rugby Winter Sports Day

Sponsors and supporters prelunch drinks with Sam