More than 110 people from the SPC community turned out for the lunch celebrations at the College鈥檚 Old Collegians鈥� Association, overlooking the Main Oval, where students participated in fun 每日大赛网址首页进入 Day activities in and around the wet weather.

There was a wonderful turnout of Old Collegians and partners present celebrating Class Reunions, including members of the Class of 1966 for their 60-year anniversary, and the Class of 1976 celebrating a half a century milestone of 50 years.

The Class of 1966鈥檚 Peter Howley led a warm welcome to his cohort, followed by Simon Grigg who greeted his Class of 1976 classmates.

The Most Reverend Paul Bird took grace after officiating at the College鈥檚 student-led Assembly earlier in the day.

In a first for our 每日大赛网址首页进入 Day Lunches, Class of 1966鈥檚 Peter Klopotowski and his wife watched the day鈥檚 proceedings from their computer screen at their home in South Australia after the escalating fuel scarcity crisis forced them to abandon their plans to drive interstate join the reunion festivities.

College Principal Steven O鈥機onnor said SPC鈥檚 special 鈥渟ense of community is clearly evident at gatherings like today鈥�.

In welcoming the audience, Old Collegians Association president Dr Charles Flynn said there were many reasons to celebrate.

鈥淚n a time when the world seems to be a little bit crazy, we celebrate the fact that we live in a country that is a long way away from conflict,鈥� he said.

鈥淲e celebrate the fact that this school has been educating young men for 130-plus years. We celebrate the commitment of the thousands of academic and administrative staff who have helped to shape the minds of the tens of thousands of young men who have graduated from this school.

鈥淲e celebrate the fact that the school has been continuous use as a springboard that has launched young men into an impressively diverse range of careers. 鈥�

Dr Flynn said this tradition continued today with the young men entrusted in SPC鈥檚 care 鈥渢o have the optimal school experience to help each individual to become the best possible version of themselves鈥�.

Guest speaker John Larkins (SPC 1961-67), who is currently chair of the Victorian Liquor Commission following a successful career as a barrister in Melbourne, recounted many fond memories of his time as a boarder.

鈥淲e managed to have a lot of fun out of very little,鈥� he said, highlighting the camaraderie often experienced by fellow boarders, even decades on, after 鈥渉aving an experience together that really cannot be replicated鈥�.

John brought along his father鈥檚 1932 high jump trophy from home. He remembered watching his father writing out a cheque for his SPC education 鈥渂ut for the life of me, I can鈥檛 remember if it was 50 guineas (equivalent to $100) for a term or the whole year鈥�.

John said he was delighted to catch up with classmates at the lunch, some he had met on his first day of SPC at the tender age of 11.

He recalled the in the boarders dining room where the entire process was based around 鈥渟eniority鈥�.

鈥淚 also remember two (food) strikes in my time 鈥� in relation to 鈥榬ed dogs鈥� 鈥� they were very red sausages and the boys remained steadfast in their seats and refused to go up and get them,鈥� he laughed.

He recounted Br Tuck鈥檚 interesting coaching style as a member of the 1966 First XVIII Football team, and the 鈥渓egendary William Thomas O鈥橫alley鈥� and 鈥渨hat an experience that was鈥�.

In reminiscing, John said Br O鈥橫alley often reminded him of having taught, not only his brother – but his father as well – when he felt it was time for John to pick up his grades.

Sixty years on, John also confessed a secret of intercepting an important College letter which warned of expulsion following his involved in some mischievous behaviour.

鈥淚 always remember the last line.听鈥�Would you please impress on him the importance of this warning鈥�.

“I thought I鈥檝e got the message and there鈥檚 no need for my father to see this 鈥� and my father went to his grave knowing nothing of this.

鈥淏ut I still think it was the right thing to do,鈥� he laughed.

John said he was especially thankful for his education at SPC.

鈥淚 was to say I鈥檝e found revisiting my youth in this regard, and I don鈥檛 know if everyone feels this way, to be quite a profound experience to be thinking back 60 years to who you were, how you went about things, the mistakes you made, the growing up you did, in many ways painful and how it prepares you for the vastitudes of life, and I found that to be a pretty good exercise.鈥�

As a special keepsake from the day, group photographs were taken of the two reunion groups, and a personalised framed photo was presented to each member of the Class of 1966 in attendance to signify the special 60-year milestone.

Moments like these are a great reminder of the strong bonds that make St Pat’s so special.

It was wonderful to welcome back nearly 100 Old Collegians and partners upstairs at the Lake View Hotel in Ballarat to see where their lives have taken them in the past year.

Between starting new jobs and starting university, moving towns and others moving states, it was a great opportunity for our youngest Old Boys to gather and catch up.

Nedd Bennett, pictured above, was able to combine catching up with the cohort with his bar duties at the same time!

Thanks to OCA executive officer Dean Hackwill, OCA committee member Brendan Eckel and College Assistant Principal 鈥� Mission and Identity Geoff Brodie for providing such a warm welcome to the group at the one-year reunion, which was hosted by the SPC Old Collegians Association.

The group also enjoyed catching up with staff members Shane Murphy, Kat Ward, Brendan Champness and Paul Perversi.

Thanks so much to the members of the Class of 2024 for attending your One-Year Reunion and we look forward to seeing you at your next reunion in four years鈥� time!

More than 30 guys, now living locally, regionally and interstate, enjoyed the opportunity to catch up at the College鈥檚 OCA Pavilion, overlooking the Main Oval, for their 20-Year Reunion, hosted by the Old Collegians’ Association.

The alumni were impressed with the development of the College in the two decades since they were students during a school tour, with many new facilities on show, including the Performing Arts Centre, Food Technology classrooms and Boarding Precinct, just to name a few.

The Class of 2005 were given a warm welcome by Deputy Principal 鈥� Community John Richards and Assistant Principal 鈥� Mission & Identity Geoff Brodie, both well-known and remembered as teachers during their time.

Thank you to Brendan Eckel (SPC 1969-75) from the Old Collegians鈥� Association committee, who represented the OCA on the night. A big thank you to Class of 2005 College Captain Michael Huckstepp who also issued a warm welcome to his former classmates.

Long-time teachers Danny Moore, Colleen Pope and former staff member John Cosgriff were also in attendance, with many stories and much reminiscing taking place during the evening about maths classes, basketball teams and memories from the early 2000s.

Thank you to everyone from the Class of 2005 and staff who joined us.

More than 40 members of the Class of 1995 took the opportunity to renew friendships at the College鈥檚 Old Collegians鈥� Pavilion.

Former classmates travelled from all over the map including Horsham, Melbourne, Geelong, Gippsland, as well parts of New South Wales and Western Australia.

The evening began with a school tour, including a visit to some of the newer areas, which have been built since 1995, including the Wilding Wing, Con Whelan Food Technology Centre, and Performing Arts Centre.

Thanks to Old Collegians Association committee member and secretary Will Rothe for welcoming the group on behalf of the OCA, which hosts the Class Reunions, as well as OCA Executive Officer Dean Hackwill, for greeting the Old Collegians on behalf of the College.

We also welcomed current staff, Colleen Pope and Juri Kaczkowski, along with former teachers John Cosgriff and Margaret Leahy, who thoroughly enjoyed chatting with their students three decades on.

Thank you to everyone from the Class of 1995 who joined us. The countdown is on now to the group鈥檚 40-Year Reunion.

It was a great opportunity for this group to reunite after they were hit by a worldwide pandemic during their graduating year five years ago.

Members of the Class of 2020 were forced to get used to remote learning, wearing face masks and sadly missed out on many of their final year events and traditions.

It was a tough year all round, however the Class of 2020 showed up with plenty of Paddy pride and spirit to not only graduate, but persevere in the subsequent years, which were also impacted by COVID.

It was tremendous to welcome back so many members of the Class of 2020, including College Captain Will Rothe, and vice captain Max Waller (fellow vice captain Finn Lappin is currently in the US) along with Class of 2020 Year 12 coordinators Shane Murphy and Kat Ward.

In welcoming the group, the College’s OCA Executive officer Dean Hackwill (SPC 1988-93) congratulated the group on their perseverence through COVID, while the College’s Director of Students Jarrett Giampaolo wished the young men well in their endeavours and OCA committee member and current teacher Shane Hayes (1989-94) reminded the group, now Old Collegians, to continue looking out for each other into the future.

While a large group of members of the Class of 2015 attended their 10-Year Reunion at the College’s OCA Pavilion, in Ballarat, on Saturday 29 March 2025, it was too far to travel for a few fellow classmates.

However, not to be defeated, these Old Boys organised an impromptu get-together at a pub in London and sent their photo to us!

Well done to these Paddy boys for finding a way to reconnect after a decade on the other side of the globe.

John wrote in to the College, and shared his family ties and happy memories of his time at St Patrick’s College.

Here is John’s letter –

Thank you for the invitation informing me of the Class of 1955 70th anniversary. It amazed me that all that time has elapsed.

My wife and I have both had relations that were St Pat’s boarders. My family came from the Mallee, Victoria and Judy’s came from Boorooban, in the Riverina NSW. My brother Brian followed me to St Pat’s for a couple of years.

My father-in-law was Edmund Priestly (SPC 1918) and my cousin, Ian, also from Boorooban was there from 1948-52. John’s father Larry Graham as there also. So, our history with the College goes back a long way.

It would be wonderful to attend the anniversary but I am not well enough to travel the distance. I have many happy memories of St Pat’s and am grateful for the influence of the priests and brothers had on my life. Please put in an apology for me and say “hello” to my classmates attending. I have farmed all my life and and loved it! My three sons went to St Pat’s too and it was very good for them.听

We are now retired.听

With fondest memories,

John Graham

The evening began with a school tour, including a visit to the new Performing Arts Centre which made an impression on these Old Collegians.

It was a night of reconnecting, reminiscing and catching up with old friends in the OCA Pavilion.

Thanks to Old Collegians Association committee member Mark Dunne for welcoming the group on behalf of the OCA, which hosts the Class Reunions, as well as Deputy Principal 鈥� Community, John Richards, for greeting the Old Collegians on behalf of the College.

Thank you to those who travelled from near and far, including from the Northern Territory to join us.

New friendships were made and long-lost connections rediscovered in this wonderful display of community.

The College and Old Collegians鈥� Association committee were delighted to welcome over 120 members of our College community, including former College Headmasters Br Bill Wilding and Dr Peter Casey AM, alongside College Principal Steven O’Connor, College Legends and many Old Collegians.

There were plenty of flashes of green marking the special day with many of our Old Boys proudly wearing their beloved Old Collegian ties in the true SPC spirit.

We welcomed back three reunion groups, the Class of 1975 for their 50-Year Reunion, the Class of 1965 for their 60-Year Reunion, and a special reuniting of the Class of 1955 Intermediate A celebrating their 70^th anniversary.

Thank you also to our guest speaker, Old Collegian and internationally-acclaimed artist Wayne Elliott (SPC 1973-75), who celebrated the creativity of the College鈥檚 current and former students.

鈥淭he creative arts have the ability to take us to places we have never been and remind us of places we have been. It captures a moment in time,鈥� said Wayne.

He spoke of his joy of learning the College had reintroduced its prestigious Flanagan Art Prize this year, and of the Old Collegian and Head Prefect, Noel Flanagan (SPC 1929-35), whom it is named after.

After witnessing and surviving the horrors of World War II and vowing that the efforts of those who had died should 鈥渘ever be forgotten鈥�, Noel Flanagan was appointed as the Director and Curator of the Australian War memorial in Canberra.

Wayne told the crowd Noel realised the importance of photography, literature, paintings and sculptures to curate and tell a story about the Australian experience at war.

鈥淎nd when you distil it down to its core – that鈥檚 exactly what art is – a way to tell the story of the human experience.鈥�

In sharing his own story, Wayne said the more he has painted, the more he has come to realise that his process is heavily reliant on walking through the landscape.

鈥淣ot trying to think too much about it but absorbing the world around me like a sponge.鈥�

Drawn mainly to landscapes, Wayne said he was delighted to be able to enter one of his paintings entitled 鈥榊epereyne/Emily Gap鈥� in this year鈥檚 Flanagan Art Prize.

Wayne was later announced as runner-up of this year鈥檚 Flanagan Art Prize for his joyous work inspired by the landscapes of central Australia.

Wayne鈥檚 extensive work has been shown nationally and internationally including Canada, Poland and the United States.

鈥淢y first international exhibition was in New York in 2000, titled 鈥楢ustralian landscapes鈥�. 听One day in the early hours of the morning, I woke to a phone call from the curator of the exhibition to tell me that my painting 鈥淥aks Day鈥� was stolen from the exhibition.

鈥淚 had to complete a New York Police report and the painting never turned up again but fortunately I did get the insurance payout. Sadly for the thieves, it probably wasn鈥檛 quite the 鈥楳ona Lisa grand heist鈥� they were hoping for!鈥�

Wayne attended SPC in the 1970s as a boarder from Derrinallum, in western Victoria, following in the footsteps of his father, Jack Elliott (SPC 1947-51).

鈥淒ad himself wasn鈥檛 an artist. In fact, it might鈥檝e been the only thing he wasn鈥檛 a natural at. But he did love a good story.鈥�

For those at our 每日大赛网址首页进入 Day lunch, it was a day full of lively conversation, joyful reunions and reminiscings, and new memories being made.

While our current students enjoyed fun 每日大赛网址首页进入 Day activities on the Main Oval, Class of 1975 College Captain Brian Brown and Class of 1965 College Captain Frank Vagg spoke, offering warm welcomes to their reunion groups.

It was extra special to welcome eight members of the 1955 Intermediate A Class to our lunch for their 70-year^听anniversary.

And for the majority of this small group, it was the first time they had sat side by side since their school days.

A special framed print of their class photograph was presented by president of the Old Collegians鈥� Association, Dr Charles Flynn (SPC 1971-73), to each classmate in attendance, which included Brian Costigan (SPC 1952-55, PY1957), Phonse Cunningham (SPC 1955-58), Br Michael Godfrey (SPC 1953-56, PY1957), Leon Gleeson (SPC 1950-55, PY1957), Des Martin (SPC 1953-56), Tony Ryan (SPC 1952-57), Peter Tierney (SPC 1954-57) and Ted Vaughan (SPC 1952-56, PY1957).

Another member of the group, John Graham (SPC 1953-55, PY1957) was unable to attend the lunch, as it was too great a distance travelling from his home in New South Wales to Ballarat. He was amazed at the time that had elapsed since he was at SPC. Click here to read John’s memories of the green, white and blue.

Our thanks to Leon Gleeson who was the driver behind bringing this group back together for a special day of reconnections.

A warm welcome was also extended by our master of ceremonies, the College鈥檚 Business Manager Andrew Jirik (SPC 1980-85) to our College Legends in attendance, including Gerard FitzGerald (SPC 1973, PY1975), Dennis Foley (SPC 1967-72), Michael Kearney (SPC 1962-67), Prof Terry Lloyd (SPC 1959-63), Jamie McKew OAM (SPC 1960-65), John Mooney OAM (SPC 1960-65) and Peter Wilson (SPC 1959-65).

And thank you to College Legend John Mooney OAM, who donated his immaculately pristine College cap and SPC athletics singlet from his school days to the College archives. Thanks to College archivist Halina Sztynda for providing a fabulous array of SPC memorabilia as well as the College’s timeline, which is now available to view at the College’s emerging History & Heritage Space, located next to front reception.

It is always special to bring our 每日大赛网址首页进入 community together and we thank all those who joined us this year for a memorable 每日大赛网址首页进入 Day!

We welcomed back nearly 50 classmates and partners to the Old Collegians鈥� Pavilion, overlooking the Main Oval.

The group enjoyed a tour of the College鈥檚 buildings and grounds and were fascinated by the history and growth of the College in the 40 years since they were students at SPC.

College Captain Chris Nolan and his mum Mary were late apologies due to the extreme weather conditions, and they were missed immensely on the night.

However they were able to share in the kinship of the night when classmate and good friend Craig Sharp met Chris and Mary the following day in Melbourne and took them plenty of photos and videos from the evening, including a rousing rendition of the College War Cry.

It was wonderful to also welcome back Vice Captain from the Class of 1985, Richard Reilly, and some members who were attending the Class Reunion for the first time.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend their 40-Year Reunion and rekindle friendships from nearly half a decade ago.

A special shoutout to Stephen Dixon, who travelled from Japan for the reunion, and Joe Hurst, who flew in from Bali, complete with his original Class of 1985 school jumper.

Thank you also to Sean Murphy and Michael Edmonds for bringing along original school booklets and mementos from their time at SPC 鈥� all in mint condition. A fascinating read down memory lane.

The Paddys Four Seasons (Christmas) Lunch was the 50^th time SPC Old Collegians had convened at The Emerald Hotel, South Melbourne last Friday.

The lunch is on the first Friday of each season.听Forty-seven Paddys attended, some travelling from Apollo Bay, Ocean Grove, Castlemaine, Canberra, Robinvale and Ballarat.

There were 45 apologies. It is a hectic time of year.

There were five in attendance for whom it was their first Four Seasons Lunch.

The 鈥淭rooping of SPC Colours and Welcome鈥� was sounded by our very own trumpeter Tim Sheridan ( SPC 64 鈥� 67) on his melodic bugle and there followed a most convivial luncheon session of good 鈥渃raic鈥�, good cheer and good-humoured nostalgic reminiscing between mates, old and not so old.

The next Paddys Four Seasons Lunch will be on the first Friday in Autumn (Friday, 1 March 2024).

If you would like more details and to register an interest in attending, please contact:

Noel Sheehan: noel@stafforgserv.com.au or phone 0418 509 809

Michael Dowd: mjdowd@hotmail.com or phone 0407 680 682.

Enjoy these photos from the Emerald Christmas Lunch –