Old Boys in the news

October 28, 2018

Our Old Collegians have been in the spotlight recently, including:

    • – – Jake Laidlaw (SPC 2008-12) was among the Old Boys to come along to St Patrick’s College’s recent Senior School Careers Expo. It was an incredible chance for current students to talk to Jake, who was recently named the Apprentice of the Year. This national honour follows on from Jake’s success in winning the Housing Industry Association Victorian Young Apprentice of the Year Award last November. Jake is currently working as a carpentry apprentice for- SPC parent Chris Murphy at his Ballarat business, Chris Murphy Building. To read more on Jake’s success, go to http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/4042541/jake-is-australias-best-apprentice/?cs=62 Well done Jake and also to Chris Murphy for supporting our SPC students in following their career aspirations! 
    • Congratulations- are in order for- AFL footballer Tom McDonald- (SPC 2010) who played his 100th senior game- last weekend for the Demons against the Gold Coast Suns at the MCG. 
    • Tony Paatsch (SPC 1977-78), principal of St Bernard’s College, Essendon, has recently been announced as the new Principal of St Joseph’s College, Geelong, starting in 2017. 
    • Chris Saunders (SPC 2011-15) and Will Austin (SPC 2010-14)– were vocal Melbourne participants in the protests across the- nation at the weekend calling for institutional change after revelations of cruel treatment of children in detention centres. Will has penned a story, which is featured on The Foundation for Young Australians- 2016 website, entitled “Why #HandsOff AboriginalKids Matters” To read this powerful piece, go to http://www.fya.org.au/2016/08/03/why-handsoffaboriginalkids-matters/ 
    • Listeners may recognize the voice of Adam Spencer (SPC 2006-11) on the local radio station from now on. Adam recently gained employment as a reporter for 3BA -“ Power FM. 
    • Congratulations to our affiliated SPC Ballarat Rugby Club, which will play in the preliminary final after Kiwi Hamilton forfeited their semi-final match last weekend at Ballarat’s Doug Dean Reserve. The Ballarat Rugby players, many of whom are SPC Old Boys, entered the game fresh off four straight wins and the team is undefeated at home. To read more about the bizarre turn of events, click on this link http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/4066979/ballarat-handed-semi-final-walkover/?cs=63 
    • Talented young artist Josh Muir (SPC 2004-09) is gaining more attention for his amazing art with Melbourne’s Kingston City Hall lit up- with Josh’s art projections last Sunday to kick off the annual- NAIDOC celebrations. Artworks by the multimedia artist and proud Yorta- Yorta/Gunditjmara man were projected onto the clock tower and- have been- screening every night this week. Josh was also the brains behind the giant animated projections onto the National Gallery of Victoria during this year’s White Night Melbourne. Josh has recently been named as a finalist in the 2016 Flanagan Art Exhibition, hosted by St Patrick’s College. The award winners will be announced at the Gala Launch on Friday, August 19. 
    • Ballarat Red Devils striker Simon Murphy (SPC 2002-07) has finished up at the club and is moving to the USA. As one of the side’s most experienced players, Murphy was part of the Reds’ inaugural season in the newly-formed National Premier Leagues competition in 2013. The entrepreneur also created a refereeing app called RefLIVE to assist with match-day paperwork. 
    • Old Boy Ryan Knowles (SPC 1996-2001) has been named as Creswick’s senior football coach for 2017. The former Redan premiership player joined the Wickers this year and has been part of the coaching group while playing in the senior side. 
    • Talented young filmmaker Sam Burzacott (SPC 2008-13) was recently recognised for his involvement in a film which won two university awards. Sam and his partner Kiralee Greenhalgh (who is in her final year of Media and Communications at RMIT) directed, produced and performed in the student film about a student film that goes wrong. The film won the Filmly best post-production and best film awards in the Deakin University competition. Sam was a talented Media student at SPC, and made a crowd-pleasing comedy in Year 12 called -Friends. To read more about Sam’s latest success, go to http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/4053724/melbourne-awards-for-ballarat-director/?cs=62 
    • Andrew Fithall (SPC 1972-77) shares what it is like being a MCC member (and somewhat lonely Magpies supporter) at the recent AFL Collingwood-Melbourne game while writing for the MCC Members online blog. Catch up on his life since SPC -“ including the arrival of triplets into his already busy family -“ at this link http://www.mcc.org.au/whats-on/blogs 
    • Congratulations to Josh Coward (SPC 2015) who has signed a contract with the Australian Rugby 7s national team -“ the first SPC Old Collegian in history to achieve such an honour. 
    • George Helon (SPC 1980-82) has recently been accorded the Freedom of the City of London and he will be travelling from Toowoomba to London in September this year to officially receive the honour. A few weeks later, he plans on exercising an historic right to take sheep across the London Bridge. Also, George has been appointed to the prestigious position of Member of the Board of Directors of the Polish Nobility Association Foundation. George has been a member of the PNAF since 2000 and a regular contributor to the PNAF’s White Eagle journal. George is a noted author, etymologist, ethnographer, researcher and philanthropist. A Freeman of the City of London, George is well-established and distinguished in the fields of Polish nobiliary and heraldic customs, culture and family traditions. George is the custodian and curator of the HELON Theology Reference Library (HTRL) which is a private library promoting biblical and theological appreciation and exegetical research and scholarship. 
    • Mickitja Rotumah-Onus (SPC 2013-15) and Jaylen Marshall (SPC 2015) had exciting experiences in the 2016 AFL Rio Tinto Footy Means Business program in May. The men, from- Jabiru NT, were part of the program which provides 50 Indigenous men, aged 18 to 24, with exposure to elite AFL programs and training, along with networking opportunities in corporate environments. The program coincided with the 2016 Toyota AFL Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round culminating in the Rio Tinto Cup, which both Mickitja and Jaylen had the exciting opportunity to play in. The Rio Tinto Cup, on May 28, was played as the curtain-raiser match to the Richmond v Essendon Dreamtime at the G game. The young men were led by coaches, former Melbourne star Aaron Davey and Barry Lawrence on the day, and as part of the program, were also involved in a cultural walk, training sessions at Richmond and Essendon Football Clubs, and a day at Channel 7 studios. It is also worth noting that for the two former SPC students to be selected to participate in this program, they had to be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, not engaged in AFL or Second Tier competition, employed, aspirational and display leadership qualities. Well done guys! 
    • We had huge interest from Old Boys on our story on Brother Breach in the last edition of the -Green, White and Blue- e-newsletter for our Old Collegians. William van Pinxteren (SPC 1975-79) sent us this message -thank you for the story on Brother Breach, a gentleman and a memorable one at that-.-If you have any news on our Old Collegians, we would love to know. Please contact College Alumni and Foundation Officer Mrs Lorrie Liston by phone on 03 5322 4442 or email at lliston@stpats.vic.edu.au