Old Boys in the News – October 2018

Our Old Boys have been busy in the news recently, including:

-¢- Congratulations to Liam Duggan (SPC 2009-14) who is now an AFL Premiership player after playing a key role in West Coast’s premiership win over Collingwood in the 2018 AFL Grand Final. Amid the euphoria of winning an AFL premiership, Liam talks in this interesting read about his junior career, including as captain of the SPC 1st XVIII Football Team, at this link– and- this link– and this link

-¢- Well done to professional paramedic Sean Duggan (SPC 1986-91) who is giving back to the community and has been named as one of six new Parademic Community Support Coordinators, who will provide training and education in the community. For more, go to this link

-¢- Well done to Tim Canny (SPC 1995-2000), son of Old Collegian Peter Canny (SPC 1969-74), who has taken on the new role as president of the Ballarat Sebastopol Cycling Club. To read more, go to this link

-¢- Steve Moneghetti (SPC 1975-80) welcomes the prospect of lighting at last at Lake Wendouree in Ballarat in this story at this link

-¢- Great to hear from Oli Hayes (SPC 2007-12) who currently works for Hays Recruitment in Geelong as a recruitment officer for maintenance trades, with a new office in Ballarat opening soon. Oli is very proud third generation SPC Old Boy. Great work Oli!-

-¢- Old Collegians Shane Darroch (SPC 1985-90) has been reappointed as reserves coach for East Point FL along with under-19 coach Brad Whittaker (SPC 2004-09) who also received special good luck wishes in the lead-up to his BFL grand final appearance in September. To read more, go to

this link– and this link

-¢- Congratulations to Nathan Sobey (SPC 2008) who has taken on an ambassadorial role with the Ballarat Sports and Events Centre. The Australian Boomer star and former Ballarat Miners player will be a Western Victoria regional hub ambassador, for more, go to this link

-¢- Great to hear from Matthew Hall (SPC 2010-14), who was a day student from Greendale. Matthew is currently applying for his Masters in Electrical Engineering at the University of Melbourne. Good luck Matthew!

-¢- Our SPC students get a taste of Gaelic footy when they travel on the Ireland Footy Trip, but Old Boy Ryan Luke (SPC 2001-06) is trying to get a Gaelic football team up and running in Ballarat. To find out more, go to- this link

-¢- Great to see former Victorian Premier and Old Collegian Steve Bracks AC (SPC 1968-71) is a new ambassador for the Ballarat International Foto Biennale, which will be held in late 2019. To read more, go to this link

-¢- Five-time Olympian and Old Collegian Anthony Edwards (SPC 1975-80) was back in Ballarat recently for a boat christening in his honour at the Ballarat City Rowing Club. Anthony now lives in Tasmania, but says Ballarat will always be home and reminisces about his time as part of the legendary rowing team who broke the Head of the Lake drought for SPC. To read more, go to this link

-¢- Well done to David Canny (SPC 1980-85), who has been named as the new Australian Hotels Association Victorian president. David, a second-generation publican, and his wife Dani operate the popular Red Lion Hotel in Ballarat, and more recently, with their nephew, the Montague Hotel in South Melbourne. To read more, go to this link

-¢- Watch Old Collegian Kevin Finn (SPC 1993-98 and College Dux) who has been preselected by the Liberal Party to contest the seat of Bendigo West. Kevin has lived in Bendigo for the past 12 years and commutes in his work as a lawyer for a Melbourne-based law firm. To read more, go to this link

-¢- Well done to former boarder Kyle Hendy (SPC 2010, PY2011) who has been re-signed as senior footy coach of the Navarre Grasshoppers in 2019. For more, read this story at this link

-¢- Congratulations to Chris Suban (SPC 2003-08) (Bacchus Marsh) who was runner-up in the reserves best and fairest in the Ballarat Football League vote count as well as Nick Stuhldreier (SPC 2012-17) (Bacchus Marsh) who was awarded 2018 Rookie of the Year, and Will Young (SPC 2003-04, PY2008) (North Ballarat City) who was leading goal kicker runner-up with 49 goals.

-¢- Congratulations to Nick Rippon (SPC 2007-12), former North Ballarat Rooster and JJ Liston Trophy winner, who was awarded North Melbourne’s inaugural VFL best and fairest. The 24-year-old enjoyed a stand-out year under the guidance of former North Ballarat Rebels coach and fellow Old Collegian David Loader (SPC 1982-85, PY1987). Rippon averaged 22.9 disposals a game in his 17 appearances, with a season-high 31 disposals against Sandringham in round nine and Geelong in round 10. Former Rebels player and Old Boy Michael Close (SPC 2011-12) received the best clubman award. For more, go to this link

-¢- Ballarat stock agent Xavier Bourke (SPC 1997-2002) talks about the sad end of the era as the Delacombe stock yards close down, as the new yards at Miners Rest finally open in this story at this link

-¢- Great to see best and fairest Joe Carmody (SPC 1992-97 and current staff) is returning to Ballarat in the Ballarat Football League to continue his coaching career. His appointment fulfils the Swans’ desire to return to having a non-playing coach. Joe was last with the Swans in 2016 as a senior assistant and moved into an assistant coaching role with Greater Western Victoria Rebels under-18s in the TAC Cup last year, under the guidance of Gerard FitzGerald (SPC 1973, PY1975). For more, go to this link

-¢- It was great to hear from Old Collegian James Robertson (SPC 1997-2001, PY2002) recently. James is a business owner in Jakarta, Indonesia and operates a Digital Advertising agency across the Asia Pacific. Great to hear from you James!

-¢- Mathew Begbie (SPC 2006-11) is back with Wendouree for season 2018-19. The top order batsman has lodged a clearance from Victorian Premier Cricket club Melbourne, where he played last season. Begbie is a first grade premiership player with Melbourne and last featured for the Red Caps in 2016-17. He is a two-time flag winner with Wendouree and is a huge addition to the side’s batting stocks for the upcoming campaign under captain Gavin Webb (current staff). For more on this story, click on this link

-¢- We heard from Old Collegian Frank -Froggie- McCarthy (SPC 1950-55) who was saddened to hear of the passing of Graeme Sampieri (SPC 1952-55), the two were classmates in -Old Bill- O’Malley’s Intermediate class. Two of Frank’s older brothers are also Old Boys, including Bill (SPC 1947-50) who was a co-Head Perfect with Chris Haintz (SPC 1945-50) and later, Frank’s son Gerald, was also a SPC student between 1981-86. Frank recalled -We used to celebrate winter with snowball fights with the guys from Ballarat College, then just across the lane from our classroom-.

-¢- Congratulations to Old Collegian Shaun O’Loughlin (SPC 1990-95) who has been appointed coach of Buninyong Football Club. To read more, go to this link

-¢- Great to hear from Xavier Flanagan (SPC 1995-97) who is working at the Business Improvement Lead at the City of Ballarat. Great work Xavier!

-¢- Great to hear from Old Boy Jarryd O’Dowd (SPC 2008-13) who is keeping busy with the advent of NBN and disconnection of the Telstra ISDN in his role as a business solutions specialist with Connect Tel. Great to hear from you Jarryd!

-¢- We were delighted to hear from John Turner (SPC 1962-65, PY1966) recently. John is retired from a career in security, but is keeping himself very busy indeed as a Referee Advisor at Broadmeadows Basketball Association. John is responsible for educating and training 70 basketball referees, well done John!

-¢- You might get served a latte or two by Old Collegian Jarrah Staley (SPC 2008-13) with his family recently gaining the green light to establish a café in a disused fuel depot site in Golden Point. To read more and see where it is, go to this link

-¢- Josh Muir (SPC 2004-07, PY2009) unveils his latest piece during the BOAA art festival. Josh, who has been featured in exhibitions all over Victoria and Melbourne’s White Night in 2016 , shows off his spectacular work at this link

-¢- Twins Nathan and Mitch Brown (SPC 2002-06, PY2007) chat to the media about their own footy careers in the lead-up to the AFL grand final in this story at this link

-¢- Old Collegian Andrew Lewis (SPC 1976-81) was in the media recently in his role as managing director of Colliers International, talking about Ballarat’s high commercial rates and the need for change. To read more, go to this link

-¢- Old Boy Lachie Poulter’s (SPC 2006-09, PY2010) legacy lives on with a charity fund set up in his honour to ensure all children have the skills, uniforms and equipment they need to enjoy footy, the game Lachie loved so much. Lachie died suddenly after collapsing on the sidelines at the end of a football game in Learmonth in July. To read more about this touching story, go to this link

-¢- Great to see Rohan Giblett (SPC 2006-08, PY2011) as one of the baking team who took home the gold medal for Sovereign Hill’s Hope Bakery for its famous sausage roll at The Official Great Aussie Meat Pie Competition recently. Rohan and his team also won another gold and bronze medal, to read the full story, go to this link

-¢- Brayden Allan (SPC 2006-11) and his family speak candidly in a bid to increase awareness of the stigma that still surrounds the subject of mental illness and suicide, after his father took his own life in August. To read this powerful story, go to this link

-¢- Well done to Jarrod King (SPC 2001-06) and his mates for conquering a 2000km cycling trip from Uluru to Ballarat in a bid to raise awareness of dementia. To find out more, go to this link