Old Boys in the News – September 2020

Our Old Boys have been busy, including:

Sam Rowe at the Hydrant Food Hall. Photo: Adam Trafford

• Great to see our Old Boys in hospitality, such as Sam Rowe (SPC 1995-98) at the Hydrant Food Hall, who will be able to open following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in this story here. Fellow Old Boy and Red Lion publican David Canny (SPC 1980-85) told the media that regional venues would be busy ensuring they were following the new rules safely. David has been a passionate speaker in the media over the last few months, speaking of behalf of publicans in his role as president of the Australian Hotels Association. In recent days, he has urged businesses to do their part to ensure patrons are kept safe and earlier spoke of his frustration at the Victorian government’s recovery roadmap, which he said could have sounded “the death knell” for some in the hospitality sector. To read more, click here and here and here
• Great to see some of our tourism operators set to take the first step on the long road to recovery by reopening their doors including Sovereign Park Motor Inn owner Tim Canny (SPC 1995-2000), who has described it as “exciting news and the first step in the right direction” in this story here
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  Matt Butler and Lachlan Suttie. Photo: Ballarat Times

  Stephen McMahon (SPC 1986-91) talks about the importance of the Olympic flame’s time in Ballarat in the lead up to the Sydney 2000 Olympics and Anthony Edwards (SPC 1985-90) talks about his silver medal in this story here

• Fantastic to see Old Boys Matt Butler (SPC 2013-18) and Lachlan Suttie (SPC 2013-18) shaving their hair into mullets to fundraise for the Black Dog Institute. Great work guys!
• Great to see retired St Kilda defender Nathan Brown (SPC 2002-06, PY2007) continuing his playing career with Barwon Heads in the Bellarine Football League. To read more, click here
• Josh Pegg (SPC 2015-19, PY2020) looks set to remain at Golden Point for a little longer with COVID-19 interrupting the start of the premier cricket competition in Melbourne this summer. To read more, click here
• Fantastic to see Old Collegian and Australian Ballet soloist Callum Linnane (SPC 2008) helping young ballet dancers work on their dreams as he helps them in weekly online training sessions in this story here
• Family and friends reflected on the one-year anniversary of the passing of Bungaree’s favourite son Danny Frawley (SPC 1976-79, PY1981) in this story here. Danny, aged 56, died in a single vehicle crash near Gordon on September 9, 2019. Family members recently revealed the St Kilda and Ballarat footballing great was suffering from a concussion-linked brain condition at the time of his tragic passing. To read more, click here
• Great to reconnect with Tim Ryan (SPC 1990-95). Tim is working on the teaching team as a production manager at the Star of the Sea College in Brighton.
• Great to chat with Alex Brown (SPC 2000-05) who is working in the insurance industry these days.
• Old Collegian Brendan James (SPC 1973-77) has settled a five-year legal dispute with Macquarie Group after accusing its investment advisers of artificially inflating the price of a small mining company and encouraging him to buy more shares when it proved to be worthless. To read more, click here
• Wonderful to reconnect with former day student Simon Baynes (SPC 1987-89) who is the CEO for CNW Electrical.
  

  Scott Phillips, pictured right, at the announcement that construction of the basketball stadium will soon start. Photo: Lachlan Bence

• Scott Phillips (SPC 1990) is one happy school principal after getting the news that a new basketball stadium has been fast-tracked for his school. Scott is principal of Delacombe Primary School, where the $6m complex will be built, creating a new gym for students. Since the announcement, construction has already started. To read more, click here
• Great to hear from Old Boy Samuel Hadley (SPC 2012-13) who is now working as an accounts manager.
• Fantastic to hear from former day student Benjamin Couch (SPC 2004-09) who is now based in Sydney and working as a naval officer.
• Great to reconnect with Xavier Flanagan (SPC 1995-97) who is working in the role of the business improvement lead for the City of Ballarat.
• Good luck to Old Boys Nick Stevens (SPC 2015-18, PY2019) and Harry Sharp (SPC 2016-19, PY2021) who have been invited to take part in the national AFL under-18 draft combine. The East Point teammates are among 22 Victoria country male players off to the AFL combine. To read more, click here
• Fantastic to chat to Old Boy Ethan Jones (SPC 2006-11) who is working in the extremely important area of medical research in the fight to find a vaccine for COVID-19. Ethan has been working in medical research in the private sector in Melbourne for the past three years after completing university studies and his work has recently changed to an emphasis now on working towards a COVID-19 vaccine. He said the recent pandemic and his research work had been an “eye-opening” experience. We hope Ethan will be at the forefront of finding a vaccine for this dreaded virus. Go Ethan!!
• Great to hear recently from Old Boy Ben Kavenagh (SPC 1990), who is the Adelaide 36ers CEO. Have a listen to this interesting radio interview with Ben in recent months as he talks about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the basketball world, a controversial coaching change and his vision and plans for the future of his club in these challenging times. Ben was appointed CEO of the Adelaide 36ers in 2018. To listen to Ben’s interview, click here
• Ballarat snake catcher Jules Farquhar (SPC 2007-11, PY2012) highlights the likelihood of higher backyard snake sightings due to more people spending time at home this spring due to the coronavirus restrictions. To read more, click here
• Ballarat real estate agent Matthew Edwards (SPC 1999-2004) highlights the demand for property by those seeking a seachange or treechange due to the coronavirus in this story here
• A fantastic story about the Meredith Music Festival, its founder Chris Nolan (SPC 1980-85) and his parents Jack and Mary, and their ongoing commitment to showcasing great music, all while supporting the local community. To read more, click here. This comes as festival organisers have sadly made the news official that this year’s festival in December has been cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic, but hope to run a sister festival in March instead. To read more, click here
• Great to chat to Rowan O’Callaghan (SPC 1998-99) who is busy teaching from home instead of the classroom at Belmont High School. Rowan moved to the Geelong area after a one-year teaching stint at St Mary MacKillop College in Swan Hill. Rowan was a boarder at SPC from Ouyen.
• Watch out for Jonah Healy (SPC 2011-16) who is a new North Ballarat recruit for the Ballarat Cricket Association season after four years at Napoleons-Sebastopol. To read more, click here
• Great to catch up with Andrew McNiece (SPC 2003-08) who is now a doctor training in intensive care. Great work Andrew!
• A greyhound named Lachie’s Legacy, in the memory of Dunnstown footballer and Old Boy Lachie Poulter (SPC 2006-10) captured a featured race in Ballarat recently. To find out more, click here. Meanwhile, it is wonderful to see Lachie’s family continuing its work through “Lachie’s Legacy” in memory of their son, who tragically died while playing footy for Dunnstown in 2018. The foundation, which aims to bring rural and remote children access to the game of football, was busy running a special photo competition for youngsters recently. To read more, go here or to find out more about Lachie’s Legacy, click here
• Great to catch up with former day student Martin Davies (SPC 1975-80) who has been busier than ever during the current pandemic through his work as a IT software trainer for the Victorian Government. Martin also works in the IT department for the Victorian Government’s Solicitor’s Office and has been incredibly busy helping staff set up their IT needs at home to be able to work remotely. Great work Martin!
• Old Boy and former Moorabool mayor Paul Tatchell (SPC 1974, PY1979) talks about his fears for the long term damage on businesses in his shire due to the impact of COVID-19 in this story here
• It was nice to chat to Old Boy Gareth Edwards (SPC 1995-2000) who is living in sunny Queensland and is a busy “full-time dad” caring for his 20-month-old daughter.
• Ballarat Football Umpires Association chairman and Old Boy John Davey (SPC 1990-95) welcomes funding for umpire recruitment and retention in this story here
• Great to chat to former day student Brian Hemley (SPC 1966-71), who took a seachange to the beach suburb of Mornington about five years ago after retiring from his position as a logistics manager for a transport company. Despite the current Stage 4 lockdown, Brian said he is loving the beach lifestyle.
• Disappointing news for Jonathan Davey (SPC 1997-2002) who will not be coaching Ballarat City FC’s senior men’s team in 2021. Jonathan was appointed earlier this year for the 2020 NPL3 season, but never ended up coaching an NPL game as the season was cancelled due to a spike in COVID-19 cases in Victoria. To read more, click here
• Great to hear from former boarder Peter Finn (SPC 1966-67, PY1968) who is busy working as an architect.
• Glad to see Ballarat NBL player Sam Short (SPC 2011-16) has emerged from isolation following a COVID-19 outbreak within his Melbourne United camp in mid to late August. To read more about Sam’s experience, click here
  

  Tony Scally.

• Great to hear from Tony Scally (SPC 1972-75, PY1977) who is combining his work as a part-time teacher with his passion as a successful racehorse trainer in Geraldton, Western Australia. Tony has 125 career wins to his name since taking up training in the mid-90s. Well done Tony!
• It was great to hear from Brian Mullarvey (SPC 1956-59). Brian is now retired but was employed in the Australian Wire Industry for 50 years, serving in private industry in several states with ARC and Smorgon Wire as a divisional manager and on the secretariat of the Australasian Wire Industry Association.
• Congratulations to George Helon (SPC 1980-82), who recently received his Letters Patent from Her Majesty’s College of Arms in London. The Grant and Letters Patent are issued by the Crown with the full authority of Her Majesty the Queen. George is immensely proud to share the news of his most prestigious honour with the College.
  

  George Helon’s Letters Patent.

  “So in addition to being an Armiger, a Freeman of the City of London and a Kentucky Colonel I am now an Esquire too,” George said. More information about the Letters Patent and all of George’s granted Armorial Ensigns can be found here and here

• Lovely to chat to Peter Lamaro (SPC 1962-67) recently, who joked that it is pretty easy to ‘self-isolate’ on his farm in the open countryside of Nyah, near Swan Hill. Peter was a boarder at SPC and was the only child in his family, alongside three brothers and seven sisters, to attend St Patrick’s.
• Great to chat with Old Boy Nick Lyons (SPC 1994, PY1999) recently, who has been able to adapt his guitar teaching business due to the coronavirus pandemic to the online platform instead. Nick has been a guitar teacher in and out of the school system over the years and has been a familiar face for guitar enthusiasts at Crossroads Music in Ballarat. Nick, who also works as a support care worker for the NDIS, is now keeping busy online with one-on-one lessons with budding guitar players. If you are interested in finetuning your guitar skills too, email Nick on nickthedon@hotmail.com  
• Some fantastic words here from Old Collegian Daniel Rioli (SPC 2012-15) reflecting favourably on his time as a boarder at our College before becoming a star at Richmond FC and celebrating the recent Dreamtime game on his home turf, as well as a great video leading up to the game, which was played in Darwin on a ground where Daniel played much of his junior footy. To read and watch the video, click here and here
• Former Mt Clear batsman Dylan Achison (SPC 2007-12) and brother Nathan (SPC 2014-16, PY2019) have joined North Ballarat for the 2020-21 Ballarat Cricket Association season. To read more, click here
• Congratulations to Anthony Edwards (SPC 1985-90) who has moved on from his role at the Cancer Council in Tasmania to take on a rowing sports position with The Friends school in Hobart, Tasmania. As Anthony said himself, he is “returning to my big passion of sport/rowing really”. We wish Anthony all the best!
• Gerard Ryan (SPC 1974-79, former staff), AFL Goldfields regional general manager, revealed new player salary caps for the Ballarat and Central Highlands football leagues in 2021 in this story here
  If you have any news on our Old Collegians, please contact the College’s Alumni and Foundation Officer Lorrie Liston on (03) 5322 4442 or by email at lliston@stpats.vic.edu.au