Old Boys in the News – August 2019

August 5, 2019

Our Old Boys have been in the spotlight including:

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  • Wonderful to see Old Collegian and SPC 1st XVIII Football player Tom Jess (SPC 1951-55, PY1956),- pictured,– celebrating his role in Beaufort’s famous senior footy club premiership in 1969, at an informal 50-year reunion recently celebrating the country club’s narrow three-point win recently. To read more, go to this link

  • Keep an eye out for Ballarat district reinsman James Herbertson (SPC 2013-17, PY2018) who is making waves with a career-best four winners at Bendigo earlier this week and is fast closing in on the century. To read more about this talented Lexton-based teenager, go to this link

  • Well done also to Brandon Lauton (SPC 2012-17) who last night became the first SPC Old Boy to play senior football for an A-League club when he made his debut for Melbourne Victory in an FFA match against the Newcastle Jets. Although the result didn’t go the Victory’s way, Brandon has won rave reviews for his debut performance and now aims to become a regular feature for the biggest soccer club in Australia in the years ahead! The 18-year-old debutant, signed from Ballarat City, has been with Victory’s youth set-up since 2017. To read more, go to this link–

  • Great to see Old Boys Sam McDougall (SPC 2014-2019) and Patrick Stephenson (SPC 2014-16, PY2019) and current Year 11 student Declan Phillips, along with others, are encouraging a culture of looking after their mates in this story at this link

  • There’s no stopping Steve Moneghetti (SPC 1975-80), who set a new world record for his age group while competing in a 15km Athletics Victoria Cross Country event in Ballarat on July 27. Steve clocked a time of 49min 27.07sec to set a new benchmark in the men’s 55-59 age group. He smashed the previous record of 50min 38sec which had been set by Spain’s Martin Fiz earlier this year.

  • Take a look at Old Collegian Matt Johnston’s (SPC 2009-14) high-flying mark against Melton at the Eastern Oval recently, with younger brother and teammate Jordan (SPC 2012-17) watching on at this link– – it might even be the Ballarat Football League’s mark of the year!

  • Congratulations to Old Collegian Callum Linnane (SPC 2008) who has recently been appointed his first lead role as a soloist in the Australian Ballet’s upcoming performance of Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince which will have its world premiere in Brisbane in February 2020! Well done to Callum on such an amazing achievement! To read more, go to this link

  • A great story with AFL Bombers backman Martin Gleeson (SPC 2012) who reveals the gruesome detail behind his horror ankle injury which saw him out of the game for a season. To read more, go to this link

  • Keep an eye out for Dennis Foley (SPC 1966-72) in this video at this link– about the Ballarat Miners’ rise to basketball acclaim in the late 1980s. Dennis was then Miners’ president.

  • A great read with Mitch Brown (SPC 2002-06, PY2007) and how he has found his life purpose after struggling to transition following the end of his AFL career. Mitch was guest speaker at our St Patrick’s Day Luncheon earlier this year and spoke about his work with underprivileged communities. To read more, go to this link

  • A moving tribute from the family of Lachie Poulter (SPC 2006-09, PY2010) marking the recent 12-month anniversary of the Old Boy’s unexpected cardiac arrest while playing football draws closer. To read more, go to this link– and this link

  • Ryan Knowles (SPC 1996-2001) is confirmed as Creswick seniors footy coach for a fourth season in 2020. Finals have eluded the Old Boy during his reign, so fingers crossed for next season. To read more, go to this link

  • Sam Short (SPC 2011-16) expresses his disappointment at the Ballarat Miners’ recent performance in this story at this link and showcases his talent in this fun video depicting his sporting skills at this link

  • Shaun Grigg (SPC 2001-06) made his first post AFL career appearance, lining up for Redan against North Ballarat City in July., botting a goal with his first kick, but not even the arrival of former Richmond player was enough to inspire Redan, which was out-run and out-smarted by the Shane Skontra-coached North Ballarat. – For more, go to this link

  • Congratulations to Ryan Waight (SPC 1998-2003) who has been appointed as Bungaree’s senior coach for the 2020 CHFL season. Ryan has been an assistant coach at the club for the past two seasons, and prior to this he forged a successful career with Redan in the BFL.

  • Well done to Shane Darroch (SPC 1985-90) on his efforts as campaign organiser of an ambitious world record attempt to create the longest, continuous line of coins, in a bid to raise funds for the Ballarat Regional Integrated Cancer Centre. Shane has been a dedicated supporter following the passing of his mother, who died from cancer seven years ago. To read more, go to this link

  • Well done to young boxer Jack Denahy (SPC 2011-14, PY2016), who competed at the World Class Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament in early July. It was the first time the 20-year0old has represented Australia since taking up boxing as a teenager. To read more, go to this link

  • Great to see high-profile sporting leader Gerard FitzGerald (SPC 1973, PY1975) backing a proposal to name a new Ballarat school after an indigenous elder, saying it would be a -catalyst- for generations to come. For more, go to this link

  • Steve Moneghetti (SPC 1975-80) has stepped down as Australia’s Commonwealth Games chef de mission with champion swimmer Petria Thomas announced in the role for the 2022 Games in Birmingham. Steve filled the position at three Commonwealth Games -“ Delhi in 2010, Glasgow in 2014 and the Gold Coast in 2018. To read more, go to this link

  • Waubra sheep farmer Chris Gallagher (SPC 2003-08) was spotted learning some new tricks with his young dog Ruby at a recent two-day course, aimed at teaching farmers how to work with their dogs more effectively. To read more, go to this link

  • John Shanahan (SPC 1967-69) speaks about the importance of mental health and support by the Buninyong and Clunes Football Clubs to continue supporting the Shanahan Cup in memory of his son Nathan (SPC 1988-93). To read more, go to this link and this link

  • Former professional cyclist Pat Shaw (SPC 1998-2004) reached out to the media to plead with parents recently to ensure their children have flashing front and rear lights to ride to school after witnessing children without the correct gear to commute safely on a bike. To read more, go to this link

  • We recently heard from Old Collegian Paul Miller (SPC 1976-81) who has recently started in a new role as Entrepreneurship Facilitator for the Ballarat region. This is an Australian Government initiative and there are only 23 in the role- across Australia.- Essentially, Paul’s- role is to encourage and assist people who are interested in self-employment, with a particular focus on over 45s.- Thanks for connecting with us Paul. To find out more- information about how Paul may be able to help you, go to- this link

    If you have any Old Collegian news, please contact Alumni and Foundation Officer Lorrie Liston on (03) 5322 4442 or email lliston@stpats.vic.edu.au