Old Boys in the News – February 2021

Our Old Boys have been busy including:

Jon Kanoa.

• Great to see Jon Kanoa (SPC 1995-2000) promoting his work as the new co-chair of the Koorie Engagement Action Group in the latest edition of City of Ballarat’s OurBallarat magazine. Jon talks about his desire to see the city walking together as a community and “unity in diversity”. To read more, click here
  We also welcome Jon’s appointment to the College’s School Advisory Council. Jon is also joined by fellow Old Collegian Jarrod King (SPC 2000-05), who is currently the Chief Technology Officer for Ballarat Health Services and the Grampians Rural Health Alliance. Congratulations to both these Old Collegians!
• Congratulations to Ollie Nash (SPC 2011-16) who is a new sports reporter at The Ballarat Courier after successfully obtaining a sports cadetship. We look forward to reading Ollie’s stories about Ballarat’s sporting scene, well done Ollie!
• Great to see David Loader (SPC 1982-85, PY1987) working hard in his new role as NAB League Talent Pathways Coach with Greater Western Victoria – AFL in this story here
• There is a concerted call to keep Danny Frawley (SPC 1976-79. PY1981)’s legacy alive after his inquest revealed his complex death in this story here
• St Kilda recruit Brad Crouch (SPC 2006-11) has been praised for addressing his new teammates about his bad behaviour last year. To read what coach Brett Ratten had to say, click here
  

  Leighton Lauton, centre, and Alex Baker. Photo: Adam Trafford

• Congratulations to Ballarat City soccer players Leighton Lauton (SPC 2014-19) and Alex Baker (SPC 2014-19) who have been signed to Western United FC’s inaugural NPL3 squad. The young pair earned trials with the A-League club late last year. To read more, click here, here and here
• Old Boy LeRoy Hand (SPC 1993-98) was among the many café owners who had to pivot quickly to takeaway-only service during the snap lockdown recently. LeRoy is co-owner of the Orchard Café in Lucas, which only opened in November, and this was their first experience of lockdown. To read their story, click here
• The snap lockdown hurt countless businesses including Tim Canny’s (SPC 1995-2000) Ballarat motel, which went from being fully booked for the weekend ahead to virtually empty, read in this story here and here
• Adam Liversage (SPC 1990-95), who is the acting coordinator housing and homelessness for Uniting Ballarat, shone the spotlight on the need for more staff as demand increases in this story here
  

  Chris Whitefield and his partner Linsie Davies and baby son Edward. Photo: The Courier

• Great to see Chris Whitefield (SPC 1996-2001) making the move back to Ballarat with his partner Linsie Davies and baby son Edward in this story here
• Steve Moneghetti (SPC 1975-80) joined a special panel alongside other Ballarat sporting greats reflecting on Ballarat’s sporting history as a previous six-time Sportsperson of the Year winner for this year’s Ballarat Sportsperson of the Year 2021, which was unable to crown a winner for the first time in 60 years due to the COVID pandemic. To read more, click here
• A huge congratulations to Joel O’Connell (SPC 2013-18) who was picked as one of 10 new recruits out of a field of more than 1200 applicants to become a Powercor apprentice. The 20-year-old will become a lineworker and will take care of overhead and underground electricity networks, including repairing them after storms or collisions and hooking up new houses. To read more, click here. Well done Joel!
  

  Kevin Vanderkley. Photo: The Courier

• Kevin Vanderkley’s (SPC 1987-89) dancing talents will be on show as the Hearty Homes managing director lines up as a contestant in Ballarat’s Dancing with Our Stars 2021 competition, which is a key fundraiser for The Ballarat Foundation. To read more, click here
• Fantastic to hear Bryce Flitcroft (SPC 2001-06) is working as an accomplished sous chef at Spice Temple at Melbourne’s Crown Complex.
• Great to see emerging conductor Andrew Groch (SPC 2008-13) is working with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Andrew has been consistently extending his craft after studying a Bachelor of Music (Honours) at the University of Melbourne, and a Masters of Music at the University of Adelaide. Andrew worked with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra as their artistic coordinator as well as assistant conductor at National Music Camp in 2019 and 2020. An exciting sojourn to London last year to work the Philharmonia Orchestra in London was sadly cut short due to the worldwide COVID pandemic. Andrew talks about his interest in music while at SPC and his work since then here
• A shout-out to Old Boy Vaughan Kelly (SPC 1990-92), who is owner/manager of Clifton Hill restaurant, Spensley’s. This is the third café/restaurant Vaughan has operated in a long career in hospitality. Vaughan opened Spensley’s in October 2019 and the “restaurant meets wine bar” in Melbourne’s inner suburb proved the perfect venue for a group of his fellow classmates to catch up recently for an unofficial reunion. Vaughan, a boarder from Culgoa, near Swan Hill, warmly welcomes Old Boys to check out his restaurant. To find out more about Spensley’s, click here
  

  James Doherty, left.

• Congratulations to Old Collegian James Doherty (SPC 2015-20) who made his Melbourne Premier Cricket 1st XI debut recently  when he lined up for Footscray at the weekend against top-of-the-table Northcote. There was a very strong SPC theme to the match with Northcote featuring three Old Collegians (Matt Short 2008-13, Blayde Baker 2010-13, Jack Lalor 2012-17) and current student Dan Lalor, meaning there were five SPC players in the game. We believe this could be a record which shows the great depth of SPC cricket in recent years. For the record, Northcote won the match.
• Well done to Nick Reynolds (SPC 2015-2020) who, after completing his Year 12 studies last year, is now working in Melbourne in administration support.
• Sam Willian (SPC 2008-13) has big plans as Skipton’s new joint seniors footy coach in this story here and here
• Congratulations to former day student Jonathan Debono (SPC 2015-2020) who has moved to Sydney and is working in the tree services industry.
• Great to see former boarder Ned Payne (SPC 2018-2020) has been busy over the summer working as a lifeguard!
• We were thrilled to welcome a member of the 1961 SPC First XVIII Football Team, Maurice (Maurie) Tanian (SPC 1959-61) back to the College recently. Maurie enjoyed a tour of the College, reminiscing about his time as a day student, during the stop in Ballarat.
• Fr Patrick Flanagan (SPC 1944-52) reminisces on his 60 years as a priest in this wonderful reflection, click here to read more.
  

  Fr Eugene McKinnon.

• It appears we have a superstar in our midst with news that Fr Eugene McKinnon (SPC 1965-66) is featured in the new Australian movie “The Dry”, out in cinemas across the country now. Fr Eugene was called on to play a role he knows very well, that of the parish priest. To read more about his moment of fame, click here and here
  In other news, after nine years as Parish Priest in the East Wimmera Parish, Fr Eugene has moved to the Sebastopol, Redan and Linton Parishes in Ballarat. Having been appointed to many parishes in his early years as a priest, including five years as a missionary in Papua New Guinea, Fr Eugene arrived in Donald in 2012 after serving at Terang which was his home town. Now aged 72 years, Fr Eugene is heading towards his retirement goal of 75 years.
• 

  Fr Eric Bryant.

  Fr Eric Bryant (SPC 1958-66) retired last year after 46 years in parish ministry. Fr Eric was ordained in Ballarat on May 18, 1974 and was assistant priest in Colac, Portland and Ballarat Cathedral parishes. He was Parish Priest in Hopetoun, Portland, Koroit and Port Fairy and finally in Stawell.

• Well done to Mount Clear fourths captain Shaun Jeffrey (SPC 1987-90, PY1992), better known as ‘George’, who played his 350^th game for the club recently. He also played alongside brother Paull (SPC 1985-90). To read more, click here
• It was great to hear from former boarder Horasio Cook (SPC 1999-2004) who is now working as the director of the National Heritage and Noaero Museum, Presidency Department, for the Republic of Nauru.
• Congratulations to Old Collegian George Helon (SPC 1980-82, PY1983) whose business MedicReady was awarded the 2020 international Global Health and Pharma (GHP) Magazine’s (UK) Award for Most Innovative Patient Medical Information Service – Australia. To read more about this fantastic recognition, click here and here
• Ben Simpson (SPC 2010-15) has joined Old Boys Ben Lusby (SPC 2010-15) and Jackson Carrick (SPC 2012-15) at South Barwon for the 2021 Geelong Football League. Ben played two TAC Cups with North Ballarat Rebels and eight games with North Ballarat at VFL level, and has most recently played with North Ballarat City. To read more, click here
• Chris Sheedy (SPC 1998-2003) has taken up a new position with the Adelaide Football Club in data and football strategy. Chris was formerly with Port Adelaide. Good luck Chris!
• Congratulations also to James Spencer (SPC 2002-07) who has started work in the new year with the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) in Business Intelligence after nine years with the Brisbane Lions. Good luck James!
• All the best to Chris Henderson (SPC 1986-91) who has the great honour of captaining the Richmond wheelchair AFL team as they head towards a back-to-back premiership this season. Chris was appointed captain of the side off the back of his first year in the sport. Good luck Chris!
• We learnt one of our Old Boys, lawyer Micky Milardovic (SPC 1985-90) represented AFL great Mark ‘Bomber” Thompson during his unfortunate fall from grace over drug trafficking charges back in 2019. To read more, click here
• We were also delighted to learn that another Old Collegian Norman Houghton (SPC 1963-65) was presented with an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in late January for his outstanding services as an historian and archivist to the community of Geelong. As the Geelong Advertiser reports in the story at the following link, Norman’s “honour follows decades in professional archival roles, and other voluntary roles including founding member of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, Australian Forest History and Otways Historical Society, and historian at The Geelong Club”. Well done Norman! Read more details here
  

  Shaun Finlayson. Photo: The Courier

• Shaun Finlayson (SPC 2000-02) is set to line up for Lake Wendouree this season after a decorated career with Bungaree. To read more, read here
• Nick Rippon (SPC 2007-12) has recommitted to Lake Wendouree in the Ballarat Football League this season, see this story here
• Fantastic to see Old Boys Blake Thomson (SPC 2011-15) and Jack Riding (SPC 2013-18) making big scores in the opening rounds of the Victorian Premier Cricket season, see this story here
• 

  Old Boy Jarrah Staley from Drive cafe with the Soup Bus’ Craig Schepis.

  Great to see our Old Boys helping the community at Christmas time, including Jarrah Staley (SPC 2008-13) at Ballarat’s Drive café in this story here

• Phil Nagle (SPC 1976-80) welcomed a landmark court decision late last year to allow a Victorian man to overturn a settlement with the Catholic church in this story here
• Ballarat-Redan cricketer Sam Hope (SPC 2013-18) and his teammate Jack Landwehr were described as “unlikely heroes” before Christmas after leading their club to a thrilling 53-run partnership to chase down Brown Hill with one wicket to spare in a thrilling BCA firsts game. Sam, a tail-order batsman sealed the victory with two balls remaining by hitting a four before being mobbed by teammates and coaches. To read more, click here
  

  Michael Clark, left, and Alex Parker, second from left, with their championship-winning teammates. Photo: The Courier

• Michael Clark (SPC 2002-07) and Alex Parker (SPC 2002-07)  were happy teammates after winning the Ballarat District Bowls Division state men’s fours championship before Christmas. Read more about the young Ballarat North combination’s success here
• Congratulations to Ryan Knowles (SPC 1996-2001) who played his 200^th first grade game with Brown Hill late last year, entering the match with 5539 first grade runs to his name – the third highest in club history. To read more, click here. Since then, Ryan has also committed to another campaign as head coach of Creswick’s seniors in the Central Highlands Football League for 2021. He talks about his aims here

• Good luck to Lachlan Wright (SPC 2014-19) and David Carton (SPC 2014-19), who joined the College in 2020 to complete a CERT 111 in Education Support, and are now heading to university this year. Lachlan is pursuing a Bachelor of Media and Communication at La Trobe University and David is taking up a Bachelor of Teaching in Primary/Secondary at ACU.

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