Old Boys in the News – May 2021

Our Old Boys have been busy, including:

Dean Chester celebrating on far right. Photo Adam Trafford

• Redan stalwart Dean Chester (SPC 2003) celebrated his 150^th game and the club’s 150^th anniversary in great style recently. Watch the milestone man lead the Lions out ahead of his 150^th game here   Well done Dean!
• Congratulations to Matthew Henderson (SPC 1991-96) who is working on the Melbourne production of Frozen, which is currently on show at Her Majesty’s Theatre. Matt is normally a production manager for Disney Productions and is also director of the BLOC production of Mamma Mia, which opens on the Ballarat stage next week. Good luck Matt!
  

  Fr Dan Arundell, pictured left, celebrated his 90th birthday in recent months.

• We send birthday wishes to Fr Dan Arundell (SPC 1945-48) and Fr Bill Melican (SPC 1946-47) who celebrated their 90th birthdays in recent months!
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  Fr Peter Hudson, pictured left.

  We also wish Fr Peter Hudson (SPC 1953-60) well in his retirement after the past nine years at St Michael and John’s Parish in Horsham. While Horsham has been the beneficiary of Fr Peter’s most recent years of ministry, the Ballarat diocese has been greatly blessed by the nearly 50 years of service, since Fr Peter was ordained in May 1971. Over the years, Fr Peter has also given faithful service to the communities in Terang, Ballarat, West Warrnambool, Hamilton, Swan Hill.

• Congratulations to Brad Crouch (SPC 2006-11) who celebrated his 100^th AFL game in a game to remember with the onballer named among the Saints’ best in a 69-point win against Hawthorn last weekend. Well done Brad! It has been a long road for the Old Boy, who has spent 10 years in the AFL system. To read more, click here Brad talks candidly about how he nearly walked away from football and the “bizarre” drug bust that nearly ruined his move to St Kilda this season in an earlier story here
• Great to see Lachlan Wright (SPC 2014-19) was a star in his side’s win last weekend and preparing for a FFA Cup tilt. To read more, click here
• Great to hear from Ken Green (SPC 1974-80) who is now working as a paramedic, and Brayden Leonard (SPC 2010-15) who is now an accountant, Thomas Bowes (2010), who is a technician and Jasper Magri (SPC 2015-2020) who is marketing manager for Ballarat National Theatre and professional children’s entertainer and actor. We have also heard from Jeremiah Muller (SPC 2020) who is a full-time student and bartender, as well as Zac McDonough (SPC 2006-11) who is now a draftsman.
• Great to see Sam Short (SPC 2011-16) recommitting with the Ballarat Miners for the 2021 NBL1 South season in this story here
• Sam Rowe (SPC 1995-98) and his wife Elise talk about a rethink needed on outdoor dining after they had to remove the all-weather outside platform outside their business, The Hydrant Food Hall, which helped them to survive COVID, due to temporary permits, which were currently in place. Read more in this story here
  

  Brian Sharry, pictured far right. Photo The Courier

• Brian Sharry (SPC 1954-55) shows off his table tennis skills in this story here
  

  Adam Liversage, second from left, president of the Woady Yaloak Warriors. Photo: Adam Trafford.

• Fantastic to see Old Collegian Adam Liversage (SPC 1990-95) help get the Woady Yaloak Warriors off the mark by officially hosting his first home game in the Ballarat Football Netball League this season. Adam is president of the club, which is fielding unde-9 reserves and seniors sides, in the hope of building the club into a full junior outfit in the coming years. To read more, click here
• Great to see John Shanahan (SPC 1967-69) continuing “to stomp out the stigma surrounding mental illness and suicide” with the annual Walking off the War Within event at SPC on April 24. To read and see photos, click here and here  John also earlier welcomed the federal government’s announcement of a Royal Commission into Veteran Suicide in this story here
• Shaun Finlayson (SPC 2000-02) was the star for Lake Wendouree with a goal 30 seconds before the final siren in their match against North Ballarat. To read more, click here
• We send our get well wishes to Old Boy Josh Cowan (SPC 2008-09) after he suffered a nasty footy injury recently, fracturing multiples bones in his lower leg during his game for Hepburn against Daylesford. The game was abandoned and Josh later underwent surgery. To read more click here and here
  

  Ben Harris and Matt Aikman. Photo Adam Trafford

• Great to see our Old Boys enjoy the return of football across the region, including this great photo of Ben Harris (SPC 2007-12) and Matthew Aikman (SPC 2013-18) after Rokewood-Corindhap’s Central Highlands Football League round one win over Learmonth in this story here
• Josh Ballinger (SPC 2016-18, PY2021), who we shared in our GWB edition winning a prestigious ballet scholarship, talks about his dreams of pursuing a career in the art in this great story here
• We are incredibly proud to see Old Collegian and Legend Laurie Larmer (SPC 1935-40) feature so prominently in this Anzac Day story, click here
• Congratulations to another Old Collegian, John Frankin (SPC 1974-77), who had an OAM bestowed this year that we are only just hearing about. John received an Officer of the Order of Australia Medal on January 25, 2021 for meritorious service as the Band Sergeant Major of the Band of the 1st Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery. Warrant Officer Franklin executed his appointment as the Band Sergeant Major to an exemplary standard for two decades. Resulting from his service, the Band of the 1st Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery flourished, becoming a cohesive and highly effective organisation that provides quality musical support to the Australian Defence Force and a valued method by which the Australian Army achieves community, Indigenous and international engagement objectives, domestically and regionally. Well done John!
  

  Old Melbourne Road band members, including brothers Pat and Lachlan Murphy, their father John and Brendan Spratling. Photo The Courier

• Fantastic to see Dunnstown band Old Melbourne Road launch their debut album proper recently. The seven-piece band is made up of Old Boys, brothers Pat Murphy (SPC 2007-12) and Lachlan Murphy (SPC 2008-13) their father John, Brendan Spratling (SPC 1974-77, PY1979), other family members and friends. The original songs were co-written by Lachlan and the production completed in-house by Pat. The debut album follows five years of travelling through regional Victoria sharing their unique blend of Irish-Australian folk rock. To read more, click here
  

  Harry Loader. Photo Adam Trafford

• Great to see Old Boy Harry Loader (SPC 2011-16) celebrating North Ballarat’s round one win against Redan in the Ballarat Football Netball League in this story here
  Fellow Old Boys Jamie Quick (SPC 2015-2020), Ryan Polkinghorne (SPC 2013-17, PY2018), Jarrod Curran (SPC 2013-18) and Ned Nash (SPC 2013-18) also made their senior debuts for the Roosters. Great jobs guys!
• Great to hear from Edward Boyer (SPC 2015-2020) who is studying at Deakin University in Geelong this year.
  

  Jordan Lauton. Photo Kate Healy

• Fantastic to see Jordan Lauton (SPC 2015-2020) making his way onto the Ballarat City FC roster, marking the third member of the Lauton family to play top level football. Older brothers Brandon (SPC 2012-17) is playing for Melbourne Victory and Leighton (SPC 2014-19) is with Western United. Well done Jordan!
  
• Jye Lockett (SPC 2018-2020) is part of the Greater Western Victoria Rebels team working hard this football season as they looks to consolidate their position at the top of the NAB League ladder under coach David Loader (SPC 1982-85, PY1987). Read more in this story here
• Great to hear from Jim Nolan (SPC 1975-80) who is CEO of the Pyrenees Shire Council and former boarder Nigel Grigg (SPC 1985-87), who is general manager of Gekko Systems Pty Ltd in Ballarat.
• Great to hear from former boarder Josh Fahy (SPC 1997-2001), who is working as a risk manager.
• Congratulations to David Canny (SPC 1980-85) who is the part-owner of the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Explosive Jack, which won the Group 1 Australian Derby in thrilling fashion at Randwick on April 10. The lightly raced three-year-old colt also won the Tasmanian Derby in early February. Well done David!
• Congratulations to Kevin Finn (SPC 1993-98) who has joined Keypoint Law’s Melbourne team as a Consulting Principal based in Melbourne. Kevin is an accredited specialist in wills and estates law with expertise across estate planning, estate administration and estate litigation. Kevin has a Master of Laws majoring in wills and estates (during which he won the de Groots Prize for best graduating student in wills and estates) and a Diploma of Financial Service (Financial Planning). To read more, click here
• Harry Sharp (SPC 2016-19, PY2021) talks about what it was like to be back in Ballarat when he returned with his AFL Brisbane Lions teammates to take on the Western Bulldogs at Mars Stadium in Ballarat on April 10. To read the story and watch the video, click 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