St Bernard's College Essendon - Old Collegians Page

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St Bernard's College Essendon - Old Collegians Page

This page exists for past students of St Bernard's College, Essendon

28/08/2026

The St Bernard’s College alumni community celebrates the life of Marie Ellen Lane, who passed away peacefully on 20 July 2026, aged 94 years.

Following her work with the Defence Department and the State Library, many past staff and students will remember Marie from her time as School Librarian at St Bernard’s Junior School, a role she held from 1974 until her retirement in 1991.

Beloved wife of John and loving mother of Bryan (dec) (Class of 1974), Catherine, Peter (Class of 1977), Michael (Class of 1980), Greg (Class of 1983), and Marita. She was also a treasured grandmother of 17 grandchildren, including St Bernard’s past students Chris (dec), Zac, and Xavier, and much-loved great-grandmother of 21 great-grandchildren.

Marie was deeply committed to her Catholic faith and the wider community, generously volunteering with the Christian Brothers over many years and being involved as a parent and grandparent with many local Catholic schools.

Marie will be forever remembered for her kindness, generosity, unwavering faith, and devotion to her family. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. May she rest in eternal peace.

27/08/2026

Thank you to all who attended the 2026 Golden Years reunion last Friday!

St Bernard’s College was blessed to welcome back old collegians from the classes of 1976 and earlier in a tradition that we hope to continue for many years.

Guests of honour at our St Bernard’s Day Mass, the attendees then enjoyed a morning tea and a tour of the College grounds, led by Principal Dr Michael Davies and our student leaders. The tour included a sneak peek at the interior of the Quays Project, including the soon to be completed study hall and cafeteria. Our second-most recent build, the Margaret Tierney Building, was also a highlight as many saw it for the first time.

After looking into the future, the tour finished with reminiscing on the past, as our guests visited the College museum and told students some great yarns about the items in the collection.

We wrapped up the day with a delicious lunch sponsored by the St Bernard’s Old Collegians Association, a presentation from Dr Davies and an address from our College Captain, Sam. Reflecting on the bonds between old boys, Sam gave a poignant speech where he looked forward to keeping a similar bond with his own mates long after graduation.

We look forward to the combined St Bernard’s reunion in November, where old collegians of many different generations will come together and meet friends old and new!

14/08/2026

SBOCA invites you to our next Old Boys Night!

📍 The Laurel Hotel
🗓 Thursday 3 September
🕑 6:30pm onwards
Register for free here: https://www.trybooking.com/DOUSD

It’s a simple formula, we’ll book a venue, you show up! Register for free or simply turn up and bring whoever you wish.

Look forward to seeing Old Collegians of all generations throughout the year!

12/08/2026

Congratulations to old collegian Professor Mark Rose AM on his recent appointment as ATEC First Nations Commissioner!

The ATEC (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) is a new independent body ensuring the higher education sector delivers more tertiary programs to more people. Mark will play an important role developing strategies to help more First Nations people access higher education.

The appointment continues a stellar career in tertiary education and First Nations advocacy, which includes senior leadership positions at Deakin and RMIT and recognition at last year’s King’s Birthday Honours, where he was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

We wish Mark all the best in his new role.

05/08/2026

Huge congratulations to Lucas on receiving a Premier’s VCE Award for Business Management after an outstanding 2025 result and an incredible study score of 50.

This is one of Victoria’s highest academic honours and recognises students who achieve exceptional results in their VCE studies. Lucas’ discipline and hard work have paid off in a big way, and the St Bernard’s community couldn’t be prouder.

Well done, Lucas—an amazing achievement and reward for effort!

04/08/2026

The SBOCA Bowls Day returns in 2026! A fantastic opportunity to connect with Old Collegians, enjoy friendly competition, and win some cash from our $1500+ prize pool.

Open to all in our St. Bernard’s community– Old Collegians, Current Students, Family and Friends.

This year's event will have teams of two - sign up together or join as a solo player and pair up with someone on the day. Who knows - you might be partnered with a secret prodigy!

📅 Sunday 30th August 2026
🕒 Registration opens from 9:15am for a 10am start
Play finishes at 4pm
🍽️ Lunch and afternoon tea provided, refreshments available.
🎟️ $50 per person or $100 for a team of two.

Book here! https://www.trybooking.com/DOFXB

16/07/2026

The St. Bernard’s community is mourning the loss of old collegian John 'Peo' Pearson (Class of 1978) who sadly passed away on July 9 on the Gold Coast, where he resided. His son William (2019) attended St. Bernard’s, as did two of his three brothers: Mark (1971) and Paul (1974, dec). His older brother Peter attended a different school whilst John's two sisters, Joanmary and Therese, both attended St. Columba's.

A brilliant sportsman, John represented the Old Collegians football and cricket clubs. In football, he played at full forward in two senior premiership teams in the 80's and was a leading goal kicker. He was twice awarded Club Champion at the cricket club and was an avid follower of both clubs.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to John's children, Olivia and William, and the Pearson families. Rest in peace, Peo.

15/07/2026

The St Bernard’s Old Collegians community mourns the recent loss of Br Frank Chappell, former Principal, Hall of Fame member and influential figure in the history of our College.

Beloved son of John and Vera (Foley) and much-loved sibling of Jack, Geoff, Leah (all dec.), Denise Hayes and Sr Margaret RSM., Br Chappell passed away at the age of 98, with 83 of those years spent dedicated to education and faith as a member of the Christian Brothers.

He was appointed Principal of St Bernard’s in 1968, and proved a capable leader of the senior school in his six years in the role. He oversaw the construction of new classrooms and the two ovals, helped establish the original Water Cart student newsletter, and undertook significant beautifying and greening of the College grounds.

Our community remembers Frank fondly as a passionate advocate for the College and its students. May he rest in peace.

30/06/2026

It was great to recently welcome back old collegian James Cruse (Class of 2024) to St Bernard’s, where he spoke with our current cross-country students about life as a college athlete in the USA.

A highly successful athlete in his time at the College, James is now studying at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and is one of the newest members of their River Hawks athletics team.

James shared what he’s learned from being in a high-performance program—from balancing training with study to the mindset needed to keep improving. His key message: talent will get you nowhere without training and dedication.

We thank James for returning during his break to inspire our next generation of student athletes!

23/06/2026

Last week, St Bernard’s College hosted another fantastic Networking Evening for parents and alumni, this time focused on the construction, property and trade sectors.

The Peter Hogan Boardroom was buzzing with conversation as alumni, parents and community members made new connections over drinks and canapes.

Thank you to our amazing panel of guest speakers Fonda Zahopoulos, Fiona Grogan and Loris Rebeschini, who generously shared their experiences, learnings and advice in a candid conversation. A special mention to our MC, Teo Torrelli from MKS Lending Group, who hosted the night impeccably and sparked fruitful discussion amongst our panelists and guests.

And finally, thank you to our partners MNG Lawyers, McDonald Upton, BMW Essendon, MKS Group and MKS Lending Group, for helping to make events like these possible.

We have been thrilled with the participation from our community in these networking events, and look forward eagerly to the next one!

Address

41 Rosehill Road
Essendon, VIC
3040

Website

http://www.sboca.org.au/

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