Principals' Report
We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work, learn and play. We pay respect to Wurundjeri elders past, present and emerging and extend our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and families of Bimbadeen Heights Primary School.
One of the wonderful traditions at Bimbadeen Heights Primary School is celebrating former students who have gone on to achieve at the highest levels in their chosen fields. Displayed proudly in our school foyer and throughout our administration building are our ‘Reaching for the Heights’ honour boards, recognising past Bimbadeen students whose journeys have taken them from our classrooms and playgrounds to remarkable achievements in elite sport, science, research and academia.
These displays provide a special connection between Bimbadeen’s past, present and future and bring our school motto, ‘Reaching for the Heights’, to life for our students. Among those proudly recognised are former AFL players Matthew Bishop, Sam Mitchell, Heath Hocking and Bayley Fritsch, alongside former students who have completed PhDs and made significant contributions across an incredibly diverse range of fields.
Our academic alumni include Dr Jessica Morrison, who completed a PhD in Biochemistry at Monash University, studying the immune system and how the body responds to medicine; Dr Matt Dell, whose PhD in Ecology at Deakin University explored plant distribution across the islands of Bass Strait; Dr Stuart Henderson, who completed a PhD in Applied Physics at RMIT University studying the formation and growth of crystals; Dr Alistair Legione, whose PhD through the University of Melbourne Veterinary School investigated infectious diseases in koalas; Dr Larissa McLean-Davies, who completed a PhD in Literary Studies at the University of Melbourne; and Dr Scott Henderson, who completed a PhD in Applied Chemistry at Swinburne University of Technology, studying how herbicides work.
Last week, we were delighted to continue this proud tradition by welcoming former Bimbadeen student and AFLW player Hayley Bullas back to our school for a very special assembly, and to celebrate our first former Bimbadeen student to play AFLW football.
Hayley began her journey right here at Bimbadeen. Just like our students today, she learnt in our classrooms, played in our playgrounds and began discovering her interests and talents during her primary school years. Her football journey also began locally, playing junior football with the Mooroolbark Mustangs - a wonderful connection for our community, with several of our current Bimbadeen students also playing with the club today. From those early days of junior football, through dedication, resilience and countless hours of hard work, Hayley went on to achieve her dream of playing football at the highest level.
After playing with Essendon in the VFLW, Hayley signed with the West Coast Eagles in 2019 as an inaugural AFLW player. In 2023, she joined the Sydney Swans AFLW team, continuing her career at the elite level. Today, Hayley continues to pursue her passion for football with Claremont in the WAFLW in Western Australia.
During our assembly, our students had the wonderful opportunity to hear directly from Hayley about her journey, the challenges she has faced, what it takes to compete at an elite level and the importance of continuing to work towards your goals. We were also very proud to unveil Hayley’s signed Sydney Swans jersey, which is now displayed in our school foyer alongside the photographs and recognition of our other remarkable former students.
Hayley’s journey beautifully reflects our school value of Aspire - striving for your personal best, embracing challenges and always looking for ways to learn and grow. Her story reminds our students that success rarely happens overnight. It grows from setting goals, working hard, learning from setbacks, embracing opportunities and continuing to believe in what might be possible.
What makes our ‘Reaching for the Heights’ tradition particularly special is the diversity of achievement it celebrates. The pathways of our former students have taken them into professional sport, scientific research, ecology, physics, chemistry, veterinary science and the humanities. Their journeys are very different, but each demonstrates the extraordinary possibilities that can begin during the primary school years.
For our current students, these displays are much more than a celebration of our school’s history. Every person featured once sat in a Bimbadeen classroom, walked through our school grounds and began their learning journey as a Bimbadeen student. We hope that seeing their stories, and now Hayley’s signed jersey proudly displayed alongside them, encourages our students to dream big, discover their own passions, embrace challenges and understand that there are many different ways to achieve success.
We are incredibly proud of all our former students and look forward to seeing where the journeys of our current students may one day take them as they continue Reaching for the Heights.
Warm regards,
Adele Gregson, Sabrina George, Marty Gill, and Bree King
