PRESIDENT'S REPORT

It is with great pleasure that your committee is able to present our 2025 Thistlelonian magazine and I hope you enjoy reading about the activities of the past and present life and times of McKinnon Secondary College through the journeys of those who have been proud to have been part of the story which commenced in 1954 as McKinnon High School.

Established in 1994 to provide an enduring link with all students and staff who have trodden the path along McKinnon Road, we are delighted to be able to honour those from the Class of 1959 (the Originals), to the soon-to-graduate Class of 2025. 

In that time Thistlelonians has raised a substantial amount of money, through reunions and donations, which is all channelled back into the college enabling student awards, purchase of equipment and sponsorship towards student activities.

The support of College Council and the staff at McKinnon allow us to be an integral part of the college community without which we could not function. I am delighted to represent Thistlelonians on College Council.

As you will read further on, the McKinnon Secondary College is a mammoth community with 3,057 students and 316 staff - and proudly 49 alumni working as teaching and admin staff spread across both campuses.

We are very excited to welcome three new faces to the committee, all being current staff at McKinnon, and look forward to their thoughts and ideas through fresh eyes. Chris Pantelios - '98, Jessica (Long) Dixon - '98 and Romy Greenberg - 2019.

GRAND REUNION 2024

The Grand Reunion on Saturday 26th October saw the Classes of 1959 (the Originals), 1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1994, 2004, 2014 and the first reunion for the Class of 2019.

We were also able to invite the Classes of 1990 and 1991 who had missed their reunion through Covid lockdown.

Earlier that day, College Principal, Michael Kan, hosted the now traditional Principal's Afternoon Tea and welcomed back the Class of '74 who were celebrating 50 years since graduation and the Class of 1959 - our Originals - celebrating 65 years since graduation.

A wonderful string quartet of senior students performed and were greatly appreciated.

You can view these celebrations further into this edition.

GRAND REUNION 2025

Saturday 25th October at McKinnon Road Campus will see the return of the Classes of 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1995, 2005, 2015 and 2020 (for their first reunion).

The Grand Reunion invitation page can be found here.

Please reply and advise others to update their details via our website here:

Principal, Michael Kan is welcoming back the classes of 1960 (who celebrate 65 years since leaving McKinnon) and the class of 1975 (50 years after leaving McKinnon), for a special afternoon tea earlier on Grand Reunion day Saturday 25th October. 

Invitations will be sent in September. Please contact us if you do not receive your invitation.

SPECIAL THANKS

Without the input and dedication of our wonderful group of volunteers, we would not be able to exist and I would like to thank those who give of their time and expertise in keeping Thistlelonians running.

Those who work on the front desk at reunions and the catering and bar helpers who are all crucial for a smooth and exciting time.

Michael Kan, the Principal Team, teaching, admin, facilities and IT staff whose support throughout the year is invaluable.

The college Media Team headed by Andrew Krause, for their attention to our various social media accounts and photographing all our activities during the year.

Chelsea Stanley - Digital Communications - for her wonderful work in putting this magazine together and maintaining our Facebook and LinkedIn postings.

Thank you to all who have donated money towards our Thistlelonian Awards and our uniform display in the MERC building which is always being supplemented by donations of bygone memorabilia from past eras at McKinnon - mothballs and all. A special mention to Jenny Cooke's work in maintaining the displays which creates much interest from students keen to check out uniforms and items from previous generations of McKinnon students.

We are looking for photos of the school from the 1950s to the present time. Photos of the original buildings, assembly hall, students in uniform, teachers, etc.

At the moment we have enough uniforms, both girls’ and boys’, summer and winter, as well as sports uniforms over the years.

Any special items, such as the prefects’ spoons of the mid-1960s would be appreciated.

Please phone Melanie Lynch on (03) 8520 9092 to arrange delivery.

We were delighted to have Principal, Michael Kan, present Roger Danne (Class of '76) with his Lifetime Membership for his guidance with our Grand Reunion refreshment requirements over many years. Thank you for this most important role.

The fellow committee members Andrew Newton, Jenny (Good) Cooke and Pam (Cox) Dickfos believe we have had another great year of keeping our alumni involved with the life of McKinnon Secondary College. All of this has been under the guidance of our dynamic and enthusiastic Administrator, Melanie Lynch who has now been with us for 10 exciting years. Congratulations..

Thanks for your support and enjoy reading as we look forward to another fantastic year. Keep a lookout on our social media accounts for all the latest news.

Geoff Woolnough

Thistlelonian President