Green, White and Blue - Issue 72

Welcome to our Green, White and Blue newsletter

Welcome to our third edition of the "Green, White and Blue" e-newsletter for St Patrick's College Old Collegians for 2025. We welcome any new Old Collegians to our e-newsletter. From Term 2, the "Green, White and Blue" will be distributed at the end of each school term and is full of news for and about our Old Collegians. We hope you enjoy!

World rowing success for Austin (SPC 2018-21)

Congratulations to Old Collegian Austin Reinehr (SPC 2018-21) who won gold in the Men's Four Final for Australia at the World Rowing Cup 2 in Lucerne, Switzerland on Sunday evening (AEST). Austin and his crew outclassed the field in a time of 5:47.03, after blitzing in the semi-final and heat as well. 

This followed success at the World Rowing Cup 1 at Varese, Italy a fortnight earlier with Austin and his Men's Four crew also winning gold there too.

Check out this video of Austin below taken prior to the world titles and get to know him a little better!

Tom to represent Aus in U23 World rowing champs

We are also proud to announce fellow Old Collegian Tom Foley (SPC 2017-22) has been selected to represent Australia in the Men's Coxless Four at the 2025 U23 World Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland coming up fast between 23-27 July.

The selection has been Tom's goal since he began rowing seven years ago and he has relocated to Sydney for the past three months to train together with his crew. 

Tom has set up a fundraising page to help offset the financial costs, more than an estimated $8000, to make the most of this amazing opportunity to compete on the world stage. Tax-deductible donations of sport in Australia can be made through the Australian Sports Foundation. Click on the button below if you would like to support Tom!

King's Honour for Eamon Lenaghan (SPC 1985-90) 

Congratulations to Old Collegian Brigadier Eamon Lenaghan (SPC 1985-90), who was recognised in the recent King’s Birthday Honours List.

Brigadier Lenaghan was appointed a Member (AM) in the Military Division of the Order of Australia for exceptional performance of duty as the Chief of Staff of the Headquarters Forces Command and the Deputy Head of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide Taskforce.

Great news for Shane MacKinlay (SPC 1977-82)

Congratulations to Bishop Shane Mackinlay (SPC 1977-82) who has been appointed by newly installed Pope Leo as the Archbishop of Brisbane.

Bishop Mackinlay, who has overseen the Diocese of Sandhurst, based in Bendigo for almost six years, spent most of his childhood in Ballarat and was ordained as a deacon at St Patrick's Cathedral in Ballarat in 1990, and as a priest at St Alipius' Church in Ballarat East in 1991.

Offering his congratulations, College Principal Steven O'Connor said "we wish Bishop Shane every blessing as he prepares for his ministry as the Archbishop of Brisbane and commend him to everyone's prayers as a part of this".

First edition of The Shamrock for 2025 out now 

The latest edition of The Shamrock is here and in true SPC style, it's packed with stories of faith, tradition, excellence and joy!

Have you seen our exciting new SPC campaign?

St Patrick’s College is proud to launch a powerful new brand campaign that speaks directly to the heart of our mission — to educate hope-filled, compassionate and confident young men for their place in the world.

Developed in close partnership with Ballarat’s own Pepper Advertising, the campaign highlights the College’s core values of Character, Compassion and Community and explores what it truly means to be a Paddy boy in today’s world.

Great turnout for Class of 2020 Five-Year Reunion

Around 70 Old Collegians from the Class of 2020 turned out for their Five-Year Reunion at the Lake View Hotel in Ballarat last Saturday evening.

It was a great opportunity for this group to reunite after being hit by a worldwide pandemic in their graduating year five years ago. Members of the Class of 2020 were forced to get used to remote learning, face masks and sadly missed out on many of their final year events and traditions.

Is your Class Reunion still to come in 2025

Make sure you pop these dates in your diary if you have a Class Reunion coming up this year!

Hosted by our Old Collegians' Association, we've already welcomed back the Class of 2020 for their Five-Year Reunion, Class of 2015 for their 10-Year Reunion, Class of 1965 for their 60-Year Reunion, Class of 1975 for their 50-Year Reunion and Class of 1985 for their 40-Year Reunion. We still have three Class Reunions to go! 

We look forward to seeing as many Old Collegians back for their Class Reunion to renew friendships and reminisce about your school days at St Patrick's College.

We warmly welcome all Old Boys, including those who may have only been at SPC for a short time and may not have had the opportunity to finish your senior years.

We also encourage you to forward these dates onto any Old Boys who may be interested, and to ensure your contact details are up-to-date before we send out invitations via email. 

It is crucial we have your up-to-date contact details to keep you updated with our reunion communications, so we urge you to update your contact details please by simply clicking on the button below.

Old Boys reunite across the globe 

It was fabulous to see these guys from the Class of 2015 didn't let being overseas stop them from reuniting for their 10-Year Reunion. Pictured above, from left, Sean Bourke, Jacob Wheelahan, Lachlan McIntyre, Tom Costigan, Evan Green, Tom Evans and Hamish Coulton, had their own informal reunion in London when they couldn’t return to Ballarat in time for the OCA-hosted reunion.

Old Boys' Winter Warmers Lunch a huge success

The SPC Old Boys’ Winter Warmers Lunch was a huge success on Friday 20 June with nearly 50 Old Boys chasing away the winter chills at the social get-together at the Golden City Hotel in Ballarat.

The highlight of the day was guest speaker Br Bill Wilding, headmaster of St Patrick’s College between 1979 and 1984, who spoke fondly about his time at SPC and his latest book, Contributions of the Christian Brothers to Education in Australia.

Click on the button below to read more about Br Bill's talk and see more photos.

Obituaries

St Patrick's College honours those Old Boys who have sadly left us and recognises their contribution to the life of the College and to broader society in general. The College received news in recent times that these Old Collegians have passed away, including:

• Joseph (Joe) Phyland, former staff, pictured above
• Bryan (Neville) Beechey (SPC 1962-66, PY1967) 
• Benjamin (Benny) Conroy (SPC 1989-93, PY1994)
• Denis Faulkner (SPC 1949-57, PY1959) 
• James (Jim) Hewitt (SPC 1943-48) 
• Bill Jeffrey (SPC 1951-55, PY1956)
• Michael (Mick) Kenna (SPC 1964-70) 
• Riccardo (Ric) Marsella (SPC 1954-57, PY1958)
• Robert McDougall (SPC 1977-78) 
• Robert Re (SPC 1955-63) 
• Leo Shanahan (SPC 1965-67) 
• Jason Tann (SPC 1985-90) 

• Martin Vissers (SPC 1959-64, PY65) 

   

  Please click on the button below to read more about these much-missed members of our community.

Where are they now - Gordon Hutcheon 

The College recently reconnected with Old Collegian Gordon Hutcheon (SPC 2005-10) who has enjoyed many highlights in his role with the Royal Australian Navy, with the latest a never-to-be-forgotten trip to Earth’s southernmost, coldest and windiest continent.

SAVE THE DATE - 2025 MENtal Brekky

We are excited to announced Our Watch chief executive officer Patty Kinnersly will headline this year’s Chris Yeung MENtal Brekky. 

Supported by St Patrick’s College, the 2025 MENtal Brekky will be held at the OCA Pavilion on Friday 24 October from 7.00-8.30am. Patty Kinnersly is the face behind Our Watch, Australia’s leader in the primary prevention of violence against women.

The MENtal Brekky, now in its ninth year, is a major fundraiser for the Chris Yeung Fund, which aims to raise awareness of and provide financial assistance for families in the St Patrick’s College community where the father is suffering mental illness.

Tickets for the 2025 MENtal Brekky are $65 per person and can be purchased now by clicking on the button below.

If you would like to book a table, please contact the College’s Alumni and Foundation Officer Lorrie Liston on 5322 4442 or email lliston@stpats.vic.edu.au

What have our Old Boys been up to lately...

Congratulations to Western United midfield star Jordan Lauton (SPC 2015-2020), pictured above, who took out the Goal of the Year at the A-League Dolan Warren Awards in one of the best 95th-minute winners you'll ever see this season. The 21-year-old's bicycle kick ghosted into the box for the 'goal of a lifetime' in just his sixth professional appearance at the time. Click on the button below to check out Jordan's amazing goal and read more stories on our Old Boys, who have made the news recently.

OCA 2025 Executive & Committee appointed

Congratulations to the 2025 Executive & Committee members of the St Patrick's College Old Collegians' Association, who were appointed at the OCA AGM on 19 May 2025.

The 2025 Executive consists of - 

President - Charles Flynn (SPC 1971-73)

Vice President - Mark Dunne (SPC 1987-92)

Secretary - Will Rothe (SPC 2015-20)

Treasurer - Kieran Murnane (SPC 1988-93) 

The committee comprises the following Old Collegians - Will Corbett (SPC 2006-11), Kevin Cummins (SPC 1990-95), Brendan Eckel (SPC 1969-75), Shane Hayes (SPC 1989-94), Ben Martin (SPC 2009-14), Allan McKinnon (SPC 1966-69), David McMahon (SPC 1989-94), Stephen McMahon (SPC 1986-91), Tom O'Loughlin (SPC 2018-23), Matt Sheehan (SPC 1988-93) and Chris Torpy (SPC 1989-94).

Thanks also to Chris Torpy for his work as Vice President. Chris will remain on the committee.

If you are an Old Collegian and are interested in joining the OCA committee, please email oca@stpats.vic.edu.au

From the classroom to the AFL

It was great news for St Patrick's College late last year with the selection of four aspiring footballers in the AFL Draft - Sam Lalor, Ollie Hannaford, Jack Ough and Harry Charleson. Six months on, we chat to the guys to see what their life is like now.

Where are they now - Vinothan Sureth (2023-24)

We recently reconnected with Old Collegian Vinothan S/O Sureth (SPC 2023-24) who has returned to his home in southeast Asia to enlist in the Singapore Police Force as part of his mandatory national service.

OCA presents scarf gift to Year 7 students

The College’s touchstones of Faith, Joy and Tradition were on full display at our Edmund Rice Assembly in early Term 2. For the first time, SPC scarves were presented to over 200 Year 7 students by the Old Collegians’ Association. The initiative aims to highlight the special bond between students and the College’s Old Collegian network.

Paddies Winter Seasonal Lunch a great day out

Attendance was high at the Paddies Winter Seasonal Lunch on 6 June, with more than a dozen attending for the first time.

There was a great turnout by members of the Class of 1973 who were celebrating 'turning 70'. The Paddies Seasonal Lunches are held for Old Collegians at the Emerald Hotel in south Melbourne at the start of each season. The lunches start at 12 noon for a 12.30pm gathering. To RSVP for the Spring Lunch on 5 September, please contact organisers Michael Dowd (SPC 1964-69) at mjdowd@hotmail.com or via phone on 0407 680 682 or Noel Sheehan (SPC 1964-70) at noel@stafforgserv.com.au or via phone on 0418 509 809. 

2025 PADDIES SEASONAL LUNCH DATES: Spring Lunch - 5 September; Summer - 5 December. 

Peter Bell (SPC 1971-72) reminisces during visit

We were delighted to welcome back Old Collegian Peter Bell (SPC 1971-72) to the College recently. Peter came from Horsham and was boarding captain of Treacy House. Peter was on the senior council and immersed himself fully into the sporting life of SPC during his two years at the College, completing Form 5 & 6.

Brendan Kelly (SPC 1956-62) pays a visit

We also welcomed Old Collegian Brendan Kelly (SPC 1956-62) and his partner Yan back to the College.

Brendan and Yan were visiting Ballarat as part of a cycling tour, which had been riding 80km days, through some of the picturesque areas of NSW and Victoria.

Thankfully they were on a rest day when they visited SPC.

Brendan was a boarder from Euroa, in northern Victoria, followed by his younger brothers Chris (SPC 1967-72) & Desmond (SPC 1958-64).

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK - To keep fully up to date with all happenings in and around the College and the OCA we strongly encourage you to like our Facebook page and join the thousands of members of our community already receiving regular updates into their daily news feed, simply click on this link - https://www.facebook.com/spcoca/

Remembering Louis Scott Ehrenberg (SPC 1907)

At St Patrick’s College, we believe that it is important to honour the service of those who have served in Australia’s defence in time of war. In particular, we take time to honour Old Collegians for their efforts. At our ANZAC Day Assembly on 24 April, we took the opportunity to honour the service of Louis Scott Ehrenberg who was a student here at St Patrick’s in 1907. 

Frances traces McGennisken family ties

Frances Coffey was delighted to gain a close-up view of a picket on our Main Oval celebrating her McGennisken ancestry.

National study backs Catholic education

A national study has confirmed what the St Pat's community has long known - a Catholic education delivers lifelong benefits.

Personalise your own Main Oval Fence picket

Would you like to see your name engraved on a picket around the College's Main Oval Fence or perhaps purchase one as a unique gift for someone who you know holds St Patrick’s College close to their heart. 

You can purchase your own picket and record your own lasting memory by clicking on the button below.

Etch your name into our Performing Arts Centre

A special opportunity also exists to etch your name into the future of performing arts at St Patrick's College. Old Collegians are warmly encouraged to consider "buying a seat" in the upper level of the auditorium - complete with your personalised plaque.

To find out more, please click on the button below.

Music Soiree a treat for the audience

Last week's Music Soirée was a celebration of talent, variety and musical joy! An intimate audience was treated to a vibrant mix of solo and small group performances — from Bach and Haydn to Stevie Ray Vaughan and even a world premiere! 

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of our new Soloist badge, created in honour of our Performing Arts Centre’s first birthday. Congratulations to the inaugural recipients: Noah Vallance, Oliver Jackson, Riley Hayes and Rafael Pankhurst.

A big thank you to everyone who came along to support our young musicians! 

Second year SPC ACC soccer grand final

Our SPC team fought bravely in a nail-biting Associated Catholic Colleges (ACC) Division 2 Grand Final against De La Salle at Bulleen in Melbourne last week, going down in extra time by one goal, 6-5. It is the second year our boys have made the grand final. Well done Paddy boys!

Powerful message at Reconciliation Assembly

"Reconciliation is not just a word or a week — it's an action. It's listening. It's rebuilding trust, supporting one another and showing respect."

This was the powerful call to action from Year 11 student Daniel Rivas, pictured above, to our Reconciliation and Inclusivity Assembly earlier this term as he shared his journey to St Pat's as a young Indigenous man from Darwin.

The Assembly capped off National Reconciliation Week at SPC, but not our commitment to reconciliation. This is lived every day through the work of our Clontarf Academy. 

SPC comes alive for Edmund Rice Day

St Patrick’s College came alive on Monday, 5 May, with the colour, energy and joy of our annual Edmund Rice Day celebrations.

The day, a tradition that honours the life and legacy of Blessed Edmund Rice — founder of the Christian Brothers — began in reverence with a beautiful Mass in the College gymnasium, led by Fr Eladio. With students, staff and guests gathered as one, the liturgy offered a powerful reminder of Edmund Rice’s mission to serve the marginalised and to live out faith through action.

Newsies full of show-stopping performances

After months of rehearsals and four days of show-stopping performances earlier this term, the curtain closed on Newsies: The Broadway Musical. Bravo to the incredible cast and crew from St Pat's and Loreto College, Ballarat who brought this powerful story to life on stage.