With an audience of 400 plus in attendance and 25 acts to entertain us, the Wangaratta High School community was truly spoilt with the level of talent and professionalism on show at our 44th Annual Talent Quest.

It was a fantastic night featuring some wonderful and memorable acts based around the theme of "Nostalgic Kids TV" as chosen by the Year 12 Class of 2025.

The audience was enthralled and amused by a total of 23 student acts, plus 6 Staff Acts and the traditional Year 12 Finale, one Talent Quest veteran claiming it was the "best Talent Quest ever".

The prized Overall Winner award for 2025, playing the 2019 track “Pool House” by American indie band The Backstreet Lovers, went to the band Us Again, consisting of Year 12 boys Anthony Chisholm (vocals), Josh Robertson (guitar), Harry Goeby (bass) and Kallam Pensak (drums). They gave a tight polished performance to finish their last ever TQ with a bang.

Best Female Vocalist went to, for the 2nd year in a row, Year 9 Alexis Cox who, solo to a backing track, sang “Never Enough” by Loren Allred, from the 2017 film The Greatest Showman. If there was one performance on the night that tore the roof off the venue, it was this one from last year’s Overall Winner. Her soaring vocals had numerous people in the audience covered in goose bumps, and had she been announced Overall Winner(the 1st solo vocalist to ever win twice), nobody would have been surprised.

Best Male Vocalist was, also for the 2nd year in a row, Anthony Chisholm. The Year 12 commanded the microphone in four acts. First, a cover of the 1999 Red Hot Chili Peppers funk rap/rock “Around The World”, next the groovy R&B slow-burner of 2016 by Daniel Caesar “Get You”, the aforementioned winner “Pool House”, and also a tune called “Like No Other”. Going outside his usual wheelhouse of R&B, Anthony handled the range of genres flawlessly, and as always, his stage presence was silky and as cool as you get. The talented songwriter last year won the 2024 JMC Academy Song Writing Award and performed on the Push All-Ages Tour. His single “Wide Awake” was also getting attention from Radio Station Triple J.

Best Instrumentalist went to Year 10 guitarist Spencer Dickson. Whereas last year he impressed playing Nirvana, looking and playing like a clone of Kurt Cobain, he this year had his long blonde hair cut short and nailing some progressive heavy metal. His solo act had him playing the 1992 tune “Under A Glass Moon” by Dream Theatre to a backing track. Despite damaging his own guitar’s Humbucker pick-up during soundcheck in the morning, and having borrow a guitar for the show, Dickson shredded the epic 7-minute opus, leaving several veteran musicians in the crowd speechless.

Best New Talent went to a band of Year 8 boys called Pickle, who played one of the most iconic grunge tracks of the 1990s – Nirvana’s “In Bloom” from their 1991 album Nevermind. Cristian Hazpazis (vocals), Henry Lloyd (guitar), Tyler Robertson (bass) and Jack Vincent (drums), all classmates from 8E, played it superbly and cemented themselves as our best up and coming rock band. Tyler of course is Josh’s younger brother, and looks to have just as much talent on the bass.

The Special judges Award was won by a band of mostly-Year 11 boys called Refrigerator Girl (named after a girl whose photo was on their friend’s fridge), consisting of Levi Zachariou (vocals), Luka Hildebrand (guitar), Cooper Young (bass), Aurelio McIlroy (piano) and Sam Day (drums), and who played the 1975 Elvin Bishop song, “Fooled Around And Fell In Love”.

Zachariou, in a resplendent baby pink suit jacket, was as smooth as silk, both vocally and in his stagecraft. He reminded many of his famous father Paris, one of the most loved Wedding Singers and who once sang for Oprah Winfrey, and who was a Talent Quest judge for many years (before his children began performing in them). It was wonderful to see Levi back on stage for the 1st time since he won Best New Talent as a Year 7 in 2021, singing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” with his dad accompanying him on guitar. Nobody that witnessed Levi’s audition that year, will forget it. The Year 7 wailing that tune solo to a backing track, had, when the song finished, several staff on the verge of tears and shaking as they left the auditorium, many minutes later. Many 4 years later, still regularly watch the short snippet of video someone thankfully captured.

Best Variety Act went to Year 10 Lusila Solomua, who danced to a medley of several Polynesian cultural songs. Her stunning traditional outfit added to her mesmerizing and memorable performance. The interesting hooks of the wonderful music, and her beaming smile, had the crowd enraptured, and provided the most unique performance of the night.

The last of the awards was the Best Year 12 Costume, which went to the “Fireman Sam” group, of which Bianca Taylor was the ringleader. Other groups including Shaun The Sheep, Scooby Doo were also strong contenders.

Outside the Award Winners, there were other moving highlights. None more powerful than when Year 8 Brock Hinds performed. Teacher Harry Hildebrand, who accompanied him on guitar, introduced Brock with a stirring story of how the song came about. Hildebrand had played Coldplay’s “Yellow” to Brock’s class 3 weeks prior, and when he finished, Brock asked him to keep playing the chords, and then started singing over it. Brock already his own lyrics written, and Harry worked with him after class to craft what became “My Life”. Brock’s verses contained lyrics about life, loving his family, and the chorus had Harry and Brock together singing the uplifting and catchy couplet: “I’ve been in a lot of fights, but now I feel lighter.” It’s hard to explain how powerful this was if you don’t know Brock, but the tears streaming down the faces of several staff that know Brock well (including some that have known him through primary school), said it all.

If that wasn’t the high point of the show, then Hildebrand’s other performance was. Having penned original lyrics to the tune of “Blister In The Sun” by The Violent Femmes, titled “We Go To Wangaratta High”, he sang with his guitar, but also arranged a dozen Year 7 girls to dance on stage and lead the singalong, with verses (shown on the big screen) featuring hilarious lines about staff members Jack Nolan, Hannah Nott, Zelda Yeates, John Paola and Principal Dave Armstrong, and the chorus saying “We go to Wangaratta High, where else would you rather be?”. The whole room promptly sang along with gusto – and those that didn’t, knew something special was occurring.

Thanks to Harry for providing two all-time moments, and bringing something fresh to the event.

How many staff members have ever made such an impact on our school’s culture in such a short time? The former student (1981 Prefect) who has been living in Peru for over 20 years (Vice Principal at the elite International School Markham College in Lima) has returned home and, in less than 6 months, thanks to his “Duchenne smile”, charisma and ability to create these kinds of deep connections, has become quite rightly idolised by so many.

Of course the Staff Act and Year 12 Finales traditionally close the show. Three former Overall Winners were in live Staff Acts - Alex Johnson (guitar, 2003, Muse “Hysteria”), Laurence Adorni-Dickson (bass, 2017, Rush “YYZ”) and Scott Solimo (vocals/guitar, 1989, The Beatles “Twist and Shout” - the only Year 7 winners ever).

Johnson sang with Hildebrand (bass), Morgan Clark (guitar) and Jud Mullins (drums) in a P.E Teacher supergroup on the classic theme song “Fireman Sam”, dressed in CFA outfits borrowed CFA Captain Lesley Forman. Adorni-Dickson (bass) and Solimo (drums) played behind John Paola (vocals) and Carlia Van Hoorn (sax) in the Music Staff supergroup, playing the Bob The Builder “Mambo No.5”.

Jack Nolan sang off stage as Alice Reynolds puppeteered a Kermit The Frog doll. Tim Butland(blackboard), Meg Whatley and Lesley Forman mimed out Mr Squiggle. The Admin Team (Laura De Lacy, Melissa Finnegan, Kylie Fountain, Bron Knox, and Amy Waide) did Fraggle Rock. Rheanna Lang, Andrea Matheson and Lisa Norris swarmed the stage as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and then a crew of about 20 staff finished it off as Ghostbusters.

Year 12 MC's Swaye Freankland (Head Prefect) and Hannah Stafford who were terrific by the way, announced the Year 12 Finale, superbly choreographed by Year 12s Ivy O’Connor and Hannah Stafford, would concluded the night. A medley of hits such as “Gangnam Style”, with the whole cohort in their “Kids TV Show” costumes and dancing in sync, finished with the chorus of the 2024 viral banger “Fein” by Travis Scott (who many in this cohort saw in concert late last year) sound tracking them running down the aisle through the front doors and fleeing the venue.

Special thanks to the Lighting, Sound & Visuals crew - Jake Molinaro, Ben Christie and Sam Keast from Soundalive Productions. Thanks to photographers Kev McGennan and Marc Bongers for their amazing photography of the event.

And the many wonderful Wangaratta High School staff who contribute to the evening, in particular Andrea Matheson (Staff Act) and Lesley Forman (Year 12 Act) . Music staff Laurence Adorni-Dickson, Carlia Van Hoorn and Keyna Masin for assisting Scott Solimo . The Administration team for managing the door and canteen staff on the night Dani Castagna and Rachel Tenant .

Lastly but not least, Scott "Soli" Solimo. Who puts his heart and soul into organising this event each year for the Wangaratta High School community. His dedication to encouraging and guiding the student body and staff to ensuring a successful event is exceptional and we are all truly grateful for his commitment.

Jud Mullins & Monique Taylor

STRIVE Update