Tercentenary

There have been a number of Tercentenary events held over the past 12 months within the Lasallian family both near and far.

At a local level, St Bede’s hosted a staff retreat day for all Lasallian staff throughout Melbourne. The 540 staff who attended had the opportunity to listen to guest speakers who relayed two historical contexts. One of these was around the life of St John Baptist de la Salle and the ongoing impact of his zeal and the other unfolded the story of the Christian faith, as highlighted through the gospel messages. We are blessed to work in a Catholic school that is enhanced by a beautiful charism that is both practical and life giving.

Our Parents and Friends organised a wonderful social event at the Beaumaris Motor Yacht Squadron to recognise the wholehearted contribution of the Mentone Brothers over the life of our College by bringing our community together to celebrate in each other’s company. The early part of the evening saw Br Ken speak on behalf of the De La Salle Brother’s Mentone Community. Well done to the Parents and Friends Committee who oversaw a very successful evening.

The formal 12 months of recognition for the 300 years since the passing of St John Baptist de la Salle is now coming to a close.

Hall of Fame

Our Old Collegians Association paid our Year 12 students the great compliment of presenting the awards to our Hall of Fame inductees in front of their entire cohort. This took place at a special gathering of the Class of 2019. Our young men listened to the stories of past “Beda” boys who had gone on to live extraordinary lives, centred on service and strong Christian values. Live appearances were interspersed with video links. The families of the inductees were also in attendance. See the Old Collegians section of this newsletter for more details.

Breakfast for Father’s and Male Mentors

This morning meal was enjoyed by a capacity crowd who came to recognise the role of the older male in the life of their sons, grandsons and other family members. It is always worth giving our boys and young men fine examples of how they can develop into caring, optimistic, faith filled and loving adults. Thank you to our Parents and Friends Association for providing the opportunity to meet.

1989 Reunion

When alumni are away from their alma mater for 30 years or more, there is a sense of increased sentimentality. So it was with the Class of 1989. It was obvious that the bonds made in the classroom, boarding house, sporting fields and travel have remained strong. Indeed, many of the group have cemented close friendships. The tour of the College rekindled memories and also provided the springboard for all sorts of “tall tales”, along with an admiration for how facilities had changed since their school days. The group was encouraged to remain in contact with the College and consider a mentoring role with our current students.

Vinnies Sleepout

Thank you to Ria Greene (organiser), Mark Freeman, Victor Tanti, Mark Winberg, Juni Bence, Meaghan Ryan, Lindy Syrett, Laura Matthews, Nicola Connolly, Sherine Burl, Loreta Murphy, Brenda McCullagh, Joseph Perna, Kirk Thompson and Carl D’Souza who all helped out in various ways in supporting our students with this overnight experience last Friday.

Fr Michael Buck

I was delighted to attend the first Mass of Fr Michael Buck (Class of 2011). Fr Michael offered this Mass at St Patricks Parish Church, Mentone last Sunday. This is a special time for him and the family, the College and the Archdiocese of Melbourne. We ask the Lord to bless his work in the months and years ahead. We have enormous pride in recognising that Fr Michael was a local Cheltenham boy who came through the College, took up a leadership role and eventually found that he had a calling from God. Congratulations, Fr Michael.

Kilbreda Social

This Year 9 event was keenly awaited. We hope the young men and women of Kilbreda and

St Bede’s enjoyed each other’s company and continue respectful relationships into the future.

Sport

Congratulations to our ACC Cross Country team on their performance in taking out the ACC Championship at Bundoora Park. This complements their victory in 2018. Cross Country is a challenging and often isolated sport that requires both tenacity and teamwork. Our students were excellent ambassadors, particularly our Year 11 and 12 young men who were fine mentors and gracious winners.

Congratulations to our Year 9 Hockey, Year 10 Hockey and Year 10 Basketball teams, all of whom were ACC Champions. A number of Year 7 and 8 sides compete this week for similar honours.

Per Vias Rectas

John Finn