The Year to Date

Kilvonian happenings

After so many cancellations and disruptions over the past few years, it has been wonderful to gather our alumni at reunions and other networking events once again. 

In March, we were delighted to welcome more than 40 Kilvonians to our Walsh Club Lunch, a special event for all those who attended Kilvington 50 or more years ago. 

It was wonderful to see all the smiles and hear all the laughs at both the 30 & 35 Year Reunion and 40 & 45 Year Reunion, both held in the Kilvington Sport Centre with guests enjoying a few drinks and nibbles as they caught up with school friends and cohort peers. 

Author, businesswoman, lawyer and former Federal Government and Independent MP, Julia Banks (nee Lolatgis, Class of 1980), was our fascinating guest speaker at the rescheduled all-peer Kilvonian Konnections event. Julia spoke about the highs and lows of life in federal politics and passionately shared her thoughts on how to address gender equality.

You can read more about the alumni events and see more photos in the Reunion section on page 5. 

International Women's Day Breakfast 

The theme for this year’s International Women's Day, celebrated on 9 March, was #BreakTheBias. Our Year 11 and Year 12 students and staff celebrated with a breakfast and keynote address about gender equity from Kilvington alumni, Shelley Penn (Class of 1982).

Shelley is a Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects and was elected as only the third female National President of the Australian Institute of Architects National Council in 2012.

Among many other achievements, Shelley is an advocate for equity and women in architecture. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2021 for 'significant service to architecture and design in the public realm, and to professional institutes.'

You can read more about Shelley on the Kilvonian Profiles page.

Alumni Committee update

The Kilvington Alumni Committee has had a very busy start to 2021. After much planning and coordination, the pilot of the Kilvington Mentor Matching Program has commenced. The program matches alumni with current Year 10 and Year 11 students over 12 weeks to share experiences of life after Kilvington and explore future career pathways. 

The program fully aligns with our Alumni mission statement, To build a community of former students who enjoy and contribute to Kilvington’s rich culture of connection, relationships and care. We are hopeful this pilot program will continue as a unique offering for Kilvington students in years to come. 

The Committee has also arranged the very first STEAM Networking Breakfast for all alumni on Thursday 18 August from 7.15am to 8.30am. Our wonderful guest speaker, Associate Professor Briony Rogers, will provide an update on her work as Director of MSDI Water and CEO of Fire to Flourish, and talk about the importance of collaboration for the sustainability of our world. Book your tickets here.

Most recently, the group coordinated the involvement of Kilvington alumni in the Concerto Concert at Deakin Edge, Federation Square, where the grand finale was a performance of Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’. 

And for users of Instagram, make sure you follow the new Kilvonians account to keep up-to-date with news and events. 

We thank all members of the Alumni Committee for their expertise, time and support: Sarah Lim (President), Class of 2003; Sarah McSwiney, Class of 1999; Ann Cleghorn, Class of 1977; Julie Scott, Class of 1982; Rebecca Zolotareva, Class of 1992; Charan Naidoo, Class of 2017; Peter Yu, Class of 2017; Rachel Cetrola, Class of 2018; Mitchell Cole, Class of 2019 and Elisabeth Yeo, Class of 2019.

New Alumni Committee President

We are delighted to announced that Sarah Lim (Class of 2003) has been elected as the new President of the Kilvington Alumni Committee.

Sarah replaces outgoing President, Sarah McSwiney, who is stepping down to take on the position of Chair of the Kilvington Board. Sarah will remain as a member of the Alumni Committee.  

Sarah brings a range of valuable skills to the Committee including stakeholder engagement; project and workflow management; policy advice; risk and compliance management; process improvement; and securing and managing grants. She has a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Hons) and Master of Business Administration (MBA). 

But, perhaps her most valuable asset is her passion to strengthen connections between Kilvington’s alumni. Welcome aboard Sarah! 

Walking Club 

The Kilvonian Walking Club is a casual group that meet once a month on a Sunday to catch up with other alumni for some fitness and fun.  

The walks take place at different locations close to Kilvington advised via the Kilvonian Facebook and Instagram page.  Following the walk, members are invited to stay on for a coffee and delicious treat at a local venue. The walking is at a very moderate pace and all fur babies and kids are most welcome.

We would love to grow this group so gather your Kilvington mates or come alone and join us for the next event. All welcome!

When: 9.00am on Sunday 11 September

Where: Duncan Mackinnon Reserve, Murrumbeena (Meet at the corner of Murrumbeena and North Roads)

If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Lim on 0413 518 208.

Kilvington Centenary 2023 celebrations

Plans for Kilvington’s 100-Year celebration in 2023 are almost complete and will be shared with our wider Kilvington community very soon. There will be variety of ways in which Kilvonians can take part in the festivities including the Centenary Fair, Centenary Gala and the Annual Concert at Hamer Hall. Watch this space!

As part of the festivities, we will be putting together a historical display of Kilvington memorabilia. If you have any items of interest such as old uniforms, photos, programs, pennants or badges that you are willing to loan us, please contact Bianca Lapins via lapinsb@kilvington.vic.edu.au.