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Alumni highlight on excellence
The 2021 Alumni Awards and All Ages Reunion attracted a record number of Old Boys, with seven decades of CBC history gathering in the College Cloisters to honour their shared experience of attending one of the oldest schools in WA.
Held in November and hosted by the Alumni Association committee, the event attracted more than 220 CBC graduates who honoured the exceptional achievements of their peers. Master of Ceremonies for the evening, Riley Faulds (‘16), announced the recipients of the Alumni Awards, an annual recognition of outstanding Old Boys who embody the qualities of the CBC gentleman and are making a real difference in the world in their fields of endeavour.
The annual awards also includes an acknowledgement of a CBC member of staff, past or present, which honours the inspirational teachers, selfless leaders and first-rate support champions who have made their mark in the history of CBC Fremantle.
Old Boy Professor Frank Mastaglia OAM (‘57) received the Brother Patrick Kelly Award for Leadership for his global contribution to the fields of neurology research and professional associations.
Professor Mastaglia graduated in 1957 after receiving Dux in every year, and went on to excel at UWA as an undergraduate medical student. He worked in the world’s top neuroscience institutes before coming back to Perth and heading up the Neurology department at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and the UWA Department of Medicine. An internationally acclaimed researcher, as he collected his award Frank spoke with gratitude about the discipline of his education with the Christian Brothers.
The award for Community was presented to local legend, Mr Peter Christie Senior (‘78), whose volunteer work for South Fremantle Football Club has spanned more than two decades. After several years of sitting on the board, in 2019 Peter was elected as club president. Amongst many other endeavours at the Bulldogs, Peter was involved in the launch of the Stephen Michael Foundation, which creates wonderful sporting, education and job development programmes for youths in the club’s low socio-economic zones.
Peter was flying to Tasmania for a well-deserved holiday when he learned of his award, and his incredible contribution to his community was formally acknowledged and accepted by his son, Peter Christie Junior, also an alumnus, who graduated in 2010.
Recognising deep commitment to personal excellence, the Rising Star award was presented to Daniel Murphy, who graduated in 2008. Currently working in CNBC in Dubai, Dan’s stellar career in broadcasting led him from studying journalism at Curtin University to working with Sky News in Perth then Sydney, before moving to CNBC in Singapore. The global broadcaster obviously recognised a good thing, and Dan was invited to set up their new bureau in Dubai, which he describes as ‘the centre of the universe.’ His proud mum, Michele Forbes, was at the ceremony to accept the award, dedicating it on Dan’s behalf to his late dad who passed away in his first year at CBC.
The final award was presented to a CBC member of staff who holds a special place in the hearts of many CBC graduates who went on to study in the Maths disciplines. Ms Marilyn Schmidt was recognised for her compassion, encouragement and support to many boys both in her Maths classes and in the Academic Excellence Programme that she has coordinated for several years.
Cool, calm and always giving, Marilyn has also been responsible for assisting at the life-changing Kairos retreat, and her passionate desire to help every student achieve their maximum potential resulted in organising both AEP USA tours that provided an extraordinary experience for many young men at the College.
The evening was a particular highlight for the Classes of 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001 and 2011, who celebrated significant anniversaries of their final days at the College. The Class of 2001 were delighted to see their old Principal, Mr Alan Wedd (‘65), and the Class of 1991 made sure they caught up with Ms Trevanna Cooper, who retired earlier this year.
The event is designed to promote connection and belonging, and the Old Boys and staff made the most of the evening, lingering under the stars as the event came to a close surrounded by the buildings they once knew so well.
