Farewell Class of 2021

YEAR 12 GRADUATION

Congratulations to Trinity College’s newest graduates, the Class of 2021.

While the vitally important WACE ATAR exams awaited many students, the cohort celebrated their graduation from the College with a full day of planned activities on Thursday 21 October. The day commenced in Centenary Park with the traditional Trinity Old Boys’ Association (TOBA) Breakfast. This was attended by a cast of hundreds including siblings and extended family of the graduating students. The keynote address following the breakfast was from Old Boy and Tokyo 2021 Olympic bronze medalist, Jack Cleary (‘12). An elite rower, Jack’s take-home message for the group reinforced the importance of respect for others and self as well as sharing his great pride of the TC brotherhood which resonated strongly with the Class of 2021 who, over the years constantly demonstrated their eagerness to bleed the blue and green! A highlight of the morning’s proceedings involved the boys receiving their TOBA membership packs which included the Old Boys’ tie, a cherished symbol of their graduation from the College. The Year 12s were then officially piped into their final College assembly, where they were acknowledged by the school before they were piped out once more through the parents guard of honour, on their way to performing a spirited version of the TC Rumble in Centenary Park – for one last time as students. Thankfully the inclement weather present for much of the morning held off long enough for the cohort to then have their graduating Class of 2021 photo outside the Sports Centre. The formalities resumed later in the evening at Optus Stadium with the Year 12 Graduation Mass, where each student was presented with his graduation certificate and the Edmund Rice medallion. There was a break for drinks and photos on the stadium terrace. This enabled everyone to see the Year 12 student names displayed around the boundary line, which was quite exciting. Guests then returned to the larger Riverview Room for dinner. The Graduation Dinner represented the finale of the graduation events and was kept light-hearted in the amazing location to capture the celebratory feel of the night. The brilliant duo of Callum Lee (12.7) and Troy Miller (12.5) acted as MCs for the evening and added great humour to complement the reminiscing and gratitude that was evident throughout the night. Student reflections by Tom Gavin (12.7) and Jarrad Wood (12.6) reminded everyone of some very fond memories and delivered more laughs for the boys and parents. Mr Fabio Egitto spoke on behalf of the parents in his reflection and, amongst some very humorous anecdotes, he shared his positive thoughts on the many opportunities afforded to the boys in their time and the many experiences from which they have learnt and benefitted. Formalities for the evening were concluded with the customary Year 12 Graduation video, compiled this year by Samuel Zimmermann (12.8) – which was a brilliant finale to encapsulate what the year group had achieved and enjoyed at the College amongst memories they will treasure forever. Having been present for their Trinity journey since Year 7 orientation and now filled with pride at their Year 12 graduation, I feel privileged to have closely witnessed their amazing growth and development where being able to guide such an exceptional collection of young men has been a true blessing. The resilience they have demonstrated amidst such great challenges in recent years has been inspiring and their legacy at the College will be long lasting – especially the great empathy the group showed towards those less fortunate – so many examples of genuine Men for Others. For the Class of 2021 Graduation Day events to be so memorable and run so smoothly, it required substantial preparation so I sincerely thank TOBA as well as College maintenance, administration, leadership, teaching and marketing/events staff for their outstanding support and contributions to the day. I wish all families and young men of the Class of 2021 sustained health, fulfillment and happiness. It has been a pleasure serving you all and you have given so many of us as the College some truly fond memories.

Mr Andrew Jenkin

Head of Year 12