ISSUE NO. 60 MAY 2016
Ringwood, Victoria
A CO-EDUCATIONAL SCHOOL IN THE ANGLICAN TRADITION – EARLY LEARNING TO YEAR 12
Contents From the Principal
01
The creation of a school
02
Celebrating 50 years
04
2016 Student leaders
06
Class of 2015 Dux assembly
07
Food Wine and Music extravaganza
08
Foundation news
10
Foundation member profile
11
Yarra Spirit survey
12
Yarra Old Grammarians news
13
Yarra Old Grammarians – Cricket
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Yarra Old Grammarians – Golf day
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Yarra Old Grammarian – Football
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Yarra Spirit news
19
Past student profile – David Robb
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Past student profile – Howard Brenchley
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Past student profile – Ian Edwin Judd
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Past student profile – Fraser Stephenson
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Past student profile – Andy Griffiths
30
Class reunions
32
Celebrations
38
Vale
40
Calendar of events
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ISSUE NO. 60 MAY 2016
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Board Members Mrs Sarah Tipping
Chairman
FRONT COVER
Mr Richard Nicholas
Vice Chairman
Photography by Paul Shire
Mr Nicholas Brooke
EDITOR
Mrs Charmaine Dunstan
Margaret Kimber +61 03 9262 7700 Margaret.kimber@yvg.vic.edu.au
Mr Michael Fung
DESIGN
Reverend Denise Nicholls
Tandem Design +61 03 9576 0896 www.tandemdesign.com.au
Ms Laurice Temple
Mr Andrew Hirst Mr Hamish King
Mr Craig Watts Dr Mark Merry
CEO/Principal
Ms Jane Macneil
Company Secretary
From the Principal Turning 50 is an interesting time…I know, it happened to me once. A 50th birthday is a great time to honour the past, celebrate the present and look with optimism to the future. We honour the past by telling the stories of those who did so much to create the school community we enjoy today. They were humble beginnings. Yarra started as an idea around a kitchen table, some rudimentary classrooms in a paddock and some very dedicated teachers and eager, bright eyed students. Those days are still within living memory of many and we have been delighted to welcome back past students and teachers who were witnesses to Day one of Yarra Valley Church of England School in 1966. We have commissioned an official history to be launched this October which chronicles the life of the School, the major events and the colourful characters who make up our first 50 years. We celebrate the community we have become. We have over 1200 young people in the School today involved in study, sports, the arts, community service, leadership and friendships. This is a significant undertaking and for us it is vitally important work. The School is less about the
physical space and more about the people in it. It is for this reason that we celebrate the life of the place. The upcoming Chairman’s Ball, the Cathedral Service at St Paul’s, the Yarra Festival and the Presentation Evening at Hamer Hall at the end of the year are all a great celebration of the people – the students, their parents, my colleagues and friends of the School.
A birthday celebration is no excuse to rest on our laurels. The rapid changes within our society over the last decade have had a major impact on schools. Along with all schools, Yarra has been challenged to keep pace with changing social, economic and technological trends to ensure students have the best opportunity of finding a suitable and fulfilling pathway in life. ‘Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in a different time.’ An ancient Hebrew proverb This proverb has never been more relevant than it is today. Knowledge is no longer defined and confined in traditional ways, nor guaranteed by set qualifications. Rather it is being generated by lifelong learning which encompasses such attributes as leadership, teamwork, communication and self-management, as well as organizational and technological skills, and the ability to think
creatively and critically. These personal attributes are necessary to manage and survive in a complex, changing world. So our School needs to continue to evolve to meet some rapidly changing circumstances. What society needs, and what our students need to contribute to it is a rapidly moving feast. In honouring the past and celebrating the present, we need to keep an attentive eye on the things we need to do to set up another successful 50 years. Unless there are significant improvements in cryogenics I probably won’t be up for the 100 year celebrations however, I am delighted to be playing some part in such a great story, such a great school. Dr Mark Merry, Principal
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The creation of a school Although there was still no sign at all of an Eastland and there were plenty of livestock and orchards to be seen, change was coming to Ringwood in the early 1960s. The post-war explosion of suburban housing had extended well eastwards of Box Hill. It followed the path of the Lilydale railway line and had now reached as far as Ringwood and beyond. The population increase was such that in 1961 the Shire of Ringwood was dignified with the title of City. Collins Street stockbroker, Robin Clarke had built a home for his young family on one of Croydon’s hills and used the railway to make the long and slow trip into his office each day. His young son also seemed destined to make that same trip as far as Glenferrie to attend the private school at which he had already been enrolled. However, when Robin was advised by the headmaster that to ensure a place in Grade 7 his son should commence there in Grade 5 he was somewhat alarmed at the demands such a long daily trip might make on a small boy. When discussing this with his wife, Janet, the idea of starting an independent school in the local area was aired for the first time. A little later when driving to a Sunday church service with Rev Arthur Robin the possibility was once again aired. Encouraged by the Rev Robin, Robin Clarke was determined to do something about the matter and began to make contact with other leaders in the local area. Milton Sells, the only surviving member of our earliest School Councils remembers first of all that Robin was a hard man to say “No” to and secondly that he was very astute about the men he chose to contact. All were leaders in their own field and all were men of considerable abilities. They needed to be because the following years were to demand much of them. People contacted included Messrs Don Annells, Selwyn Bates, Allan Carter, Alan Coffey, Bob Hughes, Vernon Hughes,
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Lindsay Nicholas, Milton Sells, Howard Smith, Charles White, and Drs Bernard Ostberg and John McCubbin. Common ground among some of these people was that they had girls at Tintern and all saw the need for a comparable school in the area for boys. Furthermore, the private schools closer to the city all had long waiting lists. The first meeting, chaired by Mr Alan Coffey, of Coffey Motors, Ringwood was held on 22 May 1963 at Mr Clarke’s home, Jillingolo, Richardson Road, Croydon. No minutes were made of this meeting. A second meeting, chaired by Mr John Harper, was held at Jillingolo on 31 July 1963. John Harper was a partner in a leading law firm and a director of Dunlop Rubber (Aust) Ltd, North Broken Hill, Sidney Cooke and other companies. An able and energetic man, he was also a fine public speaker and proved to be an excellent choice as chairman of this and subsequent Councils. Messrs Clarke, Annells and Carter had drawn attention to suitable land in Kalinda Road, on the border of Ringwood and Croydon. This meeting considered the prospect of purchasing that land and methods of financing such a purchase. It was decided not to purchase the land at that time but to organise a fundraising dinner. This fundraiser was held at the Athenaeum Club a month later on 21 August 1963 and some £6,300 was definitely promised with the prospect of it
becoming more than £10,000 in the near future. A third meeting also held at Jillingolo, on 4 September 1963 decided to definitely proceed with the establishment of a school and to seek registration of a school company. By the time the first properly constituted School Council met in January 1964 a good deal had been accomplished. Bob Hughes’ contacts had been helpful in obtaining a loan from the Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society and, through Mr Jim Hemphill, an overdraft facility had been established with the ANZ Bank. Agreement had been reached with the land vendors and the 71.5 acres in Kalinda Road had been purchased for £52,750 (approx. £740 an acre) and permission to construct a school on the site had also been obtained. Permission to construct was one thing, finding the money to do so was quite another thing altogether. Fundraising was to give the Council its greatest challenge in 1964 and for some years to come. In the beginning, all committee members had put in £10 each to establish a working account with the ANZ Bank, Ringwood but now the
question of raising serious money had to be tackled. It was decided to follow the lead of the recently opened Peninsular School and employ a professional fundraising company to advise and supervise the efforts. In the following months of 1964 lists of possible donors were drawn up so by July some 3,400 were listed and area meetings, each attended by a Council member, were organised. As well as this, all Council members were asked to supply a list of professional and business prospective donors. The door-knocking and asking that followed was demanding work and took considerable time from those involved. Despite the generosity of some, by December only £60,000 had come in whereas £150,000 had been sought. At a Council meeting Mr Don Annells presented his Treasurer’s report
Several ceremonies marked the birth of the new school. An unveiling ceremony was held on 2 October 1965 at the new building to mark completion of that building. Archbishop Sir Frank Woods conducted the ceremony and Sir Rohan Delacombe; Governor of Victoria unveiled the commemorative plaque.
mountains must have appealed to the Council.
with the comment that funds were being spent at a rate faster than revenue was coming in. So fundraising work continued. Mr Allan Carter had taken over the role of chairman of Council’s Fundraising Committee and Dr Lucas assumed control of the Appeal itself. When classes finally began in February 1966 the sum raised totalled £103,983 and Dr Lucas reported that it was unlikely that this figure would grow very much higher. Meanwhile, the work of building had been undertaken. Architects were appointed in May 1964 and site works commenced in January 1965. Construction commenced in April 1965 and Council took possession of the new building on December 20 1965. Much of this work was supervised by an ill Mr Bill Harker. Suffering from motor neurone disease which was
soon to lead to his death, this former civil engineer arrived almost daily in the company of his wife, to keep an eye on the progress of construction. One of our ovals fittingly bears his name today. The name of the School itself had been decided quite quickly in 1963. Although the names of Churchill and Cook had been suggested, the early Council unanimously chose the name Yarra Valley Church of England School. In later years this was to become Yarra Valley Anglican School and later still Yarra Valley Grammar. It was the President’s wife, Mrs Joan Harper, who first suggested the motto, Levavi Oculos. The words, usually (if loosely) translated as I will lift up mine eyes have been used as the name of one of the most popular of all psalms (Psalm 121). This and the proximity of the new school to the
Mr John Roberts Pascoe who was then the Deputy Headmaster at Trinity Grammar, Summerhill, Sydney and had previously been on the staff of Scotch College in Melbourne was selected as Principal. From August 1965 he was housed with his family at Binburra in Warranwood. Binburra was a farmhouse on a small hill to the north of the present Steiner school. The appointment was a happy one. A man of some presence and personal charm, he could both impress parents and inspire staff and students. He stressed to Council the importance of employing quality staff and persuaded it to increase the sum allocated to paying staff salaries. In that first September he appointed the first three teaching staff members: Miss Ruth Nicholls, then at Ruyton, Mr Bob Acford, then at Melbourne Grammar and Mr Kelvin Emmett, then at Trinity Grammar. Other appointments quickly proceeded. They included Mr Norman Maggs and Mr Jack Russell, both of whom were to give the School long and valuable service.
Classes commenced on 8 February 1966 with 135 boys attending the first assembly at which a symbolic torch was passed from the President of the School Council to the new Headmaster. More than three hundred attended a dinner on the evening prior to the school’s official opening, held at Union House, University of Melbourne On 26 February 1966 the new school was officially opened by the Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria, Sir Edmund Herring. Once again, Archbishop Sir Frank Woods conducted the service and the band of the Royal Australian Artillery was employed to add lustre to the occasion. The service included a commissioning of the first headmaster and of the first teaching staff. For members of the early committees and council these February 1966 functions must have been enormously satisfying. Despite all the concerns over finance, hard work had seen the new school successfully brought to reality. There had been many financial and enrolment worries. There still were – the School had opened without a Grade 2 and with only twelve students in Grade 3. However, enrolments for the future were encouraging in December 1965 Mr Pascoe had reported that the waiting list stage had been reached for all years from 1970 onwards. So, in February 1966 the School community could lift its eyes with some confidence, not only to the hills but to the future as well. John Close Archivist
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Celebrating 50 years “Y
arra Valley Grammar has a wonderful story to tell. In our fiftieth year we honour the achievements of the past, celebrate the present
and look with optimism to the future.” Dr Mark Merry, Principal
We formally began the year with our Secondary and Junior School Commencement assemblies on Monday 1 February. This was an opportunity to welcome our students and staff, invest our student leaders and set the tone for the new year. Our Secondary School Commencement assembly was especially important this year as we began the first of our 50th birthday celebrations. In addition to the parents of our new student leaders we were graced with the presence of past School Captains, Foundation students from the very first class in 1966, past members of staff, the
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School Council and former Principals and their families. Founding student, Mr Richard Nicholas spoke at the Senior School assembly reflecting on his experiences in the early years of the School and how it has shaped his life and what motivates him to continue his involvement in the School today and into the future. Following the assembly we gathered in Foundation Hall for morning tea where the Upper Primary students sang Happy Birthday to the School. Special thanks to Ms Sally Clarke, daughter of the School’s founder, Robin Clarke who gave
us an insight to life behind the scenes whilst her father helped organised the fundraising, construction and establishment of the new Yarra Valley Church of England School.
50th Birthday Celebrations Saturday 21 May 7.00pm
Chairman’s Ball (a touch of gold) The Grand Hyatt, Melbourne
Sunday 31 July 3.00pm
50th Cathedral Service St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne
Saturday 15 October from 3.00pm
50th Community Festival Yarra Valley Grammar
Thursday 24 November 7.00pm – 9.00pm
Celebration Presentation Evening Hamer Hall, Melbourne
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2016 Student leaders The first of the three major assemblies for 2016 began with the 50th Commencement and Commissioning of Student Leaders on Monday 1 February. Students, staff, parents and friends as well as past student leaders and Foundation students were present to witness the formal investiture of the student leadership body. Our student leaders are an outstanding group of young people who will lead the School with energy and commitment in 2016. Congratulations to the following students on their appointment:
SCHOOL CAPTAINS Linda Burchett Sam McLarty
MIDDLE SCHOOL CAPTAINS Hannah Manning Shyan Sivaratnam
JUNIOR SCHOOL CAPTAINS Rhonan Appleby Katrina Warton Congratulations also to our 2016 prefects, office bearers and House Captains who will all contribute invaluably to the School community to build the Yarra spirit in our special 50th anniversary year.
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Class of 2015 Dux assembly On Tuesday 9 February the annual Dux assembly was held to recognise those students who had achieved ATARs over 90 in the 2015 VCE year and to award the major academic prizes for the year. To continue the theme of commemorating the 50th year of the School all of the previous Duces were invited to return and join us at this assembly. Afterwards they were taken on a tour of the School. For some, this was the first time they had been back for decades and the tour proved to be quite an eye opener. One of the highlights of the assembly was the Occasional Address given by Mr David Robb, the first Dux of the School from the class of 1971. David, a Foundation student, is the CEO of Iluka Mining, an ASX 100 business and one of Australia’s largest mining companies. As David needed to attend a Board Meeting in Perth, he very kindly delivered his address on the big screen in the Performing Arts Centre. Our award winners were honoured with a certificate from the School and a number of prizes were presented by the Chair of Yarra Valley Grammar, Mrs Sarah Tipping.
General Excellence Awards 2015 Certificates of General Excellence were awarded to: Aalishna Alag, Nicola Anastasiou and Laila Halim.
Margaret Denniston Clarke Award This award is presented each year to the Year 12 student who best fulfills the conditions of the Rhodes scholarship, that is, superior scholastic achievement, exceptional contribution to cultural activities, exceptional contribution to sporting activities and outstanding leadership. For the academic year 2015, the recipient of the Margaret Denniston Clarke Award is Laila Halim.
Presentation of Dux The term Dux refers to the most academically successful student in a School or a division of a School. Our Dux for the academic year 2015 achieved amongst the very top students in the State. They received a Certificate of General Excellence, two subject awards and the Margaret Denniston Clarke Award. The Dux at Yarra Valley Grammar for the academic year 2015 is Laila Halim.
Our Dux assembly focuses on academic excellence both for our current students and in this our birthday year for the generations of students who have strived to: Lift their eyes and aspire to do great things. We celebrate their achievements but we also celebrate who they have been to us and who they have become as young adults.
Kwong Lee Dow Scholarship: Finley Griffett (Year 11)
Certificates of Exceptional Performance with Study Scores of 50: Accounting Prahn Nicholson (Year 11) Product Design & Technology Genevieve Underhill
Academic Prizes 2015 Art & Design Business Studies English Health & Physical Education Humanities The Ossy Greulich Memorial Award for LOTE Mathematics Science Technology
Laura Pratt Kyra Argyriou Lachlan McRae Lachlan McRae Lauren Davis Laila Halim Laila Halim John Portwood Genevieve Underhill
General Excellence Awards Aalishna Alag, Nicola Anastasiou and Laila Halim
Margaret Denniston Clarke Award Laila Halim
Dux of the School Laila Halim
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Food Wine and Music extravaganza Saturday 19 March saw the staging of Yarra Valley Grammar’s renowned Food Wine and Music Concert and once again it proved to be an evening to remember! It is the one event of the year that brings virtually every musical ensemble in the School together for an evening of entertainment featuring over 250 performers, and as always it was combined with food and wine tasting from local Yarra Valley wineries, staged by Yarra Music for the 500-plus audience members before the concert in Foundation Hall. The Food Wine and Music concert is the first major event in this, the 50th anniversary year of our School. The evening’s celebration included the world premiere of a brand new piece of music that was commissioned (and supported financially) by Yarra Music to commemorate the School’s 50th birthday,
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composed by noted composer and former YVG Director of Music, Mr Brian Hogg. That our young musicians performed the world premiere of a brand new work composed just for them is yet another exciting opportunity provided by Yarra Music. We continue to be inspired by, and grateful for, all that they do for the Yarra music department. We thank Yarra Music for their outstanding efforts in staging such a great event. The annual Food Wine and Music concert is the major fundraiser for Yarra Music, a marvellous group of supportive parents and friends who do so much to champion the Yarra Valley Grammar music department. Every year Yarra Music funds the Yarra Music Scholarship for the most promising young instrumentalist in Year 7. In recent years their efforts have facilitated the purchase of a Grand piano for the Alison French Studio, choir risers, an orchestral gong and
concert bass drum, a professional stage piano, PA system and a quartet of electric strings. In 2015 Yarra Music made perhaps their most significant (both financially and in terms of legacy) contribution yet; the provision of 36 brass and woodwind instruments dedicated to an ongoing Year 5 Instrumental program that we hope will result in significant growth in our program. We would also like to thank our generous sponsors: Ambra Corporation Coldstream Winery De Bortoli Winery Levante Hosiery Napoleone & Company Pellegrino’s Fresh Fruits Punt Road Winery Sportsmart, Kilsyth Tellurian Wines Velissaris Photography Scott Templeton Director of Music
2016 Music Dates Term Two Tuesday 24 May 6.00pm VCE Music Performance Night, George Wood Performing Arts Centre Tuesday 14 June 6.30pm Year 7 Music Festival, George Wood Performing Arts Centre Saturday 18 June 7.30pm Jazz in the Café, Foundation Hall Tuesday 21 June 6.00pm Junior School Instrumental and Ensemble Concert, George Wood Performing Arts Centre
Term Three Wednesday 27 July Choral Showcase, George Wood Performing Arts Centre Sunday 31 July 3.00pm 50th Anniversary Cathedral Service, St Paul’s Cathedral Thursday 25 August – Saturday 27 August Middle School Musical, George Wood Performing Arts Centre
Term Four Saturday 15 October from 3.00pm 50th Anniversary Festival, Yarra Valley Grammar Tuesday 25 October – Thursday 27 October Junior School Musical, George Wood Performing Arts Centre Thursday 3 November 6.00pm Celebration of Music Concert, George Wood Performing Arts Centre Thursday 24 November 7.00pm YVG 50th Anniversary Presentation Evening, Hamer Hall Thursday 1 December 7:30pm Music Awards Dinner, Foundation Hall
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Foundation news
President’s report Well it has been a flying start to 2016. We are well and truly into the 50th year celebrations. The Yarra Foundation has had a wonderful start to the year with many new Bronze Members and over 40 new Associate Members. On behalf of the management committee, I would like to extend a big welcome to them all. The new format for the New Parents Night, Yarra Christmas Spirit, was a huge success with nearly 200 new parents attending. I would like to thank the 25 volunteers from all the Yarra Spirit groups that helped on the night. It was great to see all these new parents in our new Science and Mathematics building, mingling with all the Yarra Spirit groups. The Yarra Foundation continues on the tradition of building on our inheritance through its Mid-Year Appeal. We do hope you will get involved in this initiative in our 50th year.
hope more can follow their lead. Please contact the Development office (email: development@yvg.vic.edu.au or tel: 03 9262 7717) for further information and a brochure. At 50 years of age, the School is very impressive, this is due to the work of all the parents, staff, Principals and School Board members that have gone before us. Their efforts are to be recognised and celebrated, as we look to the next 50 years. Gary Pratt Foundation President
Every family starting at Yarra Valley Grammar inherits all the good work from the generosity and support of the School’s founders, past parents and supporters.
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Associate membership begins at $100 and can easily be made each term with your school fees. Already more than 50% of current families have joined!
Please contact the Development Office 03 9262 7717 or email development@yvg.vic.edu.au if you wish to know how you can become involved.
The Baldwin Circle
The Baldwin Circle provides an opportunity for those who wish
The aim of membership is to give everyone the opportunity to support The Foundation Building Fund at a level they are comfortable with and fully tax deductable donations at all levels are most welcome.
Full Foundation membership begins at Bronze level, commencing at $1,000.
We now have several members of the Baldwin Circle who have bequeathed a gift to the Yarra Foundation in their Will. We
Yarra would not be what it is today without the involvement of these passionate and committed supporters who have donated either in their lifetime or through a bequest.
How to become a Foundation member
to make a gift to Yarra in their Will to be acknowledged and honoured in their lifetime. If you are interested in finding out more about the Baldwin Circle, please contact the Development Office via email development@ yvg.vic.edu.au
Foundation member profile
A chat with Adam Fedden Adam is an Account Director and Head of Education at Amazon Web Services, the largest Cloud provider in the world and a part of the broader Amazon.com organisation. The family is made up of Adam, Jordi, Tia (11yrs), Koby (8yrs) and Mason (1yr). Tia joined Yarra in 2015 in Grade 5 and has flourished at the School. You recently joined to Yarra Foundation, Why did you join? I have always been involved in the educational organisations my children have attended. I was the President of the Kindergarten the kids attended, sat on the Committee at their previous primary schools and have always volunteered my time to support them. This is something that I wanted to continue coming to Yarra and joining the Foundation was a great way for me to give back to
the Yarra community. As new parents to the School it also helps in making new connections and learning the ropes. How did you learn about the Foundation? Through a work contact who was connected with one of the previous board members, Nick Brooke. I met with Nick and discussed options for me to be involved and he suggested a discussion with Foundation
President, Gary Pratt. Gary and I met a couple of weeks later and I have not looked back since.
Why should school members consider joining the Foundation?
What Projects would you like to see the Foundation pursue?
For a family who joined only a year ago, the Foundation has been a great way for us to meet new parents, and become embedded into the School community quickly. It has given us the opportunity to socialise with families and make bonds which would have otherwise potentially taken more time. It’s also great to know that you are giving back to the School and contributing to its ongoing success.
I would love to see an indoor Aquatic Centre for the School and the continued modernisation of the facilities. The recent development of the outdoor play area shows what we can all achieve when we invest in projects for mutual reward. I had the opportunity to walk around the playground recently and was enticed to have a try on some of the new equipment. It’s such a great area.
Since 1966 plans and dreams are being realised… The annual Yarra Foundation mid-year appeal will be out soon. Please look out for it in your mailbox.
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Yarra Spirit survey
What Yarra Spirit groups mean to me In October 2015 we commissioned research to better understand the Yarra community and its culture and to understand the level of awareness of the Yarra Spirit groups from the wider School community. The Yarra Spirit groups currently consist of a range of extracurricular, special interest and sporting volunteer groups. These include: Yarra Foundation Yarra Parents and Friends (including Mothers of Past Students, MOPs) Yarra Old Grammarians (YOGs) Yarra Music Yarra Hearing Unit Yarra Tennis Yarra Canoe & Kayak Yarra Equestrian Yarra Giving Circle Yarra Snowsports Yarra Prayer Group
KEY GOALS • To better understand the YVG community, their profile and perceptions about the Yarra Spirit groups • To understand how to achieve more effective models of communication and community engagement.
SURVEY RESPONDENTS The survey respondents consisted of a total of 676 current parents, YOGs and past parents (16% response rate). The responses were broken into three areas of focus with the following findings: 1. Awareness and Communication • There is a need for greater promotion of the Yarra Spirit groups to the School community • Most parents were aware of Yarra Spirit groups but had not attended an event in the past year.
I am fully aware of the Yarra Spirit groups
Current Parents
• The most aware group of current parents had children in Junior School • 49% of YOGs were not aware of Yarra Spirit • Parents prefer shorter, more targeted email communication • The newsletter, website and magazine should be used for formal communications • Social media can be used to foster a sense of community. 2. Contribution to the Foundation • Some YVG parents (21–24% current parents, 21–26% past parents and 12–14% of YOGs) are altruistic and willing to support fundraising for either the School or for a good cause. • The more aware community members are of Yarra Spirit groups, the more likely they are to contribute.
3. Community Engagement and Participation • The most motivating factors for parents and past students to participate in Yarra Spirit events are grouped into two categories; social and philanthropic. Socially motivated events attracted the most participation but the community were interested in fundraising for the School. • There was some interest in volunteering at Yarra Spirit events. • YOGs were motivated to attend reunions and other events to catch up with old classmates however, attendance overall was low. • YOGs are interested in networking, mentoring and broader interest events. • 71% of YOGs had not been to a function in 2015.
I’ve heard of the Yarra Spirit groups but have never attended an event
Alumni (YOG)
12%
Unaware
Past Parents
12% 28%
35%
53%
32%
49% 39% 40%
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Yarra Old Grammarians news
President’s message We are very excited to announce Yarra Old Grammarians have changed their eligibility, meaning all past students of Yarra are now members of YOG!
Year 9 City experience and YOG
With a changed Constitution, we will be required to only email YOG members so if you are a past student please let us know your current email address to receive details of YOG events, including year out reunions – www.yvg.vic.edu.au/community/ past-students/update-yourdetails. Please share this link with all of your Yarra friends!
“I was impressed with the insightful questions they asked which gave me the perfect opportunity to explain what the rich world of architecture is all about.”
As you all know, Yarra turns 50 this year. We would love to see as many YOGs as possible at the fantastic anniversary events taking place this year. In particular, we hope to see everyone at Yarra’s 50th Community Festival on Saturday 15 October at Yarra. On this day there will be a Yarra Museum display, the launch of Yarra Valley Grammar: the First Fifty Years, and the burying of a time capsule involving one of our Foundation YOGs and his grandchildren who are now current Yarra students. There will be entertainment, market stalls, rides for the kids, food and beverage stalls and it shall all culminate in a fireworks display. So bring the whole family to Yarra to show them where you spent your formative years! We are also keen for YOGs to be involved with careers
activities at Yarra, including offering work experience placements (for the week 20–24 June 2016), interviewing and mentoring students in Yarra’s Student Enterprise and speaking to students about various career options. Please email us at development@yvg.vic.edu.au if you are interested in finding out more about how you can get involved. Yarra is 50 this year and as YOGs we’ve grown up too! We would like to profile who we are. Via social media we will be trying to identify the key qualities that make us unique. So, please look out on our social media pages to help us define who you think we are. I encourage you all to make the most of this anniversary year – stay in contact with Yarra, involve yourself in YOG initiatives and help us celebrate our first fifty years in style. Rod Penaluna President, Yarra Old Grammarians (YOG 1990)
As a part of the School’s Link@9 program, Year 9 students were asked to explore Melbourne’s CBD and find someone who currently works in the city and discuss career experiences and discover what life working in the CBD is like. One group chose James Staughton (YOG 1986), an architect and Director of Workshop Architecture. “We were taught lots by James Staughton about lots of unique
and different styles and types of architecture within Melbourne.” Joel Cormack Year 9
James Staughton Workshop Architecture (YOG 1986)
Student Enterprise
STUDENT ENTERPR SE BUSINESS OF GIVING
Yarra’s Student Enterprise, the brainchild of Penny Swan (YOG 1990), is an entrepreneurial initiative providing the selected students involvement in a self managed business activity – running a project as part of a team with financial goals and measurable outcomes. Student Enterprise fosters a well-supported mentoring program for students, guided by a team of Yarra Old Grammarians. The YOGs share their expertise and provide invaluable professional guidance for students to assist with their professional development and successful project results.
Student Enterprise aligns with So They Can (www.sotheycan. org) to build a business model that focuses on fundraising, charitable contribution and community involvement. Any Yarra Old Grammarians keen to get involved, please contact development@yvg.vic.edu.au.
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Yarra Old Grammarians – Cricket
Old Boys cricket match with the current First XI After an initial rain-drenched cancellation, the annual Yarra Old Grammarians vs Firsts XI cricket match was rescheduled for Wednesday 24 February and we had a fabulous turnout of cricketers both past and present with blue skies and sunshine all round. Rod Penaluna, President of YOG hosted the day as well as the umpiring and was nicely supported by YOG and current parent of Cameron, Mike MacLennan (YOG 1976). It was agreed to mix things up this year and have YOG and current Firsts on each side. A number of YOG’s from a range of eras donned the creams on the Patterson Oval including Peter Bennett-Hullin (YOG 1983) who was again front and centre in a match that saw a combination of the two teams for the first time. He joined ex YOG Premiership star
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Richard Armstrong (YOG 1985) who knocked them around and got ex Premiership player Andrew Teabags Dilley (YOG 2014) going. Current A grade local player Jordan Goldsmith (YOG 2013) and Dan Robertson (2014 Premiership player) were both productive with bat, ball and in the field. Premiership Captains Jack and Sam Harper, (Sam recently made his Shield debut with the Bushrangers) and immediate past Captain, Josh Hudson were all among the runs. Mick Letson (YOG 2006), brother of Dean ensured that
the Letson family have been represented every year while Nick Pask (YOG 1999) took a blinder of a catch to dismiss Kieran Harper (YOG 2010) who showed why he is more famous for his 40 matches with the North Melbourne Kangaroos. And 2015 graduates Aaron Leis, Lachlan McRae, Mitchell Chappell were all very happy to be back at the Fortress reliving some of their great memories. We look forward to next year’s battle.
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Yarra Old Grammarians – Golf day
Old friends, fairways and fierce competition Over 90 golfers from the Yarra Valley Grammar community took part in the sixth Yarra Old Grammarians’ Annual Golf day on Monday 4 April at Huntingdale Golf Club. Twenty-four teams competed for the coveted winner’s trophy this year and all put in a tremendous effort. Melbourne put on a beautiful day providing players with perfect conditions for an afternoon of golf. Starting with a light lunch in Huntingdale’s beautiful clubhouse, the players then hit the green. The winners on the day were Andrew Oxland, James Bonnett, Tony Free and Steve Hoppe who walked away with the Perpetual YOG Annual Golf Day trophy with an incredible nett score of 51.375. Second place with a nett score of 54.25 went to Gary Martin (YOG 1986), James McConkey (YOG 1986), Rod Meikle and Peter Mitchell.
Third Place with a nett score of 55.625 went to Yarra Valley Grammar’s staff team comprised of Russell Manning, Jack Harper (YOG 2012), Peter Warren and Bryan Harper. We congratulate all teams who played and put in such a stand out effort! Other winners on the day were James Han, David Balshaw (YOG 1994), Tony Free and Brett Nagel for nearest the pin and Lochie Dickson for longest drive. Huntingdale kindly donated an extra prize which included a free day on their beautiful greens and use of their members’ rooms for one lucky player to use with their choice of three friends. Darren Smith (YOG 2002) won this prize and we hope he enjoys another day out! AON Risk Solutions kindly offered players the opportunity to win $10,000 if they hit a hole in one on the 12th hole but
unfortunately no players were able to claim this great prize. Thank you to everyone who participated for your wonderful support of the event. We hope to see you all back for the YOG Annual Golf day 2017 next year! To view further photos taken at the event, please visit the Past Students page on the School’s website. Miss Kimberley Wolsley Development Officer
The Yarra Old Grammarians would like to thank our Premium Sponsors for the day: Higgins Coatings Lime Catering
And thank you to our Event Sponsors: AMC Commercial Cleaning AON Risk Solutions Combined Super Drummond Golf Mitcham Infratech Electrical Services Lilydale Safety Wear Reflex Technology Group Technology Core Trident Computer Services Ventura The involvement and generosity by all our amazing sponsors help to make the day a great success.
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Yarra Old Grammarians – Football
Bang, BANG! We’re all Bushrangers. For the first time in Yarra’s AFL football history the Yarra Valley Grammar First XVIII and the Old Boys Football Club will share the same nickname; the mighty Bushrangers. The club, with the assistance of Yarra Old Grammarians, will provide the School team with warm up tops, a song board for the School change rooms, shared game days and coaching
support for the junior teams. The ambition is to bring both programs closer together to create a unified Yarra AFL program, one we can all be proud of, and get involved in.
The Old Boys FC has also passed a motion at the 2015 AGM to re-brand as the Yarra Old Grammarians Football Club, another move to align with the School program. Taking place in 2017, the re-brand will cover all teams including netball and basketball. On the field and court all teams have had successful 2016 campaigns thus far, recruiting strongly, running exhaustive pre-season programs, winning competitive games and socializing the only way we know how. Are you looking for a way to stay in touch with the Yarra community post school life? Then joining one of the many sporting teams as a player or as a supporter is the perfect way to do so.
Contact the club today, email president@yvobfc.com.au, phone Michael Wines on 0409 996 878 or keep an eye out for the club at many of the School past student functions. I look forward to seeing you at one of our games this year. Bang, BANG! Michael Wines President
Yarra Valley Old Boys FC 2016 Fixture
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RND
DATE
TIME
VENUE/COURT
OPPOSITION
7
21/05/16 (Sat)
14:00
Yarra Valley Grammar
Preston Bullants
8
28/05/16 (Sat)
14:00
Melbourne High School
MHSOB
9
04/06/16 (Sat)
14:00
Doncaster Reserve
Bulleen Templestowe AFC
10
18/06/16 (Sat)
14:00
Thomas Carroll Reserve
St Johns OC
11
25/06/16 (Sat)
14:00
Ransford Oval
West Brunswick
13
16/07/16 (Sat)
14:00
Doncaster Reserve
Eltham Collegians AFC
14
23/07/16 (Sat)
14:00
Kevin Bartlett Reserve
Richmond Central AFC
15
30/07/16 (Sat)
14:00
Doncaster Reserve
Emmaus St Leos
16
06/08/16 (Sat)
14:00
W.R. Ruthven Reserve
Preston Bullants
17
13/08/16 (Sat)
14:00
Doncaster Reserve
MHSOB
18
20/08/16 (Sat)
14:00
Ted Ajani Reserve
Bulleen Templestowe AFC
Yarra Spirit news
Yarra Christmas Spirit – new parents evening Late last year on 9 December, Yarra Spirit groups held a New Parents evening for parents of students commencing in 2016 in the new Science and Mathematics building. It was an opportunity for new parents to meet the Principal, Heads of Schools, Year level coordinators, Yarra Spirit representatives and other new parents in an informal setting and generally get to know Yarra Valley Grammar. The evening proved to be a big success with 90 parents attending the evening. We look forward to more in the future.
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Yarra Spirit news
Yarra Parents & Friends We are very excited to announce that the new Co-Presidents for Yarra Parents & Friends, commencing this year are Robyn McKinnell and Silvina Solano. We acknowledge and thank outgoing President, Robyn Wilson for many years of enthusiasm, commitment and service to the committee she led and to Yarra. We wish Robyn and Silvina the best in their role. Through continued fundraising via services to the School such as the second-hand uniform shop, the annual book sale, the Pavilion Cafe and other ventures we have been able to sponsor the installation of a beautiful fish tank for all to enjoy in the Science and Mathematics building. The support and positive response from the completion of the first stage of the Junior School playground spurred us on to complete the final stage. Further funds from Parents & Friends were allocated,
donations of money and material form Yarra families were warmly accepted and many more hours of labour were planned. We extended our requests to the other Spirit groups namely the Yarra Foundation and the Yarra Old Grammarians and a sincere thank you goes to them for seeing the merits of this project and backing it financially. It could not have been done without the support of the School Board to whom we also extend our thanks. If you get a chance please take the time to have a wander through.
“...so many happy faces exploring their new surroundings ... they are very lucky kids. Thank you to you and your team for making yard duty an absolute delight.� Chris Elsworth
Yarra Hearing Unit involvement with Hear for You. These parent information evenings are a wonderful resource for parents and also continue to provide an opportunity to meet and socialise with specialised Hearing Unit staff and fellow parents.
The Hearing Unit has had a most remarkable start to 2016 with the announcement of Sam McLarty as School Captain. This appointment is quite significant as Sam is the first ever hearing impaired student at Yarra Valley Grammar to be named as School Captain. The Hearing Unit and wider School community know that Sam will make a wonderful contribution and be a wellrespected leader. The Hearing Unit is also delighted to acknowledge that Lakshitha Wethasinghe also currently studying Year 12 has been named as a Prefect. This year there are twenty two Hearing Unit students undertaking their study at Yarra. Nine students have cochlear
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implants of which three are bi-lateral. There are thirteen students in the Senior School, four undertaking VCE and two in their final Year 12. Junior School currently has nine students. Hearing impaired students continue to benefit from the facilities at Yarra Valley Grammar with the refurbishment of the Junior School Hearing Rooms now complete and the installation of a new soundfield
system in the IT area. This made possible due to funds provided from the Yarra Foundation. The first Hearing Unit and parent information night and get together sees special guest speakers and past students Patrick Lane (YOG 2007) and Stephanie McDonald (YOG 2009) share their experiences in their tertiary study and their
On behalf of The Hearing Unit we wish all of our students and wonderful staff all the best for a most productive and successful 2016. Kate Adams, President
Yarra Music Yarra’s music department is indeed fortunate to have the wonderful support of Yarra Music, an incredibly passionate and hard working group of volunteers who collectively contribute an enormous amount to the music program at our school. For nearly 20 years, Yarra Music has coordinated a series of annual events, most notably the Food Wine and Music Concert each March that raises funds to purchase instruments and equipment on behalf of the school, and to support our students through scholarships and bursaries. Our current and long serving president, Ruth Collins is assisted by an enthusiastic committee who both know how to enjoy themselves AND get things done. For the first time, we have recently welcomed a former student, Harrison Jennings (YOG 2012) on to the committee, and other alumni are encouraged to consider joining him.
To help celebrate our School’s 50th birthday, Yarra Music has commissioned former YVG Head of Music (1996–7) Brian Hogg to compose a new piece of music, entitled A Celebration Suite. The piece consists of a fanfare Levavi Oculos, a song for massed choir and orchestra To the Hills and a processional In Celebration, and was premiered to great acclaim at the Food Wine and Music Concert. Towards the end of 2015, Yarra Music committed to perhaps its most significant purchase yet, both in terms of funds committed and potential long-term influence on the program. An instrumental program has been established
in the Junior School for all Year 5 students and Yarra Music have made this happen by purchasing over $25,000 worth of instruments to ensure that every Year 5 student has the opportunity to learn an orchestral string, brass or woodwind instrument. The program commenced in Term one, with Senior School music staff joining Mrs Schmidli and Mrs Duck to instruct the students, and we are already seeing wonderful results.
here at Yarra, and long may it continue. The staff and students of the music department are enormously grateful. I encourage all who care about music at Yarra Valley Grammar to get involved with Yarra Music. Scott Templeton Director of Music
I know of few other schools that enjoy the level of support from a parent music group that we do
Yarra Canoe and Kayak The Yarra Valley Grammar Canoe/Kayak team has had yet another successful season over 2015/16. We have had majority of the kayaking team attend our Monday evening sessions, making the most of the fantastic summer weather we have seen in Term 1. On Mondays our kayakers have been given the opportunity to paddle with their friends to gain the skills to stay stable in their boats, or move on to more specialised training drills. Wednesday mornings has attracted our keenest paddlers with students paddling through crisp mornings for the reward of receiving specialist training on
improving their technique and approach to races. Our goal for the season has been to build the foundational skills of our team so they can manoeuvre safely and gain the confidence to see them competing at the regattas on offer over the season. On both Monday and Wednesday sessions, students have been fortunate enough to have a world-class kayaking coach, Penny Young run their training sessions. This has given our kayakers greater performance
based feedback and skill refinement drills to improve any issues with technique. Our come and try day and participation at both the Murray Marathon dress rehearsal and the Victorian Schools Championship (Marathon) has seen a large number of Yarra student experience the fun of kayaking and test their skills against the best students from across the state. We thank Mr O’Brien for all of his hard work in setting up this season. Brendan Hodges and Ben Ratcliffe
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Yarra Spirit news
Yarra Equestrian The year has had a flying start with an ever increasing group of riders donning the red, black and gold and working with their horses to compete on the interschool stage from Show Jumping Competitions to Dressage, Combine Training and Eventing. We have 12 riders on the team, who are actively competing, with a few more who are riding and training for the future. A new member to our team and our youngest rider, Will Dodson from Year 2, has just entered his first competition at the upcoming Tintern Horse Trials. Our older members in Year 12, Scarlett Kennedy and Louisa Smith are leading the way with great commitment and leadership, balancing the demands of VCE and the training required to have a horse ready to compete. This year so far we have had students competing at different events hosted by schools across the region. In March, Louisa Smith, took out fifth place in the Senior Novice hosted by Hillcrest at Ayr Hill. Ella Williams has been doing very well with her new horse Marmalade, winning first place in the Preliminary Dressage at Toorak College, as well as fifth place in the Combined Training.
Over the first term break we had a team of nine riders competing at the State Interschool Championship, a large and prestigious event held over five days. Schools from all over Victoria converge at Werribee for a week of competition, starting with Dressage and continuing with Combined Training, Show Horse, Games & Novelties and finishing with two days of Show Jumping. This year we had a great team presence, with eight riders making the huge commitment to compete. Our team was able to camp and stable our horses together, which was great fun and a bonding experience for both riders and parents! Congratulations must go to all competitors ‌. Isabella Grounds (Year 5), Hannah Bird (Year 7), Ella Williams and Mirella Greco (Year 9), Zahra Taylor (Year 10), Nicolette Rippon (Year 11) Louisa Smith and Scarlett Kennedy (Year 12).
Over the week we had some great results, Scarlett Kennedy placing 2nd in the Senior Novice Dressage, Nicolette Rippon with a 3rd place in Handy Mount, Ella Williams taking home a 5th in the Combined Training (show jumping and dressage) and Hannah Bird on her new horse, Gladiator Ghost, 3rd in Show Jumping, and 6th in Combined Training. This event brings together a very high standard of competition and our team
should be commended on their riding, team spirit and sportsmanship. Our Yarra Equestrian Team is working towards the upcoming Tintern Horse Trials, which is held over the Anzac Day weekend. This year we have three teams of four riders of different levels who will all ride dressage, show jumping and cross country. A training clinic was held with Will Enzinger in the first week of the school holidays at Wandin Park in preparation for this competition that will see over 300 riders represent their schools. It has been fanatic to see our team grow over the last few years and to have so many riders representing the School over this year. The future of Yarra Equestrian is promising! Kylie Balharrie President
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Past student profile
David Robb, Class of 1971 FOUNDATION STUDENT, CEO of Iluka Resources
I was a Foundation student at Yarra Valley Grammar. I live in Perth, have been happily married for 37 years, and have three daughters and five grandchildren. I’m CEO of an ASX 100 company called Iluka Resources and amongst other things, I am also a Director of the Melbourne football club. Some people might argue I must therefore be an optimist, but more on that later! In this year of Yarra’s 50th birthday, I now appreciate that my parents did more than give me a gift when they encouraged me to consider the nascent Yarra Valley Church of England School in 1966 – they actually gave me the gift of a lifetime. If education is where student, school and family intersect, then all three ingredients were powerful influences in this school getting off to a fine start. As Foundation students we had to be generalists rather than specialists, for instance in sport or in the arts and so we got many opportunities bigger, more established schools would have shared across a larger student cohort and across year levels. In my experience at least, leadership opportunities, in particular, abounded in those early Yarra years. We benefitted from passionate and enthusiastic staff that was determined to help us and the School make our mark. I remember well the pure maths (as it was called then) exam rehearsal classes held after school hours and on weekends to ensure we had the best preparation possible for Year 12 final exams. I recall the pressure we felt to do well and in those days corporal punishment at
school was a religiouslysanctioned possibility if you went off the rails! As we all, inevitably, did at times. But, to my mind, the defining characteristic of the early years was the optimism and determination of parents who not only paid the bills but shared the dream and worked tirelessly – including via fundraising and physically at the many working bees and the famous annual fetes – to make it happen. I’m proud of my parents’ efforts, proud to be a Foundation student of Yarra and I hope my Foundation Drive tree will live for many more years. But as the inaugural Dux of 1971, I am of course, proof of
the lower standards applicable in the early days and testament also to the advantage conferred by only having to compete with 50 per cent of the population (as Yarra was boys only back then)! My generalist opportunities at Yarra and my career and life experience since, lead me to encourage all students and soon-to-be graduates to think of their future career as a random walk. Right now you don’t know, and cannot begin to predict, which doors of opportunity are going to open or which circumstances might slam them shut. I therefore think flexibility is the key and I would caution against over planning a career, which is a tendency I’ve seen in many young employees.
Instead, be alert to all opportunities and be willing to consider walking through any door that opens, even if it wasn’t the one you expected because, as decision theory tells us, once you are through any given door a new set of possibilities awaits – different doors lead in turn, each time, to a new range of options. In this regard I commend to you a poem by American humanitarian, Samuel Ullman, called Youth. In it, he contrasts physical age with mental attitude and he talks about the aerials we all have, which can be raised up with optimism and hope, or shut down with pessimism and cynicism. So, my message to you is keep your aerials up – don’t worry about what might lie beyond an open door because there’s only one way to find out – and that’s to walk through the door. Be optimistic, be curious and be courageous in life’s many choices. And be grateful, as I am, for the start in life that a school like Yarra provides.
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Past student profile
Howard Brenchley, Class of 1971 Foundation student
February 1966, a month best known amongst my generation of Australians for a catchy little ditty that brought in the introduction of decimal currency; “in come the dollars, in come the cents…”and, coincidentally, the commencement of Yarra Valley Grammar. I had completed my primary education at East Ringwood Primary School in 1965 and while all my classmates were preparing to venture forth to Ringwood High, Norwood High or Ringwood Tech, I was the only one moving on to a brand new school just down the Maroondah Highway, Yarra Valley Church of England School (as it was then). The fact that I had met the headmaster, Mr Pascoe and been to the official ground breaking ceremony, did not help to dispel the trepidation I felt at the end of Primary School and later, at the end of Summer, when a whole batch of freshly minted Yarra Valley boys (probably carrying freshly minted ten and twenty cent pieces in their pockets) gathered for the first day of term. I think there were about 130 of us in total, mostly primary students, with about 40 first formers (Year 7). The staff was similarly small in number, and I recall that the Headmaster, Mr Pascoe taught us Mathematics and coached football (despite being from NSW!); Mr Blackmore, English and History; Miss Newman, Art; Mr Thornton, Science; Mr Hudson (who unfortunately passed away in that first year), Languages; and Mr Thomas, Music.
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And with great inspiration, it was decided to divide the School into two houses, Kalinda (red) and Plymouth (yellow). These choices were soon changed to Darling and Woods. Although the School was young, there was a great sense of community and enthusiasm. 1968 was a drought year and this brought water restrictions. The trees which now seem abundant around the campus were just seedlings then. On weekends, students, parents and staff all took turns in hauling buckets of water around to preserve the initial plantings. The playing fields never really recovered from that drought, despite the best efforts of Mr Russell the groundsman and so our sporting Saturdays was a mixture of playing in dust in the summer or mud in the winter. Sport was perhaps the toughest part of being a small and young school because we were yet to join the AGS, our inter-school events were against schools having a bye. With 40 first formers we struggled to field one full football team, let alone two. I recall one Saturday trip to Peninsula Grammar where I played cricket, but also contributed to the tennis and chess teams while not required on the field. As the School’s first senior year, we grew with the School (or maybe the School grew with us). In some ways it was a privileged
situation, doing things at the School for the first time, although I’m not sure we saw it that way at the time. We were the first cohort of School leaders, for six years! In fourth form (Year 10), some of us were appointed prefects and probationers and we even had our own prefects’ room next to the changing rooms for the Gym (now Foundation Hall). Each year there seemed to be more buildings to greet us when we returned from summer holidays, from the initial three wings of the Junior School, to two wings of the Senior School,
to the Science and Maths rooms (now replaced), the Arts and Crafts Centre, Administration Wing and the Library. My reminiscences would be incomplete without remembering some of the great teachers we had – Kel Emmett, John Clancy, the Sansom brothers, and Allan Crawley. But in particular I recall Norman Maggs, Head of Art and Craft. Even though my artistic skills were non-existent it was in his role as Master-in-charge of Darling House that we really got on. Norman was a great bushwalker, although many of
National Storage REIT. I am also a Director of the Yarra Valley Grammar Foundation and on the Board of Advisers of the Property Industry Foundation. After living in the Yarra Valley for 30 years, Ria and I have retired to our small farm at Flinders on the Mornington Peninsula and purchased a townhouse in South Yarra. Yarra Valley Grammar has been an important component of Brenchley family life for four generations. My grandparents ran a stall at the annual fete. My father was the School’s first doctor, my mother helped out in the tuckshop. In my lifetime I have seen the School grow in student numbers about ten-fold and the School buildings expand to comprise the most up to date facilities available, including the PAC and the magnificent new Science and Mathematics building.
us believed he was possibly directionally challenged after the whole of Darling House got lost on the side of Mt Donna Buang during one House camp.
high country and into Licola. This time Norman didn’t get us lost, but we did have Mr Sansom the Geography teacher navigating!
When I had completed my HSC (VCE) and anxiously awaited my results (which in those days came out in mid-January), Norman rang just after New Year’s. “Do you want a distraction” he said. “Let’s go for a walk”! The “walk” lasting a week and consisting of a number of staff and students started at the School’s property at Glenmaggie, followed an ancient University of Melbourne trail up Purgatory Spur over the
My association with the School waned during University and my early working years. On my return to Melbourne, from a few years working in Sydney where I met and married my wife Ria, I attended a Past Students function at Potters Cottage. I then made the mistake of attending a Past Students AGM, where there was nowhere to hide and found myself appointed Secretary.
My daughters, Olivia (YOG 2012) and Holly (YOG 2013) attended Yarra and enjoyed their time immensely. Olivia is now studying Marketing and Event Management at Latrobe and Holly, Law at Monash. I moved from stockbroking and established my own research company into commercial property in 1989, which led to establishing a property funds management company with APN Property Group in 1998. In 2005 that business listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and is currently managing $2.5 billion for its clients. In 2014, I retired from full time work and now act as a director on the APN Board as well as an Independent Director on the Board of the ASX-listed
When I first started University at Monash in 1973, I never knew how to respond to one of Melbourne’s most popular questions – “What school did you go to?” Whenever I said Yarra Valley, I would either get a blank look or a derogatory comment about our lack of sporting prowess, which would in turn lead to unflattering versions of the School’s name! Now I come across Old Grammarians right across the spectrum, in business, the professions, sport and academia. No longer do you have to explain that Yarra is a new school in the outer eastern suburbs you probably haven’t heard of. After 50 years Yarra Valley Grammar is well and truly on the map!
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Past student profile
Ian Edwin Judd, Class of 1971 Foundation student
In 1966 I was privileged, along with 130 other students, to be a Foundation member of Yarra Valley Grammar School. This new beginning was for me, a dramatic life changing experience and placed me firmly on a career path that has seen challenges, successes and satisfaction that I can clearly attribute to my time at Yarra Valley. One of the most powerful drivers and for me, personal success makers, came in the form of the level of total commitment of the teaching staff and the individual mentoring afforded to students such as myself. This tutoring and care, over and above the call of duty, for me, in the person of Norman Maggs, made all the difference to my school life and to my future learning. What was offered at Yarra Valley was an opportunity of coming together of boys of differing abilities, backgrounds and ideologies, creating a cohesive, accepting group structure who shared the same philosophy, camaraderie and friendship which lasts to this day. Yarra Valley also afforded the opportunity for parents to become an intrinsic part of the School, and my family readily took this up with both parents being involved in such activities as bringing along vintage cars, fetes, camps and canteen duty. As a very hands-on and practical person, one of my strongest memories of School life was being called on by teachers, in the absence of the groundsman, Jack Russell but with his blessing, to drive the School tractor on occasion to move things from place to place and at one time to pull a car out of a ditch! Not something that you would be allowed or encouraged to do today at age 14! 26
To this day, I vividly remember my initial admission interview with the Headmaster, John Pascoe. In an effort to show parents and students just how good and progressive the School was going to be, he calmly pronounced that the School was going to take students out into the bush, blindfold them and let them find their own way home! True to his word, as a member of one of the first groups to undertake the Duke of Edinburgh Award, three groups of us were taken up Mt Donna Buang, allotted a
bush camp, rations and a map and compass and told to find our way home! Remarkably, after some initial difficulty, we did just that. School and education have remained a large part of my life, with continuing study in both accounting and in Real Estate, and in marrying a teacher who became a primary school Principal, and now with a daughter as a teacher and a son in Government communications. When I left school, I pursued a grounding in banking with the
As part of the Geelong Show Society and Vintage Machinery Club, I have many uses for these historical vehicles. My love of travel started with a trip to the Australian Outback and every year we now visit and explore our iconic bush and outback, making sure we get enough red dust, blue water and scenic gorges to last until the next time. Many overseas countries also have a lure, but especially the UK from where my ancestors came from in the mid 1800’s.
National Australia Bank, moving into business with the purchase of a Caravan Park in the seaside town of Ocean Grove. I entered the historical firm of wool brokers, Denny Lascelles Mercantile as an assistant accountant and spent some time in the firm at the time when John Elliot took over the company. Business and office management with solicitors Harwood and Andrews in Geelong was then followed by many years in administration in real estate; my passion, my
hobby and my work. The years of business training culminated in my current business in real estate management and development, following in my grandfather’s and great grandfather’s footsteps. I consider myself to be extremely fortunate in being able to have the time and opportunity to pursue my hobbies of vintage machinery and travel. I have a collection of vintage engines, vintage tractors and vintage cars.
I attribute, in part to the School, a legacy of community and voluntary work, which, alongside my business career, has constituted a core of service to the community. I strongly believe that this is part of being a leader, part of the fulfilment of the philosophy and encouragement and reminder to the senior year of Foundation students by the Headmaster at the start of each year, to remember that they were the form at the top of the School, leaders and role models for the rest of the School. Indeed, the senior year of Foundation members as the highest form every year, were in a unique position as leaders in the School and in a unique position to develop and show that leadership and many went on to become leaders in their own community.
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Past student profile
Frazer Stephenson, Class of 1977 Foundation student, Commander, Royal Australian Navy Current Operations Watch Commander, Headquarters Joint Operations Command
From Foundation member to a Naval career with a few speed bumps along the way! I joined Yarra Valley as a Foundation member commencing in Grade One on the first day the School opened all those many years ago. If you can find the Foundation Member’s Board, you’ll see my name clearly emblazoned thereon in the S’s – it used to hang in the Junior School Office; I have no idea where it would be now…I had a good schooling at YV C of E Grammar School as it was originally known, being an active hockey and tennis player and one of the inaugural members of the Yarra Valley fencing team under the expert tutelage and guidance of Mr John Feathers. Early Junior School teachers included Ms Nicholls, Mrs Hargraves, Mr Tremewan, Mr Billings, Mr Ackford and Mr Emmet. Notable Secondary School teachers included Ms Ward, Mr Lyngcoln and Pak Afif amongst many others, many of whom are now long gone from this mortal coil I suspect. There were many students I passed through Yarra with, some of whom you may know or remember including: Paul Brook, Michael Topp, Patrick Bromilow, André Auret, Cyril Viel, Gareth Jones-Roberts, Tom Neesham, Neil Hick, Phil Latimer, Chris Barson, Douglas Haig and Roger Hatton to name just a few. On first leaving YV, I headed to RMIT to complete the Tertiary
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Orientation Program as a repeat of Year 12 to improve my marks and gain entry to the University course I really wanted to do – Teaching! I subsequently gained entry to Rusden Teachers College and graduated with a Bachelor of Education with double majors in each of Biology, Sociology and Media Studies. My initial introduction to teaching was at Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School as a Biology/Junior Science teacher – one of only two male teachers in the entire school. Next was a stint with the Army as an Education Officer for nine months on transfer from the Army Reserve, on continuous full time service (I had been a Reserve Officer with Melbourne University Regiment whilst at Teachers College), closely followed by working as senior Science teacher at Mt Eliza High School. From there I reached the dizzy heights of Head of Science at Grimwade House – Melbourne Grammar. My enjoyment of the full-time work environment in the Army had made its mark and teaching in the permanent forces seemed to be better suited to my career aspirations than working behind a science bench in a school where the traditions of Grammar were such that you most likely would see out your career teaching boys, who in turn became Fathers and probably Grandfathers, of boys you would ultimately still be
teaching! That and my first pay slip from Melbourne Grammar which stated words along the lines:” you may nominally elect to retire at age 70…” Heaven forbid that I was there until then! In 1987 I was offered a permanent appointment as an Officer in the Royal Australian Navy – as an Instructor Officer, which I readily accepted. Imagine my surprise when, after graduation from Naval College
at HMAS Creswell I was duly appointed as an electronics instructor at the Weapons Electrical Engineering School at HMAS Cerberus. Needless to say a steep learning curve ensued and I subsequently became a senior instructor of Transmitter and Receiver radio theory. It was really quite enjoyable, as the students all had a career path in mind that I was helping them to achieve. Much more satisfying than
the late 90s to teach aspiring Lotus Notes trainees.
teaching secondary school kids who really didn’t want to be at school very much at all! In 1997 I left the Navy to be appointed as the Maritime Training Officer to Australian Search and Rescue – a division of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. A life-long interest in computers saw me concurrently qualify as a Lotus Notes Principal Certified Instructor (PCLI), Principal
Certified Lotus Application Developer, Principal Certified Lotus Administrator and Master Certified Internet Webmaster & Instructor in my spare time! The somewhat lengthy certification process to achieve these qualifications eventually saw me appointed as the Senior Lotus Notes Instructor for South East Asia; working under the auspices of Lotus Education and travelling regularly to Singapore and Hong Kong in
In 2001 I came home to Australia and, seeking some grounding and relief from fast paced corporate life (sick of overseas travel week in/week out and the high life of being an expat), I bought a country Hotel in Southern NSW and became a Publican. Let me tell you – I never worked as hard as I did in the five years that I lived that lifestyle dream of being a Hotel owner/barman/manager/ plumber/general fixer of everything, 18 hours per day, seven days per week! In 2005 I was asked by Navy to rejoin as an active Reserve member and after an initial stint on part-time days, I’ve been working full-time ever since. I was reappointed to a permanent commission in 2009 and will probably see out my tenure with Navy to compulsory
retirement at age 60… In all, I have had a varied and exciting career path that has seen me working in corporate and government environments throughout Australia, South East Asia and more recently on operational deployments with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) over the past 50 years since I started at YV. I would heartily commend service in the ADF to any young Grammarian as a career that offers good pay, good conditions of service, good retirement benefits (it matters more as you get older) variety, challenge and continued professional development – in all, Defence has sponsored me to complete a further three post-graduate degrees throughout my career, as well as numerous other professional development courses. I look forward to celebrating the School’s 50th anniversary in 2016 with you.
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Past student profile
Andy Griffiths, Class of 1979 Acclaimed children’s author
I started Yarra Valley at Year 7 in 1974. Although I didn’t have any dreams — at that stage at least — of being a writer, as it turned out it was very much a case of being in the right place at the right time. The School was still less than ten years old back then and much of the teaching (and many of the teachers!) reflected the laissez faire ideals of the free-thinking 1960s. This meant there were plenty of opportunities for students to express themselves creatively — art, drama and creative writing were valued equally as much as more academic pursuits and sport. Regular features of lunchtimes were concerts in the quadrangle put on by the many rock bands that thrived in the School. A film club regularly screened classic movies after school, which not only provided us with the opportunity to see some great movies (Westworld with Yul Brynner remains burned into my brain) but also gave the audience a chance to exercise their wits by way of a constant supply of (sometimes very funny) commentary and sound effects. A particularly boisterous strain of larrikin humour prevailed at the School in those days, due no doubt in part to the fact that the first intake of female students in Year 11 and 12 didn’t occur until 1978. The arrival of girls at the School helped to curb the effects of all that testosterone and created a slightly calmer atmosphere, which was probably no bad thing. I think you can still trace the effects of those early wild years, however, in some of the humour of the books I’ve written in the years since then. 30
In Year 7 I spent most of my English class writing, typing, producing and selling a magazine called Popcorn. It was full of jokes, riddles and cartoons and I sold it to my fellow Year 7 students for three cents a copy. It ran for five editions and earned me an invitation onto the School magazine committee where I would help select the best stories, poems, photographs and artwork for each year. (The magazine comprised 90 percent creative contributions with a perfunctory sports report or maybe two.) It was during my time on the magazine committee that I met Neil Béchervaise who became
my most significant mentor during my time at Yarra Valley. Not only did he oversee production of the School magazine, but he directed School plays and musicals, wrote poetry (which he shared with us), took photographs, turned me onto The Catcher in the Rye and smoked menthol cigarettes (can you believe teachers used to be able to smoke in class?!). It’s one thing to lecture students about the value of creativity, but to actually see it being modeled was a powerful lesson and, many years later when I became an English teacher myself, I utilised a similar approach minus the menthol cigarettes, of course.
Another of Yarra Valley’s attractions in the 1970s was the Bushwalking Club. During a typical year there would be dozens of day walks and three or four extended overnight hikes, usually led by a parent or senior student. At Easter it was several nights at Wilsons Promontory. The Bogong High Plains were also a favoured destination. In the later years we gained our St John’s first aid certificates and conducted walks without adult guidance in the Little Desert and Hattah Lakes National Parks. I loved both the freedom of these hikes and the discipline they fostered, as we had to
carefully plan each day’s journey and rations. The experience of planning for and enduring an extended hike is not unlike the skills needed for planning and writing a book, so I was to be grateful all over again for these experiences many years after leaving Yarra Valley. Surprisingly enough there were never any problems on the trail, but getting there could sometimes be problematic. In 1977, teacher and club member Jim Sansom was leading a snow walk at Mount Donna Buang. My father had agreed to be one of the drivers in the convoy that took us to our starting point but as we neared
the destination our car slid on black ice and went over the cliff, rolling several times before landing on its roof on a ledge. I’ll never be sure how we all — Lucas Trihey, Mark Buchanan, my dad and myself — survived unscathed but we did. We were able to climb out through the windows and clamber back to the road. I guess these days we would have all been taken to the nearest hospital for checkups and maybe counseling, but not back then. We just retrieved our packs and joined the other walkers as originally intended and that was that.
and the concert was a great crowd-pleaser, complete with Scott Jennens dressed as a kazoo-playing-foetus (no, I don’t remember why but it seemed important at the time). Our concert, however, was cut short during our encore — a punk rendition of the School hymn — by the headmaster, who pulled the plug and ordered everybody back to class. This provided me with my last lesson from the School, and one that arguably better prepared me for the realities of life as a writer than any other experience at Yarra Valley: you can’t please everybody.
In spite of this close call, or perhaps because of it, Mark Buchanan later became an accomplished rock-climber and builder of rock climbing walls both in Australia and overseas. Lucas Trihey became a professional adventurer and the first person to complete an unaided east-west crossing of the Simpson Desert. (I’ve largely confined the bulk of my adventure risk-taking to artistic pursuits.)
After leaving Yarra Valley I completed a Bachelor of Arts with honours in English Literature by day, and performed in a variety of bands in Melbourne’s thriving alternative music scene by night, gaining valuable experience performing and writing and marketing … skills which were to stand me in good stead a few years later when, as a high school English teacher in the late 1980s, I became aware of a distinct lack of humorous books being written for children and began seriously entertaining the idea that I might be able to write one.
During my last few years at Yarra Valley all my writing energy was poured into a punk surfing band (yeah, I know, it doesn’t make ANY sense) which we called Silver Cylinder. We were pretty rough and ready and although I had no obvious musical aptitude I ended up as the vocalist because I wrote the lyrics. It was really just a private joke between us all for a long time but the myth became a reality when we decided to give a one-off performance in the School quadrangle on the final day of our Form 6 year in 1979.
Note: Andy Griffiths will be helping us launch Yarra Valley Grammar – the first 50 years during the Yarra Community Festival, 15 October
What we lacked in musical aptitude we made up for in spirit
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Class of 2014 1 Year Out Reunion 14 November, 2015 CafĂŠ 23
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Class of 1985 30 Year Out Reunion 24 October, 2015 Brooke Nicholas Pavilion, Yarra Valley Grammar
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Class of 1975 40 Year Out Reunion 28 November, 2015 Brooke Nicholas Pavilion, Yarra Valley Grammar
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Celebrations Weddings
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Kelvin Moore (YOG 2002) and Kelly D’Agostino (YOG 2005)
Stephanie Pottage (YOG 2002) and Joshua Pannach
Kelvin and Kelly celebrated their wedding on 30 January 2015 at Carousel in Albert Park with family and friends.
Stephanie Pottage (teacher and Year 7 coordinator at YVG) married Joshua Pannach on a very windy 2 January 2016. They were introduced by mutual friend, Linda Tucker in 2010 and live locally with their two very spoilt cats. They were surrounded by their closest family and friends as they wed at the beautiful Zonzo Estate in Yarra Glen. The day was simply perfect and guests celebrated into the night with great company and delicious food and wine. Stephanie’s bridal party were all Yarra Old Grammarians; her Man of Honour and brother, Tim Pottage (YOG 2004), and bridesmaids Rhiannon Dunne, Kathryn Hooper, Linda Tucker and Marie-Louise Metres (YOG 2002). The couple honeymooned in the USA for three weeks following the wedding.
Jackson Becker (YOG 2005) and Jessica Woodbridge Jackson and Jess were married on 24 October 2015 at Zonzo Estate in the Yarra Valley in front of family and friends, many of whom were from Yarra. Their bridal party was made up of
mainly ex Yarra students; Liam Grimwade, Adam Renfree, Sia Gargalionis (YOG 2005) and brother, Lucas Becker (YOG 2007).
Priscilla Ball (YOG 2005) and Adam Gall Priscilla and Adam were married on 24 October 2015 surrounded by family and friends at the Huntingdale Golf Club. They met via online dating in 2011 and have a special fur baby named Demi, a three year old kelpie.
Births Tony Macvean (YOG 1987) and Amy Macvean Tony Macvean and his wife Amy welcomed their third child, Elsie on 27 January 2016. They also have five year old twin boys, Henry and Joe.
Jessica Hirst (YOG 2010) and Aaron Walley Jessica and finance’ Aaron welcomed their first child, Archer David Walley on 25 August 2015.
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Vale Mr Kelvin Emmett Kel was a student at Trinity Grammar, Kew with our future headmaster, George Wood, leaving in 1948. In that final year he captained the Trinity cricket team to an AGSV premiership, shared a record breaking partnership of 180 in the final match of the season. His passion for cricket was well known and was often the subject of friendly banter amongst colleagues and students. At Yarra, wearing impeccable whites, he coached the under 12s during his entire career and he treasured up little pieces of information about each of the many boys that he coached. When a former student met and greeted him, Kel would reply with something like: “Ah! Very strong outside off stump”. It created a rapport with a great many former students. An energetic man, he also coached under 12 football teams on what were then very muddy ovals, almost always wearing his famous purple Guernsey. After his Matriculation (Year 12), Kel went straight into teaching. He enrolled in a teaching course at Mercer House which occupied a couple of days per week and the other days we spent teaching at Trinity where he remained until a new school was established at Ringwood in 1966. As a Foundation staff member he was employed as Sports Master and as a teacher of Year 6. His abilities were quickly recognised. John Pascoe made him Head of Junior School in 1968 and he remained in that position until retirement in 1992. As Head he seemed to have energy and flair to burn and liked to involve himself in everything that was going on.
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There would not be a single Junior School student who hadn’t known Kel to visit a class, be it Maths or Science or English, and burst into a rousing rendition of The Man from Snowy River or Clancy of the Overflow or something similar. In Junior School productions he liked to be on stage, in costume and singing a song. Blessed with a strong voice, that voice could usually be identified in any choir performance or church
service. To his young students he seemed larger than life. That energy also allowed him to become for many years, a member of the Association of Junior School Heads in Australia. He served this association in a variety of capacities including those of Chairman and Secretary. Always a keen gardener, he planted and tended to annual plants outside the Junior School office and he
took that interest into his retirement which commenced in July 1992. After many years in Kingston, he moved to Ballarat and in recent years became quite frail although his mind retained its sharpness until the end. Our heartfelt sympathies go to his wife, Elizabeth and to his sons, Peter (YOG 1978) and Geoffrey (YOG 1979). A long innings well played.
2016 Calendar of events DATE EVENT Saturday 21 May 7.00pm
Chairman’s Ball Grand Hyatt
Saturday 18 June 7.30pm – 10.00pm
Yarra Music’s Jazz in the Cafe Foundation Hall, YVG
Saturday 25 June 7.30pm
10 Year Out Reunion Auburn Hotel
Thursday 21 July YVG C4D Art Exhibition – Opening Night 6.30pm – 8.00pm Box Hill Community Arts Centre Saturday 23 July 7.30pm
5 Year Out Reunion Transport Bar, Federation Square
Sunday 31 July 3.00pm
50th Cathedral Service St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne
Saturday 6 August 7.30pm – 10.30pm
Yarra Music’s Jazz in the Café Foundation Hall, YVG
Saturday 27 August 7.30pm
1 Year Out Reunion Café 23, Ringwood North
Saturday 10 September to Monday 13 September
Annual Yarra Tennis Championships YVG
Saturday 8 October 30 and 40 Year Out Reunion 6.30pm YVG Saturday 15 October Yarra’s 50th Community Festival 3.00pm YVG Saturday 12 November 20 Year Out Reunion 6.30pm YVG
Please contact development@yvg.vic.edu.au to ensure we have your correct details to send you your invitation.
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Kalinda Road Ringwood Victoria 3134 Australia Telephone +61 3 9262 7700 Email development@yvg.vic.edu.au www.yvg.vic.edu.au ABN 44 004 584 552 CRICOS NO. 00356E
To view more photos of YOG events featured in this magazine visit www.yvg.vic.edu.au/community/photogallery Join us on Facebook by searching for Yarra Valley Grammar Follow us on Linkedin
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