Vale

Peter Lindstedt

(YOG 1971)

Peter passed away on 12 October 2020 after a battle with cancer. He was a knowledgeable, caring and considerate family man who earned considerable respect in his community.

After graduating from YVG, Peter studied Medicine at Monash University, and after two years at Western General Hospital, moved to Bairnsdale as a GP to the GECAC Aboriginal Cooperative. Soon after he also established a private practice in Paynesville and served his community tirelessly and selflessly until his premature passing. Due to COVID restrictions there was only immediate family and close friends at his funeral, but the large number of people who viewed the live stream of the ceremony was testament to the great love and respect felt for Peter throughout the Bairnsdale district.

Ian Lee

Ian Lee, former Head of Music at Yarra Valley Grammar’s Junior School, passed away peacefully in his sleep on 26 September 2020 at the age of 90.

Ian spent much of his working life at Yarra – from 1970 until he retired in 1992. For most of that time he was in charge of Junior School Music and was therefore involved in many Junior School productions, music nights and the like. We remember him as an involved and very friendly colleague.

John Lawrence

(YOG 1972)

After his Yarra Valley Grammar years John took an honours degree in Arts at La Trobe University and later a Master’s degree in Health Sciences from Victoria University. He then took an active role in many health organisations. In more recent times his company, J. Lawrence and Associates, took a role in designing, co-ordinating and promoting environmental education connected with new manufacturing projects. The company created and ran the Manufacturing Futures Competition.

Foundation student John died of prostate cancer on 19 December 2020.

Daniel Christie

(YOG 1984)

After a short illness Dan died on 14 April 2021. The son of Les and Helen Christie, Dan was a student at YVG from Year 1 to Year 12.

An active sportsman, he captained the Hockey First XI for two years, playing as centre half. He also kept wickets and opened the batting for the Cricket First XI during those same two years. Dan was an excellent student, winning a Premier’s Award for gaining full marks in Accounting under the tutelage of the late Geoff Habben. At the University of Melbourne he lived at Queens College and graduated in Accounting and then in Law. After university he first joined the firm of Purves, Clarke and Richards but then soon set himself up as a successful barrister.

Matthew Vaughan

(YOG 1994)

Matthew died on the 28 January 2021 after a long illness. Many of his former school friends attended his funeral.

After finishing at Yarra Valley Grammar Matthew took a gap year before completing an Honours Degree in Social Science at RMIT. He then travelled extensively in the U.K. and Europe, finally landing in Turkey teaching English. Returning to Australia he then took a Master’s degree in English as a Second Language from Swinburne and taught there for several years. 2012-2014 were spent teaching in Hong Kong and Nanjing where he became ill. That illness continued on his return to Australia although his passing in January came unexpectedly.

Jenny Rolleston

Jenny Rolleston spent 24 years of her life as an incredible educator of deaf and hard of hearing students in Yarra Valley Grammar’s Hearing Unit, thirteen of those as Head of the unit.

She led and guided the students, the Hearing Unit staff and the mainstream staff in the advancement of the students, in issues of deafness and in the latest teaching practices to enable the successful inclusion and integration of the students into mainstream education at Yarra Valley Grammar. She had an infectious smile together with a great sense of humour and wonderful laughter. She was involved with the Association of Teachers of the Deaf (AATD) and a member of the Hearing Unit Steering Committee. She got the greatest pleasure out of seeing the Hearing Unit students achieving, whether it be when speaking at assembly or when performing their personal best on the sporting field or in an examination.

Jenny Rolleston was a totally committed educator of deaf and hard of hearing children, a true leader and wonderful colleague. After a long illness, which she bore marvelously well, she died on 25 October 2020.

Robert (Bob) Newman O.A.M.

Born in Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire and educated at Epsom College, Surrey, Bob Newman emigrated to Australia in 1946 as a seventeen-year-old.

Here he became a forester, indeed a passionate forester, and his career in this field was to extend over a very long period of 65 years. A good friend of Robin and Janet Clarke and of their family, he was, in 1964, brought into the School’s recently formed Council (now Board) which was planning to found a new private school in Melbourne’s outer east. He served on our Council until 1968 when his career took him to Canberra to live. That eminent career was to lead to the award of an O.A.M. for his services in a professional and administrative capacity to forestry. Also mentioned in the citation of the award were his services to the community and, in particular, to the sport of rugby union. Bob’s enthusiasm for rugby union commenced at his school where he was awarded colours for it (and also for three other sports). In later life he remained very much involved in the sport and even sang in the Australian Rugby Choir. In later life he also returned to study and in 2018, at the age of 89, he was awarded his Master of Science from the Southern Cross University.