Bernie's Bulletin

Reunion Calendar

Passionate and multifaceted, Justin Nott is a hardworking creative and a key contributor to the Melbourne independent theatre scene. Read on to support his latest project!

Justin's talent and passion for the arts was clear even as a student. He graduated in 2006 as the College Arts Captain and with a perfect score of 50 in Drama! He took the gap year position as SBC arts assistant in 2007, the same year he launched the St Bernard's Old Collegians Arts Association (SBOCArts). Justin went on to gain a bachelor's degree from the University of Melbourne, and a postgraduate qualification from the Victorian College of the Arts. 

He has been creating and performing for over a decade now across Melbourne, Sydney and London, and has directed four plays, all earning rave reviews. Justin is currently developing his fifth directorial project - the Australian premiere of Parliament Square, a suspenseful and darkly funny story about how we grapple with the state of the world today. Justin will be combining live performance, film and other audiovisual techniques in an ambitious and exciting production. 

To get this passion project up and running, Justin is running a crowdfunding campaign, and we'd love to get our St Bernard's community around him. He has just 13 days to reach his funding goal - to contribute to the production or for more information visit this link: Artist Project: Parliament Square. All donations will be matched by the Australian Cultural Fund - meaning your contribution will be very powerful! 

We appreciate any contributors and are grateful for your support for an old boy! You can also visit Justin's website here: Justin Nott.

The College Foundation's premier event of the year is now open for bookings!

The event will take place on Friday 30 May at the Conversation Quarter of the State Library Victoria, commencing at 7:00pm. We invite our community to attend an enjoyable evening of fine dining, celebration and reminiscing, with a 3 course meal and refreshments included.

As part of the evening, we will be inducting two highly accomplished old collegians into the St Bernard's College Hall of Fame, Mr Terry Tobin KC (Class of 1960) and Dr Anthony Slavin (Class of 1985), for their incredible work in the legal and medical fields respectively.

This year the Foundation has introduced the Rising Star Award – recognising exceptional talent and leadership potential in those under 40 in our community. The inaugural recipient of the award will be Dr Jameson Trainor (Class of 2014).

Bookings can be made at this link: https://www.trybooking.com/DALVX or the QR code above. Please book by Friday 23 May to confirm your spot, we look forward to seeing you there!

The second annual SBOCA Bowls Day was held last Sunday at Aberfeldie Community Bowls Club. It was the perfect day for bowls and a beer, and there were 12 teams keenly vying for the top prize. 

The day was capped off by a thrilling finish, with the final decided by a sudden death tiebreaker. Kevin Mahoney (Class of 1969), John Molloy and Ian Wormald combined to take the $750 winners prize (and the priceless Bowls Day trophy!), with Mark Salanowski (Class of 1981), Maree Salanowski and Mark Gleeson taking home $360 for their terrific runners up effort. 

Thanks to everyone who made the day a big success, especially to Gerard Mahoney as the key organiser, and SBOCA Committee members Dan Mogg and Nathan Borg for their outstanding work keeping everyone well fed with a delicious BBQ! We hope to see even more of the SBOCA Community there next year as the SBOCA Bowls Day continues to grow.

Calling all alumni in the trades sector!

The College has some students seeking trade apprenticeships and work experience, who can fill a role in your business and gain valuable experience to jump-start their careers. 

We have:

A 2024 graduate looking for a Carpentry apprenticeship

A 2024 graduate looking for an Electrical apprenticeship

Several current Year 11s and 12s in our VCE and Vocational Major program, seeking work experience as a vital part of their curriculum.

If you are interested in helping out, please contact our Careers Advisor Sarah Woodhouse at swoodhouse@sbc.vic.edu.au. We and our students would greatly appreciate it!

Content Warning: This section contains war-related material which may be confronting.

As we prepare to commemorate ANZAC Day next week, we're looking back to the very early years of St Bernard's, where students and families experienced both the excitement of a new school and the shadow of a global war. Like many other schools, St Bernard's maintained a cadet unit during this time. Our archive boards show photos of students in uniform, and some certificates of completion well preserved. 

Schooling was very different under these circumstances - students of the time recall having to help dig air raid shelters in local parks and backyards, and the new handball court had to double as a firing range! But it wasn't all doom and gloom being a cadet, as one student recalled parade day as a perfect opportunity to impress the girls at St Columba's with their shiny new uniforms.

The threat of war would've been very real for the cadets, and while we can't know what they were thinking at the time, we can imagine their feelings of uncertainty and fear and their desire to fight and sacrifice for their country if required.

We commemorate all who have served for our country, and in particular our old collegians who have served in the military. Lest we forget.

Honouring our esteemed old collegians is deeply important to the College. If you wish to submit Vale notices for inclusion in The Strand magazine, please send them via email to development@sbc.vic.edu.au. Your contributions allow us to respectfully remember and celebrate the remarkable individuals who have been part of our community and have sadly passed away since our last publication in late 2024 and throughout 2025.

We greatly appreciate your support in helping us honour their memories.

And to wrap up we'd like to wish you and everyone in our community a safe and happy Easter this weekend! As we celebrate this joyous occasion, we are reminded of the messages Jesus taught of hope, renewal, love and faith.