Bernie's Bulletin

2026 Event Calendar  Bold = updated events

A multitalented and globetrotting creative, alumnus Anthony Wright (Class of 1980) has gone on to be a journalist, writer and visual artist whose work has been published in Australia, Mexico and the United States. 

After graduating from St Bernard's, Anthony studied at RMIT and spent time traveling the world, before settling in Mexico City in 1993. He worked as a journalist, writing about the bustling capital's arts and culture scene while honing his skills in visual art and photography. 

Anthony's exciting career has seen his artwork featured in galleries in Melbourne, New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Fremantle, showcasing his striking abstracted landscapes and quirky renderings of retro scenes. He is also a published author, with the novel Infernal Drums and short fiction collection Smoke Ghosts & Other Outre Tales. 

An old collegian with a unique story and highly accomplished creative career—we wish Anthony luck with his artistic pursuits!

If you know any old collegians who have been successful lately, let us know at development@sbc.vic.edu.au - we'd love to celebrate them!

Each year, our community gathers to honour and remember the lives of our dearly departed Old Collegians—men whose presence shaped the spirit and legacy of our school. We invite our community to attend our Annual Deceased Old Collegians Mass. All those recently passed will be acknowledged on the day.

Date: Saturday, 7 November at 9:30am.

Location: St. Bernards College Chapel. (Enter through GATE 6 for parking). 

RSVP: Via the link https://www.trybooking.com/DQNMT or email development@sbc.vic.edu.au

Following the Mass, light refreshments will be served in the Peter Hogan boardroom. 

It's once again time for SBOCA's annual Chris Lane Golf Day!

We have been blown away by all the support for this event in recent years and look forward to another fantastic day on the course. Assemble your mates and compete for the coveted Chris Lane Cup, or test your skill and go for the longest drive and nearest the pin prizes. Enjoy food served before and after the round and refresh with a bevvy throughout the day. 

This event is not to be missed for any golf enthusiast. Tickets are $110 per person (inclusive of food and green fees) and can be booked here: https://www.trybooking.com/DQSWO. If you're under 25, contact development@sbc.vic.edu.au for tickets at a special young alumni price of $75.

Bookings are open until 12:00pm Friday 6 November.

The St Bernard’s Old Collegians Association celebrated AFL Grand Final week in style, welcoming a sold-out crowd to the annual AFL Grand Final Lunch at the Moonee Ponds Club.

Despite gloomy weather, the atmosphere was lively and welcoming as our guests enjoyed good food, drinks and company. Guest speakers Stephen Kernahan, Ian Coutts and Matt Campbell shared plenty of entertaining football stories as they conversed with our fantastic MC, Paul Madden. As always, it was great to hear yarns and insights from an experienced group who know the AFL inside and out.

The afternoon wrapped up with the traditional raffle and auction, all raising money for SBOCA to put towards study and volunteer grants, social and networking events, and further support for alumni. We thank Milo Rasinac from McDonald Upton for expertly running a fast and exciting auction!

SBOCA thanks our event sponsors MNG Lawyers, Essendon BMW, McDonald Upton, MKS Group, MKS Lending Group, Scotchmans Hill and Community Bank Keilor East for helping make this event possible, our fantastic hosts at the Moonee Ponds Club, and our guest speakers for entertaining the crowd.

Most of all, thank you to all who attended and made the lunch such a memorable afternoon!

The College is excited to open bookings for our new Combined Reunion Night, where we will be hosting all 1 to 50 year reunion cohorts in the brand-new Quays facilities at our Essendon campus.

All old collegians from the classes of 2025, 2021, 2016, 2011, 2006, 2001, 1996, 1991, 1986, 1981, 1976, and our Golden Years group, are invited to attend one big party! Food and drinks will be served on the night, your ticket includes food and your first beverage.

Guided tours of our newest facilities will be running through the evening, and don' forget to bring your business card or fill out our contact form to enter the draw for a huge raffle prize!

Date: Friday 27 November
Time: 6:00pm - 10:00pm
Cost: $25 (includes food and first beverage)  
Stubbies $6 each/wine $7 a glass

Book Here: https://www.trybooking.com/DQVCU

St John Bosco's Church is 60!

On October 18, our friends at St John Bosco's Parish will celebrate the 60th birthday of the church since its Blessing and opening on 18 October 1966. Mass will be celebrated at 10.30am on Sunday October 18, 2026, followed by a morning tea in the parish hall. All are welcome for Mass and morning tea to celebrate this community institution.

St John Bosco's Church, 29 Muriel St Niddrie.

Enquiries to: Niddrie@cam.org.au

A heartwarming recent story from our community - St Bernard's College was delighted to help old collegian Kevin Johnson (Class of 1950), reunite with his beloved older sister, Mardi Kearney, a former student of St Aloysius College. Together, the siblings represent an extraordinary 195 years of life, memories, and family history.

Arranged by Erin Mepham from the College’s Community Relations team, the visit gave Kevin the opportunity to travel to Kew, where Mardi lives, for a precious afternoon together. They last saw each other in 2024, shortly after Kevin moved into Avondale Heights Care Community. The distance had made it difficult for the siblings to see each other, and as both have experienced hearing loss, phone calls were also tough to manage. 

For Kevin, the long-awaited reunion was deeply meaningful. He shared that it had “taken a while to sink in” that he had finally made the journey across the city to see Mardi again. His happiness was unmistakable, and he was especially pleased to see his sister looking so well.

The afternoon also brought an unexpected opportunity to catch up with his niece, Geradine Ferrari, a former student of St Columba’s College, her husband, Louis, and their grandson, Edward, making the occasion even more special.

Joanna Wilkinson, a friend of Kevin’s and a teacher at St Bernard’s, accompanied him on the journey. She also prepared a folder of treasured family photographs for the siblings to enjoy, prompting shared memories and stories as they reminisced together and enjoyed each other’s company. 

Our sincere thanks to both Erin and Joanna for their thoughtful support and helping make the visit possible.

We are glad that we could help make this special reunion possible and grateful to see the joy it brought to Kevin, Mardi, and their family. It is a privilege to support and assist our old collegians wherever we can. 

The St Bernard's Old Collegians Football Club is looking for players to join their Under 19s squad in 2027. 

With 2 teams in 2027, this is a great opportunity to play at VAFA level.

Sign up and bring your mates - training starts in November!

For any questions contact Ben Hogan on 0402 919 523.

In honour of the Class of 2026 officially graduating today, we look back at last year's graduation ceremony for the Class of 2025.

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.

Vale notices submitted will be acknowledged in the next edition of the Strand in Term 4 of 2026.

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