Bernie's Bulletin

Event Calendar

Reunion Calendar

Save the Date for your class reunion! Registration will open closer to the date so we can track numbers. Each year level will receive emails with more information closer to the date as well.

An honoured member of our College Hall of Fame, Professor Mark Rose has worked tirelessly in education and academia to further our national Indigenous knowledge.

Mark has traditional links to the Gunditjmara nation of Victoria. Already 12 years old when the 1967 referendum finally counted Indigenous Australians in the official population, his life has been profoundly shaped by this time and his father's experiences as a member of the Stolen Generations. Despite the challenges of his early life, including being separated from his family and community, he found opportunity in education.

After graduating from St Bernard's, Mark trained as a teacher and spent the next decade working in primary and secondary schools. He then transitioned into academia - working at Deakin University, where he became the first Pro Vice-Chancellor for Indigenous Strategy and Innovation, and before that at RMIT, where he was a Professor of Indigenous Business and Enterprise.

Throughout his career, Mark has been a vocal advocate for the inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and knowledges in education. His work has earned him numerous accolades - most recently this year at the King's Birthday Honours, where he was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his extraordinary contributions to Indigenous tertiary education and community health.

He has continued to make a big impact at St Bernard's, where he is the namesake of the College Foundation's Mark Rose Indigenous Scholarship. The scholarship reflects the College’s desire to create a learning environment that values Indigenous culture and promotes a sense of belonging for Indigenous students in our College.

Mark's strong body of academic work, influence as an educator and steadfast commitment to Indigenous culture is truly admirable. We congratulate Mark on all his recent success - incredibly well-deserved!

Image via Victorian Aboriginal News

We're pleased to announce our reunions are now opening for registration! 

Starting with our Golden Years Reunion on Friday 22 August - a special event consisting of a whole-school mass, optional College tour and lunch to celebrate the classes of 1974 and earlier. Bookings can be made here: https://www.trybooking.com/DCXEV 

Our 5, 10 and 20 Year reunions are also open for registration, and the rest will be opening very soon. Keep an eye on the reunion calendar above - links to register will be posted there. You can also access the updated calendar any time on our SBOCA Events page.

On Friday, 20 June, we celebrated the official groundbreaking of The Quays Project - an exciting new building development enhancing learning and engagement for our students. 

The Quays Project aims to renovate existing spaces to better serve our community's needs. This includes a modern cafeteria, quiet study areas, and breakout rooms in the Tobin Building that will be open from dawn to dusk. Outside, a new Piazza will replace the Year 9 Building, featuring a Yarning Circle, River Bed, and Scholar’s Walk. The Forecourt will be redesigned with terraced seating, and the College Arts & Recreation Centre will be refurbished. These improvements will provide students with enhanced learning environments, better study facilities, and more opportunities for community engagement, benefiting all current and future students.

We were honoured to have former St Bernard’s College student and Deputy Premier of Victoria, the Hon Ben Carroll, join us for the ceremony. He assisted in the groundbreaking alongside College Principal Dr Michael Davies. Also in attendance were members of the College Senior Leadership Team, the School Advisory Council, including Chairperson Ms Pauline Duggan, Mr Andy Kuppe from EREA, Ms Linda Vaughan from the Department of Education, and representatives from 2Construct, Connect PM, and Chandler Architects.

This is a milestone event for the College and further proof of our commitment to providing state-of-the-art facilities for our students. To learn more about the Quay’s project or to make a donation to support projects like this for our students and the community, please visit https://www.sbc.vic.edu.au/community/how-you-can-give.

As we embark on The Quays project, we're unearthing the future and laying the foundation for endless possibilities!

A reminder to sign up to our new old collegian platform Alumnly, which can be done at this link https://sbc.alumnly.com/alumnilogin. 

The Old Collegians Association has invested significantly in the building of this wonderful database, but it will only be effective if as many alumni as possible sign up. We'd strongly encourage you to join, as the bigger the network is, the greater the reward is for everyone involved. 

Alumnly is the place to be for exciting news, the latest events, and special offers for our alumni community. 

Among the many things you can do with Alumnly include accessing photos from events like our Foundation Gala Dinner and SBOCA Golf Day, search by industry to connect with fellow old collegians, and register your interest to offer career advice to the next generation of our students.

Thank you to all who have signed up so far, let's use this network and lift each other up!

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Tickets on sale now!

Tickets are now available for St Bernard's College and St Columba's College Essendon's annual musical production: Newsies - The Broadway Musical!

Join us as Jack Kelly and his band of newsboys rise up to "seize the day" in this high-energy, uplifting show inspired by the real-life Newsboys Strike of 1899.

Show Dates: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights across two weekends: 24 July – 2 August 2025
Location: St Bernard’s College Auditorium

Book your tickets now before they sell out - https://www.trybooking.com/DCFPV

Don't miss this incredible performance showcasing the talents of our students. Secure your seats today!

With the Quays Project getting underway, we're thinking back to where it all began this week. These are original architectural renderings from 1959 of the planned West Essendon Campus, which was then completed in 1963.

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.