Bernie's Bulletin

2026 Event Calendar

Bold = updated events

This week our spotlight is on one of our most recent graduates - Dante Fillipone (Class of 2025).

As our arts gap year trainee at St Bernard's, Dante (right in the image above) plays a crucial role assisting our staff, whether it's capturing stunning photos of our school events or working hard behind the scenes to support our concerts and stage shows.

Despite being only just out of school himself, Dante is already mentoring our current students, helping them follow their passions in arts and media. He leads our SBC Media Crew, giving students of all year levels the opportunity to sharpen their photography skills by capturing whole-school events, and also runs the Arts & Theatrics Club, where students can learn and rehearse a wide variety of performance skills.

His passion for the arts isn't limited to St Bernard's - Dante is also a member of the Strathmore Theatrical Arts Group (STAG), an awesome community theatre group that has been putting on quality shows for locals since 1954. His next performance is in STAG's upcoming play KIMBERLY AKIMBO, a hilarious and heartrending play surrounding a teenager who has a rare condition causing her body to age four times as fast as it should.

The play is running from 28th May - 6th June, and proceeds from the opening show will be donated to TLC for Kids, a national children’s charity delivering immediate, practical support to families when a child is seriously ill. 

We encourage those who are interested to book a ticket here: https://www.trybooking.com/DIYRQ. In addition to the play your ticket also gets you 10% off at Noyade Bar and Grill right nearby! Dinner, a show, and supporting an old collegian and local theatre—not a bad date night if anyone needs ideas!

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!

SBOCA invites you to our next Old Boys Night!

It’s a simple formula, we’ll book a venue, you show up! Register your spot for free and bring whoever you wish.

Look forward to seeing Old Collegians of all generations throughout the year! Register Here!

We invite all our old collegians to join Alumnly, our social platform helping our old collegians to connect and grow.

Whether you're browsing through photos from cherished moments, exploring or posting job opportunities, staying updated on upcoming events, or curious to know where your old classmates are now, our platform is here to cater to your needs. You can also share your own achievements and stories, fostering deeper connections within our vibrant community.

It has been great to see lots of sign-ups already and Old Boys have begun networking, updating their profiles and reminiscing with photos from back in the day.

It was great to see many old collegians attending the 500 Supporters' Group annual AFL-themed fundraising lunch at the MCG on Wednesday 29 April.

The audience were treated to an entertaining and insightful panel, with football stars Trent Cotchin, Joel Selwood and Monique Conti joined by esteemed AFL reporter Jay Clark. It was fascinating to hear their stories and insights from behind the scenes.

Also in attendance were the College's student leaders, Principal Dr Michael Davies, and our Assistant Principals Mr Tinsey and Mr Smith.

The event successfully raised essential funds for the Ruben Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, which provides primary healthcare, education, and social support to those in need. It was an honour to welcome Director of the Ruben Centre Liz Mwangi, as she delivered a heartfelt address about the centre’s impact on local communities.

Well done to the 500 Supporters' Group—we are humbled to play a small part in your amazing work and look forward to continuing our support.

Our old collegian community are invited to attend the Silent Sight Foundation's Gala Night on Saturday 13 June 2026.

The Silent Sight Foundation was founded by old collegian Stephen Simone (Class of 2008) and his wife Stephanie, and it exists to deliver breakthroughs that lead to effective treatments and ultimately a cure for the blindness caused by Usher Syndrome, the leading cause of genetic deaf-blindness worldwide.

The Gala event will be of celebration and enjoyment and will be held at Hyatt Place Melbourne, Essendon Fields. The Gala will raise valuable funds for investing in cutting-edge research to uncover new treatments and potential cures for Usher Syndrome.

Featuring a three-course meal, premium wines, beer & soft drink, and a band playing a great selection of music to make the night an enjoyable one for all. Activities, special prizes, raffles and a silent auction round out the night.

Tickets start at $150 each, with all proceeds from the gala going directly to the Silent Sight Foundation—a huge opportunity to help move the dial on their goals.

Tickets can be booked here.

We're pleased to launch a new Instagram page especially for old boys: @stbernardsoldcollegians.

As with our Facebook page, we will feature news and updates, events and stories from across the generations — all showcasing our amazing alumni community.

Whether you finished at Bernard’s recently or many years ago, this new page is a great way to stay connected and see how our community continues to grow.

Follow Us

On Friday 1 May, the St Bernard’s College Foundation celebrated its 2026 Gala Dinner at Hyatt Place Essendon Fields, where we proudly inducted three distinguished alumni into the St Bernard’s College Hall of Fame:

⚙️ Mr Pat McCluskey (Class of 1964)

Co-founder of ANCA, a global leader in CNC tool manufacturing, Pat’s pioneering contributions to Australian engineering have been recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia. We will forever be thankful to him for establishing the upcoming Pat McCluskey Scholarship to help our graduating students secure engineering degrees.

🦷 Dr Alf Nastri (Class of 1985)

A highly respected oral and maxillofacial surgeon and Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne, Alf is known as much for his charitable work and mentoring as he is for his skills and experience.

👔 Mr Michael Valastro (Class of 2020)

The recipient of our second Rising Star award, Michael is a driven young entrepreneur and already a founder of two fashion brands—and his career is just getting started.

Hosted by Hall of Fame member Simon Madden, the evening featured remarks from College Principal Dr Michael Davies, Director of Community Relations Vincent McGuire (representing the Foundation), our College Captain Sam, and SBOCA President Jasper Brettell.

The night concluded with an auction expertly run by our friends at McDonald Upton Real Estate, and a lively raffle, all raising funds to help the Foundation continue their work.

Thank you to our sponsors MNG Lawyers, MKS Group, BMW Essendon, McDonald Upton Real Estate, MKS Lending and Scotchmans Hill, and to all who attended and made this event a joyful and inspiring celebration of our old collegians and community! 🌟

Next year's Gala Dinner will be held on Friday, 7 May 2027 - be sure to save the date!

This week we've dug up one of our early ACC footy flags. Some famous names in this side, including Hall of Fame member and the namesake of the Pavilion, Michael Perrett, as skipper. 

The 2026 First XVII have started their season with a bang, here's hoping they can mirror the 1961 side and claim another flag!

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 2 of 2026.

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