The jewel in the crown: Forty years of legacy

Most of us in the Trinity community remember our early visits to the Marles Playing Fields at Bulleen. For me, though, they were usually unhappy occasions, because as coach of football and cricket for two other AGSV schools over 16 years, they often ended in ignominy and defeat!

For over 40 years the extraordinary vision of Don Marles and his supporters has played out brilliantly, with games played, memories forged, trees grown and legends established. Traditions have emerged, rites of passage undertaken, and personalities have helped fill the narrative of the glorious and inglorious happenings at Bulleen. This edition of The Trinity Grammarian seeks to capture some of the essence of its history, and maybe some of the tall stories that, with the passage of time, have grown up to the height of the trees that overlooked them.

Those trees were planted by Trinity students. We have the original documents that recorded each boy’s plantings by tree (specific species noted!), an ambitious project that cleverly included the whole student body, and many staff, in making an environmental, physical and lasting contribution to the site. I have spoken with many Old Boys over the years who remember the occasion of tree planting and reflect proudly on being involved.

That pride is mirrored by so many who have made their mark during their sporting careers at school or beyond. There are those who went on to play on other fine grounds, such as the MCG, in their professional sporting careers – some to high acclaim. There are those who thrived in the Green and Gold of Old Trinity sport, striding out on the Daley in pursuit of amateur glory. Some, like Andrew “Rambo” Ramsden (OTG 1991) did so countless times! I remember many of them well, from my former AGSV lives, on yet another unsuccessful sporting raid, probably. There was John Summers (OTG 1979) alongside the boundary line, Rohan Brown half hidden behind a tree, Steve Maus holding court and Rick Tudor presiding with the help of a black Lab or two. They ensured that we – the opposition – were welcomed, but not too welcome. As opponents we learned to respect Trinity at Trinity, and I suspect that is true of all our combatants over the years.

Whether it was footy, cricket, soccer, hockey, rugby, cross country or archery, the teams that have graced our “jewel in the crown” have fitted snugly into the Marles vision. He wanted them fitter, for sure, but he also wanted them to have a values education. For a couple of generations already, and with the help of our new pavilion and commitment to the upkeep of our extraordinary facilities, for many generations to come, that values education will have benefitted from quality time on the quality spaces of Bulleen.