- Autumn 2026
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- Stories from Bulleen
09
Stories from Bulleen
In conversation with Brendan Mahony, David Sanguinetti and Tristan Davidson
When you spend enough time at Bulleen, you start to collect stories.
Over a cuppa, Tristan Davidson (Head of Finance and Head of Bulleen Campus), David Sanguinetti (former Senior Curator and now Caretaker of the Marles Playing Fields) and Brendan Mahony (Director of Sport) swap stories about Bulleen. Between them, they carry decades of memories of a place that has become central to Trinity life.
David: We had a fisherman who used to wander up to the dam to fish in the 1980s. One day he rushed over to me and said I should take a look at something and pointed out an object sticking out of the mud. It turned out to be a mortar bomb – and yes, the police and bomb squad had to be called.
Before Bulleen existed, what did Trinity sport look like?
David: Very different. We’d play at Victoria Park, Yarra Park or Severn Street. We were scattered across Melbourne.
When Bulleen came on board, it made a huge difference. The students were all in one place.
Brendan: Instead of teams travelling all over Melbourne to borrowed grounds, Trinity suddenly had a dedicated home for sport.
David: It gave the students ownership. It was their ground. Having one place for sport changed the experience for students almost immediately.
Tristan: You suddenly had students from different teams mixing together. Hockey players watching football, cricketers wandering over to tennis. It became something bigger than just individual teams.
David: It built camaraderie. It gave them confidence.
What makes Bulleen such a special sporting precinct?
Tristan: The scale and quality. In the AGSV there’s nothing better. The way the grounds are laid out, how they’re maintained. There are very few schools who have what we have.
David: Andrew Gowers (Former Hawthorn AFL premiership player and Hawthorn President) came out once. He was coaching an opposing team. He said, “I’ve played on most grounds around Australia, and this is one of the best.” When you hear that after years of working on the fields, it means a lot. And sometimes the job gets unusual…
Tristan (shaking his head): You’ve got to walk around the fields before the teams arrive on Saturday morning and pick up whatever the foxes have left behind overnight! Over the years, Bulleen has also welcomed some unexpected visitors.
David: We’ve had professional teams, international squads – even the Argentinian national soccer team trained here. Messi was here; my wife got his autograph!
What are your funniest Bulleen stories?
Brendan (laughing): One of the funnier moments for me was when a well-meaning rugby coach decided to ride his bike straight across one of the ovals. The head groundsman jumped into the car and started chasing him across the field trying to stop him. It looked like something out of a comedy sketch!
Tristan: Sometimes the funny moments are the unexpected ones. Like the number of times people have managed to get their cars stuck in the car park after heavy rain and needed a tractor to pull them out.
How excited are you about the redevelopment of the pavilion?
Tristan: The new pavilion will be a big step forward. It will include modern change rooms, training spaces and a large function area overlooking the grounds. It will be the best pavilion for school sport.
Brendan: It’s about more than infrastructure. It will strengthen the sense of community. More parents will stay. More people will come together.
David: That’s really what Bulleen has always been about.
Since this article was written, we have learnt of the recent passing of David Sanguinetti. As one of the school’s longest-serving staff members, he leaves a lasting legacy within our community. He will be remembered with deep appreciation. Our heartfelt condolences go to his family and loved ones.
