Now, the time has come to renew and reinvest. In the coming months, and with the support of the community, we will begin the complete redevelopment of the current Just Pavilion, including the much-loved Cohen Room. This isn’t just a refurbishment – it’s a major capital project that will deliver a state-of-the-art facility worthy of the young people who use it today and those who will follow.

The Parents’ and Friends (P&F) Hall, the gathering and performance space adjacent to the McIntyre Gym, is one of the earliest and most visible examples of parent ‘friendraising’ and fundraising at Trinity.

From small-scale projects to supporting the larger priorities and strategic objectives of the school, embedded in the Trinity parent community is a desire to help through projects that benefit the students.It was so lovely to have so many of our school community come together during our first week of Term 1 for information evenings and the school’s Parent Welcome Drinks. It is our first opportunity for the year to re-engage and welcome new families to our school. These moments remind us that we are all working towards a common goal, to support the growth and success of our children.

In its early days, the Parents and Friends Auxiliary (now known as the Trinity Parents’ Association) was the umbrella group for the Dads’ Club and the Mothers’ Committee. In the 1950s, this group had a goal to build a shelter shed – an all-weather play area for junior students. However, after a particularly financially successful 1953 Carnival (forerunner to the Founders’ Day Fair), they had the funds to be more ambitious.

With the school’s blessing, they decided to support the replacement of the open-sided gym with a hall to provide shelter for the juniors and a gymnasium for the seniors. Drama performances, a radio concert, a flower show, paper recycling and a square-dancing competition were among the many events held to successfully raise the funds required.

The Parents and Friends (P&F) Hall was opened by then-Prime Minister Robert Menzies on 23 July 1954, and is today home to theatre classes, rehearsals and performances across the school.

In recent years, the Parents’ Association’s focus has been on the Small Grants Program, which facilitates small yet intentional opportunities for positive improvement. This initiative has created opportunities for bespoke offerings during a period between larger campaigns.

In the Junior School, the Small Grants Program supported a Costume Resource Room; a place for theatre and play costumes for ELC – Year 6s to be organised, stored and easily accessed. Many of the costumes, used for Drama subjects, classroom plays and the annual Junior School Musical, have been an accumulation of the hard work and generosity of parent and staff working bees.

“We now have brand new tubs, shelving and ladders to keep our resources organised and user-friendly,” Head of Junior School Library Services, Amy Jackson, said.

“This has been a fantastic example of how our school values of ‘service’ and ‘community’ have been implemented to enrich the education of our students”.

On the rugby pitch, the initiative has supported a Veo Camera that enables the recording and analysis of matches.

“Since receiving this equipment through the Small Grants Program, the team has gained valuable insights into gameplay and strategy,” Teacher in Charge (TIC) of Rugby, Ewoud Botha, said.
“Coaches can now review footage with players to improve positioning, decision-making and teamwork”.

On the tennis court, students have acquired a ‘SpinFire’ tennis ball machine. With 21 settings of speed, spin and direction, Teacher in Charge (TIC) Tennis Shaun Lusby calls it a ‘game changer’.

“With a Bluetooth remote control operation, players and coaches can, at their discretion, pause the drill patterns to enhance hitting techniques, further develop strengths and work on nearly any and every facet of a student’s tennis game,” Shaun said.

To elevate the many music performances held throughout the year, the Music Department has also received a set of branded music stand banners.
“We have been excited to secure music school banners as part of the Small Grants Program,” Director of Music Jan Blazejczak said.
“These banners have been used on a number of occasions to highlight the profile of the Music Department at our events”.

These projects, amongst many others, reflect the Parents’ Association’s ongoing intention to improve the experiences of students in a way that carries through the warm, giving nature of the parent community.

As the Trinity Masterplan comes to life, and with this edition’s announcement of the capital campaign to support the Bulleen Pavillion (pg 24), there will be intentional opportunities over the coming months and years to directly support the future vision of the school through Parents’ Association events and initiatives.

The variety of experiences that Trinity offers help shape well-rounded, world-ready young men. Academic learning lays the foundation for future career paths. Cocurricular activities – sport, music, drama, outdoor education and so forth – allow students to discover their passions and hobbies. Outreach programs like Harambee encourage a sense of social responsibility. Together, I think that these experiences equip Trinity graduates to be strong family men, reliable friends and meaningful contributors to their communities.

There has been encouragement over recent years to raise awareness about the unique health challenges faced by men, and the OTGA has tried to drive that advocacy. To me, health and wellbeing means staying physically active, eating and sleeping well, spending time with friends and family, and taking time to relax and rejuvenate. Just as the school offers a variety of experiences to students, I think that having some variety in both your professional and personal life is a good way to stay mentally fresh. Variety is the spice of life!

The OTG Sport Clubs are a fantastic vehicle not only to retain a connection with the school and between alumni, but also to encourage health, fitness and wellbeing through sport. The Bulleen pavilion has acted as a central hub for many of the OTGA Sport Clubs (particularly football and cricket), where supporters get together and support the teams.

At the top of my list of my favourite memories of Bulleen at school include winning the 2019 AGSV Cricket Premiership on the Daley Oval – we had our five-year reunion not long ago. Others include celebrating our last day of school with a slip and slide on the Hudson Oval, doing a commando course through the creek for Learning Journeys in Year 8 and, of course, countless buses to and from Bulleen on Tuesday and Thursday nights for footy and cricket training. The prospect of a new facility with some upgraded function spaces will be fantastic, not only for current and future students, but for the wider community as well.

The OTGA has several exciting events coming up, which we hope will bring together different groups within the OTGA community. These include the OTGA CBD Lunch on Thursday 31 July, the OTG Dads’ Night on Wednesday 20 August and the OTGA Community Breakfast on Thursday 4 September. We hope to see you there!

Old Trinity Grammarians Online (OTGO) is a digital platform for alumni that facilitates social, networking, mentorship and career opportunities for OTGs. Sign up today!

For the month of May, a SiSU Health Station was onsite at Trinity, offering the wider community the opportunity to get a free health check.

The machine measures important health metrics and risk factors for heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes, including height and weight, body fat, blood pressure, resting heart rate and Type 2 Diabetes Risk.

Men’s Health continues to be a priority for the Old Trinity Grammarians’ Association, which through its initiatives strives to realise a vision of healthy individuals and a healthy community.

To Simon Elliott (OTG 1994), Head of Product Strategy & Major Events at SiSU Health Group, wellbeing looks like a mix of strength and cardio two days a week, a good diet, a good night’s sleep and catching up with school mates every couple of months at least.

“Being males, we don’t often talk about our feelings and things plus increasing isolation and loneliness has been shown to increase not only mental ill-health but also heart disease risk. So regular social connection instead of digital channels in this day and age is paramount,” he said.

At first, Simon wasn’t sure what his dream career looked like. He started out with a “generalist” Science Arts degree at the University of Melbourne, before making a course change for Exercise Science. This led him down the path of health promotion, where he has flourished in the years since.

In his role now, he oversees the strategy for the SiSU preventative health platform. His aim is to help develop data-proven scalable models to improve the health of customers that “ultimately positively impacts our healthcare system”. Notably, the machines have been used in partnership with Shane Warne Legacy to provide free health checks at the Boxing Day Test and the AFL Gather Round, and have now delivered over 5 million health checks.

Having the health station on-site at his alma mater has been a special milestone for Simon.

“From a personal perspective, it’s great being able to provide some free health checks for Old Trinity Grammarians and hopefully current staff, who might struggle to get to the GP regularly enough for a general check-up, and we can reinforce that as needed,” he said.

A health-based career isn’t an unusual choice for Old Trinity Grammarians.

Jack Stewart (OTG 2020), Vice President of the Old Trinity Grammarian’s Association, is studying medicine. He is currently completing a year of research at the Victorian Heart Institute, focused on using non-invasive CT imaging to better identify patients at risk of heart attack.

To him, keeping healthy means staying physically active, eating and sleeping well, engaging in intellectually stimulating activities, spending time with friends and family, and taking time to relax and rejuvenate.

“I also recently read the book Breath by science journalist, James Nestor,” he said.

“The book is about how humans have lost the ability to breathe properly. I’m now trying to do some breathing exercises every day, concentrating on slow, deliberate nasal breathing.”

Jack notes that cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Australia.

“We can all take steps to reduce the risk of developing this condition,” he said.
“Keeping a check on these allows us to address any problems promptly and reduce the risk of developing complications”.

Fellow OTG and OTGA Committee Member Leigh Hodges (OTG 1976), is equally passionate about men’s health as one of the OTGA’s key focus areas.

Regular exercise, including swimming and golf, shared experiences with family and friends, and mentoring and coaching the next generation of corporate leaders are what he says are sustaining him during this phase of his life.

To him, keeping well means “living my best life and not letting an arbitrary number dictate what I can and can’t do”.

Over recent years, the OTGA has organised mental health first aid training programs, and promoted Movember, R U OK? Day and Push Up Challenge campaigns. Men’s Health Week is also annually recognised as another example of positive health promotion across the OTG community.

As we roll on through the winter hibernation period – and the Bureau of Meteorology’s weekly temperature forecasts start to uncannily resemble our top order’s batting averages last season – we at the OTGCC are beginning to cast our minds towards season ’25/26.

Will a young star stamp themselves as the next big thing in the MCC Club XI Competition? Can the First XI break their semi-final curse and play off for ultimate glory? Has Hugh Krantz realised that wearing a durag when running in to bowl isn’t a great look? Can we convince our wonderful sponsors at Chargrill Charlie’s to throw in a couple of extra succulent chicken subs into our game day lunch pack?

When you combine the magnitude of these questions with the Australian team’s inability to cope with any sort of seam movement over in the Caribbean (any danger of moving your feet Cam Green?? Where is Scott Cowley yelling that the “CUT SHOT IS A VIOLENT SHOT” when you need it), it is no wonder that the OTGCC committee have suffered through a number of sleepless nights.

Irrespective of these woes, excitement is certainly building for the upcoming season. Not so much at the prospect of playing the game that we all love/hate, but more so for the excuse to hang out with a great bunch of people for six hours on a Sunday afternoon.

If this is something that appeals to you, please reach out to either myself (sebnicolosi15@gmail.com) or anybody else you know at the club and we will send though our special on-boarding pack.

Included is a run-down of our very extensive, one-week pre-season training regime, the best deals at our AVC associated pubs and restaurants, and Matt Keys’ Insights as to whether you should choose the roast chicken or crumbed schnitzel Chargrill’s roll at lunch.

Seb Nicolosi (OTG 2012)
OTGCC President

And so, we meet at the halfway mark of the season, and the teams are traveling well. Apart from the Under 19s who are probably one division too high this year, the other Men’s sides are all in the top four.
The competition is strong this year, with little difference in the top five or six sides in all these competitions. We know that we must put out our best on the field no matter where our opponents are on the ladder.
Socially, we have just come off our marquee social event of the year, the McGrath Real Estate Business Lunch at the home of football, the magnificent MCG. It was my honour to induct three new past players who have done so much for our football club. We honoured Brendan Iezzi, Stephanie Bull and Ed Beasley as Life Members, who together have contributed so much to almost every part of our club.
On the same day, it was great to catch up with so many of the club and school alumni that have put us where we are today. We were especially privileged to see former Headmaster Rick Tudor attend.
Adrian Farrer gave an amazing update on the redevelopment that is about to happen with the clubrooms and facilities at Bulleen for next year – it looks spectacular.
It would great to see as many of you as possible down at our games to cheer on the green and the gold.
Let’s hope the second half of the season keeps us in a good position for finals! Go Ts.

Tony Mulcahy
OTGAFC President

Old Trinity Grammarians’ Hockey Club have hit the first three months of the season running, with improvements in all areas on and off the field. Through the first half of the 2025 season, our First XI side have doubled their win count from the previous year whilst the Second XI side have tied their win count from 2024. Both teams sit in a highly competitive ladder position and are poised for finals come September.
Despite the cold weather, it’s been great for our players to take a break from their busy lives and get involved with the club. With record high numbers attending training and regular social events, (including our first club sausage sizzle) it’s been fantastic to keep in touch with old friends and make new ones.
OTGHC are always looking for new members to join the club, so if you’re an experience professional or never held a stick before you’re always more than welcome!
Contact Tom on 0487 346 042 or email otghockey@gmail.com.

Tom Cohen (OTG 2018)
OTGHC Committee Member

Old Trinity Grammarians Soccer Club is already halfway through what has been an invigorating year for the club, with plenty to report! All our teams are sitting comfortably in the top halves of their respective ladders, with our Senior Men’s Team and Reserve’s Men’s Team in 3rd place, and our Sunday Metro Men’s team in 1st place. Whilst there is still half a season to go (and we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves…), our teams are dreaming big and locking in to continue the season in the same manner in which it began.

Off the field we have been lucky enough to enjoy a number of social events, which include but are not limited to the ‘Round 1 Kick-Off Drinks’, the ‘2025 Kit Presentation’ (thank you Elia Greek Tavern for hosting us), ‘Chase the Chicken’, our annual ’Family and Friends Post-Game Celebration’, and the fan favourite ‘Amazing Race’. The Committee is currently working hard to prepare for the 2025 Trivia and Presentation Night which will be held in September – more details to come! The club would like to extend its thanks to our most recent additions to the Committee, who have put an outstanding amount of time into the club this year; Chris Liosatos – Secretary, Patrick Booth – Treasurer and Edmond Ansbro – Head of Socials.

The club currently supports State League Senior and Reserves teams, as well as a Sunday Metro League Team. If you are interested in joining our playing squad, or becoming a part of the club in a different capacity, please contact Chris Liosatos (OTG 2021) (Secretary) by email (christopherliosatos0@gmail.com). We will be training until early September, and we would be delighted to have new members join us and add to an already wonderful group of people.

Jeremy Neylon (OTG 2013)
On behalf of the OTGSC Committee members

The OTG Water Polo Club is thriving in 2025, with record numbers and growing interest from across the Trinity community. Competing at MSAC and training at Trinity’s pool and gym, the club fields two competitive teams and is proud to launch a third: the OTG Bevies – a social side designed for newer players and recent school leavers looking to stay active, make friends and enjoy the game in a relaxed, welcoming environment.

Following back-to-back premierships in 2023 and 2024, the club is looking to continue its success on and off the field. The Otters will compete in State League 2 this Summer season, while the Pups – after an outstanding campaign last year – have earned promotion to State League 4. The Bevies offer a fun, low-pressure environment while playing in State League 6.
We’re currently in pre-season training for the upcoming Summer competition. Training is held at 7:20pm every Monday night at the Trinity pool, and all interested OTGs and students in Years 10–12 are encouraged to come down and enjoy a welcoming, social atmosphere. A myriad of social events are coming up in the club’s calendar to continue to develop friendships and culture outside the pool.

As a season warm-up, OTG Water Polo will field a side to take on the Trinity Firsts team in an exhibition match this August – a fantastic opportunity we are looking forward to embracing.

If you are interested in joining, please send Ed an email at ecasmith1998@gmail.com.

Ed Smith (OTG 2017)
OTGA Otters President

Michael Bragge (OTG 1974) will have his solo exhibition at West End Art Space (Adderley Street, West Melbourne) from 16 August to 6 September.

Ren-Hao Chan (OTG 2024) and Daniel Riccioni (OTG 2024) were recognised at the Premier’s VCE Awards for outstanding achievements in English and Product Design and Technologies respectively. Three current Year 12 students who sat VCE exams in 2024 were also recognised in their respective subjects: Chris Qiu for Algorithmics, Kaige Min for Latin and Eason Yang for Physics.

We were delighted to welcome Neil Williams (OTG 1964) as a guest speaker at the Year 7 Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Morning in the last week of term, alongside his grandson, Blake.

Neil and Blake reflected upon their bond and the important role of grandparents in the lives of their grandchildren. Neil also has grandson Flynn (Year 9) currently attending Trinity. After the formalities, they enjoyed morning tea, a tour of the school and a shared lesson.

Neil was School Captain and Captain of Merritt House in 1964. He served on School Council 1976 to 2011 (1992 to 1995 as Chair); is current member of Trinity’s Stakeholder Group and a regular attendee at the annual Gold Mitre Lunch.

Steve Woods (OTG 1979) recently published his third book in the series For The Record.  This book is titled For The Record: As The Days Go By and is an on-this-day look at music, movies and television. Steve can be heard on Melbourne’s 3AW every Saturday night.

All books including For The Record: Australian Pop Culture 1964-2017 and For The Record: Classic Hits & Urban Myths are available at www.fortherecordbook.com.au.

We wish to thank the following for their recent donations to the Archives:

Heather Beaumont
Memorabilia belonging to her late father Peter Johnstone (OTG 1956)

Eric Blennerhassett (OTG 1959)
Photograph

Elizabeth Johnston
A collection of photographs belonging to Gerald ‘Dill’ Edwards (OTG 1910-1912)

Ken Bleakney (OTG 1960)
Blazer, cap and Trinity Newsletter article

Simon Le Plastrier (Staff 2000-2013)
Drama memorabilia and photographs belonging to Ken Barrett (Staff 1983-2006).

Neil Cash (OTG 1946)

Neil, late of Castlemaine, passed away in 2024. Neil’s sons David (OTG 1979) and Jonathon (OTG 1984) also attended Trinity, as did Neil’s father (Alan) Mick (OTG 1915).

Robert Coles (OTG 1951)

Robert was born to Sir Edgar and Dame Mabel Coles at Kew in 1934, and was always destined to follow his father into the family retail business. He had a happy childhood in Kew, and later in Mt Eliza when the family moved there. Robert had contracted polio around 1945 and was fortunate to have survived, although he was not too badly affected, it stayed with him his whole life.

Rob joined the family business, learning the ropes in all areas including accounting, housing, buying, maintenance, planning and strategy. He retired in 1988 after many years on the Board.

He is survived by his wife and their four children.

Rob’s family describe him as gentleman who was intelligent, articulate and always had a kind word. He loved Collingwood, and was a longtime member of the Melbourne Cricket Club, the RACV Club, the Athenaeum Club and the Peninsula Country Golf Club. He loved swimming, which he took to after his childhood polio affected his sporting choices.

Rob felt that he was personally called out of the crowd by Billy Graham at the Myer Music Bowl crusade in 1959 and he committed his life to Christ, becoming a longtime member and Elder of Mornington Baptist Church. Rob died peacefully in May 2024, surrounded by his family and we thank them for providing details for Robert’s obituary.

Warwick Dalton (OTG 1968)

Warwick commenced at Trinity in 1958 and left in 1968.

He was a St Paul’s Cathedral Chorister from 1959 to 1965. He learnt the piano at Trinity, and while having diverse interests after school, maintained a strong connection with keyboard instruments. He played in several bands while at school and then joined Jonny O’Keefe’s backing band after school, later becoming JOK’s musical director. After JOK he was musical director at the Melbourne Rocky Horror Show.

Following Rocky Horror, he moved to the then Northern Melbourne Institute of Tafe’s Piano Technology Department, later running the course for several years. He spent the rest of his working life working in this field – while still playing in bands. He was a life member, and past president, of the Piano Tuners & Technicians Guild Victoria.

Warwick was married to Creenagh and had two sons, Lee and Jack. Warwick’s brother, Roger, also attended Trinity, along with as well as Roger’s three sons, James, Andrew and Ben. Our thanks go to Roger for providing the obituary for Warwick.

Michael Hunt (OTG 1972)

Michael sadly passed away in June 2025. Michael is survived by his brother Gordon (OTG 1977).

Victor Ryder (OTG 1945)

Victor, late of Kingscliff NSW, sadly passed away in February 2025 aged 96. He often spoke about his time at Trinity as being a wonderful time in his life.

George Wood (OTG 1948)

George attended Trinity from 1946 to 1948 as a student before returning in the early 1950s after university as a valued member of the Trinity staff. For over 25 years, George engaged in wide range of activities and held many responsible positions, culminating in that of Senior Master since 1965. Before that time he had been a Form Master, House Master, Senior Maths and Science Master, Senior Resident Master, and Assistant Senior Master, and on occasion, Acting Headmaster. He coached cricket and tennis teams and for a number of years and stage-managed the Trinity-Ruyton plays. George was known to be a steading influence on students and perceived to be fair in his decisions whilst maintaining a high level of achievement.

George departed Trinity in 1975 when he was appointed as Principal of Yarra Valley Grammar in 1976 where he served until 1993 as a distinguished and prominent leader. Yarra Valley’s performing arts centre is named the George Wood Performing Arts Centre.
George is also a member of the Trinity Gallery of Achievement in recognition of his service to Education.

Bernie Byers

Bernie was a member of staff 1967-92 who taught Drama, French and Hospitality at Trinity. Bernie’s funeral was held in our Chapel of the Holy Trinity in June and was attended by many current and former staff and Old Trinity Grammarians. Bernie was born in 1927 in the United States and moved to Australia permanently in 1971, just as the White Australia Policy ended. Bernie’s most interesting life has been documented on ABC radio which may be of interest to many who knew him.

Students benefit from Tottenham Hotspur coaching expertise

For the past 12 weeks, Trinity Grammar School students have had exclusive access to Tottenham Hotspur Global Football Development Coach, Donny Campaniello.

As part of the Global Football Development Partnership, Donny has been working with students from Prep to Year 12, delivering coaching sessions and training methods used within the Spurs Academy. This marks the first of three 12- week blocks in the school’s exciting new collaboration with the Premier League club.

“It’s been an amazing experience,” Donny said.

“I feel really privileged to have the opportunity to come here and work at Trinity Grammar School. We established these partnerships to support player and coach development in the region and to create a strong platform for bringing our work into Australia. It’s all about building meaningful, long-term pathways that can make a real difference at the grassroots and supporting those players wanting to go on to high-performance levels.

“Having worked across several similar partnerships in Queensland and Wellington, New Zealand, I’ve seen first-hand the positive impact this kind of collaboration can have – not just in developing talent, but in creating lasting change within local sporting communities. That experience gives us confidence that this approach will add real value here as well.”

Donny noted that students have responded enthusiastically to the sessions, which are designed to be both fun and educational.

“It’s been a chance for us to help these players develop technically and tactically, preparing them for when they play games with the school or their own clubs,” he explained.

More than just skills on the pitch, Donny hopes the coaching instills broader values:

“Hopefully, they bring to life the words used in coaching that require actions, for example ‘discipline’ – learning how to channel their energy into their roles and responsibilities on the football pitch, as well as off it, in the classroom and at home.”