Message from the President

It’s terrific to see a significant increase in activity around the Wyvernians as we continue to improve our connection primarily online through Facebook and email.  Thank you to everyone who contributes to reconnecting with classmates and the College.

In this eNews we recognise and highlight efforts of an individual from the Class of 1984 – Simon Tennant.  Simon has been arranging a Reunion to celebrate that the Class of 1984 are all turning 50!  He has worked tirelessly with a few others from that year, and their numbers are growing for their event.  Simon describes himself as among other things nostalgic.  His recollection of his time at the College is remarkable and his story is entertaining.  Thanks to Simon for his work pulling together this special Reunion.  If you don’t want to miss out on the event please join the Facebook group or get in touch with me and we can provide details.

Our formal 2016 Reunions kicked off in March 2016 and have been very well attended.  It is great to see many reconnecting after having lost touch for many years.  The tours around the College are also a real highlight.  We have a few more to go and are working to track people down.  Any assistance that you can provide in tracking down students from the Classes of 1981, 1986, 1991, and 1996 is greatly appreciated.  If you can help please contact me.

You don’t have to wait until your reunion to catch up with old class mates – why not organise a table at the PFA Kingswood College Trivia Night - use the Facebook groups to pull together a group.  Hope to see a few of you there!

The date for the 40+ Reunion in 2017 has been set and will be held at the College on Saturday 21 October 2017!  This is always a significant undertaking and we are looking for assistance in tracking people down from the Classes of 1977 and prior.  The organising committee are working on details but your input and assistance would be greatly received.  The last 40+ Reunion was a huge event and very well attended, so get involved.

Thanks to Meredith Badger (Class of 1987) who is a well-known children’s book author.  Current parent Kate Ginaylo shares a story about a story written by Meredith when they were both students at Kingswood College.  It’s a great read and will put a smile on your face!

In this edition we also feature some of the achievements of our current students including Katherine Smith (Year 12) who received the Wyvernian Award of General Excellence in 2014 and is achieving great things representing Victoria playing AFL; and Cameron Stollery (Year 12) receives a Premier’s Award!

We are still happy to receive input on ‘The Network’ proposal.  You can access the EOI on the College web site or you can email me (details were in the February 2016 edition).

End of year tax time and it is an opportunity to contribute back to your old College.  The College has Building and Scholarship trusts to which contributions are fully tax deductable.  The funds are used to support our current and future students.  If you are interested in contributing please get in touch with the Business Manager Lee Perry at the College.

2016 Reunion Dates

We'd love to see you at your Reunion.  Please share these details with people you are in contact with and encourage everyone to come along.

Click on the links below to book.
 

Friday 22 July - Class of 1996 & Class of 1991, 20 & 25 year Reunions. Cato Centre at Kingswood College. Cost is $35 per person and includes buffet dinner. Drinks at bar prices, no BYO.

Friday 9 September - Class of 1986 & Class 1981, 30 & 35 year Reunions. Cato Centre at Kingswood College. Cost is $35 per person and includes buffet dinner. Drinks at bar prices, no BYO.

Thursday 18 August - Class of 2015, 1 year Reunion. This is a free event and includes finger food, drinks at bar prices, no BYO.

Please contact Jacinta Mackay if you require more information on 9896 1700.

Wyvernian profile - author Meredith Badger

Meredith Badger is a well-known children’s book author, and alumni of the Class of 1987.

Whilst Meredith was a 14 year-old student at Kingswood College (31 years ago!) she made a book for then Prep student Kate Ginaylo (who is now an alumni and current parent) about her and gave it to her.

Kate remembers Meredith asking her questions and she told Meredith that she had a cat called Marmalade and an obsession with Cabbage Patch dolls – both of which are featured in the book!
Kate has kept the book titled A Cat Called Marmalade all these years and it is simply a beautiful piece of work made with care and craftsmanship.

A Cat Called Marmalade is possibly the first original book that Meredith authored and illustrated and it is now proudly in the Junior School Library, having been donated to the College by Kate.
Meredith is returning to the College in August 2016 to talk with Junior School students about her career and the books she has written.

We look forward to welcoming Meredith back to the Junior School, and thank Kate for making this all happen!

40+ Years Reunion - 2017!

In 2017 the biannual Reunion for 40+ Years will be held again! Students from 1977 and prior (or any students from around that time) are most welcome to attend. 

The date for the Reunion is Saturday 21 October 2017.

If you would like to assist in organising this Reunion please contact Wyvernian President Stuart Castle.

Bookings will open in 2017 and we will send reminders.  Please let everyone know - so they can save the date.

Wyvernian profile - Simon Tennant Class of 1984

Gen X-ers turn fifty!

During the era of the moon landing, the Beatles visit to Melbourne and women's liberation, a generation born in 1966/67 is now turning a golden fifty. That's right, the Class of 1984 are celebrating their lives so far at a venue in Hawthorn in July, with a combined fiftieth celebrating their shared history, friendship and connection through Kingswood College.

The seed for the event was planted at the 30 Year Reunion in the Cato Centre with arguably one of the most nostalgic members of the Class of 1984, Simon Tennant. Simon is a rare breed, remembering that elusive detail. A student since his Year 6 year in 1978, Simon entered Year 7 in Mr George Wilson’s class, Simon recalls ‘Mr Wilson had a great sense of humour, he used terms like "tintinnabulation" referring to the school bell.’


After leaving Kingswood College, Simon completed a Bachelor of Business Degree and was awarded Top Graduate for his final year. Currently working with a large mining company, he assists with the management of the company’s $5 billion corporate superannuation fund on behalf of its 30,000 employees/ex-employees.


‘I enjoy influencing people to take an active interest in their super, which is likely to be their second biggest asset when they retire (the first being their home)’ Simon explains.


On personal reflection, Simon is pleased to enjoy an ongoing friendship with several of his Kingswood College classmates, he cooks, grows his own food, brews cider and keeps fit attending spin classes. He's most proud though of raising his daughter with wife Suzy to be ‘a sensible and well rounded member of the community’.

Of his days spent in middle school Simon recalls ‘we played down-ball and bat tennis in the quadrangle at lunchtime. I remember roasting the principal Rev Leigh Speedy, and teachers Jack Moshakis (Year 9) and Jacques Drent (Year 7) in a short film for an art project with another student.’

Simon recounts, ‘No one will forget the woodwork teacher's Dutch accent (Corr van Manen) "Mr Van". I’m sure he scored all of my work “71/2, boy” (out of 10) regardless of how good it was.’

‘At the Year 8 camp at Tawonga - we watched movies projected onto a screen on the side of the bus, held a talent quest where I was part of the rock group Kiss belting out their hit “Do you love me" and we glided down the rapids of the Kiewa river on our lilos and participated in an ironman competition.’

Philosophically, Simon valued the inclusiveness of the College, welcoming and providing for students of all academic abilities and students with physical disabilities. He valued too the way in which the whole senior school experience prepared its students for the ‘big wide world’ of tertiary education and employment.

‘Overall, the group of students that went through with me were a great bunch and this has translated through to today into an eagerness to get together en masse in mid-July in recognition that we are starting to celebrate our 50th birthdays.’

Accepting, dependable and good-natured Simon’s recipe for happiness is ‘Be kind, smile a lot, embrace change, volunteer, be self-sufficient and “have a go”’. Most certainly an excellent person to celebrate five decades of life with!

Happy 50th Simon and happy birthday Class of 84.

PFA Olympic Trivia Night

Saturday 6 August at 7.00pm

The Kingswood College PFA Olympic Trivia Night promises to be a fun professionally hosted evening with all teams going for gold!

Ticketing options include tables of 10 or 8 and also individual tickets.

We request that all pre organised teams book as a table.

For individual bookings we will put you on a table with people from the same year level where possible.

Numbers are limited, so get in early as bookings will close when we reach capacity.

BYO Drinks and Nibbles.

This is a strictly adults only event - no students.

Click here to book

5, 10, 15 Year Reunions

The Classes of 2011, 2006 and 2001 (5, 10 & 15) Years Reunions were all held on Friday 18 March 2016.

It was a most enjoyable evening for every class year level, and you can view photos on the Wyvernians Facebook page.

Katherine Smith - headed for the AFL draft!

Katherine leads the team to Victory! Kingswood College Year 12 student and Sports Captain, Katherine Smith, captained the Vic Metro girls AFL team to victory in May during the National Competition.

Katherine was named in the All-Australian team and is on her way to the women’s AFL draft later this year.

Katherine plays for Blackburn Football Club, the Eastern Devils women's team and captains Vic Metro.

We wish Katherine continued success in her AFL career.

Cameron Stollery - A Premier's Award

A perfect score in Information Technology: IT Applications = A Premier’s VCE Award.

Kingswood College Year 12 student Cameron Stollery has taken out top honours at the Premier’s VCE Awards - for Information Technology: IT Applications.

While in Year 11, Cameron completed Units 3 and 4 of Information Technology: IT Applications, scoring a perfect 50.  And even among this elite group of students who achieve a perfect study score, Cameron has been further recognised as an exceptional student through the conferring of a Premier’s Award at a ceremony in Melbourne earlier today.

In 2016, Cameron is completing his VCE, studying a range of subjects including French, Maths Methods and Specialist Maths, Physics and English. Cameron was Dux of Year 11 in 2015, receiving the academic award in every subject he studied. The Kingswood College community have also enjoyed Cameron’s musical talents: he is a keen and committed guitarist. 

Principal Elisabeth Lenders commented ‘Cameron is the ultimate quiet achiever – a student who is diligent, hard-working, respected by his peers, and committed to achieving his personal best – a shining example of our College ethos; where potential soars’.

ThinkPlus

ThinkPlus is a revolutionary new teaching methodology that
provides students from ELC to Year 12 with positive, practical brain skills that help them learn how to learn more effectively.

The ThinkPlus metacurriculum (a fancy way of saying “thinking curriculum”) demonstrates that intelligence isn’t actually fixed but learnable.

ThinkPlus teaches students to harness a growth mindset – wiring and rewiring their brain to get smarter; to increase their intelligence.

Positive ongoing questioning, and constructive feedback, challenges students to stretch themselves out of their comfort
zones. This helps them achieve results they previously would not have thought possible.

Participating in ThinkPlus instils students with greater confidence, makes learning more enjoyable and will help them better navigate the trials and tribulations of being a student in the 21st Century.

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