Welcome to Newman Being!

Edition 1/2025

History is what happened.
Heritage is what you do with it...

In May, I had the privilege of presenting at the Educate Plus WA Summit at the UWA Club, where I was proud to showcase the important work we’re doing here at Newman, and the consequentially positive results. My presentation focused on the powerful relationship between Alumni Engagement and the Archives, and how connecting with your alumni, genuinely, doesn’t just build wonderful relationships, but enriches our historical record - and the 112-year-old legacy of our school.

By reaching out and listening to our Alumni, and tending to their past connections to this and all our antecedent schools, we’ve seen our Archives grow in ways we hoped it would, five short years ago: through a wealth of fabulous stories; photographs - rare and beautiful, formal and crazily casual; items of uniform which have been carefully treasured for decades (and sometimes the remnants of an old tie found in the bottom of the drawer); trophies; personal letters and reports; and all kinds of other irreplaceable memorabilia. Each item adds significance to our Collection as well as to our shared legacy, and we've only been able to achieve this growth by valuing the people who’ve been part of our history along the way.

An example of how this works so beautifully is the Farewell to Marian (Brigidine) event held on 20 March 2025, which was hugely popular! While it took a while for everyone to pick up a nametag after Mass, we absolutely loved meeting everyone filing past us to enter Brigidine Hall! Many had time to chat on the way out and, thankfully the rain held off, so it was wonderful to put faces to the many people we’d been emailing and speaking to in the weeks prior. Several Brigidine Alumni brought with them an array of wonderful items for us - from photographs and newspaper articles, to complete uniforms! (See 'From the Archives', below.) 

The closing keynote speaker at the Summit was Craig Hollywood (2000), inspiring founder of Short Back & Sidewalks and Australian of the Year 2022: Western Australia's Hero (see below), and I wasted no time inviting him back to his old school for a visit. He came on 12 June and enjoyed seeing the changes in uniform and buildings, before spending a little while at the Memorial Rose Garden reflecting on and remembering a few friends and classmates no longer with us. He was impressed with a walk through the St John Henry Newman Learning Hub, which looked so different in his time here and, at the end of his visit, promised to return to inspire our students. 

Every day, our work ensures all of the stories, people and details that shaped our school aren’t lost. By reconnecting with our Alumni and recording their memories and seeing what they’ve kept, we’re steadily building a rich and more complete record of ourselves. It is nostalgic but it's not nostalgia; it's acknowledging where we’ve come from, and reflecting on that to find the direction of where we’re going.

We hope you enjoy this edition, and the results of what we do, as much as we love doing it!

Shannon Lovelady                                   Amy Devenish
Archivist, College Historian,                   Archives and Alumni Engagement Assistant
and Alumni Engagement Manager

Each Newman Being includes:

• A little history on one of our 'Antecedent Schools' 
• Alumni Updates - what exciting things have you all been up to?
• Reunions and Catchups – recently held, and those upcoming
• Archives news and insights into some of the remarkable donations recently received
• Items of interest to our alumni, including Community News
• School events you, as alumni, are most welcome to attend

Want to join the Newman Being mailing list or know someone who does? 
Email alumni@newman.wa.edu.au
Miss the first few editions? 
Catch them here: https://bit.ly/NewmanBeing.

Time for some Newman Nostalgia!

A little history (just a little!) on one of our 'Antecedent Schools'... 

Interior classroom shots from the 1950s are quite rare, and we are delighted to have this beauty in our Photographic Collection! It features Mother Sebastian's (also known as Sister Claire Small) Commercial Class at Brigidine Secondary School on Salvado Road, Wembley, in 1956. (Names below.)

These girls are learning the proper touch typing technique. Pre-computers and office printers, of course typewriters were the primary means of producing all documents, and this skill was essential for office work in all industries.

They learnt to sit with their feet properly placed (flat on the ground) with correct hand placement on the QWERTY keyboard (see the guide up front?), so as to minimise typing errors and maximise speed. Speed and accuracy was everything, and these girls practiced (and practiced!) their typing drills to improve both; endless repetitions of asdfg and ;lkjh before they were even allowed to think about typing "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”! 

The average typing speed today is around 40 words per minute (wpm). While the world record for typing on a manual typewriter is a staggering 176wpm, most aimed for a 90-100wpm typing speed - with 99% accuracy. 

But Commercial classes weren't just about learning touch typing. Aimed at those aspiring to become secretaries, or working in administrative roles, they often also taught basic office etiquette and procedures, bookkeeping, the formal art of letter writing, and the formatting norms of a wide range of documents. Students learnt how to produce professional business correspondence, invoices and reports, as well as how to answer the telephone in a professional manner, perform various clerical tasks (including making cups of tea and coffee), and manage filing systems. And as you can see from this shot, they also taught the girls how to use a Gestetner stencil-method duplicator.

The result was, these Commercial girls could find work absolutely anywhere.

Commercial classes (like business colleges, which taught all of these skills in concentration), gradually disappeared over time, roughly coinciding with the rise of personal computer use; when everyone began to use keyboards, but very few knew how to actually type! It was a little less of a challenge for those who’d taken Commercial classes or gone to business college, for they already knew the keyboard and could focus on everything else. 

If you learnt to touch type at school, what speed did you attain? And there are no doubt quite a few who can still recall the metholated-spirit-smell of the freshly printed Gestetner copies! 

Image above: Commercial Class with Mother Sebastian, 1956, Salvado Road, Wembley
Back, L-R: Margaret Jones, Rowena Houlahan, Iris Alexander 
Front: Leonie Cauldwell, Cecilia Reynolds, Tess Bennett 
Up the front with Mother Sebastian: Kath Chesson.

Alumni Updates

We take great pride in the accomplishments of our Newman Beings and the scope of their achievements. While some have garnered worldwide acclaim in their respective fields, others may be known for their contributions to their local community or even within their own family. We celebrate and honour the efforts of all Newman Beings, from all of our 'Antecedent Schools'.

John Goldie (1979) has been a financial planner for over 35 years and is a director of Paramount Financial Solutions in West Leederville. He grew up with his parents Nellie and George, in Bournemouth Crescent, Wembley Downs, where George - who turns 104 in October - still lives!

John came to Marist Junior College, Subiaco, from Year 4 in 1971; and to Marist College, Churchlands, for Years 8-12 from 1975. He excelled at basketball, introduced as a sport in the late 1960s by (former) Br Leo Keegan, and was in Year 10 when Marist College transitioned to Newman College in 1977.

John recalls that when he started at Churchlands, the Deputy Principal was Mr Peter McGowan (Chemistry Teacher 1966-1977), who established the Newman Churchlands Swimming Club and coached there for many years. John is still friends with his son Mark McGowan (1979), but is careful to make the distinction Mark is not our past Premier!

Following in John’s footsteps was his sister Dr Cassandra Goldie AO (1981), who was Head Girl and Dux of her year. Cassandra now lives in Sydney, and is CEO of the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) and an Adjunct Professor with the University of New South Wales. 

In 1985 while in London, John met his future wife, Jo, a Santa Maria girl from the Class of 1979. On their return to Perth they settled in Churchlands, around 250m from us. Naturally, in time, they sent their three children Benjamin, Elijah,and Madeline Goldie (2013, 2014 and 2016) to Newman, and loved the short walk to school each day.

Today Ben (after three years as a Phys Ed teacher at St Mary’s College, Broome, with some fellow Newmanites) is a Phys Ed Teacher back at Newman; Elijah is a paramedic in London; and Maddy, after a few ski seasons in Canada, is back nursing in post-op care at Perth Children’s Hospital.

When their children were young, John became heavily involved in junior sport at the Marist Football Club, at a time when Bern Willett (1976) was Secretary of the Committee. During his 14 years with the Club, of which he is a Life Member, he served as Auskick Coordinator, Vice President and President, and was involved in the installation of lights on the Br Terrence Gleeson Oval, and the digital scoreboard on the side of the Gymnasium. He was also on the committee for the Newman Churchlands Swimming Club and, for eight years, coached two teams of the Newman Holy Rosary Raiders Basketball Club, and spent five years as Chairman of the Newman Sports’ Association.

During this time John saw so many children of the people he and Cassandra went to school with, he reached the conclusion many Newmanites don’t move very far away!

These days John still loves living close by. As he has for many years now, he still walks his dog, Elsie, around Lavalla Oval most mornings, and sometimes makes use of the tennis courts, too!

Images above:
Top: Sister Declan's Year 12 Contact Group, 1979
Back, L-R: Phillipa Casey, Anthony Dorosz, Christopher Bell, Christine Fellowes, John Goldie, James Campbell, Suzanne Rowe
Middle: Christine Neylon, Vicki Johnston, Philip O'Connor, Peter McArtney, Peter Worthy, Paul Laidman, Catherine Halligan-Jolly, Vanessa Nathan
Front: Peta Cohen, Jocelyn Craig, Karen Phatouras, Jillian Smithson, Cassandra Brewster, Suzanne Gardiner, Vikki Raynor, Louise MacDonald
Middle left: The Goldies on the beach in Broome when Ben was teaching there
L-R: Maddy, Elijah, Jo, Ben, John
Middle centre, L-R: John and Jo Goldie with their son Elijah (2014) and his partner Alicia Britton. Elijah and Alicia went to the Newman Year 12 Ball together in 2014 and are both currently working in London.
Middle right: May 2025, at home in Churchlands
L-R: Jo, Maddy (2016), John (1979), and Ben Goldie (2013)
Bottom left: Dr Cassandra Goldie AO (1981), George Goldie (103 years old), and John Goldie (1979) with George's 1943 Willys Jeep, which John drove in the 2025 Anzac Day Parade
Bottom right: Elsie Goldie, walking with John at sunrise on Newman's ovals

Donna Burke (1981) is one of seven children including Jennifer Denness (Burke 1977), Cathy Burke (1980), Donna’s twin Frank Burke (1981), Matthew Burke (1984), and twins Alison Burke (1987) and Andrew Burke (1987). 

She and her siblings all attended Holy Rosary in Doubleview before the girls went on to Siena, and the boys to Marist or Newman College. She admits she was a bit mischievous, and very good at mimicking her teachers’ voices, particularly those of Mrs Suzanne Silbert’s (French teacher 1978-1982) and her British accent, or Mrs Noelene Cooney (Teacher/Acting Principal 1980-1981), who Donna says was the best to imitate!  

Acting and singing were Donna’s passions but in those days, with a few obstacles in the way, after graduating in 1981 she worked in a bank for two years during which she could afford singing lessons and also entered eisteddfods. Eventually though, she followed her parents’ advice and trained as a teacher. 

When qualified, she returned to Newman Siena for 1988, teaching RE and English, which was a bit of a shock! As Donna says, "the boys in my class were an absolute nightmare and the girls barely got my attention as I was so busy trying to calm and control the unruly boys. I followed the common advice on winning obedience as a teacher: don’t crack a smile before Easter. I was super strict; I had to be.”

The next year Donna moved to Chisholm Catholic College but at the age of around 30 in the mid-1990s, she decided to travel for a bit. By 1996 she was in London and running out of money, but didn’t want to return to her old life, teaching in Perth. She still had a secret dream to be a famous singer and actor, and felt if she came back, she would be settling for less than she wanted out of life.

Instead, Donna went to Japan and, with ten years of classical voice training behind her, began life as a wedding singer. She sang at several weddings a day, and soon also became a freelance announcer. Before long she was also in high demand for voicing TV commercials, video games, songs and anime. Gamers may recognise her voice in songs for Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy, or as characters in Silent Hill and ARMS.

Donna has lived in Japan ever since. She loves the inherent politeness in Japan’s people, and the safety she can feel, as a woman, walking anywhere. She also loves the food – so much choice – and finds it a great, affordable place to live. She also loves being in the same time zone as Perth, as it allows her to remain connected to her family. In particular, it's easy to Facetime her mother, Margaret, on her way home from work.

It was in Japan Donna met her English husband, teacher and writer Bill Benfield, and in 2004 they established Dagmusic together, a booking agency and recording studio for foreign artists in Japan. Dagmusic operated until 2022, after which Donna focused on other projects. 

In 2002 Donna auditioned for JR Central, to replace the woman who previously voiced the announcements on the Shinkansen 'Bullet' train line, who was leaving the country. That woman had been Canadian, and they wanted a voice which sounded just like her, so Donna mimicked the Canadian woman who had been mimicking a British woman. Using a calming, motherly tone with the hint of a smile, she changed it slightly to a refined Australia voice, rather than a British voice. She was a hit, and has been ‘The Shinky Lady’ ever since, making such announcements as “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Shinkansen…”

In 2019 Donna’s mum Margaret visited Donna in Japan, and a video of the two of them on the train went viral, with Margaret getting a huge thrill out of hearing her daughter’s voice welcoming passengers and announcing stops. This year Margaret turns 90, a wonderful occasion Donna will be here in Perth to celebrate!

It's Donna's voice which also warns people about natural disasters and, on New Year's Day 2024, it was a surreal experience to hear her own voice coming out of her phone saying “Earthquake! Earthquake!”

Donna also exports Japanese products all over the world. Chemist Warehouse stocks her hot pink Hotteeze self-heating pads, and she is now hoping her latest device - Japan Toilet Sound - catches on in Australia. An elegant solution to block sound, particularly in public toilets or ensuites, it was invented to save water during a drought, to stop people double-flushing to cover toilet noise. 

Donna still loves singing live and connecting with her fans. She will be singing at the Bledisloe Cup on 4 October 2025, and at the Royal Albert Hall on 1 November in Metal Gear in Concert, with more international concerts happening in 2026. Her TV comedy mystery show Killer Rich is also in development with Screenwest, which Donna hopes will be made in the new Perth Studios.

Now 60 and reflecting on her life, Donna says, “If you're not grateful for what you're doing, stop. You want to bring good energy into your work. I used to get in trouble for mimicking accents. Now, it’s my career!"

Images above:
Top left: Burkes at the beach c1968
L-R: Margaret (holding Matthew), Jenny, Cathy, Donna and Frank Burke
Top right: Donna Burke (1981) 
Bottom left: Mrs Nunn’s Year 12 Contact Group, 1981
Back, L-R: Randy Wyndow, Brendan Kelly, David Manera, Damien Williams
Front: Lisa McDonald, Andrew Britto, Mrs Lynette Nunn, Donna Burke, Sharon Donatti
Bottom middle: Newman Siena Staff, 1988
Back, L-R: Mrs P Allan, Mr T Lark, Mr N Morson, Mr Mike Diamond, Mr G Knox, Mr B Webb, Mr P Slattery, Mr R Crothers, Mrs C Chipperfield
3rd row: Mrs N Brown, Miss M Russo, Sr M Bernadine, Mrs Y Taylor, Mr K Hunt, Mr Fong, Mrs M Macauley, Mrs A Gionea, Mrs Lyn Ward-Dixon, Mrs G Hill
2nd row: Mrs D Dixon, Mrs M Evans, Mrs R Palmer, Miss K Smith, Mrs M Roberts, Mrs L Damnjanovich, Miss Donna Burke (1981), Mrs C Williams, Miss I Mulder, Mrs Tricia Hawkins (Vernon 1978), Mrs A Sutcliffe, Mrs M Foster
Front: Mrs B Snowden, Miss S Irvine, Mrs Jenny Lindsay (Macauley 1972), Mrs K Biagi, Br David (Deputy Principal), Sr Mary Perpetua (Principal), Mrs S Voss (Deputy Principal), Sr M Antoninus, Mrs I Wade, Mrs N Burette, Mrs T White
Bottom right: Japan's Shinkansen 'Bullet' Train, the voice of which is Donna Burke (1981)

Peter Frank (1960), nephew of Henry Frank (SIC 1914) and father of Linda Whiteside (Head of Career Development 2007-2017), attended St Joseph's College, Subiaco, from 1958-1960, and recently shared some of his wonderfully evocative poetry with us. 

Now 82, Frank is inspired by his late mother’s love of poetry which has renewed his passion for writing. We’re delighted to feature one of his poems here, and thank Peter for sharing his words and memories with us.

Written in April 2024, Oh Kalgoorlie is a true story featuring his father, Wilfred ‘Wilf’ Frank, and Old George, a worn-out but relentless old prospector. It’s a vivid, gritty tribute to the friendship between prospectors, set in the vivid backdrop of WA’s old goldfields, where Peter was born.

Peter has sent a couple of his other poems to us to enjoy, which space doesn’t allow us to reproduce here. One, A Tail of Two Kitties, was written for his great grandchildren, Bridget and James about his Burmese cat Whisky, and their new Burmese kitten, Wilfred. It was a billion to one chance that, unknowingly, the children named their new kitten Wilfred – which was Peter's father's name - their great, great grandfather! 

A second poem, A Reflection of Covid, was written in January 2021 for his daughter Natalie, who was then living in Tring, Hertfordshire, England, during the Covid lockdowns. A poignant, reflective piece on collective loss and resilience, it somehow echoes the eerie quiet of that phase of the pandemic and, despite alluding to the sheer awfulness of Covid as it was, still bears the fragile, distant, hope of recovery. 

A third, Wonder, wonder dear old Dad … Will he never come again?, took quite a while to write, as the timing is in an attempt to match the 15-syllables per line, rhythm, and sad refrain of "Was My Brother in the Battle" (1862). Peter still hopes to have this one shaped by a musician. 

If you would like to read these, and others by Peter, please email us on alumni@newman.wa.edu.au.

Images above:
Top left: Peter Frank (SJC 1958-1960)
Top right: Peter's Burmese cat Whisky, who features in his poem Tail of Two Kitties
Bottom right: Whisky and Wilfred, his great grandchildren's cat unknowingly named for their great, great grandfather  

Samantha Ashby (2018) was born in London and spent her formative years in Singapore before her family relocated back to Perth in 2011 when she was 10. Here, she discovered hoops and fell in love with basketball, for which she has an extraordinary talent. After a few years at PLC, her obvious ability for all sports saw her come to Newman in Year 9, 2015.

Here, Sam was placed in Romero Guild and settled in quickly and thoroughly. She played in the Girls’ White team in the 26th Marist Basketball Carnival which was hosted by Newman, and to which 16 Marist Schools across Australia came to play. She won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in her team, came in second in the overall girls points scored, and first in the girls’ Free Throws (a first for the College). She was in the ACC Athletics Squad, for which she placed 3rd in the Age Champions for Year 9 Girls and, at the end of the year, won an Art and Design 3 award.

In Year 10 in 2016 she was a Guild Representative, in the ACC Cross Country team, and won awards in Art and Design and Maths Extension 2, as well as the Br Terence Orrell Award for Most Outstanding Female Basketball Player over a School Year (which she also won in 2017), and the Marcellin Champagnat Award for Most Valuable Female Player.

In her final year she was in the ACC Athletics and Cross Country teams, and placed 2nd in the Year 12 Girls’ Age Champions. At the end of the year she also received one of our Major Awards - the Female Contribution to Sports Award for her outstanding contribution to sport during her time at Newman, demonstration of Marist characteristics in leadership, and commitment to her chosen sport.

While at school Sam played regional basketball for the Perry Lakes Hawks, later earning a position on their women’s State Basketball League (now NBL1) team. She also qualified repeatedly as a State representative playing for Western Australian against the other States and Territories. 

On leaving school Sam earned a US College Basketball Scholarship competing in the NCAA Division 1 league and completed a degree in Health and Exercise Science at University of the Pacific, California. She then moved to the UK where she has just completed her second professional basketball season, this year playing for the Oakland Wolves, which won the Super League Basketball Women’s Cup Finals. Sam balled out with 23 points in 23 minutes and, after her team won the Cup, she was awarded MVP for 2025.

Because of her London birth, Sam was also eligible to qualify for Team GB - Great Britain Women’s International team - which survived prequalification against Denmark, Sweden and Estonia for EuroBasket 2025. Later this month, she’ll be in Hamburg, Germany, playing for Great Britain in the final elimination rounds against Germany, Spain and Sweden.

Added to this, Super League Basketball named her in the British Team of the Year which recognises the five best British players across all teams in the British Super League.

Sam loves the life sport has given her, and that it has taken her all over the world. Just recently she said, after the season that pushed her to the limits:
“A small reminder that life is not for the weak - you’re so strong just for showing up every day. Rely on those around you and don’t put too much pressure on yourself, being a pro athlete can lead to never feeling satisfied with where you’re at, on and off the court. Constantly striving and pushing yourself to impossible limits, trying to control everything around you … but life is more than that. 

"Travelling, experiencing different cultures, doing the sport you love for that little kid who never imagined you’d get where you are. Valuing those around you for being their imperfect selves, just like you. Don’t let yourself get so caught up on what the ‘perfect’ life is supposed to look like and make the best of every moment, there is ALWAYS a glass half full way to view things, you just have to let yourself see it. 

"Be kind, remember your roots, and let yourself grow and enjoy the moment, you don’t get to live this life twice!”

Images above: 
Top left: Sam in Year 12, 2018
Top right: Sam and John Finneran (Principal 2016-2022) receiving the Female Contribution to Sports Award, 2018
Middle left: Sam in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain, 2024
Middle centre: Sam in Paris, France, 2024
Middle right: Sam (centre) in Copenhagen, Denmark, early 2025 with her father Martin (left) and cousin Harriet (right) 
Bottom left: Sam in action with the Oakland Wolves
Bottom centre: Oakland Wolves team shot
Bottom right: Sam winning Most Valuable Player, Oakland Wolves, 2025

Craig Hollywood (2000) was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and came to Western Australia in 1994 when his father, an electrician, found work here in Perth. The family was looking for a better life than could be had in Glasgow at the time, and came to live in Woodvale, where Craig attended the local primary school.

Craig readily admits he was a rascal, and his parents recognised his need for a fuller and more focused education. They chose Newman College, and he started at Newman Siena, Doubleview, in Year 8, 1996. Getting there from Woodvale involved a bus, a train, and another bus, and the same in reverse to go home. Having walked to school for most of his life until then, Craig says it was a bit of an culture shock! But he settled quickly and, that year, was one of two Catherine Guild Representatives. 

From Year 10 in 1998 he attended our Churchlands campus, and signed up for Dario Bottega’s (ICT teacher 1995-2000) Computer Aided Drafting class. Without that, he says, he honestly doesn’t know where he’d be today. 

When he was in Year 11, his grandfather, his mother’s father, died back in Glasgow. Craig’s mother was an only child and needed to look after her mother, so the family returned to Scotland. Craig finished his schooling in Glasgow, but he believes his four years at Newman were pivotal to the man he is today, and credits the successes he’s made in life with his parents’ decision to send him here.

After school, Craig put Mr Bottega’s teaching to good use and pursued engineering. In around 2004, when Craig was 21 and qualified, he returned to live in Perth and began establishing his career in civil engineering. The whole family eventually came back, and they even brought his gran to live here!

In 2015 Craig had the seemingly simple idea of offering free haircuts to Perth’s homeless people. In the busy lives most people lead, and the tendency to let ideas be just that, Craig's idea could well have remained unrealised. Instead, Craig sought the help of some barbering friends and set up a charity called Short Back & Sidewalks in one of Northbridge’s carpark laneways. The first time, he thought they might sit there all day with no customers, but that wasn’t what happened.

After a few times and word began spreading, there was a steady stream of people who travelled long distances to be there - not just for the free haircut and barbering, but for the opportunity to be seen and heard without judgement. The simple service made a huge difference in these people’s lives, and to Craig himself, who was humbled by some of their stories.

In 2022 Craig won an Australian of the Year award as Western Australia’s Local Hero. In 2023 he was awarded the City of Perth Active Citizenship Award and, in 2024, was both a finalist for Volunteer of the Year, and winner of the Australian Hair Industry Award’s Vidal Sassoon Humanitarian of the Year. Most recently Craig was presented with the 2025 Western Australian Council of Social Services (WACOSS) Outstanding Contribution: Going above and beyond award. He is a regular and inspiring motivational speaker and brings smiles to listeners when he recounts talking to (then) Prime Minister Scott Morrison - not so much about securing $450,000 in federal funding for Short Back & Sidewalks, which he did - but more about their mutual love of dogs. 

Craig now holds a Non-Executive Board position at Short Back & Sidewalks which, alongside having three paid staff members, has more than 350 skilled barbers and hairdressers in their volunteer workforce, and offers services throughout remote and regional WA as well as in NSW, South Australia, Victoria, and in the Northern Territory. This year, the goal is to deliver 15,000 haircuts. As of early June, they were at just over 10,000 haircuts, so will most likely exceed expectations. 

As Craig says, “Giving a free haircut to a person makes more of an impression than you could imagine. An individual truly stands taller when they have received a fresh haircut.”

Outside of Short Back & Sidewalks, Craig continues working in civil engineering. He’s currently the WA Defence Lead at AECOM, a global company which designs infrastructure with a focus on sustainability, the supporting of communities, and the building of a better, more climate-resilient future.

Craig visited us at Newman recently and, in addition to being central to planning the celebration of his cohort's 25th Reunion this year, hopes to inspire our students to pursue their own journeys in future; to not dismiss, and to always embrace their ideas. 

Images above:
Top: Catherine Guild, Mrs Marie Grace’s Group, 1998
Back, L-R: Sara Ceccarelli, Tristan Raison, Samantha Mitchell, Sarah See, Nicole Mancini 
Middle: Bree Blakeman, Kate Mercer, Craig Hollywood, Daniel Berrigan, Ferdinand Tamara, Christine Arnold, Lauren Bowler
Front: Matthew Dermody, Sarah Miller, Adam Corrigan, Adam Quigley, Michael Barns, Erin Mill, Joel Adams
Middle left: Craig and his partner Jo, May 2025
Middle right: Craig’s dogs, Jimmy and Herbie
Bottom left: Craig at Newman College, June 2025
Bottom right: Craig at work with AECOM aboard the USS Minnesota

In 1981 Miranda Barker (Coney 1983), at the age of just 15 in Year 10 at Newman Siena
auditioned for, and was accepted into the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School and, in 1982, entered The Australian Ballet School. David McAllister AC (1980) knew Miranda from growing up in Perth, and also from Newman, and had entered The Australian Ballet School a year ahead of Miranda, after finishing Year 12 here. He became a Principal Dancer with The Australian Ballet in 1989.

In 1991 Miranda also became a Principal Dancer and was said to light up the stage, to take flight upon it, and to bring a breadth and depth to each role she danced. She caught the eye of then Music Director Charles Barker, who trained at the Manhattan School of Music and was with The Australian Ballet from 1997 to 2001.

Charles picks up the story: " ... Let me set the scene.

“The Australian Ballet opened in Perth last night [at His Majesty’s Theatre] with a performance of the Merry Widow with Miranda in the title role. I had planned to propose to Miranda after the opening night performances in Perth, for about six weeks. She has family in Perth, she was the Widow, it all seemed to fit. I had told my plans to no one except Ross Stretton, Artistic Director of Australian Ballet, who incidentally slyly engineered some of the technical parts. Extreme secrecy had to be maintained because there are no secrets in this company!

“Just before the performance Ross and I spoke to the stage manager to alert her that she needed to make an announcement over the PA just before the final curtain to get the audience's attention and that she had to fit me with a body microphone because I was going to 'make a presentation'. Then we swore her to secrecy for the next 2-1/2 hours.

“After the performance finished (which, by the way, was quite good) the bows followed as usual - corps, soloists, principals, all forward and back, the Widow (Miranda) gets the conductor [Charles], all bow, curtain down, bows for principals in front of the curtain, ... curtain up, all (except conductor) down and back. This is usually when the curtain falls for the last time for the evening. However, tonight, with the curtain still up and the audience still applauding, the stage manager spoke over the PA and said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, may we have your attention’.

“The audience became quiet immediately and I walked out onto the stage, faced the audience, and spoke to them ... saying, 'Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Charles Barker, Music Director of the Australian Ballet. I have a question to ask tonight's Widow.' At which point I turned and walked a few steps toward Miranda, went down onto one knee, held out an engagement ring to her and said, 'Miranda Coney, will you be my wife?'

“Miranda had no idea that this was about to happen and the look on her face was priceless. She was quite overcome and came to me, nodded yes, took the ring and gave me a hug and kiss. At the same moment the stage and audience erupted with a deafening ovation, a type of which I had never heard before. Men were yelling their bravos and women were shouting through their tears - especially the ballerinas on stage. An usher brought Miranda some red long stem roses I had gotten for her, more applause, then the curtain came down. It was quite a scene. I couldn't have hoped for a better scenario. Everything went my way.

“The next morning the press began to phone at 9:30am. We gave interviews and had photos taken until about 2pm. We are both still pretty high from the evening. It was fun and perhaps most important, it was successful! The amount of media coverage after the fact was surprising. We did dozens of newspaper and radio interviews including the BBC from London. I guess people like happy endings."

Oh, they definitely do!

Miranda concluded an extraordinary 20-year career with The Australian Ballet when she and Charles left the company at the end of 2001. They then married and moved to New York, where Miranda is now a professional ballet coach and Charles has just celebrated 30 years conducting for the American Ballet Theatre. Their sons Riley and Max are both prodigiously talented; Riley has followed Charles into music and is a collaborative pianist, composer and teaching artist, while Max has followed Miranda into dance and is a rising star with the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company.

Images above:
Top left: Miranda in Year 10 at Newman Siena, 1981
Top right: Miranda and David McAllister AC (1980) after performing Coppélia, 1992
Photo courtesy Ronald G Bell and The Australian Ballet Archive.
Middle left: Miranda as The Merry Widow, 2000 (after the opening night performance of which, Charles Barker proposed)
Middle right: David McAllister AC (1980) and Miranda Barker (Coney 1983), Principal Dancers with The Australian Ballet
Bottom: The Barker family, January 2025
L-R: Riley, Miranda Barker (Coney 1983), Charles and Max Barker

Monty Omodei (1960) is the son of contract miner Remo ‘Ray’ Omodei and Helen nee Stewart, and was born in Wiluna, on the western edge of the Gibson Desert, in 1943. 

By 1947 the Wiluna mine had shut down, and most of the town’s residents departed to find work elsewhere. Monty’s father Ray went on ahead to find work at the Mount Charlotte underground mine (now the Super-Pit, the world’s largest gold mine) and Helen, sons Raymond (now deceased), Monty, and daughter Cathy (now deceased) were among the last to leave Wiluna, walking out of their then-worthless home, leaving most of their belongings behind in the ghost town.

Monty spent the rest of his childhood in Kalgoorlie, attending CBC until 1955 when the family moved to Perth, as Raymond was at Teachers’ Training College, Graylands, and Cathy an announcer at 6KY Radio Station Perth. For the rest of 1955 Monty was at CBC Highgate, but came to St Ildephonsus College, New Norcia, in 1956.

At New Norcia, Monty found another family, the members of which he’s still in touch today. He was in Sebastian House, played music, and competed ably in athletics, swimming, golf, handball, tennis, cricket, football, boxing and debating. He left New Norcia in 1958, having completing his Junior in English, Arithmetic and Algebra, Geometry and Trigonometry, Geography, History, and Art. 

Monty has very happy memories of his years at St Ildephonsus - the strict discipline (all to an ever tolling bell), of making your bed, attending mass, eating regular meals, a solid routine, school work, varied sporting activities, religion, singing in the choir as well as at Mass, or with the Benedictine monks, the picnics in the bush - and most of all, the mateship. His least favourite memory was having chicken pox one year, and being the only student left there over Easter during which, understandably, he really missed his family.

Monty came back to his parents' North Perth home in time for Christmas, but it was quite a rowdy, lively home to which he returned as, from 1955, on behalf of the St Vincent De Paul Society, his parents ran ‘Keane House’, accommodating older boys from Bindoon and Clontarf while they completed their apprenticeships. With roughly another dozen boys there, he was just another boy in line. Monty says his years at New Norcia prepared him well though, and toughened him up a bit, making it a little easier to deal with all the boys at home.

In 1959 his parents bought a home in Dianella and Monty returned to CBC Highgate for his final two years of schooling. On school holidays Monty worked as a labourer in a cordial factory, as well as in the timber yards. In 1961 he was fortunate to win the Perth Zone to get into the Grand Final of "Youth Speaks for Australia," sponsored by Shell Co of Australia Limited, the programme for which he still has!

In 1962 one of Ray’s friends, (later Sir) Laurence Brodie-Hall, was Executive Director of Western Mining Corporation and gave Monty a start as a junior trainee in the Engineering Division at Cavalier Construction Company in Kwinana, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alcoa. 

This allowed him to continue living and working happily in remote areas thereafter, in the mining and resources sector, managing complex engineering operations, and launching new technology into established industries until the early 1990s, when he started his own group of companies, still operating today. 

Now partly retired, Monty still works on major equity funding in the mining and resources sector, both within Australian and international markets.

Famlily-wise, Monty married Janet Stuart in Brisbane in 1985, and they have a son Stuart who, with his wife Lauren, has provided Monty with granddaughters Isla and Sienna to dote on.

Monty says he is a simple man who loves life. With a long family history of mining pioneers, publicans, war, and military service, he is very interested in researching and reading about his family history. Now living in Brisbane, distance prevents him from attending SIC reunions, but he remains close to his classmates from so long ago, and speaks to some of them every week. 

Images above:
Left: St Ildephonsus College First Years, 1956
Back, L–R: Richard Passamani, Gerard O’Callaghan, Anthony Burke, Wally Deller, Kevin Clark, Maurice Jones, Charles Bermingham, Alan Plant, David Rencoule, Gavin Schwarzbach, Michael Jones, Patrick Dullard, Laurie Shervington, Michael Kinshela, John Ferguson
3rd row: Brian White, Noel Jones, Lawrence Thompson, Theo Keeris, Thomas Morley, Terence Shine, John Stott, Eric Hogan, Neville Bugg, Maurice Priest, Frank Collins, Terence Bourke, Kieran Robinson, Peter Ryan, Denis Halligan
2nd row: Brian Farrell, John McPartland, Peter Downey, Clarence Murray, Deryck Brockhurst, Peter Whittle, James Farrell, James Williams, Leo Yellema, Alan Doyle, Edward Smeding, Kevin Heffron, Peter Klarie, John Gianatti
Front: Harry Davies, Peter Beckett, Terence Durkin, Julian Nussey, John Dwyer, Denis Larter, Ronald Ryan, Geffery Barnett, Monty Omodei, Boyden Marinich
Right: Monty and Janet Omodei and their family celebrating Janet's birthday in April this year.

Reunions: Recent!

The Brigidine College ‘49ers gather regularly! 

(This includes those who left after Junior in 1964,
those who went on to Leaving in 1966,
or those who left at some other point prior - all welcome!)

In December 2024 the Brigidine College '49ers met for a really fun and enjoyable lunch at the Herdsman Lake Tavern, to celebrate the collective milestone of their 75th birthdays!

Group organiser, Paula Davies (Anderton 1966) says:
We have 18 in our group and would really love for more to join us! We meet for a nice, relaxed lunch about three times a year at the Herdsman Lake Tavern in Wembley. Please email pamadav@outlook.com if you’d like to join us!  

Image above, from the December reunion:
L-R: Susan Young (Mackie), Frances Jones, Margaret Whitford (Graham), Meredith Hutchinson (Fletcher), Jill Sturcke, Susan Bartley (Catoni), Christine Scatena (Roberts), Paula Davies (Anderton), Colleen Dransfield (Coffey).

John Miller (1968) organised a fantastic reunion for the Class of 1968 on Tuesday, 28 January 2025! 

For no reason other than a good get-together, 16 Marist Old Boys gathered at the Wembley Hotel. They were all from the 1968 Leaving Class, the 1966 Junior Class, or in that class group at some stage but left in the years prior to 1966.

Many are now enjoying retirement and spending time with family and grandchildren. Some made long journeys including from Scotland, Queensland, and South Australia, and five from separate locations throughout country WA!

John, who loved organising the Reunion and seeing it so successfully unfold, said:
“It was great to rekindle friendships, and for us to pretend to be much more successful than we really are! (Only joking!) 

“We took a brief moment to remember the 20 students who have passed away and, with that in mind, I suggested we hold further gatherings sooner, rather than later, and even have regular, informal coffee meetings at a local cafe. Who’s in?”

The following lads are currently on our ‘Lost List’, so if you know their whereabouts, please email alumni@newman.wa.edu.au to let us know how we can contact them:
                        John Baker                   Kevin Imms
                        John Buck                     Stephen Jones
                        Kevin Bryant                 Michael Keast
                        John Cannings              Ross McIntosh
                        Maurice Carruthers       Gerard McMullen
                        Pat Coffey                     Peter McMullen
                        Donald Farrelly             Robert Menage
                        Stephen Hepburn         Peter Ryan
                        Brian Holmes                Phillip Ryan
                        Peter Hunter                 Brendan Wood

If you'd like to come along to the next one, please contact John Miller (1968),
email: punta51@bigpond.com

Image above:
1968 cohort celebrating the Silver Jubilee – 25 years of Catholic education at the Churchlands campus, 27 July 1990
Back, L-R: Peter Calleja (dec), John Miller, John Dwyer, John Buck, Paul Raats (dec), John Baker, Jack Przytula, Graham Guy, David Kennedy, Nick Varga
Front: Gary McCallum (dec), Laurie Healy, Ron Loughlin (dec), Kevin Tennant, Frank Townsend, Barry Joyce, Greg Tully
Images below: 
Top: 1968 cohort celebrating life, Wembley Hotel, January 2025
Back, L-R: Frank Townsend, Nick Varga, John Miller, Barry Marshall, Michael Brennan, Graham Guy, Peter Liehne, Neville Hamilton
Front: Ron Waddell, John Dwyer, Michael Brophy, David Kennedy, Laurie Healy, Gary Capolingua, Kevin Tennant - John Gangemi had left by then.
1968 Reunion at the Wembley Hotel, 28 January 2025
Bottom left: Peter Liehne, Graham Guy, David Kennedy, Neville Hamilton, Michael Brophy
Bottom right: John Gangemi, Michael Brennan, Frank Townsend, John Dwyer, Barry Marshall, Gary Capolingua (seated)

The Class of 1995 held their 30th Reunion on Saturday, 5 April 2025, and a great night was had by all!

In the late afternoon around 70 came to Newman, where they were welcomed back to school by their former Humanities teacher, now Principal, Andrew Watson, who marvelled to see his old students looking pretty much the same after all these years!

Everyone enjoyed a drink before Andrew took them on a tour of the school so they could see it looks a little different now, to how it did in 1995!

More than 80 members of the cohort then regrouped at the Leederville Hotel, where all their many photos, filled with happy memories, were on rotation on the big screen. Drinks flowed as did the sharing of memories, all testament to the fact that friendships made at Newman last a lifetime. Wonderful stuff.

Images below:
Top left: L-R: Wayne Ratajczak, Tanya Williams (Ashby), Sonja Stewart (Dane)
Top middle: Kerrie Serrano (Howman), Claire Henryon
Top right: Melissa Di Dio (Hurd), Andrew Cave, Richard Somerville
Bottom: Ryan Hartfield, Richard Somerville, Michael Xanthis, Michael Learnihan, Chris Kieran, Chris Kings-Lynne

Reunions: Upcoming!
(Save the Date!)

Who are, who are, who are we? 
We are, we are, we are SIC! 
We are the premiers, we are the team 
We can’t be beaten, that’s easily seen!

Calling all St Ildephonsus Old Boys!
Come along and join us for a coffee!

SIC Old Boys from all years catch up for a casual coffee at 10am on the last Friday of February, May, August and November at Brew Ha in Subiaco (next to the Post Office) on Rokeby Road.

The next one is on Friday 29 August and all are welcome! 

Come along, have a coffee, catch up with old friends, and potentially make some new ones, too.

If you can't make this one, we'll hope to see you on Friday, 28 November 2025!

The annual St Joseph's mid-year get-together is on Tuesday, 8 July 2025. Come along and enjoy a tasty lunch, and the camaraderie of other St Joseph's/Marist College lads!

Reserve your place by contacting Michael Quigley (1961) on msquigley@hotmail.com or 0450 687 839

As the result of the recent reunion organised by John Miller (1968) (see above), a number of lads from the 1968 cohort now get together for a morning coffee. It's fairly irregular, but if you'd like to come along to the next one, contact John here!

Some are also thinking of attending the St Joseph's College mid-year gathering at the Herdsman Tavern on 8 July. If you'd like to go along to that, email Michael Quigley here. 

Update our contact details on our Alumni database here.

"Here I was minding my own business and,
all of a sudden, 1970 was 55 years ago!!!"

The Brigidine College Class of 1970 (Junior 1968) 55 Year Reunion is planned for Saturday, 15 November 2025 when we will gather to celebrate most of us having turned 70 throughout the year! (Surely not!)

We're thinking afternoon, but the precise time and venue are still to be decided - we’d love your input on that in the coming months!

We're presented with a challenge, in that we only have contact details for 14 members of our wonderful cohort, out of the 60 or so in that year, and we need your help! Please reach out and get in touch with all your old friends and spread the word. Most importantly, make sure they update their contact details by emailing Shannon and Amy at alumni@newman.wa.edu.au! 

We want everyone to hear about our Reunion before it happens
... not after!

Looking forward to hearing from you! Update your contact details here!

Can you believe it's been 20 years since we left school? It's time to get together, reminisce and catch up on all that's happened since 2005!  

We’ve always been a tight-knit group, and that sense of connection, even with those we’ve lost, is still so strong. Let’s catch up and celebrate everything, and everyone, that makes our year group special!

Welcome Back to School Reunion Tour - Newman College - from 4:00-5:45pm
Our Reunion will kick off at 4pm back where it all started, at Newman College, where we're being offered a Welcome Back drink, some simple nibbles, and a tour of the campus to see what's changed (and what hasn't).

Reunion Proper - The Wembley Hotel - from 6:00pm
So we don't have to worry about drinking and driving, the College has kindly offered to then bus us all to The Wembley by 6pm to kick on for the rest of the night!

Invitations will go out, and Trybooking links to book your tickets will be circulated at the end of September. Email Alumni Engagement here to update your details, and we're looking forward to seeing you there!

Our Class of 2015, 10 Year Reunion is booked for Saturday, 29 November 2025 and we'd like everyone to come along!

We plan to gather back at Newman to enjoy a relaxed Welcome Back drink (with some simple nibbles) and a tour of the campus, and will then hop on the bus (kindly provided) to The Wembley, where we can kick on and catch up with what we've all been doing in the last decade!

Please spread the word to all your classmates and email alumni@newman.wa.edu.au to make sure you stay up-to-date with Reunion news and receive an invitation when the time comes!

Reunions: Yours!

Do you have a Reunion coming up? We do our utmost to ensure your Reunion is 
unforgettable and offer a range of services (free to Alumni), including:

• Access to, and coordination of a selection of great local venues for your Reunion, most with convenient onsite parking
• Design and distribution of Reunion invitations
• Digitisation of your photos and creation of a slideshow
• Helping to reconnect you with fellow alumni, with whom you may have lost touch
• Design and production of nametags for the event - in suitably large type if preferred!

For 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 Year Reunions, we also offer an on-campus component (booked through Trybooking), before moving on to your Reunion venue. This component comprises:

• Welcome by Principal Andrew Watson, or a member of our Senior Leadership 
• A relaxing drink, with some simple, tasty nibbles as you gather for your Reunion
• A tour of the College campus to see what's changed over the years
• The taking of a commemorative group photo
• The offer of a bus to take you to your Reunion venue 

If you'd like us to help you organise your Reunion, please email our Alumni Engagement Team on alumni@newman.wa.edu.au.

From the Archives

Recent donations received 

Last term, in our wonderful new Archives, we welcomed two weekly volunteers: Mary Carroll (Szabo 1970), Dux of her year at Brigidine College; and current staff member
Amanda Redwood, mother of Emily Redwood (2016) and Beth Redwood (2018). 

Mary spends at least one full day a week with us (often more, at home and on holiday) working her magic turning all manner of information from myriad sources into clean data, ready to import into our Alumni database. Amanda spends two hours with us each week, and is currently engaged in documenting and moving content from the old yearly box storage system into our new, streamlined Archives infrastructure. We are very grateful to both Mary and Amanda for their contributions to our Archives!

The Farewell to Marian (Brigidine) event on 20 March, mentioned above, was a highlight and proud milestone for our Archives. Because of the incredible support we've received from Brigidine and other alumni in the past few years, we were able to provide hundreds of quality photos for an engaging slideshow and eight display panels, as well as enough items to fill a display cabinet and clothe four mannequins in full and various parts of the
Brigidine College (1962-1976) uniform. We thank every single one of our contributors, as this was not possible even two short years ago!

Since our last edition, we have received the following donations to our Archives:

Paul Anthony (1978)
1978 Marist Cricket Carnival programme.

Mary Carroll (Szabo 1970)
Mary’s pinafore, signed by all her classmates, and her blazer pocket. Note: this was from the original fawn, lightweight blazer with red embroidery, underneath which a jumper was worn in winter. By 1972 the blazers had changed into a heavy maroon wool/felt, more like a traditional blazer. 
Brigidine College Speech Night program, 1970; Brigidine Ex-Students’ Association Centenary Reunion program, Perth, 1983; Marist College reference (Science – Maths/Physics/Chemistry) for Mary from Br Ambrose Kelly, 1970; IDs for some of the children in the First Holy Communion photo, 1960; current contact list for Brigidine College girls from Year 8, 1966 to Year 12, 1970.
Prize books presented to Mary: Elephant Road by Rene Guillot, for First Aggregate, 1st Year, 1966; The Father Brown Stories by G K Chesterton, for First Aggregate, 3rd Year, 1968; Bring Larks and Heroes, by Thomas Keneally, for Second Aggregate, 4th Year, 1969; Albert Schweitzer: An Anthology by Charles R Joy, Dux, 5th Year, 1970.
Documents relating to Mary’s brother Peter Szabo (1975, dec): Newspaper clipping (Daily News?) of Peter and friends dressed up for Children’s Ball, 1964; Marist College account for Mr L Szabo for July 1971 (Peter in 1st Year) for $60; four conduct cards (two red, one pale blue, one dark blue); Peter’s reports from Years 1-10: St Joseph’s Brigidine School, 1964-1966 (Grades 1-3); Marist College Junior School, 1967-1970 (Grades 4-7); Marist College, Churchlands, 1971-1973 (1st Year to 3rd Year).

Bern Willett (1976) 
Class and sport group photos from 1989-2007 (below); four slides from 1994.

Images below:
Left: Newman College Year 10 Football, 1989 (1991 Leavers)
Right: Year 12 group at lunchtime
(1990s cohort as yet unidentified). If you know which class group this is, please email us at archives@newman.wa.edu.au.

Sue Nowland (McLinden 1976)
Complete Brigidine College summer and winter uniforms including summer dress, blazer, jumper, pinafore, beret and gloves.

Gabbi Lovelady (Crump 1978) 
Brigidine College items from 1974-1978: glove (left hand); tie on elastic; Panama hat with red trailing ribbon; Brigidine College graduation badge.

Sister Dorothea Hickey (1955) , Teacher/Librarian at Newman College Junior School 1975-1988 
A Town Like No Other: The Living Tradition of New Norcia by David Hutchison, 1995; Brigidine Bulletin, Issue No 1; The Icon of St Brigid and associated information.

Sue Marocchi (Bertelli 1973) 
Sue’s Brigidine College blazer and jumper; souvenir graduation teaspoon and certificate; Brigidine College 1973 Graduation Order of Service; souvenir of 25th Annual Reunion, Brigidine Ex-Students’ Association 1949-1974 (in the form of a religious card); photocopy of newspaper article on Brigidine Reunion c1998; invitation to 25th Anniversary for the Class of 1973; newspaper article ‘The mould broke when this class left’, Post Newspapers, 12 October 2013; two group photos from the 1973, 25 Year Reunion in 1998.

Bernadette Lawrence (Hegney 1964)
Two newspaper articles: 'Brigidine Staff and Mother General' c1942; 'Brigidine Pioneers in our Early Settlements', The Record, 7-13 July 1983.

Images above:
Left: SIC New Norcia, 1941 
Back, L-R: Bernie Coverley, Eric Fowler, John Coakley. 
Front: John Armanasco, Denis Tankard, John Groves, Otto Santich, Ben Cunningham, Noel Hickey, Jim Yates. 
Middle: Walter Moore (1958), having equalled Ken Woods' (1945) high jump record of 5’7” set in 1945, going for 5'8". A valiant effort, but Ken Woods' record held for 19 years, and was finally broken in 1964. 
Right: St lldephonsus College Under 14s Football Team, 1954 
None identified.

Ambrose Depiazzi (1962)
Two CDs of images: 1) containing 15 images of the OBA Reunion in 2009; and 2) ‘Student Voices’ – Memories of some former students of SIC, collated by Roy Stall in 2014.
File of SIC Old Boys’ Get Together (Annual Mass and Reunion BBQ) invitations, SIC photos (see above), Orders of Service and presentation scripts from 1994-2006.
Items Ambrose received from Geoff Tilley (1945) in 2009 including: 
Opening letter re his school days, SIC war cry, Latin, French and his last two years at Aquinas; Geoff’s recollections of why he was sent to SIC and memories of his five years at New Norcia 1939-1943; List of marine certificates attained by Geoff during his lifetime; two pages from the SIC Yearbook on the Motto (1938 and 1950); photocopies of the various pages in the SIC Yearbook from 1941-1954; photocopy of article featuring of Geoff in old diving suit (sans helmet), explaining diving on the Sambo (owned by A E Tilley & Co) in 1945, aged 17; Geoff’s story about the Motor Launch Ripple, in which he smuggled a boatload of young ladies to Aquinas to watch the 1945 Head of the River in which Geoff (who’d been expelled two weeks prior) was rowing, and other memories, written in 1995; Geoff’s very entertaining story about the TSS Zephyr and him driving it to Rottnest at the age of 18 in 1946; newspaper article (undated, unknown publication) about Geoff Tilley ‘Three generations of tradition set course for career’, c1992; and Geoff’s Food For Thought No: 164, September 2008, containing the old SIC War Cry: 
Who are, who are, who are we? 
We are, we are, we are SIC!  
We are the premiers, we are the team 
We can’t be beaten, that’s easily seen! 
File on the establishment and continuation of the SIC Old Boys’ Reunions from the first, in 1996, through to 2006; often including invitations, payment details, instructions, advertisements, arrangements, and photographs of many, including ones taken for SIC's 50th Anniversary celebrations in 1963. 

Images below:
Top: Marist Old Boys’ Association Annual Mass and BBQ Reunion, 1999:
Left: Br Noel Hickey (student 1937-1941; SIC staff 1948-1951) and Br Marius / Dick Woulfe (1937-1939; SIC staff 1961-1962)
Right: Br Stephen / Lindsay Bugg (student 1954-1956; SIC staff 1963; Newman College Principal 1993-2000) 
Bottom: Marist Old Boys’ Association Annual Mass and BBQ Reunion, 2009:
Left: Harry Duncan (1939-1941), Bernie Coverley (1939-1943) 
Right: Derek Hands (1939-1945), Ray Down (1942-1944), Graham Spencer (1940-1944)

Lyn Chrisp (1966), Newman College Junior School Teacher, 1973-2008
Newman College Junior School photographs: Staff 1992 (below), 1993, 1995 and 2005; Class photos Year 2B 1992-1995 and 2005.

Elizabeth Doherty (Emrose 1970) 
Brigidine College 1960s prospectus, including insert for Bonser’s Drapers, on Cambridge Street, which sold Brigidine College uniforms; invitation and Order of Service to the 50th Anniversary of the Brigidines in Western Australia; assortment of prayer books; 10 photos of Liz and friends at school and sporting events from 1957-1966.

Images below:
Top: Newman College Junior School Staff, 1992
Centre left: Elizabeth Emrose, 1957
Centre right: St Joseph's Primary School, Subiaco, Grade 6, 1964 
Back: Ann Morgan, Mary Szabo 
3rd row: Salvina , Liz Butler, Sara unknown, Michelle O’Connor, Liz Hickey, Kath O’Donohoe, Julie Daly, M Sullivan, Judy Sublet, Kaye Jones
2nd row: Jill Boland, Chris Korford, Cunningham Barapower?, unknown, Anna Jacob, Liz Embrues
Front: Annette McMullen, Sue Hay, Jean unknown
Bottom: Brigidine College Athletics, 1966
Left: Hurdles
Right: L-R: Mother Marietta, Sue Cantoni?, Rae Thomson 

Digital Accessions

Bethwyn Worsdell (Gerrans 1972) 
Two lists of Brigidine teachers' names and contact details from the mid-and-late 1970s to early 1980s.

Paula Davies (Anderton 1966) 
Four newspaper clippings relating to Brigidine College, Floreat from c1942-1964.

Margaret Halleen (O’Donohoe 1963) 
Seven photos of Margaret at school with friends, 1960-1963 (see below).

Images below:
Top left: Girls at School Fate, November 1960 
L-R: Mary Davidson, Laurel Butler, Rae Elton 
Top right: Sub-leaving (Year 11) Brigidine College, Floreat Park, 1962 
Back: Mary Davidson, Elizabeth Bitmead, Laurel Butler, Margaret O’Donohoe, Julie Bem 
Front: Mary Rooke, Joy Coleman, Margaret Stubbs, Clare Conroy, Margaret McCartney. 
Bottom left: 1963 Leavers with Mother Imelda O'Brien CSB, 1963  
Back: Joy Coleman, Julie Bem 
Middle: Margaret Stubbs, Elizabeth Bitmead, Margie McCartney, Mother Imelda, Mary Davidson, Margaret O’Donohoe
Front: Clare Conroy, Laurel Butler, Mary Rooke 
Bottom right: Brigidine College girls at CBC Leederville Prefects’ Dance, 22 August 1963 
L-R: Margaret O’Donohoe, Laurel Butler, Elizabeth Bitmead, Mary Davidson, Mary Rooke, Clare Conroy. 

Sister Dorothea Hickey (1955)  
The 12 Days of Christmas, describing the rush to get everything ready to open St Joseph’s Primary School on the old Brigidine College Floreat campus in 1983, after the amalgamation of OLV Wembley, and St Joseph’s Wembley (Subiaco); four packets of negatives of the Brigidine Sisters' Wembley community, all described and named by Dorothea, where possible. 

Among the images donated by Sr Dorothea are many single shots of Brigidine College girls from the 1960s, none of whom are identified (some below). Apart from being beautiful portraits, these photos showcase variations to the Brigidine College uniform and the wonderful bushland surrounds. If you see yourself or someone you recognise, please email us on archives@newman.wa.edu.au - we'd love to know who they are!

Lastly - if you have photographs, uniform items, sports programmes, trophies, pennants, reports and other documentation you'd like to donate to our Newman College Archives, please email us at archives@newman.wa.edu.au!

Images above:
Left: Our Lady of Victories Primary School Grades 3 and 4, 1950
This was on the occasion of Father Vincent Conroy's ordination. (Fr Conroy was an OLV alumni.)
Middle: Brigidine College students (and first cousins) Catherine Lyons and Geraldine Alderman (both 1968 Leavers), ready for tennis 
Right: St Joseph's Primary School, Wembley, Year 7, 1981
Teachers Sr Jean Linklater (left) and Sr Bernice Tonkin (1947). 

Upcoming School Events

Middle School Ensemble Drama Production:
Emil & The Detectives!

Get ready for a daring adventure through the streets of Berlin!

When Emil travels to the city on his own for the very first time, something terrible happens - his money is stolen on the train! But Emil isn’t alone for long. Teaming up with a gang of quick-thinking local kids, he races through the city to track down the thief and bring him to justice.

With courage, cleverness, and a whole lot of teamwork, Emil and his new friends prove that even the smallest detective can crack a big case!

Book your tickets now (click here)!
Adults and Staff $20 / Students $15

Come along and support our incredible Year 7-9 Drama students who’ve been working tirelessly, both on stage and behind the scenes, to bring this exciting production to life!

Performances nightly, 6:30-8:15pm - Thursday, 31 July 2025 / Friday, 1 August 2025 
Newman College Marist Auditorium
216 Empire Avenue, Churchlands

From the Wider Community...

Wine Drive - Closing soon so get your orders in!

The College's First XI Cricket Team is holding a Wine Drive to raise funds to tour away, in December 2025, to the Marist Cricket Carnival.

Cases of 12 superb Miles from Nowhere wines
for the bargain price of $156 ($13/bottle)

Email completed forms (below) to john.lucas@newman.wa.edu.au.