1940s/50s reunion lunch looms

Memo 1940s and 50s Old Boys . . . there is such a thing as a free lunch - and on the afternoon of Friday, February 24, The Treacy Conference Centre in Parkville will again provide the backdrop for a gathering of Old Paradians who completed or would have completed their schooling in the 1950s.

Pictured here at the reunion gathering two years ago were John De Bolfo (1952), Peter Bahen (1951) and Kevin Sambell (1953) - amongst the 120 former students who rekindled memories over a complimentary meal.

Written invitations to the 2012 reunion have recently been extended to those who frequented the Treacy Centre in 2010, but all former students of the period are encouraged to RSVP by no later than Monday, February 20, either by contacting Tony De Bolfo via telephone, 9468 3301, or via email, tdebolfo@parade.vic.edu.au.

Vale Stefan Minutoli

It is with great sorrow that the Old Paradians' Association advises of the passing of one of its newest Old Boys, Stefan Minutoli, who tragically lost his life in a car accident on Bonds Road, Lower Plenty, on the evening of January 23, 2012.

A relative of Joe and Nathan Pezzimenti, the members of Parade College's teaching staff and administration team respectively, Stefan was a Year 12 student at Parade in 2011 who shook hands with OPA President Lewis Derrico after being presented with his Old Paradians tie at Term Four Assembly last October.

The Old Paradians' Association extends its deepest sympathies to Stefan's family and friends at this sad time.

Footage on show of football's night of nights

The likes of Brian Beers, Paddy Guinane, Peter McKenna and Sergio Silvagni (pictured here in a lighter moment with the resident MC and fellow Old Paradian Daniel Harford) are amongst those football luminaries sharing their recollections on film captured by College Archivist Rod Prusa, in the lead-up to the naming of The Pride of Parade football team in November 2011.

Also featured is the former Carlton footballer John Benetti, who despite being cut down with a stroke, was a happy participant in proceedings, as well as the 1984 Olympic Silvber Medallist Gary Honey.

To view the interviews, click on the Cinema Archive link to the right of this homepage.

John Wegner pays tribute to a dear friend and mentor

In tribute to the late Bill Schofield, a man who gave much of his life to Parade College and the Old Paradians’ Association, particularly its athletic club, the acclaimed opera singer and Old Paradian John Wegner recently saw fit to pen the following letter for his old friend.

John also forwarded the following image of himself and Bill, who stands at left, taken in Melbourne some 18 months ago.

John’s letter reads as follows;

Michael Hynes remembers College life, 1955

With a complimentary luncheon for former students of Parade College through the 1940s and 50s scheduled for the Treacy Centre in Parkville on February 24, the timing of a letter penned by former student Michael Hynes and forwarded to Old Paradians news central couldn’t have been more apt.

Michael, now living in retirement in Brisbane, recently made contact with the college to forward on an old Parade “Annual Sports” program of October 1955, a copy now in the safe keep of the archive.

That year, 1955, was Michael’s sole year at Parade Preparatory College, but the impact upon him was profound. As he said: “The passage of 56 years has not dimmed fond memories of PPC, which I enjoyed”. Michael also took the liberty to pen the following few recollections;

Two Dogs seen at supporters' meet and greet

Snapped here at a recent Western Bulldogs' supporters function were former Paradians Patrick Veszpremi (2007) and Tom Hill (2009), who hope to further their AFL careers into 2012 and beyond.

Veszpremi and Hill were extremely giving of their time, as the photographer and Parade College Librarian Fiona Powell so readily attested.

Indeed Veszpremi was one of the 26 League footballers hailing from Parade College in the room for the recent Pride of Parade Gala Event. Veszpremi, Collingwood's Ben Johnson, Essendon's Ricky Dyson and Richmond's Trent Cotchin currently make up the sum total of Parade's current AFL footballers, and here's hopefing Hill can also make it onto that coveted list.

OP releases his ode to engineers

Nathan Lania, a final year Parade College student of 1996, has just published his first tome. Entitled Edward The Engineer & Co, the book targets 7-12 year-olds and gains its inspiration from Nathan’s life experiences as a qualified civil engineer and, more recently, as a father to daughter Nikita.

“This is a children's book in which I’ve created fictional characters and a fictional engineering firm,” said Nathan, who penned the novel in collaboration with his wife Vanessa.

“The motivation for writing this story was my youngest sister, Simone, who was basically confused about what engineers actually did. She wasn’t on her own either, as even my friends are a bit that way.”

Wally wins best male artist at Arias

The rare musical talent that is Gotye (aka Old Paradian Wally De Backer) has justifiably earned the plaudits of the Australian music industry. Wally took out single of the year for ‘Somebody That I used To Know’ as well as best pop release and was named best male artist at the 2011 ARIA Awards in Sydney.

The song already landed three awards at the ARIA nominations event for producer of the year, best best pop release and engineer of the year.

Not that the typically self-effacing Parade College captain of 1998 saw the sense in self-promotion. As he said in accepting the award for best male artist: “Firstly I need to thank my mum and dad for making me chromosomally eligible for this category”.

Belles of the Ball, 1936, remembered

To her eternal credit, the daughter a 1936 debutante recently saw fit to forward this glorious image of all of them in their finery - amongst them her late mother Marjorie (nee House) Bamford - at the Old Paradians’ Annual Ball three quarters of a century ago.

Marjorie, then 18, is the shorter woman standing second from the left in the second back row. She was amongst the debutantes posing for the camera at the Palais De Danse, St Kilda, on the evening of Thursday, July 30, 1936.

The photograph appeared on the back page of The Argus newspaper the next morning, and carried the following caption; “Wearing posies in the college colours, purple and green, 48 debutantes made their bow at the 23rd annual cabaret ball of the Old Paradians’ Association at the Palais de Danse, St Kilda, last night. With them is the wife of the president, Mrs. J.A. Gorman”.

Parade’s greatest gather for football’s historic night

For the 164 men in the room it will long be remembered – the Old Paradians’ Association’s naming of the greatest team of VFL/AFL footballers ex-Parade College over 115 years of League competition - known now as “The Pride of Parade”.

Captured here by Old Paradian Enzo Tomasiello are eight of the 14 surviving members of the coveted final 22 – standing from left to right Peter Caven, Peter McKenna, Daniel Harford and Blake Caracella, and seated Robert Hyde, Bill Serong, Brian Beers and Paddy Guinane – who gathered for this famous photograph moments after the team was finalised.

Another Pride of Parade member, Carlton dual premiership player Sergio Silvagni, was also in the house, while videotaped messages from the 1970 Brownlow Medallist Peter Bedford, Fitzroy’s last captain Brad Boyd and another former Lion Tony Ongarello were also screened.

Michael Pratt inducted into OPA Hall of Fame

Michael Kenneth Pratt GC (1972), this nation’s only living recipient of the George Cross Medal, is now Parade College’s first living inductee into the Old Paradians’ Association’s Hall of Fame.

Michael, who is also the first of seven inductees schooled at Parade Preparatory College Alphington and later the Bundoora Campus, was formally inducted at The Pride of Parade Gala Dinner, before more than 160 fellow Old Paradians, at The Ballroom Bell City in Preston.

He was presented with an inscribed glass plaque by Parade College Principal Br. Denis Moore, and is captured here (second from the left) savouring the moment with three of his four younger brothers Matthew, Daniel and Peter, all Old Paradians.

“Just doing my job” - Michael Pratt tells

“In my first year at Parade Bundoora they ran a careers day, and I remember that a couple of coppers came along to give their spiel on what the police force was. In the back of my mind I was a bit impressed with that.”

The speaker is Michael Pratt, Old Paradian, former policeman and dedicated family man. Michael is also Australia’s only-living recipient of the George Cross Medal, gazetted on July 4, 1978. Some 35 years later, on the evening of Friday, November 4, 2011, Michael was named Parade College’s first living inductee into the Old Paradians’ Association’s Hall of Fame.

Earlier this year, Michael took time out from duties at Wallan Police Station to reflect on his life both prior to and following the frenetic events of June 4, 1976. This is his story. (image courtesy Victoria Police)

From Kinglake to Kazakhstan . . . Rod's journey of a lifetime

The following email was recently forwarded to Old Paradians central from Rod Carmichael, a Year 12 student of Parade College in 1980. Rod wrote to say that he watched the good guys knock Collingwood over in the 2011 Grand Final from the confines of an Irish pub in the middle of the city of Chengdu - which is in Szechuan Province in China, just a short three-hour flight from Bangkok International - “which is in itself, just a two-hour drive from the sleepy little seaside village, in Thailand’s Rayong Province, on the way to Cambodia, that I pretty much call home these days”.

Rod, pictured here with a panda during that recent Chengdu sojourn, explained that he took a sabbatical after committing his energies to oil and natural gas explorer Chevron Thailand for ten years running, and is now employed with Chevron China (28 days on/28 off) on a new gas development project. And as he added: “I guess, when you think about it, it's a long way to here from where I was almost 31 years ago at Parade!”.

He then recounted the story of his life’s journey to the editor of this website, who is also of the class of 1980.

Class of '06 gathers after five years

Parade's final year students of 2006 recently gathered for their fifth-anniversary reunion in the Frank Mount Rooms at the Garvey Oval. More than 40 old boys renewed acquaintance, in the company of the College Principal Br. Denis Moore and teachers Anthony Cicutto, Marisa Cora, David McGrath and Anne-Marie Morello.

Paul Hume, the 2006 College captain pictured here with Anthony Cicutto, spoke for all when he said: "It was a great to catch up with a lot of the blokes I had barely seen in five years and it was great to hear that a few of the guys that were unsure if they wanted to come along were rapt that they did".

"Our year was a fairly friendly group and its good to see nothing has changed".

Jack turns back the hands

Having recently blown out the candles to celebrate his 80th birthday, Jack Moore, a final year student at Parade College through the war years, figured there was no time like the present to pen a few reminiscences of his old school days.

Now living quietly in retirement in Bayswater, Jack jotted down the following anecdotes and forwarded scanned copies through to the news desk.

The following is Jack’s story in his own words.

Search identifies OP wartime ace

An extensive and on-going search of Australian War Memorial records has unearthed the names of hundreds of Old Paradians previously unrecorded as having served during the Second World War, amongst them a Commander of the British Empire, Air Commodore Leon Lachal.

Leon and his younger brother Louis Lachal completed their final years of schooling at Parade College in 1920 and ’22 respectively.

Recently, Leon’s surviving son Richard Lachal reflected on the lives of both his father and uncle, who later became a Jesuit priest.

Champions sought for Old Paradians networks

The Old Paradians' Association is seeking champions prepared to act as ports of call for fellow students of their final year of schooling, to build on numbers for future association events such as reunions, business breakfasts and gala dinners.

A successful template for this process is the 1972 class, whose cause has been championed by Shane Bond. More recently Norman Tyrrell (1953) and Phil Carter (1968, pictured) have committed to the task, and want to hear from former students for their respective years. Tyrrell can be contacted at nandmtyrrell@bigpond.com or on 9836 6452, and via PO Box 4277, Balwyn East, Vic., 3103. Carter can be contacted at philcarter51@gmail.com, phil.carter@defence.gov.au, or on 0412 927715. Phil's postal address is 2/8 Eileen Street, Viewbank, Vic. 3084

The Old Paradians' Association, in building its network, is calling on Old Boys to join Shane, Norman and Phil in committing as champions for their final year students at Parade, whether it be 1940, 2010 or any year in between. Prospective champions can contact Tony De Bolfo via email, tdebolfo@parade.vic.edu.au, or on 9468 3001.

Hall of Famers flank our newest Old Boy

Parade College’s captain of 2010 Daniel Kuppe, who can be seen front and centre atop the masthead at www.oldparadians.com.au this year, is truly in elite company.

Flanking Daniel as representative of the newest of Parade College’s Old Boys, are six eminent Old Paradians last year inducted into the Association’s Inaugural Hall of Fame.

They are from left to right the legendary Collingwood player and coach “Jock” McHale; the outstanding World War II soldier and champion of industry Sir Bernard Callinan; the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, and auxiliary bishop The Most Reverend Arthur Francis Fox; the 3rd Army Brigade Lieutenant in World War I, Supreme court Judge and St Vincent’s Hospital Chairman Mr. Justice Sir Norman O’Bryan; the long-term Old Paradians Association President and Secretary, and Old Paradians Amateur Football Club founder Lou Arthur; and the Royal Australian Navy officer who served in both World Wars and rose to become a Vice Admiral and Chief of Staff of the RAN, Sir John Collins.