Old Collegians share a powerful bond. Whether they have been friends since their early days in Prep or formed connections later in life, their shared experiences and strong ties to the school make their relationship truly unique.
For Old Collegian, David Edwards (1984), his friendships with other past students began early as at the Junior School.
“Some friendships go back to the Junior School, such as Matthew Pryor (1984) and myself”, said David. “The bond between us is a mixture of our shared school, but also having children who are the same ages and born in Ballarat. Some of us have stayed in Ballarat while others have moved away and returned, so we share a mutual interest in lifestyle and education.”
Each year over the ANZAC Day weekend, David and Old Collegians Steve Coltman (1979), Chris Bernecker (1984), Andrew Lazarus (1984), Fraser McLennan (1984), Matthew Pryor (1984), Rod Walton (1986), John Livingston (1987), Tim Valpied (1987), Tony Douglass (1990) and Ben Faull (1994), participate in their golf weekend, the Lonsdale/Queenscliff Classic.
The Lonsdale/Queenscliff Classic was inaugurated 20 years ago with only 6 players. Since then, participation has grown and, for the last 11 years, the same teams have competed. These included Old Collegians, Lachlan Carter (1984) (dec) and Michael Troon (1985) (dec), who they acknowledge and pay tribute to during memorial holes.
During the weekend, the Old Collegians reflect on their time at school, particularly old teachers and their best-spent times at the Year 11 and 12 Mair Street campus. The comparison of their facilities compared to today, David says, is quite topical.
“When you have a connection with mates which is initiated via a shared bond of Clarendon, one of the key factors in staying together is that our values are similar,” said David. “We don’t let work dominate or define who we are, and this results in a casual coming together where we can still behave like schoolboys. That’s why it’s so enjoyable.”
We invite all Old Collegians to share your news and updates with us. If you have news you would like to share and include in upcoming editions of ringaroo, please email alumni@clarendon.vic.edu.au.