Have You Heard?

Congratulations to Nikolas Cox ‘19 who was Essendon Football Clubs first pick at no. 8 in this years NAB AFL Draft. Nik is described as 'One of the most unique prospects in this year's draft' as he  boasts remarkable athleticism for a 200cm tall, running the 20m sprint in 2.95 secs and the 2km time trial in 6:05 mins (third overall in the country) at the recent Victorian Combine. Nik will be in good company at the Dons joining fellow IGS alumni Kyle Langford ‘14 & Federica (Fede) Frew ‘14 at the Club. Best wishes to them all for the 2021 season.

Stephanie Caroll ’10 a creative at heart always knew she needed to harness that side of her personality. After graduating from year 12, she completed a Diploma of Visual Merchandising at RMIT followed by a Bachelor of Design at the University of Melbourne, major in Graphic Design, minor in architecture and design histories specialisation. For the last 8 years, she freelanced specialising in events – particularly large public events which sparked an interest for her in project management and communications, so she decided to commence a Post Graduate course in Project Management at RMIT. Stephanie considers her current role as a Project Officer for Mental Health Victoria (MHV), aligned to her views and sense of community strength and resilience. The Research, Engagement, Collaboration, and Information (RECI) project, is to assist in identifying, recognising, and addressing the gaps in knowledge and awareness with sectors that are currently not accessing mental health training/services across Victoria. Stephanie’s role is to co-design and implement a comprehensive strategy to engage with the community mental health sector and cross-sector services, and broader Victorian community to research and highlight any gaps. She is also creating a framework to address the issues through a training needs analysis and final report, with recommendations, that will be published as an external MHV resource. Stephanie has invited alumni to participate in the research through a baseline scoping exercise or contacting Stephanie for further contribution targeting specific needs. Individuals will remain anonymous as results will be published collectively."

It was a pleasure connecting with Samantha Haravitsidis '18 last week. A motivated and driven alum who wasn’t going to let a pandemic squash her determination. Sam, a 2nd year physio student at Latrobe is a fitness and health fanatic. She always knew she wanted to do something in the Health industry, initially thinking it would be in Nursing. However, whilst looking at courses it was the Allied Health industry that sparked an interest. Her love for sport and the fitness industry was definitely a contributing factor. “I participated in Aerobic Gymnastics for eight years, performing competitively throughout that time. Representing Victoria on many occasions, a career highlight was in 2018, individually coming first at the 2018 Australian National Championships. So, sport and fitness has always been a big part of my life”. Although, no longer in the circuit and competing Sam continues to coach not only aerobics but also Touch Football and is a Personal Trainer. With her love for fitness and balancing her study commitments Sam decided to start Fitness Classes online during lockdown. She called them “Sunday Sessions” a way she could help people keep active, look after their mental health and ‘get out on a Sunday and exercise’. ‘I wanted the sessions to be accessible to everyone during this time. I knew I would need to tailor the sessions to all fitness levels and also use body weight exercises. Not all participants would have access to equipment’ Sam said. The 45 minute Zoom workouts became so popular Sam has written an E-Book that she is distributing for FREE for the month of October. Her philosophy is to promote a holistic and realistic approach to living a healthy lifestyle with no drastic diets but to “keep it real”. To get a copy of 'The Sam Series Ebook' contact sam through her instagram account @the.samseries or email [email protected]

Shout out to alumna Alice Teague-Neeld. A huge week for Alice, not only being selected in the Aussie Diamonds 2020/2021 Development Squad but also playing GA for Westcoast Fever in Sunday’s ‘Suncorp Super Netball’ Grand Final. Best wishes Alice! Photo credit. @westcoastfeverofficial

Tarik Frimpong ‘12 was destined for the stage. In 2005, at just 11 years old, and just 2 years before starting his journey as a junior student at IGS, he landed his first professional role playing ‘Young Simba’ in the Australian Production of The Lion King. He also went on to tour with the show to Shanghai, China. It was an exciting time for Tarik ‘such a wonderful role to play both at the Regent Theatre and in Shanghai. Looking back, at the time I had no professional acting or singing experience’ he said. He attributes being exposed to the industry from a young age as a contributing factor in pursuing dancing/ acting/ musical theatre as a career. ‘My parents met through dancing and Mum still teaches and owns a performing arts school – Dance Explosion, so I know the work ethic involved and how important it is to keep learning’. Speaking with Tarik it is evident that his work ethic and desire to keep improving has enabled him to fulfil his ambitions. He mentioned he was ‘incredibly grateful to Mr Pinnell, at IGS who played a major role and was a great advocate for young boys/ men participating in theatre and really gave us a lot of confidence’. Upon receiving accolades for Drama and Music by the School in 2012, he auditioned and continued training at Patrick Studios Australia before packing his bags and embarking on a journey to the US. At the time, he had no contacts there, just a willingness and desire to ‘learn more about his craft’ particularly Hip-Hop/ Street Jazz. He trained daily with the best of the best – the top 10 choreographers in the states and auditioned for varies roles whilst also auditioning for one of Americas leading dance agents, and subsequently being offered representation. It is here that he met performers from all over the world. It was his connection and conversations with performers in the UK that encouraged him to move to London. Tarik returned to Australia to continue training and teaching with the sole purpose of moving to the UK. During his time in Melbourne, Tarik primarily worked as a dance teacher, even teaching at Secondary Schools like Ivanhoe Grammar School, as part of their PE program. A year later he booked a one way ticket to London, backing himself to continue training, developing and to secure work as a performing artist. Tarik secured multiple agents in London, and for his first job abroad he danced for FKA Twigs on her World Tour which provided him with a greater opportunity to dance and travel to Russia, Norway, Canada and the US. In 2016, whilst in London, Tarik landed the role as ‘Angus’ in the Disney Motion Picture production of Mary Poppins Returns. It was a ‘real whirlwind moment from casting, production and the final release date of the movie in late 2018/ early 2019 in Australia’ he said. Tarik also fulfilled another dream last year in London. He secured the role of Prince Abdullah in the stage production of ‘Aladdin’ on the West End. ‘An incredible experience’ he said. His career was really taking off, whilst working on Mary Poppins he connected with the creative team particularly the Director Rob Marshall. Immediately after closing Aladdin on the West-End, Tarik began work on a new Disney Motion Picture - until production had to be postponed due to COVID-19. As a result Tarik has returned home to be with family during the pandemic, but he hopes to return to London when production resumes. COVID-19 certainly hasn’t stopped Tarik from perusing his aspirations and his work ethic. He has founded the Artists of Colour Initiative (AOC) which is a scholarship competition designed to provide financial assistance and industry support to exceptionally talented theatre performers, based in Australia, who identify as Bla(c)k, Indigenous or as People of Colour (POC). The initiative was born from the recognition of underrepresentation of these communities in the Australian theatre Industry. The aim of the scholarship is to ensure greater participation within the field of musical theatre amongst these marginalised communities. Tarik is passionate about the performing arts and commented ‘It is so important to celebrate racial diversity in the Arts. Being of African descent it was very special to be involved in The Lion King, “being so young I appreciate The Lion King being my first professional musical theatre gig even more so now. The aim is to come together and have important conversations. Tarik wanted to create an opportunity where he could support and celebrate ‘Artists of Colour’ by providing them with greater visibility and a stepping stone to a more racially inclusive industry. To qualify for the AOC Initiative, applicants must identify as Bla(c)k, Indigenous or as People of Colour; be pursuing a career in musical theatre; be aged between 17 and 30 at the time of submission; be an Australian citizen or resident; not have previously secured a leading or supporting role in a main stage musical theatre production and not be engaged in or scheduled for performance-related work in a leading or supporting role at the time of submission. Submissions for the scholarship will occur in three rounds with the first submission deadline on Monday 28 September. From there, a top 30 will be announced followed by a top six then ultimately, one winner. To assist in curating the semi-finalists and finalists, Tarik has sourced a panel of longstanding performers, choreographers, directors, musical directors, writers and activists. All of whom identify as Bla(c)k, Indigenous or as People of Colour. He has also started a GoFundMe campaign, where all donations will be awarded to the six finalists, for them to spend on their professional development. So far, the AOC has raised over $20,000 with the winner receiving 50% of the donations; the runner up receiving 20% of the donations and the final four receiving 7.5% of the donations each. To donate and support Tarik and the AOC Initiative please click on the link below. The OIGA wishes Tarik every success in his future endeavours and looks forward in following his continued career success in the Performing Arts and with the AOC Initiative.

Nick Djorgonoski ’09 knows all about the pressures of being at the top of your game. Whilst still at School, Nick was selected by the Victorian Institute of Sport and played in numerous state teams and also was selected in the under 16 Australian squad. He was affectionately known by his peers as the ‘Baseball Guy’. His dream was to play professional baseball in the US. That was his goal. Approaching the end of 2009, Nick was approached by ten US colleges and eventually ended up in Austin, Minnesota. Prior to leaving for the States, Nick wasn’t feeling himself. He knew something wasn’t quite right. He recalls ‘it was a slow build, and looking back now it probably started at the end of year 12. Initially I thought it was anxiety. I had always been a nervous kid but when I started playing and pitching it would go away’ but something was different. Nick now knows it was the ‘yips’. The yips are a state of nervous tension, a neurological condition affecting specific muscles (focal dystonia) predominately in athletes. For Nick the yips got worse over in the US. It was a ‘taboo topic’, there was minimal knowledge on the yips and he struggled to deal with these mental challenges in a time where it wasn’t understood or talked about. He returned back to Melbourne two years later after playing a handful of College games and felt embarrassed about his lack of playing time. He "didn’t want to talk" about his playing time or lack there of in the US to friends and family. He reached out and saw a Sports Psychologist who helped him through it. Now, eight years on, he wants to put the yips in the spotlight. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, how I can help others that may be in the same position I was. It’s time we got the story out there". He started his Root of All Yips Podcast two weeks ago, and since then he’s had 400 plays and over 1200 followers on Instagram. When asked why he thought the podcast has grown so rapidly Nick said “I think people genuinely appreciate the honesty. I have had athletes reach out to me to tell their story from all sports. A lot of people have struggled with the yips and no one would even know”. Nick credits being able to "start loving the game again" through the support and help he has received by seeing a sport psychologist. He is now looking to expand his podcast by interviewing sports psychologists, musicians and artists. It can affect anyone he says, from the casual golfer to the elite athlete to a musician. Root of All Yips can be readily accessed on Instagram, Facebook, Apple, Spotify and Anchor with new podcasts being dropped weekly. The OIGA wishes Nick every success with his podcast and shining the spotlight on ‘the yips’. #Egoyah

On Monday members of our young alumni community Liam Jackson '18, Pip Snodgrass '18, Paddy Wong '19, Jet Worsam '19 and Patrick Vaughan '19 shared their experiences and advise in a webinar to our current year 12's. It was a wonderful insight to their diverse personal experiences about dealing with changing circumstances, how they managed the last months of years 12, university life and the importance of staying connected. A great presentation and one the year 12s really appreciated. #oigaalumni #youngalumni #supportingeachother #egoyah

Tara McKeon (nee Hodges) ’04 has had a terrific 12 months. Formerly an Emergency Department – Critical Care Nurse, Tara changed out of her ‘scrubs’ to take the plunge in her own clothing business – 'Proud Poppy Clothing’. With the end of her maternity leave looming, her son Brodie two years old and knowing the potential dangers associated with nursing in a hospital emergency department, Tara was looking for a sea change. From her research she knew there was a need in the market for a clothing store that catered for women particularly in sizes 14-22 – the average size of Australian women. Her personal experience proved that many women in that size range wanted to ‘feel confident and still look on trend’. Within a short time, Tara was recognised in the well known publication ‘Mamamia’ and her Proud Poppy Clothing online presence and socials skyrocketed. She moved into a factory in Campbellfield and has just signed a lease for a shop front in Doreen which she hopes will be opened once lockdown restrictions ease. In the meantime and with Proud Poppy Clothing turning 1 this Sunday, her online sales continue to grow. She also recruits ‘local mums, women of all shapes and sizes and diverse backgrounds to represent her brand’ something of which she is the most proud of. Tara has just been named as a finalist in four categories for the AusMumpreneur Awards. Two of these awards are People’s Choice. Let’s get behind Tara and Vote for her (Section 5 & 7) Clink on the link below it takes 30 seconds! #EgoYah

last week our year 12 students at The Ridgeway Campus celebrated ‘A Touch of Formal’. Students were presented with a very special commemorative gift from the OIGA and Ladies Association of an #isograds felt pennant. Plenty Campus Year 12 students will be having an Isolation Pyjama themed Casual Dress Day for all Year 12 students on Friday 19 June to celebrate and recognise their wonderful efforts with home-based learning.​ Their commemorative #isograds pennants will be presented on this special day and will share photos from this event when they come in. #isograds #classof2020 #egoyah

You may have seen the Pushup Challenge on your newsfeed. An initiative to raise awareness of Mental Health in Australia. Nat Khwanmuang '19 saw the post on Facebook calling for participants and immediately gathered some fellow alumni Tim Howard, Blade Cunningham and Riley Booth, to create a team. Nat commented via phone today - "it is such an important cause, probably now, more than ever" Once commencing the challenge Nat realised more classmates (Anthony Chiappalone, Ryan Hogg, Paddy Wong and Quinn Papworth) had also commenced the challenge. The Push-Up Challenge is raising money to support headspace, National Youth Mental Health Organisation. An organisation working to strengthen the mental health and wellbeing of young Australians. Over the course of 21-days participants will be challenged to complete 3,046 push-ups in total, representing the number of lives lost in Australia to suicide in 2018. All funds will go to headspace. If you would like to support the boys in the push up challenge you can do so by clicking on the link

News just in that Chris Balazs ‘Bazza,’ a cattle farmer and Adam Jenkins, a dairy farmer, both from the Class of 1989 were both featured in the Weekly Times dated 29 July 2020. Both men have been instrumental in creating changes in their respective industries.

Great to see two Old Ivanhoe Grammarians Dylan Buckley '11 and Nick Butler '00 hosting their own show Teams on 10! This weeks episode was extra special featuring the addition of another Old Ivanhoe Grammarian in John Stevens '88. John recalls he's unconventional journey to AFL football from he's efforts as a 26 year old playing in the VAFA C grade at Old Ivanhoe Football Club to a middle age recruit at the Sydney Swans. (Skip to 7:45 to see Johns Interview) Hit the link below to watch. Well done boys.

Seeking young alumni who can share their experiences with current year 12 students regarding Uni life and/or their experience leaving home after year 12. If you are interested please email our alumni coordinator Mirella at [email protected] This is a great opportunity to pay it back, and guide the next generation of alumni through what are testing times.

There’s nothing stopping the current Year 12 students from celebrating their final year at school! Despite our Year 12’s at The Ridgeway Campus missing out on their formal, they still had a great time celebrating at an event organised on campus, A Touch of Formal. Everyone looked fantastic and we are so proud of all of our Year 12 students for their resilience, tenacity and positivity during these unusual times.

Congratulations to Noel Griffith ‘46 who has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List. Noel received the OAM for his service to music and to the community. #egoyah

Like so many, Ben Hunt (class of '89) business, Synergy Australasia - mostly retail fit out and exhibitions - has had to shut up shop for a while. Luckily Ben with the help of Ethan (class of '18) has been able to pivot... he has designed and built the IsoDesk. Designed to complement any corner of any room, the IsoDesk is a space changer. With so many of us working and studying from home now, the IsoDesk allows the flexibility for all members of your household to find a quiet space to get their work done! The development of the IsoDesk has been a true family affair, with current TRC year 11 student, Charlotte, designing the logo for her dad. It would be great to get behind this truly local business. To order your iso desk visit www.isodesk.com.au Instagran https://www.instagram.com/isodesk/?hl=en For Bens other business visit www.synergyaustralasia.com.au

Peter Parker, (School Captain '89) reaches out to the OIGA Alumni Community about the importance of 'staying connected', well being and 'moving more'. Not only an Osteopath for 25 years, Peter is also the CEO of Bluearth Foundation a non for profit organisation that is trying to halt the decline of physical activity levels in children and the community.

Ivanhoe Grammar School had a special visit recently from Dr Michael Zoran Mutavdzija ’11 and Dr Tony Truong from Protect our Frontline (pictured with Director of ICT and eLearning, Steve Brophy). The School is thrilled to be supporting Protect our Frontline through the provision of essential 3D printed face-shields. The School's 3D Printing Lab has been printing the headband part of the shield which holds the clear visor across the front. Protect Our Frontline was established by former school captain Michael Zoran Mutavdzija from the Class of 2011 to provide much-needed 3D printed face-shields to as many hospital staff members as possible, such as doctors, nurses, medical students, cleaners and chefs across Victoria. We encourage our community to share this story and if you have an idle 3D printer to jump on board this worthy cause: https://protectourfrontline.org/

Managing your online presence can be time-consuming. Nikki Wishart ’17 and the team at Archie and Fox offers the best of what digital content can bring; with witty-filled captions, quirky animations, and colorful, captivating photography they are more than your everyday digital agency. Think of them as the dating app for your business...without the bad wine or the awkward small talk. After curating content to fit your brand, they reach out to their extensive influencer database to match you with someone who aligns with your brand values and has an eye for content. To get in touch visit www.archieandfox.com.au/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/archie_and_fox/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/archieandfox/

Our pals Josh Uljans '02, Karl Van Buuren '02 and the rest of the team at Moon Dog Craft Brewery are searching for Melbournes best Iso-mullet! They are giving away a free 4 pack of their own Jean-Strawb Van Damme to everyone who takes on the challenge, plus the best/worst mullet will score themselves a year's supply of beer and an epic prize pack from our mates Beef Barber's. To enter it MUST be an iso-mullet with a before, during and after picture or video posted. Tag @moondogbrewing and @beefsbarbers and use the hashtag #magnificentmullets. No prior mullets are eligible (you've already won with a mullet anyway). ⠀ Best of luck to any mullet wielding OIG's!

Congratulations to Sophie Brasacchio ’19 – Youth Ambassador for Big Group Hug. Sophie was involved with The Big Group Hug, whilst a student at Ivanhoe Grammar School, now as Youth Ambassador she is hoping to raise awareness and engagement for youths to respond to the immediate material needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged children and their families. This Mother’s Day, Sophie is hoping the alumni community will join her in raising awareness by doing the ‘Blinding Lights’ TikTok with their families and finishing it with a BIG GROUP HUG. Check out Sophie’s Video here https://youtu.be/CtQqvAu3wnk To find out more visit The Big Group Hug Website www.biggrouphug.org/mothersday/

OIGA Councillors convene their monthly meeting over Zoom last week. It was lovely connecting and discussing all matters OIG for the first time.

Grace Lusk always knew she wanted to work for Disney, so during 2018 when she was browsing the career pages and noticed that the Disney Cultural Exchange Program was open to Australians, she completed the application forms the same night, and the rest, as they say, is history. Not that Grace’s entrée to her dream job was simple or straightforward. After a rigorous five stage selection process, she commenced working with the Disney organisation in August 2019. Grace has since enjoyed every moment of her time in the United States. Her favourite memories are the Halloween and Christmas parties and helping young fans to meet their Disney heroes. Seeing the faces of the youngsters light up brings great enjoyment to Grace’s work. From here, Grace is determined to live life in the United States to the fullest. She plans to travel to New York, California and Hawaii at the end of her Cultural Exchange Program before returning to Melbourne in late 2020 to finish her Design Degree at Swinburne University of Technology. In the meantime, Grace is living the dream!

A Round Square meeting required School Principal, Gerard Foley, to travel to London in January. Gerard took the opportunity to meet past students who currently call London home, thereby launching the 2020 OIGA Centenary Reunion program. Though in the depths of winter, the atmosphere in Gillray’s Steakhouse and Bar was warm and inviting. Many of our UK-based alumni were re-connecting with the School for the first time in years, though Frank Prenesti (’82) and Rohan Burdett (’84) are regulars at our London gatherings. Edward Cole (’91) flew into Heathrow that afternoon and went straight to the reunion. It was also great to see Lauren Chan (’07), Angela Yang (’09), Julia Goddard (’09) and Brana Vukmirovic (’11) representing our female alumni. Everyone must have enjoyed the catch up because Gerard reported retiring very late that evening!

Peter John Williams OAM was recognised for his service to maritime history in the recent Australia Day Honours. Peter had links with the School from a very early age; his father Bill (’28) was an Ivanarian and Peter was christened by the School’s founder, Rev Sydney Buckley. Peter grew up in Alandale Road, Eaglemont and attended Ivanhoe Grammar School during his primary years, before transferring to Wesley College where a family member was on staff. After completing secondary school, Peter attended RMIT and subsequently graduated with a Diploma in both Graphic Design and Advertising. His working life included many years with Kraft in advertising roles, but Peter’s enduring passion was history, particularly maritime history. In 1970, Peter was a founding member of The Maritime Trust of Australia where he served for 5 decades, including acting as Secretary and President. He played a vital role in the restoration of HMAS Castlemaine, now a much-loved museum located at Gem Pier in Williamstown. Amongst other community involvements, in 1967 Peter was a founding member and later President of the Heidelberg Historical Society and Treasurer of Maritime Museums of Victoria. Peter’s unsurpassed knowledge of maritime matters has led to his authorship of several books on Australian and Victorian maritime history. Peter remains a very active contributor to Ivanhoe Grammar School, through his assistance in setting up the Ivanhoe Grammar Heritage Trail and frequent donations to our archival collection. Peter still lives in the family home in Eaglemont and regularly returns to School for Anzac Day events and the Buckley/Brown Reunions, where his smile never fails to light up the room.

Always great to have alumni come and visit and tour the school. We welcomed back School Captain, Jack Pead ‘06 today. Jack is currently living in New York and working for the Australian Consulate. We look forward to seeing Jack again at the OIGA New York Drinks to be held on Friday 28 February 2020. We hope to see you to check out FB events for more info!

Peter John Hood AO was recognised in the Australia Day Honours for his distinguished service to business and commerce at the state, national and international level, and to the resources sector. Peter commenced at Ivanhoe Grammar School in Grade 5 1959 and completed Year 12 in 1966 as Dux of School. He was an active participant in the sports program, representing the School in swimming, athletics and the First XVIII football team, later playing for the Old Ivanhoe Grammarians Football Club. After school, Peter completed his Bachelor of Engineering (Chem) at the University of Melbourne and later graduated from the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. Peter began his career at Kwinana Nickel Refinery, where he worked for 10 years as a Production Engineer. His career has subsequently included numerous senior management and CEO positions as well as board appointments. Notably, since 2009 he has been a Board Member of the International Chamber of Commerce Australia. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers. With his wife Anne-Marie, Peter resides in Western Australia and over the years he has attended several Buckley / Brown reunions and is a regular at our Perth reunions.

Ivanhoe Grammar School past staff and students would be sad to hear of the passing of former French teacher Kurt Schuster. An esteemed member of our academic staff for 25 years until his retirement in 1987, Kurt was a fine teacher, strict in the classroom and a formidable sight in full flight, despite his short stature. The story of how Kurt came to Australia, and ultimately to Ivanhoe, is worthy of retelling. At the end of a gruelling world tour with the Vienna Boys Choir, Kurt was scheduled to sail from Fremantle to Europe on 4 September 1939 when, overnight, the British Government declared war on Germany. All shipping was halted, adults of German descent were interred, and Kurt and his fellow choirboys became stranded in Perth. At the invitation of Archbishop Mannix, Kurt and the other choirboys travelled to Victoria where they attended Parade College in East Melbourne and were billeted with host families in the inner suburbs of Melbourne. Throughout his schooling, Kurt lived with Mrs Rae and her 3 daughters in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Subsequently, Kurt married Madeleine, the second of the three daughters. Following studies at Melbourne University and an initial teaching appointment at Burke Hall (Xavier Preparatory Campus), Kurt commenced his 25-year association with Ivanhoe in 1964, serving as a Sports Master and Year 8 Level Master, as well as teaching French. In 1979, 40 years after setting out on the world tour, Kurt finally had the opportunity to make an emotional return to Austria, where he was reunited with his mother Poldi and sister Trudi. The family reunion almost didn’t happen though, as Kurt arrived several weeks earlier than planned and Poldi had the habit of refusing to open her door unless she knew who was on the other side. Fortunately, Kurt was persistent and still fit enough to twice climb the one hundred stairs up to his mother’s apartment. After Kurt’s second ascent to the apartment, followed by repeated knocking, Poldi eventually opened the door to see that her long-lost son had finally returned. A truly remarkable tale. FIDELIS USQUE AD MORTEM

School Captains Tristan Bell, Ethan Clare, Vaida Mancino and Haleena Nguyen welcomed alumni to the Past Captains Assembly on 31 January as depicted in the above photograph. Our principal, Gerard Foley, thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity for the current School Captains to meet our oldest living School Captain, Graham Hawke (’44).

In a highlight of his acting career so far, Claude Jabbour (’04) can be seen playing a key role in the six-part ABC drama series ‘Stateless’, which was launched in February. ‘Stateless’ is a story inspired by true events about the lives of four strangers: a woman escaping a cult, a refugee fleeing with his family, a father trapped in a dead-end job, and a bureaucrat on the verge of a national scandal. The four characters find their lives intertwined in an Australian immigration detention centre. Claude, pictured above in the role of Farid, appears alongside stars Cate Blanchett and Asher Keddie in the series. ‘Stateless’ has been critically acclaimed and the global rights were recently acquired by Netflix who will broadcast the series outside Australia. Congratulations to Claude on his acting achievements so far – hopefully we will see much more of his work on both big and small screens.

In continuing our Centenary celebrations it was wonderful to connect with alumni in the Albury and surrounding communities. Great luncheon spent among friends. EGOYA!

The OIGNC are looking to start their first mixed netball team this coming season. The season begins at the start of term 1 and games are played on Thursday nights in Macleod. The OIGNC welcome all skill levels and ages. They also have established women’s teams of varying skill levels if new members are interested. Any keen OIGs please contact Emily at [email protected]

Congratulations to three young alumni stars; Elena Maini (’19), Regan Phillips (’19) and Tim Howard (’19) (pictured above, left to right) who performed at the Arts Centre Melbourne during March as part of the prestigious Top Class series. Top Class is a showcase of the very finest work of VCE students from across Victoria for which there is a stringent selection process. Apart from achieving a perfect score on their performance examination, students face an external panel represented by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) and must achieve an ‘exceptional result’. As only 20 Theatre Studies students state-wide are selected for Top Class, this is truly an amazing achievement by Regan, Tim and Elena. We wish them well for their respective performances. To have three Ivanhoe Grammar School students selected for Top Class also speaks volumes for the quality of teaching and direction within our Theatre Studies faculty, so big congratulations to our teaching staff as well.

Wonderful to welcome back our newest alumni to pass on their stories, knowledge to the next crop of students. All Year 12 IB Standard Level Maths students participated in a launch introducing them to their IB Mathematics Exploration, a mandatory part of the IB course. The newest of our alumni shared their stories giving them the benefit of their experiences and knowledge. It was a very successful morning and greatly enjoyed by all.

Chookas to Alumni James '03 and Samuel Chappel '08 who are performing in the Eltham Little Theatre Company production of ‘The Sum of Us’. Opening Night this Friday 14 February. Bookings can be made via link below.

You are invited to a buffet dinner at the home of Robyn & Alex Angus to raise funds for the Peak Sneng village Primary School. Ivanhoe Grammar School has worked with this Cambodian community since 2006. In 2013, The Governors and alumni group cycled to Peak Sneng, to paint the library and experience it first-hand. Astrida Cooper participated enthusiastically on this trip, and this fundraising is in her honour. The dinner will raise funds to extend the much-needed school kitchen. Our goal is A$1500. Click the link below to book!

To celebrate the OIGA Centenary our kayakers recently set off on an adventure of a life time and paddled the 130 kilometre Franklin River. The river is located in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park at in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. A combination of perfect weather and river height provided a stunning five day trip on one of the best multi day adventures anywhere in the world. Our kayakers are hoping that you will join them in one of their future adventures. Photo of “Rock Island Bend”, made famous by Peter Dombrovskis with the “photo that saved the Franklin”. From left to right: Bill Hopper, Jack Currie, Scott Weston, David Gibbs “Gibbo”, Alan Robinson, Mitch Bodycoat, Alex Hopper and Joe Robinson

Nikki Wishart ’17, released her second single “Mirror Mirror’ via Spotify on Friday. Nikki hopes ‘Mirror Mirror’ shines light on looking beyond the mirror – realising self-worth, and making friends with your fears. Nikki believes songs are “interpreted by people the way they want to receive it. Everyone will take pieces of their life experiences to draw out the meaning behind a song. That is what makes music special. That it’s universal. I hope this song reaches at least one person who needs it. That’s why I write music. Not only for its therapeutic properties but to allow others to not feel alone” Stream ‘Mirror Mirror’ now on https://ampl.ink/nDkl8 If you are an alumni musician and would like to reach, connect and support with other likeminded alumni contact Mirella – [email protected]