By Barbara Lomas
On Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 May, St Vincent’s College Past Students celebrated the 68th anniversary of the foundation of the College in 1955 with a Sports Hall of Fame Dinner and reunion gathering.
St Vincent’s College is a predecessor college of Catherine McAuley College situated at Junortoun and was originally a boarding school for boys,
The original boarding school placed a strong emphasis on keeping boys active and engaged through sport, so the students were involved in a range of competitive sports both at school and in the Bendigo competitions. For example, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Under 18 football team won ten consecutive premiership flags in the Golden City Football League. The legacy of this commitment to sport can be seen in the impressive sports fields that are currently being upgraded as part of the Mercy Junortoun Sporting Precinct.
It is this sporting heritage that was celebrated with the Sports Hall of Fame Dinner at the Bendigo Club. Using past results, sporting almanacs, school magazines and expert opinion, Championship Athletic, Cricket and Football Teams were selected, encompassing the College’s 23-year history as well as recognition of individual sporting achievements after leaving school. This included league and club achievements in local and state competitions. Individual sporting achievements were also recognised in baseball, basketball, soccer, swimming and tennis. Recipients were awarded a trophy at the dinner to commemorate their inclusion in the Hall of Fame.
This reunion, originally planned to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the foundation of the College in 1955, was four years in the planning. Scheduled events were postponed twice during the pandemic and again at the last minute in October 2022, due to widespread flooding across Central Victoria. The St Vincent’s College past students welcomed the opportunity to finally reconnect after such a long wait. Seven of the original 43 foundation students from 1955 attended the weekend, with almost 180 past students and their families attending the events across the weekend.
Among the St Vincent’s alumni are decorated athletes, including Stawell Gift Winners and VFL senior players. A guest speaker at the dinner was Gerald Betts who played in two premiership matches for Collingwood in the 1970s.
Captain of the Championship Football team, Ron Storey reflected on the way that students who were not athletic were still able to participate in the sporting life of the College, by taking on other roles such as scoring, umpiring and photography. He noted that all students enjoyed the triumph of success as it developed pride in their school and encouraged mateship.
Current Principal of Catherine McAuley College, Mr Brian Turner attended the dinner and acknowledged the history of the College. He explained to the St Vincent’s past students how the sports grounds established by the school’s founders have now become the Mercy Junortoun Sporting Precinct, which will be of lasting benefit to our current and future students.
On Sunday, the group reconvened at Catherine McAuley College to celebrate Mass together before enjoying a barbeque and tour of the College. Former St Vincent’s College students played an active role in the Mass, which was concelebrated by former teacher, Fr Kevin Canty CM, past student Fr Peter Tonti Filippini CM and Monsignor Frank Marriott. During his homily, Fr Canty reflected on the large role the College played in the lives of so many boys, underscored by their care for each other and successful lives they live as adults. He said that the original decision to build the school and persevere during difficult times was vindicated by the positive outcomes of the students and their pride in the school. He was pleased to see so many students return for the reunion weekend.
St Vincent's College Champion 1st XVIII Football Team
The St Vincent’s College story
In the mid-1940s, plans were begun to establish a Catholic boarding school in Bendigo to help ensure that country boys were able to receive a solid Catholic education in a rural setting. The priests of Vincentian Order agreed to establish the school, modelled after St Stanislaus College in Bathurst.
In 1951, 120 acres were purchased at Junortoun, and in 1954 the first stage of the building was completed and opened by Bishop Stewart before a crowd of 6000 people. On 8 February 1955, 43 boys began the school year at St Vincent’s College.
The school reached its peak in 1967 with 191 boarders enrolled and students attending from the Mallee, Riverina, Northeast Victoria, Melbourne and Gippsland. However, student numbers then began to decline, and day students were admitted in 1970. In 1977 it was decided that the Vincentians would withdraw from St Vincent’s College and the campus would become the Marist Brothers’ College Junior Campus, thus allowing Catholic education to continue on the site.
In 1983 the site became part of Catholic College Bendigo when Marist Brothers’ College and St Mary’s College combined. In 2018, the College became Catherine McAuley College and the former St Vincent’s College is now known as Coolock and caters for students in Years 7 to 9.
