21 Mar 2016

Tupou College News

Tupou College Sesquicentenary

The Tupou College Sesquicentenary celebrations will occur from 21 to 24 June 2016 and we have 14 Old Boys on the tour, three of whom are teaching staff. ONU President Bruce Mellor will be officially representing the ONU and there will be 125 (90 boys) in total on the tour. The container with the College’s gift of computer equipment has left and we have had it confirmed that the ONU goal posts have arrived in Tonga. Hopefully they will be installed by the time we get there.

Pictured above: Tony Bosman (ON 1972) third from right, setting a steel rafter in place on the Manual Arts Block, Tupou College, Tonga 1972. Photo taken by Prof Graham Colditz (ON 1972).

Tragic News from Tupou College

Mele Manu, a teacher at Tupou College (pictured below) passed away last Tuesday morning after an accident at her home on the school property.

Mele is the wife of Raymond Manu (Finance Officer at Tupou College). She is the mother of three gorgeous young daughters aged approximately from 7 to 12 years old that have always followed her around like little ducklings.

Mele is the cousin of Lavemai Tolu in Year 11 and all of the other Bursary boys would know her well too. Isileli Halaufia was her next door neighbour for a period too.

Mele was part of the core group that have always gone the extra mile for the Newington Touring Party since we started visiting in recent years. Her daughters have also loved spending time with our staff and boys throughout our tours.

 

Newington has set up a family appeal to help pay the school fees of Mele’s three daughters.

http://www.newington.nsw.edu.au/payments/make-a-payment/

Go to “Events, Excursions and Activities” and select “Activity” then “Mele Manu family appeal” – every little bit helps. 

P7100208

 

 

 

 

Matt Hardman (ON 2015) Passionate & Determined

Matt Hardman shows us how there is more than one way to achieve your dream. For Matt,  former Senior Boarding House Prefect and Eileen M Johnson Bursary recipient, his dream is to study Medicine but his UMAT score was insufficient for a direct path into a degree in Medicine. Matt has used the opportunities he took up at Newington to shape his future endeavours.

At Newington, Matt was awarded with the Jack Thorncraft Prize for Loyalty and Service. His passionate commitment to service learning led to the Wests Ashfield Community Citizenship Award, which resulted in a financial benefit being provided to both Newington and my chosen charity, the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service – see above picture.

Matt is currently enrolled in a Bachelor of Paramedicine at the University of Tasmania, Sydney Campus. He is excited to start paramedics and the practical placements which he will do with the New South Wales Ambulance Service giving him invaluable experience in pre hospital care and Emergency Health Management and Trauma.

His ultimate aim is to specialise in Emergency Medicine with a specific focus on Trauma and Pre-Hospital care. He says “This will put me in great stead to work in the retrieval helicopters such as those run by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service. This is something I am immensely passionate about as Rural and Remote areas have the highest rates of trauma related accidents however they don’t have the trauma centres’ nearby to treat these injuries. Hence the helicopter takes the emergency department and/or intensive care unit to the patient to ensure they get the interventions required within the ‘golden hour’. This dream is something that has only developed since I arrived at Newington and it is the opportunities it has provided (such as the hospital placements) which have fuelled me to ensure this dream becomes a reality. To me, this is more important than anything I could have learnt in a classroom.”

Movember’s Team Townsend

Jordan Townsend (ON 2011) and his Movember team, Newington Old Boys – JT Senior were back for their 4th year raising funds for Movember and celebrating the life of Jeremy Townsend. By using the moustache as a catalyst for change, our motivation is to raise awareness for Prostate Cancer and break down the stigma surrounding Mental Health in Australia. Jordan spoke at the 2015 ONU AGM and is pictured above L-R: Adam Vine-Hall (ON 2005), James Jordan (ON 1981), Tony McDonald (ON 1976), Jordan Townsend (ON 2011), Alex Pagonis (ON 2010) and Harry Jordan (ON 2011). Jordan is looking forward to making the team bigger and better in 2016 !

Some of the Newington Old Boys – JT Senior are pictured below.

Top L-R: Lachlan Urwin, Marcus Rampe, Tim Loveridge, Seb Blefari, Andrew Hallard
MiddleL-R: Pat Andrianakos, Harry Jordan, Stanton Contos, Bradley Smith, Billy Kovanis, Victor Salman, Jason Tanevski, Mitch Clifton
Bottom L-R: James Mackenzie, Jordan Townsend.

 

 

 

 

 

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FDC’s Pedal Power

Out of the 100 riders taking part in the the Royal Far West’s Ride for Country Kids, 19 were from FDC. The FDC 2016 team consisted of 13 riders and 3 support staff including FDC’s Managing Director Ben Cottle (ON 1981) and Director Blake Cottle (ON 1984). The event was a 390 kilometre ride from Port Macquarie to Coffs Harbour was held over the last 3 days.

Total funds raised are still being tallied however this year’s event has already raised in excess of $540,000. Every dollar raised goes directly to providing vital health services to country children, every cent and dollar really does make a difference to the kids and families that RFW supports.

Royal Far West (RFW) is a non-government organisation that helps provide comprehensive multi-disciplinary health services to thousands of country children with non-acute developmental, behavioural, learning and mental health disorders who cannot access these services from the areas where they live. Demand for these services is increasing, and RFW are committed to delivering services in response to this. Although Royal Far West does receive some government support, they depend on the generosity of individuals, corporations and community groups to continue their work.

 

Scientist Derrick Roberts (ON 2006) Awarded Prestigious Fellowship

The Marie-Curie Fellowships are ranked among Europe’s most competitive and prestigious awards and are aimed at fostering interdisciplinary research and international collaborations. Derrick Roberts (ON 2006) will take up a postdoctoral position at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden from 2017. He will be working with Professor Molly Stevens, one of the most celebrated biomedical engineers in the UK in the area of regenerative medicine. His project will centre upon developing new dynamically-responsive hydrogels for accelerated healing in chronic wounds.

Since January 2013, Derrick has been pursuing a PhD in Chemistry at the University of Cambridge. His research focuses on molecular self-assembly — a subfield of chemistry that focuses on programming small molecules to autonomously build themselves into large, functional architectures.

Derrick’s fundamental research into molecular self-assembly processes is helping to lay the groundwork for building new nanotechnology.

 “There is a potentially huge market for combining molecular self-assembly and polymer chemistry to develop new ‘smart’ plastics that can fold into protein-like structures, which could form the basis of highly efficient solar cells or make replacement parts for damaged cellular machinery. Scientists still have a lot to learn about how to control the self-assembly of small molecules into much larger, useful molecular clusters. Nature has more or less perfected molecular self-assembly, from the processes that govern DNA recognition and protein folding up to the organisation of cells and entire organisms. If chemists can figure out how to emulate these processes in the lab, a whole new generation of incredible technologies will suddenly be possible.”

As part of his PhD research programme, Derrick is taking part in a £500K EPSRC-funded project to investigate synthetic protein-like molecules for better understanding cystic fibrosis, and potentially develop a treatment regime for this devastating disease.

Read review article about the nature of the fellowship, and it’s contribution to Europe’s Horizon 2020 program here.

 

 

Restaurateur Luke Fryer (ON 1994) and Founder Harri.com

In 2012, Luke Fryer (ON 1994) founded Harri.com, an innovative online hospitality recruitment platform initially focused on the hypercompetitive restaurant market in New York City which has expanded to service Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Boston. Harri.com has founded strong relationships with an impressive set of top restaurant groups and individual establishments in all major NYC boroughs, ranging from fast casual to upscale, full-service dining. Harri offers a modern, enticing platform, which exclusively caters to the unique dynamics involved with recruiting and retaining great talent.

As a youngster, Luke epitomised the young, bold entrepreneur. At 11, he started a car wash from his local garage, which at its peak had 14 people squeezing sponges and wrestling high-powered hoses. After completing his HSC at Newington, Luke juggled a full-time job as the wholesale/retail franchise manager for Australian Geographic, as well as studying a bachelor of business full time at the University of Technology, Sydney.

In 1998, Fryer financed the launch of his company and negotiated to purchase the first ever Australian Burger King Franchise at age 22. Responsible for development, financing and the day to day operations of the business, Luke’s industry achievements included top performing Burger King Restaurant in Australia (amongst 65) and highest group store profit ratio.

At 24, Luke successfully fielded pitch 1014 to company CEO, Ian Neil, securing the Australian license for Wagamama in 2002. Their flagship restaurant opened at King Street Wharf in May 2002 and was well received by the notoriously tough Australian dining crowd. Luke went on to own New York’s Yushi Kaiten and Betel, a chain of noodle shops in London, and the sushi restaurant where ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned in 2006. (It wasn’t the food – Litvinenko died from a radioactive polonium-210 poisoning.)

 

Lodge Wyvern 750 Meeting Dinner

On Saturday 5 March at 6pm, Lodge Wyvern conducted a lodge meeting in the Prescott Hall. The Lodge usually holds its monthly meetings at the Artarmon Masonic Temple and, on occasions, some meetings are held at the College.

This March 5 date was selected at is was a special date in the history of the Lodge being the 750th meeting. The Lodge’s Master, Worshipful Brother Terry Read, determined that the work of the evening would be the introduction into the Freemasonry of two younger olds boys, Matthew Ding (ON 2008) and Michael Korn (ON 2008). To add splendour to the meeting, the Lodge was graced by the presence of the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of NSW and ACT, Most Worshipful Brother, Jamie Melville.

The impressive Prescott Hall was set up as a lodge room and this made it an extra special evening for Matthew and Michael. At the conclusion of the meeting, several Newington Guests were invited to join the assembly of freemasons and to assist in the unveiling of the Lodge Wyvern Honour Board in the Prescott Hall. The Worshipful Master invited the Most Worshipful Grand Master and Mr Rod Bosman (ON 1978), representing the Headmaster, to conduct the unveiling. This honour board records the Worshipful Masters of Lodge Wyvern since the Lodge commenced in 1950 and sits beside the other three Honour Boards of Headmasters, and Presidents of the Old Boys Union and the P&F. The assembled were then given a short history of Prescott Hall by Very Worshipful Brother Lt Col John Moore AM RFD CMC (ON 1953).

The Lodge is most appreciative of the College’s support and the occasional use of the Prescott Hall and Function Room on special occasions.

The assembly adjourned to the Function Room for a dinner at which several toasts were made recognising the 3 events of the evening being the 750th meeting the presence of the Grand master and the introduction of Matthew and Michael to Freemasonry.

Lodge Wyvern members are Old Boys, Staff and Fathers of students and friends of the Newington Community. Enquiries can be made to –

Our Secretary, Peter Hipwell, on phip1496@hotmail.com and 02 9799 1808

or Acting Secretary, Peter Carton, on carton.peterg@gmail.com and 02 9418 9884

Sports News – Summer Sports Wrap Up

At this week’s Summer Sports Assembly we honoured our Premiership winning 1sts and 2nds Basketball, 2nds Cricket, 1st and 2nds Tennis and 2nds Water Polo teams. The students awarded Letters and Colours were also individually acknowledged along with all the boys who have proudly played in the Black and White colours this past season. Our special guests Mr Andrew Jones (ON 1990), CEO of Cricket NSW and Mr Pat Cummins, Australian, NSW and Sydney Thunder player spoke about the importance of team unity, and how the College ‘values’ that underpin our sporting program align with the recent success of Sydney Thunder. Mr Cummins also reflected on the resilience, patience and hard work that was required for him to make his way back to the highest level after a run of serious injuries. I thank all our Captains for their leadership and commitment over the past season and for the impressive way they each spoke at assembly.

Our GPS swimmers met at SOPAC last Friday night with fantastic results. Newington came 1st in the Junior and Senior and was placed 2nd in the Intermediate divisions and won the GPS relay. 

 

2016 Reunions

Invitations will be posted and emailed to Old Boys eight weeks prior to the reunion date. If you would like to be a reunion co-ordinator for your year and for all reunion queries contact alumni@newington.nsw.edu.au or telephone (02) 9568 9544.

REUNION DATES FOR 2016

Class of 2011 – 5 Year Reunion Saturday 13 August 2016
Tour 4:45PM; Drinks 5:30-6:30PM

Class of 2006 – 10 Year Reunion Saturday 13 August 2016
Tour 4:45PM, Drinks 5:30-6:30PM

Class of 2001 – 15 Year Reunion Saturday 13 August 2016
Tour 4:45PM; Drinks 5:30-6:30PM

Class of 1996 – 20 Year Reunion Saturday 28 May 2016
Tour 4:45PM; PreDinner Drinks 5:30; Dinner 6:30PM

Class of 1991 – 25 Year Reunion Saturday 28 May 2016
Tour 4:45PM; PreDinner Drinks 5:30; Dinner 6:30PM

Class of 1986 – 30 Year Reunion Saturday 14 May 2016
Tour 4:45PM; PreDinner Drinks 5:30; Dinner 6:30PM

Class of 1981 – 35 Year Reunion Saturday 14 May 2016
Tour 4:45PM; PreDinner Drinks 5:30; Dinner 6:30PM

Class of 1976 – 40 Year Reunion Saturday 7 May 2016
Tour 4:45PM; PreDinner Drinks 5:30; Dinner 6:30PM

Class of 1971 – 45 Year Reunion Saturday 7 May 2016
Tour 4:45PM; PreDinner Drinks 5:30; Dinner 6:30PM

First Year Apprentice Tasman Calver (ON 2015) Joins Miles Astley Electrical

When Miles Astley Electrical Services Director, Miles Astley (ON 1982) successfully bid for some large tenders this year, the timing was right to hire new electrical apprentice, Tasman Calver (ON 2015). Tasman, was introduced to Miles through Bruce Mellor, ONU President and came with a recommendation from his teachers.

The endorsement of Tasman is important for a family business like Astley Electronics, which also employs Miles’ three sons: Aaron (2007), Benjamin (2010) and Gordon (2014). “Employing a student like Tasman means we are confident our apprentice will have characteristics which suit our Company such as politeness, being well mannered and having an enthusiasm to learn.  These qualities are what our Company has built its reputation on and Tasman certainly has shown those attributes. Tasman has already been complimented by a long term client who recognised his politeness by formally introducing himself upon entering the client’s home.  Tasman is already showing initiative on the job and the results have been very pleasing” says Jacki O’Donnell, Business Development Manager.

Tasman is on a three month trial to see if he likes the challenges of a new, physical job in the electrical trade and living away from home. Tasman works four days a week at on the tools training and spends one day at TAFE.

Tasman’s experience is one example of the ONU facilitating a connection of value to all. The support that an Old Boy Mentor, through his own career, contacts, experience and guidance can provide a young ONU member is immeasurable. 

GPS Gold Challenge – Calling 1983 & 1984 Old Boys

The GPS Gold Challenge is held every two years, over the October long weekend, for Old Boys of the 9 GPS schools, making it the largest Old Boys’ event in Australia. 

The Challenge will be a “double header” with Old Boys from Alumni 1983 and 1984 competing across ten disciplines: golf, shooting, rowing, tennis, cricket, basketball, touch rugby, athletics, swimming and debating. The Challenge culminates with a not to be missed ‘Closing Dinner’ where over 600 GPS Old Boys will enjoy an evening of good food, camaraderie and the hilarious debating topic. The shooting and Golfing competitions are on Friday 30 September and all other competitions and the Closing Dinner are on Saturday 1 October 2016.

So, dust off the runners, plan your fitness regime, book your physio and get ready to relive the ancient rivalries and good times of your school days.

To grab a team Captain spot for a sport and organise your mates contact Phil Kearns (ON 1984) or David Everett (ON 1984).

Click here for the GPS Gold Challenge Website.

Sports News – Rugby & Rugby League

Rugby League
St George Illawarra Dragons centre Taane Milne (ON 2013) arrived at the Club ahead of the 2016 season.

Milne, who can play either on the wing or in the centres, is a graduate of the Sydney Roosters National Youth Competition team who scored eight tries from 12 appearances last season.

The Clovelly Crocodiles junior is a two-time Junior Kiwis representative (2014-15) who has previously featured for both the NSW Schoolboys Rugby Union (2013) and Australian Schoolboys Rugby Union (2013) teams.

Milne has agreed to terms on a two-year contract that will see him remain at the Red-and-Whites until at least the end of the 2017 season.

AAGPS 2016 Rugby Fixtures

Click here to view fixtures AAGPS Rugby competition for 2016.

Sports News – Rowing

Michael Morgan (ON 1964) Rowing Centre is now open…

On Friday 26 February the Michael Morgan (ON 1964) Rowing Centre was official opened. The Headmaster, Dr David Mulford, welcomed Mr Michael Morgan OAM (ON 1964), his family and other guests and thanked the 39 donors for the generous support of this brand new facility. Special thanks were extended to the organisers of the fundraising – Marty Nicholas (ON 1987) and Head of Sport, James Godfrey (ON 1993).

Prior to unveiling the plaque Mr Morgan thanked the generous donors for their contribution to building such a fabulous facility for Newington College. Mr Morgan also acknowledged the coaches for their dedication to coaching our upcoming rowers and personally expressed how thrilled he was that his family were able to attend the opening of the centre. Mr Morgan’s closed his speech with the following words:

Not everybody wins, and certainly not everybody wins all the time. But once you get into your boat and push off, tie into your shoes and bootstretchers, then ‘lean on the oars’, you have indeed won far more than those who have never tried.

The Michael Morgan Rowing Centre includes both a technical training facility as well as a Rowing specific Strength and Conditioning room. The technical facility will be used by boys of all ages across the Newington College Rowing program. The Strength and Conditioning facility will predominantly be used by Year 9 and 10 students both off-season and in-season for their strength program.

The event was a great success with over 40 guests attending.  A total of $116,950 was raised. The College matched an anonymous $20,000 donation and has also contributed a further $21,000 from its Maintenance budget towards meeting the overall costs. Total costs of the Centre are $177,640. With a $20,000 shortfall there is still opportunity to donate to the facility by emailing community@newington.college.nsw.edu.au or phoning the Community and Development Department on 02 9568 9374.

Head of the River – Saturday 12 March

Congratulations to all the boys who competed in last weekend’s Head of the River! The day saw some fantastic rowing and the Black and White Army was out in full force to cheer on our rowers! A big congrats in particular to the 1st IV who came in 2nd behind Shore!

This film was played at the Rowers’ send off assembly with inspiring words by Leon Blackman (ON 1949) accompanying this amazing film by two Year 11 Students for the Rowers Send Off. A huge thank you to the talented filmmaker Sam Evans (ON 2013).

Recent Reunions

Class of 1965 – 50 Year Reunion (including Class of 1964 and 1966)

Saturday 31 October 2015 – Prescott Hall

Class of 1970 – 45 Year Reunion

Saturday 17 October 2015 – Rag and Famish Hotel

Held at the Rag & Famish Hotel in North Sydney was the venue for 50 of the 1970 Alumni. Enzo Smith and Greg Mitchell did the bulk of the organising of the troops and were assisted by Phil Holey. There were many apologies of those who could not attend due to distance and other commitments and of course those who are not with us anymore. Lots of happy faces, big stories and enjoyment capped off a great evening.

Class of 1956 – 60 Year Reunion (including the Classes of 1955 and 1957)

Saturday 5 March 2016 – Phil Davis OAM Year 12 Common Room

Class of 1953 Luncheon 
Tuesday 10 March 2016 – The Roseville Club

The luncheon was held for David Lo when he visited Sydney. The unique aspect of the luncheon was that 4 Newington Medallists attended. Pictured below L-R: John Sainsbury, Ron Clinton, Hon Angus Talbot, Warren Green, Rev Dr David Manton OAM, Ian Moffatt, David Lo AM, Leon Clavin (obscured) and Prof John Turtle AO. The Newington Medallists are Angus Talbot, David Manton, David Lo and John Turtle.

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Federal Member for North Sydney – Trent Zimmerman (ON 1986)

In December 2015, Trent Zimmerman (ON 1986) was elected as the Member for North Sydney in a by-election following the retirement of former Federal Treasurer Hon Joe Hockey. Trent has been involved in politics most of his adult life, having held various elected positions within the NSW Liberal Party, currently serving as State President. Trent has previously served on the North Sydney Council for eight years and prior to his election was Deputy Chief Executive and Director, Transport Policy, of the Tourism and Transport Forum of Australia. Trent has also served on a number of community groups including as a Director of the Crows Nest Community Centre and  Epilepsy Action Australia; a member of the North Sydney Demonstration School Council and a local zone chair for the Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal. Trent is the son of the former long serving Head of Wyvern House the late Roy Zimmerman (Staff 1966 – 1996).

Rugby Season Launch 2016

The Newington College Rugby Association invites you to book a seat or arrange a table at  their 2016 Rugby Season Launch on Friday 29 April 2016 at Darling Harbour. 

Dual World Cup winning Wallaby Dan Crowley is our featured guest speaker.

Online payments are now open. Click here to purchase tickets for the Rugby Season Launch.

For queries contact: Julie Gigg 0411 240 769 or David Gigg (Rugby President) 0447 697 941 or email djgigg@gmail.com

Event Sponsors:

Season Sponsors

The 70 Club Lunch

Tuesday 17 May 2016

With Special Guest Jack Butler and Featuring the Headmaster’s Barbershop Quartet Challenge

Cost: $65:00

Click here for details

Click here to make a secure online payment

2016 Newington Golf Day

A sell out success with over 132 enthusiastic starters, the generosity of this year’s golfers and sponsors raised over $15,000 for the ONU Mental Health Fund which provides financial support for members of the Newington Community who are living with depression. Around one in six Australian men suffer from depression at any given time and the ONU are committed to financially assist treatment for those affected within the Newington community. The Golf Day also supports the ONU Tongan Bursary.

The prize for the Hole in One competition, a Toyota Yaris provided by Chatswood Toyota, was not claimed this year, although there were some close contenders who have vowed to return next year to give it another shot.

A huge thank you to this year’s organising committee, Ian Mayer (ON 1981), David Gillard (ON 1992) and Nigel Watson (ON 1993) and the Community & Development Office and to our Sponsors:

  • Belvedere Projects Adam Piggott (ON 2005)                                           
  • Chatswood Toyota – Ian Mayer (ON 1981) 
  • Gillard Golf – David Gillard (ON 1992)
  • FDC Construction & Fitout – Blake Cottle (ON 1984)
  • Jordan Djundja Lawyers – James Jordan (ON 1981)
  • Richardson & Wrench Marrickville – Aris Dendrinos – Parent
  • Spira Design & Development – Richard Spira (ON 1981)
  • The Media Store – Chris Mort (ON 1975)

Thank you to those who donated items for the silent auction and prizes: Aris Dendrinos – Richarson & Wrench Marrickville, Midford – Newington Uniform Shop, CMMA – Australian Golf Digest – Nick Cutler. Thank you, also to the TEN Network, Con Dedes (ON 1987) and Salaryman restaurant for the Hole Sponsor’s Prize and Tony King (ON 1982) for the iPad Pro, our early bird registration prize.

Alumni Trophy Honour Roll

Year         Won by

2016 1978 Ian Spedding, David Singh, Ian Rydstrand, Andrew Yap
2015 1992 Neale Bettman, Matt Lynn, Sean Limbrick, Stewart Smith
2014   1993 Chris Johnston, David Royal, Andrew Sethumadavan, Nigel Watson
2013 1978 Rod Bosman, David Singh, David Smyth, Andrew Yap
2012 1978 Ian Rydstrand, David Singh, Ian Spedding, Andrew Yap                        

Arthur H.F. Rofe Memorial Trophy

2016 Charles Bowmer (ON 2010) and Howard Shiel (ON 2010)
2015 Chris Johnston (ON 1993) and David Royal (ON 1993)
2014 Chris Johnson (ON 1993) and David Royal (ON 1993)
2013 Chris Johnson (ON 1993) and David Royal (ON 1993)

| A Message from the ONU President

On behalf of the ONU Council and Executive, I’m happy to report an initiative which is indicative of our respect for our Old Boy community. For the first time in ONU history, we truly represent all Old Boys. An historic vote at our 120th Annual General Meeting passed a special resolution to add a new class of non financial members to our constitution.  

I remind everyone that the reunion program is well underway already, check the website for details and make sure you come along.

I am sending out a couple of information updates and call to action for a number of Old Boys:

  • Thank you to all those who participated in the Newington Golf Day, a sell out success which raised valuable funds raised for the ONU Mental Health Fund and ONU Tongan Bursary. Pictured above are the winners of the Alumni Trophy. L-R: ONU President Bruce Mellor with Alumni Trophy Winners from the Class of 1978 holding trophy L-R: David Singh, Andrew Yap, Ian Rydstrand, Ian Spedding with Nigel Watson (ON 1993).
  • Calling all Old Boys from the Classes of 1983 and 1984. Held every two years over the October long weekend, the GPS Gold Challenge is a lot of fun, believe me. Get behind your team captains, pick a sport and start some training
  • The ONU Centennial Trust goes from strength to strength. The ONU has committed funds to help it grow and  young old boys are especially asked to consider applying for funds to help their University careers, see Alumni website for details.
  • Congratulations to the 2015 Newington Medallists. If you know of an Old Boy who has given exceptional service to the community / industry, put them forward as a potential Newington Medallist. Our fellow Old Boys are of great inspiration to the school and we are always on the lookout for our un-sung high achievers, check the website for details.

Bruce Mellor (ON 1982)
ONU President

Click here for Sons and Grandsons of Old Boys admissions policy

Newington Medalists

At this year’s Annual Prize Giving (formerly Speech Night for those old enough to remember), the 2015 Newington Medalists were announced. The Newington Medal is the highest award that the College can bestow to an Old Boy and recognises service and contribution that has made a significant difference to the welfare and future of the College and to Australia’s quality of life or to humanity in other countries. It recognises such achievements as having gone above and beyond normal expectations and promotes the continuation of the highest human endeavour. Importantly, it fosters strong aspirations amongst Old Boys to retain their association with the College.

There are two categories of Newington Medalists – Australian and International. The 2015 Newington Medal (International) was awarded to Professor Chris Rodger (ON 1973) pictured above, the Don Logan Endowed Chair of Mathematics at Auburn University, Alabama. Unfortunately, Chris was unable to attend Prize Giving but he and his family were able to join us the following Monday 14th December, where the Headmaster Dr David Mulford presented him with his Medal and lapel pin – see featured image above. For the full text of Chris’ citation, click here.

The Australian Medal was awarded to two eminent Old Boys in their respective field. Ben Swane AM (ON 1944) and Dr David Lo AM (ON 1953). Ben has been a giant in the horticultural arena for generations and David is one of the foremost medical authorities on Indigenous health. Both have been awarded the Member of the Order of Australia and now the Newington Medal. Click for full citations for Mr Ben Swane AM (ON 1944) and Dr David Lo AM (ON 1953).

The 2015 Parents Citation, which is the equivalent award to a parent who may also be an Old Boy, was awarded to John Treloar (ON 1970) to recognise the work he has done principally for the Rowing community over many years but specifically for the significant improvements he brought to the Rowing program during his recent three year term as President of the Rowing Association. You can read details of John’s Citation here.

Congratulations to all four Old Boys on such recognition for years of service to the College and the wider Community.

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Above: 2015 Newington Medallist Dr David Lo AM (ON 1953) receiving his Newington Medal with Headmaster Dr David Mulford

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Above: 2015 Newington Medallist Mr Ben Swane AM (ON 1944) with the Headmaster