Past Pupils of Distinction 2023 – Nominate Today!

We are currently accepting nominations for the 2023 Program, the fourth in this biennial program. We ask that you seriously consider nominating a past pupil who meets the criteria of having achieved outstanding success and excellence in their category / categories of nomination, has made a difference in the lives of others and embodies the Kilbreda College motto of Strength and Kindliness. 

Nominations close on 10 February 2023 at 3.00pm

Past Pupils’ Showcase Concert 2023

Our history of students who have excelled in Performing Arts at the College is incredibly rich! To acknowledge these performers, showcase their talents and share Kilbreda’s passion of Performing Arts, we are hosting a ‘Past Pupils’ Showcase Concert’ during Term 1, 2023 (date to be confirmed).

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST: We are currently accepting expressions of interest from past pupils who engage in Performing Arts studies and/or are actively participating in the Performing Arts sector. You may be (or know of) a singer, actor, comedian, musician or dancer and if so, we’d love to hear from you! We also encourage you to share this information with others or tag someone who may be interested on this post.

Contact Keryn Holden: Learning Leader: Performing Arts at keryn.holden@kilbreda.vic.edu.au to find out more about this wonderful opportunity. We look forward to celebrating with you at our ‘Past Pupils’ Showcase Concert’. Tickets will be released in 2023.

Reunions

Class of 1991 – 30 +1 Year Reunion

On Saturday 8 October nearly 30 past pupils from the 1991 leavers cohort eagerly entered Kilbreda via an unfamiliar new school entrance where they were met by the smiling faces of the Kilbreda Ambassadors. These current students volunteered to meet and greet us and later in the afternoon, guide us on a “highlights” tour of the school.  These young ladies were an asset to the school and modelled the current uniform with distinction. As an aside, the new uniform was given a nod of approval by the past pupils.

I know for many, we were relieved to be met by the familiar faces of some past teachers who promptly provided us with a glass of bubbles to help set the tone for the afternoon. Many of us cheekily commented that “this never happened in our day”! With glass in hand, the next task was making sure that a sensible name tag was added to our chest to help jog the memory bank and prevent the awkward conversations that might follow. In some respects, 30 years can feel like a lifetime, but after not long, it felt like it was only a few years ago when we were roaming the school corridors. 

We settled in to our designated corner of the modern Kildare Centre which used to be the site of the old theatrette.  Fond memories of Theatre Sports and Drama classes followed. We were very grateful for the school photos as a way of remembering teachers and fellow students who weren’t able to attend the event, as well as providing a laugh about hair styles and awkward facial expressions. There was a great deal of chatter that continued for the afternoon and it felt like we were back at school when Mrs Leonard (or Denise as we were given permission to use) attempted to quieten us so that she could to welcome us and talk about the Past Pupils of Distinction program amongst a few other new developments.

The Student Ambassadors then proceeded to tour us around some old paths as well as some new additions to the school including the expanded light filled Library and the Auditorium. We were all impressed with how the school has been able to maintain the archetypal look and feel of the Victorian era building, while providing facilities fit for the current time. We left the day confident that future generations of young women were in good hands.  Our long overdue catch up continued well into the evening at a local venue and we were grateful to the school and the Kilbreda Past Pupils for enabling this heart-warming event to occur.

Pru Clements
Class of 1991

Class of 1970 – 52 Year Reunion

On 8 October, 2022, the reunion of the Class of 1970 finally happened after several postponements due to COVID-19.  There were about 15 of us in attendance and there was much chatter and laughter as we recalled our school years and caught up on what we’d been doing since leaving school. Some of those in attendance had met up in 2004 at the centenary of the College. Several people had expressed interest in attending but, due to unforeseen circumstances, missed out on the event.

We were particularly disappointed that Anne Vallence (Coppinger) could not attend after all her hard work in coordinating the reunion. Others like Fran Hartz (Kenny) and Peta Tomlinson (Weiss) were enjoying holidays in New Zealand and the Whitsundays respectively.

It was so interesting to have a brief tour of the school and we were delighted to recognise parts that had not changed. Largely though and not surprising, it is now a very different school. There is a Library! And it was through the Library’s windows that we spied an old friend in the school grounds  – the peppercorn tree. It is still there, albeit minus some branches. We were grateful to Denise Leonard and others on the Past Pupils Committee for their organisation and hospitality, for the photos and our bottle green tunic, blazer and hats on display.  It was a wonderful opportunity to visit our school 52 years since we were students there and we had a really enjoyable afternoon catching up with classmates and recalling some good memories.

Upcoming Reunions

We have a reunion coming up on Saturday 5 November for the Class of 1992 – 30 Year Reunion.

These reunions present an opportunity to reconnect with members of class groups and are open to all past pupils of this group regardless of what year level you finished your education at Kilbreda.

See below for details.

Denise Leonard
Chair: Past Pupils Network Committee