Edition No. 30 April 2009

PENLEIGH AND ESSENDON
GRAMMAR SCHOOL
The Newsletter of PEGS Former Students’ Association
Altior et Sapientior
The PEGS Former Students’ Association held its annual
golf day at the Sunshine "Mt Derrimut" golf club on
Monday 15 December 2008.
Over eighty players attended including current and
former students, parents and school suppliers.
Everyone who participated enjoyed the good weather
and challenging "links" style course. The overall winners
of the ambrose event were the team from Fuji Xerox
whose players included Richard Barry, Renè de Prinse,
Locky Hughes and Anthony Lewis. The highlight of the
day was the hole-in-one achieved by Mr Brent Gordon
from DCE Engineers.
The flags used on each hole contained each sponsor's
logo. These flags were then framed and presented to
each sponsor at the end of the day. Special thanks to all
of the sponsors of the day.
The day’s surplus of $9,000 was donated to the
School's libraries.
Special thanks to Mrs Liza Portelli, Mrs Joanne Weston
and Mr Gareth Allen for their help on the day.
Mina Pitliangas
Golf Day
Sponsors
A & D Plumbing Pty Ltd
Arthur Reed Photos
Calder Cleaning & Handyman Services Pty Ltd
Campion Education (Australia)
Consolidated Property Services
Dalton Consulting
Fortunato Group
Fuji Xerox
Grandma Jeans Lollies
Kastoria Bus Lines
Lenhart Builders
Mercedes Benz
National Australia Bank
Noone Imagewear
PTA Architecture
Ryan Bros Bus Services Pty Ltd
Stambo's Pty Ltd
Studio Bauhaus
TH White & Co
West & Williams
Edition No. 30 April 2009 www.pegs.vic.edu.au

Annual General Meeting - President’s Report
Tonight I have the pleasure of welcoming you to the
Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School Former
Students’ Association's Annual General Meeting. Over the
course of eleven years, what began as an amalgamation
of the Penleigh Old Collegians and the Old Essendon
Grammarians, has now grown to a community of over
2390 life members, and remains an integral link between
the school and its past, present and future students.
Before detailing the Association's activities for 2008, as
Acting President, I feel it is important firstly to
acknowledge the immense contributions made by
committee members throughout the year. The Former
Students’ Association is a body which relies on the
dedication and loyalty of volunteers, and without such
likeminded individuals, our success would not be
possible.
In particular, I wish to start by acknowledging the
contributions of departing committee members and offer
my sincerest gratitude to former FSA president Kylie
Harding, former committee member Lindsay Johnston
and reunion coordinator Russell Carr. Kylie and Lindsay
have been a driving force behind the Former Students’
Association for many years, and the countless hours both
have invested in the association have reaped untold
benefits for students both past and present. Russell's
contribution has extended far beyond the Former
Students’ Association, a fact which hundreds of students
who have passed through his classroom throughout the
years will attest to.
The resignation of all three came as a great loss to the
Former Students’ Association and I wish once more to
formally acknowledge Kylie, Lindsay and Russell for all
their contributions.
In 2008, the Former Students’ Association successfully
held a number of functions beginning with school reunions
for the Classes of '73, '78, '83, '88, '93 and '98. In all, over
500 people attended these events organized by Russell
Carr and it is a priority of the FSA to maintain the health of
these reunions.
The annual Golf Day held in December was again a
highlight of the school sporting calendar and I am pleased
to report that the organization was able to contribute
$9,000 toward the PEGS Library Fund from the profits
generated from this day.
Fundraising is a vital component of the Former Students’
Association and continued throughout 2008 with sales of
uniformed teddy bears increasing substantially on 2007.
Sales of wine also made strong contributions to our
overall revenue. Despite the cancellation of the Craft
Market due to landscaping works at the Essendon
Campus, the FSA was able to continue returning profits to
the school in the form of a variety of donations across
several school departments.
Finally, the Football Luncheon at the Keilor East campus
attracted strong numbers and continues to raise funds for
the schools football program. Hosted by Tony Leonard
and attended by speakers such as Dennis Pagan and
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Trent Cochin, the event show-cased PEGS strong football
culture, and was supported well by both current and
former students.
It was at this time, however, that the FSA and the school
community mourned the sudden loss of committee
member Dr Donald Stevenson. Donald was the inaugural
president of the Former Students’ Association and a
committee member whose passion for the school, and
overwhelming enthusiasm and zest for life, influenced not
only the direction of the FSA, but all who were fortunate
enough to meet him. Donald will be greatly missed.
The Former Students’ Association would not be possible
without the support of the school and it is to them now
that I offer my thanks. I wish to thank Mr Tony Larkin, Mr
Mina Pitliangas and the school Board of Management. In
addition to this, I wish to express my gratitude for the work
of Joanne Weston in not only coordinating the FSA's
activities, but in maintaining the FSA database whose
numbers now amount to nearly 13,500 people.
The Former Students’ Association is continually seeking
ways to improve the services provided to its members and
in early 2009, a sub-committee chaired by Mr Geoffrey
Collinson initiated an investigation into such matters. It is
upon this foundation that the FSA seeks to build in the
forthcoming year. We move forward optimistically and,
along with the school, will collaborate to provide positive
outcomes and real benefits to every member of our
association. I look forward to a continued association with
Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School in 2009 and
once again thank all committee members for their
contributions in the previous year.
James Buonopane
Acting President
New Office Bearers
2009
When nominations were called, Mr James
Buonopane was elected President and Mrs Jenny
Wakeling elected Secretary for 2009. Other members
of the committee are Dr Jacqueline Birt, Mr Andrew
Cope, Mrs Leigh Philpot and Ms Nicole Ward.
James Buonopane Jenny Wakeling

On 18 February this year, seventy-one members of Year
Twelve Class of 2008 returned to the Keilor East campus
for the annual Tertiary Transition Seminar. Chaired by
David Stewart (Year Twelve 2006 and now studying
Medicine at The University of Melbourne), the day
provided an opportunity for the group to benefit from the
experience of past PEGS students representing a range of
disciplines. We were delighted that 92 per cent of last
year's Year Twelve students had received an offer for one
of their first three tertiary preferences and, notably, 59 per
cent had gained a place in their tertiary course of first
preference. In recent weeks members of the group have
commenced studies in courses as diverse as Medicine
and Dentistry, Music and Fine Arts, Aviation and
Nanotechnology. This was the happy finale for a year that
saw 28 per cent of PEGS students ranked in the top five
per cent statewide and nine per cent ranked in the top one
per cent of candidates. These results have been
surpassed at PEGS on only two occasions: in 2001 and
2007.
As reported to the PEGS community in December, seven
students achieved ENTER scores of 99.85 or above,
placing them in the top 100 students in the state for 2008.
They were the Dux of Girls, Anne Stewart, who achieved
the highest possible score of 99.95, Bridget Bishop and
Alyssa Brooks who scored 99.90, while equal Dux of
Boys, Paul Hwin and Michael Issa, together with Emily Lui
and Rachel Simpson all scored 99.85. Anne Stewart has
been awarded a prestigious National Scholarship by The
University of Melbourne to study Biomedicine. Bridget
Bishop and Michael Issa have also commenced
Biomedicine, Alyssa Brooks, Paul Hwin and Emily Lui,
Dental Science and Rachel Simpson, Physiotherapy, all at
The University of Melbourne.
TERTIARY INSTITUTION DESTINATIONS
Australian Catholic University 1%
Deakin University 3%
LaTrobe University 6%
Monash University 12%
RMIT University 15%
Swinburne University 2%
University of Ballarat 1%
University of Melbourne 40 %
Victoria University 11%
TAFE Institutes 4%
Independent Colleges 3%
Year Twelve Results 2008
3
Fourteen other students achieved an ENTER score of at
least 99: Laura Aston, Thomas Carmody, Colin Chen,
Alexander Horton, Christadam Lakkis, Shane Licheni,
Belinda Liew, Lucy Lu, Bradley McCann, Dean Newell,
Clare O'Meara, Melanie Scully, Domagoj Vodanovich and
Andrew Williams-Wynn.
Perfect study scores of 50 were obtained in six subjects:
Biology (Bridget Bishop), English (Laura Aston, Alyssa
Brooks, Clare O'Meara, Melanie Scully), Further
Mathematics (Andrew Hinkley, Bradley McCann),
Mathematical Methods (Paul Hwin), Music Performance
(Oscar Dang) and Physical Education (Domagoj
Vodanovich).
Scores of 40 or more were recorded by PEGS students for
28 per cent of all study scores, maintaining our fine record
of recent years. Results of this calibre are significant
because VCE study scores are standardised such that
less than 8 per cent of candidates in each subject achieve
a score of 40 or higher. More than 40 per cent of PEGS
students studying the following subjects achieved a score
of at least 40: Biology, Australian History, Information
Technology (Software Development), Physics and National
Politics.
We recognise that careful course planning continues to be
a factor in achieving successful VCE outcomes and our
departing students benefited from the advice of careers
advisers and other senior staff. The University of
Melbourne remains the most popular destination for our
students but the diverse range of tertiary courses upon
which they are now embarking confirms the breadth of
interests and talents of the Class of 2008. We wish these
newest members of the PEGS Former Students'
Assocation well.
COURSE TYPES
Arts 17%
Business & Commerce 25%
Creative Arts 3%
Education 3%
Engineering 7%
Environment 8%
Health Science 14%
Information Technology 3%
Law 5%
Science 11%
Sport & Recreation 3%
Combined (Generalist) 2%
Alyssa Brooks Anne Stewart Bridget Bishop Emily Lui Michael Issa Paul Hwin Rachel Simpson

VALE Mrs Kerrie Pitkin
The entire PEGS community was saddened by the
recent death of Mrs Kerrie Pitkin. Mrs Pitkin immersed
herself in various school activities after meeting her
husband-to-be, Dr David Pitkin, in 1975. David played
cricket and hockey with former students’ teams for
thirty years and Kerrie revelled in this environment
and forged many lifelong friendships.
After David joined the school’s Board of Management,
Kerrie became a keen supporter of the school at
functions including Speech Night and valedictory
dinners. She also involved herself in the school as a
parent after her son James commenced at the school.
Since contracting motor neuron disease three years
ago, Kerrie’s courage has been obvious. She
continued to attend school functions whenever her
condition allowed. Her spirit was an inspiration to all
who met her. She will be sadly missed by all her
friends at the school.
From the Archives
Call for names!
This photograph of "The Milk Brigade" appeared in
The Triune 1970.
If anyone can identify these fresh young faces, please
contact the School Archivist Brigid Cooper by email
Archives@pegs.vic.edu.au or phone 9016 2182.
Anthony Simpson
M. 0409 236 205
anthony@magicinthemiddle.com.au
Warehouse 2/50 Barrie Road
Tullamarine VIC 3043
www.magicinthemiddle.com.au
• table centre pieces • themed event decorations •
• function co-ordination • product launches • corporate gift sourcing •
40-42 Isabella St Moorabbin 9555 9997
4
Forthcoming Events
Friday 19 June 2009 - The pre-football luncheon for
the game PEGS vs Assumption will be held at the
Keilor East campus in the gymnasium, commencing at
12 noon. The cost - $60 per person - includes a two
course lunch, drinks and half time snacks. The match
begins at 2 pm.
The Golden Girls have luncheon meetings arranged for
Wednesday 8 July and Wednesday 11 November
this year. They will meet in the Observatory Café, Royal
Botanic Gardens at 12 noon. Further enquiries to
Judith Ross on 9435 9299.
Saturday 17 October 2009 - PEGS Craft Market -
Raleigh Street Campus. Further details will be
published in the next edition of the newsletter.
Monday 14 December 2009 - The FSA Golf Day will
be held at the Sunshine "Mount Derrimut" Golf Club.
Further details will be published in the next edition of
the newsletter.
Reunions for the classes of 1979, 1989 and 1999 will
be held between August and November 2009.
Further details will be published in the next edition of
the newsletter.
Girl's Sports Open Day will be held in 2010 to celebrate
10 years of regular Saturday Sport for girls. All Penleigh
Old Girls are welcome to either play or watch. Please
contact Catherine Lane - Sports Director (Girls) on
0438 366 145 if you are interested.
David Thiessen Tony Downward
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