Not many  athletes can  lay claim to a Paralympic gold medal and  a world championship before their 20th birthday. Then again, there  aren’t many athletes like Dylan Alcott OAM. Dylan achieved the rare  feat when  the then  19-year old was  part of the Australian wheelchair basketball team which secured the 2010  World Championship after famously winning gold at the 2008  Paralympic Games in Beijing. Having only started playing basketball in 2003,  Dylan first represented Australia  at the 2006  Junior  Nationals, where he was  named the “most valuable player”. Dylan believes the Beijing Games were  the best experience of his life and  feels  lucky and  privileged as a 17-year old to be part of a world-beating basketball team. Not only is Dylan an international basketballer, he is also  an accomplished tennis player  having  played in 30 countries and  reaching as high as number six in the junior world rankings. One  of his proudest moments was winning three  silvers  at the Tennis World Team Cup. Dylan received a scholarship to attend the University of Illinois in the USA to train and  compete in the university’s extensive wheelchair basketball team program. Dylan attended the University of Illinois for a year,  but even better opportunities arose in Melbourne so he returned to the University of Melbourne to study commerce and prepare for the 2012  London  Games. As well as Dylan’s great  sporting talent,  he has  a love of music,  can  sing and  play the drums.

As well as being the 32nd Premier of Victoria, Sir Stanley Argyle was  one  of Australia’s leading medical pioneers in the field of radiology. After completing his education at BGS,  Stanley went on to study medicine at the University of Melbourne in After graduating, he went to England and obtained the conjoint  MRCS  LRCP  diploma  before studying bacteriology at King’s College, London. Two years later  he  returned home and  set  up as a general practitioner in Kew. Back in Australia  Stanley soon showed his interest in the supply  of pure  milk and  in 1898  founded the Willsmere Certificated Milk Co., for which he was a director until 1920. Three years later Stanley was elected to the local Council, and served as Mayor for two terms in 1903 to 1905.  In that office he began campaigning for the removal of the Kew Lunatic Asylum (something he never actually  achieved). In 1908,  soon after he began to specialise in xray work, he was  appointed as a medical electrician and skiagraphist (renamed ‘radiologist’ in 1920)  at the Alfred Hospital. Over the next six years Stanley successfully gained assistance from the Government to buy radium and  from the Walter and  Eliza Hall Trust to build an electrical pavilion. During World War I Stanley served as a skiagraphist in the first Australian General Hospital  in Cairo,  returning home in April 1917  with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In 1920  Stanley entered the Legislative Assembly, winning Toorak  as an independent nationalist. As a back- bencher and busy doctor, he was not an active member but he managed to advocate for increased spending on the university  and  public health. From1924 to 1929, Stanley was Chief Secretary and Minister of Health and felt compelled to give up his Alfred Hospital  appointment, although he continued as a consulting radiologist there. Stanley was  the person behind the notion of establishing a teaching hospital next to the University of Melbourne. On 1 January 1930  Stanley was  knighted and  later that year  he was  chosen to lead  his party and  the opposition. In 1932 his party won the election and Sir Stanley became Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Health.  His government lost power  at the next election in 1935. Later in life, Sir Stanley suffered from chronic bronchitis and  emphysema from which he sadly  died on 23  November 1940.  Sir Stanley left his mark in Victorian history as a man  of public spirit, abandoning his own private  practice in the pursuit  of community service. He was granted a State funeral and a bust by Paul Montford which is in Parliament House, Melbourne.  

Andrew Bassat is Chief Executive Officer, Managing  Director and  Executive Director of SEEK. In 1997,  during the pioneering days of online business, Andrew created the website SEEK with his brother Paul and  friend Matt Rockman. Together they raised a small amount of capital  and  took on the newspaper companies at their own game. Against  all the odds, SEEK managed to completely transform the landscape of employment advertising from print-dominated to online.  SEEK became one  of Australia’s most  successful online businesses, becoming an ASX top 100 listed company with a market capitalisation of $2 billion. It has  expanded to the UK, China,  Brazil, New Zealand and  Malaysia. Andrew was  involved in all development stages of the SEEK business since its inception. He is a director of a number of the group’s fully-owned Australian subsidiaries as well as a director on the majority of the group’s international investments and holding companies. Andrew is also  a director  of the charitable Shane Warne Foundation. Until 1 July 2011 Andrew was  joint CEO with his brother Paul  Bassat, who stepped back  from the day-to-day management of the company. Now Andrew is the sole CEO.  From the early days Andrew has  led SEEK’s Strategy and  Business Development team. Prior to SEEK, Andrew was  a management consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton,  where he was  involved in a wide range of strategic assignments for major Australian and  international corporations. Earlier  on in his career, Andrew  worked  as a solicitor  at Corrs  Chamber Westgarth. Andrew holds  a Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) degree from the University of Melbourne, a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) degree from Monash University and a Master of Business Administration degree  from Melbourne Business School.  

Paul  Bassat co-founded SEEK in 1997,  and  served as Chief Executive Officer and  then  as joint Chief Executive Officer from 1997  until 2011. In 1997,  during the pioneering days of online business, Andrew created the website SEEK with his brother Paul and  friend Matt Rockman. Together they raised a small amount of capital  and  took on the newspaper companies at their own game. Against  all the odds, SEEK managed to completely transform the landscape of employment advertising from print-dominated to online.  SEEK became one  of Australia’s most  successful online businesses, becoming an ASX top 100 listed company with a market capitalisation of $2 billion. It has  expanded to the UK, China,  Brazil, New Zealand and  Malaysia. SEEK is widely recognised and  awarded as an ‘employer  of choice’,  much  of which was  due  to the leadership and  management of Paul. On 1 July 2011  Paul  stepped back  from the day-to-  day management of the company SEEK,  making  way for his brother Andrew to become CEO.  Since leaving  SEEK, Paul  has  been an active  investor in early stage and growth companies. He is a director  of Victoria Capital Pty Ltd, Square Peg  Ventures Pty Ltd, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation and  the P&S Bassat Foundation. Paul  is also  an advisory board member of the Faculty  of Business and  Economics at the University of Melbourne, a member of the Mount Scopus Memorial College Foundation and  an Australian Football  League Commissioner. Prior to SEEK,  Paul  commenced his career as a lawyer in 1991  and  spent six years with the commercial law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler where he specialised  in corporate law. He holds  Bachelor of Law and  Bachelor of Commerce degrees from the University of Melbourne and  is a member of the Small Business Panel of the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Robin Batterham attended BGS from 1950  to 1955  and completed a PhD in chemical engineering at the University of Melbourne in 1969.  He went on to receive a scholarship from the Commonwealth Scientific  and Industrial  Research Organisation (CSIRO), to undertake a post-doctoral at the central research laboratories of ICI in the UK. Robin returned to Australia as a research scientist with CSIRO’s Division of Chemical Engineering. During this period  he undertook a significant  number of innovative projects in the mineral  processing field and  in 1985 he was  appointed Chief of the Division of Mineral and Process Engineering. During his career with CSIRO, Robin promoted close industry  connections which led to the development of numerous novel processes which are still used in the mineral  sectors in Australia  and  overseas. In 1988  Robin was  approached by CRA Ltd (now Rio Tinto Ltd) to take  a major role in technology development. Many of the company’s industrial  technology successes are  a result  of Robin’s work. When  the Federal Government introduced the CRC Research Initiative Robin was  awarded an early appointment as a key advisor. The success of the CRC program owes much  to his expertise. In 1999  Robin was appointed the Chief Scientist of Australia, a position  he held at the same time as being  Chief Technologist for Rio Tinto Ltd. As Chief Scientist, he advised a large number of government bodies, including the Australian Research Council and the Cooperative Research Centres Committee. He was responsible for the major research review which produced the blueprint  for Government support for research in the early years of the 21st  century. His report,  titled The Chance to Change, has  been widely accepted by the Australian research  community and  the Federal Government. Since he was a student, Robin has had a love for organ music and he is now the organist for the Scots Church in Melbourne, where he can  frequently be heard performing. He has  played the organ in many  major cities of the world and  released several CDs. In February 2003,  Robin was invited to give the prestigious Danckwerts Memorial Lecture in London and his lecture on Chemical Engineering and Sustainability was greatly acclaimed. Recently he has  been elected to the World Chemical Engineering Council,  a position  acknowledging that Robin is one  of the top ten chemical engineers  in the world.

As a footballer and Australian Federal Court Judge, The Hon. Justice Mordecai ‘Mordy’ Bromberg surely has one of the most interesting career journeys around. Mordy (as he prefers to be known) joined the Saints from BGS after attending the School for just one year playing memorable football on the Crowther Oval. The fact that Mordy made it that far is remarkable, given he was born in Israel, didn’t move to Australia until he was eight and didn’t speak a word of English when he arrived. In his football career he played 34 games, scored 11 goals and had three Brownlow Medal votes in 1980. He gave up playing to pursue a career in law. Mordy graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Laws, and was admitted as a solicitor in 1984. Mordy became a barrister at the Victorian Bar in 1988. He forged an outstanding career, principally in the area of labour and industrial law, and in 1998 appeared for the Maritime Union of Australia in its landmark case against Patrick Stevedores. Mordy was appointed Senior Counsel in 2003 and from 2005 served as President of the Australian Institute of Employment Rights. Over 30 years Mordy worked in Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong and London as a solicitor and a barrister, then a Senior Counsel, and then in 2009 was appointed to the Federal Court of Australia. Mordy said there were some similarities between his two endeavours – football and law. “You can’t shy away from hard work to succeed as a footballer and the dedication to the task that football teaches you is something I’ve applied to my legal career as well. In many ways, your personality is a result of what you’ve done and what you’ve achieved, and football has given me a nice introduction to a wh

Travis Brooks  or ‘Brooksy’ picked  up his first hockey stick at the tender age of four, beginning a long association with the Waverley Hockey  Club in Melbourne. However it was  in 2003,  when  he made his international debut in field hockey, representing the Australian Kookaburras  in Canberra.   Travis,  a tall athletic  striker,  went on to play on all the big international hockey stages including  the World Cup, Commonwealth Games and  the Olympics.  At the 2004 Athens Olympics  Travis not only achieved his life-long dream of winning an Olympic gold medal alongside the Kookaburras, but he was  recognised as a pivotal role in their victory against the Netherlands. Two minutes into the second half of the final it was  Travis who set the team on the road to gold, scoring a brilliant goal and  bringing the scores level to one-all. As a result the Kookaburras were  able  to break through and  win during the game’s sudden-death overtime. Travis again competed at Olympic level in the 2008  Beijing Olympics, where the Kookaburras won a bronze medal. Following the Beijing Olympics,  Travis retired  from international hockey with 51 goals from 143 international matches. As well as pursuing his professional hockey career, Travis completed a Bachelor of Computing at Monash University.  He lives in Melbourne and  remains actively  involved with the Waverley Hockey  Club. He also  currently  runs  a website designed for field hockey enthusiasts, to provide  expert advice and  opinions on all the relevant issues. Travis is currently  a senior analyst at Deloitte Australia. He hopes to have a successful career in IT and  have his own business one  day.

Julian  Clarke  spent his entire  working life in the news- paper business, holding the role as Managing Director for the Herald  and  Weekly Times  for 16 years. This was a hugely  successful stint for Julian  personally and  for the Herald  Sun,  Victoria’s most  popular newspaper. From humble beginnings as a teenager at the Standard Newspapers in 1960,  when  he arrived  for his job interview  in his BGS  school uniform,  Julian  went on to hold many  senior positions before becoming Managing Director. In 1986  Julian  was appointed General Manager of the Herald  and  Weekly Times  newspaper division with direct responsibility for their metropolitan dailies, regional dailies,  suburban newspapers and  pacific region newspapers. Following News  Limited’s successful takeover bid for the Herald  and  Weekly Times  in 1987,  Julian  was  appointed Deputy  Chief Executive of Queensland Newspapers, an associated company. Based in Brisbane, he was responsible for their total operations, including  the Courier-Mail and  the Sunday Mail, as well as their regional daily interests on the Gold Coast and  in Cairns. On 1 July 1991  Julian  was  appointed Managing Director of The Herald  and  Weekly Times  Limited in Melbourne, publisher of the Herald  Sun,  Sunday Herald  Sun,  The Weekly Times  and  MX. He was  widely regarded as passionate and  sympathetic. For many  years Julian  served on the board of the Royal Children’s Hospital  Foundation, Committee for Melbourne and  L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival. He was  also  active  on a number of consulting panels to organisations including the City of Melbourne and Committee for Economic Development of Australia.

Andrew Cooper was  one  quarter of the Oarsome Foursome who thrilled Australia  at the 1992  Barcelona Olympics  with the foursome’s convincing gold medal victory. Andrew launched his international rowing career in 1986  at the world championships, and  followed with the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games. At both competitions he was  a member of the gold medal winning men’s eight crews. In the 1988  Seoul Olympics Andrew represented Australia  as a member of the eights’ team which was placed fifth in the final. Progressing in his rowing career, Andrew moved his focus  from eights to fours,  where he joined James Tomkins,  Mike McKay and  Nick Green. In 1992  the Oarsome Foursome had  already forged  its remarkable reputation, being  held in the same calibre as some of Australia’s greatest  in sporting history. Armed with two world titles and an unbeaten record the Oarsome Foursome entered the Barcelona Olympics as one  of Australia’s most  likely gold medal winning prospects – and  they did not disappoint. After the team’s success in Barcelona, Andrew took time off but returned to compete in his last world championships in 1995  before retiring. In honour of his dedication and commitment to their continued success Andrew’s team mates named the boat  that brought a gold at the Atlanta Olympics  – the ‘Andrew Cooper’. After his retirement from rowing Andrew followed his other  great  sporting passion for Australian Rules Football,  displaying his talents as a member of the Old Brighton Grammarians Football  Club. In 1987, Andrew was  awarded the Medal of the Order  of Australia  for his services to rowing.

Roger is without doubt one of the greatest success stories to emerge from the Australian music  industry. He is famed within the music industry for his incredible career – working with artists ranging from Olivia Newton John to Pink. After leaving  school Roger worked  his way up from the very bottom  rung of the industry.  He progressed from roadie to agent, to manager of a local band; eventually becoming one  of the most  successful and  respected artist managers in the world. The rise of Roger began in earnest in 1970  when he became the manager of a Sydney pop/rock band Sherbet which, with his help, became arguably the most successful Australian pop act of the 1970s. Sherbet provided Roger with the all-important experience that would take  him to the top in his chosen field. Sherbet dominated the Australian pop charts through the mid- seventies, winning award after award. Sherbet’s lead singer, Daryl Braithwaite, was Australia’s ‘King of Pop’ for three  years running  – and  the band became a key part of the ‘countdown generation’. Roger was  based in the United States and  England in the 1980s and  1990s. He played a major part in Olivia Newton  John’s massive success in the early 1980s, including  her multi-million selling albums Physical and Soul Kiss. In 1979  Roger became the manager of Tina Turner guiding her incredible comeback and  launching her solo career. He began working with Cher  in the late 1990s around the time of her international smash hit ‘Believe’ and  organised her Believe  Tour and  the 325 Concert World Farewell Tour playing to more  than  five million fans in 30 countries – a tour recognised as the most successful and  highest grossing tour of any female artist. Other  international artists Roger has  managed include many  of the most  successful rock performers in the world – Janet Jackson, Sade, Pink, Joe  Cocker and  Tony Joe  White. In 2004,  Roger was  awarded the Lifetime Membership Award at the 2004  MMF Music Managers Awards  by the Music Managers Forum  (Australia). In 2008  he was honoured by the Australian music industry when he was awarded one  of their highest accolades, The Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Music.

Peter Downie has made an outstanding contribution, and impact on paediatric cancer. He is well regarded by his peers and much loved by his patients. Peter’s contribution extends well beyond his medical expertise and research into children’s cancer, as he is also recognised for his contributions to fundraising for paediatric cancer research. Following an internship in general medicine at Prince Henry’s Hospital (Melbourne), Peter commenced training in paediatrics at the Royal Children’s Hospital in the early 1980’s. He was appointed Chief Resident (1988), and Clinical Research Fellow in the Department of Haematology-Oncology (1989 – 91). Peter accepted a consultant position in general paediatrics and paediatric haematology-oncology at Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, (1992) and then as a Research Fellow at the Wyler Children’s Hospital, University of Chicago. Peter spent two years studying biology and molecular signalling in childhood leukaemia. As a consequence of this work, Peter was awarded 1^st Prize at the 4th annual Basic Sciences Symposium, University of Chicago, for his research. He has been a Consultant at the Royal Children’s Hospital since1994, leading the unit for three years from 2008.  He was instrumental in establishing the Leukaemia Research Fund at the RCH, which has raised over $3mil for research into childhood leukemia. Since 2004, Peter has mentored and trained 12 Paediatric Oncology Fellows, many of whom now hold senior consultant positions in Australia and overseas. Peter is Head of Oncology at the Children’s Cancer Centre at Monash Children’s Hospital and Head of the Children’s Cancer Research at the Hudson Institute, Monash University. Other achievements include: – Chair of the Australian & New Zealand Children’s Haematology-Oncology Group 2007-2014.  He remains the executive. – Medical Director of the Victorian Paediatric Integrated Cancer Service 2010-2014. – Governor, Malcolm Sargent Fund for Children with Cancer 2004-2010 – Spokesman for Bailey’s Day, a charitable event that has raised over $1Mil for the Monash Children’s Cancer Centre.

During the Boer War, her Majesty  Queen Victoria, aged 82, decided to personally decorate her heroes so she  crocheted four scarves to be presented to private soldiers of her Colonial Forces serving in South Africa who displayed great  acts  of gallantry. The scarves were  of thick brown wool, crocheted in a block pattern, five inches wide and  long enough to be worn as a sash similar to a Colour Sergeant’s sash of the period,  the same manner in which it was  worn by Dufrayer,  but whether intended by Queen Victoria to be worn as a sash or a scarf  is not known. It was  proposed that one  scarf  was  to go to one  soldier from each of the  Colonial  Contingents – (Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and  South African). The Australian selected to receive this unique honour was Old Brighton Grammarian, Alfred Dufrayer. The act of bravery which resulted in Alfred’s  honour occurred when  Trooper Dufrayer  ignored heavy Boer gunfire to rescue a comrade who had  been knocked unconscious after his horse was  shot. Unfortunately Queen Victoria died before being  able  to present the scarves herself. Instead, in May 1901,  their Royal Highnesses the Duke and  Duchess of York and Cornwall  (later King George V and  Queen Mary) visited Australia  on their world tour and  for the opening of Federal Parliament. During the visit to Sydney, a Royal Review  was  held at Centennial Park  on 28 May 1901,  and  after an inspection of the troops  on parade, the Duke presented Alfred Dufrayer  (now a second Lieutenant in the first Infantry Regiment) with the scarf. Although  popular mythology  has  suggested that this award was  the equivalent of the Victoria Cross, this is not supported by evidence.

One of the rising stars of the Australia opera scene, Christopher Busietta can be found singing on the opera stages of Germany, currently as a full-time tenor soloist with Theater Augsburg. Christopher toured Victoria for two years as principal tenor with Opera Australia’s (Oz-Opera) primary schools company, as well as singing leading roles for Lyric Opera of Melbourne and iOpera. After winning the 2009 German Australian Opera Grant, he relocated to Germany, singing with most well-known theatre and opera companies. To date he has 39 operatic roles in his repertoire. Christopher has also had a very successful career in musical theatre and these have included performing as Marius in Les Miserables and Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. Christopher also writes original folk, rock and classical music and performs his pieces under the name Blue Macaw.

Simon left a successful corporate career in branding and marketing to start Grill’d. Drawing upon his expertise and success Simon launched Grill’d as a unique and differentiated player in the cluttered fast food environment. After being described by The Age Good Weekend as ‘the best burgers in Victoria, Australia or the world’, customers flocked to Grill’d, and kept coming. After 10 years of business, accolades for Grill’d continue to grow, as does the number of restaurants. Currently there are more than 100 restaurants across Australia, with overseas expansion pending.

When three schoolmates left their professional careers to launch NutrientWater, under the company Made, they knew they had made the right choice. Now with five category-leading beverage brands in their portfolio, this group of men have created a range of innovative, healthy products worth $100m a year. In 2015 Made celebrated its tenth birthday as a very successful Australian company with a dedicated sales force, direct distribution network and state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, that services 20,000 retail customers including Australia’s largest retail chains.

Like many comedians before him, Charlie studied Arts/Law before making his foray into comedy. He made his first appearance at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 1997 and this led to many successful ventures, performing standup comedy around the world. Charlie co-hosted Channel 10s ‘The Project’ for five years before creating and hosting The Weekly on the ABC.  He was also a regular on other shows like Talkin’ ‘bout Your Generation and Rove Live. In 2010 Charlie released a book – Impractical Jokes. Charlie is widely recognised as a political junkie and for his amazing general knowledge.

London born, Japanese actor Masa Yamaguchi, attended BGS in Year 10, 11 and 12 during which time he was a homestay student in Bentleigh. After initially studying fashion at RMIT, Masa went on to NIDA to study acting, and graduated with a degree in Performing Arts in 2001.     Since graduating he has had substantial roles in many hit movies, including Wolverine, The Railway Man, Star Wars 3, and Tomorrow when the war began, as well as roles on TV and the stage.

Chris Dawes was drafted by Collingwood while still at School. He is one of few players who kicked a goal with his first kick in AFL football, setting the standard for a five-year stint with Collingwood. Chris’ time at Collingwood included winning a coveted Premiership in 2010.  After playing six seasons at Collingwood, Chris is now playing for the Melbourne Demons alongside fellow Old Boys Jack Watts, Christian Salem and Jayden Hunt.

Josh Kelly burst on to the AFL scene with an eye-catching performance in Round 2 of the 2014 season. Josh lived up to expectations with an outstanding ‘rookie’ campaign, and all indications are that he will be a long term AFL player. His first season with the Greater Western Sydney Giants was outstanding, and Josh subsequently took out the club’s 2014 Rising Star award.

Ben is fulfilling his destiny as an AFL player. A natural born leader, Ben captained the Victoria Metro team as a junior, and won All-Australian honours in the 2010 NAB AFL U18 Championships.   He was Port Adelaide’s first selection in the 2010 AFL draft, and selected at number 16 overall.  After two seasons Ben returned to Melbourne to play with North Melbourne, and is considered one of the game’s best taggers.

Christian was the 9^th pick in the 2013 AFL draft joining the Melbourne Football Club.  He has made a significant impact at the Melbourne Football Club and is hailed as integral to the Club’s rebuilding and revival. Recognised for his skill, he is a player who uses the ball beautifully, and is able to execute the basics under pressure.

Jack Watts was selected by the Melbourne Football Club as the Number 1 AFL Draft Pick in 2008. He debuted at the Queen’s Birthday clash the following year, and his versatility and extraordinary athleticism has seen him play in a variety of positions.   Jack achieved a major milestone in 2015, playing his 100^th game – a wonderful feat for any footballer.

In 2014, Julian and Jack won the prestigious Tropfest short film festival. Their hilarious film Granny Smith is the cringe-worthy story of a young man who takes a ‘sickie’, that sets off a snowball of deceit.   Hundreds of short films are submitted to this film festival every year but only 16 make it to the final and from there, only one winner. This is the second time Julian and Jack have been finalists in the top 16 films at Tropfest.