BSSC Centenary Celebrations

OLD GOLD ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

BENDIGO HIGH SCHOOL
BENDIGO SENIOR SECONDARY COLLEGE

General Information Membership Current news & reunions Memorabilia for sale History of the college

History Centenary Presentation Centenary photostory (15MB)

Centenary celebrations 2007

Promoting the Centenary Opening of 1913 Time Capsule Visual Arts Exhibition Civic Reception The Arts Spectacular Opening Ecumenical Church Service Rededication of WW1 Honour Boards
& Dedication of electronic WW2 Roll of Honour Student Assemblies Placing of 2057 Time Capsule

Two Centennial Legacies Naming of Buildings World War Rolls of Honour

World War 1 BHS ex students World War 1 Old Bendigo Colleges World War 2 flash World war 2 adobe

School songs A conversation with Edith Where are they now? Archive

90th Reunion 95th Reunion

Rededication of restored WW1 Honour Boards & Dedication of electronic WW2 Roll of Honour

Following the Ecumenical Church Service, the congregation remained in the James King Hall for another significant service.

This included the Rededication of The Great War Honour Rolls. The school has two WW1 Honour Boards, one for former students of Bendigo High School and a second for former students of the Old Bendigo Colleges (St Andrew's College, Sandhurst Corporate High School & Bendigo Grammar School).

Both these Honour Boards have recently been moved from the Quadrangle building (where they were exposed to the weather and deteriorating) to the James King Hall. Here they are protected and hang alongside our other Honour Boards. The Boards have been restored to show the wood grain and carvings which had for many years been lost under layers of dust, and the names have been redone in gold leaf lettering.

Warwick Johanson, a former student who served in the navy and former Chairman of the Sandhurst Trustees, rededicated the Honour Boards. A plaque acknowledging the financial support gained from the Frances and Harold Abbott Foundation was unveiled.

The second part of the service was the dedication of an electronic Roll of Honour for those former students who served in the Second World War.

Jaan Butler, a current Year 11 student, spoke about how Bendigo High School did not have an Honour Board for World War 2. Instead the Memorial Steps leading up to the Administration Building were built as a lasting memorial to those who had served their country.

It has not been an easy task to compile the list. Even in the 1946 Old Gold magazine the school was asking for names of former students who served. The list now comprises 320 names and continues to grow.

However it is better to recognise those whose names we do know, than not to recognise any. So an electronic Roll of Honour was unveiled. This was designed by Emily Faulkner, a past student and current staff member. It allows further names to be added. The Roll of Honour was dedicated by Major John Balsillie, MBE, a former student who served in the Australian Army for many years and was Mayor City of Bendigo 1993 -1994.

Those WW2 veterans present or family representatives of those on the WW1 or WW2 Rolls of Honour were asked to come forward and were presented with a poppy in recognition of the occasion.

The Ode was then read by Year 12 student, Cara Scobie. This was followed by the playing of the Last Post, a Minute's Silence and the Reveille.

To conclude the last of the Centenary's formal celebrations, the congregation sang "The Best School of All", the song that was the school song when those students went off to either the Great War or the Second World War.

Farewell BBQ-Rosalind Park
The farewell BBQ on the lawns of Rosalind Park was a relaxing but fitting end to the wonderful weekend of celebrations, as for many students the end of their time at the school had involved a celebration in the Park.