St Bernard’s College Old Collegians Association

We are thrilled to introduce a new regular feature that celebrates the remarkable accomplishments of our Old Collegians! Aptly titled "Bernie's Spotlight," each edition will aim to highlight a successful Old Collegian, celebrating their achievements and offering a snapshot-style biographical article about them.

Alf Nastri (SBOC 1985)

Associate Professor Alf Nastri is a highly accomplished Specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon based in Melbourne, Australia. He graduated first in dentistry and then in medicine from the University of Melbourne. Afterward, he completed four years of specialty training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) in Melbourne. His expertise extends to craniofacial surgery, corrective jaw surgery, and skull base surgery. Mr. Nastri has been in private specialist practice since 1999 and serves as the Director of OMF Surgery at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Recently, he was appointed as an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences. His special interests include corrective jaw surgery, implantology, maxillofacial trauma, and the management of maxillofacial tumours. Despite a busy surgical workload, he remains committed to teaching and contributing to the field of OMF

An amazingly accomplished Old Collegian who continues to impress!

We are mourning the passing of esteemed Old Collegian and Hall of Fame inductee Stefan Romaniw OAM (SBOC 1973). Stefan served as co-chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations and was the First Vice President of the Ukrainian World Congress. He received numerous awards, including the Order of Australia Medal for his contributions to education and language learning for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. His legacy is marked by his significant role in advocating for Ukraine's independence. Stefan was a passionate advocate for human rights, social justice, and democracy, and a cherished friend to many in the St Bernard’s community.

Closer to home, Stefan was inducted into the St Bernard's Hall of Fame in 2013, recognising his exceptional care and commitment to both our local community and the Ukrainian community.

Stefan was featured at one of our Business Breakfasts in 2023 and captivated all who attended with his unique insight into global politics, and how important Australia is on the world stage.

His loss will be felt worldwide - Please keep his family in your thoughts.

Rest In Peace Stefan, ALWAYS a Bernard's Boy.

Congratulations to Fr Thomas Christie, who was ordained as a priest late last year in November.

In his greeting and introduction during the ordination service, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli commented on how good it was to see the cathedral so full of people for the ordinations of Fr Huy Nguyen, Fr Vinh Do and Fr An Le to the priesthood, and of Rev Thomas Christie, Rev Tien Tran and Rev Peter (Ngoc) Nguyen to the transitional diaconate.

Fr Tom had an opportunity prior to the service to record a short reflection video about his ascension, he shared how important it had been for him to grow up in a loving and committed Catholic family, and also spoke of the formative influence of his childhood parish priest. ‘His reverence, and the way that he celebrated the liturgy, the Mass, in hindsight did have a deep and profound effect and impact on me,’ he said. He was looking forward in his vocation to being an ‘instrument of grace’, accompanying people ‘both in the most joyous occasions of their life, but also in the most tragic ones’.

Dane Swan (SBOC 2001), the Collingwood cult hero, was recently inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame. The gala event took place in Melbourne, where six new inductees were honoured. Among them was Swan, who stole the show with a raw and heartfelt induction speech. Here are some highlights:

• When Swan received the call from the AFL, he initially didn’t answer because he didn’t recognize the number. Instead, he rang his manager, Liam Pickering. The call turned out to be the nicest one he’d ever received from the AFL, confirming his Hall of Fame induction.
• Swan’s career was marked by both on-field brilliance and off-field controversy. He was a leader during Collingwood’s dominant period, helping them win the flag in 2010 and securing the Brownlow Medal with a record 34 votes in 2011.
• Reflecting on his junior days, Swan humorously admitted that he used to think AFL was all about getting drink cards on Saturday nights. His journey from that mindset to Hall of Fame recognition is a testament to his talent and resilience.

An incredible accomplishment - Congratulations Dane!

2024 Reunions

With our 2024 Reunion season well and truly underway, its been fantastic to see such strong numbers of Old Collegians attending and excited to reconnect with each other, and the College

If you haven't yet - make sure to RSVP to your Reunion, we would love to host as many Old Collegians as possible

We are nearly at the end of an exceptional reunion season - thank you to all who attended.