St Bede's College (Mentone)

Beginnings and success

Founded in 1938, St Bede's College is administered by the De La Salle Brothers and named after St. Bede the Venerable, a Benedictine monk and priest who spent his life teaching and writing in the monasteries. The college also conducted a boarding school from its inception.

St Bede’s drew mainly Catholic students from Mentone and surrounding suburbs and its atmosphere was that of a ‘middle of the road’ institution, not one with solely upper middle class aspirations. Nevertheless, it drew on the desire for secondary education among those who could afford it and could see the post-Depression world as one where this would be highly valued.

Many of the College graduates have entered various professions; alumni include Professor Ron McCallum of Sydney University, a specialist in industrial law, and Shane Marshall, a judge in the Industrial Court.

In the sporting world St Bede’s has produced several Olympians, perhaps the most notable being Peter Fitzgerald, a semi-finalist in the 200 meters at the 1976 Montreal Games. There have also been Gerard Healy, winner of the 1988 Brownlow Medal, and Shaun Graf, who represented Australia at one-day cricket in the 1980s. Thousands of other graduates have made a contribution to our society.

In 2016, the college's F1 in Schools team, Infinitude, set the World Record at the World Finals in Austin, Texas, in collaboration with Brighton Secondary School, Adelaide.

Principals

Alumni

School productions

† Students performing in Kilbreda College production
‡ Students performing in Mentone Girls Grammar production