YOG President's Message
It’s been a busy start to the year, with many events in the pipeline!
The Annual Golf Day is close (28 March) and once again is selling fast. This is such a popular event in our calendar, and brings out both the competitive and social nature of YOGs! Once again the day will be held at the Metropolitan Golf Club.
The Good Friday Appeal is being supported by YOGs again this year and is an important community event that YOGs can contribute to. Please see more details on how to get involved in this worthy cause in the Upcoming YOG Events section of this newsletter.
The Annual YOG Cricket match against the 1sts was held this month, and continues to be a great day for all involved. This year, we are planning on opening the 2022/23 Cricket Season with a YOG vs First XI Match on the day of the Yarra Night Market & Cinema on the Oval in October, so be sure to drop in and watch some cricket before heading into the Market!
This year, we are truly excited to acquire a unique piece of art that has been commissioned by YOG, and created by Kristen Jackson (YOG 1998). The brief was happiness, inspiration and Yarra Spirit, and Kristen has created a wonderful painting that depicts these qualities! In Kirsten’s words “every time I put paint to canvas it is filled with such positive intention that I firmly believe is passed onto the buyer”. The artwork will take pride of place in the new Fine Arts building, for both visitors and students to view and enjoy. Look out for an invitation to the official unveiling later this year!
We were represented at the New Parents Welcome Night this month. Many of the parents weren’t aware of YOG, and were very impressed that the school supports such an association of past students, as well as the increased effort we make in providing access to professional/career support to current students. Another sign that we are on the right track with our strategy!
Due to COVID restrictions over the last 2 years, many reunions could not be held. As a result, we’ll be endeavouring to deliver 13 reunions this year! Some will be combined, and there will be a lot of catching up to do! Please see the Reunions article to find out when your reunion is, and watch out for communications via e-mail, Facebook and Instagram to book your spot!
Coming up, we have our Speed Careering event on 2 March, in which YOGs donate their time to talk with students about their career paths, subject choices and tertiary education experience. This is now in its 6th year, and grows in popularity each year. It’s a really great example of how current and past students can connect and how YOGs can contribute to the Yarra community.
Last year, we held our inaugural YOG Uni Catch Ups in which YOGs donate their time to help new Uni students acclimatise to life at Uni and get the most out of their experience. COVID made this a virtual event last year, however this year we should be able to run these days on the relevant Uni campus. If you are interested in showing some students around YOUR Uni, please email us at yog@yvg.vic.edu.au.
More and more YOGs are coming back to talk with current students (in small and large groups) about their professional experiences. Younger YOGs have appreciated the experience when they were students, and are contributing back to the community in the same way. This really captures the Yarra Spirit and what YOG is all about!
The YOG AGM is being held on Tuesday 15 March at 7pm in the Brooke Nicholas Pavilion. We would love to see as many of you as possible at Yarra for this meeting, to become involved in the committee and have a say in the direction that YOG is heading!
Just a reminder that the YOG association is here to support you getting in touch with other YOGs, to both benefit from and contribute to such a great association. If you’d like to champion a get together of some type (such as drama, music, sport) then please get in touch with us via yog@yvg.vic.edu.au
