Mike Symon (Deakin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Saturday 13 October I was invited to the Vermont Secondary College in the redistributed part of my electorate of Deakin to mark the 50th anniversary of its establishment. Originally called Vermont High School, it opened in 1962 with seven teachers and around 90 students. But these days the college has over 140 teaching staff and 1,288 students, a reflection on the growth in the suburbs in the outer east of Melbourne and even more so on the high regard that the school is held in by the community, both in the local area and far beyond.

Outside the school, as part of the celebrations, a 50-year commemorative mural was unveiled by the principal, Mr Tony Jacobs. Inside, in the auditorium, the occasion was marked with the release of the college's 50th yearbook, titled Yeramba1962 to 2012.Containing many fascinating snippets of local history, there is much for any local resident to learn from a look through its pages. Former principals Stan Leach, John Knothe and Rod Williamson were also in attendance, along with a large group of former students, including some of the VSC pioneers who were the inaugural class of 1962. I congratulate everyone who has worked on or been a part of the Vermont Secondary College's 50th anniversary celebrations, and I am sure that the next 50 years will build upon the success of the first 50 years.