The 2026 Laureate Assembly, held on Friday 13 February in the Marian Centre, was a wonderful celebration of excellence and recognition of the outstanding achievements of our senior students and the Graduating Class of 2025.

The Laureate Assembly is a special moment in our calendar, traditionally held following the Opening Mass. However, a change in arrangements in 2026 to accommodate the Sesquicentenary Opening Mass at the Sacred Heart Cathedral meant that this year’s ceremony was held as a special assembly at St Mary’s for the senior students, with each award recipient offering an inspiring example for our 2026 students.

Students and families witnessed the graduates and current Year 12 students receive recognition for their exceptional creative and academic success in their VCE Units 3 and 4 and VCE Vocational Major, with the announcement of 2025 Subject Dux recipients and other special awards.

2025 Subject Dux and other special awards recipients

Guest speaker Sam Kane, Class of 2016, delivered a heartfelt address, reflecting on how his experience at Catholic College Bendigo shaped his life beyond school and how he allowed his passions and interests to take him in unexpected directions during the past ten years.

As well as working for the Victorian Government, Sam is a community advocate, President and General Manager of the Golden Square Pool, and has previously worked in the not-for-profit sector at Bendigo Foodshare and as a journalist at the Bendigo Weekly.

Sam was the recipient of the Seeds of Justice Award in 2014 and the Bishop Noel Daly Award in 2016. He was College Captain in 2016, a CCB trainee in 2017 and is currently a member of the Catherine McAuley College Bendigo Advisory Council.

In 2019, Sam was the City of Greater Bendigo Young Citizen of the Year, in recognition of his community advocacy and leadership of the Golden Square Pool and is currently a Churchill Fellow.

The 2025 College Dux Zahli Waugh shared her approach to her Year 12 campaign with the assembled students. She explained how she set her goals and ‘manifested’ her study scores and ATAR. She adopted the mentality of someone who had already achieved so much, which helped her stay motivated and focused.

She also reflected on the Year 12 year is a time of change and transition into adulthood. She believes that maintaining a balanced life is essential: a balance between studying, family and friends, as well as between serious work and enjoyable subjects.

CLICK HERE to read Zahli's speech in full

Other awards presented included the Australian Defence Force Long Tan Youth Leadership Award, awarded to Jude Mappeson, who has already taken up a place at the Defence Force Academy in Canberra. The Australian Defence Force Long Tan Youth Leadership Award was presented to last year’s College Captain, Caleb Tobin.

In arts awards, the recipient of the Art Acquisition Award was Chloe Maher, whose artwork ‘Sanctuary’ was a gouache piece. In her artist’s statement, Chloe wrote that the piece “aims to evoke feelings of peacefulness, curiosity and immersion within the vivid, lush world the main figure itself is surrounded with. By utilising vivid, vibrant colour usage to illustrate the natural environment, I aimed to emphasise the beauties and purity of the flourishing landscape; alongside the life within it. Ultimately, this piece reflects on how there are endless unique, individualised ways through which the living world can be interpreted through an artist's own artworks.”

The JRS Award, a cash prize donated by professional artist and past student, Marcia King, and named in honour of former art teachers, Josie Lowerson, Rhonda Alexander and Sharon Cruise, was awarded to Mason Biggs. Mason’s passion is for animations and cartoons. Due to work commitments he was not able to attend the presentation, but recently took time to visit his past art teachers. 

Mercy Education Limited Shining Lamp Award is an annual prestigious award offered to one student at a Mercy affiliated College each year. The award aims to foster leadership in the Mercy tradition. The recipient of the 2025 award was Sophie Hughes.

In conclusion, the Principal, Mr Brian Turner, congratulated the students on their achievements and reflected on the importance of having vision and continually moving forward in one's life. He endorsed Sam’s comments that having a passion or feeling motivated by a cause will help with your journey, just as the founding Sisters had their vision and passion when they came to Bendigo from Ireland in 1876.

Mr Turner also thanked the families for their support of the students throughout their education and for being present to celebrate their successes. He also wished every student success for their futures, in gap years, work and further education.

Following the presentation, award recipients and their families enjoyed afternoon tea in the St Mary’s Courtyard.