Snapshot 2025

We marked the official opening of the all-new A C C Farran Hall and Kitchens Precinct in March with a formal dinner for 250 alumni, friends and benefactors. Made possible thanks to many generous gifts by alumni and supporters, most notably Andrew Farran (TC 1957), the development was envisioned by Melbourne architecture firm Hayball in partnership with heritage specialists Lovell Chen and external project supervisors DCWC. The development, which has expanded the Dining Hall floor, increased seating capacity and incorporated an all-new café with a seating area and subterranean kitchen, was described by Warden Professor Ken Hinchcliff as a ‘resplendent blend of 18th-century architectural glory and 21st-century modernity’.

Roy McNab from Melbourne was elected the new Senior Student of the Residential College. Other members of the Trinity College Associated Clubs (TCAC) for 2026 are: Social Secretary Abby Latimer; Treasurer Charlie Harley; Indoor Rep Henri Lempriere; Arts Rep Mim Moran; Men’s Sport Rep Angus Watson; Women’s Sport Rep Lily Taylor; and Community Rep Dion Whitfield.

Trinity broke with tradition by naming joint recipients of the Bill Cowan Alum of the Year award. Animator Timothy Bain (TC 1997) and immunologist Mimi Tang (TC 1982) both accepted the honour in February.

Tim is one of the most respected talents in children’s television, having worked on critically acclaimed shows such as Bluey. More recently, he has returned to Melbourne to direct his first live-action series, Knee High Spies.

As one of the world’s leading paediatric allergist immunologists and immunopathologists, Mimi has transformed the lives of many children with her revolutionary approach to treating food allergies. Having led a research program that developed a groundbreaking treatment for peanut allergies, Mimi now finds herself involved in the commercialisation of that technology.

Pathways School graduates celebrated the completion of their Foundation Studies program at our Summer (March) and Winter (July) Valedictory Balls. A hearty congratulations to our duxes: Dinugi Lehansa Kankanam Gamage (January Comprehensive 2024); Shenghaun Yin (February Standard 2024); Yiran Gao (February Standard 2024); Queenie Yangson (June Fast Track 2024); Avani Arora (July Comprehensive 2024) (pictured left below); Xinyue Han (August Standard 2024); and Chieh-Lin Fan (September Fast Track 2024) (pictured right below).

Trinity’s men’s firsts VIII rowing team represented the University of Melbourne in the Chengdu International Open Rowing Regatta. The crew of nine were one of the top 20 university rowing teams in the world invited to compete in the event. Trinity placed 4th in the final with a time of 2:26.06.

Congratulations to Digby Bankes (TC 2024), Olly Williams (TC 2023), Archie Allen (TC 2024), Ryan Fowler (TC 2024), Casper Tabain (TC 2025), Jack Anderson (TC 2024), Zac Cooper (TC 2025), Alex Leviny (TC 2023) and Charlie Wallace (TC 2023) (cox) on their efforts.

Our men’s Australian rules football team (below) sealed a historic 10th title in September. Our resident rowers also had an inspired outing at the Intercollegiate Rowing Regatta, where the Trinity women’s first VIII claimed the top spot, breaking an 11-year drought, while the men’s first VIII made it four in a row, holding off strong competition from Ormond and Queen’s. The men’s and women’s second VIII teams also won, completing a clean sweep in rowing for Old Col. Trinity’s success continued at the swimming carnival, with gold in both the men’s and overall championships. Our mixed table tennis team, meanwhile, won their final.

Grease was this year’s musical of choice for our Residential College students. Performed at Uni Hall to sell-out crowds, this faithful take was brimming with theatrical talent. Leads Freya Cantwell (TC 2024) and Alex Mingay (TC 2025) were supported by a stellar cast who fully embraced the production’s kitsch aesthetic. It was brilliantly brought to life by director Sean Hwang (TC 2023) and co-producers Sam Prins (TC 2023) and Hamish Devonshire (TC 2023).

In August, Residential College student Billy Chen (TC 2024) was accepted into the Australia and Pacific National Leadership Forum. Billy was among a group of young leaders given the opportunity to meet with peers, federal MPs and business leaders to further develop their understanding of servant leadership through the lens of values, compassion and connection. Billy is also a member of the Victorian Youth Congress and the Scholarship Team for Advice and Review (STAR) subcommittee of the Western Chances board.

This year’s biannual Barry Marshall Memorial Lecture speaker was Bishop Susan Bell. The 12th Bishop of Niagara, Canada, and Wycliffe College graduate, delivered a talk titled ‘Holiness on the Head: The Life and Times of George Herbert – Priest, Poet and Politician’ at the Buzzard Lecture Theatre.

Meanwhile, the Revd Professor Mark R Lindsay, Trinity College Theological School Deputy & Academic Dean, was appointed a Fellow of the Center of Theological Inquiry (CTI) in Princeton, New Jersey. Professor Lindsay joined the centre, which has a relationship with Princeton Theological Seminar, in August for three months where he worked on future approaches to theological education and Jewish-Christian interfaith engagement under the umbrella theme of hope.

June’s National Indigenous Tertiary Education Student Games (NITESG) in Perth gave the University of Melbourne’s Murrup Barak team the opportunity to showcase their athletic talent against 30 other Australian universities. The team featured several Trinity residents and alumni and finished in 12th position. Special shoutout to residents Eddie Cubillo (TC 2025) pictured below, Jaidah Lowe (TC 2024), Jude Fixter (TC 2024), Bella Mariu (TC 2024), Will Morgan (TC 2024), Amara Peate (TC 2024) and Dion Whitfield (TC 2024) who participated. We also can’t forget alumni Anisha Damaso (TC 2022) and Alyssa Wilson (TC 2022), who also joined the team.

Trinity hosted 18 visiting scholars throughout 2025. Our first scholar was Pietro Lorenzetti. Pietro, a control engineering researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), called Trinity home while working with Professor Dragan Nešić at the University of Melbourne.

Autumn saw the arrival of Irish professor of theology and mission Dr Robert Heaney from Virginia Theological Seminary. Robert is well known in his field for his contributions to the Lambeth Conference Design Group.

Renowned lawyer, law academic and Washington Post contributor Professor Ned Foley arrived in August with his wife Miranda Cox (pictured) to deliver a talk titled ‘Why is American democracy in such peril?’ to the University of Melbourne’s Law School and Trinity College residents.

Spring arrived with a flurry of visiting scholars including architectural professor Johan Lagae from Ghent University, Gourlay Visiting Professors Chellie Spiller (University of Waikato) and Manoj Dora (Anglia Ruskin University), and Associate Professor Joey Zhou of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.

Trinity College Theological School postdoctoral research fellow Dr Natalie F Mylonas (FHEA) became the first Australian to be granted the prestigious Gingko Foundation Interfaith Fellowship. The Foundation seeks to forge positive relationships between scholars in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and the West. Natalie is a Hebrew Bible scholar, founder of Learn Ancient Hebrew online education and author of Jerusalem as Contested Space in Ezekiel (Bloomsbury, 2023).

In July, Trinity's Victoria Street campus expanded, with the addition of two new levels, adding to the existing floors already leased. The expansion allows for improved Pathways School facilities for both students and staff. The new floors feature additional lecture rooms and tutorial spaces as well as a new resource hub (library), social and study spaces, a wellbeing area, consultation rooms, a staff kitchen and lounge.

In July, Romy Cantwell (TC 2021) bagged bronze in the women’s single skulls event at the U23 World Rowing Championships in Poland. 2025 proved to be a defining year for the Melbourne-based Romy; in September, she represented Australia at senior level for the first time at the 2025 World Rowing Championships.

Kirsten Gray (TC 1984) was appointed Chair of the Trinity College Board in May, succeeding Kerry Gleeson, whose four-year term had concluded. Kirsten brings a wealth of experience as a chair and non-executive director, having joined the Trinity Board in 2023. She currently serves on the Governance, Nominations and Remuneration Committee, and the Trinity College Council. She has also contributed her expertise as a member of the Finance and Audit and Buildings and Grounds Committees.

Congratulations to Ben Beischer (TC 2020) on a strong performance at the 2025 World University Games in Germany, finishing 14th in a competitive field of 50 athletes in the men’s half marathon.