Thistlelonians

About the Thistlelonians

The Thistlelonians was formed in 1994 to encompass the ex-students and staff of McKinnon High School/McKinnon Secondary College. Our goal is to celebrate and facilitate communication and involvement amongst the past and present college community.

All of our fundraising endeavours are proudly channeled direclty back to the College.

Office Bearers

Contact Details

President: Geoff Woolnough ('71)

Vice-President/Treasurer: Andrew Newton (Former Assistant Principal)

Secretary: Jenny Cooke ('65)

Administrator: Melanie Lynch

Email: alumni@mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au

Phone: (03) 8520 9092

Facebook: McKinnon Secondary College Alumni - Thistlelonians

Stay Connected

Please keep an eye on our Facebook page and school website for updates. Make sure your contact details are up-to-date! Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to update your details.

Are you a McKinnon Secondary College Alumni on LinkedIn? If so, we’d love you to please update the education section of your LinkedIn profile to include the McKinnon Secondary College LinkedIn page.

Our college LinkedIn page includes an ‘alumni’ tab, and once you've added McKinnon Secondary College to the education section of your profile, you will be added to the alumni on our official page.

McKinnon Secondary College Alumni - Thistlelonians - Facebook Page

McKinnon Secondary College - LinkedIn Page

Grand Reunion 2024

On Saturday 26th October 2024, we brought together 12 year levels for our Annual Thistlelonian Grand Reunion. The Grand Reunion included ex-students and staff of McKinnon from the following years: 1959, 'The Originals', 1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1994, 2004, 2014, 2019, and classes of 1990 and 1991 who missed their 10-year reunions due to COVID lockdowns.

There was a fantastic atmosphere with a huge crowd, and we truly enjoyed seeing old friends reconnect and reminisce about their days at McKinnon. This year, we had a food truck with Brendan from Woodstack Fire and Food serving hot fresh pizza to our guests. The friendly bar staff kept everyone entertained and many old acquaintances were renewed. We had visitors from Darwin, Queensland, the ACT, and even New Zealand!

Thank you to the staff, committee, and volunteers involved in making the event so memorable. The spirit of the McKinnon alumni community makes these events so special.

You can view a selection of the photos below or see the full gallery here.

Afternoon Tea 2024

The classes of 1959, ‘The Originals,’ and 1974 were invited back to school on Saturday by Principal Michael Kan for his now-traditional afternoon tea. The class of 1959 celebrated 65 years since graduation, and the class of 1974 celebrated 50 years since graduation.

It was heartwarming to witness their reunion and show them around the school, which has changed quite a bit since their time here! We were even fortunate to have Mr Andrew Leopold, a teacher from 1959, in attendance. The Year 12 string quartet, consisting of Kevin J, May T, Phoebe R, and Jack S, provided background music for the afternoon tea.

Thank you to our incredible Thistlelonian Committee for organising these wonderful events and to the many volunteers who contributed to their success. These moments of connection and tradition continue to strengthen the McKinnon community.

Please enjoy a selection of photos from the special event or see the full gallery here.

Past Events - 2023

2023 Grand Reunion - Classes of 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1993, 2003, 2013, 2018 and Classes of 2001, 2002 who had to miss out on their 10 year reunion due to covid lockdowns.