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鈥淚 enjoyed Saturday morning sport 鈥� the camaraderie and pride in supporting the school.鈥�

Getting to grips with the intricacies of tying a school tie was one of the first things Bentleigh Gibson had to adjust to when he joined Yarra in Grade 5.

鈥淚 knew a student who was already at the school and asked him what would happen if I didn鈥檛 tie my tie correctly. He said I鈥檇 figure it out, and when I arrived at Yarra I saw all my peers had crooked ties too and I felt instantly at home!鈥� says Bentleigh.

Throughout his time at Yarra, he had a passion for English and words. A self-confessed bookworm who loved reading the dictionary to explore new words, Bentleigh鈥檚 love of language has remained and helped him navigate careers in sales, general management and event management. He is currently General Manager of Service Enhancement for the Gastroenterological Society of Australia.

Bentleigh remembers a series of teachers having a profound impact on his school journey, such as Kelvin Emmett who helped him overcome a fear of public speaking and John Lawley who fuelled his passion for English Literature.

鈥淚 also remember my Year 7 tutorial teacher, Mr Archer, who was a gentle giant, and Mr Ramsden who taught us how to make movies and dub sound effects during Year 5,鈥� says Bentleigh.

He formed strong friendships at Yarra, many of which have remained to this day.

鈥淕irls didn鈥檛 join the school until I was in Year 10 and until then I remember there being distinct groups of friends, such as the 鈥楽teppers鈥� who were the athletic students. They hung out on the steps and had prime position. Then there were the 鈥榮katers鈥� who used to skate to school and the music guys and the bookworms. All different people but everyone got along,鈥� says Bentleigh.

After graduating, he studied Public Relations and Communications and then International Politics at university.

Since then, he鈥檚 taken opportunities to work in a range of roles, each of which he has learned from to help him keep moving forward in his professional life.

鈥淚 was always hungry to learn and looked for opportunities to develop my leadership and confidence,鈥� he says.

And what are his words of advice for today鈥檚 generation of Yarra students?

鈥淲hen I was at school, I used to think that what other people thought of you was important. It doesn鈥檛 matter. It sounds like a clich茅 but just be you,鈥� he says.