Hayley Berry

We were thrilled to celebrate OHA Week in August once again with our vibrant school community. 

OHA Week is a cherished week for our Pre-Senior and Senior School students, providing them with the opportunity to connect with their alma mater, reflect on the achievements of those who have gone before them, and explore the benefits of their OHA membership for life beyond Haileybury. 

Throughout the week, students enjoyed a variety of carnival games, interactive activities, engaging presentations and the ever-popular tasty food trucks. The goal was to raise awareness of the OHA brand and facilitate connections with alumni across diverse fields. This initiative was a tremendous success, fostering a greater sense of community and shared purpose. 

A highlight of the week was the presentation of the OHA Outstanding Young Alumni Awards. We proudly celebrated the accomplishments of six exceptional alumni across five fields of expertise: 

• Arts: Lincoln Hilton (OH 2010) 

• Business: Jess Abraham (OH 2018) 

• Sport: Tory Taylor (OH 2015) represented by his brother, Ashton 

• Sport: Oscar Piastri (OH 2019) represented by his mother, Nicole 

• STEM: Kenji Fujihara (OH 2013) 

• Community: Lily Ford (OH 2019)

These recipients have excelled in their respective fields, demonstrating outstanding achievements and embodying the values of youth today. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Tory, Oscar and Kenji for their inspiring video messages. 

The OHA Generations Breakfast at the Haileybury Brighton campus was another memorable event. It was heart-warming to see grandparents, parents, students and staff come together to celebrate Haileybury’s rich history. The morning was filled with delicious food, family portraits and the beautiful music of our talented String Quartet. 

Our Hearts of Fire event was a standout success, providing current Year 12 students with invaluable insights from alumni about post-school life, from university pathways to gap year opportunities. A special thank you to Jess Abraham (OH 2018), Melissa Allen (OH 2009), Freya Stills-Blot (OH 2022), Mackenzie Liddell (OH 2023), Jorgia Mellon (OH 2023), Ruby O’Connell (OH 2022), Zara Scammell (OH 2022) and Sarah Tan (OH 2023) for their generous contributions. 

The Class of 1994 had a fantastic time celebrating their 30 year reunion at the Haileybury City campus. It was wonderful to see old friends reconnect, reminisce and relive fond memories. 

The OHA Mornington Peninsula Lunch provided a spectacular conclusion to OHA Week. Sixty members of our community gathered for a delightful three-course meal and drinks at Jackalope, one of the Mornington Peninsula’s most picturesque vineyards. The stunning views, excellent food and lively company made it an unforgettable event. 

We are incredibly grateful for the support of our volunteer alumni and OHA Council members, whose dedication shapes the future of our Association. 

Once a Haileyburian, always a Haileyburian. 

Beau was only seven or eight years old when he started singing lessons and taking classes in musical theatre. He soon took his first steps on stage, too, at his local performing arts school. 

“I played a very enthusiastic starfish in some numbers from The Little Mermaid!” says Beau. 

He has come a very long way since that first on-stage experience and Beau was recently revealed as the lead in the Australian premiere of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, Dear Evan Hansen. 

The achievement is the result of years of hard work, with Beau routinely performing and touring Australia and New Zealand, and later working in the UK after graduating from Haileybury in 2020. 

“My family have always been extremely supportive, taking me to classes and sacrificing their time for me. I’m very happy to be bringing this show to Australia where my friends and family can see me perform.” says Beau. 

Dear Evan Hansen is the powerful coming-of-age story of a socially anxious high school student who finds himself in the spotlight when he inadvertently creates a role for himself at the centre of a local tragedy. It has won six Tony Awards. Beau will play the shy and timid highschooler who is ashamed of his social anxiety. 

Beau received a call at three o’clock in the morning telling him he had won the lead role. 

“I’d been studying in London at the time and was completing my MA in Musical Theatre at the Royal Academy of Music. I answered the phone and my team here in Australia gave me the good news. Even though I had a long day of work ahead of me, I didn’t get any more sleep that night,” says Beau. 

“It’s a very vocally demanding show, so at the moment I am just building up my stamina and singing the show’s material six days a week. I want to become very familiar with it so I can play with that material when I’m in the rehearsal room with the very talented and creative cast,” says Beau. 

While his focus is now firmly set on bringing Evan Hansen to life, Beau also has strong and fond memories of his performing arts experiences at Haileybury. 

“I played Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls at Castlefield, and Emmett Forest in Legally Blonde during Year 11 at Keysborough,” he says. 

“However, a standout for me is probably a production that unfortunately never saw the light of day due to COVID-19. It was a parody play of Harry Potter called Puffs and while we were looking forward to putting that on, everyone had a great time during the rehearsal period.” 

The opening night of Dear Evan Hansen was held in Sydney on 17 October and arrives in Melbourne at the Playhouse Theatre in December.