快播

"Yarra continues to produce great people."

Some of Luke Gillies鈥� best moments at Yarra happened on the sports field. A passionate cricketer and footy player, Luke lapped up Saturday morning sport and being part of the footy and cricket teams.

鈥淵ou win and you lose with your best mates. You celebrate and commiserate together and I loved that,鈥� he says.

鈥淥ne of my most memorable moments happened during a footy game against Assumption College. Yarra had been the easy beats for some time but one brilliant day we played Assumption on the oval at Yarra and I kicked four goals, including one from the boundary. That鈥檚 one of my best memories.鈥�

Luke joined Yarra in Year 7 and remembers his dad tying his school tie at the start of every school term, so he could loop it over his head every morning.

鈥淚鈥檓 now tying the ties for my kids. I liked the tie because it stood out and identified me as part of the Yarra community,鈥� he says.

In his later years at Yarra, Luke focused on business-related subjects, such as accounting and economics, and he went on to study business at Swinburne University.

He now uses those skills to help run his family鈥檚 business 鈥� they own three Snooze franchises in the outer eastern suburbs.

Luke has maintained links with Yarra through the old boys footy club and he鈥檚 also maintained a focus on sport, fitness and health, eventually swapping footy for marathon running and Iron Man triathlons.

鈥淢y family, sport, physical and mental health and my job keep me balanced. Now I鈥檓 involved in my kids鈥� sports 鈥� I鈥檝e coached their teams and drive them to games and I thoroughly enjoy that,鈥� says Luke.

His approach to finding success in any walk of life is simple.

鈥淵ou have to keep turning up. When we played football and didn鈥檛 kick a point, we kept turning up and eventually things turn around. You have to trust the process,鈥� says Luke.

The mark Yarra made on him and the school motto are still meaningful to Luke, years after he graduated.

鈥淵ou have to look out for opportunities and look for the next thing coming over the horizon. Don鈥檛 concentrate on the back catalogue too much!鈥� he says.

鈥淵arra was a big part of my life 鈥� it was my community.鈥�