Bentleigh Gibson

“I enjoyed Saturday morning sport – the camaraderie and pride in supporting the school.”

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.

“I knew a student who was already at the school and asked him what would happen if I didn’t tie my tie correctly. He said I’d figure it out, and when I arrived at Yarra I saw all my peers had crooked ties too and I felt instantly at home!” 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’s 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.

“I 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,” says Bentleigh.

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

“Girls didn’t join the school until I was in Year 10 and until then I remember there being distinct groups of friends, such as the ‘Steppers’ who were the athletic students. They hung out on the steps and had prime position. Then there were the ‘skaters’ who used to skate to school and the music guys and the bookworms. All different people but everyone got along,” says Bentleigh.

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

Since then, he’s 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.

“I was always hungry to learn and looked for opportunities to develop my leadership and confidence,” he says.

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

“When I was at school, I used to think that what other people thought of you was important. It doesn’t matter. It sounds like a cliché but just be you,” he says.