HCC In-Depth - Friday 31 July, 2026

HCC In-Depth (Episode 10)

Three weeks into Term 3, HCC In-Depth is back with hosts VIRAJ and DEANNA guiding us through another busy fortnight across Heritage College — from camps and classroom milestones to a community-wide day of cosy pyjamas. There's plenty to catch up on, so let's get into it.

Adventures at Phillip Island
This week, our Year 8 students headed off to the CYC Phillip Island Adventure Resort for an action-packed camp. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to step outside their comfort zones, build teamwork skills, and create lasting memories together. We sat down with some of our students and teachers after the trip to hear all about their favourite highlights and adventures.

A Digital Guest for Year 1N
As part of their learning, Year 1N enjoyed a very special storytime session to wrap up their two-week book study on "The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name." While he could not be there in person, the class was thrilled to welcome our Principal, Mr Sonny Aiono, as a digital guest speaker. The children loved watching him on screen as he read the story aloud, providing a wonderful and engaging conclusion to their unit.

Cosy for a Cause: National Pyjama Day
In Week 2, our Primary campus was looking extra cosy as students and staff celebrated National Pyjama Day. Everyone came dressed in their favourite pair of PJs to raise vital funds and awareness for children living in foster care. It was a wonderful day filled with warmth, smiles, and community spirit, all for a great cause. Along with PJs, we also asked for donations of toys, which saw a massive donation that will go directly to these children. We'll cover this story in more detail in the coming weeks — stay tuned.

Business in Action at Yakult
On Tuesday, our Year 12 VCE Business Management students visited the Yakult factory in Dandenong to see real-world operations management in action. The excursion allowed students to observe the full production process, including automated assembly lines, industrial robotics, and strict quality management strategies. To top off an insightful day, the students enjoyed sampling the famous drink and watching a short presentation on Yakult's history in Melbourne since 1994.

On the Road to Canberra
Finally, in Primary, students from both our Narre Warren South and Officer campuses travelled up to Canberra for their annual excursion. We've got a few quick photos this week, with much more from their camp to come in next week's episode.

Beyond Heritage
Theana brings us the biggest stories from around our local community and beyond. Closer to home, the Rotary Club of Casey held its annual Antique and Collectible fundraiser at the Cardinia Cultural Centre in Pakenham, with appraiser David Freeman donating his usual fee straight back to the cause. Also in Pakenham, more than 250 brave locals — including Victoria's Police Chief Commissioner — took an icy plunge to raise money for Special Olympics Australia, together raising an incredible $89,000. In the wider Adventist world, Pastor Pablo Lillo has been appointed the South Pacific's local leader for OneVoice27, and a team of Sydney Adventist women travelled to East Honiara in the Solomon Islands to share cooking skills and a message of hope. And from Spain, farmers in the wildfire-prone Galicia region are reviving the native Cachena cattle breed to help graze down flammable undergrowth — a centuries-old idea that's working.

Down to the Siren
It's been a huge week in sport. Our Prep to Year 2 students kicked off their six-week gymnastics program at Sparta Gymnastics, while our Girls Teeball Team represented Heritage at the SSV Division Finals, securing 3rd place overall after winning their District competition. Congratulations to our Primary Players of the Week: Seraph Mudzamiri (3T) from OCP and Imani Lega (2SL) from NCP.

In Secondary sport, our Intermediate Girls Volleyball team claimed a hard-fought 2–0 win over Waverley, staging an extraordinary comeback from 18–8 down in the second set — Player of the Match went to Taysha, with special mentions to Lakeisha and Kanishka. Our Intermediate Boys Soccer team pulled off a comeback of their own, coming from 2–1 down at half-time to win 4–2 against Edinburgh College, with Man of the Match honours going to Bailey and an honourable mention to Kai.

On the world stage, Australia's Commonwealth Games campaign in Glasgow continues to shine — Sam Short led a 1–2–3 Aussie podium sweep in the 400m freestyle, Mollie O'Callaghan claimed gold in the 200m, both our Men's and Women's 4x100m Freestyle Relay teams took gold (with the men breaking a Commonwealth Games record), Hani Watson bagged Australia's first medal of the Games with bronze in Para-powerlifting, and our Women's Gymnastics Team claimed a dramatic Team Final gold — their first since 2010.

See You Next Week
Don't forget — in Week 5, on the 15th of August, is the Heritage College Cultural Night, a fundraising event supporting our students heading to Samoa, with movies, trivia, food and other activities on offer. It's set to be a great night for the whole Heritage community.

That wraps up another episode of HCC In-Depth. Thanks so much for joining us — have a great weekend, Heritage!

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