Luc Longley AM is an iconic Australian and basketball champion.
Luc’s inherent curiosity and courage led him to blaze the trail for elite Australian basketballers becoming the first Australian to play in the NBA. He also represented Australia in three Olympic Teams including at the 1988 Seoul Olympics which delivered Australia’s best result for the Men’s Team until 2021.
Luc joined the Chicago Bulls in 1994 and was their starting centre from 1995 to 1998. He was a critical component in their famous three-peat, winning back-to-back championships from 1996-1998 and setting an NBA record with 72 wins and only 10 losses. Luc was coached and mentored by the legendary Phil Jackson and played alongside some of basketball’s most iconic players including Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, and Steve Kerr. The Team, and this incredible accomplishment, were the subjects of the 2020 Netflix & ESPN Documentary, The Last Dance.
After a 12-year break, Luc re-entered the world of basketball and signed on as an Assistant Coach for the Australian National Men’s Team, the Boomers, ahead of the London 2012 Olympics, a role he held until recently. Luc currently works with the Sydney Kings as a special advisor and takes great pride in mentoring the next generation of elite Australian basketballers.
In 2019 Luc was named a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to basketball as a player, coach and administrator.
Gary Ablett Jr. visits Queensland, giving footy fans everywhere the chance to experience a lunch with the greatest footballer of the modern era.
An 8x All Australian, 5x AFLPA MVP winner, 5x Club Best & Fairest, 2x AFL premiership player and dual Brownlow Medallist, no player in the history of the AFL has achieved more than Gary.
With Gary to share insights from football, family and life itself – guests can expect a luncheon unlike anything they have ever experienced before from an Australian sportsperson.
Rupert McCall OAM is an Australian poet of international renown. His tributes to special events and occasions have become highly sought-after and treasured for the indelible mark they’ve left on audiences everywhere.
He has presented on stages from Anzac Cove in Gallipoli to Ground Zero in New York and honoured such heroes as Roger Federer, Dawn Fraser, John Eales, Steve Irwin and Black Caviar with his words!
In 2013 as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, Rupert received a Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia for services to the community, particularly as a poet.
His 2019 publication Golden Soil has been a best-seller.
Sam Lane is a pioneering broadcast journalist and author. Her award-winning work spans print, television, podcast, and radio.
Sam’s first book, ROAR, is the definitive account of the birth of the Australian Football League’s elite competition for women. Published in 2018, ROAR was formally endorsed by Australia’s first woman Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. ROAR became part of the global movement for gender equity, diversity, and inclusion, with the AFLW catalysing profound change on and off-field.
A trailblazer on television, Sam covered men’s AFL on Channels Seven and Ten for more than 15 years. In 2013, she joined Channel Seven’s prime-time Saturday night footy coverage and was part of Seven’s record-breaking broadcast of the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She has covered every AFLW season on Channel 7 telecasts since the competition’s inception in 2017, and hosts a weekly AFLW podcast on the ABC: The W–with Sharni and Sam.
Sam’s journalism awards include two Melbourne Press Club Quills, a Walkley, two VicHealth awards, the AFL Players’ Association and AFL Coaches’ Association media prizes, and an Australian Sports Commission media award.
Silver Superstars
Bronze Heroes
Event Supporters
Champagnat Trust
The Champagnat Trust was established in 2005 by the College Foundation with Old Boys’ John Eales as Patron and later Matthew Hayden as co-patron. Paying homage to the Marist Brothers’ Founder, the trust ardently upholds cherished Marist traditions. Annually, the Trust extends bursaries to economically disadvantaged families and those facing financial hardship, affording boys who might otherwise be deprived the chance to partake in a Marist education.
Bursaries provide full, half or part of tuition, boarding fees (where applicable) and compulsory fees for students entering Years 5 to 12.
The Champagnat Trust bursaries enhance and celebrate the diversity of the College community and generate opportunities for students to make friendships with boys from all walks of life.
Over the past 20 years, parents, Old Boys, and the extended community have come together to raise more than $2.7m for this worthwhile cause, providing 123 bursaries to Marist Men. Previous bursary recipients have achieved success in professions including engineering, carpentry, law, media, property, music, and rugby.
History of the Sports Lunch
The Marist College Ashgrove Champagnat Trust Sports Lunch is more than an event, it is a celebrated tradition within the community.
Regularly a sellout, the event has grown year on year (attracting 900+ attendees in 2023) to become one of the most sought-after tickets in town with attendees from across the school and broader Southeast Queensland corporate and commercial community.
In 2024, to celebrate the 20th Anniversary, our generous guests and supporters are in for a captivating day hosted by Rupert McCall. Joining the memorable occasion are special guests including the iconic Luc Longley, the legendary Gary Ablett Jr. and the insightful Sam Lane. Adding to the afternoon, esteemed patrons John Eales and Matthew Hayden will revisit highlights from the past two decades.
A live and silent auction and raffles will provide guests with engaging and enjoyable opportunities to further contribute.
Standard ticket: two-course lunch and six-hour beverage package
Date: Friday 31 May 2024, Great Hall – Brisbane Convention and Exhibition
Join us for this premium ticketed event and help transform a young boy’s life.
