GRADUATES & ALUMNI

At the heart of Bayside Christian College is a commitment to developing young men and women of faith, character, purpose, and influence. Our vision extends far beyond academic achievement; we seek to inspire students to discover their God-given gifts, understand God’s purpose for their lives, and develop the knowledge, wisdom, and character required to make a positive difference in the world.

Through a Christ-centred education, students are challenged to pursue excellence in learning, grow in their faith, and develop the confidence and resilience needed to navigate an increasingly complex and changing world. We encourage our students to become lifelong learners, servant leaders, and active contributors to their communities—individuals who seek to honour God through lives of integrity, compassion, leadership, and service.

Although Bayside Christian College is a relatively young school, we are immensely proud of the achievements of our graduates and the positive impact they are already making in their communities and chosen fields. Our alumni are pursuing diverse pathways across Australia and beyond, including university studies, vocational training, apprenticeships, professional careers, ministry, business, community service, and entrepreneurship.

Each graduate’s journey is unique, reflecting the individual gifts, talents, and calling that God has placed upon their lives. It is a joy to witness our former students embracing opportunities, overcoming challenges, and using their abilities to contribute positively to society and serve others with purpose and conviction.

At Bayside Christian College, graduation is not the end of a student’s connection with the College—it is the beginning of a lifelong relationship. We value our graduates as an important part of the Bayside family and celebrate their ongoing connection to our community.

Upon graduation, Year 12 students are formally welcomed into the Bayside Collegians, our Alumni Association, where they join a growing network of past students who continue to share in the life, vision, and legacy of the College. The Bayside Collegians provides opportunities for alumni to maintain connections, celebrate achievements, support current students, and contribute to the ongoing growth and success of the College community.

We warmly welcome graduates from both Hervey Bay Christian Academy and Bayside Christian College into our alumni family and look forward to celebrating their continued achievements in the years ahead.

For further information about the Bayside Collegians Alumni Association, please contact our Head of Community Relations, Christian Berechree, at baysidecollegians@bayside.qld.edu.au.

Meet Our Alumni

Dr Derek Long

Dr Derek Long

Bayside Collegian

As a past graduate of Hervey Bay Christian Academy (now Bayside Christian College) in 2009, Dr Derek Long (BEng USQ, PhD USQ) works at the University of Southern Queensland as a researcher with the Centre for Agricultural Engineering and lecturer at the School of Environment and Agriculture.

Specialising in image analysis for agricultural applications, Dr Long has worked with a range of camera platforms including drones, tractors and smartphones to enable machine monitoring in typically labour-intensive applications across the cotton, grains and livestock industries. His current research focuses heavily on tapping into the potential of smartphone sensing for crop scouting on-farm.

Caleb Hill

Caleb Hill

Bayside Collegian

Caleb Hill has always been fascinated by how things work. He’s a big believer in understanding the fundamentals in order to make sense of the bigger picture. “If I know how things work, I can apply that to other things,” Caleb said.

It’s an approach he applies to many areas in his life, and one that carried him through his school years to become Bayside’s top academic achiever of 2025, with an ATAR of 93.90. Now, it has led him to pursue a career in the complex and challenging world of electrical engineering. Caleb started studying the degree through CQU in Bundaberg, splitting his time between online and on-campus classes.

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