A school published an obituary for a beloved teacher. It turns out he's very much alive

The Age

2 days ago

And so to Victoria's Central Highlands, and the (not so) hallowed halls of Ballarat Grammar.
Regular readers will recall The Age has published a series of disturbing stories about the prestigious private institution over recent months.
The school, which traces its forebears back to 1877, has storied alumni who include one-time premier Henry Bolte, ABC presenter James Valentine, opera singer David Hobson and AFL star Tony Lockett. The private school's war cry and school song is Boomalacka, which is also the name of school magazine, which has lately been generating interest for all the wrong reasons.
The autumn 2025 edition of the biannual community magazine Boomalacka features an obituary for former staff member Chris Gardner, who was geography teacher from 2002 until 2007. There's even a photo.
Aw. What a heartfelt way to commemorate the passing of an ex-teacher. Except there's one teeny problem … Gardner isn't dead. And was rather taken aback by the news of his unfortunate demise.
'Unfortunately, without any communication or consultation with my family, Ballarat Grammar School has announced my death to the school community,' says a Facebook post written by a very much alive Gardner.
'As you can imagine, I am quite upset about this!'
The erroneous obituary and photograph were quickly wiped from the online version of Boomalacka.
At this point, we feel duty bound to point out that: (a) CBD has, ahem, form in this regard, and (b) in the best traditions of mainstream media – our own sins would never stop us pointing out the misdemeanours of others.