Mr and Mrs Charlie and Noreen Marino purchased the Bentley Park Residence, 72136 Bruce Highway Edmonton, in 1990. Back when Bentley Park College first opened, they were very happy to give permission to the P&C to name it Bentley Park State School after their residence. Eventually the local suburb, Centenary Park, was renamed Bentley Park after the residence, and our school.
According to local historian Kay Earl, the property had originally been named 'Bentley Park' by Isaac Abraham Hartill, who built a home on the land and named it after his family's property 'Bentley Hall' in England. This information was researched back in 1998 for the Bentley Park State School Inaugural Magazine by teacher aide Cathy Accatino, who still works at the College.
Charlie and Noreen also allowed the P&C to use the iconic gates of their residence on our school crest, which was designed in late 1997 ready for the start of the 1998 school year. They also kindly donated the first Bentley Park State School Interhouse Athletics Shield (before the school expanded P-12), visiting the school and presenting the shield to the winners back in 1998.
More recently, in September 2022, Charlie and Noreen welcomed our College Captains and then-principal Mr Houghton on a tour of their beautiful residence to mark the 25th anniversary of Bentley Park College.
Charlie sadly passed away in early 2026. We honour Charlie and Noreen's contribution to the community over many years, and may Charlie rest in peace.
