Brisbane Girls Grammar School Gazette, Autumn 2015

VOLUME

25

BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL / AUTUMN 2015

IN THIS ISSUE PAGE 06 / EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE

PAGE 08 / HONOURING HISTORY

PAGE 16 / 140 YEARS OF THE ARTS

PAGE 22 & 23 / INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

CONTENTS

LETTERS

PAGE 01 /

I just wanted to thank you — and your fabulous girls — on behalf of the interactive storytelling team, for volunteering to be part of our Gallipoli video project last week.

FROM THE CHAIR

by Ms Elizabeth Jameson

PAGE 02 / A SCHOLARLY COMMUNITY

by Ms Jacinda Euler

PAGE 04 /

We really appreciate your input and thank you for taking the time out of your day to support our endeavour.

Josie, Anna and Laura were absolutely delightful young ladies who did a great job with their news video ‘debuts’!

NEW BUILDING OPENS NEW CHAPTER

Very kind regards

PAGE 05 /

JENNIFER KING ABC NEWS ONLINE

LOOKING BACK AND LOOKING FORWARD

by Mrs Kristine Cooke

PAGE 06 / EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE

by Mrs Anna Owen

PAGE 07 / INSPIRE YOUR SISTERS OLD AND NEW, 140 YEARS IN ROYAL BLUE

by Natalia Gulbransen-Diaz (12W) & Jacinta MacGinley (12B)

This is a just a brief note to thank you, the trustees and your staff for the wonderful 140th anniversary ball on Saturday night. It was a glittering affair and a perfect way to commemorate this milestone. I was particularly struck by the images of the girls through the years — what an incredible history this school has.

HONOURING HISTORY

by Ms Alison Dare

The event backed up something I have thought about the school for a while. It has a restless spirit. Confident, but never self-satisfied, and always looking for the next advance and the next tweak that will make the curriculum that little bit better. It is a trait to be cherished.

PAGE 10 /

Regards,

PAGE 08 /

REFLECTIONS

PAGE 12 / SPORT

PAGE 13 / OLD GIRLS ASSOCIATION

PAGE 14 / 140 YEAR ANNIVERSARY BALL

PAGE 16 / 140 YEARS OF THE ARTS

by Ms Lorraine Thornquist

PAGE 18 / BEHIND THE SCENES

PAGE 19 / UNIFORM PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN OUR IDENTITY

by Mrs Pauline Harvey-Short

PAGE 20 / LEGACY OF LOVE, FRIENDSHIP AND GOOD WORK

by Dr Ann Farley & Dr Kay Kimber

PAGE 22 / INTERNATIONAL YOUNG LEADERS FORUM Linnea Cain (11W) & Emma van Baarle (11M)

PAGE 23 / INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR SCIENCE OLYMPIAD Ranita Atcheson (11R) & Lauren Fidler (11R)

PAGE 24 / OLD GIRLS/ALUMNI

by Mrs Claire Tynan

PAGE 26 / GROWING SUPPORT

by Ms Lea Walker

PAGE 28 / THEN AND NOW

GRANT SUNDIN Millie has loved her first few weeks and there have been a few challenges … like trying to do everything and every sport and of course finding that we don’t have enough time! But we would rather a tired Millie and one that is enjoying sorting it out than a bored one. We thank you and all the staff for the wonderful opportunities that our girls are granted and especially all the support that is given when there is so much for everyone to do.

Thank you and kind regards FIONA AND LEWIS PERRIN

I was part of this exchange about nine years ago now and that’s when I fell in love with both Australians and their country. I was welcomed like never before by my two Australian families (I got to go twice). I’ll always have Australia and the Girls Grammar School in my heart!

RUDOLPH MARNAS (Exchange student from Lycee St Paul in Angoulême, France) Sally Gardner @sal_star1 · Nov 3 The service I participated in as a student @BGGS is why I now work in the non-profit sector for @mealsonwheelsQ @reblev @612brisbane

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Brisbane Girls Grammar School Board of Trustees Mr Andrew King, Ms Ann Harrap (1984), Mr Tony Young, Ms Elizabeth Jameson, (Chair, 1982), Emeritus Professor Mary Mahoney AO, Professor Adam Shoemaker and Ms Diana Lohrisch (1989).

FROM THE CHAIR

AUTHOR

Ms Elizabeth Jameson Chair of the Board of Trustees (Head Girl, 1982) FOR 140 YEARS GIRLS GRAMMAR HAS OFFERED AN EDUCATION THAT PROVIDES GIRLS WITH THE SKILLS TO NAVIGATE THEIR WORLD WITH WISDOM, IMAGINATION AND INTEGRITY. THESE ARE ATTRIBUTES THAT ARE MODELLED THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY, AND QUALITIES THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES IS EVERMINDFUL OF DEMONSTRATING THROUGH ITS OWN LEADERSHIP OF THE SCHOOL. Cherrell Hirst (1963), the first woman to be appointed as Chair of the Board of Trustees, remarked in her final address as Chair at Speech Day 2006 ‘It takes courage to steer the School in new directions and it also takes courage to follow a path different from the trends of the time’. This courage was evident in the foresight shown by our founders in requesting approval to establish a girls’ school at a time when girls’ education was not widely valued, laying the foundations for a School that would grow to be a leader in exceptional scholarship. It has been demonstrated time and time again by Grammar girls through their achievements at school and beyond.

It is the Board’s role to govern in a way that not only preserves the School’s traditions but also embraces the opportunities of changing times and circumstances.

These are responsibilities that have been passed down through the preceding ninety-four trustees to the current Board of seven, and can be seen in recent decisions such as the acquisition of Fig Tree Pocket and Bread House and the development of the Research Learning Centre.

The courage to undertake such developments has been underpinned by careful review and analysis of the challenges and benefits, an essential feature of the good governance of any organisation. It is this considered planning and attention to detail that has led to the strong position of the School in 2015.

The role of a trustee is certainly much more than the obligation prescribed under legislation — it is a role of stewardship and care and it requires a strong belief in the unique benefits of a Girls Grammar education. In our 140th year, a renewed Board remains as committed as ever to the tasks at hand. The wisdom and knowledge of reappointed trustees Emeritus Professor Mary Mahoney AO, Mr Tony Young and Ms Diana Lohrisch (1989) combined with the ideas and experience of new appointees, Ms Ann Harrap (1984), Professor Adam Shoemaker and Mr Andrew King will ensure the School continues to strengthen. With the support and involvement of the entire School community, the Board will guide and govern the School with as much vigilance as ever. I look forward to a celebratory year where we honour the progress and achievements of the staff, students, families and previous trustees who have all contributed to making Girls Grammar the extraordinary school it is today.

AUTUMN ISSUE / 2015

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A SCHOLARLY COMMUNITY

AUTHOR

Ms Jacinda Euler Principal WHEN HARVARD UNIVERSITY’S HOWARD GARDNER MADE HIS FESTSCHRIFT1 PUBLIC, HE SAID THAT ONE OF HIS MOTIVES WAS THAT HE BELIEVED ‘THE KINDS OF EXCHANGES THAT I’VE HAD OVER THE DECADES WITH STUDENTS AND COLLEAGUES HAVE BECOME AN INCREASINGLY RARE IF NOT ENDANGERED SPECIES. IN MAKING AVAILABLE THESE EXCHANGES — EXTENDING WELL OVER 1000 PAGES — I WANT TO GIVE A FEELING FOR WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO LIVE AND INTERACT IN A SCHOLARLY COMMUNITY, WHICH IS ALSO A COMMUNITY OF HUMAN BEINGS, DURING THE LAST DECADES OF THE 20TH CENTURY AND FOR THE FIRST DECADES OF THE NEW MILLENNIA’ (2014, p.xx).

At Brisbane Girls Grammar School our own scholarly community comprises strong intellectual and emotional relationships and we encourage this connectedness for, as Gardner said early in his academic career: I had come to realize that there was no better education for a young student bent on taking the temperature of a field than to have the opportunity to read exchanges — sometimes heated ones — among individuals who are trying to create, define, build up, promulgate, or corral a field of knowledge (2014, p. xvii).

Passionate, intellectual exchanges — sometimes heated ones — characterise the debate and discussion of our own Athene Club. Named for the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athene provides a forum for girls and boys from the Grammar schools in Years 11 and 12 to engage in informed scholarly dialogue on ethical, social, political and philosophical issues. The discussion within Athene is managed by the students themselves. A research paper on a topic of their choice, and the questions that emerge from it, provide the stimulus for their arguments to be challenged, logic to be questioned and opinions tested, all within a civil and respectful setting.

They learn to critically evaluate the ideas and views expressed, responding with thoughtful and reasoned argument, just as all Grammar girls are encouraged to think for themselves, challenge assumptions and become comfortable with uncertainty in the pursuit of wisdom.

Dr Bruce Addison, Dean of Curriculum and Scholarship and Dr Ann Farley, Director of Cross Faculty Initiatives are developing our Philosophy of Learning programme with Girls Grammar’s newest students in Years 7 and 8 to encourage reflective practice, develop essential learning dispositions and provide a foundation for ‘thinking about thinking’ that will sustain them in the years ahead. British educator, Guy Claxton, effectively summarises some of the most important research in this area that is guiding our approach to teaching and learning at Girls Grammar:

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If Lauren Resnick is right, that intelligence is properly seen as ‘the sum of one’s habits of mind’ (Resnick, 1999); if David Perkins is right, that much of what looks like evidence for intelligence (or lack of it) is actually a matter of learned dispositions and ‘sensitivity [or insensitivity] to occasion’ (Perkins & Ritchhart, 2004); if Carol Dweck is right, that our apparent intelligence is powerfully moderated by acquired beliefs about intelligence (Dweck, 2000); if Angela Duckworth and Martin Seligman are right, that (acquired) self-discipline accounts much better for school performance than (fixed) IQ (Duckworth & Seligman, 2005); if all this is good psychology, then the idea of helping young people to learn how to be smarter — especially in the way they respond to difficulty and uncertainty — gains a great deal of credibility and practicability’(2012, 17).

Exceptional scholarship, then, is most assuredly active not passive. It is rigorous and disciplined and yet allows for meandering and musing. Much of this meandering and musing is being encouraged through the practise of keeping a learning journal with our younger students. Through Philosophy of Learning the girls keep a reflective learning journal in which they ask themselves ‘What did I learn?’, ‘What worked?’ ‘Why did I underperform and how can I improve?’. The concept of Personal Bests (PBs) is encouraged in this journaling activity because it is essential that all girls, regardless of their particular interests or individual abilities, experience academic success and understand that intelligence is malleable not fixed.

Relationships are fundamental in Gardner’s concept of a scholarly community. At Girls Grammar we understand the strength and importance of these social connections and view scholarship as a spiritual endeavour that connects us to our fellow travellers and elicits great joy, a sense of freedom and delight. As Bertrand Russell observed, it was the Renaissance that ‘broke down the rigid scholastic system, which had become an intellectual strait jacket’ and ‘encouraged the habit of regarding intellectual activity as a delightful social adventure, not a cloistered meditation’(1946). So many of the opportunities at Girls Grammar to rigorously explore ideas and to question, not just within a particular field but also between neighbours, and even between nations, are important intellectual social adventures for our girls and young women.

For example, in November eight Year 10 girls participated in the International Young Leaders Forum at the Suzhou Foreign Language School, an hour west of Shanghai. In a week rich with discussion and debate some very bright and idealistic students from six leading schools in Asia gathered to explore topics of common interest with their international peers. In the words of the host Principal, Mr Cao Lunhua: The spirit of this event is to offer a multi-national stage for our brilliant young people to play their role in handling the important global issues of our time.

Through creative thinking, wise decision making and cooperative action, they can make the world a better place, and simultaneously make their own lives extraordinary by attaining higher levels of interaction with their peers, as well as a higher level of understanding of the solutions to the pressing issues that the globe faces.

The future will require our girls to have the skills to form collaborative personal and intellectual relationships, to synthesise information and different views from multiple sources, to be inquisitive and to ‘learn, unlearn and relearn’ (Toffler, 2015). They will need ever greater understanding about other cultures and an appreciation that ‘other people, with their differences, can also be right’ (‘Mission’, 2015). Fortunately, it is not always necessary to travel so far as China to develop the skills of intellectual dialogue. Our own Athene Club, debating and public speaking competitions, science Olympiads and so many other opportunities provide these experiences at home. Most importantly, it is within the classroom that students are inspired to understand that we are all lifelong, life-wide learners whatever our innate abilities or intellectual aptitude.

Scholarship is the intellectual endeavour of learning how to think and thinking solves the problems of the world. If we can teach the art of thinking through a Girls Grammar education, we will have fulfilled a very noble and worthy purpose. Our learning environment enlivens curiosity and nurtures in all students a love of learning and for 140 years that has been both the joy and the privilege of being a Grammar girl. i

Festschrift - a collection of articles published in honour of a scholar

REFERENCES Gardner, H. (22 May 2014). Mind, work and life: A Festschrift on the occasion of Howard Gardner’s 70th birthday (Volume One). Kornhaber M. & Winner E. (Eds.). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Claxton, G. Professor. (2013). School as an Epistemic Apprenticeship: the Case of Building Learning Power. British Psychological Society, Great Britain Retrieved from http://www.winchester. ac.uk/aboutus/lifelonglearning/CentreforRealWorldLearning/ Documents/Claxton%20 %282013%29%20School%20as%20an%20 epistemic%20appren ticeship%20%28Vernon%20Wall%29.pdf Russell, B. (1946). History of western philosophy. London: Routledge.

Toffler, A. (2015). Toffler Quotes. Retrieved from http://www.alvintoffler.net/?fa=galleryquotes International Baccalaureate – Mission, retrieved from http://www.ibo.org/ en/about-the-ib/mission/

AUTUMN ISSUE / 2015

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NEW BUILDING OPENS NEW CHAPTER

TWO DAYS BEFORE THE SCHOOL’S FOUNDATION DAY, THE RESEARCH LEARNING CENTRE WAS OPENED BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE HONOURABLE PAUL DE JERSEY AC, QUEENSLAND GOVERNOR. Federal member for Brisbane the Hon Teresa Gambaro MP, State Member for Brisbane Central Grace Grace MP, Councillor Amanda Cooper and former Principal Dr Judith Hancock AM were all in attendance to officially witness the culmination of almost five years of planning and development.

The introduction of Year 7 in 2015 provided the School with the impetus for the new building which would create a contemporary learning space to support thought, reflection and inquiry. It was recognised early in the process that the location of the Research Learning Centre at the front of the School, adjacent to the School’s founding buildings, provided the opportunity to create a visible history of women’s education, juxtaposed with the latest approaches to education, technology and scholarship. Rather than proving a hindrance, the existing mature fig tree became an inspiration for the building and the beauty of this tree was incorporated into the design. Study tours to the Delft University of Technology Library in the Netherlands and the Hellerup School in Copenhagen highlighted the potential for creating intimate spaces within bigger, open-plan environments, and the possibilities inherent in such contemporary learning spaces.

Over fifteen months, work on this emerging building was thoughtfully managed with minimal disruption to

‘IMAGINE A DAY … WHEN A BOOK SWINGS OPEN ON SILENT HINGES, AND A PLACE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE WELCOME YOU HOME. IMAGINE…TODAY’.

His Excellency Paul de Jersey AC with Chair Elizabeth Jameson and Principal Jacinda Euler at the official opening of the Research Learning Centre.

students and staff. Almost 100 000 hours were worked on site and 58 000 bricks, 2183m3 of concrete and 176 tonnes of reinforcement indicate the scale of the project.

The severe storm that hit Brisbane on 27 November 2014 did not deter spirits nor determination, and the building was completed ready for the start of Brisbane Girls Grammar School’s 140th year.

Preceding its official opening on 13 March, the RLC opened its doors to the School community on 27 January, invoking excited whispers, expressions of awe and squeals of delight, confirming the success of the building’s design and construction. As Principal Jacinda Euler remarked at the opening, ‘Michael Banney and m3architecture have designed a building whose contemporary, bespoke exterior is perfectly at home in its historic location, with windows revealing glimpses of an interior rich with suggestions of scholarship’. The combination of the School’s heritage and contemporary values, evidenced through the tactility of old books in partnership with modern technologies, and antique furniture located throughout the flexible learning spaces, reflects — in our 140th year — our proud traditions of providing an exceptional education for Grammar girls.

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LOOKING BACK AND LOOKING FORWARD I AM IN A UNIQUE POSITION AT GIRLS GRAMMAR. I HAVE HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE TO BE A PAST STUDENT, A CLASSROOM AND A RESOURCE TEACHER, AND NOW A DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SERVICES. THAT HAS PROVIDED ME WITH A RANGE OF PERSPECTIVES ON THE WAYS IN WHICH THE SCHOOL HAS CHANGED — AND THE WAYS, THANKFULLY, THAT IT HAS NOT.

AUTHOR

Mrs Kristine Cooke Director of Information Services My interests have always included books and reading. Therefore, libraries have always been special places for me — although I was told I was a ‘bother’ at my primary school for reading too many books! How wonderful to come to a high school where I was not only welcomed but also encouraged to immerse myself in the information and insights that books have to offer. I have such warm memories of the librarian in my senior years who used to keep poetry books at the desk for me — just because she thought I would enjoy them.

I hope that, despite the drastic changes in physical facilities, what continues to this day is the idea that the library is a home for each and every student, and the role of the information and library staff is to support readers and researchers, to enlighten them to the wonders of knowledge and wisdom that books and films have to offer, and to provide a safe and stimulating environment.

The library of my student days was a smallish but two-storey affair with reference and non-fiction [the serious books] upstairs and fiction downstairs.

There was an outside staircase that led students down to the collection of novels I so loved. This library was built with Old Girls’ funding and opened in 1956. There are archival photographs of the serious foundation stone ceremony where everyone looks very pleased to be gaining a future library that outgrew one room in the main building. The furniture in that library was mainly wooden, and some of the tables and bookcases were quite lovely.

To this day, many library spaces have included selected pieces from this early version. The present students seem to enjoy the old tables and chairs — and even the old classroom desks we have incorporated. It is as if, while they admire the new, the sense of tradition is not lost on them.

of our Shakespearean play or we could listen to a radio programme about poetry. Rare and special events! How times have changed to laptops, self-loan and self-return stations, RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags in the resources, digital signage, booths with televisions to project laptop screens, and thousands of DVDs. In the centenary year of the School, 1975, the much larger and lighter building was opened and, as a relatively new teacher, I was overjoyed to bring my English classes into such a ‘modern’ and airy space.

This library in the Lilley wing grew over the years to include a whole new area in the later-built Hancock building. That library could accommodate at least seven classes and the staffing grew to include two teacher librarians, a reference librarian, a special collection librarian, and two library assistants. While the building was not the most modern and beautiful, the students claimed it as theirs and the stained glass windows certainly made the space memorable.

However, our new Research Learning Centre (RLC) has opened a totally new and dynamic page in the history of information services at Girls Grammar. As Director of this faculty and manager of this new facility, I feel as if the wheel has turned full circle from my primary school days and I am home. The journey here has been a combination of excitement and upheaval, of moving thousands of resources and seeing them and the students settle into a totally new home. The place may be new and the furniture modern and different but the values of scholarship and creativity, of intellectual stimulation and imaginative exploration remain the same.

This School has never been afraid of innovation nor intimidated by the future. It was founded by men and women who wanted the best education for girls who would make their mark in what was then a relatively new colony. Our new RLC has provided the perfect place for supported learning while the very design encourages the students to look out at the world and all its possibilities.

I also find it almost quaint that, in my days as a student, the extent of the technology was a record player on which the teacher could play recordings AUTUMN ISSUE / 2015

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EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE THE WORLD IS SHIFTING FROM AN INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY TO A KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY. THE RISING GENERATION — BROUGHT UP ON THE INTERNET — IS VERY DIFFERENTLY MOTIVATED TO LEARN (DR TONY WAGNER).

AUTHOR

Mrs Anna Owen Deputy Principal As educators, it is incumbent on us to inspire, to challenge, to inform and to ignite passion and curiosity in our girls. To facilitate this, we must adopt teaching and learning practices that not only engage our girls but also equip them with the skills to respond and contribute to a rapidly evolving and globalised world.

Over Girls Grammar’s 140 year history, the School has offered an education that honours its grammar traditions while embracing the needs of the present time. Through new subject options, technological advances and shifting educational practices, the School works to address what ‘Dr Wagner has identified as a “global achievement gap”, which is the leap between what even our best schools are teaching and the must-have skills of the future’ (Singmaster, 2015).

From the School’s early days, this has meant that ‘decisions had to be made about what ought to be retained from the past and what needed to be added for the future’ (McWilliam, 2013). The necessity to get the balance right remains in the present day and, as always, is underscored by careful consideration. Hence, decisions such as the introduction of the School’s Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programme and the retention of Latin as a compulsory subject for Year 7 students have been driven by a belief in the benefits derived by girls.

Indeed, The Educator named BYOD as one of its six new and emerging ‘important technological developments’ in education due to its success in increasing productivity and student learning outcomes (Henebery, 2014).

The one-to-one laptop programme that resulted in the roll-out of technology into Australian schools did achieve its purpose. But what now? The early thinking behind our BYOD programme emphasised that we were not going to import a culture, but manage it intelligently. Some students use more than one device; others use only one and do so sparingly, their differing motivations to learn dictating the method by which they do so. The hardware and software is neither the pretension nor the intellect, rather the selection and carefully crafted use of technology is the genius. Putting a smart phone in the hand of a child does not increase her intelligence nor determine her value set. The process of streamlining and increasing the availability of technology in a learning environment must be accompanied by an educational philosophy and, combined with teacher training in digital pedagogies, embedded in all aspects of the learning environment.

The aim then is to move our girls from users of technology to creators of technology and future directions.

The approach used at Girls Grammar is the Design Thinking process. This process values the team and time with industry, educators and peers. It has empathy at its core and is a social process where all members of a diverse group — from students, to teaching teams to professional staff — can find their place and have their input valued. We launched the inclusion of Design Thinking in 2013 with the Creative Futures symposium, continued in 2014 by appointing Design Thinking specialist Adam Blake as our Thought Leader in Residence, and more recently presented at the Future Schools conference on this topic.

As we face the new challenges and opportunities of the digital age and knowledge economy the School will continue to monitor and adopt new methods that will develop in our girls the ability to contribute confidently to their worlds with wisdom, imagination and integrity.

I n order to motivate and teach this generation, the school system must be reinvented to be accountable for what matters most. That means to do the work — teaching, learning, and assessing — in new ways.

(Singmaster, 2015).

The responsibility of educating the current, and future, generations of aspiring young women will require constant evaluation of the resources, skills and values that honour our great Grammar history and the visionary educators that have gone before us. To value tradition, to value skill, to value creativity and self-management in a broader sense requires focus.

The one certainty in the uncertainty of education in the future is that an intelligent approach is required. It will not be a declaration of what we do but a demonstrated pathway that leads us into the future.

REFERENCES Henebery, B. (2015). Education revolution: report offers a glimpse into the future. Retrieved from http://www.educatoronline.com.au/news/ education-revolution-report-offers-a-glimpse-into-the-future-197028.aspx McWilliam, E. (2013). Educating Girls. Queensland, Australia: University of Queensland Press.

Singmaster, H. (2015). Seven Skills Students Need for Their Future.

Retrieved from http://asiasociety.org/seven-skills-students-need-their-future

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INSPIRE YOUR SISTERS OLD AND NEW, 140 YEARS IN ROYAL BLUE AUTHORS

Jacinta MacGinley (12B) and Natalia Gulbransen-Diaz (12W) MOTTOS ENCAPSULATE THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF AN INDIVIDUAL OR ORGANISATION. They offer direction and construct solidarity or unity of purpose within groups. Therefore, it is no surprise that the tradition of creating a motto, establishing a year-long adage, has become a tradition at Brisbane Girls Grammar School.

This year, the Student Council has adopted a maxim expressing the fundamental principles of the School to be recognised and celebrated: Inspire your sisters old and new, 140 years in royal blue. Born from values of passion, sisterhood and tradition, we hope these words will inspire girls to embrace school life with unparallelled enthusiasm and spirit.

In terms of passion, Khalil Gibran, Lebanese artist, poet and philosopher, asserted that individuals should ‘rest in reason; move in passion’. Thus, the supportive environment at Girls Grammar means that all girls are encouraged to express and pursue their individual passions. Girls Grammar teaches us to walk through our school with arms outstretched, prepared to grasp every opportunity with both hands. Passion is seen in every aspect of school life, resonating through the campus like a voice. It is contagious, and we hope girls will endeavour to live out their passion and inspire those around them to view the world from a different perspective, be it the Uralla Club, International Women’s Day wish cards, or wearing their heart on their sleeve for Valentine’s Day. Another fundamental value underpinning the motto is the idea of sisterhood. Girls Grammar is not only a

community but also a family, a family of girls who inspire and empower one another. However, this notion of sisterhood extends beyond girls currently at school to include alumni, prospective students and women globally. There is an organic connection between Grammar girls, a common background which draws them together. Thus, sisterhood is not only about supporting friends, but also about embracing the continually evolving Girls Grammar community and, through this, attempting to inspire sisters both old and new. This can be as simple as waving to a Grammar girl outside of school, talking to someone from a different year group, or dancing with your buddy on the ‘d-floor’ on Blue Day. Finally, in honour of the School’s history, our fervent belief in tradition pays homage to the women who have walked in through the white picket fence for 140 years. While the School and its students endorse scholarship as a cornerstone of our intent, we chose to foreground tradition in this special year. While we value the practices already in place, the Grammar girl takes ‘the road less travelled’. At our first assembly for the year, the Seniors committed to an inaugural pledge where each Year 12 girl promised to her sisters that she would strive to be the best Grammar girl she could be. Traditions are not old fashioned; they mark the ever-evolving vision of the School.

In 2015, we challenge the girls around us, our sisters, to be motivated, to maintain a sense of family, to respect old traditions, and to create new ones.

AUTUMN ISSUE / 2015

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HONOURING HISTORY

AUTHOR

Ms Alison Dare Director of Humanities 2015 IS NOT ONLY A MOMENTOUS YEAR FOR GIRLS GRAMMAR AS WE CELEBRATE 140 YEARS, but is also a very important year for Australia, marking a century since Australian and New Zealand troops landed on the shores of Gallipoli in the early hours of 25 April 1915.

There have arguably been more traumatic events in Australia’s war history over the past century but it is this event that has seared itself into our national consciousness. With each new generation it seems to gain more, not less, significance. To commemorate this anniversary, Brisbane Girls Grammar School conducted its inaugural ANZACs and Antiquities Study Tour to Turkey and Greece. Our group comprised twenty-three students from Years 10–12 and their accompanying teachers — Dr Rashna Taraporewalla, Ms Julie Hennessey, Dr Sally Stephens and Ms Alison Dare.

To many Australians, the battlefields of Gallipoli constitute the real origin of our nationhood. Occurring just fourteen years after Federation, Gallipoli provided us with an opportunity to forge our national identity and establish international status through the trials of war, sacrifice and death. Many have seen it as a marker for the nation’s coming of age; our ‘baptism of fire’.

These deeply embedded notions of the almost sacred importance of Gallipoli in our national psyche help to

Students from Years 10-12 visited ANZAC Cove as part of their study tour.

explain why so many Australians flock to Gallipoli each year. Indeed it is not uncommon in the media to hear the word ‘pilgrimage’ used when describing such visits.

World War One, and more specifically Australia’s experience of it, is an integral component of the Year 9 History programme. Students learn about the lead up to war from a global perspective; the dangerous alliances that formed in the early twentieth century as well as the various theatres around the world where fighting occurred. From a more local perspective, they explore Australia’s response to war and the overwhelming jubilation that came with the announcement of the outbreak of war. Why so many young men flocked to ‘do their bit’ for the Empire, an idea that would seem strange today, is a question we seek to answer. Our approach to

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Third Australian General Hospital Staff with old girl Grace Wilson 1925 (centre).

Gallipoli is to first understand the campaign itself, where it was, and why it was strategically so important for the allies to gain access to the Dardanelles. Importantly, we also examine, and to some extent challenge, the mythology that has grown around Gallipoli, seeking to understand why this campaign has become so central to our national identity.

Preparations for the trip began in early 2014 in the form of lunch time meetings with students and information evenings with parents and their daughters.

These sessions dealt not only with the practicalities of travelling to a foreign country but have also sought to provide a cultural and historical context for the places we visited. We wanted our students to approach the various historical sites with some preexisting understanding so that their experience was a meaningful one. To personalise their experience we asked our girls to ‘adopt a soldier’ from Gallipoli, to find out all they could about this man, where he came from, how old he was and when and how he died.

While there are a number of fantastic online databases such as the World War One Pictorial Honour Roll, Trove and the Commonwealth Graves Commission, we also paid a visit to Brisbane Grammar School’s own War Memorial Library which was built to honour the School’s old boys who fought, and in many cases died, in the war. Of the 370 boys from Brisbane Grammar School who fought at Gallipoli, twenty-seven students and two Masters died — six of these on the first day, 25 April.

Mr Chris Price, Head of the History Department at Brisbane Grammar School, shared his detailed knowledge of the School’s involvement in World War One with our students in a visit last year to the War Memorial Library. While there, our girls were able to study the various artifacts such as diaries, items of clothing and letters that the library holds, bringing home to them in a very poignant way the reality of war and the effects that it must have had on the Grammar

community as a whole. Indeed, our own school magazine records the contribution Grammar girls made to the BGS War Memorial Library: We still give willingly each week to the fund for establishing a Memorial Library in honour of the old Grammar School boys who fell at the front … for it is only right that the deeds of our fallen heroes should live in the memory of succeeding generations.

Women have largely been ignored in the ANZAC narrative despite the fact that they played a highly significant role. According to historian Susanna de Vries (2013), old girl Grace Wilson (1899) was one of two women who ’stand out in the history of World War One’ as ’dedicated nurses and inspiring leaders’.

Grace Wilson (1879-1957), whose career as a nurse at Gallipoli was dramatically recreated in the recent ABC mini-series ANZAC Girls, was Principal Matron of No.3 Australian General Hospital serving in Egypt, Lemnos and France. During the war, she was mentioned in dispatches five times, awarded the Royal Red Cross Medal, the Florence Nightingale Medal and was appointed a Commander (Military) of the Order of the British Empire for army nursing service in France.

She was the first woman to receive life membership of the Returned Services League.

The culmination of our visit to the Gallipoli peninsula was a formal commemoration for those who died there.

Each girl found the grave of her chosen soldier and laid a poppy in memory of him. As a group we laid a wreath on behalf of Brisbane Girls Grammar School for all of the Australians and Turks who died at Gallipoli.

REFERENCES de Vries, S (2013). Australian Heroines of World War One. Chapel Hill, Australia: Pirgos Press.

Editorial (December 1921). BGGS School Magazine. 2. Brisbane, Australia.

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REFLECTIONS EACH YEAR, OUR NEW STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF GIRLS GRAMMAR THROUGH THEIR HUMANITIES STUDIES. IN THIS HISTORIC 140TH YEAR, WHERE WE NOT ONLY WELCOMED OUR NEW YEAR 8 STUDENTS, BUT ALSO OUR FIRST YEAR 7 COHORT, THIS TASK HAS TAKEN ON EVEN GREATER SIGNIFICANCE. Girls explore the Main Building, the first to be built on the Spring Hill campus, and examine the collection of archival photos and information, providing them with a sense of how the School has changed over the years but, just as importantly, how the spirit and philosophies have stayed the same.

Following this activity, girls were asked to write reflections as Grammar girls in the past and present. A selection is printed below.

nicity, h t e r or hdeer is a his G e After my first week at this t i en p this n, doers gendert. eristic ign. school in Wickham Terrace, r a e l Spring Hill I feel honoured e can ility ngin harac Anyoginon, disagbuishingncgs are cha eensland ool to be one of the first females Qu Sch reli or distinckily, thi educated in Queensland. Also, ol inGrammaring. o , h c maj tury. Lu s ’ I am feeling perplexed as it ls w eat rls cen is rather peculiar I am getting ver rgiisbane Goidrifying, cnr ing, a rnee e t s r i a gin an education like my three older The of pened. hBanging, m new be women re brothers. has istory c evident. An. Finallpyerous futu is h ality is any wome the pros I have worn my favourite summer Equrt for m ed with . vest all week as well as riding of mGyirls sta g provid deserved t r a my horse Antoinette to and from t s beiny always ’s thde Brisbatn,e not far t school. Everyone at this school is i t e a h t lovely and as there are not many ns toh. I attenGeorge S, Brisbanaeve a e m s pupils it feels like a second home.

Thi nning tochool on r’s schools don’t hI begiammar S r brothe y brothernow, for The concept of having a school just Gr m my fou chool. M inst me uccessful for women is a rather foreign subject fro ammar S use aga ards a s in my family.

I was going to follow Gr thing to ided tow . in mother,s footsteps by doing all the any being gu to them may be t I household chores for the family but . l am ure, akin erfuuse, but irt is d n now, since I am getting an education, o t w u f ool,sisformer hros O’Connigoence I do not know what my future will h c S e Th Harlin school. Mbines dilgreat bring me.

Mr ow our she com well as ely Elizabeth Contessa-Watkins is nt lovely, iasm, as absolutschool jus enthus on. I am ding a mitment anderminati be attenpure com d e t i g h t e d t oo p e a n d w o m e n .

After having my first week at Girls Grammar I feel well del such h tion of settled in and ready for the six years ahead. When I walked ow. withthe educa omorr 875 t through the white gates for the first time in my new uniform r o f to wait arch 1 I was showered with a sense of importance and belonging. I t M o 6 n 1 n ey I ca was collected by my Year 11 buddy who dropped me off to the Winsl e n i r e Gehrmann Theatre for my first Year 7 assembly. My first week Cath was a blur of meeting new girls, meeting teachers and getting used to the routine.

I was exposed to multiple clubs, orchestras, groups and services.

It was an interesting experience to see how many activities there are in the School and, more importantly, how I can get involved. So this year it is my goal to try participating in school activities as much as I can and occasionally step out of my comfort zone and try things that I may not be good at. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen?

Bridgette Watkins (7R)

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Elizabeth’ Diary 1915 Today at school we learnt about needle work, mathematics, German, typing and English.

I am very excited to do more typewriting as I want to become a secretary or maybe if I do really well I can become a principal like Miss Mackay.

While I was at school today men landed in Gallipoli. We are all troubled by the war and scared but our Principal Miss Mackay took care of us all. Miss Mackay encouraged us to donate sweets, handkerchiefs, pillowcases, washers and eye bandages to help the men serving our country.

ithin ined w es. conta t nc e n f e icket citem hite p he ex t s way w t i n e i s d a expl foun h tho g t ’t e u n y o a r t c me of I l th as no on so arriva ness h ly evident s u o sessed me on v s ey po clear y, ner l h s t g t a , n i w e s l i t le of a subt ugh i Surpr capab altho hough e o t r s , l e e o A w d m . d to into mine faces tinue d ates’ n n et, all m e o y s c s ; e s y a h e l d the my c us ey near t very n o r i A x o . f n g t cep klin na big, a ay, ex s spar d bee at int wa ity of the d open. It ha o p red th u s i s th y s reas major them m a e t p w h e u t I e o g arry , and d to k c g durin e l d n g l i g n u n a d I stru begin re I co d flourish when great l whe l o a u o ere. o t h c h u c as ay, b mosp here I ted at long d the place — th ease, w a c i d wi gs. as he de tions feelin this w g in t these aspira ythin d st. d r e e a n v e a m l e r s ce goal econfi ay the very r y embra y l n s o man eech o al, to with s ities. l er’s sp nspiration l a u p i E al Ms ly i Princ ble qu as tru ave a valua ech w t to h e a p e s r g r cher, He It is up tea ew e Gro s rn u u o ith o ur H met o ond w on on us b e w o t h eec ressi ance her sp t imp he ch cover After had t to dis a grea d e n d e a a r r g at m e s t r a e day n e i t h w so it s Win st of t Ms W , e y r M l e e . nd s v h ate ’s lo oo! T tion a classm f 8M. She ienta cher t r a o e ed. , t s s o s s e er s ath unmi ctiviti memb d be our m went ing a g d l n i i l u h b ou ot d. she w but n existe f team blur o w buddies, r knew ing to e v e n e was a rn s go kills I ng ou alway an ring s meeti l was o entee less th i o r n h o i c s d S i e l h e ic i t h e m t d v e e n cad round ccomplish I’ve u t my a uture r way a a a t y e s v f m o ng I ha ous ady t Findi osper e but am re me. the pr alleng eve I o h i t l aiting c e w d a b e a y d l i be u u r g t I ) nd be eeks.

5 (8M ture a two w ry 201 adven a u r b Fe od 16 McLe a c i s s Je

Josephine’s Diary 2015 Today at school we learnt about chemistry, maths, Japanese, Latin and history. I am very excited to do more La tin and science as I want to become a neuros urgeon or maybe a veterinary scientist at the zoo.

While I was at school tod ay a new female Queensland premier was elected. I don’t think I want to be premie r but it was very exciting. I am also excited because in one month’s time the school wil l be 140 years old and I will be 12 — we share the same birthday.

(Josephine Clough 7L)

Year 8 students explore the School’s history in the historic main building

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SPORT

GIRLS GRAMMAR HAS HAD AN ENERGETIC START TO SPORT IN 2015 WITH OUR NEW YEAR 7s AND 8s SHARING IN THE REST OF THE SCHOOL’S ENTHUSIASM AND ENJOYMENT. Our softballers won the Open and Senior B1 competitions undefeated. The Senior A’s were shared premiers, undefeated with one draw.

The 16A waterpolo team followed up their Brisbane club premiership win with second place at the state titles and our swimmers improved on last year’s results to place fifth at QGSSSA, narrowly missing fourth place by twelve points. A close result also for the Open Cricket Team, finishing second on the QGSSSA ladder. They won all but one game, where they lost by only one run.

The participation and support of all girls who have trained, competed and cheered for their peers is to be admired.The competition, passion and determination that sport demands play an essential role in the life of the School, and many important life skills and friendships are fostered through participation.

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OLD GIRLS ASSOCIATION

AUTHOR

Mrs Janine Schmidt AM (Hogg, 1964) OGA President THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE OLD GIRLS ASSOCIATION (OGA) WAS HELD IN MARCH at which two long-serving members stepped down from their roles.

Sue Meeking served as Treasurer for sixteen years and has been the public face of the OGA. Her knowledge and hard work have ensured the smooth flow of the work of the Association. Sue has kept a tight rein on expenditure and her vitally important and effective personal touch dealt with many individual enquiries and concerns. After twenty-three years, Dorothy Bourguignon relinquished the role of Secretary. She has faithfully kept the minutes and recorded the Association’s activities with enormous dedication and will continue as a member of the OGA Committee. A huge thank you goes to both Sue and Dorothy for their commitment and diligence.

We are delighted to announce the members of the 2015 Committee elected at the AGM: Janine Schmidt (Hogg, 1964) as President, Jenny Gray (Vallis, 1969) as Vice President, Leigh Fielding (Gow, 1984) as Secretary, Ann Stubbs (Westaway, 1982) as Treasurer and Dorothy Bourguignon (Scotney, 1958), Ann Caston (Pressland, 1958), Pauline Harvey-Short (Harvey, 1971), Sue Jordan (Squire, 1967), Sylvia Pegg (Gaulton, 1965), Salliann Powell (Johnson, 1986), Donna Scott-Young (Horton, 1985), Grainia Schmelzer (King, 1981), Kirsten Whip (Macallister, 1981) and Diana Wood (Thacker, 1975).

The annual event Everything Old is New Again was held in the new Research and Learning Centre in March. The evening provided an excellent opportunity for current mothers at the School who are also old girls to reconnect, reminisce and meet other old girls with common interests. Eight Year 11 girls assisted and wore ‘muck-up’ uniforms suitably amended with enormous creativity and imagination.

Old girls Maria Clark (Tambakis, 1987), Lisa Sugg (Wood, 1985), Danielle Murdoch (Pherous, 1989) and Anastasia Samios (Anastas, 1989) celebrating at the Everything Old is New Again event.

Chair of the Board of Trustees Ms Elizabeth Jameson and OGA President Mrs Janine Schmidt AM thank OGA members Dorothy Bourguignon and Sue Meeking for their service.

The keynote speaker was current parent and old girl Jessica Bindon (Axelsen, 1983). She talked about the challenging role of parenting girls — nurturing, loving, guiding, driving and feeding them, listening to them, being complained to and about, and accepting them as they are. While many things are changing, many remain the same. The School continues to provide the best in girls’ education — cutting-edge facilities, a nurturing environment, and a culture that encourages personal involvement, giving to the community, following traditions and creating new ones. Old girls have their memories of the School; their daughters will make their own with fresh insights and experiences.

Alaya McPherson (11R), Eloise Owens (11O), Ciaran Greig (11B), Sally Nicklin (11W), Rose Gunn Burr (11M), Alexandra Wilson (11H), Senjuti Maitra (11M) and Erica Schmelzer (11E) wearing old girl muck up uniforms.

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140 YEAR ANNIVERSARY BALL

ON 28 MARCH, 600 MEMBERS OF THE GIRLS GRAMMAR COMMUNITY CONGREGATED AT CITY HALL TO CELEBRATE 140 YEARS OF EXCEPTIONAL SCHOLARSHIP AT OUR ANNIVERSARY BALL. Arriving to the joyous sounds of the Brisbane Girls Grammar School Big Band, guests mingled in the City Hall forecourt before being ushered into the Main Hall to the strains of City Hall’s magnificent organist Christopher Wrench. Once inside, guests heard from Chair of the Board of Trustees Ms Elizabeth Jameson and Principal Ms Jacinda Euler on the history and achievements of our School and its role as a leader in educating girls. Two photo montages were shown, one capturing the history of the School in a carefully scripted ‘then and now’ narrative, and one capturing the spirit that makes Girls Grammar the vibrant and extraordinary school it is today.

The evening was superbly emceed by old girl Mrs Marie-Louise Theile (Schubert, 1982), attendees were entertained by band Savvy — the dance floor a true sign of an enjoyable evening. An impromptu school war cry led by ‘young’ old girls showed the Girls Grammar spirit is as strong as ever.

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The celebratory atmosphere was the perfect environment for reconnecting with old friends, old girls and staff, and past and current trustees. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the achievements of our school community and will be remembered as a very special event in Girls Grammar’s history.

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140 YEARS OF THE ARTS

IF THERE IS A THREAD RUNNING THROUGH THE HISTORY OF THE ARTS AT BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL, IT IS AUTHENTICITY. WHILE MOTIVATIONS FOR INCLUDING THE ARTS IN OUR CONTEMPORARY CURRICULUM MAY DIFFER OR HAVE EXPANDED FROM THOSE OF THE EARLY DAYS OF THIS SCHOOL, THE ARTS HAVE NEVERTHELESS BEEN CONSTANTLY DEEMED OF VALUE FOR OUR STUDENTS, NOT MERELY AS PART OF THE ACADEMIC FRAMEWORK BUT AS A LEARNING STRUCTURE FOR LIFE AND LIVING.

AUTHOR

Ms Lorraine Thornquist Director of Creative Arts The arts classrooms have continuously been peopled by practising artists, experts in their fields who have brought the world into the student learning sphere.

Students have always been transported beyond the classroom in their lessons of art, music and drama and the walls of the arts classrooms continue to be flexible, allowing the world to come to the students so they can imagine and live their arts. Essential to this intent is that the expertise of the teaching personnel in the arts is corroborated and enhanced by visiting artists.

Founding art teachers included no lesser names than R. Godfrey Rivers and J.A. Clarke, artists of renown whose works hang in state and national galleries. The first music teacher, R.T. Jeffries, was a professional musician and has given his name to a perpetual bursary. In the first part of the twentieth century, drama education and the local world of theatre was put on the map by Rhoda Felgate (1918), a student of the school who returned as a teacher of ‘elocution’ and established the highly influential and significant amateur theatre companies of Twelfth Night and Repertory Theatre in Brisbane.

Real life experiences in the arts classrooms have grown exponentially across the years, realised now through an enormous diversity and flexibility of learning.

Art students no longer simply sit at a desk carefully copying the same picture displayed at the front of the class. Students in Year 8 may all be learning to draw from nature, learning skills from teacher modelling, but each student is pursuing her own version of ideas.

By the time art students are in the senior school, they are able to choose their own preferred media for a personal expression of a syllabus theme and the carefully honed skills of the junior school take form in an explosion of styles and creation of meaning. Visiting artists in workshops and in the classroom contribute further to the wealth of the Visual Art curriculum.

Exposure to the world of theatre is an integral part of both Curriculum and Co-curricular Drama. Over the years, students have worked with highly regarded playwrights, directors and actors who have provided their practitioner perspective, allowing students to engage with artists in the process of creative theatre building. Students gain both a deeper understanding of the actor’s approach to character development and also the director’s tools in shaping dramatic action.

Noa Rotem, a physical theatre specialist, performer and teacher, works alongside Drama staff each February as they lead our students in the craft of building original physical theatre compositions. Most recently, Michael Futcher, Brisbane-based playwright and director has worked with the 2015 Senior Drama Company in their

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development of a production of his play, A Beautiful Life, providing insight into the text, directorial suggestions and a creative dialogue about this complex work.

In 2012 and 2013 the award-winning Fulbright Scholarship recipient Lachlan Philpott worked with students, writing and supporting the direction of a play commissioned for Girls Grammar, The Chosen.

The Curriculum Music programme works regularly with visiting artists, including the acclaimed ensemble Topology and song-writing clinician Pat Pattison to support and inspire students in their programme, to create their own world music. Last year, senior students scored original music to accompany a screening of the film Life of Pi, and as the film played out on screen they performed their compositions in their own ensembles with second-by-second accuracy over two hours. In aspects such as original song writing and ensemble composition a number of students have been finalists and winners in state music awards.

Composition is a central component of Curriculum Music as a means of teaching fundamentals and as an extension of music protocols. Perhaps more importantly,

Physical theatre specialist Noa Rotem works with Year 11 students.

composition provides students with the skills and confidence to write, produce and record their own music as a reflection of, and on, their life journey. As music students develop a toolkit of skills, rather than ’what to know’, the focus is on ’what to do with what we know’.

This expansion and transformation of teaching and learning has brought all the arts at Girls Grammar into a very contemporary and dynamic learning framework.

The realisation of BYOD — bring your own device — in the School has meant that students can now access and be guided into the external world and worlds of theatre, music and art to model not only the ‘what’ but the ’how’ and the ‘why’. The very physical environs of the Creative Learning Centre with multiple balconies and stairwells play a pivotal role as a live auditorium for working, rehearsal, display and performance beyond the classroom, infusing the learning with life.

In this contemporary school setting, the pursuit of the arts as an academic and aesthetic exercise goes far deeper into ensuring our students learn and experience from their arts to enrich their lives and perspectives as players in the local and global community.

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BEHIND THE SCENES

MUSIC EVENTS AT THIS SCHOOL ARE RICH AND VARIED — there are at least thirty-five each year. While audiences appreciate the high standard of performance and musicianship, there is a team working behind the scenes to ensure the smooth running of each show.

The Music Support Group is a committee of parents who support the activities of the School’s instrumental music programmes by assisting at music events.

The group assists at concerts and events including door ticketing and raffles, moving equipment and stage managing, supply and serving of refreshments for parents and students, photography, recording concerts, sausage sizzles, and providing information on Open Day. The group does have a fundraising element although it is not their major focus. A percentage of proceeds from the Cathedral Concert and Christmas Carols is donated to the Wesley Palliative Care unit while the remaining funds raised are used to purchase new instruments for the music departments.

As the Director of Instrumental Music, Mr Mark Sullivan finds the Music Support Group absolutely essential for many of the logistics that are needed for the regular concerts.

‘All the front-of-house tasks are undertaken by parents, allowing staff to focus on the musical aspects. It is an excellent way for parents to be connected with the staff of the music department while supporting their daughters’ learning,’ Mr Sullivan said.

That is exactly why current Music Support Group President Mr Mark Watson became involved when his daughter Ebony started at Girls Grammar.

‘We felt it was a way to be involved in her School and interests all in one spot,’ Mr Watson said.

‘Being part of the group has meant we have been able to watch her progress since Year 8 and have been introduced to many friendly, helpful and like-minded parents.

‘The musical highlight of the year is unquestionably, the Gala. Such an astounding demonstration of the girls’ talent and the music departments’ ability to get the most out of our girls! It is also requires the most work from our group, with sixty volunteers needed to ensure the high standards of Gala are maintained.

‘The Cathedral Concert is also a favourite which, by virtue of its acoustics, gives an incredible musical experience’.

Mr Watson encourages all interested parents to become involved with the group.

‘We cater to members’ needs or ability to help. You don’t have to attend meetings, but of course you are welcome.

There is no expectation you will be available to help at every concert — in fact we endeavour to make it so that you assist when your daughter is involved.

‘At the moment we have about 100 contacts on our list.

We are not a terribly formal group; rather we appreciate all and any help offered’.

Information on how to join can be found on the Parent Portal.

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UNIFORM PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN OUR IDENTITY FLAGS UNIFY A COUNTRY, A PEOPLE, A SPIRIT UNDER COMMON VALUES. IN THE SAME WAY OUR UNIFORM UNITES US AS A SCHOOL — JUST AS WE FLY THE SAME FLAG, STRIVE FOR THE SAME GOALS, AND SHARE THE SAME VALUES — OUR UNIFORM IDENTIFIES US, UNITES US AND SYMBOLISES WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE STAND FOR (JACINDA EULER, PRINCIPAL).

AUTHOR

Mrs Pauline Harvey-Short Associate Dean Aspects of uniform come and go. However, each element of the Girls Grammar uniform plays a substantial part in our history, whether it is an enormous pair of bloomers, a IIIB babushka, a ‘Take our Wake’ swimming t-shirt, or a non-regulation House ‘hoodie’.

One often-overlooked item of the Girls Grammar wardrobe is the swim coat. How could we forget an item of apparel which triggers such emotive responses as ‘How can we forget the swim coats!’ or ‘I loathed them.

They were anachronistic and we should have gotten rid of them’ or ‘My elder sister, Jan, wore it and I had the ambition to do the same’ or ‘Look at the funny coats we have to wear’ and a particular favourite, ‘I used one as a dressing gown for years’?

The prickly, wool flannel coat was introduced in 1936 with a School set purchased from McWhirters department store in Fortitude Valley, by Miss Benney, the swimming coordinator and history teacher. The purpose was multifaceted. The coat was deemed to give the swimmers and lifesavers a sense of uniformity, pride and professionalism. It also served to keep the swimmers warm and to preserve their modesty for the much-maligned march past when Grammar teams marched proudly into the Valley Pool with a white towel ceremonially folded over their arms. In the early decades, girls competed in a programme which included the Senior and Junior Brockway Cups; the fifty metre Senior and Junior Freestyle Championships; the senior and junior diving events; backstroke and breaststroke races; and relays.

Swim coat pictured bottom left in this photo of the 1967 Lifesaving Team (Barbara Alexander Collection).

2015 Swimming Captain Lauren Hogg (12R)

1967 Swimming Coat (BGGS Archives)

The coats were an affordable expense when the swimming team was small in number. The 1937 swim team comprised four senior swimmers and five juniors.

At the recent 2015 QGSSSA carnival held in March, the Girls Grammar team boasted 100 swimmers, seventytwo competing and twenty-eight reserves.

Like all items of clothing, contemporary fashion wielded a great influence — the final swim coats in the 1970s were royal blue, terry toweling minis! These coats were introduced in 1965/66 and once again were worn proudly by the Girls Grammar team. Like their wool flannel predecessors, the coats were a useful item of clothing for both the competitive swimmer and the McWhirter Cup lifesaver.

The demise of the swim coat for the Girls Grammar QGSSSA competitor came in 1973. This was inevitable with the March Past becoming a thing of the past and the advent of a more liberal society. 1973 Captain, Anne Belcher, remembers wearing the coat for the last time and the subsequent sale of coats and towels to the School community. When shown a photograph of the swim coat from the 1970s, a 2015 swim team member responded with ‘That’s really cool’. Today, the Grammar swimmer does not ‘march past’ but is represented by her captain under the Girls Grammar banner standing behind the blocks. The 2015 Captain, Lauren Hogg, stood proudly in her blazer and Physical Education uniform during presentations representing the 100 strong team united in royal blue. Perhaps the 2016 QGSSSA carnival at Chandler could see a retro look with the return of the royal blue swim coat. Just like history, fashion repeats and who knows - it may give us an edge!

REFERENCES Euler, J. (2014). Unpublished speech, BGGS School assembly, 7 May

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LEGACY OF LOVE, FRIENDSHIP AND GOOD WORK

AUTHOR

AUTHOR

Dr Ann Farley Director of Cross Faculty Initiatives

Dr Kay Kimber Director of Centre for Professional Practice

Clare Florence, Anna Blocksidge, Jane Carpenter (all 1978) and Kirsten Jack were, as Kirsten’s father described them, ‘a sparkling and vivacious quartet, and full of promise for the future’ (Jack, 2001, p. 119). Sadly, after Kirsten’s death from acute leukaemia in June 1977, the girls struggled to cope with the numbing loss of their beautiful friend. Adult Anna spoke to our 2009 Year 11s of how Kirsten ‘seemed to have a smile not just on her lips but on the inside, too’ (Blocksidge, 2009). How could they make any sense of such a tragic loss?

WHO COULD HAVE IMAGINED HOW THE LIVES OF FOUR STAUNCH GIRLS GRAMMAR FRIENDS AND THEIR CLOSEKNIT FAMILIES COULD BE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN IN THE SPACE OF SIX SHORT MONTHS? Who could ever have imagined that their devastating loss would touch the lives of legions of Grammar girls to inspire sterling service and good works for years to come? Such was the genesis of the Kirsten Jack Memorial Leukaemia Committee, forged by love and the close bonds of friendship.

In 1978, the Kirsten Jack Memorial Leukaemia Committee (KJMLC) was instituted, with Clare Florence as Founding President and Mrs Mary Hukins, Professional Staff as the group’s coordinator. So began Girls Grammar’s preservation of Kirsten’s memory and our service commitment to leukaemia research. To date, more than $65,000 has been raised, but the Committee has meant more to its student members, staff coordinators, generous friends, science researchers, and the wider community than money alone. Threads of love and friendship have bound a diverse network of young people and adults, the Girls Grammar community and friends of Girls Grammar, into a valued, long-serving community.

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Kirsten’s family maintained close involvement with the KJ Committee. Mr Jack’s annual visits to school assembly saw Committee Chairs proudly present their cheques to researchers like old girl Dr Liane Lockwood (1974), then Head of the Bonemarrow Transplantation Unit at the Royal Children’s Hospital, and Professor Hancock of the Leukaemia Research Unit at QIMR. Kirsten’s niece, Tullia, became Chair and a tireless fundraiser in 2002.

KJ Committee members travelled to Mr Jack’s nursing home to help celebrate his 90th birthday in 2006. His interest in School and Committee developments was steadfast, and he presented the girls with his published memoir. In 2009, Kirsten’s good friends shared their memories with Year 11s and encouraged further good work of the KJ Committee.

The nature of the Committee’s activities has changed across the years, but certain signature activities continue — raffles, bake stalls, Daffodil Day and Bandanna Day. Creativity now shapes weekly lunch hour meetings as members make Mother’s and Father’s Day cards and paper cranes, write stories and prepare colouring books about the Big Bear. Mrs Hukins, who gave unstintingly of her time and craft skills to the Committee for sixteen years, would be delighted with the girls’ creations. Visits to oncology wards, Childhood Cancer Support, and the Translational Research Institute (TRI) at the Princess Alexandra Hospital have helped sustain their purpose.

Empathy, motivation, selflessness and commitment have been driving forces behind the good work of the Committee for thirty-eight years and this work will continue, honouring the true spirit of friendship.

Clare Florence, Anna Blocksidge and Jane Carpenter (all 1978) returned to the School in 2009 to talk to students about the Kirsten Jack Memorial Leukaemia Committee that was founded in memory of their school friend Kirsten.

REFERENCES Jack, A. (2001). The Travelling Companions. Clayfield

CONTRIBUTIONS VALUED

AUTHOR

Ms Michelle Allan Director of Communications and Community Relations OVER OUR 140 YEAR HISTORY, GIRLS GRAMMAR HAS BENEFITED GREATLY FROM THE INPUT AND CONTRIBUTION OF OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY. This includes current and future students and families, staff and old girls. In 2014, the School requested the participation of these groups via a survey designed to identify our perceived areas of strength and any areas of concern. The questions were modelled on a previous survey conducted in 2010, with the addition of a range of demographic questions to gain additional information on the School’s diverse community.

It was pleasing to see an overall high level of satisfaction with the School and its values, and overwhelming feedback that Girls Grammar’s exceptional academic record sets it apart from other schools. This was balanced by an appreciation for the co-curricular and service activities offered at the School. It is clear that a high level of importance, and agreement, is associated with the School’s values and philosophy.

The survey results provided us with valuable information about the School’s communication with parents and alumni and this is an area we will continue to work on. Already, changes have been made to the BGGS News to allow it to be accessed as a PDF and a website application will be available soon.

Thank you to all parents, staff and alumni who provided their valuable feedback and suggestions as part of this survey. In a year where the School reviews its strategic intent, this data, combined with the information received in the Year 12 Student Exit Survey, will inform our thinking moving forward.

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INTERNATIONAL YOUNG LEADERS FORUM

AUTHORS

Linnea Cain (11W) and Emma van Baarle (11M) EACH YEAR, SCHOOLS FROM CHINA, SOUTH KOREA, INDONESIA, SINGAPORE AND AUSTRALIA TAKE TURNS IN HOSTING THE INTERNATIONAL YOUNG LEADERS FORUM (IYLF). This one week forum offers an opportunity for secondary school students to discuss relevant global issues prominent throughout the world. In November 2014, eight Year 10 Brisbane Girls Grammar School students were selected to participate in the 2014 IYLF, hosted by Suzhou Foreign Language School in Suzhou, China. The delegates were Isabella Busby (11M), Linnea Cain (11W), Rosie Cavdarski (11W), Michaela George (11E), Phoebe Gibson-Dougall (11R), Chanelle Ren (11O), Stephanie van der Jagt (11B) and Emma van Baarle (11M).

At the beginning of the week we were separated into eight groups which consisted of a student from each school. Each group was assigned one of four topics relating to conflict and co-existence and we were asked to

research and collect data through observing Suzhou and subsequently comparing our own individual situations at home. The four topics were transport, environment, culture and education. Using the information gathered through various cultural presentations and city tours, we each presented realistic improvements and solutions to the problems that had arisen in our selected topics.

At the closing ceremony and final presentations of the forum, Chanelle and Stephanie were selected amongst the Best Presenters, and Michaela was awarded Best Leader in her team. Overall Girls Grammar received the award for Best Leading Team.

During the development of the presentations and while working with the international delegates, we recognised our cultural differences and how significantly these impacted on our different views and opinions. IYLF opened our eyes and gave us a better understanding of how to deliver our personal views in discussions in a respectful and worldly manner. Despite the short time period, the connections we made and the skills we gained throughout the forum will definitely be useful in any field we decide to pursue. To experience a conference on an international level, at this age, was an unforgettable opportunity that we all found rewarding and incredibly enjoyable.

GRAMMAR GAZETTE

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INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR SCIENCE OLYMPIAD

Tully Briggs (11B), Anna Ruddell (11O), Elizabeth Perrin (11H), Ranita Atcheson (11R), Cherie Shih (11R) and Lauren Fidler (11R) in their team uniform at the International Junior Science Olympiad.

AUTHORS

Ranita Atcheson (11R) and Lauren Fidler (11R) In December 2014, we joined Elizabeth Perrin (11H), Tully Briggs (11B), Cherie Shih (11R) and Anna Ruddell (11O) as the Australian delegates at the 2014 International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) held in Mendoza, Argentina.

IJSO is an internationally-recognised competition in which students under the age of fifteen compete by completing examinations in the three mainstream fields of science (biology, chemistry and physics). This competition involved 250 students from thirty-four countries over a two-week period.

At Girls Grammar, science teachers pass on their love and passion for science to their students and strive for us to achieve scientific excellence. Our teachers have fostered our love for investigation and knowledge, which we have been able to pursue further through IJSO. It was an incredible opportunity and has helped us to grow and develop our scientific understanding. Not only did we receive extensive prior training to advance our knowledge, the enriching nature of the competition presented us with the opportunity to learn different ways of thinking and different approaches to problem solving.

We were also exposed to a wide variety of cultures and their different lifestyles. A major aim of the IJSO competition is to help forge cross-national links and academic networks that extend beyond borders.

This cultural immersion provided us with insight into the perception of young women in different societies and the relative importance placed on girls’ education.

We were surprised to hear that the emphasis on women’s education was not considered with the same high regard that we inherently expect at home.

Overseas, women often struggle and experience discrimination in their pursuit of science.

As reported in The Guardian, men in the UK are six times more likely to obtain a career in science (Wilson as cited in Saini, 2012). This appears to be a worldwide trend and suggests that there is a need to continue to strive for equality of opportunity between the sexes in all fields of science. We are privileged and proud that our School and country supports females in their pursuit of careers in all scientific fields. In the 2014 IJSO competition, only a small percentage of competitors were female. However, despite the fact that the majority of the competitors in IJSO were male, many of the female participants achieved very high standards in the examinations. The second and third overall prizes were awarded to girls, a testament to their hard work, dedication and intelligence. Additionally, one of our own team members, Elizabeth Perrin (11H) won a bronze medal, an outstanding achievement.

IJSO provided all its participants with a very valuable experience and lifelong memories. The entire team would strongly recommend the competition to any girls who are offered the opportunity in the future.

REFERENCES Saini, A. (2012). Why has the UK got so few women scientists?

The Guardian. (Women). Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/ lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2012/may/09/whu-uk-few-women-scientists

AUTUMN ISSUE / 2015

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OLD GIRLS/ALUMNI

GREETINGS AND REFLECTIONS FROM OUR OLDEST OLD GIRL, JOYCE GLASSOP (KENT, 1931) IN OUR 140TH YEAR AUTHOR

Mrs Claire Tynan (Corones, 2002) Old Girls/Alumni Officer

‘At almost 103 years of age I am proudly Brisbane Girls Grammar School’s “oldest” old girl. In this capacity I congratulate you, my old School, on celebrating 140 years of exceptional scholarship.

I attended the School from 1927 to 1929 and vividly remember the Lady Principal at the time, Ms Lilley, walking the School corridors in her commanding gowns.

I was passionate about music and played tennis as part of the curriculum and remember catching the tram to Spring Hill and waving to the Boys Grammar boys across the School fence.

As the next generation of young women eager to learn and succeed enjoy this exciting milestone, I hope the School continues to provide a place for girls to thrive.

It has certainly provided me with countless opportunities during my very long life.

Best wishes for the year of celebrations.’

Joyce Rossina Glassop (Kent, 1931) Born in May 1913

Pictured left: Speech Day, 1927 (Above) and Open Day, 1929 (Below)

BE INSPIRED BY OUR DIVERSE ALUMNI ACHIEVING IN THEIR FAMILIES, WORKPLACES AND COMMUNITIES — BOTH NEAR AND FAR. PROFESSOR CHERYL PRAEGER AM (1965) Professor Praeger is the first female recipient of The Australian Mathematical Society’s George Szekeres Medal. This award, along with her many other accolades, highlights the significant contribution that she has made to the mathematical sciences in Australia and internationally, and recognises and rewards her innovation and influence as a female pioneer in her field.

MS ELLODIE RUFFIN (2013) Ellodie has earned a place on the Australian women’s water polo team, the Aussie Stingers, following her strong performance at the junior women’s residential camp at the Australian Institute of Sport.

AUSTRALIA DAY HONOURS LIST THE HONOURABLE JUSTICE ROSLYN ATKINSON AO (1965) Justice Atkinson received an Officer (AO) in the General Division for distinguished service to the judiciary and to law reform in Queensland, through contributions to the legal profession and to promoting awareness of issues of injustice and inequality in Australia and internationally.

DR CATHERINE KEZELMAN AM (IMHOFF, 1971) Dr Kezelman received a Member (AM) in the General Division for significant service to community health as a supporter and advocate for survivors of child abuse.

MS SOPHIA BERGMAN (2014)

We are always eager to profile alumni news and encourage you to contact Old Girls/Alumni Officer Mrs Claire Tynan (Corones, 2002) on +61 7 3332 1437 or alumni@bggs.qld.edu.au with any updates.

Sophia was accepted into the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) to complete a Bachelor of Fine Arts: Theatre Practice, which has a rigorous and highly competitive audition process across the nation each year. Sophia’s outstanding performance skills will be honed in this environment and will no doubt see her develop the artistic skills to contribute meaningfully to the theatremaking community of Australia.

GRAMMAR GAZETTE

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OLD GIRLS/ALUMNI CAREER MENTORING BREAKFAST On Tuesday 17 March, seventeen Girls Grammar old girls returned to the School to talk to Year 11 and 12 girls at the biennial Career Mentoring Breakfast.

The main purpose of this event is to provide senior students with the opportunity to learn about occupations they might be considering through informal interaction with mentors currently working in the field.

OLD GIRLS IN THE UNITED STATES MS KATHRYN ZEALAND (2008) Kathryn was officially awarded the 2015 Fulbright Anne Wexler Masters Scholarship in Public Policy, which is sponsored by the Australian Government, Department of Education and Training. While on scholarship in the United States of America, Kathryn also hopes to learn more about American culture, and in turn share some of the best of Australian culture. She believes that open sharing and debate of ideas is the best way to further the goals of democracy.

MS SOPHIE ROSE (2014) Sophie has been accepted to Stanford University in 2015. She was drawn to apply after being inspired on the Oxbridge exchange programme offered at Girls Grammar, with hopes of studying pre-medicine and philosophy subjects.

MS JOSEPHINE THEILE (2014) Josephine has been accepted to Harvard University in 2015. In combination with her excellent academic results and the rigorous application process for Harvard, Josephine is an athletic recruit for the university. The School’s 2014 rowing captain, she holds the Australian Ergo under 18 lightweight record (achieved when she was only sixteen) and has been selected for state and national rowing crews.

MS SOPHIE HUR (2014) Sophie auditioned in March for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and was one of only three Australians to win a place. She will begin her course in September this year.

Girls Grammar is the first Queensland school to join the Australian Independent Schools USA Foundation as an affiliate member. Events are organised biennially to engage with our alumni in the United States and create opportunities for old girls to develop social, career and business connections with other Australians. The next New York City Event will be in October 2016, however connections can be made before then. Please contact Ms Lea Walker, Director of Development and Alumni, for more information on lwalker@bggs.qld.edu.au

OLD GIRLS IN THE UNITED NATIONS HE MS CAITLIN WILSON (1986) Caitlin Wilson commenced her post as Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations in January 2015. Before taking up this role, she served as an Assistant Secretary with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, supporting Australia’s Presidency of the G20 in 2014. Ms Wilson has previously served as Counsellor at the Australian Delegation to the OECD in Paris, and as Law and Justice Specialist for the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI). Coincidently, Ms Wilson is also working closely with another old girl, Ms Emily Street (1996), who is the First Committee Representative, Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations.

HE Ms Caitlin Wilson delivering a statement in the UN plenary in late January.

AUTUMN ISSUE / 2015

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GROWING SUPPORT

AUTHOR

Ms Lea Walker Director of Development and Alumni The song lyric ‘From little things big things grow’ is being realised as the tradition of philanthropy at Brisbane Girls Grammar School continues to be strengthened. Our $1 million + ‘Building a Tree of Learning’ Capital Campaign has now reached a total of $1 388 469 in gifts and pledges from 201 donor families.

Great things are achieved when like-minded people join together for an important cause. The School thanks all donors, as milestones only happen because of the difference each and every gift makes. We acknowledge all supporters who donated to projects in 2014 — parents, old girls, trustees and staff. There is a story centred on a passion for educating girls behind each one, such as the family who has currently extended a $50 000 challenge gift. This family will match all new gifts and pledges from any number of families, up to $50 000 — their generosity a true inspiration.

Another generous family donated in honour of their daughters’ grandfather: ‘We decided to make a gift from our girls’ grandfather’s estate to honour both him and the legacy he left us of highly valuing education throughout our family. Finding out that this was the

gift that allowed the School to reach the $800 000 milestone made it even more significant for us’.

Our goal is to reach $2 million by 30 December 2015 when this campaign ends. Over the past year a new building has been opened, additional library resources and sports equipment were secured and our bursary fund is growing thanks to the support of the School community. Most importantly, more people are experiencing the joy of philanthropy.

Thank you.

To become a supporter please visit ‘Giving to Girls Grammar’ located on our School website under the Community tab or return the 2015 Annual Giving Card in the reply paid envelope provided. All sizes of gifts are gratefully received and genuinely appreciated.

For more information please contact our Director of Development and Alumni Ms Lea Walker on +61 7 3332 1380 or email lwalker@bggs.qld.edu.au

GRAMMAR GAZETTE

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LIST OF DONORS ALC Ed & Consulting Ms M Allan Dr R & Dr L Allen Mr S & Mrs K Amos Mr A & Mrs J Anderson Dr M Anthony Mr J & Mrs J Atherton Mrs M Atkinson Dr A & Mrs C Avenia Mr T & Mrs N Awyzio Mrs D Barber Mr D & Mrs N Barlow Dr A Bell BGGS Parents & Friends Association BGGS Rowing Support Group Mr A & Mrs E Boden Dr R & Mrs L Borrowdale Mr A & Mrs C Bowden Mrs P Boyce Dr R Brijball & Dr M RamsayBrijball Mrs S Brock Dr M Broughton Dr A Bruce Mr I Brusasco AO & Mrs P Brusasco Miss J Bryant Mr B Bundock & Mrs L Bundock-Smith Mr P Burr & Dr J Gunn Mr S & Mrs C Cameron Mr W & Mrs H Campbell Mr N & Mrs M Carter Mrs W Carter Mr F Chan Mr D Cheng Mr M Cilento & Ms W Crowther-Cilento Mr C & Mrs S Cochrane Mr B Codd & Ms E Anstey Ms C Cominos Mr N Cooke & Ms H Weston Mr M & Mrs B Coulter Ms J Covacevich AM PSM Mr B & Mrs S Cox Reverend A Dale Mrs L Davies Mr S Davis Miss B Dawson AM Dr P & Mrs S Day Dr B Devereaux & Ms A Bensted Mr L & Mrs S Di Clemente Mr S Dias-Jayasinha & Ms R Hamilton Mr D Dunk & Ms S Buckley Mr D & Mrs S Edwards Mrs L Elkington Ms J Euler Miss C Fielding Mr R & Mrs L Fielding Ms T Frecklington Dr K & Dr M Fry Fu Family Dr C & Dr I Furnival Mr F & Mrs D Ganendran Dr A & Mrs N Gerber Mr J Gibson Mr M & Mrs E Giles

Mr S & Mrs M Girdis Dr J Godfrey OBE Mr H & Mrs S Goh Mr M Goss & Ms S Duffy Mrs M Grassie Dr J Grassle Green Options P/L Mrs H Greenham Mr D & Mrs P Greig Mr B & Dr A Gulbransen Haines Family Mrs A Hale Mr J Hardy & Ms G Haussmann Ms A Harrap Mrs P Harvey-Short Miss H Hassum Dr J & Mrs K Heilig Mr P & Mrs M Hickey Mr L & Mrs K Hinckfuss Dr B Hirschfeld Dr C Hirst AO Dr D & Mrs S Ho Mr J & Mrs M Hockings Mr S & Mrs T Horton Mr B & Mrs H Hunter Mr W & Mrs A Hurnall Miss D Hyland AM Mrs A Ingram Dr K & Dr K Jaffar Ms E Jameson Dr M Jameson Ms R Jans Miss G Jeremy Dr C Johnston & Dr J Wells Mrs R Jones In memory of H Joughin Dr J Kahn Mr A Key & Ms M Pender Mr A & Mrs L Kouvaras Mr J & Mrs H Lae Mr M Lam & Ms A Cheung Dr G & Mrs A Lampe Miss C Lau Dr J Lawrence AM Mr M Lee Mr V & Mrs C Lee Dr R & Mrs J Lester Mr J & Mrs M Lindsay Ms D Lohrisch Dr P & Dr L Lui Mr A & Mrs M MacDonald Mr J & Mrs C MacDonald Mr M & Mrs D MacGinley Dr E Mackenzie Dr A & Mrs C MacMillan Emeritus Professor Dr M Mahoney AO Mr D & Mrs E Marshall Ms K McAllister Mr B & Mrs H McCarrison Mr C & Mrs M McConaghy Miss K McCready Ms S McGarry Mr D & Mrs S McMah Ms K Meggitt Mr P & Mrs M Mitchell Miss M Mittelheuser AM Dr C Mittelheuser AM Mr A & Mrs J Mower

Nair Family Dr G Nette & Mrs J Kaspari Mr J & Mrs S Newton Ms K Newton Nicklin Medical Services Mrs C Noonan Mr P Nyssen & Ms L Armstrong Mr J & Mrs A O’Brien Mr M & Mrs S Ogilvie O’Meara Family Mr C & Mrs H Orr Mr M Palm Mr R & Mrs J Pattison Miss M Peel MBE Dr L & Mrs F Perrin Mr A & Mrs L Petfield Poole Family Mr H & Mrs G Poulos Dr G Powell AM Mrs R Powell Prof J & Mrs S Prins Miss R Purdy Mr A & Mrs C Rankin Mr M Reedman Miss A Richardson Ms J Richardson Dr G & Mrs S Rolls S & M Duke Foundation Mr N & Mrs K Sadler Saina Family Mr J & Mrs R Saunders Miss M Schubert Mr P & Mrs J Schubert Mrs A Schultz Ms A Scifleet Seymour Family Shannon Family Mr R & Mrs B Sharpless Mrs K Shaw Miss T Sikka Mr W & Mrs J Simpson Mrs B Smith Ms N Smith Prof J Soar & Ms A Marsault Dr C Sorensen Mrs A Strong Mr P & Mrs G Telford Dr D & Mrs M Theile Mr R Thomas & Ms J Charteris Mrs L Thornquist Dr G Tronc Mr R Truesdale Mrs J Trundle Mr R & Mrs J Tudball Urban Rowing Dr T Varghese & Dr L Kurian Dr P & Mrs M Vujovic Mr A Wade Mr K Walker Ms L Walker Mr J & Mrs K Warat Dr A & Mrs S Ward Mrs M White Mrs E Wilson Dr J & Mrs T Wittmann Mr WA & Mrs A Wright Mr J & Mrs S Yates Mr S Zhang & Ms C Shi

All care is taken in compiling this list, which represents donors during 2014, however, if there is an error please advise development@bggs.qld.edu.au

AUTUMN ISSUE / 2015

$1.3m — Year 10 parents

$1.2m — Year 9 parents with a future student

$1.1m — A legacy gift which an old girl had made provision for in her estate

$1m — A family foundation gift

$900 000 — An old girl

$800 000 — A family with two current girls in honour of their grandfather’s belief in the value of education

$700 000 — was reached when a current family offered a $100 000 Challenge Gift. Once the Girls Grammar community collectively achieved the $600 000 milestone (a Year 10 and future girl family), the family would match the amount to take it to $700 000.

$600 000 — Yr 10 parents with a future student

$500 000 — Gift from an old girl

$400 000 — Year 8 parents in 2014

$300 000 — an old girl’s son

$100 000 and $200 000 — P&F Association

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THEN AND NOW AT GIRLS GRAMMAR WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE AN EXTENSIVE ARCHIVE OF PHOTOS AND RECORDS from the School’s history. As Mrs Jenny Davis, Librarian – Special Collections, stated in her recent Insights article, ‘The role of Brisbane Girls Grammar School Archives is to use these resources to link the contributions of past students to the world, and to maintain traditions which have kept the School community together for the past 140 years‘ (2015).

Juxtaposed with images from modern times, these historical documents act ‘… as a source of inspiration …’ (Davis, 2015) and allow the broader community to bear witness to the remarkable progression, achievements and vibrancy of our School.

4

3

5

1

6 2

7 11

14 10

8

9

12 13

1. Mrs Janet O’Connor, First Lady Principal (1860c) 2. Ms Jacinda Euler, Principal (2015) 3. Girls walking to school (1950s) 4. Current girls walking to school (2014) 5. Students prior to introduction of uniform (1902) 6. Current uniform (2015) 7. 1940s classroom 8. Current classroom 9. Hungarian dancers (1930s) 10. Grammar Dance (2014) 11. Hurdles (1934) 12. Modern hurdles 13. Brisbane Girls Grammar School (1884/1885c) 14. Brisbane Girls Grammar School (2015)

GRAMMAR GAZETTE

Open Day presents the vibrancy and essence of the School community. It provides a genuine opportunity to spend time with students and staff, enjoy performances, view academic and co-curricular displays and tour the School. Join us to discover why Girls Grammar has been a leader in exceptional scholarship for 140 years.

Open Day

Register at www.bggs.qld.edu.au/openday2015

FRIDAY 31 JULY 4PM - 8PM FIG TREE POCKET 23 MAY 10AM – 12.30PM MARRAPATTA 10 OCTOBER 11AM – 2PM

Brisbane Girls Grammar School Gregory Terrace Brisbane 4000 Queensland Australia T +61 7 3332 1300 F +61 7 3832 6097 E communications@bggs.qld.edu.au www.facebook.com/BrisbaneGirlsGrammar Twitter @BGGS

www.bggs.qld.edu.au