What’s in a name?

In its 153-year history, Brisbane Grammar School’s students and Old Boys have lived through world wars, economic depressions and, most recently, a second global pandemic. Three generations of the Davies family, also known as Swiss-Davies, illustrate how this sweep of history plays out in ordinary lives.

“No doubt we are only one of many families with generations of young men who went from a rich education at BGS, to interesting lives and careers,” Old Boy Dr Llewellyn Davies OAM ’64 said.

Dr Davies has made his life and career as a doctor and medical educator in Mackay and Rockhampton, following in his father’s footsteps – also Llewellyn Davies (BGS 1927-31) – who pioneered plastic surgery in Queensland after service as an army surgeon in New Guinea and Borneo in WWII.

“I think Dad’s story is of particular interest,” he said. “There are now more than 60 plastic surgeons in Queensland, and much of their work is cosmetic. In Dad’s army days it was blast and gunshot wounds; later in life, children’s congenital abnormalities and car accident injuries.”

Llewellyn senior’s nickname was “Swiss” – an unusual family middle name, springing from the family’s emigration from Wales in 1855. His grandfather, David Swiss Davies, was born on the ship Switzerland en route to Western Australia and the Victorian goldfields; his birth was registered at Pennyweight Flat near Castlemaine with a nod to his nautical birthplace.

After a childhood at Prior’s Pocket on the Brisbane River, David became a wine and spirits merchant, and he sent his son, the impressively named Cecil Beauchamp St Andrew Stuart Swiss Davies, to BGS as a boarder in 1898. Cecil’s address in the BGS Annals is Golden Age Hotel, Gympie.

Cecil (BGS 1898-1900) would enter the arguably more respectable legal profession and practice as a solicitor in Bowen – then considered the up-and-coming town of North Queensland. His two sons, Llewellyn and Owen (BGS 1934-36) boarded, with Llewellyn described as “Keen and intelligent. A useful House Prefect.” Both appear on the World War II Honour Board in the Great Hall, though Owen is incorrectly listed as Owen Swiss-Davies.

Dr Davies said both brothers had eventful war experiences and careers. “Dad worked in army hospitals in Port Moresby under intense bombing and flew into Kokoda just after its capture by the Australians. He had an extraordinary escape when his Field Ambulance unit suffered a bombing attack on 27 November 1942.”

“He was posted to Concord Military Hospital in 1943, where he met my mother, Sister Joyce Henry. In 1945 he set up a plastic surgery unit on Morotai Island, off Borneo. After VJ Day (Victory over Japan), Dad worked on the backlog of reconstructive surgery at Greenslopes Hospital until mid-1946.”

“Uncle Owen was in the armoured corps and went to Japan with the occupation forces. He later worked for the Snowy Mountain engineering corporation,” Dr Davies said.

Making up the third generation at BGS, Dr Llewellyn Davies ‘64 and his younger brother Doug ’70 were day boys. “I was studious, involved in debating and science activities. Sports were largely out because of congenital heart disease (repaired after I left school), and a lack of talent! My only sporting achievement was being the only rugby linesman to have his leg broken during a match (in 1964). My brother Doug did degrees in arts and education. After starting as a secondary teacher, he went on to working for Hewlett-Packard and then as an IT professional in the tertiary sphere.”

“We had a pretty bright cohort in science at BGS. Roy Curry, who won the science competition went on to a brilliant career at University of California, and my debating mate John Fuerst became a Professor of Microbiology at UQ.”

Dr Davies received a Medal of the Order of Australia for his service as a general physician and to medical education in 2004. He retired from clinical practice in 2015 and from teaching in 2018.

“My wife Marian, whom I married in 1972, has been an enormous support to me and a wonderful mother of four. For various reasons, I was not able to provide another generation at BGS, but the School gave me a wonderful base for a fulfilling career.”

“I am very happy to stay engaged with BGS, and I enjoy hearing about the School whenever a community function is held in Rockhampton.”