3 minute read
OBA president message
From the OBA President
Written by Cameron Feltham ’86 BGSOBA President
It has been a busy first half of the year for the OBA Community as we celebrate 125 years of the Old Boys’ Association.
Kicking off in February at Foundation Day, we welcomed new Old Boy parents back to the BGS community and presented them with their Old Boy caps, personally embroidered with their peer year to wear whilst watching their son’s cocurricular events.
We also presented the Old Boy Medal to Richard Rowles ‘72 and Stuart Rees ‘79, which you can read about in this edition of Grammar News. Their contribution to the School is a great reminder of the important part that many Old Boys play in the wider BGS community from current teaching staff, coaching sporting teams, tutoring students and volunteering on the many sub-committees.
We continue to hold our Business Breakfast Mornings at The Grove Rooftop. These breakfasts are hosted for the BGS community and their guests. Our breakfast in late May, featuring Llew Jury (current parent), Wayne Gerard and Monica Bradley, discussed the topic Entrepreneurship – Concept to Commercialisation and provided great insight into the world of venture capital.
Our breakfast held in August featured an expert panel discussing infrastructure bottlenecks in south east Queensland.
OBA Vice President Adam Franklin ’97 and I hosted OBA drinks in Sydney, at the end of May. Old Boys from a wide range of year levels attended, including Ronald Wilson ’44 and Will Power ’18. We hope to organise similar catch-ups in Melbourne later in the year, with a view to introduce business breakfasts and networking events in other cities to create more opportunities for Old Boys to come together.
As part of our 125 Year celebrations, we hosted our Back to BGS Reunion Weekend, on 21 and 22 July. Friday morning kicked off early with the ’83 Old Boys taking part in a reunion rowing event, with their old coach “Brom” in the tinny. We then held a sold-out Sportsmans Lunch at Howard Smith Wharves. It was hosted by Greg “Marto” Martin ’80 and attended by ex-Wallaby star Stephen Moore ‘00 and State of Origin star Tom Gilbert ‘17.
It was fantastic to see Old Boys across many generations coming together from John Walker ’55 (wearing his original school blazer showing the Crossed Oars from the first ever BGS winning First VIII race) to James McPherson and some of his ’22 classmates. A special thanks to Adam Franklin ‘97 and Grant Halyday ‘00 from the OBA Committee for their efforts in organising this event.
On Saturday, we invited Old Boys and their families to Northgate Playing Fields to cheer on the First XV in their match against Churchie. Despite the score, it was a picture-perfect day enjoyed by many. Some Old Boys, who had not visited the Northgate Grounds, were impressed by the magnificent facilities and manicured grounds.
After the game, light refreshments were provided before the ’73, ’83, ’03 and ’13 boys headed off to their respective Milestone Reunions. By all accounts, a great weekend of catch ups for the Old Boy community.
To ensure you stay up-to-date with Old Boy news, please follow the links on the School website to update your details.
