70 Years Strong

Above Dick Pegg, Dick Paton, Malcolm Pegg, Bob Bryan, Lewis Reinhold, Rodney Gibson, Anthony Micallef (Headmaster).

Six BGS Old Boys from the class of 1952 gathered for a reunion at the School in April, continuing an informal tradition that has been going for the last few years.

One of the reunion organisers, 87-year-old Richard Pegg, said the regular get-togethers were instigated by the late John Leslie AO.

“I think John Leslie kicked it off, but he passed away a few years ago. And then mainly it has been left to me,” Pegg said.

“In the last four or five years we usually met at Tattersalls Club. We probably meet two times a year.”

Returning to the School was a great chance to catch up and “tell a few old stories”, said Pegg, who began at BGS in 1949.

“There wasn’t much there back then, only about 300 students and only four years: Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Form – or Years 9, 10, 11, 12 as you would call them now,” he said.

Pegg, who lives in Brisbane, arrived at the School after a diverse upbringing in the Far North, Central Queensland and the Gold Coast.

“I was the third generation to attend Brisbane Grammar School. My father and his brother, and my grandfather and his brother went there,” he said.

“My cousin, Malcolm, is also a third generation and he attended the April reunion. I’ve had a couple of sons attend as well.”

Some of Pegg’s fondest memories of BGS revolve around sport. During his school years, he played in the First team in both rugby and cricket.

“I won the hurdles one year,” Pegg added, “but only because the best hurdler hit a hurdle and fell over!”

Four of the Old Boys who regularly attend the reunions – Pegg, Bob Bryan, Ray Stringfellow and Ron Moore – were members of the School’s First XV in 1952, although the latter two could not make the April reunion.

Those who could recall the words performed the School’s famous war cry at the reunion, proof that the BGS spirit remains alive 70 years on.

According to Pegg, the Class of 1952 has plans to catch up again later this year.

“After all, in another 10 years we probably won’t be here!” he joked. “As Bob [Bryan] said, ‘we’d better not leave it too long – the Grim Reaper is always lurking!’”