Grammar News June 2023 (125th Year)

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 with our Foundation Day celebration, 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.

At this year's Foundation Day ceremony, we presented the Old Boy Medal to Richard Rowles '72 and Stuart Rees '79 for their services to both the School and Old Boy communities. It 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 host our Business Breakfast Mornings at The Grove Rooftop. These breakfasts are hosted by the OBA for the BGS community and their guests. Our recent breakfast in late May featuring Llew Jury (current parent), Wayne Gerard and Monica Bradley discussed "Entrepreneurship, Concept to Commercialisation" and was a great insight into the world of venture capital and the start-up industry. Our upcoming Breakfast, on 2 August, will feature an expert panel to discuss infrastructure bottlenecks in south east Queensland.

OBA Vice President Adam Franklin '97 and I hosted OBA drinks, in Sydney at the end of May. It was a wide range of Old Boys year groups from Ronald Wilson '44 through to Will Power '18 and a number of enthusiastic lads from his year. We hope to host similar catch-ups in Melbourne later this year, with a view to introducing Business Breakfasts and Networking events in other cities to create 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 having a reunion row including their Old Coach "Brom" in the Tinny. Friday lunch featured our sold-out Sportsmans Lunch at Howard Smith Wharves, hosted by Greg "Marto" Martin '80 with guests 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 organizing this event, our sponsors and donors and of course Marto, Stephen and Tom for entertaining us for the afternoon.

On Saturday, we hosted Old Boys and their families to Northgate Playing Fields to cheer on the First XV in their match against Churchie. Despite the scoreline, it was a picture perfect day enjoyed by many. Some Old Boys had not visited the Northgate Grounds and were impressed by the magnificent facilities and manicured grounds. Whilst Northgate does not have the massive home ground advantage of No.1 Oval back in the day, it is a fantastic facility enjoyed by the current students.

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 with the BGS Old Boy Community.

We still have a professional networking event and Business breakfast later this year so to ensure you stay up-to-date with Old Boy news, please follow the links on the School website to update your details. For those on Facebook, we have a very active BGS Old Boys Facebook Group with no shortage of Old Boy stories being shared. There are so many opportunities to be a part of our Old Boy community!

Old Boys named: Cameron Feltham '86 (President); Adam Franklin '97 (Vice President, event organiser); Grant Halyday '00 (event organiser). Old Boy Medal: Richard Rowles '72, Stuart Rees '79. Sportsman's Lunch: host Greg "Marto" Martin '80; guests Stephen Moore '00 (ex-Wallaby), Tom Gilbert '17 (State of Origin). Sydney drinks span: Ronald Wilson '44 to Will Power '18. Heritage note: John Walker '55 wore his original blazer bearing the Crossed Oars from the first BGS winning First VIII.