"And it's not for the sake of a ribboned coat, / Or the selfish hope of a season's fame, / But his Captain's hand on his shoulder smote, / 'Play up! play up! and play the game!'"
Aye! Those are the words that every schoolboy should have instilled into his mind until, finally, he adopts them as his motto. Then, indeed, will he be worthy to follow in the footsteps of those who, in this great war, are serving their King and Country. That the School is lacking in the number of men sent forth by her can never be said with truth, for already, as is shown on our "Roll of Honour," there has been a response to the "Call" of over 545 Old Boys, a number that will compare favourably with that of any other Australian school. In this number we are inserting the photographs of several of the Old Boys who have nobly given their lives for the cause of freedom.
Nor is the younger generation forgetting its duty during the war, for, although drill was suspended during the last quarter of 1915, there were many who attended the parades voluntarily; those who were not patriotic are sorry now, as they have to make up all drills missed then.
As regards our scholastic successes of last year, who can say that we ought not to be proud of them. The honour of first place in both the Senior and Junior was gained for the School by L. I. A. Michell and V. Grenning, while we also obtained six out of the twenty University Scholarships. We heartily congratulate the above-mentioned two, together with F. W. Paterson, E. Foster, O. Tiegs, O. Hirschfeld, and O. Blakey, winners of University Scholarships; S. Ross, who won the Thallon Medal; and all those who passed the Senior and Junior.
(The remainder of the Editorial reviews the year's swimming, rowing and cricket, noting that the 1915 cricket captain K. B. Fraser and football captain A. J. Hammond had left — Hammond "now in camp" — and that T. Lawton was elected to the dual cricket-and-football captaincy.)
The President for 1915–16 was Mr. Justice L. O. Lukin (re-elected from the previous year). At the 1916 Annual General Meeting Mr. E. R. Crouch was elected President for 1916–17; Mr. J. G. Nowlan continued as Hon. Secretary & Treasurer. The Association's work centred on the war: maintaining the Roll of Honour (over 545 Old Boys had enlisted) and supporting patriotic funds.
Old Boys' Association (Founded 1898).
No award. The Reginald Heber Roe Memorial Bursary had not yet been founded (first award 1933).
The 1916 issues carry the WWI Roll of Honour and Old Boys' registers; not reproduced here.
Source: The Brisbane Grammar School Magazine, April, August and November 1916 (three termly issues, combined). Notation: Bracketed "(year)" = year of ENTRY. (No R. H. Roe Bursary before 1933.) School Captain 1916: H. W. Anderson (first-named School Prefect). (T. Lawton was elected the combined Cricket-and-Football captain — the first to hold both since R. J. Willcocks in 1911.) Head Master: F. S. N. Bousfield, M.A.
In this era, an Old Boy's year designation was the year he entered Grammar; the convention today is the year he finished. A boy who started in 1993 and finished in 1997 was (93) but is now '97.
Brisbane Grammar School Old Boys' Association · Old Boys History. Part of the OBA Knowledge Project.
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