No President's report, office-bearers list, or Births/Marriages/Deaths register appears in this issue.
By Tom Crommelin, School Captain (Valedictory)
"Surely the world we live in is but the world that lives in us. The Brisbane Grammar School community has been my world for the past five years, and what a world it has been. When we first entered the gates of this world, all we carried was a school bag heavily loaded with books. Now, as the Grade 12s prepare to leave the School for the last time in our light and dark blue uniform, we will do so with a lot more than just physical baggage. 'Grammar Boy' has created in us what can be found nowhere else: our pride, our passion and our spirit.
These 'Grammar' qualities gradually begin to develop the minute one enters the school grounds. For me, it was the Grade 8 camp at Moogerah and participation in the U13 cricket and swimming teams which accelerated this development. I had been accepted and felt part of the Grammar family. A Grammar boy will always be a Grammar boy. He will always be proud to have been a part of a unique school, with its unique war cry, its unique tie, its unique buildings and unique community spirit.
Our Grammar world changed on the 20th May this year with the official opening of the BGS Middle School. These Year 6 and Year 7 boys have been warmly welcomed into our community.. However, our real sense of community in this, our Grammar world, does not only come from involvement in, and support for, the many extra-curricular activities on offer. It comes from our interaction with each other and the values which we uphold in these interactions. It's the respect for each other and for the staff, the will to do well and the pride in our school. It's the support we give each other and the support we receive.
Why do parents send their boys to private schools? Surveys reveal that it is not the location and certainly not the fees, but rather it is the community spirit, something which is truly evident in this institution. In a large school of over 1,400 students, we must work harder [to nurture it] — and we have!
As School Captain, I would like to say a big thank you to my parents, teachers and fellow seniors who have offered endless support and understanding. The pride, passion and spirit of Brisbane Grammar will live in the hearts of all seniors as they begin a journey into a new [world]."
Tom Crommelin, School Captain
No formal Old Boys' Association section appears in the 2003 magazine; alumni and fundraising are handled by the School's Development Office (Director of Development: Bruce Macdonald). The Development Office, established in August 1992, describes one of its key roles as "'friendraising' — maintaining communication links with the many groups within the wider Grammar community: volunteers, Mothers of Past Students, and Old Boys of the School (via the reunion programme)." The issue also lists a feature article, "Formation of the BGS Old Boys' Association", and records the opening of the Centre for Art (2003) by Mr Wayne Goss, whose connection to the School includes his son Ryan (School Captain 1999).
Format note: A yearbook with no traditional Old Boys' Association section (no President's report, office-bearers, or registers); alumni handled by the Development Office. School Captain 2003 was Tom Crommelin (Vice-Captains: Ben Spencer and Chika [surname not legible in the scan]). The 2003 issue's contents also list a feature, "Formation of the BGS Old Boys' Association" — a heritage article worth consulting in the scan (its body text was not clearly legible in the scan).
Brisbane Grammar School Old Boys' Association · Old Boys History. Part of the OBA Knowledge Project.
Draft site for committee review. Spot an error or hold a missing piece? Tell the OBA