The 2012 School Magazine

"Professor Dempster, Board of Trustees, Headmaster Mr Short, staff, parents and boys of Brisbane Grammar, good afternoon and welcome to the 2012 Brisbane Grammar School Speech Day. Today is a day when we honour and congratulate all of the boys who have achieved outstanding results in their particular fields.. It would be fair to say, though, that none of these boys would have been able to achieve this success if it were not for the effort and support of every teacher, every coach, and every other student who wears the light-dark blue.

Building on the legacy of previous year groups, at the beginning of the year I challenged us to strive to achieve our personal best and individual success for the betterment of the School.. I implored the senior cohort of 2012 to lead by example, and to interact with the younger year levels, continuing to unify the student body. Throughout this year, the seniors have worked positively and productively to shape a school community where people feel valued and included.

These impressive accomplishments would not have been achieved without constant application and dedication to hard work. This is where our school motto, Nil Sine Labore (Nothing Without Work), rings true. Hard work is found in the rower or swimmer who rises early to get to training before sunrise; in the musician who practises that one bar over and over until it is perfect; in the hours of rehearsal to learn the lines of the school play; in those who have faced defeat but come back stronger than before. This is what truly defines the Grammar man — not always outstanding success, but rather accomplishing the goals that we personally set, and contributing to school life in whatever way possible.

It is through all of these experiences that we learn the values that the School holds so dear: Endeavour, Learning, Respect, Leadership and Community. On a personal note, this last value — community — I hold dear. A close, supportive school community is the key to success. When I arrived from interstate as a fresh-faced Year 8 student, I was terrified.. yet, in spite of all my worries and fears, by the end of my first week it had seemed like I had been part of the School for years.

Your time at this school is precious and, all too quickly, it will be over. Use it wisely. Be kind to each other. Be happy in what you do. But most importantly, leave with no regrets. To the Year 12s of 2013, and every other boy: as the 144th year of this institution comes to a close, it is up to you to determine how the 145th year, and every other year after that, will fill the history books. It is up to you to shape your own Grammar journey."

Lewis Radford, 2012 School Captain

No formal Old Boys' Association section appears in the 2012 magazine; alumni are managed by the School's Development Office (a Director of Development is listed in the staff pages). The magazine's Community section records the Old Boys' Annual Reunion Dinner (27 July 2012) as a photo feature, alongside the P&F Auxiliary Spring Luncheon and the Mothers of Past Students Luncheon.

No President's report, office-bearers list, or Births/Marriages/Deaths register appears in this issue.