Old School Ties 1995 Vol 1 No 3

The refurbished School Gun was unveiled. President Ian Whittle: "The Gun has changed from an object of military victory to a peaceful rallying point and part of School life and tradition. We all at some time have used the old adage, 'Meet you at the Gun.'" The Headmaster, Dr Peter Lennox, spoke in a similar vein.

The Gun had shown its age; the first restoration attempt was in 1984, with submissions to the Trustees over six years, and by 1992 it was considered dangerous. After successful approaches by military Old Boys, it was restored at the Brisbane Logistics Group ("Army Workshop Bulimba") by apprentices as part of their training. An estimated 463 man-hours became well over 1,000. During sandblasting many parts disintegrated (being only layers of paint and rust). No patterns existed; Old Boys in military history instituted a worldwide search for plans. The Gun was built at the Austro-Hungarian Skoda works; no plans survived its passage through various wars.

The accompanying feature recalls the School's war service: Old Boys served in over 10 countries; 170 killed in action, of whom 29 fell at Gallipoli. For many years an original india-ink cartoon from Smith's Weekly hung at the School: a British general asks soldiers in a mess, "Eaten, men?" — the reply, "No, Brisbane Grammar." The Gun's captor was Brigadier-General Lachlan Wilson, CB, CMG, DSO, C de G.

• A Sunday Afternoon ABC TV feature on the State Herbarium in South Australia featured [—] Searle (Staff), who toured a circuit from Cairns to Tasmania.
• Cameron [—] (84), School Captain — noted in connection with a brother.
• Former School Captain and Rhodes Scholar Danny [—] mentioned.
• A note on the Goss family (the Goss son, Michael, then in [—]) and on an Old Boy who moved from Teaching into Public Relations.
• A "Remember When inflation wasn't all that…" nostalgia item, and anecdotes in the language of a former Headmaster (White Cards for poor work; a newly-appointed Deputy Headmaster).

(The full Grapevine in this issue is extensive; the above are the cleanly recoverable items. See the scan for the complete column.)

The Annual Old Boys v Current Boys Swimming Meet: fourteen Old Boys defeated about thirty members of the current squad, 115 points to 56. Veteran of the Old Boys' team Ian Thomas (72) ("Captain by Age") spoke for the victors; current School Squad Captain Sandon Rothman was gracious in defeat. Organised by Jay Deacon (82), who now assists in coaching the current squad. Other Old Boys attending: former School Captain Bruce Elliott (77), Chris Deacon and Anthony McConnell (78), Andrew Scriven, David Carew, Anthony Cribb and Jay Deacon (all 82), Joel Winter (86), Simon Richard (87), Scott Basford, Matt Logan, Matt Lennon (all 88) and John Baranoff (89).

February saw the presentation of some sixteen Scholarships and three Bursaries. The Old Boys' Association annually awards two of these — The R. H. Roe Scholarship and The J. G. Nowlan Bursary — presented this year by President Ian Whittle.

• R. H. Roe Scholarship (1995) — awarded to an Old Boy taking up studies at the University of Queensland (tenable three years; named after the School's second Headmaster, Reginald Heber Roe). This year's recipient: David Brown, who will be studying Commerce/Law.
• J. G. Nowlan Bursary (1995) — awarded to a boy entering the School who sat the Scholarship Exam the previous year, achieved at a very high level, and has a primary-school history as a contributor and good all-rounder (named after J. G. Nowlan, a Master who served the OBA as both President and Secretary). This year's recipient: Gareth Davies of Yeronga State School.

Trustees' Scholarships (Full and Half), presented by Howard Stack (59), Chairman of the Board of Trustees — recipients and their schools: Garnett Hall (Brisbane Boys' College), Bradley Scott (Jimboomba SS), Duncan Watson (Kimberley SS), Nicholas Berry (Brookfield SS), Philip Caldow (Gladstone Central SS), Andrew Copeland (Brisbane Boys' College), Jacob Diefenbach (West Gladstone SS), Ruelan Furtado (Iona College), Morgan Jenkins (Ashgrove SS), Andrew Kemp (Eagle Junction SS), David Khafagi (Aspley SS), Steven Lewis (Ferny Grove SS), Robert Peffer (McDowall SS), Michael Rogers (Matthew Flinders AC), William Wang (Macgregor SS).

• Tuesday 13 August 1996 — Annual Reunion Dinner, Novotel, 7:00 for 7:30pm; international guest speaker; numbers limited to 200.
• Wednesday 14 August 1996 — 75th Anniversary and Welcome to the (refurbished) Gun.

"Vale" — three members meriting particular mention

• Andrew Olle (63) — d. January. "Well known television and radio personality… his unexpected death cut short a career in the media of which all Australians must be aware." Left Grammar at the end of his Senior Year to study Law at UQ but did not complete it, instead undertaking a cadetship and journalism. During the pilots' strike he still managed to host the Howell Testimonial Dinner in 1990. Survived by his wife Annette and their children.
• Ian Darby Ross (63) — d. January. Two years in the First XV and one in the First XI; B.Sc. (UQ, 1972); represented Queensland at State and Colt level Rugby. Taught at St Andrew's (Sydney) and Newington College, then Subject Master of Science at All Saints, Bathurst, where he learnt of his cardiomyopathy. A heart-transplant recipient, he competed in the Transplant Games at Vancouver and Manchester. Survived by his wife Jennifer, three daughters and a grandchild.
• Ken Lemon — "a name known to many Grammar Old Boys… his encyclopaedic memory" (a beloved figure with an unrivalled recall of the School and its Old Boys).

Deaths

• Ronald Newman Witham CBE (1916) — Mayor of Gympie 1940–69.
• William Lloyd Pownall (1918).
• Robert Jacob Tow (1924).
• Norman Stephen Vanstone (1925).
• Donald Andrew Fraser (1934); Noel Pfrunder (1934).
• Geoffrey Edward Walsh (1936).
• Robert John Howard (1949).

Mark Jempson (79) — daughter Kaitlin Elizabeth (granddaughter for Peter '50); Simon Weil (76) — daughter Alice Margaret Lesley (Auckland NZ); Grenville Thynne (78) — son Matthew (Sydney); Peter Van de Graaf (79) — daughter Annie Grace; Warwick Sapsford (71) — a daughter.

• Association Office: 57 Gregory Terrace, Spring Hill (next to Bread House, opposite Girls' Grammar). Office Manager Mrs Denise Telfer, Mon/Wed/Fri 9am–1pm; (07) 3832-4534. Post to PO Box 841, Spring Hill 4000 (not to the School).
• Membership: $35.00 p.a.; Life Membership $700.00.
• Advertisers (Old Boy connections): Precision Eyewear (Ian Elcock); CLW envelope/printing manufacturers; BEARS Team / Ted Hook & Associates.