When BGS Old Boy Charles Vincent McMahon '08 tragically died in a vehicle accident in 2011, his fellow Old Boys vowed to keep his memory alive. Each year the group of former boarding students meet on the anniversary of Charles' passing to celebrate his life.
They have now taken this a step further by establishing the Charles Vincent McMahon Bursary to honour his memory and give a country boy in need the opportunity to attend BGS.
Country brothers, professional rugby player Tom Murday '06 and exploration geologist Jack Murday '08, were the main drivers behind creating the bursary. The pair attended BGS on bursaries and realised the impact of paying it forward.
Growing up on their family farm in Mossman in Far North Queensland, a BGS education seemed a distant aspiration for the Murdays. The initial donors to the 1943 Year Group Bursary bridged this gap.
Jack became a member of the Harlin House boarding community and was challenged in the classroom to question, reason and learn. "When I graduated, the most difficult thing was not finding something to occupy the next stage of my life, but choosing from the many opportunities that awaited me," he said. Jack has since travelled the world as a geologist.
Charles, a fellow country boy, Harlin House member and close friend, had a significant impact on Jack's BGS experience. "Charles brought his set of skills and knowledge of the land to his classmates," Jack said. "I remember making homemade stock whips with him and cracking them at school. Day students would eagerly await his return from school holidays to hear his most recent tales."
Michael McMahon, Charles' father, said his son thought the world of BGS. "He always spoke of his friendships and time at the boarding house," he said. "He formed strong, close friendships in Harlin House, Jack Murday being one of them. Their camaraderie was great."
"Charles' friends always do something to celebrate his life on 16 September," Michael said. "This year, they came down to the farm and stayed for a couple of days. Sometimes they stay in Brisbane and have a barbeque together and cook lamb chops, one of Charles' favourites."
It was on one of these occasions that Jack and his friends developed the idea to create the Charles Vincent McMahon Bursary to give a boy from the bush the opportunity to attend BGS. "We were overwhelmed when we heard the boys wanted to create a bursary in honour of Charles," Michael said. "It is a great idea that will benefit another boy."
Charles' mother Annie said it was important to include boys from the country at the School. "Charles did this and now another boy can bring the country to BGS."
Jack said all students benefited from the diversity bursaries bring to the School. "I think it is important, not only for the bursary recipient to receive the opportunity for a BGS education, but also for other students to experience and learn from boys from different backgrounds."
"After speaking with my bursary donors from the 1943 Year Group, I found it hard to express my appreciation for the life-changing opportunities they gave me," Jack said. "I came to realise that the best way to repay this goodwill was to pass it on to the next generation."
Source: Grammar News Summer 2020. Read the original edition