The Nothling family name is synonymous with Brisbane Grammar School, stretching back three generations to Otto, remembered by many as the School's greatest sportsman. To this day he remains one of only two Australian male rugby and cricket dual internationals. A true BGS all-rounder, Otto went on to become a doctor and served in the Australian Army Medical Corps in WWII.
Concerned about the ongoing fighting in Europe, the Nothlings left Germany for Australia in 1880, less than a decade after the Franco-Prussian War. Otto's father Carl was trained as an architect in Berlin but his qualifications were not recognised in Australia. Initially making bricks at Beenleigh, Carl worked hard, before moving the family north to Witta near Maleny, where they built a slab hut to raise eight children, including Otto.
Carl became involved with local government and he recognised son Otto had a good intellect and arranged for him to spend a year living with the headmaster at Woombye State School to prepare for the scholarship examination to support his application for a Trustees' Scholarship to attend BGS. This proved successful and Otto made the most of his opportunity, both academically and on the sporting field.
Otto established lifelong friendships through his time at BGS, with the positive experience leading him to enrol son Martin '61 at the School. As a parent, Otto frequently attended the School to keep an eye on the rugby and cricket teams, including as assistant coach of the First XI.
Just like his father before him, Martin believed it was a privilege to attend BGS. Like his father, Martin studied medicine upon graduation and became a doctor, working as a psychiatrist and going on to serve on the Federal Council of the Australian Medical Association.
Martin and his wife Anne had three boys, Old Boys Ben '93, Simon '95 and Alex '00. While their sons were at BGS the pair gave much to the School, with Anne serving for a number of years as President of the BGS Art Show. Making it three generations of Nothling doctors, Simon followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, working as an eye surgeon in Sydney. Alex is also based in Sydney, where he co-owns an accounting firm with fellow BGS Old Boys, while Ben is founder and director at Noosa-based holster, a footwear brand sold all over the world.
Otto Nothling Memorial Prize. Martin Nothling established the Otto Nothling Memorial Prize in his father's honour, aimed at encouraging BGS students to follow his example in achieving in both academic and extracurricular pursuits. The Function Room at the BGS Playing Fields at Northgate is also named in Otto's honour.
"Otto was a believer in the participation in sport linking with character development and intellectual development, which was a strong theme in his life. Sir Don Bradman, who was a lifelong great friend of my father's, told me before he died that Otto was the most competitive person he had ever stepped onto a sporting field with. I think that this was part of his drive to excel a high standard in whatever he took on." – Dr Martin Nothling
Source: Grammar News Winter 2017. Read the original edition