Geelong Grammar School
Encyclopedia
Geelong Grammar School is an independent
, Anglican, co-educational, boarding
and day school
. The school's main campus is located at Corio
, on the northern outskirts of Geelong, Victoria
, Australia
, overlooking Corio Bay
and Limeburners Bay.
Established in 1855 under the auspices of the Church of England
, Geelong Grammar School has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for approximately 1,500 students from Pre-school to Year 12, including 800 boarders from Years 5 to 12. The school's fees are the most expensive in Australia, based on a comparison of Year 12 student fees.
In 2010 The Age
reported that Geelong Grammar School ranked second among Australian schools based on the number of alumni who had received a top Order of Australia
honour.
Geelong Grammar School is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
, the Junior School Heads Association of Australia
(JSHAA), the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA), the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Association of Independent Schools of Victoria (AISV), and is a founding member of the Associated Public Schools of Victoria
(APSV). The school is also a member of the G20 Schools
Group. The school has offered the International Baccalaureate (IB) since February 1997.
of Geelong, with an initial enrolment of fourteen boys. The school grew rapidly and in 1857 it was assigned £5,000 of a government grant for church schools by Bishop Perry, the foundation stone was laid for its own buildings, and it was transformed into a public school
. The school closed due to financial difficulties in 1860, only to re-open in 1863 with John Bracebridge Wilson, who had been a master under Rev. George Vance, as Head Master
.
For many years Bracebridge Wilson ran the school at his own expense and through this time boarders came to compose the greater part of the student body. In 1875, James Lister Cuthbertson
joined the staff as Classics Master. He had a great influence upon the boys of the school and was much admired and loved by them in spite of his alcoholism
. Upon the death of Bracebridge Wilson in 1895, Cuthbertson became acting Head Master until the appointment of Leonard Harford Lindon early in the next year.
Lindon ran the school for 15 years, but was never fully accepted by the old boys
and lacked the personal warmth with the boys that had been seen with Bracebridge Wilson and Cuthbertson. By the turn of the century the school was outgrowing. its buildings in the centre of Geelong, and so it was decided to move the school. With this the school council decided to open the Head Mastership to new applicants - Lindon re-applied, but was rejected. Rev. Francis Ernest Brown was finally chosen as the new Head Master.
In 1909, the school purchased a substantial amount of land in the then rural Geelong suburb of Belmont
bounded by Thomson, Regent and Scott Streets, and Roslyn Road. On 21 October 1910, Chairman of the school, W.T. Manifold turned the first sod that was expected to be the new era of the school. These plans had faded by August 1911, when adjoining rural land was offered for sale as the Belmont Hill Estate. The school council indicated that the adjacent suburban subdivision would work against their plans for a boarding school, not one catering for day boys. The school made the decision to buy land on the opposite side of Geelong at Corio, with the land at Belmont, sold for further residential subdivision.
At the end of 1927 the school left its old buildings near the centre of Geelong for the last time to move to an expansive new site at Corio. Brown put a greater emphasis on religion than his predecessors, and the new isolated location with its own chapel was ideal for this.
Upon Brown's retirement in 1929 the school council set out to find a 40 year old married clergyman as the next Head Master, they ended up choosing James Ralph Darling, a 30 year old layman and bachelor. This proved to be a most successful choice, ushering in an era of creativity, and massive expansion through the school purchasing the Geelong Church of England Grammar Preparatory School in 1927, Glamorgan
in 1928, and starting Timbertop in the 1950s. Darling attracted many acclaimed in their fields to work as masters at the school including the historian Manning Clark
, musician Sir William McKie
, and artist Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack.
Thomas Ronald Garnett succeeded Darling in 1961 taking the school down a liberal path, most notably in early steps towards co-education with girls from Geelong Church of England Girls' Grammar School "The Hermitage" taking certain classes at Corio by the early 1970s and accepting girls into the senior years from 1972, but also through acts such as making chapel non-compulsory (since reversed).
He in turn was succeeded by the Hon. Charles Douglas Fisher, under whom Garnett's co-educational ideas were achieved. In a staff meeting in which the votes for and against co-education were equal he cast the deciding vote that led to G.C.E.G.S. accepting girls through all levels of the school. In 1976, after a year of negotiations, G.C.E.G.S., G.C.E.G.G.F.S. "The Hermitage", and Clyde School
amalgamated. Fisher died as the result of a car accident on the way to Timbertop for an end of year service in 1978.
An interregnum of a couple of years followed until the appointment of John Elliot Lewis
in 1980. Under the leadership of Lewis the school set about renovating the boarding and day houses to try and bring them up to somewhere near acceptable modern standards (which was successful), and a focus on improving academic results for while the school had offered a generally rounded education its poor academic performance had earned it the tag of a "finishing school for idiots." In part, this was achieved through introducing timetable flexibility to allow able later-year high-school students to undertake Victorian Certificate of Education
studies ahead of their cohort. The school is now one of 43 high schools in Australia to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma programme
as an alternative to the VCE. The later years of Lewis' Head Mastership saw an effort (which has been largely successful) to make the school less hierarchical.
The period since Lewis has seen two Head Masterships by Lister Hannah and Nicholas Sampson, and in 2004 the appointment of the current Head Master, Stephen Meek.
We ask each of our students to develop strengths, ambitions and hopes, and to be responsible and caring citizens who have confidence in their capacity to make a difference.
We engage our students and staff in our dynamic family; they care for each other and they belong to an international community that values commitment; scholarship; integrity and service.
Through first class teaching and facilities, exceptional pastoral care and sound Christian values, we inspire our students to flourish, to embrace their learning opportunities and to lead positive, meaningful and engaged lives.
es:
The school had planned in the 1990s to open a campus in northern Thailand
, but the project was cancelled following the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, as the Thai government suspended many major projects, and also due to the collapse of the hillside site on which the campus was to be built, as the school had failed to undertake a geological survey to establish the suitability of the site. The school lost approximately $3.5 million in this planning failure.
Allen (Day, Co-ed., 1914, originally Geelong)
Clyde (Boarding, Girls, 1976, nominal successor to Clyde School)
Cuthbertson (Boarding, Boys, 1914)
Elisabeth Murdoch (Boarding, Girls, 2009)
Francis Brown (Boarding, Boys, 1937)
Fraser (Day, Co-ed., 1976)
Garnett (Boarding, Girls, 1982)
The Hermitage (Boarding, Girls, 1976, originally Jennings, nominal successor to CEGGS "The Hermitage")
Manifold (Boarding, Boys, 1914)
Perry (Boarding, Boys, 1914)
Middle School
Barrabool (Boarding, Boys)
Barwon (Boarding, Boys)
Connewarre (Boarding, Girls)
Highton (Day, Co-ed)
Otway (Day, Co-ed)
Toorak Campus
Bruce
McComas
Alexander
Mann
Pueri et pullae usque te amamus,
O Corio praenitens ludo et labore,
Floreas virtutibus, floreas honore.
Res agendo fortiter, naviter 'ut Troes',
Si pro parte nos viri simus et heroes
Sic Corio praenitens ludo et labore,
Floreat virtutibus, floreat honore.
Victis et victoribus aeque generosa,
Fide integerrima, sordida perosa,
Sic Corio praenitens ludo et labore
Floruit et floreat omnium amore.
Amne campo litteris praemium merendo,
Corde mente corpore pariter valendo,
Sic Corio praenitens laude non carebit,
Floreat ut floruit, ut floret florebit.
Love you as true sons a mother, and your praises here are sung.
O Corio, may you floruish, glory gain in all you do:
May you grow in (manly) virtue, may you gather honour true.
Like the heroes of past ages, striving with the Trojan spirit,
So may we be brave and zealous, so may we true manhood merit.
So Corio, brightly shining, may excel in work and play;
So may flowers or virtue grow here, so may fame attend our way.
Whether victors or defeated, generous instincts in us burning,
Faith in that's all good and true, all that's mean and sordid spurning,
So Corio, brightly shining - scholars, sportsmen, all here giving
Of their utmost - may be glorius, loved by all, hence truly living.
May we do the most we can, on river, field, and learning's height;
Mind and body, heart and spirit, all be whole and filled with light.
So Corio, city shining, loved and served as in the past,
May grow greater, flourish ever: be fulfilled in heaven at last.
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Send upon us Your Holy Spirit,
That we may learn to be wise,
By loving You and our neighbour
In this school of the Lord's Service,
Amen.
Some notable buildings at Corio include:
The Handbury Centre for Wellbeing aka. The Wellbeing Centre
The Handbury Centre for Wellbeing is Geelong Grammar's main centre for sport, health and overall wellbeing. It was opened on 20 April 2008. The Centre comprises a multi purpose sports hall, a FINA-accredited 25 metre pool with diving bowl, a fitness centre, a dance studio, the John Court Café, the GGS Shop and the School's Medical Centre, Kennedy, that also has rooms for counselling services and physiotherapy.
Perry Quad
Built in 1913 and extended in the 1930s the Quad is located at the centre of the school between the Dining Hall and the Chapel. It houses classrooms, school administration, the Morris Room (staff dining room), three staff residences ( The Dovecote, The Eyrie, and the Vicarage), the Hawker Library, and until 1986 Perry House. The central quadrangle is grassed and there is a fountain in its centre. It is often used for assemblies and plays. The clocktower is on the eastern side of the Perry Quad.
Hawker Library
Originally the school library, its decor dates from the 1940s. From 1979 it housed the History Library, and was in 2005 converted into the Michael Collins Persse Archives Centre and School Museum.
The Cloisters
Linking the Quad and Chapel, the Cloisters are the school's main war memorial
. There are plaques commemorating OGGs who died in the First and Second World Wars at either end. The ANZAC Day
service is held around the Cloisters every year. Silence is to be maintained at all times in the Cloisters.
Chapel of All Saints
Built in stages between 1914 and 1929 the Chapel is at the spiritual centre of the school. All students must attend a weekday service and boarders must also attend on Sundays. The 3 manual organ was originally built by Hill in 1909 and was expanded in 1958 by J. W. Walker.
Dining Hall
Built in 1913 and extended in 1933 the Dining Hall is where all Senior School students take meals. There are paintings of all former Head Masters of GGS, as well of some of the school founders, and some the Headmistresses of The Hermitage and Clyde.
Darling Hall
Built in the 1960s the Darling Hall serves as the Middle School Dining Hall and Examinations Hall. At its East end is the sanctuary that was originally in the Assembly Hall of The Hermitage.
Music School
Built in 1938 and standing out as one of the few buildings at Corio not constructed with red bricks, the Music School contains many small practice rooms, a band room, and the Music Hall, which is used for many concerts by students, staff, and visiting musicians.
Art School
Built in 1937 the Art School served as the only centre for art in the school until the construction of the Sinclaire and Hirschfeld Mack Centres in the last 5 years. It remains at the centre of art in the school, being used mostly for painting and drawing.
Fisher Library
Built in 1979 and renovated and extended in 2005 the Fisher is now Senior School's sole lending library, now incorporating the collections of the former History Library.
Bracebridge Wilson Theatre
Opening in 1978 (replacing the 1890s Bracebridge Wilson Hall, which burnt in 1976), the "BW" is where most school plays and school assemblies are held. It seats approximately 300 people in fixed seating. However, seating capacity can be expanded to accommodate approximately 600 people.
Cook Quad
Built in stages until the 1930s the Cook Quad houses most of the school's Science Department.
, the Old Geelong Grammarians Association. Former teachers include the German/Australian artist Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack
.
In 2001, The Sun-Herald
ranked Geelong Grammar School fourth in Australia's top ten boys' schools, based on the number of its male alumni mentioned in the Who's Who in Australia
(a listing of notable Australians). Amongst the school's notable alumni are: HRH Charles, The Prince of Wales; Media mogul Rupert Murdoch
; Portia De Rossi
, John Gorton
, Prime Minister of Australia
(1968–1971); HM
Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin
, Sultan of Terengganu
, King of Malaysia; and Kerry Packer
, who was Australia's richest person at the time of his death.
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
, Anglican, co-educational, boarding
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
and day school
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
. The school's main campus is located at Corio
Corio, Victoria
Corio is a residential, industrial and one of the largest suburbs of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, located approximately 9 km north of the Geelong central business district...
, on the northern outskirts of Geelong, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, overlooking Corio Bay
Corio Bay
Corio Bay is one of numerous bays in the southwest corner of Australia's Port Phillip, and is the bay on which abuts the City of Geelong. The nearby suburb of Corio takes its name from Corio Bay.-Name:...
and Limeburners Bay.
Established in 1855 under the auspices of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, Geelong Grammar School has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for approximately 1,500 students from Pre-school to Year 12, including 800 boarders from Years 5 to 12. The school's fees are the most expensive in Australia, based on a comparison of Year 12 student fees.
In 2010 The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
reported that Geelong Grammar School ranked second among Australian schools based on the number of alumni who had received a top Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
honour.
Geelong Grammar School is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference is an association of the headmasters or headmistressess of 243 leading day and boarding independent schools in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and the Republic of Ireland...
, the Junior School Heads Association of Australia
Junior School Heads Association of Australia
The Independent Primary School Heads of Australia formerly Junior School Heads Association of Australia , is an incorporated body representing the heads of independent primary schools in Australia....
(JSHAA), the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA), the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Association of Independent Schools of Victoria (AISV), and is a founding member of the Associated Public Schools of Victoria
Associated Public Schools of Victoria
The Associated Public Schools of Victoria are a group of eleven elite independent schools in Victoria, Australia, similar to the Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales in New South Wales....
(APSV). The school is also a member of the G20 Schools
G20 Schools
All the schools claim to have a commitment to excellence and innovation of some sort. The G20 Schools have an annual conference which aims to bring together a group of school Heads who want to look beyond the parochial concerns of their own schools and national associations, and to talk through...
Group. The school has offered the International Baccalaureate (IB) since February 1997.
History
The school was founded in 1855 as a private diocesan school with the blessing of Bishop Perry by The Ven. Theodore Stretch, ArchdeaconArchdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of Geelong, with an initial enrolment of fourteen boys. The school grew rapidly and in 1857 it was assigned £5,000 of a government grant for church schools by Bishop Perry, the foundation stone was laid for its own buildings, and it was transformed into a public school
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
. The school closed due to financial difficulties in 1860, only to re-open in 1863 with John Bracebridge Wilson, who had been a master under Rev. George Vance, as Head Master
Head teacher
A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....
.
For many years Bracebridge Wilson ran the school at his own expense and through this time boarders came to compose the greater part of the student body. In 1875, James Lister Cuthbertson
James Cuthbertson
James Lister Cuthbertson was a Scottish-Australian poet and schoolteacher.James Cuthbertson was born in Glasgow, Scotland, the eldest son of William Gilmour Cuthbertson and his wife, Jane Agnes Cuthbertson. James was educated at the secondary school, Trinity College, Glenalmond, Perthshire, where...
joined the staff as Classics Master. He had a great influence upon the boys of the school and was much admired and loved by them in spite of his alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. Upon the death of Bracebridge Wilson in 1895, Cuthbertson became acting Head Master until the appointment of Leonard Harford Lindon early in the next year.
Lindon ran the school for 15 years, but was never fully accepted by the old boys
Old Boys
The terms Old Boys and Old Girls are the usual expressions in use in the United Kingdom for former pupils or alumni of primary and secondary schools. While these are traditionally associated with independent schools, they are also used for some schools in the state sector...
and lacked the personal warmth with the boys that had been seen with Bracebridge Wilson and Cuthbertson. By the turn of the century the school was outgrowing. its buildings in the centre of Geelong, and so it was decided to move the school. With this the school council decided to open the Head Mastership to new applicants - Lindon re-applied, but was rejected. Rev. Francis Ernest Brown was finally chosen as the new Head Master.
In 1909, the school purchased a substantial amount of land in the then rural Geelong suburb of Belmont
Belmont, Victoria
Belmont is a southern suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The name means "beautiful hill". Belmont is geographically separated from the Geelong central business district by the Barwon River. The suburb is primarily residential, with some light industry along Barwon Heads Road...
bounded by Thomson, Regent and Scott Streets, and Roslyn Road. On 21 October 1910, Chairman of the school, W.T. Manifold turned the first sod that was expected to be the new era of the school. These plans had faded by August 1911, when adjoining rural land was offered for sale as the Belmont Hill Estate. The school council indicated that the adjacent suburban subdivision would work against their plans for a boarding school, not one catering for day boys. The school made the decision to buy land on the opposite side of Geelong at Corio, with the land at Belmont, sold for further residential subdivision.
Upon Brown's retirement in 1929 the school council set out to find a 40 year old married clergyman as the next Head Master, they ended up choosing James Ralph Darling, a 30 year old layman and bachelor. This proved to be a most successful choice, ushering in an era of creativity, and massive expansion through the school purchasing the Geelong Church of England Grammar Preparatory School in 1927, Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
in 1928, and starting Timbertop in the 1950s. Darling attracted many acclaimed in their fields to work as masters at the school including the historian Manning Clark
Manning Clark
Charles Manning Hope Clark, AC , an Australian historian, was the author of the best-known general history of Australia, his six-volume A History of Australia, published between 1962 and 1987...
, musician Sir William McKie
William Neil McKie
Sir William Neil McKie was an Australian organist, conductor, and composer. He was Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey 1941-1963 and noted for his direction of the music for the marriage of Princess Elizabeth in 1947, and later her Coronation in 1953.- Birth and studies...
, and artist Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack.
Thomas Ronald Garnett succeeded Darling in 1961 taking the school down a liberal path, most notably in early steps towards co-education with girls from Geelong Church of England Girls' Grammar School "The Hermitage" taking certain classes at Corio by the early 1970s and accepting girls into the senior years from 1972, but also through acts such as making chapel non-compulsory (since reversed).
He in turn was succeeded by the Hon. Charles Douglas Fisher, under whom Garnett's co-educational ideas were achieved. In a staff meeting in which the votes for and against co-education were equal he cast the deciding vote that led to G.C.E.G.S. accepting girls through all levels of the school. In 1976, after a year of negotiations, G.C.E.G.S., G.C.E.G.G.F.S. "The Hermitage", and Clyde School
Clyde School
Clyde School was founded as a private girls' school in 1910 in Alma Road, St Kilda by Miss Isabel Henderson, a leading educationist of her day. It quickly gained a reputation for excellent academic results.-Clyde School in Woodend:...
amalgamated. Fisher died as the result of a car accident on the way to Timbertop for an end of year service in 1978.
John Lewis (headmaster)
John Elliot Lewis was the head master of Eton College from 1994 to 2002.Born in New Zealand in 1942, Lewis attended King's College, Auckland. He gained a double first in Classics from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and taught at Eton between 1971 and 1980. He was a distinguished rugby player...
in 1980. Under the leadership of Lewis the school set about renovating the boarding and day houses to try and bring them up to somewhere near acceptable modern standards (which was successful), and a focus on improving academic results for while the school had offered a generally rounded education its poor academic performance had earned it the tag of a "finishing school for idiots." In part, this was achieved through introducing timetable flexibility to allow able later-year high-school students to undertake Victorian Certificate of Education
Victorian Certificate of Education
The Victorian Certificate of Education or VCE is the credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete high school level studies in the state of Victoria, Australia. Study for the VCE is usually completed over two years, but it can be spread over a longer period in some cases...
studies ahead of their cohort. The school is now one of 43 high schools in Australia to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma programme
IB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...
as an alternative to the VCE. The later years of Lewis' Head Mastership saw an effort (which has been largely successful) to make the school less hierarchical.
The period since Lewis has seen two Head Masterships by Lister Hannah and Nicholas Sampson, and in 2004 the appointment of the current Head Master, Stephen Meek.
Mission statement
Geelong Grammar School offers an exceptional Australian Education.We ask each of our students to develop strengths, ambitions and hopes, and to be responsible and caring citizens who have confidence in their capacity to make a difference.
We engage our students and staff in our dynamic family; they care for each other and they belong to an international community that values commitment; scholarship; integrity and service.
Through first class teaching and facilities, exceptional pastoral care and sound Christian values, we inspire our students to flourish, to embrace their learning opportunities and to lead positive, meaningful and engaged lives.
Head Masters
| Period | Details |
|---|---|
| 1855 – 1862 | Rev. Dr. George Oakley Vance |
| 1863 – 1895 | John Bracebridge Wilson |
| 1896 – 1911 | Leonard Harford Lindon |
| 1912 – 1929 | Rev. Dr. Francis Ernest Brown |
| 1930 – 1961 | Sir James Ralph Darling James Ralph Darling Sir James Ralph Darling OBE was the Headmaster of Geelong Grammar School , and Chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Commission .-Early life:... |
| 1961 – 1973 | Thomas Ronald Garnett Tommy Garnett Thomas Ronald Garnett OAM was an English and Australian headmaster, horticulturist, ornithologist and author. Before the Second World War, he played first-class cricket for Somerset.-Early years:... |
| 1974 – 1978 | Hon. Charles Douglas Fisher |
| 1980 – 1994 | John Elliot Lewis John Lewis (headmaster) John Elliot Lewis was the head master of Eton College from 1994 to 2002.Born in New Zealand in 1942, Lewis attended King's College, Auckland. He gained a double first in Classics from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and taught at Eton between 1971 and 1980. He was a distinguished rugby player... |
| 1995 – 1999 | Lister Hannah |
| 2000 – 2004 | Nicholas Sampson |
| 2004 – Present | Stephen Meek |
Campuses
Geelong Grammar School has four campusCampus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
es:
- Corio Years 5 to 8 (Middle School) and 10 to 12 (Senior School), boarding and day.
- Bostock House Pre-school to Year 4, day.
- Toorak Campus (formerly known as Glamorgan) Pre-school to Year 6, day.
- Timbertop Year 9, Fulltime boarding
The school had planned in the 1990s to open a campus in northern Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, but the project was cancelled following the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, as the Thai government suspended many major projects, and also due to the collapse of the hillside site on which the campus was to be built, as the school had failed to undertake a geological survey to establish the suitability of the site. The school lost approximately $3.5 million in this planning failure.
Houses
Senior SchoolAllen (Day, Co-ed., 1914, originally Geelong)
Clyde (Boarding, Girls, 1976, nominal successor to Clyde School)
Cuthbertson (Boarding, Boys, 1914)
Elisabeth Murdoch (Boarding, Girls, 2009)
Francis Brown (Boarding, Boys, 1937)
Fraser (Day, Co-ed., 1976)
Garnett (Boarding, Girls, 1982)
The Hermitage (Boarding, Girls, 1976, originally Jennings, nominal successor to CEGGS "The Hermitage")
Manifold (Boarding, Boys, 1914)
Perry (Boarding, Boys, 1914)
Middle School
Barrabool (Boarding, Boys)
Barwon (Boarding, Boys)
Connewarre (Boarding, Girls)
Highton (Day, Co-ed)
Otway (Day, Co-ed)
Toorak Campus
Bruce
McComas
Alexander
Mann
School Song - Carmen Coriense
Salve schola te pia laude efferamus,Pueri et pullae usque te amamus,
O Corio praenitens ludo et labore,
Floreas virtutibus, floreas honore.
Res agendo fortiter, naviter 'ut Troes',
Si pro parte nos viri simus et heroes
Sic Corio praenitens ludo et labore,
Floreat virtutibus, floreat honore.
Victis et victoribus aeque generosa,
Fide integerrima, sordida perosa,
Sic Corio praenitens ludo et labore
Floruit et floreat omnium amore.
Amne campo litteris praemium merendo,
Corde mente corpore pariter valendo,
Sic Corio praenitens laude non carebit,
Floreat ut floruit, ut floret florebit.
School song
School, God keep you: keep you holy. We, your sons, and daughters.Love you as true sons a mother, and your praises here are sung.
O Corio, may you floruish, glory gain in all you do:
May you grow in (manly) virtue, may you gather honour true.
Like the heroes of past ages, striving with the Trojan spirit,
So may we be brave and zealous, so may we true manhood merit.
So Corio, brightly shining, may excel in work and play;
So may flowers or virtue grow here, so may fame attend our way.
Whether victors or defeated, generous instincts in us burning,
Faith in that's all good and true, all that's mean and sordid spurning,
So Corio, brightly shining - scholars, sportsmen, all here giving
Of their utmost - may be glorius, loved by all, hence truly living.
May we do the most we can, on river, field, and learning's height;
Mind and body, heart and spirit, all be whole and filled with light.
So Corio, city shining, loved and served as in the past,
May grow greater, flourish ever: be fulfilled in heaven at last.
School Prayer
Creator of Heaven and Earth,Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Send upon us Your Holy Spirit,
That we may learn to be wise,
By loving You and our neighbour
In this school of the Lord's Service,
Amen.
Buildings at Corio
The Handbury Centre for Wellbeing aka. The Wellbeing Centre
The Handbury Centre for Wellbeing is Geelong Grammar's main centre for sport, health and overall wellbeing. It was opened on 20 April 2008. The Centre comprises a multi purpose sports hall, a FINA-accredited 25 metre pool with diving bowl, a fitness centre, a dance studio, the John Court Café, the GGS Shop and the School's Medical Centre, Kennedy, that also has rooms for counselling services and physiotherapy.
Perry Quad
Built in 1913 and extended in the 1930s the Quad is located at the centre of the school between the Dining Hall and the Chapel. It houses classrooms, school administration, the Morris Room (staff dining room), three staff residences ( The Dovecote, The Eyrie, and the Vicarage), the Hawker Library, and until 1986 Perry House. The central quadrangle is grassed and there is a fountain in its centre. It is often used for assemblies and plays. The clocktower is on the eastern side of the Perry Quad.
Hawker Library
Originally the school library, its decor dates from the 1940s. From 1979 it housed the History Library, and was in 2005 converted into the Michael Collins Persse Archives Centre and School Museum.
The Cloisters
Linking the Quad and Chapel, the Cloisters are the school's main war memorial
War memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
. There are plaques commemorating OGGs who died in the First and Second World Wars at either end. The ANZAC Day
ANZAC Day
Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who fought at Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all...
service is held around the Cloisters every year. Silence is to be maintained at all times in the Cloisters.
Chapel of All Saints
Built in stages between 1914 and 1929 the Chapel is at the spiritual centre of the school. All students must attend a weekday service and boarders must also attend on Sundays. The 3 manual organ was originally built by Hill in 1909 and was expanded in 1958 by J. W. Walker.
Dining Hall
Built in 1913 and extended in 1933 the Dining Hall is where all Senior School students take meals. There are paintings of all former Head Masters of GGS, as well of some of the school founders, and some the Headmistresses of The Hermitage and Clyde.
Darling Hall
Built in the 1960s the Darling Hall serves as the Middle School Dining Hall and Examinations Hall. At its East end is the sanctuary that was originally in the Assembly Hall of The Hermitage.
Music School
Built in 1938 and standing out as one of the few buildings at Corio not constructed with red bricks, the Music School contains many small practice rooms, a band room, and the Music Hall, which is used for many concerts by students, staff, and visiting musicians.
Art School
Built in 1937 the Art School served as the only centre for art in the school until the construction of the Sinclaire and Hirschfeld Mack Centres in the last 5 years. It remains at the centre of art in the school, being used mostly for painting and drawing.
Fisher Library
Built in 1979 and renovated and extended in 2005 the Fisher is now Senior School's sole lending library, now incorporating the collections of the former History Library.
Bracebridge Wilson Theatre
Opening in 1978 (replacing the 1890s Bracebridge Wilson Hall, which burnt in 1976), the "BW" is where most school plays and school assemblies are held. It seats approximately 300 people in fixed seating. However, seating capacity can be expanded to accommodate approximately 600 people.
Cook Quad
Built in stages until the 1930s the Cook Quad houses most of the school's Science Department.
Notable alumni
Former students of Geelong Grammar and old girls of The Hermitage and Clyde School are known as Old Geelong Grammarians (OGGs), and may elect to join the schools alumni associationAlumni association
An alumni association is an association of graduates or, more broadly, of former students. In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, schools , fraternities, and sororities often form groups with alumni from the same organisation...
, the Old Geelong Grammarians Association. Former teachers include the German/Australian artist Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack
Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack
Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack was a German/Australian artist.His formative education was 1912-1914 at Debschitz art school in Munich, and 1922 at the Bauhaus-University Weimar where following Kurt Schwerdtfeger he further developed "Farblichtmusiken" , a light and colour modulator...
.
In 2001, The Sun-Herald
The Sun-Herald
The Sun-Herald is an Australian tabloid newspaper published on Sundays in Sydney by Fairfax Media. It is the Sunday counterpart of The Sydney Morning Herald. In the 6 months to September 2005, The Sun-Herald had a circulation of 515,000...
ranked Geelong Grammar School fourth in Australia's top ten boys' schools, based on the number of its male alumni mentioned in the Who's Who in Australia
Who's Who in Australia
The Who's Who in Australia is an Australian biographical reference first published by Fred Johns in 1906 as Johns's Notable Australians. It has been used by academics as a resource that identifies Australia's leading individuals, and has been analysed when studying the social backgrounds –...
(a listing of notable Australians). Amongst the school's notable alumni are: HRH Charles, The Prince of Wales; Media mogul Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
; Portia De Rossi
Portia de Rossi
Portia Lee James DeGeneres , known professionally as Portia de Rossi , is an Australian-American actress, best known for her roles as lawyer Nelle Porter on the television series Ally McBeal and Lindsay Bluth Fünke on the sitcom Arrested Development...
, John Gorton
John Gorton
Sir John Grey Gorton, GCMG, AC, CH , Australian politician, was the 19th Prime Minister of Australia.-Early life:...
, Prime Minister of Australia
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
(1968–1971); HM
HM
HM may refer to:* HM , a Christian hard rock magazine* HM , pseudonym of Henry Molaison, a man with anterograde amnesia* HM, the IATA airline code for Air Seychelles...
Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin
Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin
Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin is the 17th Sultan of Terengganu and the 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the constitutional head of state of Malaysia...
, Sultan of Terengganu
Terengganu
Terengganu is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Iman...
, King of Malaysia; and Kerry Packer
Kerry Packer
Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer, AC was an Australian media tycoon. The son of Sir Frank Packer and Gretel Bullmore, the Packer family company owned controlling interest in both the Nine television network and leading Australian publishing company Australian Consolidated Press, which were later...
, who was Australia's richest person at the time of his death.
School Journal
The Corian is the journal of the Geelong Grammar School . Published as The Geelong Grammar School Annual (1875–76), The Geelong Grammar School Quarterly (1877–1913), and The Corian (1914-). Published quarterly since 1877 it reverted to an annual in 1992.See also
- List of schools in Victoria
- List of schools in Australia
- List of boarding schools
Further reading
- Collins Persse, Well-Ordered Liberty, Cliffe, Melbourne, 1995
- Corfield, Geelong Grammarians: A biographical register, G.G.S., 1996
- Geelong Grammar School Quarterly 1877-1913
- The Corian 1914-2007