Toowoomba Grammar School
Encyclopedia
Toowoomba Grammar School is an independent
, non-denominational, day
and boarding
grammar school
for boys, in Toowoomba
, Queensland
, Australia
.
The school
was founded in 1875 as a consequence of the Grammar Schools Act
of 1860 passed by Queensland's first parliament. The original building was designed by Willoughby Powell and completed in 1876, first opening its doors to boys on 1 February 1877. Toowoomba Grammar has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for approximately 1085 students from Prep to Year 12, including 280 boarders from Years 5 to 12.
The school is affiliated with the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA), the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Junior School Heads Association of Australia
(JSHAA), Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ), and has been a member of the Great Public Schools' Association Inc (GPS) since 1920.
(House - Colour)
Taylor - Black
Stephens - Blue
Mackintosh - Red
Groom - Green
Boyce - Maroon
The names of the houses are taken from notable oldboys or staff. For example, Mackintosh house is named after the first headmaster of the school, Mr John Mackintosh.
The five houses compete in interhouse competitions including: Swimming, Track & Field, Cross Country, Touch Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Tennis, Singing, Quiz, Chess, Debating and Theatre Sports.
With regards to these activities, these days Mackintosh seems to be the champion house having won the headmaster's shield 4 years in a row (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010). However in 2011 Stephens appears to be dominating having won the cross country, the swimming and the touch football already this year.
and AFL (although they did formerly participate and enjoyed much success more so in the former then the latter). Their most successful sports have historically been Cricket
and Volleyball
. Toowoomba Grammar School has a healthy intra-city rivalry with Downlands College
, playing each other annually in Rugby for the O'Callaghan Cup and in Soccer for the Parents and Friends Cup. Toowoomba Grammar School 1st XV Rugby were defeated by Downlands College
most recently on 15 May 2010 with a score of 25 - 23 to lose the O'Callaghan Cup, while the 1st XI Soccer lost with a score of 1-0 to lose the Parents and Friends Cup for the first time in the history of the cup.
. In 2009 Toowoomba Grammar (in conjunction with several other Toowoomba schools) embarked on its most ambitious show to date, with the drama and music departments staging Jesus Christ Superstar
at The Empire Theatre in mid-August. The show played to three near-capacity audiences, as well as a sell-out.
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...
, non-denominational, day
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...
and 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...
grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
for boys, in Toowoomba
Toowoomba, Queensland
Toowoomba is a city in Southern Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane. With an estimated district population of 128,600, Toowoomba is Australia's second largest inland city and its largest non-capital inland city...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, 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...
.
The school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
was founded in 1875 as a consequence of the Grammar Schools Act
Grammar Schools Act
The Grammar Schools Act 1860 was passed by Queensland's first parliament in 1860 and allowed for the establishment of a grammar school in any town where £1000 could be raised locally. Between the years 1863 and 1892, ten grammar schools were opened under the auspices of the Act...
of 1860 passed by Queensland's first parliament. The original building was designed by Willoughby Powell and completed in 1876, first opening its doors to boys on 1 February 1877. Toowoomba Grammar has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for approximately 1085 students from Prep to Year 12, including 280 boarders from Years 5 to 12.
The school is affiliated with the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA), the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), 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), Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ), and has been a member of the Great Public Schools' Association Inc (GPS) since 1920.
Houses
Throughout most of the late 20th century, Toowoomba Grammar consisted of 10 houses, five dayboy houses (boys who live off-campus) and five boarding houses. Upon his appointment, Headmaster Peter Hauser (2003-Current) amalgamated the houses to increase the rate of dayboy/boarder competitiveness(Citation Required). The new houses were simply the names of the original houses joined together. At the outset of 2009 the school houses where again reformed. The new configuration has removed the hyphenated house names. The house names are now the names originally given to the five boarding houses.(House - Colour)
Taylor - Black
Stephens - Blue
Mackintosh - Red
Groom - Green
Boyce - Maroon
The names of the houses are taken from notable oldboys or staff. For example, Mackintosh house is named after the first headmaster of the school, Mr John Mackintosh.
The five houses compete in interhouse competitions including: Swimming, Track & Field, Cross Country, Touch Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Tennis, Singing, Quiz, Chess, Debating and Theatre Sports.
With regards to these activities, these days Mackintosh seems to be the champion house having won the headmaster's shield 4 years in a row (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010). However in 2011 Stephens appears to be dominating having won the cross country, the swimming and the touch football already this year.
Sport
Toowoomba Grammar School competes in all GPS events except for RowingRowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
and AFL (although they did formerly participate and enjoyed much success more so in the former then the latter). Their most successful sports have historically been Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and Volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. Toowoomba Grammar School has a healthy intra-city rivalry with Downlands College
Downlands College
Downlands College, officially Downlands Sacred Heart College, is a private, secondary, coeducational, day and boarding school in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. Founded by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in 1931, the College began as a boarding school for boys with a total enrolment of...
, playing each other annually in Rugby for the O'Callaghan Cup and in Soccer for the Parents and Friends Cup. Toowoomba Grammar School 1st XV Rugby were defeated by Downlands College
Downlands College
Downlands College, officially Downlands Sacred Heart College, is a private, secondary, coeducational, day and boarding school in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. Founded by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in 1931, the College began as a boarding school for boys with a total enrolment of...
most recently on 15 May 2010 with a score of 25 - 23 to lose the O'Callaghan Cup, while the 1st XI Soccer lost with a score of 1-0 to lose the Parents and Friends Cup for the first time in the history of the cup.
Arts
Toowoomba Grammar has a strong Arts department, and participates in a variety of cultural endeavors, with variety of instrumental, vocal and drama ensembles operating with the school. The school's choral ensembles regularly perform at the Toowoomba Eisteddfod, and selected music and drama students also participate in the GPS Day of Music Excellence. The school has a history of staging a school production every year, with the venue alternating annually between the school's assembly hall, and Toowoomba's largest theatre venue, The Empire TheatreThe Empire Theatre
The Empire Theatre is located in Toowoomba, Queensland, and is a fine example of art deco architecture. It is a heritage site listed by the National Trust of Queensland....
. In 2009 Toowoomba Grammar (in conjunction with several other Toowoomba schools) embarked on its most ambitious show to date, with the drama and music departments staging Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
at The Empire Theatre in mid-August. The show played to three near-capacity audiences, as well as a sell-out.
Politics, public service and the law
- Edwin John GodsallEdwin GodsallEdwin John Godsall was a politician and mayor of the City of Toowoomba, Queensland. Born in Toowoomba on 30 September 1871, he was educated at the Toowoomba South State School and Toowoomba Grammar School before going into banking...
Toowoomba's second native born mayor - Littleton GroomLittleton GroomSir Littleton Ernest Groom, KCMG was an Australian Commonwealth Minister, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Australia's 17th longest serving federal Parliamentarian . He was a member of every non-Australian Labor Party ministry from 1905 to 1926...
- Early 20th century AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , 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...
n politician - Sir Reginald SwartzReginald SwartzSir Reginald William Colin Swartz KBE , best known as Reg Swartz, was a Minister during the governments of Sir Robert Menzies, Harold Holt and John Gorton in Australia...
KBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
MBE ED - A minister in the Menzies, Holt, McEwen and Gorton governments
Military
Australian ArmyAustralian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
- General Sir Henry George ChauvelHenry George ChauvelGeneral Sir Harry Chauvel GCMG, KCB was a senior officer of the Australian Imperial Force who fought at Gallipoli and in the Middle Eastern theatre during the First World War. He was the first Australian to attain the rank of lieutenant general and later general, and the first to lead a corps...
- Lieutenant General Cyril ClowesCyril ClowesLieutenant General Cyril Albert Clowes CBE, DSO, MC was an Australian soldier. He won the first land victory against the Japanese in the Second World War, at the Battle of Milne Bay, New Guinea...
- Lieutenant General Eric WoodwardEric WoodwardLieutenant General Sir Eric Winslow Woodward KCMG, KCVO, CB, CBE, DSO was an Australian military officer and Viceroy...
- Major General Walter Adams CoxenWalter Adams CoxenMajor General Walter Adams Coxen CB, CMG, DSO was an Australian Army Major General in World War I. In April 1930 Coxen was promoted to the position of Chief of General Staff. He retired in 1931.-Early life and career:...
- Brigadier General Cecil Henry FoottCecil Henry FoottMajor General Cecil Henry Foott CB, CMG was an Australian Army colonel and temporary Brigadier General in World War I...
Media, entertainment and the arts
- Alfred George Stephens - Australian author journalist, publisher and critic
- Alan JonesAlan Jones (radio broadcaster)Alan Belford Jones AO is an Australian radio broadcaster, former rugby union and rugby league coach and administrator.Jones hosts Sydney's most popular breakfast radio program, on radio station 2GB...
- Sydney radio broadcaster - Eric Honeywood Partridge - New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
born lexicographer of English, especially slang - David RowbothamDavid RowbothamDavid Rowbotham was an Australian poet and journalist.-Biography:Rowbotham was born in the Darling Downs of Queensland, in the city of Toowoomba. He attended Toowoomba Grammar School and studied at the University of Queensland and the University of Sydney...
- poet and journalist