1982 BGGS Magazine

Mrs Spykerboer has developed a cultural group for students of French, German and Latin and has been responsible for our girls ' participation in many cultural activities not only in our own city, but also in Toowoomba. Recently a submission was made to the Multi-cultural Committee of the Schools Commission for money to expand this group within the school so that greater understanding can be promoted about other cultures. These moves are particularly necessary in the light of the rapid ly changing nature of Australian society. Many of our girls have received high awards and honours this year in the academic field and these have all been listed in the Annual School Magazine, but I would like to make particular mention of Lyndall Jones who today receives the Lilley Gold Medal. Lyndall was chosen to attend the National Science School in Sydney which is run by the University of Sydney, under the direction of Professor Harry Messell. Students from all over Australia have attended this most successful Science School each year for some fifteen years or more. They are chosen solely on academic ability in the sciences and their desire to pursue scientific careers. It is interesting to note that the five representatives from Queensland this year were all girls. Sport continued to nourish in the school during 1982 with many teams receiving pennants at inter-school level. These awards were presented during the year at four sports dinners to which parents, as well as athletes, were invited. The last dinner held in early November paid tribute to the dedication and hard work of the athletics team which this year did exceptionally well at the inter-school carnival. A special thanks must go to all the parents, old girls and staff who gave so generously of their time throughout the year to train the girls, and to the girls who came in the early hours of the morning to commence their training. Next year the Physical Education Department, under Mrs Short, will have an extra teacher to help with the increased activities in this area.

(1. to r.) Vanessa Golden (Year 8) , Nicole Hodsdon (Year 9), Miss Paterson (Coach/Chaperone), Cathy Martin (Year 10) about to leave for evening session of F.O.M.A.T. , Suva, Fiji, 1/ 9/ 81.

During 1982, some of these activities worthy of note included the visit by three girls in the junior school to Fiji to pa rticipate in th e mental abilities tournament. Miss Paterson not onl y accompanied the girls but helped to raise the money to send them, and gave them support they needed during the weeks prior to the visit and also during their visit. The three girls were very successful in winning at their various age levels and not only enjoyed the experience, but also gained a lot from it. We hope to continue to support this activity and to develop a similar mental abilities tournament for next year's School Day. The Japanese C ultural Group began its activities in 1981 with some 87 members. The school greatly appreciated the support of this group during the visit of the Hirayama Gakuen during August. It has already drawn up plans for a return visit to J a pan in 1982. The money raised by the group during the year will be used to improve the facilities for the teaching of Japanese in the school and promoting greater understanding between our school and schools in Japan . It is good to see parents coming to the school to learn Japanese on a Monday evening and making use of the facilities of the language laboratory and the audio visual department. My thanks to Mrs Moses for initiating this group.

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