1995 School Magazine

6irlg' @rammar Scbool l8risbane 1995

LE)ilE DRAKE/'TADBERRY

was as Florence Nightingale in the play Tbe Lady with tbe Lamp, procluced by Rhoda Felgate at the Cremorne Theatre in 1933. She was also a member of the llrisbane Repertory Society which helped the OGA by supplying male characters for the ploduction at the Cremorne Theatre, Lexie entered the lirst of her plays, Weep and You Weep Alone, in a radio play competition where it came second to George Landen Dann's entry. \ilith a friend, Meta Maclean, Lexie began an innovative iclea for Radio programs with the ABC. Instead of the accepted format of lectures, they introduced the more infolmal approach of conversation to discuss the topic. For example, a line from Coleridge about a leaf dancing along on the top most branch of a tree inspired a conversation

A lexia Dreke was born on May 25th. 1905; she was the -f\i.r, pr-rpil to join the Brisbane Girls' Grammar School in a Preparatory Form, in 1910 wl-ien she was five. Continuing at the School untll 1922 Lexie was unique in that al1 her schooling was at BGGS, where she n'ent fiom Prep to From VI (Year 12). She sat lor the Senior Public Examination winning a MacKinlay Scholarship and went to the University of Queensland where she obtained an Arts Deglee, graduating in March 1926. Thele were four Headmistresses during Lexie's years at the schooi, Miss \fli1kinson, Miss \flilliams, Miss Walker ancl Miss Mackay. She particularly remembers Miss Mackay with affec-

tion. Miss Lilleywas prin- cipal when Lexie was teaching at the School. In .lr-rne 1926. Lexie joined the temporary staff of BGGS to teach one of the Scholarship classes which began in the winter terms. The lbllowing year saw hcr divide her time between St Hilda's School, Southpot. and, in the second hall of the year, BGGS. In 1928, Lexie was appolnted to the lulltime staff of BGGS bi-rt was forced to leave the following year ow- ing to illness. Subsequently, she opened her own Elocu- tion Studio in the City, having studied Speech and Drama with Rhoda Felgatc. and continuing during her l ears aI Uni- versity. She taught pri- vate pllpils and trained a verse-speaking choir. Rhoda Felgate produced Lexie's three one-act plays at tlre little thcatre in Empire Chambers wherc her strrdio then was. An rctive member of the Old Cirls As:ocir- tion Drama C1ub, Lexie's most memorahle part

leflecting on the aware- ness of beauty in all things. In 1934 Lexie mar- ried Norman Tudberry and she moved to Bougainville where they lived for eight years, re- turning to Brisbane in 1941. for the birth of their sonJohn, alter the fall of Singapore and the imminent invasion of Bougainville by the Japanese. After the Silar the lamily moved to Redcliffe where Lexie llved for the next forty- seven years. She con- tinued her association withthe Schoolthrough membership of the OGA, and must now be the longest standing member. This year she celebrates her ninetieth birthday. One of the manytal- ented girls who received their education at BGGS Lexie has always been interested in the activi- ties of the school and has watched its growth and changes with inter- est.

ir. WF

h't'

IOAN MASSEY COOK

Lexie Drake in costume .ts Florence NiRhtingale

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