Grammar Gazette- Issue 1, 2018

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THE HISTORY OF FOUNDATION DAY

RECOGNISING FOUNDATION DAY: THEN AND NOW

Brisbane Girls Grammar School first opened on 15 March 1875, with students attending classes in a double-storey brick house on George Street. As the first non-denominational girls’ school in Queensland, the establishment is not only an important date for students of the School, but also marks an historical turning point in the advancement of girls’ education in the state. Secondary schools did not exist in Queensland before 1864. In 1860, Queensland parliament passed the Grammar Schools Act . Grammar schools could now be established in any municipality where residents could raise £1000, and the Government would subsequently double any amount raised by subscribers. This process was seen as a way to promote the expansion of Secondary education at a time when the government itself was not in a position to support the provision of these schools. In the School’s early history, although it operated as an entirely separate School, Girls Grammar was still culturally entwined with Brisbane Grammar School (BGS), celebrating the BGS Foundation Day on 28 February, and awarding annual academic prizes at a joint ceremony. It wasn’t until the mid-1990s that Mrs Judith Hancock, Principal from 1977 to 2001, established a dedicated celebration of Girls Grammar’s own foundation. Mrs Hancock valued upholding and creating traditions that would see the School continue to assert its identity, and established the annual Foundation Day Assembly which is held to this day, close to the School’s first date of classes (as the School’s calendar allows). For the past 13 years, the School has also celebrated this milestone with a cake-cutting ceremony, wishing the School a very ‘Happy Birthday’. Today, the Girls Grammar community recognises the importance of its gradual history of independence, and its students are proud to be part of a tradition of leadership in girls’ education.

On Saturday 13 March a simple advertisement which anticipated the new and unique development of a Secondary school for girls was placed in the Brisbane Courier . The process for enrolment was outlined. On 28 February, Girls Grammar staff and students celebrated the BGS Foundation Day, before Sir Charles Lilley, then Chief Justice of Queensland, laid the foundation stone for the new Girls Grammar School building. He also established the Lady Lilley Gold Medal for Academic Excellence in honour of his wife, Jane. Principal, Mrs Judith Hancock, resumed Foundation Day celebrations on the weekend closest to 15 March. Reunion events were combined with an address from the Principal. Foundation Day Assemblies were established by Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler, to be held in the weeks surrounding 15 March.

1875:

1883:

1994:

2015:

1927: Girls Grammar’s first independent Speech Day

1994: Foundation Day with Principal, Mrs Judith Hancock

GRAMMAR GAZETTE