Grammar Gazette- Issue 2, 2010

1 3 5 Y E A R A N N I V E R S A R Y E D I T I O N

135 YEARS

AGO PERSPECTIVES FROM THE PAST

Students outside Main Building 1890

AN INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF THE FOUNDATION AND EARLY HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL WRITTEN BY ELIZABETH A ELCOCK, THE FIRST ASSISTANT MISTRESS TO MRS JANET O’CONNOR

About forty pupils came on the first day, their ages varying from 12 to 20 years. It was somewhat difficult to classify the girls, because those who had attended private schools were more advanced in History and French, while those from the Normal School were better at Arithmetic and English Grammar. One lady came to town with two daughters to put to school, expecting the opening to be at the end of January, but she had to wait till March 15th, and left them boarding with friends. The number of girls continued to increase. Miss Cargill was appointed Assistance Mistress and afterwards Mrs Cooper. After the holidays in July, the School was removed to a house on Wickham Terrace, belonging to the Hon John Douglas. It had a large ball room and wide verandahs, and was more suitable in every way. The girls assembled on the wide back vernadah while the roll was called. The first printed list of the sixty-six scholars and the honours they gained was published in June, 1876. At the end of 1876 Mrs O’Connor left and opened a school of her own with the aid of her daughters. Miss Cargill took charge of the School for about a year and three-quarters till a lady from England-arrived — Miss Mackinley, L.L.A., who came with high recommendations from one of the best girls’ schools in England.

But in about two years she also left to be married, as Miss Cargill had done, and Miss Beanland, who came from Bradford Grammar School, England, was appointed in 1882. The numbers by that time had increased to more than one hundred, and continued to grow, so that it was necessary to find larger quarters, and once the completion of the present building, bade farewell to the old house on Wickham Terrace.

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