Grammar Gazette- Issue 2, 2010

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THE MACKAY ERA

ANNIE MARGARET MACKAY HOLDS THE UNIQUE POSITION OF BEING THE FIRST FORMER STUDENT TO BECOME HEADMISTRESS OF BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL. HER ENDURING REPUTATION RESTS ON THE FACT THAT SHE EXEMPLIFIED THOSE TRAITS WHICH ARE STILL VALUED WITHIN THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY: COMPASSION, COURTESY, IMAGINATION AND COMMITMENT TO THE WELFARE AND EDUCATION OF YOUNG WOMEN.

Annie Mackay entered the School on a scholarship from the Brisbane Central State School in 1881. As a secondary student, she was a shining example of what young ladies could achieve in subjects similar to those studied by boys. In her final year (1885), she received first class honours in all her subjects; namely Latin, French, English, History, Geography, Science, and Mathematics for which she won the prestigious Sir Thomas McIlwriath Prize. As this level of intellectual achievement was without precedent, it was logical Miss Mackay would be the unchallenged recipient of the Lady Lilley Gold Medal (awarded to the dux of the School). In addition, she was awarded the medal for History of Europe within the context of the University of Sydney senior examinations. Miss Mackay returned to the School in January 1890 as an assistant mistress and worked her way through various positions of responsibility until August 1915 when she was appointed acting Headmistress; a position she fully assumed at the beginning of 1916 at a salary of £450 with residence. As a lifelong devotee of History, Miss Mackay found herself in the unusual position of living and guiding the School through World War I. In her first Annual Report, Miss Mackay displayed her compassionate leadership, coupled with her belief in the efficacy of community service, when she commented upon the sad losses of our brother-school, while commending her students for their contribution towards the war effort: the girls have worked heart and soul for Red Cross, for the Belgians and for wounded soldiers... they have sent donations of sweets, handkerchiefs and pillow cases, washers and eye-bandages and they have been knitting even down to the youngest child. In

1916, MIss Mackay continued her sombre observations: I have watched many who in normal times would have been bright, merry, irresponsible girls, grow into womanhood before their time, while some have had to take up the burden of home duties for mothers who have broken down under the strain of anxiety and loss. It would appear from the literature that students, troubled by the effects of war, or the necessity of having to forego their education to enter the workforce, were counselled and comforted by Miss Mackay’s quiet dignity. As the leader of the School, Miss Mackay keenly supported the School’s involvement within the more immediate community. For example, she insisted that the association with the Children’s Hospital, begun in 1907, be continued. Therefore, every Monday morning, students brought one penny to help pay for a cot or toy. This commitment to the Children’s Hospital continues today, albeit in a more sophisticated form.

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