Grammar Gazette- Issue 2, 2010

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You know that I have always professed a strong interest in the education of our girls. I believe that female education in this colony, indeed in every country in the world, has been seriously neglected. We know that so far as any real knowledge is concerned the great mass of women have been left in complete darkness... Sir Charles Lilley 1873

Sir Charles Lilley’s vision to provide girls with the same educational opportunities as their brothers was far ahead of its time. The opening of Brisbane Girls Grammar School in March 1875 laid the foundations for its development as a leading academic secondary school for girls. This was six years before women were admitted to universities in Sydney and Melbourne and before similar schools appeared elsewhere in the country. The School opened as a branch of Brisbane Grammar School under the direction of Lady Principal, Mrs Janet O’Connor, in premises on George Street, Brisbane. Within six months the School outgrew these premises and moved to Wickham Terrace. THE EARLY YEARS

By July 1882, the School was well established and the decision was made to separate from Brisbane Grammar School and to operate independently under the Grammar Schools Act. Plans were also made to move the School to its present site on Gregory Terrace and in 1884, the Main Building, designed by prominent architect Richard Gailey, was opened to students. This generously proportioned and gracious building remains an architectural highlight on Gregory Terrace.

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