December 1955 School Magazine

of the BRISBANE GIRLS' GRAMMAR SCHOOL

DECEMBER, 1955

Registered at the G.P.O., Brisbane, lor transmission by post as a Perlodica'

Published by Miss L. W. Crooks, Brisbane Girls' Grammar S'chool and printed by Allan William Cramb, Fuller Street, Windsor, for The Read Press Pty. Ltd., 610-616 Ann Street, Valley, Brisbane.

ACl3J>/D3 . l'l40! O(,f.t-j oS (~ ______ _ ______P_f a..nooo ~-5,~ TRIVETT'S I NUNN & COMMERCIAL COLLEGE

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All coa ching under the expert and person.:Il attention of the Principal, Miss S. R. Ha ls tead. Pe rsonal inte rviews invited - day a nd even- ing classes . Shortha nd , Typing , Commercial Engl ish , Commercia l Arithmetic a nd Book- keeping. Office will be open to enrol new s tudents from 16th Ja nuary, 1956-10 to 12 noon and 2 to 4 p.m.

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ALLAN & STARK Grammar School Wear is in a class by itself.

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f}Je (/Vl~j~LhH of f}Je ~,.,D~.t\t-1e Gh·l/ f;r.t\»"\»"\.t\\. EDITORIAL W E WHO are schoolgirls 11ow will soon be assuming our responsibilities as Australian citizens, and as such should be justly proud of our heritage-this rugged yet beautiful land, our grow- ing cities, and our increasingly important part in world affairs. Nevertheless. we cannot forget that this nation was founded and in its early years supported and defended by Britain. In recent years Australia has become increasingly independent o·f the Mother Country, but we are still bound to her by our blood ties and our loyalty to the Queen. Although Aus- tralian citizens, we are British subjects. Our coun- try is one of the dominions of the British Common- wealth of Nations, which binds together Britain and her former colonies in a voluntary union, whose members have no longer any obligation to remain jointd to Britain. The members of the union are held togethtr through their allegiance to a common head, Queen Elizabeth the Second. However, the increasingly strong nationalistic feelings in some of the member nations have caused the nations to drift furthtr and further away from Britain. India no longer recognises the Queen as her head ; Pakis- tan and Ceylon have much more nationalistic than British feeling ; South Africa wishes to become a republic. But Australia maintains a close spiritual bond with Britain; Britain is still "Home" to us . Our loyalty to the Queen-our queen and Britain's queen-was expressed during the Royal Visit last year. vVe as Australians must maintain our national integrity; we must take a vital interest in our closest neighbours, the countries of South-East Asia and the Pacific, and in the affairs of the rest of the world but let us always remain loyal to• the Motherland who gave birth to our nation, nurtured us in our infancy, and helped us to become the vigorous and thriving people we are today. L. DENMEAD. 9

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December, 1955

December. 1955

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

MISS CATNACH'S VISIT TO THE SCHOOL Early this term Miss Catnach, a former Headmistress of the Putney County School for Girls in England, paid a visit to the Schooi. She described the English education system where less emphasis is placed on formal examinations than we know in Queensland. Miss Catnach related in a vivid manner t he E.xperiences of her school when it was evacuated and how it continued under war-time conditions. It was heartening to learn· how this constructive work was carried out in a time of devastation. Miss Catnach told us, too , how she received the Order of Commander of the British Empire, and took us to Buckingham Palace with hE.r, step by step to the Throne Room where the investiture was held by the Duke of Gloucest er . The School thoroughly enjoyed Miss Catnach 's visit. VI FORM NOTES (With apologies to D. H. Lawrence) Next year, sitting in our places, vVhen this year's Sixth, now behind the desks in Sixth Form Room, Departs, and the School is taken by surprise . . \'Then Minerva's solemn brow no longer f rowns upon our valiant efforts Bright rugs designing . . vVhen under the streamers of the decorated hall A milling crowd enters by the door , dress ed in their best , Ag·ainst the current of excited guests Look in, and you'll see old facE.s With n ew-found Virtue shining. Babbling with bobbing of clarkheads " braving the bhmclers" together. A circle swoop, and a swift delivery into the far corner By our well-known ch ampions, 'Twas thus Sixth Form team won the tennis match- and we won the swimming too- Mid cheers from supporters. Congratulations To Fifth and Three D on their wins. Dark clays are looming Not dropped upon us yet, 10

A flick, a flutter , an ear-rending scrape of the pen, And all know that Senior's coming soon But what's better than holidays after it's over? Best wishes all !

' ' Sixths ~ ~ ' ' "Fifths!!!!" ' ' The Sixth Form has gone

" To Miss Croo·ks. Miss Macmillan, the staff, for their aid, we wish Merry Christmas, health and good cheer . Res ting-time. Farewell to t he School! Good luck to the Fourths in their Junior examination, To those who'll return next year and becomE. the fai thful Fifths of 'fifty-six. V FORM NOTES, 1955 This is station B.G.G.S. commen cing tonight's broadcast from the laboratory here on Garden Road and relaying through our dingy studio in Main Parlour Avenue, directly opposite Headquarters . Our subject for tonight's broadcast is called "A Sample of J_.ife in Battalion 5.' ' It is the story of a. group of young greenhides, who fo r one year were marched from one site to anothtr , worked to utter exhaustion with total disregard for their per son al feelings and harried by bawled instructions from Senior officers and Commanders. Nine o'clock is the beginning of a long, weary clay for these recruits. All are gathered together , lecturecl on the day's t'Ou t ine and sent off to the strains o·f a thumping band, t o com- mence their work. To open the day's schedule, something easy ( n' for example, finding the dewpoint or na.ding the barometric pressure is set them as an encouraging foretaste of the work to ccme (?! n. Then they embark on a. much more complicated subjE.ct, that of modern warfare, that i s, the hand- ling of proj ectiles and atomic bombs which brings in danger- ous work on dynamics, calculus, trigonometry, atomic theories and activities of bodies - speaking o·f activities of bodies, there are the Senior officers, Maclean and Jackson, shouting orders for all rtcruits to take part in some type of strenuous 11 Not farewell! Au revoir , best wishes, happiness. Sixth!!

December, 1955

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

December, 1955

exercise. Some have become very fond of this time of day and perhaps give too much time to these activities. This has one good result howeve.r - well contested matches of all kinds against other Battalions which resulted in one first, one second, one third and one fifth place for Battalion 5. Heartiest con- gratulations are extended to the respe.ctive winners-Back to training! Something they are told that they ought to know about are the methods of ancient fighting. Because of this tiresome lectuns on Roman warfare or on Charlemagne have to be attended. Then for the purpose of jungle fighting zoology instructions are given-it is necessary to be ab le to recognise one's animals, you know! Now for some- facts on the pleasures of Battalion 5-and they do have some pleasures. On very rainy days or on Sun- days, they are, perhaps, given a Sh akespearian pl ay or a novel by Charles Dickens to read. A less frequent pleasure is the attending of some play produced by a visiting company-many thanks for being able to see Pygmalion-or perhaps a journey to Caloundra to exten"l their knowledge. of habits of animals , or even a day at Young's Crossing to strengthen their muscles by a little swimming. At the end of the year this Battalion has to undergo an important test on the year's training-less important, how- ever than those of Battalions 4 and 6 and so on t hese, best wishes are bestowed. With these thoughts the broadcast from Battalion 5 is concluded and station B.G.G.S. closed for a few weeks. IV FORM NOTES As the Junior Examinations approach, we remember the happy times we have spent as Fourth-fanners both in class and on the sporting field . The 23rd September will be a date long remembered hy the majority of Fourth-formers, as this was the night of our dance. We would like to thank Mr . McLucas for allowing us to use the boys' gymnasium. It was a very successful evening and the gay decorations suit ed the mood of · the danctrs. V.le thank Miss Crooks and the Fourth Form Mistresses for making the evening possible, and the parents for providing a delicious supper. Most of the forms have made colourful rugs, while IVF changed the custom slightly and made stoles. These have been 13

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:Brisbane Girls ' Grammar School Magazine

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Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

December, 195S.

.sent overseas and we hope they will bring pleasure to those who receive them in England. At the Albert H all, in July, the school held a very success- ful concert in which many Fourth-formers took part. \Vith .an operetta and a play among the items, we saw what a lar ge :tmo·unt of artistic talent there is in the school. Sweets made and so1d by the girls helped make the evening "stick" in our memories. \~T e have had an interesting sporting year, beginning with the swimming carnival held in the B.G.S. pool during fir;;t term. Congratulations to VI form on gaining first place, also to Judith Baxter of IVD who won the Diving Cup. Fourth Form was well represented in the school team at the Inter- School Swimming Carnival by Judith Baxter, Natalie Clarke, -Erica Deaville, Elaine Howe, Meryl Hughes and Diane Tate while Judith Cornish and Erica Deaville were in the team for the Inter-School Lifesaving. The Inter-form athletics held in July were won by IIID with IVB runner -up. Many Fourths were members of the School Athletics Team and pockets were awarded to Patr icia Budd, Natalie Clarke, J oan Farquharson, Sandra Few, Mar- garet Geach, Wendy Hughes, Beverly Nimmo·, Judith Rowe, Janice Tunstall and Vena Wh ite. IVD won the ]i'ourth-form round in Inter-form Basketball, ln1t were defeated by V who succeeded in takin g the Basket- ball Honour from VI form. In tennis, IV gained the semi- fina ls, but VI form won the finals. All these matches were cl osely contested, and we congratulate the team members whose go·od sportsmanship made these matches such a success. Mary and J anice Finlayson and Dorothy 0 'Meara were suc- cessful in gaining places in school tennis teams while Ann Thomas, Pamela Rogers and Kay Vallee gained places in the School Basketball teams. Throughout t he year Fourth Form teams have taken part in several inter-form debates. IVB were successful against IIID in a most interesting debate on the subject "That the Metric System Should Be Adopted, ' ' thus ~inning the junior section. Previously we invited a Fourth Form team from the lJoys' school to• debate on the subj ect, " That All Schools Should Be Co-educational." Other clubs have been well attended and enjoyed by us; too, and we are grateful to the Mistresses and girls who organized them. 14

Finally we send our best wishes to all who are sittino· for the Public Exarninations. May they reap the results ol' two years' honest hard work under t he expert tuition and o·uidance of our Mistresses to whom we all extend our sincerest thanks. To Miss Crooks, Members of Staff and to you all , we ex- tend the r,om}Jliments of the season. ' THIRD FORM NOTES The first year at our n ew school is quickly drawino- to a close . 'vYe have made new friends, learnt new lessons, l~layed sport and have had three very happy terms. The first important event was the Inter-form Swimmino" Carnival. In this IIIE proved to have the best Third Fori~ t eam .by gaining second place. \Ve offer our congratulations to Elizabeth J essup of IliA, Merridy Sands of IIIC and Bar- bara Bell of IIIE who were awarded blues for their outstand- ing performances in the Inter-school Swimming Carnival. IIID carried away ~h e I nter-form Athl etics Cup, and afte1· the Inter-s?hool Athletics, Pamela ~Thittington of IIID ancl Gl~nda ~emgl e of IIID we re awarded blues; Pamela also gamed th1rd place in the Telegraph Blue for Athletics. In t he Inter-form Basketball IliA won the final of t he Third Form matches while IIIE won the Third Form Tennis. Third Forms were well repeesentecl in school teams. Jill Wetherell of IIID and J ocelyn Beak of IliA were chosen to· play in the A Basketball t eam; Helen Pickburn of IIIA, Juanita Turner-Jones of IliA, Noela Carr of IliA and Patricia Stephen- son of IIID were chosen for the B Bask etba ll team· Judith Smith of IIIB played in the B Tennis team. IIID won the Third Form Debate but were unsu ccessful against the Fourth Form. The School Concert was held during second t eem and all Third Forms were represented in the cho-ir. During second term, the girls worb:, d hard makino· ruo·s: ~hich hav_e bee~1 sent to England. vYe hope th~t some ~)eople m need Will gam a gr eat deal of pleasure from them. _Rosemary Johnson of IliA, who came first in the Portr-ait Section of the ' 'Sunday Mail ' ' Child Art Competition deserves our hearty congratulations. · ' , . We '':ish the J~mi~rs and Seniors the very best of luck in Lheir commg exanunatwns, and those who are leaving school, every success in t he future. A Merr-y Christmas to all. 15

Brisbane Girls' Grammar 'school Magazine

December. 1955

December. 1955

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

BOARDERS' NOTES As we look back upon the year we feel that we have com- bined happily together in work and sport. We should like to take this o·pportunity to thank Miss Crooks and members of the House Staff, sincerely for the guidance and help they have given us. Senior Dormitory welcomed its members back with a fine showing of new quilts neatly embroidered with B.G.G.S. Dur- ing the August vacation our Dining Hall was painted and _the walls were decorated with many new pictures. \Ve appreciate all of these very much. On Inter-form Sports Day we were successful in defeating the Day School in three out of five Ball Games and the Relay. \Ve were also in luck at the Swimming Carnival and won our relay. Some boarders later gained places in school teams . W e have had many enjoyable dances and film evenings with the boarders from the Boys' School, and we do thank Miss Crooks and Mr. McLucas for making these possible. vVe would also like to thank Mrs. Sears for her help on these oc- casions. This year we have been extremely fortunate . !.Ve have seen the Borovansky Ballet, the Davis Cup film, and many plays such as "Pygmalion," " King Lear," and the Old Vic Company in the ' 'Taming of the Shrew,' ' as well as attended the usual y outh concerts. We spent many pleasant hours preparing for the Boarder~' Concert, the proceeds of which enabled us to buy table t~nms equipment and material for Boarders' bandan_as. So_me ?I our Third Form o·irls have spent much of their leisure tune m the fern house ai~d we must congratulate them on their work there. We would like to say thank you to the Boys' School for letting us spend several Saturday afternoons in their Swim- ming Pool. .. During this term we have had the pleasl:re of a VISit fr~m Archbisho·p Halse and we were also very thnllecl to have Miss Catnach, a visiting English Headmistress, with us for lunch one day while she was in Brisbane. . . Vv e were sorry when Clare Bridges became a clay gu~ this term. \Ve congratulate Marcia Clayton who was appomted House Prefect this term. The Boarders' Picnic to Petrie was a very enjoyable day's outino· and we thank all those who helped to arrange it. To Miss Crooks and the Staff we apologize for any undue disturbances and wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. -MERLA JOHNSTON. 16

LIBRARY NOTES During the year extensive work has been completed in all sections of the Library. In the first terrr1 members of the Committee swiftly com- pleted the re-arrangement and re-classification of the Fiction Library. Much good work is being done by members of Fifth and Sixth Fcrms in the cataloging of Reference Library books. 'l'hird and Fourth Form representatives have helped consider- aJ:>ly in the checking of books and cards in the Fiction Library. We are grateful to Helen Samios for her excellent work in the Fiction Library and also to Joy Rackemann for her close supervision of the magazine sht1ves . Mary Grundon, Clare Bridges and girls under their supervision have done fine work in the binding of library books, form rolls, mark books and magazines. Mr. Dobbie, of the Public Library, continues to give these girls valuable assistance in their work. Many books donated by Old Girls and friends and those bought with money allotted by the Committee have been added to the Library. To accommodate these, a new bookcase was installed in first term. vVe thank Miss Crooks, Miss Macmillan, Miss Thomas , Mrs . Jackson, lVIiss Elliott and Miss Paterson for their encour- agement and guidance throughout the year. To all we wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. -Y.K.H. CRUSADER NOTES This year Crusaders have met during Friday lunch hours. The motto of the Crusader Union is "Witnesses Unto Me," ancl its purpose is to guide secondary school girls and boys in prac- tical Christian living and to give them a knowledge of Jesus Christ as a personal Saviour. At the beginning of the year lVIrs. Chenoweth returned temporarily as our leader until htr place was filled by Mrs. Fisher who has guided us through the year. Her vital, talks on St. Luke's Gospel have proved most helpful. The members of a team chosen early in the year arE: responsible for the running of the group and have taken it in turn to conduct the meetings. We have also enjoyed talks by visiting missionaries. At the end of second term several g·irls received certificates fo·r regular attendance.

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Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

Decembe1·. 1955

December. 1955

DRAMATIC CLUB vVe started the year with a large membership and since then we havE- spent many lunch hours listening to our budding· actresses presenting play readings. Meetings are now held once a fortnight in nrc room. Rehearsals have begun for our Play Night to be held at the end of the t erm and this year we hope to present our plays to· the school one afternoon. Interesting talks have been given to the Club by Miss Munro and Mr . MacDonaugh of Twelfth Night Theatre. A number of our members took part in ' ' The Dumb ·wife of Cheapside ' ' at the school concert earlier in the year. vVe have bought two Penguin editions of plays which the girls of the bookbinding class have bound for us. We extend our thanks to Miss Munro for the help she has given us during the year. We wish to thank Mrs. Road for typing our parts for us.

Early in June our Group was represented at the All Schools' Conference called to discuss Crusader work in second- ary schools. Those girls who attended the August Crusader Camp had a most enjoyable time. The Grammar Group was a lso represented at the Annual Rally and picnic. We trust that God will continue to bless the meetings in the coming year. -H.\¥.

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DEBATING CLUB NOTES

The Club started this year with a marked increase in members. Meetings have been held regularly throughout the year, and, as well as impromptu speeches, forums and debates taking place, the cycle of Inter-form debates is almost com- pleted. The only debate not yet held is the final between VI and VB which will take place before the whole school after examinations are over. Three Inter-school debates have been contested this year. One was a return debate against the State High School on the subject "That the· Written Wo-rd is Mightier Than the Spoken .Word." This debate was won by the State High team. Two other debates have heen held with the Brisbane Grammar School. Our IV Form team successfully contended "That Secondary Schools Should Be Co-educational,' ' while the Fifth from the Grammar School won the debate on the negative side of the subject "That Mercy-Killing Should be Legalised." It was with regret that the Debating Club learnt that Miss Pat E- rson was no longer able to continue work with the club. Miss Paterson has been associated with the Club since it was reformed in 1952 and in that time the standard of debating l1as risen in the school. We are indebted also to Miss Crooks who has adjudicated for a number of our meetings. We have had a very successful year but hope next year will be even more successful with a better attendance at meetings.

-C.S.B.

-M.W. (VB).

"THE DUMB WIFE OF CHEAPSIDE". 19

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:Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

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Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

December, 1955

SCIENCE CLUB NOTES '·He was one who had an eye for such mysteries.' ' The Science Club has continUE;d successfully during the year, meet- ino·s beino· held every fourth 'l'hursday. Club members have b b . d taken an active part in meE-tings by performing i..nterestmg an novel experiments which vvere enjuyed both by club members and visitors. During the year several guest speakers have bE-en invited, and these spoke on various subjects about which we previou sly knew very little. Among these speakers wtre Professor Ewer, who spoke on ' 'The Domestication of Animals;' ' Dr . vVhite who spoke about ' ' Tr ace Elements,' ' and Mr. Jain, an Indian student who increased our knowledge of "The DE-velopment of Coal:" \'T e greatly appr eciated these informative, interest- ing talks. We were very pleased to htar that two of our girls, Daphne Biggs and Evelyn Clayton, won prizes in the Queens- land Science Contest. We w1sh to thank Miss Crooks, Mrs. Powell and Mrs. Ryland for their assistance and interest throughout tht year. -E. lVLB.

BASKETBALL NOTES The season began with the annual match against the Old Girls which was not only very enjoyable but also gave our new players some match experience. This year the Old Girls' team was not the only one we met outside the fixtures. To keep us in practice during the long delays between matches, Miss Marks invited Indooroopilly and Salisbury State High Schools' teams, the Queensland State Primary School team to play friendly games against us. \Ve were fortunate enough to reach the finals in the A team after some very close matches, but we were defeated by three goals in the match against Commercial High School, which was played on our own grounds in third term. Although the B team did not lose any matches, they failed to reach the finals since they drew twice. The Inter-form Basketball provided great excitement with some extremely close matches, and we heartily congratulate V Form on their ultimate victory. We were very sorry to lose Mrs. Rorke's E-xcellent coach- ing when she left us this year to take up other duties. In her

"B" BASHlET BALL TEAM, 1955. Back Row (left to right) : Patricia Stephenson, Helen Pickburn, Diana jessup, Juanita Turner-Jones. Front Row (left to right) : Glenda Machin, Anne White and Margaret Green (Joint Capts.) 21

"A" BASKET BALL TEAM, 1955. Back Row (Jell to right) : Kay Valle, jill Wetherell, Lucille Kipps, Ann Thomas. Front Row (Jell to right) : Jocelyn Beak, Anne Pickburn (Capt.), Pamela Rogers. 20

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

December, 1955

:Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

December, 1955

place we extend a warm welcome to Miss Marks whose wid€· .experience and untiring interest was responsible for our suc- -cesses. \Ve were very grateful to the regular group of girls who helped to ol'ganize afternoon tea. The results of Inter-school Matches are as follows :- A Team B.G.G.S. v . Stat€ High; won by B.G.G.S. B.G.G.S. v. St. Hilda's; won by B.G.G.S. Final- B.G.G.S. v. Commercial High School; won by Commercial High School. B Team B.G.G.S. v. Ipswich Grammar; won by B.G.G.S. B.G.G.S v. Somerville House; won by B.G.G.S. B.G.G.S. v. St. Margaret 's; won by B.G.G.S. PAMELA ROGERS, goaltr, has been a conscientious team member and has goaled accurately throughout the season. JILL WETHERELJ,, assistant goal er , although very inexperi- enced at the beginning of the season, rapidly became a reliable goaler. Htr court-craft should improve next year. JOCELYN BEAK, attack wing, has combined quick defence with her attack play. Her anticipation of the goaler 's movements resulted in many successful plays. ANN THOMAS, centre, another inexperi€nced newcomer, played steadily, improving in defence towards the end of each match. KAY VALLE, defence wing, played energetically throughout the stason. Her fast attack work was sometim-es even better than her defence. LUCILLE KIPPS, defence assistant goaler, is a solid player. She has used her height to advantage in the defence and h €r attack play is sound. A.P. ANNE PICKBURN, defence goaler, has, as captain, exerted a steadying influence over a new and fairly inexperienced team. She combined well with her other defence players. E.M. ATHLETICS NOTES This year, for the second time, the Inter-school Athletics was held at the Brisbane Cricket Gronnd, where we spent a most enjoyable afternoon. \Ve were placed second in the 22 B.G.G.S v . Ipswich Grammar; won by B.G.G.S. B.G.G.S. v. Somerville House; won by B.G.G.S. B.G.G.S. v. St. Margaret's; draw. B.G.G.S. v. State High; draw. B.G.G.S. v . St. Hilda's; won by B.G.G.S. Criticism of the Team

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December, 1955

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magaz"ne

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

December, 1955

Senior Cup , and tied with Somerville House for the Junior Cup. ln the Stephen's Cup, we were second to Somerville House. Our relay teams performed splE-ndidly, but the results of the ball games showed clearly that if we are to do better next year there will have to be more interest and far better attendances at the practices. \)\T e congratulate Pamela Whittington on winning the Junior Championship. Pamela also won Mrs. Rorke's prize for the best performance in the Inter-form Athlttics. She was a member of the IIID team which won this competition. Second was IVB and VI and V Form tied for third. v\Te were so·rry Mrs. Rorke's additional duties prevented her from coaching the Athletics this season. However, we were very pleased to welcome Miss Marks , and results show that with more support from the school, sht will help us to develop our abilities as far as possible. -A.P. LIFE SAVING NOTES The Life Saving Competition was held after the swimming and our team was placed fourth. Clayfield College won the McWhirter Cup. Our team consisted entirely of new members who, although they worked hard, were hindered by lack of ex- perience. We were able this year to use the boys' swimming pool and this gave us more time and opportunity for practice. Next year two members of the team will be returning and as other people in the school have been practising life-saving it is hoped we will be more successful. However , as some of the methods have changed the new team will have to work hard. Vv e all wish to thank Miss Marks for instructing us and hope that more people will takt an active interest in life-saving next season. -vV.H.

SWIMMING NOTES This year, throughout the school , there has been a general improvement in swimming shown by an increase in the number cf swimmers in tht school and a new interest in swimming· activiti es. This is the result of the substitution of swimming lessons for games periods. These lessons were conducted by Miss Marks and Mrs. Rorke at the boys' pool for the u se of which we are very gratdul. Most of the inter-school training was done at the Valley Baths where the members of the team could practise over long distances and become accustomed to the diving board. Team members co-operated well and the training was consistent. We extend our thanks to Miss Marks for her helpful guidance ancl supervision of our training which resulted in a considerable increase in the numbers in the final team. Seventeen girls re- presented the school at the sports. At the Inter-school swimming the school gained third place, a re~mlt of the contribution of points by the whole team, for in every event a member of the team was placed. Three blues were awarded to Juniors who swam exceptionally well. The Inter-form swimming held at the Boys' Scho·ol was enjoyed by everyone. Competition was keen and the final scores were very close. Sixth form won the Lieutenant-Colonel F. C. Plant Cup, Form 3E won the cup for the Open Relay and cups awarded for individual events were won by Barbara Bell and Judith Baxter. The cups were presented by Miss Lilley. The boarders were well represented in the form teams and their team won the relay against Form~ 3E, the winners o·f the Opell School Relay. New swimming coats are being made for next year's team. These will be a big improvement on the old coats which we have had for over 14 years. -lVI. C.

i

JUDITH FERRY, IVA.

SW:MMJNG AND LIFESAVING TEAMS 1955 S':"'immi.nq: Capt. : Marcia Clayto~. · L~ f f; sav1nq Capt. : Wendy Hamon. 24

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December, 1955

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December, 1955

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magaz;ne

TENNIS NOTES 'l' he tennis season o·pened again this year with our match against the Old Gir ls. The A Grade resulted in a draw and the B and C Grades in wins for the Present Girls. This year for the first t ime we have had a Captain and a Vice-captain over both the A and the B teams instead of a Captain of the A and a Captain of the B, an arrangement which has proved su ccessful. In the inter-school matches, our A team drew with St. Hilda 's in our Zone, but won after two nplays only to be beaten by one game in a closely contested match against Clayfi eld College in the finals. Our B team also did well to win its section but were defeated in the finals, again by Clayfield College. Great interest has been shown in the Inter-form tennis again this year , and there were many closely fought matches with VI Form winning the final round. The school champion- ships are now in progress and although the number of entries is not so great this year, there should be some very interesting matches. In closing, we wish to thank Mr. Moon and Mrs. Rorke for t heir helpful advice and encoura gement throughout the year , and those g·irls who, by their assistance with afternoon teas and their scoring fO'r the matches, helped to make the season as pleasant as it was . -J.E.H. (VI )

RESULTS OF INTER-SCHOOL MATCHES A Team

B.G.G.S. v. I.G.G.S. ; won by B.G.G.S. B.G.G.S. v. Somerville House; won by B.G.G.S. B.G.G.S. v. B.S.H.S.; won by B.G.C.S. B.G.G.S. v. St. Margaret's; won by B.G.G.S. B.G.G.S. v . St. Hilda's; a draw. B.G.G.S. v. St. Hilda's; won by B.G.G.S. F inals- B.G.G.S. v. Clayfi eld College; won by C.C. by one game.

B Team I.G.O.S.; won by B.G.G.S. Somerville House; won by B.G.G.S. B .S.H.S. ; won by B.G.G.S. St. Margaret's; won by B.n .G.S. St. Hilda's ; won by B.G.G.S.

v . v. v. v. v.

B.G.G.S. B.G.G.S. B.G.G.S. B.G .G.S. B.G.G.S. Finals-

B.G.G.S. v. Clayfield College; won by C.C. by 27 games . Criticism of the Team MARGARET TURNER began t he season as a very inexperi- enced player but her desire to learn has made her an excellent t eam member. She covers the court quickly,

"B" TENNIS TEAM, 1955.

Dorothy O'Meara. Anne Melville, Judith Smith, Janice Finlayson. 27

Left to riqht :

"A" TENNIS TEAM, 1955. Left to right: Margaret Stubbs Brown (Vice·Capl.), Margaret Turner, Mary Finlayson, Joyce Hawes (Capt.) 26

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

December, 1955

December, 1955

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

has a good top spin forehand drive ancl voll ey but must improve her backhand. MARY FINLAYSON has played consistently throughout the season. She has a good forehand drive but must impr ove her service and volley. She places the ball well. MARGARET STUBBS-BRO\NN has played consistently throu ghout the season. Her ground shots are sound and she has a good voll ey. She should learn to move to the ball much faster. As vice-captain she has played a big part in keeping the teams practising consistently. JOYCE HAv\TES as captain of the team has been interested and reliable. Joyce is a sound and steady player with a good backhand drive but should learn to select the corr ect ball to hit for a winner. -E. F. MOON.

THE GUM

Blue green in the filtering sun by day, Or black against the sundown's fir e, Or silver-robed 'n eath the dim white ray of the moon, as she glides her ghostly way, While w e stand below, and admire;

Or at morn, when the green leaves glisten with dew, Or clustered , dance in the airy breeze , At all times the gum stands straiglit and true, With green leaves old, and red leaves new ; The loftiest, proudest of trees .

..

- SUZAN ASHTON ( IIIE ) /

(

"THE GUM"

ALEXA TABKE, VI.

SUSAN ASHTON, IIIE.

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December. 1955

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magaz:ne

THE SMILE Cool , sweet, slightly mocking and complttely fascinating, her enigmatic smile has perplexed her lovers down the cen- tu r ies . vVhat was Mona Lisa smiling at when Leonardo da Vinci captured her strange expression in paint, to preserve it for all time~ Why has her lovely face held generations en- tranced, ever since the splendid days of the Medicis ~ Her fin e, dark hair falls softly over her shoulders t hat are white and shapely, and her fine clothing is rich with the splendour of an era long past away. Her calm hands are beautiful in t heir tranquility. The shadowy ravines and hill s of t he background echo her mysterious loveliness. But what makes her ser enity so provocative~ It is her timeless smile. One wonders what thou ghts passed t hrough her mind in f; eonardo 's studio long ago that made her smile like that, as the artist painted slowly. Perhaps she was merely revtl ling in her beauty. There is a li t tle of a rr·ogance and complete know- ledge of her charms in her expression. Perhaps she was enjoy- ing the luxu rious quality of her gown, or thinking of banquets she had been to, where men had crowded round her to pay homage to her heauty, while fiddl ers played and soft-footecl servants decked the tables with f c·od and wine. P erhaps she thought of those who would see her portrait in tirue to come, and wonder wh at sort of a woman she had be&n, and surrender to her loveliness. Maybe she saw the long· procession of her children' s children and their descendants , who would be fo·rgotten, so soon, while she is remembered, and her beauty known to half the civilized world. All else surrounding her life is indistinct with the passage of Hme. She may have been good or bad, we do not know. Only her smile, with its strange quality of awareness, sun ives, and continues to puzzle us, four centuries . after her deat. h. - P. ROGERS (VA) ''THE POOL'' Thick were the vines that hid the dark pool; Steep were the sides of the bank ; Long were the r eeds that choked the ripple That was stirred by the slow, sly eel.

LIFE

At dawn, I saw her A large green glistening dewdrop. Little did I think from within this new-born gem Could blossom forth A rose . As the sun rose, and the green velvet gown Fell to the earth, revealing The tender petals, caressing a golden heart And quivering with happiness , holding her proud head erect, She rejoiced that she was young. The sun rose higher, and the curling edges Of the delicate petals Slowly rolled back to display Her deepening crimson magnificence At the peak of life. But the growing heat This blushing beauty caused to bend Her modest head, and one by one let fall Her rosy drops, the last sign of life , To the brown earth, from whence she sprang.

•

-JUDITH BURNETT (VIA)

No sound; no stir; no breath To burst the silent hours; Only dark; only depths , dark depths of fear; The sinister haunt of the spirits-her e. Ghostly, ghastly and eerie the night When the mist s eeped in through the vine;

And white turned the pool, And grey turned the r eeds , And thick grew the silence there. Then suddenly burst a thunder 31

"THE FORBIDDEN PET"

N. BUCHANAN, IVA.

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Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

December, 1955

Suddenly, one of the drivers cried out and pointed to the l1ills that were like clark fortTess es against the bright sky. As every eye fo llowed his quivering arm each heart missed a lJeat. Silhouetted against the sky was the form of a man on l10rseback, silent and still ; not even his loose flowing garments stirred in the slight evening breeze. At his side hung a terrible keen edged swo'I'd and on one arm was slung a tough, copper studded bull-hide shield. In the other hand he carried a gun, ·one with a long barrel that glinted in the dying rays of the sun. ·On his powerful arms gleamed costly silver amulets. His head was covered with a hooded cloak and his face was hidden by .a thick veil. The horse upon which he sat was as black as midnight with a silken coat that glistened in the sunset. It was a fine animal as majestic and noble looking as the man who rode it, the costly silv&r trappings had a fiery glow and the caryed leather wo-rk was of the finest craftsmanship. Then, slowly, as if by a silent signal, another veiled horse- man appeared against th e horizon, then another, and another 1mtil it seemed they were all around the caravan. Some held rifles, oth ers spears, all wore the same flowing black robes, and keen edged, glistening swords, and still the air was silent and foreboding. A cold shiver went through the caravan, for those hoTse- men were not ordinary desert nomads. They were the veiled Touregs, hawks of the desert, hated and feared by all: fo r these men were without mercy. 1'hey were famous for their prowess in battle and hand to hand combat; they were also 1mown for their treachery and cruelty. After the initial shock, the caravan began to· move on, for it would serve no good purpose to linger. ·with fearful eyes turned always on the motionless figures on the hills, the cara- van recommenced its journey. Slowly, keeping abreast of the little band, the Tour·egs moved with them, silently, slowly, menacing . There was now no- sound of the camel drivers ' singing, for even their animals seemed to sense the danger in the air·. Still the desert ravagers followed, never giving any sign of attacking the party. Then, as suddenly as they had appeared, the Touregs left, leaving only their leader standing motionless against the sky, watching the passage of the small caravan. Then, he, too, dis- appeared as swiftly, as silently, as mysteriously, as he had come. Silver stars studded the velvet blackness of the. sky, and c ooking fires gleamed brightly in the darkne~:;s . Somewhere in the shadowy darkness of night, camel herders sa ng their charges to sleep. 1'he ca ravan vvas at rest ... MARGARET HENDRY (IVA) 33

Of dripping dew upon leaf, Which echoed to the depths of slime And stirred the eel and quivered the r eed And blasted the shattered leaves, Falling in fear to the trembling pool, Bubbling up in a death-while pall, Then silence struck-struck once more , Holding more ter ror than the thunder of Thor. Then faded the mist and th ~ sly eel grew still, And black were the depths of the pool.

) ):

- WENDY POPE ( IVE)

DESERT ENCOUNTER Slowly and peacefully the small caravan wended its way · across the still desert. The sky above was a mass o.f beautiful and exotic colour that only a tropical sunset can produce. The camel drivers sang softly to their charges to keep them moving, for the oasis was not far off and it had to be reached before the sun disappeared below the hot;izon.

1 J

JUDITH PETERSEN, IVA.

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Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

December, 1955

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

December, 1955

HOME COMING

vVe wait. White muscovies art sailing, sailing, swaying into the dream-green dusk, into the long grass where the lost colour of cabbage moths makes pale patches in a sea of translucency. And so there comes a snapping, snapping in the patterned s ilt nce. We wait. To-day tan, cobbled water slid into gloom, spun out again, and threaded itself through bracelets of the sun's hair. Now the ta:r1, cobbled water slides into gloom .... We wait. W'e are silent because it is so wonderful to be lost, hiddtn and receptive in the frail green dusk. V\T e left the house. The lig:hts of the house are bthind us in the dusk, the merciless hot white lights of man. The moths come into the house and are trapped and broken by the vision of light behind glass. Poor little scorched, broken bodies like pieces in a smashed mosaic, a moss coloured, rose-coloured, shining mosaic. But there is no artist to mourn the fall of his creation, at the in- cineration of moths. We wait. The last duck following the flock to camp is almo·st ner- vous i11 her mov0ments. Perhaps the dusk stirs in her some lost, primeval memory of when ducks did not live with men. P erhaps the grass whispers, urges her to return to her stolen h eritag·e-the swamps . .We wait. There's a swamp behind tht hill and we were going there. How often we remembered and longed for that creek smell! It was neither smell of leaf mould nor smell of lantana, but something magic yet earthy warm cr0ated out of the death of basal wood and earth. Once there was an old log in the swamp and it was our boat. On hot singing summer days we moved across the flat, dappled surface between the skimming water-boatsmen. Once-but it do0sn't matter now. Tonight at the house they told us the swamp was drained while we were away. What are we waiting fo·d vVe haven't the cour- age to climb the hill and see the raw bleeding agony of our bn•ken world. vVe think we will go away tomorrow. -ALEXA TABKE (VI) OUR RELATIVES Thos e blessed, or shall we say cursed, with innumerable relatives have at some time or other in the winding course of their lives, had occasion to review and probably r egret them. 35

"CORROBOREE"

M .P., !VF.

W. POPE, !VE.

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Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

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Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

December. 1955·

because he has no one else to turn to and knew that you would be only too glad to o·blige him. Such a person usually has a fatal charm of manner, so that he gradually wins you over to part reluctantly with your hard-won gains. However, in a later and much less mellow mood, you can even find occasion in your generous heart to· wish that you did not possess such a relative. Still, I always have a sneaking admiration for people who are a ble to pierce someone 's hard crust of possessiveness and make l1im contribute towards the maintenance of their pleasures. These are but a few of one's choice relatives, and I am sure that you can think of many more who are your pet aver- sions, and are also in your jaundiced eyes, a necessary evil but one which you could well do without. Certainly there are p eople happy in their choice of relatives . To these, who, I am sure, are far and few between, I give my best wishes and ex- tend to them a hearty admiration for such go·od luck and woncl erfully good taste on their part. -TAN JOO LEE (VB) SHIP Nearer it comes, Its throbbing engines in the distance Ever growing nearer: Round the bend And into view The muddy slothful water churned to foam: In its wake The sea-birds, Their voices blending strangely with the ship: I see the people on her, Hear their voices shrill across the river: The waves Splashing dully on the old stone wall, Now softy, Softly, Fading into nothing . .. The ship has passed. -JUDITH WADDINGTON (VIA) EVENSONG

Of course, it is not one's fault that they can be acquired witll such astonishing rapidity. Practically every baby is born with that handicap which looms up as large and unavoidable as its own fate, right from the beginning as they stand round its cradl e in a pretence of enthusiastic admiration. . There is that dear, s·weet Aunt Milly who knits a perfect httle set o_f blue baby clothes when one 's mother has already done one m blue and been given another in pink. She says. with the sweetest little smile and a genteel flutter of the eye- lashes that it won't matter if they're not right this time; after all, the next time, it might be a boy. All through life then, she knits multi-coloured jumpers that are usually too large altogether, whence one gives them to some destitute children's. fund, thereby experiencing a glow o.f charity and unselfishness: mingled with a f eeling of relief at having got rid of that striped horror. Aunt Milly receives a l etter from her very dear neice or nephew, telling her that that beautifully colour- ful jumper was all that was needed tc make that Christmas. warm and really happy. She murmurs through her t ender tears that really, she has such grateful relatives and must remember to knit another just like it for dear John (or dear Mary) again. Then there is the stern disciplinarian grandfather who· fought during the Boer vVar as a young man and cannot for- get that he was born and bred in the era of stern fathers who ruled their children and homes with rods of iron. As soon as. he enters the house, an oppressive atmosphere of strait-lacecl army discipline settles over it. His eagle eyes shine with a disapproving gleam and the inevitable little speech issues from his tightly drawn mouth. "Really, the way these modern children behave. You'd think they owned the world. Now, in my young days, the father was really master of the home and the children were always well-behaved and obedient. I de- finitely think you should assert your authority more, son.' ' That always leaves one with the thought that that time must have been intolerably dull with all those angelic children, and really, grandfather, you shouldn't admit to having be- longed to such an antique era. It puts you in the class of ali out-of-date old fossils belonging to a faraway and dusty past. In every family, there must be a black sheep somewhere and if you happen to have a particularl y dark one of a mid~ night hue for a relative, that is just your bad taste and lack of forethought in electing to belong to such a family. All through your life , he will turn up like the proverbial bad penny asking for that loan, always the last one and always 36

The sleepy yawls at vespers softly lay, The water lapped along the quiet quay, The sun retreated o'er her rippled way, And peaceful lay St. Ives upon the sea. The dying light its last, long, lingering touch It left upon the sails, caressing them. The fading glories in the west were such That oniy God could paint the way of them. By day, upon the tumbling, joyful sea The fishermen caug.ht their silvery shining ware; And to and fro their boats went merrily. Upon the gleaming wastes they had no care; 37