Grammar Gazette_Issue1_2025

MS JACINDA EULER WELSH PRINCIPAL

names grace our buildings, awards and classrooms, but also many others whose legacies endure in less visible but equally profound ways. The Lilley Oration invited us to reflect on this remarkable history, while the Staff Celebration in January was an opportunity to thank current teaching and professional staff, who build on that heritage every day. On a truly special Foundation Celebration Weekend in March, City Hall was illuminated for our 150 Year Anniversary Ball. The following day we welcomed the Girls Grammar community, including former students, to the Spring Hill main campus for an afternoon of historical talks, personal reflections and musical performances, with a stunning fireworks display as the finale. The weekend concluded on Sunday with a nostalgic Boarders’ Brunch. In what is a very special, long-standing connection, our OGA Volunteers were part of the Foundation Day Celebrations too (see photos from the weekend on pages 4-7). an honour to read the stories of 150 Grammar Women chronicled on the Alumnae Stories page of our website. Each is a glimpse into the many lives of Grammar Women, from a crime-scene investigator, to renowned musicians, screenwriters, surgeons, judges and even a vintner. As we continue into the second half of our sesquicentenary year, I hope that you too can find time to reflect on your own story and connection to Girls Grammar. Whether a past student, parent, staff member, or valued supporter of our wider Grammar community, you have each played an integral role in shaping the history and future of this School, and for that we sincerely thank you. In this historic year, it’s not just the story of the School we celebrate. It’s been

From the Principal A century and a half of history woven through thousands of personal stories

Over the past 150 years, more than 23 000 girls have walked through the gates of Brisbane Girls Grammar School and emerged as Grammar Women, each with a story worth sharing. Our School has a long and proud history of educating and elevating women in Queensland. While, as an educational institution, we often look to the future, with a deliberate eye on preparing students for what is to come in their lives beyond school, it is milestone years such as this that prompt a deep reflection on what has passed. In the Third Lilley Oration, presented in January, Past Chair of the Board of Trustees, Ms Elizabeth Jameson AM (Head Girl, 1982), made an observation that seemed particularly poignant. She said that while it was Sir Charles Lilley, former Premier and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland, who publicly championed girls’ education, there were many dedicated, but often unheralded women who did the same behind the scenes.

‘As we enter our sesquicentenary year, are we really expected to accept meekly that the School’s founders were all men? Of course not. Just that the visible ones were.’ —Ms Elizabeth Jameson AM Among the many women to whom Ms Jameson paid tribute were: Sarah Jeays, whose name is attached to the Lady Lilley Gold Medal; Kathleen Mitford Lilley, Sarah’s granddaughter and the School’s longest-serving Principal; Janet O’Connor, BGGS’s first Lady Principal—who simply would not tolerate the oversight of the ‘Branch School for Girls’; and Sophia Beanland, the first Principal to report directly to a BGGS Board of Trustees. Throughout the first half of 2025, we have experienced both significant events and quiet moments of reflection—opportunities to honour those whose contributions have shaped the School in lasting ways. These are not only individuals whose

Above Principal Jacinda Euler Welsh, Zoe McElwaine (12G), Abigail Buck (12H) and Chair, Board of Trustees, Julie McKay (2000)

| GAZETTE • ISSUE 1, 2025

Brisbane Girls Grammar School

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