Grammar Gazette_Issue1_2025

ZOE McELWAINE (12G) AND ABIGAIL BUCK (12H) HEAD GIRLS

From the Head Girls Cherish the royal blue: past, present and new

Our first value is gratitude . We have come so far as a School in 150 years, and for all our buildings which house every passion possible, our teachers who always want the best for us, and of course our fellow Grammar girls, we are so lucky. Our second value is pride . We, as a School, care a lot about our spirit. Whether it be cheering until you lose your voice at carnivals, or painting your face blue at QGSSSA events, we are proud to be Grammar girls. And so, in such a significant year, we should not only be grateful for what we have, but proud that we have it—for our legacy, for 150 years of Girls Grammar. level and the entire School, but it is important to remember that so many Grammar girls have come before us, and so many will come after us. So, this year is especially important to reflect on the wider Grammar community— everyone who has been lucky enough to don the royal blue ribbon. You know what they say: once a Grammar girl, always a Grammar girl. With these values in mind, our 2025 BGGS motto is ‘Cherish the royal blue: past, present and new.’ With this year being the 150th, we want to cherish what we have and what we have had for the past century and a half, representing our gratitude and pride. Royal blue, synonymous with Girls Grammar, aligns with ‘past, present and new’ to represent the connections we have and can grow within this very special community. We are all a part of history this year, and we hope that our motto allows us all to be grateful and proud of that fact, and to connect with the community that our history is all about. Our last value is connections . We want to foster relationships within each Year

This year is the 150th anniversary of Brisbane Girls Grammar School—the sesquicentenary year. But what does that mean? In March 1875, Brisbane Girls Grammar School was established as an experiment inspired by the forward thinking of Sir Charles Lilley—because a girls’ school was unheard of. And so, this year represents one and a half centuries since then, and we are no longer that little experiment. We represent 150 years of revolutionising

girls' education; 150 years of inspiring women and giving them opportunities; 150 years of girls, like ourselves, being fortunate enough to go to this School. To be Head Girls in such a significant year is both daunting and exciting, but with the support of our Student Council and Grammar sisters by our side, we feel excited by the opportunity. On the very first days of the holidays, we embarked on a student council retreat where we created our vision and decided on the 2025 student motto. But, like tackling our final year of school, this was to be no quick process. Before our motto, which represents ‘what’ our vision is, we needed to work out ‘why’ we were even implementing this vision in the first place. The inspiration for the why was found in three things we value.

Above Brisbane Girls Grammar School Head Girls 2025 Zoe McElwaine (12G) and Abigail Buck (12H)

GAZETTE • ISSUE 1, 2025 |

Brisbane Girls Grammar School

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