June 1950 School Magazine

June, 1950

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

June, 1950

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

CURRENT EVENTS 1950 welcomed a record number of new girl s who are now happily settled into the routine of secondary school life. As our Foundation Day fa lls during the Christmas vaca- tion, we observed it as usual on the day the Boys' Grammar School celebrated their anniversary, February 28th. The Life Saving, in which only five Schools participated, was held towards the end of March. We were not very successful in this event and the McWhirter Cup went once more to Clayfield College; but undeterred, we p ractised steadily and gained a gratify ing fourth place in the Inter-School Swimming Carnival on the l st April. Congratulations, Somerville House and Clayfield College on the high standard maintained by your swimmers. We were privileged to be at the presentation of the Thallon Medal by Mr. Maloney to Bernice Cornwell who won this as a result of her high Junior pass. We were visited by Maris King, an old g irl of the SchooL who gave a most interesting talk on China, where she is stationed as a member of the Diplomatic Corps. Maris spoke of the limited freedom of foreigners in Japan and of the un- healthy living conditions of the Chinese peasantry. Maris has visited the School on various occasions and we hope that it will not be long before we see her again. The first social event of our second term was Old Girls' Day, a very pleasant occasion and re-union for past and present pupils, both of whom gave strong competition in the matches which, however, were brought to an untimely end by the rain. The sports training routine is now well in progress with athletics, tennis and basketball all keenly represented. Our clubs and lectures, held on alternate Friday afternoons, p ro- vide most informative diversion, the speakers in particular giving rise to new and varied streams of thought. We are very grateful to Mrs. Wragge who gave us an animated talk on the art of mime and its practical uses; to Mr. Speake who told us about the provisional side of the Coral Sea battle; and to Mr. Campl:::ell for his interesting lecture on Australian art, and art in general. Sixth Form would also like to extend its gratitude to Monsieur Frobelius, who has greatly increased its versatility in the French language by his weekly lectures. Happily for many of us the g reat screen production of Henry V was refilmed and we know that those who saw it for a second or third time enjoyed, as much as appreciated, its fine production more than those who saw it for the first time . 16

LyPic Prize, 1949

A SUMMER NIGHT

Night has flown across the heavens And from her shoulders streams Her many-folded mantle Of d usk, and clouds , and dreams. Here she fixed the moon to clasp it And g liding on afar Jus t behind a cloud she draped it And caught it w ith a star. Close behind, her maiden Slumber, With a dim but liberal hand, Spreads her magic sleeping potion, Mixed in stardust, o'er the land . Wakeful only is a choir Whose song does upwards rise; From the d reaming creek it murmurs, Where the weeping-willow sighs. Out of aullies laced with bracken Com,;s the level, ceaseless drone; Now a strange harmonious chorus, Now one voice, shrill a nd lone. Gravely pipes the earth -bound cr~cket From h is murky, shadowed l01r; Softly hums the gilded beetle Where the fire-fly shows his flare. And from dank and clammy regions Deep within the misty marsh Solemn, earnest, stern and steady, Come the bull-frogs' voices harsh . Breath of Night is in the flowers Deep with scent and warm with balm, Where the leaves are turned to silver In the moonlight clear and calm. In the silence born of slumber, She works soundlessly but well, Soothes away the sins of daylight With the wonder of her spell.

l

Every wound and sullying blemish Which the weary day has brought-

All the scars of bitter warfare, All the struggles come to nought. 17