Mollison Cup

Physics and Chemistry. To quote School historian, Helen Penrose, “An outstanding scholar, she won university exhibitions in Anatomy, Physiology and Botany. Graduating with a Master of Science in 1917. Her first teaching post was at Brisbane Girls Grammar School.” (Penrose, 2023)

In Essie Mollison’s acceptance letter to the BGGS Trustees, dated 8 February 1916, she states:

Miss Mollison’s acceptance Letter dated 8 February 1916.

The School Trustees’ Minutes state that Miss Mollison B.Sc. would receive “£120 resident 3 months’ notice on either side. To take effect in March from the date of taking up duty.” (Trustees Minutes January 1916) It appears that, as well as her Grammar responsibilities, she also gained her Masters degree while employed at the School. As Assistant Mistress, Essie was expected to teach her allotted subjects, Senior Botany, Physiology, and Biology as well as perform “any teaching work as the Head Mistress requires”, and it appears that these duties included co-ordinating athletics, where Eleanor Hart (1919), Basket Ball captain and Assistant Honorary Secretary of the BGGS Sports Committee, thanked her for “giving up so much time to us”. Although there is no evidence of Essie being involved in school sport at PLC, sports were an integral part of the PLC curriculum and, as an intelligent, strong leader, she no doubt saw their value to young women. It appears she was a charismatic teacher introducing fieldwork trips to her Botany classes when “chalk and talk” was de rigueur in the classroom. Her success as a teacher is evident when it was believed that Head Mistress, Annie Mackay, used Essie Mollison’s high standards set in Science as the benchmark for the hiring of subsequent Science staff and recorded in Trustees’ Minutes was that her resignation was accepted “with regret”.