Objects of Substance - OGA Badge

Connections for life: the OGA celebrates 125 years with a special badge. What is a badge? Why are they popular? What do they say? Badges date back to medieval times when knights wore coats of arms representing their specific allegiances. They were public announcements of commitment and faithfulness. Similarly, in 2024, Grammar girls wear their School and House badges to school every day to proclaim their personal sense of loyalty.

The OGA 2024 Celebratory Badge

The Girls Grammar School badge is an iconic part of our uniform. Whilst I cannot clearly remember pinning my own badge for the first time, I do recall the pride in pinning it on for my daughter, Samantha Caton (2016). Many past graduates still retain their own badges as it symbolises their connection to the School. Old girl staff members often wear their own badges on their academic gowns, frequently accompanied by royal blue ribbon. Whilst handmade or die-cast, alloy or silver, the historic design has remained essentially original and true to its origins.

The OGA membership badge since 1927.

The Old Girls Association (OGA) badge, like the School badge, is faithful to its original design. Archival notes from the Brisbane Girls Grammar School Magazine in 1927 state that the badge design and production was approved, with the badge being issued at a cost of three shillings and sixpence to the fee-paying members of the Association. The design incorporates the silver School badge inside a royal blue circle. The symbolism of the inclusive royal blue circle is very powerful. Inside the circle is the silver inscription – B · G · G · S (top), O · G · A (bottom). This special and meaningful badge is now gifted by the OGA to graduating students at the Valedictory Dinner each year to recognise their commencement as Grammar Women and signalling a lasting bond.

2021 Keyring and OGA Badge gifted to all Year 12 students at the Valedictory Dinner.

The only other appearance of the OGA badge design was as a blazer pocket. At the 17 April OGA Committee meeting in 1934, a letter to the Committee was tabled from Miss Madge Fryday (1924), suggesting an OGA blazer. This request was considered by the OGA, but progress was slow with Miss Jessie Stephenson (1922), the OGA Honorary Secretary and Treasurer, making three recommendations in her 1934 report for the School magazine. Number 3 of these recommendations was “that an O.G.A. blazer be decided upon, available to members.” (BGGS December magazine 1934 p51)

The 1949 OGA President, Jessie Stephenson (1922)

With this clear Jessie Stephenson instruction, a pocket was designed and submitted. This design was an exact representation of our Old Girls’ badge. It appears that this blazer with the embroidered pocket was well received by past pupils as the 1936 Annual Report reads, “ The Sports coat has

maintained its popularity and twenty-three orders have been issued during the year.”(OGA AGM 1936) One assumes that these blazers were worn by old girls to matches where Girls Grammar old girls played the current school teams in netball and tennis and when fixtures were held under the auspices of the Queensland Girls’ Secondary Schools’ Club which was formed by the various affiliated Old Girls’ Associations.

Bessie Phillips’ (1921) OGA pocket.

The Archive collection has one example of the OGA pocket which adorned the blazer. The pocket belonged to Bessie Phillps, Head Girl in 1921, donated by her daughter-in-law, Carmel Boyle, in 2002.

1921 Sixth Form Back: Marjorie Elliott, Marjorie Park, Jessie Stephenson, Kathleen Weare, Ellen Doak.

Front: Elfrida Walsh, Bessie Phillips, Alexia Drake, Lyle Johnson

At the end of 2023, the OGA Committee decided to update the OGA branding in honour of the upcoming 125 th anniversary. It was unanimously decided that the elegant OGA metal membership badge should remain the same design for generations to come. However, the committee approved a celebratory badge which would be reminiscent of the badges frequently created by the Student Council for significant events such as Blue Days and Valentine’s Days. In the words of Madeleine Allbright, Former United States Secretary of State, “Pins need not cost a king’s or queen’s ransom to be fun.” (Allbright, 2009, p.23) – or carry a meaningful message! After being presented with three new OGA logos, the committee decided to endorse the added words of ‘Connections for Life’ on 13 September 2023 on the 2024 celebratory badge. The company entrusted with the production of this “once off” badge was Australia Wristbands, the original OGA badge having been made by A.J. Parkes for many years. One of the primary goals of the OGA is to facilitate an enduring connection between Grammar Women and their School. This very special connection does not have an expiry date: “You can take the girl out of Grammar, but you can’t take the Grammar out of the girl!” It is unique and omnipresent. In this momentous year of our 125 th birthday, the OGA Committee voted to gift all current students the unique OGA badge to recognise the Association’s proud traditions, committed service, and historical significance.

After a special school assembly on May 15, every Grammar girl was given a ‘Connections for Life’ badge when they went to allocated House areas around the School for a piece of the OGA Celebration cakes. Significantly, each badge was handed to them by a current OGA Committee member. Girls were encouraged to pin this to their OGA-designed calico book bag to remind them of their Grammar sisters before them and to know that the Grammar sisterhood is an extraordinary connection for life.

15 May 2024, Julie Caton (Cleghorn, 1981) gifts Hirschfeld girls with the OGA Celebratory Connections for Life Badge.

Julie Caton (Cleghorn, 1981) President, BGGS OGA

Pauline Harvey-Short (Harvey, 1971) School History and Culture Manager

2024 Ann Caston (Pressland, 1958) shares a 125-year celebratory moment with Mackay girls.

2023 Members of the OGA Committee: Michelle Tully (Oswin 1981) Ann Caston (Pressland 1958), Andrea Connolly (Peake 1981), Kim Morgan-Short (Skuse 1981), Carolyn Dimento (de Hayr 1981), Jenny Gray (Vallis 1969), Samantha Caton (2016), Julie Caton (Cleghorn 1981), Leigh Fielding (Gow 1984). Absent: Sylvia Pegg (Gralton 1965), Susan Jordan (Squire 1967), Dorothy Bourguignon (Scotney 1958), Tori Cardell-Ree (Cardell 1991) Susan Walker (1995), Katie Allan (1988), Nikki Lambert (Pantges 1985) .

References Allbright, M. (2009) Read my Pins. HarperCollins, New York. BGGS Magazines 1921, 1934, 1936, 1949 BGGS OGA Annual Report 1936 Caton, Julie Email correspondence 02.04.2024.